落とし穴９０堀：GW特別編 さあ定番だ！！ (Part1)
Pitfall 90: GW Special Edition - Let’s Stick to the Classics!!
Side: Yuki
Before I knew it, the Golden Week holidays were coming to an end.
The world had already passed the peak of the return traffic rush, and people were back home, preparing for the return of their daily routines.
From my perspective, I don’t quite understand why anyone would willingly choose to plunge into the crowds during a major holiday.
However, that is just my personal opinion. It would look bad if my wives and friends asked how I spent the long holiday, and I replied that I’d just been lazing around at home the whole time.
It becomes a matter of my own competence as a man.
I’d be labeled a deadbeat who couldn't even take his wives out for some fun.
Personally, I don’t care if I’m insulted, but it’s not good for my wives to feel like they’re being treated carelessly compared to others.
That could lead to discord within the family.
Since that’s not something I want, I figured I should do something.
But even that is quite a hassle.
If this were a typical family size, going out during the holidays wouldn't have been a problem, but unfortunately, I have 18 wives, 1 maid, and 7 children—a total of 26 people. Including myself, that’s 27.
Moving that many people is a struggle in itself.
Moreover, since almost everyone is a VIP, we can’t just head out without proper preparation.
"That’s exactly why I spent until the very last day preparing."
Yes, it’s not like I haven’t been doing anything.
I had been preparing for this very day—the final day of the long holiday.
Now that I’ve become the pillar of this family, I don’t intend to neglect such family services.
Well, it was impossible to start from the first day of the holiday, though.
Government work actually gets busier during the holidays, so in that sense, there is no rest for those of us who are the pillars of Weed.
Event management, ceremonies—this long holiday is strangely busy.
Since I’m the one who started this, I can’t tell them to ignore it, and since it keeps the economy moving, it’s good for the country, so my wives don’t have any complaints. But since I’m the one who dragged them into this, I truly want them to enjoy a proper break.
"Alright, let’s get the preparations started."
While my wives were out shopping, I carried the items into the banquet hall.
At first, I thought about doing something in the garden, but considering the safety of the children, I ultimately decided that doing it indoors would be safer.
"Yuki-san, is this size for the hot plates okay? Don't you think they’re a bit small?"
Taiki-kun brought in the main equipment, asking that question.
"That’s fine. Even if I brought one giant hot plate, it wouldn't cover everyone. It’s better to have many small ones. That way, we won't overcook things unnecessarily, and no one will miss out on a meal."
"Ah, I see. With yakiniku, there’s usually a divide between the people cooking and the people eating. This is safer, isn't it?"
Exactly.
My family service for this long holiday might seem a bit modest, but it’s yakiniku.
I originally thought about a barbecue, but since the children are now walking around on their own, I was hesitant to have many high-heat sources like charcoal fires burning.
You never know what children might do.
In that regard, hot plates in the banquet hall are easy to monitor if a child reaches out, and even if they run around, they’ll be far from the tables, so it’s not a problem.
Also, as Taiki-kun said, it’s a common occurrence in life that yakiniku parties end up with a divide between the cooks and the eaters; this setup prevents that.
If I place one hot plate for every four people, it won't turn into the grueling labor I faced before with the flowing somen noodles, where I had to keep the noodles flowing for everyone.
This way, everyone can grill and eat their own share.
However, to my wives, the idea of grilling and eating it themselves seemed strange, and they tilted their heads in confusion.
Well, it’s easier to just eat something that’s already prepared, so they probably didn't understand why we’d go through the trouble.
Some of my wives are former adventurers, so they seem to have an image of barbecues as being a bit "rough" or "crude."
But people from Earth’s developed nations know that’s not the case.
Grilling and eating on the spot is synonymous with enjoying food that is even fresher than "freshly made." You can enjoy the culinary experience—deciding when to take the meat off the grill, whether you want it medium, rare, or well-done.
Furthermore, it’s a fun dining style that also serves as a test of one's ability to judge which ingredients are the most delicious.
"It’s nice to have plenty, in many ways. When I was a student, it was a struggle just to fight over the meat and the space to grill it."
"That happens a lot when you're a student, doesn't it?"
As Taiki-kun said, for Japanese students, it’s a blissful place where you can eat your fill of meat, but it’s also a place where you compete with friends for it.
Yes, to eat is to live, and that is a battle.
The main causes are that meat is finite due to budget constraints, or space is limited.
But the biggest reason is probably just being a student with a growing appetite.
"We’ve all bought what we like this time, and in the worst case, we can just order more with DP, right?"
"Yeah. I sent them out shopping so they could enjoy picking out the best ingredients."
"Then we’re good. Oh, by the way, what about the drinks..."
"That’s my job. I brought them."
Taizo-san entered the banquet hall saying that.
He was carrying cases of bottled beer.
Looking at him now, he didn't look any different from a liquor store delivery person.
"Whoa, you brought quite a lot."
"There’s more. Between my family, Taiki-kun’s family, and Yuki-kun’s large family, a dozen won't be enough. Well, we’ll probably switch to wine later, but we’ll need at least another dozen."
Perhaps that was the spark, because the wives who had gone shopping returned, and after some lively and fun preparation, the yakiniku party was ready to begin.
The hot plates were already powered on, and everything was set for grilling.
All that was left was my signal to start.
"Alright, thanks for all your hard work during the long holiday. Today, please take your time and enjoy the yakiniku. Cheers!!"
" " "Cheers!!" " "
With that, the yakiniku party began.
"My, this is more interesting than I thought."
"Indeed. I wondered about grilling the meat ourselves, but it’s actually quite fun."
"Mhm. The ingredients are high quality this time, too. Though, Eris, you’re mostly sticking to the vegetables, aren't you?"