episode_0022

After finishing all my classes for the day, I went back to my room, showered, changed my clothes, and came out again. It was to have lunch with Cosette. There are no more classes after the three classes that start in the morning at this academy. In other words, from lunch onwards, it is all free time for the students.

It seems like they only pay that much money and only take classes in the morning, but starting from the second year, they are busy with so-called job experience, such as handling practical work related to other places, being dispatched and performing missions, or events held by the academy itself, so it seems like that’s not true. In fact, even before the semester started, when I absentmindedly walked around the academy grounds, I saw students who were not the size of first-year students running around busily.

“Let’s go! Princess!”

Cosette, who had been dying until just now, had suddenly become lively. With this kind of resilience, you can really say that she is a noble.

The place we were headed to was the shopping district within the Academy grounds. There is a cafeteria run by the Academy, but it is only used by the poor commoners, so there is no need to worry about its quality. In fact, if you go outside the Academy grounds, there are many restaurants.

But since I’ve already entered the academy, shouldn’t I visit the restaurants in the academy at least once? Cosette didn’t say anything, but she probably had similar thoughts. The restaurant area we arrived at was, as expected, quite crowded. I could see faces I’d seen before, and there were people here and there who seemed to be upperclassmen. Of course, the restaurant closest to the entrance was already full, with a line forming outside the door.

“I guess everyone thinks the same way about eating in order, starting from the closest one.. I guess I need to go a little deeper.”

The restaurants that Cosette looked at while holding my hand and walking along didn’t look too bad. From the outside, they looked clean and tidy, and judging by the signs, there seemed to be some restaurants that specialized in foreign cuisine.

Even so, it doesn’t cover cuisine from other continents. As is typical of fantasy settings, there is something like an Eastern Continent in this world. Personally, I’m quite interested in it, but no matter what, I don’t have the guts to go on a voyage across continents.

As I continued walking around, looking around here and there, I soon reached the end of the restaurant street. By this time, there were hardly any students in sight. When I first received the suggestion to go for lunch, I had told Cosette that I didn’t care about the menu at all and that I would leave the choice up to her, so Cosette went into the small restaurant right next to the exit without hesitation.

“..Welcome”

The first thing I noticed when I opened the restaurant door was the pleasant smell of oil. It was the smell of high-quality meat being cooked. Also, I could feel the smell of wood, as if it was a smoking house. The large, well-grown man with a beard who clearly said that he was very bad at serving customers fit in very well with the atmosphere of the restaurant.

It wasn’t that the inside of the store was dirty or anything, and it was clear that the furniture was neat and tidy. However, considering that there are many nobles in the academy, if you were to ask if it met their standards, you’d probably get a review that it was rustic and common. As long as the food was delicious, I wouldn’t really care.

Cosette and I sat at a suitable table and lightly swept the table with our fingers. There was no dust or grease. Our expectations for the menu were a little higher. We could guess what they were selling, though. The man who brought water to our table opened his mouth.

“The basic menu only has assorted sausages, and there is a limited quantity menu item, suckling pig barbecue.”

“Then please bring us one drink each.”

“..Um..That..No. Don’t talk nonsense.”

The old man turned around as if he had no idea what to say.

“Why are you doing that?”

Cosette didn’t seem to understand, but I understood the old man. Of course, if two little girls who looked like first graders wanted to eat a piglet at lunchtime, you would have to worry about whether to stop them or not. If you interfered, you could lose customers, and if you didn’t stop them, you could get criticized for it.

Yugram suddenly became curious about what to eat for lunch. He thought Yugram would naturally follow him, but he left after telling him to eat with his friend. It is true that he was a little embarrassed that he followed him to class and wondered what was going on.

As I was responding appropriately to Cosette, who was busy with the morning class and the professors’ stories, the owner brought the menu. And then I saw that it was a grand sight that made me understand why he had tried to stop me.

The browned skin, which seemed to have been fried with some kind of sauce, was crispy and had oil sizzling on the outside, and it felt like every part was screaming, “It’s delicious.” The side that seemed to be served as a palate cleanser looked like pickled vegetables that were made to taste sour at a glance, and two sauces came with it, perhaps to change the taste.

It must have been a ‘baby’ pig, but the thing that came out was about half the size of the four-person table where Cosette and I were sitting. If this is a baby, how big would an adult be? The assorted sausages certainly looked delicious, and there were a lot of plump sausages, so it must have seemed like quite a lot on its own, but it looked shabby next to the barbecue.

And from wherever I looked, glasses that looked like beer glasses were being filled with what looked like non-beer drinks. Is it okay for an academy to have a bar so openly? I thought for a moment, but it must be a store targeting faculty and other adults.

“Enjoy your meal.”

The man who put down all the plates seemed to be going back to the kitchen, but he kept glancing around here. He seemed to be very concerned. He was quite timid for his size.

“It’s a bit late to ask this, but doesn’t the princess care much about this kind of thing? After all, her appearance is a bit… ”

Cosette asked cautiously, observing the expression on her face. Of course, roasting a whole pig is refreshing and romantic, but if you think about it, it might be quite cruel or disgusting. I don’t really think much about it.

“You said you’d leave everything to Cosette. I don’t care about anything.”

As if to prove that, I stabbed the pork with my fork and knife. Crack! With the sound of the crispy skin breaking apart, the knife went deep into the meat that was so tender that I wondered if it was even possible. It was fantastic. After tearing off the meat with my knife and fork, I moved it to my plate, and first, I just peeled off a little bit of the skin and put it in my mouth.

The first thing you feel is the refreshing smoky scent that seems to have been made with good wood. It may be a bit strange to call smoke refreshing, but that’s how it felt. After that, the salty and sweet sauce that was applied to the skin sticks to the skin and gives off a unique flavor, the delicious fat of the pork and the unique texture of the skin that you can’t feel with regular cooking.

As soon as you tear the meat with a fork and put it in your mouth, the soft meat melts in your mouth and the rich pork flavor lingers in your mouth. The taste is a bit bland, but the subtle flavor of the sauce that was applied to the skin lingers, and the explosive savory flavor from the pork fat makes it very satisfying.

When you put a little bit of the vegetables on the side in your mouth, the sourness is so strong that it makes your eyes sting a little, but it feels like it goes well with this. When eating such a rich meat dish, the aftertaste should be equally rich.

I take one of the assorted sausages, stab it with a fork, cut it into bite-size pieces, and put it in my mouth. The elasticity that was transmitted through the knife is fully felt in my mouth, and although I don’t know the names, the taste of various spices makes my mouth happy, as if to assert that this is not just a simple dish. You’re a good cook, sir. Or is it perhaps your wife’s skill?

Cosette, who had been blankly staring at me, also came to her senses and ran towards the pig. She was amazed when she picked up the knife, and amazed when she ate it. It was all shown in her expression, which made it a little cute.

By the way, honestly, when I entered the restaurant furthest from the entrance, I thought the quality would be a bit low, but it wasn’t like that at all. I don’t know if it’s because it’s a restaurant targeting adults like school staff, so it’s located in the back, or if it’s just a coincidence.

One of the sauces had a slightly spicy flavor and the other was a yellow sauce with a mustard base. So, no matter where you looked, it was a mustard sauce. Is that so? Was this also made by someone else’s reincarnation, not me? Well, maybe not.

When eating at the palace, there are quite a few dishes that make you think, “Oh, isn’t this a dish from a past life?” However, this is not necessarily the case. If there are similar ingredients, I think it is natural to think of similar or identical dishes. Unless the cooking method is incredibly unique or you wonder why you have to eat it this way, it probably just happened naturally. People’s thoughts are all similar, right?

Well anyway, let’s enjoy our meal for now.