Chapter 4: Kafka and Croquettes, Ibuki Suika and a Plea for Help!?
At this moment when Luke's restaurant opened early, it had welcomed a total of three guests.
One was Kobayashi Rindo from 'Tohtsuki Academy', the other was Shameimaru Aya who found her collapsed at the entrance.
And the third person...
Luke sized up the beautiful woman, Kafka, sitting by the window while preparing the 'Longjing Shrimp with Herb-Lemon Butter Baked Prawns'.
She had currently taken off her black cloak-like shawl jacket, appearing quite relaxed.
As the soft light inside the shop fell upon Kafka, one could see the silver butterfly brooch on her chest sparkling.
At this moment, Kafka, staring at the menu, took off the sunglasses from the top of her head, thinking about what to order.
Luke, on the other hand, repeated the previous cooking process, occasionally glancing at Kafka out of the corner of his eye.
Actually, even if he hadn't heard the other party's self-introduction, he understood Kafka's identity.
After all, as a transmigrator, possessing this information was already a natural 'setting'.
"Is it not ready yet?"
The impatient Kobayashi Rindo asked at this moment.
She didn't feel full at all despite having just eaten one serving of the dish.
"It'll be ready right away, Kobayashi-san can drink some water first."
"No need, I'll wait~"
Kobayashi Rindo swayed her body, then started explaining to Shameimaru Aya at her side what the 'Tohtsuki Elite Ten' was.
Facing a new guest she had never seen before, Aya, whose reporter instincts were triggered, continuously recorded the relevant information.
After a while, Luke, having increased his efficiency, brought two servings of 'Longjing Shrimp with Herb-Lemon Butter Baked Prawns' to Kobayashi Rindo and Shameimaru Aya.
"Okay, let's not talk about this, let's eat first!"
Kobayashi Rindo immediately stopped talking, looking expectantly at the delicacy she had just eaten a portion of.
Shameimaru Aya, who had long been attracted by the aroma, strongly agreed.
After putting away her notebook, she looked at the dish before her.
After serving the two, Luke placed the tray on the counter and turned towards Kafka, walking over.
The position Kafka chose was very good, allowing her to see the scenery outside the restaurant through the window.
Since this place was located on the essential path between 'Kourindou' and the 'Human Village', one could occasionally see the figures of humans and youkai.
One might even witness the scenes of youkai fighting using Spell Cards.
Regarding this, Luke only had one requirement: don't affect his normal restaurant operations.
"Kafka-san, is there a dish on the menu that satisfies you?"
"Hmm... I haven't decided yet, but compared to that, I'm more interested in the 'abnormality' here."
"Please speak."
"I was originally resting with my companions on a ship sailing the cosmos, just thinking of taking a walk after nightfall, but ended up discovering the surroundings had changed. The final result was arriving at the owner's restaurant."
"Things like this happen often, Kafka-san just needs to get used to it. If you want to go back, opening the door should let you see the way back."
Oh?
Kafka glanced at the main door, revealing a trace of curiosity, but her emotions remained very calm.
She didn't make a move, but gently pursed her red lips.
Then Kafka pointed to a dessert on the menu.
"Cream Croquette, this looks good, the picture is also very cute, I'll have this."
"First time hearing such an evaluation."
"Referring to 'cute'?"
"That's right, Kafka-san's perspective is very unique."
"I hope my choice isn't wrong."
Kafka said, putting down the menu.
Luke returned a smile.
"Of course it won't be wrong."
After saying this, and serving Kafka a glass of water, Luke headed towards the kitchen.
'Cream Croquette' is a type of delicacy that combines Western-style cream flavor with Japanese-style croquette characteristics.
Its selling point is being crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, overflowing with milky fragrance, belonging to one of the permanent menu items in the restaurant.
Luke, already familiar with the process, prepared the ingredients.
Potatoes, onions, butter, flour, eggs, and so on.
Handling the potatoes first, Luke washed and peeled them, cut them into chunks, put them in a pot with water to boil until soft and mushy, then drained the water and mashed them into a puree.
Before this, Luke chopped the onions.
In a frying pan, he added butter and slowly sautéed the onions over low heat until fragrant and transparent, then added cooked chicken and continued to stir-fry evenly.
Next was making the aforementioned potato puree.
After completion, he poured the sautéed onions and meat into the potato puree, added a measured amount of cream, and stirred evenly.
"Kafka-san."
"What is it?"
Kafka, staring out the window, heard the call, turned her head, and looked at Luke in the kitchen.
"Excuse me, Kafka-san, is your preference for light or heavy flavors?"
"A bit lighter."
"I understand."
Luke reduced the salt and pepper used for seasoning.
The subsequent steps were very simple.
Divide the seasoned potato puree into several portions, flatten them into oval patties with the palm, then coat them with flour, dip in egg wash, and cover with breadcrumbs.
Completing this step, Luke looked at the deep pot on his right.
He poured cooking oil into it, heated it up, then placed the prepared croquettes into the hot oil to fry until both sides were golden brown and the inside was thoroughly cooked.
According to Luke's experience, three to four minutes was sufficient.
Shorter, and it wouldn't be cooked enough;
Longer, and the texture would become hard.
"Done."
Luke said, using a skimmer to scoop out the fried croquettes, placing them on kitchen paper towels to absorb excess oil.
While they cooled down, Luke concurrently prepared a lettuce salad and tomato ketchup to be enjoyed with the croquettes.
Perhaps smelling the fragrance, Kafka looked towards the kitchen area again.
"Looks like my choice wasn't wrong."
As Kafka murmured, Luke carried the dish to her table and gently set it down.
"Cream Croquette, please enjoy it slowly, Kafka-san."
"Thank you for the trouble."
Kafka said, choosing the knife and fork on the side as utensils.
After cutting open a piece of the croquette with the knife, Kafka heard a crispy sound and smelled the rich aroma wafting up.
This scent mixed the flavors of cream and fresh meat, greatly increasing one's appetite.
Without much thought, her fork followed, bringing the small cut piece into her mouth.
The next moment... the crispiness of the outer skin made a delightful sound between her teeth, like a small fireworks show, subsequently blossoming into wonderful sparks on the tip of her tongue.
As she chewed, Kafka realized the flavor became rich.
Because the soft and delicate potato puree and cream mixture inside the croquette were bursting forth together, stimulating her taste buds.
"Mmm~"
Kafka hummed softly, enjoying the pleasure brought by the delicious food.
"Really good, no... it should be said, this seemingly ordinary fried patty has an extraordinary texture."
"As long as Kafka-san is satisfied."
Luke picked up the tray, intending to return to the kitchen.
But just then, Kafka, who was tasting the cream croquette and about to add some ketchup, had her attention drawn as the main door was suddenly pushed open violently.
"Help me! Help me! Boss Luke!"
A young girl appeared inside the shop.
Luke also looked over.
"Still full of energy as always, huh, Suika."
The visitor who came to Luke's shop was named Ibuki Suika, a famous Oni of Gensokyo, and also... one of Luke's drinking buddies.