Chapter 75

"Lord Tsuda, I have brought the octopus from Akashi as you requested."

"That is much appreciated. When it comes to Akashi, it's all about the octopus."

"Is that so? It seems there are plenty of them, and I managed to get some good ones..."

Hikaru occasionally travels by ship to places like Settsu.

During one such trip, he had a meal with Hideyoshi, who had almost taken control of Harima.

Hideyoshi often laments that he always ends up being treated, so Hikaru asked him to bring octopus from Akashi.

Hideyoshi brought a large quantity of live octopus, still in nets and submerged in seawater.

"By the way, who is that?"

"That's Kuroda Kanbee, who played a significant role in the pacification of Harima by the Hashiba family. Since Hanbei thought it would be a good opportunity, he suggested I bring Kanbee along to introduce him to you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Kuroda Kanbee Masahiro. I have heard much about you, Lord Tsuda."

"Kanbee has decided to serve the Hashiba family. Together with Hanbei, I believe he will be a match for your Honda Masanobu and Muto Kibei."

While others might sound overly flattering when they say such things, when Hideyoshi says it, it feels genuine.

Kanbee, being told this by his lord, seemed to be in high spirits.

"I am grateful to Lord Hanbei for giving me this opportunity."

Although he said this, Kanbee was interested in Hikaru and thought it was good to have come with Hideyoshi today.

Hikaru simply thought that someone as smart as Chūnō Hanbei had arrived.

"Let's have the octopus prepared before it loses its freshness."

Hikaru ordered the cooks to prepare the octopus.

"Lord Tsuda, can we have the octopus as sashimi since it's still alive?"

"Lord藤吉郎, raw octopus sashimi isn't as tasty as you might think."

The cooks immediately began preparing the octopus. The sashimi was served after the suckers and skin were removed, and the flesh was blanched and sliced.

The suckers were also blanched and served alongside.

"Blanching enhances the sweetness of the octopus, making it delicious."

"Using that, we have this dish as well."

Next, octopus shabu-shabu was served. The pot contained kelp and other vegetables like daikon and carrots.

"Swim the octopus in the broth and then dip it in ponzu or sesame sauce to eat."

The kelp was imported from Ezo, and the ponzu and sesame sauce were being developed by the Tsuda family.

Currently, production is being prepared in the miso and soy sauce breweries.

"Indeed, this is a wonderful taste. It's so light that I could eat it all day."

Hikaru and the others enjoyed the octopus sashimi and shabu-shabu, along with other octopus dishes like fried octopus, sweet-cooked octopus, and octopus rice.

"For Lord Kichi and Lord Hanbei, here are some preserved octopus dishes."

Hikaru handed over pickled octopus, octopus crackers, and dried and smoked octopus as snacks.

The most recommended was a delicacy made from the octopus's beak.

"Thank you for so many dishes. Next time, I will treat you to the specialties of Harima."

Having just pacified Harima, Hideyoshi was busy and had to return to Himeji Castle after the meal.

"Lord Hideyoshi is a hard worker. I, on the other hand, am a slacker."

"No, no, that just shows how reliable your subordinates are, doesn't it?"

"Is that so? There are families in the world that can manage even with a poor head of the household. Fortunately, my wife and children are reliable."

"Indeed, Lord Ichi is very reliable. When she gets angry, it's more terrifying than an Asura. Oh, this is a secret between us, Lord Ichi."

"Since Lord Ichi is terrifying when angry, I always play the role of the perfect husband."

"Is that true, Lord Tsuda?"

"Of course, it's a joke."

Hikaru and Hideyoshi parted with jokes, but on the way back, Kuroda Kanbee was deep in thought.

"Kanbee, are you troubled by something? Or did you enjoy the food?"

"Yes..."

The food was, of course, delicious, but Kanbee was shocked by Hikaru Tsuda as a person.

He looked like an ordinary, friendly big man.

He seemed younger than his age and lacked any sense of authority.

When Kanbee first met Oda Nobunaga, he was greatly impressed, but Hikaru lacked such elements.

Despite this, Hikaru controlled more than half of Kanto and Tohoku, possessed numerous unique technologies, and earned a large amount of money through trade.

Moreover, he mercilessly killed his enemies in battle.

Kanbee felt that Hikaru's achievements and appearance were completely mismatched.

He had seen many people, but he had never encountered anyone as difficult to evaluate as Hikaru Tsuda.

"Hanbei is the same, but you're overthinking it."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. If the lord is alive or if the Oda family can successfully rule the country, Lord Tsuda will be a hero of the administration. If something happens, just side with Lord Tsuda. There's no simpler choice."

"..."

Kanbee was surprised that his lord could see through things so clearly.

Indeed, Kanbee thought Hideyoshi was right.

It was a thought that anyone could have, but Hideyoshi, who was confident in this, was truly a formidable person.

"(For a country samurai from Harima, becoming a senior retainer of the Hashiba family might be the end of his ambitions...)"

Thinking this, Kanbee tasted the dried octopus delicacy he received as a gift. The delicacy became more flavorful the more he chewed, and it was very delicious.

"Lord Tsuda, are you not going to visit the lord at Ishiyama?"

"This time, I'm not on an official mission, and the lord is busy. Besides, he hasn't returned to Echizen yet, has he?"

"Lord Koku roku... His dislike of you is quite something."

Hikaru's response made Ichi nod in agreement.

"Is the lord really that busy?"

"Yes. The Ishiyama stronghold of the Ikko sect has fallen, and all of Kennyo's family members have committed suicide. There are still considerable residual forces in the Kinai region, and the lord is busy dealing with them."

"Then I'll refrain from visiting."

While Nobunaga often demands delicious food from Hikaru, he is always busy and cannot meet without an appointment, even for Hikaru.

He needed to contact the lord's close attendants and secure a free time slot.

This was true for Nagahide, Ichi, and Hideyoshi as well.

"Since that's the case, let's enjoy ourselves."

"We are also busy, so we are squeezing in this time."

The day after Hideyoshi brought the octopus, Danba Nagahide and Takigawa Ichi visited Hikaru.

However, they were visiting while a new castle was being built after the fall of Ishiyama.

Since Nagahide and the others could only stay for a short time, different dishes were prepared by the cooks.

All the octopus Hideyoshi brought the previous day was blanched and used to make Akashi-yaki and takoyaki on special takoyaki griddles.

The takoyaki griddle was custom-made by a craftsman at Hikaru's request.

There was one important thing about the griddles used for Akashi-yaki and takoyaki.

"New griddles won't do..."

The griddles needed to be seasoned multiple times and not washed with water after use.

They needed to be cleaned with paper or cloth, oiled, and stored in a cool, dark place.

To season the griddles, Hikaru had a large number of Akashi-yaki made, which were distributed as snacks to his retainers.

"This Akashi-yaki is delicious, but we've been having the same snack for a few days now."

Until the griddles were seasoned, they had to eat the same snack repeatedly.

"In other words, the more you use this uniquely shaped griddle, the better the Akashi-yaki will turn out."

"Yes."

"Indeed, this round Akashi-yaki is a perfect blend of the sweetness of the egg and octopus and the flavor of the broth. The texture of the octopus is also excellent."

Ichi and Nagahide thoroughly enjoyed the freshly made Akashi-yaki by the cooks.

"Next, we have takoyaki."

The production of sauce and mayonnaise required some effort, but all the ingredients, including pickled ginger, green laver, and bonito flakes, were ready.

The cooks, who had practiced multiple times, skillfully made the takoyaki.

A separate griddle was used for the takoyaki, which was also seasoned with a considerable number of takoyaki.

"This time, we have takoyaki, which is similar in shape to Akashi-yaki but will likely continue for a while."

Until the takoyaki griddles were seasoned, they had to eat takoyaki as a snack.

Through this effort, the Tsuda family successfully obtained well-seasoned griddles.

They also had similar experiences with large pancakes and taiyaki.

"This one seems to have a stronger flavor."

"The taste is different from Ak