Striving For The Luxury Liner – Vol 9 Chapter 14

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Chapter 14 – Japanese Food and a Little Happiness

After a post-massage nap in the spa on the Chris, I was surprised to see the ladies still fiddling with some machine and doing something beauty related.

Had I not slept that much? I check my watch and see that about 2 hours have passed… I look around and see Rimu, Fuu-chan, and Beni-chan jumping around. What were they doing? I waved at them, and they came closer. So cute.

“What were Rimu and the others doing?”

“Talking.”

“I see, you were talking. Did you have fun?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know? It’s been a while. Do you want a snack?”

“Eat.”

“…Eat…”

“…Eat…”

They look so happy, jumping around. So cute. When I summon the food storage ship and take out the snacks, Carla-san is waiting next to Rimu and the others. Let’s not think too much.

I give the donuts to Rimu and the others and take out a can of coffee. I call the ladies.

“Everyone, let’s move on when we’re done with what you’re doing.”

I call, and the ladies answer. Apparently, the longest time for one person is about 20 minutes. That’s fine with me.

I talk to Carla-san while I play with Rimu and the others. Carla-san is worried about dinner tonight. She never wavers. I want to go to a Japanese restaurant and sushi bar.

After a while, the ladies gather. It’s just the right time to talk about dinner. Some of them don’t like raw fish, so I have to explain that there are other dishes on the menu.

The ladies readily agreed, so we decided to have dinner at a Japanese restaurant and sushi bar. I had a hearty lunch, but I was already hungry.

Since we had some time to kill, we went to the casino.

“It will be an hour and a half before dinner. Please don’t get too excited. Especially Alessia-san and Ines, please be careful.”

“Don’t worry. I’m going to win.”

I have seen her lose, drink alcohol, and get desperate on several occasions… I would like to know the basis of Alessia-san’s confidence.

“I’ll be fine, too. I’ll keep it down today so I can enjoy the casino on my next day off.”

Ines seems to be doing well. As long as she has a purpose, I feel better.

I play a little roulette. I’ve discovered that when I ask Rimu to pick for me, it’s pretty accurate. I think it has something to do with the fact that his Luck is about twice as good as mine.

…I wonder if this means that if we open the luxury liner, people with high Luck status will come in? …I guess I should check with the Creator God-sama… Huh? Creator God-sama lost money at the casino, didn’t he? I’m beginning to think there’s no problem.

“Wataru, here.”

Rimu likes to play numbers. I taught him how to bet on red or black, odd or even, etc., but he prefers to bet on a single point, and he’s pretty good at it. And he’s pretty good at guessing, even though it’s supposed to be 1 in 38… Rimu is a cool gambler… But I like the cute Rimu.

When I place a chip on the spot indicated by Rimu, Rimu walks over to the roulette side of the table and watches me pull away. It’s so cute because he jumps up and down with delight when it hits.

I spend some time playing with Rimu and leave the casino. I was worried about Alessia-san’s good mood. She seemed to be in great shape. She definitely seems to have gained confidence. I hope she doesn’t get hurt.

The ladies, except for Alessia-san and Ines, are the type of people who only spend as much time as they can having fun, so I can rest assured that they are safe.

It was just in time for dinner, so we went to a Japanese restaurant. I had read that the restaurant was overseen by a world-famous Japanese chef who was voted one of the top 10 chefs in the U.S. I had no idea what to expect. I had nothing but high expectations.

We entered the restaurant and sat at the counter instead of a regular table. The transparent display case was lined with delicious-looking seafood.

“Wataru-san, why are the fish lined up?”

Alessia-san asks me a difficult question.

“Good material… I think it makes it easier to see how fresh the ingredients are and what kind of material they are made of.”

Probably… because I’ve never cared about such things.

“Oh, so if I tell them I want this, they’ll cook it for me?”

“Yes, this time we don’t have a cook, so it will appear right away. I’ll have it cooked right in front of us after I appoint Claretta-san as the cook.”

“Wataru-san, I can do it right now!”

Claretta-san says happily. I guess she’s interested in what kind of food I can cook.

“Claretta-san, after you’ve eaten, I’ll ask you to do this. Please enjoy it without any knowledge this time.”

You see, I didn’t designate the Japanese cuisine restaurant in the Castle for Claretta-san. I don’t have a problem with Japanese cuisine, but I’m afraid her knowledge might be biased if she learns teppanyaki first, where the performance is flashy.

Come to think of it; I didn’t use the staff appointment on the ferry. If I had hired them there, they might have had average Japanese skills.

“Well, it’s a new experience for those who don’t know.”

“Yes, then let’s look at the menu and order what we like. Be careful; the ones marked ‘sashimi’ and ‘sushi’ will bring out raw fish.”

I tell them to be careful for now, and we each order what we are interested in. I wonder what I’m going to order… I see that they have sashimi that looks both normal and unusual. What’s that? New style sashimi?

I’m curious, but this time I’ll start with the orthodox one. Let’s see, hmm? Ah, this one. I decided on this one. It’s saikyo-yaki gindara, miso soup, and white rice.

Saporabi brought the dishes that appeared when I ordered. Hmm, intriguing.

When I put my chopsticks into it, the meat comes off easily. When I put the gindara in my mouth, it has a subtle taste of sake, white miso paste, and sweetness that is elegant and delicious.

I could eat all the white rice I wanted. It would probably go well with sake, but this time it was white rice. Next time I’ll enjoy it with sake.

I swallow the rice and sip the miso soup. Miso soup with shimeji mushrooms… is irresistible. I’ll never get tired of saikyo-yaki, miso soup, and white rice.

Seeing how delicious I was eating, the ladies ordered the same. The fish was generally well received, but Marina-san said she felt uncomfortable with the sweetness of the fish. I wonder if there is a sense of incompatibility with boiled fish as well.

I wonder if I should order the saikyo-yaki again after I’ve finished all the food. …It would be a shame to try it all at once, wouldn’t it? Let’s have some sushi.

I’m kind of hungry, so let’s just eat what I like. First… sea urchins. When you put it in your mouth, the taste of the sea fills your mouth. It must be a good sea urchin because it has a strong sweet taste. It tastes different from sushi.

“What was that orange one you just ate, Wataru-san?”

Carla-san asked. Sea urchin… sea urchin is sea urchin, right? Huh? What is a sea urchin?　What kind of creature is it? I know it’s not a fish. I feel like it could be a shellfish… I really don’t know …..Let’s just agree that sea urchins are sea urchins. Maybe if it was in a book at the library, I could find out.

“It is called sea urchin. It is a luxury food in my country, but some people don’t like it because it has a strong smell from the sea. Would you like to try it?”

“Yes.”

Carla-san immediately orders sea urchin and puts it in her mouth without hesitation. No hesitation. As expected from Carla-san. She didn’t even hesitate to eat natto, so sea urchin should be a piece of cake.

I watch Carla-san munching in her mouth. What kind of reaction is that?

“How does it taste?”

“Mmm… It tastes strange. It’s delicious, but I don’t know what to say.”

Carla-san orders another round of sea urchins while nodding her head. Did she like it? She ate soused mackerel, horse mackerel, salted salmon roe, and whatever else she wanted and checked the menu again.

Rimu liked the sushi too, and he digested it with gusto. He orders twice as much sushi as I do, but he definitely eats faster.

Well, I usually don’t eat much because of my wallet, but now I can. It’s a bit vulgar, but I’ll try it. I order ten pieces of ootoro* at once, feeling nervous for no reason. [T/n: Fat underbelly of tuna (considered high quality)]

Saporabi brought a ceramic bowl with ten pieces of ootoro in it… It was so strong. I took one piece and ate it with soy sauce. It melted in my mouth. The oil is strong but delicious.

It is definitely tastier than the expensive plate of ootoro I had at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. It’s sad that most comparisons are to conveyor belt sushi. But I don’t have the courage to order ootoro at a counter restaurant.

I was so impressed that I ate ootoro after ootoro, but I got tired of it after the fifth piece, probably because I am not used to eating such expensive food. I think salmon is better for me.

I managed to finish my meal and was already full. There were many other things I wanted to eat, but I think I’ll stop here. I also wanted to eat tempura and soba noodles. While sipping hot tea, I took a break.

I talked to the ladies who were also taking a break.

“How was the food, everyone?”

“Yes, it was delicious. The raw fish was surprisingly tasty once I got used to it, especially, um, the conger eel, right?

I’m glad to hear that Alessia-san has gotten over raw fish. She tried it on the ferry and didn’t like it very much, but I guess her taste buds are getting used to Japanese food.

“Wataru-san, Japanese food is such a delicate dish. Sushi is not just raw fish on top but the way the fish is cut, the size of the rice, and many other details are carefully considered.

I wonder what kind of food critic you are, Claretta-san. If she continues to accumulate knowledge, what if she starts talking like the owner of the Gastronomy Club?

“I hear that Japanese food is prepared very delicately. Next time, I’ll assign you a staff member here, so please cook a lot of dishes. Let’s bring a lot of them back and save them.”

“Fufu, it would be very helpful for me to learn to cook as many dishes as possible. Can you assign me tomorrow?”

“Ah, what should I do? I think it would be better for you to enjoy yourself and go to the Castle tomorrow to buy what you need since you won’t be able to use the Castle for a while after we open it. Also, it would be very helpful if you could cook a lot of Castle’s food, Claretta-san.”

The God of Gastronomy-sama will make me a lot of food, but I only have time for three days, so I can’t get a good amount of it. It would be great if Claretta-san could help as well.

“Speaking of which, you were planning to open the luxury liner as soon as the orphanage was finished. I understand. I will make a lot of Castle’s dishes.”

If it was just a promise to the God of Gastronomy-sama, I could open the luxury liner right away since I bought it. As a mage, I said that I would open the ship after the orphanage was built. I’ll need some more time.

With Claretta-san’s cooperation, we’ll stay on the Chris today and enjoy the Castle starting tomorrow. Well, we have a month to gather ingredients, and until the orphanage is ready, so we’ll have a large supply of food.

We’ll wait until the gluttonous quartet is satisfied while we discuss future plans. They’re eating a lot today, but will they be okay? They’re trying to be moderate, but I’m a little worried about how much they’re eating today.

Well, it’s just an occasional thing, so I think it’s okay for today. If things get out of hand again, just let me know.

The gluttonous quartet is satisfied, so we leave the restaurant. I’m looking forward to next time.

“Phew, I’m too full to move, so I’m going back to my room; what about you guys?”

“Well… Wataru-san, can I have a drink at the bar?”

“Yes, that’s fine. Ines and Felicia, you can go with them.”

“Hmm, it’s tempting, but I’d rather not. We have a new room, and I’d like to enjoy it with Master. What about Felicia?”

“Right. I’ll go with you.”

…..Huh? I feel like I’m winning over alcohol for the first time. Usually, they go out for drinks, but… I’m somehow extremely happy. I’m going to cry a little.

Hiding the tension that had built up, I left Girasole and returned to my room. I feel good, so I order some drinks from room service.

First, we go to the Jacuzzi. We all get into the smaller Jacuzzi together and flirt with each other. After I got up and watched Rimu’s practice, it was time for adult time. Dinner was Japanese, and I was thinking of sake, but I decided to save the sake for saikyo-yaki. This time it’s wine and cheese.

“Ara, it’s been a long time since I drank alcohol in this room. You don’t usually drink; what’s wrong?”

That reminds me. When I was in Japan, my friends used to drink alone in their rooms. I only drank in restaurants or when I got together with my friends. Maybe it was because I didn’t really understand the taste of alcohol. But I like the atmosphere of a drinking party.

“Yes, the food was good, and I felt good, so I felt like having a few drinks.”

“Fufu, I see.”

Ines, Felicia, and I are in a beautiful room with cheese and a glass of wine. …It’s beautiful. I don’t know if it suits me or not.

Let’s have a slow glass of wine and spend some time relaxing. I feel so happy. I fall into bed and spend a more mature time.

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