Chapter 569 (2/2)

But Noritz and the others never thought of it as something they could use for the curry. They never thought that the inexpensive sansho, which they usually used in large quantities, would be a good substitute for expensive spices. The smell was quite different too.

I took advantage of that and made a curry-like version of a dish that originally existed in this area, a dish similar to Mapo seasoned with sansho, soy sauce, and sugar. The spiciness of this dish was different from that of curry, but I’ve tried to make it addictive.

In terms of cost, it’s not so different from what we’ve done in the past, but it’s a recipe that we, with all our cooking skills, really thought about. Moreover, by using even a small amount of spices from abroad, we were able to create something new. I’m sure the students would love it.

「If you change the seasoning or the thickness a little, you can put it in steamed bun or sandwich」

「I see what you mean! We can freely change the ingredients! You’ve taught me something good!」

In addition to that, I’ll teach him how to arrange existing dishes, like curry fried rice. With Noritz’s skills, I’m sure he can make the cafeteria’s food taste even better than it already does.

「Thank you. With this, now I can give the students a good meal. But, about your reward…」

「Nn? I don’t need it」

Fran refused the reward. Well, this is half as an apology for making a scene, and half for the sake of the other students.

Besides, we’ve seen Noritz and the others making tearful efforts to keep the cost of ingredients down. If we were to receive a reward for the recipe, it would be meaningless for us to teach them how to make it cheaply.

When she told him that, Noritz said that he couldn’t accept it for free and that he would pay for it out of his pocket.

And after a short discussion, we settled on asking him to write a letter of introduction to a business association that does business with the academy. After all, I also wanted a lot of sansho for our future use. So, it’s just right.

We finished our work at the cafeteria, but then, we had an unexpected encounter. It was when we were heading for the exit to leave the cafeteria.

「…!」

「?」

It was a brown-haired boy who looked to be only about three or four years old. The boy came running into the cafeteria with a smile on his face as if he was really looking forward to eating, but he stopped moving the moment he saw Fran.

「「…」」

Fran and the boy looked at each other. The boy’s smile had changed and he was now glaring at Fran. There was strong anger in his eyes and a slight hint of fear. I never thought a boy like him would look at her like that.

After a few seconds of staring at each other, the woman who was with him gently touched the boy’s shoulder.

「Romio-kun, you’ll disturb everyone if you stop here」

「…I-I’m sorry」

「Shall we go then? Hmm?」

「Yes」

As we passed each other, the woman bowed her head apologetically――while Romio was still staring at us. She must be a caretaker.

『So that was Romio』

「…」

『Fran, don’t overthink about it too much』

(That eye… I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere)

『Eh? You mean, from Romio?』

「Nn」

I thought she was depressed because Romio was staring at her, but actually, she had something else on her mind.

『You’ve seen it somewhere? You can’t remember?』

「Nn…」

We had never met Romio before. So I’m not sure if the hostile and frightened look in his eyes was the same as the one we used to fight with.

「But where…?」