Deep Fried Panko

Late at night, after the meeting, Inori opened her door to Ichiro's knock. He was carrying some grocery bags with him.

"You know, if you keep coming over this late people might get the wrong idea about us." Inori said in a much more jovial tone than the meeting would have allowed.

"I'm not sure what you mean, but I wanted to thank you for your help the other day." Ichiro replied. "I thought I would come over like before and cook for you."

"How did you know I was about to cook dinner?" She asked.

"Last time I was here was slightly later than it is now and you were just about to eat." Ichiro explained. "I thought it would be your regular dinner time, so I planned ahead."

"So you're going to cook me dinner?" Inori smiled as the question slid out. "That's so sweet!"

"It's more than deserved for how you helped me figure things out." Ichiro said, smiling back and showing his first real glint of happiness since he'd returned from his parallel world. "I have a couple questions and may need some help cooking though, if that's okay."

"You're probably still not used to how modern cooking appliances work are you?" Inori jokingly quipped.

"Well, to begin, I noticed last time you had no meat in your food." Ichiro puzzled. "I've also noticed that all the food you've eaten since then is also lacking in animal protein. Is that a choice or dietary restriction and are there any dietary restrictions..."

Inori cut in, interrupting Ichiro's chain of thought, "I'll eat anything you decide to cook. I'm not picky, I just can't really cook very good food so I end up making what's easy. I also eat late at night, as you've noticed, so the food I eat for dinner are usually either leftovers or a quick, easy to make meal."

"Ah, I understand." Ichiro smiled as he whispered to himself. "I might have over-prepared."

Ichiro and Inori walked together to the kitchen where Ichiro sat the bags on the floor. He crouched down and started digging through the bags while Inori looked over top of him.

"You can put those on the table if you don't want them on the floor." Inori suggested softly.

"Ah, yea. Old habits die hard I guess." Ichiro responded with his hand on the back of his head and letting out a chuckle.

The two picked up all the food Ichiro had brought and placed it on the table before pulling it all out. Potatoes, beef, fish, oil, onions, carrots, mushrooms, eggs, panko...Everything Ichiro had bought could restock Inori's kitchen for days worth of meals.

"There's so much here!" The surprised tone Inori took fed into Ichiro's pride.

"I really wanted to make sure I didn't mess up thanking you for your help." Ichiro said, smiling genuinely. "When I got here I was confused and lost and it's always important to find those who help around you, especially when they have nothing to gain. Helping others should be rewarded."

Inori, absolutely glowingly happy spouted, "I really don't feel like I did much, but I'll never turn down free food! What are we cooking!"

"I wanted to introduce you to some of the foods I loved from my world!" Ichiro exclaimed.

Inori was excited at the prospect of eating another world's cooking and wondered why the group hadn't done so yet, then she remembered Shingo talking about how he had to survive in the underground and considered that to be the main reason. Eating rats, mold, and other people didn't seem like an appetizing prospect. As Ichiro began to cook, the prospect that not all the food from other worlds would be that bad excited her.

"Okay, where do we build the fire?" Ichiro asked.

Inori was really starting to grasp that it was going to be a hard time adjusting to this world. She showed him through the kitchen in her apartment and how the stove worked as well as where her knives and other cooking utensils were. After some time learning how to use a modern kitchen, Ichiro began cutting potatoes, meats, and some carrots.

"Will you tell me what you're making or is it a surprise?" Inori wondered.

"It's a fried potato and meat meal that I ate quite often while on the trail." Ichiro explained.

"Like a korokke?" The girl questioned.

"I don't know what that is, but you dice the mixture, coat it in bread, and fry it." Inori's dedicated chef for the night explained.

"Definitely a korokke." She chuckled.

"That's just to start. I'm going to make a full meal." Ichiro smiled back. "We'll have some steamed clams in sake broth with green onions, some seared and fried saltwater eel, and finally some pork cutlet ramen."

"You're going to cook all of that? That's amazing! How did you learn to cook so well?" Inori excitedly said.

"When you're traveling around, you find ways to make your food more appetizing and, in some cases, last longer." Ichiro said without breaking pace of his cooking.

The conversation shifted quickly to Inori wondering what all he was doing in his personal time. Ichiro let her know he was exercising a lot so that he could get his body back to what he was accustomed to in his previous world and adjusting to the world he was in now. She heard the story of him bathing in the park and finding out he needed to carry money on him. During all of that, Ichiro was teaching Inori how to cook all the things he was making for dinner. She soaked in all the knowledge quickly and even helped some too.

As the pair finished up and sat down to eat, Inori began asking what Ichiro thought about each of the other members now that they've been doing more things together.

"I can see that each of them is a good person." Ichiro said after thinking about it for a few moments. "Shingo and Takamasa are hurting and I can do nothing to help. I can see that Konomi likes Takamasa, hopefully she can support him through his troubles. Asuka is quiet but I can see she trusts and relies on Shingo. Yuki and her brother Haruki are very friendly and helpful so I believe they feel responsible for the rest of us. You, Inori, feel responsible as well. I don't know if it's out of responsibility or simply your nature, but I feel like you're someone I not only can, but want to count among my friends."

Inori, somewhat shocked at how well Ichiro understood the group and candidly talked about each of them, replied "Since you don't know about Asuka, she's very nice but she had a very rough time of it in her world. Haruki feels responsible for Yuki and, since Yuki feels responsible for us, so does he. Overall, I think all of us feel responsible for each other since all of us have been in that hero position. We've all been through it and come back somewhat damaged. There's this idea that I have about us all."

Attentively, Ichiro asked, "What's the idea about?"

Smiling, Inori began to explain. "There's an idea about what it is to be Japanese. I think that the longer we were in our isekai, the further we've strayed from being Japanese."

"That makes perfect sense." Ichiro considered.

"Take you for example." Inori pointedly said.

"Me?" Ichiro wondered what his friend meant.

"Yea. You were in your world for, well basically forever. Everything you know of this world, the customs, the foods, even something as simple as how a stove works, are all gone. I don't think the others have figured that out about you just yet. I was in my world for three years before I came back so I still understand this world and fit in decently well, but for some of the others it's a struggle"

"I've felt that way actually." Ichiro muttered. "To me, this world is completely new. I don't remember anything of this place and in fact, I'm not sure I ever was actually from here. It's confusing being here, but my teacher from my other world wouldn't accept me giving up. I think, next meeting, I'll tell everyone my story. I hope it helps them understand me more."

"I know I'd like to hear your story, but I think it can wait for the meeting." Ichiro smiled at Inori showing interest. "Also, you know, if you keep coming over late like this, I'll have to get you a key so you can just come inside."

"I'm sorry for showing up unannounced so often." Ichiro said.

"Don't think anything of it. I love that you feel comfortable enough to stop by. Never feel like you're imposing because you're always welcome here." Inori reassured him.

The pair had become good friends over the time they'd shared together. They decided to sit together for a long while and keep talking about whatever the flow of the conversation led them to. Long into the night, just before the sun was about to rise, Ichiro and Inori decided to separate for the night. Inori had to work in the afternoon and wanted to get some sleep before then.

As Ichiro was about to leave, Inori, volunteered a bit of information. "You know Yuki has a crush on you, right?"

Quickly, Ichiro responded. "A what?"