Who Is the World’s Strongest Appraiser? ~Living in Another World With Satisfying Meals~

In Return For The Bamboo Shoots, A Cool Warabi Mochi

After securing the bowls, Yuuri starts washing the used pots and utensils. After finishing the washing and wiping down the kitchen, completely cleaning up, he finally takes out the bowl of ice water and warabi mochi from the fridge. In the swaying water, he can see the wobbly warabi mochi in some places. They were completely set.

“Tou!”

Yuuri pours the contents of the bowl into a large colander placed in the sink. Since they were already set, they should be fine. Even though he pours it all at once, he does it close to the colander to avoid breaking the contents. The water is drained, and the cold, wobbly warabi mochi appears on the colander.

He carefully arranges the portion to bring to the grandma in a glass bowl, while the remaining warabi mochi is placed on a large plate. He pours the portion of black sugar syrup into a container and leaves the rest as is. Satisfied, he nods, puts the warabi mochi and syrup in his school bag, and heads out.

At the entrance, apprentices were weeding and cleaning. Having finished the laundry, they were now cleaning. Spotting Yuuri, their faces light up with anticipation.

“There’s warabi mochi in the kitchen. It’s on a big plate, so don’t fight over it. And it tastes better with the black sugar syrup next to it. That’s all!”

“”Got it!!””

Their response was excellent. Quickly putting away their cleaning tools, the apprentices dashed towards the kitchen. Seeing them off, Yuuri walks towards the market. Just walking, the sun felt strong and unusually hot. He thought he’d buy a hat next time since the sun’s heat was tough.

As he was thinking about this while walking, he arrived at his destination, the grandma’s shop. She was fanning her face while minding the shop, looking quite stern naturally, making her seem unapproachable. However, Yuuri didn’t mind at all. Thinking it’s natural to be grumpy in this heat, because the grandma he knew was always smiling, gentle, and very kind.

…Little did he know, this was an exception.

“Grandma, hello.”

“Oh, Yuuri, what brings you here?”

“I came to thank you for the bamboo shoots you gave me yesterday.”

“Haha, you really came. You’re so conscientious.”

The grandma, who was grumpy a moment ago, now smiled as Yuuri knew her. She led him under the roof, as it would be hot out there. Yuuri naturally followed her in. To any onlookers, they looked like a kind grandma and her carefree grandson. Though passersby looked surprised, nearby shop owners were used to it.

“I made some sweets.”

“Oh, sweets I’ve never seen before?”

“It’s a sweet from my hometown called warabi mochi.”

Yuuri took the warabi mochi out of his school bag and handed it to the grandma. She tried one right away. She looked puzzled by the wobbly texture but stabbed one with a fork and brought it to her mouth. It had a cool, wobbly, and mysterious texture. However, the firmness she initially felt was gone, and it melted smoothly in her mouth. The sweetness of the sugar spread in her mouth, making her smile.

“This is delicious. It’s quite chilled.”

“It tastes better when chilled. Also, it has a different flavor when you add black sugar syrup.”

“Is it black sugar?”

“I made it by boiling black sugar and water.”

Yuuri drizzled the syrup over the warabi mochi with a spoon. Knowing Yuuri always brought delicious food, the grandma ate it without resistance. The concentrated sweetness of the black sugar syrup without lingering sweetness combined with the faint sweetness of the warabi mochi, making it exquisite. It was delicious plain, but this was a different level.

“It’s delicious.”

“Do you like it?”

“I do. You really make all kinds of things.”

Laughing joyfully, the grandma continued eating the warabi mochi. She even fed some to Yuuri, just like a real grandma and grandson. They seemed genuinely happy.

Then, Yuuri remembered and took out a pouch from his school bag. Inside was a lunch box with bamboo shoot rice balls. He had made them before the ravenous kids could eat everything yesterday, packed them in a lunch box, and put it in his school bag. So, they were still warm.

“I made bamboo shoot rice balls with the bamboo shoots you gave me.”

“Oh, you come from a place where rice is the staple food. Thank you.”

“Please have it for lunch. It’s still warm.”

“Oh, I’ll gladly have it then. It seems like I’m just receiving from you.”

“Not at all. I just wanted to thank you for the delicious bamboo shoots. Everyone was delighted.”

“I see. That’s good to hear.”

The grandma smiled, and so did Yuuri. Unbeknownst to them, people around were watching the grandma eat the warabi mochi with great interest but couldn’t approach her because they knew her usual demeanor. And Yuuri didn’t notice any of this.

Back at the hideout, Yuuri was scolded by those who lost the battle for the warabi mochi, “That wasn’t enough for everyone!” and ended up making more warabi mochi again.