Chapter 11: Part 2 - Day 2 (Afternoon)

Flounder and Mackerel

As they set foot on the sand itself, Sōma was taken aback. He had imagined a small alcove of pebbles not this large open expanse of sand. "Wow... this is not what I expected. When you said that Osuka Beach is a headland, I didn't know it was going to be this pretty", he exalted. "Plus you must be able to catch loads of fish here". Upon noting the nod from Shirō, he followed the man to the sea front whereupon there were there were a few other ardent fishermen.

"Hey, Shirō!" One of the other fishermen spoke, as Sōma began to set up their gear. "Afternoon, Fujita" Shirō replied, shaking hands with a short grey haired man dressed in a wet suit, water waders and boots. "I see you've brought some newbies with you", Fujita grinned, "I expect you'll have them up to speed in no time. You old pro". Shirō laughed before extending his arm towards Megumi. "Fujita, this here is my granddaughter Megumi, and this is her boyfriend Sōma. They're currently students at Tōtsuki academy in a Tokyo, and are in town for the festival".

"Seriously... the Tōtsuki academy..." Fujita gawked, "they must be really impressive chefs". Shirō beamed with pride, patting both youngsters shoulders. Seeing an opportunity, Sōma announced, "I was going to cook some of the flounders, if we catch any. You can have some if you would like?" Momentarily surprised, both Shirō and Fujita, blinked, before Fujita smiled and nodded his head. "I would be delighted, to try your cooking".

As it turned out, the tide was being kind to the gathered flounder fishermen. Shirō and Fujita set up on the waters edge, fishing rods on stands with their lines in the shallows whilst the two teenagers were a bit further along the shore front.

Megumi watched as her grandfather hooked in several flounders within minutes of casting out. A grin on his face as he held up several large flounders for them to see, before placing them into the cool box. Not wanting to be outdone, Megumi focused on her own line before noticing that Sōma was reeling something in. Yet, as his crestfallen expression attested, he hadn't caught a flounder. "It's still a flatfish," Megumi uttered, "not to mention it's pretty uncommon for a marbled sole to be this far north. They're usually around Tokyo bay".

The boy looked upwards and smiled as he removed the sole from the hook and placed it into their own cooler. "Maybe I'll make sushi as well", Megumi remarked, looking inside the bag beside her. "Mom gave us a few things to eat as snacks. Which I can use in sushi".

The only thing that kept Sōma from drooling at hearing that Megumi would be making sushi, was the knowledge that Shirō might think that he was drooling over his granddaughter. Which he didn't want to have as a reputation, particularly in Megumi's home town. Unfortunately, Megumi, being the observant girl she was, raised a knowing eyebrow, and giggled.

"Hey, lovebirds! Quit making out over there and start catching some fish. Some of us are hungry over here", Shirō and Fujita joked, resulting in the two teenagers chuckling and returning to their fishing rods.

Two Hours later, and with almost a dozen fish each, Sōma selected the four best flounders and began to prepare them for the grill. Placing each fish on a plastic board which he rested on one of the cold boxes. He then scraped the back of a knife across both sides of the fish, removing slime and scales. Then scoring a horizontal line from head to tail, Sōma then proceeded to remove the skin from the fish without damaging the flesh beneath, resulting in impressed sounds from Shirō and Fujita, who had wandered over to observe the cooking. Removing the fillet was tricky but with the upmost care Sōma managed it for each fish.

With the fish filleted, Sōma packed the fillets inside an ice box until he needed them, he then turned around and grabbing another box of indigents. "I'm gonna start making the marinade now" he announced. Taking out his chosen ingredients, announcing each one: "Soy sauce, ginger, honey and chilli. Samphire will be used as a garnish". After combining the marinade ingredients in a bowl, he removed the fish from the ice box and placing them in the marinade making sure that every inch of the fish was covered.

After covering the bowl with a cloth, Sōma set up the charcoal grill and then brushed a bit of oil to the grill itself to prevent both the samphire and the fish from sticking to the metal. Just as he was about to turn back and begin grilling fish, he saw Megumi walk past holding a medium sized mackerel she had caught. A smile crossed his face as he realised what she was going to make, it was a sushi dish she had made for one of Polar Star's weekly get togethers in Zenji's room.

Megumi found it relaxing making sushi against the backdrop of the sea, it was relaxing to not have her usual stage fright bothering her. No doubt it would return once she was back at Tōtsuki, but for now she was happy knowing that she could work at ease. Beheading the mackerel and then slicing the fish in two she began to pluck out the bones with tweezers, as was the way she had seen, and learnt from, the sushi chef at her family inn. After she had deboned the two fillets, she patted them dry with paper towels before removing the skin and brushing with rice vinegar.

As she turned around she caught Sōma's eye, whom gave her a thumbs up, to which she smiled back. Picking up sushi rice, chives and sesame seeds she began mixing them in a bowl. Placing a sushi mat in front of her, on a small portable table, she began cutting a seaweed wraps into 10 centimetre strips before adding a spoonful of rice mixture on top. Then with extra care, Megumi began cutting up the mackerel fillet and placing the smaller cuts on to each seaweed rice bed. Wrapping the seaweed around the rice and fish was fiddly but not something that she wasn't used to.

Setting the sushi aside, she set to work on the accompanying dipping sauce, a small bowl of honeyed soy sauce. All the whole keeping small talk with her grandfather and Fujita, trying her best to not sneak a peak at Sōma cooking. He always looked so calm and collected, so in the moment whenever he was cooking. It always felt like such an honour to watch him... just as Isshiki and Ikumi used to say.

Meanwhile, back at the charcoal grill, Sōma had begun to gently fan the flames encouraging just the right amount of flame growth. He then picked up the bowl of marinating fish fillets and began to lay each fillet down on the grill, each fillet sizzling as they made contact with the hot metal. For the right amount of char, and smokiness, he knew that he would have to monitor this stage like a hawk.

With a forlorn sigh, he realised he probably would not get a chance to try the sushi prepared by Megumi. Taking a brief look towards his girlfriend he smiled upon seeing the enjoyment on the faces of her grandfather and Fujita, as well as the shy blush on her face. 'Beautiful' he mused. Crouching down, he returned his attention to the char grill..

"This is amazing!" Shirō uttered, placing a hand on his granddaughters shoulder, "I'll have to talk to Emiko about maybe incorporating this sushi into the restaurants morning breakfast menu". Megumi flushed as she imagined that as a reality, as she picked up a piece of her handmade mackerel sushi and took a bite. Savouring the salty oiliness of the fish against the sweet rice, she instantly felt a wave of joy ride through her as she remembered why mackerel was one of her favourite fish.

Handing the plate of sushi towards her grandfather she then moved towards Sōma who was kneeling on the sand, fanning the small grill and keeping an eye on the grilled flounder fillets. "Hey, I've saved you a few mackerel sushi", she stated, "grandfather and Fujita both said they enjoyed it". Noting the sudden hunger in his eyes, Megumi decided to be bold. "However, you're busy cooking", she exclaimed, "so I'm going to feed you".

Sōma blinked at that statement, and was about to flirt to only to find a piece of sushi placed in his mouth before he could talk. Smiling up at her, he began to chew the sushi savouring every bite. "Delicious", he uttered licking his lips, before having another piece of sushi offered up to him. Which he accepted graciously.

From the other fishing setup, Shirō and Fujita simply looked the other way, they both knew that it was a sign of love for a girl to other food to her betrothed, or in this case boyfriend. "Looks like they're serious", Fujita mused as Shirō chuckled, "yeah. They sure are".

Five minutes later, Sōma walked forward presenting a plate of four char grilled flounder fillets marinated in soy sauce, mirin, sake and ginger. Accompanied by chargrilled samphire", he stated as everyone began feverishly digging in. Almost unanimously both Shirō and Fujita let out a deep wistful sigh, revealing their appreciation and joy of the dish. Their aged tired faces seemed to shine with youth anew, and the autumnal light bathed the beach in a natural garden-y feel.

Megumi grinned as she entwined her fingers with Sōma's, knowing that he had now well and truly won over her grandfather. "I've never had something so... resounding" Shirō smiled. "You have serious talent Sōma. And I'm glad and honoured to have had the chance to sample your cooking".

With a goofy grin plastered across his face, and with one single fluid movement, he reached up to his forehead and removed his head band. "You are welcome!"