Once her business was concluded, Lanza-san accepted the water and headed home, waving with a bright, cheerful smile. She truly was like a whirlwind.
As for the 10,000 Spear Mush... I had to figure out a way to eat them. But first things first: I wanted to try one myself.
Matsutake rice or a nice soup sounded tempting, but for now, I wanted them grilled. And if I was going to do it right, I needed to grill them over charcoal on a shichirin.
"Alice, do you happen to have a shichirin and some charcoal?" I asked.
"Kaito-san, you don't think of me as some kind of bottomless bag of holding that spits out whatever you name, do you?"
"You say that, but you're already holding one."
I’d decided to share the meal with her, and as expected, she was perfectly prepared. Since it felt a bit gauche to grill them right at the front entrance, we moved to the backyard.
"We're not supposed to wash them, right?" I double-checked.
"Exactly. It washes the aroma away. Just wipe the dirt off gently with a damp cloth like this, trim the very end of the mushroom base... then make a small nick and tear them by hand. They’ll split quite beautifully that way."
"Wow, they already look delicious. Should I just put them on now?"
"Spritz them with a fine mist of Japanese sake, add a dash of salt... and that’s about it. Once they're done, they’re best served with a bit of wari-shoyu, sudachi, or dashi ponzu."
Alice was a pro. She handled the prep with effortless grace while providing a running commentary. Meanwhile, I set up a couple of small folding camping chairs and a low table.
"I’ll bring out the Japanese sake, too."
"Sounds good! Ah, they’re ready when the moisture beads on the surface."
Before long, beads of liquid began to sizzle on the mushrooms over the charcoal. I gave one a light squeeze of sudachi, a tiny dip in soy sauce, and took a bite.
The unique, earthy scent of the Matsutake filled my nose. They were succulent yet retained a crisp, pleasant bite, and a rich umami flooded my palate. It had been quite a while since I'd had these, and they were incredible.
"Man, this is good. I feel like I haven't eaten Matsutake in forever."
"Well, they’re practically nonexistent in this world. I'll get about five more on the grill..."
"You’re eating them too fast!"
Then a thought struck me. If I had a massive surplus, couldn't I just feed them all to Alice? When I needed to clear out the sheer volume of food stored in my Magic Box, using her as a disposal unit might be the most efficient strategy.
"...Are you plotting to use me for leftover disposal?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Ah, no... Well... Alice, want another hundred or so?"
"You just gave up! You didn't even try to hide it; you just pivoted immediately to making me your trash can! I feel like I'm being treated very casually lately, and I’m not sure how I feel about it... but Spear Mush is delicious, so I'll take them."
Alice wore an exasperated look, but she continued to rhythmically devour the mushrooms. I watched her with a bitter smile and turned my thoughts back to distribution.
I’d obviously give some to Kaori-san, since she was the one I’d mentioned Matsutake to in the first place, but most people from the otherworld would probably love them.
Aoi-chan, Hina-chan, and my parents were easy enough to contact. I’d also check with Akane-san, Seigi-kun, and Shigenobu-san. If they were interested, I’d send a batch their way.
What about Noin-san? Kuro had mentioned she preferred shiitake over Matsutake, but she probably didn't dislike them. I'd ask her, and if it seemed appropriate, I'd give her some too.
Then there was Miyabi-san, who was staying with Epsilon-san. I’d never met her, but she had sent me those pickles for my birthday. Giving her some of these as a thank-you through Epsilon-san seemed like a great idea.
Still, since these were exceptionally high-quality Spear Mush, it felt right to present them in a way that screamed "premium." A high-end wooden box would really sell the atmosphere.
"Alice, do you have any nice wooden boxes?"
"I am being used so conveniently... Here. These boxes are perfect for Spear Mush. I even have hiba and hoda leaves to line them with."
"Why do you have those ready? And the box even has 'Matsutake' written on it..."
I’d only asked out of habit, but she produced actual wooden crates tailored for mushrooms, complete with "Matsutake" written in elegant, master-class calligraphy. Her foresight was uncanny as always—she’d clearly anticipated my request.
"...By the way, are these leaves called hiba or hoda?"
"There are several names for them. Some call them urajiro or hoda, but they're mostly types of ferns or hiba—leaves from the cypress tree. They have antibacterial and insect-repelling properties."
"Huh, I didn't know that."
Impressed by her trivia, I began lining the boxes with the leaves and arranging the mushrooms. Instantly, they looked like expensive, luxury gift items.
They looked perfect. This was how I’d deliver them to everyone.
Serious-senpai: "I see. So that's the trick... If you have leftovers, just make Alice eat them."
???: "Isn't she being treated a bit too casually?"
Serious-senpai: "Maybe it's because if he treated her too politely, she'd just get incredibly embarrassed?"