SWNOVELXO Chapter 73
The next day.
After observing the trading card game tournament in Akihabara, I had no time to rest as I immediately began preparations for the welcome party for the new members joining the brigade. When I joined the brigade, we had a small welcome party, but it wasn’t as grand due to the rush of events and the fact that I was heading to the royal capital at the time.
This time, three adventurers were joining *Akatsuki’s Brigade*. All three were women, and one of them had been scouted specifically to join.
The welcome party would be held not at the team house, but, like we had done in Elacton, we rented out a restaurant. The event was organized by Aina, the supply manager, and the rest of the members helped with the decorations. Many members who I didn’t interact with much on a daily basis were expected to come, so I was looking forward to it.
“Allen, I heard you’ll be preparing some of the food for the party. Are you okay with that?”
“Yeah, no problem.”
The restaurant was a stylish spot located just off the main street in the western district of the capital. It had an open terrace next to the entrance, which was beautifully lit up in the evening, giving it a warm, inviting atmosphere.
The restaurant was run by a distant relative of one of our members who was born in the capital, and thanks to that connection, we were able to secure it as the venue. After the lunch hours ended, we closed the restaurant, cleaned up, and began setting up the decorations.
I was in charge of preparing part of the meal for the welcome party. The rest of the dishes would be prepared by brigade members who were skilled in cooking, using the restaurant’s kitchen. My responsibility was the desserts and one of the main dishes.
“So, you’ll be grilling that wagyu beef directly on the iron plate, right? Do you need any extra seasonings?”
“No need. I’ve got all the seasonings covered,” I replied.
We cleared the terrace area and set up a large barbecue grill, much like a BBQ party. In this world, the grill resembled a giant charcoal brazier, but it still functioned similarly, allowing us to cook meat on skewers or on a grill. This time, we had set up an iron plate on the grill for cooking.
After I joined the brigade, I became somewhat close to a few members like Camille, and we’d chat casually when we had free time at the team house. However, I still only knew most of the brigade members by face at best.
To strengthen these relationships, I volunteered to be in charge of a dish that had already gained popularity with the people of this world: dessert and a meat dish.
The most common type of meat in this world is from monsters, which are often tough and sinewy, but widely available and cheap. Many restaurants in the capital offer all-you-can-eat buffets of monster meat, and the concept of grilled meat is well-known, at least in the Kingdom of Kainriese.
However, while monster meat is affordable, it tends to be quite muscular, with a strong gamey smell. It’s popular enough, but to a Japanese person, it would be considered quite pungent.
There is also livestock meat in this world, but it’s of significantly lower quality compared to Earth’s. Still, it’s far less smelly and much more tender than monster meat. However, it’s incredibly expensive, making it primarily accessible to the nobility and the wealthy.
In contrast, I had prepared some of Japan’s finest wagyu beef.
Wagyu is famous for its delicate marbling and melt-in-your-mouth texture, with rich, refined fat content. It’s the pinnacle of quality, often hailed as a culinary treasure worldwide. In fact, alongside sushi, wagyu is one of the most iconic Japanese foods.
Of course, wagyu’s high fat content might not appeal to everyone, but there’s no denying its quality far exceeds anything available in this world.
What I had prepared this time was Japan’s most renowned domestic *Kuroge Wagyu* (Black Hair Wagyu). The day I was assigned to handle the meat dish, I immediately did my research and secured some top-tier cuts of Kuroge Wagyu. I also wanted the brigade members to appreciate the unique qualities of each cut, so I brought a variety of them.
To ensure none of the wagyu’s delicate fat was lost, I requested the use of an iron plate instead of a grill.
“…Allen, you seem really confident about this, so I’m looking forward to it. But it’s a welcome party, so make sure the food doesn’t fall flat, okay?”
“Don’t worry, everyone’s going to be blown away.”
The meat and desserts had already been delivered and stored in the restaurant’s ice room, but I hadn’t told any of the other members besides Aina, my superior, about it.
It was a kind of surprise, and I wanted everyone to look forward to it. So, with a little excitement building, I went back to my work.