Even while slurping down the udon that had been prepared for him, the customers inside the shop left one by one.
Seeing them off was Sandrine, wearing a bright smile.
"Thank you very much. Please come again!"
When she said that, the customers didn't seem to mind, returning her cheerful smile as they headed out.
And once they stepped outside, Set, who had been given a bone with its broth fully extracted, saw them off as well.
...The sight of it crushing a bone as thick as a grown man's arm in its beak would normally be enough to inspire fear.
But those who frequented this shop were used to Set, and seeing it crush bones didn't particularly frighten them.
Rather, some even patted its head before leaving.
Of course, there were also those who were too anxious about leaving Rei and Sandrine alone together in the diner to have the presence of mind to be scared.
Strictly speaking, Rodrigo was there too, so it wasn't just the two of them.
But the fact that people still worried anyway showed just how popular Sandrine was as the shop's signboard girl.
"Rei-san, how's our udon?"
"Yeah, it's good. The noodles have a nice firmness and aren't overcooked. The dipping broth is pretty decent too. ...Though I feel like there's a little less topping than there should be."
"Ah... sorry about that. It's the leftovers from lunch. Usually, there's a bit more."
At Sandrine's words, Rei shook his head.
"I'm not criticizing you or anything. It's my fault for showing up out of the blue at this hour. Besides, it's just a little less than I'd expect—the taste is perfectly satisfying."
If he had a sharper palate, he might have been able to offer advice on flavor balance or the texture of the noodles, but Rei's taste was essentially that of a child.
That was obvious enough from the fact that he disliked alcohol of any kind.
If asked how it compared to the udon at the Full Belly Diner, which had first taught him the dish, Rei could only tilt his head in confusion... but fortunately, Sandrine didn't ask him anything of the sort.
Confirming that there wasn't a single customer left in the shop, and after downing the last sip of his udon broth, Rei spoke up again.
"So, how's the nikuman coming along? Are you serving it yet?"
Even as he asked, Rei easily guessed that they probably weren't.
It was not his place to say as the one who had taught them, but steamed bread was a completely unknown dish in Gilm.
Given that, if it had been added to the menu, there was no way it wouldn't have become a topic of conversation.
Understanding this, Sandrine spoke with a slightly pouty expression.
"Unfortunately, not yet. But Dad's been working hard, so I think it'll be soon. I had some yesterday too, and it's gotten much tastier compared to the first batch. ...Dad! How's it going?"
The slightly proud expression that came over her as she spoke was likely because she had that much confidence in the nikuman's taste, and above all, because she trusted her father's skill.
"Yes, yes, just wait a moment. It's almost ready."
Hearing the confidence in that voice from the kitchen, Rei nodded in understanding.
"Looks like Sandrine's right."
"See? And he's been researching the filling too, you know? Like you said, not just meat filling, but also stewed meat and such. ...Well, vegetables are a bit tricky this time of year."
"I'd imagine."
Unlike Japan, there was no such thing as greenhouse cultivation here in Elgin.
Of course, using a Magic Item could achieve something similar, but such items were expensive and not something that could be easily purchased.
(A greenhouse, huh... I know a fair amount about them. Should I teach them this method? But then again, there's nothing to use in place of vinyl sheeting...)
Since his family back home were farmers, Rei had helped out with the work.
And because they had a vinyl greenhouse at home, he had some knowledge of how they worked.
But since vinyl didn't exist in this world, building one was practically impossible.
Moreover, even if he did build a greenhouse to grow vegetables, there was a possibility he'd need some kind of heating equipment as well.
There might be a method using glass for a greenhouse, but he had no idea how much that would cost, and more importantly, what Rei knew about was vinyl greenhouses; his knowledge of glass greenhouses was limited to what he'd seen on TV.
(Besides, even if it were just a small one, a greenhouse big enough to grow vegetables to eat would be impossible unless you were a noble.)
Building a greenhouse on half-remembered knowledge and failing would be truly disastrous.
As Rei was thinking along those lines, Rodrigo eventually appeared from the kitchen.
In his hands, on a plate, sat three freshly steamed nikuman, giving off wisps of steam.
Nikuman was, without a doubt, a dish that could be eaten at any time.
But Rei, drawing on his senses from when he was in Japan, still strongly associated nikuman as something to eat when it was cold.
In that sense, nikuman in this season was a perfect match for Rei's image of it.
"Here you go."
With confidence, yet still wearing a nervous expression, Rodrigo placed the nikuman in front of Rei.
Compared to when they had made and eaten them together before, he felt the taste had improved considerably.
Even so, having Rei—the one who had taught him about nikuman—taste it was, for the naturally timid Rodrigo, more than a little nerve-wracking.
Rei gently picked up a nikuman from the plate on the table.
At this point, he could already tell it was different from the nikuman he'd eaten before... or rather, the pseudo-nikuman.
The nikuman in his hand was clearly softer than before.
Regular bread baked in an oven and steamed nikuman.
This difference was likely the result of trial and error with the bread dough's ingredient ratios.
Splitting the nikuman in two... in that instant, the aroma of the meat filling hit Rei's nose directly.
That aroma, too, was different from before—a far more appetizing scent.
Last time they had tested it, the seasoning was just salt, but this time several spices had been added, making it clearly different.
Surprised by Rodrigo's skill in making such improvements in such a short time, Rei brought the nikuman to his mouth.
The texture of the skin was distinctly different from when he had eaten it before.
Soft, yet with a faint sweetness.
Next, the flavor of the meat filling spread across his mouth.
The Orc meat, cut slightly larger than a mince, allowed him to fully enjoy the meat's texture.
Additionally, the texture of several vegetables could be thoroughly enjoyed alongside the Orc meat.
The flavor of the meat filling was subtly different from the nikuman Rei knew, but since he didn't know what kind of meat was used or how it was seasoned to achieve that taste, he couldn't point it out.
If he said the taste was different and was asked what kind of seasoning it should have instead, Rei wouldn't be able to answer.
(Yeah, but I think there was something like sesame oil in it... or am I wrong?)
Thinking such thoughts, Rei savored the nikuman's flavor and swallowed.
"Yeah, it's good. The taste is a little different from what I expected, but this is definitely sellable."
Rei had meant it as praise, but for some reason Rodrigo looked down with a disappointed expression.
"Hey, Dad. What's wrong? Rei-san just praised it, so why are you getting depressed?"
"Ah, no. I mean, I did the best I could. But to be told the taste is different from what you expected... you know?"
Because he had confidence, Rodrigo likely felt an even greater sense of powerlessness at Rei's words.
"Calm down. For one thing, the nikuman I know about is only what was written in a book. I just guessed it would taste like that, so it can't be helped if it's different."
Sandrine, who had been half-convinced that Rei had eaten nikuman before, had some doubts about those words, but she decided that getting her father back on his feet took priority, so she offered words of encouragement.
"That's right, Dad. And even if it's your own take on nikuman, Rei-san still said it was delicious, didn't he? Have some confidence."
"...You think so?"
"Yes."
"Yeah."
At Rodrigo's upward glance, Sandrine and Rei each nodded.
Still unable to find confidence in the taste of the nikuman he had made, Rei wondered what he should do... and then noticed Set peeking inside from the shop's entrance.
After thinking for a moment, Rei picked up a nikuman and headed over to where Set was.
"Here, Set. This is good. Try it."
"Guruu..."
It was Rei's voice, but Set hesitated a little.
Because its appearance and shape were almost identical to what it had eaten before.
The drifting aroma was quite different, but even so, Set wavered.
The nikuman it had eaten before... the pseudo-nikuman hadn't been all that tasty, but it hadn't been so bad that it was inedible either.
But precisely because it had eaten it with expectations, the taste had failed to satisfy Set.
What if the nikuman in Rei's hand turned out the same way?
Set harbored that slight worry, but even so, it couldn't believe that food Rei handed over with such confidence would be bad... and eventually, Set took the nikuman from Rei's hand in its beak and carried it to its mouth.
Then, as if testing it tentatively, it savored the flavor...
"Guruu!"
Delicious! Set's eyes sparkled as it let out a cry.
Not only that, it pleaded with Rei with round eyes, asking for more.
Rei gave Set the rest of the nikuman in his hand while turning his gaze toward Rodrigo.
At first surprised, Rodrigo then broke into a smile that said he couldn't believe it.
(He wouldn't believe it when I or Sandrine told him, so why does he believe it so easily with Set? Well, I guess it's not for me to say after feeding it to Set.)
Watching the delighted Rodrigo, Rei wondered if it was because Set was a monster rather than a person that he was trusted that much.
People could lie, but Set, as a monster, would honestly say something was delicious if it was.
"As you can see, Set is plenty satisfied too. Can't you have some confidence now? Set has been sampling food from all sorts of shops since coming to Gilm, so it has a refined palate."
Those words were by no means a lie.
Having traveled around to various stalls and diners, Rei and Set had probably eaten the greatest variety of dishes among all the residents of Gilm.
...Of course, perhaps because Rei's palate was childlike, even if asked to describe the taste in detail, he could only come up with generic phrases.
However, since Rei and Set had arrived, the sales of stalls, diners, bakeries, and other food-handling establishments in Gilm had broadly increased.
Thinking of that, it was fair to say that Rei's words carried a certain degree of persuasiveness.
Rei's words, Set urging for more in a good mood, and Sandrine's gaze—questioning why her own father couldn't have that much confidence in his skill—finally made Rodrigo nod.
"I understand. If you say so, Rei-san, then today... no, with the prep work, it'll be tomorrow. I'd like to start serving it from tomorrow."
"Yeah, do your best. Also, I think I said this before, but this dish called nikuman changes its impression a lot depending on the filling. So you should keep experimenting, like trying different fillings instead of the meat one."
"Yes. ...Um, so, Rei-san. About this nikuman, would it be alright to teach it to other cooks?"
"Eh? Wait, Dad!? What are you saying all of a sudden!"
Perhaps not expecting such words from her own father, Sandrine let out a surprised voice.
But smiling at his daughter's reaction, Rodrigo spoke.
"I'd intended to do that with the nikuman from the start. You know this too, don't you, Sandrine? Thanks to the people at the Full Belly Diner spreading it, udon became this widespread in Gilm. So, don't you think we should do the same with nikuman?"
"That's... but... ugh, fine. I get it. But you're going to explain how to make this dish yourself, Dad!"
"I know. I'll do my best. ...Besides, the fact that we were the first ones to be taught nikuman won't change. So being the originator should be enough to bring in revenue, don't you think?"
At those words, Sandrine gave a reluctant nod.
With the matter settled, Rei, who had been silently watching the exchange between parent and child, spoke up.
"Hey, do you know a dish called pizza?"