Speaking of which, Mister Nord. Is it true that the soy sauce in the souvenir is said to go very well with raw fish and sashimi?

'I've never actually eaten it, so it's hard to say.... It goes together, right, Al?

　Mr. Aegal asks me about it, but Nord Dad waves a pass at me, probably because he's never had it with sashimi before.

'Yes, it goes well with it. Putting soy sauce on the sashimi takes out the smell of the fish and makes it taste much cleaner.

"...tasted better than usual.

'Oh, really?'

'A different condiment than fruit sauce. ...I'm curious.

　When me and Luna-san say that, Aegal-san and Natasha-san nod in admiration.

　If Luna-san, who is used to eating sashimi, says so, her credibility and interest will increase.

　If the Silford family members are interested in it, it would be good to have them try it in person.

'Well, let's try it on the sashimi now, shall we?

Oh, come on!

Please.

　When Nord's father said that, Egal and Natasha said happily.

　As the family is familiar with eating sashimi, they are curious about the soy sauce that goes with it.

Largo-san, could you bring me some soy sauce?

Very well. I'll be right with you.

　When Father Nord asked for it, Largo bowed and left.

　And within ten seconds, Largo brought out a glass container of soy sauce.

　This was obviously the one he had prepared in advance. Or, when he heard it was a new condiment, he was probably transferring it to do some research.

　Largo showed the container to everyone and poured the soy sauce into a small plate.

''Ooh, I heard the sauce was almost black in color, but it really is blackish.

There's a wonderfully fragrant smell. You can imagine the rich taste of soy sauce just from the aroma.

　Unlike our house, which I'm no longer familiar with, Aegal and Natasha, seeing it for the first time, make a fresh comment.

'I've heard that sashimi and soy sauce go well together, but this is the first time I've tried it.

Yes.

Don't put too much soy sauce on it. It's too strong.

　Mother Erna and Father Nord might know what to do with it, but Aegal and Natasha are new to it, so they might put too much on it.

　Since we've gone to the trouble of introducing you to these delicious condiments, we want you to enjoy them.

'Thank you. Well, let's have a quick taste first, shall we?

Hmm, yeah.

　They nodded and lightly placed a small spoon on the soy sauce and popped it into their mouths.

''Oh, it definitely has a strong taste. You could even say it's salty. But it's not just salty like salt, it's complex and rich in flavor.

'It's not like they made it spicy with spices. It's a taste of age.

　Natasha is right, I'm sure this flavor won't be available in a day or two. Soy sauce has such a complex flavor.

'Alfried, you're right, a small amount of it seems to be just right.

Yes, let's get on with it then.

　When Natasha said that, Aegal nodded silently and dipped the crowana sashimi in some soy sauce and put it in her mouth.

　Then Aegal's eyes widened.

'Oh!'　This is delicious!　I thought the raw fish tasted complete on its own, but I didn't realize there was a sauce that would enhance it far more.......!

'It blends perfectly with the fish meat. I like it with soy sauce rather than with fruit sauce because it has a stronger flavor and I like it better!

　They liked it so much that they took the next piece of sashimi and dipped it in soy sauce.

　The sashimi and soy sauce go together perfectly. It's no wonder you're addicted to it.

Oh my, it's really delicious. It's much easier for me to eat this than to eat it with nothing at all.

'I like to taste it without anything on it, but it's probably better to have a sauce to accent it like this.

　If you eat it without anything on it, some fish have a little bit of a fishy smell, you know. If you're familiar with it, but for the average person, it's easier to eat it with soy sauce to remove the smell.

　Well, just looking at it is boring. There are various kinds of sashimi.

　I have to check the taste of each one with soy sauce, too.

　The sashimi that was normal without soy sauce becomes very tasty with soy sauce, and it's not uncommon. It's not uncommon to see sashimi with soy sauce, right?

　I took Dosu tuna, eggplant, and salmon shavings one after another, and tasted them with soy sauce.

　Yes, it's very tasty. It must be similar to flatfish, because it has a part like Engawa, I guess.

　It has a light taste, but its sweetness seems to be emphasized by eating it with soy sauce. What it lacked in flavor when eaten raw was made up for by the savory taste and aroma of the soy sauce, which was just right.

'Hey, Eric. The Kignas taste even better when dipped in soy sauce!　........Eric?

　I told him about the compatibility of Kignas and soy sauce, but Eric looked at the sashimi with a serious expression on his face.

　........I'm pretty sure that was bonito sashimi. I don't know what he was thinking when he compared it to the soy sauce.

　Could it be that he felt that the soy sauce didn't match?

　As I wonder, Eric slowly looks at me.

'....Alfried.

What is it?

Do you have any mayonnaise?

　All of a sudden, this guy's got something to say.

What do you mean?

'This fish is even better when you put soy sauce and mayonnaise on it. That's what my gut tells me.

You're lying. You just want mayonnaise.

'No!　You'll know it when you try it anyway!　I told you that you always carry it with you. If you have it, bring it with you!

　I say that, but Eric's expression is serious.

　I did say that, but that means I always carry it around with me with spatial magic.

　You can't use it in front of Nord Dad and Erna Mom, who are extremely sensitive to magic power, as expected. However, before I said I always have it with me, it's strange to say I don't have it with me.

　They might say, 'Why don't we have mayonnaise when we always have soy sauce on board?

All right, I'll get it. I'll go get it.

Oh!

　I get out of my chair and Eric is in a blatantly good mood.

　What a cholesterol guy he is, to be in such a good mood with just one mayonnaise.

　As I walk to the exit door with that in mind, Largo calls out to me modestly.

'If you insist, I'll go and get it for you, sir?

'It's okay. It's my room where I keep it, and while I'm at it, I need to go to the bathroom.

'I see. I'm sorry about that.

　A must-kill lavatory. Put it this way, you can get out without wasting their attention.

　I have Largo open the door for me, and I leave the dining room with an amiable smile.

　I'm going to go straight up to the second floor, and as I enter my assigned room, I activate my spatial magic.

　A sub-space appeared in the empty space, and as I put my hand in it, I imagined a mayonnaise bottle, and I could naturally reach for it.

　Yeah, properly fresh mayonnaise.

　After checking it out, I sit in a daze for three minutes to camouflage myself in the bathroom and pass the time before returning to the dining room.

　As I approached the door, Largo guessed by the sound of my footsteps and opened the door for me.

　I thank Largo and go back to my seat.

'Oh, you brought it!

　I put it on the table and Eric quickly picks it up and spooned it out.

''Well is this the mayonnaise Eric said was good?''

　Luna-san stares at it. Apparently, Luna-san is curious about it too.

　Since mayonnaise is already on the table in our house, no one is particularly concerned about it.

　However, the action Eric took caused even Elinora sister and Silvio brother, who were not interested, to widen their eyes.

　Yes, Eric put mayonnaise in the soy sauce.

'Oh, hey,'

Don't panic. This is the right thing to do.

　I yelled out, but Eric nodded as if it was no problem.

　Huh?　Is mayonnaise good with soy sauce?　And with sashimi?

　Speaking of sashimi, I've been eating sashimi with horseradish, ginger, grated momiji and ponzu. I don't think it's a good idea to put mayonnaise on sashimi.

　However, at Kaiten-zushi (conveyor belt sushi), I used to use salmon mayo.

　It might go well with salmon mayo.

"Geez, you're going to do that too?

　As I mimic and break the mayonnaise into the soy sauce, Elinora's sister, sitting next to me, lets out a jolt.

'Give it a try,'

I'm not going to do it.

　I lightly ask her to join me on the road, but Elinora refuses.

　But it's Elinora's sister who starts testing me when I say something delicious. It's as if she made me step on a mine on a dangerous road before securing my safety.

'Maybe Luna will do it too?'

"...no. I'll just try the mayonnaise.

　Luna didn't know the taste of the mayonnaise itself, so she was curious about the taste.

　She took a little bit of it to her own plate and scooped it up with a spoon and put it in her mouth.

''Ah, delicious. This alone could be enough for a side dish.

It's as thick as it gets if you keep eating it.

　That's Eric's sister, who is indeed a mayor, Eric's sister. She insisted on mayonnaise as a side dish.

　Well, now it's more Eric.

　Once the soy sauce and mayonnaise mixture was complete, Eric took a bonito and put it on there.

　Then he threw it into his mouth without hesitation.

"..........

　We stare at Eric like that in the distance.

　Every one of us looks at him and asks, "Is that stuff good? He said.

　Eric chewed the bonito and cleared his throat.

　Then he slowly opened his eyes and said a few words.

'Tasty.'

　It was just a word, but it was full of emotion, as if expressed from the heart.

　Eric is a mayor, so his taste buds may just be different.

　But, strangely enough, seeing Eric eat it so well makes me want to try it, too.

　I dipped the bonito in the same soy sauce mayonnaise while Eric took the second slice.

　The bonito was covered with not only soy sauce but also a yellowish sludge of mayonnaise.

　It didn't look very tasty at first glance, but...

　I hesitated for a moment, but I made up my mind to bring it to my mouth.

　The taste of bonito and soy sauce spread in my mouth. Normally, I would have felt the peculiar odor of the bonito, but the mild mayonnaise masked it.

　Oh, the peculiar smell of the bonito was suppressed. The taste of the soy sauce and mayonnaise went surprisingly well together.

　The seasoning blended with the taste of the bonito, giving it an indescribable flavor.

　As I swallowed the bonito, Elinora's sister asked me timidly, "What do you think?

'How is it?'

It's surprisingly good.

What a surprise!　This would be the best thing to do!

　When I answer that, Eric stands up and interrupts me.

　How can you say that the act of putting mayonnaise and soy sauce on a bonito is the high road?　

As I said, soy sauce is still a better fit for me. But I thought it was just as good as the carpaccio.

I disapprove of not being the best, but if that's what you think, good.

　When I said that, Eric sat down, looking a little unhappy.

　Well, everyone's taste buds are different. There are a lot of differences.

'Give me some of that.'

　As I was drinking and thinking this, Sister Elinora next to me took my small plate of soy sauce and mayonnaise.

　Then she dipped it into the bonito to see if it would work.

You're right, it is surprisingly good. Maybe it goes well with rice, too.

　She's a real b*tc*. It's because she follows the path of others comfortably.


　◆


　After a friendly dinner with Eric's family, we went back to our assigned rooms to take a break.

　When I entered the room, Elinora and her brother Silvio sat on the sofa.

　I relax my body on the sofa, which isn't well cushioned.

　Elinora, who is next to me, thrust her arms upward and relaxed her body. Then she let out a distracting breath of air and sat down sluggishly and put her arms on my head.

　I'm not sure why he's using people's heads as elbow rests as a matter of course.

''...Elinora sis, your arm is in the way.

Sorry, my head was in the right place.

　I won't use the word "heavy" here. Women are creatures that care about their arms even if it's only their arms. I'm growing every day.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of your time with us.

　I'm still holding her arm on my head.

　Well, it's not so heavy and soft, so it's fine.

　While I'm committed to resting Elinora-sister's elbow for a while, Silvio-san laughs lightly.

''Haha, both of you look tired.

'The food was good, but it was a pain in the ass to have to behave.

Yes.

　It's difficult to make it easy in an aristocratic family where there are also first-time partners, no matter how casual the other party is.

　Especially since Elinora sister, who is a woman, would have to cover the cat to some extent, even more so.

''Didn't brother Silvio-san get nervous?''

'I didn't do that much. Compared to the aristocrats you meet at social gatherings and such, everyone in the Silford family is so kind and friendly.

　When I ask, Brother Silvio answers with a wry smile.

　Ah, that's certainly true compared to social gatherings and the like. There are no snarky people here or people who are forever bragging about it.

''I had to be a little cautious, but the seafood dishes were so good, I could eat them every day. I could eat there every day.

'Yes. I'd say it's worth it just to come for the food.

Hey!　You have a proper practice, right!

　Dad Nord's unintentional words to his sister Elinora and I were aghast at the words he let out.

''Yes, yes. Let's just turn this into a sightseeing trip to eat all the seafood.''

　As I said to take advantage of Father Nord's words, Sister Elinora silently tugged on her hair.

　I, it hurts, sister. The back of my head is going to go bald.

''Haha, I mean it was that good. We'll have joint practice tomorrow to make sure.

No problem.

　Elinora's sister is relieved to hear her father's words.



You just fiddle with sand. You can do it during your practice breaks.

　When she hears my muttered words, Sister Elinora bops her head lightly with a dumbfounded voice.

''It's only because we're by the sea that it's worth doing.

　It's the perfect place, the beach, that makes me want to make something artistic like that. Sister Elinora doesn't understand artistry.

Anyway, we have a joint rehearsal tomorrow morning, so go to bed early, okay?

Yes?

You understand Al, don't you?

　I guess he noticed that I wasn't the only one who hadn't responded, so Nord Dad asked me by name.

　That's very perceptive.

'Yes,'

　My dad looked at me and I said reluctantly.

'Well, I'm going to sleep in my room!

　Elinora's sister gets up from the couch lightly, as if she's looking forward to tomorrow morning.

　I finally freed myself from my role as an elbow rest here, and I stood up slowly as well.

　We've had a hard schedule today, with carriage rides, cruising, and playing in the sand. I'm at the end of my physical strength and sleepiness is starting to set in.



Well, we'll go to our room.

　As I'm letting out a big miss, Brother Silvio, who also stood up, pushes me back and walks to the exit.

''Goodnight!''

Yeah, good night.

　As the three of us greeted each other just before we walked out the door, Mother Erna chuckled and waved at us.

　We parted from Elinora's sister, and Silvio-san and I went to our respective bedrooms.

　I guess we'll have a joint practice tomorrow morning. Sounds like a hassle.