The interior of the Sperm Whale was shrouded in silence as the crew prepared for their arrival at Orbit the following day. With the ship on autopilot, there was nothing left to do but wait.
"Phew..."
I gave a long, deep stretch in the captain's seat on the bridge.
A glance at the monitor's clock told me it was a bit late for dinner. After feasting on fresh sashimi the previous night, I found myself craving something different this evening.
"A warm soup sounds good."
After the cold sashimi, my stomach yearned for something hot and gentle. I called out to Lucia, who was busy at the console beside me.
"Lucia, I’m wrapping things up for now. Let’s get some food."
"Understood, Master. I shall accompany you."
Lucia paused her work and followed close behind. She didn't actually need rest, but I appreciated how she always synchronized her schedule with my own daily rhythm.
Once in the kitchen, I pulled the sardines—the Azurite Shiners—out of the refrigerator.
"I’m going to use these to make Tsumire Soup tonight."
"Tsumire? According to my library, that is a dumpling-style dish made by kneading minced fish meat."
"Exactly. If you mince them bone and all, it makes for a fantastic stock. Nothing goes to waste."
I set to work processing the sardines with practiced ease. I removed the heads, slit the bellies, and scraped out the guts. Instead of a traditional three-piece fillet, I simply chopped the fish into chunks with the bones still attached.
Lining them up on the cutting board, I took a knife in each hand and began to mince them with a rhythmic beat.
Tap, tap, tap, tap...
The light, steady sound echoed through the kitchen. Lucia leaned in, peering curiously at my hands.
"Are you pulverizing them along with the bones? While it is an efficient method for nutrient intake, it seems like a rather primitive cooking process."
"That little bit of effort is what makes it good. The bones add a lot of flavor and give it a better texture."
I kept at it for several minutes. Eventually, the meat turned into a fine mince and began to take on a sticky consistency.
"Hey, Akito! I heard something good going on in here!"
Mina poked her head into the kitchen, her work clothes still stained with oil. She had apparently been adjusting the new freezer containers; a light dusting of frost still clung to her hair. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw the fish on the cutting board.
"You're mincing that, right? Want me to whip up a dedicated grinder for you? It'll handle those bones in a heartbeat!"
"No, not this time. By mincing it by hand, I can keep the fibers just intact enough to give the dumplings a fluffy texture."
"Hmm... You’re really picky about this stuff, huh?"
"Well, there are plenty of other appliances that would be useful. Like a food processor."
"A what? What does that do?"
"I don't remember the exact mechanics, but I can tell you what the functions are. Once we figure out exactly what we need, we can just buy the parts at Orbit."
"Yeah! Tell me everything and I’ll draw up the blueprints!"
Mina hopped up and down with excitement before sprinting off to the showers.
I transferred the minced meat to a bowl and added nothing but salt. I didn't have any binders like eggs or potato starch, but by adding salt and kneading the mixture thoroughly, the proteins would break down and become tacky. That alone would be enough to make them hold their shape.
"Man, what I wouldn't give for some miso right now..."
But there was no point in wishing for things I didn't have. Even the Soy Sauce I’d managed to find wasn't actually made from soybeans. I had no idea when I'd ever find miso, or if it even existed in this galaxy.
Since I lacked dried fish flakes or kelp, the stock had to rely entirely on the umami of the sardines themselves. I brought a pot of water to a boil and began dropping in spoonfuls of the tsumire mixture.
Plop, plop. The white mounds sank into the water before bobbing gently back to the surface. I carefully skimmed off the foam and seasoned the broth with sake, salt, and a final, tiny splash of Soy Sauce.
"Now that's a good smell..."
The savory aroma of the Soy Sauce mingled with the sweet scent of the melting fish fat. It was a simple, salt-based profile, but with ingredients this high-quality, I had high hopes.
"Now, for one more dish."
I pulled the recently harvested Pseudo-bean Sprouts from the cooler. They were actually Heat-resistant Ivy Sprouts, still firm and wonderfully succulent.
"I’ll do these Namul-style."
I brought a fresh pot of water to a boil and gave them a quick blanch. After draining them, I tossed them into a bowl with a dash of salt and some of the cooking oil I had on hand. The oil was highly refined but lacked much in the way of flavor. However, adding just a single swirl of Soy Sauce changed everything.
"Perfect."
The saltiness and depth of the Soy Sauce blended with the oil, creating a rich, savory aroma. A proper side dish was complete.
Just as I finished, Mina returned from the bath, joined by Emulgand. I dished the meal out into three bowls.
"Sit down, everyone. It's ready."
Steaming bowls of soup, small plates of Namul, and warm bowls of synthetic rice sat before us. It was a humble spread, but to us, it was the ultimate feast.
"Let’s eat."
I started with a sip of the Tsumire Soup.
"...Mmm. Delicious."
It wasn't a flashy flavor. Instead, the soup, infused with sardine fat and umami, seemed to seep into my very bones. The tsumire, made with nothing but salt, delivered the pure taste of the fish. Even the occasional crunch of a bone wasn't a nuisance; it was a pleasant accent.
"Hafuu... It's hot, but it's so delicious-u...!"
"It tastes like actual fish! These dumplings are so fluffy, but the crunchy bits make them really fun to eat!"
Emma and Mina looked at each other and beamed. Next, they reached for the Pseudo-bean Sprout Namul.
"The crunch is amazing! I could eat this forever with this seasoning!"
"I thought these were just common greens, but they’re completely transformed by the oil and Soy Sauce..."
The richness of the oil and the depth of the Soy Sauce perfectly complemented the mild flavor of the sprouts. It was the kind of dish that made it impossible to put down your chopsticks.
"Master. The pulverization of the bones in this tsumire contributes not only to efficient calcium intake but to a diverse range of textures as well. Using only salt as a binding agent was a rational decision that preserved the original flavor of the fish."
"Exactly. When the ingredients are this good, you don't need much else. We're missing a lot of traditional staples, but I think this came out well."
I lifted my bowl and drank the sardine broth down to the last drop. A satisfied sigh escaped my lips, melting away into the kitchen air.
"Thank you for the meal."
I murmured the words to no one in particular as I set my empty bowl down. As if on cue, the engine of the Sperm Whale gave a low, steady thrum.
Tomorrow, we would be at Orbit. It was going to be busy, but with this warmth still lingering in my chest, I felt like I could handle whatever came next.