At last, the star of this little show had arrived. The large chunks of chicken meat were doused in sweet and sour sauce and cooked to perfection. This was teriyaki chicken, the food and flavor of this restaurant that Tatsugorou had fallen in love with over twenty years ago.
This is it.
He was ready to dig into the chicken. Tatsugorou used his chopsticks to grab one of the thin pieces. The translucent brown teriyaki sauce on the bronzed skin of the chicken juxtaposed with the pure, almost virginal white meat made for a beautiful sight.
The swordsman took a moment to enjoy the visual splendor before him and then took a bite. The moist skin had been drained of any excess grease, making for a stupendous texture with the tender chicken meat. With each bite, the remaining fat from the skin, thick sweet and sour soy sauce, and salt combined with the young chicken’s own overflowing juices.
Oh, my. This is bad.
Tatsugorou quickly ate another mouthful of rice. By itself, the flavor of the teriyaki chicken could be a bit overwhelming. That’s why pairing it with the light sweetness of the rice brought the dish to its perfect form. Tatsugorou was aware of this as he continued to down more rice, letting it absorb the teriyaki juices, creating the perfect storm of flavor.
…Mm.
Tatsugorou could do nothing but nod his head in appreciation. It was this combination of sweet and sour deliciousness that made him feel this was the best way to indulge in rice at this restaurant.
Long ago, he once got into a heated debate about this with “Curry Rice” and “Omelet Rice,” two other regulars. Tatsugorou wore a smile on his face, still eating his rice as he recalled how that conversation almost became a real fight.
What exactly was the most delicious dish at Nekoya? Its regulars often debated the merits of each dish, but due to the wide variety of foods the master was able to cook, they had yet to come to any sort of unanimous conclusion.
Finally, the time came to indulge in the alcohol from another world, seishu. He took a bite of the teriyaki chicken and followed it up with his drink. First, he downed about half of the seishu in the cup, enjoying the burning sensation it left in his throat and the rush of fruity fragrance that traveled through his nose. After that, he went on to take small sips here and there so as to avoid getting drunk.
Tatsugorou’s favorite way of enjoying the alcohol meant the first taste would always be by itself. He then followed that up with a bite of teriyaki chicken and further sips. The clear, almost water-like liquid in his cup wasn’t entirely dissimilar to the dwarves’ favorite type of booze, brandy. Both drinks were quite strong, but seishu had a fruity aroma to it that he was fond of. The heat of the alcohol blended well with the sweet flavoring of the teriyaki chicken.
This alcohol was unique to this other world. Of course, the restaurant had familiar varieties of drink such as wine and beer, but it also had a variety of other drinks made only in the other world. The best part? All of them were delicious. According to some rumors he once heard, there was a dwarf brewer who came here on the Day of Satur to drink and spent years trying to recreate the delicious otherworldly drinks he enjoyed so much. Only recently had his efforts born fruit, with dwarves claiming that it was the best alcohol they’d ever had. However, the brewer himself was said to still be dissatisfied with his own creation.
This meant that Tatsugorou was unlikely to ever enjoy seishu outside of this otherworldly restaurant. Not while he was still alive, anyhow.
“Hm, that teriyaki chicken sure looks good…” Pork Loin Cutlet quietly whispered to himself while Tatsugorou enjoyed his meal.
“I’d be willing to trade you something for this middle piece,” Tatsugorou offered to his old friend. He was well aware that while rice and teriyaki chicken were the best possible combination of foods, rice and pork loin cutlet also went together quite well.
“Can’t I get a piece from the end?”
“No way, pal. If you’re gonna be like that, order some for yourself.” Tatsugorou refused to budge on this.
And so they continued to exchange friendly banter as the two of them enjoyed their meals. Drinks were drunk, conversations had, and teriyaki chicken exchanged for the delicious center of a pork loin cutlet. The fun times rolled by…
“Well then, I suppose if I don’t get back soon, my pupils won’t let me hear the end of it.”
Pork Loin Cutlet, legendary sage that he was, had a host of pupils that he taught. As he stood up to leave, so too did Tatsugorou prepare to depart.
“Hey, Master. I’m leaving the money here.”
Tatsugorou grabbed his wallet from his pocket and took out a few silver coins, placing them on the table. He made a habit of including a few extra coins each time to make up for when he was young and poor, when the old master would frequently turn the other cheek or give him discounts. This was his way of paying back the favor.
“Looks good! Thank you very much!”
The master was used to it at this point and gratefully accepted the money before cleaning up the table.
“The food was delicious. I’ll be back again.”
Tatsugorou thanked the master one last time and headed for the exit with Pork Loin Cutlet.
“Hmph… So she must be Minced Meat Cutlet II,” Pork Loin Cutlet whispered to himself. He was staring directly at the young female adventurer that Tatsugorou recognized as a new face earlier. She had already finished her meal and was quietly enjoying the otherworldly tea known as coffee.
“What do you mean?” Tatsugorou tilted his head, befuddled.
“Exactly what I said. Isn’t it obvious?” Pork Loin Cutlet laughed to himself and exited the restaurant.
“What’s with him?” Still confused, Tatsugorou stepped outside, finding himself on a moonlit mountain. When one exited the restaurant, they always appeared at the same place from which they entered. The mountain path was dangerous at night, so the swordsman took great care as he headed toward his hermit lodging for the evening.
“Ah… That’s what he meant by II.”
Still a bit tipsy from the seishu, Tatsugorou finally realized what Pork Loin Cutlet meant by his earlier words.
“Now that I think about it, it has been a while since we last saw him… That old rascal, Minced Meat Cutlet.”
The swordsman had heard that the old gentleman had passed away. Out of all the regulars at the restaurant, he loved minced meat cutlet more than any. Tatsugorou recalled the many times he got into fights with Croquette and Pork Loin Cutlet. The latter had called that young woman Minced Meat Cutlet II. While she looked nothing like him, the way she enjoyed her meal made her more than worthy of that nickname.
I see. Things come full circle.
The young woman was likely a blood relative of the old man. She was significantly younger than he was, so Tatsugorou assumed she was probably his great-granddaughter or something similar.
I should probably think about bringing someone worthwhile there one of these days…
In that moment, Tatsugorou felt that it would be a waste to die and be forgotten.