Andrew had absolute confidence in the stew he'd spent over two hours preparing.
Meanwhile, Jane Doe, leaning elegantly not far from the counter, pursed her lips into a light chuckle and said:
"Heh, since someone has declared they're going to stuff my belly, am I not even allowed to watch out of curiosity?"
Her right leg, clad in ripped black stockings, crossed gently over her left. The pressure of her curvy thighs against each other made the indentations from the fabric even more pronounced.
"I'm really looking forward to your performance, you know~"
The words, laden with ambiguity, floated from between the girl's rosy lips as they parted and closed, yet her expression was as casual as if she were discussing the scenery by the roadside or where to go next.
Seeing the mischievous grin on her face, which was obvious even with her hand partially covering it, Andrew instantly knew she was teasing him on purpose.
"Hah, this is a signature dish that has conquered an entire encampment before. I guarantee it won't disappoint you."
"What? You've 'done' an entire camp of people? You're full of hidden talents, little bro~"
"Pfft! Cough, cough, cough! What the hell are you talking about? Act normal, you're scaring me!"
It just goes to show, when two tops meet, the first one to back down is the bottom. The same rule applies to friends.
Seeing Andrew be the first to concede defeat, Jane couldn't help but purse her lips and let out a chuckle. But after the laughter, she got to the main purpose of her visit.
"Hehe, little bro, you're quite confident, aren't you~ But speaking of which, your clothes and mannerisms... you don't look like you're from the Outer Ring."
The girl's teasing didn't affect Andrew's actions. His hand was perfectly steady as he stirred the simmering beef in the pot, checking the condition of each piece.
"Oh, that's right. I came here to buy a motorcycle. The Starlight Smithy on Sixth Street in New Eridu, quality guaranteed. Feel free to stop by anytime!"
There was no need for Andrew to hide something so obvious, so he even threw in a little advertisement for himself.
"A blacksmith shop owner?"
The identity Andrew revealed made Jane cover her mouth in surprise. She never expected the man in front of her to have such a... ordinary profession.
She had been fully prepared for him to say he was a broker or an agent taking commissions from the Broker's Web in the gray zone.
That would have seemed more normal, in fact. The Broker's Web was New Eridu's largest gray zone, a place where even the Public Security sometimes sought help for particularly thorny issues.
"With your kind of strength, instead of opening a smithy in New Eridu, you could easily establish a gang in the Outer Ring and rule the roost, don't you think?"
As she spoke, Jane put on a supportive expression and egged him on:
"If you were to start a gang or an organization, how about I be your second-in-command?"
Hearing this, Andrew immediately waved his hand in distaste and said:
"Start a gang? Just hearing it sounds like a pain. With that kind of time, wouldn't it be better to forge a few more things or go find some more materials? Nope, not interested."
"Is that so?"
Hearing his response, Jane chuckled lightly and didn't press the issue. After all, she was only probing his thoughts. But if Andrew really had such ambitions, she wouldn't have minded adding another target to her undercover portfolio.
Andrew and Jane chatted idly. As an expert in criminal behavior, Jane detected nothing dangerous about Andrew; he was, at the very least, safer than more than ninety percent of the people in New Eridu.
Reassured, Jane stopped her probing and decided to treat this meal as a simple get-together with a friend.
—
The baguette was already baking in the oven. While the two of them chatted casually, Andrew's hands never stopped moving.
Normally, once a stew is finished simmering, you just need to pick out the large spices before serving. Or, if you're not a picky eater, you could just leave them in.
But Andrew wasn't about to finish so simply.
He ladled out the large chunks of stewed meat and vegetables, portioning them out, and prepared to do a little extra processing on the remaining gravy.
He strained the remaining liquid, removing all the residue from the simmering process, and poured the pure broth back into the pot.
He added a pat of butter and then, to Jane's somewhat surprised gaze, unwrapped and dropped in two squares of chocolate.
Yes, Jane was confident. With her sharp eyes, she knew she wasn't mistaken. The familiar wrapper contained dark chocolate.
As someone who kept her pouch stuffed with energy bars, she occasionally carried a few pieces of chocolate for a quick calorie boost, so there was no way she could have misidentified it.
"Wait, you're not making another dish as poisonous as that kebab, are you? The thing you just put in there, unless my eyes are deceiving me, was chocolate, right?!"
The memory of that taste seemed to flood her mouth again. Jane was now seriously beginning to doubt whether the title of "New Eridu's Number One Dark Cuisine Chef" was a compliment.
But Andrew showed no sign of panic or error in the face of Jane's suspicion. He calmly stirred the gravy to help the chocolate melt and prevent clumping, while holding out the wrapper he'd just removed to her between his fingers.
"It's pure dark chocolate. The 100% cacao kind."
Jane took the wrapper dubiously. After wondering for a moment if it might be some special kind of seasoning block, she examined it back and front and confirmed that it was, indeed, just a regular wrapper for pure dark chocolate.
"Does that make a difference? This is definitely dark cuisine!"
Realizing that Andrew had indeed put pure chocolate into the pot, Jane couldn't help but lean back slightly, subconsciously putting a little more distance between herself and the pot.
Seeing her expression, Andrew knew exactly what she was thinking. The impact of the earlier kebab had been a bit too powerful.
Look how scared he'd made her. Even her tail had stopped swaying casually and was now subconsciously standing straight up behind her, pointing at the sky.
The fact that the girl hadn't bolted at the first opportunity already spoke volumes of her trust in Andrew. After all, if he had been in her shoes after tasting that kebab, he definitely would have run away immediately.
So, Andrew explained:
"Just because chocolate is popular as a dessert, don't forget that before cacao beans became chocolate, they were used by locals in savory cooking."
As he poured the completely melted and slightly thickened gravy over the portioned meat, Andrew continued:
"When you add a little dark chocolate to the gravy and let it melt, not only does it add a bit of thickness, but the original bitterness gets completely masked."
"Really?"
Listening to Andrew's coherent explanation, Jane gradually relaxed from her bristled state. Her slender tail once again swayed casually and wrapped around her thigh, though she still couldn't help but feel a little suspicious.
"Of course. Not only that, but adding dark chocolate adds a nutty aroma, and its unique acidity complements the flavor of the red wine, enhancing the taste quite a bit."
As the reprocessed gravy collided once more with the meat, a rich aroma burst forth, completely swallowing any lingering doubts Jane had.
The fat, rendered down by the long cooking time, had completely dissolved into the sauce, releasing a rich, buttery beef aroma. The alcohol from the red wine had long since evaporated during the simmering, leaving behind only the mellow fragrance of the grapes.
He added the prepared side vegetables and the sautéed onions. Finally, with a perfect swirl of sour cream on top, the flawless stew was complete.
____
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