Chapter 72

Personally, I like shrimp doria when eating at a restaurant.

But when I eat at home, I really love beef doria.

...I wonder why?

"Mm, it's delicious."

Yuri took a bite of the stew with a spoon and nodded contentedly. The meat was cooked thoroughly but not tough, melting in her mouth. The vegetables, such as potatoes and carrots, were well-cooked and had absorbed the flavor of the demi-glace sauce. Yuri, with a look of happiness, ate while Luke, her familiar, diligently cleaned the floor, squishing along beneath her feet.

By the way, this was not the hideout of the "Crimson Lynx," but the popular cafeteria, "Sunlight Pavilion."

"Luke, you don't have to clean the floor for us, you know?"

"Kyu?"

Luke, hearing this from the waitress, Shira, shook his body in confusion, as if to ask, "Why not?" Luke had followed Yuri when she came for lunch and was busily cleaning the floor of the cafeteria, which had a lot of people coming and going. ...Well, for a slime, which is an omnivorous creature, dust and dirt can be absorbed as energy, so in a sense, it was a meal for him.

After a moment, Luke looked up at Yuri, seemingly understanding that he wasn't being scolded, and continued to clean the floor of "Sunlight Pavilion" with a squish. He was very skillful, making sure not to bother the customers. Initially, the customers were surprised, but once they realized that Luke had no ill intentions and was cleaning very seriously, they watched him with kind eyes. Some even gave him leftover food. ...It wasn't like feeding a dog or a cat, but still.

Yuri sometimes eats out like this. Getting new information is necessary. It's not about the quality of the cooking, but the different ideas people have about using the same ingredients. Especially here, the owner, Daraeos, uses ingredients he hunts himself, and the way he uses the meat is particularly exquisite for this world.

The dish Yuri is eating now is like beef stew in terms of taste. However, the meat used is from a monster. At first, she thought it might be bison meat, but when she asked Shira, she was told with a smile, "It's bicorn meat," and she froze for a moment.

A bicorn is, simply put, a unicorn with two horns. However, while unicorns are considered sacred creatures, bicorns are treated as evil or demonic. In any case, they are monsters, so it's fine to hunt them.

When Yuri thought it might be horse meat, the "Eye of God" commented that it tasted like something between horse and beef, which was a bit confusing. When she appraised the meat in the stew, it told her this. Well, it's delicious, so it's fine.

...The only issue is that bicorn is a fairly strong monster. The fact that Daraeos went out to hunt one alone, successfully caught it, and returned is a bit odd. The story that he was a famous adventurer in his youth seems very credible. ...Well, the fact that he still goes hunting even after getting seriously injured a few days ago might mean he's a bit of a playful old man.

"Hey, Shira-san, can I have some rice?"

"Oh, Yuri-kun, aren't you going to have more bread?"

"Huh? Can't I have rice?"

"It's not that you can't. Just wait a moment."

The stew was so delicious that Yuri wanted to enjoy something like doria. The bread was delicious too, but as a Japanese person, she really wanted doria. She didn't want to ask the restaurant to make doria right away, so she decided to do it herself. ...Honestly, she really wanted them to put cheese on top and bake it in the oven, but she didn't say anything.

When the rice was brought, Yuri poured the stew over it with her spoon. Shira looked surprised, but Yuri didn't care. She just wanted to eat delicious rice, so it didn't matter what others thought. Delicious is justice.

By the way, doria is said to have been created by a foreigner working in Japan. The first doria was apparently white, but nowadays there are many varieties. Curry doria is also delicious. Perhaps the Japanese, who are known for their creative modifications, are good at expanding the menu. Anyway, Yuri wanted to enjoy her beef (or rather, bicorn) doria without any worries.

"Itadakimasu."

The rice covered with plenty of bicorn stew. The people around her looked puzzled, but Yuri didn't care. She plunged her spoon into the stew and rice, mixing them together. When she put it in her mouth, the flavors mixed beautifully, and it was incredibly delicious. ...Actually, for a Japanese person used to curry rice, this kind of eating style might be considered normal. It's like a rich, flavorful Hayashi rice.

However, it was so delicious that she felt something was missing. She thought it would be even better with cheese baked in the oven, but she couldn't say that, so she just kept eating.

"...Hey, kid, what are you doing?"

"Huh?"

"Well, I've seen people dip bread in it, but you're pouring it on rice?"

"It's like doria."

"Huh?"

The owner, Daraeos, appeared with a puzzled look. He was a muscular, imposing figure, and his white chef's uniform didn't suit him at all. He had the air of a local cafeteria owner, but his physique suggested he would be more at home swinging a greatsword. Indeed, he might be the type to hunt a bicorn alone, Yuri thought.

"In my hometown, there's a dish called doria, where you pour a stew-like sauce over rice, add cheese, and bake it in the oven."

"Ah, I see."

"So, since the stew was so delicious, I'm eating it this way. It's delicious."

Despite his intimidating presence, Yuri didn't care. She believed that anyone who could make delicious food couldn't be a bad person. And an old man who provides affordable meals so that young adventurers can eat properly couldn't be a bad person. It didn't matter if he looked tough or was too muscular to look like a chef. It just didn't matter.

Daraeos seemed to have some thoughts about Yuri's smile and returned to the kitchen. A while later, he came back with a heat-resistant dish that was unmistakably doria.

"...Daraeos-san?"

"Is this what you were talking about?"

"Ah, yes. That's it. ...Why did you make it?"

"Just taste it and confirm."

"...Okay?"

Yuri didn't understand why he was making such a request, but she obediently tried the doria. The bicorn stew was delicious, and the cheese was perfectly melted. It was simply delicious. The baking time was perfect, which was impressive. He was definitely a skilled chef.

"It's delicious."

"Hmm, not bad."

"Oh, really. I thought it would go well with bread, but it works with rice too."

"Hey, Shira, let's add this to the menu with the bowl dishes."

"Okay, okay."

"...Huh?"

Daraeos and Shira tasted it and, apparently satisfied, decided to add it to the menu right there. Yuri didn't understand why it happened so quickly, but since she could now enjoy delicious doria, she thought it was fine. For her, that was enough.

By the way, the customers, who had been watching, tried to order doria, but Daraeos's "We haven't set a price yet, so it's not possible" put an end to that. Indeed, if they were going to serve it, they would need to calculate the cost and set a price. Yuri thought running a restaurant was tough. In that regard, home cooking was happy because you could make what you wanted. Yuri reaffirmed her happiness.

"Kid, you saved us."

"What do you mean?"

"There were complaints that it takes too long to eat the stew and bread. I was thinking about how to fix it."

"Time, huh?"

"Some adventurers can't take their time to eat."

"That's tough."

Apparently, some adventurers, due to their missions, had to eat quickly. There were complaints about the inconvenience of alternating between bread and stew. ...It was probably similar to how hungry high school boys prefer curry or bowl dishes that can be eaten with a single spoon. Being able to eat the main dish and the staple food together was indeed convenient for quick eaters.

By the way, the bowl dishes that Yuri had previously suggested to Alga were very popular. After all, they included meat. Now, Daraeos, who had returned to work, was coming up with various bowl dishes. They weren't particularly innovative, but the grilled meat bowl was very popular. ...Yuri thought it was probably because of the variety of meats used, but she had the good sense not to say it. Incidentally, she was right.

"Kyu."

"Ah, Luke, what's wrong? Do you want something to eat?"

"Kuii."

Luke, apparently having finished cleaning the entire floor, was staring intently at the kitchen. It seemed he was very concerned about the dirt on the kitchen floor. However, Luke, who was not allowed to enter the kitchen even at the hideout, seemed to understand that he couldn't go near the cooking area. Still, the dirty floor was bothering him. ...Yuri was puzzled as to why he was so obsessed with cleaning.

While petting Luke's head, Yuri chuckled. If this were the hideout, she would let Luke clean the floor to his heart's content when no one was cooking. Unfortunately, this was "Sunlight Pavilion," a business establishment. It might be a bit much for a monster to enter the kitchen.

"What's wrong, kid?"

"Ah, no. Luke wants to clean the kitchen floor."

"Hmm."

"Sorry, I'll make sure he understands."

"The lunch rush will be over soon. After that, it's fine."

"Huh?"

"Kyu?"

To Yuri's apology, Daraeos surprisingly gave permission. Yuri, looking surprised, and Luke, looking like he was saying, "Really?" Daraeos nodded at the two of them.

"After all, you've cleaned the floor of the restaurant so well. If you can clean the kitchen floor too, it would be very helpful."

"Kuii!"

"Wow, Luke is excited. What? Is cleaning that fun?"

"Ku!"

Luke jumped up, clearly saying, "Of course." For him, cleaning meant getting praise from Yuri and gaining energy. It was a win-win. Moreover, if he found something lost, he could get praise from others too. For Luke, who had been chased by humans as a monster, the situation where he could get praise for his efforts was very happy.

So, Luke enthusiastically cleaned the kitchen floor after the lunch rush. Meanwhile, Yuri, sitting with the owner, Daraeos, engaged in a lively discussion about cooking.

The doria, which was officially added to the menu later, became one of the popular dishes.

That's all for the cafeteria.

By the way, Alga is not here because his father has returned to work, and he is now the heir to the inn.

I look forward to your comments and feedback.