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Setting Up A Stall
We also stop by other stalls and buy other things to try after the fried cheese.
The ingredients used are mostly those produced in the Howling Village itself. They are ingredients they obtained through bartering and ate themselves.
However, the home-style flavor, improved through the daily effort of each farmer and their families, tasted remarkably fresh and delicious. I’m impressed they can cook such dishes even if they use the same ingredients.
「Come to think of it, Nina’s house also had a food stall, right?」
Arte asks Nina while eating the steamed rough potato.
「That’s right. Kaasan does it, and I also help」
「What are you making?」
「Charcoal-grilled Howling negi」
「Is it like the open-air grilled we had the other day?」
「Un, but this time it’s not using open-air fire but grilled negi whole on a net」
「Hooh, that sounds delicious. The one we had using that open-air that day was delicious」
Perhaps she remembered the last time she came here. Arte put her hand on her cheek and has an ecstatic expression on her face.
「So, wanna go and eat them?」
「Um, let’s do that. I tried to do it in my garden, but was stopped by the people around me and I haven’t been able to eat them again since 」
「Ahahaha, that’s unfortunate」
Did you mean you tried to make it at home, and even tried to make an open-air fire inside the royal castle? Everyone will definitely stop her if the First Princess did something like that in the royal castle’s garden.
Reflexively looking at Camila, I see her with a very bitter look on her face.
Looks like it’s tough being the guardian knight for the tomboy princess.
And so, we decide to head to Stella’s stall at Arte’s strong request.
「Okaasan!」
「Ara, Nina. Are you done looking over the festival?」
「Arte-oneechan said she wanted to eat our negi again, so I brought her here」
「Ara, that makes me happy. I’ll quickly prepare everyone’s portion」
「Um, I’ll leave it to you ja!」
A large net is spread on the stall. On top of that net are several large, fresh and green Howling negi being cooked.
Moisture spurts out from the negi’s surface and there is the sound of them sizzling as they are being roasted.
The ones that had been well-roasted have their surface turn completely black.
Throwing it straight into an open-air fire and roasting it is good, but watching it being cooked on top of the grill also made it look good.
「Here you go, it’s done. You can peel the skin and eat them」
After watching for a while, Stella gave us the grilled Howling negi.
Nina hands me a glove, so I obediently wear it and pick the negi.
The outside of the negi is completely charred black. When I peel off the thin skin in one go, pure white flesh is exposed.
There is plenty of gravy-like moisture.
I’m sure it must be packed with flavor.
「So, how do you eat this?」
「Just open your mouth wide and eat it whole!」
Seeing Arte opening her mouth wide and gobbling up the food, Camila’s eyes widened.
「Um, I knew it's delicious!」
「Ah, Arte-dono. That’s bad manners, no matter how I see it」
Camila chides Arte for the content smile on her face.
That is an improper manner and not how a noble lady should eat, but there is no one who cares about such a thing here.
Nina and I nod and eat the negi just like Arte.
The heat has completely softened the negi, and it melts inside my mouth.
The Howling negi is already savory, but after being grilled, the sweetness is amplified several times.
Delicious. The texture feels better than the last time I ate them.
Since it is grilled over the net, it is probably easier to adjust the heat level than with the charcoal-grilling method.
「Even Nina-dono and Kureto-dono!?」
「It’s not bad-mannered. This is how you naturally eat. Come on, you try it too, Camila」
Persuaded by Arte, Camila timidly tries the Howling negi even while hesitating.
「It has a concentrated sweetness you can’t expect from a negi! How delicious!」
「See? I’m sure now Camila understands how delicious it is to eat it whole, right? So, I’ll need permission to make a charcoal grill at the garden――」
「That is a different story from this」
「Che」
Arte tries to entice Camila as if to take advantage of the situation, but Camila is strong-willed.
●
「Now then, guess I will also serve some food at the stall. Stella-san, can I borrow your net for a bit?」
「Yes, sure」
Having fully enjoyed the charcoal-grilled Howling negi, I move beside Stella.
After I talk to her about how I want to try setting up a stall, she agrees to lend me her stall.
「Eh? Kureto is also setting up a stall?」
「Yeah, just some simple dish though」
「Just what are you going to make, ja?」
In front of Nina and Arte - who look at me curiously - I take out some ingredients from my subspace and show them.
「Ooh! Totsutotsu, huh!」
「Totsuto……eh, what?」
As expected from someone who came from the royal capital, Arte knew of it.
As Nina tilts her head in confusion, she proudly explained.
「Heeー, it's filled with sweet stuff inside such a hard skin」
「Un, I’m going to grill them on the grill and have everyone try it」
I continue to place the totsutotsu on the grill I borrow while saying that.
I had done the preparations, such as cutting them in the royal capital’s mansion, so I really just have to grill them.
「It has a kinda cute shape」
「But, it had a lot of thorns when they are still on the tree, you know?」
「Eh, is that how it is!」
Nina’s eyes - who had been staring at the totsutotsu - widened.
The totsutotsu have cute shapes, but you need to be careful since you may get a serious injury if they drop on you or something when you get careless.
I adjust their position with fire tongs while watching the fire level.
As they are cooked, the totsutotsu’s surface is grilled, and pale yellow flesh becomes visible through the cross-shaped cut.
Still, as I cook them carefully, they make a sudden popping sound.
When heated up, the skin expands, and causing the totsutotsu to burst open. I made that cross-shape cut in order to prevent that from happening, but sometimes there are still situations where they burst open.
「Hyaa!?」
Knowing this, I'm not fazed but the people nearby, like Nina, Arte, and Camila, are surprised by this and flinch.
And, the only one making a loud scream is Stella.
「I’m sorry, looks like the totsutotsu’s skin burst open」
「Ahahaha! Kaasan made a strange sound!」
「Hey, Nina! Stop it!」
With Nina laughing at her reaction, not just her face, but even Stella’s ears turned red in embarrassment.
Stella’s uncharacteristically genuine scream had been so funny that just remembering it makes me laugh, but still, it would have been cruel for even me to laugh at her.
「I’m sorry, looks like the totsutotsu’s skin burst open」
「So it did. I was really surprised」
「Wahahahaha! Stella got surprised jano!」
In contrast to my consideration, Arte make fun of her.
「Arte-chan was laughing now, but I saw your body shaking violently, you know?」
「I also saw it! She didn’t scream but she’d definitely taken a step back!」
「Tha, that was just the reaction of an adventurer to a crisis ja!」
The totsutotsus on the grill are grilled while everyone is arguing back and forth.
Then I place them to the side to cool them a bit, I place them on a wooden plate after that, and hand them out.
「Here you go, grilled totsutotsu. Just peel the skin and eat them」
「Ooh! Let’s eat it right away!」
Arte and Nina - who had eaten them before - quickly peel the skin and put them into their mouth.
「Hooh, as expected, totsutotsu is delicious in this season!」
「It has a good taste, fragrant, and a refined sweetness」
Arte and Camila nod in satisfaction as they share their impression.
The way Elza taught me how to cook them seemed to be to their liking.
Seeing the two of them, Nina also peels the skin of her totsutotsu as if to copy what they do.
Although it has been grilled and softened, the skin is still fairly hard.
Nina - a beginner when it comes to totsutotsu - is having a hard time peeling the skin.
「Shall I help you peel it?」
「Wait. I want to peel it myself!」
In response to Arte’s worried-sounding suggestion, Nina replies somewhat defensively.
Perhaps Arte decides to respect Nina’s feelings as she watches over her with a smile on her face, and without worrying particularly.
「I did it! I peeled it!」
Finally, having peeling it herself, Nina is filled with a sense of accomplishment.
「It’s sweet and delicious! It’s a taste I’ve never tasted before!」
Nina - who had taken a bite of the totsutotsu - broke into a deeply moved smile.
The flavor of totsutotsu is indeed unique and it's unlike any other food.
It's only natural for Nina - who had never eaten it before - to find it fresh.
「It’s also kind of fun to peel it off like this」
「Um, peeling and eating it like this is also what eating totsutotsu is about」
I had also considered peeling it before serving them to save them the troublesome task of peeling the skin, but I deliberately left them as they are since I thought it's also part of the fun of eating it.
And I’m happy since it seems like my intention has worked.
「How about you Stella-san?」
「Thank you very much. Well then, I’m eating it」
I guess Stella is skilled with her fingers, as she manages to peel the skin and eat it without any trouble, like Nina.
「Ara, this is delicious! It has a sweetness that somehow feels comforting」
「It can be used as a snack, and it can also be used in cooking. I have a lot of them, shall I give you some next time?」
「By all means, please」
Stella is very happy when I suggest that as thanks for lending me her Howling Negi stall.
Now Andre - who is not here - can probably also enjoy it at home.
「Ara, you’re griling totsutotsu, eh. I would also like one」
As I am treating Nina and the others totsutotsu, Lefyria comes over and orders some.
It seems like she also loved totsutotsu since she lived in the royal capital.
「Un, eating these makes it feel like autumn has arrived」
「Ooh, Kureto is also setting a stall, huh」
「That looks unfamiliar, but since Kureto is the one who brought it, it should be delicious, right?」
After Lefyria, Olga and other acquaintances from the village come over one after another.
I thought they would shy away from it since it is an unfamiliar ingredient for them, but as expected, they seem interested in so many beautiful women gathering and eating them so deliciously.
Before I knew it, there were a lot of people gathering and lining up in front of the stall.
「Kureto! Do you want me to help?」
「Aah, please do」
「Leave it to me!」
Arte happily nods when I ask with a wry smile.
「Then, should I also help kaasan? What about some charcoal-grilled Howling Negi while waiting, everyone?」
Nina also helps Stella with her stall, flashing a charming smile to attract the villagers.
This kinda feels like a cultural festival, it’s fun.
I frantically grilled totsutotsu while feeling deeply moved. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
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