Isekai Izakaya Nobu Chapter 14

An Uninvited Guest (Part 1)

「What did you say? What do you mean by ‘You can’t make it”?」

Shinobu politely apologized to the stunned Baron.

「I’m very sorry, customer-sama. Though it is possible to make it, boiled tofu is a warm food. It is a dish meant to be eaten when the surroundings are cold, so I am unable to serve it to customer-sama in its most delicious state.」

「Ugh…」

Even though Shinobu did not have the intention to talk him down, she had unconsciously put strength into her speech. Since he brazenly interfered with business, revenge like that could be good.
With a sidelong glance, she saw Nobuyuki humming while looking at his stockpiled ingredients. Eva, still unable to understand the situation, was absentmindedly standing with her mouth opened.

「Understood. Let’s do it this way.」

The baron clapped his large hands and sat down on the chair with a thud.

「I’ll give up on ‘yudofu’. Forcing myself to eat food that is out of season would be a disgrace to my name as a gourmand. Having said that, I’ve become a little too hungry to return home as it is, so I’ll order something else.」

「Thank you very much.」

Shinobu lowered her head deeply, while the little man from before glared at her viciously.
Shinobu secretly stuck her tongue out at him.

「Schnitzel.」

「Schnitzel, you say?」

Shinobu did not know the dish the Baron had named. Although it sounded familiar, it didn’t come to her mind, at least, not at that moment. She looked at Nobuyuki, who specialized in Japanese cuisine, but he shook his head slightly.

「I want to eat schnitzel. Something that does not exist on the menu. Will you do as per this one’s selfish request?」

When he said so, they had no choice but to comply. Shinobu looked at Eva for a glimmer of hope, but she ended up shaking her head furiously.

「Got it, let’s make it.」

The one who answered was Nobuyuki.

「However, since this dish is not usually offered in our store, I will need some time to prepare it.」

「Very well.」

Shinobu disregarded the baron, who had generously agreed, and ran up to Nobuyuki at the counter.

「Is it okay, Taisho?」

「I’m going to the barracks now to ask the guards what kind of dish schnitzel is. There are a lot of regular customers there too, so someone should know.」

「I see. I will watch over the store while you do so.」

「Ask Eva-chan to help out.」

「Please come back soon.」

「If I’m late, it’s okay to make yourself a meal that is to your liking.」

「Use the boiled egg if possible, right? Got it.」

Nobuyuki left through the crowded entrance after grabbing his coat and putting it on.

「Did the chef specially go out to hunt a pig in order to cook schnitzel?」

「No, it seems that he ran out of ingredients. The market is still open right now, so I think he will return soon.」

Shinobu answered while stroking Eva, who appeared to be anxious. The Baron spread his hands in an exaggerated manner, feeling amazed. Afterwards, as if he had lost interest in the matter, he started a round of cards, gambling with the small man on the table. Shinobu didn’t really understand this noble’s way of thinking.

Now that she was feeling bored, she began to think about what to make for her meal. It was not a problem for Eva, who was not accustomed to eating Nobu’s dishes, since it was a dish that used boiled eggs.
Since Nobuyuki had given his consent to use as many ingredients as she liked, there was no limitation. Even so, she didn’t bother to make an elaborate dish in this situation.

「That’s it! Let’s make that, without having to cut corners.」

「Shinobu-san, what is ‘that’?」

「Hmmm, it’s more fun to make it yourself. Eva-chan, help me.」

「Okay!」

The boiled eggs were minced into fine slices, then mixed with mayonnaise. Eva sliced the lettuce and tomatoes after they dried, arranged them on a slice of bread, and spread mustard and mayonnaise over it.

Eva’s workmanship was better than expected, and they finished making sandwiches for more than two people in no time.

「Miss, what did you just make?」

The Baron stretched his neck over the counter while holding cards in one hand, feeling curious.

「It’s our meal.」

「How could such a great store leave its customers hungry while the employees make a meal for themselves? Make some for us as well.」

「But it’s something the employees eat. Is that alright with you?」

「Don’t mind me being a Baron. Bring it here quickly.」

Since it was fun to make and they had made too much for two people to finish, it was not troublesome to share some with the Baron.
Shinobu sliced the sandwiches into bite-sized pieces and served it on the card table.

「What is this? To put ingredients in between slices of bread?」

「Yes. It’s called a sandwich.」

「I have not heard of such a thing. By the way, there is no cutting knife and fork.」

「There is no need for them. A sandwich is something you eat with your hands.」

「Using your hands? To eat such a thing?」

「That’s right. I think this dish is suitable for the Baron in this situation.」

Having said that, Shinobu grabbed several cards from the discard pile in one hand, while the other hand picked up a sandwich from the plate.

「By doing this, you can enjoy the sandwich while playing cards at the same time.」

Even though it was bad manners, Shinobu took a bite of the sandwich in front of the baron.
The umami flavour from the eggs spread in her mouth, mixing with the subtle spicy pepper taste from the mustard mayonnaise that Eva had spread in the sandwich.

「I see! What a thoughtful person.」

The Baron reached for the sandwich while he returned to the game.

Although the sandwich wouldn’t run away, the Baron stuffed the remaining sandwich into his mouth and immediately reached for the next piece.
Shinobu poured some milk for both of them and placed it beside them as they enjoyed the sandwich, along with their game.

The pile of sandwiches was considerably large, but before they knew it, it was reduced to nothing.
The Baron, who wanted another sandwich while playing cards, only grabbed air when he reached for it.

「Miss, is there any more of this sandwich?」

「There is still some, but that is our portion.」

「Then, how about making them again?」

「I can make them again if you ask, but what about the schnitzel?」

「Eating schnitzel is another matter. Come to think of it, can you put other ingredients besides egg in this sandwich?」

「Although there are some ingredients that don’t fit, it is possible.」

「Then, make something that is heavy and filling for the stomach. I’ll leave the contents to you. Make it fast, if possible.」

「Understood.」

Shinobu thought of what sandwich to make next for the Baron, who was already captivated by the sandwiches.
Though there were many of ingredients, the choices were limited if it needed to be heavy and filling for the stomach.

「It can’t be helped, right, Eva-chan? It’s the customer’s order.」

「Yes…?」

After getting consent from Eva-chan, who did not understand the situation, Shinobu took out a thick piece of pork fillet out of the refrigerator.

(TL: Fried pork fillet = hirekatsu)

When the pan used to fry the cutlet became hot, a fragrant smell drifted through the store. The Baron seemed restless as well, as he looked over the counter from time to time while playing his cards carelessly.

「O…oi, miss. What is that you’re making?」

「I’m making the filling for the sandwich.」

「Is that really an ingredient for the sandwich?」

「Yes. It’s very delicious, you know.」

There was a method of sandwiching finely shredded cabbage together with the pork, but that was an incorrect method if you asked Shinobu. Since the fried pork fillet had a strong flavor by itself, it was possible to serve it on its own.

As she cut the cutlet, knife in hand, it gave off a nice, crispy response.

「It’s done! Please help yourself!」

The baron put the cards down on the table. He held the pork cutlet sandwich firmly in his hands as he slowly brought it to his mouth.

「Delicious! This sandwich is really delicious!」

「Thank you very much. I’m honoured.」

After he had finished eating and enjoying its taste, the Baron took out a leather bag from his breast pocket.

「This is for today’s meal. Take it.」

「Ehh, what about the schnitzel?」

The Baron gave an amused smiled as he looked at Shinobu’s surprised expression.

「I’m sure you understand, ojou-san.」

「Yes? No? Wha–…」

「It’s okay. I had a meal here and was satisfied. There should be no problem with this payment.」

「Yes. Thank you very much!」

Shinobu received the small leather bag, but it was considerably heavy.

「By the way, ojou-san, is that sandwich a recipe that you thought of yourself? I have never heard of it before.」

「No, it’s something that people from the past thought of.」

「Is that so? Does ojou-san not have the intention of spreading this dish here, claiming it as your own cooking?」

「I have no such intention. Certainly, this dish might not be well-known here, but it would be rude to steal the idea from the people who originally created it.」

「I see. Thank you, it was a good meal.」

Having said that, the Baron went back.
As Shinobu was seeing him off like a regular customer, Nobuyuki and Edwin came running from the direction of the barracks.

「Shinobu-chan, what happened to the Baron? I finally learned how to make schnitzel from Edwin-san, after a lot of effort.」

「He ate a sandwich and left.」

「Sandwich? Your meals?」

Shinobu then asked Nobuyuki, who was tilting his head.

「So, what kind of dish is schnitzel?」

「Ah, schnitzel is the so-called pork cutlet (tonkatsu).」
(TL: clarification, tonkatsu: fried pork cutlets. There are 2 types of tonkatsu: fillet/tenderloin katsu (hire katsu) and pork loin katsu (rosu katsu))

Shinobu confirmed the contents of the leather bag given by the Baron.
The coins within gleamed gold, not silver.

Chapter end