Chapter 30: Music I’ve Never Heard Before

After getting a haircut and returning to the living room, Rudy approached Naomi.

“Hey, Master, tonight’s dinner is Nordic cuisine,” Rudy said.

“What kind of cuisine is that?” Naomi asked.

“The dishes tend to have a lot of butter.”

“Butter? Yeah, I remember having it spread on bread here recently. It’s like solidified milk fat, right?”

“Master, have you never had butter before you came here?”

“Well, I had a dish with butter a long time ago. But I forgot how it tasted.”

Due to the mild climate in this region, the culture of using perishable ingredients like butter and milk wasn’t widely adopted.

“In that case, get ready to be impressed. But before that, you need to undergo a medical check-up,” Rudy said.

“A medical check-up?”

“Yeah, Master, because you got injured, we need to make sure there’s nothing wrong with your body.”

“I’m fine, really.”

“Still, you should get checked. Otherwise, no alcohol for you.”

“Fine, I’ll do it.”

Naomi was lured by the mention of alcohol and decided to undergo the medical check-up with Rudy.

“Do I just need to get my blood drawn?”

“Today is just for monitoring, so that’s all.”

After Rudy responded to Naomi, he headed to the kitchen to start cooking.

With some free time on her hands, Naomi played around with the smartphone she had received. 

Hal had modified it to translate the planet’s language, allowing Naomi to read the text.

I remember him saying that it could play music… Recalling the explanation she received when she received the phone, Naomi clicked on the music app and a selection screen for various genres appeared.

“What kind of music is this ‘Heavy Metal’?” she wondered.

Opting for the most intense genre, she selected a song and was greeted with frenzied and intense instrumental performance accompanied by the most crude lyrics.

“Sabbath! Sabbath! Sabbath! Sabbath! Awaken, demons, destroy the goblins! Cleanse the entire universe! F—ing Sabbath!”

“What the hell is this?!”

Taken aback by the sudden onslaught of noise, Naomi frowned and stopped the music.

“Rudy!”

Naomi called out, and Rudy, wearing an apron, came over.

“What’s up, Master?” Rudy asked.

“Do they listen to such intense music in space?” Naomi questioned.

“What genre is it?” Rudy inquired.

“It’s called ‘Heavy Metal,'” Naomi replied.

Rudy seemed to understand her response.

“Ah, that’s the kind of music you listen to when you’re pissed off and want to kill someone. If you’re looking for something soothing, try classical or instrumental music,” Rudy explained. (T/N: LOLOL, I absolutely love this explanation)

“I see. Thanks,” Naomi responded.

“No problem,” Rudy said before returning to the kitchen.

“Music to listen to when you want to kill someone… Space is vast,” Naomi thought.

Heavy Metal isn’t really the kind of music you listen to when you want to kill someone, but Rudy’s explanation was misleading.

Next, Naomi chose classical music as Rudy recommended. She selected “La Campanella,” which was at the top of the list, and the beautiful sound of a piano began to play, sending shivers down Naomi’s spine.

The tone was incredibly beautiful… What kind of instrument could produce such a sound?

Pianos didn’t exist on this planet yet. The sound of a piano was a revelation to Naomi, leaving her in awe.

While she had just heard Heavy Metal for the first time earlier, it only sounded like noise to her ears, and she didn’t find it impressive.

Naomi wanted to ask Rudy about the instrument, but she didn’t want to interrupt his cooking.

She continued to explore the smartphone screen to listen to the next song. By chance, she clicked on a link to a performance video, and the video of “La Campanella” began to play.

“Oh, it’s moving!”

Naomi was captivated by the performance video. She became interested in the piano and listened to various piano pieces while waiting for the food to be ready.

“Master, the food is ready,” Rudy said.

Caught up in the music, Naomi was oblivious to the cooking, but Rudy appeared with the prepared dish.

“Thank you again today,” Naomi said.

“It’s my hobby, so don’t worry about it. By the way, what are you listening to?” Rudy asked.

“Well, right now, it’s Chopin’s Etude Op. 10, No. 12,” Naomi replied.

“Ah, I believe the title is ‘Revolution,'” Rudy remarked.

“I see,” Naomi nodded.

“Long ago, there was a small country that was divided and ruled by powerful nations, but it managed to start a revolution for independence. This song is about the time when the revolution was suppressed.”

“So that’s why you feel anger in the melody…”

“Yes, that might be the case.”

As Rudy answered, he arranged the dishes on the table.

The potato salad made with yogurt had a refreshing taste, as boiled and mashed potatoes were mixed with cucumber, corn, and apple, then combined with mayonnaise and yogurt.

Jansson’s Temptation, a gratin dish, was made by sautéing potatoes and onions in butter, sprinkling anchovies, pouring cream instead of white sauce, and then baking it in the oven after sprinkling it with grated cheese and breadcrumbs.

The butter-seared salmon sauté was made by searing a large piece of salmon in butter, pouring sour cream sauce over it, and then baking it in the oven. On the same plate, shredded carrots and pickled cabbage were added as a palate cleanser.

The cream soup called Lohikeitto was made by sautéing potatoes, carrots, onions, and mushrooms in butter, then adding water and spices and boiling for about 15 minutes. Finally, cream and chopped salmon were added to the soup served in a dish, and it was finished by sprinkling dill leaves on top.

“Rudy…”

Upon seeing the dishes on the dining table, Naomi opened her mouth.

“What is it?”

“I said I’ve eaten dishes with butter before, but that was a lie.”

“…?”

Not understanding what Naomi was trying to say, Rudy tilted his head.

“I’ve never had such delicious-smelling dishes before. The butter dishes I’ve had were simply dishes with butter added!”

“Why are you so insistent?”

“I’m praising how amazing Rudy’s cooking is.”

“I don’t really get it. Anyway, let’s have a drink.”

“…Yes.”

Rudy casually brushed off Naomi’s praise and handed her the distilled spirits brought by the drone.

“It’s cold!”

As Naomi grabbed the glass, she was surprised by its freezing coldness.

“This is aquavit made from… potatoes? Drink this one neat first.”

“I see. Let’s have a taste right away.”

As Naomi took a sip, she found that the aquavit had a smooth mouthfeel and a mild flavor for a distilled spirit.

“Hmm, not bad. It’s refreshing, perhaps because it’s served cold.”

“You can have it straight, on the rocks, or as a cocktail. But the basic rule is to chase it with beer, alternating between them.”

“That’s a luxurious and interesting way of drinking.”

Naomi laughed amusingly and began eating the dishes prepared by Rudy.

“Hot!”

As she almost burned her mouth with the steaming hot gratin, she quickly cooled her mouth with a sip of cold aquavit.

“Hahaha. Now I understand why the alcohol is cold.”

“In the Nordic region, where it’s cold, the food is hot, but the alcohol is cold.”

“Warm up the body with hot dishes and cool down the mouth with cold alcohol. And the alcohol itself warms up the body too. That’s an interesting approach.”

“As expected of you, Naomi, you got it right.”

Rudy praised Naomi’s thinking, and she returned the compliment with a satisfied smile before resuming eating the dishes.

“All right, let’s dig in!”

“Eat to your heart’s content.”

And so, the two of them started eating the piping hot dishes along with the alcohol.