READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 98.2
Thoroughly Brined Grilled Salmon
By the time most of everyone had finished eating, Yuuri still had half a bowl of rice and half of his salted salmon left. Having finished all the other side dishes, Yuuri started flaking the salmon. He broke it up even finer than before and carefully removed all the bones. The flaked salmon was then tossed into his bowl of rice as if it were the most natural thing. To top it off, he added crispy, lightly charred skin, also broken down into bite-sized pieces.
“…Yuuri, what are you doing?”
“Huh? I thought I’d make some chazuke.”
““What?””
Yuuri’s nonchalant reply to Yakk’s question caught everyone off guard. Yuuri then got up, walked to the kitchen, and began boiling water in a kettle. The group, all with perplexed faces, watched as Yuuri returned, kettle in hand. When he poured the boiling water over the rice and flaked salmon, they were hit with a wave of shock.
Chazuke wasn’t exactly beloved by any of them. They knew Yuuri often ate it and that Arie enjoyed hers with pickled plums, but in a land where bread was the staple, chazuke was largely overlooked.
However—however, it was undeniable that the steaming salmon chazuke looked incredibly appetizing.
The pink salmon oil floated atop the hot water, releasing a tantalizing aroma. Paying no mind to the others, Yuuri blew gently on the hot dish and took a bite.
“Ahh, hot, hot…”
Despite the heat, he carefully slurped it up. Chazuke is meant to be eaten that way—slurped down with the broth. The softened salmon and rice filled his mouth. Though the water itself was flavorless, the salted salmon infused it with taste. Occasionally, the softened skin would release bursts of flavor, adding to the experience. With a few noisy sips, Yuuri finished his chazuke.
“Delicious,” he murmured happily, clapping his hands together to say, “Thank you for the meal.”
It was then he noticed his companions slumped over the table, confused.
“…Why is everyone looking defeated?”
“Yuuri… that looked so good.”
“That?”
“The chazuke.”
“Oh, yeah, salmon chazuke is really tasty.”
Yuuri responded with a sheepish grin to Yakk’s words of longing. The sound of pounding on the table startled him, but the others didn’t care. It seemed as though someone might burst out shouting, “No fair!”
…When eating something delicious, be sure to let others know. Otherwise, you might end up with a sulking group of hungry people like this.
“Uh… did you all want chazuke too?”
“I didn’t care much about it at first, but seeing you eat it made it look so good!”
“Ah, um… sorry?”
“If there’s such a way to eat it, you’ve got to tell us!”
Yuuri could only offer a half-hearted apology to Yakk’s earnest plea. After all, he didn’t think it would cause such a stir. It was just salmon chazuke. He never imagined everyone would be so interested. …Yuuri was unaware that everyone assumed anything he ate must taste amazing. And, to be fair, they weren’t wrong most of the time.
“…Okay, I’ll prepare more salted salmon next time.”
“With rice too!”
“Yeah, I got it. So please, Yakk, stop looking so resentful. And everyone…”
As Yakk shouted, “Promise, okay?” the others nodded in agreement. Yuuri thought to himself that they were an odd bunch but wisely chose to keep quiet. After all, salmon chazuke really was delicious. Today’s perfectly grilled salmon, with crispy skin, made it even better. Yes, Yuuri decided he’d make it again. Salmon chazuke was delicious, and it would also make for wonderful onigiri if mixed into rice. If everyone enjoyed the combination of salted salmon and rice, there was no harm in serving it again. Perhaps he’d even add some garnishes for a fancier version next time. With such carefree thoughts, Yuuri let his mind wander.
Incidentally, word spread, and soon enough, patrons at local pubs began requesting chazuke as a late-night menu item—a charming little development.