NOVEL NEXT Chapter 148.1
Using The Salt-Cured Salmon I Received, I Made A Chilled Dashi Chazuke
“Well then, since it’s a good opportunity, I’ll go make something.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
“Nya nya~!”
“Of course, since it seems like we’ve already had lunch, it’ll be something light, okay?”
“Unyan!”
Leaving the confused Fia and Crest behind, Ridi let out a triumphant cry all by himself. Yay! The kitten, who seemed to be celebrating, was adorably cute as usual. He was in a good mood after being petted on the head by Yuuri.
When Aroru asked if he was going to make something, Yuuri nodded and turned to face Camille and Aroru. Camille was poking Ridi, who was spinning around like he was doing a victory dance, while Aroru watched with a look of exasperation. But upon catching Yuuri’s gaze, both of them turned their attention to him.
“Camille, Aroru, can I ask you to entertain our guests?”
“Leave it to me~”
“I’ll help since I don’t trust Camille alone.”
“Did you really have to add that?”
“Isn’t that just like you?”
“Eh……”
Camille frowned at the casually sharp-tongued ten-year-old. Did I really say that much extra? He tilted his head, thinking he was being normal. By the way, Camille’s “extra comments” usually target people like Urgus or Aroru, who are a bit too honest. Therefore, Yuuri and Yakk had no idea what they were talking about and just ignored the conversation.
As the two of them walked toward the kitchen, they noticed the sound of footsteps following them from behind. When they turned around, they saw Etol, the red cat boy, tagging along. When did he get here? Cats are truly something else.
“Um, what’s up?”
“I apologize if the young master has been causing any trouble.”
“Huh? No, I don’t mind at all. ……Did you come here because of that?”
“……Also, I was curious about what you were going to do.”
Etol averted his gaze slightly and answered shyly, making Yuuri and Yakk exchange a smile. Despite his mature demeanor, he was still a kitten, just as his appearance suggested. Compared to Ridi, who was acting purely on emotion, Etol was calmer, but since he was the same age as Ridi, it was normal for him to act childishly.
Yuuri crouched down to match Etol’s eye level and smiled warmly. It was the kind of fluffy smile that was said to disarm anyone.
“Well then, do you want to watch us work? Though I don’t think there’s anything particularly interesting.”
“If I’m not in the way.”
“Of course not. Let’s go then.”
Yuuri reached out his hand with a smile, and Etol hesitated for a moment before reluctantly placing his small hand in him. Yuuri tightly grasped the adorable, squishy paw and started walking toward the kitchen.
Meanwhile, when Etol noticed Yakk fidgeting and reached out his hand, Yakk happily took it. The two of them enjoyed the squishy sensation of the cat’s paw, while Etol looked puzzled. Cat paws have healing powers, after all. Probably.
Upon arriving at the kitchen, Yuuri guided Etol to the counter. Using his cat-like agility, Etol climbed onto a chair and leaned over the counter to peek into the kitchen space. His twitching cat ears were incredibly cute.
“So, Yuuri, what are you making?”
“Hm? Dashi chazuke.”
“Ah, I see. Just a little snack then.”
“Yep. Can you check how much rice is left in the rice cooker?”
“Got it~”
Yakk responded with a smile and checked the remaining rice in the cooker. There wasn’t a lot left, but it was enough for everyone to have a small portion.
Meanwhile, Yuuri carefully stored the large salt-cured salmon he had received in the fridge, keeping one piece on the cutting board. He cut it in half and stored the other half in the fridge as well. ……Even then, it was still quite large, so he cut it into quarters, leaving only one quarter out.
It was a huge amount of salt-cured salmon, but considering the hearty appetites of the members of the Scarlet Lynx, it would likely be finished soon. While salt-cured salmon isn’t particularly popular, if it’s well-marbled and delicious, it’s easy to imagine everyone enjoying it.
Yuuri then cut the quartered salmon into individual portions. This wasn’t because each person would eat one piece, but simply because it was easier to grill that way. The cut salmon was thrown onto the grill to cook.
“Yuuri, what about the bowls?”
“We’re using less rice, so regular tea bowls are fine.”
“Got it. Let’s see, there are four of us and four guests, so eight bowls should do?”
“What about Ali?”
“If it’s not tea time or anything, the leader probably won’t say anything, right?”
“True.”
Since it wasn’t official snack time and lunch hadn’t been light, the two concluded that they didn’t need to prepare a portion for Ali. If he showed up while they were eating, they could always prepare his portion then.
Of course, this only worked because it was Ali. If it were the big eaters like Urgus or Lelei, they would have to prepare extra portions in advance, as they would likely be drawn by the smell. But since neither of them were around today, there was no need to worry.
After a while, the salmon was done grilling, and Yuuri transferred it to a large plate. He then struggled with the heat as he peeled off the skin using chopsticks and his hands. Once the skin was neatly removed, Yuuri handed the plate of salmon to Yakk.
“First, remove the bones and flake the meat.”
“Got it~. What about the skin?”
“The skin is delicious when grilled until crispy and served as a garnish.”
“Ah~”
While the slightly charred skin is tasty when eaten with the meat, grilling it until crispy and eating it separately is also delicious. Some people even enjoy drinking with just grilled salmon skin, so it might fall into the category of a snack. Well, this time it’s just a garnish for the dashi chazuke.
The skin was thrown back onto the grill. While waiting for it to crisp up, Yuuri and Yakk worked together to flake the salmon meat. They carefully removed the small bones, being careful not to break the meat too much, and focused on the task.
Etol watched their hands intently, staring at the freshly flaked salmon. ……The delicious smell was irresistible. As a werecat, his senses were more developed than a human’s, so the aroma was probably even more enticing to him.
“It’ll be ready soon, so just wait a bit.”
“Eh……. Ah, um, s-sorry……”
“No worries. It smells delicious, right? The fat is well-marbled, and the meat looks fluffy and tasty.”
“I think my stomach’s growling just from the smell.”
“Right?”
Etol looked embarrassed, but Yuuri and Yakk didn’t mind. They smiled at each other, agreeing that the smell was making them hungry. The rich aroma of the thick salmon was irresistible.
Once they finished flaking the salmon, Yuuri moved on to the crispy skin, while Yakk started scooping rice into the tea bowls, filling them about one-third full. The grilled skin was cut into bite-sized pieces with scissors, and the flaked salmon was placed on top of the rice.
“Well, it would be better with some garnishes, but we don’t have any today.”
“The salmon looks so good that it’ll be delicious even without them.”
“Ahahaha, Yakk, you’re drooling. Anyway, can you go call everyone?”
“Got it!”