Volume 4, Chapter 11 – Come to Kusane, It’s a Wonderful Place

Translator Note

Wiki mode go brrrrrrrrrr.

Also Kaiseki (懐石) is Japan’s traditional multi-course haute cuisine. It balances the taste, texture, appearance, and colors of seasonal ingredients. More than just a meal, it is an expression of deep hospitality that transforms fresh produce and local flavors into an artful, highly structured dining experience.

You guys should know this since I will use this “Kaiseki” to explain.

“Haa, haa… Fiene-sama. We finally… arrived.”

Chris-san was drenched in sweat and gasping for breath.

“Thank you for your hard work, Chris-san. I truly appreciate everything you do.”

Despite the sacrifice commotion earlier, we had left Matsuhata Juku in the morning.

Thanks to Chris-san’s desperate efforts plowing through the snow, we managed to cross the mountain pass and arrive at Kusane Juku.

The sun had already hidden behind the mountains, and the surroundings were gradually growing dark.

Kusane Juku was a station town built on the shores of a lake called Tougen Lake, and the lake itself was surrounded by mountains.

Since it was famous as a hot spring resort, I was certain this lake must be a caldera ¹ A caldera is a massive, cauldron-like volcanic depression, typically exceeding 1 kilometer in diameter. It forms when a violent eruption empties a shallow magma chamber, causing the ground above to collapse into the void. They are structurally sinkholes rather than standard impact craters. .

“Let’s stay at a nice ryokan tonight.”

“Yay!”

At my words, Lu-chan openly showed her joy.

Unpleasant things had happened today, and I also wanted to reward Chris-san for her hard work.

Looking around, even though it was getting dark, there was quite a lot of foot traffic, and many shops were still open.

It seemed Kusane Juku was quite prosperous.

I decided to ask someone nearby for a recommendation. I called out to a man walking in front of me.

“Excuse me, sir. I’d like to ask you something.”

“Yes, what is it? Oh, foreign travelers? That’s rare. How can I help you?”

“We just arrived. Which ryokan in this town would you recommend most?”

“A ryokan? Let’s see… are you okay with it being expensive?”

“As long as it’s not something like ten gold coins per person for one night, it should be fine.”

“Hahaha, no ryokan is that expensive. In that case, how about Unryu-tei? It’s the finest high-end ryokan in Kusane.” ² I realized Unryu-tei is a real restaurant in real life. It’s a legendary, cozy gyoza restaurant in Nagasaki, Japan, famous for its signature, crispy bite-sized dumplings (hito-kuchi gyoza). But the original name was “雲龍亭” (Unryū-tei) not “ウンリュウ亭” (Unryū-tei), just kanji different. So this is a reference from the author.

“Where is that located?”

“Just go straight down this road…”

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After asking a few more people just like that, everyone recommended Unryu-tei, so we decided to stay there.

When we reached the location the townsfolk had described, we found a very charming, large building standing by the lakeside.

We passed through a grand gate and entered the building, where I headed to the front desk.

Chris-san usually handles everything for me, so I figured I should do it instead, at least for today.

“Welcome.”

“Good evening. We would like to stay for two nights, three people. Do you have any rooms available?”

“Yes. We have two types of rooms: one is a detached annex, and the other is a standard room here in the main building. The annex is five gold coins per night, while the standard room is two gold coins.”

“Then we’ll take the annex, please.”

“Certainly. Please fill out this guest registry.”

“Alright.”

I began filling out the guestbook.

Fiene Argentata, Christina, Lumia.

For the address… the Royal Capital of the White Moon Kingdom should be fine, right?

For the Class… well, Healer will do. It’s embarrassing to write Saint Candidate.

“Right this way, I shall show you to your room.”

The landlady guided us to our room.

It was a luxurious room with a living room and two bedrooms, and it even had its own private rotenburo with gensen kake-nagashi and a lake view.

Wonderful!

“We will bring your meals to your room. They will be ready in about an hour. Would that be acceptable?”

That was actually a relief.

Although I’ve grown accustomed to being stared at, I don’t particularly enjoy it while I’m eating.

“Yes, please. Also, that girl over there with the green hair eats a massive amount, so could you prepare a larger portion for her and a smaller one for me?”

“Understood. Are there any foods you dislike?”

“No, nothing in particular.”

After finishing her explanation and taking our order, the landlady took her leave.

◇ ◇ ◇

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“I have brought your dinner.”

Lu-chan’s long-awaited dinner was carried in.

“Today’s sakizuke ³ Sakizuke (先付/先附) is the very first course in a traditional Japanese kaiseki or omakase meal. appetizer is firefly squid and spring vegetables tossed together. The spring vegetables are udo ⁴ Udo (ウド / 独活) is a traditional, indigenous spring vegetable (Aralia cordata). mountain asparagus, spring cabbage, new onions, and canola blossoms.”

It was like a vegetable salad featuring boiled firefly squid. T

he crunchiness of the vegetables, the flavor of the firefly squid, and the soy-based sauce complemented each other perfectly.

“Onee-sama, this is delicious! And mine is the only one with a big portion!”

“I asked them to give you extra, Lu-chan.”

“Yay! Thank you!”

In exchange, my plate only had one of each item, but that was just right for me.

“The wan soup ⁵ “Wan” (椀) in Japanese means bowl, specifically the type of wooden or lacquered bowl you hold in your hands to drink soup or eat rice. Therefore, “wan soup” generally refers to any Japanese soup (like miso soup or clear broth) served in and sipped directly from these traditional bowls. dish is bamboo shoots and red snow crab.”

Stylish lacquer bowls were brought out. When I lifted the lid, the elegant aroma of dashi and a faint scent of yuzu wafted out.

“This has an exquisite flavor—not too salty, not too light. The texture of the bamboo shoots and the scent of the yuzu are lovely, too.”

“This country eats so many different things. This is my first time eating this ‘crab.’ Also, what are ‘bamboo shoots’ and ‘yuzu’?”

“Bamboo shoots are like the sprouts of a plant called bamboo, and they grow buried in the ground. Yuzu is a fruit like an orange, and the peel is used like this for fragrance. Look, this yellowish bit is it.”

I picked up a piece of yuzu peel with my chopsticks to show Chris-san.

“I see, so it’s this.”

Chris-san scooped up the yuzu peel with her personal spoon and stared at it intently.

I felt a little bad about it, but I ended up staring intently at Chris-san.

I likely wasn’t the only one who thought it was a rather strange sight to see someone eat a Japanese soup dish with a spoon instead of holding the bowl.

“The mukouzuke ⁶ In traditional Japanese dining, mukouzuke (向付) refers to the seasonal sashimi course or the small ceramic bowl it is served in. It translates literally to “placed to the far side,” referring to its specific location on the traditional dining table. side dish is hizunamasu ⁷ Hizunamasu (氷頭なます) is a traditional Japanese delicacy made from thinly sliced salmon head cartilage marinated in rice vinegar. .”

“Wait, is this salmon?”

“That is correct. The cartilage at the tip of the salmon’s snout is called hizu, and this is a vinegared dish made from it.” ⁸ The name “hizunamasu” breaks down into hizu (salmon cartilage) and namasu (a vinegared dish).

“Fiene-sama, you really are knowledgeable.”

“Well, yes.”

It’s basically like my homeland, after all.

Though it’s a bit different since it was my previous world.

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I’ve always loved the sweet and sour, crunchy texture and the scent of yuzu. I remember eating it with my family during New Year’s.

Yes, with my family… wait, what? I… had a family in my previous world, right? Huh?

Did I have siblings?

…I can’t remember. Why?

My name is… Fiene Argentata.

Wait? Was it the same in my previous world?

What were my parents’ names?

“It’s crunchy and yummy! It’s pickled in vinegar!”

I was about to spiral into a vortex of thought, but Lu-chan’s voice snapped me back to reality.

That’s right. Right now, instead of thinking about things like that, I should enjoy this meal while I can.

“Today’s yakimono grilled dish ⁹ Yakimono (焼き物) refers to any Japanese dish cooked over direct heat. “Yaki” means to grill, broil, or pan-fry, and “mono” means thing or food. is wild boar meat grilled with Houba Miso ¹⁰ Houba Miso (often spelled Hoba Miso / 朴葉味噌) is a traditional Japanese dish from the mountainous Hida region of Gifu Prefecture. It consists of a savory, sweet miso paste mixed with mushrooms and green onions, grilled over an open flame atop a fragrant, dried magnolia leaf. .”

The savory aroma of miso spread through the air. It was served with thinly sliced boar meat, shiitake mushrooms, shishito peppers, and shredded white leeks.

“Mmm, delicious! I feel like I could eat thirty plates of this!”

“There are still more dishes coming, so if you eat that much, you won’t be able to eat anything else. You’re not Liera-san, you know.”

As expected, Lu-chan seemed to love the miso. I should buy a bunch before we leave this country.

“Ah, true. If it were Mama, she’d probably demand thirty plates of every single menu item.”

Lu-chan said with a laugh. As the one paying the bill, it wasn’t a laughing matter for me.

Thinking about that, I put a piece of meat in my mouth. The tender meat and the clean, odorless fat melted on my tongue.

The savory aroma of the grilled miso enveloped it, spreading a taste of pure happiness through my mouth.

“Still, even I feel like I could eat two plates of this. This is delicious.”

“Right!?”

When I glanced over, Chris-san was also eating with focused devotion. It seemed she liked it as well.

“This is a takiawase ¹¹ Takiawase (炊き合わ or 煮合) means “simmered together”. In traditional Japanese cuisine, it refers to a dish where various ingredients—such as vegetables, meat, fish, or tofu—are simmered separately, each in its own distinct broth, and then artfully combined and served together in a single bowl. of simmered landlocked salmon.”

The scents of kombu dashi ¹² Kombu dashi is a clear, plant-based Japanese soup stock made by soaking or gently simmering kombu (dried kelp) in water. and mushrooms filled the room.

This was another lightly flavored dish with just the right amount of seasoning, which perfectly accentuated the taste of the fish, mushrooms, and some kind of leafy vegetable.

“This is bamboo shoot rice.”

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Yes. This is exactly the kind of menu that says “Spring.”

The dashi-scented rice, the crunch of the bamboo shoots, and the fragrance of the mitsuba ¹³ Mitsuba (三つ葉) means “three leaves” in Japanese. It refers to an aromatic herb native to East Asia (Cryptotaenia japonica), widely known as Japanese wild parsley, Japanese honewort, or Japanese chervil. created a perfect harmony.

“Ah, how delicious.”

The words slipped out of my mouth to no one in particular.

“It’s delicious!”

Lu-chan was the only one with a large bowl, huffing down a mountain of rice with a blissful expression.

Chris-san was savoring every bite with her personal spoon.

“Today’s mizugashi dessert ¹⁴ Mizugashi (水菓子) is a traditional Japanese term that literally translates to “water confection” or “watery sweet”. While the modern word for fruit is kudamono, mizugashi is an elegant, archaic way to refer to fresh fruit, often served as a refreshing dessert at the end of a traditional kaiseki meal. is warabi-mochi ¹⁵ Warabi-mochi (蕨餅) literally translates to “bracken starch dumpling.” It is a traditional Japanese dessert (wagashi) made from bracken starch (warabiko) and water, rather than glutinous rice. Unlike standard mochi, it has a translucent, jelly-like texture that melts in the mouth and is typically served chilled. .”

“Onee-sama, what is this?”

“I know it’s a sweet, but I don’t know much about it either.”

As she spoke, Lu-chan poked it with a toothpick and popped it into her mouth.

“Mmm, it’s a very light sweetness. I wonder what this jiggly texture is? It’s strange. But Onee-sama, it’s yummy!”

That’s Lu-chan for you. Even if she doesn’t understand it, if it tastes good, it’s okay, and she eats it happily.

“Warabi-mochi is a sweet made from powder obtained by drying the roots of a mountain plant called warabi (bracken). What is drizzled on top is kuromitsu ¹⁶ Kuromitsu (黒蜜), literally translating to “black honey” or “black syrup” in Japanese, is a sweet, rich, and dark-brown Japanese sugar syrup. It is very similar to molasses in appearance but has a thinner, milder, and more complex flavor. brown sugar syrup and kinako ¹⁷ Kinako (きな粉) translates to “yellow flour” in Japanese and refers to roasted soybean flour. It is made by finely grinding toasted soybeans into a golden-tan powder. It has a nutty, slightly sweet flavor similar to roasted peanuts or peanut butter, and is highly nutritious. roasted soybean flour.”

“I see! Thank you very much!”

Lu-chan savored the warabi-mochi as she listened.

I also took a bite. The unique aroma and refreshing sweetness of the brown sugar syrup and the fragrance of the kinako spread through my mouth, and then the jiggly warabi-mochi vanished, leaving only a soft texture behind.

“Yes, this is also delicious.”

We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at Unryu-tei.

Author Note

It is said that only 70g of warabi powder can be obtained from 10kg of warabi roots.

The refining process is apparently extremely labor-intensive, so in the old days when it was done by hand, it must have been a very high-end luxury item.

Many of you may have felt a sense of unease here, so I will provide a supplement.

The fact that Fiene-chan felt that her inability to remember her family from the previous world was “such a thing” means that the memory has already become distant enough for her to feel that way.

It might be easier to imagine if you think of it as being similar to the feeling of being told about family members you were separated from when you were three or four years old—it just doesn’t quite click.

There is a reason why this happened in such a short period, but that will not be revealed until much later.