Boisterous voices of children can be heard from the street.
For the past few days, every street in the old capital, Aitheria, has been busy preparing for the Grand Market Festival. It seems that the festival originally started in farming villages, where the men would carry a large doll made of straw and parade it around to pray for a good harvest in the coming year.
It was Isaac who said that the festival was brought to the old capital as people gathered there.
Today, Arnoux is slumped over the counter of the Izakaya Nobu, dangling his legs all day long.
When he gets tired of dangling his legs, he tries to convince himself that his dangling legs are his main body. It’s interesting because then it feels like his body is the one dangling.
“No, it’s not interesting.”
Taisho is a little surprised when Arnoux suddenly gets up, but he returns his gaze to the pot.
Lately, Taisho seems to be working on a new dish, and is engrossed in his research.
Arnoux has no idea what he’s making, but judging from the reactions of Shinobu and Eva, who are tasting it, it looks like it will become a new specialty of Izakaya Nobu.
“Arnoux-san, are you okay with the festival preparations?”
Taisho asks, as if muttering to himself. Shinobu is out on an errand, so Arnoux and Taisho are the only ones in the restaurant. It was a question that could have been lost in the sound of the pot cooking.
There’s no hint of blame. If he was in the way, he would have been kicked out long ago. This izakaya has a strange, enveloping atmosphere.
“Strictly speaking, I’m not from the old capital. So I’m hesitant to join in the festival.”
“Ah, that’s…”
Taisho hesitates for a moment, and then I realize why.
“This restaurant is already a full-fledged member of the old capital. I believe it’s almost your first anniversary, right?”
“Yes, that’s right, actually.”
Seeing Taisho smile shyly, I feel like I understand why this restaurant is so well-liked. Everyone is honest. If the staff is honest, so are the regulars. I wonder if it’s a matter of attraction.
“There’s an old law. If you live in a city for a year, the city recognizes you as a resident. So Izakaya Nobu is a member of the old capital.”
“What about you, Arnoux-san?”
“Well, I have my circumstances.”
I smile wryly and drink my Hojicha. It’s my recent favorite at Nobu. When I’m warmed from the bottom of my stomach, my irritation disappears somewhere.
Only the sound of the pot bubbling fills the restaurant again.
“…My brother…”
“Yes?”
The words that came out like a soliloquy seem to have been heard by Taisho.
It’s a slip of the tongue. I didn’t really want to talk about myself, but once he’d heard it, it wouldn’t be like Arnoux to unnaturally deny it.
“I have a younger brother.”
“How much younger is he?”
“Three years, I think.”
He’s usually taciturn, but for some reason, when he’s talking to Taisho, the words just flow out. He doesn’t mind it at all, and it makes him think that maybe he really wants to talk.
“Unlike me, my brother is a good kid, and he listens well to our old man. There are many people who say that my brother is better suited to take over the family business.”
“Ah, so that’s why you became a minstrel.”
“It’s true that I want to be a poet. But, well, it’s also true that I was feeling a little spiteful, or something like that.”
Taisho doesn’t say anything, just encourages me to continue.
I’m talking too much, whispers the calm side of Arnoux in my head. This restaurant is too warm. My heated head, like a drunken man, makes my mouth light.
“I was an apprentice under my old man for about two years, but it wasn’t interesting at all. It was just repetition of the basics. I think I can do a lot more. But I was told that anything new was no good. My brother is better suited for that kind of thing.”
So I ran away from home, which I didn’t have to say, he seemed to understand.
Taisho just nods without saying anything.
“When I had Professor Krowinkel read my poems, he said I was running away from something. I know that it’s about my family business. But if I take over something I’m not suited for, not only me, but everyone will be unhappy. I can’t see myself doing the same thing the same way, every year, until I die.”
When he put it into words, Arnoux realized for the first time what he was thinking.
He hated the repetition of the same thing. That’s why he longed for travel and aimed to be a minstrel.
Come to think of it, it was an escape, just as Krowinkel said. Was he so shallow that he could be seen through after reading only a few dozen poems? Or was it Krowinkel’s insight?
Either way, not even self-deprecation comes out.
Taisho gently offers me a small plate. It contains a warm broth with a faint color.
“This is the broth I’m going to use for the dish I’m going to serve next. Please try it.”
I nod and take a sip.
It’s a gentle taste. And yet, it has a solid umami.
“It took me fourteen years to draw this broth.”
“…Fourteen years?”
Taisho looks young, but he must be in his early thirties. Fourteen years is half a lifetime.
Did it take that long to decide on the taste of the soup?
I almost say, “It’s just soup,” but I hold my tongue. I can’t deny something that has been built up over fourteen years.
“You said you tried for two years, Arnoux-san, but I don’t think you can tell if you’re suited for it or not.”
“No, I think I know.”
“If you really want to be a minstrel, shouldn’t your poems be free of hesitation?”
A breath that sounded like a groan escaped from the back of my throat.
If he said anything, I was going to say that two years is not enough to tell if you’re suited to be a minstrel. He dodged that perfectly.
Regret.
That’s what Taisho means. He’s pointing out that I’m making excuses for myself because I really want to take over the family business, but I can’t fit in.
In the end, am I running away? I closed my eyes gently, asking myself that question.
I know that the basics are important. Even so, I wanted to be recognized for my talent, so I tried my hand at new things one after another. And my subordinates had to clean up all the messes.
Before my eyes, a plate is placed with a clatter.
It’s served with potatoes, meat, and carrots and green beans for color.
It’s a dish I’ve never seen at Nobu before. Is it the one he’s been prototyping?
“It’s Nikujaga. You’re the first customer to eat it, Arnoux-san.”
It doesn’t feel bad to be told that.
Using the chopsticks I’ve recently become accustomed to, I gently break apart the potato. The potato, which is not falling apart and is full of broth, is clearly soft and fluffy just by breaking it with the chopsticks.
I put it in my mouth and was surprised.
The sticky texture is similar to the powerful stickiness of the taro served at Nobu.
But this is a potato from around here.
I’ve eaten potatoes to the point of being tired of them all my life.
Is this what they call a comforting taste? I carry the potatoes and meat to my mouth, parting the steam.
The flavor, which is soaked in well, is superior to all the other simmered dishes at Nobu. The deep umami of the soup I tasted earlier brings out the best in the potatoes.
When I realized it, the plate was empty.
“How is it?”
“The potatoes are good. This will become a new specialty of Nobu, no, of the old capital.”
Taisho smiles, and Arnoux smiles too.
It’s a quick change.
I was going to let my brother take over the family business, but now I’m already thinking about these potatoes.
I’ll use my connections to have various people eat Nikujaga and sell the potatoes from this region. I heard from Isaac that the potatoes grown around the old capital are a slightly different variety from other regions.
If we can sell them well, potatoes, which were once thought of as a crop for the poor, will become a new source of cash income.
If that happens, the people who have been poor until now will also be enriched.
“Arnoux-san, you look good.”
“Do I…?”
I look away from Taisho, a little embarrassed.
Maybe I really like the family business.
I had too many things I wanted to do, and I was frustrated that I couldn’t do them.
It’s a strange turn of events. A single bowl of stew has taken away all my worries of the past few months. I thought I was a very difficult person, but maybe I was surprisingly simple and straightforward.
Taisho took fourteen years to decide on the taste of his soup. I’m feeling like I should try my best for fourteen years too. If that doesn’t work, then I’ll let my brother take over the family business and train as a minstrel for fourteen years.
It’s a life plan that looks quite enjoyable.
“Arnoux-sama, you were here.”
“Ah, Isaac, you’ve come at a good time. Taisho, could you let Isaac try the Nikujaga from earlier?”
Isaac, who had arrived unexpectedly, is momentarily taken aback by Arnoux’s strangely good mood. But he seems to have suppressed it with his well-trained self-control.
As expected, Isaac is too good a subordinate for Arnoux. However, from now on, he will have to work harder than ever. A decision was forming in Arnoux’s mind.
“Nikujaga, is it? This is…”
Isaac uses the chopsticks more skillfully than Arnoux and eats the Nikujaga.
It’s interesting to watch his eyes change as he eats the potatoes and the meat.
“Taisho, this is an amazing dish… There’s a similar dish in the north, but they add sour cream to it. This Nikujaga doesn’t need to rely on such tricks, it’s complete as a dish on its own.”
“It’s Shu-Ha-Ri.”
“Shuhari?”
Arnoux repeats the unfamiliar word.
“It’s a word my master taught me. First, you learn what your master has been doing diligently. This is ‘Shu’. Then, you break what you’ve been taught until now, which is ‘Ha’. And finally, you create something new and unique, which is ‘Ri’.”
“Shu, Ha, Ri…”
The bundle of parchment hanging from his waist was for collecting his poetic ideas, but Arnoux wrote down the word “Shuhari” on it. From now on, he will probably be writing about things other than poetry.
“That’s a good word, Arnoux-sama.”
Isaac’s tone sounds a little sarcastic, probably because I threw away my old man’s way after two years.
It’s frustrating that I can’t argue back, but things will be different from now on.
“Isaac, I’m going to take over the family business.”
“…Huh?”
Perhaps surprised by the sudden declaration, Isaac drops his chopsticks.
It’s no wonder. Until this morning, I had been telling Isaac that I had no intention of taking over. There’s a preparation for changing one’s mind. If I say it so suddenly, it’s no wonder he thinks it’s a joke.
However, Isaac’s reaction was more than I expected.
“C-Congratulations!”
He stands up from his chair and bows his head so low that I think his back might break. Tears are streaming down his raised face.
It’s a joy that I can’t imagine from his usual serious demeanor.
“I, Isaac, have served you as your foster brother until now, but I have never been happier than I am today!”
Shinobu, who has just returned, seems to be unable to keep up with the situation and is just flustered.
“Arnoux-sama, it’s a celebration. Today is a celebration!”
“Ah, yes, that’s fine, but…”
“Don’t worry about the money! I’ve received that much money from the Lord!”
When I ask Taisho for help, he returns a smile with just his mouth.
He’s skillfully starting to prepare the food, so I guess he’s already in the mood.
That night, a grand banquet was held, with Arnoux paying for all the guests who visited.
The next morning, it was announced throughout the marquisate surrounding the old capital that Marquis Arnoux XV of Sachsenburg would be enthroned.