Well, I've had my first conversation with the Queen, and I've got to tell you, it was a strange one, but aside from being weird, I also got something even more bizarre in exchange for her secrecy. I must keep working in Baba's workshop like usual, but thanks to the Queen, I will have free time every day to go to her office and practice my craft skills secretly.
The Queen is a pretty knowledgeable fellow if I'm allowed to say that. Queen Claudia recognized the power of my unique skill and has chosen to help me raise it in secret as she told me that any nation would be willing to go to war for me if they found out, which is quite scary if I say so myself.
I guess Mother also knows about my skill since I've basically told her in a way, and she is friends with the Queen, who already knows about it, so there's no point in hiding it from Mother either. Talk about convenience; however, just when I'm about to talk to someone who might know about some reincarnations, I get called by the Queen, who has given me a clear goal.
As for today, I'm heading over to the market, where I'm hoping to find that lady who mentioned my beloved Okonomiyaki. How could it be that some random Witch knew about that dish and also knew exactly how to pronounce it? Japanese wasn't the native language in this world, after all.
It only takes me about five minutes of walking around the market to find that lady and the elf killer selling their dish that looks exactly like I would've expected it to look. A flat-like pancake made out of flour and cabbage, the lady cooking it even had those little spatulas the cooks liked to use back in my world, but how?!
"Hey there! How many you want, little one?" The lady named Ariel greets me right away while cooking another Okonomiyaki order. At the same time, Okina tries her best to keep her cool, giving people their change and sauces that look delicious.
"I'll just get one Okonomiyaki," I say to Ariel, who immediately gets to work before I drop a little bomb on her to test out how much she knew about the dish she was making. "Can you get me one Osaka style?" Ariel's face changes almost immediately, followed by a quick glow-up as if trying to hide something.
"Osaka style? I never heard of that! AHAHA!" Ariel continues to make my Okonomiyaki, but even though she says she doesn't know about Osaka-style Okonomiyaki, the way she makes mine immediately lets me know she knew exactly what I meant, so why was she so afraid to say it?
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
The difference wouldn't be that noticeable to a non-Japanese person, but for me, it's clear as day. Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki is made in layers where the cooker carefully but quickly layers cabbage along with your toppings in a griddle, while Osaka-style dips everything in a specially made batter and cooks all the ingredients together almost like a pancake.
The usual Okonomiyaki the other witches were eating was all Hiroshima style, while the one Ariel made for me was distinctly Osaka style. I carefully try to look Ariel in the eyes a few more times, but she refuses to look at me; instead, she keeps her eyes on the grill, followed by Okina, who tells me how much it is.
"Alright, one Okonomiyaki comes for one hundred Eris," Only one hundred Eris? How was she able to make things like that for so cheap? I mean, for god sake, I make low-quality weapons worth thousands of Eris; I guess she just liked doing it?
Paying Okina one hundred Eris is no big deal for me since I had been getting a small cut from Baba for helping her with her work; at least she didn't seem to think of me as her slave, which would be a little troublesome if so.
Seconds after paying, I get my plate from Ariel, who still refuses to look me in the eye, only making me more curious about why she was so shy. Could it be that this lady was a reincarnation herself? No way! I told myself while taking my plate to taste a dish I hadn't eaten since I reincarnated.
{Joy - Masato Kôda}
The first bite out of the dish almost sent me back home without dying as the taste of such a delicacy was almost one-to-one compared to some of the best street Okonomiyaki I had ever eaten; it was indeed a masterpiece.
My feet trembled in excitement, followed by my heart, returning to those memories of a little kid eating Okonomiyaki on the way to school almost every day when I still had allowance money. Oh yes, my dear Misa, you can eat half of my Okomiyaki for a kiss, ahh!
Everyone soon looks at me funny, like I'm some sort of weirdo for having such a reaction, yet all I can see from Ariel is a direct happy stare, almost like saying, 'I know you liked that.' The excitement is so great. My little guy down there also gets a little hard from the flavor I never expected to taste ever again, which is possibly the best flavor ever!
"Yo, what's up with Pan?" "I know, right?" "Isn't she Baba's apprentice?" The Witches behind me talked shit about me for a little longer before I managed to control my excitement since the dish I had eaten was the best thing I had in this world so far, EVER! Nothing came even close! Naturally, I wanted another one!
"Oh please, chef! Make me another one just like the last!" I practically begged Ariel like a dog on the floor, which only seemed to make her happy, finally letting me see the batter clay barrel she had under her cart, which even had Japanese writing on it, followed by a very shy and silent reveal on her part.
"Anata wa nihongo wo hanasemasuka?" Ariel says in perfect Japanese a phrase nobody, literally nobody else, could, to which I quickly respond with a clear "Yes!"