Karen and I stood side by side in the kitchen, setting out the ingredients. I kept the recipe a mystery until the very last moment.
「We’ll need a round yam, cheese, potato starch, milk, sugar, salt, and soy sauce.」
「Yam and soy sauce…? Are we making a snack?」
「Not exactly sure if it qualifies as a ‘snack,’ but it’ll be a good treat nonetheless. You’ll just have to wait and see.」
Karen pouted at my teasing. Adorable.
In her mind, yams were a staple food, and soy sauce was just for savory dishes. But today, those ideas will be put to the test.
「First, we’ll steam the yam. Can you prep it?」
「Hmm,sure.」
Round yam wasn’t something you’d find on Earth, probably. Its taste was similar to a potato, though the texture was denser, making it perfect for this dish.
Karen carefully rinsed the yam, placed it in the pot, filled the steamer with water, and even turned on the stove.
「Fufufu,see? I’ve got this down!」
「Yeah, good job.」
She tilted her head toward me, silently asking for a pat. Though her movements were a bit clumsy, I kept that thought to myself as I patted her head.
「While the yam steams, we’ll make the sauce.」
「Sauce?」
「Yes. We’ll mix water, sugar, soy sauce, and potato starch, and slowly heat it on low while stirring. When it thickens and turns translucent, it’s done.」
「It smells so sweet… yet there’s soy sauce, too. What… is this?」
I must have looked smug when I answered.
「It’s called mitarashi sauce. You can use soy sauce like this, too.」
Karen looked like she wanted to taste it, but I stopped her. The yam finished steaming, so I peeled it and put it in a bowl, using magic to cool it down enough to handle without getting burned.
I mashed the yam with a masher, then switched to a spatula, adding cheese and mixing it all together. Once smooth, I added potato starch and milk, kneading it into a doughy texture. Karen helped with the kneading, although her movements were a bit unsteady.
「Now, we take a bit of dough, roll it, and shape it into flat rounds about bite-size.」
「Bread? No… it’s more like those rice cakes we had at New Year’s.」
I held back a compliment and heated a pan with oil, placing the rounds in to fry. Once they were nicely golden on both sides, we took them off the heat, cooled them a bit, then transferred them to a plate and drizzled them with the mitarashi sauce.
「And here we have… cheese imomochi!」
Golden and crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside—our take on a traditional Hokkaido treat, imomochi.
「It looks amazing, but I can’t imagine the taste. Is it… a kind of rice cake?」
「It’s similar. Actually, I was debating whether to make this or tofu mochi for New Year’s.」
But since we’d had so much leftover okara from making tofu, imomochi had to wait until today. Now, it finally got its moment to shine, enhanced with cheese and mitarashi sauce.
「I want to try it. Let’s eat!」
「Can you make some tea first? Green tea would pair well.」
「Fine… but you’re so mean.」
Karen pulled out the tea bags, her excitement barely contained. I split the imomochi onto two plates—one for us, and one for mother and Mint.
「Let’s save two each for Mother and Mint.」
「! …So that means you and I get three each?」
「Think it’s okay? Or maybe it’s too much? What do you think, Karen?」
With a sly smile, I asked her, and Karen’s lips twitched a little before she leaned close to my ear and whispered.
「If we don’t say anything, no one will know… just our little secret.」
※※※
By evening, a massive dragon descended into the garden, silhouetted in the setting sun.
Viole and the others had returned from Sidera.
Mint was the first to hop off Ji Liz’s back, followed by Chocola, and then Viole, holding a wooden crate.
「Thank you, Ji Liz. Shall I treat you to some meat? There’s some fresh in the fridge, not the frozen kind.」
「Ah, as always, I appreciate it.」
While chatting, Viole glanced toward the house.
Normally, either her son, Sui, or her adopted daughter, Karen, would appear to greet them, sensing their arrival.
But today, there was no sign of anyone.
「Are they not home?」
「Bark.」
Setting the crate down, Viole brushed aside the playful Chocola at her feet. Mint glanced back and forth between her, the house, and then walked to the terrace.
Peeking through the sliding glass door, Mint gestured Viole over.
「Mother, look.」
「Are Sui and Karen not there?」
「There! But shh!」
With a finger to her lips, Mint beckoned Viole over.
「What is it?」
「Bark?」
Keeping their voices down, Viole and Chocola joined Mint on the terrace and looked inside through the glass.
「Ara ara」
「See? Shhh, shh?」
「Kwunn」
Mint and Chocola exchanged a glance and giggled softly.
On the table were two empty teacups and a plate with some syrup-like residue—probably traces of an afternoon treat.
But the two of them had left the tidying up for later, curled up side by side on the sofa, sound asleep, each leaning against the other.
They lay peacefully, intertwined in a deep, cozy sleep.
「They must have nodded off in the middle of chatting.」
「Bark.」
「Napping. Wake, don’t, mother. Chocola, you too.」
Patting Mint and Chocola’s heads, Mother replied.
「You’re right. Let’s let them sleep a little longer.」
※※※
「Chocola, play Pochi. Go go」
「Bark!」
Watching Mint and Chocola sneak off to the barn in the backyard, Viole turned back and shrugged at Ji Liz.
「That’s how it is. Sorry, but could you take the frozen meat from the ice room?」
「Guess it can’t be helped. …Still, they looked like children, all curled up and fast asleep.」
Raising his head slightly, Ji Liz peered inside from a distance, chuckling.
「Oh, to me, they’ll always be my children.」
「True enough.」
Ji Liz twisted his wings, and the evening sun glinted off his scales.
——————————————————
Ah, a cozy little at-home date that ended with sleeping together. Quite impressive.
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