Ai o Ataeru Kemono-tachi

cooking really amazes me every time I eat it.
The cutlet itself is delicious, but the sauce goes well with it.
I prefer the thickest sauce.
It goes well with rice.”

“Oh, by the way, Hector-sama and Theo-sama, do you like those white grains, a specialty of Fishreed2Reference to manga chapter 1 in translator note.
Fishreed is the country where the merfolks reside.
Yep, It’s near the ocean.
You can read the manga on mangadex., which I call rice?”

[Hector] “I’ve eaten it a few times at Fishreed, and I’ve never tasted anything this sweet and tasty.
I wonder if it’s because they cook it differently.”

[Theo] “Chika-dono, even though this is the first time I’ve had this, I think it’s very delicious.
The combination of this natural sweetness and the taste of tonkatsu is wonderful.”

I’m relieved to hear that it was palatable.

If it’s different from Fishreed’s, does that mean they cook it differently?

I’ll look into it next time I get a chance.

I glanced over and saw Gail-san bringing the katsu toji to his mouth.

[Gail] “Chika is really wonderful.
I was surprised by the tonkatsu and its sauce, and now this.
The surrounding flavor is relatively light, but it has an indescribable deliciousness.
It soaks into the batter and makes the taste of the forest pig stand out.
I can’t stop eating rice with it.”

[Hector] “What? Which one is it? Let me try some too.”

Encouraged by Gail-san’s words, the remaining three people also reached for the katsu toji.

[Hector] “Hmmm, how wonderful.
As Gail said, the seasoning is not too strong, but what is this flavor? I’ve never heard of deep-fried food being boiled, but the batter and the eggs wrap it up in a moist, mild flavor.”

When it comes to flavor, perhaps it is the power of the dashi3Japanese broth stock made from konbu (edible kelp) and bonito flakes (katsuobushi)..

The cuisine of this world is also delicious, but it is basically over-seasoned, and many of the flavors are the result of the sauce or seasoning itself, rather than the delicate taste of umami or the flavor of the ingredients.

[Chika] “I am a little embarrassed to receive such high praise.
Oh, please let me know if you need more rice.
Also, please eat the salad as well.”

They are all carnivores, so let’s just remind them in advance.

I ran around to offer refills to the bowls that were being emptied one after another.
Everyone told me that I didn’t have to do that, instead, they would do it themselves.
But I refused, saying that this was my job.

However, I was surprised that even Hector-sama and Theo-sama, who are members of the royal family, said they would do it themselves.

Later, I heard that the royal family of Leonidas basically handles what they can do by themselves, so they do not have many servants at their side.

“Uncle, please try this cutlet sandwich.
Is Chika-dono a genius? I’ve never had a sandwich as good as this one.”

I noticed that Theo-sama was reaching for the cutlet sandwich.

At Theo-sama’s urging, Douglas-san took a bite of the cutlet sandwich.

[Douglas] “Yummy… Theo, you are not wrong.
Chika is a genius! The balance between the crunchiness of the vegetables, the sauce soaked in the batter, and the delicious meat is unbelievable.
I’d still love Chika even if he couldn’t cook, but he really got my stomach.”

[Hector] “Eyy, give me some of that! You just gobbled it up without even tasting it.
Do you know how precious this food is? It’s absolutely outrageous.”

[Douglas] “What the hell are you doing, damn old geezer?”

Hector-sama knocked off Douglas-sama’s hand that was reaching for the cutlet sandwich one after another.
He then took the cutlet sandwich for himself and ate it.

[Hector] “It’s delicious! It’s a bit vexing, but I must agree with Doug.
Chika is a genius! The sauce soaking into soft, chewy bread! And these shredded vegetables to accentuate it! The sauce soaking the batter that wraps the juicy meat has a slightly tingling secret taste.
The balance between the two is simply amazing! God, I never prayed before, but thank you for sending Chika to me.”

[Douglas] “Not to you, father! How many times do I have to tell you that Chika is ours!”

[Gail] “I am afraid it is not aimed at Hector-sama.
Chika is ours afterall.”

[Chika] “Um, I didn’t invent the cutlet sandwich, so it’s not me who’s amazing…”

Hector-sama raised his cutlet sandwich to the sky.

I wonder what people who see Hector-sama as “The Quiet and Wise King” would think if they saw this figure…

I think I am actually witnessing an extraordinary sight.

“Thank you.
It was worth making.
I don’t think I could have prepared this much without Sebastian-san’s help, though.
By the way, this cutlet sandwich is made with regular sauce, but this one has spicy seasoning mixed in with the sauce.”

“I see.
So that’s the reason.
I thought the taste was somehow different.
As you say, that cutlet sandwich has a spiciness in the sauce that soaks into the cutlet batter, which is also excellent.
I prefer it that way.”

Gail-san told me as he ate his cutlet sandwich with his big mouth.

Each piece of a sandwich was quite large.
The size was about if you eat it, it will only take about three bites to fit in your stomach.

“Chika-dono, thank you very much for giving us such a delicious meal.”

Theo-sama thanked me for giving him such a delicious meal.
He must be a really serious person.

After that, the usual scene was played out.

Gail-san and Theo-sama accurately put the right amount of food on their plates and put it in their mouths one after another.

Hector-sama and Douglas-san, for some reason, kept aiming at the same dish and fighting over who should eat it.

I was able to savor the food that Douglas-san was put aside for me.
I sipped the miso soup, ate the rice and salad, and took my time to savor the food.

I watched the overwhelming scene of the beasts eating, unfolding before my eyes.

As expected, all the food we had prepared was gone.

Though everyone seemed satisfied as expected, the pork cutlet sandwiches were unexpectedly well-received.

When Hector-sama said that he would make a restaurant specializing in cutlet sandwiches with Chika-chan’s brand and make it as Leonidas’ specialty, I did my best to stop him.

When I told Hector-sama that I would be happy to make him a cutlet sandwich anytime, he seemed to be reluctantly convinced.
Though he was mumbling about the cost-effectiveness, the economic effect, and the specialties made by the human race all by himself.

I have a bad feeling about this, but I’ll leave it to Douglas-san to deal with it.

If you like my TL, please consider buying me boba tea.
Thank you!

1Japanese word of pork cutlet.2Reference to manga chapter 1 in translator note.
Fishreed is the country where the merfolks reside.
Yep, It’s near the ocean.
You can read the manga on mangadex.3Japanese broth stock made from konbu (edible kelp) and bonito flakes (katsuobushi).