Chapter 123: Dwarf-yaki

I had a hell of a time refusing all the offers of the dwarven merchants. They had an uncanny way with words and their sales talk may even prompt people to buy useless junk while believing them to be priceless treasures. They mixed in some useful stuff with the junk goods and tried to sell them in bulk, which was a pretty devious tactic. I managed to muddle through somehow, and I got away from those pushy guys by promising to bring acquaintances from my hometown on my next visit.

They probably thought I was filthy rich so they tried to squeeze me for all I’m worth. I may have some leeway when it comes to funds, but presently, there’s just no cargo space to dump all that junk they were trying to sell me. I’m glad I was able to avoid meaningless purchases.

But I did buy a portable cooking kit. It’s a high-quality item that can be powered for quite a long time by a single energy pack. The cooking kit is the same size as your regular toolbox and includes a cooking heater, an ingredient scanner for checking freshness or possible harmful stuff, and a cutlery set. This thing can come in handy if we ever find ourselves stranded on an unexplored planet or something…… maybe.

Uh, I guess if we ever crash land on a planet in a state where even the auto-cooker and other facilities are busted, then Krishna and the newly purchased mothership should be heavily damaged to the point of despair.

Alright, I admit I bought this thing on impulse. Sorry. Ugh. Cut me some slack, guys. C’mon. The compact cooking kit and the chameleon thermal cloaks will be delivered to Krishna later on. Well, to be exact, they’re going to be sent to the workshop where Krishna is undergoing its maintenance overhaul. The items will be sent on board the ship once the maintenance work gets finished, so there’s no problem.

“Well, that’s a surprise. You were able to hold your own without getting caught up in their pace for the most part.”

The one who called out to me just after I ditched the dwarven merchants was Elma. It looks like the girls were finished with their shopping. There’s no word from May and Tina yet, so I guess they’re still hard at work designing my weapon. It’s great that they’re giving their all.

“Were you watching all that?”

“Yeah. Just halfway through though. I thought for sure you’d get suckered in to buy lots of pointless stuff, but you did better than I expected.”

“I already said so earlier. Hiro-sama can be resolute when he wants to.”

Elma shrugged her shoulders in mock-disappointment while Mimi looked quite pleased and proud.

“But he’s not exactly the prudent sort, right? If he was, then he wouldn’t have paid for Mimi and my debts without so much as batting an eye. And he even laid his hands on both of us.”

“Uh, that’s true, but this and that are very different things y’know.”

It was a bit different for Elma, but I just thought I could get along with Mimi when I paid her debts back then. I didn’t really expect it’ll go in that direction at all. It was a major culture shock for me.

I’m now aware of what the implications are, so I’m more prudent when it comes to deciding if the dead ball sisters will be allowed on board as part of our crew. I guess I’ve somewhat accustomed myself to this dimension already. Humans are quite adaptable creatures y’see.

“A-Anyway, you purchased a portable cooking kit right, big brother? Are you planning on cooking with it yourself?”

Maybe she sensed the awkward air, so Whisker made an effort to change the subject.

“That’s right. Hiro-sama is a wonderful cook. He can cook fish, veggies, and meat. He’s really, really good.”

“Uh, I’m not really all that great a cook. I just know some simple meals.”

“Eh, but I don’t think it’s an exaggeration at all…… They were really delicious, you know?”

“Is that so……? How rare. It’s a surprise to meet someone who knows how to cook who’s not a dwarf like me.”

“Oh, right. Come to think of it, there are a lot of dwarven chefs out there huh. I even saw a good number of restaurants in this colony that doesn’t use auto-cookers to prepare their meals.”

“It’s not that we don’t use them at all. Fresh, natural ingredients are pretty expensive, so most shops use auto-cookers to produce ingredients, and then cook them manually.”

“But isn’t that kind of bothersome…?”

“Don’t you think the meals made by auto-cookers taste a bit bland? The simple ones are passable, but most other meals are like that.”

“Oh. Yeah, I kinda get what you mean.”

I wasn’t really bothered by it anymore since buying our trusty Tetsujin V, but the default auto-cooker that was installed on Krishna when I first came here did make somewhat bland-tasting food.

“Is that really the case, Elma-san?”

“I have no idea.”

Mimi and Elma inclined their heads in bafflement. Mimi probably only ate food made by auto-cookers since she was a child, so it’s no wonder she doesn’t get it. Elma was a firm junk food lover though…… This elf keeps eating stuff like pizza and steaks for meals. Honestly. But even so, she doesn’t seem to get fat no matter how much she eats. Elma sure is one mysterious elf.

“Most people don’t get things like these apart from other dwarves. I feel like I can get along really well with you, big brother.”

“Glad to hear that. So, how about we try having lunch at a dwarf restaurant then?”

“That sounds great. I’ll guide you. I wonder which place would be good……?”

Whisker got lost in thought for a few moments then clapped her hands happily after making a decision.

“That’s right. Let’s have ‘that’. It’s cheap, filling, and very delicious.”

After informing May and Tina of our destination, our group went to a cozy-looking eatery that resembled an old-fashioned diner in Japan. There were both usual seats and tables and small separate dining areas that resembled raised-tatami seating areas used in Japanese restaurants. There were sunken kotatsus placed in the middle of those areas as well. But what was placed on top was not a normal kotatsu. There was a metallic alloy plate in the center of the kotatsu table. It was most probably a teppan or hotplate used for cooking.

The seats were filled because it was in the middle of lunchtime, and it looks like we have to wait a bit to have our turn. Well, Tina and May will be arriving later anyway, so I guess it’s fine to wait.

“What type of food does this shop sell? Crepes…? I guess not.”

“They sell what you call dwarf-yaki or dwarven fried savory pancakes. You mix various ingredients with some batter and fry them on top of the plate. You can enjoy freshly cooked, hot food along with various flavors and sauces.”

“Dwarf-yaki, huh.”

From the looks of it, the ingredients are mixed together with the batter and then fried instead of just putting them on top. So it was more like Kansai-style okonomiyaki instead of Hiroshima-style. I’m not an expert when it comes to okonomiyaki so I can’t really say for certain though.

“Yes, this is dwarf-yaki. We can have fun with each other while cooking so it’s really popular with other races apart from dwarves as well.”

“I see! It looks really fun!”

Mimi’s eyes were already shining in anticipation. Elma also looked curiously at the customers who were busy frying their orders. I’m really interested as well. I guess these kinds of meals are similar even in another dimension huh.

“Thank you for waiting〜”

“We have arrived, Master.”

May and Tina finally arrived, with the latter’s nose already reacting to the smell of oko– err, dwarf-yaki. Tina was beaming brightly, so she must’ve been satisfied with her work on my order-made weapon. May was together with her, so she should have prevented her engineering soul from going too wild. But she still looked quite smug, so I was a bit worried about the end result.

“So it’s dwarf-yaki huh? They’re treating anyway, so why didn’t you take them to a fancier joint? Isn’t this place a bit too plain?”

“Sis, you……”

Whisker made an exasperated sigh due to Tina’s brazen attitude. Come to think of it, she was pestering me about treating her to lunch earlier, huh. I did say it was fine to go somewhere expensive, so this place does look a bit too plain. I don’t know how much the meals will cost yet, but I don’t think they will be that expensive.

“Let’s just leave that for next time. We’re also interested in traditional dwarven cuisine anyway.”

“That’s right. I really want to try it!”

Mimi, who made it her goal to taste all gourmet food in the galaxy, was very curious about traditional dwarven cuisine. But I managed to spot some strangely wriggling meat within the provided ingredients, so we might be in for a surprise later. I better not let my guard down.

After a bit more, a spot was finally free, so we were guided there by the staff. May really stood out with her maid clothes. I may have to consider getting her some casual clothes too.

“Leave it to me. I’ll take you to a good place later as well.”

“Don’t worry, big brother. I’ll be sure to check the shop first.”

Whisker kept bowing beside Tina, who was sporting a cheeky grin. Nah, it’s fine y’know. It’s not like we’ll be forking out several thousands of Enels just for meals. When I took a look at this place’s menu, it seems the meals would cost 5 to 8 Enels per person. May didn’t need to eat, so I, Mimi, Elma, and the sisters made five people. The meals won’t exceed 100 Enels even if you include the side dishes and drinks.

“I’ll leave the orders to you guys. We’re not all familiar with the menu after all. I’ll have chilled tea or water for my drink.”

“I’ll have the same as Hiro-sama.”

“I guess I’ll go for some alcohol. What would go well with dwarf-yaki?”

“Beer is the usual fare, but I personally recommend watered-down dwarven sake or a highball.”

“I prefer dwarven ochawari.”

“Okay. I guess I’ll go for a highball then. You two will have drinks as well, right?”

“Of course–”

“B-I-G S-I-S?”

“–I’ll have some tea. We’re banned from drinking liquor for two weeks after all. Yeah.”

“Is that so? I guess I’ll refrain from drinking this time then. I’ll get some chilled tea or water as well.”

Tina already forgot about the two-week liquor ban huh. It’s an official punishment by the company, so I believe breaking it would have some serious consequences. Whisker’s aura when she reprimanded Tina was kinda overwhelming.

“Mistress, we’ll have three orders of pork and squid sets and six orders of chilled tea!”

“Right away–!”

Tina yelled her order in a loud voice, and the dwarven mistress at the counter responded right away. By the way, the mistress looked like a classic legal loli, so it kinda looked like two kids having a cheerful exchange. It honestly threw me off a bit.

“That’s quite old-fashioned.”

“Well, fiddling with a tablet for things like this feels kinda off y’know. It’s not like everything’s better if it’s high-tech.”

“I feel that’s not something an engineer would normally say.”

“It’s because I’m an engineer. Why would you want to use a console for placing orders in a roundabout manner when it’s more efficient and less confusing to place orders directly?”

“I see.”

I kinda get it but kinda don’t at the same time. Before long, the restaurant mistress brought us a bowl containing the ingredients for making dwarf-yakis as well as our drinks.

“Thank you for waiting. Here are your orders.”

“Thanks a bunch. Here are your drinks, everyone.”

After handing out all the drinks, Tina held her glass cup aloft.

“Okay then. To our meeting with each other! Cheers!”

“Chee〜rs!”

What’s with the Ondo-like singsong voices? Oh well. I don’t want to ruin the atmosphere, so I refrained from making such a quip. Let’s just enjoy the dwarf-yaki, shall we?