Chapter 143: Kojirou, Quit Being A Swordsman
When you look at Kojirou’s small knife, you can understand that it’s a beautiful knife and something he carefully maintained. Even while he said something like he wanted to quit or he doesn’t want to go to work, he’s surprisingly neat in this kind of thing.
For now, I sterilized the small knife with boiling water I made using magic.
When that’s done, I immediately start treating the eel.
First, insert the knife into the head of the eel and cut the bone. Even so, a fine eel will struggle a little, so we put them into a bowl of ice water.
「Did you put it into ice water to weaken it without damaging the eel?」
「Un, that’s right. That’s because the eels are still alive and fine. So you wait for it until it becomes quiet」
「Yoーsh, the fifth one!」
Roomba - who is diving in the river - caught a fish and put it in a basket when I was still explaining to Kojirou.
The fish are being caught skillfully one after another with his bare hands just like that.
Roomba continued swimming as soon as he put the fish into the basket, maybe he was still not satisfied catching five fish.
Kojirou and I used the time as we waited for the eels to weaken to prepare the fish caught by Roomba.
I use Fire magic to light the fire, then I use the dry wood chips and branches to adjust the heat of the fire.
With a practiced movement of his hands, Kojirou sharpened the branches’ points and made skewers.
When I looked at him doing that, Kojirou began to talk with a proud expression on his face.
「When you open the fish’s mouth like this, it becomes easier to drain the moisture from the part of the head. Also, if you crush this gallbladder part near the gills, it can suppress the bitterness of the fish you know? 」
「Heeー, is that so」
I know that opening the mouth will make it easier to get rid of the moisture, but I didn’t know about that gallbladder part.
Is it really possible to suppress the bitter taste by crushing such a part?
We were able to pass the time somewhat by preparing the fish Roomba caught just like that.
When I checked on the bowl, the eels have become completely still so I started processing them immediately.
Stab the knife into the stomach of the eel, then carefully remove its internal organs. After that was done, put the eels into the hot water just before it boils, and waits for around ten seconds.
「……something white came out, isn’t it?」
「That’s the eel’s slime’s part. They also said that it’s also the cause of the bad smell.」
When the white slime floats in the hot water, cool down the eels for a short while.
After that, slide the small knife into the eel on top of the cutting board and take out the remaining slime. Large eels are a bit troublesome since they have a lot of slimes in them, but these eels are small types so they don’t take that much effort to prepare.
When the removal of the slimes is roughly finished, I make a stake with Earth magic and stick it into the head to fix it in place, then cut the eel right away.
「Ooh, you’re doing something dexterous while the supple eel is flattened and stretched………」
「You never opened the eel like this?」
「There was a time when I tried to cut it into round slices. I mean, I don’t think I’m going to try and cut such slimy things into thin slices like that you know」
Certainly, people normally won’t think about trying to cut such a long, small, and slimy fish thinly like this, aren’t they?
I carefully remove the small bones while having such thoughts.
Since it’s going to be a nuisance if there are bones inside your mouth when you’re eating such soft and fluffy meat.
After removing the bones to some extent, I turn the eel the other way and cut the eel’s skin.
「I know about the removal of small bones, but what’s that small cut for? Are you going to simmer it in a stock or tare sauce like nimono?」
「After doing this, this can keep the skin from shrinking when you grill it. Also when you grill it, the fat will come out from the hole you made and it’s going to be crispy. Crispy outside and soft on the inside, it’s going to be delicious, don’t you think?」
「I see. That’s going to be irresistible……」
Kojirou mutters and he’s looking up above, maybe he imagined the time when the eels are being grilled.
When the processing of the eels finished in that manner, I cut the meat at just the right size and started to stab them with a skewer.
「……if you don’t stab the meat properly, the skewers may turn in different directions later, as when it’s being grilled the eel's meat will shrink in sizeー. When that happens, then the meat will warp and the skewers will come off. 」
「So it’s not just about stabbing the skewer properly, huh」
「I mean, they said it takes three years of skewering, five years of cutting, and a lifetime of grilling meat」
「Eels are also deep, huh……」
Anyhow, there are basically chefs who specialize in eels. They are admirable craftsmen.
After I finish skewering the eels, I make a box in a shape that will just be easier to place the eel on top of it. Then I put some branches inside the box, light up a fire in the same manner as before, and then place the skewered eels on top of the box.
「Actually it’s better to use charcoal and a net to grill it, but still, we have none of them here, right」
「Guess we have to improvise huh」
Perhaps Kojirou was convinced by that, he magnanimously nodded.
Though I can take them out from my subspace if I use Space magic, but as expected I can’t really show that to him, right.
However, there’s nothing I can’t do anything about the tare sauce, so I take out a special tare sauce with Space magic.
And so I divided the tare sauce into small amounts so that I can take it out secretly like this from my pocket.
As long as I can get my hands on a soy sauce, I can easily make the tare sauce itself. Since the base is the same, I also prepare other sauces like sukiyaki-style sauce or nikujaga-style sauce.
「After this, you can grill it while using this special tare sauce that was made using soy sauce as its basic ingredients and it’s done. 」
「Hmmm!? You took it out from your pocket casually, but are you always carrying tare sauce with you!?」
Naturally speaking, I thought that he’s not going to care about it but I guess it didn’t work, huh.
When I took out the special tare sauce jar from my pocket, Kojirou shouted in surprise.
「I’ve gotten completely addicted to Kagura’s soy sauce, y’see. So I’ve tried all sorts of things with it」
「I see. Oh well, some of my friends also like to have a strong seasoning, so they always carry around specially made soy sauce with them」
Right, right, it’s fine for you to think of it as that kind of people, like foreigners who are addicted to it and carrying them around.
After I told Kojirou a suitable lie and managed to convince him, I spread the tare sauce on the eels and grilled them again.
When I grill the tare sauce, a fizzling sound came out from the eels each time the fat and sauce are dripping to the fire. Along with the sound, a fragrant smell spread around the place.
「Mom! Something smells good!」
「Yeah. It smells really good. I wonder if it’s from that person who grilled fish over there?」
The people of Kagura who happened to pass by the riverside are walking while noticing us.
As can be expected from the eel's tare sauce. The smell is so violent. Even though my stomach had already swelled after eating the salt-grilled fish, I got hungry again as my appetite got stimulated by the smell.
「……hey, Al. Still not done? I can’t bear the smell any more than this………」
「I know how you feel, but just a little more. Just a bit………」
I’m also enduring here, so please wait a little while longer
「…………」
When I realized it, Roomba - who have finished catching the fish - was staring intently at me from behind.
I’m a little scared of the wild eyes waiting impatiently for the food.
Kojirou and I made a swallowing sound, but I continued to grill the eels single-mindedly while sweating. Cover the eels with the tare sauce then grill it, turn the eel the other way then cover them again with the tare sauce, grill it again……
And then, I finished grilling the eels.
「Yosh, it’s done!」
「「I’m going to eat it, allright!?」」
When I shouted that it’s done, Kojirou and Roomba asked with a desperate look on their faces.
「Sure!」
When I nodded while taking some of the eels as I looked at their appearance, Kojirou and Roomba took the eels and skewers as if they’re snatching them from me.
After that, Roomba and Kojirou took a bite out of them despite it still being hot.
「Delish!」
「It’s tasty! This is the first time I had an eel that is easy to eat and without any bones on them. And it goes really well with this soy sauce-based tare sauce!」
Roomba said with a scream-like voice, while Kojirou’s eyes were opened wide as he expressed his impression of the eel.
「This is a delicious eel dish」
I also bite into the skewered eel in my hand after blowing on them to cool them off while saying that.
It has crispy skin and the inside is soft. The original flavor of the eel meat and the tare sauce are mixed together, it’s a tastiness that was indescribable.
「Aah, I want to eat this together with rice right now………」
「Ooh! It will certainly become quite delicious if this were to be served over rice, isn’t it!」
「I’m going to get some white rice in a moment!」
When Roomba and I were having that kind of exchange, Kojirou - who is a genuine citizen of Kagura - couldn't seem to endure it as he started running to a nearby house.
「Eeh!? Don’t you think that anyone will be surprised if an unknown man suddenly barges into your house!?」
「I have the family crest of a great person here! As long as I properly pay them money there wouldn’t be any problem!」
So you’re going to use the authority of that extremely great person, huh? Wasn’t it a pattern where that person will get angry at you if it gets exposed later?
Despite being surprised at Kojirou’s action, Roomba and I still wait eagerly for his return.
「That guy, I wonder if he will also bring back our share?」
「He’s going to bring our share probably. Even if Kojirou didn’t bring our share with him, then I’ll just snatch his share with Psychic」
「Gahahaha! That’s right, isn’t it!」
I wonder what is this. For some reason, when I heard Roomba’s laughing voice I felt like I became a bandit or something.
「I got it here!」
When I was thinking about that kind of thing, Kojirou came back and brought bowls and chopsticks for exactly three people.
「Ohー! You brought exactly three person’s share」
「Of course. I won’t do such a terrible thing」
Kojirou said that while trying to look cool as if he’s looking down on such action when Roomba said that as he’s being impressed with him.
If it were the guys in the Koryatt village, an ugly scramble will definitely start since they will bring back a portion for only a single portion.
「Since Roomba can’t use chopsticks, are you fine with a fork?」
「That’s right. It’s easier to eat donburi that way」
Roomba is not good at using chopsticks, since he prefers to eat heartily with a fork.
I made a fork using Earth magic and handed it over to him.
「That’s right. You guys are foreigners so you’re not used to using chopsticks, huh? It was inconsiderate of me」
「I can use chopsticks, and I can make one with magic so it’s fine」
「Al is really amazing being able to use Ice, Water, Fire, and Earth magic……」
「Yeah! He’s so useful that you want one of him in your house!」
Roomba, that way of saying it makes me seem like I’m being used quite conveniently, stop it.
In any case, we put the eel on top of the rice as though to eat it immediately.
「Tamago kake gohan is good, but this is also wonderful!」
「I knew it, this is good! We can eat this! This should be something that the people of Kagura will also take a liking to!」
Roomba said as he heartily wolfed down the dish, while Kojirou shouted as if he’s being excited over the food.
It’s good that you like it.
「We can eat with this! Like, really, you know! Once they tasted it, the people of Kagura will definitely start eating eel dishes!」
That’s because anyone is familiar with tare sauce and rice in Kagura. If you dispel the impression that eels are not delicious, it’s probably going to quickly spread in Kagura.
When I’m thinking about such a thing, Kojirou suddenly stood up with a serious expression on his face.
It’s the kind of expression when a man has decided to do something.
「Yosh, I’ve decided, Al!」
「What?」
When I look up while wondering about what he’s going to do, Kojirou said with a really bright smile on his face,
「I will quit being a swordsman and open an eel restaurant!」
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