Shinobu’s Special Pudding
When the autumn sun sets, the old capital is enveloped in deep darkness.
Even the large and small moons that usually illuminate the night paths from the heavens are now unseen.
Today is a double new moon.
Once every few months, the two moons align and become new moons together.
When the twin moons are both hidden, the darkness on Masons’ Lodge Street is deeper than ever.
The wind, however, is strangely strong, scattering the leaves of the sunshade trees planted along the street.
“…On nights like this, with a double new moon, they come out, you know,”
Eva muttered as she wiped down a table.
“Come out? What comes out?”
Shinobu asked, and Eva, trembling slightly, replied,
“…Witches.”
“Witches. Witches, huh.”
Shinobu’s face clearly read, “Witches? Seriously?”.
It’s not a matter of “seriously.” Witches do exist.
Shinobu and Taisho, who apparently came to the old capital from elsewhere, sometimes don’t know the obvious things, but witches certainly live in the forest.
“What are witches like?”
“They live deep in the forest, performing strange incantations night after night. They ride on broomsticks, make eerie potions, kidnap small children, and rebel against the church.”
“They’re pretty much the same as the witches we know.”
“Also… they like alcohol and sweets.”
“Sweets?”
Witches love alcohol and sweets. Legend says that they love sweets so much, they even built houses out of candy.
“If they like alcohol, they might come to this shop.”
“Yes. Nights with a double new moon are dangerous.”
Eva couldn’t bring herself to say, “So, let’s close the shop.”
It was true that Izakaya Nobu wouldn’t be making any money today. It was completely empty. There hadn’t been a single customer all this time.
The only person who had come by was an apprentice butcher who had come to deliver a letter to the wrong address, leaving Izakaya Nobu effectively closed for business.
And it’s no wonder, there’s hardly anyone on the street outside either. Only the bored lamplighters are aimlessly walking around, looking for customers. Only those with urgent business or eccentrics venture out on a double new moon night.
Even so, Shinobu and Taisho apparently don’t think that’s a reason to close the shop. They say it’s because they think it would be sad if someone suddenly wanted a drink and there was nowhere to get one.
Eva thinks that’s a noble idea. It wouldn’t be bad to have one or two shops like this in the old capital. However, witches are still scary. She could have taken the day off like Hermina, but she somehow found herself coming in.
Unfortunately, it even started to drizzle a little. Autumn rain is cold.
Just as Shinobu let out a sigh, muttering that no one would be coming today, there was a soft knock on the glass door. Thinking it was just something blown by the wind, it happened again.
“Ah, welcome!”
“…Welcome.”
Opening the glass door, there stood a female customer. She was wearing a black hooded robe pulled low over her eyes, so her face was hidden.
It’s a witch.
Eva wants to hide in the shadows, but that’s not really an option. This is an izakaya, and the person is a customer. Besides, it’s not certain that she’s a witch.
Eva stares at the customer’s appearance, but she couldn’t even determine her age. However, the texture of the skin on her hands, visible from her sleeves, is so beautiful that it could pass for someone in their mid-twenties.
“To be open on a night like this, this is a whimsical shop indeed. I apologize for being a lone woman, but I’ll be intruding for a bit.”
Her voice is hoarse, and it sounds like someone in their sixties. After brushing off the rainwater dripping from her robe, the customer sat down at a table in the back. She doesn’t remove her hood, so her expression is unreadable.
Her order is ale and some suitable snacks, preferably something warm. This kind of order is where Shinobu’s skills shine. For now, she serves toriaezu nama and otoshi to quench her thirst and settle her stomach while Taisho warms up some simmered fish.
The otoshi is octopus and cucumber dressed with esu-shiggu. Eva tasted a bit, and the texture of the octopus is interesting.
Translator’s Note
Esu-shiggu is likely a vinegar-based dressing, possibly a local specialty or variation.
The marbled flounder used in today’s simmered dish is a gem selected by Taisho, who boasted that it would be delicious even served as sashimi. He would have done so if it wasn’t a double new moon night, but knowing that there would be few customers, he decided to simmer it from the start.
This simmered dish is delicious. It’s as delicious as the flounder served when the late Emperor visited this shop. Shinobu’s preference is for lightly seasoned food, but lately, Taisho has been gradually making the flavor richer based on customer reactions. He also said that he is constantly working on improving how he extracts the dashi.
The customer also seems to like the taste, skillfully removing the flesh from the bones with a fork and spoon, eating it with relish. As Eva discreetly observes her, the customer lets out a chuckle.
“Does this young lady find me frightening?”
Eva frantically shakes her head. She thinks she has to apologize somehow, but the words won’t come out properly.
“No, not at all, you’re not a witch, and I’m not afraid of witches, and even if you were a witch, if you’re a customer, Izakaya Nobu is a place that will treat you properly.”
Seeing Eva’s desperate explanation, the customer bursts out laughing.
“I see, you thought I was a witch. You’re a sharp young lady. It’s no wonder you’d be scared then.”
“Ah, no, um…”
Is this customer a witch or not? But it’s true that this customer is dressed like a witch. Eva thinks, “Why would you walk around town dressed like this on a double new moon night?” Although, perhaps this customer enjoys doing such things.
“Still, this is quite an interesting shop.”
While savoring the simmered fish, the witch-like customer looks around the interior. Shinobu replies, “Thank you,” and the customer looks at Eva and chuckles again.
“Well, it’s certainly true that the staff, starting with the young lady, are interesting, but above all, the shop is interesting. I feel the breath of lost magic.”
“M-Magic…?”
At the word “magic,” even Shinobu has a puzzled look on her face. Her expression seems to say, “Surely she’s not really a witch,” but the word “magic” coming out of her mouth makes her uneasy.
“Yes, magic.”
Saying so, the customer stares intently at the kamidana.
The kamidana, which today is lavishly decorated with gomoku inari, has a design that is exotic to the people of the old capital.
Translator’s Note
Gomoku inari is a type of inarizushi (sushi rice stuffed in seasoned fried tofu pouches) that contains mixed ingredients (gomoku).
Is she referring to this kamidana when she says magic? Eva once had a strange experience with this, but she keeps that a secret from everyone.
“It may be magic, but it’s good magic. I don’t know where it connects to, but it has a net that only allows the necessary people to pass through.”
“Eh, connects to…?”
Shinobu and Taisho exchange glances. Eva hasn’t told anyone that the back door here connects to a strange place. Shinobu and Taisho must know, of course, but how could this customer have guessed it?
Only necessary people can pass through. Come to think of it, Eva has never seen anyone come in through the back door. It’s a strange thing when you think about it, but is that also magic?
“There used to be many doors like this around here. Have you ever seen mushrooms growing in a perfect circle in the forest? Have you ever hidden something precious in a tree hollow and found it gone the next day? Have you ever seen someone you passed on the street walk into a dead end and never come out?”
“Are those all… magic…?”
When Eva asks, the customer laughs again.
“You could say it’s magic, and you could say it’s not.”
Eva can’t stop her knees from trembling slightly. Shinobu is holding a tray in front of her chest with both hands and seems to be lost in thought. Only Taisho seems to be waiting with sparkling eyes to see what the customer will say next. He might be interested in magic.
“For example, this simmered dish is the same. I’ve lived around here for a long time, but I’ve never tasted anything like this. Where did you get such fish and seasonings?”
Is this customer really a witch? Eva understands that if the secret of this shop’s back door were to leak to someone, it would be a disaster. In the worst case, Izakaya Nobu would disappear. She can’t believe that someone as greedy as Backeshoff is the only one. Shinobu and Taisho shouldn’t want that either.
What does this customer know?
Just as the customer moistens her mouth with the toriaezu nama and is about to say something, the glass door is once again timidly knocked.