The arrival of Mia and the other four made the small restaurant much livelier.
With the mead flowing, the atmosphere became lively and warm.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Yuto had already minced the meat into a fine paste and sliced the tofu into square pieces, each about the size of a palm.
Laid flat on the cutting board, every piece looked moist and smooth.
He planned to make pan-fried tofu with minced meat, which was not a simple dish.
Picking up a portion of minced meat with his chopsticks, Yuto placed it on top of a tofu slice.
With a few light presses and spreads, the meat flattened and evenly covered the tofu.
He then placed another piece of tofu on top, sandwiching the meat inside.
Repeating the process, he made many such tofu-and-meat sandwiches, arranging them on the work surface like neatly folded quilts.
Once that was done, he set out a bowl of dry starch.
Although the two tofu slices held the minced meat in place, the edges still left quite large gaps. The dry starch was used to seal those gaps so they wouldn't fall apart when fried.
Dipping his fingers in the starch, Yuto carefully filled the edges like an artisan repairing a delicate craft.
The sauce was prepared to enrich the flavor, and three eggs were beaten to coat the tofu before it went into the pan, strengthening adhesion and making it less likely to fall apart.
He spooned a ladleful of hot oil into the pan.
After swiftly swirling it around a few times, he poured the oil back out—a process called seasoning the pan, an essential step before frying to ensure the food didn't stick to the bottom.
A little oil remained in the pan, which was already enough.
Once the oil heated up, Yuto held the bowl of egg mixture in one hand, took a tofu piece with the other, rolled it through the egg, and gently laid it into the pan.
Sizzle—pop-pop—
The sharp crackle of contact with hot oil and the rapid swelling of egg in the heat provided the kitchen's own beautiful music.
The golden egg puffed up into big bubbles, clothing the tofu in a golden coat.
Yuto kept lowering more pieces into the pan, and gradually, they began linking together to form something like a round cake.
The surface was uneven, rising and dipping as the gaps between the tofu pieces connected through the swelling egg while the tofu maintained its calm solidity.
The stove flame had long since been turned down low; if it hadn't, the tofu would have burned black by now.
Moving his wrist, Yuto gently shook the entire pan, causing the tofu inside to sway and turn. When the time was just right, he poured the remaining egg mixture around the edges.
The sound of sizzling rang out as a complete egg pancake formed.
The egg wrapped around the tofu, while the tofu lay within the egg—the two fitting together harmoniously, like a great circle enclosing smaller circles.
Swish~ swish~ swish~
As Yuto moved his wrist, the egg pancake rubbed repeatedly against the pan's sides. His gaze remained fixed on the heat.
Then, at just the right moment, he flicked his wrist slightly, and with one elegant toss, flipped the entire egg pancake over!
Once the other side was cooked, Yuto removed the tofu from the pan.
He then took the sauce he had prepared earlier and poured half a bowl directly into the blazing-hot pan, making it boil instantly.
Returning the tofu to the pan, he let it slowly fry over low heat so the flavor of the sauce could seep into both the tofu and the egg.
He drizzled the other half of the sauce directly over the tofu itself.
That rich sauce over the golden surface looked as though the tofu had been draped in a hazy, alluring black gauze.
Once the sauce turned glossy red and bright, it was time to plate it. Yuto took out a large plate and slid the entire dish out of the pan in one smooth motion.
The tofu and egg had fused into a single round cake—looking like one whole, yet with each part still holding its own place inside.
The thick sauce scattered crystal-like highlights across the surface, the mingling of red and gold easily stirring a person's appetite.
He cut a few fine lengths of green onion; the bright green garnish was the perfect finishing touch.
The moment he sprinkled them over the dish, it immediately seemed to come alive with greater fullness and vitality.
Yuto let out a soft breath, finding deep enjoyment in personally creating a perfect dish.
He picked up a thin knife and made several quick, clean cuts across the egg pancake, separating the previously connected tofu pieces and making them much easier to pick up and eat.
Carrying the plate, Yuto walked out to the front hall, where everyone was happily chatting.
The background of the Hostess of Fertility's staff had aroused the curiosity of both Ainz and Rimuru.
The kind of other world they had imagined traveling to was exactly the sort of world like Orario's—a classic fantasy realm where one fought monsters and leveled up.
As soon as Yuto brought out the dish, it drew exclamations from everyone.
In terms of appearance alone, it ranked among the most impressive dishes he had ever made.
And because they trusted him so much, everyone naturally had tremendous anticipation for its taste.
"It looks amazing at first glance!" Mia exclaimed.
Even Ryuu, the most reserved and cool-headed among the group, wore a somewhat surprised expression.
Syr looked delighted, while Anya and Chloe were visibly excited.
Sakura's eyes sparkled with expectation. As for a certain goddess, she was already drooling.
"As a return gift for the mead, please enjoy this pan-fried tofu with minced meat," Yuto smiled.
Everyone tasted it, and their expressions immediately showed delight.
Yuto's cooking skill had won them over completely.
Meanwhile, Hestia was like a vicious, hungry dog, focusing on eating without saying a single word.
Compared to everyone else, Hestia—who held the highest status among them—was ironically behaving in the least refined manner.
Fortunately, Yuto was already used to it, he just gave a small laugh and didn't say anything.
After Mia had eaten, Yuto discussed the idea he had been thinking about earlier.
He was not going to let her lose out, offering to pay money for her mead since the restaurant was not short on gold or jewels.
Mia agreed, selling a few extra barrels was not a big problem and would bring in extra profit, so of course she was willing.
They quickly made a deal.
Today's barrel did not count, but moving forward, Yuto would pay in gold for mead, and the Hostess of Fertility would handle delivery.
For now, they settled on one barrel every three days, with the option to raise the amount if demand increased.
After finalizing the agreement, Mia got ready to leave with Syr and the others.
They had only come to visit, and they had work waiting for them back at their own tavern.
Hestia and Sakura did not need to go back with them to help.
Even though Mia looked tough, she was actually very thoughtful.
With her divine power sealed, Hestia was not as strong as the others in the tavern, and neither was Sakura.
Because Mia didn't want them getting too tired, she didn't make them do too much work.
"Goodbye Aunt Mia, Syr-nee, Ryuu-nee..." Sakura politely said goodbye to each member of the group one by one.
Before leaving, Mia and the others gently patted Sakura on the head.
Seeing that scene, Yuto felt calm and warm inside.
Hestia was a different story.
She rested her head on one hand and weakly waved at them.
"Byeeeeee..." she dragged out, sounding like she was about to die.
After Mia left, Yuto finally turned to Hestia.
"Hestia, what did you do today?" he asked, confused as to why the goddess was so tired when Sakura still looked energetic.
"I think Goddess Hestia got called away by another goddess today," Sakura offered, trying to remember.
Yuto looked at Hestia in surprise, and she let out a weak sigh.
"Today... I spent the whole day helping Hephaestus forge metal... Ah... life is so hard..."
Yuto had heard the name before, back when Hestia was preparing Sakura's gift, she had asked that goddess to make a necklace, which now hung around Sakura's neck.
"Then why were you helping her forge metal?"
The moment Yuto imagined Hestia holding a hammer and going bang bang bang on iron, he almost laughed, the image was simply too funny!
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