Self-Proclaimed Manly Man Washes Kimchi Before Eating
Self-Proclaimed Manly Man Washes Kimchi Before Eating
Chloe and I arrived at the student cafeteria.
Eyes from every direction landed on us—nobles don't often come here—but I paid them little mind.
If I'd come alone, I might've been a bit nervous, but I had Chloe right beside me.
"Chloe, is it okay if we order the same thing?"
—Nod.
"Good. ...Hey, miss! Two portions of the Kümmelwurst Set Meal, please!"
With every eye blatantly on me, I ordered with confidence. The hidden piece—more of an Easter egg—from the game Ryu Si-u had played: the Kümmelwurst Set Meal.
A simple menu of rye bread, Sauerkraut, and Kümmelwurst. In Ryu Si-u's world, it'd be on the level of rice with soy sauce and egg—so plain it doesn't even appear on the board. It was the staff's own meal, and the cafeteria worker looked a bit flustered when I ordered it.
"Th-that... I think that's a little too... plebeian a dish for someone of your station, young master."
"Oh? Is it not allowed?"
"No, it is, but..."
"Then please, miss~."
"H-how can anyone be this adorable..."
"Hm? What was that?"
"N-nothing! I'll have it prepared right away!"
* * * * * *
"Here are the dishes you ordered...?"
"Whoa! Looks delicious! Thank you!"
As far as I knew, this meal normally came on one plate, but the staffer couldn't bring herself to serve a noble like that. She'd split it across several dishes.
Feeling slightly apologetic, I gave her an eye-crescent smile of thanks.
—Slip.
"This is a tip."
"...!!? Young master."
"Shh. Just take it quietly."
While taking the dishes, I discreetly slipped her three or four silver coins.
I'd tipped silver rather than gold, figuring that wouldn't be a burden, but the worker opened her eyes wide, as if my gesture was truly unexpected.
'Heh heh. Tipping so suavely—did I look like a veteran adventurer just now?'
I sang my own praises inwardly, picked up the plates, and sat down at a table.
"Young master, I'll..."
—Stare.
"...Excuse me, then."
Chloe had clearly been about to sit somewhere else, mindful of the stares, but when I fixed her with an 'are you ditching me?' look, she gave up and sat down across from me with a sigh.
She still didn't seem unhappy—her cat ears were twitching—and I broke into a grin.
'Honestly, Chloe acts so friendly when we're alone, but she turns way too proper in front of others. Still, I know she does it for my sake.'
"Well then, Chloe—enjoy!"
"Yes, young master."
"Okay! Then... let's dig in~!"
I speared a sausage with my fork, lifted it up, and bit right in with a crunch.
At first, the crisp skin snapped. Then the meat inside gave a satisfying pop-and-squeak as I chewed, the sound ringing pleasantly in my mouth.
Soon my mouth was flooded—the more I chewed, the more savory juices gushed out.
Just as that might've started to feel dull, the aromas of slightly bold spices danced energetically across my mouth, as though determined to make me fall completely for their charm.
Compared to the food I usually ate, the flavor and scent were bolder, and the texture, to say the least, wasn't varied. It was exactly what you'd call commoner food... but I didn't dislike these sausages at all. In fact, I liked them.
'I really do prefer simple food like this over elaborate gourmet dishes! Ahh~ this is the taste of adventure~.'
—Munch, munch.
I polished off an entire sausage in a frenzy. Then I set my fork down and cupped my cheeks, because I wanted to savor the pop-and-squeak sensation inside my mouth just a little longer.
"Mmphmm~."
'I wasn't expecting much from the taste, but it's this good...!'
"Young master, is it to your liking?"
"Yeah! Chloe, hurry up and eat too!"
Chloe had no intention of eating; she just kept beaming at me, so I urged her to dig in.
She tucked her hair behind her ear and took a large bite of sausage, her lips moving a few times before her eyes went round.
"Oh, this is..."
"See? It's good, right?!"
"Yes. The flavor is pleasant. But after eating it, I feel a little... stronger?"
'Chloe really is sensitive. I can't tell at all.'
What Chloe sensed was real. If you ate this menu for more than a week straight, your main stats would get a slight boost.
It was an Easter egg connected to the spice Kümmel—named after one of the game's developers. The staff grew the Kümmel behind the cafeteria, and the soil was supposedly good, making the herbs nutritious. That was the story, anyway.
It wasn't game-breaking: eating the whole thing would only raise a stat by about 0.1. Yet Chloe sensed that faint improvement with her very first bite.
She kept working her jaw anyway, clearly enjoying the taste, and I smiled despite myself.
'Reminds me of feeding elixirs to Mother. She looked so happy every time I popped a grape into her mouth.'
"Yeah. Eat plenty! We're having this for lunch every day for a week!"
"A whole week? Do you really like it that much? The taste is good, but I think it's far too lowly a dish for you, Master Yune..."
"What, afraid you'll get sick of it?"
"That's not it."
"Then let's just bear with it for one week. It's good for the body, this stuff!"
With the same feeling I'd had when feeding elixirs to Mother, I arranged with Chloe to handle lunch this way for the coming week.
And so we continued our meal.
"The Sauerkraut is red? That's unusual."
"Yes. I just tried it, and it has quite a good flavor."
I said nonchalantly and moved my fork toward the pickled cabbage—the Sauerkraut.
This Sauerkraut was a strikingly vivid red. It looked exactly like the 'kimchi' in Ryu Si-u's memories.
The moment that comparison surfaced, my mouth watered. Full of anticipation, I heaped a large forkful and brought it to my lips.
And a moment later—
—Clatter.
"...Young master?!"
The instant I bit into it, I dropped my fork in shock.
The cafeteria staff's special Sauerkraut tasted shockingly similar to the kimchi in Ryu Si-u's memories.
Of course, debating whether it was the same or different—it was strictly different—but the sourness and spiciness matched.
...Yes. This Sauerkraut was spicy. Incredibly so. Enough to make me drop my fork in surprise.
"S-spicy... w-water..."
"Are you all right?! You, there! Water, please!"
"Spiiccyyy......"
'Unlike Ryu Si-u, Yune's never been exposed to spicy food. So he just can't handle it...!!'
* * * * * *
An embarrassingly unmanly incident—crying because kimchi was spicy—nearly occurred, but I somehow held it together.
The cafeteria worker rushed over and kept bowing her head. I told her it was fine, then asked if she could please rinse this in water and bring it back. Only after that could I resume eating.
It felt like rinsing kimchi in water—something I truly didn't want to do—but if I skipped this and my stats didn't rise as much, that would be a waste.
"...Chloe's eating it just fine."
"Well... to my palate it isn't that spicy... I'm sorry. It's my fault for saying it was good."
"I'm not blaming you. Eat well."
"Yes..."
In a somewhat deflated mood, I chewed the cabbage that had by now become white kimchi—no, the ordinary color of Sauerkraut.
'Even I think this is a little unmanly... but no. Eating something that doesn't suit your taste without leaving any leftovers—that's what a real man does. Yeah. Let's go with that.'
As I was thus denying reality in my head, my plate was suddenly empty.
The moment I set down my fork, Chloe set hers down too. And that's how our first meal in the student cafeteria came to an end.
"Thank you for the meal~."
"Thank you for the meal. ...Young master, will you head directly back to the residence?"
"No? Let's go to the Student Council room. I need to see the Crown Princess."
"Yes. Allow me to escort you."
* * * * * *
We headed to the Student Council room in the Noble Hall.
"Sss..."
"Hm? Young master, is it still spicy?"
"No. That's not it... it's nothing."
'How am I supposed to say out loud that I don't want to see the Crown Princess....'
Still, my footsteps slowed as we approached.
The reason I was so reluctant was, naturally, yesterday's catastrophe. The major incident where I'd gotten drunk on holy water and shoved my hand into the Crown Princess's chest.
Encountering Flare had driven it from my mind for a while, but now that the moment to see the Crown Princess was closing in, my hands trembled with nerves.
Nevertheless, the Crown Princess herself had said to forget it. It would be ridiculous for me to keep agonizing over it. So I slapped my cheeks a couple of times to straighten out my scattered thoughts.
Soon we reached the main door of the Student Council room.
"Well then, Chloe, I'll be back!"
"...If it seems something like yesterday might happen, please call for me in a loud voice. I'll spread my ki sense and wait."
"When I'm in my right mind, I will absolutely never do something like that! I know my life is precious!!"
I took a few deep breaths and opened the Student Council room door.
And inside, I came face-to-face with a very unexpected person.
"Crown Princess... Huh?"
"Oh, Yune. That uniform suits you quite nicely. Long time no see~."