Chapter 5: Entrée (Starter)

The man took a deep breath in the kitchen, steadying himself.
So far, everything had gone smoothly.
But from here on out, this was the real test.

As if reminding himself, he tightened his resolve and carefully carried the dish out.
He gently set the plate down in front of the two of them.

“Thank you for waiting. This is the entrée.”

What spread across the plate was a scene that looked as though a field itself had been cut out and placed there.
On top of a sauce made to resemble soil lay a potato, half-buried. From its surface, small sprouts were growing.

“Wow, it looks like a rice paddy.”
“It’s a field! —I mean!”

While Yuka’s eyes sparkled, Misaki spoke up, her tone sharpening with a hint of confusion.
“…Um, this… it has sprouts, doesn’t it? It kind of looks like it might be spoiled…”

At that moment, a smile surfaced on the man’s cheek.

—Yes. That was exactly what I wanted to see.

Deceived by appearances, they couldn’t help but let out a voice—
that very hesitation was proof that the dish had reached their hearts.

“The parts that look spoiled are expressed using a gelée, so you can enjoy the change in flavor.
For the sprouts, we used pea shoots, shaping them to look natural.
The parts that appear to be soil are made from finely chopped meat combined with a special sauce.
We’ve prepared it so it can be enjoyed either together with the potato or on its own.
Rest assured, it’s safe to eat.”

As he explained everything with care, inwardly, he clenched his fist just a little.
The fact that it had been “misunderstood”—that, more than anything else, was pure pleasure.

“…Come on, Misaki-san, you should eat too. It’s delicious.”

When she looked up, Yuka had already finished her plate.
At some point, she must have brought it to her mouth and eaten it all in a daze.

“I’m confident in the flavor. Please, do give it a try.”

At the man’s words, Misaki hesitated for a moment, then quietly picked up her spoon.
One bite.
And then—

“…It really is delicious.”

At those words, the man’s chest grew warm.

“…I’m sorry about earlier.”

He smiled happily and shook his head.

“Not at all.”

They were words he meant from the bottom of his heart.
To be doubted at first, to be startled—and then to be acknowledged—
that was precisely why he had created this dish.

“I’ll be bringing out the plat principal. Please wait just a moment.”

With Yuka’s buoyant laughter at his back, the man quietly returned to the kitchen.