405-373 At sea (4)

And then there's this guy. Can you buy this?

The octopus was easily killed by Natsuki, but when I stretched out its corpse on the beach, it was quite large.

From the tip of its head - or should I say the tip of its body?　The tentacles at the base of the body were thicker than my arms.

If I could eat it, it would be the equivalent of several hundred ordinary octopuses, but Mr. Marks shook his head reluctantly.

I don't know. I'm sorry, but my guild can't make a judgment. Even if we were to buy it, we'd have to wait until we had the demon encyclopedia with all the demons of the sea.

Normally, if we kept it around that long, it would go bad.

We can preserve it, at least for now. Let me consult with you again then.

Oh. If we can't buy it, I'm sorry.　--Well, that's it. Let's get some of those Big Oysters!　It's been a hell of a long time, me too.

You can't get them around here, you know. Let's get a fire going, shall we?

Yeah!　I'm so excited!

I wonder what oysters taste like?

They'll be delicious!

It's been a long time since we've had a barbecue-like event, so everyone's steps are light, and before long, the fire is being built by the dead wood that has gathered.

When the fire had settled down a bit, the coals were evenly distributed and five oyster shells were placed on top of the coals.

"Now, cut the scallops into pieces.

Haruka took out a cutting board and knife and was about to start cooking when Toya interrupted her.

I'm not sure what to do.　I'm sure you'll have a great time.

I'm sure it's just hard to eat. ...... So, just leave it as is for Toya. Yes.

Yes!

Toya takes the scallop from Haruka, which is hard to grab with one hand, and places it on the shell.

Immediately, a sizzling sound and a delicious smell begins to spread around.

We'll keep it classy. We'll keep it classy. ...... Even if we cook them that big, we'll have to cut them up to eat them.

The scallops that Toya is grilling are over 20 centimeters in both thickness and diameter.

Haruka's point was perfectly reasonable, but I could understand Toya's feelings.

The reason why I didn't say anything is because I know that if I, who doesn't have any cooking skills, try my hand at it, it will surely turn out to be worse than what Haruka makes.

I'm not sure if this is the right size for .......

The scallop he cut into pieces was slightly larger than a bite size.

The scallops were slightly larger than bite size.

Let's add some soy sauce, miso and butter too!

""Oooh!

A vicious, appetizing aroma rose up.

In each of the five shells, there are salt, soy sauce, miso, and butter flavors, as well as Toya's wild scallops.

Each of the five shells had a different flavor: salt, soy, miso, and butter.

"Gulp. "Hey, Haruka, is it okay if I eat now?

Hmm... Can I eat now?　Except for Toya's.

Ugh!

The other seven each stuck their forks into their favorite flavored scallops and put them in their mouths.

"Yes, this is it!　I miss it!

"It's a little chewy, but it's a good scallop.

Butter and soy sauce are a must. Drizzle a little ...... on it, it's delicious!

"Soy sauce is the best!　"Soy sauce with scallops is an ironclad combination, isn't it?

The more you bite into it, the more the flavor of the shellfish floods your mouth, and it's indescribable.

The salt flavor made from seawater is good enough, but for me, the soy sauce flavor is a step up. Again, soy sauce is the best.

"Whoa!　There's something so delicious in the juice, sizzling, sizzling!

"Oh, it's a mass of deliciousness!

Mary and her sisters, who were probably eating the scallops for the first time, were waving their hands and tails in the air and bringing them to their mouths one by one.

"Oh, no!　Why didn't I bring my own alcohol?

"It's your job.

It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your vacation.

I don't want to hear that argument!　I'm not going to say that I don't want to hear that!　If you're an enemy around here, it doesn't matter if you're drunk, just share with me!

"No, sir. We don't drink.

I'm not lying.

I'm not saying we don't drink at all, but it's not like we're going to drink during our adventure, and we're not going to bring alcohol if we don't have to.

"Whoa, whoa, seriously?　I don't drink either.

I don't drink either. I don't think it tastes that good.

I don't think it's that good." Mr. Marks frowned at Toya's response, and let out an exasperated sigh.

What?　I heard that you guys are making a new brew.　And you don't even drink it or have it?

It's true that it's weird to make sake when you don't really like it, but the purpose is to have a side business for the future.

But the purpose of the project is to create a side business for the future. The company only provides the technology and investment, but the actual work is done by the sake lover, so there is no problem.

It's for sale. I've got some for cooking, but--

Give it to me!

Natsuki looked at us as if she was troubled.

"Well, what do you want?

What should we do?　It's good for publicity.

"Really?　Then, just one cup.

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I've heard a little bit about it from Diora, but ...... it's not familiar to me. It smells ...... a little different, too.

It's a little on the heavy side, so be careful, okay?

It's okay, it's okay. You won't get drunk after one drink.

It's a good idea to have a little bit of beer in the house.

It may be due to our [Robustness] and [Poison Resistance], but none of us have ever gotten drunk from drinking ale.

However, according to Natsuki, the sake we currently have is 'higher in alcohol content than most sake on the market'.

The sake on the market is made by adding water to the original sake to adjust the alcohol content, but even with that, our sake seems to be even higher, and according to Natsuki, 'the yeast is different, so it's possible that the alcohol content could be different.

But just in case, be cautious. ...... Oh, it's definitely strong!　But that's good!　And the snacks are delicious!

And the snacks are good!" He drank and ate a scallop, drank again, and extended his fork to another flavor of scallop.

It's strange that when someone drinks like that, it makes me want to drink too.

However, it was too dangerous to drink in the dungeon, so we drank cold tea. It's good enough.

While we were tucking into the scallops, Toya, who had been left to his own devices, jerked Haruka's hand away.

"Hey, Haruka, can't I eat mine yet?

"It's too thick to be easily cooked. Why don't you just cut it into pieces or wait until it's cooked while you eat something else?　If you can eat it, that is.

No matter how much food you can spare, the rule in our family is no leftovers.

If you want to bite into the whole thing, you have to finish it by yourself.

I wouldn't be able to eat a whole giant scallop like this, but I'm sure Toya, who is a big eater, can ......?

I'm sure he'll be fine!　--It's delicious!　What is this?　It's delicious!

Toya was a little unsure of himself, but he couldn't resist the delicious looking scallops, so he took the one that was cut into pieces into his mouth and squealed with delight.

I'm expecting a big one!

No, it looks like it's going to burn raw, but ....... It's fresh, so you might be able to eat it, but I wonder how it will taste?

It's fresh, so it might be edible, but how will it taste? Natsuki, who had been taking care of turning the scallops over for Toya, tilted her head slightly.

This one is only cooked on the surface, right?　Do you want me to cover it with a shell and steam it?　I think that would work, but the heat would be a bit troublesome.

Let's just cut it open. If you want to bite into one, I'll make it for you at home.

If you want to bite into the whole thing, I'll make it at home next time." Yuki looked a little dumbfounded, and Toya nodded reluctantly, perhaps sensing that it was indeed too much to ask.

"Mmm. You're right, it's not the time to be selfish. To be honest, I don't think I could eat it all by myself. --But I'd like to try it half raw. Try cutting it up a little.

"All right. Horizontal is better, right?

The fibers of the scallop run vertically, and the Big Oyster scallop is more solid than the scallop.

This is fine for bite-sized pieces, but if you cut it lengthwise, you end up with a cheese that's hard to chew.

Natsuki, who must have thought of this, cut the scallop horizontally to break the fibers, then sliced it thinly and presented it to Toya.