278 - -トト拍拍拍

After threshing the soybeans, Sylphy, Gina and the others went to take down the nest of the undead, and Bell and the others went to patrol the area. I came to Ruby's diner to give a presentation on the development of soy sauce and miso. This is a pretty important negotiation for my wonderful life in the other world.

"Good morning, Yuta's brother." "Good morning, Yuta." "Good morning, ......." "Good morning, Yuta."

"Good morning, everyone."

When I entered the cafeteria, Emme, Saffy, Citrine, and Onyx called out to me. I answered them and looked in the back. Hmmm, Ruby seems to be busy, so I guess I'd better wait for a while.

"Yuta's brother, what can I do for you?"

"Yes, I have a favor to ask of everyone. When Ruby's free, would you mind listening to what I have to say?"

"Of course I don't mind listening to Yuta's brother, but Ruby is crazy about this new recipe and I think she'll be cooking all the time if you don't stop her. Do you want me to stop her?"

"Uh, ...... then I'm sorry, but can you tell Ruby to listen to me when she gets a break?"

You can call out to them yourself since you are in a position to see them, but it would be better to ask Emme, who knows when to do it, so that she won't be in the way.

I'll go and talk to him.

Emme gets up from her seat and runs toward Ruby. She is full of energy running for such a short distance. Or maybe she is enjoying the move because of the sanctuary. However, Emme and Dolly have quite different personalities even though they are spirits of the same forest. It's a matter of course, but it's kind of interesting.

I didn't think anything of Sylphy and Belle, If and Freya because they are too old, but it seems that the same attribute is different for each of them, even if it's the same for a great spirit and a high level spirit.

But the earth spirits may be quite similar, Nomos is not the type to talk much except about alcohol, and there may be many taciturn spirits...... well, Barotta's contracted spirit was an earth spirit, but he and Dine hit it off and seemed to like to talk. I remember that. It would be better not to think of a genie's personality in terms of its attributes. It might be like a blood type personality test.

"Yuta's brother, is it a funny thing to ask?"

Saffy asks happily, but is it fun to develop seasonings?　For me, it's an important project because I'll be able to use soy sauce and miso as much as I want. .......

"Well, you know I'm from another world, right?　I'd like to ask you to recreate the seasonings from that world, do you think that would be interesting?"

"Seasonings from another world!"

I turn to look at the voice and see Ruby and Emme looking at me with excited expressions on their faces. I guess they've made up their minds.

"Hey, Yuta's brother, are you going to make some otherworldly seasoning?"

Ruby, who was getting excited, came at me hard.

"Yeah, that's the plan, but before we talk, should I put the dishes in storage?　Your new dish is pasta, right?"

I'm a little scared, so I'll take a breather to take the edge off.

"Oh, yeah, do me a favor, Yuta's brother."

"Yes, sir."

Follow Ruby's instructions to store the food. There are some pasta dishes, but also cream stews, tomato soups, and meat sauces. Yesterday morning we stored quite a few dishes, and with this amount of food in the ice compartment this morning, we're going to run out of ingredients pretty quickly.

I guess I don't have to worry about it, since I'm sure the pace of cooking will slow down a little once I get used to the new recipes, and I'll be able to cook accordingly when we have guests over. After the dishes are stored, everyone gathers at the same table to talk.

"So, Yuta's brother, what kind of seasonings do you use in this other world?

Even after a short pause, Ruby's spirits seem to be on the wane. She's in the same mood as Shiva, who's been hanging around Gina, wanting to play with her. The other members are looking at me with interest and are willing to help me if I make it.

"Well, let me tell you first that it's a very iffy project, and it's going to take a lot of time and effort, and I'm not even sure if it's going to be finished or not," I say. I know it may be a waste of time and effort, but will you help me?"

"It's all right!　Even if you don't finish it, it could be a hint for a new seasoning!　I definitely want you to tell me what you're doing!"

Ruby seems very motivated. I asked her about Emme and the others, but when our eyes met, each of them nodded firmly. Everything seems to be fine.

"Well, first I'll show you the seasonings I want you to make. I'm going to show you the seasonings I want you to make first, but since it's not a lot I can only taste a little.

He takes a small amount of soy sauce from his magic bag and carefully transfers it to a small plate. It is a stingy act, but if the soy sauce fails to be produced, it will be the very last soy sauce. Not a drop can be wasted.

Then comes the miso. Miso is a bit of a problem because it's the instant miso soup that comes in a small bag. Because miso is miso with soup stock, it tastes different from the original miso. I hope I can explain it well, but I'll have to try my best ....... Still, it would be better than not serving it. Tear open the little bag containing the miso paste and put some of it on a small plate.

"These are the two condiments I want Ruby and her friends to make. The liquid one is called soy sauce and the paste one is called miso. Oh, I'll explain the miso one later, but it's seasoned and doesn't taste like miso. I'm sorry I can only serve a little, but check the taste.

At my words, Ruby and the others all put their faces close to the small plate and started to observe. If they are this interested in the taste, they will seriously study it if they like it.

The soy sauce one is pitch black, and the miso has a muddy but distinctive smell.

"I like this smell,......"

Citrine is happy to smell miso. The fact that the shy Citrine is so willing to talk about her preferences in my presence means that she likes it. I was a little relieved that she didn't seem to find it unacceptable.

A long discussion began. Ruby and the others earnestly tasted and observed the soy sauce and miso, and asked me all sorts of questions. There were many things I couldn't answer, from the ingredients to the production period, what fermentation is, what kind of food it can be used for, etc. But it was fortuitous that the questions made me remember the knowledge I had forgotten. It's not good for a human being to think alone.

But Ruby and the others were motivated by what I had to say. When I told them that we will have many new recipes once we have soy sauce and miso, since they are the main seasonings along with salt in my country, they were so excited that they promised to make soy sauce and miso for sure.

He said he would finish them no matter how long it would take, but I hope he will finish them while I'm still alive. If I wanted, it would be within a year or so. .......

****

"To sum up what Yuta's brother told me, soy sauce and miso are fascinating condiments, and if you can make them, you'll have tons of new recipes. The first thing we need to do is to ask Vita's brother for his help."

"...... Why are you asking Vita for help?　Vita's not really into cooking."

"Vita's brother is the Great Spirit of Life. Soy sauce and miso are fermented foods, and Vita's brother must know the bacteria that transforms the soybeans into soy sauce and miso.

"What, the spirit of life has jurisdiction over bacteria too?"

Fungi are alive, too, you know?"

Ruby is looking at me with a look of what's so obvious...... but I didn't think that even germs were under the jurisdiction of the spirit of life.

I'm not sure if I've ever thought that fungus is also under the jurisdiction of the Spirit of Life.　You can't even see it. ......"

I mean, I'm surprised that we can talk about bacteria in general. I've been licking my chops.

"Even in a brewery, the spirits of life control the bacteria and make the alcohol, so it's all right."

The alcohol part is very spirit-like. But it already had a track record. ......　But then, can't we try mayonnaise, the royal road to otherworldly knowledge cheats?

I have never tried to make mayonnaise with uncontrolled eggs because I heard that food poisoning is not a good idea, but if you can get Vita to detect any dangerous bacteria, you can make a safe mayonnaise. I'm not a mayonnaise lover, but I'm glad to have mayonnaise. I will check this with Vita as well.

"Yes, the fungus is alive too, so it is under the jurisdiction of the Spirit of Life, isn't it? Okay, I'll summon Vita now.

Ruby and the others say so and summon Vita immediately. She said she was going to relax after checking on the animals, so it should be no problem to summon her.

"Hey Yuta, what's up?"

Sorry to barge in on you like this. I'm actually trying to recreate the seasonings from my world, but since it's a fermented food, we agreed it would be best to have Vita teach me about the fungus. These two seasonings, do you have any idea what kind of fungus would make soybeans ferment like this?"

"Fungi. ...... Let me take a look at it."

Vita picked up a small plate of soy sauce and miso and began to observe them with a serious expression on her face. I'm very nervous. If Vita says that she doesn't know anything at this point, the number of trial runs is going to increase dramatically. Ruby and the other participants seemed to share the same opinion and looked at Vita with bated breath.

"Well, I think I have a pretty good idea of what kind of bacteria you fermented..." she says. Do you think we can collect the bacteria that fermented these two?"

"Uh, yes, please, Vita."

That's the Great Spirit of Life. He easily solved the problem of the bacteria, which I thought was the most difficult problem. I'm still trying to figure out how to make soy sauce, but I have a vague idea of how to make miso. I'm one step closer to having all the miso soup I can drink.

"So, where do I collect them?　If I just collect them here, they will scatter quickly, so I need a place to settle them."

...... a place to settle?　If you want to settle the bacteria, you can settle them on food. Rice?　...... rice seems to fix the fungus without any problem, but can we mix rice with soybeans?　It seems like a good idea, but I think it would be better to settle them in soybeans anyway.

In that case, the bacteria should be collected only after the soybeans have been prepared. The soybeans should be returned to the water before boiling. I don't know how long they should be soaked in water, but I have seen a cooking show that said black beans should be soaked in water for a day before boiling. Soybeans would be similar. Then it will be tomorrow that the bacteria will be established in the soybeans.

"Sorry Vita, it will take me all day to prepare the ingredients for the fixation. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

I don't mind. I'll see you tomorrow.

"Oh, wait a minute. Could it be that Vita can control the bacteria that settle in the food at will?　If there are bacteria that are interfering with the fermentation process, you can move them to a different location. ......"

"That's about the extent of the problem. You can also speed up the fermentation process by activating the bacteria. But it will only cut the completion time in half.

"Vita, you're the best. Take care of it tomorrow.

I'll do my best. I'll see you tomorrow."

Vita, you are too dependable. For a moment I almost forgot I was a man and hugged you. If Vita could use her full strength, I'm sure that the difficulty level of making soy sauce and miso would be reduced to normal mode.　Oh, I forgot to ask you to appraise the eggs. Oh well, it's soybeans now.

Anyway, I explain to Ruby and the others, who look like they want an explanation, that we have a much better chance of completing the project, and get the soybeans ready. I'm on fire.