Nikuman1
One day, Western Restaurant Nekoya, an old running restaurant set up in the corner of the shopping district, was quite busy as the "otherworld dining hall".
First was morning. When the door connected to the other world at dawn, the restaurant was devoted to preparations.
After welcoming the recently hired "waitress", the two people lightly cleaned the interior and prepared that day's dishes after breakfast.
There were few customers coming at that point of time and time moved relatively slowly.
After a while, it quickly became busier at noon.
Customers came seeking food from all over the world.
It was different from weekdays, the orders for various dishes fluttered in the restaurant, the owner and Aletta went back and forth from the kitchen to handle all the customers.
After lunch time had passed, there was a fleeting moment of peace in the restaurant.
Customers would still come in this time period, but the aim of these customers was usually confectionaries, not meals.
In Nekoya, the various kinds of desserts were made by the bakery upstairs and they only served the desserts brought in the morning.
Of course, there were various desserts that the owner needed to make himself like parfaits, hot cakes, crepes and potato chips2. However, the owner also needed to make the drinks offered with the desserts.
This time was mainly dedicated to the owner's and Aletta's lunch and break before evening preparations.
At evening, that was the restaurant's second busy time.
Various customers would come after finishing their work.
Also during this time, plenty of alcohols were served.
The purpose of the customers that came during this time period was often the precious "otherworld liquor" that couldn't be obtained at the other side.
They drank a lot of alcohol and ate lots of food with relish.
When the time had passed and night had fallen, the restaurant regained its calmness.
Apparently, it was normal for people of the other world to go to sleep as soon as the sun went down, so the customer traffic had decreased.
…On the other hand, there were customers who only came at night and those who came just before the closing time.
On a certain Saturday, the owner "welcomed" a little unusual customer early in the afternoon.
[Haruko-san. Excuse me for being a bother.]
After getting a notice of shopping district gathering at the back door of the restaurant, the owner received a bag while lowering his head to Haruko.
[Oh no, it's fine. Around this time, otou-chan gave me plenty of spare time anyways.
Since I have not steamed it yet, make sure you do so before eating, okay?
…More than that, are you okay, Mako-kun? You're working today at Nekoya right?]
Plump and rounded with work clothes for helping in the kitchen, Haruko frowned at him and asked a little anxiously.
As they were people of the same craft, they did not disturb each other's work.
Such was the feeling.
Haruko was the wife of the owner of the Chinese Restaurant "Emi Ryuu" that was located in the same shopping district.
That restaurant was the second restaurant that opened soon after the war ended, so it was around the same old running restaurant like Nekoya.
Because of that, they had close relationship with his predecessor and as the grandchild of the previous owner, they had become friends in another meaning.
[No, I'm fine. Around this time, the customers are mainly ordering cakes.
I'm not so busy… and besides, recently I just hired a new waitress that was better than an unskillful student.]
Hearing Haruko's concern, the owner laughed while answering.
[Is that so. Then it's fine.]
Haruko conceded to the owner's words.
That soft smile couple with her thick, rounded body made her seem younger.
To that smile, the owner's expression hardened.
The owner's wounds, while quite old, would still bleed if they were touched.
[…For me, no matter what, I would still regard Mako-kun as my son.]
While looking at his expression and smiled sadly, Haruko spun her words.
If there was such an opportunity, the owner should have been the third generation owner of Nekoya instead of the second.
But that opportunity was lost and would never come back.
[Well then, it's time for me to go home.
…Also, please visit me sometime during summer. That child is quite lonely.]
She did not say it.
Even if she knew that those were curse words that bound the owner…
Sunset had passed and it was time to close the restaurant.
[Well then, I'll come again.]
—I'll come again.
[Yes. Please take care. Thank you for coming.]
[Thank you very much!]
A red woman gently hugging a still hot pot and a black girl who occupied the corner of the restaurant almost all day while she kept eating her favourite food.
The owner and Aletta saw off the last customers of the day and that day's business ended without delay.
[Fuu…]
After realizing that the work had ended, Aletta released her tension and sighed lightly.
[Yoshi, it's done. Only the last cleaning up remains. Just a little more, so do your best.]
[Yes!]
She replied naturally to him with a smile.
Her smile was full of vigor.
It was important for this work.
[Yoshi. Good reply… well then, I'll make a late night supper for it.]
[Waa, is that okay?]
To the owner's words, Aletta's face loosened.
It's been quite a time since her last break time for dinner.
While her stomach was quite empty, it was not that bad.
[Well, I guess. It's more than I can eat alone.]
To the innocently pleased Aletta, he twisted the rules a little bit.
Because the souvenirs he got earlier were based on the time when he was a high school body with huge appetite, so the owner got a bit more.
It would not be bad to please a hard-working employee with it.
[Well, I have to steam it first. Meanwhile, please clean the tables.]
[Yes!]
Aletta's voice while replying to the owner was more pleasant than usual.
While Aletta was cleaning the dining hall, the owner immediately prepared to steam the food.
[…Yoshi, this is it.]
At the moment the lid of the steamer was lifted, the steam containing the sweet smell of dough rose.
[Master's skill is as good as ever.]
Inhaling that smell, the owner said while smiling.
It was a familiar scent of childhood, that pure white of Emi Ryuu.
Sold in winter for takeaways, office ladies and salarymen would go out to buy a couple of them for takeaways, the hidden gem of the Emi Ryuu.
[As I thought, it's a nice time for Nikuman.]
The owner nodded while aligning several of them on a plate.
Then, after calling Aletta and washing their hands, they went to a table.
[This is… bread, right?]
Aletta asked after she saw the pure white mass on the plate.
The owner served a round and white bread with pointed tip as a snack.
(I wonder what kind of dish this is…?)
Aletta couldn't grasp its identity.
[Aa, this is Nikuman. There's meat inside. It's delicious.]
While saying so to the wondering Aletta, the owner picked up one of the five from the plate.
He peeled off the paper on the underside, tore the bun into half and ate it.
[…Un. Delicious.]
The minced meat contained plenty of meat juice that did not leak out, and its soft taste spread in his mouth.
(Un. This is the skill of a Chinese food chef. Well, I can't compete with my master.)
While the owner was proud that his skill was better compared to when he was a high school student, it still hadn't reached this level yet.
When that fact was confirmed again, he felt a little disappointed though a bit glad.
[…Jaa, let's eat.]
Looking at the owner, Aletta, whose stomach had growled a little, grabbed one.
The Nikuman emitted a comfortable heat.
It was not hot enough to burn, but that heat warmed Aletta's palms.
(Certainly… master tore it to two. This.)
Imitating the owner, Aletta also tore it in half with her hands.
At that moment, the sweet smell of steamed bread and the ingredients contained inside… the smell of steamed meat rose up.
With her appetite rising, Aletta swallowed her saliva and immediately bit it.
(A, it's soft…)
First of all, she noticed the softness when she bit the Nikuman.
Compared to the restaurant's bread, that softness resembled more of the white interior part of the bread.
The steam contained a faint sweet smell of wheat.
For Aletta, this delicious skin alone was already a feast.
However, the leading role of Nikuman was the meat contained inside.
Combined with the finely minced fat pork meat were green onions, chewy mushrooms and something pale yellow and crunchy that was finely chopped.
The ingredients were carefully and thoroughly mixed.
Either way, the taste of ingredients that were lightly seasoned was absorbed by the bread and had harmonious flavour.
[…This is delicious.]
Aletta who finished one bun in a blink of eye said her impression.
[Isn't it?]
The owner who usually did not praise his own cooking unusually agreed.
[Let's eat it quickly. It also matches well if you sprinkle a bit of vinegar and soy sauce or mustard on it after a bite.]
The owner added while smiling.
In the past, Haruko also said the same thing with a smile.
After that, Aletta was walking on a secluded street late at night.
(That Nikuman is really delicious…)
The winter in the Kingdom was cold as usual, but with the durable cloak she bought at a clothes shop and Nikuman warming her belly, she did not feel too cold.
Although it's winter, she's glad.
While feeling like that, she hurried home while bringing Minced Cutlet sandwich and a can of cookies requested by her employer and her employer's sister.
Steamed bun with meat filling, usually pork. A Japanese version of Baozi I guess. ポテトチップス - it literally read potato chips. I don't know why the author included this in the list.