Chapter 11

Compared to a plain boiled egg, both half-boiled and simmered eggs are just as righteous.

The morning of 《Crimson Mountain Cat》 is not particularly early. Generally, everyone shows up for breakfast around 7 o'clock. The person on cooking duty has to wake up earlier, but for Yack, who grew up in a rural area, a life where waking up at 6 o'clock is more than enough is surprisingly comfortable. After all, when he helped out at a friend's dairy farm, being woken up at 4 o'clock was the norm.

So, Yack woke up at 6 o'clock today and headed to the dining room. ...That was the plan, but before that, he decided to visit Yuriko's room. He was worried that the new member, who had just joined yesterday, might not be up at this hour. ...Especially since he had seen many of his usual, somewhat peculiar seniors often oversleeping.

"Yuriko, are you awake?"

"Ah, Yack, good morning."

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah. I slept soundly. I was a bit worried about being able to wake up in the morning, but my internal clock seems to have done its job, so it's all good~"

Yack smiled, saying "That's good," at Yuriko's cheerful smile. He had no idea what Yuriko meant by "internal clock," but he decided to let it slide. He had already heard that Yuriko was a stranger who had been blown in from afar by a trap. Yuriko was genuinely relieved to have woken up on time. For Yuriko, who had lived in modern Japan, the lack of an alarm clock made her very anxious about whether she could wake up on time. However, fortunately, her internal clock seemed to have done its job, and she was able to wake up without any issues. Yuriko, who had commuted to high school by train, used to wake up around 6 o'clock every morning, and her body seemed to remember that.

The two of them headed to the kitchen together. Since some people were still sleeping, they didn't talk and tried to be as quiet as possible. When they arrived at the kitchen, Yuriko opened the refrigerator first and took out a large bowl.

"Yuriko, is that the one you were making yesterday?"

"Yeah. I thought it might be a good change of pace."

Yack confirmed that the bread, milk, and eggs for today had arrived and put them in their designated places. Today's bread was apparently rolls. The bread varied daily; sometimes it was sliced bread, and other times it was rolls. Yack personally preferred rolls because they were easier to handle. Sliced bread needed to be cut.

The bowl Yuriko took out was filled with a black liquid. It was nothing special. The eggs were marinated in a liquid made of soy sauce and alcohol. Yack wanted to think of it as a simple and easy way to make simmered eggs. Ideally, the eggs should be seasoned properly and simmered, but in Yuriko's family, the Kugimiya family, they made simmered eggs by marinating boiled eggs in a soy sauce-based liquid in a bowl or container overnight. The flavor was quite good.

The concern was the lack of various seasonings. When Yuriko made them at home, she used a simple ready-made sauce. However, that sauce contained various seasonings. She had also tried using a citrus-based soy sauce, which was light and delicious. But neither of those were available here. The only things available were soy sauce and a type of alcohol that smelled like sake, so she used those. ...She didn't want to use wine for simmered eggs.

"Wow, the eggs are turning brown."

"I hope the flavor has soaked in well."

The simmered eggs were rolled onto a large plate. Yack, who had only seen plain white boiled eggs, frowned. But for Yuriko, the color looked like the flavor had soaked in well. She took a small egg and cut it in half on a small plate. The flavor had soaked in nicely.

"Here, Yack. Please try it."

"Huh? Ah, sure."

Yuriko chewed on the simmered egg. Yack, who couldn't say that it didn't look like food, put it in his mouth. Boiled eggs were usually crumbly and not very appealing, but they were easy to make for breakfast. When Yuriko suggested adding a step, Yack was surprised. The simmered egg had absorbed the soy sauce flavor and had a wonderful taste. Yack was amazed. He thought it was just a black boiled egg, but it had a solid flavor. He couldn't help but eat it.

And that wasn't all.

"This yolk is so soft!"

"Yeah. I made it half-boiled."

"Why?! How do you make it so soft?!"

"By boiling it for a shorter time."

"Really!?"

Yack had never eaten such a soft and delicious boiled egg. Not only did it have the flavor of soy sauce, but the yolk was also half-boiled and creamy. He had never tasted such a delicious boiled egg.

Yuriko was also taking out regular boiled eggs from another bowl. She thought some people might not like simmered eggs, so she prepared regular boiled eggs as well. Of course, these were also half-boiled. She had heard that people usually preferred hard-boiled eggs, so she thought it would be a good change of pace. Plus, Yuriko personally preferred half-boiled eggs.

The regular boiled eggs were marinated in salt water overnight. ...If the salt water wasn't too strong, marinating them overnight would give them a good saltiness. This was a tip from her mother to avoid having to sprinkle salt on them when taking them in a lunch box.

"Sorry, but it's just bread, milk, and boiled eggs..."

"...It's not possible, Yuriko. We don't have the ingredients."

"Yeah. So, I at least tried to make the boiled eggs half-boiled and simmered."

Yack, with a distant look, made Yuriko chuckle. Without ingredients, there was nothing they could do. After all, all the food they had made last night was eaten up. The tempura, croquettes, and cream soup were all gone. ...When Ali finished eating, a fierce battle for the remaining food broke out. Yuriko was laughing while making the tempura, but the commotion was like a festival.

As a result, the only ingredients left this morning were the freshly delivered bread and milk, and eggs. And, of course, the familiar potatoes. So, Yuriko was peeling potatoes to boil them with salt. Yack, as instructed, was boiling water and adding a bit more salt.

"...Yuriko, what are you doing?"

"Yeah, it's a bit lonely, so I thought I'd add some salt-boiled potatoes."

"Steamed potatoes?"

"No, boiled. If you season them with salt, you can eat them right away, right?"

Yuriko was smiling, but Yack was wide-eyed with surprise. He had never thought of eating potatoes that way. He usually thought of steaming or roasting them. He didn't quite understand what "salt-boiled" meant, but when he tried the boiled potatoes, he was amazed. The potatoes, slightly seasoned with salt, were soft and fluffy, and very delicious.

They arranged the ingredients on the counter in front of the kitchen, where the tables were set in the dining room. Usually, all the ingredients were placed in the kitchen, but Yuriko imagined a self-service style. After all, they had no idea how much each person would eat. She thought it would be better if they served themselves.

White and brown boiled eggs. A large number of salt-boiled potatoes. Freshly baked bread. The milk was kept cold in the refrigerator, and they would pour it when people arrived. With this, the breakfast preparations were complete.

So, the two of them quickly finished their breakfast before anyone else arrived. Yack, who was amazed by the salted boiled eggs, laughed while Yuriko enjoyed a simple breakfast of potatoes, boiled eggs, bread, and milk.

And then.

"Hey, can I have another egg!?"

"One egg per person, please."

"Yuriko, can't you make an exception! Especially, these brown ones are super delicious!"

"Other people won't have any if you do. Give up. You can have as much potatoes, bread, and milk as you want."

Yuriko's smiling face made the defeated person slump and leave. Yack thought, "This is going to happen," as he watched. Yuriko seemed to have no idea, but the eggs were just too delicious. People who usually made faces at boiled eggs were now flocking to them. The simmered eggs, which were initially disliked for their color, were now being served on plates and eaten, with many people becoming repeat customers. ...No one was able to have seconds, though.

The reason was that while raw eggs were available, simmered eggs couldn't be made. It took time for the flavor to soak in, so it was impossible to make them again. Therefore, Yuriko recommended only potatoes, bread, and milk for seconds. This was because she wanted to ensure everyone had enough to eat.

Yuriko's firm attitude left everyone, including Yack, speechless. No matter how much they pleaded, she wouldn't budge. Her usually gentle demeanor was completely different, leaving everyone stunned.

...Yuriko could thoroughly drive away the second-helping crowd because she had a similar experience during school lunch time.

When Yuriko was in elementary school, the school had a lunch system where students took turns serving the food. The side dishes often led to a battle for the best ones. Yuriko, who faced a bully demanding a large portion, firmly said, "No, because everyone else won't have any." At that moment, everyone in the class thought Yuriko was a hero.

So, Yuriko's "one egg per person" rule left another person dejectedly returning to their table. Among them, a man calmly and composedly enjoyed two types of half-boiled eggs. It was Brook.

Brook, knowing that Yuriko was behind the delicious meal last night, anticipated something special this morning. He asked about the number of eggs in advance, nodded when told one per person, and tasted each half-boiled egg, savoring their deliciousness. This foresight was necessary for an adventurer. ...In other words, the ones complaining about no seconds were the trainees.

Yuriko never expected that just simmered and salted boiled eggs (both half-boiled) would be so well-received.

You might think, "How poor was their diet?" But it's not just that the cuisine in this world is less developed than in Japan. The people making the food are not professional cooks. And the main cooks are young trainees. Please understand... ←

I look forward to your comments and feedback.