#780 Who’s that Challenger?

Our okonomiyaki party goes on.

We have Kraken, Desmask, and the Horned Boar happily sizzling away at the iron grill.

“Hey, hey, hey! The fun party has started!”

“The taste of the seafood wrapped in the okonomiyaki batter is so good, desumasu!!!”

“The squid’s texture is the best!!!”

“The fatty part of the pork is so nice and juicy!!!”

...Let’s pretend we didn’t notice the faint hint of madness in the atmosphere.

And then, amidst our delicious–I mean, “delightful” party–an intruder appeared.

“Enough merry-making! It’s rude not to invite me to such a fun event!”

“What?! You’re...!”

Veil!

Whenever food is the topic, she appears out of nowhere. If anything, she’s late today!

While Veil, in reality, is a dragon capable of releasing tremendous power when provoked, for now, she’s in the form of an excited young girl. 

Regardless of the form she takes, she’s always lively.

“You dare to leave ME out, you insolent octopus, crab, and boar...! Gwohohoho...!”

What’s with that laugh?

“How presumptuous of you to claim the title of this farm’s okonomiyaki champion without including me! I, above all, can create the ultimate okonomiyaki!!!”

“WH-WHAAAAT?!” desumasu?!”

Huh?

Why is Veil so confident about her okonomiyaki skills?

Has she always had a deep relationship with it?

If I were to recall the food she’s involved herself with, it’s bread, udon, ramen, and the like...

Basically, anything related to flour...

...Oh.

“I see you’ve figured it out, Master! Okonomiyaki is essentially a flour dish! It’s my territory!!!”

Right, the main component of okonomiyaki is its batter, which is primarily made from wheat flour.

And who else could be the Gluten Ranger, the close ally of wheat, but our very own dragon, Veil?

So, her joining this okonomiyaki party is just natural.

It was bound to happen.

“When it comes to anything flour-related, it’s my time to shine! Watch closely, you ground-crawling octopus, crab, and boar! I’ll make the ultimate okonomiyaki and show you how it’s leagues above the rest!”

“We don’t exactly crawl on the ground, you know?”

“We swim in the sea, desumasu...”

They were set on correcting Veil.

To begin with, they’re here as ingredients, not as chefs.

Making this a contest between “ultimate vs. supreme” might be difficult.

“My okonomiyaki grilling technique is on a whole other level than your average stuff...! It’s not just your regular okonomiyaki; it’s a super-duper, ultra-special kind! Gwohohoho...!!!”

Again, what’s with that laugh?

“But we’ve already had our fill of okonomiyaki...”

“Whaaaaaaaaat?!”

After a certain age, flour dishes feel heavy on your stomach.

I can’t eat another bite without feeling like I’ll burst; besides, dinner is coming up. I want to leave room in my stomach to enjoy a delightful meal with the kids.

“Don’t be like that! My okonomiyaki is exquisite! I’m sure you’ll love it!!!”

“It’s not about the taste; it’s about the capacity...!”

“I cook okonomiyaki in a totally different way! Aren’t you curious?! As a master chef, you must be intrigued, Master!!!”

No.

I’m not exactly a chef, you know...?!

“Let’s get cooking! Watch the batter dance on the grill!”

Wait a sec...?!

I never agreed to eat another bite...!

“We start with preparing the batter! Chop the cabbage! Keep chopping it relentlessly!”

Chopchopchopchopchopchopchopchopchopchop...!!!

Chopchopchop.

Veil’s knife skills are insanely good.

The chopped cabbage has been reduced to mere dust.

She’s become quite a chef, mastering the knife to a professional level...!

“Chopchopchopchopchopchop!”

She’s even mimicking the sound of the knife chopping away.

And now she’s reduced the cabbage to pieces smaller than the tip of a pinkie finger.

Technically, the cabbage needs to be this fine to mix into the okonomiyaki batter.

“Then throw the finely chopped cabbage into the broth! And then mochi! Cheese! And also Master’s special spicy cod roe!!!”

That must be her batter filling.

All of them are top-quality produce grown on this farm.

“In order to prove that my okonomiyaki is the ultimate, I won’t rely on the seafood or pork fillings from that octopus, crab, and pig! Revel in the harmonious flavors the great me will produce!”

What’s so bad about using seafood or meat?

I mean, Veil herself loves meat.

“The uniqueness of my okonomiyaki starts here! First, I’ll drop just the fillings onto the iron pan and sauté them well!”

Hmm?

“When they’re heated thoroughly, I’ll combine the ingredients, shape them into a circle, and make a hole in the center!!!”

Hmm...

“Then, pour the saved broth into that hole!!”

“Hold on, isn’t that...?!”

“When the broth gets heated and thickens, mix it with the fillings, spread it thinly, heat it, then scoop it up with a spatula and eat!!!”

But wait...

If I’m not mistaken, isn’t that a different dish?

You know, that.

Isn’t that monjayaki?!

I’ve never eaten it, so I’m not sure.

But I read about it in KoraK*me, so I know how it’s made.

It’s definitely monjayaki!!!

The comfort food of Tokyo’s downtown area!

It’s similar yet different from okonomiyaki! Usually, when you go to an okonomiyaki restaurant, it’s on the menu alongside!

“You shouldn’t nitpick, Master. This is a creative dish based on the idea that came to me.”

“I guess wise minds sometimes do cross the same bridge!”

Could it be that Veil...

She came up with monjayaki, based solely on her own ideas and without any hints?!

Who could’ve imagined her culinary instincts were so refined?!

“I’ll call it Veil-yaki after the recipe I created! Maybe I’ll start charging everyone who cooks it this way! Gahahaha!”

Ngh, that’s a troubling proclamation.

But Veil, you’re reinventing something that’s already a classic among Tokyo’s common folk!!!

Monjayaki, huh?

I’ve never had it before, to be honest.

It’s like a local dish in Tokyo, unfamiliar to those from other prefectures.

Just like how jelly fry is unfamiliar to non-Saitama residents. 

Out of curiosity, I scoop some of the monjayaki with a spatula and try it.

“Oh, it’s good.”

It has a completely different taste from okonomiyaki.

Maybe because it contains mochi and cheese, it has a chewy and gooey texture. Plus, the spiciness of the cod roe is a great touch.

If we added seafood or pork, I’m sure it would be more delicious.

So, this is the flavor of Tokyo’s downtown!!!

“Wooaaaaaaaaaaaah! This okonomiyaki-like dish is delicious, desumasuuuuuuu!!!”

“It’s juicier and chewier than regular okonomiyaki, oink! Good job on this okonomiyaki imposter!!!”

“Don’t call it an imposter!”

Those who tried it were impressed.

It’s good enough to become a regular menu item at our farm.

“Hey. Mind if I say something?”

As everyone was swept up in the monjayaki madness, Kraken, the squid spirit, spoke up.

Or was it an octopus?

“You joined the cooking competition because this was a flour-based dish, right? But monjayaki doesn’t use much flour, does it?”

...

Why?

“From what I saw of the cooking process, the stock for monjayaki was very thin, without the thickness you’d expect from flour...”

“So, the monjayaki I made... wasn’t a flour dish...?!”

Veil is stunned, her identity shaken.

Don’t worry!

Monjayaki does contain a bit of wheat flour! Probably!!!

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i updated the previous two chapters cause i realized late there was a slight mistake in desmask's sentence ender (desmas-desumasu)