Chapter 712

As I Went to Place the Order…
Anyway, for the very first tofu I’d ever made in this life, I could safely say it turned out quite well. Fufufu.

“For now, I’ll quantify the ratio of soy milk to nigari, and then I’ll need to have a wooden mold for tofu made.”

“A wooden mold…?”

When I muttered that while eating my tofu, Mariel-chan stopped clasping her hands in worship and looked at me.

“Yes. Since I didn’t have one today, I made it into zaru tofu instead. To make firm momen tofu, you need a wooden frame with several holes drilled near the bottom so it can drain. For silken kinugoshi tofu, you just add nigari to a richer soy milk and steam it to set it… I think.”

Of course I want to eat that smooth, silky kinugoshi tofu, but if I’m going to make atsuage or aburaage, it has to be momen tofu…!

And I want to use it as an ingredient in miso soup and orc soup too.

After listening to my explanation, Mariel-chan nodded with a serious expression.

“In that case, a wooden mold really is necessary!”

“Yes. The problem is where to have it made. Since it’s a woodworking item, I can’t very well ask Galvano Ojisama, who’s a blacksmith.”

I could rely on connections in the artisan district to place an order, but they were probably busy right now making shaved-ice machines. I’d feel bad asking Ojisama for an introduction.

“Hmmm, let’s see… In that case, shall I use my father’s connections to request production in the royal capital’s artisan district?”

“Eh? Would that be all right?”

“Of course.”

Oh, right. There’s an artisan district in the royal capital too.

Apparently it’s located a little ways from the merchant district, in an area close to the commoners’ quarter.

I’d never been to that part of town, so I hadn’t known.

“For now, I’ll consult my father by letter and have him introduce us to a skilled woodworker.”

“Yes, please.”

“Leave it to me! …Ah, do you know what shape the wooden mold should be?”

She had a point. Even if we consulted someone, we’d need to determine whether it was feasible to produce, and to get an estimate we’d probably need a completed drawing or blueprint.

“Let’s see, I think… It’s a square frame, moderately tall, with several holes near the lower part, and the bottom can be removed and that has holes too, and, um, you lay cotton cloth inside it, pour the tofu in, put a lid on top, then place a weight over it to drain…”

As I said that, I took out some paper and a pen from my inventory and scratched out a drawing, but… huh? Was it really like this?

“…? Is the wooden frame trapezoidal?”

Mariel-chan traced a trapezoid shape in the air with her hands.

“Eh? No? The sides are vertical.”

I gestured a slightly tall rectangular box shape.

“I see…”

Mariel-chan smoothly drew a somewhat elongated rectangular prism.

“Ah, yes, yes. Just like that. And then, there are little holes poked around here…”

When I indicated the lower sides of the rectangular prism with my fingertip, Mariel-chan added the holes there.

“Ah, the holes can be a bit bigger… yes, about that size. And the bottom is…”

As I explained with words and gestures, Mariel-chan continued drawing while confirming each detail.

“… Yes, that’s it! This is exactly it, the kind of wooden mold I want!”

Looking at the finished drawing Mariel-chan had made, I couldn’t help but applaud its quality.

That’s so strange. I was aiming for this too, so why did mine turn into something that looks like a vaulting box…?

… Ughgh, I’m sorry, okay?! I have absolutely zero artistic sense!

“… I’m really glad you’re here, Mariel-san. I’m not confident I could explain it properly on my own.”

“No, no. Your explanation was very clear. See? I was able to draw it properly.”

Yes. The explanation was fine… I’m not crying or anything.

“Then, Mariel-san, may I ask you to handle the order request with this?”

It was just a wooden frame, nothing particularly elaborate, so I doubted they’d charge an outrageous production fee. Even if they padded the price a little, my purse would still be plenty warm, so it wasn’t a problem.

“Placing the order is fine, but… um, shouldn’t you report this to Cristea-san’s Otousama first?”

“… Ah.”

… Crap. I’d completely forgotten!

She was right. Since this was a new recipe, I had to report it to Otousama. If Mariel-chan’s father were to make an inquiry and Otousama had received absolutely no report from me, there was no doubt he’d corner me with a, “What do you mean I haven’t been informed at all? Hm?”

I was familiar with soy milk and okara, but tofu, the final goal, had still been in the trial stage. Until now, I hadn’t even served my mock tofu to anyone.

Ah, of course, I took responsibility and ate all the experimental mock tofu myself.
Kurogane and Mashiro would eat it if I made it, even if it was mock tofu.

Ahh, I see. First I report to Otousama, then I place the order with the Meyer Company, that’s the correct order of things.

“Mariel-san, thank you. I completely forgot about reporting to Otousama. You just helped me avoid a scolding…”

When I thanked her, Mariel-chan gave a wry smile.

“In that case, shall we report everything together to Cristea-san’s Otousama and my father this weekend? We could even head straight to the artisan district afterward…”

“…! That’s perfect! Let’s do that!”

Until then, I’ll keep refining the recipe through more test batches, and on the day itself, I’ll have Otousama and the others enjoy some truly delicious tofu!

What do you think about this chapter?