Chapter 2: Teriyaki

Chapter 2:
Teriyaki

The cold air poked and prodded at the man through his thick mantle as he opened the out-of-place door sitting atop the mountain.

Looks like it’s winter over there, too, he thought.

Tatsugorou let the warm air from beyond the door wash over him. He could always tell what season it was at the restaurant based on the temperature of the air coming out from beyond the door. If it was cold, that meant it was summer. If it was warm, it was winter. The strange, otherworldly contraption known as the “air conditioner” was truly a miracle of sorts. Summers were cold, and winters were warm. How magnificent!

In fact, this Restaurant to Another World couldn’t be compared to your everyday inn or tavern. Tatsugorou had many connections, which meant that he’d been able to visit all manner of royalty and nobility in their castles. Even those places stood no chance against this tiny restaurant.

“Master, I’m here,” he called.

Hating the notion of being dependent on others, Tatsugorou had taken his family’s most prized blade and set off when he was young, away from his country in the Western Continent. He depended on the sword skills that he’d spent years refining in his homeland, defeating monsters and evildoers alike for the past thirty years. Now, as he announced his presence to the master, his own country’s dialect had faded away over the years.

“Welcome!”

The once young, now middle-aged man who’d inherited the restaurant from its original, older owner greeted him in return. Upon hearing his voice, Tatsugorou immediately thought of the previous master. When Tatsugorou had first started coming here many moons ago, that man looked much older than even he did now.

“…I suppose time affects us all.” He let out a pained laugh.

Now that Tatsugorou thought about it, ten years had already passed since the new master took over the restaurant. Back then, you could still argue that he was just a young man, but now he had a look of dignity about him and the belly to back it up. His face had matured quite a bit as well.

In the ten years that had passed, old dishes that the previous master used to cook eventually vanished, replaced by new recipes and meals. Old timers Tatsugorou had gotten to know when he first started coming here stopped coming, giving way to all manner of newcomers.

“O-ho, excuse me, little lady. Just passing through.”

On his way to his normal spot, Tatsugorou slipped past a new face: a familiar-looking female adventurer with a big smile on her face as she dug into a minced meat cutlet and cabbage doused in a healthy portion of sauce. His regular seat was all the way in the back of the restaurant, closest to the kitchen. He placed down his samurai sword, his treasured partner for many years, and took a seat. Tatsugorou let out a sigh of comfort as he settled in as usual.

“…It’s been a month, eh, ‘Teriyaki’?”

The customer sitting next to him spoke. Out of everyone still coming to the restaurant, this man was the oldest of them all. The elderly gentleman wore a tattered robe of sorts, his thin body barely filling it out. Despite looking like he could break at a moment’s notice, the older man was nursing a glass filled with golden beer, enjoying the sounds of oil popping from the kitchen.

“Yeah, I’ve been busy with work. Looks like you’re doing the same as always, ‘Pork Loin Cutlet,’” Tatsugorou replied to the other regular, whom he’d known the longest of anyone here.

A tradition at the restaurant was to call each other by nicknames, typically the person’s favorite food. Nobody was quite sure who started this or when, but it quickly became the unspoken rule.

“Ha ha ha. The day I can’t drink beer or eat cutlet is the day I die!” Pork Loin Cutlet let out a hearty burp after taking a bite of his sauce-and-mustard-drenched meat. It was simultaneously gross to watch while undeniably appetizing.

Absurd. I can’t believe he’s actually a sage of great wisdom. Tatsugorou quietly laughed to himself. He knew that the poorly mannered man sitting with him, “Pork Loin Cutlet”, was none other than one of the four heroes who had led humanity to victory during the Demon War. He had mastered all kinds of magic, gathered profound knowledge, and was known by even those in the boonies as a legendary sage. He was undoubtedly a household name.

In his thirty years traveling across the world, Tatsugorou had used his sword to cut down a variety of monsters, saving towns and people everywhere as a foreign swordsman. He was fairly certain the man next to him knew his true name as well. However, none of that mattered. The only people here were a guy who loved teriyaki and another man who loved pork loin cutlet. Just two drinking buddies.

“Sir, are you ready to place your order?”

“Ah, yes. I’ll have the usual. Teriyaki chicken, please. Oh, and bring out the rice first. A side dish of pickled veggies, too. Let’s see… Some seishu as well.”

Tatsugorou gave his order to the master, who came out with just the right timing.

“Yup, you got it. The usual.”

Long since used to this, the master went to the back and quickly brought out what was asked of him.

“Here you go. A bowl of rice, some pickled vegetables, and today’s miso soup with tofu and wakame.”

The master placed the aforementioned foods on the table in front of the swordsman. The arrangement of dishes in front of Tatsugorou was perhaps the main reason why he adored this restaurant so much. He couldn’t help but nod with glee, thrilled at the sight.

Now this is what I’m talking about.

Tatsugorou quickly grabbed a pair of chopsticks, picked up the rice bowl, and took a bite. The sweet and gentle aroma of the rice spread throughout his mouth. The clear, hot, white grains he was chewing on were a far cry from the flavorless brown rice he used to eat in his homeland.

Each bite of rice served to spread its sweetness further throughout Tatsugorou’s mouth. After getting the full experience of its flavor, he swallowed it down and took a bite of the pickled vegetables off to the side. Each bite of the bran-pickled yellow radish, traditionally crafted during the winter by the craftsmen in the “shopping district,” produced a crunching noise. The strong saltiness washed away the sweetness left behind by the rice.

“Phew…” Tatsugorou let out a sigh of satisfaction without even realizing it. Unlike the Eastern Continent, the tradition of baking bread hadn’t yet spread to the west, so these flavors reminded him of his days of eating rice back at home across the ocean. While he certainly didn’t dislike the delicious white bread one could only eat here, he couldn’t help but feel that the rice was more delicious, perhaps because it reminded him of the home he hadn’t returned to since he left.

If anything, the rice here is so good that I can’t imagine returning home to a place without miso or soy sauce.

Tatsugorou continued to enjoy his rice, thinking his silly thoughts. White rice, miso soup, and pickled vegetables. It was a habit of his to enjoy these to their fullest before the main course arrived.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Here’s your teriyaki chicken and seishu.”

At last, the star of this little show had arrived. The large chunks of chicken meat were doused in sweet and sour sauce and cooked to perfection. This was teriyaki chicken, the food and flavor of this restaurant that Tatsugorou had fallen in love with over twenty years ago.

This is it.

He was ready to dig into the chicken. Tatsugorou used his chopsticks to grab one of the thin pieces. The translucent brown teriyaki sauce on the bronzed skin of the chicken juxtaposed with the pure, almost virginal white meat made for a beautiful sight.

The swordsman took a moment to enjoy the visual splendor before him and then took a bite. The moist skin had been drained of any excess grease, making for a stupendous texture with the tender chicken meat. With each bite, the remaining fat from the skin, thick sweet and sour soy sauce, and salt combined with the young chicken’s own overflowing juices.

Oh, my. This is bad.

Tatsugorou quickly ate another mouthful of rice. By itself, the flavor of the teriyaki chicken could be a bit overwhelming. That’s why pairing it with the light sweetness of the rice brought the dish to its perfect form. Tatsugorou was aware of this as he continued to down more rice, letting it absorb the teriyaki juices, creating the perfect storm of flavor.

…Mm.

Tatsugorou could do nothing but nod his head in appreciation. It was this combination of sweet and sour deliciousness that made him feel this was the best way to indulge in rice at this restaurant.

Long ago, he once got into a heated debate about this with “Curry Rice” and “Omelet Rice,” two other regulars. Tatsugorou wore a smile on his face, still eating his rice as he recalled how that conversation almost became a real fight.

What exactly was the most delicious dish at Nekoya? Its regulars often debated the merits of each dish, but due to the wide variety of foods the master was able to cook, they had yet to come to any sort of unanimous conclusion.

Finally, the time came to indulge in the alcohol from another world, seishu. He took a bite of the teriyaki chicken and followed it up with his drink. First, he downed about half of the seishu in the cup, enjoying the burning sensation it left in his throat and the rush of fruity fragrance that traveled through his nose. After that, he went on to take small sips here and there so as to avoid getting drunk.

Tatsugorou’s favorite way of enjoying the alcohol meant the first taste would always be by itself. He then followed that up with a bite of teriyaki chicken and further sips. The clear, almost water-like liquid in his cup wasn’t entirely dissimilar to the dwarves’ favorite type of booze, brandy. Both drinks were quite strong, but seishu had a fruity aroma to it that he was fond of. The heat of the alcohol blended well with the sweet flavoring of the teriyaki chicken.

This alcohol was unique to this other world. Of course, the restaurant had familiar varieties of drink such as wine and beer, but it also had a variety of other drinks made only in the other world. The best part? All of them were delicious. According to some rumors he once heard, there was a dwarf brewer who came here on the Day of Satur to drink and spent years trying to recreate the delicious otherworldly drinks he enjoyed so much. Only recently had his efforts born fruit, with dwarves claiming that it was the best alcohol they’d ever had. However, the brewer himself was said to still be dissatisfied with his own creation.

This meant that Tatsugorou was unlikely to ever enjoy seishu outside of this otherworldly restaurant. Not while he was still alive, anyhow.

“Hm, that teriyaki chicken sure looks good…” Pork Loin Cutlet quietly whispered to himself while Tatsugorou enjoyed his meal.

“I’d be willing to trade you something for this middle piece,” Tatsugorou offered to his old friend. He was well aware that while rice and teriyaki chicken were the best possible combination of foods, rice and pork loin cutlet also went together quite well.

“Can’t I get a piece from the end?”

“No way, pal. If you’re gonna be like that, order some for yourself.” Tatsugorou refused to budge on this.

And so they continued to exchange friendly banter as the two of them enjoyed their meals. Drinks were drunk, conversations had, and teriyaki chicken exchanged for the delicious center of a pork loin cutlet. The fun times rolled by…

“Well then, I suppose if I don’t get back soon, my pupils won’t let me hear the end of it.”

Pork Loin Cutlet, legendary sage that he was, had a host of pupils that he taught. As he stood up to leave, so too did Tatsugorou prepare to depart.

“Hey, Master. I’m leaving the money here.”

Tatsugorou grabbed his wallet from his pocket and took out a few silver coins, placing them on the table. He made a habit of including a few extra coins each time to make up for when he was young and poor, when the old master would frequently turn the other cheek or give him discounts. This was his way of paying back the favor.

“Looks good! Thank you very much!”

The master was used to it at this point and gratefully accepted the money before cleaning up the table.

“The food was delicious. I’ll be back again.”

Tatsugorou thanked the master one last time and headed for the exit with Pork Loin Cutlet.

“Hmph… So she must be Minced Meat Cutlet II,” Pork Loin Cutlet whispered to himself. He was staring directly at the young female adventurer that Tatsugorou recognized as a new face earlier. She had already finished her meal and was quietly enjoying the otherworldly tea known as coffee.

“What do you mean?” Tatsugorou tilted his head, befuddled.

“Exactly what I said. Isn’t it obvious?” Pork Loin Cutlet laughed to himself and exited the restaurant.

“What’s with him?” Still confused, Tatsugorou stepped outside, finding himself on a moonlit mountain. When one exited the restaurant, they always appeared at the same place from which they entered. The mountain path was dangerous at night, so the swordsman took great care as he headed toward his hermit lodging for the evening.

“Ah… That’s what he meant by II.”

Still a bit tipsy from the seishu, Tatsugorou finally realized what Pork Loin Cutlet meant by his earlier words.

“Now that I think about it, it has been a while since we last saw him… That old rascal, Minced Meat Cutlet.”

The swordsman had heard that the old gentleman had passed away. Out of all the regulars at the restaurant, he loved minced meat cutlet more than any. Tatsugorou recalled the many times he got into fights with Croquette and Pork Loin Cutlet. The latter had called that young woman Minced Meat Cutlet II. While she looked nothing like him, the way she enjoyed her meal made her more than worthy of that nickname.

I see. Things come full circle.

The young woman was likely a blood relative of the old man. She was significantly younger than he was, so Tatsugorou assumed she was probably his great-granddaughter or something similar.

I should probably think about bringing someone worthwhile there one of these days…

In that moment, Tatsugorou felt that it would be a waste to die and be forgotten.