Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330658028208231/episodes/16817330660909226214
“Then I will pass out the ingredients.”
The instructor said and pointed to an aquarium.
Inside the tank, a large number of fish were swimming around, making the aquarium look like a fun place to visit.
“These are the fish that are caught in the morning in the “Fisheries” class. In this practical training, you will be cooking dishes using these fish.”
“Eeeeh, I can’t even touch fish.”
“No, I don’t feel good.”
“I wouldn’t have taken this training if it was like this.”
I can hear the voices of criticism from the surroundings.
“Please be quiet. The food you eat on a daily basis is based on the sacrifice of animals. If you want to become a chef, you must first be aware of what you are dealing with.”
Everyone falls silent at the instructor’s words. They were not satisfied with their feelings, but their insistence did not change the content of the class.
Looking at the expressions on the faces of everyone in the same group, two of the guys looked dissatisfied and three of the girls looked frightened.
The other people in the group looked the same way, and none of them wanted to go get the food.
Then someone gets up from the seat and walks over to the fish tank.
“Well, fresh fish really tastes good. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at fish processing.”
Sawaguchi san is trying to change the atmosphere of the place with her cheerful voice.
She stepped forward, looked into the tank, and spoke to the instructor.
“I can cook the fish in here as I like, right?”
“Yes. The recipe for each fish is written in the file here. You can try them as you go along, depending on the dish you want to make.”
The instructor was relieved and answered Sawaguchi san.
Seeing this, people from the other groups began to move.
“Let’s see……what shall I do?”
one of the girls asked in a fearful manner.
The other two girls were also silent, thinking that if they responded, they would be forced into the situation.
“I’m going to go get some fish, if you don’t mind.”
Even as I was doing this, fish were being taken away. The more fish they take, the less variation there would be in the dishes.
“No, you’re trying to score points by taking the initiative at a time like this.”
“You’re just getting carried away because everyone’s talking about you, aren’t you?”:
“You guys, stop your disgusting jealousy. Aikawa kun, can you do me a favor?”
While being stared at by the two guys the girl who accompanied them let out a cat-pawing voice. The other two girls are flustered, so it looks like I have no choice but to go.
I replied, “I’ll take care of it,” and headed for the tank to stock up on fish.
“Then I want the others to bring some rice and miso soup.”
After returning with the fish, I gave instructions to the team members.
Since all of them refused to touch the raw fish, I asked them to share the other tasks.
The two guys folded their arms and glared at me, and the three girls discussed their assignments and began cooking.
I looked at the fish I had brought.
I wondered if there were fish that Aizawa had caught in the morning in the “Fisheries” class mixed in with the fish that had been caught in the morning.
Considering the size of the fish and the time, it was possible that they had taken the boat out a bit further offshore.
Horse mackerels and mackerels over a meter in length look so delicious and fatty that it is fun just to see them bouncing around like this.
I put the blade of the knife into the gills of the fish, drained the blood out of it, and began to wash it in fresh water.
“Eek.”
I hear a girl scream behind me. They seemed to have come to check on me while I was making miso soup.
While adjusting to their working speed, I prepare while calculating the end time of the cooking practice.
I prepare fried horse mackerel and sashimi. The mackerel was to be simmered in miso, the sardines placed in namero, and the scorpion fish I had secured was to be made into sashimi, with the head used to make miso soup stock.
With more people than usual, I was very enthusiastic, and the time passed quickly, and before we knew it, the table was full of food.
“Mmm, it’s really delicious ! Aikawa kun, you can even cook, isn’t that amazing～”
A girl who came with two guys talked to me like that.
“It’s true, this miso soup is also delicious with a flavor that I’ve never had before.”
“I haven’t talked to you before, but Aikawa kun is very skillful, isn’t he?”
The other two girls were also flattered.
I too was satisfied with the taste of my own cooking. It was fun to cook many kinds of fish at once, and fish caught offshore has a different taste all its own.
The two guys ate in silence, and the four of us were having a good time talking about the food……
“Ya-ho, Aikawacchi !”
Sawaguchi san came to our table.
“What’s up, Sawaguchi san?”
I said to her,
“I thought I would barter with Aikawacchi’s cooking. It’s onigiri made with horse mackerel.”
Saying that, she offered me a snoring-shaped onigiri.
“Hah, I can’t help it……., is everyone okay with it?”
“Yes, most of them were made by Aikawa kun.”
“W-well…..I think it’s okay?”
I confirmed it, and the two girls responded.
“Hehehe, I was waiting for this, Aikawacchi’s home cook !”
Sawaguchi san sat down next to me, extended her chopsticks and began to eat.
“I’m sure it tastes better this way. I guess the taste of even a piece of sashimi changes depending on how it’s prepared.”
“Well, there are things like how to remove the blood, how to cool the fish, and how fast the fish is processed so that it doesn’t get too hot.”
The responsibility of the fisherman is to make sure the fresh fish tastes good, so I make sure I don’t cut any corners in that area.
I was eating the onigiri that Sawaguchi san had mad and listening to the girls’ conversation……
“But hey, isn’t it cruel to let a live fish remain like that without hesitation?”
“Seriously, what a psychopath !”
Those words make me feel like my heart has been grabbed.
“Usually, a man cooks to show off his ability to do things.”
“Ugh, what a gloomy. Only interferes in situations like this where he’s good at, and usually spends his time inconspicuously.”
The two guys started throwing malicious words at me more and more.
The girls in the room were silent and looked away from me. The girls who had just been eating the food, saying it was delicious, were now looking at me as if they were looking at something creepy.
(I knew I shouldn’t have cooked in public after all…….)
Perhaps it was because my well-meaning friends like Watanabe san and Aizawa praised me, but I had forgotten my past mistakes.
When I was in middle school, my classmates had the same attitude when I talked to them about fishing.
The two guys who were in a good mood finally continued to speak ill of me. I was listening to them, hoping that this bad time would soon be over……
“Are you kidding me !”
I hear a yell, and the cooking lab goes quiet.
“Aikawacchi did the cooking for you guys, didn’t he !”
“No, but Sawaguchi. Isn’t it a little strange that you can kill a living thing?”
One of the guys said back to Sawaguchi san.
“Everyone takes the life of another living being to survive. Didn’t the instructor say that before the practice?”
“Even so, isn’t it cruel or unreadable?”
The other guy countered,
“I don’t think it’s better to force people to do something they don’t like.
[ [Ugh ![ [
Sawaguchi san gives them both a cold stare.
“At least Aikawacchi is grateful for the fish and takes the utmost pains to make sure it tastes good. And all you guys do in response is complain, don’t you? Don’t you think that’s pathetic?”
Sawaguchi san looks at the people around her as she says this.
Her gaze seemed to be criticizing those who were directing criticism at me.
At least there is at least one person here who is on my side. When I became aware of this, my heart was instantly relieved.
“Damn, even Sawaguchi is preaching to me. Oh, I can’t stand it.”
“I can’t eat this shit.”
“Ah, it’s time for me to go too…..”
The three of them left the cooking lab with a blank look on their faces.
“Apologize to Aikawacchi !”
Sawaguchi san gets angry for me with an unusual attitude.
“Just let it go.”
I grabbed her by the shoulders and stopped her.
“But it’s not Aikawacchi’s fault, right?”
She turned around and her eyes were teary. She seemed to have been in a fit of anger earlier, but she was sad because she was thinking of me.
“Look, let’s have a meal together over here.”
“……Yeah.”
I let Sawaguchi san sit with me and we went back to eat together, even though I wanted to cry myself.
The eyes of those around me were already out of my mind, and now I was desperately trying to talk to her to get her to smile again.
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