Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 319: Takoyaki Party Begins
“Well then… let’s start the tasting of the brand-new dish: Takoyaki!”
“OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!!”
Evening. In the village square at the center of the fishing village.
As Rest made the announcement, the gathered villagers all roared in excitement.
He had told them only those who could make it should come… yet nearly the entire village had shown up.
“Wow… this is way too many people…”
“Well, you are a noble serving food. Naturally, the whole village would rush over.”
Celestine gave a troubled smile.
Now that he thought about it, it made perfect sense.
This was a rural fishing village with few sources of entertainment and not much in the way of fine food.
So when the lord himself offered a feast, of course everyone would drop everything and come running.
“This much expectation is kind of nerve-wracking…”
“Since it’s a special occasion, shall we serve some of the trial batch of alcohol as well? If we dilute it with water, everyone here should be able to enjoy it.”
“They’d love that… but is it really okay to be so generous?”
“These villagers helped with the brewing process. Naturally, they’d want to taste the fruits of their labour, don’t you think?”
That was only fair.
After putting in all that effort into brewing, it would be too cruel not to let them taste even a drop. It could kill their motivation and affect future work.
“All right… let’s get started!”
With renewed energy, Rest began preparing the takoyaki.
He oiled a large iron griddle, used magic to heat it up, and once it was hot enough, poured in the batter.
The batter, of course, was homemade: flour mixed with water and eggs, with dried fish and seaweed broth added for flavor.
(For ingredients, I’ve only got octopus, green onions, and cabbage. I really wanted to include tempura bits too, but I’ll skip them this time since we’re short on time.)
“Next, the main ingredient… in goes the octopus!”
He dropped chopped octopus legs into the batter.
Celestine, who was watching from the side, had a tense expression, while the villagers looked on with curiosity.
“And then… timing is everything—flip!”
“OOOOOH?!”
He inserted a cone-shaped metal stick and flipped the batter over.
The villagers gasped in amazement.
“Whoa… what is he making?”
“It’s turning round. This is kind of fun to watch.”
“So that weirdly-shaped griddle is used like that, huh?”
For people seeing takoyaki made for the first time, it must have been a fascinating sight.
Even Celestine, who had been scared of the octopus, now stared at the griddle with great interest.
“Add the sauce… and done! Complete!”
Eventually, the takoyaki was ready.
Considering it was his first time making it in a while, it came out well. The balls were a bit uneven, but they held their shape.
“All right, let’s keep going while the griddle’s still hot!”
Rest continued adding ingredients and churning out takoyaki, until there was enough for everyone in the village.
Due to the large crowd, everyone only got two pieces… but they stared at their plates with drooling mouths.
“Everyone has a plate, right? Then—dig in!”
“OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!!”
With Rest’s permission, the villagers dove in, racing each other to take a bite of their takoyaki.
The ones made last were still piping hot, so people ate them while blowing to cool them off.
“Hot! But… delicious!”
“Crispy outside, gooey inside… and the octopus is nice and chewy!”
“I can’t believe the octopus I caught turned into something like this… I’ve wasted my life until now!”
It was an exaggerated reaction, but for someone eating takoyaki for the first time, it was understandable.
(The sauce is Western-style, and there’s no mayonnaise, bonito flakes, or aonori… Honestly, it doesn’t quite feel right…)
As someone who knew authentic Japanese takoyaki, Rest couldn’t help but feel it was lacking.
Still… it was a hit with the villagers. Even Celestine had pierced one with a fork and brought it to her mouth.
“…”
“How is it? You don’t think it’s gross anymore, do you?”
“No… I still find that creature unsettling and don’t want to look at it. But curiosity has won over my instincts of disgust.”
Celestine elegantly ate the takoyaki and sighed deeply.
“For parties, I think it’d be best to make this dish in front of the guests. It would be quite entertaining. Some may be repulsed by octopus… but nobles tend to enjoy exotic delicacies. I don’t think it will be a big problem.”
“That’s great. We’ve got one more dish to add to the party menu.”
Rest nodded in satisfaction.
He had come to the fishing village for alcohol, but ended up with an unexpected bonus.
“Though… I don’t think I can give a proper judgment just yet.”
“Hm?”
“If I could eat two or three more, I’d know for sure…”
Celestine, uncharacteristically, looked at him with puppy-dog eyes.
Behind her, the villagers all watched Rest with eyes sparkling with hope.
“…Fine, seconds it is.”
Rest gave a light shrug and got back to making more takoyaki.
That night, he ended up making takoyaki until all the ingredients were gone—and from the next day on, the villagers were fired up about catching more octopus than ever before.