Chapter 23

I'm ranked first in the weekly rankings!

Thank you.

The kitchen of the mansion was filled with the cheerful sound of chopping.

Balthro, with his practiced hands, began to finely chop the onions he had just purchased.

Then, he sautéed the finely chopped onions until they turned a caramel color.

I, using two knives in my hands, rhythmically pounded the meat, which was a mix of seven parts beef and three parts pork.

"Is it really okay to pound the meat like that?"

Having finished sautéing the onions, Balthro peered at the ground meat.

"It's fine."

"I see."

What I'm trying to make now is a hamburger. This dish, while requiring a bit of preparation, is very easy to eat because it's soft. It's popular among children and adults alike and is a gentle dish that even elderly people with weak chewing abilities can enjoy.

Hamburgers are versatile. They're really amazing.

Once the ground meat is ready, I wait for the sautéed onions to cool down before mixing them with an egg by hand.

A key point is to throw in some ice into the bowl while the onions are cooling, made using ice magic.

When mixing, it's important to keep your hands slightly cold with water.

This is to prevent the fat in the meat from melting due to the warmth of your hands, which would make the hamburger dry.

Once the mixture becomes sticky, you perform the legendary technique that everyone imagines when making hamburgers.

You throw the mixture back and forth between your hands about ten times. This is a classic housewife's technique. By doing this, the air inside the hamburger is removed, making it less likely to crack and ensuring a beautiful finish when cooked.

When I get married and have a wife, I want her to do this in the kitchen while wearing an apron.

And I want to watch her do it.

"Hey, kid. Your face looks droopy."

"Huh!"

Oops, no, no. I'm cooking right now. I quickly composed myself.

Actually, when I tried this technique in home economics class in high school, I missed catching the meat with my hands and hit my friend next to me.

I can still vividly remember the mixture stuck to my apron from that time. It was like a... no, never mind. Just forget it. The point is, don't let your guard down.

I heat a frying pan and add oil, then start cooking one side of the hamburger. Before cooking, I gently press the center of the mixture. Hamburgers tend to puff up when cooked, and the center is particularly hard to cook, so pressing it down ensures even cooking. By the way, the heat for cooking hamburgers should be medium. Low heat won't cook it through, and high heat will burn the surface.

Once one side is cooked, I flip it over, cover it, and steam it. When it's cooked through, it's done.

"It's ready!"

"Wow! It smells great. The smell is probably leaking out of the kitchen."

"It probably is."

Through the open kitchen door, I could see Mina's face peeking out.

"Disgusting. Drool is dripping."

"She's panting."

She's probably trying hard to smell the hamburgers, taking deep breaths in and out.

"She must be a hyena... probably waiting for leftovers."

"I don't know what a hyena is, but I understand. That's the look of a wolf."

"Let's ignore her."

"Sure. As long as it's not sugar, it's fine."

Ignoring Mina's lecherous gaze, Balthro and I prepared to eat the hamburgers.

"Whimper."

I thought I heard a weak, dog-like whine amidst the sound of setting the table.

I didn't hear anything. It's just an auditory hallucination.

"Let's eat! Balthro."

"O-Okay."

Balthro seemed uncomfortable, probably because of Mina's gaze.

"Yeah, it's delicious. It's a hamburger."

It's neither too hard nor too soft. The cut is well-cooked through to the center, and the cross-section is turning from red to brown, oozing rich meat juice.

"Wow, it's so soft. And this meat juice..."

Balthro chewed, moving his mouth.

"Whimper."

How long is Mina going to keep watching? What about her work?

"No problem. Let's keep making and practicing."

"Sure, let's make more. Adding cheese would be good!"

"Wow! Balthro, you're on fire. Adding cheese is a great idea. You can also use carrots or mushrooms instead of onions."

We nodded in agreement.

"So, what about the extra hamburger?"

"......!"

Balthro pointed to the hamburger left in the frying pan.

Indeed. Since I need to taste-test for Balthro's practice, I can't eat much more.

Eating any more would affect my dinner as a six-year-old.

Balthro could probably eat another one, but he keeps glancing at the door.

"..."

"Kid, is it okay to give it to Mina?"

"I can't eat any more, so it's fine. Give it to Mina."

"Wow!"

A joyful cry came from the door area.

"Master Alfrid, is it okay for me to eat this?"

"Sure."

"Thank you!"

Mina's face lit up with a radiant smile.

She let go of the door and waited for Balthro to plate the hamburger.

She already had a knife and fork in her hands, held properly.

"Hamburger♪ Hamburger♪"

Hyena, your persistence at the door has paid off.

"Here you go."

Mina received the plate from Balthro, with the hamburger and vegetables neatly arranged. No sauce was added this time.

Mina gazed at the hamburger with moist eyes and sniffed it carefully.

"Ah... I'm happy just from the smell."

"Then you don't need it anymore?"

"No way! ...I apologize."

"Y-Yeah. Sorry."

Mina poised her knife and fork to eat the hamburger.

The knife slowly approached the meat.

"Something smells good. Did you make something, Al? Can I have some?"

Crap! The monster has been lured by the hamburger.

"Wha? My hamburger is gone!"

"Elinora, the main dish today is hamburger."

"Aw! No way!"

I snatched Mina's hamburger and presented it to the person who should be prioritized. Don't forget to offer the knife and fork as well.

Sorry, Mina. This is how the world works. Those below are simply exploited by those above. What a cruel world.

"Wow! It looks delicious again! I'll eat it with Mother Elna."

"I'd be happy to hear your thoughts later."

"Sure. Thanks always."

"Such kind words."

With a gesture to leave, Elinora left the kitchen.

"Sorry, Mina. Elinora took it."

"......"

Mina lowered her head sadly. She looked like a dog whose food was taken away, which was kind of cute.

"You really change your behavior quickly."

"It's because I'm a noble. But before being a noble, I'm a brother... a brother."

It's important, so I said it twice.

"I'll make another hamburger now, so wait for it."

Balthro placed his hand on Mina's shoulder and laughed. To me, Balthro's teeth seemed to shine brightly.

"Okay, I'll wait!"

There's a good vibe here. Why don't you two just get together? You're both pretty old and single, right?

"Hey, Mina? How long are you going to slack off?"

Mel entered the kitchen, probably looking for Mina.

"Ah! Mel!"

"Not 'Ah! Mel!' How long are you going to slack off? The hallway hasn't been cleaned yet."

"But... I was going to..."

"No buts! Come on, let's go."

"Wait! My hamburger!"

Mina was dragged away by Mel, who had grabbed her collar.

"Ah well. I'll call you back later if I can."

"Really? Definitely!"

With those words, the two left the kitchen.

That day, Mina never got to eat the hamburger.

Because Elinora and Mother Elna came and enjoyed the hamburgers so much that there was nothing left for Mina.