I had accepted Kisaki's proposal, but it was a difficult problem to answer right away. Still, if I conveyed Kisaki's intentions to Rumi, there was a high chance she would cooperate, so I needed to speak with her separately.
The method I had used was based on the original rivalry, confining their competitive spirit to a smaller framework to suppress their mutual animosity to some extent. It wasn't a perfect solution, but for Kisaki, who was grappling with a similar problem, it seemed to have been more than enough of an achievement...
...Hmm, if Kisaki was this impressed by my approach, wouldn't she have already tried to devise a similar method herself?
The image of Shanhaijing that best represented it so far was that of a culinary academy. The conflict between Hyunryumon and the Hyeonmu Sanghoe was also rooted in cooking, which meant that only cooking could break the stalemate.
Cooking and rivalry... Hmm. A few ideas immediately came to mind.
I took a spoonful of Annin tofu, letting it melt in my mouth as I slowly organized my thoughts.
According to Kisaki, traditional Annin tofu uses apricot kernels, but over time, it has evolved to use almonds processed with milk. Hyunryumon was supposed to be full of traditionalists, so I wondered if this didn't bother them.
In any case, my job was simply to enjoy this sweet jelly. Tradition or whatever, it wasn't my concern.
"...O, esteemed guest, might I hear your thoughts on how this compares to the refreshments you usually enjoy with tea at the Tea Party?"
"Mm... that's a rather interesting question. The desserts served at the Tea Party are supplied by Mille-feuille, the most renowned dessert cafe in Trinity. Compared to those... I'd say this is definitely above average. Yes, in that respect, I can say this Annin tofu is a truly fine dessert, can't I?"
"Above average, you say... Is that establishment of such a high standard that you would set the bar so high?"
"Ahaha. Well, I'm sure differences in taste play a part... but if you're truly curious, Kisaki-chan, how about you visit Trinity sometime? You could visit Mille-feuille yourself, or it wouldn't be a bad idea to attend one of the Tea Party's refreshment gatherings! Yes. Though it would be impossible to treat you to a formal banquet like this one."
"Hmm. That is not a bad suggestion. You came all this way without hesitation; what reason could I possibly have for not doing the same? It requires no deliberation. It is proper to accept an invitation when one is received."
Before I knew it, our conversation had naturally shifted from this meeting to the next. After finishing the Annin tofu and drinking some sweet *liangxia*, the Hyunryumon students brought something else out.
A yellow, jelly-like substance was placed before me on a plate.
"This is called *Sanbuzhan*. The main ingredients, egg yolk and sugar, are not particularly special, but the cooking process is so exceptionally difficult that there is little profit in selling it. Thus, it is a rare dish that is not easy to find anywhere."
"Hmm... What a strange appearance. On the outside, it has the texture of some kind of mass-produced jelly from a factory."
"Its viscosity is certainly less than that. Ah, its unique sweetness can be a bit cloying, so there is no need to force yourself to eat it if you do not like it."
When I lightly scooped some up, it wasn't as viscous as Kisaki had said. It strangely reminded me of steamed egg.
In fact, to put it simply, my impression was that it tasted like a slightly less-soft, custard-flavored steamed egg.
By the way, after finishing this as well, I felt my mind starting to turn again. Do I really need a bit of sugar to get going? Eating two sweet things in a row definitely seemed to be having an effect.
"Kisaki-chan, have you ever tried something like a cooking competition?"
"Of course. We once held a contest where Hyunryumon and the Hyeonmu Sanghoe each put forward three representative chefs to compete. The result, regrettably, was that a dispute arose during the proceedings, and the contest was canceled. It did not end in a victory for either side. With such a precedent, I find myself in a difficult position to attempt such a method again."
"...Hmm. I see. Trying something that's already failed once is no small feat."
A cooking contest. When you thought about it, it wasn't fundamentally different from the summer festival between Gehenna and Trinity. However, I felt the packaging was a little different.
Regardless of the core nature of the event, we had framed ours as a 'festival'. Shanhaijing, on the other hand, had held an outright 'contest,' a competition. I didn't think the difference between those two approaches was insignificant.
"Kisaki-chan, I have about two ideas that come to mind right now."
"Oh? In that case, I would have you share your esteemed opinion. I shall listen intently."
"Ahaha. It's not really an 'esteemed opinion'... I think you might be overestimating me, but my first idea is a cooking competition. However, it shouldn't primarily be a showdown between Hyunryumon and the Hyeonmu Sanghoe like last time."
"...Do you mean to say we should hold a cooking tournament in the literal sense, rather than a duel between the two groups?"
Wow, she understood that immediately? Her thought process seemed incomparably faster than mine. It felt like even without my help, someone like Kisaki would have eventually succeeded in improving relations between the two groups.
"That's right. You expand the eligibility to individuals and hold a large-scale cooking tournament. If you have the capacity, it wouldn't be a bad idea to divide the tournament by season, having participants compete with dishes that suit the current season. Of course, the finer details would need to be ironed out. The tournament itself isn't the sole purpose, after all."
"Hmm. Expanding eligibility to individuals... you mean to allow chefs from outside Shanhaijing to participate as well."
"Yes, exactly! That's it. If a chef from Shanhaijing doesn't win every time, then as long as outsiders are participating, their pride is bound to be bruised the moment they're eliminated. And if, in that process, they happen to lose to a Shanhaijing student from a different faction, they'd be filled with resentment."
"Hearing just that much only brings negative outcomes to mind..."
"The important thing is who judges the food and how. Basically, you, Kisaki-chan, and Rumi-chan must be on the judging panel. Yes, the two of you have to give the most objective evaluations possible so the students of Hyunryumon and Hyeonmu Sanghoe will accept the results."
Normally, they might be wary, but if the leader of each faction praised a dish from the opposing side, the students might just develop an interest in their rivals' cooking, which they had previously dismissed out of hand.
However, the effectiveness of this would depend on just how deep Hyunryumon's traditionalism ran.
I hadn't singled out Hyunryumon just now, conscious of Mina sitting next to us, but neither Kisaki nor I was ignorant of the fact that they were the core of the problem.
The essence of this tournament was merely a means to plant a thought in the minds of the Hyunryumon students, something like: *'Wait, did the Sect Leader just praise the food of those damned merchants???'*
"I mentioned it earlier, didn't I? I have a friend who truly loves fine dining more than anything in the world. I believe she and another like-minded friend are currently going around acting as food critics for a hobby... If you have people like her, along with you and Rumi-chan, on the judging panel, you'll be able to ensure a degree of fairness in the judging."
"Hmm. This approach might indeed be better than the contest we attempted before. O, esteemed guest, might I hear your second plan?"
"Ahaha, this one is actually closer to a business idea linked with a broadcasting station. Something like filming a show where Hyunryumon and the Hyeonmu Sanghoe travel to other academies' autonomous districts to run restaurants for a fixed period, with the winner decided by final revenue or by votes from students who have tried both... Yes, as a business concept, it's not bad, right?"
Honestly, one of the things I found lacking in Kivotos since I arrived was the broadcasting sector. Especially in entertainment programming.
Coincidentally, in the era before my reincarnation, entertainment shows centered on cooking were enjoying considerable popularity.
As such, my thoughts naturally flowed in that direction.
To be honest, since I had pursued improved relations with the cheat key of the Eden Treaty on my side, these were about all the ideas I could offer Kisaki on such short notice.
"...It is difficult to erase the thought that you are a truly wondrous person. In such a short time, you have offered ideas that are worth attempting, though their effectiveness is yet unknown. How very intriguing."
"Ahaha, it was only possible because I focused on a similar direction to the one I took when improving relations between Trinity and Gehenna. An approach from a different angle... yes, honestly, I'm not confident I could come up with one in such a short time."
"Fufu. Does the saying not go, 'a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step'? The plans you have presented may be somewhat lacking for now, but that is the nature of first drafts. They are bound to be transformed into better outcomes through the process of discussing details and bringing them to fruition."
There was something about Kisaki's way of speaking that was pleasant to the ear. Her speech pattern itself was similar to Seia's, but perhaps it was because she was more direct?
"The time... hmm. Come to think of it, I was late in confirming your schedule. Do you plan to visit the Hyeonmu Sanghoe immediately?"
"Mm, if I have to say, then yes, I suppose so. I plan to stay in Shanhaijing until tomorrow. I'll probably be spending most of that time with the Hyeonmu Sanghoe."
My original purpose for seeking out the Hyeonmu Sanghoe was to complete a recipe for *bunmoja tteokbokki* with Rumi's help. Since *bunmoja* and *mala* were from Shanhaijing, I had no choice but to inquire here, and in the process, I came to know Rumi and the Hyeonmu Sanghoe and ask for her cooperation.
The kind of rice cakes I needed for the *tteokbokki* I knew would require building an entire factory, so immediate accessibility was extremely poor.
Therefore, it was my destiny to spend most of my time in Shanhaijing doing culinary research with Rumi.
"Then it would not be proper for me to hold you for too long. You plan to stay until tomorrow..."
For some reason, Kisaki nodded, then rested her chin on her hand and looked at me.
"Before you leave, could you spare me a moment of your time? In my view, I believe Shanhaijing and Trinity could become quite good friends. It would be most wonderful if we could have more exchanges in the future."
...Trinity, which is based on Britain, and Shanhaijing, based on China, becoming good friends?
This is definitely not going to be easy...
***