Chapter 34
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Grilled Cheese Sandwich
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1.
'What should I have for lunch?'
Several recipes popped into my head, but first things first—I needed to check the fridge.
'...It's completely empty.'
I'd used up every last ingredient left over from yesterday. At this point, I might as well do a full grocery run.
"Sis! I'm heading to the mart!"
I grabbed an eco-bag, slipped on my shoes, and headed out to the nearest convenience store.
'Something simple for lunch would be good.'
Sis could eat it while editing. And that brought one dish immediately to mind.
'A sandwich.'
The problem was, there were just too many kinds of sandwiches.
The classic BLT was the most representative—crispy bacon, fresh lettuce, and ripe tomatoes in a simple combo.
Then there was panini, pressed hot on the grill.
And pastrami sandwiches piled high with thin-sliced pastrami on rye bread.
Sandwiches were enjoyed differently by country, class, and taste. They seemed simple, but it was a surprisingly profound world.
'Which one should I make?'
What would Sis like most? If I thought about health, a club sandwich with chicken breast would be safe—
'But that wouldn't suit her taste.'
Too heavy would be burdensome, too light disappointing. In times like these, the best was to make what the other person loved most.
'Alright, decided.'
I walked through the mart toward the dairy aisle. Next to the milk display were various cheeses. I picked a block of cheese and dropped it in my basket.
'Grilled cheese sandwich it is.'
A simple sandwich made only of bread, butter, and cheese. But with care, that simplicity created deep flavor.
Plus, Sis loved cheese. In that sense, grilled cheese was a perfect choice.
'Butter and bread. Gotta grab a cheese grater too.'
Not many ingredients needed, so I finished shopping quickly and headed straight home with my eco-bag.
The moment I arrived, I kicked off my shoes and went straight to the kitchen. I tied an apron around my neck and unpacked the groceries one by one.
"Alright. Let's get started."
First, I took out two slices of white bread. Using magic, I melted a tiny bit of butter and spread it evenly with a knife.
Smooth, smooth—
After coating both sides evenly, I got out the grater and shredded the block cheese. A nutty aroma wafted from the finely grated cheese.
Gulp—
I scooped up a handful of the grated cheese and piled it thick on the buttered bread. Then I covered it with the other slice and pressed down lightly to hold it together.
"Oh, right."
I pulled out a pan and set it on low heat. While it warmed up, I prepped my portion too.
'Good to go.'
I held my hand over the pan—nice and toasty. Perfect temperature. I placed the assembled sandwich on it. Then I set a pot on top.
Anything that could press the bread evenly would do.
'Three minutes.'
I counted the time in my head, watching the sandwich grill. My stomach growled at the savory butter scent.
When time was up, I lifted the pot and grilled the other side for another three minutes.
"Done."
Three minutes per side made the perfect grilled cheese. But wasn't that a bit plain?
I grated more cheese and sprinkled it over the entire pan. As it sizzled and melted, I immediately placed the sandwich on top.
After a bit, the cheese's milk fat would melt out, making it even nuttier. And I decided to add one more thing.
'Chili powder would be good.'
Best would be cayenne pepper or similar spices, but no way the local mart had that. Chili powder it was.
I sprinkled a handful of fine chili powder. The cheese tinted slightly red, but not noticeably.
'Almost...'
Once the cheese fully melted, I nudged the sandwich around a bit. Then carefully lifted it with a spatula.
Holding it like that for about 30 seconds, the cheese hardened crisply. When I flipped the sandwich, it had formed a crown-like crust.
I sprinkled more cheese in the pan and set the sandwich back down. I coated both sides with cheese crust and finished up.
"Sis!"
After finishing my portion too, I called for Sis right away. She soon walked into the kitchen.
"Whoa, what's that? Smells amazing."
Sis grinned wide and sat at the table. I placed the sandwich on a cutting board and carefully brought it to her.
"The sandwich is wearing a crown?"
Sis chuckled at the sight. I peeled off a bit of the cheese crust and handed it to her. She popped it in her mouth and her eyes went wide.
"Whoa, this is so nutty!"
"The cheese melts and the fat seeps out, concentrating the flavor left behind."
I smiled and used magic to slice the sandwich diagonally. Golden cheese oozed slowly from the clean cut.
"Wow..."
Sis stared, mesmerized.
"Art, right?"
"Total art. No cheese sandwich in the world could be more perfect."
Probably true. I'd followed a recipe from a super famous chef, after all.
I picked up a piece and offered it to her. She took it without hesitation.
"Thanks for the food!"
Sis took a huge bite right away. Cheese flowed out like meat juices, smearing her mouth. A long string of cheese stretched from the distant sandwich.
Sis chewed the bread in her mouth and slurped up the stretched cheese like spaghetti.
'Guess I'll try mine.'
I picked up the other half and took a big bite like her. The crunchy coated cheese and crispy toasted bread made me smile involuntarily.
As I chewed, the oozing cheese stormed my mouth. The thick, chewy saltiness and intense flavor nearly clogged my throat.
When the richness got overwhelming, the chili powder's spice kicked in. It perfectly cleared my palate.
'This is insane...'
Could there be a more perfect grilled cheese? The ultimate richness and saltiness blended so flawlessly.
"Sis. Want some cola?"
As I swallowed, I asked. She nodded.
I grabbed two cans from the fridge. Set one in front of her, cracked the other, and chugged.
Gulp, gulp—
The carbonation hit my hot, thick mouth like a hammer. The sharp tingle shot from my tongue to the back of my throat, making my whole body twitch.
'This is straight-up cheating...'
It burned my throat, but I couldn't stop. I drained the entire can.
"Ahhhhh..."
It felt like my throat was ripping. Tears welled up. It hurt. But there was release too.
With my mouth refreshed, the sandwich caught my eye again. Like magic, I reached for more and kept eating.
For a while, only the sounds of biting sandwiches and cracking cans echoed periodically.
"Ugh, that hit the spot..."
Finally, after devouring everything right there at the table, we stopped.
"...Don't make this for a while."
Sis leaned back, face serious. Her eyes were a bit glazed, a lazy vibe hanging in the air.
"Yeah."
This really needed to be sealed away. It was a devilish sandwich that bewitched people.
"So, who's this Yura person? You said you'd explain over food."
"Oh yeah. Got so caught up in the sandwich I forgot."
She sipped her cola and started talking.
"Yura is..."
And so Sis explained bit by bit who this VTuber Yura was, what had happened to her, and why she was telling me.
"...That's the gist of it."
"So basically, she lost to me, got unfairly flamed for it."
"Yeah. Feels like we caused her some damage... so I wanted to let you know."
"Cold hard truth: it's not my fault."
I'd just played the game hard. What was wrong with that? But asking if Yura the VTuber was at fault? No, not that either.
"From a teammate's view, losing to a jungle gap means lost points, so they get mad."
But that was judging by results alone. They just got lucky not facing me.
If I'd been on another lane instead of jungle? Could they have beaten me? No way, I was sure.
"In the end, Yura just had bad luck. The toxic comments were like a natural disaster."
Life was like that. Me getting dragged to another world? Bad luck too.
"So we bear no responsibility?"
"Can't say zero. Moral responsibility, maybe. She got flamed because of me, that situation stemmed from me."
I sipped the leftover cola.
The now-lukewarm, flat fizz left a sticky aftertaste. Not great.
"So I'll take responsibility. Can't go around harming people without owning up."
"How're you gonna help?"
I crumpled the cola can and smirked.
"Gonna heal her. With food. And streaming."