7: Lunch Report from the "Tsumebakei"

This is the second part of today's report.

"Hmm, hmm."

Let me take another look at today's menu and savor it carefully.

First, a generously sized sandwich roll.

It seems designed for the crew members, who are manual laborers, or perhaps intended for use in professional settings—noticeably larger than the standard rolls sold at regular shops.

Tearing off a corner and taking a bite, it feels like something mass-produced in the Primordial Colony of the Hiratara Tsugumi System, using wheat flour from the Gurogurobeta System.

In other words, just a fairly common mass-produced item.

It has a faint sweetness, enhancing the flavors of other dishes without getting in the way.

Yeah, it's delicious.

Next, salad.

Looks like it's a salad made on the spot here with about five or six different kinds of vegetables chopped up.

Not just leafy greens, but also vegetables with red and yellow hues mixed in, making for a beautiful color combination.

Judging by the taste... this is one of the ones produced at the Hira Tora Tsugumi Prime Colony.

Still, whoever is slicing it—whether human hands or mechanical arms—does so with such precision that the vegetable cells remain intact, preserving their nutrients and retaining their distinct texture and flavor.

In other words, it's delicious.

And if you toss it with the egg-centered dressing, supposedly special to the mess hall of the *Tsumebakei*, the taste deepens even further, becoming even more delicious.

Next, the mo-mo-dack's milk and eggs.

This is an egg from a bird native to the Hilartra Tsubumi star system, known as Mōmōdakku. Normally, you'd crack the egg open and enjoy the yolk and white—somewhere between the taste of milk and a regular egg—serving it in a vessel… something you'd usually drink from a juice can or similar container produced by corporations….

On the "Tsumebakei," dishes are served with eggs still in their shells, in an effort to reduce the amount of washing required.

So, following suit, I crushed the easier-to-break end and took a smoke.

Yeah, this one also feels incredibly nutritious and is remarkably delicious.

Finally, a whole roasted Marumaru Dachou, portioned out for one serving.

This is a whole roasted Marumaru Dachou, a large domestic fowl unique to the Hiratara Tsubumi star system, its aroma from the spices used making it extremely appetizing.

Taking just one bite, it's bursting with juicy meat and rich umami—so delicious it's impossible not to smile.

This is... that thing, isn't it?

The legendary long roast of Marumaru Dachou, crafted with utmost care during a ship's stopover at the Hiratratuzugumi star system—celebrating departure and praying for safe passage on long-term interstellar voyages.

I'd always wanted to try this dish... but I never imagined I'd get to enjoy such a perfectly delicious one, so effortlessly.

Hmm, delicious...

And when these four elements come together, their deliciousness only grows.

Place the roasted meat and salad between a slice of sandwich bread, then push them down with milk and eggs, and in just moments you’ll achieve complete satisfaction—both energetically and flavor-wise.

Yeah, just as I thought.

The salad and sandwich bread catch the meat and dressing perfectly, holding them in place so that a complex, delightful taste spreads throughout your mouth, bringing pure happiness.

It felt as though a fledgling were being celebrated as it took its first flight into the vast sky...

"This... is an extraordinary dish."

"Absolutely..."

Apparently, this flavor was also deeply satisfying to Viridianiya.

Especially the Long Roast of Marumaru Dachou seemed to have impressed her greatly, her expression showing genuine surprise.

"Exactly what kind of mod would be needed to create a taste like this?"

"Hmm?"

That's why I found myself tilting my head at the next words.

"Mods... I don't think they're used for taste, at least not for storage or cooking assistance. This is just based on what my tongue can tell."

"Wha—?!"

And before I could stop myself, I blurted out:

"Wait, you're saying you didn't use any mod to achieve a flavor like this?"

"Not at all. I'm only speaking from what my own taste buds could detect."

"...That's astonishing. Even some so-called high-end restaurants use mods and still can't match this quality..."

"Those places use mods—either for consistency and stability, or to cover up their shortcomings. But the cafeteria on the 'Tsumebakei' is completely different; you can't sense that kind of modding at all.

Mods... Local Event Alteration is a technology so fundamental to the current vanilla Imperial Universe that saying it's essential wouldn't be an exaggeration.

There are countless types, and it's not an exaggeration to say they can bring nearly any phenomenon imaginable to life.

The fact that spacecraft like the 'Tsumebakei' can travel through space is due to mods, and even Sw, which gives each solar system its unique characteristics, is a large-scale mod.

Of course, there are numerous mods that support everyday life, including ones that enhance the taste of food and others that allow you to eat things that were originally inedible.

But perhaps precisely because of that, there's a little cheating involved, yet I can tell whether mods are being used or not, as someone like me.

And with that ability, I can confidently say: the taste of this dish we're currently eating is nothing short of a pure crystallization of skill.

A mod might be used to assist with cooking, but at least when it comes to flavor, it remains exactly as it is.

Hmm, wonderful.

"……"

"Well, I've heard that among the upper class, there are cases where people deliberately use mods for various reasons..."

Vilijanila looks troubled.

I continued eating, leaving behind a few words that subtly supported the situation.

I don’t know what kind of dishes Vilijanila had experienced in the past, but that’s not my concern—whatever there is, I’d prefer to discuss it after we’ve disembarked.

Wait, reporting? Photos of the meal?

Since I’ve recorded it in video mode using the camera app, there’s no problem—I’ll extract a good shot from it later.

In fact, it's unthinkable to ruin a delicious meal just for something like that.

"Successfully departed from the dock of the primary colony in the Hira-Tora Tugumi system. From now on, we will begin moving toward the guide colony on the Hira-Tora Tugumi system side, utilizing the navigation beacon between the Hira-Tora Tugumi system and the Groglobeeta system, our destination for today."

So let's focus entirely on enjoying this wonderful meal right now.

09/05 Spelling correction