A heavy metal tray emerged from the back kitchen, accompanied by a sudden chill.
Resting upon it was a silver-scaled fish, over a meter in length.
"Whoa, what is this? Akito, is this... a fish?"
Mina peered at it, her curiosity plain to see. It looked like a single living crystal; its scales overlapped in many layers, refracting the room's light into a spectrum of rainbow colors. It was so beautiful it felt almost like a waste to eat it.
"This is Crystal Salmon. Raised in the oceans of this very planet, it’s packed with the highest quality fat."
The Coordinator traced the silver scales with his fingertips before his gaze settled on the small plates and the black liquid lined up on the table.
"You even prepared dipping plates and Soy Sauce. If you know how to use those, I take it you can handle raw food?"
"Yeah."
When I gave my brief confirmation, the man gave a daring smile and gripped a kitchen knife that was rugged yet sharpened to a razor edge.
"Master. This specimen contains exceptionally high-quality lipids, making it ideal for raw consumption. I have confirmed there are no biological signatures of parasites or other contaminants."
Lucia's concise report further fanned the flames of my anticipation.
What followed was nothing short of a ritual.
The man began by using the back of his knife to strip away the hard scales. They popped with a series of clear, rhythmic clicks, dancing through the air like glittering shards. Then, he laid the blade flat, sliding the tip across the silver skin with unhesitating precision. Every time the steel ran along the spine, the flesh peeled away effortlessly, never once making the faint sound of hitting bone. As the crystalline scales fell away, they revealed flesh of a vivid, pale orange—a color I had never seen before.
With every movement of the craftsman's fingers, the oils seeping from the cut surface shimmered under the lights.
He sliced the meat thinly, keeping the edges perfectly sharp, and arranged the pieces on a chilled plate.
"Go on, eat. You won't find a more Genuine Fish than this anywhere else on this planet."
Before me sat a plate of translucent, orange Sashimi.
I reached out with my chopsticks and gently dipped a slice into the dark pool of Seaweed Soy Sauce I’d poured earlier. The savory aroma of the Soy Sauce enveloped the white marbling of the Space SALMON.
I brought the piece to my mouth.
My breath caught.
The moment I bit down, the Space SALMON’s fat began to melt, reacting to the heat of my tongue.
The sweetness of the dissolving fat flooded my palate. Despite its richness, the aftertaste was remarkably clean, and with every chew, more of the fish's umami overflowed.
The savory scent of the Seaweed Soy Sauce was every bit as good as the Genuine Soy Sauce I remembered. The aroma perfectly complemented the flavor of the Space SALMON, pushing its quality as Sashimi to the absolute limit.
"It’s so good! Akito, this is totally different from the Star Tuna! That felt like eating pure energy, but this has such a deep, physical flavor... and with the Soy Sauce, I can't stop eating!"
Mina's eyes sparkled at the Sashimi. This was the taste of a Genuine Fish, distinct from the energy-like quality of the Star Tuna.
"I’m astonished-uuu. The richness of the Seaweed Soy Sauce brings out the sweetness of the Space SALMON even more-uuu. So this is Genuine Fish...!"
Even Emulgand, who had expressed such a strong aversion to eating raw food during the Star Tuna incident, was now working her chopsticks with gusto, having seemingly forgotten her previous resistance entirely. Once she knew something was delicious, she dove right in. She was surprisingly resilient.
Lucia chewed her own slice, quietly savoring the lingering aftertaste.
"Master. This is the 'correct answer' you were searching for. It is a deliciousness that possesses a tangible weight."
I finished the last slice, letting the savory aroma linger in my senses.
"Thank you for the meal. It was incredible."
As I bowed deeply, the Coordinator offered a satisfied smirk.
"Doesn't feel half bad, hearing that from someone who actually knows their Soy Sauce. But that’s enough sentimentality."
Clearing away the empty tray, the man glanced back toward the kitchen and gave us a daring look.
"That was just a greeting. I’ve got mountains of other dishes to show you, and I can prep different fish, too. What do you want next? Grilled? Simmered? Or maybe something even wilder?"
I couldn't hold back my smile.
There was no way I was stopping at just sashimi. On this vast blue planet, countless "genuine" wonders I had yet to discover were still out there, waiting.