The late-night kitchen was still, the daytime bustle seemingly a distant memory.
I reached into the furthest corner of the cold storage and retrieved a small, heavily protected container. Inside lay the last two "Genuine Eggs" I’d received from Professor Stein.
"…Akito, are those—?"
Peering over the counter, Mina let out a sharp intake of breath.
"Yeah. The last two. I’m going to use them to silence that hunger of yours."
"Wait, no! You can’t use those, they're too precious! There are only two left—you should save them for when we're all together, or for when you're feeling down, Akito..."
Mina’s ears twitched violently with a mix of hesitation and guilt. Ignoring her protests, I took both eggs and tapped them lightly against the rim of a conch.
"It's fine. Besides, splitting two eggs between four people is a losing game. It’s better to use them when they can do the most good for the person who needs them right now."
"Akito…"
"You’ve had a rough night, and you're exhausted. At a time like this, eating something 'real' to find your strength again is the only logical choice."
I cracked the eggs into a bowl, whisking them until the yolks and whites were perfectly incorporated. I finely grated the last of the synthetic cheese from the larder into the mix, then tossed in the entire batch of yesterday's potato salad.
"Wait, you're mixing them together?"
"Yeah. I’m going to bind everything together into a thick omelet. Spanish Omelet-style."
The golden egg mixture and shards of cheese seeped into the crevices of the potatoes, the edges of the bacon, and the layers of onion. In that bowl, yesterday's leftovers were being reconstructed into an entirely new dish.
I drizzled synthetic oil into a frying pan and waited for the heat to bloom. Once it was ready, I poured the thick, ingredient-heavy mixture in all at once.
A sharp, vibrant hiss echoed through the silent ship. I stirred the mixture vigorously with chopsticks, pulling the edges inward to give it thickness as I shaped it into a disk. Lowering the heat, I let the center cook through slowly.
"It smells incredible… I know all those ingredients, but the scent is completely different."
"The potato salad is essentially being steamed inside the egg. It concentrates the flavor. Even with the same ingredients, a different technique can create something entirely new. That’s the beauty of cooking."
With a flick of my wrist and a well-timed snap of the spatula, I flipped it over. I fried the other side until it was a beautiful, toasted golden-brown.
I slid it onto a plate—a plump, thick, golden disk.
A Potato Salad Spanish Omelet.
"Here. Eat it while it’s hot."
I sliced into it like a cake. Steam billowed from the cross-section, revealing fluffy potatoes perfectly bound by the egg. Mina reached for a piece with a trembling hand.
Her eyes went wide, her ears snapping upright with every bite she chewed.
"…It’s so warm. Akito, this tastes so kind and gentle."
"Potatoes are great at holding onto heat. Since I used two eggs, it should be plenty filling, too. I added the cheese as a secret ingredient."
"It’s not just that. No… that’s not it at all. It feels like your feelings are packed inside this little wedge. Knowing you used the last of them just for me… it makes my heart feel full."
Mina took a second bite, then a third, savoring each mouthful as if she didn't want the moment to end.
The richness of the eggs, the texture of the potatoes, and the tang of the melted cheese created a concentrated depth of flavor that satisfied both her heart and her stomach.
"…Yeah, it really is amazing. I feel like I can give it my all again tomorrow, Akito."
"Good. Then it was worth it."
I took the empty plate from her and watched as she left, her ears flapping contentedly.
The precious eggs in the refrigerator were gone now.
But in their place, a bond had been forged—one that existed outside of any design blueprint.
In the silence of the kitchen, I slowly closed my hand into a fist.
If two eggs could create this much of an impact, I couldn't help but wonder what would happen to this crew if I ever managed to get my hands on "Genuine Rice."
The Sperm Whale pressed its prow forward, cutting through the void toward the massive ring of the Gateway, leaving a golden afterglow in the dead of night.