"Woohoo, that's great!"
After receiving Amon's confirmed answer, little Nami jumped up in excitement.
"Everyone heard it, right? Mr. Amon agreed to come to our house first, so all of you can go home now!"
Bellmère started shooing people away the moment she got what she wanted.
Seeing that, the villagers could only leave with reluctant grumbling.
"Goodbye, everyone, yohohohoho!"
Watching the crowd disperse, Bellmère puffed on her cigarette and laughed smugly.
"Hahahahahaha!"
Nojiko and Nami laughed along happily at the side.
Like mother, like daughters, for real.
"Mr. Amon, please come in!"
Bellmère patted the dust off herself and led Amon into the house.
"Our home is a bit simple. I hope you don't mind."
"It's fine. Simple style, I like it."
Amon smiled, completely unconcerned.
"Sniff... what's that smell?"
The moment Bellmère stepped inside, she noticed something off in the air.
Only when she saw the pot still burning over the fire did she realize what it was.
She had rushed out earlier and forgotten to put out the flame.
She hurried over and pulled the pot away.
"Oh no, I was in such a hurry I forgot to turn off the fire. Dinner's burned!"
Looking at the blackened mess inside the pot, Bellmère's face twisted with pain.
They did not have much food stored.
That was the dinner for the three of them.
"Bellmère, you're so dumb. It's totally burned!"
Little Nami had barely finished her teasing when Bellmère's fist landed on her head.
"Ow!"
Nami yelped and covered her head with watery eyes.
"Hahaha, Nami's so dumb, she got punched again. If it were me, I'd never say something like that."
Nojiko leaned in and said smugly, "Even though Bellmère is always forgetful, and her temper's bad too!"
"Ow!"
Nojiko had just proudly exposed Bellmère's embarrassing habits in front of Amon when she earned the exact same "reward."
Bellmère clearly did not want her humiliating stories told too much in front of him.
"Mr. Amon, I'm really sorry. You must think we're ridiculous."
After dealing with the two girls, Bellmère looked at Amon with an apologetic expression.
"Please sit first. I'll go prepare a proper dinner again."
She had invited him home to share a meal as thanks, yet the moment they entered, she made a complete fool of herself.
For once, Bellmère actually felt her cheeks heat up.
"Whoa, Bellmère is blushing!"
The moment Nami blurted that out, Bellmère's eyes turned sharp.
"You two, if you don't want another beating, shut your mouths right now!"
As she spoke, she tugged her shirt a little and made a fierce, threatening expression.
The two little girls instantly snapped their mouths shut.
They knew Bellmère's temper. She really meant it.
"I'll do it. This burned food doesn't necessarily have to be thrown away."
Seeing Bellmère's reluctance as she prepared to dump the pot's contents, Amon stepped forward and stopped her.
"Hm?"
Bellmère looked at him curiously.
"It's fine, really. We still have some food left. Mr. Amon, you're a respected guest. We can't let you eat… that kind of thing."
She thought he was stopping her only because he saw her hesitating and felt sorry.
Her heart warmed, but she still could not bring herself to serve burned food to a guest.
"Hahaha, who said burned food can't be delicious?"
Amon's eyes gleamed with confidence.
"I can make it into something tasty."
Amon remembered a dish called crispy rice crust.
Perfect.
He could turn this burned dinner into something new by processing and frying it.
"Burned food can become delicious?"
Bellmère's eyes lit up immediately. Truthfully, she did not want to throw it away either.
"Of course."
Amon nodded at her curious stare.
"Wow, Mr. Amon is amazing!"
Nami clapped excitedly.
"Of course he is. Nojiko, Mr. Amon is a gourmet. I already ate on his ship!"
As she spoke, little Nami patted her belly proudly.
On the way back, she already felt hungry again.
"Mr. Amon is a gourmet? Incredible!"
Nojiko looked at Amon with sparkling admiration.
"If I learn this, then in the future... ahem."
Bellmère's eyes also brightened, and she nearly blurted out her true thought.
Because she often burned dinner due to carelessness.
But she stopped halfway, coughing awkwardly.
There was no way she was going to expose even more of her dark history in front of Amon.
Bellmère still needed her pride.
"No problem. It's actually very simple."
Amon spoke as he began handling Bellmère's burned dinner.
The three of them watched with intense curiosity, wanting to see how he would turn trash into treasure.
"First, remove the burned parts. Then add oil..."
...
Amon explained while moving quickly.
His knife work was superb. The pot was badly burned, but under his blade he neatly shaved away the charred parts in no time.
Then he lit the fire again and poured in oil.
After a series of dazzling movements, he placed the cleaned portion back into the pan.
He also cracked two eggs he found in the kitchen.
After all, the classic rule was simple.
Coat it in egg, fry until golden. Even the kid next door would cry from envy.
But Bellmère's house was up in the back mountain, with no neighbors.
So the kid next door did not cry.
Instead, the two little girls in this house stared at the pan with shining, golden eyes, locked onto the crispy rice crust forming.
The aroma rising from it made them drool shamelessly.
Even Bellmère was stunned.
She never expected the dinner she burned into charcoal could give off such a tempting fragrance after Amon's quick handling.
Her eyes widened as she stared straight at the sizzling crispy crust.
"Hahaha, watch your manners, little ladies."
Amon turned around, amused by their adorable looks, and patted their heads.
"Your drool is about to drip onto the floor."
After taking out the crispy crust, Amon grabbed a few vegetables from the kitchen and started stir-frying them.
Not long after, several plates of fragrant side dishes came out alongside the crispy rice crust.
The mother and two daughters were already so hungry they were practically glowing.
Their eyes shone as if lit from within.
If Amon had not been right there as a guest, they might have already pounced on the food and started eating.
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