Chapter 7

Yuri, it's time to start work?

Yack explained the situation to the new boy, Yuri, who had appeared, saying he was a new recruit. He did so while almost on the verge of tears.

At the "Crimson Lynx," new recruits are assigned to cooking and cleaning the baths. Of course, the others take turns as well, but it is a rule that apprentices must take charge of cooking. This is likely the first training to prepare them for living in the dungeon with limited ingredients. However, not all new recruits understand this.

"I get it. Food is important, right? The basics are to do your best with the food you have."

"Yeah, that's the basics."

"The monthly food budget is limited, and most importantly, the leader won't easily replenish the supplies as long as there's still food left. It's wasteful, he says."

"It can go bad, and using it up is the basics."

Yack's words made Yuri nod in agreement. While Yack was moved by the new recruit, who was dressed in nice clothes, saying such things, the seniors, who had gone through the training, would have understood. Especially in the current difficult situation, Yack found Yuri much more reliable compared to the seniors who were just above him.

It's not that the others are bad. While those from less affluent rural areas like Yack might understand the value of food, those who grew up in the capital or similar cities often lack this appreciation. They think they can just buy more and don't know how to cook, leading to wasteful use of ingredients.

"The only things we have plenty of are bread and potatoes. The leader buys a lot of these two because they are staples."

"Oh, potatoes are treated as a staple too. No rice or pasta?"

"We have some, but we don't use much. We have a contract with a nearby bakery, so they deliver a bit more than the number of people we have every day."

"Wow. Fresh bread from the bakery every day. That's great."

For Yuri, who grew up in modern Japan, this was a dream-like situation. If you time it right, you can have freshly baked bread every day. What a wonderful situation. Even if it's delivered in the morning and gets cold by noon or night, it's still delicious bread from that day. This made him look forward to dinner.

"By the end of the month, the ingredients run out. ...Because they are used wastefully."

"...That's a problem."

"Yeah, it's a problem. So, as the end of the month approaches, I usually serve steamed potatoes. They fill you up."

"Potatoes are a versatile ingredient, too."

"Versatile? ...No, potatoes can only be steamed, right?"

"...Huh?"

Yuri thought this was a lie.

In this world, the status of potatoes seemed very low. Moreover, from Yack's tone, it seemed they were only steamed. Yuri thought this would be boring and not very tasty. At the very least, some butter on hot potatoes would make them delicious, or boiling them with salt.

Yuri, who was looking puzzled, was left as Yack continued to complain. No, it wasn't a complaint. It was an explanation of the current situation.

"So, I try to manage, but the seniors use the ingredients however they want. And every time I serve steamed potatoes, they say, 'Can't you cook anything else?'"

"...Yack-kun?"

"I can cook if I have the ingredients! But they use everything without considering the distribution, and by the time it's my turn, there's only scraps and bits left. What am I supposed to do?"

Yack slapped the worktable in the middle of the kitchen. It was more like a punch. He must have been holding in a lot of frustration. Yuri patted Yack's head, saying, "There, there."

In summary, Yack was trying to manage the ingredients seriously, but the seniors were ruining his efforts. They didn't realize it and criticized Yack's cooking. Today, at the end of the month, the ingredients were almost gone, and he didn't know how to make dinner.

For lunch, the seniors had used the remaining scraps to make something decent. Yack, seeing the state of the kitchen afterward, was disheartened. There was almost nothing left to eat.

"Can I check what's left? I might be able to help."

"Can you cook, Yuri?"

"Just a hobby. I can't make something for customers, but I can make something for family."

The effeminate boy smiled. He had never worked in a café, so his cooking was home-style. He learned recipes from the internet, TV, and mostly from his mother, a housewife. It was the taste of home. He could only make simple, ordinary dishes, so he would be in trouble if asked to make something unusual.

Yack's eyes sparkled. Not many men could cook. The seniors were only trying hard because it was part of the training and weren't very good at it. A new recruit who could cook was like a savior.

"Okay, I'll explain."

"Okay."

"The vegetables left, other than potatoes, are like this."

"...Wow. They're just scraps."

"...Yeah."

Yuri smiled with a far-off look, and Yack made a similar face. The vegetables were more like peels with the insides almost completely scraped out. Yack, seeing these rolling peels, felt like he was looking at rabbit food.

Next, Yack opened the refrigerator to show the meat. ...Or rather, something that used to be meat. It was bones with a little bit of meat still attached. There was almost no meat left.

"The meat was all used up and cooked for lunch..."

"...I see."

"How am I supposed to cook with just these bones and a little bit of meat?"

Yack, perhaps feeling sad as he said this, sniffled. It was pitiful. Yack wasn't at fault, but he was bearing the brunt of it. If this was the fate of new recruits, it was too cruel.

Yuri looked around, checking the seasonings and cooking utensils. There was a faucet and a gas stove. The stove didn't seem to be gas, but it had a knob for adjusting the heat, so it should work similarly. Unfortunately, the only seasonings available were salt, pepper, and soy sauce. A pity.

The refrigerator was full of eggs and milk. Yuri looked at Yack, wondering if he could use these, and Yack, smiling and puffing out his chest, answered.

"We get eggs and milk delivered from a nearby farm every day, so it's okay to use them! ...That's why breakfast is usually milk, eggs, and bread."

"...Ah. When the ingredients are used up, there's not much else you can do."

Still, they had managed to get by with the large supply of potatoes, the daily bread, and the eggs and milk. They really needed more vegetables and meat, but with these, they could at least make a light breakfast. ...Yuri thought it was probably due to the leader, Ali, being considerate and providing support.

Yuri smiled at Yack, thinking that with this much, he could probably make a simple meal. If they could go shopping after using everything up, they could get through today and have a simple breakfast of milk, eggs, and bread tomorrow. Then, they could go shopping for fresh ingredients the next day.

"Let's start preparing dinner. How much time do we have until dinner?"

"Huh? ...It varies, but the first person should be here in about three hours."

"Got it. Let's do our best!"

Yuri said this with a lackluster voice, and Yack blinked repeatedly. He didn't understand. After all, the ingredients in front of them couldn't be used for cooking. He had no idea how to make a meal with this.

"How many people are we cooking for? Will everyone be here?"

"No, not everyone. They're in the dungeon. ...Including you, there will be 11 people for dinner tonight."

"I see. If it's just 11, I might be able to manage. I haven't made a large meal before, though."

Yuri laughed, finding it difficult to gauge the quantities. His smile showed no sign of worry. Yack was speechless. With no ingredients, he couldn't understand how Yuri could be so carefree about making dinner.

...Yuri was excited. As an effeminate boy, he loved cooking. He was in a different world, but he had secured a place to live and a guardian, so he was happy to be in a situation where he could cook his favorite dishes.

...To say it again, Yuri is a carefree and optimistic person.

"Wait, wait, Yuri!"

"Yeah? What's wrong?"

"R-Really, can you make dinner with these ingredients!?"

"With this much, I can make a simple home-cooked meal."

"Wh-What!?"

Ignoring Yack's shocked cry, Yuri picked up a loaf of bread from a basket, probably from a few days ago, that had gone hard. The loaf was quite hard. He took a bowl and a grater.

"...Yuri?"

"Let's start with this. Cut the bread and grate it into the bowl."

"...O-Okay."

Yack nodded at Yuri's smiling face. He couldn't think of anything himself, so he decided to let the enthusiastic new recruit take charge. ...If he got criticized later, he would explain that these were the only ingredients available.

So, Yack and Yuri stood side by side, quietly grating the bread to make breadcrumbs.

Yuri, the laid-back and easygoing effeminate boy, just found it fun to be able to cook.

Probably, no one would understand his carefree attitude.

And to Yack, he was a savior.

Your opinions and comments are welcome.