I suppose tonight’s dinner will be mackerel. Just the thought of fish… something I hadn’t had in a while made my heart quietly lift.

I could hear Yoshi-san asking Yasu-san a question.
“ What’s this mackerel about? ”
“ My little brother gave me a whole batch. I could’ve eaten it at home. Sure… buuuut wouldn’t you want it cooked properly if you can? ”

He didn’t need to finish. His expression said it all. Yoshi-san only shook his head, as if to say well, what can you do. Honestly, I wanted some fish too. So I gave in without much resistance.
“ Alright then. I’ll cook it. Please wait a moment. And may I keep the rest of the mackerel? ”
They had brought it, so it was probably meant for us, but I asked anyway.
“ Of course! That’s why I brought it in the first place! ”

With permission granted, I immediately set to work.
Mackerel… the first thing that came to mind was miso simmered mackerel. And then perhaps, I could try a second version with plum miso.
A comparison might be interesting. Yes. I would make two kinds today.

I cleaned and prepared the fish, carefully removing the bones as I went. If I had more time, I could have softened even the bones in a pressure cooker, but today there wasn’t enough time.
So I removed them instead, making it as easy to eat as possible, closer to the mackerel stew I had in mind.
I prepared two pots, pouring in water, amazake, and miso into both. To one, I added crushed ume plum and even the pits I had saved earlier.
I was glad I hadn’t thrown them away. I had a feeling they might come in handy someday.
Once both pots came to a boil, I quickly blanched the fish with hot water on both sides.

When the simmering deepened, I tasted the broth. The plum version felt just right, but the miso one was a little too light. I added a pinch of salt. Flavors deepen as they cook, so it was important to adjust them early.

As I ladled broth over the fish again and again, it slowly thickened, becoming rich and glossy.
At last, both dishes were ready. Miso-simmered mackerel… and plum miso mackerel. Done.

I personally preferred the simple miso version, but at my grandmother’s house, we often had the plum one… I wondered which one others would like as I plated everything carefully.
Mackerel and rice! It has to be that combination.
It’s good on its own, but with rice, it becomes unbeatable. I scooped steaming brown rice into bowls and carried everything outside.

“ It’s ready! Miso-simmered mackerel and plum miso mackerel! ”
Yasu-san, Yoshi-san, and tokitsugu-san, who I hadn’t even noticed arriving were already there.

Yasu-san’s eyes lit up as he clapped his hands.
“ We’ve been waiting! Mmm… that smells incredible! ” I set the dishes down on the long bench beside him.
“ Tokitsugu-san, would you like to join us as well? I made another dish besides the plum one you requested. Please try it. ”
If he liked it, I could send some home with him. He looked at the dishes on the bench and gave a small nod.
“ It certainly looks delicious. If it isn’t too much trouble, I would appreciate a portion. ”
I turned back toward the kitchen to prepare it quickly, but Yoshi-san had already taken care of it, quietly arranging a serving as if he had anticipated it.

As everyone finally sat down, we began to eat together. Naturally, I reached for the miso first. I took a bite.
Ah… fish after so long.

It was so good it almost made me forget to breathe. The mackerel flaked apart so gently it seemed to melt. Then came the rice.
Perfect in its simplicity. Miso truly is amazing. I felt that again and again with each bite. I could eat endless bowls like this.

When I glanced to the side, everyone was eating their own chosen dish.
Tokitsugu-san with the plum version,
Yoshi-san and Yasu-san with miso.
Yasu-san had frozen mid-motion, as if struck by something profound, though his mouth continued to move mechanically. Like a thinker lost in contemplation.
Yoshi-san held a hand near her mouth as she ate, similarly absorbed.
Tokitsugu-san, meanwhile, stared at the plum miso mackerel, nodding slowly between each bite.

Perhaps I should bring them back to reality.
“ Everyone— how is it? ”

The first to answer was Tokitsugu-san.
“ I have never tried plum-flavored miso simmered mackerel before. It is refreshing… and quite good. I think this kind of flavor is worth considering. ”

I wasn’t personally very fond of it, but I was glad he enjoyed it. If he liked it, perhaps I should include it with his order later.
Yoshi-san followed. “ I think I prefer the plum version. It’s refreshing, and the flavor is new and I like it. ”
So there really were people who preferred it over miso. I suppose tastes really do vary.

I was glad I had made both. Then Tokitsugu-san tried the miso version and nodded again.
“ This one is delicious as well. I prefer the miso flavor, personally. Also… why I cannot find any bones at all. ”

Ah. So that was what he noticed.
“ I removed them during preparation. ” I answered. But he still didn’t seem satisfied. After a moment, he asked again.
“ Is that the only reason? ” As expected of him.
“ Well… it’s not really anything special. The mackerel miso I grew up eating had soft bones you could eat as well. If I had more time, I would have softened them instead… but I dislike it when bones get in the way while eating. It pulls your attention away from the food. ”
It’s frustrating when the flavor is perfect, but the bones ruin the experience. There were times I wished they simply weren’t there at all.
So when I cooked, I either removed them or made them soft enough not to matter. It wasn’t that I disliked bones. When I was a child, I actually loved the soft bone part the most.

It was more like… a personal preference when it came to eating. A small selfishness, perhaps. But Tokitsugu-san seemed satisfied with that answer.

Yasu-san, meanwhile, spoke between bites.
“ That’s kindness, isn’t it… Haa… so even bones become edible with this cooking. By the way, I prefer the miso one. ”
Still in his thoughtful pose, he continued eating steadily. Even so, he had been listening.
He was right, he really did prefer miso.
Well, people usually did.

In this era, eating bones at all was probably unusual. In my time, there were things like crispy fried fish bones served as snacks…

When I looked around again, everyone was happily reaching for their favorites.
Yasu-san had even mastered the technique of layering rice and mackerel together before eating it.

Honestly… that actually was a good way to eat it. I couldn’t help but smile a little at how naturally he had picked it up.
It felt good… having people eat like this. I had always cooked only for myself before. I hadn’t realized that having someone eat your food could feel this… nerve-wracking and joyful at the same time.

Both dishes turned out well. And at that moment, no one yet knew that Yasu-san had quietly made up his mind about something.

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