Ghost Sachiko
After promising Ijok we’d meet again in General, Belle, Pearl, and I headed to the dried-goods shop.
“Is that the shop owned by Mrs. Sachiko, the one who talks kinda funny?”
“Yup, that’s the one. Oh, and she’s Souya’s relative.”
“What? Really?”
“Yeah, I think… she’s Souya’s grandmother’s older sister or something like that. Anyway, they’re definitely related.”
“’Scuse us for intrudin’~”
“Wha—Joan!?”
Belle stared at me in surprise over my peculiar greeting, while down at my feet Pearl gave me a look that said “Here we go again.”
“Ah, that voice—’s that you, Missy? Hang on a sec, be right there~”
“Sure thing~”
We could hear Sachiko’s voice from the back of the store, so we looked around while waiting.
Just like always, the shop was filled with a wide variety of dried goods. Belle wandered about restlessly, eyes darting everywhere, while I checked my storage inventory to see what I might need to restock.
“Sorry to keep ya waitin’.”
“No worries. So, what’s the recommendation today? Got anything new in?”
“Today, huh? Well… not that it matters—you’re just gonna buy it all anyway, right?”
“Of course.”
“Figured as much. I went ahead and packed up a set for ya already. Usual stuff—kombu, dried shiitake, katsubushi, wakame, and nori. And the new ones are… ah, here they are.”
She pulled out two long, slender bags from the assortment.
“This one’s called mien in the eastern country—ya boil it and put it in soup. And this one’s yugao, dried gourd.”
“Mien… mien… noodles? Seriously? Let me see—They are noodles!! YESSS!! And this one—yugao—that’s kanpyo! Woohoo!!”
“Hahaha, glad you like ’em. I was hopin’ you would—I was a little worried the stuff I ordered might not suit your taste.”
“No way, Sacchan, your instincts are always right! Really, thank you so much.”
“Say, you’re leavin’ tomorrow, right? If you’ve got time, wanna stay for some tea?”
“What, really? Sure! I’d love some.”
It was my first time being invited to the back of the store—there was a sunken hearth there. While we sat waiting, Sachiko came back with some tea. A gentle aroma wafted up as she poured it into teacups; the liquid was a beautiful greenish-yellow.
“Sacchan!? Green tea!? You have green tea!? For real!?”
“Calm down, Missy. I set some aside for ya.”
“Yesss! And green tea goes perfectly with this... Here.”
“Hm? Oh, kusa mochi? You made these?”
“Yup! I bought the glutinous rice and azuki beans from Nao. Oh right, Nao’s grandson Souya—he’s our classmate.”
“Oh, Souya, huh? So he’s your age. If he gives ya any trouble, don’t hesitate to smack him one.”
“Oh no, I’d never… yeah, I’ll do that.”
“You would, huh. Well, that’s you for sure.”
“Pfft…”
“Belle?”
“Oh, sorry. It’s just—you two are so funny together.”
“Belle, was it? Just so we’re clear—the funny one’s her, not me. I’m quiet as can be. So quiet you’d hardly know I’m here.”
“So quiet you’re practically a ghost.”
“Who you callin’ a ghost!? Keep talkin’ like that and I’ll haunt ya~”
“Ahahaha, see? Totally a ghost!”
“Shaddap, you.”
“Ahahaha. Haaah, now I’m thirsty.”
“Joan… your mood changes fast.”
“Eh? Really?”
(That’s just Joan for you.)
“Pearl…”
After saying goodbye to Sacchan, we headed to our last stop: Nell’s family fish shop, to stock up on seafood before heading home.
““Hello~””
“Hey there, welcome! Oh, if it ain’t the young lady. Thank you again for the other day. Hey! The young miss is here!”
“Coming~ Welcome!”
“How’ve you been since then? Any pain?”
“No, I’m completely fine now. Really, thank you so much.”
“Oh no, we should be the ones thanking you. What you brought us was delicious. Thank you. Since we’re heading back to General tomorrow, I’d like to buy a little extra—would that be alright?”
“Of course! We heard you were leaving, so we stocked up extra this time.”
“Wow, thank you! What do you recommend?”
“Let’s see—fish-wise, we’ve got horse mackerel, sea bream, mackerel, shrimp, and squid. For shellfish, turban shells and clams.”
“Then I’ll take as much as you can spare of all of those.”
“Much obliged! Give me a sec. Hey, tea!”
“Yes, yes. Ladies, right this way please.”
We were guided to a small table inside the shop. Nell’s mother came out from the back carrying iced tea, and gave Pearl a bowl of water.
Since it was a good opportunity, I decided to ask something I’d been curious about.
“Um—what’s that on the shelf over there?”
“Eh? Ah, those are things I made myself—side dishes to go with drinks, like simmered shellfish or boiled small fish. I sell them here.”
“May I take a look?”
Just as I’d suspected—they looked just like tsukudani and shirasu.
“Can I buy these too? As many as you can sell.”
“Of course.”
“Yay! Perfect with rice!”
““Perfect with rice?””
“Ah, that means dishes that go well with rice.”
“Umm… I don’t think that would go with bread though…”
“Oh—Ma’am, ‘rice’ means cooked grains called kome. You should try it. Here, Belle too.”
“Huh? Ah, thank you. So this is rice… Shall we try the simmered shellfish with it then?”
“Please do.”
An impromptu tasting session began, and both Nell’s mom and Belle found that the simmered shellfish went perfectly with rice. Just as I’d guessed, it was tsukudani, and apparently Nell’s mom had learned how to make it from Sacchan.
Later, Nell’s father also tried the rice and liked it so much that he asked how to buy it. So I told him it was available at Sacchan’s shop. For cooking instructions, I said he could ask Mac and the mansion’s chefs, or Sacchan herself.
Next year, when Burst Rice is ready, maybe I’ll spread the joy of rice in Fantasmo too.
If we’ve got fish and rice, we can make sushi. Ahh, now I’m craving sushi.
Alright! Once we’re back in General, I’m makin’ sushi!
What do you think about this chapter?
