Chapter 223 - Chapter 197: Sweet and Sour
Sunday
“I’m kinda nervous…”
As we got closer to the station, I started worrying—is this outfit too casual?
Still, I picked what seemed most decent, but maybe I should’ve bought some new clothes…
When we crossed through the station and stepped out onto the other side… yep, it was definitely that place.
A luxury car parked at the edge of the roundabout, right by the curb for private vehicles.
“Good morning.”
“G-good morning…”
So this is the kind of lady who wears a white dress and a straw hat…
And then there was another one,
“Shou-sama, good morning.”
Tsubaki-san in a sharp suit, greeting me with perfect politeness…
I couldn’t help feeling a little intimidated. We were just going out for a casual meal.
“Um… could we just keep it normal?”
When I said that, she glanced at Mion, who nodded, so…
“Understood. Though, to be honest, I’m not really good at casual speech.”
“Hah…”
I’d rather she drop the “sama” and stuff—I could just imagine her saying things like, “Well then, what would you prefer?”
Ah, well. No point worrying about it.
“Hmm.”
“Yeah, let’s go. So, um…”
“Yes. I’ll guide you, so please board.”
“We’re buying ingredients for lunch, right? Mion said she wanted fish dishes, so I thought maybe the supermarket near the station?”
“Excuse me? Where are you guiding us?”
“There’s a supermarket near the office—it’d be easier to go there.”
“Oh, I see.”
Well, that’d be fine. I was curious to try a different store anyway, and the selection would probably vary.
Wait, hold on.
“You said fish dishes, right? So this supermarket actually sells fish?”
“Of course.”
Okay, that settled it.
Some supermarkets don’t stock fish, so as long as that was covered, we were good.
“Hmm.”
“Alright, let’s go. Lead the way, please.”
“Yes.”
………
……
…
“…Tsubaki-san. This isn’t a supermarket.”
“Excuse me?”
“This is the deli section of a department store.”
“Isn’t it the same?”
Mion was also giving me a what? look.
Well, they do sell fresh groceries, so maybe it’s fine. It’s just… pricey.
Still, typical of a department store deli—organic veggies that’ve clearly had lots of tender loving care.
First, I skimmed the selection, then headed to the individual vendor stalls.
There were butchers and fishmongers I’d heard of before, and of course, they were all weigh-and-sell setups.
“Mion, anything you don’t like?”
I asked, looking at the fish on display, but she just shook her head.
Though that wasn’t “nothing”—more like “I have no idea which one to pick.” So…
“Any sushi you dislike?”
“…Ikura.”
“Oh! That’s rare. So you’re not into fish roe? Kazunoko or…?”
Mion nodded firmly. Must be sensitive to the smell.
Seth isn’t a big fan either, so we’d never used much. Good thing.
Though… ikura? The only thing I can think of is ikura don.
“Hmm.”
“Ah, mackerel. Got it.”
Since it was lunch, maybe something light—like grilled mackerel would be nice.
Yesterday’s ginger oil and salt seemed a bit lazy, so mackerel grilled and carpaccio should do.
With Tsubaki-san here, and Mion’s mom too, we’d need about six fillets…
They’d fillet it for us, so we could leave it to the experts. I could do it myself, but why not let someone better at it handle it?
The mackerel came out to about 400g per fillet. I’d need to match that with veggies.
For the grilled ones, I’d go with nisikigoi—two colors of tempura, with nori and shiso.
Which meant the carpaccio needed a different flavor profile.
I’d make both Western-style (wine vinegar and lemon juice) and Japanese-style (soy sauce, mirin, sesame). That’d require onions, watercress, bean sprouts, and shiso…
Oh, and lemon…
“Ooh, grapefruit. You like it?”
“Yeah.”
“Alright, I’ll use grapefruit juice instead of lemon.”
“By the way…”
“Why are you taking notes, Tsubaki-san?”
“I thought I’d try making it myself.”
“I can teach you, you know. And I’d love some help.”
If Tsubaki-san didn’t learn to cook a little, we’d end up eating out all the time—which couldn’t be good for her nutrition.
“I appreciate the offer, but if I focus on cooking, the young lady might get angry.”
“Hah…”
She’d said the same thing before.
Glancing at Mion, she was nodding along, confirming that Tsubaki-san’s cooking skills were… nonexistent.
“Hmm.”
“Ah, right. This’ll do. We’ve got time to cook, so let’s head out.”
I’d make one dessert.
＊＊＊
“Delicious! Today’s meal was amazing!”
Mion’s mom, Shizuku-san, was practically vibrating with excitement.
Makes sense—she’s always this hyper when Mion’s enthusiastic.
We’d kept the dishes simpler than last time, and I’d gotten a bit more used to cooking, so it’d gone smoothly… until Tsubaki-san started filming the whole process.
I’d rather she just looked up recipes online than get so invested in this.
But regardless, as I kept cooking, Shizuku-san came downstairs and started peeking over my shoulder…
“Here’s everything.”
The nisikigoi and carpaccio came out beautifully plated, and as everyone set down their chopsticks, Tsubaki-san brought out dessert.
They’d used the expensive grapefruit we’d bought—not just the juice, but the leftover fruit turned into compote and chilled.
“!”
“Yeah, grapefruit compote.”
We boiled sugar, water, and white wine, then tossed in the peeled grapefruit and brought it to a boil.
After that, just a gentle simmer, then chill it once it cooled down.
Sounds fancy, but it’s super easy. Compote.
“How is it?”
“Delicious…”
Mion’s eyes went wide as she took a bite.
“Glad you like it. Though, fairy honey doesn’t exist in real life, so it’s not exactly the same as in-game.”
I tried a bite myself. Yeah, tasty. If Sweee saw this, she’d lose it.
Shizuku-san and Tsubaki-san both said it was delicious—good, because it’s mostly just the quality of the ingredients.
“Ma’am, it’s almost time.”
“Oh, right, it flew by. We’re going clothes shopping next, aren’t we? I wish I’d known sooner—I’d have gone with you…”
“But wouldn’t the young lady object?”
Tsubaki-san chimed in.
p>“Object?” Well, maybe it’d be too much for her mom to tag along every time?
In our family, we almost never went shopping together as a group—so I kinda envied them for that.