Chapter 28: Eat Your Rice

Rice.

The word ‘gohan’ in Japanese both means meals in general, as well as cooked rice. Rice is an existence that can truly be said to be the Japanese people’s soul food.

But with that said, it wasn’t that long ago when it shared that status from among the well-known ‘Five Grains’ of wheat, rice, beans, awa millet, and kibi millet. It was only around the end of the Edo era to the beginning of the Meiji era that it became the main staple.

During the time right after the Westernization movement in the Meiji era, ‘You can eat rice!’ was a promotional catchphrase for recruiting soldiers.

“…… I really miss eating rice.”

And so here is one Japanese who, after being summoned to another world, is feeling down from pining for rice.

It is Meldeia Kingdom’s First Prince Heinz’s close retainer, the one who’s shot through the ranks into becoming the Vice-Commander of a Knight Order in the blink of an eye, otherwise known as Onee.

The image of him sitting in a courtyard in the royal palace elegantly sipping a cup of red tea is truly a sight to behold. When he keeps quiet, he looks ever so manly.

“…… Why did you just have to vocalize something that I’ve been trying so hard to not think about!!”

And sitting across from Onee is the person who is always only an inch away from losing her temper, Queen Consort Asahi of Galdeia Kingdom.

At their first meeting, they only exchanged formalities due to their respective statuses, but the impactful incident afterwards bound them into kindred spirits with ties closer than blood. So here they are, periodically having tea parties together.

Everyone around them think it’s because they’ve come from the same place, but in actuality this is the result of Ouhi-sama’s and Onee’s interests ‘Final Fusion’-ing together.

(T/N: Yu-Gi-Oh! card.)

Though some might insist that homo and BL are different, all the guys in this world are handsome enough to become 2D so in this case your opinion is moot.

“Can’t you do something about it with your authority, Asahi-chan? There is a country similar to Japan, don’t they have rice there?”

“Even if they do, it’s not that simple. We don’t know whether it can be grown in this country’s climate, and even if it can, there’s no guarantee on the taste. In order to apply crop selection to ensure a species that suits our land and also has a guaranteed taste would be a project that requires years, or at worst perhaps even decades.”

Behind the stable quality and harvesting of today’s easily accessible Japanese rice is a long, long history of selective breeding.

As a result of this process, there are already more than 300 different species, and even today this process is still ongoing and birthing even more species.

Overcoming in a single instant the process of selective breeding that required so many years of effort is beyond even Ouhi-sama and her governing cheat.

“In that case, then there’s no choice but to import. Ah, but then that would be extremely costly.”

“And that’s why I was trying so hard to not think about it. I can hardly spend so much money on my personal enjoyment, and if the rice that I went to such efforts to acquire turn out to not taste good, I think my heart would break.”

“…… Let’s do it then. Selective breeding!”

“Were you listening to a word I was saying?!”

Onee declares his resolve with a pointlessly cool face, while Ouhi-sama directs a face of exasperation towards him.

“You said that it might take decades in the worst case scenario. Another way of thinking about it is that with at most decades of effort, we can finally enjoy delicious rice, right?”

“Is there really a need to go to such pains……”

“THERE IS!”

“?!”

Seeing Ouhi-sama’s hesitation, Onee abruptly jumps to his feet and thrusts one fist into the air.

“Have you already forgotten?! The jewel-like beauty of freshly cooked rice! The harmony of rice coming right after biting into a juicy piece of karaage! The ultimate combination of rice with tonkatsu dipped in sauce!!”

Onee roars towards the sky.

The vigor of his passion is almost like that of a man who, after extolling the thing most precious to him with all the words available to him, is ready to leave this life without a shred of regret.

The king and Grace, who are secretly peeping at the tea party, are both drawing back.

“…… As if I can forget!? That perfected beauty of seaweed and simply molded rice! The waltz of the chance encounter between meat soaked in sauce and rice! The ultimate peak of curry and rice melting into each other!!”

Then Ouhi-sama also stands up and thrusts both hands into the air.

The two of them continue to sing praises of rice as their passion generates a proportionately-sized whirlpool of air that gradually turns into a mini-typhoon.

Today, too, the gluttonous Japanese are in top form.

“Curse you, Kokushou. To see you being so in sync with Asahi…… Oh, all the envy in my heart!!”

“Umm…… may I leave first?”

The king who’s looking on is now biting his handkerchief with vexation, while Grace’s eyes have turned distant.

Today, too, this otherworld is at peace.