「Wow, I mean… it’s really turned into a forest, hasn’t it? And right in the middle, there’s this lone Japanese-style house. It’s such a strange sight in so many ways.」
Alice-san, who had come to our home via 『Tír na Nog』, looked out over the surrounding forest from the garden, speaking with a sense of wonder.
Meanwhile—
「Alice, Hanaikada and others, grandma?」
「Hmm… not quite. She’s more like a friend of dad and mom. But she told us to call her oneesan.」
「Oneesan?」
「But she feels so familiar. We immediately liked her.」
「Uuuuu! Mint, too! When met Grandma, liked her right away!」
In one corner of the garden, Mint was frolicking with the fairies. From the snippets of conversation I caught, it seemed Alice-san had become their ‘oneesan’. Apparently, their way of existence was similar, which sparked a sense of familiarity and helped them bond quickly.
…Or perhaps, from two thousand years ago, some faint memory still lingered in their hearts. Back when they were children of Four Seasons-san and his wife, Alice-san must have held them in her arms.
「Thank you again for your help with the Teikou issue. Knowing you’re here makes this place feel secure.」
「The familiar I’ve sent into the sky will keep functioning even after I’m gone. Eventually, Mint and the others will take over, and one day, the scar on this land will heal, won’t it?」
「Yeah. Judging by the state of the magic power flow, it’ll probably take another two or three hundred years… at most, five hundred. By then, this forest won’t be an uncharted magical wilderness anymore.」
Two hundred years, or five hundred. My thoughts wandered to that distant future. Would this place one day be cleared by human hands, transformed into a town? Would our home crumble, decay, and sink beneath the earth?
Well, no point dwelling on it. Eras come and go—that’s just how it is. What matters more are today, tomorrow, and the days we’re living now.
「Bark! Bark-bark!」
「Hahaha, Chocola, so fast!」
「Ooh, I won’t lose!」
「Playing tag like a bunch of kids… so childish. …Here you go, Pochi. Your flower wreath is finished.」
「Kyururu?」
「Was it a bit too small? It only fits up to the tips of your horns…」
「Fufu, they’re so lively and having so much fun. I’m glad… really glad.」
Alice-san watched the fairies, her expression on the verge of tears.
She had lived in a distant past and awakened in a distant future. Yet the time she would spend now was today, the present. Like us, she would take each day one step at a time.
「By the way, Alice-san, it’s a bit early, but dinner—do you have time? Can you stay and eat with us?」
「Of course! I’ve already taken care of my errands in Alfheim. Honestly, I felt a little bad about imposing, but… I’ve been craving Japanese flavors so much. What’s on the menu tonight?」
Alice-san grinned mischievously, her excitement clear. In response, I gave her a deliberately mysterious look—just enough to spark her anticipation.
「It’s a secret. Look forward to it.」
※※※
「Okay, for tonight’s meal, I’ll have Karen and Mint help me out.」
「Hmm. I’ll do my best.」
「Mint do best too!」
And so, about two hours later—
Karen, Mint, and I stood in the kitchen, raising our fists together.
「Alright, let’s do this!」
「Oh!」
「Uuuu!」
Meanwhile, mother and the others were keeping Alice-san company. As the setting sun bathed the English garden in warm light, they enjoyed tea and a leisurely chat. This was partly because… if they saw the cooking process, they’d immediately figure out what we were making.
「First, I’ll chop up the onions. I’ll handle this part since it stings the eyes.」
I took the onions we’d bought in Sidera and began finely chopping them. I set aside about a quarter of them and sautéed them lightly until translucent.
「In the meantime, Mint, I’ll have you knead this.」
From the refrigerator, I brought out some ground meat.
It was a blend of boar and beef, prepped earlier while making lunch. Without a meat grinder, I had minced it by hand with a knife. Thanks to the incredible sharpness of 『Kannagi』, the task was surprisingly easy, and the meat was minced to perfection with little effort.
「Do you remember what I showed you earlier? Karen, keep an eye on her, okay?」
「Hmm. She’ll be fine. Mint can do it.」
「Do my best!」
First, we added salt to the minced meat and mixed it until it became sticky.
Then, we added the sautéed onions, breadcrumbs, a raw egg, and milk, kneading it all together.
「That’s it. Squeeze the meat in your hand like this—grip, release, grip, release.」
「Like this? Grip, release, grip, release…」
「Perfect. You’re doing great.」
Karen had learned the recipe from me before, and it seemed she was turning into quite the capable teacher. Mint, though clumsy with her small hands, was giving it her all.
「Is this good now? Next, we’ll stir it in circles. Let’s do it together.」
「Uuuu!」
While the two of them worked on the filling, I moved on to another task.
I took the remaining three-quarters of the minced onion and added it to a pot, letting it slowly caramelize until golden brown. Then, I stirred in some spices, followed by water and yogurt.
「We needed to use up the eggs and dairy products we bought in Sidera before they spoiled. This recipe was perfect for that.」
As the mixture began to boil, the fragrant aroma of spices filled the kitchen. Turning off the heat, I covered the pot and switched to the frying pan to sauté some vegetables and mushrooms—carrots and shimeji. This time, I kept the ingredients simple.
「Sui, look. How is it?」
「Oh, it looks great! The center is nicely indented, and the air’s been worked out.」
「Sui, Sui! I pat-pat the meat, then squish-squash with hands, and plop-plop!」
「That’s amazing. You did a great job, Mint. You’re so skilled.」
「Mufuu!」
「Fufufu, it’s all thanks to my teaching.」
「You’re both awesome. Now, let’s wash our hands, okay?」
I added the sautéed carrots and shimeji to the pot and began simmering the mixture. Meanwhile, I heated butter in the frying pan and started cooking the meat patties. After browning one side on medium heat for two to three minutes, I flipped them over, lowered the heat, and covered the pan with a lid.
Soon, the pot began bubbling, and the distinct aroma wafted from the kitchen, through the living room, and even beyond the house.
—For Alice-san, it must have been a nostalgic scent, stirring memories of home.
「Sui-kun! This… this smell!!」
Before long, Alice-san burst out from the garden, slid open the veranda door, and knelt on the floor, leaning in eagerly.
Her eyes sparkled like a child’s, and seeing her reaction brought a smile to my face—it was just as I’d hoped.
「That’s right, Alice-san.」
The sweet onions and spices melded perfectly with the carrots and shimeji, creating a richly fragrant curry. The hamburger steaks, now fully cooked, oozed clear, savory juices when pierced with a skewer.
Curry and hamburger steak—each was already a masterpiece on its own, but together, they became something even greater.
I nodded at Alice-san and proudly announced the name of the dish.
「Tonight’s dinner is Hamburg Steak Curry.」
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