Wild JK Kashino Yukiko Opens a Bar in Another World

Episode 16: Grandpa's True Intentions

Translated by AmaLynne

「After all, the common people, the nobility, and the royalty all eat the same quality of meat.」

At best, the only difference between the two should be the delivery of meat as quickly as possible.

There may be meat and organs that have larger scratches when killed and more blood and less animal smell as a result, but that is just a coincidence, and the work is not standardized as mine is.

The quality of the meat and offal will vary, and the cooks hired by rich people will do their best to eliminate the smell of beastliness and decay by using herbs and cooking methods that work well.

「I have found that the meat and organs have a natural taste and texture without the use of herbs. It can also be used in dishes that would not be possible if herbs were used extensively. The meat is very expensive because of the time, effort, and cost involved in preparation and preservation, but the taste is well worth it. Maybe there is a way to sell it with that kind of added value.」

「Added value?」

「The same product can be sold as a luxury item with other values to increase profit margins. That way, we don’t have to hunt as much as professional hunters.」

Just hunt it and leave it around with cheaper meat and offal because of the smell of decay if you are not good at it.

The wild beasts are caught alive, carefully drained of blood, the entrails are removed, and each part is carefully processed.

Care is also taken in transportation and storage so that the meat and organs do not deteriorate due to the warmth.

The result is delicious meat and offal that no longer smells of the beast at all, but it is expensive because of the time and effort required.

Now, which would the aristocrats choose?

「Is it the meat and offal from that grilled skewer or the more expensive one that took the time and effort to prepare…?」

「In the first place, are you that good of a hunter?」

「No, not that much. As you can imagine, even I can’t compete with the best of the best.」

「And no matter how good a hunter, is hunting monsters and beasts is dangerous and risky. The more you hunt, the more you risk injury or death.

Besides, when you get older, you can’t hunt as many magical beasts as when you were young.」

We can add value to our prey by using less dangerous methods and selling them at a higher price.

As a business, this was more likely to last longer.

Take care of yourself, you know.

「We could hire a young hunter or hunters and let them take them alive. The work could become more efficient and more profitable.」

However, we don’t have anyone to do that for us at this time…

Maybe I should talk to grandpa about it sometime?

If we can get a steady supply of quality meat and offal, we can prepare a lot more food.

「You would consult with the grandfather?」

「I thought it might be a good idea. Your grandpa is a business genius, and I think he’ll understand right away.」

「……I see.」

While we were talking, lunchtime was over and we decided to lift the wild boar out of the river, which had been dipped in the river water.

「But first, Bonta-kun. Step on it and push.」

「Like this? Oh, it still bleeds.」

「One more step.」

Next, I pour hot water heated to about 70 degrees Celsius by fire magic over the wild boar that has been bled out.

I don’t have a thermometer to measure the temperature of the hot water, but my grandfather used to do this so I remembered it by feel.

「This way, the hairs come out easily.」

It’s better to leave the skin on too, because the belly tastes better.

They are perfect for stews.

「Furthermore, to make sure there are no leftover hairs, use fire magic in the form of a burner to burn the skin, and then burn the remaining hairs. After draining the skin well with magic, we will finally dismantle it.」

「I’ll take care of it.」

Bonta-kun did all the dismantling, saying he wanted to practice.

As one would expect from a man of his experience, the wild boar was cut into sections one after another.

Finally, we wrapped it in a clean, sterilized cloth and put it in this box.

We have to make sure we put ice in the box so the meat doesn’t get too warm.

「The meat of a dead wild boar will quickly become tough, but after a full day or so the meat will become tender again. This is when it’s time to eat, but don’t forget to control the temperature.」

It would be a shame if the meat and organs went bad due to spoilage after all that work.

「This is how the meat and organs are prepared and served in my restaurant.」

「Yukiko, you are a very good-natured woman, aren’t you? You’ve leaked such an important technique to me.」

「Oh, you don’t have to worry about that.」

It seems that Starblood is worried about technology leaks, but I don’t think we have to worry about that in this case.

Especially if you are dealing with young Mirko.

Besides, I don’t mind at all if it leaks out.

In fact, if it becomes widespread and quality meat and organs become cheaper, it will be easier for me because all I have to do is stock them.

If that happens, we can expand our hours of operation, such as serving lunch during the daytime hours.

「Don’t you worry?」

「Because even if they know how to do this, it would be hard to do it all the time.」

Because anyone can learn to do this method if they practice it, but then it is up to the person to be able to keep doing this day after day, all the time.

Especially since the young man Mirko doesn’t seem to have the patience…

「If you cut corners even a little bit, the meat will smell like an animal, and it will rot. If you do that even once, you will quickly lose your reputation and meat will not sell for a high price. The reputation that a long-established restaurant has built up over a hundred years can be destroyed by a single bad review. You can’t cling to your grandpa’s name and only look for a business that is cool and easy to get ahead in. That’s why I’m trying to talk to grandpa about it.」

The young man Mirko, who left the wild boar he had just hunted untouched, would not be able to handle the task of prepping and dismantling the magical beast.

He is a proud man simply because he is a member of the Starblood family.

The dismantling of the beast would be a real pain in the ass, as the hairs would be covered with soybean-sized mites, blood would be on his clothes, and the internal organs would stink before they were prepped.

The intestines are filled with a lot of feces.

Depending on how you do it, it can be a good enough business, but it would probably be easier to succeed if you had your boss gather the people together.

「You don’t think I can do it?」

「You can’t. Because when you first start a business, even the president has to do all the work. In the future, when the business expands and you need to manage your employees, how can you give proper instructions to new employees if you don’t understand all of their jobs? For example, if there is a vacancy in the company, you must take the option of filling it yourself until a new person can. If you don’t want to do that, you can train other employees to do multiple jobs beforehand. But you can’t do that if you don’t know everything about the job. That’s why I said you can’t do it.」

I am not saying that you should force yourself to work hard for nothing.

In many cases, even the greatest merchants have to work their way through the mud in the process of moving up the ladder.

But I do not believe that young man Mirko is capable of that.

「I see that the landlady Yukiko says the same thing as the grandfather.」

「I am sure the pride you have in being a member of the Starblood family is the reason for your initial pointless courtship of me. You purchased a good business with the Starblood family’s money and ended up starting your own business. That’s the idea, isn’t it? That’s why your grandfather shoved you into my store to do chores. Because if you don’t obey your grandfather’s orders, you will be disowned, so you are half obliged to do the chores and carry the bags, and you have no choice but to do so. When your time working in my store is over, you will be back to where you started. You will go back to your life of going to a nice store or business and offering to buy it with the Starblad family’s money. Am I wrong?」

「I’m from the Starblad family. I’m not like other small merchants.」

「I don’t think so. Did you hear what your grandfather said?」

Starblood Trading Company is a trading company that was founded by the previous generation, so it’s not an established business.

Grandpa had to work very hard to make it big.

And yet, his grandson is sitting on the name Starblood Trading Company. Grandpa must be worried.

That is why he asked me to let him work in the store.

「I think Grandpa would want you to do whatever little job you think is right for you. Even if you fail, that’s okay. If it will help you succeed the next time. For the most part, you have the overwhelming advantage and ease of having your grandfather’s backing if things go wrong. If I fail in business, the worst that can happen is that I start with the debt and have to start paying it back.」

There is no such lenience in this world as limited responsibility in a joint-stock company.

If a young woman fails in business, the worst thing that can happen to her is to go to the red light district.

That is why there are almost no women-owned businesses or stores in this world.

In the case of men, they would be sent to the mines.

At least young Mirko was in no danger of that happening to him, and from grandpa’s point of view, he should just hang in there and do his best.

「Yukiko, you’ve got a lot to say.」

「You are not stupid or clumsy, and it doesn’t take you long to learn anything. But you can’t start a new business like your brothers because the Starblood Trading Company will make up for it if you fail anyway, so you wonder if there is some fancy, lucrative business that you can get and make it rival your brother…or something like that. You don’t do anything yourself.」

「……」

「I wonder if your silence means you acknowledge that this is true?」

I don’t think I’m overstating things, but grandpa wants young Mirko to work diligently.

That is why he left him in my store.

Besides, grandpa has become a regular customer at my store, and he must be getting quite a lot out of it, even if he can’t see it.

Sometimes, mercy is not good for others, right?

「Yukiko, don’t mess with me! The secret of that restaurant’s fresh, stink-free meat. I got it! I am a strong hunter, so I handle my own hunted game well and sell it to rich people at a high price through my connections in the Starblood Trading Company. Now I’m a big success! That’s it for the free work! Good-bye!」

After saying this, the young man Mirko ran away from the place.

He left behind the wild boar he had hunted…

「Can this be used for meals?」

「I’ll see what I can do.」

We also bled and dismantled the wild boar left by the young man Mirko, acquiring more meat and offal, but unfortunately, it was not of the quality served in the restaurant and was used as ingredients for prototype dishes or as meals.