[Creative Fiction x Recipe] Virtual Izakaya 'Sakana-roku' Episode 21: Oyaki Bread and Beer
Content Introduction
Today's dish is the nostalgic 'Oyaki Bread,' which tastes delicious no matter what you fill it with.
Enjoy a story of beer and heart-easing moments unfolding in a virtual izakaya, along with recipes and ingredient introductions.
Main Story
Pass through the noren curtain, and you are enveloped in a small world.
Words unravel in the sake, and we talk over appetizers.
What shall be recorded tonight?
Kozue Narushima checked the timecode softly while listening to the recorded audio through her headphones.
Flowing into her ears was a cello recital held at a hall last week. The performer's name was Kanade Sakamoto. Though still a young cellist, there was something in the sound that transcended age.
She had accompanied the venue as staff, likely for the first and last time. She hadn't exchanged a single word, just returned with the recorded audio in hand. Yet, as she continued the editing work, she found herself inexplicably drawn to the fluctuations in the sound and the edges of the reverberations.
'Surely, something precious to someone is recorded here—'
She couldn't help but feel that way.
It was on her way home. After her office PC crashed due to overheating, her concentration was completely broken, and Kozue got off the train at the nearest station. It was a back alley she only visited during Tokyo performances. For some reason, she felt like heading there.
She didn't look at a map. Relying only on her senses, she went left, then right. Then, after turning a corner, a dimly lit lantern and a white noren curtain emerged.
'—Ah, this is it.'
Sometime ago, other staff members at the office had been talking.
'Apparently, the cellist Sakamoto stopped by a strange shop after his Tokyo performance. They said there was nothing written on the noren.'
She couldn't believe it was a coincidence. As if drawn in, she passed through the noren.
'Welcome.'
The voice was calm, and she felt the waves of the air change quietly.
A small shop with only a counter. There were no other customers. Standing in the back of the kitchen, wearing a navy samue and a white apron, was Ikkon Mashiro.
'Please, take any seat you like.'
Kozue bowed slightly and sat at the corner of the counter. A space with nothing. The comfort of not being asked anything.
'—If you ask me if I'm hungry, I suppose just a little.'
Her mouth moved naturally.
'Understood. Please wait a moment.'
Before long, a gentle, soft aroma drifted from the kitchen. The sweet scent of yeast and the savory smell of freshly baked crust. Into that, the scent of sesame oil and earth blended in. It was a gentle, nostalgic scent.
Placed on a round plate in front of me was a round-baked bread. The surface had a plump, golden-brown finish, and when Mashiro grabbed it with his thick fingers and broke it open, burdock root and garland chrysanthemum peeked out along with the steam.
“It’s oyaki bread.”
“—Bread?”
“Yes. I tried bringing the fermentation of oyaki and the baking of bread dough together right in the middle.”
Kozue gently tore off a piece and brought it to her mouth. Along with the sweetness of the wheat, the wholesome flavor of the sautéed vegetables slowly spread. The burdock and garland chrysanthemum each made their presence felt quietly.
“—Delicious.”
The word slipped out before she could help it.
“Do you like beer?”
“Yes. If there’s one that isn’t too bitter.”
Mashiro nodded and took out a well-chilled bottle. In the glass he poured it into was a cloudy, golden color. A savory foam stood in fine, delicate bubbles.
“It’s a white beer. It’s called Weizen, made from wheat. It might have a scent like bananas.”
Kozue took a gentle sip. Indeed, a scent that even felt sweet. A bitterness that rolled faintly on her tongue. Ah, this is certainly... it snuggles up to the taste of the bread.
“I thought the bread was the star, but the beer is quietly supporting it too—that’s how it feels.”
Mashiro smiled.
“That sounds just like a sound engineer.”
Kozue’s eyes widened slightly.
“Eh—why?”
“I had a feeling you would come to this shop after Kanade Sakamoto’s performance.”
Quietly, a slip of paper was offered. On it, only the words, “To the one who delivered the performance, a recording as well,” were written.
“She remembered you. She said, ‘I’m happy that my sound reaches further thanks to someone else.’”
—To think she would say such a thing.
Kozue stuffed another mouthful of oyaki bread into her mouth and washed it down with beer. A gentle lingering resonance remained softly on her tongue and deep in her ears. Come to think of it, she had only ever chased the resonance of sound until now. Recording sound, balancing it—that was her role. But now, that resonance remained inside her as well.
“—Somehow, I’ve started to think that my work might not have been so bad after all.”
“Yes. That is what it means to be recorded.”
Kozue stood up, looked toward the back of the kitchen once more, and spoke.
“What is the name of this shop...?”
“It’s ‘Shukoroku,’ for sake and appetizers.”
“I’ll come again. Not as a recording, but with my own voice.”
Kozue passed through the noren curtain again. The second time, she was wrapped in the scent of white beer and fermentation.
Watching Kozue’s back as she left, Mashiro Ikkon returned to the kitchen. Tonight, another sake appetizer had been recorded.
Return to Episode 1
Return to Episode 20
Continue to Episode 22...
Bonus Recipe
Mix 100g bread flour, 100g cake flour, 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, and 3g dry yeast well in a bowl (makes 4 servings for 2).
Add 100cc lukewarm water and 1 tbsp salad oil, then mix and knead by hand.
Return to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it undergo primary fermentation in a warm place for at least 30 minutes.
Once it has doubled in size, divide into 4 equal portions and let rest for 10 minutes.
Roll the dough into a circle, place your favorite filling (e.g., burdock kinpira, teriyaki chicken, simmered beef, etc.) in the center, and wrap it up.
Place the dough with the sealed side down on parchment paper and let it undergo secondary fermentation for about 20 minutes.
Bake in a covered frying pan or oven until the surface is browned.
Ingredient Introduction
Schmatz Weizen: Goes well with savory bread.