Chapter 2

"Ah, oden, right?"

"…Do you know, Nikolaus?" Hans asks, looking at the knowing expression on Nikolaus's face.

"No, I don't."

As they exchange words, a large soup bowl is brought to their table.

The ingredients are big.

Hans guesses that this is more of a stew than a soup. A stew is welcome during this cold season.

The name "oden" also sounds like the name of a northern ethnic deity, and it might be a traditional dish from a cold region.

"Oden. This is an egg, and this is a potato. Is there no sausage? It's delicious when cooked in a stew," Hans says, and Taisho grins.

"Sausage, huh? It is delicious, but not today. Instead, I'll add this."

He places a skewer of meat into Hans's bowl.

Hans can't identify the other ingredients or their origins. They just seem soft and mysterious.

The clear soup has a gentle aroma that tickles his nose. He has never smelled anything like it.

"Come on, let's eat."

Prompted by Nikolaus, Hans wanders his fork around.

Which one? Which one to eat first.

Should he start with what he knows or what he doesn't?

Hans aims for a thin, cylindrical ingredient and slowly inserts his fork.

The fork slides in with almost no resistance. It must be well-soaked in the soup. The color is well-infused.

He cautiously puts it in his mouth, and it crumbles.

It's hot, but delicious.

"Ah, it's daikon. It's well-infused, right?" Taisho says.

"Hmm, yes, hmm, it's delicious."

Daikon, what is it? He doesn't know, but it's delicious.

After sweating during training, the warmth of this dish is comforting. It warms his body from the inside out, relaxing him deeply.

The black, soft konnyaku has an unexpected texture.

The skewered beef tendon is rich and melts in the mouth.

The chikuwa is well-infused with the soup.

And then,

"…Potato, huh."

No matter how it's cooked, it doesn't seem to become that delicious.

Whether boiled, baked, steamed, or fried, it's a taste deeply ingrained in Hans's body.

For twenty years since he stopped nursing, he has eaten this root daily. He doesn't think a little delicious soup will change its taste much.

"What, are you not good with potatoes?" Taisho peers curiously at Hans's plate.

"No. I'm just so used to it that I thought it might dampen the oden experience."

"Hmm. Then, how about this?"

He smears a thick, yellow paste on the edge of Hans's plate.

The smell is familiar. It's mustard.

"Mustard? You put mustard on potatoes?"

"It's more like wasabi. Just try it."

Hans knows mustard well.

It's a seasoning with a slight spiciness and acidity, used to mask the smell of meat. He has never heard of putting it on potatoes, but he can imagine the taste.

Feeling a bit unsatisfied, Hans puts the wasabi-coated potato in his mouth.

"Hmm, huh? Hmm?"

It's spicy. A sharp, nasal spiciness. This isn't mustard.

And the potato.

It's soft, sweet, and delicious… and it goes well with the wasabi.

What is this?

"See, potatoes are delicious, right?"

Nodding, Hans takes another bite of the potato.

Spicy. Delicious. Spicy. Delicious.

This isn't a potato. It's something else, something fluffy and different.

Looking at Nikolaus to share this delight, he sees him sipping something with a grin. It's not a mug but a small earthenware cup.

"Nikolaus, what's that?"

"Oh, this is atsukan. It goes well with oden."

"Atsukan? Taisho, give me the same!"

"Sure, one atsukan coming up."

Taisho prepares the atsukan with a relaxed smile. The alcohol aroma is different from ale, wine, or iodine.

"Here you go."

He brings a long-necked earthenware container and a small earthenware cup.

Hans carefully pours the contents, which are warmed to body temperature, into the cup.

It's fragrant.

The clear, transparent liquor, which smells indescribably, reminds him of the nectar of the gods.

First, a sip.

As he sips, a gentle warmth spreads in his head.

It's strong.

Is this firewater?

No, it's not. It doesn't have the sharp, piercing spiciness of firewater.

It's hot, yet clear and powerful. A quiet, strong flavor passes through his throat. What deliciousness.

He puts wasabi on the potato and brings it to his mouth.

Then, he pours the atsukan into it…

An indescribable, wonderful taste spreads in his mouth.

There is only indescribable happiness.

Before he realizes it, he has finished the oden, and had additional atsukan and triaen nam.

A pleasant intoxication and a sense of buoyancy.

Has he ever had such a happy dinner?

"The bill is one quarter silver coin."

While handing a half silver coin to the waitress, Hans wonders.

Is it really okay to pay just one quarter silver coin for all this?

"Isn't it a bit too cheap?"

When Hans says this, the waitress smiles slightly, her dimples charming.

"Your satisfied face is the best payment, sir."

As they walk leisurely back to the barracks, Hans sighs.

Seeing this, Nikolaus grins.

"Want to guess why you're sighing?"

"Shut up. It's none of your business."

Hans's face was red from the alcohol, or perhaps for another reason.

A full moon, like a potato in oden, hung in the sky.