Work Text:
- Sunny
Komatsu smiled as he saw Sunny waiting for him at the edge of the forest. "Sunny-san! Thanks for coming!"
"Of course I'd come, Komatsu-kun. Now what kind of beautiful hunt are we embarking on today?" Sunny declared. Komatsu didn't feel them but he was sure he was surrounded by Sunny's feelers. It didn't bother him especially if it made Sunny feel better.
Refocusing on what he'd been asked, Komatsu smiled up at Sunny. "Something you'll enjoy, Sunny-san! Have you heard of silver beautifying butterflies?"
"Silver beautifying butterflies? Of course I do! They are only the most important ingredient for the most marvelous of beauty products! The beautifying moisturizer Hildrand Coster!" Sunny looked excited. "But they aren't dangerous so why ask me along?"
"Because I think I have a way of improving the effects of their nectar but I need them caught in a very specific way. You're the only person I could think of who could manage it. Will you help me?"
"Of course I will! What do you need me to do?"
Komatsu grinned as he started walking, Sunny following sedately after him. As they walked towards the clearing where the Silver Beautifying Butterflies made their nests, Komatsu explained his plan. They needed to keep the butterflies calm and attract them towards Komatsu. Once they were close enough, Komatsu would be able to drain their nectar sacs. The important part was that the butterflies were kept still but calm, something that Sunny should be able to do with his feelers.
The clearing was a good hour away so they spent the time talking about the latest news and gossip. Sunny was always willing to talk about the latest gossip within the Hunter community. Between that and the relaxing atmosphere of the forest, the walk went well.
The clearing opened in front of them. Giant flowers filled the field with green and silver. The occasional gust of wind made them dance above Sunny and Komatsu when a butterfly passed by.
It was beautifully peaceful.
"Wow!" Komatsu exclaimed as he twirled around to take in the sight. Large pollen spores drifted down onto his shoulders. Komatsu smiled as he turned to face Sunny. "I'm glad you're here with me to see this."
"So am I" Sunny replied with a smile of his own.
They took a moment to enjoy things before they got moving. Komatsu had brought some pheromone serum to help attract the butterflies. He gave it to Sunny before starting to take out the tools he would need to extract the nectar from them.
The next few hours were filled with slow wingbeats as they worked together. As Sunny attracted them then calmly held them in place, Komatsu used a thin tube to extract the thin silvery nectar that characterized the race.
Once that was done, a healthy two liters of nectar later, Komatsu took out the rest of the stuff he'd packed. Gilta venison, Golden rice and some Haruthrum red wine. Perfectly done and preserved for a picnic.
Sunny's eyes sparkled at the sight of Komatsu's cooking. "Ooooh, this looks beautiful!"
"I hope you'll like it, Sunny-san." Komatsu blushed slightly under the intense gaze.
They settled down on a picnic blanket, Sunny only grimacing slightly at how unbeautiful doing so was, and enjoyed the meal together.
- Zebra
Komatsu arrived at the rendez-vous point a bit early. It was better than being late to meet with Zebra-san especially since Komatsu was there at his request. The surrounding scenery was dry and sandy, reminiscent to their first adventure together.
He didn't have to wait long before Zebra arrived. Komatsu beamed at his friend. "Zebra-san! It's been a while."
Zebra-san scoffed. "Ready to go?"
It was very much like Zebra-san to get straight to the point. Komatsu nodded and asked, "Where are we going?"
"I got told to go kill some overgrown bird causing trouble for the locals. The meat's supposed to be delicious." Zebra-san replied gruffly, already striding away.
Komatsu followed him. That would explain why Zebra-san had asked him to bring what he needed to cook. Not like he'd ever go on a hunt without it. Years of adventuring with his friends had taught him that they were always hungry for his cooking.
They didn't have to go far to find the pack of troublesome Kekko Jaguar-Birds that had been attacking the local herds. A group of a dozen birds, each one at least 6 meters tall. A relatively low capture level compared to what they'd faced before. Still dangerous for the locals with little to no access to Hunters.
Zebra-san tsked as he watched the birds growling and prancing around. "How boring." He mumbled. Komatsu agreed with the sentiment. At least it wouldn't take long.
One meteor voice later and Komatsu was up. He started by setting up his cooking stand and heating up some oil. He then had Zebra-san help him pluck the birds. Once they were plucked clean, Komatsu slit their belly and removed the internal organs. He kept the hearts to cook later.
He proceeded to cut off the wings for the first course. He quickly mixed some garlic flour with salt and hempt peppers, dipped the wings in an egg mixture then into the flour. He threw them into the heating oil and smiled as it sizzled.
Ten minutes later, Komatsu was taking them out to serve to Zebra-san. He then turned to his next course. Half of the breasts were cut into smaller pieces to make a stir fry, mixed with curry corn and fulltip green beans.
While Zebra-san finished his wings and started on the stir fry, Komatsu moved to the rest of the breasts. He pan fried them until they were golden and starting to crisp up nicely. He added some Bermut tomato paste then covered it with cheese. He used a blowtorch to melt the cheese.
And voila! Jaguar-Bird parmisan melts!
The last thing Komatsu had to prepare was the dessert. He turned to the hearts he had put aside earlier in a honey mead and lemon juice broth. Not the most traditional dessert but Zebra-san would enjoy the high protein. He checked the temperature of the oil then threw the hearts in. They sizzled quietly for a moment before he took them back out and slathered them with honey.
"And there you go, Zebra-san!" Komatsu said as he presented the last course of honey mead and lemon hearts. Watching Zebra-san devour his food was oh so satisfying and well worth the effort.
- Coco
Some things didn't change. Coco-san's wary bashful was one of them. At least Komatsu had gotten through to him years ago that he wasn't afraid of Coco-san's poison. It meant that Komatsu hugged the man whenever they saw each other.
"Coco-san!" Komatsu grinned as he hugged the taller man. "How have you been?"
"Fine. Just fine Komatsu-kun. And yourself?"
"Busy with the restaurant. I created a new recipe for...." Komatsu replied as he started to explain what he'd been working on at the restaurant.
Coco-san listened intently and asked a few questions as they started walking further along the walking path. They were heading into a wildlife reserve for an ingredient that Komatsu needed for a new recipe. The ingredient in question was an extremely poisonous plant called Iridescent Glory Hostas. There was a way to remove the poison, one that Komatsu knew how to do in his kitchen.
However, the plant was too poisonous to safely gather by most people. Coco-san would be able to do it for Komatsu without any problem. They had permission to gather half-a-dozen hostas for Komatsu's personal use.
Komatsu had already plugged in the atmospheric data to keep the flowers fresh until they got back to Komatsu's place. For now he enjoyed the walk with his friend.
They arrived at the location where the flowers grew in large numbers. They painted the ground in a mixture of green and yellows, almost neon bright. A few flowering buds could be seen, adding some red and pink to the mix.
Coco-san looked at the patch of plants for a moment before he motioned for Komatsu to hand over the preserve case. Then he walked right into the patch. "What should I be looking for, Komatsu-kun?"
"Plants that have between 3 to 5 white lines running parallel to each other. I need everything from above the roots." Komatsu answered.
It didn't take long for Coco-san to find and collect the plants, carefully putting each one into the case. Komatsu smiled thankfully when he was given the case back. "Thank you Coco-san!"
"You're welcome, Komatsu-kun. Shall we head back?" Coco-san asked. Komatsu nodded and they headed off. They walked back through the park slowly.
They headed straight to Komatsu's place. As he invited Coco-san to make himself at home, Komatsu headed straight to his kitchen.
He wanted to make hostas marinade steak. But first, he needed to remove the poison by marinating it in his own specially prepared marinade. Super salted water, sellus thyme, rosen hillberry juice and batifa mangoes. Once he had set each plant in the marinade, Komatsu looked in on Coco-san.
"Sorry Coco-san. Do you want something to eat or drink?" Komatsu winced a bit as he saw his guest flipping through some old cooking magazines.
Coco-san smiled, "It's alright, Komatsu-kun. I don't want to be a bother while you're cooking."
Komatsu hurriedly waved his hands, "No. No. No. You're no bother at all. I'll make us some snacks and be back soon. The hostas needs to marinade for a few hours." He already knew what he was going to make, some quick fried fountain nuts and golden popcorn.
It took him all of ten minutes before he brought out the two large bowls along with some drinks to the living room. They had a few hours to wait while the poison leached out and the marinade was absorbed. Perfect time to gossip together.
- Toriko
No matter how many times Komatsu went hunting with his partner, it was always a mixture of excitement and nerves. He tapped his foot as the plane they were in descended towards their destination. Toriko was, as he often was, excited for the hunt but otherwise calm.
"Ready Komatsu?"
Komatsu nodded. "Yes Toriko!"
They were going to hunt a Snow Lily Tiger at the request of a local chef. They just wanted the thighs so Komatsu would cook the rest for his partner. The Snow Lily Tiger was known for its delicate lilywater flavoured meat and Komatsu had prepared accordingly.
Toriko grinned back and started walking, his pace perfectly matched with Komatsu's. They would have to walk through quite a bit of snow to get to the tiger's hunting ground, but it wouldn't be as bad as their time in Ice Hell. Nothing in the human world would compare to that cold.
So it meant they didn't have much trouble with the snow, especially with Toriko forging a path for Komatsu to follow. By the time they found the tiger, the sun was low on the horizon.
Toriko stopped suddenly, nose sniffing the air for a moment before he motioned Komatsu to stop. "We're close." Komatsu nodded and crouched down, already used to how their hunts worked.
The tiger proved no trouble for Toriko, not that Komatsu expected anything else. As soon as Toriko gave him the all-clear, Komatsu hurried over to the beast and started taking out his knives. He quickly dressed the tiger down, putting the entrails to one side for scavengers.
As soon as everything was ready, Toriko picked up everything and they headed back down. Toriko delivered the thighs to the chef before they headed to the suite Toriko had rented for them. It had a fully stocked kitchen for Komatsu to use and he got to work as soon as they got in.
The meat had too delicate a taste for any kind of traditional marinade so instead Komatsu opted for an herb rub. It was herbs that would enhance the taste of the lilywater. While the meat rested for a bit, Komatsu started heating up the pans.
Toriko was eating some snacks as he waited for Komatsu to finish his cooking. He knew it would be well worth the wait no matter how long it took his partner to cook the tiger.
While the pans were heating up, Komatsu started some sunshine rice and prepared a veggie medley to complete the meal. Once the pans were hot, he cut the meat into thin slices which he tossed into the pans for a quick flash cooking. It didn't take that long to go through all of the meat.
"All set!" Komatsu declared as he brought out everything for Toriko. First the meat while it was hot then the rice and the vegetables. "Eat up Toriko!"
Toriko clasped his hands together in thanks, grabbed one of the two plates Komatsu had brought and picked out some of the meal. He then handed the plate to Komatsu. "Eat up too, partner."
Komatsu smiled and took it. The meat was delicious.