No Energy Hospitality No Problem
I headed straight for our inn after I was done reporting to Scarymast.
The kids must be starving, not to mention our guest. Gotta go back fast.
The result of Hunting Fest is to be announced tomorrow.
Along with that, there will be food stalls open selling grilled meat and stuff, from the materials gotten during the fest.
I was wondering if the meat wouldn't spoil but apparently there are people whose Jobs can age meat in a short period of time extending its lifespan, making it taste better instead.
You'd think a port town would be all about seafood but thanks to its proximity to Monster Prairie, the variety of meat here is quite enticing to cooks. As well as gluttons like me.
By the way I plan to open a noon-only stall for several days as well.
It's to avoid suspicion from other participants for being a staff member who never showed up during the fest.
It takes a lot of preps to open a stall, I'm sure people won't think I had time to be in the prairie during the hunting phase.
...Well I'm not gonna be able to compete in meat dishes, so I plan to just sell some light desserts.
I don't mind if it doesn't sell as it's only a camouflage, but that'd be kinda sad...
Now then, here I am at the inn, gotta go to the kitchen.
...Several starving kids are already waiting at the table.
Huh, green haired boy is lying face down on the table, what's... Wait, his Stamina is 0! Crap, gotta feed him something or he'd die!
I hurriedly brought sandwiches with grilled meat and pseudo-lettuce I was saving as stamina recovery from my Item Screen to the table.
"Welcome back, Hikaru... Radia suddenly fell face down and stopped moving."
"R-Radia-kun, are you alright?"
"I-it's, n-, nuthin'... I'm, just, so hungry, I'm gonna, die..."
"That's not nothing at all! Look, even your face is deathly pale!"
Reina is right, he looks like the dead.
Just like Neia-san and Naima-san after they Appraised the herbs I brought...
"Fill your stomach with these until I'm done cooking. Your life force gradually diminishes when you run out of stamina, might even kill you worst case."
"T-tha... T, thank, you..."
The green haired boy lifelessly grabbed a sandwich while looking like he was dying.
He ate slowly like an old man initially before rapidly chomping down one sandwich after another once he got going.
The plate was getting cleaned up before my eyes.
O-ou. I know you're hungry but you're gonna choke yourself. Chew properly.
But I had no idea you'd turn that lethargic when your stamina reached 0... Would he die for real if left alone?
<<There exists excess energy in fat and such inside one's body, hence his stamina would have gradually be restored over time. But if one does not replenish with food over a long period of time, it is possible to use up the entire energy reserve and die of starvation.>>
Dunno if he consumed too much stamina during the hunting fest, or if it's just his default to get this hungry.
...Let's cook nourishing dishes tonight.
"T-that was good stuff... I'm reviveeed...!"
The plate got completely cleaned up while I was lost in thought. He ate that all huh.
There was a lot though. Does he even still have room for dinner?
"A-ah, I'm sorry! I was so hungry I couldn't stop myself!"
"That's fine, we're gonna have dinner anyway."
"Eh? B-but I can't possibly impose anymore..."
*Growl*... The boy's stomach let out a melody of hunger.
...Looks like he's got plenty of room to spare. His State is still Hungry (Large) too.
"...Ah, that was, uh, err..."
"Can't believe you can still take more..."
"Ahaha, I'm gonna make some real quick, hang on tight."
"Don't worry. It's our thanks for saving Reina, eat as much as you want."
"...Sorry and thank you."
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
Radia bashfully looked down with reddened cheeks.
Now now my boy, eat to your heart's content... What am I, a mom?
『Pipii, pii...』
The little chicken chirped at me like it's appealing something.
You must be hungry too, just you wait.
Now then, what dishes would be nourishing I wonder.
According to Menu, apparently fried vegetables won't cut it for Radia-kun in his current state.
But plain vegetable is too shoddy when we're entertaining a guest.
Ah, right. That one doesn't look too vegetable-y, and has got plenty of nutrition.
Time to get cooking.
First, I cut up some extra big tomatoes (called Heavy Tomato here), and created a mixer-like object with Mana Control to mince it down further.
With other people around, I had to use remote control mana to do it inside a pot, should be fine... I think.
I heated up a frying pan with vegetable oil, put in diced up pseudo-garlic, and then the now syrupy tomato, salt, pepper and sugar to spice things up before putting in butter to complete the sauce.
Then I cut up Rock Onion, Jack Bell Pepper which got a face like pattern on its rind, and Red Carrot as well as Trihorn Rabbit meat into cubes.
Would have put mushroom if I could find one. Feels like it's lacking a bit on the flavor department...
I sauteed the leg meat, put in vegetable once it was heated enough as well as salt, pepper and pseudo consomme along with ketchup.
They had mayonnaise for sale so I thought they should have ketchup too, and sure enough. Wonder if it was past heroes' doing? GJ.
...Those heroes must have quite the appetite too. It bugs me how there's not a lot of recipes of Japanese origin though.
Once all the ingredients were well cooked, I put in aro rice.
Not the one sold on the market, I cooked it in an earthenware pot and left it in Item Screen. It's got nicer textures, might use it like this in the future.
Ah, not enough ketchup. Time to add more. Once it's all reddened up from the ketchup, this fried chicken, I mean rabbit rice is done.
...Let's give it a sample.
Umu, tastes good. Thank goodness... Hm?
『Pi! Pipi!』
The little chicken is chirping noisily around my legs. Ah hey, don't enter the kitchen range you, it's unhygienic.
Eh, you're gonna pass out from hunger? It's not fair that only I get to eat?
Geez, okay okay, here I'll get you some on a small plate.
『Pipii♪』
The little chicken ate up the fried rabbit rice with its small beak. How can it move around like that with its Attributes...
...Huh? How come I understand what this chick's saying?
Wonder if it's due to Menu's translation function too. I don't actually understand a word it says, but the feelings get transmitted over, weird.
Now then, time for the main dish.
...Honestly, it's got a low success rate. All the dishes I made so far could be done simply by following recipes but you gotta have the sense for this one.
I'm gonna look real bad if I failed... Why'd I go and pick this difficult dish when I have a guest to treat again.
Heck, swim or sink, it should taste good even if I fail, let's do this with a plonk.