Chapter 67: Fried Chicken

Chapter 67:
Fried Chicken

Keeping his distance to avoid blood splatters, Tatsugorou watched the huge body. It had been a long, grueling battle.

“Is it finally over?”

The warrior had just slain a monster called the Hag. The large beast had resembled an old woman and had wielded a giant, rusty knife the size of Tatsugorou himself. The foul being had drunk the blood of travelers. It was quick and powerful.

When Tatsugorou dropped by the village by chance, its residents had desperately pleaded with him to do something about the evil monster abducting and eating local children. Tatsugorou defeated the horrendous monster—said to slice, dice, and easily devour average adventurers—in exchange for coin.

“Phew…” The warrior massaged his aching body gently as he whispered to himself. “I’m getting too old for this.”

Tatsugorou’s pain didn’t result from an injury. He wasn’t yet old enough to let one of the Hag’s mighty, almost certainly fatal blows hit him. Nevertheless, he’d risked his life in so many battles that pain overwhelmed him the moment the fight with the Hag ended.

Tatsugorou’s body had been more than willing to participate in combat. But as soon as the battle was over, pain paralyzed him, forcing him to halt his travels.

“Oh, well.” He briefly considered the prospect of resting at an inn. “I suppose I’ll take a few days, and… No.”

A smile crossed his face as he realized something.

“Tomorrow’s the Day of Satur.”

As far as Tatsugorou could recall, the closest door in the region was about half a day from the town by foot. The moment he remembered this, his arms and legs stopped aching.

Geez. My body’s certainly simpleminded.

Chuckling, Tatsugorou decapitated the Hag, then plopped its head into his bag and hurried back to the village that had hired him.

If I leave now, I can reach a nearby inn before sunset. Tomorrow, I can drop in on the restaurant early and enjoy drinking all day!

The warrior’s steps were as light as feathers, as if he had returned to his youth.

***

When Tatsugorou returned to the village with the Hag’s head, the people threw a feast of gratitude.

Tatsugorou wrapped things up there early and managed to arrive in the next town before sunset the following day.

Nekoya’s door appeared just as the sun reached the center of the sky.

Tatsugorou hadn’t been able to visit any locations with doors recently. As a result, it had been quite some time since he’d visited the Restaurant to Another World.

Come to think of it, it’s been nearly a month.

His mouth watered. The feast the villagers threw him had been delicious, but there was nothing like Nekoya’s food.

He placed his hand on the familiar door handle, expectations high.

I’ll have the usual… No.

As he surveyed his surroundings, Tatsugorou struck his usual order of teriyaki chicken and sake from his mind. He decided to order something a little different that night.

The summer weather in the village was different from his homeland’s clinging heat but hot nonetheless. As such, there was a specific dish Tatsugorou desperately wanted to eat.

He stepped through the doorway with this in mind.

***

Ringing bells signaled the summer heat’s disappearance, and a magical device in the restaurant blew cool air over the tired warrior.

Aletta greeted Tatsugorou, a tad surprised that an evening regular had arrived so early in the day.

“Welcome! You’re here early.”

“You could say I was a little excited.”

Tatsugorou sat at a table, preparing to order.

“Today, I’d like fried chicken with bones. Hold the cabbage. I’ll have it with… What’d you call it again? That ‘gin and tonic’ stuff.”

Normally, fried chicken had a bit too much grease for Tatsugorou’s aging body. Sometimes, however, he craved it, especially after a fierce battle. He’d give his usual teriyaki chicken and sake a rest for today.

“A-all right. Hold on one moment.”

Aletta accepted Tatsugorou’s order, somewhat frightened. Tatsugorou hurried the waitress politely, doing his best to keep his demeanor in check.

“Mm. Be quick, if you would.”

As the warrior waited for his order, he thought back on all the fried chicken he’d missed out on.

It’s been quite some time.

The soft, sweet teriyaki chicken tasted good, but the aromatic flavor of Tatsugorou’s greasy order was something else. If he ate it every time he visited the restaurant, the grease would be too much. Indulging every now and then, however, provided a completely different experience.

Tatsugorou gazed at the kitchen, sipping his ice water as he waited impatiently for the dish.

A black-haired girl approached with his order in hand, her presence almost undetectable. Her small frame was incredibly powerful. She carried a long, fluted glass filled with alcohol and a plate of sizzling-hot fried chicken.

Here’s your fried chicken and your gin and tonic.

Fried chicken wasn’t like Nekoya’s other fried dishes, and it didn’t really pair well with any of the restaurant’s sauces. Therefore, a single yellow lemon cut into the shape of a comb sat next to the chicken on the plate.

“Mmm. Wonderful.”

The still-hot meat’s smell wafted from the plate, prompting Tatsugorou to sip his gin and tonic.

The cold, fruity drink bubbled in his mouth. The gin was intense, but the fruity flavor was sour in the most refreshing of ways, and the carbonation provided a shock to the system.

Tatsugorou couldn’t help but moan in pleasure. “Nnnmm.”

The gin and tonic tasted sharp, unlike the sake he usually drank, and was entirely different from the bitter ale common on the Eastern Continent. The liquid made its way across his tongue and down his throat, leaving behind a cool sensation.

It was the perfect drink for the middle of a summer day. Its flavor suited the times when Tatsugorou wanted nothing more than to go straight to an inn and sleep soundly from dusk to dawn.

Now then, time to dig in.

Tatsugorou made his way through half of the gin and tonic before ordering a second drink. He cleaned his hands with the warm cloth he’d received after he arrived. Then he reached for the fried chicken. His fingertips felt the fatty drumstick’s heat, almost hot enough to burn him. That told Tatsugorou that the meat was properly cooked even before he ate it.

As the chicken’s delicious aroma enveloped the warrior, he took a big bite.

Ooh… OOOOOH!

The crunchy skin tasted like soy sauce and spices. The moment Tatsugorou’s teeth dug in, juices from inside the chicken came pouring out. It was young meat—an older chicken couldn’t have had that flavor.

The meat’s rich skin and hidden juices combined with the breading’s slight crunchiness, leaving their flavors in Tatsugorou’s mouth.

I can’t get enough.

After indulging in the chicken for a while, he reached for his gin and tonic and took a sip. The drink’s sharp, carbonated flavor washed away the taste of the fatty chicken meat. The flavors were altogether different than those of teriyaki chicken and sake.

Next up…

After devouring a single piece of chicken, Tatsugorou shifted to the small yellow lemon sitting next to the meat. His thick fingers grabbed the fruit and squeezed, its intensely sour juice pouring all over the meat.

Once the lemon was completely juiced, Tatsugorou returned it to his plate and picked up another piece of chicken.

Mmm. From the second piece on, everything needs that lemon flavor.

With lemon juice, the fried chicken became even easier to eat. The lemon’s strong, sour flavor held up well against the powerful taste of the meat and breading. They complemented each other as though it was their destiny.

Tatsugorou always started by eating a piece of chicken without any lemon juice. However, he paired every piece after that with the sour condiment. The warrior had developed those rules for himself after eating fried chicken several times.

I’d say it’s about time for my second dish.

Tatsugorou made his way through three glasses of gin and tonic alongside his fried chicken and then called Aletta over.

“Excuse me—could I get seconds? This time, no bones. Oh, and some rice.”

Rice was indeed spectacular with fried chicken. It was slightly sweet, which paired well with the meat’s strong, greasy taste. The combination brought the meal to a new level.

I’m going to take my time and enjoy this. It’s still early, after all!

The alcohol was starting to affect Tatsugorou, putting him in a pleasant mood as he excitedly awaited his order. His food came out fairly quickly, making it clear that the master had probably anticipated Tatsugorou’s impatience.

This time, Aletta brought the order. White rice and a bowl of brown miso soup sat beside the boneless fried chicken, which was cut into pieces just big enough to grab with chopsticks.

“Sorry for the wait,” Aletta said. “Here’s your rice and fried chicken.”

“Ho ho!” Tatsugorou took his chopsticks in hand. Given his age, his strength and appetite were surprising. “Can’t drink alcohol without following it up with the good stuff!”

The taste was exactly the same, but there was something different about eating boneless fried chicken with chopsticks. The chicken was small enough to eat in one or two bites. Tatsugorou left the vegetables on the plate for later, raising the meat to his lips.

The warrior tossed the chicken into his mouth and chewed, releasing the greasy juices.

The aftertaste was still present as Tatsugorou dug into the white rice on the porcelain dish.

Mmm! Alcohol’s great, but rice is truly the best!

The sweet rice had absorbed the rich fried chicken’s flavor, creating a new taste.

Uh-oh. I’d better watch myself. At this rate, I’ll end up eating too much.

Nearly half the rice disappeared with a single piece of chicken. Although the combination wasn’t quite as divine as rice and teriyaki chicken, Tatsugorou had to admit to himself that fried chicken went wonderfully with rice.

There was no way that the rice on the plate would last through the full order of chicken.

“Excuse me! Could I get some more rice? And another gin and tonic, please.”

Tatsugorou’s appetite had awoken. He didn’t plan on any kind of self-restraint. He would enjoy his booze, rice, and fried chicken as much as possible.

Tatsugorou wanted to get the absolute most out of the experience.

***

“Phew… I ate way too much.”

Stomach stuffed to the limit, Tatsugorou finished his day of food and drink with sweet and sour lemon sherbet, made from what he guessed were frozen lemons. Licking the sherbet, Tatsugorou immediately felt the cold reach his head. The flavor itself filled him with deep satisfaction.

“I think I’m just going to relax for a bit.”

The meal complete, and his stomach ready to burst, it didn’t seem like Tatsugorou would be leaving anytime soon. This situation would have been immensely dangerous if he’d been in the middle of a journey, but since this was the Restaurant to Another World, he had nothing to worry about.

“Yo, Master! I’m here! Hmm? I smell something great!”

“What in the world? That kinda looks like roast chicken!”

As Tatsugorou relaxed, two familiar regulars dropped in—a pair of ogres. They had much sharper noses than the average human, and they used them to zone in on the delicious aroma in the room.

“Yeah. I just finished serving fried chicken.”

Since he’d dealt with Tatsugorou’s orders, the master was free to greet the pair at the door. The warrior tried to fight off the wave of drowsiness settling on him as he watched the middle-aged master politely explain the fried chicken situation to the ogres. Tatsugorou’s stomach was full, he was tipsy, and it was early afternoon—the perfect time for a nap.

The nap was so wonderful, it made the weathered Tatsugorou forget the exhaustion he’d accumulated over the past few days.