“What? You mean to tell me you can’t make it?”
Shinobu apologizes profusely to the stunned baron.
“I’m very sorry, sir. We can make it, but yudofu is a hot dish. It’s a dish that is meant to be enjoyed along with the surrounding cold, so we can’t serve it to you in its most delicious state.”
“Hmm…”
Shinobu has no intention of cornering him, but her tone naturally becomes forceful. Her business is being boldly interfered with. Surely this much is acceptable.
Out of the corner of her eye, she sees that Nobuyuki has started humming as he gets to work preparing for the next day. Eva still seems unable to understand the situation and is staring at Shinobu with her mouth agape.
“Alright, let’s do this.”
The baron claps his hands once loudly and throws himself into his seat.
“I’ll give up on the yudofu. I don’t want to damage my reputation as a gourmet by forcing myself to eat something that’s out of season. But I’m also too hungry to go home as it is. So, I’ll order something else.”
“Thank you very much.”
The small man from earlier glares hatefully at Shinobu as she bows deeply. Shinobu sticks her tongue out at him, making sure nobody sees.
“Schnitzel.”
“Schnitzel?”
The name of the dish the baron speaks is one that Shinobu doesn’t recognize. She feels like she might have heard of it somewhere, but nothing is coming to mind. She looks over at Nobuyuki, but he just shakes his head slightly, as he specializes primarily in Japanese cuisine.
“I want schnitzel. You couldn’t serve a dish that was on the menu, so surely it isn’t unreasonable for me to make a selfish request like this.”
When he puts it that way, she has no choice but to comply. She looks to Eva, hoping for a miracle, but she just shakes her head wildly.
“Alright, we’ll prepare it for you.”
It’s Nobuyuki who responds.
“However, since this is a dish that we don’t normally offer at our restaurant, it will take a little while to prepare.”
“Very well.”
Paying no mind to the baron who nods loftily, Shinobu rushes over to Nobuyuki at the counter.
“Are you sure about this, Taisho?”
“I’m going to go to the guard barracks now and ask them what kind of dish schnitzel is. There are a lot of regulars there, so surely someone will know.”
“Okay. I’ll watch the store while you’re gone.”
“Please watch the store and Eva-chan.”
“Please try to get back as soon as you can.”
“If I’m late, feel free to make whatever you want for dinner.”
“And preferably something with eggs, right? Got it.”
Grabbing his coat, Nobuyuki runs out the door where the men are crowded together.
“Did the chef of this restaurant really go out to hunt a pig just to make schnitzel?”
“No, it seems he ran out of ingredients. The market should still be open at this hour, so he should be back soon.”
She answers while patting the anxious Eva on the head. The baron spreads his hands out widely in a show of exasperation. After that, he seems to have lost interest in them and starts a makeshift card game at the table with the small men. Shinobu just doesn’t understand how nobles think.
With time on her hands, she starts thinking about what to make for dinner. It should be something easy for Eva, who isn’t used to Nobu’s cooking, and it should use eggs.
Nobuyuki told her she could do whatever she wants, so there are no restrictions on ingredients. That said, she doesn’t feel like making anything too elaborate under the circumstances.
“Ah, right. It’s pretty lazy, but let’s do that.”
“Shinobu-san, what’s ‘that’?”
“Hmm, it’s a surprise for later. Help me out, Eva-chan.”
“Yes!”
She takes a generous amount of boiled eggs and minces it before mixing it with mayonnaise. She has Eva drain the water from the sliced lettuce and tomatoes, then has her arrange them on bread spread with mustard mayonnaise.
She’s making a very simple sandwich. She also makes lettuce and tomato sandwiches so they don’t get bored with just egg sandwiches.
Eva is more efficient than she expected, and before they know it, they’ve made more sandwiches than the two of them can eat.
“Young lady, what have you been making over there?”
Seemingly interested in what’s going on behind the counter, the baron cranes his neck, still holding his cards.
“Our dinner.”
“What a restaurant, leaving a hungry customer waiting while they make their own dinner. That’s just fine, give it to us, too.”
“But it’s just the kind of dinner people like us eat. Are you sure that’s okay?”
“I, a baron, am telling you that it’s fine. Bring it here at once.”
She had gotten carried away making them and ended up with more than they could eat, so there’s no problem giving some to the baron and his men. Shinobu cuts the sandwiches into easy-to-eat pieces and takes them over to the card table.
“What is this? Just ingredients sandwiched between bread?”
“Yes. It’s called a sandwich.”
“Never heard of it. By the way, I don’t see any forks or knives for cutting them.”
“We don’t use any. Sandwiches are eaten with your hands.”
“With your hands? You expect me to eat such a thing?”
“Yes. I think it’s the perfect dish for you right now, Baron-sama.”
Shinobu picks up some cards from the discard pile in one hand and picks up a piece of sandwich from the plate in the other.
“Since a sandwich can be eaten while enjoying a game of cards like this.”
She thinks it’s bad manners, but she takes a bite of an egg sandwich in front of the baron. The slight spiciness of the mustard mayonnaise Eva spread and the black pepper accentuates the umami of the egg that spreads through her mouth.
“I see. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders.”
As he says this and returns to the game, the baron reaches for a sandwich.
One bite. The baron’s movements stop.
As if the sandwich is going to run away, he shoves the rest of it in his mouth and reaches for another piece. Shinobu pours milk for everyone and places it next to the men who are engrossed in their game and sandwiches.
She had given them quite a large portion, but before she knows it, there isn’t a single piece of sandwich left on the plate. The baron reaches for a sandwich while looking at his cards, but his hand grasps at nothing but air.
“Young lady, are there any more of these sandwiches?”
“There are, but they’re our dinner.”
“Then how about you make some more?”
“If you’re ordering me to make them, I will, but are you sure you don’t want the schnitzel anymore?”
“The schnitzel is a separate matter. By the way, can you put other ingredients in this sandwich besides egg?”
“There are some things that don’t go well with it, but yes, other things can be put in.”
“Then I’d like something that will fill me up more. I’ll leave the contents up to you. And hurry up.”
“Understood.”
Shinobu is completely captivated by the sandwiches and wonders what kind of sandwich she should feed the baron next. There are plenty of ingredients, but if she wants something that will fill him up, the options are naturally limited.
“It can’t be helped, Eva-chan. It’s a customer’s order.”
“O-okay…?”
Shinobu forces Eva, who doesn’t understand the situation, to agree, and takes a special pork fillet from the refrigerator. It’s a high-quality piece that Nobuyuki bought to make a fillet cutlet for his own dinner. There’s no way it won’t be delicious when fried.
As the pot for frying the fillet cutlets starts to heat up, the nice smell of oil begins to waft through the restaurant. The baron and his men seem restless and are glancing over here while playing their cards half-heartedly.
“H-hey, young lady. What are you doing?”
“I’m making the filling for the sandwiches.”
“Is that really the filling for a sandwich?”
“Yes. It’s very delicious.”
There’s a way to make it with shredded cabbage, but Shinobu thinks that’s just wrong. A strong fillet cutlet can stand on its own.
She takes the freshly fried fillet cutlet and puts it between thicker slices of bread than before, topping it with plenty of tonkatsu sauce to complete her special fillet cutlet sandwich.
The crisp sensation of the cutlet as she slices it with the knife feels good in her hand.
“Alright, it’s ready. Please, enjoy!”
The baron and his men put their cards on the table, firmly grasp the cutlet sandwiches with both hands, and slowly put them in their mouths.
“…Delicious. This ‘sandwich’ dish is truly delicious.”
“Thank you. I’m honored.”
After savoring the sandwiches, the baron takes a leather pouch from his pocket.
“This is payment for today. Take it.”
“Huh? Are you sure you don’t want the schnitzel?”
The baron smiles wryly at the surprised Shinobu.
“You actually knew, didn’t you, young lady?”
“Huh? No, I don’t know anything…”
“Oh well. I ate here and was satisfied. There should be no problem with me paying for it.”
“Yes. Thank you very much.”
The leather pouch she receives is small but heavy.
“By the way, young lady, did you come up with the recipe for that sandwich? I’ve never heard of it before.”
“No, it was thought up by someone long ago.”
“I see. Do you not intend to spread that dish as your own creation?”
“I have no such intention. It may be an unknown dish around here, but the person who came up with it certainly existed long ago. It would be disrespectful to that person if I stole their idea.”
“I see. Thank you, it was a good meal.”
With those words, the baron and his men leave.
Shinobu sees them off like she does with any other customer when Nobuyuki and deacon Edwin come running from the direction of the barracks.
“Shinobu-chan, what happened to the baron and his men? I went through all the trouble of having Edwin teach me how to make schnitzel.”
“They ate some sandwiches and left.”
“Sandwiches? The ones for dinner?”
Shinobu tilts her head at Nobuyuki and asks,
“So, what kind of dish was schnitzel?”
“Ah, schnitzel is basically what we call tonkatsu.”
Shinobu checks the contents of the leather pouch the baron gave her.
The coins inside aren’t silver, they’re shining gold.
