Chapter 28

Yotaro, helping people?

"Ah, so this is what a cafeteria feels like~"

"Each shop has its own charm, but generally, it's like this. Shall we go in?"

"Yes."

Prompted by Tiphana, Yūri nodded and followed her through the door. The place Yūri was brought to by Tiphana was a cafeteria for the common people called "Sunlight Pavilion." It felt like a fantasy version of a simple, down-to-earth cafeteria. The building and furnishings were modest but kept clean, and as the name suggested, the sunlight filtering through the trees in the courtyard was truly beautiful.

However, the "Closed Today" sign hanging on the door was rather disheartening.

"Hello, Alga, are you here?"

"Ah, welcome, Tiphana."

"Tiphana-nee, welcome."

When Tiphana called out, a man and a woman with the same brown hair and green eyes appeared from the back of the cafeteria, presumably the kitchen. The man looked to be in his mid-20s, and the woman was probably in her early 20s. They had similar facial features, so they were undoubtedly siblings.

The brother's name is Alga, and the sister's name is Sheila. They are the children of the owner of "Sunlight Pavilion." Sheila helps her father as the signboard girl, while Alga is the signboard son of the inn "Twilight Pavilion" run by his mother next door. However, at the moment, Alga was wearing an apron, looking like a cook.

"Yūri, these two are Alga and Sheila. They are the temporary owner and the signboard girl of this 'Sunlight Pavilion.'"

"Tiphana, stop calling me the temporary owner..."

"It's not temporary. ...How is your father doing?"

"The wound itself isn't serious, but it will take a few months to heal."

"Really, if he keeps going out to gather ingredients like he did when he was young, this is what happens."

Alga shrugged and Sheila pouted. There was a reason for their comments. The person running "Sunlight Pavilion" was their father, Daraeos. He used to be an adventurer and was a rather unconventional cook who gathered his own ingredients. However, he couldn't fight the aging process and suffered a serious injury about a week ago, causing the shop to be closed.

Alga and Sheila stepped up to help their father's shop, but there was one problem. Alga could only make simple meals like staff meals. Sheila, on the other hand, had perfect skills in serving and taking orders, but when it came to cooking, she produced unidentifiable objects. The situation was such that it was hard to imagine how they could run a restaurant.

That's why Tiphana brought Yūri here to offer assistance.

Yūri had heard about their situation. The brother could cook at a slightly below average level, while the sister's cooking could be considered dangerous. In other words, the only option was to let the sister continue working as the signboard girl and have the brother do the cooking. The challenge was to come up with a menu that even the brother could manage.

Initially, Yūri tried to decline Tiphana's offer. He could only cook home-style dishes and didn't think he could make restaurant-quality meals for customers. Even though the people at the hideout gave high praise, it was still a fact that his cooking wasn't at a level where he could charge money for it. To Yūri, his cooking was just home-style meals.

But Tiphana said with a smile, "That's fine."

Originally, "Sunlight Pavilion" was a place that served home-style dishes at low prices. It wasn't fancy cuisine; it was simple, down-to-earth food that anyone could recognize from their own homes. The difference was that it was offered at a relatively low price, and anyone, regardless of their appearance or status, could eat there. Daraeos, a former adventurer, had always done this. He wanted to provide meals that even new adventurers, who had almost no money, could afford.

Therefore, what Tiphana was asking Yūri to do was to teach Alga how to make the home-style dishes he usually made. However, Alga's cooking skills weren't that high. Yūri was suggesting dishes that were as simple as possible, didn't require expensive ingredients, and could be prepared in advance or cooked quickly.

"First, I suggest a rice bowl menu."

"Rice bowl...?"

"It's a dish from my hometown. You just put rice in a bowl and top it with ingredients. That's all there is to it, but you can vary the toppings, and the best part is that there's less washing up."

The moment Yūri mentioned less washing up, Sheila's eyes lit up. If the number of small dishes increased, like in a set meal, it would be more work to wash them, which would affect the turnover rate. Since "Sunlight Pavilion" was run by her and her father, washing dishes was primarily her job. If the workload decreased, it would be a huge relief.

"Also, I suggest serving a soup with plenty of vegetables. The vegetables can be chopped, so even if they're a bit misshapen or leftover, it's fine. ...Actually, misshapen vegetables might be cheaper, which could be a good thing."

"Putting vegetables in the soup?"

"Yes. I'd put in a lot of vegetables, almost enough to serve as a side dish. Occasionally, adding bits of meat would add depth to the flavor."

In general, soups don't have many ingredients, so Alga and Sheila probably couldn't imagine it. But Yūri thought that by making a rice bowl as the main dish and a vegetable-rich soup, it would create a balanced meal. He hadn't calculated the cost, leaving that to the professionals.

To show what he meant, Yūri decided to make a sample. This time, he was making a rice bowl with toppings, which Tiphana had praised before. It was a dish that even the apprentices at the hideout could make without much trouble, and he knew that even cheap meat could taste good with proper seasoning. The meat could vary depending on the day. Whether it was a viper, an orc, a bison, or a big frog, a rice bowl with egg and toppings would be delicious.

Today, he was using orc meat, which Alga had purchased. It seemed to be a high-quality cut, but in this world, monster meat was cheap and accessible to the common people. Unless it was a rare monster, the price didn't skyrocket. After all, monsters appeared everywhere. As he cut the meat into bite-sized pieces, Yūri thought about buying more when he found some that looked tasty.

To season the meat, he had brought kelp, which he was soaking in a pot. Yūri wanted to introduce the wonders of kelp broth. Initially, Alga and Sheila were skeptical, but after tasting it, they quickly became fans. Having been raised by a cook, their taste buds were well-developed. ...How Sheila ended up the way she did was a mystery to everyone.

"Once the broth is ready, please remove the kelp. You can chop it and add it to the soup if you like; it will be delicious after cooking. For the meat, I'll season it with soy sauce, sugar, and sake to make it sweet and savory. You can adjust it to your taste, but I think this seasoning will make the rice more appealing and be well-received."

"It was very delicious."

"Thank you, Tiphana."

Nodding and taking notes, Tiphana smiled and said so. She had tasted the rice bowl (with big frog meat) and was very convincing. Today, they were using orc meat, which would likely be more flavorful. It would probably be delicious.

Unlike when he made it at the hideout, Yūri decided to cook the onions with the meat from the start. This would make the process easier. While the meat was cooking, he started on the soup. He threw in chopped kelp and various vegetables, excluding onions and potatoes, which he planned to use for other dishes. The soup was seasoned with salt, pepper, and soy sauce, giving it a slightly Japanese flavor, which was fitting for the rice bowl.

Before cooking, he asked them to taste the soup, but what was supposed to be a taste test for Alga alone turned into a three-person affair. All of them were impressed by the soup's deliciousness.

"When making the rice bowl, transfer the meat and broth for one serving to a small pot. Once it boils, pour in a beaten egg and cook it."

"How firm should the egg be?"

"It depends on your preference. I like it runny, so I stop here. The residual heat will cook it a bit more."

While chatting, Yūri skillfully made the rice bowl. The rice was freshly cooked, as Tiphana had been instructed to prepare it in advance. The sweet and savory egg and meat on top of the hot rice would be hard to resist. For the trial, he made one serving of the rice bowl and a generous amount of soup. If there was any left, Alga and the others could take it home, so it wasn't a problem.

The hot rice bowl and the vegetable-rich soup were served. Tiphana took over entertaining the two, who were tasting the dishes with amazement, while Yūri washed potatoes. He scrubbed them thoroughly to remove the dirt. When the dirt was all gone, he smiled in satisfaction.

"Yūri, this is incredibly delicious... What are you doing?"

"I thought it would be convenient to have a side dish besides the rice bowl and soup... Something to snack on when you're hungry..."

"...So, potatoes?"

"Yes."

Smiling, Yūri cut the clean potatoes into stick-like pieces. He cut them in half and then into four equal parts to make them uniform. He then deep-fried them. In other words, they were just skin-on French fries.

Since there were plenty of potatoes, he thought it would be nice to add another dish. Ignoring the surprised onlookers, Yūri continued making the French fries. At the hideout, there had been a debate between those who preferred skin-on and those who preferred skin-off, but to make it easier for the inexperienced Alga, he chose skin-on. Peeling potatoes can be time-consuming if you're not used to it.

He arranged the fried potatoes on a wire rack. The owner seemed to have made fried foods before, as the equipment was well-prepared. Yūri sprinkled a little salt on the French fries. The salt-only seasoning was less likely to get boring. If they became popular, he hoped they would try adding herbs.

"Here, the French fries are ready. Please try them."

"Wow, you're frying potatoes."

"The seasoning is just salt? If it's just cutting and frying, I could help with that."

"...Don't get involved in the seasoning or cooking, Sheila."

"Be quiet, brother!"

While bickering playfully, they both tried the French fries and then...

"Delicious!"

They seemed to enjoy the idea of frying potatoes, munching away. Washing, cutting to the right size, frying until cooked, and sprinkling salt—only the frying part might be a bit challenging, but with practice, they could handle it in large quantities. It was a perfect snack for adults and a treat for children. It was no wonder they were so pleased.

Later, "Sunlight Pavilion" quietly resumed operations and regained its usual bustling atmosphere.

The menu Yūri suggested was meant to tide them over until the owner returned.

When dad comes back, he'll make the old dishes again!

By the way, I prefer skin-off French fries. Skin-on is delicious too!

Looking forward to your comments and feedback.