《The Fridge to Another World》


 #1 - The Mysterious Portal

    ¡°I got a delivery here for a uh¡­¡± the large sweaty man looked at the clipboard in his hand. ¡°Adam Yu...Yuzuki?¡± His thick Brooklyn accent gliding over every word as he spoke. The large man stood in the back kitchen doorway of a small mom-and-pop shop that sat in the east side of Brooklyn.


    ¡°I¡¯m Adam Yuzuki,¡± a slim younger man said as he rounded the corner into the kitchen.


    ¡°Good, delivery for ya,¡± the large man said pointing to a tall box behind him.


    ¡°Uh, okay,¡± Adam replied as he grabbed the clipboard to sign his name. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I dunno, man. I just deliver stuff, I¡¯m not a magician,¡± the large man said as he swiped the clipboard away from Adam. The man then quickly snapped his fingers and another sweaty man wheeled the large box in on a dolly and deposited it in the kitchen.


    ¡°Uh, thanks¡­¡± Adam said as he eyed the mysterious package. The two men left without a word, leaving him alone with the box. He looked at the box curiously. He couldn¡¯t recall ordering anything recently, and even if he had, he wouldn¡¯t have sent it to his parent''s restaurant.


    His parents ran a small Asian fusion restaurant. It wasn¡¯t fancy or gourmet by any means, but it was popular and loved by all of the local clientele. It was some amazing street-food style cuisine and Adam couldn¡¯t deny it, he loved eating the food just as much as he loved cooking it. His parents had named the shop ¡°Koibito¡± which translates to ¡°food lover¡± in Japanese and both of his parents were.


    Adam had grown up helping his parents run the shop since he was a young boy, and had loved working in the kitchen, tossing different foods in a hot wok, testing new dishes and just learning everything there was to know about cooking in general, he loved it.


    Adam continued to eye the box and even peered around it trying to get a better understanding of its dimensions. It was their afternoon break, their restaurant typically closed for a few hours during the afternoon to clean up from the lunch rush, and prep for the dinner rush. He decided to open now, find out what it was, then deal with it later, and so he grabbed a nearby box-cutter and began to cut away the box encasing the mysterious parcel.


    After a few minutes of cutting and frustrated tearing, Adam finally uncovered what lay beneath the cardboard and to his chagrin, it was just an old refrigerator. It wasn¡¯t a new-fangled, stainless steel one with two doors or even one that had a drawer freezer, this one was almost an antique. It stared at him, one large gleaming white door, and as he gazed at it, he was actually surprised at how well it had aged, it looked almost brand-new and it had to have been at least 60 years old by his guess.


    Adam quickly looked at his watch and realized that he¡¯d already spent too much time focusing on this strange refrigerator, and was already behind on the evening food prep. He hurriedly threw the excess cardboard in the dumpster behind the restaurant and got back to his food prep.


    ---------


    The evening has passed in a flash like usual, orders came in, were quickly, yet lovingly prepared, and then went out to the customers in the small dining room. Despite the fast-paced atmosphere of working in a kitchen, Adam didn¡¯t mind it. To him, every dish he prepared was a way for him to share his love of cooking with a customer, and the fact that they all loved his food meant the world to him.


    As the last customer left, the last of the dishes were washed, and all the food put away as it was supposed to, Adam found himself back in front of the old fridge. It had been gently nudged against a wall in the kitchen to keep it out of the way during the dinner rush, but now Adam could inspect it. He pulled the door latch, and it opened with a soft hiss. The interior was immaculate, but of course empty. The top portion contained a small freezer area, and the lower area was the actual refrigerator section.


    Aside from the actual refrigerator, the whole situation was very strange. Why had he been sent this? Who had sent it to him? Why did they send it to the restaurant as opposed to his home? An array of questions began to flutter about his head when something startled him.


    ¡°Hello?¡± a voice resounded as the refrigerator suddenly snapped closed.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Adam said almost falling backward away from the fridge.


    ¡°Are you Adam Yuzuki?¡± the voice seemed to be originating from the direction of the fridge, but Adam knew that no one was around. Everyone had already left for the evening, even his parents.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Adam asked exasperated to the empty kitchen.


    ¡°So you are Adam,¡± the voice said, ¡°excellent.¡±


    ¡°Where are you?!¡± Adam was beginning to panic now, either he was hallucinating, having an aneurysm or someone was very well hidden in the kitchen, and neither was a good situation for him.


    ¡°I¡¯m right in front of you.¡± Suddenly the door to the refrigerator swung open, but instead of the clean interior he¡¯d seen earlier, Adam was now presented with something different. It was as if a section of outer space had suddenly inhabited the inside of this old fridge. It warbled an odd green-yellow hue, and Adam really felt as though he could reach out and touch it.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Adam asked in a mix of surprise and disbelief.


    ¡°This is a portal,¡± the voice replied plainly.


    ¡°To where?¡± Adam was now to the point where he figured he was either dreaming or was slowly dying from the aforementioned aneurysm.


    ¡°To Enterra,¡± the voice replied again.


    ¡°Which is¡­¡± Adam felt as though he was having to pull out the information to help solve this ridiculous mystery.


    ¡°Enterra is a different world. One filled with magic, new creatures and beasts and of course¡­ new food,¡± the voice emphasized when it mentioned the food. This, of course, attracted Adam¡¯s attention.


    ¡°So this is about food?¡± Adam asked almost incredulous.


    ¡°Of course,¡± the voice stated. ¡°I figured the refrigerator would have helped convey that.¡±


    ¡°Is that right¡­¡± Adam was at a loss. Was this actually occurring in front of him, and if so was he believing it?


    ¡°You, like me, are a lover of food. I wish to bring you here so that you can explore new foods, as well as sharing them with us here in Enterra.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°You¡­?¡± Adam was still perplexed, as he was technically, speaking with the inanimate object in front of him.


    ¡°Oh,¡± the voice giggled for a moment, now obviously more feminine to Adam¡¯s ears. ¡°I¡¯m not the refrigerator in front of you, I¡¯m just communicating to you and opening the portal for you.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Adam was still mostly in disbelief, but even if he actually believed this was really happening. Would he actually want to jump through a magical portal to another world because of food? What about this restaurant? What about his parents? What would happen if he just disappeared from this world? There was almost too much to consider, yet¡­ would he regret saying no? This seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity if it was indeed happening in front of him.


    With his curiosity brimming, Adam moved closer to the fridge. He needed to reach out and see if the portal was actually real. He¡¯d seen those sci-fi movies with portals, and he assumed he knew what it would be like, and maybe that would help him decide if he was hallucinating or not.


    He was slowly inching forward, the portal growing closer and closer to his fingers as it warbled and fluctuated. It was as if he could see inside the space, kind of like watching a 3D movie, yet it sat in two dimensions, it was weird to see.


    As his fingers broke through the portal, he felt an odd moist sensation. Within the next moment, he felt the door of the refrigerator collide with his back, pushing his whole body through the portal, and the door snapped shut with a hiss. He was gone.


    ----------


    Adam awoke and found that he had fallen asleep on a small bench in a park. Gazing around him, he realized he didn¡¯t recognize the park he now found himself in. The small park seemed to be bunched up next a market that sat to his left, and some housing to his right. The market was buzzing with excitement, he could hear folks barking in an attempt to sell their items, while others were casually conversing. Looking to the houses that sat to his right, he noticed the unique architecture, it was almost as if he was in some fantastical Europe of the past. Where am I? he thought to himself as he gazed around. How did I get here? There was a faint memory, but it was fuzzy and it was just enough out of reach that he was unable to grasp at it.


    It was within the next few moments that Adam began to realize there was a peculiar smell coming from the nearby market, it was a smell he didn¡¯t recognize. The fact that he did not know what was being cooked, perplexed him, but also intrigued him far beyond words. He decided that he really needed to investigate and attempted to stand up, but found that he couldn¡¯t. It was as if some force was holding him there, preventing him from leaving the bench. Before he could panic a voice called out to him.


    ¡°Adam!¡± He looked around to try and find the origin of the voice. ¡°Adam!¡± He finally noticed a young girl with gray-blue hair running towards him. She wore a light flowing dress that seemed fairly casual. She finally stopped in front of him and bent over to catch her breath.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± Adam managed to get out as the girl stood in front of him.


    ¡°You ended up¡­ further away¡­ than I had hoped¡­.¡± she managed to get out between breaths.


    ¡°Right,¡± Adam said. ¡°But¡­ who are you?¡± His hysteria had vanished by this perplexing development.


    ¡°My name is Airi, and I brought you here!¡± she looked up at him and smiled sincerely, though a hint of mischief seemed to creep around in her eyes.


    ¡°Brought me here?¡± Adam was unsure of what she meant, though to be honest, he didn¡¯t understand most of what was happening around him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t remember?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± he stated plainly.


    ¡°Could be a side effect of the transport¡­¡± she murmured to herself. ¡°You were in your kitchen, and your refrigerator began to talk to you?¡± She said in an attempt to help him remember.


    ¡°My kitchen?¡± The image of an antique fridge started to come back to him. He took a long moment to try and remember, and suddenly it all flooded back to him. ¡°You were the fridge?!¡± Airi¡¯s smile grew sinister as he remembered.


    ¡°I kind of possessed your fridge, so in a sense, yes,¡± she said haughtily.


    ¡°You pushed me through the portal!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± she seemed to grow timid as he mentioned this. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure if you were going to come, but I knew you¡¯d be happy if you came here. I didn¡¯t want you to second guess yourself.¡± Adam didn¡¯t respond right away and took a moment to observe the girl. Though she did have an air of mischief, it did seem her demeanor was sincere, and Adam couldn¡¯t deny that.


    ¡°Be that as it may, I still would not have preferred to be pushed into the portal,¡± he said in a serious tone. ¡°For right now, though, can we figure out why I can¡¯t leave this bench?¡± She looked confused for a moment after he said this, but then snapped her fingers.


    ¡°You¡¯re still an outsider in this world,¡± she began. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you getting too far away from me before I could get to you.¡± She made a few swirling movements with her fingers, in which they began to glow with a light-gold hue, and touched Adam in the middle of his forehead. For just a moment, his body exuded the same hue and then dissipated and he felt his body relax as if a large weight had been holding him down. ¡°Unlike your world, this world is governed by some different laws, like magic for example.¡±


    ¡°Magic?¡± Adam asked fairly incredulous. ¡°That was magic?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was,¡± Airi stated plainly. Adam had always been a fan of fantasy books, movies and television, but to see actual real magic first-hand was something else entirely.


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing,¡± Adam said still awestruck. ¡°Can everyone use it?¡±


    ¡°Not everyone,¡± Aira began. ¡°It depends on the person, really. Some races have a better affinity for it, bloodlines and all that stuff. I can use it because I¡¯m a Sprite.¡±


    ¡°Is that right¡­¡± Adam gazed off at the sky for a moment. ¡°Is it something that I would be able to use?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, we¡¯ll have to see once your body adjusts to this new world,¡± Airi jumped up in the air and twirled around in front of Adam, excitement seeming to fill her bones. ¡°Adam, welcome to Enterra!¡± she said smiling. ¡°This is the kingdom of Alcasia,¡± Adam observed his surroundings once more, this time with more understanding, his previous thoughts had actually been correct, he now was in a fantastical new world.


    ¡°Wow, a different world, huh?¡± He said quietly.


    ¡°Yes, but we now have to get started,¡± she declared excitedly.


    ¡°Started doing what?¡± Adam asked, very unsure of what his future held.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to register a guild!¡± Airi replied with her smile stretching ear to ear. Adam could tell this person in front of him, this Sprite was indeed a mischievous creature.


    ¡°Like a new one?¡± Adam understood, for the most part, what a guild was. From his ventures into fantasy books and media, he knew that guilds were groups of people that had a specific focus, like blacksmiths, or mercenaries. Knowing this, he wasn¡¯t sure exactly what kind of guild Airi had in mind.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± she said, finally sitting down on the bench next to Adam. ¡°This world¡­ is full of creativity when it comes to magic, art, and even literature. When it comes to food though¡­ it¡¯s severely lacking. Now, most of the folks in this world, just don¡¯t know any better, but I do. I¡¯ve tasted food from other worlds, I¡¯ve even tasted your food.¡±


    ¡°You have?¡± Adam asked full of surprise.


    ¡°Of course,¡± she replied. ¡°When I tasted your food I could sense your passion for food, and your passion for creativity with food and this world needs that.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± she said, almost smacking her head. ¡°The food here is so boring in comparison!¡±


    ¡°That sucks for sure,¡± Adam said smiling.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know, that¡¯s why I keep trying food from different worlds. We need better food here.¡±


    ¡°Okay, well¡­ let¡¯s get started then.¡± Adam smiled at the young Sprite next to him.


    ¡°Awesome!¡± Airi exclaimed, leaping up from the bench. ¡°Follow me!¡± She quickly began to charge toward the Market area.


    ¡°What have I gotten myself into?¡± Adam asked aloud, slowly easing himself off the bench. He quickly peered around once more, then hurriedly followed after Airi.

 #2 - Registration & Contract

    ¡°Here we are,¡± Airi said as they rounded the corner and were presented with a large, government-esque building. Adam had been following Airi through what she called the Market District for several minutes, in which Adam smelled and saw many foods that he did not recognize. It was odd that Airi had called the food boring because all the food in the market made his mouth water. After exiting the Market District, they came upon the Guild District, this was the location that held all of the larger guild houses, and where citizens could go and make requests.


    As they got closer to the large building, Adam noticed a sign above the main door that read ¡°Guild Headquarters.¡± This must have been the place where business between guilds was taken care of, and most likely new guilds were registered. Aside from how large the building was, Adam noticed that it seemed to look quite a bit like what he would call ¡®classic European¡¯, lots of visible wood, mild colors, with contrasting white on every side. As much as he knew nothing about architecture, he couldn¡¯t help but be impressed by what he saw in Alcasia.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Adam!¡± Airi yelled at him from the door to the guild headquarters. Adam then realized he¡¯d stopped moving as he took in the surrounding architecture. He quickly picked up his pace and met Airi in the foyer of the large building.


    ¡°Oh, well hello my lady,¡± a large man behind the counter said fumbling over his words. ¡°How may I help you today?¡± My lady? Adam thought. The man spoke with a unique accent, what Adam would describe as Irish and Scottish mixed together¡­ for the most part.


    ¡°Hello, my companion and I would like to register a new guild today,¡± her demeanor had suddenly changed, and she was speaking in a more elegant tone. Adam even noticed that her mannerisms had changed to become more regal.


    ¡°Certainly!¡± the large man exclaimed. ¡°Let¡¯s get this paperwork started. Now, I know you¡¯re a Sprite, my lady, but everyone has to fill it out all the same.¡± He smiled as widely and brightly as he could. Adam definitely had a few questions to ask Airi about how she was being treated, but he decided to remain silent for the moment.


    ¡°Of course, I understand completely,¡± Airi said, still in her more elegant tone.


    ¡°Wonderful. What kind of guild are you looking to start?¡±


    ¡°We are looking to start a cooking guild,¡± she explained as-a-matter-of-factly.


    ¡°Cooking?¡± The large man was obviously perplexed by this. ¡°Okay¡­¡± he said moving on, perhaps not wanting to question a Sprite. ¡°What exactly will you be doing as a cooking guild?¡±


    ¡°First and foremost, we will find talented and creative chefs to recruit. We will then explore the land finding and creating new cuisines, and once we¡¯ve mastered this, we will return and work for the people. We will do this by making food for them, teaching them how to cook properly, and also teaching them to improve on existing techniques. My plan is also to have a guild hall that will work as a restaurant in the future, so we can share all that we¡¯ve learned with those who just want to eat amazing food,¡± she said, smiling confidently, but also a little mischievously.


    ¡°Well it certainly sounds like you¡¯ve put a lot of thought into this,¡± the large man said as he jotted down the notes for the paperwork. ¡°And may I ask your name, my lady?¡±


    ¡°Of course, my name is Airi Averell, and this is my co-founder Adam Yuzuki,¡± she said motioning toward Adam.


    ¡°Yuzuki, that¡¯s a unique family name,¡± the large man said chortling. ¡°Well, my name is Loren. If you guys have any questions in the future, feel free to seek me out. I will file this paperwork, and of course, we will forgo any of the fees, my lady.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much, Loren, it¡¯s greatly appreciated,¡± Airi said with a slight curtsey. The man visibly blushed as she did this. Weird, Adam thought, I¡¯ll definitely need to bring this up later.


    ¡°By the by,¡± Loren said. ¡°I¡¯ll be your first guild request if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Airi asked curiously.


    ¡°You said you would be cooking, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve got a big upcoming lunch today for the headquarters staff. If you can make something¡­ tasty and exotic, we¡¯d happily reward you for your efforts,¡± the big smiled as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.


    ¡°Intriguing,¡± Airi said as she thought a moment. ¡°This would be treated as an official guild request?¡±


    ¡°Certainly,¡± Loren said. ¡°I could work on the paperwork while you cook.¡± Airi looked at Adam with a cunning grin.


    ¡°Are you up for it Adam?¡± Adam hadn¡¯t quite considered cooking quite yet, but the thought of cooking with new and different foods from this new world could be very exciting.


    ¡°Oh yes,¡± he said as the ideas began to pop into his head, and he hadn¡¯t even seen what he would be cooking with yet.


    ¡°Great,¡± Loren said heartily. ¡°You¡¯ve got two hours, and you need to prepare food for 12. We¡¯ve got plenty to choose from in our kitchen.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Adam chimed.


    ¡°Step back here, behind the counter and follow me,¡± Loren said as he opened the latch to the counter. He guided them through a few small halls filled with pictures, paintings, some animal heads that Adam couldn¡¯t recognize and some unique furniture. If it was up to Adam, he could probably have spent a day or two just looking at all the unique objects of this world.


    ¡°Here we are,¡± Loren said with a certain confidence. ¡°You should be able to find what you need in here. I¡¯m looking forward to what you decide to make. Good luck.¡± He bowed slightly and then left the kitchen.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Airi said as she twirled around the kitchen.


    ¡°This is pretty impressive, actually,¡± Adam replied. Despite the fact that the world seemed to be several centuries behind his world in regards to technology, the amenities weren¡¯t too far off. They seemed to have a grasp of some sort on technology, and Adam could only guess that perhaps magic had something to do with it.


    The kitchen featured a large central counter, made of wood, where most of the prep would be done. Along the far wall, he saw what he guessed was a metal stove, it featured two open holes, small enough to fit a pot or pan over, similar to how woks are traditionally cooked with. Under the stove sat two ovens side-by-side, similar to what you¡¯d see in a modern kitchen. There even seemed to be a walk-in freezer and pantry for the dry items.


    With only two hours to come up with a meal, and prepare it for 12 people, he¡¯d had to get started quickly. The difficulty was, he was unsure if meat here tasted the same, or if the vegetables did as well for that matter. He¡¯d need to quickly check the pantry and freezer, and see if he recognized anything.


    He dashed for the pantry and peered inside, he recognized a few items, such as bell pepper, what looked like onion, and garlic. These would be important. In the large freezer, aside from being surprised by how cold it actually was, he did recognize a few things. There were a few sides of what looked like beef hanging in the back, and some small poultry, which he hoped was chicken. With only two hours to cook, he wouldn¡¯t be able to prep and taste much, he had to stick with what he knew.


    He decided to play it safe and grabbed several portions of the poultry, luckily he could ask Airi what everything tasted like to help him produce a dish. In the future, he would need to spend some time taste testing meats and veggies. As he brought all of his prep items to the center counters he took it all in, trying to decide what to make. Airi had sat down at the counter, she had been watching him, grinning ear to ear.


    ¡°You¡¯re enjoying this aren¡¯t you?¡± Adam asked her, snidely.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°Of course,¡± she said sincerely. ¡°I love watching people cook.¡±


    ¡°Well today, you¡¯re going to be my sous chef,¡± he said.


    ¡°Really? I don¡¯t know much about cooking,¡± she confessed.


    ¡°Starting a cooking guild, and not knowing how to cook?¡± He looked at her, sarcastic sorrow filled his face. ¡°Shame, shame.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault,¡± she said blushing lightly. ¡°We have cooks that work for my family.¡±


    ¡°Is that right?¡± He looked at her curiously. ¡°Well, today you¡¯re going to learn to cook.¡± He looked around for cutlery and found a large butchers knife that resembled a Chinese cooking knife, and decided he¡¯d use that for prep. He grabbed another for Airi as she rounded the counter and stood next to him. ¡°This is your chef¡¯s knife, obviously we¡¯re only borrowing it for today, we¡¯ll have to get our own knives soon, but treat this like your child, with love and care.¡± She nodded seriously.


    ¡°What are we making?¡± Airi asked.


    ¡°I have an idea, but it depends on how these items taste, and if I can make a sauce,¡± he said. ¡°I need to know if the flavors of these items resemble the flavor from my world, specifically the poultry.¡± Air looked at the items in front of him as he spoke.


    ¡°They vegetables here taste fairly similar, but there is a mild difference¡­ I can¡¯t really describe it. You might just want to taste them,¡± she said grabbing a bell pepper. ¡°The poultry is actually chicken, so we¡¯re lucky about that.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful,¡± he said as some of the weight lifted off of his shoulders. He grabbed the bell peppers and began to slice them up into thin strips. He grabbed a piece and tasted it, as did Airi. The flavor was very similar to a bell pepper from his world, mildly sweet and watery, but it had a little extra something he couldn¡¯t quite describe. It packed just a little more of a savory flavor, but it wasn¡¯t overpowering, he could work with it.


    ¡°This is also called a bell pepper in this world, most of the vegetables you have in your world that are here share the same name,¡± she instructed. ¡°We have many of the same animals as well, but unlike your world, there are several that are unique to this world.¡±


    ¡°Good to know,¡± Adam said. ¡°Watch as I chop up these vegetables, this is what I¡¯ll need you to do while I work on the chicken.¡± He slowly showed her the steps for peeling and cutting onions, as well as how to smash, peel and cut up the garlic. The onions in this world were just as intense but were also a little bit sweeter than Adam was used to. As much as he was not a fan of eating garlic raw, he tasted a small piece and found that it was almost identical to his world, which was perfect for him.


    As Airi got the hang of chopping up the vegetables, Adam got started on cutting up the chicken. Each chicken was still whole, so he had to chop the head, poke through the sternum and separate all the limbs. Once this was complete he got to removing the meat from the bone. He needed the bones to start a broth, which would be the base for his sauce, it would take too long to make a soy sauce clone from scratch. His plan was to make a traditional Chinese take-out style dish, similar to Moo Goo Gai Pan, which features large pieces of vegetable mixed with chicken in a white sauce.


    ¡°Crap,¡± Adam exclaimed, realizing something. ¡°Is there rice in this world?¡± He was so used to having rice already made in the rice maker in his parent''s restaurant he hadn¡¯t even thought about it.


    ¡°There is¡­¡± Airi said as she moved toward the pantry. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Adam continued to cut up the chicken while she searched for the rice. He would need to start the bone broth as soon as possible to give it as much flavor as he could. As he finished cutting the flesh off the bones, he had a sudden realized about the functionality of this world having running water or not. He looked around to see if he could identify a sink, and to his surprise, he saw one in the corner that actually resembled something you¡¯d see in a  traditional restaurant. He¡¯d really have to ask Airi a lot of questions later on.


    As he found two large pots, one for rice, and one for broth, Airi rounded the corner hoisting a large bag of what he assumed was rice, it was almost half her size, but Airi was not a very tall individual anyways.


    ¡°Found some rice,¡± she groaned as she managed to somehow fling the bag onto the counter.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Adam said. He went to the sink with both pots and was able to fill both without any difficulty, which was a nice surprise. He next filled one pot with bones, and the other with rice, and mounted them atop the stove. Now there was the hurdle of getting the stove on as it didn¡¯t have any knobs or dials that modern stoves had.


    ¡°Do you need help?¡± Airi asked confidently.


    ¡°Uh¡­ yes,¡± he confessed. ¡°How do I work this stove?¡±


    ¡°That lever there,¡± she said pointing above the stove. ¡°That controls the valve which controls how much fire comes through to the stove.¡±


    ¡°Aha,¡± Adam said as he grasped the lever. ¡°So it¡¯s not flammable gas, but actual fire?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± she said, and she resumed chopping the vegetables.


    ¡°Where does it come from?¡± he asked as he lit a fire underneath both pots.


    ¡°The basement of this building has a large magical furnace that produces flames and keeps everything warm,¡± she explained.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have a lot of questions after this,¡± Adam said.


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°Everything¡­ my lady,¡± he said bowing his head to her, to which she blushed and began to chop furiously. Once he had finished cutting up the chicken, he removed the large pot for the rice, since it had begun to boil and set a lid on top for the rice to steam. He found a large pan and realized he¡¯d need some sort of oil to fry the meat and veggies.


    ¡°Is there butter or oil or something?¡± he asked as he peered into the pantry.


    ¡°Yes, we do have oil here,¡± she said walking with him into the pantry. Adam noticed she was looking towards the top shelf of the pantry. As he stretched to grab it, translucent green-yellow wings sprouted from Airi¡¯s back. If anything they resembled butterfly wings in shape, yet Adam was still taken aback with surprise. As the wings sprouted, Airi floated upward to the top shelf and grabbed the small bottle filled with oil.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± was all Adam was able to get out as he watched her gently float back down to the ground, the smile on her face was filled with confident mischief.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the oil,¡± she said as she handed it to him and walked back to the counter. Adam quickly snapped himself back to reality and quickly got himself back to the stove. He gently tossed in some oil from the small jar, with some of the aromatic garlic that Airi had cut up. As that fried he tossed in the sliced chicken, along with the onions and bell peppers, and let them cook, while he tossed continuously to help them cook evenly.


    ¡°That smells good,¡± Airi said standing behind him, quite closely. Adam figured she was trying to absorb as much information about cooking all the while enjoying the spectacle of it as well.


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± he said as he continued to toss the food in the pan. It wasn¡¯t as easy to toss since it wasn¡¯t a wok, but it worked fine. ¡°Is there any sort of thickening agent, like starch or flour?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said and quickly flew to the pantry, and zoomed back.


    ¡°Alright, mix a small amount of that in with a few cups of the broth over there,¡± he said motioning his head behind him to where the pot of broth sat. Airi quickly complied. She found a large bowl and scooped several cups of broth in then mixed the thickening agent she¡¯d found.


    ¡°Done,¡± she said compliantly.


    ¡°Great, let¡¯s mix it in,¡± Adam said. Airi brought the bowl over, and they slowly mixed it in with the pot, tossing it allowing it to coat everything evenly. ¡°Now grab me some seasonings, like salt or pepper.¡± Again, Airi complied by flying to the pantry grabbing the item and bringing it back. As Adam continued to toss the food, he sprinkled in both what he assumed as salt and pepper. In hindsight, thinking he was ready to cook in this new world may have been a little arrogant of him, but he¡¯d been too excited. He¡¯d need to acclimate to cooking in this new world before jumping in again.


    ¡°Okay, food should be close now,¡± he turned off the valve for the fire under the pot, and let it sit a moment.


    ¡°Already? We still have some time before our deadline,¡± Airi said.


    ¡°True, but plating is just as important,¡± he explained. ¡°We need 14 plates, and we need to make sure they all look beautiful. We¡¯re trying to impress our clients, and also get the word out about us in the future, right?¡±


    ¡°True. Okay,¡± Airi said as she flew off and grabbed a stack of 14 plates and set them on the center counter. As Airi worked on spreading the plates out, Adam tasted the food. It was good, but he decided to add just another sprinkle of salt and pepper for more oomph. Then quickly followed Airi and placed a portion of the meat and veggie combo on each plate. After this was completed, Adam put a smaller amount of rice on each plate. He was glad the rice had cooked fully, and was now fluffy and perfect. As they both gazed over the fruits of their labor, Loren entered the kitchen.


    ¡°Perfect timing it would seem,¡± Loren chortled happily.


    ¡°Really?¡± Airi asked, apparently surprised the two hours had already passed.


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised how quickly time passes working in a kitchen,¡± Adam smiled.


    ¡°So what do we have here?¡± Loren asked as he inspected one of the plates of food.


    ¡°We have lightly fried chicken and veggies in a mild white sauce, accompanied with rice,¡± Adam instructed.


    ¡°It smells quite good, what do you call this dish?¡± Loren asked. Adam thought about it for a moment, calling it Moo Goo Gai Pan would probably be extremely odd in this world.


    ¡°It¡¯s called Yasai Niwatori,¡± Adam said. ¡°It translates to ¡®vegetable chicken¡¯ in my¡­ ancestral language.¡± He couldn¡¯t deny that it probably sounded just as strange as Moo Goo Gai Pan would have, but at least he had an excuse with this name.


    ¡°Yasai Niwat..tori,¡± Loren said fumbling over the words. ¡°Interesting, well I¡¯m excited to eat it. It looks like you prepared plates for yourselves as well, excellent. Let¡¯s work on getting these into the dining hall!¡±