When I returned to the shop, Yoshi-san was already awake.

“ Good morning. ”

“ Oh, good morning. You’re up awfully early today, aren’t you? ”

“ I woke up suddenly. And when I went to the well, I found Tokitsugu-san’s friend there. He placed an order and asked me to make a dish using rice balls, amazake, and these pickled plums. ” I explained what had happened that morning, but Yoshi-san looked a little troubled.

“ Don’t you need ingredients for that? I’m not sure you can make amazake without them… ”

Just as I opened my mouth to talk about it, Tokitsugu-san’s voice came from outside.

“ Excuse me! ” I hurried out.

There he was, standing outside.

“ Good morning, Tokitsugu-san. About the ingredients, right? ” He seemed to have brought them far too quickly, but…

“ Good morning. Yes! Here’s the rice koji. My friend enjoyed the amazake very much as well. Thank you so much. ” After bowing deeply, he handed me a pouch filled with rice koji.

“ No, no. I’m glad the food suited them. Yes, I’ve received the rice koji. As for your order, you’d like rice balls, amazake, and a plum dish, correct? ”

I checked the contents of the pouch and confirmed the order as well.

“ …A plum dish, you say…? That is… the first I’ve heard of it. ”

A faint crease appeared between Tokitsugu-san’s brows. Huh…? He didn’t know?

“ This morning I met your friend by the well, and at that time he gave me these plums and asked me to make a dish with them… ”

The crease in his brow deepened, and he held his head in his hands.

“ Umm, Tokitsugu-san? Are you all right? ”

With a sigh, he looked up at me. “ Ah… no, I hadn’t been told. Then yes, please prepare that as well. I apologize for always springing things on you like this. ”

So he really hadn’t known. I gave a small wry smile. It seemed Tokitsugu-san had his share of troubles too.

“ It’s no problem. As for the payment your friend gave in advance, it’s rather a lot, so here is your change… ”

I had intended to give the change after making the food, but the amount was so large that I wanted to settle things as quickly as possible.

Having that much money in my hands was bad for my nerves. But Tokitsugu-san made no move to take the change.

Maybe… I should have waited until after cooking.

“ No, this hasn't really a change. I think of it more as a token of thanks, so don’t mind receiving it.”

A tip, perhaps? Even so, it was far too much. When I did the math later, it was about a full month’s worth of sales. I still couldn’t bring myself to accept it.

So I took Tokitsugu-san’s hand and placed the money there.

“ I can’t accept this. ”

Tokitsugu-san looked startled. “ May I ask why not? ”

There was the obvious reason—it was simply too much money—but…

“ If this is meant as a thank-you, then please let me receive it only after you’ve tasted my food. I don’t know whether this time’s dish will suit your liking either, so I can’t accept more than the price of the meal. And if you truly wish to thank me, I would be much happier if you ordered one more dish rather than increasing the payment. ” Tokitsugu-san listened, then nodded.

I felt relieved. It seemed he understood.

“ Very well. I will take the change back. I will tell my friend the same. ”

With that settled, I could finally breathe easier. I should head to the mountains soon, or it would be time to open the shop.

“ I should get going to the mountains now, so I’ll excuse myself. ” Just as I turned my back to him, he called out.

“ Ah, um… may I come with you? ” There was no reason he couldn’t, so I agreed.

“ Of course. Please wait a moment—I’ll get ready. ”

I quickly prepared to head into the mountains, and together we set off.

As always, I gathered wild mountain plants, and Tokitsugu-san helped as well.

While we were at it, I noticed something that looked a little like a cucumber, and curious, I put several into my basket.

When I asked Tokitsugu-san about them, he said they were fine to eat, so I decided to try them later.

Just as I was about to stand and say we should head back, Tokitsugu-san placed a finger to his lips and pointed toward the brush. I narrowed my eyes and looked where he indicated, but I could not tell what was there.

Without a word, Tokitsugu-san picked up a stone from the ground. He took aim and threw it into the thicket.

A heavy rustle followed. Something had fallen.

“ Please wait here for a moment. ”

Tokitsugu-san walked toward the spot where he had thrown the stone, crouched down, and picked something up.

It was a bird. A bird!

I stared at the scene, speechless, and then clapped my hands. What Yasu-san had said yesterday, I had assumed was an exaggeration.

But it was true. He really had taken it down with a stone…

“ This is my thanks for the rice balls. I’m sorry it’s not much. I’ll dress it so it’s easier to cook. ”

With that, he began cleaning the bird right there on the spot. For someone who didn’t cook, he seemed oddly skilled with a blade… I didn’t know what kind of bird it was, but I gratefully accepted it.

“ Thank you very much… ”

While Tokitsugu-san was butchering the bird, I continued gathering a little more mountain greens, and afterward we descended the mountain together and parted ways in front of the shop.

After the shop opened, I took turns making amazake with Yoshi-san, and before I knew it, it was already time to close. The number of customers seemed to be increasing little by little. I had been making more each day, and lately we had been selling out every single day.

It was a good kind of trouble, of course but tomorrow, I’d have to increase production again, within reason.

The shop had closed, but work was not yet finished. I still had to prepare Tokitsugu-san’s friend’s order… First, I made the same rice balls as yesterday, then prepared a plum snack.

Today I was making something familiar even in modern times: chicken and cucumber dressed with plum. It was a perfect little dish for a drinking shop, something to cleanse the palate, but also something that could stand on its own.

Refreshing. Simple. Delicious.

And the method was easy enough. The problem was that cucumber-like thing.

I had picked it because it merely looked cucumber-ish, so there was no guarantee it actually was one. But when I cut it open, the inside was just like the cucumber I knew.

It even smelled like cucumber.

I prepared a bit of miso and tried the cucumber-like vegetable with it. Yes—it tasted like cucumber too.

Satisfied that it was safe to use, I began cooking. All I had to do was mix steamed chicken, cucumber, deseeded plums, and a little salt.

The dish was finished. As I caught my breath, I heard Yas-san’s voice from outside.

“ Sai-chan~! I brought the mackerel! ” When I stepped outside, Yasu-san was talking with Yoshi-san while carrying a mackerel.

There was another one inside the bucket as well. Yasu-san looked at me with sparkling eyes.

Ah… this was probably his way of asking me to cook it.

At the sight of his face, Yoshi-san and I exchanged a tired smile.

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