Tasting the Fish Dishes

Everyone was about to start eating, but perhaps because they couldn't imagine how it would taste, they hesitated a little. Eating something unfamiliar can be pretty scary.

So I decided to take the first bite. I'd start with the Spanish mackerel meunière.

I took a bite-sized piece of the Spanish mackerel meunière and popped it into my mouth.

Mmm! Delicious!!

"This Spanish mackerel is super delicious! Everyone, try some!"

When I said that, everyone reached for the Spanish mackerel at once. I guess eating something unfamiliar really was a little scary.

I watched everyone with a slight wry smile.

After taking one bite, Marie beamed and continued eating nothing but Spanish mackerel. Ian-kun took one bite and froze with a look of astonishment on his face.

"Big Brother! This is so delicious!"

"That's Spanish mackerel meunière."

"That one! It's delicious!"

She didn't seem to understand the name very well, but I was glad she found it delicious anyway.

"This is astonishing..."

"Yes, I can't believe it's this delicious. Sea fish have such tender, delicious meat."

"And this seasoning is delicious too."

I was glad Father and Mother liked it too. Ian-kun had finally snapped out of his daze and was eating his second bite.

"Ian-kun, is it delicious?"

"It's incredibly delicious! I'm shocked by how good it is."

After saying that, Ian-kun began eating with single-minded enthusiasm. It made me so happy to see him enjoying it this much.

I should eat too. Maybe I'll try the carrot sauce next.

I dipped some fried horse mackerel in the carrot sauce and tried it.

Oh! This sauce is pretty good considering I just threw it together. I prefer tomato sauce, but this works too.

"Big Brother, are we supposed to dip it in this?"

"Yes. But if you don't like the sauce, it's delicious with salt too."

"Okay!"

With that, Marie dipped her fried horse mackerel in the carrot sauce.

"Mmm, I like this! It's crispy and delicious!"

After hearing Marie say that, the other three, who had been eating only Spanish mackerel, reached for the fried horse mackerel too.

"She's right! It's crispy and delicious."

"Yes, this sauce is delicious too."

"Leon-kun! This is great too!"

After that, everyone reached for whichever dishes they wanted and ate without me having to do anything.

I was glad everything seemed to be delicious. Seeing them enjoy it this much made me really happy.

Reassured, I reached for the other dishes as well. The octopus karaage and salt-grilled yellowtail were as good as expected. I wondered about the scallops, so I took a bite. They were quite delicious too.

Oh! They were pretty good even without being oven-baked. But I still felt they would be even more delicious if they were cooked in an oven. I'd like to let everyone try them that way later.

And so, we finished our meal thoroughly satisfied.

"Big Brother! Everything was so delicious!"

"Yes, this is the best souvenir ever."

"That's true. It was delicious, and cooking it was fun too."

"Every single one was delicious!"

I was so happy that they enjoyed it this much. I was glad to be part of this family. I naturally broke into a smile.

"I'm really happy to hear that. Thank you, everyone. If I get another chance to go to the seaside, I'll buy more souvenirs, and we can eat them together!"

"Yes! You definitely will, Big Brother!"

Marie said that almost before I had finished speaking. She really couldn't resist delicious food. Everyone else gave a slight wry smile.

"Marie, I promise."

"Yay!"

After that, I talked about the port town, and the rest of the time passed peacefully. Being with my family really was comforting, I thought.

The next morning.

Once lunch service ended, Marie caught me. It seemed she couldn't forget the fish we'd eaten the day before, and she said she wanted to eat some, even if it was only river fish.

So we decided to go to the forest, even though I didn't know whether we'd be able to catch any fish.

"Well, we're off!"

"Be careful!"

Marie and I left the house and walked briskly all the way to the forest. She was eager to get there quickly, thinking we might catch more fish if we went sooner.

But could river fish even be caught in winter? I always imagined fishing as something people did in spring or summer...

"Marie, like I said earlier, there's no guarantee we'll catch any fish. We might not be able to catch any in winter."

"I know! But we won't know unless we go and try!"

Marie had been like this the entire time. She was surprisingly stubborn.

Marie and I walked all the way to the forest through the cold winter air and finally reached the river.

Now what should we do? I don't fish, so I don't even have a fishing rod, and it was far too cold to get into the river. Besides, the middle of this river looked fairly deep. Rivers had currents, so it would be dangerous to enter one carelessly.

I had brought some string just in case, but were there even any fish here?

For now, I stared intently at the river and searched for fish. Marie was doing the same thing beside me.

"Marie, I don't think there are any fish."

"There might be some if we look harder!"

We spent some more time staring at the river and searching for fish.

"Marie, maybe there really aren't any fish here?"

When I said that, Marie looked a little dejected.

"Maybe there really aren't any..."

Ugh... Seeing her so disappointed made it hard to suggest that we just go home.

"Maybe fish hide deeper in the river during winter. I brought some string, so do you want to wait and see if we can catch one with it?"

"String...?"

"Yes. You attach bait to the end of the string and lower it into the river. When a fish bites, you pull it up."

"Big Brother, you're amazing! Can we catch fish that way?"

"Hmm, it'll still be difficult, but do you want to give it a try?"

"Yes!"

At least Marie was smiling again, so that was good.

I found a small larva in the ground nearby, tied it to the string, and tied the string to a short branch. It was an improvised, makeshift fishing rod.

It would be a miracle if we actually caught something with this...

Still, Marie was excited, so it was fine.

"I'll try putting this in the river."

"Yes!"

For a while after that, we waited while holding the branch. It was far too cold, so I gathered dead leaves and twigs and lit a fire. It warmed us a little, but I felt we'd catch colds if we stayed outside much longer.

Marie looked cold too, but perhaps because she had been the one to suggest this, she endured it while holding the branch.

At least an hour had passed, but we hadn't seen even a shadow of a fish, and there was no sign that anything would bite. Maybe it was time to give up and go home.

"Marie, should we head home soon? Let's come fishing again in the summer. We'll probably be able to catch fish then."

When I said that, tears quickly filled Marie's eyes. Huh? Why!? Was she really that sad because we hadn't caught any fish?

"M-Marie, don't cry. We can't make fish dishes, but Big Brother will make you other delicious food."

Even after I said that, Marie silently shed tears.

"Marie, what's wrong?"

I was completely flustered. I didn't know how to comfort her, so all I could do was panic.

"Hic... hic... Big Brother... You're going to leave home when spring comes, aren't you?"

Marie said that through her tears.

Huh? It wasn't about the fish?

"Yes. I'll be going to the Royal Academy, so I won't be living at home anymore."

"Then... even when summer comes, I won't be able to go fishing with you...? Hic... sniff..."

Was Marie crying because she was sad that I was leaving home?

Was she crying because she thought we might not be able to go fishing together in the summer?

I was so happy that my leaving meant this much to Marie, but seeing her cry made me sad too.

I was incredibly happy, but seeing Marie cry made me sad too.

"Marie, we'll be able to go fishing together in the summer. Even after I move out, I'll come home often. So we can go fishing and do other things together too."

"Really...? You're not going to stop coming home, are you?"

"Of course not! I love you, Marie, so of course I'll come home."

"I'm glad..."

Marie was crying and smiling at the same time. I hugged her tightly and rubbed her back to reassure her.

That's right. Marie might seem mature, but she's still a child. The thought of suddenly not being able to see her family must have made her lonely.

As I calmed Marie down, I made up my mind.

I would work hard so that my family could all live together in safety, comfort, and happiness.

My family would be the easiest target for a noble who resented me. Alexis-sama seemed to have arranged for shadow guards to protect them, but I couldn't rely on that forever.

I would gain a position as quickly as possible and help eliminate the hostile factions. Once I had a position, I could probably arrange guards for my family myself, and perhaps even bring them to a nearby safe place because they were my family.

But I didn't want to force everyone to do anything they disliked if I could avoid it. If they wanted to continue running the restaurant, I wanted them to be able to do so somewhere else.

I had thought I didn't want to stand out at the Royal Academy, but if it would support Richard-sama's faction, I would work hard and take an active role.

Come to think of it, maybe I didn't need to hide my all-attribute affinity at the Royal Academy anymore.

No... If people found out that I had every attribute, even more radical groups might appear. Besides, Alexis-sama had also been worried about other countries.

I really should wait until I had gained a position before revealing my all-attribute affinity. People could target commoners as they pleased, but they would probably have a harder time targeting me once I became a noble. I still didn't understand the situation very well, so I would have to study it properly.

In any case, I would work hard to protect my family and myself, and to build a future in which all of us could live happily together.

Sometimes I thought it might have been better to hide my abilities from the beginning and live happily with my family. But hiding them forever would be difficult, and it would be disastrous if they were exposed by some unforeseen event. When I considered that, my current situation seemed quite good after all.

Besides, if possible, I wanted to raise our standard of living a little more. At the very least, I wanted a flush toilet and a bath. Actually, what I really wanted was a sewage system.

As I thought about that, Marie seemed to calm down.

"Big Brother... I'm okay now."

Marie said it with a slightly embarrassed look. She was probably ashamed that she had cried in front of me. I decided not to point that out and gave her the gentlest smile I could.

"Then, shall we head home soon? Can you walk?"

"Yes. I'm all right now!"

She seemed cheerful again. Thank goodness.

Marie and I walked home side by side, more slowly than we had on the way there.