Chapter 518 - 461. What Matters Is That It's Delicious
"Shou-kun. That shell is..."
"Ah! I forgot!"
I had left the Tokiwagai unattended.
Tsuboyaki is a classic, so I guess I'll put the flesh back in the shell and make a pseudo-tsuboyaki (?)
I'll cook them before Azure-san and the others arrive. As for the number... about six should be enough for now.
"Mion, have you ever eaten sazae?"
"No, I haven't..."
"Ah, well, then, only if you feel like it."
She had a slightly puzzled expression, like, "Are you really going to eat that?"
She's probably eaten oysters or scallops since they're common, but not sazae, I guess.
As my grandpa taught me, I lined the Tokiwagai in a frying pan, poured about 1 cm of water, and then covered it to steam-grill.
"Is it about ready?"
Once it was nicely simmering, I opened the lid, drizzled Krupesauce (fish sauce) into the shell opening, and waited a bit. After making sure it was thoroughly cooked to remove any fishy smell,
"I think this should be good enough, but... let me taste it first."
"Kyu."
I was still a bit unsure about how it would taste.
As Mion and True watched, I took a bite of the Tokiwagai tsuboyaki.
"Wow, it's incredibly delicious..."
It had a firm, plump texture, with concentrated umami that oozed out with every bite.
"Kyukyuu~!"
"Alright, alright. Only those who want to eat it, okay?"
True and the Selkies looked like they couldn't wait to eat, but Shal had an expression that said 'no thank you.' Oh, Lupi and the others too.
So, I thought it would be just right if True and the others shared the rest, but then...
"Ah~! You're eating something delicious again!"
Yeah, Azure-san seems like he'd eat anything. He'd probably even call a little bit of poison 'flavorful'...
Behind the running Azure-san were, of course, Bell and Seth.
"Those are sazae, aren't they?"
"Ah, they're called Tokiwagai, but they're definitely sazae. And Bell, you know about them?"
"Yes, I've eaten them before. They're delicious, aren't they?"
Her eyes clearly showed her desire.
In the end, it was me, True and the Selkies, and Azure-san and Bell who ate the Tokiwagai tsuboyaki.
Mion still seemed to dislike them, so she passed. Seth also doesn't like shellfish. Instead, she was satisfied with the Chinese-style stir-fried Lance Squid.
Anyway, that's fine, but,
"Um, about there being a church and a Nameless Goddess Statue..."
"Yeah, I heard about it~. Personally, I'd prefer you take it back to Shou-kun's island. And as for the Dragonkin, it would help us if it remained a secret for now."
He mentioned the demons in the Necropolis and his concerns about the Demon Kingdom's movements.
The Nameless Goddess Statue could, in a sense, become a 'trump card,' so it was decided to transport it to my island, which is out of reach, for use in an emergency.
"I'll transport it, but wait until I finish eating this. Ideally, I'd like to savor it slowly with wine, but~"
Sorry. I didn't bring any...
...
...
...
On the 10th underground floor, in the room with the Transfer Magic Circle.
After having the Nameless Goddess Statue and the Armra saplings transported, I noticed it was almost 11 PM. Today, I guess I'll just return to the island and log out.
"Shou-kun. You should have the Transfer Magic Circle unfixed."
"Ah, that's right!"
Close call, close call. I forgot it before too.
I had already explained it to Bell, but not to Azure-san, so I'll explain it now and have him unfix it.
"I see, I see. Well, when you take it back to Shou-kun's island, I'll let you ride in a Dragon Basket. You want to try it once, right?"
"Ah, y-yes..."
Bell and Seth, who know I'm not good with airplanes, were grinning... Yeah, I'll do my best.
"Hitomi-san. Could you unfix this Transfer Magic Circle?"
"Yes. Unfixing complete. ...Done."
"Thanks. Well, we'll head back as is."
"Ah, wait, wait! Shou-kun, are you doing more investigation tomorrow?"
"Yes, I'll be back tomorrow."
However, the training camp ends tomorrow. We'll be heading home on Friday the day after tomorrow.
I think I'll come on Saturday and Sunday too, but I'm going to my grandpa's house starting Monday, and then Mion has her album recording, so I plan to withdraw from this island around the end of summer vacation.
"Is it okay if White Dragon Princess comes tomorrow?"
"Ah, that's fine. El-san is coming too, right?"
"Of course."
If that's the case, then there's no problem at all, I guess? Sweee and the others would probably be happy too.
Azure-san said he wouldn't bring her directly; he wants them to meet at our island's Large Transfer Room.
Anyway, that's fine, but,
"Um..."
"May we also come?"
"If it's better for us to step aside..."
"Oh, of course I'll introduce you. Don't worry about manners or anything. You two are almost too proper even with me~"
Bell and Seth couldn't really argue with that.
However, considering the future, I think it would be good to have met White Dragon Princess. If possible, I'd like them to meet her in her awakened mode, though...
*
"Good work, everyone."
"Good work."
"Mmm, mmm."
"How was it today~?"
Yata-sensei asked. Had the drinking party already ended? The low table was completely cleared.
"The live performance went without any particular problems. The piano is almost fully restored, but since there are probably still many people who haven't seen it yet... it's fine, right?"
"It's fine. We still have plenty of time, and it'll be good if it's ready when we resume our live streams here."
After consulting with Mion, I plan to resume live streams after we return from the training camp and my visit to my grandpa's house.
Whether we'll return to the previous twice-a-week schedule depends on how busy Mion is with her album recording.
"By the way, are there really that many people who come to see the piano?"
"Yes, there are. But besides that, there are various other events as well."
"And the weekly exchange meetings are still ongoing."
She said.
Player-made food, alcohol, and sweets, in particular, seemed popular, and transactions were apparently increasing quite a bit.
If Azure-san and the others want anything specific, maybe they can place a request with 'Tir na nOg.'
After the live performance, the topic turned to the Southern Island, so we switched to our story.
I talked about catching Lance Squid and Tokiwagai with True and the others, and Mion talked about digging up Armra saplings with Sweee and her group...
"I see~. It really seems like the 'Nameless Goddess Statue' was planned to be released much later~"
Bell and Miki both nodded at that opinion.
As for me, I just happened to find it...
"For now, it's been decided that my island will hold onto it."
"I think that's a good idea~"
That's one thing settled, or rather, postponed.
"Brother. White Dragon Princess is coming tomorrow, is there anything we should prepare?"
"Yes. Should we bring some mainland sweets?"
They started consulting, but I figured anything delicious would probably be fine...