Chapter 2: Hallucinations and Fried Chicken
The Industrial Revolution that began in Briticia was driven by manufacturing industries such as textiles, steel, and machinery.
Mass production became possible, causing the number of urban workers to surge, and their busyness continued to accelerate even now.
“Hey Thomas, what are you in such a hurry for?”
In front of the red brick factory, filled with the noise of hissing steam and spinning machines.
As soon as work hours ended, Thomas hurried off, only to be stopped by his coworker, Harrison.
Wearing a loosely draped linen white shirt, with long blond hair casually swept back under a flat cap.
With his laid-back way of speaking, he was something like Thomasās troublesome friend.
“I was thinking of going back to that restaurant I went to yesterday.”
“A restaurant? For it to make you rush like this, just how bad is the food they serve there?”
“Thatās the thingā¦ I had unbelievably delicious meat there.”
“Delicious meat?”
Harrison frowned suspiciously.
“No way something like that exists. This is Londor, and weāre in East Edge.”
For common people, meat was something preserved with salt above all else.
Hard and salty.
Even so, it was considered a small luxury that could only be eaten occasionally.
“The food back home was at least a bit betterā¦”
Harrison sighed, and Thomas nodded.
“Right, so thatās whyā”
“Thatās why?”
“I thought maybeā¦ it was a hallucination.”
“ā¦I see. If you say you ate something good around here, itās more believable to think it was a pixieās prank.”
“Iām going to go check if itās realā¦!”
“Then Iāll come too. Iām a bit worried if youāve started seeing thingsā¦ and more importantly, it sounds fun.”
Grinning, Harrison walked beside him.
“Besides, all I had for lunch today was ale.”
In Briticia, ale was also known as “liquid bread.”
With its bitter and slightly sweet taste, it was cloudy and heavy to drink, consumed more as part of a meal than as a luxury.
“But what surprised me the most was how fresh all the ingredients were.”
As they walked, Thomas began talking about the previous night.
“I seeā¦ so they serve fresh bad food.”
“Iām telling you, it was delicious! I kept remembering it all day, to the point my mouth watered!”
Both of them remained half doubtful.
As they approached the street lined with stalls, someone immediately called out.
“Gentlemen, whatāll it be? Eel?”
“No thanks!”
“No way!”
They immediately shook their heads and hurried past the jellied eel stall.
A little further aheadā
“There it is! The place is still there!”
There stood “Kitchen Mikeneko,” just as it had the day before.
“O-okay, letās goā¦!”
Thomas led Harrison inside.
“Welcome! Oh, youāre the customer from yesterday!”
The blonde maid came running over happily.
With her green eyes and friendly demeanor, she was just as energetic today.
The two of them sat side by side at the counter.
“What would you like to order?”
“Do you have what Thomas had yesterday?”
“Ginger pork. And for you, Thomas?”
“Do you have any other meat dishes today?”
“For today, I recommend fried chicken.”
“Chicken, huhā¦”
Thomas made a reluctant face.
Chickens were livestock raised for eggs, and by the time they were used for meat, they were old, tough, and unappetizing.
On top of that, they spoiled easily, so they werenāt commonly eaten in Londor.
Howeverā
“Alright, Iāll have that.”
Thomas decided to trust the skill of this restaurant.
“Understood! Tatsuya, one ginger pork and one fried chicken!”
“Got it.”
The black-haired owner, Tatsuya, replied briefly and began cooking.
“Man, thanks again for today. You even caught my mistake at work.”
“Harrison, I think you should try being a bit more careful.”
Thomas lightly admonished his easygoing friend.
After a while, the aroma of garlic and soy sauce began to tickle their noses.
“Hey, that smells good.”
Harrison unconsciously licked his lips.
Soon after, the maid brought the ginger pork in front of them.
“What is thisā¦!?”
Even the presentation was on a completely different level.
Still stunned, Harrison picked up his fork as if remembering something.
He carefully brought the steaming pork to his mouth.
“Thatās amazing!”
“Right!?”
Startled, Harrison dropped his fork.
He quickly picked it up and began devouring the ginger pork.
And thenā
“I seeā¦ so itās a hallucination.”
He muttered as if recalling something.
“A hallucinationā¦?”
The maid, who had been smiling while watching him eat, tilted her head.
“Thomas said this place was so good that it mightāve been a hallucinationā¦”
“Really!?”
The maid looked surprised.
“But itās not that strange to think so. You know, there are only three cooking methods passed down among Londorās workers.”
“Only three?”
“First, you boil it.”
“Okay.”
“Secondā¦ you boil it more.”
“O-okay.”
“And thirdā¦”
“The third?”
“You boil it even more.”
“What!?”
Even the maid was shocked.
“We just keep boiling and boilingā¦ are we witches or something?”
Harrison chuckled and joked at his own expense.
“How did it come to thisā¦?”
Unable to hold back, Tatsuya asked.
“Londor is far from food sources, and fresh ingredients are monopolized by the rich. Whatās left isnāt very safe, so people are encouraged to heat everything thoroughly to sterilize it. You know, boiling makes it feel safe, right? Like it gets rid of smells and toxins. The trick is to boil it so much you canāt even tell what it used to be.”
“ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦”
Tatsuya and the maid were speechless.
“Plus, everyoneās too busy to cook. Weāve basically forgotten how.”
“So weāve never really had food made to taste good.”
The overwhelming busyness brought by the Industrial Revolution.
It was one of the major reasons why workers had lost their food culture, leading to Briticiaās terrible cuisine.
“For workers, food has become nothing more than fuel. So if someone like us eats something this good, itās natural to think itās a hallucination, right?”
Harrison laughed cheerfully.
Just then, the next dish was ready.
“Emma, please serve this.”
“Yes!”
The maid, Emma, brought the dish to Thomas.
“Thank you for waiting! Hereās your fried chicken!”
“O-ohā¦!”
“Wooooah! Thatās incredible!”
They couldnāt help but exclaim.
Chunks of fried chicken sat piled on top of lettuce.
Fresh out of the oil, their surfaces still held tiny bubbles.
The golden-brown coating looked almost radiant.
At a glance, it was clear they were perfectly fried.
Thomas stabbed one with his fork and bit into it.
“Hot!”
The heat made him gasp.
But it was delicious.
The first thing he noticed was the crispy texture of the coating.
Then came the tender bite of the meat, followed by the juicy flavor of chicken spreading through his mouth.
The meat juices burst out with just the right amount of salt, mixing with the oil and enhancing the flavor.
Then the aroma of soy sauce and garlic used in the marinade filled his nose.
“This is amazing! Iāve never had chicken this good before!”
Who cared about the heat?
He stuffed another piece into his mouth, savoring it.
The rich aroma of chicken filled his mouth again.
“That looks so goodā¦”
Emma swallowed enviously.
“Hey, ownerā¦ whatās that?”
Harrison, overwhelmed by Thomasās reaction, noticed something else.
At a nearby table, a customer was drinking a clear, sparkling beverage from a mug.
“Itās what we call ale here.”
“Thatās ale? Can I get one?”
“M-me too.”
“Sure.”
Tatsuya placed mugs of ale in front of them.
“This is cold.”
“And it feels more carbonated.”
They took a gulp togetherā
“Delicious!!”
They looked at each other in surprise.
It had a refreshing taste with a sharp bitterness that didnāt linger.
“This is completely different from what we had earlierā¦!”
They drank it down in large gulps and let out satisfied breaths.
The crisp sensation cleared their mouths perfectly.
As if guided, they both reached for the meat again.
“H-hey, hey, hey!”
“This is way too good!”
They exclaimed once more at the perfect pairing.
Just like that, they finished all the food in no time.
“ā¦Whatās with that serious face?”
Harrison asked Thomas, who looked oddly troubled.
“I donāt want to leave. What if the hallucination disappears by tomorrow?”
“Thatās true.”
Such delicious food at such an affordable price in a workersā district.
They had never had such an enjoyable dinner before.
Looking around the restaurant again, Thomas suddenly felt uneasy.
“Itās okay.”
Emma nodded firmly.
Tatsuya smiled lightly as well.
“Youāre always welcome back.”
After paying, Thomas and Harrison left the restaurant, seen off by the two of them.
They let out satisfied sighs.
“ā¦Thatās a great place.”
“Right?”
“Thanks for bringing me.”
“Of course!”
It was another ordinary night in Londor.
Full from delicious food and pleasantly tipsy, the two walked home under the gas lamps with arms around each other.
Once again, Thomas and Harrison finished their factory work safely.
“Eelā”
“No thanks!”
They passed the stall with tense expressions and headed straight for Kitchen Mikeneko.
From a corner of the street, they peeked at the shop.
“ā¦What do you think?”
“ā¦Itās there! Itās really there!”
“Alright! You did it, Thomas!”
“If the shop is still here, thenā!”
“A hallucinationā¦”
They looked at each other.
“āāIt hasnāt worn off yet!”
They couldnāt quite bring themselves to say, “It wasnāt a hallucination!”
With joyful shouts, they high-fived.
The nation of Briticia, driven by the Industrial Revolution, continued to lead the world.
But the ones truly powering this great nation at the height of its prosperity were none other than people like Thomas, living their busy lives every day.