I Was a Small Fish When I Reincarnated, but It Seems That I Can Become a Dragon, so I Will Do My Best - Extra Chapter 70

3-20. Discussion of Skills

The treasured fish, its head severed, was immediately filleted into three pieces. The head, now just bones and organs, was tossed into the abyss-like live well.

The remaining massive body, though not fast, underwent meticulous and precise knife work to remove the skin and rib bones.

Surprisingly, the skin of the treasured fish seemed fragile, requiring careful removal along with the scales for a clean finish. Hence, the fish was quickly taken out of the water, and any remaining scales on the flesh were thoroughly washed away.

Once processed, the treasured fish’s flesh was skillfully sliced to become appealing sushi. Using a long knife, diagonal cuts were made to create several large pieces. The cutting technique varied depending on the part, and the sorted pieces were neatly arranged on a cutting board.

After this, the sushi rice balls were crafted, but the sushi at the Oni Village was generally larger. The amount used was not the same as that for onigiri; it was more substantial. Therefore, the toppings on the sushi naturally became larger as well.

However, Gy?, being aware of the presence of children, made a considerate gesture. He made the rice slightly smaller and arranged it into bite-sized pieces for easier consumption. These were then placed on sushi geta (wooden platters) and presented before us.

“Starting from the right, red-fatty, lower back, fatty, extra fatty. In the old days, these were considered undesirable parts, but now they’re considered premium. I wonder if tastes change with the times?” (TL: seriously, it’s the name of tuna part in sushi)

“That’s possible. Well then, let’s enjoy it.”

Uchikage-ojisan took a piece of sushi in his hand and took a bite. Ours were smaller, but Uchikage-ojisan’s portions were quite large, given his size.

“L-let’s eat.” (itadakimasu)

“Bon appetit.” (itadakimasu too)

We also tasted the sushi. Though bite-sized, the vinegar rice and treasured fish blended perfectly, making it incredibly delicious. Despite the treasured fish’s usually unremarkable taste, the vinegar rice enhanced its flavor.

Eating the sushi in order from right to left, the texture varied with each bite. Different parts had distinct softness and chewiness. Despite coming from the same fish, a slight change in the cut significantly altered the texture.

Glancing at Kyuuri, she was devouring the sushi with gusto. Having enjoyed the first bite, her eyes sparkled as she eagerly continued eating. With only four pieces, they disappeared quickly, but they were satisfyingly delicious.

“Delicious! It’s amazing, so different from sushi in other shops…”

“Amariaz, that’s rare for you. But indeed, it’s delicious.”

“Children are honest. Hehe, what can I say? I just adjusted the amount of vinegar a bit. It’s not that difficult.”

“Well said. I know you use different vinegared rice for red and white fish.”

“Even the great Gy?-sama, who has lived for over four hundred years, can’t deceive us with that.”

There was something about it. Lately, I find myself not being so surprised when I hear about events from hundreds of years ago. The units are weird. It’s getting a bit scary that I’m getting used to it.

Or maybe this is not enough…

“Can we have seconds?”

“If you liked it, kiddo, go ahead and grab a few more.”

“Me too!”

“Kyuuri too!”

“Sure, sure.”

Everyone seemed to enjoy Gy?’s sushi. If it was this delicious, I wished I could have eaten the same size as Uchikage-ojisan.

Soon after, Gy? started making more sushi for us. It was exactly the same as before, but it never got boring. I quickly finished all of them and asked for a third serving.

“But you know, Gy?-san’s magic is quite something.”

“Is that so? Well, compared to your skills, it’s a trivial thing. I can only use this one magic.”

“Eh, really?”

“Yeah. I can only summon living fish. Nothing else.”

While talking, Gy? skillfully cut the ingredients and made sushi. Placing them gently on the sushi geta, he handed them to me.

“Special magic isn’t something I have many of. But skills completely ignore that. In the old days, I envied skillful Oni, but now I realize it’s a power beyond my reach.”

Listening to Gy?’s words, Amariaz nodded while eating sushi. Uchikage-ojisan also nodded a few times before sipping his tea.

“In the past, it was natural for those without skills to envy those who had them. While I ruled the Oni Village, I managed to keep things under control. However, for a hundred years after the loss of skills, cracks continued to appear among humans. Gradually, Amariaz. Remember that having a skill is not only a special but also an honorable thing.”

“It’s an outdated power in this era. That’s why I’m targeted.”

Yeah, that’s true. When you think about it, my skill, “Explosive Fist,” is not something ordinary people can use. I’m just too sturdy, so the damage doesn’t affect me. If somebody else were to use it normally, their arms might get blown off.

Come to think of it, is this toughness also a skill? Well, it probably is. I’ve thought before that I have a lot of defense-oriented skills, but “Explosive Fist” and “Penetrating Fist” are clearly attack-oriented… I don’t really understand.

So, I looked at Kyuuri. She was still eating sushi and tapping his her foot happily, or so I thought. But no, she was stiffly staring at the sushi. I was about to ask what happened when she quickly ate the sushi.

“Hmm?”

“~?”

She seemed even happier than before. It looked like she really liked this sushi. Well, I’ll have to bring her here again next time and remember this place.

Kyuuri continued to listen to the others’ conversation, humming happily. She was masking his previous personality now that she was eating, but she reminded herself to behave more elegantly after leaving this place.

(Went back, went back?)

So far, everything was going smoothly. I picked up the sushi placed in front of me and put it in my mouth once again.