Chapter 13

In the ancient city, there are simply too many bridges.

Since the city was established on waterways, one has to cross a bridge to go anywhere. There are grand stone bridges and shabby makeshift bridges made from fallen trees.

Crossing various bridges, Shizune enjoyed strolling through the ancient city.

When she returned from her daily walk, she found an unfamiliar man standing in front of the sliding door of the izakaya (Japanese pub) run by Bu. Shizune, who prided herself on never forgetting the face of a customer who had visited once, knew that the man in front of the shop was definitely a first-time visitor.

"Excuse me, the shop opens in the evening."

When she spoke from behind, the man turned around and snorted.

He was a short man, shorter than Shizune, with a meager face trying to assert some dignity with an ill-fitting mustache.

"I know that. I have no intention of drinking cheap ale in a backwater izakaya in broad daylight."

At his first words, which insulted the shop, a vein began to throb on Shizune's temple, but she suppressed it with remarkable self-control.

"Then, what business do you have? Unfortunately, the owner is currently out."

"The owner is out... Well, that's fine. Girl, I want to reserve this izakaya for tonight. Prepare accordingly."

"Excuse me, sir, even if you say that suddenly—"

While it's not impossible to reserve the place, it's too sudden today. Besides, the owner, Nobuyuki, opened the shop to serve delicious dishes and drinks to various people. Reserving the place goes against that spirit.

"Is it about money? You're quite shrewd, aren't you? How much do you want?"

"No, it's not about the money."

"Are you asking for money besides the fee? For a mere izakaya to be so insolent—"

"That's not it. Our shop is a place where we want to serve food to a wide range of customers in the city. Even if you suddenly request a reservation, I cannot accept it."

With a smooth response, the man's face twisted, and he spat on the ground.

"You're quite the talker, aren't you? I am a messenger of a certain noble. My lord, for some reason, wants to eat the food from this shop, so I came here specially. You talk smoothly, but to waste the kindness of a high-ranking person is a bit lacking in business sense, isn't it?"

"I apologize, I am a shallow and unlearned girl of the city. Please forgive my rudeness."

Without flinching at the man's sharp words, Shizune showed a bright smile, which seemed to make the man flinch. However, he thought she had given in. He cleared his throat and pressed on.

"Good, then. Prepare for the reservation tonight."

But Shizune was not about to back down.

"I refuse."

"What did you say?"

The man's eyebrows arched in anger.

"I said I refuse."

"Did you not understand what I said?"

"I understand and refuse. Even if the person is a noble, we do not serve food or drinks to someone who disrespects our shop. There must be a more suitable place for such a person. Please leave."

"The words you've said cannot be taken back. I will take them as an insult to me and my lord. Don't come crying later."

Leaving those parting words, the man hurried away. Just as he left, Epha, the regular dish washer, arrived.

Epha, looking puzzled, watched the man's back, and Shizune, without thinking, raised her voice.

"Epha, bring salt! Salt!"

The man's parting words materialized in front of the izakaya Bu just before opening time, as the sun began to set.

Men began to line up in front of the shop, which usually wouldn't have a queue. They were clearly not good-natured men.

They stood close together to prevent other customers from entering and cast sharp glances at passersby who approached out of curiosity.

"I'm sorry, boss! I ended up responding in kind—"

"It's okay, Shizune. I don't want to serve such customers either. I think you did well."

While saying this, the owner, Nobuyuki, was already looking at the prepared ingredients for the day. If the men didn't leave, a lot of the ingredients would go to waste.

Especially the boiled eggs made in excess for yesterday's spring equinox festival, which he wanted to use today.

Epha seemed to really enjoy eating the boiled eggs with mayonnaise and contributed to their consumption, albeit in a small way. The way she nibbled on them with her small hands, careful not to drop them, was endearing, reminiscent of a hamster.

As Shizune and Nobuyuki pondered how to use the ingredients, a knock came on the glass sliding door. It wasn't the usual way a regular customer would enter. It was a pretentious way.

Sure enough, the small man from earlier entered, followed by a sullen, emaciated middle-aged man, who was likely "the noble."

"As agreed, I've come, girl."

"Thank you for coming."

Shizune forced a smile on her face, but it was just a facade.

She didn't expect it to go this far. She had lost.

The noble man sat at the farthest table, leaning back. He looked sinister, playing with his thin mustache.

"Well, I didn't come to this place for no reason."

The man's voice was unusually high-pitched and sticky, unpleasant to the ear.

"I was invited to a noble's wedding reception the other day. The food was truly excellent, as befitting a wedding of a noble lineage. But during the reception, we started discussing what was the most delicious thing we had ever eaten."

A topic that nobles would enjoy. Surely, the names of dishes made with luxurious ingredients that one wouldn't see in an izakaya were mentioned. But how did this lead to coming to this shop?

"I, as the head of the honorable Brantano family, have eaten various dishes. I was born in the capital, and I prided myself on having tasted all the delicacies of the three countries. However—"

"However?"

"I had never eaten the dish that the young bride mentioned. Of course, I wasn't the only one. None of the nobles present had."

"Does this have anything to do with our shop?"

The baron suddenly stood up from his chair in a theatrical manner.

"Yudofu."

He pointed to the wall, where "Yudofu" was written in Chinese characters and the ancient city's script.

"The dish the beautiful bride mentioned was called 'Yudofu.' It was a delicious dish that was not smelly, not spicy, not sour, not bitter, not hard, not bread, not potato, not porridge, not egg, not stew. That was the only clue, but my excellent subordinate finally found the shop that serves this dish."

"I see."

"That's why, waitress, bring me Yudofu quickly."

Shizune was quite exasperated by the man's pretentious way of speaking, but since he was a customer, she bowed politely as she would to any other customer.

"I'm sorry, but Yudofu is a winter-only menu item."