"Pizza? I've never heard of that dish before."
At the word "pizza" from Rei's mouth, Rodrigo and Sandrine both tilted their heads in puzzlement.
The two didn't look particularly alike, but given that they were parent and child, that gesture somehow felt similar between them.
"Yeah, pizza. ...But this dish isn't as novel as nikuman. In terms of baking, it's basically the same cooking method as making ordinary bread."
Steaming bread dough must have been completely unexpected for Rodrigo, who ran a diner.
But compared to that, pizza wasn't such an unusual cooking method.
However, the fact that it wasn't unusual applied only to the cooking method of baking—its appearance was undoubtedly far more distinctive than your average bread.
(Besides, it takes less time than baking bread.)
On a TV program Rei had watched back in Japan, the dough was finished baking in about a minute after being placed in the pizza oven.
The temperature inside the oven would have to be extremely high for that, but even so, the fact that cooking could be completed in one minute would certainly benefit a diner in terms of not keeping customers waiting.
...Of course, what Rei had in mind was only the baking time itself. He hadn't considered the preparation at all—things like stretching the dough and arranging various toppings on it.
"Are you going to teach us that too?"
"That's the plan. ...But like I said, this isn't a dish with the same kind of surprise factor as nikuman. It's something you could make right away just by shifting your thinking a little."
There were probably various official methods and definitions for making pizza, but naturally, Rei didn't know any of that.
That was why what Rei would teach wasn't official pizza, but rather something that should perhaps be called pizza-style bread—but since pizza didn't exist as a dish in this world, it would nonetheless become the official pizza.
"Hmm, well, I'd still be happy if you could teach us... Are you sure? I think nikuman alone is more than enough."
"Yeah. For pizza, I have my own reasons."
"Rei-san's reasons?"
"The method is simple, so I figured I could make it right away when camping using a Magic Item kiln. I just don't know how to make the dough properly, so I want you to work that out."
"...I see."
What Rei had said was something Rodrigo could accept as well.
He understood that Rei had ideas—or book-based knowledge—regarding cooking, but since he wasn't a cook by trade, Rei alone probably couldn't create a new dish.
Put positively, it was a division of labor. Put negatively, he was tossing it to someone else and walking away.
But if being on the receiving end of that toss meant he could learn a dish he didn't know, then for Rodrigo, it was rather something to welcome.
And if he could also expand the diner's menu in the process? Thinking that was only natural for someone running an eatery.
"So, what kind of dish is this pizza?"
Looking nothing like his usual reserved self, Rodrigo asked Rei with undisguised curiosity toward an unknown dish.
For just an instant... truly just a brief instant, Rei felt somewhat overwhelmed looking at Rodrigo in that moment.
"Y-yeah. Let's see. ...Simply put, you take dough stretched into a thin circle, put various toppings on it, and bake it in a kiln. Like nikuman, the characteristic is that you can change the flavor with different ingredients. Also, since it's baked directly in the kiln, it's done in about a minute after you put it in."
'A minute!?'
At Rei's words, not just Rodrigo but Sandrine as well let out voices of astonishment in unison.
But that was only natural. For a diner, a dish that could be served to customers in one minute was extremely welcome.
"H-hold on, Rei-san. Why didn't you teach us this one from the start!? This is way better than nikuman!"
Eyes raised in a way that seemed impossible for the good-natured, smiling Sandrine, she pressed toward Rei.
...If a customer who had been the last one remaining in the diner had seen this scene, they would have directed jealous glares at Rei.
But fortunately for Rei, the only people present were Rei, Rodrigo, and Sandrine.
"Calm down. It's not like I kept pizza from you out of spite. Like I said, pizza is basically the same cooking method as baking ordinary bread. Compared to steaming bread dough, the customer's surprise is inevitably less."
"Well... that's..."
Sandrine was also one of those who had been surprised by the act of steaming bread.
She could understand what Rei was saying. She could understand it, but... even so, she couldn't help wanting him to teach them pizza, if at all possible.
As if soothing her, Rei continued his persuasion.
"The method for making pizza is as I explained—just put toppings on dough stretched into a thin circle and bake it. Honestly, if you're already making regular bread, it wouldn't be strange if you ended up making something similar."
Of course, pizza dough and regular bread dough were quite different, so even if a baker gave it some thought as Rei suggested, what they'd produce wouldn't be pizza but something more like pseudo-pizza... or perhaps pizza toast.
In particular, pizza dough could be broadly divided into hard type and soft type.
Rei liked both, but if the goal was to get it on the menu as quickly as possible, the soft type—closer to existing bread dough—was clearly the faster option.
(Well, since I'm asking Rodrigo to research pizza dough, I need to give him something for it too.)
Truthfully, it didn't have to be Rodrigo who researched pizza dough for Rei.
He could have brought the idea to the Full Belly Diner instead, or gone to one of the diners he'd visited a few times before, or even gone directly to a bakery given the kiln issue.
Even so, the reason he brought it to this shop was undoubtedly Rodrigo's personality.
Normally, if someone said they wanted you to research pizza dough because they wanted to eat it, you'd get angry.
But in Rodrigo's case, while he did have a timid personality... above all, he had a strong curiosity about cooking, and Rei was confident he wouldn't get angry even with this kind of request.
"...I see. The method itself is simple, isn't it."
"It's the same with nikuman, but the simpler something looks, the more unexpectedly difficult it can be. First, like with nikuman, there's the pizza dough. There's hard and soft pizza dough, and the soft kind is closer to regular bread, so I think you should start with that."
"What kind of dough is the hard type?"
"It's a dough with a crisp, firm bite. Because of that texture, I'd say the softer dough gives more of a sense of fullness. Of course, that doesn't mean you can't get full no matter how much of the hard type you eat."
With Rei's explanation, Rodrigo must have gotten a general image.
Looking convinced, he moved on to pizza's biggest issue—the toppings.
"As for toppings... just like nikuman, there are all sorts."
What crossed Rei's mind was a flyer for delivery pizza he'd seen in Japan.
It had photos of multiple varieties of pizza, and all of them looked incredibly delicious.
...They were expensive, though, so a high schooler's allowance couldn't exactly buy them casually.
"Is there a base ingredient, like the meat filling for nikuman?"
"Hmm... a base, huh."
Rei thought about Rodrigo's question, which showed no attempt to hide his interest.
(Seafood? Or a meat-based one using sausages? Or there was also a simple one with just herbs and cheese, right?)
Unable to decide what to answer, and eventually losing track of what could even be called the base, Rei explained with a "for now" sort of attitude.
"I'm not sure which is the base, but there's one that uses all three—seafood, meat, and vegetables. Of course, there are plenty besides those three."
"Hmm, given that we're making it in Gilm, using seafood would be a bit difficult."
"Yeah, I figured."
Rei agreed with Rodrigo's words, which sounded genuinely disappointed—disappointed from the bottom of his heart.
In Gilm, seafood meant river fish.
Of course, ocean fish also came in, but those were mostly dried to preserve them for long periods.
If you had a Misty Ring like Rei... or even a degraded Item Box like Elena's, that would be a different story. But considered as Magic Items, those were extremely rare and expensive.
If one had that type of Magic Item for business use, it could be put to use for far more than just raw fish.
"Also, vegetables... if they're a side component, that's one thing, but making them the main topping might be a little tough."
This too was something Rei could accept.
It was winter now, and the vegetables in circulation were by no means plentiful.
"Yeah. But among the pizzas I know, there's a simple one with just herbs as the topping."
"Herbs, is it? Then... hmm."
Rodrigo was troubled, but since the vegetable issue would resolve itself come spring, it could be said to be easier than the seafood problem.
"Oh, and cheese. Basically, pizza requires a lot of cheese—will that be a problem?"
"Eh? Ah, yes. Cheese isn't an issue. Even in Gilm, while not on a massive scale, there are people who raise livestock. And above all, cheese keeps well, so we have plenty in stock."
Rodrigo, who had been showing a troubled expression over the seafood and vegetable matters, breathed a sigh of relief and nodded at the mention of cheese.
"I see. Like I said, there are pizzas with just herbs and cheese... and then there's tomato."
"Tomato, is it? That... might be a little difficult."
Come to think of it, Rei realized this while talking with Rodrigo.
The vegetables he had seen since coming to Elgin—no, not just vegetables, but various things—shared the same names used in Japan.
Today's tomato was one such example, but that was probably the legacy of people like Takumu, or those who had written the books in the library—people who, like Rei, had come from Japan.
Regardless, the fact that "tomato" was understood was a huge help for Rei.
If tomato hadn't been called "tomato," he would have had to describe it as a red vegetable with a tart flavor that ripens in summer.
What's more, there was the question of whether such a description would even get through.
Above all, the worst-case scenario would have been if tomatoes didn't exist in Elgin at all.
Or if they did exist but weren't considered edible.
(I remember seeing on TV or somewhere that tomatoes were originally ornamental. So it's a relief that wasn't the case. ...But still.)
Yes, but still.
Seeing Rodrigo's troubled face at Rei's words, and being someone whose family back home had been farmers, Rei realized the biggest problem.
In Japan, you could eat fresh tomatoes even in winter thanks to greenhouse cultivation.
Or else, there were preserved versions in cans and jars, so you'd never have trouble finding tomatoes year-round.
But this was Elgin.
Preserved foods could be managed to some extent with Magic Items and magic, but that naturally came with costs.
At the very least, it wasn't an amount Rodrigo could handle on his own.
"Ah... what's fundamentally important for pizza is the dough, cheese, and tomato, but..."
If that crucial tomato couldn't be obtained, then making pizza was... not impossible, but it would definitely become more complicated.
(No, wait, is that right?)
Having thought that far, Rei suddenly recalled the pizza he'd eaten in Japan—not from a specialty shop, but the kind purchased at a supermarket.
Had raw tomatoes been used on that pizza?
The answer was no.
At the very least, none of the pizzas Rei had eaten had raw tomatoes as toppings.
Of course, when it came to authentic pizza, or specialty shops—not delivery pizza, but the kind of place that bakes in a kiln and serves in-store—it wouldn't be strange for them to use raw tomatoes even in winter.
But whether fortunately or unfortunately, Rei had never eaten that kind of pizza.
"Tomato sauce... do you know it?"
"Tomato sauce? Of course I know it. We have some on hand for use in cooking here, too."
Rei had asked out of the slimmest hope, the faintest possibility, that maybe, just maybe—and upon hearing that tomato sauce, which could be used in various dishes, was available, he let out a breath of relief.
"Good. Then we can make pizza."
"Ah... Rei-san, hold on a moment."
The one who called for a halt to Rei's words was Sandrine.
"We do have tomato sauce, but that's also an ingredient we use for other dishes, so—pizza, was it? We can't go using it in large quantities for that."
That voice of despair echoed throughout the diner.