Chapter 21 - Various Smiles
"It's done!"
Toak brought the piping hot pot to the table, as the vegetable soup seemed to be finished.
Aisha, Flora, and I had already laid out the tableware and were seated, so we could finally dig into the feast.
"You're late for just vegetable soup."
"Shut up. It's delicious, so it's fine, isn't it?"
"That's right, Aisha will be convinced once she eats it too."
Since the delicious-looking meat lined up in front of us had been on hold for so long, I could understand Aisha's feeling of wanting to complain.
"If you say I'll know once I eat it, that means you two also snuck a bite, right?"
""It was a taste test.""
Toak and Flora's voices overlapped at Aisha's words.
"Aisha and I were also just tasting, so I think it's okay to increase the amount of roast and steak on our plates."
Yes, perhaps as punishment for sneaking a bite, the number of roast beef and steak slices on Aisha's and my plates had been reduced.
Even though we had only done a taste test, wasn't this punishment a bit too severe?
"That's right, that's right."
Aisha nodded in agreement with my words.
Though I thought a reduction in sentence would be impossible for Aisha, since she had eaten three steaks and one slice of roast.
There were only three steaks on Aisha's plate. It was because she did a sneak bi... taste test four times, even though she had to take some home for her family.
"No. That exceeded the scope of a taste test."
Flora, sitting across from me, rejected it with a bright smile.
Flora's smile was soft, but ever since we snuck a bite, it had somehow been different from usual. It felt like she was angry for some reason.
Her tone was polite, but there was a thorn in it somewhere.
Was sneaking a bite something so unforgivable to Flora?
Setting aside Aisha who ate four pieces, I didn't think she was such a short-tempered girl that she'd get angry over just one piece being shoved into my mouth...
"Guh...! Flora, I'm sorry about earlier! I've known Flora for nine—"
"M-My, Aisha is hopeless, isn't she! I ate some yesterday too, so I'll share some with you!"
In the middle of Aisha's sentence, Flora stood up vigorously and hurriedly started sharing her steak with Aisha.
It was rare for Flora to raise her voice like that.
I was curious about the rest of Aisha's sentence, but since nothing good ever came of a man prying into women's conversations, I decided not to worry about it.
While Flora carefully moved the steak to Aisha's plate, Toak poured the vegetable soup into the bowl-shaped dishes.
Aisha stared intently at Toak and said,
"...Toak. You look more handsome than usual today."
"Yeah, yeah, thanks for that. Here, vegetable soup."
"...Hey, I praised you, but the amount is small."
"It's because your heart wasn't in your words. Here, Aldo. Lend me your bowl."
I see, so if I praised Toak with all my heart, I'd get a large serving.
"...Toak. Today you are even more dignifi—"
"Stop. It's disgusting."
I tried to praise him with all my heart, but Toak found it creepy.
Indeed, this wasn't a line a man should say to another man. I'd stop.
When I received the bowl of vegetable soup that Toak had given a normal serving, he poured it into Flora's bowl in the same way.
I felt like Aisha's bowl had the most in it, but I decided not to say anything.
With this, the menu was complete: the venison roast I made, Aisha's steak, Flora's sauté and red wine stir-fry, and Toak's vegetable soup.
The sight of four types of venison plated on their respective round dishes was impressive. I was at a loss as to which one to start with.
Only hunters would be able to eat this much meat in the village.
In addition, there was bread, the red wine Aisha had given me, an assortment of vegetables, and Pico Fruit and Kuku Fruit gathered in the mountains.
Once the preparations for the meal were finished and Toak sat down next to me, everyone's gaze turned toward me at once.
They must be telling me, as the host, to say something.
"Well then, let's eat. This is a token of my gratitude for all your help, so please eat your fill. I look forward to working with you from now on!"
"...Yeah."
"Keep hunting more and more prey, okay?"
"I look forward to working with you too."
After each of them said those words, we picked up our forks.
Since I had already tasted the roast, I started with Flora's sauté, which I was looking forward to the most.
When I plunged my fork into the meat, it went in easily. This alone told me how tender the meat was. Venison would get tough if overcooked, after all.
While feeling impressed as usual in my heart, I brought the sauté to my mouth.
Then, when I bit into it, the flavors of salt, pepper, and herbs spread through my mouth all at once.
The moist texture and the perfect amount of springy resistance. The more I chewed, the more the natural sweetness of the meat seeped out, giving me the realization that I was being allowed to eat meat.
Perhaps thanks to the seasoning and letting it sit overnight, there was no gaminess at all.
"Ah, it's delicious."
"A-Ah, thank you very much."
When I muttered that with deep emotion, Flora smiled bashfully.
It wasn't a mask-like smile like before; I could tell it was a smile from the heart, which relieved me.
The expression she wore when her cooking was praised, with a shy smile on her face, was very lovely.
I didn't really know the reason she was angry, but as I thought, the Flora with a truly happy expression was the best.
While I was looking at Flora with my cheeks loosened, Flora brought the roast I made to her small mouth.
I had confirmed the taste myself, but I became a bit anxious when it came to having someone as good at cooking as Flora eat it.
"Ah, it's tender. The level of doneness is just right."
My anxiety seemed to be groundless, as Flora let out those words while holding her hand to her mouth.
I felt relieved hearing those words.
Then, when I directed a peering gaze,
"It's delih-shus."
"The meat isn't tough either, and the seasoning is just right."
Aisha said while her mouth was full of roast, and Toak said while chewing thoroughly.
Seeing Toak, who wasn't expressive, wearing a soft expression, I could tell he liked it quite a bit.
It really felt good to cook something yourself and have someone eat it deliciously.
Just watching them put it in their mouths with such relish made my chest feel warm.
"Hey, Aisha. The steak you made is a bit tough? Isn't it overcooked?"
"Is that so? I like it about this tough, you know?"
Listening to the conversation between those two, I also brought the steak Aisha made to my mouth.
When I chewed, the meat juices burst out. The toughness of the meat was a bit on the firm side, but since it was satisfying to eat, people who liked that might indeed like it.
Since it was a simple seasoning of salt and pepper and wasn't a heavy taste, I could eat as much as I wanted.
"I like this toughness too."
"See?"
Hearing my words, Aisha puffed out her chest proudly.
"I prefer it tender."
"Yes, yes, I'll be careful if there's a next time."
From the side, it didn't look unlike a conversation between a long-married couple.
After eating the steak, I tried Flora's other dish, the red wine stir-fry.
It was drizzled with a sauce made by simmering red wine, and it had a very sweet smell.
I stuffed my mouth with the meat and sauce combined.
The juicy taste of the meat and the mellow sweet taste of the Nordende wine mixed together and were delicious.
"The red wine stir-fry has a bit of a strong flavor, so it's delicious if you eat it with bread or salad."
Following Flora's suggestion, I found it went very well when eaten with the accompanying bread and salad.
"It's true. It's just right."
The sweet sauce was tempered by the moisture of the lettuce and cabbage, making it just right.
I wondered if she had been conscious of this when making the flavor a bit stronger than the others.
Suddenly, looking to my side, Aisha was biting into it grandly sandwiched in bread, and Toak was eating it as if savoring it with the vegetables.
Even when cooking the same venison, Flora's skill was indeed on another level. It was a deliciousness that was beyond reproach.
The proof was that even Toak, a twisted man, was bringing it to his mouth without complaining.
"The soup is delicious too, as expected of the time put into it."
"...Of course."
"I tried making it at home too, but I can't get the same flavor. If there's a trick to the recipe, tell me."
"You're an idiot. It's better to figure it out yourself, isn't it?"
When I asked, Toak crossed his arms and let out a light snort.
I understood the fun of figuring it out yourself, but then I wouldn't be able to taste this soup for the time being.
"Isn't he just not saying it because he'll be easily imitated if he tells you?"
"A-As if that's the case."
"Then it's fine to tell him, isn't it?"
"No."
While I was a bit disappointed by Toak's refusal to tell me, Flora called me in a small voice.
"...Aldo-san."
When I turned my gaze to Flora, she pointed at the vegetable soup and then put two Pico Fruits into her mouth.
Seeing that, I realized that the secret ingredient of Pico Fruit was the flavor my vegetable soup was lacking. I see, a bit of acidity and the sweetness of the fruit juice added depth.
The secret to this flavor was in a quite familiar place.
I looked forward to the next time I served vegetable soup to Toak. He'd surely be surprised.
When I moved only my mouth to tell Flora 'thank you', she wore a slightly mischievous smile.
While my heart skipped a beat at that expression of Flora's, I thought her slightly playful side resembled Fiona-san.