Editing Hagure Yuusha no Aesthetica:Volume 7 Prologue (section)

===Part 4===

Plain rice tastes the best immediately after it's cooked.

Regardless eating it as is, enjoying it with a raw egg covered with natto is also very delicious.



Basically there is no substitute for piping hot rice.

However, there are very few cases where such common sense is overturned. 

Sushi is one of them. 

However, to properly make home-made sushi is not an easy task. 

After all, there is a relatively high technical threshold to make sushi, not every housewife has a sushi chef's skill. 

Although the bulk of scattered sushi materials can be directly purchased from the supermarket, eggs and peas silk processing still holds a certain degree of difficulty.

The market does sell sushi platters, but they are less appetizing.

Having said that, a relaxing way to enjoy sushi at home still exists.

The answer is ...... 

"Ah ha ha ~ hand-rolled sushi ~ "

Cheers coming from the living room reached Onizuka Kenya's ears.

Onizuka was standing in the kitchen.

He braved the snowy vapor from the stainless steel stock pot smoke on top of the gas stove.

"Damn... ... Why should I tire myself like a dog? ... ... "

Gazing at the slowly rising steam, Onizuka can't help muttering.

Onizuka is cooking miso soup they way he likes it which is with a clam taste.

Since he lives alone, there is no reason to make miso soup at home when he could always just have instant soup cups.

Not to mention the hand-rolled sushi, Onizuka never even had the idea to eat hand-rolled sushi before.

However, Onizuka is making hand-rolled sushi and miso soup for tonight's dinner.

This is definitely not what Onizuka's menu typically looks like.



There was a certain reason why it had come to this. 

"Ken-chan, Ken-chan, I do not want to shake the fan."

An overly familiar voice calls Onizuka with a little bit spoiled tone. 

The girl was a freeloader that was temporary living together with Onizuka.

She is Tiana · Randohauze.<ref>temp name</ref>

"If you insist on eating hand-rolled sushi by all means then just obediently fan it."

That's right! 

The whole episode started with Tiana, who was obviously a foreigner, said on a whim "I want to eat good sushi", but then she didn't seem like a foreigner as she started to say "I absolutely must eat sushi with clams and miso soup". This kind of Japanese cuisine is more than what most Japanese adhere to. Onizuka already experienced one of Tiana's outbursts. With her stubborn personality that left no margin for error, no matter how reluctant his heart was Onizuka could only concede. 

In the past, it was unthinkable for Onizuka to let a girl lead him around by the nose.

Although he was gradually accepting his fate of being lead around by the nose, Onizuka couldn't help think it was exasperating.

....Ahhhhhhhh....What the hell am I doing? ....

Be that as it may, Onizuka is still somewhat moved.

Even though he hates the hassle more than anything else. 

Now he is even willing to cook for someone other than himself.

"I probably took the wrong medicine."

After making the bitter remark, he once more concentrates on the stainless steel pot on a gas stove. 

However the time and effort only required a minimum amount of trouble despite being home cooking. 

Do-it-yourself sushi is made as follows. First pour the right amount of sweetened vinegar with the boiling rice. Mix unitl it's well-distributed, then add the supermarket bought ready-made sushi, and finally roll it in a layer of nori. As for Onizuka's process for cooking miso soup, next you add the split sand clams to the boiled water, then mixed it with miso soup stock, and at last it is completed.

"Oh, by the way Ken-chan, don't forget to turn off the heat before you add the miso."

"Who do you think you are? Mind your own business, I do not need your meddling." 

"Well ... ... This is a little strange to say, but why doesn't this home have a hair dryer?"



Tiana expressed her inner doubts.

Taking advantage of a hair dryer blower feature would reduce the temperature of the rice more efficiently than their fanning.

However, since the day before yesterday the Onizuka's home is without a hairdryer. 

The reason is simple ...... 

"Did you forget? A certain idiot threw it and broke it."

"That is also because some pervert was spying on someone's body."

To Onizuka's displeased voice, Tiana, not to be outdone, immediately retorted with sarcasm.

The now broken hairdryer was cheap anyway, bought when Onizuka first began living in the apartment.

Since it had already been used for a few years, it was nearly at the end of its lifespan.

Then the poor hair dryer was conveniently picked up by Tiana and thrown at Onizuka's forehead. After the hair dryer hit its target, it landed hard on the floor and broke.

Afterwards no matter how many times it is pressed it won't turn on.

"If you cut corners now, the distinctive flavor of the sushi will be greatly affected ... ... Hey! you have to just accept it."

Tiana sighed and continued to fan.

"But having to fan is boring... ... we are space aliens!"

"Stop with these childish antics! Even if you must play, you shouldn't speak into the spinning electric fan so close!"

"This is the lair of the bored devious lion star people!"

"....Okay, okay, I know you're a visitor. I would love to play along with you. Oh, by the way...keep fanning."

A little joking around. This is the first time in his life cooking miso soup.

After some time ...... 

"Almost right." 



After the appropriate amount of time, Onizuka turned off the fire.

Then put the miso seasoning into the pot, stirring it back and forth with chopsticks.

This should be the right recipe. Just to be sure, Onizuka scooped a small amount into the ladle to taste.

The clam's distinctive sweet flavor suddenly spread throughout his mouth.

Its flavor isn't bad. For a beginner it could be considered quite good.

Onizuka stuck his head out from the kitchen, looking towards the living room.

"The miso soup is finished, you over there-"

Only half of the words had to be said.

"Aha, Perfect timing, I just got here a moment ago."

Tiana responds with an innocent smile.

Onizuka's veins suddenly burst out on his temple. 

"...... Hey." 

"Is there something wrong, Ken-chan? Your appearance is even more ferocious than normal." 

"....Where has the vinegar rice gone? "

On the table was an empty platter. 

The rice was missing.

Tiana still looked at ease.

"Eh?" Really! did you ask me? I just got here."

"Don't give me that nonsense! One person ate all the vinegar rice! "

"This one... ...the temperature was suitable for the vinegar rice, you must personally eat it to know. "



Tiana sticks her tongue out.

Of course when Tiana offered to help, Onizuka already considered the risk of her eating the vinegar rice.

Therefore Onizuka's solution was to wait until the last moment to bring out the sushi ingredients.

He never imagine that Tiana couldn't wait for all ingredients to be on the table and was capable of wiping out all of the vinegar rice in one breath.

"I'm sorry. I was careless."

"Give me a break! One person eating an amount which is the equivalent to six bowls of steamed rice, still dares to say that was careless?"

The Onizuka household rice cooker could only cook a maximum of three cups of rice.

However, For Tiana's gluttonous stomach clearly three cups of rice was inadequate.

So Onizuka boiled three cups of rice and made Tiana responsible for fanning it, then again quickly prepared three more cups of rice.

Carefully considering all the time needed before it would all have been ready to eat.

Fortunately the sushi material is safe and sound. 

Making more vinegar rice shouldn't take too much more time.

"...... Well, you lost." 

"Don't be so angry. I know I'm in the wrong, so I left the best part for Ken-chan. "

"The best part? Where is it? I don't see it?"

The platter on the table was completely empty.

There wasn't a trace of the vinegar rice. 

Onizuka looked puzzled.

"Really slow, it's here - this · la ~"



Tiana winks her right eye.

At this moment Onizuka finally understood Tiana's meaning.

If you look closely, on Tiana's right cheek is a grain of rice.

Murderous intent burst forth in his mind.

"......" 

Onizuka silently reached out–

"What the? It's really strange that you're actually not mad. Yeah. Well, that's good. There's no need to be modest, Don't hesitate to eat it--Huh?"

....He grabbed Tiana's collar and started dragging her.

Through the opened window that was just repaired yesterday, he threw Tiana out onto the veranda.

He shut and locked the windows, and drew back the curtains.

Locking Tiana out of the house.