落とし穴１掘：寿司くぃね！！
### Pitfall 1: I Want Sushi!!
This is a short story chapter.
I’ve decided that it’s about time I separated the main plot from the slice-of-life stories.
Please note that these short stories will be brief.
Thank you for your understanding.
***
**I Want Sushi!!**
**Side: Yuki (Real Name: Kazuya Torino)**
"Tuna!"
"Squid!"
"Scallop adductor!"
"Mackerel!"
"Flounder!"
"Um... egg..."
"Erm, the one with the fried shrimp on top, Brother!"
"...I'll have this, what is it? Clam soup? That sounds good."
"Salmon roe battleship roll!"
"Fatty tuna!"
"Inari sushi!"
Right now, I’m playing sushi chef, hand-pressing sushi for the little birds of my household.
Honestly, I’ve really done it now.
See, I’ve never worked at a sushi restaurant, nor have I ever apprenticed under a master.
It was just one of those things—I decided to host a "sushi party" at home, and I got carried away by making actual order slips and trying to be fancy.
The result? Everyone, having never tasted sushi before, absolutely loved it.
Now, I’m caught in a deluge of orders, forced to keep pressing sushi non-stop...
Ah, I want to punch my past self!
***
**A few hours ago**
"Man, honestly, I look forward to mealtime every single day. What are you going to serve us today, Big Brother?"
I was chatting about dinner while heading back to the inn with Ratz.
"Well, I'm running out of ideas for the menu..."
"Is that so? Well, even if you serve the same things as before, they’re still delicious enough."
"Hmm, running out of ideas... Wait, 'ideas' (neta)... That's it! Sushi (neta)!"
I had a brilliant idea, and it felt like a lightbulb went off in my head.
But that idea would soon become a noose around my neck.
"Ratz, get everyone gathered in the banquet hall. I’m going to go prepare."
"Oh? Did you think of something delicious? Leave it to me! I’ll take responsibility and bring everyone there!"
I was just getting carried away.
That’s why I didn’t realize it.
I’m the only one who knows what sushi is. Which means I’m the only one who can make it.
Despite that, I went and spent DP to summon several sashimi knives, that display refrigerator you see in sushi shops, specialized cutting boards, seaweed, and a mountain of ingredients already prepped for slicing.
I ran the rice cookers at full capacity, cooked tons of rice, and of course, made the vinegared rice!
*Shari* (vinegared rice) is the soul of sushi!
Ah, my apologies to the professionals. I just wanted to say that once.
Anyway, I was in high spirits as I prepared everything.
Looking back now, I think, "Why didn't I just summon the finished product with DP?"
But at the time, I felt like I had to do it myself.
After all, sushi is the heart of Japan, right!?
And then, the moment of destiny arrived...
Everyone who came to the banquet hall stared blankly at me and the array of tools surrounding me.
"Huh? The rice isn't done yet? I thought I heard a report that it was ready?"
Ratz tilted her head, looking around at my setup.
Heh heh heh, well, I suppose that’s to be expected.
If they don't know what sushi is, they wouldn't expect to be able to eat immediately just by looking at these tools.
Time to show them the fruits of my practice!
"No, the preparations are complete. Behold!"
I tossed a ball of *shari* into the air, caught it, and placed a pre-sliced piece of tuna on top.
Then, I placed it on the set I had prepared.
The portions for everyone else were already done.
I placed the sushi in front of them.
I started with the basics: one piece each of tuna, sea bream, salmon, squid, fatty tuna, flounder, and egg.
"Um... you're just putting sliced fish on top of rice, right?"
"Naive!"
"Eek!?"
"Put some soy sauce in the small dish in front of you, and eat the sushi—the rice with the sliced fish on top!"
Led by Ratz, everyone nervously dipped their sushi in soy sauce and brought it to their mouths.
"!!!?"
*Phew.* The first seven pieces disappeared in an instant.
Everyone finished eating immediately and looked at me, wondering if that was it.
They didn't realize that the display fridge was still full of sliced fish...
"B-Big Brother. D-don't tell me..."
"This is the menu. Order whatever you want. I’ll press it for you right here!"
"!!!?"
Everyone turned their eyes toward the menu.
Well, I had pressed quite a bit in advance, so I figured I wouldn't have to press *that* much on the spot.
And so, the early stages were an overwhelming victory for me.
I started with the customary steamed egg custard, clam soup, and hot green tea!
I handed out items I thought they’d like individually...
"W-what is this!?"
"It's called Inari sushi, a collaboration between the fried bean curd Kaya loves and sushi!"
"Ah, I see."
"It's fine, there's plenty. Don't worry, eat as much as you want!"
Kaya, in particular, was devouring a mountain of Inari sushi.
But now, the stock is gone, and I’m stuck pressing more.
"Coming right up!"
"Squid!"
"Here you go!"
"Egg—"
"Yes, yes!"
Damn it, will there be any left for me to eat?
As I pressed the sushi, I swore to myself that I would never, ever press sushi again.
Sushi!!
Ah, don't ask me which one is the best.
That’s a guaranteed way to start a fight, lol.