“I’m so sorry, even though it’s this busy.”
Dressed in a one-piece dress, Shinobu pressed her hands together in prayer at the back entrance, looking apologetic.
Truth be told, it was a situation where they were so busy they would have borrowed a cat’s paw if they could, but that was exactly why he wanted Shinobu to go out.
“Taisho, ojiya for a table seat!”
“We have an order for ojiya at the counter, too!”
Translator’s Note
Ojiya (often used interchangeably with Zosui) is a Japanese rice porridge (congee) usually made by adding rice to the leftover savory broth of a hotpot dish at the end of the meal.
Responding to the voices of Eva and Leontaine, he prepared the rice for the ojiya.
Hans was also running around in circles preparing the pots.
At Izakaya Nobu, ojiya had become an unprecedented boom.
The cause was Emperor Conrad and Empress Celestine, who had recently announced their engagement in grand fashion.
Inquiries were already flooding in simply because it was the shop the two had stopped at, but then Lorenz poured oil on the fire.
“The former Emperor, the current Emperor, and the Empress ate mizutaki at Izakaya Nobu. For the finish, they chose ojiya, not udon. That is how delicious ojiya is.”
Translator’s Note
Shime (Finishing/Closing) is used here for a carb dish eaten to finish off a drinking session or a hotpot meal. The equivalent of getting fries from McDonald’s after a night out.
This rumor spread through the Old Capital in the blink of an eye, becoming known not just in the Sachsenburg territory, but throughout the entire northern region of the Empire.
Some nobles even rode their horses here just to eat this unfamiliar thing called “ojiya.”
Naturally, Krowinkel and Branton came to eat it as well, and they played a role in spreading the rumors.
There was quite a commotion during the time of the eel, but this was on a different level. Even though it was just an izakaya, it had reached a state where you couldn’t get in without a reservation.
He wanted to stick to evening operating hours, but out of a desire to welcome as many customers as possible, they were now hanging the noren curtain just past noon.
Still, with customers visiting incessantly, they sometimes had to ask for unreasonable favors. It pained him to ask them to share tables, but since that is commonplace in the Old Capital, they hadn’t heard any complaints so far.
“Should I help after all?”
“It’s fine. We’ll manage somehow.”
There was a reason he wanted to make her go out, even if he had to force it.
Today, Shinobu is going to meet her family. He heard she hasn’t seen them once in the year and a half since she practically ran away from home and came rolling into this place.
Since meeting at Yukitsuna would be too heavy a mood, they apparently agreed to meet at a hotel lounge.
This meeting was Shinobu’s idea. She probably had some thoughts after seeing the arranged marriage meeting the other day.
“…I knew it.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Now, go on.”
While seeing her off from the back door as if chasing her out, Nobuyuki let out a small sigh.
Depending on today’s outcome, Nobuyuki might have to run this shop alone.
In the worst case, the shop might even cease to exist.
What would he do then?
Seeing the smiles of customers happily eating mizutaki and ojiya in the crowded shop, even sharing tables, the thought of closing this shop vanished in an instant.
He will keep this shop going. He wants Shinobu to come back, but if she doesn’t, he’ll keep going even by himself.
No, he still really wanted her to come back, though.
“Taisho, ojiya over here too, please!”
“Coming up.”
Answering Eva’s voice, he prepared the ojiya.
Being busy is good, but he worries his skills might dull if he only prepares mizutaki and ojiya. Since opening today, he hadn’t taken orders for anything but mizutaki, ojiya, and dried squid tempura.
However, that worry will likely be resolved soon.
“Taisho, business is booming, isn’t it?”
Passing under the noren were Ignaz and Kamil from the Eisenschmidt Company.
We were sourcing the Sasarica rice used for the ojiya from these two.
“How is it? How’s the Sasarica rice doing?”
“The sales are amazing. Marquis Arnoux was surprised, too.”
“This is all thanks to you guys, Taisho.”
Mizutaki and ojiya can be made in households in the Old Capital, too.
Hans came up with a recipe arranged for the local style without even being asked.
The trick is to add Bolganga fish sauce. There was no way to reproduce ponzu, but it’s not like ponzu is absolutely necessary to eat mizutaki. Since the trendy, wait-list-only ojiya can be made at home, the recipe seems to be spreading at considerable speed.
Translator’s Note
Bolganga fish sauce is written as Boruganga no Gyoshō (ボルガンガの魚醤) which is a fictional name, probably referring to a region in Aitheria.
The reputation isn’t bad either.
Naturally, Sasarica rice is selling.
Although they weren’t used to eating it before, since Arnoux released Sasarica rice onto the market cheaply, it seems to be accepted without particular resistance.
Ignaz and Kamil were initially terrified they’d take a huge loss on the rice, but now they’re at the point of discussing how to handle next year’s stock.
“I’d like to ask if you two want to eat, but that’s a bit difficult right now.”
“Yeah, it’s fine. We get along well, after all.”
The reason they laughed as they said that is because there is another rumor regarding mizutaki.
If you eat mizutaki, you can reconcile.
He had never heard such a story in Japan, but in the Old Capital, it was being spoken of as if it were true.
Nobuyuki half-resignedly let the rumor slide, thinking it was likely a sort of urban legend born from a mix of various stories about Izakaya Nobu.
However, when observing the customers carefully, it was strange how it actually seemed to have that effect.
Seeing a married couple who hadn’t spoken a word until they passed under the curtain now happily sharing chicken, or a stubborn-looking parent serving chicken meatballs to their son, gave him a strange feeling.
“Even if they really want to make up, isn’t it just that opportunities are hard to come by?”
Eva, who had come to clear plates, made a sharp point as always.
Reconciliation requires a trigger, and maybe something trivial is enough.
Thinking of that, he wondered if Shinobu’s meeting with her family today would go well.
After finishing the discussion about the next day’s Sasarica rice shipment, the sworn brothers Ignaz and Kamil left without staying long.
After that, it was just serving mizutaki relentlessly.
He wanted to make something different for the staff meal, but the turnover was so fast that even that wasn’t feasible.
Nobuyuki, Hans, Leontaine, and Eva worked like crazy, and the flow of customers didn’t ebb until past midnight.
They had Berthold, who came to peek in, escort Eva home, and the remaining three of them started cleaning up.
“Come to think of it, is Shinobu-chan going home straight from there today?”
At Leontaine’s muttered words while wiping a table, Nobuyuki felt a slight jolt.
It was factored in that she wouldn’t come back today, but would she really come tomorrow?
He believed she would, and she surely would.
But.
He couldn’t shake the distracting thoughts welling up in his chest. He had actually intended to sharpen his knives, but he decided to leave it for tomorrow.
There was no precedent of anything good happening when touching blades in a mood like this. If he were to clumsy injure himself, the shop wouldn’t be able to run.
Perhaps sensing Nobuyuki’s state, neither Hans nor Leontaine said anything.
I didn’t know if they were being considerate or just tired, but that silence was more grateful to Nobuyuki than anything right now.
Since cleaning was done, he should let the two of them go home.
Just as he was about to call out to them, the back door opened.
“I’m hoooome!”
That endlessly cheerful voice unmistakably belonged to Shinobu.
“S-Shinobu-chan?”
“Sorry I couldn’t get back during opening hours.”
Seeing her cheeks flushed slightly red, she must have been drinking.
“That doesn’t matter, but are you okay?”
Leontaine apparently had never seen Shinobu drunk. Come to think of it, since opening this shop, Shinobu had likely almost never drunk enough to get intoxicated.
She must have always been on high alert.
He wondered if he couldn’t have lightened her burden a little more, Nobuyuki thought as he scratched the tip of his nose.
“So, Shinobu-san, how was it with your family?”
When Hans asked timidly, Shinobu made a large V-sign.
“We had a huge fight.”
“A-A huge fight? Didn’t you say something about a top-floor hotel restaurant?”
“Yeah, so I just drank the soup, cut it short, and then BAM! Went to the yakitori place in front of the station!”
He could only smile bitterly, but perhaps it was for the best.
Come to think of it, Shinobu had never fought with her family before.
She was raised like a precious flower, and just when she finally became an adult, that marriage arrangement happened. Looking at it that way, today’s events will likely serve as a trigger of sorts.
Both for Shinobu, and for Yukitsuna.
“Taisho, I’m hungry. Make me something.”
Seeing Shinobu leaning sloppily against the chair, Nobuyuki shrugged his shoulders, thinking “good grief.”
It made him feel somewhat foolish for worrying so much just moments ago.
“Alright, alright. Though I can really only make ojiya right now.”
“I love the ojiya you make, Taisho! Make me ojiya!”
Being told she likes it didn’t feel bad.
After all, the person saying it is Shinobu, possessor of the “God’s Tongue.”
Just as he was about to put my skills to work to make the ojiya, Hans and Leontaine stood up from their seats.
“I’m tired today, so I’ll be taking my leave first.”
“Good work today, Taisho, Shinobu-san.”
Seeing off the two, who seemed to be getting along a bit lately, into the night street, Nobuyuki looked up at the night sky of the Old Capital.
In the winter sky, sparkling with unknown constellations, a single shooting star drew a line.