New World New Life 151 Dining Hall

Vy closed her eyes. Dotty was no longer here to help. She needed to rely on her own capabilities. Ever since she had been faced with silence, Vy tested out her abilities in secret. She still had access to see the books she had memorised in her mind. 

She could still see the skill tree of her shapes.h.i.+fting abilities. Only Dotty's voice and her guidance was missing. Her cute little face, furry cat ears and tail. Her cute little laugh each time, her rea.s.suring presence. 

Just then, a low rumbling noise echoed throughout the room. Where did it come from? Vy turned to see Lycster's face all red in embarra.s.sment. 

"I'm sorry," Lycster mumbled, "I think I'm hungry."

Vy chuckled as she patted him on the head, "Let's go get some food in that tummy of yours."

Both of them finished the remainder of their drinks, put on their slippers and left the room. They could feel the nouris.h.i.+ng effects of the hot spring as their bodies felt much lighter than before. 

It was as if a weight had been lifted off their shoulders. As they walked down the corridor, they reentered the main hall and followed the signboards that led them to the Dining Hall. At the entrance, a person in a kabuki mask greeted them. 

The kabuki mask had a white base and red and black lines outlining the features on the face of the mask. Red lines also extended beyond the facial features of the mask, to exaggerate them even more. 

The yukata this person wore also matched the colours of the mask. But the red was the base instead of white. White floral outline print covered the entire outfit, it was beautiful. 

"Welcome to the Dining Hall, Miss Vyrena and Lycster." the person greeted them as they bowed, "My name is Monma. Please follow me to your table."

Monma led them to their table and sat them down. There was no menu in the Dining Hall as the food would be served in a timely manner after the guests were seated. Monma seated them at a table out on the balcony. The scenery was absolutely spectacular. 

The air was fresh and cool, and beyond the balcony was a sea of autumn leaves. Further on the horizon were snow-peaked mountains. While they were in awe of the scenery before them, Monma and a kitchen staff laid out their food on the table. 

Within minutes, their entire table was filled with delicious food ranging from appetisers, main dishes, and even dessert! A hot pot of tea was also prepared at the side of the table. 

"Miss Vyrena, would you like to have some ume plum liquor? This is brewed right here on Yama Yoma, using the fresh spring water from the surrounding mountains," Monma explained. 

Vy was really tempted to have a taste, but seeing that it was only midday, she kindly declined and opted to have it during dinner instead. Monma knelt down next to them and began to explain what each dish was. 

"Over here we have grilled eggplant with miso, the eggplant was just harvested this morning from our nearby farm. Then we have deep-fried battered shrimp with a.s.sorted vegetables," Monma introduced the dishes. 

She continued to list all of the dishes available before them. It included a small serving of grilled codfish in soy sauce, a small platter of fresh raw fish and a plate of green tea soba noodles with soy sauce on the side.

For dessert, they had prepared a green tea flavoured mochi.

After she finished explaining, Monma bowed, "Please enjoy your mail." 

She stood back up and left them to enjoy their meal. 

Lycster was overwhelmed by the wide variety of food laid out in front of them. He did not know where he should begin! Everything seemed delicious but he was a little worried about the raw fish. 

Vy immediately picked up her chopsticks and went to take a slice of the grilled eggplant. The salty taste of the miso paired well with the smoky flavour of the grilled eggplant. It was clear just from the taste that extra miso had been brushed onto the eggplant as it sizzled on the grill. 

Can a vegetable taste this good?

Lycster decided to begin his food adventure with the battered shrimp. He picked it up with his pair of chopsticks and was about to put it in his mouth when Vy stopped him. She pointed to the small dish of light soy sauce and grated radish. 

"You have to dip it in there before you eat it," Vy explained. 

Lycster did as instructed and the moment the flavours entered his mouth, he could not believe his taste buds. The batter did not separate from the shrimp, it remained mostly intact even as it entered his mouth. 

It did not feel overly oily like most other fried dishes and there was a crunch with every bite. The shrimp was cooked to perfection with a crunchy texture. The light soy sauce and grated radish helped alleviate any greasy taste fried foods sometimes had. 

Vy, on the other hand, moved on to the raw fish platter. She picked up a slice of fish and dipped part of it into some soy sauce. She placed the slice down on her plate and used the chopsticks to pick up some green paste that was at the side of the plate. 

"What's that?" Lycster asked. 

He had never seen it before. It was a smooth light green paste. Although the smell was faint, he could tell it smelt spicy. Monma was making her rounds, ensuring all the guests were enjoying their meal when she overheard Lycster's question. 

"That is grated green horseradish. It pairs well with the raw fish slices," she explained. 

Vy nodded as she dabbed a small amount of it onto her slice of raw fish, picked it up with the chopsticks and placed it in her mouth. The sweetness of the fresh fish slice melted in her mouth but soon enough the spicy kick of the horseradish kicked in, making her eyes water.

"I wanna try too!" Lycster said excitedly. 

He repeated the same steps as Vy but he took a larger amount of grated horseradish. Before Vy or Monma could warn him, Lycster ate it all in one bite. 

"This is…" soon enough, the spicy stinging taste of the wasabi overwhelmed Lycster as his eyes started to water. He could feel the hot air rising in his face and through his nostrils. 

Vy laughed. She felt a little bad, knowing how much pain he might be in. But his facial expressions were just too much for her to handle. Seeing the tears in his eyes lit a light bulb in Vy's mind.