“Where I drink is my own business, Lorenz,” Holger declared.
“I’ll return those words right back to you, Holger!” Lorenz retorted.
The air was so charged with tension that Shinobu forgot to bring out the appetizer, and even Taisho, usually unflappable, was burning the shishamo he was grilling—a mistake he would never normally make.
T/N: Shishamo is a small, slender fish, often grilled whole.
It was up to her to take charge, Eva decided. She placed Lorenz’s share of the appetizer, edamame, onto a tray and stepped out from behind the counter.
“Welcome! Here is today’s appetizer, edamame!” she announced in the loudest voice she could muster, but perhaps they didn’t hear, as the two men were still glaring at each other. To Eva, they looked like giants. Still, she couldn’t falter. She strengthened her resolve and spoke, even louder than before, “Here is the edamame appetizer!”
Finally, the two men seemed to notice her. Lorenz awkwardly took the plate and a wet towel. His hands, like Holger’s, were large but seemed kind.
“Look, Holger, you’ve made this adorable girl scold us!” Lorenz said, sounding slightly abashed.
“Be quiet, Lorenz. This young lady’s name is Eva. Etch it into that brain of yours, which is otherwise filled with nothing but glass!” Holger retorted.
Eva quickly ducked back behind the counter, and Taisho handed her the burnt shishamo.
“Thanks, Eva. Want to eat this?”
Eva nodded eagerly and took the still-warm fish. Taisho had been trying to hide his hunger from Shinobu to avoid worrying her, but the truth was that he hadn’t eaten since morning.
Squatting down behind the counter, she examined the shishamo. It would be a shame to start at the head, so she began nibbling at the tail. The burnt skin had a slightly bitter taste, but the flesh inside was fluffy and tender, and the savory flavor of the fish spread through her mouth. It was only seasoned with salt, but it tasted incredibly delicious.
“Delicious…” she murmured.
And then came the roe. The popping texture was the first sensation, followed by a unique flavor that danced on her tongue. She was so hungry that she quickly finished both fish. She felt like she could eat ten or twenty more if she had them.
T/N: Roe is fish eggs, and here refers to the roe inside the shishamo.
As she finished eating, Eva realized the place had gone eerily quiet. Looking up, she saw the other customers at the counter staring at her. Suddenly self-conscious, she lowered her head, quickly stood up, and went back to washing dishes as if nothing had happened.
While Eva’s appearance had briefly softened the atmosphere at the counter, it soon heated up again.
“Look at this glass, Lorenz. You and your vaunted eldest son couldn’t make a glass like this, could you?” Holger said, waving his sake cup.
“If you’re talking about that, Holger, you should look at the knife Taisho uses to prepare the squid. I bet you and your old man never forged a blade like that!” Lorenz countered, equally heated.
It seemed they would never run out of things to argue about. The conversation expanded to the dishes and tools, even the interior of Nobu, discussing whose skills would be sufficient to replicate them.
Shinobu was completely thrown off by their loud arguing, making her hesitant even when taking orders for more food.
And it got worse, as they began commenting on the dishes themselves.
“The grilled ayu I ordered has more adult sophistication than that hokke Lorenz chose!”
“The thick-cut bacon I ordered is far superior to your croquettes!”
T/N: Ayu is a sweetfish, and hokke is a type of dried fish, usually mackerel. These are typical izakaya items.
They would even swap dishes and start critiquing them.
Taisho seemed to have decided to ignore them as long as they didn’t come to blows. He went back to preparing an overstocked supply of squid with a look of complete disinterest.
However, Eva was starting to understand the rhythm of the two men.
“Eva-chan, thanks for the appetizer earlier,” Shinobu said, having retreated behind the counter, sticking her tongue out playfully.
Eva found the childishness that Shinobu, who was slightly older than her, sometimes displayed, quite endearing.
“It’s nothing. I want to learn how to serve customers eventually anyway,” Eva replied.
“That would be a great help. Then maybe I can study cooking,” Shinobu said jokingly, taking a sip of water. Sometimes, she felt like an older sister to Eva.
Eva had many younger siblings, but no older sister. Her older brother had long since moved out, so she was the oldest of the children still at home.
Her father didn’t earn much, and they couldn’t always afford firewood. She had even once tried to steal a tap from Nobu, but she wasn’t thinking about such things anymore.
Her goal now was to learn her job properly, earn a salary, and provide for her younger siblings. That’s why she could understand the two men’s behavior.
“Hey, Eva-chan, what if those customers really start fighting?” Shinobu asked worriedly.
Eva smiled reassuringly. “It’s okay. They’re just enjoying themselves.”
“Huh?”
It was the same as her younger siblings play-fighting. There was a certain distance in their banter, and because they knew the boundaries, they could go on like this forever. Otherwise, one of them would have either thrown a punch or left long ago. In the end, she realized, the two craftsmen at the counter were just like overgrown boys.
She left Shinobu, who was still deep in thought, and took out a plate of yakisoba that had been prepared for her as a staff meal. Today’s yakisoba was special, topped with a fluffy omelet.
T/N: Yakisoba (焼きそば) is a popular Japanese stir-fried noodle dish.
The best thing about working at Nobu was the delicious staff meals. Because she could eat here, she hardly ate anything at home. That way, there was a little more food for her siblings.
Holding her spoon and fork, she gazed at the yakisoba. Even before she had tasted it, she could imagine the harmony of the creamy egg and the rich sauce in her mouth.
Her stomach rumbled as she swallowed. All she had eaten since morning were the two shishamo. Her stomach was completely empty. She reached for the perfectly cooked omelet with her spoon.
At that moment, her siblings’ faces flashed before her eyes.
“Excuse me, Shinobu-san,” Eva said.
“What’s wrong, Eva-chan? You can eat your staff meal, you know,” Shinobu replied.
“Actually, I don’t have much of an appetite today… I know it was specially made, but would it be okay if I took it home?”
Her siblings lived lives without anything nearly so delicious. Once, they had all come to the shop as a family. She had never imagined at the time that she would eventually work there. Because she now worked here, she could eat a staff meal, but her siblings usually only had stale bread and soup.
She wanted to bring this meal home. She looked at the two craftsmen arguing at the counter and thought it with all her heart.
As she went to ask if that was okay, Shinobu interrupted with a smile.
“You don’t have to worry about it, Eva-chan.”
“What do you mean?”
“You want to share it with your younger siblings, right?”
Eva could feel her cheeks turning bright red. She hadn’t realized how embarrassing it would be to have her little white lie uncovered. Shinobu whispered something to Taisho, and he nodded at Eva.
“You should eat that omelet yakisoba, Eva-chan. I’ll make you something new for your family to take home that tastes great even when it’s cold,” Taisho said.
“O-Okay! Thank you very much!” Eva replied, her voice a bit louder than usual, trying to cover her embarrassment with a deep bow. A warm feeling of gratitude for working at this shop spread through her chest.
Taking a deep breath, she picked up her spoon and fork once more. This was a delicious yakisoba, and it was topped with an omelet. Two different dishes, she knew, would come together to create an exquisite taste.
Just as the spoon was about to touch the omelet, a voice called out from the counter.
“…Excuse me, Shinobu-chan. Could I please have the same thing as Eva-chan?”
“Hey, don’t jump ahead, Holger… I want the same thing,” Lorenz added quickly.
It was those two again. Now it sounded like they were fighting over who had ordered the omelet yakisoba first. Eva’s grip tightened on her spoon.
“Please make mine first. I ordered before Lorenz did,” she retorted with a hint of anger.
“What are you talking about, Holger? That doesn’t matter!” Lorenz shot back.
Something inside Eva snapped.
“You two! Eat your meals like well-behaved people!” she yelled.
Despite the fact that she was a child yelling at grown men, Holger and Lorenz instinctively straightened their backs.
“Y-Yes!”
“O-Okay!”
After responding, they became sheepish, as if they were children caught fighting by their mother.
Seeing them like that, Eva huffed quietly and finally started eating her well-earned meal. The little matron of Izakaya Nobu had finally begun her lunch.
