AIWON Mall Isekai Store, Grand Opening Today! - Chapter 106
Episode 10-8
It’s been 25 days since I became the manager of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.
After finishing our inspection of the fish market, we found ourselves in a nearby restaurant.
“Hmm, this breeze is nice! Once you get used to it, the sea really isn’t so bad!”
The restaurant had walls only halfway up, with the sea-facing side supported by just a few pillars. The floor was nothing but the white sand of the beach, giving the place a relaxed, open atmosphere. It wasn’t very crowded, likely because we were there outside of regular meal hours.
“It feels more like a beach house than a restaurant. No pre-packaged curry, gentle (light) ramen, yakisoba, or frankfurters here, though.”
I muttered to myself as I sat at a table set on the sand under the roof’s overhang. Next to the table was a rack with seafood laid out on it. Water dripped from the seafood onto the burning firewood below, creating a sizzling sound.
The scene around us—a blue sky dotted with white clouds, calm waves lapping at the sandy shore—didn’t feel all that foreign. There were sailing ships visible in the distance, but that wasn’t so unusual that it broke the immersion. It was like being at a summer beach house, with tourist boats cruising by.
“If only I didn’t look at what’s on the rack…”
A seaside BBQ or beach grilling usually sounds like something that would whet your appetite, but all I could do was sigh.
“What are you talking about, Naoya? Everything looks delicious!”
“Oh, right. You’re the one who can stomach something that looks like an alien wrasse and still say ‘what’s inside is what counts,’ Chloe.”
“Naoya-san, if you’re worried, I can eat it first. I’m immune to poisons, and even if my internal organs get injured by spines or sharp fins or are torn apart by parasites, I’ll regenerate.”
“Please stop with the specific details, Anna-san. You’re making me seriously anxious. This world is terrifying. I didn’t feel this kind of dread in any of the nearby town’s eateries.”
“…Eat?”
“Naoya, Barbera is hungry. Can she start eating?”
“Ah, just a moment. They say it’s customary in this port town to finish it off with this.”
The seafood on the rack was what we’d picked up—well, more like what we got persuaded into buying—at the fish market earlier. The fluorescent fish, the ones with horns, and the ones with razor-like fins had all been expertly prepared. That part was fine. The smell of grilling was great too.
But then there were the parasitic worms that squirmed out of the fish as they cooked or the shellfish that opened up and stared at you with their beady eyes as they roasted. Yeah, that really kills your appetite. This world is wild. Not even cross-cultural communication training could have prepared me for this.
With a sigh, I opened the small jar that one of the staff had left for us.
“…Hmm? This smell… is it fish sauce?”
I scooped some out with a wooden spoon and let it drip onto the back of my hand. Then, I tasted it.
“Salty, but there’s also a strong umami flavor from the fish. Wow, they even have fish sauce here. I guess if you have fish and salt, it’s not impossible to make. It makes sense that it exists in this world too.”
It was probably homemade, with a bit of a pungent smell, but it wasn’t bad. I drizzled a little over the grilled fish and shellfish on the rack.
A satisfying sizzle and an appetizing aroma filled the air.
“Yeah, that smells good.”
“Hm, this scent is similar to the ‘soy sauce’ you sometimes use, Naoya! Gah, can we eat now? We can, right?”
“Hold on, Chloe. Calm down. Let’s make sure everyone gets a taste, so no hogging the whole thing to yourself. The flavors should vary depending on the type.”
“Is that so? The fish of the sea are mysterious indeed!”
“Well, river fish and lake fish are the same, and so is meat, you carnivorous elf.”
Now that I think about it, Chloe couldn’t tell the difference between types of food, and every time she insisted that “grilling is the best way to cook it!”
“Let me serve everyone’s portions.”
“Thank you, Anna-san.”
“Hehe, I’m quite good at dissection.”
Anna-san was a master at using a knife and fork to skillfully flake the fish. She’s like a mom, even though she’s undead. Except undead jokes aren’t really funny here.
Barbera was focused on the rack, fork in hand, watching intently. She was close enough that it might have been dangerous if she weren’t a dragon. The fire at the tip of her tail flared up with excitement. Barbera Mama, meanwhile, was gently stroking Barbera’s head as she watched with an amused smile.
“Alright, let’s start with something that looks safe… Itadakimasu.”
I brought the piece of fish that Anna-san had served to my mouth.
“Hofufuuuh! …It’s more chewy than I expected, but it’s good. Although, the smell of the fish sauce becomes more noticeable when it’s heated. The aroma is nice, though.”
“This is delicious! It’s so delicious, Naoya! What is this? Is this what sea fish tastes like? Just grilling it and adding a drop of that dark brown liquid made it taste this amazing!”
“Oh, right. This is your first time eating fresh seafood, isn’t it, Chloe? So if we sold this at Aion Mall, it might do well due to its novelty, huh?”
“Yes, I think it would sell well, Naoya-san. But the challenge is how to transport it… Although, it wouldn’t be a problem for me if it spoils.”
“Right, because you’re already… well, not exactly spoiled yourself. But it takes two weeks by carriage from this port town to the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store. It’s not feasible to transport live fish either.”
“…Delicious! This one’s delicious too!”
“Oh my, it tastes better when it’s hot. I should ask Papa to make it for me from now on.”
The fish from this other world was surprisingly good.
Fish sauce wasn’t bad, but I still preferred soy sauce.
However, everyone else seemed to enjoy it. Chloe was happily munching away, Anna-san was calmly assessing the business potential, and Barbera was not only eating the fish but also grabbing the grilled shellfish and crunching through it with satisfaction.
Despite looking like a 10-year-old girl, she was indeed a dragon. Also, sorry, Barbera Papa-san, but it seems like Barbera Mama might have more demands on her meals from now on. Apologies for treating the legendary dragon’s breath like a cooking utensil.
“Ha ha! I’m glad you all like it! Now, try this one!”
“Auntie, what’s that?”
“This is the specialty of this port town, Ushio-jiru! It’s a stew made with whatever seafood was caught that day!”
“Ah, I see. With the herbs you’re using, it feels more like bouillabaisse than Ushio-jiru. And there are plenty of shellfish in here too.”
“It’s delicious, but something feels missing. Why is that? Is it because there’s no meat?”
“Heh, maybe our taste buds have been spoiled by consomme and umami seasonings.”
“Yeah, it’s good. But I think it’s more about the off-flavors or the fishy smell rather than the lack of broth or umami. It seems like it could be even better with the right preparation. So, no, adding meat won’t help, Chloe.”
“…Delicious. But I want to drink beef stew.”
“Naoya, Barbera-chan says she wants you to make it with Papa’s meat and bones.”
“That request is a bit too gruesome, don’t you think?”
As we continued to chat and enjoy the seafood, the auntie brought over the next dish. Hearing our conversation, she seemed to be wearing a confident smile, as if to say, “Try this if you think that wasn’t enough!”
“Try this if you think that wasn’t enough!”
“Was she reading my mind? Or did I say that out loud without realizing it?”
“Th-this one has quite an appearance… B-but! What matters is not the appearance, but what’s inside!”
“Is that intestines, offal, bones, and… is this blubber?”
“So it’s cuts of that giant fish and the alien-looking warasubo thing from earlier. The appearance is grotesque. And Anna-san, the way you described it is also grotesque.”
What she placed on the table was a large plate of stewed seafood.
From the edge of the plate, a creature that looked like something out of Alien was poking out to say hello.
It’s been 25 days since I became the manager of Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.
It seems that today’s seafood tasting at the port town’s eatery has become a real trial.