Chapter 711

The Moment I’ve Been Waiting For…!
While the zaru tofu was draining, I cooked the okara alongside preparing breakfast and even made the mixture for okara hamburg steaks. By the time I was juggling all that, everyone else started coming into the dining hall.

“Ahh! Cristea-sama!? I’m so sorry, I couldn’t help with preparing breakfast…!”

Mariel-chan spotted Mashiro and the others carrying out the finished breakfast and hurried over in a fluster.

“Oh, it’s fine. I woke up early to test-make that, so I had the time.”

“Eh~ that is already done!?”
At my words, Mariel-chan’s face lit up.

“It’s still just a test batch, though. Let’s all taste it together.”

I had Mariel-chan and the others handle the serving, then brought out the thing that had just finished draining.

“… Yes, it looks good. Since it’s just for tasting this morning, it’s only a little for each of you…”

I ladled it into small bowls and headed to the dining hall.

“Ahh…! Cristea-sama, we may finally partake of it!”

To Suzaku-sama, who looked deeply moved, I handed a generously filled bowl. I gave slightly larger portions as well to Kurogane and Mashiro, who had helped. For everyone else, I placed bowls with the same amount as mine.

“This is zaru tofu made with the nigari we obtained yesterday. First, please try it as is. After that, feel free to add rock salt, soy sauce, or condiments to your liking.”

“Oh! It’s tofu! You really managed to make it.”

Byakko-sama, who seemed to have eaten it before just like Suzaku-sama, lightly picked up his bowl and gave it a little sniff.

Maybe because zaru tofu retains the strong natural aroma of soybeans?
I copied him, lifting a piece of tofu with my chopsticks and bringing it close to my nose.

Mm. It smells wonderfully of soybeans!
Some people might think it smells grassy, but as a tofu lover, to me it’s the kind of aroma that promises good flavor.

Well then, time to taste!

First, without adding anything.

“Fuwaa…”

After the soft, trembling texture melted on my tongue, the fragrance of soybeans drifted up through my nose.

This! This is it!
This is the tofu-sama I’ve been wanting to eat all this time!

I tried making agar-set soy milk and all sorts of tofu impostors before, but they always felt… not quite right.

Haaah… now the list of things I can make just expanded again!
First, there’s firm momen tofu, and silken kinugoshi tofu.
Deep-fried tofu, aburaage too!

And once I can make aburaage, I can do kitsune udon and inari sushi!

Ahhh, the possibilities are endless!

“Ahh…!”

… Hm?

“Haaahn, it’s simply irresistible… This trembling texture… it tastes just like when we were given the offerings from the shrine after they had been presented…”

Suzaku-sama’s sensual food report is back!
Maybe to steady her trembling body, she was hugging herself tightly with both arms, which only made her cleavage even more pronounced!

Is this really a sight I should be seeing first thing in the morning?
Sei is clearly at a loss for where to look and is staring off in a completely different direction.
Even Mariel-chan is… huh?

“… Ahh, how blessed…”
“… M-Mariel-san? Why are you teary-eyed and clasping your hands in reverence toward Suzaku-sama?”
“Eh? Why? Doesn’t something that divine make you want to worship it? She’s practically the embodiment of beauty, isn’t she? Beautiful things must be revered!”
“Ehh? Divine… is she?”

Well, she is a Sacred Beast, so I get that Suzaku-sama is beautiful and divine, but right now she feels more like there’s a hint of eros mixed into that mystique… Is my sense of things the weird one?

“Mariel’s weird…”
“Indeed. This child’s aesthetic sense is somewhat misaligned. Best to leave her be.”

Oof. Sharp commentary from Mashiro and Kurogane.

Yeah… Mariel-chan is just a little off, isn’t she?

What do you think about this chapter?