When an Oblivious Handsome Older Man Went Back in Time and Was Building Harlem - Chapter 18

I turn to face the three managers after tightening my apron.

“Alright then, I’ll start the cooking lesson now.”

“Looking forward to it!”

“Leave the tasting to me!”

I got that response from the three of them, and then I received a vague reply from Midori, who I had called to taste the food.

“I’m sorry for calling you out on a Saturday, even though I know it’s your day off.”

“No, no, I’m the one who should apologize. It’s my day off and with the test coming up, I shouldn’t have dragged you into this. Plus, you already went shopping for me, right? Thank you so much!!”

When I nod in response to having gone shopping, the first-year student looks surprised.

“Wait, did you go shopping for me, senpai!? Thank you so much!!”

“Why didn’t you tell us when we went too?”

The first-year manager kids look at each other and then ask me.

“I can’t have a girl carry heavy things, and besides, if the two of us go together, we can carry more stuff. Plus, it’s already hot outside, and it would be a problem if we got heatstroke.”

“That’s right. That’s why I got used to being a gopher.”

“Midori won’t collapse from a little rough treatment, right? Besides, we get free lunch.”

Since Midori kept interrupting, I ended up dealing with it, and for some reason, the managers were saying we were handsome. Midori might be handsome, but I think it’s strange to call me handsome.

“Well then, today I thought about making meals that would be easy to prepare in large quantities as if it were the real thing. For lunch, we’ll have stir-fried vegetables and miso soup. For dinner, we’ll make a salad and dry curry. This time, we’ll make each dish in small portions.”

“I love any kind of curry!”

“Midori, just watch quietly. Besides, you eat anything, right?”

“Did you find out?” he says, but I feel like Midori, who seems like he would eat anything, would boost the managers’ confidence.

“Oh, by the way, I said to bring a peeler if you can’t peel, but could those who can’t peel please raise their hands?”

Then, all three of them raised their hands modestly. I’ve been living alone for a long time, so peeling with a knife is second nature to me, but I don’t think they should be embarrassed since they couldn’t do it in high school.

“At first, everyone struggles with peeling, so there’s no need to be embarrassed. Besides, this time we’re only peeling carrots, so don’t worry.”

When I told them that, everyone’s expressions brightened, so I think it was a good choice for the menu. Stir-fried vegetables and salad are easy to make, so I plan to prepare them while the rice is cooking.

“First, I’ll cook the rice.”

Since there didn’t seem to be anything unclear about how to cook rice and wash it, I felt relieved thinking that they could probably handle the basics.

“Okay, next I’ll make a salad. For the salad, we’ll use cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and corn. The corn is frozen, so we just need to heat it up, and the tomatoes just need to be washed. For the cucumbers, wash them and then slice them into rounds. After cutting, mix everything together and dress it with sesame dressing to finish. I think someone can handle the slicing, so I’d like someone to give it a try.”

“Well, then I’ll…”

Upon saying that, a first-year student cut the cucumbers, but their cutting was so awkward that I thought they really didn’t cook. After that, the thickness of the cucumbers varied so much that I found it kind of cute. The student who cut them mixed them, and everyone was happy, saying that if it was like this, they could probably make it too.

“Okay, then I’ll put this in the fridge and make stir-fried vegetables. For the stir-fried vegetables, just season the onions, carrots, cabbage, and meat with soy sauce, mirin, and sake, and it’s done.”

“I’m worried if I can do it…”

Shimozono-san was muttering that.

“I’ll teach you until you get it, and even if you can’t, I’ll support you, so don’t worry.”

“Don’t smile! Something inside me is going to break!”

I couldn’t help but think, “What the heck is that?” Moreover, since I have no memory of smiling, I have no idea what Shimozono-san is being subjected to.

“Then, I want you to start cutting the vegetables. Next…”

“Ah, then I’ll do it!!”

After saying that, the first-year manager who didn’t make the salad just now stepped forward as a candidate.

“First, please cut the onion in half, and then slice it thinly as it is.”

Yes, seeing them smoothly follow my instructions, I think this kid is more experienced. But since they are aware that they can’t do it, I have to watch them carefully.

“Next, cut the carrot in half, hmm, maybe the bottom side… let’s use that. Peel it, and then cut it thinly lengthwise.”

I quickly finished chopping this cabbage too.

“You said you couldn’t cook, but you’re doing it just fine, so be more confident and don’t worry.”

“Y-yes!”

They also did the stir-frying, and now it’s time to season. I believe that if they follow the 1:1:1 ratio of soy sauce, mirin, and sake, most things will turn out delicious. At first, it’s a hassle, but using measuring spoons makes it less likely to fail, so I have them measured with measuring spoons.

“When the vegetables are about this wilted, add soy sauce, mirin, and sake in a 1:1:1 ratio. This amount would be around 2 teaspoons. Japanese people generally think this seasoning tastes good, so if you’re in doubt, go with this flavor.”

It’s amusing to see the two of them taking notes on how to season things. The miso soup was simple; we just added Hondashi, seaweed, and fu, and dissolved the miso. Lastly, there’s the dry curry.

“Alright, Shimozono-san, let’s get started. First, we’ll peel the carrots.”

Shimozono-san wasn’t trying to be proactive and was constantly taking notes. That’s why I thought she might not be good at cooking, so I made an effort to explain things in detail.

“If possible, I want you to chop it finely, so first cut it into thin slices, and then chop it even smaller.”

“Yes, sensei.”

I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but why am I being called “sensei”? I don’t really mind being called anything by younger kids, but I’ve never been called “sensei” before, so it’s a bit concerning. Seeing their worried expression, I want to let them know that I’m doing fine.

“It’s okay. You’re doing it properly, and you haven’t gotten hurt. Take your time. Once the carrots are done, I’ll finely chop the bell peppers and onions.”

Dry curry is quite easy because they just have to chop the ingredients finely. There’s no special cutting technique involved. As we entered the frying phase, a look of tension crossed Shimozono-san’s face. Since we relied on store-bought roux for seasoning and didn’t encounter any difficulties, Shimozono-san was taken aback when we finished making it.

“This is the end of it. Everyone just has low self-esteem; you all have solid fundamentals, so I don’t think we need to worry about the training camp. Well then, let’s reheat the stir-fried vegetables and eat together. Midori—. Please tidy up the desk.”

“Is it done? It smells amazing, and I was really hungry.”

The mention of a good smell slightly brightened the expressions of the three people. For the first time, Midori thought it was good to have called them.

“Well then, let’s eat.”

“Let’s eat!!”

They were all saying how good it was as they devoured the food. It seemed that Midori was really hungry, eating voraciously. He was eating so much that even the three managers were taken aback, but his bright expression showed that he was genuinely pleased to be eating the food they had prepared.

“All three of you were saying you were worried about cooking or couldn’t do it, but that’s totally not the case. It’s super delicious. Please take care of it during the training camp too.”

“Really!? Thank you!!”

Each of the three had their own way of expressing joy, but it seemed that Midori’s words gave them even more confidence. Hoping that today’s cooking class would be useful during the summer camp, they eagerly devoured the dishes they had prepared.