Farewell Party, 1-Day Camp!

Returning to my spot, I saw that the charcoal was burning perfectly. I layered onions, carrots, and potatoes at the bottom of the Dutch oven and placed the pre-prepped whole chicken on top. I dusted the surface with coarse black pepper and pink salt, gave it a thorough coating of olive oil, and closed the lid. I suspended it by a chain from the tripod-style fire pit. Then, I placed a few glowing coals on top of the lid. This way, it would heat slowly from both above and below. Now, all I had to do was check the fire occasionally. Ishida approached.

“Is it done already?”

“Yeah, now we just wait for it to roast.”

Just then, the girl from before returned, bringing another girl with her.

“Sorry, can I ask for your help again?”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“She says she doesn’t know how to manage the heat for grilling meat.”

The other girl spoke up. “I’m trying to grill a large block of meat, but the outside is burning while the inside stays completely raw…”

“I see. I’ll take a look. Where are you set up?”

“Right over there.”

It wasn’t even ten meters away from my station. When I got there, I saw that the surface of the meat was indeed charred black in spots, but when sliced, the center was virtually raw. Since it was beef, a little rareness is fine, but it won’t taste good if the meat is still cold.

“Do you have more meat?”

When I asked, the girl pulled another block of meat out of the cooler.

“Ah, when you’re grilling a large block like this, you have to take it out of the cooler beforehand and let it come to room temperature.”

Then I looked at their grill. Flames were roaring up from the charcoal piled in the center.

“Also, this fire is way too strong. You want it at a temperature where you can hold your hand five centimeters above the grate for about five seconds before it becomes unbearable.”

The girls looked bewildered. “We had no idea what the right heat was.”

“My chicken is already just sitting there waiting, so I’ll fix it for you.”

I removed the grate from their grill and spread the concentrated charcoal out so it was even. I cleared away some of the smaller embers and created a “cool zone” at one end of the grill with no charcoal at all. I brushed the grate with olive oil, put it back on, and placed the meat on the far edge where there was no fire.

“Once the meat has warmed up a bit here, you can move it to the center to start searing. Keep the heat where I told you. If it gets too weak, add more charcoal or gather it back toward the middle.”

While I was explaining this, a crowd of girls had gathered around us, listening intently to my BBQ tips.

“Thank you, that’s a lifesaver!”

“Seriously, you’re so good at this.”

“Could you come look at ours too?”

“I wish I’d heard this from the start.”

“We’re making a stew—how high should the heat be?”

“What are you making, Isshiki-kun? A whole roast chicken in a Dutch oven? Wow, that’s professional!”

“I’m jealous! I want to try your cooking too!”

Whoa—I don’t know how it happened, but I’m suddenly a hit with the ladies! I could feel the muscles in my face trying to break into a grin. Hold it back, don’t look too smitten. To the girls who asked to try some, I told them, “I’ll call you over when it’s done,” and a bunch more chimed in with, “Me too!”

Suddenly, Karen pushed her way through the group of girls and hugged me from behind.

“Hey, Yu-kun. Isn’t it done yet? Karen is hungry!”

This girl… she’s definitely doing the “marking her territory” move now that a crowd has gathered. And this is after she spent the whole time circling around where the other guys were cooking. She really knows how to play it.

Once the chicken was done, I moved the Dutch oven off the fire pit. I left a few coals on the lid so the residual heat would keep the juices circulating.

In the meantime, I put water and a retort pouch of minestrone into a new pot, adding pre-cut cabbage and bacon. I just had to bring it to a boil. I sliced up some French bread into two-centimeter rounds.

“Alright! Whole roast chicken and minestrone, finished!”

Despite it being a labor-intensive dish, I was actually one of the first to finish. Thanks to the “advertising” earlier, a large crowd of girls gathered. I served each paper plate with a slice of roast chicken, the roasted vegetables, and a sauce made from the pan drippings mixed with ginger, soy sauce, and honey. The minestrone went into paper cups.

“Please help yourselves to the bread!” I called out.

A circle of girls formed around me.

“This is delicious!”

“Yeah, better than a restaurant!”

“The meat and veggies are so well-seasoned.”

“There are chestnuts in here? They’re so fluffy and good!”

“It’s cold today, so this minestrone is the perfect match to warm us up!”

Yes! I’m getting rave reviews! Then Kazumi-san arrived, along with the four girls from the previous meetup: Mina, Ayaka, Manami, and Yuri. Toko-senpai was standing right behind them.

“Let us have some of that, Isshiki-kun.”

“I knew you’d come. I’ve set aside portions for you guys.”

I served them one by one. When I handed a plate to Toko-senpai, she gave me a small smile and a nod. I took it to mean “Well done!” Kazumi-san took a bite and let out a groan.

“Damn, this is seriously good. I didn’t expect to eat food this high-quality out here.”

Mina followed suit. “It really is delicious. Do you cook often, Isshiki-kun?”

“No, only once in a while. Both my parents work, so I just naturally learned how to handle myself in the kitchen.”

“Well, with skills like this, you’re a catch. You’re perfect husband material.”

At that, Kazumi-san shouted out loudly:

“It’s true! Isshiki-kun, won’t you come to my house as my bride?”

“Isn’t that the wrong way around?” I joked back.

Everyone laughed. I suspected Kazumi-san’s comment was calculated from the start, but even knowing that, it made me happy. Toko-senpai didn’t say anything, but she looked satisfied.

Beside her, Karen was glaring at Kazumi-san and me, looking thoroughly displeased. She was clearly not having any of it.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated. I checked it—it was a message from Toko-senpai.