Chapter 105 - A Nostalgic Taste
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When I returned home, the women had already started preparing the food in the kitchen.
Not only Flora and Kurune, who could cook, but even Aisha, who wasn't good at it, was being forced to help.
That said, all Aisha was doing was cutting the boiled snap peas.
As expected, unlike the radishes, these didn't seem difficult to cut.
Though her hand movements were a bit awkward.
"I'm back. Toak's coming later too."
"What about the soup?"
I said as I approached the kitchen so as not to startle them, and Aisha asked that question.
She probably meant, 'Is Toak properly bringing a soup dish?'
"As expected, he was making a delicious-looking mushroom soup."
"Then, fine."
When I told her properly, Aisha nodded after some consideration.
"Aisha, if you're done with the snap peas, please do the radishes next."
"Eeh, why are you giving me such a troublesome one. I want to do something easier like peeling Sheil or cutting other vegetables."
"Because the other vegetables are already finished being cut."
"Eh!? Aren't you two's processing speeds a bit too fast? You finished everything while I was cutting the snap peas!?"
Just as Flora said, looking at the kitchen, the harvested Sheil and other vegetables for the salad were already all cleaned, processed, and in bowls.
Once Aisha finished cutting the radishes, the salad would be complete.
"Fufun, the wifely power between us and Aisha is different."
"Wifely power, huh. You say that, Kurune, even though you lie around at home using magic and sloppily hog the sofa."
Kurune had been puffing out her chest provocatively, but she froze upon hearing the words Aisha muttered.
"Eh? Is that so? Kurune-san—Kurune, you don't look like the type to do such a thing."
"T-that's right. Honestly, Aisha, don't say weird things! H-here, I'll help you cut the radishes!"
"Oh, really? That's a help."
Ahaha, Kurune was quite proper outside, but inside the house or in private, she was quite lazy and sloppy. That was something all the party members were aware of, but judging by Kurune's attitude, it seemed better to keep it a secret for her. She probably had her pride.
At any rate, the cooking seemed to be already rotating among the three of them, and there was no need for me to force myself to help here.
Flora seemed to be frying the cut boar meat and snap peas in a frying pan. There was nothing left to cut.
"Well then, can I leave this to you? I'll go gather the cleaning supplies."
"I understand. Please do."
"Eeeh, only Aldo gets to slack off."
"Now, Aisha. If you look away, you'll cut your finger."
As I moved away from the living room at Flora's request, I could hear Aisha's complaints and Kurune's voice scolding her.
Hahaha, sorry. In exchange, I'll properly prepare the cleaning supplies, so forgive me.
◆
"Let's see... there it is. Where was the brush?"
"Aldo-san, breakfast is ready."
While I was looking for cleaning supplies in the storage room, Flora came in.
"Ah, Flora. Where were the new rags again?"
"If it's rags, they're in the bottom of the chest."
When I opened the bottom of the chest as Flora said, there were rags inside.
As expected of Flora. She seemed to have a perfect grasp of where everything was placed.
"Thanks. I've gathered most of the cleaning supplies now."
"I see. I think this much should be enough."
Rags, a broom, a dustpan, a bucket, a brush, and soap. This much equipment should be sufficient. It wasn't that far from Kurune's house, so if we ran short, we could just come back and get more.
After gathering the cleaning supplies, I returned to the living room with Flora.
When we entered the living room, the prepared dishes were lined up on the table, and not only Kurune and Aisha, but also Toak, who had arrived late, were seated.
"Oh, Aldo. Sorry for the intrusion."
"Yeah, welcome, Toak."
"Listen to this, Aldo. This guy came in right at the moment breakfast was finished, you know? Wasn't he clearly aiming for that?"
"Shut up, I brought soup, so it's fine. Don't act all high and mighty when you probably only cut some vegetables."
Aisha and Toak immediately started bickering.
By now, it seemed to be a familiar sight for Flora and Kurune as well; they were just watching with wry smiles.
They must have reached the enlightenment that it was best to just let them do as they pleased.
Having reached the same enlightenment, I didn't particularly intervene, washed my hands, and sat in my seat.
On the table were dishes like snap peas with butter, sweet and spicy stir-fry of boar meat and snap peas, cream salad with Sheil and radishes, and bread. Along with that was the delicious-looking mushroom soup that Toak had brought.
"Here is your soup, Aldo-san."
"Thank you."
I thanked Flora, who was sitting next to me, as she served the soup.
It was nothing special, but this small kindness felt heartwarming.
Perhaps because of the appetizing aroma, I was already famished.
"Alright, alright, the food is ready, so the play-fighting is over, you two."
""Who's play-fighting!""
Kurune admonished the two just as I took my seat. No matter how you looked at it, it was play-fighting.
If I poked at it too much, they'd probably start bickering again, so let's move on to eating quickly.
Surely they were both just irritable because they were hungry.
"Well then, shall we eat?"
When I said that once everyone was ready, Aisha and Toak began eating the food in silence.
The fact that they both suddenly became quiet once they started eating made me, Flora, and Kurune laugh softly in spite of ourselves.
"I think I'll start with the butter-sautéed snap peas."
"As I thought, your hand would go there first."
"It has such a nice buttery scent."
It seemed that thought wasn't just mine, but Flora's and Kurune's as well.
Yes, this thing in front of us had been emitting a fragrant buttery smell for a while now, constantly stimulating our stomachs.
It couldn't be helped that we were drawn to it.
I pierced a boiled snap pea, which had turned a deep green, with a fork and brought it to my mouth.
It had the crunchy texture unique to snap peas, and the sweetness of the beans and the flavor of the soaked-in butter were released.
"Ah, this natural sweetness is irresistible."
"It feels like the taste of simple vegetables."
It wasn't a particularly flashy taste, but that was what made it good.
"Since the snap peas had plenty of sweetness, I tried to use a little less butter."
"That's the secret to this perfect sweetness. Once I can live in my house, I'll try making it myself."
"...Come to think of it, Kurune, you could cook reasonably well, couldn't you?"
Hearing Kurune's murmur, Aisha, who had been eating the boar meat heartily, reacted overtly.
She probably thought that once Kurune had a house, she'd have another place to take refuge or eat meals in times of need.
"I can, but don't come over to eat or hang out every single day, okay?"
"I-I know."
When Kurune laid down the law, Aisha replied while averting her gaze.
Ah, this was the kind of thing where she'd definitely be staying over for a while.
It seemed Aisha really was thinking that.
Lately, I've started to understand what Aisha is thinking a bit, which gives me mixed feelings.
After eating some snap peas, next was the Sheil and radish salad.
The Sheil leaves were carefully peeled off one by one. I piled radishes and cut tomatoes on top and stuffed my mouth. The crunchy, substantial texture of the Sheil was fun, and the moisture containing the umami of the vegetables burst forth. The sharp spiciness of the radishes, the acidity of the tomatoes, and the flavor of the cream sauce mixed with them to create an exquisite balance of taste.
After enjoying the Sheil salad, next was the soup Toak had brought.
Many types of mushrooms were floating in the bowl, and all of them had a rich aroma.
As if enticed by that scent, I first took a sip of the soup.
The umami drawn out from the mushrooms was simply delicious.
"It's amazing. Even though you put in so many mushrooms, the aroma and taste are well-integrated."
"Yeah, because I pay attention to the combination of mushrooms. If you just put them in randomly, the flavors and tastes will clash with each other."
Toak spoke somewhat happily after being praised by Flora.
As usual, he liked to be particular about these fine details. Was that a personality trait due to being a furniture craftsman?
"For something that looks plain at first glance, it's delicious."
"Don't call it plain."
It was rude, but I almost found myself agreeing with Aisha's words.
Toak's soup was by no means flashy, but it was delicious.
It was a happy thing to be able to drink Toak's soup from the morning.
I wasn't Aisha, but I savored the soup while feeling glad that I had invited Toak.
After eating a fair amount of soup, I reached for the boar meat I hadn't touched yet.
I put it in my mouth along with a small piece of snap pea.
The taste of the meat entwined with a sweet and savory sauce. It seemed a faint amount of spice had been sprinkled on it, and a sharp, stimulating taste came as an accent.
This was a strong flavor. Did Flora make this? It was rare for her to use such seasoning.
"This is a bit spicy."
"It becomes just right if you eat it with bread."
When I spoke up in surprise, Kurune said that.
As told, when I tore off some bread and ate it together, it was neutralized by the sweetness of the wheat.
What was it? This taste that made me feel strangely nostalgic...
"It somehow tastes similar to what I used to eat at stalls during my adventurer days, it's nostalgic."
"Right—! You get a sudden craving for this kind of strong seasoning, don't you?"
When I happened to voice my impression, Kurune said so happily.
"Yeah, it's nostalgic to eat it after a long time. Did you do the seasoning, Kurune?"
"Yes, I did the seasoning. I just suddenly wanted to eat this kind of stall food."
No wonder it hit the spot for an adventurer.
Basically, laborers and adventurers in the city move a lot and sweat. Therefore, at stalls for adventurers, many things with a bit of saltiness or a punchy flavor like this sweet and savory taste were sold.
When returning from an adventure, replenishing tools, or requesting maintenance for weapons, I often ate such things while walking in the city.
"Even knowing the taste of the sauce and spices is too strong, it's an addictive taste. I like this kind of flavor too."
"It's fine once in a while, but if I had to eat it frequently, I'd be done for."
Aisha liked these strong flavors too, but Toak didn't care for such heavy seasoning. That was clear if you drank Toak's soup.
"K-Kurune, is there a secret to this seasoning?"
Flora asked somewhat eagerly. For some reason, Kurune looked at me and grinned when asked.
"Just simmer the sauce more than usual and sprinkle some spicy spices on it, that's enough. After that, if you leave it soaking in the sauce overnight, the flavor will seep in. I still have some spices left, so I'll share some with you."
"Thank you very much!"
Saying that, Kurune handed a jar of spices to Flora. So she kept such seasonings on hand so she could eat them anytime.
I felt a little regretful, wondering if I should have found and brought such ingredients or spices while I was coming here.
"With this, I can make it for Aldo-san anytime."
However, such thoughts were immediately dissipated by Flora's smile and words.
I'm thinking it would be nice if I could update at a stable pace of once or twice a week.