Chapter 308: Inari Sushi

Since Leticia-san would be staying here for a while, I decided to have her experience the kind of work I plan to assign to the former slaves we’ll be taking in.

But before that—hospitality starts with food.

Now that I’ve been given the Electric Mice, I need to treat her as well as possible.

Well, technically it was a gift from Chris-san, not Leticia-san herself—but since she’s acting as Chris-san’s envoy, it’s basically the same thing.

“Leticia-san, are you hungry?”

“Yes, I haven’t eaten since morning, so my stomach’s been growling.”

“In that case, I’ll prepare something now. Is there anything you’d like to eat?”

“No, no, I don’t have anything in particular I want. Just serve me whatever you’ve got lying around.”

“…I see. Then I’ll prepare something suitable.”

An answer of “anything is fine” is actually pretty troublesome.

We’re not close enough for me to know her preferences, so that makes it tricky.

Still, thinking too much wouldn’t help, so I decided to go with my first idea.

Leticia-san is a fox beastkin.

And when you think fox… you think inari sushi, right?

Well, in reality foxes eat small animals like mice. There’s even a theory that inari sushi came from imitating mice as a symbolic “fox food.”

If I followed that logic properly, I’d need mouse dishes—but I don’t know any, and I can’t exactly serve that.

So I glance at the pair of Electric Mice and give them some chopped fruit instead.

Watching them happily munch away was oddly soothing, and that settled it.

I’d make inari sushi.

A slightly sweet version.

When I was a kid, I didn’t understand the appeal of “sukeroku sushi,” but after turning thirty, it somehow became one of my favorites.

Sweet inari topped with pickled ginger—yeah, that’s good.

Now fully in the mood, I use my tablet to gather ingredients.

All I need is fried tofu, white sesame, pickled ginger, rice, and seasonings. Surprisingly simple.

First, I cook the rice while preparing the fried tofu.

I simmer soy sauce, sugar, and dashi together, then soak the drained tofu in it.

Once it absorbs the flavor and cools, it’s ready for inari sushi.

At the same time, the rice finishes cooking, so I mix it into sushi rice and stuff it into the cooled tofu pockets.

I keep making bite-sized inari sushi one after another, and finish it off with the pickled ginger on the side.

I hope she likes my slightly sweet version.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. This is inari sushi.”

“Inari sushi? Never heard of it before. And the look of it… it’s a bit unusual too.”

“I’m from another world, and this is a dish from there. I’m not sure if it’ll suit your taste, but please try it.”

“So Sato-san is from another world, huh. It’s my first time trying food from another world—I’m really looking forward to it. Alright, I’ll dig in.”

That said, she seems unsure how to eat it, tilting her head.

I wanted to watch her reaction, but it looks like I should show her first.

I take one without the ginger.

—Perfect inari sushi, if I do say so myself.

The sweetness is just right. A little strong on its own, but perfect once paired with ginger.

I want to add the ginger quickly, but I wait for her to try the plain version first.

“So you eat it like this first… wow, it’s delicious! What is this?! This is amazing!”

Leticia-san shouts with a smile and immediately starts eating.

I wasn’t too worried—it usually hits well with people in this world—but seeing her enjoy it is still a relief.

At this rate, she might finish everything without even trying the ginger, so I quickly stop her hand.

“Wait a moment. There’s another way to eat it. If you put this pink thing on top, it gives a refreshing flavor.”

“Alright, I’ll try it. Hmm… it does make it fresher, but I think I prefer it without… no, I’ll try one more.”

The pickled ginger seems a bit unusual at first—she looks unsure after the first bite.

But by the second, she gets used to it, and by the third, she’s nodding happily while eating.

It seems she enjoys both versions.

“That initial weird taste turned into something really good. Honestly, this dish has way too much potential.”

“I’m glad you like it. We have quite a few tasty dishes, so you won’t have trouble with meals during your stay.”

“If food here is like this, I’ve got nothing to worry about. Now I’m actually looking forward to staying here.”

Even though I made quite a lot, she finished everything effortlessly.

The hospitality was a complete success—and I’m sure she’ll give a good report.