Epilogue: An Old Country Bumpkin’s Treat
“Welcome. Table for two?”
“Yeah.”
“Certainly. Come this way.”
A bell rang overhead as I opened the door to a restaurant. It was a place not too far away from my new home. As I’d predicted, the house was located in a quiet neighborhood, and a short walk could bring me to several restaurants. This was a slightly more expensive-looking one. The moment I stepped inside, I noticed that things were clearly different from places I’d visited while staying at the inn—the clientele and atmosphere here were nothing like a cheap tavern. People were seated at the counter and at tables, savoring their food with good manners. It was lively but not noisy, which made for a relaxing meal.
“Shall we?” I asked Mui. She was hesitantly peeking inside from the doorway.
“S-Sure...”
We followed the waiter inside. I’d chosen this place in large part because of Mui. We were here to celebrate the house and us living together. That wasn’t quite right, but this was the start of her new life, and such events were meant to be accompanied by good memories. So, I’d chosen a somewhat expensive but not unmanageable restaurant.
Mui was sure to have many bitter memories. There was no erasing those, but I wanted to give her plenty of good memories as well. Was it selfish of this old man to believe that it was possible? Incidentally, Lucy had told me about this place. Glad she did—I know nothing about the area.
“Ha ha ha, we’re just here for dinner,” I said. “No need to be so tense.”
“B-But...”
We got seated at our table, and Mui was clearly restless. That made sense, seeing as she’d never had the chance to come to such an establishment. But that was exactly why I’d brought her here. I didn’t really want to tease her or anything, but her reaction was precious, and it soothed my heart.
“Now then, what to order?” I mumbled.
“I-I’m fine with anything...”
This restaurant specialized in deep-fried foods, largely centered around meat dishes. Such cooking used a ridiculous amount of oil. There weren’t many places out there that used oil like it was water—the taverns I’d frequented near the inn had largely focused on boiled or roasted foods.
“It’s a rare opportunity, so get something you normally wouldn’t have,” I suggested.
“Uhhh... Okay...”
During her stay at Lucy’s house, Mui’s quality of life must’ve increased significantly. I didn’t plan on using this restaurant as a standard for what she should expect while living with me, but I still wanted to treat her a little. In a sense, choosing this restaurant was me putting on airs. Having a treat like this once in a while isn’t bad.
“Excuse me. An ale and a grape juice.”
“Of course, coming right up.”
I started with drinks. Mui was obviously too young for alcohol, so I chose a juice for her. Such a simple item was probably something she hadn’t been able to taste in her days as a pickpocket.
Soon after ordering, our drinks arrived. One was a wooden tankard filled to the brim with ale, and the other was a cup half as small filled with juice.
“Let’s toast to the beginning of your new life,” I said. “Cheers.”
“Cheers...”
We picked up our cups and bumped them together. The foam in my tankard shook from the impact, and a little spilled out.
“Whoa there... Yup, delicious.”
“Mm...”
I wouldn’t say I was elegant, but I took a gulp of my ale in such a way that I didn’t attract attention from those around us. Man, that hits the spot. There’s nothing like a good drink after work, but an ale to celebrate something special like this is on another level. To put it simply, ale was always delicious.
Mui was drinking her juice in little sips. She was probably trying to savor it for as long as possible. I was fine with getting her refills, though.
Seeing her like that, I felt my expression softening again. I had, of course, taught pupils Mui’s age at the dojo, but I’d never been at a dining table with one like this. She wasn’t my real daughter, but now that I was her guardian, she was something like one. It was fine to show her a bit of affection. Probably.
“Anyway, let’s start with something light,” I suggested. “Are there any foods you don’t like?”
“Nope...” she answered. “I’ll eat anything. That’s how it’s always been.”
“Right... It’s good not to be picky.”
“Hmph.”
Guess that wasn’t the right question to ask. Just as Mui’d said, she hadn’t been given the leisure to be picky about her food—not for her entire life. No matter how bad or rotten the food was, she would’ve died had she not eaten it. That was what her childhood had been like. However, now that we were going to be living together, I wouldn’t let her live in such discomfort. I wasn’t exactly rich, but I at least had enough money to feed one child. That was mostly thanks to Allusia, though.
“Okay, then we’ll have some fried vegetables and mushroom stew.”
“Certainly.”
I gave the waiter my order. Fried vegetables were sure to go well with ale, so that was my choice. I picked the stew because it likely suited Mui. Man, that reminds me of the stew from my favorite tavern. The sausage was exquisite. However, I’d already decided that today’s main dish would be fried food. I normally never had any, and I doubted Mui had ever tried it. That was why I wanted her to have plenty of tasty food on this momentous day.
“Ooh, this looks great.”
“Mm...”
Our food was brought over shortly after. The vegetables were fried to the point of crispness—the steam rising up from them stimulated my appetite. I noted the salt, which had been set down next to our plates, but I decided to take an unseasoned bite first. With a delightful crunch, the flavors of nature filled my mouth.
Mm-mmm, I can’t get enough of this. It goes perfectly with ale. Fried foods are just great. Next, I seasoned a piece with salt and took another bite. The saltiness mixed with the vegetable’s abundant flavor and faint bitterness, pairing itself with my ale in yet another outstanding way. Delicious.
“C’mon. Eat up, Mui.”
“Ah, mm...”
It couldn’t be interesting to just watch me throw food into my mouth. Mui sat stiffly in front of her stew for a while, then narrowed her eyes in determination. She scooped up some stew in her spoon and brought it to her mouth.
“Good...” she mumbled.
“Right?”
After one taste, she surrendered herself to the flavor. Mui devoured the stew greedily, her mannerisms in no way elegant. She didn’t really know how to hold her spoon either—she just shoveled stew into her mouth, her spoon clattering against the bowl. If Haley had witnessed this, she would’ve probably said something...but even Mui’s poor table manners looked adorable in my eyes.
Perhaps I felt like I owed this girl’s sister a great deal. I felt a budding desire to support Mui, more than I’d originally expected. Our meeting had been somewhat crooked, and I hadn’t gone through the normal channels to become her guardian. However, as an adult, I renewed my resolve to look after her until she reached adulthood.
Pretty much all children were cute, but the emotions I felt for my own child—even if she was only my daughter on paper—were on a different level. I was starting to understand why my dad had hounded me for grandchildren. I wonder if he felt this way when I was born.
“There’s no need to rush,” I said. “The stew isn’t running away.”
“Sh-Shut up...”
Only when I mentioned it did Mui realize how greedily she was wolfing down her stew. She averted her eyes to hide her embarrassment, but still, her hands didn’t stop.
Ha ha ha! Nobody can fight their stomach.
“Okay then...”
I’d gone through most of my fried vegetables. Mui’s bowl was sure to be empty soon too. So, our next order had to be the long-awaited main dish: it was time for deep-fried food. Well, the vegetables had also been fried, but the star of a meal had to be meat. While I was at it, I needed more to drink. Mui’s cup was pretty much empty too.
“Excuse me,” I called out to the waiter. “Boar fritters please. Also, a refill of ale and grape juice.”
Boar was a medium-sized animal, and I’d eaten some while on my tour of the western district with Kewlny and Ficelle. That time, I’d had a kebab; this time, I would have some fritters. I was planning to slowly savor how much potential a chef could draw out of the meat’s flavor.
“Thank you for waiting.”
“Oooh...”
Shortly after, the waiter brought over the boar meat, each piece wrapped in a golden, crispy brilliance. My mouth was watering—I even found myself gulping. Steam rose from the meat as if to emphasize how fresh they were, and I could hear little oil bubbles still popping on the breading. Just by looking at them, I knew they would be good, so my expectations soared even higher.
“Wow...” Mui muttered. Her awed expression was a sight to behold.
I was sure she’d never had anything like it. Her eyes sparkled before the golden-fried glow. She actually looks her age... Time would be responsible for healing the wounds of her heart, but sometimes, food could serve that role too. That was my personal opinion at least—good food cleansed the soul.
“All right, let’s dig in while it’s hot,” I said.
“Y-Yeah!”
Faced with what had to be the greatest feast she’d ever known, Mui was fired up like never before. I wouldn’t burst her bubble by telling her that this was just a simple meal. Putting a damper on such emotions would be the work of a truly repulsive adult.
The boar pieces looked a little tough to bite through, so I sliced one open with a knife, parting its crispy shell and revealing the soft meat within. A further slice had juices trickling out, revealing how the meat had cooked all the way through. Damn, that looks good. Now this is what I’m talking about.
“Hom...”
I started with a bite. The moment my teeth sank in, an intense wave of meat, oil, and savory flavor dominated my mouth. I bit down on the substantial piece of meat, and even more juice flooded my palate. The bite was also raging hot—I thought it might even burn my tongue and the skin inside of my mouth. Just as with the fried vegetables, the stink of oil was pretty much nonexistent.
The ingredients used in the capital really were something else. I would’ve never been able to taste such a fine meal out in the sticks of Beaden. Man, I didn’t think they’d be this great. I have to admit—I was looking down on the potential of fried foods. Never thought they’d be even better than expected. Deep-frying is nuts.
“Mm...! Mmm...!”
Since even I’d been reduced to a state of bliss, it was probably easy to guess what reaction Mui had to tasting fried meat for the first time. At first, she timidly brought the boar meat to her mouth, but after one bite, then two, her expression rapidly brightened. She looked absolutely gobsmacked as she tore into the meat.
Yup, definitely cute. But it’s got nothing to do with her being my child now... Any child delighting in delicious food is a pure incarnation of cuteness. I won’t accept any arguments.
“Hm? What’s up?” I asked.
Mui had been ripping through her meat with amazing vigor, but she suddenly came to a stop. Had she burned herself or something?
She stayed frozen for a few more seconds. “Here...” she said, awkwardly transferring some cut boar from her plate to mine.
“Huh? Full already?”
“No... Not that... It’s stupid good, but...”
After transferring the meat over, Mui mumbled something incoherently. I couldn’t quite understand. I thought we were just here enjoying a meal together.
“Um, I’ve never...had a meal with anyone like this... Anyone but my sister.”
“Mm.”
Little by little, a few words at a time, Mui explained herself.
“I don’t really know how to put it...but, um, it’s not bad eating with you either...so you can have it.”
“That so? Thanks.”
I didn’t know what had changed in her heart. Still, it was probably a good change. Having lost her sister, having survived in the underworld of society on her own... This had to be a priceless development. I had to treat her realization dearly—I couldn’t boorishly tell her that there was no need to go out of her way to share what she had.
“Mui, from here on, you’ll have far more delicious meals, you’ll meet plenty of kind people, and I know you’ll learn a whole lot. I’m sure you will become a charming adult. In fact, I guarantee it.”
“What’re you on about...?”
“I mean, you shared your delicious food with me, right? That’s the act of a kind and charming person.”
“Shut it...”
“Ha ha ha ha.”
As always, she remained pouty. Nonetheless, the thorniness she’d had when I’d first met her was completely gone. I picked up the boar meat she’d cut up for me. The pieces had been sliced so crudely that the coating had half peeled off. If the waiter had done this, it would’ve been a complete failure of service. However, this chunk of boar, this clumsily cut fritter, was easily the most delicious meat of the day.
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