The one who peered at the plate of saury and said that was one half of the guard duo, the one with the beard. If she recalled correctly, his name was Nikolaus.
“There are still parts you can eat, you know.”
His face was close.
He must be drunk. His breath carried the strong scent of alcohol. His flushed face was right next to Eleonora’s.
How long had it been since she’d allowed a younger man to get this close to her?
Seeing the beard on his chin, Eleonora was suddenly reminded of the past.
Her father, too, had a similar beard.
Not the father registered with the church, but her real, blood-related father. Not that she had heard it directly from her mother. Perhaps it was a woman’s intuition. Just by looking at him once, she knew that this was the source of half of her being.
Among the men surrounding her mother, he was the type you’d count from the more unremarkable end.
There was nothing particularly noteworthy about him. In fact, she couldn’t even clearly picture his face. She only vaguely remembered that he had ordinary features.
Her mother was picky about her taste in men, but for some reason, she didn’t treat that man badly. Perhaps that was the distorted form of marriage that she showed.
“But I can’t pick at it any more. Because it’s become like this.”
“It’s okay, you can still eat it.”
The plate showed the miserable remains of what was once a saury.
As if ignoring Eleonora’s sulky protest, Nikolaus took a pair of disposable chopsticks from the chopstick holder. Then, with a flowing motion, he began to separate the saury meat.
Was it only his chopstick handling that Eleonora thought was beautiful?
He pinched the saury’s head and skillfully removed the backbone in one swift motion. From the part that Eleonora thought was impossible to pick at any more, flesh appeared as if by magic. All that remained was a clean backbone from head to tail and a pile of picked meat.
“Taisho, can you make that thing from the other day?”
“Ah, sanma gohan.”
Translator’s Note
Sanma Gohan is a dish of rice cooked with saury.
Receiving the picked saury meat from Nikolaus, the Taisho put it in a flat pan with rice. He added some seasonings to the soup that Shinobu and the others call dashi, and put it in the same pan. It seems that he will cook it with the saury meat.
Eleonora, who doesn’t cook much, thought it would turn out similar to barley porridge with flavoring, but the rice had absorbed the dashi well and was plumply cooked.
The appearance isn’t unlike an eel bento. Although there’s a difference between dashi and tare sauce, they could be considered similar dishes in the sense that they combine rice and fish.
Translator’s Note
Tare is a general term for dipping sauces often used in Japanese cooking.
Eleonora knew eel bento well because she had secretly sent a servant to buy it after Shinobu told her it was good for beauty.
However, what makes sanma gohan decisively different is its appearance. To be honest, it doesn’t look good. Even with the green of the spring onions sprinkled on top, to Eleonora’s aesthetic sense, it looks like leftovers.
But what is this appetizing aroma?
The meat separated by Nikolaus mixes well with the rice, and a wonderful, indescribable scent drifts to the counter. When it’s brought in front of her, the fragrance becomes even more pronounced.
“It’s not a very pretty food, but it’s delicious.”
Urged by Nikolaus, who was smiling innocently, Eleonora tried the sanma gohan. The rice, packed with the umami of saury, crumbles gently in her mouth. This is easy to eat. The earlier saury had a strong flavor and was delicious as a snack with alcohol, but for Eleonora, who was not used to it, it was a little too fatty.
But what about this sanma gohan? Perhaps because the ginger is effective, there is no fishy smell of boiled blue-backed fish.
The spring onions not only add color but also give a change in texture. The casually added pickled eggplant is also just right for a palate cleanser.
It looks so bad, but why is it so delicious? And it’s not the deliciousness of a luxurious meal. It’s a nostalgic, comforting taste. She wanted to savor it forever. By the time she thought that, the bowl was already empty.
This amount might also be good. If it had been a little more, it would have been too much for her stomach, and if it had been less, she would have had to order another dish. For some reason, while looking at the empty bowl, Eleonora was reminded of her biological father.
“See, it’s surprisingly delicious, even if it doesn’t look like much, right?”
“Yes, truly.”
It’s truly delicious. Eleonora still couldn’t believe that she, who had summoned chefs from the Imperial Capital and indulged in all sorts of delicacies, was moved by a dish that looked like this. This is why, no matter what her subordinates say, she can’t stop coming to Izakaya Nobu.
“Because you’re a beautiful lady, I’ll teach you about another delicious thing.”
With Nikolaus’ words, Eleonora finally understood. This man is drunk. He probably doesn’t even realize that the person he’s talking to now is Eleonora, the master of the Water Transport Guild. Otherwise, there’s no way he would be able to talk to her so familiarly.
She understood, but for some reason, she also felt a little lonely. Why is she, thinking that she wants to meet this man with the not-so-beautiful beard again.
“Thank you, handsome. If there’s a chance, let’s meet again.”
Eleonora politely thanked the womanizing guard, in whom she had momentarily seen the image of her father, and took out her purse. The number of silver coins to pay Shinobu was more than enough, even considering a tip. Eleonora gently nodded to Shinobu, who was counting the coins suspiciously. Then, as if she understood, the poster girl of Izakaya Nobu carefully put the silver coins in the safe.
Will that bearded guard come to this izakaya again tomorrow? Thinking about this, Eleonora slowly began to walk home under the moonlight.