NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 149.1
Let’s Make Handmade Hamburgers Together!
“Alright, let’s start making hamburgers now.”
“Nyaa~!”
“Okay.”
“Got it!”
Responding cheerfully to Yuuri’s declaration were the three children: Ridi, Etol, and Yakk. Crest and Fia watched over them with bated breath. Camille and Aroru, who weren’t on cooking duty, had already left to attend to their own tasks.
They were about to make hamburgers by hand, just as Yuuri had declared. Hearing that Ridi was coming to visit, Yuuri thought it would be fun to cook together, since the young master probably didn’t get to do such things back home. Kneading and shaping hamburger meat is surprisingly enjoyable for kids.
Preparing the minced meat takes time, so Yuuri had asked the strongmen to handle it earlier in the morning. Specifically, Urgus, Lelei, and Licht. When they heard hamburgers were on the menu for dinner, they enthusiastically prepared the minced meat. Today’s hamburgers would be made with a mix of bison and orc meat.
Hamburgers might seem complicated, but they’re actually quite simple. As long as you prepare everything in advance, even kids can have fun making them. Well, the kids mainly handle the kneading and shaping part. Cutting and frying are better left to the adults for safety.
“Originally, I wanted to add onions, but I heard Ridi and the others aren’t fond of them, so today’s hamburgers are meat-only.”
“Nyaa?”
“Ah, thank you for your consideration. But, um, it’s not like we can’t eat them at all.”
“Still, I want you to enjoy the meal without any worries. Meat-only hamburgers are delicious in their own way!”
“Actually, I think a lot of people would prefer just meat.”
“…Ah, I can’t really argue with that.”
Since Werecats have feline traits, they aren’t fond of onions. It’s not like eating them would make them sick, but it does put a strain on their digestive system. Yuuri thought it would be better to avoid ingredients that could cause discomfort.
And Yuuri couldn’t deny Yakk’s comment about how the meat-only hamburgers would please certain members. The image of the carnivorous members happily devouring the meat-packed hamburgers came to mind. If it made them happy, that was good enough.
“So, to make meat-only hamburgers, we’ll start by kneading the minced meat.”
“Nyaa~!”
“Okay.”
“Before that… Yakk, bring that thing over.”
“Got it.”
Yuuri paused the eager Ridi and Etol for a moment. At Yuuri’s request, Yakk brought over gloves made of a thin, vinyl-like material. Handed the gloves and told to put them on, Ridi and Etol tilted their heads but slid their small, paw-like hands into the gloves. The two kittens, now wearing gloves that reached past their wrists, looked curiously at Yuuri and the others.
“Hamburgers are kneaded by hand, but I was worried about Ridi’s fur getting in the way.”
“Nyaa!?”
“Ah…”
“So, please wear those gloves while working.”
“Nyaa-Nyaa~!”
“Understood.”
Werecats are bipedal cats, so their hands and feet are feline. While their hands are dexterous with five fingers, they’re still cat paws. That’s why Yuuri decided to have them wear gloves. Normally, Yuuri and the others knead hamburgers bare-handed, but to avoid making the kids feel left out, Yuuri and Yakk also wore gloves.
By the way, these gloves might look like thin vinyl gloves, but they’re not made of vinyl. Vinyl doesn’t exist in this world. Instead, this world has many strange materials that defy Yuuri’s common sense. The gloves are made of slime.
Specifically, they’re made from the remains of ordinary slimes after their cores are removed. These remains are processed to create various items, including these slime gloves. The idea for these gloves came from the need to keep hands clean during tasks like washing. Necessity is the mother of invention.
So, the four of them, now wearing thin slime gloves, turned their attention to the bowl on the table. Inside was a large amount of mixed minced meat.
“Next, we’ll add eggs and breadcrumbs to this.”
With that, Yuuri cracked an egg into the bowl. Just as he was about to crack another, a cat’s paw reached out for the egg. Ridi, standing on a chair next to Yuuri, looked at the egg and Yuuri with shining eyes.
“…Do you want to try cracking it?”
“Nyaa-Nyaa!”
“Alright, let’s try cracking it into this smaller bowl.”
Yuuri wasn’t foolish enough to let Ridi crack the egg directly over the minced meat. To avoid any shell fragments, he placed a small separate bowl in front of Ridi.
“Hold the egg gently, tap it on the table to make a crack, okay?”
“Nyaa!”
“Young master, don’t swing it so hard!”
“Nyaa?”
“…Yeah, don’t swing it with all your might.”
Yuuri grabbed Ridi’s arm to stop him from swinging it too hard, and Etol also called out to stop him. Ridi looked puzzled, clearly not meaning any harm. But Yuuri didn’t crack eggs with such force, so everyone chimed in to correct him.
After listening to Yuuri and Etol’s advice, Ridi gently tapped the egg on the table. Tap, tap. It seemed he wasn’t sure how much force to use, as the first few taps didn’t crack the egg. After a few more tries, a crack finally appeared.
“Once you have a crack, bring the egg over the bowl and hook your thumbs on either side of the crack.”
“Nyaa~”
“Then, pull it apart gently, like this.”
“Nyaa!”
With a determined face, Ridi followed Yuuri’s instructions. His gloved paws moved desperately to crack the egg. He pressed his thumbs into the crack and pulled outward, and…
“…Nyaa~ah…”
With a splat, the egg fell into the bowl, scattering some shell fragments. It seemed his fingers got caught in the yolk, as the yolk spread out as soon as it hit the bowl. Ridi looked a bit downcast, but for a first attempt, it was pretty good. At least he didn’t completely crush the egg. The scattered shell fragments could be picked out, so no big deal.
Besides, today’s menu was hamburgers. The cracked eggs would be thoroughly mixed into the minced meat, so it didn’t matter if they were a bit messy.
“It’s fine. We can pick out the shells, and all the egg is in the bowl, right?”
“Nyaa…”
“Everyone fails at first. It took me a while to get it right too.”
“Me too~”
“Nyaa?”
Ridi, who had been feeling down, perked up at Yuuri and Yakk’s words. His face now showed determination to practice harder. Meanwhile, Etol, who had been watching from the side, and Crest and Fia, who were observing from a distance, all averted their gazes. They could already see a future where the young master insisted on practicing egg-cracking after this. Normally, the young master doesn’t cook.
But that future wasn’t important right now, so Yuuri quickly picked out the shell fragments. By the way, the shell fragments went to Rooks, who was wandering around their feet. Rooks usually doesn’t come near when they’re cooking, but with Ridi around, it seemed curious. Maybe he was interested in his friend’s first cooking attempt.
“Alright, let’s add the egg Ridi cracked into the bowl.”
“Nyaa-Nyaa!”
“Next, we’ll add salt, pepper, and ketchup.”
“Nyaa?”
Ridi looked puzzled as Yuuri added the seasonings to the bowl. He seemed to be wondering why ketchup was being added. By the way, Yuuri’s hamburgers always have ketchup mixed in from the start. The motto is to make them delicious even without any additional condiments.
With all the ingredients in the bowl, Yuuri inserted his gloved right hand into the mixture. Holding the bowl firmly with his left hand, he began to knead and mix. Seeing Ridi and Etol watching with keen interest, Yuuri couldn’t help but smile.
“Mix it like this so all the ingredients blend well, okay?”
“Nyaa-Nyaa~!”
“Okay.”
“It’s tiring to mix it all by yourself, so you can take turns, Ridi.”
“Nyaa!”
Ridi puffed out his chest as if to say, “Leave it to me!” and plunged both hands into the bowl. Anticipating this, Yuuri and Yakk supported the bowl from both sides. With cheerful “Nyaa! Nyaa!” cries, Ridi enthusiastically mixed the hamburger ingredients.
It was like a child playing with clay or mud. His cat ears and tail swayed happily as he worked hard with his small hands to mix the hamburger mixture. His small hands made it difficult to fully mix the large amount of minced meat, but his earnest effort was heartwarming.
After taking turns with Etol, the two kittens completed the hamburger mixture. By the way, the ideal consistency for hamburger mixture is when it comes together and becomes sticky. Some say it should be as firm as an earlobe.
“Next, we’ll shape the mixture. Take some in your palm, shape it, and then pass it back and forth between your hands to remove any air pockets.”
“Nyaa-Nyaa?”
“Um, is there a reason for moving it between your hands like that?”
“If you don’t remove the air pockets, it might fall apart while cooking.”
“Nyaa!?”
“That sounds serious…”