It had been a few days since I delivered the handmade griddle.
When I visited the orphanage, I found it unusual that no children were playing outside. Instead, they were gathered in two groups, busy with some kind of work.
「Hm. Smells good」
「We already had lunch…」
「You can’t resist this smell」
Today I had gone shopping with Shiro, and at her suggestion we stopped by the orphanage on the way back to see how things were going.
She was probably curious after I came home last time with that delicious smell clinging to me.
「Ah, onii-san! You came! And Shiro-chan too!」
「Hmm. Came」
A girl about the same age as Shiro noticed us, took my hand, and pulled me toward the front of the group.
「Oh, onii-san! Thanks for the griddle!」
A boy making okonomiyaki on the griddle was sweating as he worked, a cloth tied around his head to keep the drops from falling, and he called out his thanks.
Hmm, is the cool air not flowing, or is it too weak? No, maybe they turned it off on purpose?
Well, they already thanked me when I delivered the griddle, but I smiled as I leaned in to peek at the okonomiyaki.
「How is it going?」
「Hehe, I’ve gotten better! After all, the teacher’s amazing!」
Oh, that’s good to hear.
The way it was cooking really did look delicious.
Shiro was staring at it intently too… just don’t touch the griddle, alright?
「Try a piece! We even made some improvements!」
Saying that, he cut the freshly cooked okonomiyaki in half right on the griddle, then smoothly slid it onto a wooden plate and handed it to us.
His speed had improved, and it seemed he had gotten much better.
Even his spatula handling was impressive, flipping it in a neat spin after serving.
「Lord, lord. Shiro wants to eat too」
「Yeah, here…」
I split a piece and held it up to Shiro’s mouth. She happily ate it, mumbling ahf ahf as she chewed.
Watching her smile, I took a bite myself. The heat of the freshly made okonomiyaki forced me to blow on it as I tasted.
「Oh…」
It was fluffier than the ones I made.
This was… yam, wasn’t it?
The inside was soft and airy, while the outside was crisp and fragrant. In short, it was delicious.
「Hehe, how is it?」
「Yeah, it’s good. Did you mix in yam?」
「Whoa, as expected of the teacher’s teacher! You figured it out in one go!」
Well, it’s something you see a lot back in my world too.
Even so, the fact that they tried things out on their own before I could say anything is impressive.
「Hmm. Delicious!」
Shiro seemed pleased. When I handed her the plate I had been holding, she kept eating happily, her mouth smeared with sauce as she munched away.
「These wooden plates look handmade」
「Yeah! Right now, we’re dividing up roles! The kids who want to be adventurers go get the wood, the ones who want to go into crafting practice processing it. The ones with magic talent pour their magic power into magic stones for storage! And the ones like me who want to be cooks, or those aiming for normal jobs, take care of the okonomiyaki!」
Heh. That was surprisingly organized.
Each one was helping in the way they could.
「So where’s this teacher of yours?」
「Over there teaching right now」
「I see. Then I’ll go say hello」
「Yeah! Come back later too!」
I left him with an “Alright” and walked toward the other group.
This side had more children, and they seemed a little younger.
「Yes, lift it just a little and flip it forward. Tilt it as you go… good. Well done」
「Ehehe, sensei is really good at teaching…」
I had donated two griddles.
When I saw the festival tents, I noticed they weren’t just wide but also deep, so I decided to make a second one.
After the festival, if they kept running it, one might be enough, but the other could always serve as a spare.
Well, if one broke, I’d just fix it right away anyway.
「Ehehe, I did it…」
「Yes, nicely done. Now move it to the plate, add the sauce and mayonnaise, and it’s finished」
「Okay!」
The child smiled happily at the okonomiyaki on the plate, then poured the sauce and squeezed on the mayonnaise.
「Mayoooneeze, make it wiggle like a stream… ah, it broke…」
She looked downhearted, but it wasn’t something to worry so much about.
Apparently, she was copying the way I first decorated one, but she was still struggling with it.
By the way, I had made the mayonnaise containers so they squeezed out in four thin lines.
While I was watching, Wendy, who had been clearing away tiny scraps left on the griddle, seemed to notice me. She quickly tidied up and walked over.
「Master, you came」
「Yeah. You’re a good teacher」
「Fufu, I’m just ordinary. The children are quick learners」
Wendy had picked things up after only a little teaching, so now she was coming as a teacher until the children could guide each other on their own.
She overflowed with maternal warmth, and it seemed the children adored her.
…As for the gazes of the boys, well, needless to say. Not that I couldn’t understand.
「Sensei…! Show us that again…!」
「Honestly. Again? Watching something like that won’t make you better, you know?」
「Pleeease!」
Wendy sighed as if to say “there’s no helping it”, though she didn’t look displeased at all.
The children asked me to watch too, so I lined up with them as Wendy began cooking okonomiyaki.
What exactly was she going to do?
There were five pancakes on the griddle.
Just as they were ready, Wendy smoothly slipped a spatula under one, flipped it with one hand, then continued in a flowing motion until she had flipped all five in succession.
「「「「Ooooh!」」」」
「There. You all can keep using both hands slowly, alright? Don’t try to copy this yet」
「「「「Okaaay!」」」」
The children answered cheerfully and returned to making their okonomiyaki, while Wendy approached me with a bright smile.
「How was that?」
「Yeah. That was amazing. Since when could you flip them with one hand?」
「Fufu. Once I got the knack of it, it was easy」
It wasn’t exactly a smug face, but she was clearly happy to be praised.
Apparently, she had also told one of the boys cooking nearby that he had mastered it and asked him to be the first to take the teacher’s role.
As for Mother, I was told she was in charge of gathering vegetables and wasn’t here right now.
「Speaking of which, where’s Mizera… oh, she’s practicing」
「Yes. She’s training diligently」
At the edge of the griddle, Mizera was staring intently at her okonomiyaki.
She had come with Wendy as well, but she wasn’t used to it yet.
Holding the spatula tightly in both hands, she fixed her gaze on it as if glaring, far too tense.
Then, as it reached the right doneness, she slipped the spatulas under both sides. That part was fine, but from there she began to lift it very carefully.
Stopping with it raised quite high, she froze.
Watching her, I realized she was hesitating, so I stepped up behind her and gently touched her hands.
「Ah, milord?」
「You don’t need to raise it that high. The outside is crisp, so all you need to do is tilt it slowly and when it starts to move, just flip it like this… see」
I guided Mizera’s hands from behind, showing her how to move.
Depending on how soft the okonomiyaki was, this way would be easier. I explained it to the children as well so they could see.
「…Thank you. I always get nervous when it comes to flipping…」
「Well, I can understand that. But even if you mess up, it’s not like you can’t eat it. What matters is trying without fear. That goes for you kids too. Don’t worry if you fail」
「「「「Okaaay!」」」」
Yes, yes. They really were good, honest kids.
Now, the real problem was over there.
「M-Master. I feel a little uneasy about flipping this…」
No, no, why are you holding the okonomiyaki that high in such an awkward pose?
Your arms are trembling.
Just a moment ago, didn’t you flip it gracefully? With one spatula, didn’t you spin it cleanly?
「P-please, milord. Could you go to her… Why is it that Wendy-sama always becomes like this in front of you…」
「I’ll go, so don’t say anything more… I’m starting to feel like this is somehow my fault…」
I moved behind Wendy, gently guided her hands, and slowly lowered the okonomiyaki. She looked up at me with a dazed, affectionate expression.
「A-as expected of the teacher’s teacher…」
「Yeah. To us she’s a proper teacher, but in front of her teacher, she’s completely undone…」
「Fool. That’s a woman’s heart」
「Enough already. Get back to practicing…」
Honestly… I had thought they were all sweet and obedient children, but they really liked talking about this sort of thing.
After that, I ended up teaching as the teacher’s teacher.
Since the menu wasn’t finalized yet, they seemed to be experimenting with various things. When I suggested cheese and showed them how to make it, they liked it very much.
Still, too many varieties would be a problem, so they decided on the standard pork okonomiyaki, with cheese or mashed moi available as paid toppings.
From here on, the orphanage would unite as one in preparation for the festival. Once the children were able to teach each other, our part would be finished.
After that, all that was left was to look forward to the results on the day itself.
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