Chapter 233: Pre-War Gourmet Gathering
The large basin of steamed white rice, when examined closely, looks like a precious treasure, which is why it is called Ginshari (Silver Relic) in Japan. Now, in the large pot, the white rice was mixed with crushed golden-yellow chestnuts and had absorbed the fragrant, tender vegetable juices, turning into plump, glossy, golden-yellow grains.
The green and white scallions emitted a rich aroma. The eggplant, fried to a golden yellow and interspersed with purple, and the fresh greenery of the wild vegetables added various jewel-like colors to the golden steamed rice.
The soft-cooked white radish chunks had fully absorbed the liquid, becoming sweeter and more refreshing. The shredded carrots and sliced konjac were translucent, overlapping into red and white pieces, with a smooth and elastic texture.
The black fan-shaped mushrooms were sliced into crescent moon shapes, creating a stark contrast with the white shimeji mushrooms, like two black and white fish frolicking in a golden ocean.
Finally, some grilled matsutake mushrooms and fried taro were placed on the side.
Under Shirou's superb culinary skill, this vegetable medley steamed rice, despite the limited ingredients and seasonings, managed to create a rich sensation comparable to high-end meat dishes.
"Shirou-dono, this vegetarian dish is absolutely wonderful. It is the best delicacy I have ever eaten. Please, another bowl for the young monk!" Hōzōin Inshun said, eating joyfully, and soon handed over an empty plate!
"Of course," Shirou readily agreed. He had used half of the bag of rice given to him by Tawara Touta, which was enough to stuff ten grown men, so there was no need to worry.
"Ah, General, it was definitely the right decision to come here with you! If I could use my Noble Phantasm, I wonder if I could eat until I'm infinitely full. What a pity! What a pity! Another bowl!" Tawara Touta sighed regretfully while stuffing his mouth.
"No matter how delicious it is, you need to exercise some restraint. Overeating will only cause you trouble later," Shirou said with a helpless smile.
He thought to himself that he might have to prepare and steam another pot of rice.
"Oh-ho, this is also a pleasant flavor, it has a refreshing mountain feeling," Kojiro picked up a mushroom with his chopsticks, then scooped up some steamed rice and put it in his mouth. After carefully tasting the flavor, he showed a satisfied smile.
"Here, this is yours, Hajime! Thank you for your hard work gathering these ingredients," Shirou filled a plate with the steamed rice and handed it to the villager.
"No, no, how can a humble person like me eat at the same table as samurai," Hajime said, waving his hands repeatedly.
"Eat! There is no reason for a laborer who brought the ingredients to just watch," Shirou told Hajime.
"No... I'll just eat barnyard millet rice," Hajime said, swallowing hard at the scent, but still refusing with great difficulty.
Tawara Touta said impatiently, "If he tells you to take it, then take it. Just eat. No one here cares about that. You'll definitely regret it if you don't eat it."
"Is... Is that so? Then I'll accept," Hajime took the plate, picked up his chopsticks, and shoveled the rice into his mouth. Then his eyes widened. An unprecedented feeling of deliciousness filled his taste buds, giving him a head-shaking impact.
Hajime looked utterly shocked and said, "It's delicious! Aside from delicious, I don't know how to describe how I feel right now..."
"See? See? I told you! Awu awu! Shirou! Another serving!" Souji hadn't stopped eating since the beginning. She ate furiously, grinning smugly, completely unaware of the rice stuck to her face.
"Yes, yes, eat slowly. There is enough rice. You're a child too, you have rice on your face," Shirou remarked. The current Souji genuinely looked like a little sister. Shirou reached out his hand to remove the grain of rice stuck to Souji's face.
Of course, Shirou distinguished that the Souji across from him was not his sister, but her, which is why he wouldn't do anything impolite like eating the rice himself.
"Thank you, Shirou!" Souji smiled.
"You're welcome," Shirou said, preparing to wipe the grain of rice away with a towel.
"Ah! Don't waste it!" When Souji saw Shirou's action, she leaned forward directly and enclosed Shirou's finger with her lips, eating the rice grain. Since she arrived in this world, she had endured many hardships, and food could not be wasted.
"Eh eh..." Shirou felt the warmth on his fingertip. Even though the girl's lips had left, a moist sensation remained, and he felt very embarrassed.
However, everyone else was busy grabbing food to satisfy their appetite and didn't notice what happened. After Souji received her full plate of rice, she didn't say anything either, just lowered her head and continued eating quietly. Everything was so calm, as if nothing strange had happened.
Shirou couldn't help but feel doubtful: "Hmm? Is this actually normal? Was I just making a fuss?"
Just then, Yukino buried her face in her bowl, then lifted her small face covered in rice grains, and looked at Shirou with wide eyes.
'Why? Don't copy that!' Shirou screamed internally.
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While everyone was eating happily, the black-haired, red-eyed girl on the side quietly looked at the dish on her plate, hesitating, and didn't take a bite for a long time.
"What's wrong, Nobu? Aren't you eating?" Souji asked strangely.
'Nnnn. Damn it... this! This! Ally of Justice! Has the fact that I kidnapped and swapped out the good Nobu been exposed? But that's not right? If it were exposed, this wouldn't be the reaction, would it?' the black-haired, red-eyed girl wondered in alarm.
'So why is there eggplant! I hate eggplant the most! And he put so much of it! Eggplant is only good for being used as a tea ceremony utensil!' the black-haired, red-eyed girl gripped her chopsticks, glared at Shirou, and said with an unhappy expression.
"If you're not going to eat it, I can eat it for you. Gawu gawu," Souji continued, taking large bites of the fried rice on her own plate.
"I will eat it! I won't give it to you!" the black-haired, red-eyed girl shouted. After all, if she didn't eat, her identity might be exposed.
"Eh, Nobu, do you have any dietary restrictions regarding vegetables? I asked you before, and you didn't say anything," Shirou, who was busy stir-frying the ingredients for the next pot, asked.
"It's fine! I'm eating!" Oda Nobunaga picked up a slice of eggplant. She used her other hand to grip the hand holding the chopsticks and forcefully pushed the trembling hand holding the eggplant upward, managing with great difficulty to stuff it into her mouth.
The moment it entered her mouth, Demon King Nobunaga thought: "Nnnn... Remember this, Ally of Justice! I will repay today's humiliation tenfold... Eh? Delicious!"
As her taste buds registered the flavor of the food, Demon King Nobunaga was stunned. She slowly chewed the eggplant and the steamed rice. "It's really... delicious..."
It was eggplant! That small purple eggplant! For some unknown reason, it didn't taste greasy at all now; it was incredibly delicious. Gradually, she even found the small purple eggplant somewhat enticing. Did Shirou's cooking have a brainwashing effect?
Demon King Nobunaga ate the rice one bite after another, finding it more fragrant the more she chewed.
'What's going on? Is this also one of the Ally of Justice's abilities? The ability to make absolutely unpalatable food delicious? How strange, awu, this is too strange! Awu awu!'
Before she knew it, the entire large plate of steamed rice was finished.
Completely oblivious to the rice stuck to her face, Demon King Nobunaga directly handed the empty plate to Shirou and shouted, "Another bowl!!!"
'Nnnn? What was I trying to do before? Ah, I remember! Of course! Capture Shirou, make him my beloved prisoner, and then enjoy his service and his cooking every day!'
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Afterward, Shirou asked Hajime for some feed hay and beans, and took some leftover carrots from the cooking. He found the three horses in the back mountains, fed them some palatable food, stroked them a little, and spent some time getting familiar with them before preparing to head up the mountain.
The bright moonlight illuminated the land. The horses, built for riding, had eyes that gleamed with light. They lifted their long legs with strong tendons and walked along the familiar path. Shirou and Demon King Nobunaga, disguised as Nobu, held the reins, entrusting the task of walking to the intelligent horses, letting the animals carry them toward the mountain.
"Wait for me! Hurry up, don't stop!" Souji, who was behind, was not very accustomed to riding. Although she could ride during the day, at night, when she had to rely more on the horse, she became a little nervous. Her actions made the horse beneath her uncomfortable, so the horse also became nervous and impatient, sometimes stopping in place uncooperatively.
"Whoa—!" Shirou noticed the situation behind him, halted his horse, and then turned to walk towards Souji.
"Souji, just sit up there and trust the horse with your body. A horse's skin is very sensitive and can clearly feel the changes in your posture. If you become nervous and impatient, the horse will also become anxious.
Humans only need to give directions when necessary. A horse's heart is very delicate and sensitive; it is very aware of its companion's emotions and is therefore very good at understanding human intentions.
Horses are tall, and their field of vision is wide. They can see at night even with just starlight. The moonlight is very clear right now, so the mountain path is perfectly visible to them. Plus, they came from the stronghold, so they are familiar with the way back. You just need to trust them."
"Pff—!" The male horse Shirou was riding snorted and walked in front of the female horse Souji was riding. The female horse also whinnied in response. The two horses seemed very familiar with each other.
The horses beneath the two riders rubbed each other's necks like lovers, affectionately communicating.
'The female human sitting on you is completely hopeless. Just follow behind me. After all, the kind male human fed us hay and carrots that were very tasty earlier,' the male horse seemed to convey.
'I know!' the female horse snorted in agreement.
Although Shirou and Souji could not understand the horse language, after that, Souji's horse moved much more smoothly, staying right behind Shirou.
"Oh-ho! I think I've figured out the trick! Miss Okita is quite talented after all!" Souji said happily, even though it looked like she wasn't doing anything at all while sitting on the horse.
"Pff-hng—!" The female horse beneath the girl showed a disdainful expression.