CH 61

Fufun Rush. . . Ma-kun. . . When Zezgard-san blocked everything, Hurst-san came with similar iron plates.

“Shina-san, is this enough cheese?”

“Yeah, it’s just right. Thank you.”

Apparently, they came to ask if the amount of cheese was okay.

The white sauce is topped with a lot cheese, which is perfect.

So when I told him that, Ryleigh-kun smiled happily.

There’s something white on his pale cheek. . .

“Ah, Ryleigh-kun, stay there for a moment.”

Apparently, he got white sauce on his cheek while working.

I took out a handkerchief from my pocket, put my hand on Ryleigh-kun’s left cheek, and used my right hand to wipe the white sauce on his cheek.

Ryleigh-kun looked up at me with shining young leaf-colored eyes and then smiled enchantedly.

“I’m Shina-san’s, so I got dirty. . .”

Yes, it’s bad wording.

It means that my (white sauce I made) got (his cheek) dirty. Yeah.

In order to escape from the enchanting Ryleigh-kun, I took my hands off of the marshmallow-like cheeks, quickly folded the handkerchief, and put it in my pocket.

It’s okay. There was nothing.

The light had disappeared from my eyes, and the softness of my heart had been removed, but there was nothing.

So, when I smiled softly, a group of people appeared in the kitchen. . .

“Vice Commander! I’m here to make soup and meat dishes!”

“You were in charge of the side dishes today, and it’s really great!”

Apparently, today’s cooking team has arrived.

The five people who appeared reported to Hurst-san first, then thanked us who were cooking.

Then, they looked curiously at my hand and the bread lined up on the iron plate that Hurst-san had.

“Uwah, what is this!”

“There’s stew in the bread!”

“It’s amazing.”

“It’s dangerous.”

“What does this taste like?”

“Five people said, ‘Ohh!’ They let out an admiring voice and spoke to Hurst-san.

When Hurst-san saw those five people, he quickly pointed at me.

“It was Shina-sama who taught me how to cook this time. For more information, ask Shina-sama.”

Hearing Hurst-san’s words, the five members looked at me.

The eyes that turned to me all at once seemed to sparkle with interest, just like Hurst-san’s eyes in front of a meal.

So the light came back to my eyes and I was able to explain what I made.

“This is a dish called gratin.”

“”Guratan””

“The sauce is made by adding milk to flour that has been stir-fried in oil, and the ingredients are placed in a bowl and baked. I’m using the whole bread today, so it’s bread gratin.”

“”Panguratan””

“. . . Ah, please wait a moment.”

It’s interesting for all the men who seem to be somewhat worn out repeating in unison, and I couldn’t help but smile.

What’s more, when I saw the twinkle in their eyes increasing, I couldn’t stand it and raised my voice.

Then, for some reason, the five members stared at my face. . .

“Cute. . . . .”

“Oh, woman. . .”

“Should this go?”

“Would you like to introduce yourself first?”

“Okay! I’m the leader of the first ba-”

After saying that, out of the five, the one with chestnut hair took a step towards me.

Then, from next to me, that nostalgic cold! A blizzard!

“. . . What are you guys here for?”

Ah. . . it’s cold. It’s been a long time, a long time since I’ve been to the Arctic!

“No, ah, that’s right, to cook?”

The person with chestnut hair, who was most exposed to such cold air, gradually retreated to keep distance from Hurst-san.

At the same time, the people around me also moved away from me.

“Hey? Onii-san, to say your rank and name in front of me. . .”

As if chasing after the members who were leaving, Ryleigh-kun smiled softly.

However, his eyes grew darker in an instant. . .

“Do you wish to be punished?”

Oh no, what is this, I’m scared.

“Alright! Let’s make soup!”

“It’s soup!”

“The usual soup!”

“Potato and carrot soup!”

“Soup!”

In front of such a collaboration, the five members kept their distance from the cold zone while saying soup soup.

It’s cold enough for some people to fall, but they look cold, but they didn’t fall down.

I’m sure they’ve been exposed to Hurst-san’s blizzard many times.

They feel more used to it than the Kei Bihei Brothers in the royal palace.

. . . . . . . Well, they look pale though.

Then, the members seem to have started making soup.

After confirming that they had left, Zezgard-san brought the iron plates to the work desk in front of the oven, and Ryleigh-kun returned to the cheese place.

I restarted my work and poured white sauce on the bread.

The temperature returned and I was relieved, but apparently, the five members had something to report to Hurst-san. . .

“Fu, Vice-Captain!”

The chestnut-haired person called out to Hurst-san, even though his voice turned inside out.

Hurst-san turned his light blue eyes to that voice.

As if prompted by it, the chestnut-haired person continued to speak.

“Just now, I received a gift from the village auntie!”

“A gift?”

“Yes, this is. . .”

Saying that, the man with chestnut hair showed him a bottle.

There was something brown in it.

“Oh, minced meat sauce?”

“Yes. It looks like it’s made from sheep, but for us. I was told to eat it with everyone, but the amount is small. . .”

“How many?”

“Three, I’m asking if I should put it on potatoes, but it won’t be enough for everyone.”

Hurst-san nodded at the words of the person with chestnut hair.

The bottle is about the size of my fist, and three of them would not be enough for more than 30 men.

That’s why they can’t share it.

“What should I do?”

The chestnut-haired person asked for Hurst-san’s instructions.

I’m sure Hurst-san will come up with a good solution.

Since this is bottled, it will last a long time, and it’s not something that you have to conclude right away.

But to me, the bottle was so bright. . .

“Um, what does that sauce taste like?”

That’s why I inadvertently interrupted their conversation.

Hurst-san turned to me with gentle light blue eyes.

“This is a sauce made by simmering minced meat and finely chopped vegetables. The taste it. . . that’s right. The sweetness of the onion, the umami of the minced meat, and the spices are effective.”

“Do you feel like it’s hot?”

“No. I think it’s a rather sweet sauce.”

Hurst-san answered my questions in a detailed and sincere manner.

Hearing that, the sauce shone brighter.

“Can I try eating just a little bit?”

“Ah, well, of course it’s fine.”

“Then, please wait a moment.”

When I looked at the person with chestnut hair, he nodded in bewilderment.

Hurst-san placed the iron plate in his hand at Ryleigh-kun’s place.

Then he handed me a small silver spoon.

Seeing the exchange between me and Hurst-san, the chestnut-haired person opened the bottle.

I gently put a spoon in there and brought it to my mouth. . .

“. . . Delicious.”

The coarsely ground mutton has no odor thanks to the strong spices.

Stewed with onions, celery, carrots, tomatoes, etc., it seems to have been well fried first, and it has a fragrant umami flavor.

In Japan, you would call it a meat sauce that uses beef of pork and is often used with pasta.

But this isn’t Japan, so I guess it’s better to call it ragù sauce, which means a sauce made with meat and vegetables.

“Can I use this to finish the gratin?”

“No, but there are only three, so you can’t put them all on this gratin, can you?”

“Yes, I think it’s not enough if you want to give it a solid flavor. But I wonder if I can use a little bit, about two spoons each.”

“I think that’s enough but. . .”

At my explanation, the chestnut-haired person looked back at me with a more confused face.

“Of course this bacon and onion bread gratin is delicious on it’s own. But if this sauce is an accent, the taste will change and I think I can eat it all the time.”

Even the same menu can have different tastes depending on where you eat it, when you eat it, and how you eat it.

. . . Where should we eat next, how should we eat?

I think that thinking that way is also on of the things that make eating fun. . .

“Panguratan with sauce as an assent? Does it change the taste?”

In response to my answer, the chestnut-haired person tilted his head and said that, a lot of ‘?’ were flying around.

Then, I put my hand on the shoulder of such a chestnut-haired person.

“Shina-sama’s cooking is full of surprises and enjoyment.”

“Surprise and enjoyment?”

“When you eat it, you’ll understand.”

After Hurst-san said that, he told the chestnut-haired person to bring all the bottles and returned to making soup.

Apparently, the chestnut-haired person told this story to the members, and all five of them looked at me strangely.

I’m sure no one would have understood when he said that food could be surprising and enjoyable.

“Hurst-san, I’m getting a little nervous.”

Yes. Hurst-san raised the hurdle by saying, ‘Full of surprises and enjoyment’ and ‘You’ll understand when you eat it’.

Because I don’t want to make Hurst-san’s words a lie.

. . . When we eat dinner.

. . . . . Because I want to see everyone’s faces shining brightly.

“Shina-sama’s cooking is invincible.”

As I held my chest, Hurst-san’s light blue eyed narrowed softly. . .

That’s why I put my heart into it and put the finishing touches on it.

Pour the white sauce over the bread.

Cheese on top.

And as a finishing touch, I put a little ragù sauce in the middle of the bread.

After that, bake it in a warm oven until the cheese is browned and the bread is crispy. . .

. . . Bread gratin with ragù sauce.

“It’s done!”

I always thought that ragù was just a pasta sauce brand. But I looked it up and it turns out that it is the word for a class of Italian pasta sauces that use ground or minced meat, vegetables, and sometimes tomatoes. Also, the marks over the ‘u’ are facing opposite directions between the brand and the sauce. Shina has taught me something new today.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading!