A Dish Called Soya
The tomato sausage and vegetable stir-fry sizzled in the cast-iron pan, filling the lounge with an appetizing aroma. Even without any extra seasonings, the vegetables and sausage released a rich, savory fragrance that soon permeated the entire room. Now it was time to layer on even more flavor.
I sprinkled salt and pepper evenly once the ingredients were properly coated in oil. This step simply anchored the base taste; there was no need to season heavily from the start, especially since I planned to add umami later. Keeping the heat at medium-low, I continued stirring. Too high a flame would have evaporated the vegetables’ moisture too quickly, leaving them dry and stuck to the pan.
‘I just finished breakfast, yet here I am getting hungry again…’ Even as it was, the dish felt hearty enough—comfort food that stirred old memories. With a bowl of hot rice and some seasoned seaweed, I could have polished off a full serving in no time. A cold pack of milk to finish would have been perfect.
But stopping here would have felt incomplete. The real highlight was still ahead.
I popped open the can of tomato paste I had set aside and cranked the heat to maximum. The moment had come to reduce and thicken the sauce. When the pan was hot enough, I poured in the thick, bright-red tomato sauce, letting its tangy brightness and deep umami meld with the sausage and vegetables. The temperature dropped for a second, sending up a sharp hiss, but I quickly stirred everything with a wooden spatula so nothing would scorch. I added just enough sauce to half-submerge the sausage, then generously sprinkled sugar over the top—more than seemed reasonable at first glance—until it looked like a little white mountain.
‘If I had ketchup, I wouldn’t need this much sugar…’ I lamented the missing condiment while continuing to stir. The sugar would melt and create a slightly thickened glaze that helped the flavors explode.
“S-Sir? Aren’t you putting in too much sugar…? And so much of it?!”
“Ah, it’s fine. When you actually eat it, the sweetness won’t stand out that much. Doing it this way makes the dish taste even better.”
“R-Really…?”
“Whoa…? It smells even better than before! Teacher, how much longer do I have to wait?”
As the dish neared completion, Sonya and Eros took turns questioning me. Eros, in particular, kept up her usual cheeky tone, deliberately dropping the honorific and simply calling me “Teacher.” If she was going to be that half-hearted about it, she might as well just say my name.
“All that’s left is to let it simmer. It’ll be ready soon, so please wait a little longer.”
“Haaah…! I can’t hold on much longer……”
I answered with my best customer-service smile, though the sight of Eros’s signature weapon—the Mace of Punishment—made me a little nervous. That cheeky hatchling had better not pass out after eating. And since “the more you dislike them, the more you give them,” I had no intention of picking out the bell peppers. She could just chew through the ones buried in the sauce and despair.
“By the way, Breeder Teacher? Sorry to interrupt while you’re cooking, but……”
“Hm? What is it this time, Miss Sonya?”
Unlike Eros, Sonya remained unfailingly polite, treating me as though I were a real teacher instead of just the dorm supervisor.
“Earlier you said you came up with this dish after hearing my name……”
“Yes, I did say that.”
“So what exactly is the name of this dish? You still haven’t told us.”
“Now that you mention it, you’re right. The name is ‘Soya.’”
“Soya…?”
Sonya tilted her head, looking up at me with a puzzled expression. Her round eyes reminded me of pink sausages.
“Yes. It’s short for sausage vegetable stir-fry. Soya! Doesn’t it sound similar to your name, Miss Sonya?”
“Oh… really…?”
Realization dawned on her face.
“…So that’s why you said my name gave you the idea?”
“Exactly. It’s almost done, so just wait a little longer.”
“Ah, yes! I’m sorry for bothering you!”
Sonya bowed politely and stepped back, gently taking Eros’s hand as they both left the kitchen. Thanks to them, I could finish the final steps in peace. I reduced the tomato sauce over high heat until it clung nicely to the vegetables and sausage, then lowered the flame to adjust the consistency.
Tomato sausage stir-fry—a classic barracks rice thief and a top-tier breakfast side dish. It was lucky I had found the canned tomatoes; soy-sauce braised versions were tasty too, but this one turned out especially well.
‘Alright, this should be good.’
The moment the sauce reached the right thickness, I turned off the heat. All that remained was plating.
Oh, another notification. Four whole stars? For something this simple? It was on par with the wood-fired pizza? Ever since Gourmet Feeding reached A-rank, the ratings had been noticeably more generous. This time I had made it with nothing but my own skill—no assists or corrections.
I was still wondering when the skill would rank up to S—Beast Taming had already reached that level—when Eros burst back into the kitchen.
“It’s done now, right?! I can eat it now, can’t I?!”
“Not quite. Could you wait just a little longer?”
“Ehh…? You’re so slow! What else is left?!”
“Zeros! What kind of manners are those?! He’s been working hard for us…! Apologize right now!”
“Huh? Sonya, you’ve been acting weird since yesterday. Telling me to apologize to a human?!”
“Haa… Breeder Teacher, I’ll apologize on Zeros’s behalf…!”
“Sonya? You called her Zeros again—?!”
“Ahaha, it’s fine. Please calm down, both of you.”
The two girls bickered at every opportunity, like young predators playing at hunting. It was chaotic, but I had grown used to it. Eros never meant any real malice, so it was tolerable.
“But what else is left? It looks finished already……”
“I thought this alone wouldn’t be enough to cure a hangover. It’ll only take a moment.”
“A hangover cure?”
Right on cue, the pot on the stove began to boil vigorously. It was the beef bone broth I had brought in a canteen. Though it lacked solid ingredients, the rich, milky-white soup would still help settle the stomach.
I simply seasoned the finished broth with salt and pepper. A quick taste confirmed it was savory and full-bodied, with just the right amount of saltiness. Even the plain broth alone felt refreshing.
I finished by scattering sliced leeks over the top—though here they were probably leeks rather than green onions—and began ladling everything into bowls.
“Sorry for the wait, everyone!”
I set the plated dishes down with a cheerful announcement.
“It’s nothing special, but I hope you enjoy it.”
“Haaaaah…! It smells so good……?!”
“Sonya? You’ve got that same goofy look on your face you had during the tea party yesterday.”
“B-Be quiet…!”
“Pfft.”
Watching the two girls fuss over my cooking brought back memories of yesterday, when they had reacted so dramatically to the chocolate cream pie. I found myself hoping today’s meal would satisfy them just as much.