After buying vegetables from the Carls and finishing the morning's work, my father and I sat in the kitchen staring at the plump tomatoes.

'...... Dad, you're so enthusiastic, but have you decided what you're going to make?'

'No, I haven't decided. I'm just thinking about it.

When I asked him about it, he said emphatically, "I'm not going to do it.

I thought he had a specific dish in mind, but he didn't seem to have one in mind.

I guess he was just going with the flow at that moment.

'If you don't decide what to cook, Mr. Carls will come back from the market, won't he?

'...... I know.'

Dad nods and then crosses his arms and lets out a groan.

'Mmm, they get sweeter when they're roasted. ...... Yuna says they do it at home too, roasting them on skewers.'

I mean, how about just putting them on skewers and grilling them, after all those fine lines .......

I hardly have time to think about it. In an hour or so, people will be coming to town for lunch. This is not the time to be thinking about it.

Tori, do you have any good ideas?

'I don't even have an idea, I haven't even had one yet. ......'

'Then you should grill it too.

Dad offers me a pritch tomato and a skewer, and I take it and stick the pritch tomato on the skewer.

I took it and skewered the tomato with little resistance. It was hard to believe that it was the skin of a tomato.

Surprised at the softness of the skin, I roast the tomato directly on the fire.

Despite the soft skin, the tomatoes seem to be quite resistant to heat and do not tear.

I remove the tomatoes from the fire when the flesh has tightened up moderately and the skin has started to shrink.

The heat makes the tomatoes smell sweeter and more acidic.

The smell is so rich that it is almost as if you have just made tomato soup.

I blow on the rising steam, let it cool down a little, and put it in my mouth.

The rich tomato extract explodes in my mouth. I didn't even have to set my teeth on it. A light push with my upper jaw was all it took to release the concentrated flavor inside.

It's richer and more flavorful than any tomato I've ever had!

That's why I want to use them in the restaurant, but it's so difficult to transport them.

Now I understand why my father was so insistent on Mr. Carls' help. But it's difficult because the town of Luvera is far away from the fields where we can harvest.

Can't we just make them in the courtyard?

'This one takes a lot of time and effort, and I can't go that far.

I know, right? Even if we could do it, it would be a total waste of time and money if the workload increases.

What do you think? Can you come up with any ideas?

'...... hmmm, this seems to be the most delicious.

I know, right? It's already delicious just by grilling it.

But that's not cool.

Is there any menu item that makes the most of these baked pritch tomatoes?

You can get the whole roasted thing as a menu item at .......

Hmm? Bake the whole thing?

'Dad, how about putting it in a gratin?'

'Oh! That's it! That way I can grill the pritch tomatoes and combine them with the cheese! Way to go, Tori!

My idea seems to have been accepted, and my father, who had his arms crossed, immediately makes his move.

If I bake it as a gratin, I can use the tasty tomatoes and enjoy it with cheese and other vegetables.

This would satisfy Elina and Yuna.

I thought so and started cooking with my father.



I started to cook with my father.



Me, Yuna, and my father returned from the market, and we returned to Tori's inn as promised.

We had come back early to avoid the crowds, but there were already many people seated in the dining room.

The presence of so many customers must mean that the food is good.

A dish made with pritch tomatoes. I don't know what I'm going to get yet, but I'm excited.

Hey, Abel! Tori! I'm here for lunch!

'Yes, yes, yes.'

When the father shouts at the entrance, Tori, who was working as a waiter, guides us with a slightly ponderous voice.

I smile a little, amused by the fact that he seems to be working as usual.

Tori is a strange boy who seems somewhat matured even though he is twelve years old like me.

He is a bit of a pain in the ass and often drones on, but he has a sense of responsibility and does what he has to do.

I can't tell whether he is serious or not.

Tori shows us around and we sit down at an empty table.

'It's very crowded at lunchtime, isn't it?

That's how good the food is.

It smells so good all over the place. I'm already hungry.

It's the same for me. We get up before dawn, pick the vegetables in the field, sort and load them, and walk to the town of Lubera.

I had breakfast, but that was a long time ago.

My energy is already depleted, and my stomach and back feel like they're about to stick together.

'I think it's going to be good, just give me a minute.

Tori puts down the water and cutlery box and walks back to the kitchen.

I am sure he is going to prepare a dish with pritch tomatoes now.

Yuna and I sip our water and watch Abel-san working in the kitchen.

My father is the same way, looking at me with his eyes. Are we there yet? It was as if the words were written.

'It's done, Tori!

'All right!

As soon as Abel and Tori's voices are heard, the aroma of rich cheese spreads through the cafeteria.

Not only that, the aroma of rich, sweet tomatoes wafted through the air.

This is the smell of cheese and tomatoes, isn't it?

'It's gratin!

Yuna, who had also guessed what was going on, exclaimed with delight as she sniffled and murmured.

While our eyes lit up, Tori brought the gratin on a tray.

But a blonde man interrupted us.

'Tori! Isn't that a gratin made with pritch tomatoes! They're so fragile, they should rarely be in circulation! If you can serve it today!

No, we are serving it specially today because the girls brought it. Unfortunately we don't have one for Michal.



'Oh, no. ......!

When Tori said this, the man collapsed as if it were the end of the world.

He must be pretty knowledgeable to know about "prickly tomatoes," even though he's from the city. And it makes me proud to think that there are people who want our vegetables that badly.

Here you go. It's a gratin with pretzel tomatoes.

The tomato gratin is placed in front of you with a more polite tone than usual.

The plate is covered with a generous amount of cheese, which has been melted by the heat.

The cheese is so hot that it makes a sizzling sound as if to indicate the heat, and it sprinkles steam and a rich aroma.

This is how it smells without cutting through the cheese. I wonder what it will be like when I open it up.

I pick up my fork, my throat churning with anticipation.

And when I put my fork into the layer of melted cheese, the pile collapses to reveal a bright red tomato.

Not only that, but various other things such as potatoes, broccoli, carrots, and pasta were also faintly visible inside.

'Melted cheese and baked pritch tomatoes! This is absolutely delicious!'

'Let's eat already! Sis!''

'Uh-huh!

Yuna and I lost patience and moved our forks without saying much. We dug our forks in and scooped up the prici tomatoes.

I carefully cut off the strings of cheese and put it in my mouth.

Hot! But delicious!

First came the explosion of rich tomato juice. The juice, sweetened and tart by the heat, burst forth without even needing to be chewed. Naturally, they were hot, too, but still bearable.

I slowly taste them with the cheese, rolling them around in my mouth.

The combination of rich cheese and rich tomatoes is very good. I knew that tomatoes go well with cheese, but grilled tomatoes go even better with cheese than regular tomatoes.

I've never tasted such a delicious gratin!

Yuna, who is eating next to me, is also teary-eyed from the heat, but she is still pushing her fork forward.

Even though it's hot, it's so delicious that you want to eat it one after another.

The rich cheese and baked plump tomatoes have increased their sweetness. The combination of these two ingredients is exquisitely flavored!

Dad seemed to be satisfied with this, nodding his head as he ate.

'Thank you, Tori. You've made our vegetables so delicious.

'Thank you for your delicious vegetables. If you ever come to town again, please come and have dinner with us anytime.

'Yes, thank you.

After I thank him, Tori is called by another customer to take our order.

I really wanted to spend a little more time talking with him, but he was at work, so there was nothing I could do.

I still have a lot of vegetables at home that I would like to have cooked well. So I will come here again with more vegetables.

It's hard to get up early in the morning and walk all the way here with all my stuff, but the reward of a good lunch will keep me going.