Sizzle—
Yuto ladled a scoop of water into the wok.
The instant the water hit the hot pan, white steam rose up with a sharp hiss, arriving fast and vanishing just as quickly like a sudden summer downpour.
The eggplant, now a deep, rich color, glistened with tiny beads of oil on its surface.
That scoop of water had turned into a brown sauce bubbling around the chunks, while the green and red peppers added two bright splashes of color to the otherwise dark-toned contents of the wok.
Yuto scooped up a spoonful of sugar and, with a flick of his wrist, sprinkled it in.
The sugar enhanced the freshness of the flavor while adding a faint sweetness, making the dish's taste feel even fuller.
The last addition was the garlic slices. For a heavy dish like braised eggplant, garlic was essential to cut through the greasiness.
Although eating oily braised eggplant on its own was undeniably satisfying, it would eventually become cloying without the garlic slices to ease that richness.
At the same time, they gave the eggplant a touch of garlicky flavor. Some people disliked garlic because of the sharp pungency of raw cloves, but once thrown into the wok, that choking sharpness disappeared, leaving behind a crisp texture.
Yuto only added the garlic and gave it two quick stirs before taking the dish off the heat.
Garlic should not be stir-fried for too long, or that crisp texture would vanish.
Clatter, scrape—
Holding the wok in one hand, Yuto used the other to scrape the food onto a plate with his ladle.
By the time he finished plating, the eggplant had piled up into a small mound with the rich sauce running down from the higher chunks.
The slightly charred, golden pieces were paired with slices of green and red peppers, while white garlic slices were tucked casually throughout the dish.
A dense, rich aroma drifted from the kitchen into the dining area. Tohru was already almost unable to wait.
Even Lucoa, who preferred meat, was looking forward to this vegetable dish. The Emperor of Demise breathed in, his broad body rising and falling slightly with the motion of his breath.
He had not even seen the dish yet, but his heart was full of anticipation; in that regard, he and Tohru shared a bit of father-daughter understanding.
"Braised eggplant. Please enjoy." Yuto set the dish in front of the Emperor of Demise.
The old man, who had remained quiet all this time, finally showed a slight change in expression.
"Braised eggplant, hm? I don't believe I've ever had it before."
It was rare for him to say so much, which made Yuto a little surprised before returning to his usual calm.
"I think the taste should satisfy you," Yuto smiled, stepping back a few paces.
The dragon maid quietly came over to his side and whispered, "Boss, I want this later too."
Yuto nodded with a faint smile.
When the Emperor of Demise picked up his chopsticks and took a bite, Yuto felt curious.
'With such a long beard, wouldn't oil get on it?'
Watching the man's precise movements, Yuto couldn't help feeling impressed, there really was no oil on it!
As the Emperor chewed, he exhaled through his nose, the sternness in his eyes softening into calmness and warmth.
The feeling he gave Yuto was somewhat similar to Senzaemon.
Both looked extremely stern, and both had exceptionally thick beards. But the Emperor of Demise's reaction was much gentler than Senzaemon's.
Senzaemon had eaten at the restaurant more than a dozen times, and every single time his clothes had burst off.
Yuto truly could not understand it.
'What kind of power is that supposed to be?'
"An excellent food," the Emperor of Demise said after eating, looking at Yuto.
"Thank you." Yuto smiled and nodded.
"Young man, from now on, while Tohru remains in this world, I ask that you look after her."
At last, the Emperor brought up the matter of Tohru.
Yuto had expected as much. Since this concerned letting his daughter remain in another world, he couldn't simply come, nod, and leave.
Yuto felt this matter was the main reason the Emperor had visited today.
"Please rest assured," Yuto replied. "Tohru may be my employee, but she is also my friend. I will not force her to do anything she doesn't want to do. On that point, I can give you my guarantee."
Yuto could easily understand a father's worries.
Hearing those words, the Emperor of Demise let out a soft sigh.
It was not that he thought Yuto would mistreat Tohru. Having lived for countless years, he was good at judging people, even though this was only his second time meeting Yuto, he could already tell the young man was a good person.
He simply felt disappointed.
Tohru choosing to stay in this world meant her opportunities to see her father would become few.
Any father faced with such a situation would feel a bit of loss!
The Emperor even vaguely had the illusion that he was entrusting his daughter's future to Yuto!
....
The Emperor of Demise left.
Before going, he gave Tohru a final reminder not to cause trouble for Yuto. Only after he had gone did the three dragons relax.
The one who changed the most was Lucoa.
She had always been the lazy, carefree type, and forcing herself to act serious had been hard on her.
"Phew~~~ He's finally gone. Boss, I want grilled meat, braised eggplant, and alcohol!" Lucoa's expression turned relaxed again.
Once she ordered, Yuto smiled and agreed.
Fafnir, meanwhile, asked about the handheld console.
Yuto smiled and brought out a brand-new device he had conveniently purchased from an electronics store earlier that day.
Once Fafnir got the handheld, he began studying it.
Yuto had intended to tell him how to turn it on, but Fafnir said he could figure it out himself, so Yuto left him alone.
As for ordering food, Fafnir said he would wait until he had fully figured out the console first.
Watching Fafnir study the device, Yuto felt a strong sense of déjà vu.
'He probably won't turn into someone like Ainz or Rimuru, right? He is a dragon after all.'
While Yuto was cooking for Lucoa, Reiko arrived.
After greeting Yuto in the front of the restaurant, she seated herself and ordered an onigiri.
Once Yuto finished the braised eggplant in the kitchen, he called out to Tohru. He still had more dishes to make, so serving food was better left to his employee.
The dragon maid answered cheerfully, walking into the kitchen with her tail swaying.
"Take this to Lucoa. Don't sneak a bite." After warning her, Yuto continued cooking.
A trace of disappointment appeared in Tohru's eyes.
She really did want to secretly try just one piece, believing one piece would be enough!
Catching the disappointed look from the corner of his eye, Yuto sighed inwardly with a smile.
'It seems my employee still needs some serious training.'
Carrying the braised eggplant, Tohru went over to Lucoa.
She looked conflicted and greedy as she gazed at the plate, setting it down with reluctance, which made Lucoa chuckle.
"Tohru, do you want to have a bite?" Lucoa asked in her lazy manner.
Tohru's eyes lit up, surprise and gratitude filling those beautiful, gem-like eyes.
"Thank you, Lucoa!"
With a friend, she was naturally not all that polite. Reaching out with her chopsticks, she prepared to taste a piece of eggplant.
Before she could pick one up, Yuto's voice came from the kitchen. "Tohru, during work hours, you can't eat the customers' food."
The dragon maid wilted.
Her face, which had just been bright and cheerful like a sunny day, turned gloomy like a rainy sky.
Lucoa laughed, and even Reiko smiled a little.
"Yes, Boss..." Tohru answered, dragging out her words in deep disappointment.
In the kitchen, Yuto sighed. His employee was pretty good in every way, except that she was a little too gluttonous!
Thud, thud—
He was scoring the meat he was about to grill with his knife, which would make it cook faster later.
At that moment, the door to the restaurant opened.
"Welcome."
While continuing to cut into the meat, Yuto lifted his eyes toward the entrance, his gaze pausing slightly.
He had not seen these three for several days.
"Kamisaka-kun, it's been many days since we last met!" Senzaemon's voice carried unmistakable excitement.
As the man known as the Food Demon King, ever since Senzaemon had tasted Yuto's cooking, he had never been able to stop craving it.
The cooperation with the Shinomiya Group over the past few days had kept him so busy that he had no time to visit the restaurant, leaving him stifled.
If not for what had happened with the Shinomiya family yesterday, he probably still would not have had time to come today.
Arriving at the restaurant once again, Senzaemon was naturally excited.
"Mr. Nakiri, Miss Nakiri, Miss Hisako—if there's anything you'd like to eat, just tell Tohru. Once I finish the last remaining dish, I'll make yours." Yuto dipped his fingers into the prepared barbecue sauce, rubbing it over every inch of the meat and working it into the slits he had cut.
Hearing Yuto's words, Senzaemon looked startled.
Having not visited in days, he had no idea who Tohru was.
Erina and Hisako also looked puzzled.
Holding a small notebook in her hand, Tohru walked over to the three of them, properly fulfilling her role as an employee.
Taking orders and serving dishes were all part of her responsibilities. When Tohru stopped in front of them, all three looked surprised before quickly calming down.
The restaurant's cognitive correction really did have its merits.
"Hello, I'm Tohru. Please tell me what you'd like to order." Tohru gave a polite little bow.
She might normally despise humans, but under Yuto's instructions, she could put on a friendly appearance.
Looking at Tohru's dragon horns and the tail swaying behind her, Senzaemon, Erina, and Hisako hesitated. Only after Tohru furrowed her brow did the three begin to place their orders.
"Today, let's have some long-awaited tempura again."
Thinking for a moment, Senzaemon's eyes brightened.
He had previously eaten tempura here for two weeks straight, and even now, it was the dish he missed most!
"Very well. And what about the two young ladies?" After writing down tempura, Tohru looked toward Erina and Hisako.
A trace of weariness showed on Erina's face as she ordered tamagoyaki.
Ever since her conversation with Yuto, she had changed.
After staying away for several days, the taste that lingered most deeply in her mind was still that fragrant, soft, glutinous tamagoyaki.
Hisako thought for a moment before asking for ochazuke.
She still paid a lot of attention to health and moderation.
After noting down the orders, Tohru went to the kitchen and reported them to Yuto.
Meanwhile, the three from the Nakiri family sat down.
They had only been away for a few days, yet they felt as though they had missed a lot.
The completely different decorating style and the expanded space gave them a totally different feeling from the small shop they had known before.
Back in the kitchen, Yuto had already put the meat into the oven.
Next came the onigiri.
Onigiri, tempura, tamagoyaki, and ochazuke were all simple dishes that did not take long at all. With clean, efficient movements, Yuto quickly finished the onigiri and the ochazuke.
Onigiri only needed to be shaped by hand, and ochazuke was nothing more than rice scattered with kelp and fish cake, then covered with hot tea.
After calling Tohru over to carry those two dishes out, he began making the tempura and tamagoyaki.
Not long after, Yuto gave the bottom of the pan a light shake, cleanly finishing the final tamagoyaki.
Turning it out onto the cutting board, he sliced it with a quick series of chops, dividing it into four pieces.
He carried the plate out. Reaching Erina, he gently set it down before her.
"Your tamagoyaki."
Stepping back, he heard Erina softly thank him.
For the moment, the dishes for the customers in the restaurant were temporarily finished.