"Sorry, I didn't mean to keep you waiting."
The middle-aged man—Hasta's father and the cook of the Full Belly Diner—bowed as he apologized.
"I hear my son put you through a lot of trouble today. Let me thank you for everything. I'm Dishot."
Rei shook the man’s hand while quickly taking stock of him.
Dishot appeared to be in his early forties, his frame likely hardened by years of labor in the diner’s kitchen. His arm muscles were exceptionally developed, making him look far more suited for combat than most H-rank adventurers. The thick calluses on his hands suggested a life dedicated to the culinary arts.
The busiest hours of the day had finally passed, and a quiet, gentle expression rested on his face. He struck Rei as more of a craftsman than a simple cook.
It was now half past seven in the evening. While the night was only just beginning for the city's taverns, the Full Belly Diner was purely a restaurant, and the dining room was already empty. Dishot, along with Enedra and the rest of the staff, had finished the washing up and was ready to call it a day. Arka, Hasta’s younger sister, had already been ushered off to bed by Enedra.
"I'm Rei. Let's get right down to business. I managed to secure more than enough Gamelion meat for the request Hasta made. One standard size, and one Rare Species. The Rare Species was over eight meters long, so I doubt we’ll be running low on meat anytime soon, but..."
"...Over eight meters?"
Dishot caught the underlying concern and frowned slightly.
"We have a cottage where we dismantle the monsters Hasta brings back, but that's going to be a tight squeeze even in there."
"Oh, but the blood draining is already finished," Hasta chimed in. "So we just have to worry about the actual dismantling."
Dishot looked visibly relieved at that. Beside him, Enedra sat sipping tea with a smile.
"Well, we won't be able to finish the dismantling tonight anyway. Tomorrow should be fine... though I'm not much of a butcher myself. I’ll have to leave the heavy lifting to Hasta."
"Don't worry, Dad. I've been doing this since I was a kid. I'm an expert at monster dismantling."
"I'll help out too," Rei said, "so we'll manage."
Dishot nodded, but Rei raised a hand to interject.
"On that note, Hasta asked me to give you some cooking ideas. If possible, I’d like you to focus on that while we handle the meat."
"...Cooking ideas?"
Dishot looked at Rei with a skeptical eye. It was a natural reaction; Rei looked like he was barely fifteen years old. To an adult like Dishot, Rei was still just a kid. He didn't say it out loud, but his expression clearly questioned whether a child could know anything about professional cooking.
"My master taught me magic for a long time," Rei explained. "I read all sorts of books in his library, including several recipes that have probably been lost to time."
"Come on, Dad. Haven't you heard the rumors?" Hasta added. "Zeno of the Skewer Stall saw his sales shoot up after getting advice from Rei-san."
Mention of a fellow vendor seemed to spark Dishot's memory. He gave a slow nod.
"Now that you mention it, he was boasting about something like that. So, you're the one..."
If an acquaintance had actually seen results from this boy's advice, Dishot was willing to listen. He settled in, ready to hear what Rei had to say.
Rei took a sip of his tea, gathering his thoughts before speaking.
"The dish I'm going to teach you is called 'udon.' Actually, it's less of a dish and more of a base ingredient."
"Udon? Never heard of it. What kind of ingredient are we talking about?"
A cook’s curiosity was piqued by a term he'd never encountered. Seeing Dishot’s interest, Rei glanced toward the kitchen.
"Right. Since you serve bread here, I assume you have wheat flour on hand?"
"What? Oh, yeah. Of course. We use it for plenty of things."
"Bring some over, then."
"Understood. I'll be right back."
Rei watched Dishot disappear into the kitchen, a stray thought crossing his mind.
I'm pretty sure there are different types, like bread flour and all-purpose flour... but do you use the same kind for bread and udon? Well, if this doesn't work, I'll just have to leave the fine-tuning to the professional.
Before long, Dishot returned carrying a paper bag.
"Here’s the flour we use. Though I should mention we buy our bread from a bakery rather than baking it ourselves, so I can't guarantee it's the quality you're looking for."
"You don't bake your own bread?"
"...Is that a problem?" Hasta asked, sounding worried.
Rei shook his head. "No. The book I read just said to use wheat flour like you'd use for bread. Since it's still wheat flour, it should be fine."
"I hope so."
"Like I said, I've only got the book knowledge. I haven't actually made it myself before, so I can only tell you the process and how it's supposed to be eaten. You'll have to take it from there."
"So you're saying I’m responsible for all the adjustments and refinements?"
"Exactly. I'm counting on your skills as a cook. Now, the preparation is simple. All you need is wheat flour, salt, and water."
"...Wait, that's it?" Enedra asked, surprised by the short list.
Hasta and Dishot shared her skepticism, even if they stayed quiet.
"Yeah. First, you dissolve the salt in the water, then mix it into the flour and knead it. After that..."
Rei went on to explain the steps of making udon as best as he could remember.
Dishot started out doubtful, but as he listened to the specifics, his professional instincts seemed to kick in. He began nodding along, muttering to himself.
"...Then you cut it into long strips and boil it. You have to be careful with the timing. It depends on how thick you cut the noodles, but..."
Rei looked down at his own hand, specifically his fingernail, to provide a reference.
"Aim for about a third the thickness of a fingernail. It should take about ten minutes to boil. You’ll have to experiment to find the exact texture that works best."
"You didn't mention the proportions for the flour, water, and salt. How much of each?"
"Uh... let’s say about half of that bag of flour, a light handful of salt, and a cup of water. You'll need to adjust the ratios as you go."
"Right."
"Once the udon is boiled, rinse it in cold water to get rid of the starch. If you're serving it hot, you dip it back into hot water to warm it up. If it's a cold dish, you serve it as is, but..."
Rei glanced out the window. Winter was fast approaching. He doubted many people would be in the mood for cold noodles in this weather.
Besides, without soy sauce, I can't even make proper dashi broth.
"What's the best way to serve it hot?" Dishot asked.
"Well, you could put it in that vegetable soup I had today. It would be perfect if you topped it with some seasoned meat—like the Gamelion meat we just brought back. Or you could toss it into a thick stew."
The thought of curry udon crossed his mind, and Rei felt a pang of genuine regret that curry didn't exist in this world.
"What do you think, dear? Can you do it?"
"...To be honest, I'm not sure. But based on what he’s told me, even if it doesn't keep as well as bread, it has a lot of potential as a meal. It's definitely worth a try."
Dishot's face was alight with the suppressed excitement and curiosity that only a cook could feel for a new ingredient.
Rei decided to stoke that fire just a bit more. "There's also a method called yaki udon."
"Yaki udon?"
"Yeah. You boil the noodles a little firm and rinse them just like before, but then you stir-fry them with meat and vegetables. The book I read mentioned a seasoning called soy sauce, but... have you heard of it?"
Rei asked with a glimmer of hope. Given that the Zephyle Clan once included Takumu Suzunose, who hailed from modern Japan, there was a slim chance the condiment might exist. Reality, however, was less accommodating. Dishot simply shook his head.
"Never seen or heard of it. I can tell you for sure it’s not in Gilm. Maybe you’d find something like that in the Royal Capital, but that’s about it."
"I figured. That's a shame. In that case, for the yaki udon..."
Rei paused, thinking.
If salt yakisoba is a thing, then salt yaki udon should work just fine. Even if the 'salt sauce' used back home has all sorts of other ingredients in it.
"Salt," Rei decided.
"Just salt?"
"Yeah. But not just plain salt—a salt sauce made by mixing it with other spices. The book mentioned a similar dish called yakisoba, and one version of that was seasoned with salt."
"Salt, huh... Alright, I’ll look into it. I'll get started on the udon right now—"
Dishot started to stand, but Enedra grabbed his sleeve.
"Now, dear, don't go overdoing it. If you start now, you won't be finished until midnight. Why don't you make it tomorrow morning instead? We can all taste it together then. Rei-san, will you be joining us for the tasting?"
"Me? I don't mind, but..."
Rei looked at Hasta, who had been listening quietly. Hasta looked a bit conflicted as he caught Rei's gaze.
"Ah, sorry, Mom. The tasting sounds great, but I really need to get that Gamelion dismantled."
"Oh, you're right. But you can handle the butchering on your own, can't you?"
"I mean, technically, yeah. But that's a massive amount of meat for one person."
"But we need Rei-san here for the udon, otherwise we won't even know if we've made it right."
Hasta sighed, clearly torn. "Fine, I give in. Rei-san, please help my dad first tomorrow. Once that's done, could you come over and help me with the meat?"
Knowing how much Hasta cared for his parents, Rei knew he couldn't refuse. Rei nodded.
From Rei's perspective, he was getting a new noodle dish and helping dismantle a Gamelion, which was a seasonal monster. Either way, he benefited, so he was perfectly happy with the arrangement.
"Sure. What time should I be here?"
"The window between the breakfast rush and lunch would be best," Dishot said. "Let's say nine in the morning. I'll have the lunch prep finished by then, so I’ll be free to focus."
"Make sure you eat a light breakfast," Enedra added. "You'll need room for the tasting."
"Will do."
Rei nodded and stood up to leave for the night.
"Well, I should get back to the inn. Hasta, you've been on the move all day. You must be wiped out."
It had been a grueling day. Leaving Gilm at dawn, fighting monsters on the trek to the prairie, a desperate battle with a Gamelion, then encountering a Rare Species. While Rei was busy draining the blood, Hasta had stood guard, and then they'd marched straight back to the city.
Even for an adventurer with high stamina, it was an exhausting schedule.
"Ahaha... you might be right. But weirdly enough, I don't really feel tired."
"That's just the adrenaline talking," Rei said. "You know that better than anyone."
Hasta gave a sheepish smile, acknowledging that Rei—despite being younger—was right.
With a final wave to the three of them, Rei stepped out of the Full Belly Diner and into the cool night air.