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Salt-Grilled Sweetfish
「I’ve gathered branches that look like they can be turned to skewer and can be burned!」
After I went back to shore and wear my clothes and floated a fireball using Fire magic near me, I saw Torr and Asmo returning while bringing branches in their hands. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
「As expected from Al. You’ve already made a fire and are ready」
「Of course. Throw the branches that look like they can be burned to the middle」
「Okay」
After I said that, Asmo start to put dry branches under the fireball.
「Al, can I skewer the sweetfish in a water ball?」
「Un, please do. I moved the water ball so wash it properly, alright」
「Okay」
After telling them that, Torr and Asmo start to thrust their hands into the water ball.
「Hehee, you won’t be able to escape anymore! Accept your fate!」
「Obediently become a salt-grilled sweetfish now」
Perhaps they held a grudge that the sweetfish escaped before, the two of them begin to capture the sweetfish with sadistic smiles on their faces.
Don’t bully the sweetfish too much.
As I stare at Torr and Asmo’s action, faint smoke came out from below, I guess fire has spread on the branches under the fireball. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
I send gentle wind to the pile of branches with Wind magic while adding the gathered dried leaves to it, then they start to completely burn.
After confirming that the flames have become stable, I cancel my fireball.
There’s actually no problem in keeping the fireball floating in the air but doing things this way makes it more elegant so I think we should grill the fish without using magic.
「Yossha, then let’s grill them then!」
「What about the salt?」
「Already sprinkled on them」
I can just pull salt from my pocket using Space magic if needed, but it looks like Asmo had already brought salt with him.
That’s right. Even back when he invited me in the beginning, he was tempting me by saying something like ‘It would be delicious if you eat tomatoes by adding salt to them’ or such.
Oh, that tomato reminded me of the summer vegetable. I placed them in the water to cool them before playing in the river they must have been quite cold now, aren’t they?
I quickly move to get them while giving a sidelong glance at the two of them as they set the skewered sweetfish around the fire.
And at the place where I left the summer vegetables, I saw the eggplants and tomatoes lightly floating in the water.
When I scoop them up with my hands and estimate the temperature with my skin, they have certainly become cold.
「Ahh, I wonder if they can be grilled soon. I’m so hungry I feel like I’m gonna die」
「Me too」
As I return with the summer vegetables in my hands, I saw Torr and Asmo staring intently at the sweetfish.
「Let’s eat this summer's vegetables while we wait for the sweetfish to finish being grilled. Look, they’ve been chilled in the river」
「I feel like eating sweetfish right now, but I guess I can’t beat hunger」
「Un, give me some too」
After Torr and Asmo took some eggplants and tomatoes, I found a big stone of a suitable size to sit on.
Ohh, it has a nice big size. I can sit on it while also just looking at the sweetfish and there are a few uneven places on the surface so it will also not make my butt hurt.
For the time being, I take one tomato and leave the rest in the basket.
Then first, I bit into it as a substitute for drinking water. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
Immediately after, the sweet juice and flesh of the tomato instantly spread inside my mouth.
Hmミm, this reasonable sweetness, and sourness are irresistible.
Although I’ve been inside the cold water, quite some time had passed so now my thirst is quenched instantly.
Now then, let’s sprinkle salt to taste them.
「Asmo, give me a little salt」
「Hoii」
When I say that while also holding out my tomato to him, Asmo proceeds to open the lid of a small bottle and then tilted the bottle.
Immediately after that, my tomato was lightly salted.
And as I bite into it again like before, there’s a salty taste added to the taste now. The tomato’s sweetness and sourness go really well with the salt.
I guess I’m still sweating even when I was inside the river. The salt tastes really good.
If I were to eat the salt-grilled sweetfish with this, I can’t help but imagine what will it tastes like.
As I munch on a tomato while sprinkling some salt on it, the tomato in my hand was gone in no time at all.
There is still the eggplant left, but I don’t feel like eating it for some reason, so I put it aside.
「「「…………」」」
Before I knew it, Asmo, Torr, and I have finished eating our summer vegetables, and we are now staring intently at the sweetfish being grilled.
While the piled-up branches are making *pachipachi* sounds, we wait on the sweetfish to finish grilling.
「I feel like I have the same kind of eyes as Al somehow」
「Ahー, I understand what you mean」
Certainly, the eyes of Torr and Asmo as they stare at the sweetfish silently and not thinking anything else looks like that of a dead fish――speaking of dead fish, I will end up hurting myself if I continue so let’s keep quiet.
After we keep our eyes on the sweetfish, the sweetfish lost their moisture along with the surface of their flesh turning brown, and I could smell the grilled smell of sweetfish. This fragrant smell of salt is unbearable.
「It’s about time to turn them over, right?」
「Right」
One side of the sweetfish was grilled so we change the angle of the skewer and continue to grill them with the flame. Even just doing this kind of action makes the smell of grilled sweetfish waft into the air.
I don’t know whose stomach rumbled, Torr or Asmo. However, I can’t blame it for that since the sweetfish has such a destructive power in smell as they drifted in the air.
And we adjust them so that the fire can properly cook them until the inside of the fish and then we watch over it again for some time. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
After the sweetfish have been thoroughly cooked, the fish now has a light brown burnt color and they look very delicious.
「Oi, they’re done being grilled now, right! Let’s eat them!」
「Yeah. Let’s eat them, shall we」
「Un, no problem」
When Asmo - who is particular about food - said we can eat them, we each pick up the skewered salt-grilled sweetfish stabbed in front of us.
Then we just eat them from the skewer. I immediately bite into the sweetfish’s back as though I can’t endure it anymore.
The crispy surface of its skin tastes very salty, the lightly seasoned white meat softly crumbles inside my mouth. The combination of the light sweetness of the white meat and the salt is perfect.
「……it’s tasty. I knew it, sweetfish is best eaten after being grilled with salt」
I muttered while sighing in relief at the amazing taste of the fish. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
「This indescribable umami from the fish is the best!」
「The compatibility with the salty taste is excellent」
Torr and Asmo express their impression of the flavor while munching on their fish with vigor.
I also resolutely bite into its head this time.
Unlike the soft white meat on its back, it has a bit of a strong texture perhaps it’s because it mostly has no meat on its head. But, this moderate hardness and the bitter internals in its head also taste good.
「This bitter taste also tastes good, isn’t it」
「I know what you mean」
「Ehー, really? I’m not that good at this bitter taste, y’know」
Asmo nodded as if he agree with what I said, but Torr doesn’t seem to be of the same opinion.
Asmo and I look at each other and we suddenly smile at that, then we look at Torr as though we’re looking at a pathetic guy.
「Oi, what’s with that look, like looking at a pathetic guy?」
「I thought that, what a shame for Torr to be clueless about how good this bitter taste is」
「Sweetfish is tasty because it has this bitter taste」
「No way, bitter things are bitter y’know!」
Teased by Asmo and me, Torr takes a bite of the sweetfish and left the part near the head of the sweetfish as if to object to what we said.
Ahミ, what a shame to leave the tasty part.
Oh well, everyone has different likes and dislikes, so I guess it can’t be helped since children are also sensitive to bitter things. When he grows up, I’m sure that there would come a time when Torr will realize the goodness of bitterness.