Beef is probably the first ingredient that comes to mind when you think of sukiyaki. Other ingredients would be vegetables such as leeks and shiitake mushrooms, shirataki noodles and tofu, and maybe garland chrysanthemum and eggs?
At any rate, the most important of these would be beef, so I decided that we should get beef first.
[If it's beef, I recommend the butcher shop in the trading city in the western part of the Symphonia Kingdom. The quality of their beef is good and the price is reasonable.]
[Fumu fumu... I thought you were going to suggest some kind of monster cow.]
[Of course, we could also do that. There are also cow-type monsters with delicious meat. However, I don't think that fits this time's goal. This time, it's not like we're trying to make the most delicious sukiyaki in the world after all.]
[Well, that's true... Even if we got such a great piece of meat, that would just be too much for me. I intend to cook it myself this time...]
[And so, you'd basically prefer something you can buy at a store.]
It was just as Kuro said. I don't want to make a super expensive sukiyaki. If I wanna make something like that, I think it would be quicker to just give Alice a white gold coin for that.
If I were to make it myself, I would rather use ingredients that are easy to prepare. I can really rely on Kuro to choose a shop with that in mind.
Thereupon, we teleported to the trading city with Kuro's Teleportation Magic and arrived at the butcher shop we were aiming for. The shop really gives off that "The Butcher" vibe, and unlike a supermarket, it was a store where you could choose meat from a showcase being sold by weight.
[Hmmm, I wonder what part of the meat would be the best?]
[I wouldn't know that much... Ahh, that's right. Shalltear~~ Teach us.]
[If you're gonna make sukiyaki, the meat I would recommend is either the thigh meat, shoulder meat, shoulder loin, or rib roast.]
When Kuro called out, Alice appeared and explained. It's very reassuring to have Alice, who is good at cooking, at times like this.
[First of all, thigh meat is lean, so it's healthy, but it tends to be tough, making it difficult to cook. The shoulder meat is a good part that has both texture and umami. However, it has a slightly stronger flavor and less marbling. Meanwhile, the shoulder loin is prodigiously marbled and has a great flavor, which makes it often used for high-class sukiyaki. As for rib roast, it's especially marbled and has a tenderness that makes it melt in your mouth... Well, I've said all that, but I personally think that shoulder roast is your safest choice]
[I see, that was helpful. Thanks.]
[You're gonna prepare my portion too, yes?]
[...Alright.]
It was very easy-to-understand advice, and if you're eating sukiyaki, it would be nice to surround yourself with a few people, so eating it together with Alice is no problem. However, when Alice's gonna eat with us, a considerable amount would be necessary.
[...Rather, if Alice is gonna eat with us, I think it would be good to buy all 4 types of meat, but what do you think, Kuro? ]
[I think that would be good. It's nice that we'd be able to eat and compare different types of meat, and Shalltear would be happy eating lots, so both are good.]
[Then, I guess I'll buy all the meat that Alice mentioned earlier huh...]
Just as Kuro said, buying all the types would give us the benefit of allowing us to taste and compare. From what I've heard, each of them seems to have its own merits, and it's nice to be able to experience doing that.
[I mean, it's not like you had to go disappearing again, Shalltear. Let's go around together. We would also appreciate it if you could give us some advice.]
[Hmmm, well, if Kuro-san's alright with that...]
[In fact, both Kuro and I only know roughly about sukiyaki, so is there anything we should buy?]
After hearing Kuro's call, Alice reappears. Well, if she's gonna join along eating in the pot in the end, it's better if she could help us out.
Neither me nor Kuro is that good at cooking, so Alice's participation here is rather welcome.
[Let's see. I think it would be better if you also buy granulated sugar.]
[Granulated sugar? Like those used for cotton candy?]
[Yes, it's a kind called brown chuzarato. It's colored with caramel, which is generated by heating in the production process, and the caramel gives a nice richness when making the warishita. That caramel is the key to the flavor of sukiyaki.]
[I see, that's very informative.]
Granulated sugar huh, unless you buy it intentionally, that's certainly not something that would be in my magic box. Being able to teach us this kind of knowledge, how should I say this... She really is very reliable.
[So, what are we going to buy next?]
[Vegetables, I guess? I think the vegetables from Archlesia Empire would be good...]
[Sounds great. It would have to be Symphonia Kingdom if you're looking for basic crops, but the vegetables in the frontier cities of Archlesia are exceptional. Well, that is if you're narrowing your options within Human Realm...]
[For this time, isn't it okay to use ingredients that can be gathered from the Human Realm? After all, if you include the Demon Realm in your options, we could just go to Raz's field.]
[Well, that's true...]
Since Kuro and Alice originally were on good terms, the conversation between them is going nicely, and I didn't have the space to butt in. Well, I'll leave gathering the ingredients to the two of them who are knowledgeable about this, while I'll do my best to cook... Somehow, from the atmosphere of the conversation, it doesn't seem like Alice feels like cooking anyway...