149: Quiche Lookalike

"Well, that happened..."

"Thank you for your hard work, Master Sata. I'm sure facing something incomprehensible was exhausting, so please rest well."

"Nah, I don't want to think about anything unnecessary right now. I'll just make dinner."

"I see."

When I returned to 'Sexy Mizushima,' Mekoshi greeted me.

So, I'll go ahead and mention the self-proclaimed weird old man I met at the tasting event.

I still can't figure out what kind of old man that guy was...

Anyway, as for everyone else besides Mekoshi...

Vilijanira seems to be in the middle of negotiations with the Imperial Army.

Joharis looks like he's asleep, probably worn out from finishing his report.

Anyway, it seems I don't need to worry about that.

"Right then, since I bought some ingredients today... let's just cook something simple and taste it, and maybe make a quiche-like dish as well."

I changed my form and stood in the kitchen, laying out the ingredients I'd bought at the tasting event.

Hmm, let's see... Mōmōdak's milk and eggs, Nnhohohofeofoō's aged bacon, and then there was a tuber—can't remember exactly where it came from—some root vegetables like carrots, and leafy greens like spinach.

"Let's dice the tubers and boil them until soft..."

I don't really know what kind of ingredients these are, to be honest.

Just have a small bite of them boiled as they are.

The potatoes... are nicely tender and sweet.

The carrots... have a firm texture, giving me a clear sense of recovery from fatigue.

The spinach... has a slight bitterness, but it feels packed with nutrients.

No wonder they're sold at the tasting competition—quality is excellent, and they're packed with nutrition.

"Let me fry the bacon and then cut it..."

Next, the matured bacon from Enhoho Hoho Feo Feo.

It looks like pure lean meat.

After searing the surface of this thick-cut bacon, I take a small piece from the edge.

The taste... wow, it's rich.

It's a unique flavor unlike chicken, beef, or pork—smooth, uniform, and well-structured.

The aroma is simple, just like regular meat—plain, yet delicious.

According to the pamphlet that came with it, Nnhohohofeofeo-o is a cone-shaped creature about three meters tall, walking slowly across the planet on four leg-like protrusions. It feeds on anything on the ground through its mouth at the base of the cone, capable of disassembling and reconstructing matter at the atomic level to use it for itself—apparently a kind of cleaner or scavenger species.

Hmm, thanks to that powerful ability to disassemble and reconstruct matter, it might actually have some decent meat.

"Alright, if we're going for this flavor, let's adjust the ratio to about this..."

I've been tossing the ingredients—cut to an appropriate size—into a mixture of Mōmōdak's milk and eggs, stirring them well to combine.

Then I transfer it all into the frying pan and cook it until it's solidified.

Occasionally shake the pan to prevent burning, and if needed, use a spatula to flip it over, making sure to cook it thoroughly throughout.

Well, that's pretty much how the pseudo-quiche comes together.

"Finished!"

"Thank you, Sata."

"Hmm, it smells amazing."

"Simply impressive."

I leave the pseudo-quiche as is.

The portions not made into quiche are plated separately and carried away.

The main course is... ah, yes, there's bread I bought at the tasting event. Let's go with that.

Vilijanira, as if the discussion had concluded, appears, followed by Joharis, who seems to have noticed the aroma, and dinner begins.

"Sata, this is delicious. It feels like it's easing away my fatigue."

"It's amazing—great as individual dishes or combined together."

"Given it's a judging event, the booths from all over the star systems really brought their A-game. Thanks to that, I ended up making some great purchases."

Now, about this quiche-like dish... hmm, pretty good, huh.

The dough, made with Mōmōdak's milk and eggs, has a distinct dairy richness, perfectly blending with the prepped ingredients in a well-balanced way.

I'll admit it—I'm impressed with myself. The mouthful bursts with a variety of savory flavors, absolutely delicious.

This is a major success.

"It's a pity that this combination is hard to replicate on a regular basis, I suppose. After all, it uses ingredients from various star systems."

"That's likely true. While we might be able to substitute with precise ingredient adjustments, there's no guarantee it would turn out well."

"Then we should savor it properly. Hmm, delicious."

Yeah, Jhoharis was right all along.

If making it again is difficult, let's fully enjoy what we have right now.

"By the way, Sata. You noticed it, right?"

"Huh? What's up?"

After the meal.

Vilijanila approaches, looking somewhat hesitant.

"I mean, I don't know what you ate, but ever since you came back, whenever you're calm, you kind of... carry a noticeable scent."

"Eh!? Wait, what? I changed my body once after coming back..."

Vilijanila said, it seems my current self is giving off the scent of Heikyomorlyu's bulb.

"Is that so? But it smells like I haven't changed my body at all..."

"Could it be... that this is the cause?"

"Yeah, this is exactly the one..."

"That's right. But there's no wound. So it must be the one I ate back then?"

I pull out a dozen Heikyomorlyu bulbs.

None of them are damaged, and they're all giving off a clean, crisp scent.

Hmm...

That's right. It definitely seems worth investigating, just like the weird old man said. If Satā can still emit that scent even after changing their body, depending on how that works, it might be useful for something.

Yeah. Let's look into it when we have time.

Hmm, let's see... I'll investigate the Heikyomorlyu as much as possible.

Also, I'll send about half a dozen to Seiryō Corporation.

Maybe the information would come out more effectively if someone else did the research instead of me, an amateur.

Also, the smell wouldn't go away no matter how many times I changed my body, lasting for several hours afterward.

Since it doesn't use pastry like a tart, it's a sort of pseudo-quiche.