Shun needed less than ten minutes before he returned to Erina's room with the finished dish in hand.
Erina kept the same posture as before, but her eyes had already—almost involuntarily—fallen onto the plate Shun carried in.
Hisako stood to the side, fingers laced before her, eyes full of expectation with a trace of worry.
"Come on, Erina—taste this and see how it is." Shun set the tray gently on the table in front of Erina and lifted the lid.
In that instant, a complex aroma—smoky like cured meat yet bright with greens—filled the room.
Almost at once, the God Tongue reacted. Color rose to Erina's pale cheeks; her beautiful eyes widened without her realizing it.
On the white plate, golden "bacon leaves" had been cut with precise, even knife-work into fine ribbons; they paired perfectly with emerald spinach and pearly egg-rice.
Most astonishing of all was the fragrance… Though purely plant-based, it released the deep, smoky savor one expects only from top-tier bacon, yet carried the freshness unique to vegetables, without a hint of greasiness.
Of course, Erina had not yet tasted it and did not know that the "bacon" before her wasn't meat at all.
When she picked up her chopsticks, her hand trembled slightly.
She slowly lifted a strip of "bacon" and placed it on her tongue.
Crunch.
The crisp sound rang clearly in the quiet room.
The next moment, Erina's eyes flew open, her pupils tightening.
As expected—this was no ordinary flavor. A taste the God Tongue could never forget could be known in a single bite.
Deliciousness began to bloom in her mouth.
First came the rich smokiness; next, the gentle sweetness of plants; finally, a perfectly judged saltiness.
The soft, sticky egg-rice and the refreshing spinach balanced the texture just right, leaving the dish neither oily nor bland.
From mouthfeel balance alone, one could tell the chef's level was extraordinary!
In mere moments, the God Tongue's scrambled senses were gradually subdued by this powerful flavor and began to return to normal… No—Erina's God Tongue was evolving to an even higher plane!
The God Tongue greedily drank in this perfected taste.
One bite, then another…
Almost unconsciously, Erina kept bringing the food to her lips.
With each mouthful, the pallor left her face at a speed visible to the naked eye. The confusion and anxiety in her eyes gave way to clarity and brilliance.
Watching this, Hisako's lingering worry melted away completely, replaced by unguarded joy.
When the last grain of rice was gone, Erina set down her chopsticks and let out a long breath.
Even that exhale carried the faint scent of smoke.
In that instant, her gaze had changed entirely—her old confidence had returned.
Yes: the confident, delightfully tsundere Erina was back.
"What ingredient is it this time?"
There was an indescribable shock in Erina's expression as she looked at Shun. "I've never tasted anything like this. It's clearly plant-based, yet it has the deep, meaty savor of cured pork, and…"
She paused as the God Tongue returned information to her mind. "There's a peculiar energy inside this ingredient. It doesn't just satisfy taste—it nourishes the God Tongue itself. If my tongue isn't lying to me, this isn't real 'bacon.'"
Saying this, her clear eyes settled on Shun, waiting for his answer.
Shun didn't reply immediately. He only watched quietly as Erina changed before his eyes.
Hisako was nearly in tears from excitement. "Erina-sama, you look so much better! Your complexion… it's back!"
Only then did Erina notice her own transformation. She touched her cheeks; the skin there had recovered its usual elasticity and color.
More importantly, the flavor library in her mind was re-indexing itself—she had completely shaken off the chaos.
"…Thank you, Shun." Erina said it softly.
It came straight from her heart.
Yet Shun was puzzled. If Erina had recovered, why did the system still show the task as "incomplete"?
What did that mean?
He glanced at the task description and silently chided himself.
Because it was very clear: he not only had to resolve the God Tongue's taste crisis, he also had to win tomorrow's shokugeki.
So Shun asked about the match.
Erina's expression grew serious. "Tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. sharp. The theme is 'fermentation.'"
"Fermentation?"
Shun frowned. That seemed to be the opponent's specialty.
"Was the theme their request?"
Erina nodded and explained, "He's a highly capable third-year who excels in fermented cuisine—especially creating unique flavors using various molds and yeasts. Normally this wouldn't be a problem for me, but…"
"But with your condition, judging fermentation levels and flavor transitions precisely is difficult—and there's hardly any time left to prepare." Shun finished her thought.
Fermented cuisine relies intensely on accurate taste judgment.
Over-ferment and the flavor spoils; under-ferment and the depth won't emerge.
For Erina as she was until moments ago, it was the worst possible theme.
Even if her God Tongue had now recovered, the shokugeki was tomorrow morning. Trying to prepare everything overnight was still too late.
Silence settled over the room.
The mood made Hisako tense up despite herself.
Tomorrow's shokugeki was certainly important, but more than that… there was a question in Erina's heart. No—one that had taken root since the transfer-exam day.
She gathered her courage and looked Shun straight in the eyes. "Where did these ingredients come from?"
The God Tongue had keenly sensed that these ingredients were anything but ordinary.
"I've tasted top ingredients from around the world, yet never anything like this. It's as if… this purity and power came from another world."
Shun fell silent again.
He stood at a crossroads.
Tell Erina the truth, and one more person would carry his secret.
Refuse to answer, and—never mind anything else—the God Tongue would risk falling under a curse again.
Hearing this, Hisako reacted quickly; she quietly slipped out and pulled the door closed behind her.
Erina's emotions suddenly surged. "Do you know what I realized after eating this dish? I… may never be able to live without your cooking for the rest of my life."
For a second, Shun wondered if he'd misheard.
As the words left her lips, tears overflowed, unbidden, from Erina's eyes.
In sixteen years, it was the first time she had felt such reliance on someone so clearly—and the first time she understood what it meant for her heart to be moved.
Of course Shun understood what those words meant, and his heart tangled even more.
(End of Chapter)
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