Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 78: These Two… They’re Insane…
Tauro’s miso-making continued.
He prepared rice koji, salt, and senzu beans, a type of bean in this world that resembled soybeans.
First, he soaked the senzu beans in water overnight.
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Next, he put the swollen beans into a pot and boiled them until soft.
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He mashed them into a smooth paste and let it cool.
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Then he combined the rice koji and salt, added the mashed senzu beans, and mixed everything together.
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He rolled the mixture into balls and threw them firmly into a container to pack it without gaps.
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Finally, he used [Purification] to eliminate unwanted microbes, sealed the container with a lid, and completed the preparation.
Ordinarily, the miso would need to be stored in a cool, dark place for six months to a year. That was far too long to wait, so Tauro used the dark spirit spell [Decay] to advance the process.
The miso was complete.
Shin and Rumeya knew Tauro had spent several days silently making something. When they discovered that the finished product appeared to be a paste of rotten beans, they began to question his sanity.
“Is Tauro all right…? He’s standing there alone, holding that ‘miso’ and grinning to himself…”
“I’m starting to worry too. He says he’s going to feed that to people…!”
Terrified that Tauro might have lost his mind, the two watched him take the cook into the kitchen.
An hour later, Tauro and the cook emerged into the dining room carrying several miso dishes.
The cook was smiling and singing Tauro’s praises.
That reassured Shin and Rumeya a little. If the cook had tasted it and approved, perhaps it wasn’t actually dangerous.
Then again, an upset stomach might not strike until later, so they couldn’t let their guard down.
Four tasting dishes were set before them: miso soup, meat with miso, miso rice balls, and vegetables stir-fried with miso.
After hearing the names and confirming that every dish contained a generous amount of miso, Shin and Rumeya exchanged looks.
“We’re definitely going to have stomachaches tomorrow!”
They were certain of it.
Tauro and the cook smiled as they urged them to eat.
Those smiles only looked more terrifying.
These two… They’re insane…
Shin and Rumeya despaired.
Realizing that refusal wasn’t an option in this atmosphere, each of them steeled himself and took a bite.
…
…
“It’s… delicious!?”
They were astonished and moved by the taste, but the fear of an upset stomach returned, stopping them from taking a second bite.
“?”
Tauro and the cook were puzzled. The two tasters’ faces had brightened at first, only to turn grim a moment later.
“Was it not to your liking?” Tauro asked.
“No, that’s not it… I’m just afraid it’ll upset my stomach…”
At that, Tauro and the cook understood the reason for their gloomy expressions and smiled.
“This isn’t rotten. It’s a perfectly respectable fermented food,” Tauro explained.
“You both like cheese, don’t you? That’s made by fermentation too. This won’t upset your stomach.”
“It won’t!?”
“No.”
Reassured by Tauro’s answer, the two began eating again.
“The miso gives this meat a much deeper flavor!”
“This miso rice ball is delicious with the chewy rice!”
The cook nodded, apparently sharing their opinion.
“This will become a specialty of the Resting Pavilion!”
Convinced of its potential, the cook shook Tauro’s hand.
The Resting Pavilion had a basement, apparently built by the previous tavern to store alcohol. They divided it into two rooms: one for liquor storage, and the other for producing and storing miso.
Tauro could make miso quickly with dark magic, but in the long term it would be better if the cooks could produce it themselves.
He therefore taught them the method and had them prepare a little every day.
In six months to a year, their steady work should begin to bear fruit.
The hamburger steak he had taught them earlier was also a huge success with customers.
Because it was softer than an ordinary piece of meat while still providing the satisfaction of eating meat, it was especially popular with elderly patrons.
Some people wanted to eat meat but found it too tough to manage.
The Resting Pavilion was supposed to be a hangout for adventurers, but combined with the miso dishes, it was becoming a gathering place where the villagers could mingle as well.
One person, however, wasn’t pleased and came to complain.
It was the proprietress of the existing inn.
“What am I supposed to do if another inn opens here too?”
Her livelihood was at stake, so her desperation was understandable.
She had heard that the new establishment had been produced by Tauro, the same boy who had devised the pork cutlets for her.
It seemed she thought he had abandoned her inn.
“Ma’am, let’s use this opportunity to renovate your inn.”
At the same time, Tauro proposed clearly distinguishing her inn from the Resting Pavilion.