Ch. 2 ~ Chinese Cooking Boom
Iroha: Hah~ My stomach's full, and I'm happy...
Kamira: Ramen is usually pretty heavy, but I finished it pretty easily~ ...
Iroha: I wonder if it's because the fried rice was so tasty...
Mito: I'm curious about the other dishes, too, so I want to go again.
Iroha: Don't you!? Definitely, let's go again sometime soon!
Next time, I want to try the fried rice with sauce.
Kamira: Oh. Iroha's totally absorbed in thinking about next time.
You're that into Sheshe's fried rice?
Mito: ...
Iroha: Eh...!
Iroha: Th, that may be the case...
Iroha: The chef at my home has also made Chinese food before, but since they focus on nutritional balance.
This kind of strong flavoring is new...
Mito: Mito also, understands... Maybe.
Real Chinese food, and the Chinese food you'd find around town have a different taste...
Kamira: The service, too, it was fast, but high quality, like...
"The Sheshe!" or something?
Iroha: The food also came out quickly, and even when a lot of customers came after us, she handled it smoothly~
Kamira: Maan~ That was seriously fun, I'm so glad we went.
I've gotta tell Hikarin about it tomorrow, too~
Mito: Xue-chan... She's an actor in Gingaza, but she still handles her part-time jobs perfectly; she's really amazing...
Kamira: Right~?
I heard she takes a bunch of part-time jobs at the same time.
Mito: I wonder, if that's hard...
Iroha: Haaahh~ ... Even just Gingaza's practice should keep you busy...
I feel like I could not copy this by any means...
Mito: ... Copy, huh?
Kamira: Irocchi doesn't have to go copying her. The right person in the right place.
We're in different troupes, and Sheshe's specialty is that speed and multitasking anyways.
Iroha: Mito-chan, it's noon~
Let's have lunch together!
Mito: Mhm.
I'll... Clean up my desk now. Here.
Iroha: Thank you very much.
Hah~ I'm so hungry~ Today's dishes are~ ...
Mito: ... Hm. Sweet and sour pork, pepper steak, fried chicken...
Mito: Iroha-chan, you're having a full course of Chinese food today, huh?
Iroha: You see...
Ever since we went to Xue's restaurant, a Chinese food boom had begun in my heart...
Mito: Chinese food boom?
Iroha: I am ashamed to admit, but I also requested it of my chef last night.
I fear today's meal is exploding with Chinese food leftovers from that...
Mito: I, is that so...
Iroha: I also had them make fried rice since then,
but it was completely different from what we ate at that restaurant, after all.
Iroha: Well, it's not like we know the recipe, so it's not like we could replicate it, but...!
Iroha: Ugh, I want to go eat at that restaurant again!
Mito: ......
Mito: That's true, it was delicious, wasn't it? Xue-chan's Chinese food...
Iroha: — Hah!
Iroha: Mito-chan's rolled omelette...! It's been so long since I've last seen it!
Mito: This...? I've been practicing making boiled eggs recently, so it's only been that recently.
This is the first time I've added this in a while.
Iroha: I, I want to eat it...
Would you be willing to exchange for one of my dishes?
Mito: ...!
Of course, it's fine. Here's... One piece!
Iroha: This sweet flavoring, it's so calming...
Iroha: Japanese food is great, after all. Ooookay, I shall be requesting Japanese food starting tomorrow!
Mito: ... Heheh, you're quick to switch to different booms, huh?
Mito: (But, that makes me kind of happy...)
Mito: ...
Mito: ... The taste, is different after all. I feel like it's gotten close, though...
I've figured out the seasonings. I've reviewed the amounts, too. After that...
Mito: — I tried buying an iron pan, from the second-hand shop on the way home, but it's hard to work with.
The restaurant's stove, is also made differently, so it's hard to get the right heat...
Mito's Grandfather: Mito-chan, you were up cooking this late?
Mito: ...!
Mito: Grandpa, sorry for using the restaurant's kitchen.
Mito's Grandfather: That's fine. You already have food for lunch, don't you?
What's with the brooding face?
Mito: Th, this isn't...
Mito: ... Was Mito, making that kind of face?
Mito's Grandfather: You seemed kind of rushed.
... If you don't have time, how about your grandpa help you?
Mito: It's fine, I've already finished.
Sorry for worrying you.
Mito's Grandfather: That's good, then.
— Did you buy that iron pan yourself?
Mito: There was something I kind of wanted to try cooking...
Mito's Grandfather: Fried rice, huh?
Your grandpa also made that a lot when he was younger. Is it alright if I give it a taste?
Mito: Of course.
Mito's Grandfather: ... Yup, it's delicious. Mito-chan's really become better at cooking...
Haven't you already caught up to your grandpa?
Mito: No way, I'm still learning...
Even this, doesn't taste the way I want it to...
Mito's Grandfather: So there's a particular flavor you're aiming for.
Mito: ... Yeah. There's a girl who said she wanted to eat it...
So Mito wants to make it, no matter what.
Mito's Grandfather: Mito-chan being so particular, it's certainly rare.
But you know, cooking reveals one's personality...
Mito: Personality?
Mito's Grandfather: Indeed. The recipe is a given, but what's most important is what that person has seen and learned.
When your grandpa was younger, he also practiced alongside cooks he respected.
Mito's Grandfather: Cooking skills aren't something you pick up in a day.
They are a compilation of one's life experiences. First, you start by understanding the cook.
Mito: ... Life experiences, huh?
That's true...
Mito: (Thinking I could copy it... Like a performance.
.... I guess I wasn't thinking straight.)
Mito: Mito... Might have been rushing too much...
It's not like... Iroha-chan has been taken away, or anything.
Mito's Grandfather: Hm? Iroha-chan has what?
Mito: Awawawawa!
Forget about... What I just said...!