"This is your room. It's between mine and Erina's, and the layout is identical to your old room."
"How about it? Having two beautiful girls as your neighbors… you should be secretly thrilled."
After leading Okabe to the room prepared for him, Alice Nakiri walked in as if she owned the place, then deftly kicked off her shoes, revealing her slender calves and feet wrapped in white mid-length stockings.
The next moment, she flopped onto the bed in a starfish pose.
"Your bed is still the most comfortable!
It's so strange. They're made of the same materials, with the same craftsmanship, and even the same inspector supervised the production. So why is the bed in your room so much more comfortable than mine?"
Closing her eyes, she rolled about ecstatically on the soft, large bed, enjoying its cool touch.
Only after she had warmed the bed with her rolling did Alice Nakiri sit up, a note of complaint in her voice.
"Perhaps it's the old saying, 'what belongs to others is always best,' and 'the unattainable is always in turmoil.'"
Watching Alice Nakiri, who had naturally sat on his bed and preemptively left her scent on it, Okabe felt a bit helpless.
These two sisters really were cut from the same cloth, both loving to occupy his bed.
Fortunately, they were all just children now. If they were older, and someone from outside were to walk in on such a scene, it would surely start some nasty rumors.
"What do you mean, unattainable? What's yours is mine, and what's mine is still mine. There's no such thing as 'the unattainable is always in turmoil' for me."
Hearing Okabe's words, Alice Nakiri's cheeks puffed out slightly as she retorted argumentatively, looking exactly as she did when she was younger.
No, wait, she was only nine now. Technically, this was still her childhood.
"Speaking of which, where did Erina go? I haven't seen her all day."
"Erina went out to buy ingredients. She said she's preparing for tomorrow's cooking demonstration to put on a show for everyone. By the way, I'll be on stage too. What about you, Okabe? Want to join us?"
Daintily swinging her white-stockinged feet at the edge of the bed, Alice Nakiri revealed Erina Nakiri's whereabouts.
She had rushed out early in the morning and still hadn't returned.
Hearing Alice Nakiri's words, Okabe fell into a brief silence.
Senzaemon Nakiri couldn't have called him here just to have him show off his cooking skills in public, right?
After all, it was a great opportunity to become famous.
But after careful consideration, he dismissed the idea.
At his current age and skill level, being exposed to the spotlight too early wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Coupled with his somewhat sensitive identity, unless Senzaemon Nakiri deliberately wanted to harm him, he shouldn't have him perform on stage. Besides, he didn't have any outstanding skills to demonstrate.
As for Erina Nakiri and Alice Nakiri, it didn't matter for them as the young ladies of the main family.
This was, after all, the Nakiri family's birthday banquet. As the young mistresses of the house, their information had long been thoroughly investigated by everyone; they had no secrets to speak of.
Plus, they had the entire Nakiri family backing them.
Even if they displayed their talent at the banquet, they would only be admired and pursued, a completely different situation from his.
"What are you thinking about..."
Seeing Okabe sitting on the chair, lost in thought, Alice Nakiri tilted her head quizzically.
"Nothing. I'm just a little hungry. Let's go get some lunch."
Thinking too much was pointless; it wouldn't solve anything anyway.
Okabe shook his head, clearing his thoughts, and decided to fill his stomach before considering anything else.
"Amy has made contact with the target. It seems they've even developed a pretty good relationship."
In a dimly lit room, a man with black hair and perpetually narrowed eyes fiddled with a radio in his hand, a look of great interest on his face.
"Such a clueless brat. Growing up under the protection of his elders, he's probably never faced a single setback in his life. To think he'd trust someone so easily."
Lying back on the sofa with her legs propped up on its backrest, a pink-haired girl let her head hang over the edge, looking at the inverted world before her. Hearing the man's words, she couldn't help but show a scornful expression.
"Who would have thought that someone invited by the Nakiri family would be one of us? In fact, over the years, aside from those who directly abandoned everything to join us, many members are still lying dormant in their original families and academies, gathering intelligence for us in the shadows."
A butterfly knife danced nimbly between his fingers as he blew a pink bubblegum bubble. The brown-haired man's voice was flippant, clearly showing his disdain for the world of Light Cuisine.
"But will Lan Tianqiu really hand over the Garuda Knife for his eldest daughter? It's been passed down in their family for generations, theoretically more important than life itself."
A short, dwarf-like man spoke up. He wore a pair of ugly glasses, and his trouser legs dragged on the floor, making him look rather comical.
"He won't hand over the knife just to save his daughter. But if it's a Shokugeki, then whether he hands it over or not won't be up to him."
"Sky-Soaring Great Sage, Lord Zhu Shiyi."
As the door to the room was pushed open, a somewhat cheerful voice rang out, causing the lazing group to straighten up and quickly line up in waiting.
"So you are the four young masters summoned by the Japanese branch of the Dark Cuisine World? Why do you all reek of weakness?"
Looking at the four people standing neatly in a row, Zhu Shiyi leaned in and sniffed, his face showing unconcealed disappointment.
The recruitment work in Japan is truly abysmal.
"What did you say?!"
"We are the top genius chefs of Japan's younger generation! Countless people are begging for us to work for them, so how do we become weaklings in your eyes?"
"What can you tell just from appearances? You bastard, judging a book by its cover!"
Hearing Zhu Shiyi's words, the four, who had been trying to maintain a humble demeanor, now wore expressions of fury.
As famous figures of Japan's new generation, they were always the ones criticizing others. This was the first time they had been mocked as weak, and they couldn't just pretend they hadn't heard it!
"Now that's a bit more like it."
"If you want to prove your strength, let your cooking do the talking. Each of you will make a signature dish. Let me see what you're made of."
Seeing the fierce looks on the four faces, Zhu Shiyi's expression finally broke into a slight smile. He then strode to a nearby sofa and casually crossed his legs.
"One signature dish each?"
"I see, so that was your real goal. You wanted to provoke us so we would perform our best in the kitchen and show our full potential, right?"
The narrow-eyed young man put down the walkie-talkie and spoke to Zhu Shiyi, who was around thirty years old and sitting with his legs crossed.
"What a childish method, old man. We would have given it our all even without you saying that!"
The pink-haired girl's voice was tinged with contempt.
She, too, now believed that his earlier words were just a clumsy attempt to provoke them into using their full strength.
"I think you've misunderstood something. I wasn't trying to provoke you; I was simply stating a fact.
If your performance fails to satisfy me, I have no problem finding a new group to carry out this mission. Anyone who doesn't serve their dish within ten minutes is automatically disqualified."
Hearing their misinterpretation of his words, Zhu Shiyi's expression turned cold for a moment. He then added another condition: complete the dish within ten minutes.
Originally, he hadn't wanted to set a time limit, hoping to see what kind of dishes they could produce at their best. Unfortunately, these guys couldn't understand plain language.
He was clearly looking down on them, yet they took it as a motivational tactic. Are all Japanese people this confident? He hoped their cooking was as impressive as their confidence.
"Then let's show our dear commander a demonstration of our skills!"
"With only ten minutes, a stir-fry would be best. Let me see what ingredients are available..."
"As for me..."
Hearing Zhu Shiyi's words, the expressions of the four changed, and they rushed to the nearest cooking stations.
The pink-haired girl found a large carp from the pile of ingredients and exchanged a glance with the dwarf-like man beside her. They both smiled, understanding each other's intentions.
Zhu Shiyi watched the four of them cook without much change in his expression.
Hiss!
The pink-haired girl was the first to act.
She stunned the live carp with the back of her knife, trimmed the fins and tail neatly, then lifted the blade and pulled smoothly to remove the fish's muddy line. After cleaning out all the internal organs, she began scoring the fish along its back in a decorative pattern.
On the other side, the dwarf-like man found a bag of flour from the ingredients. He grabbed it, and with a slight exertion of force, tossed it onto the stove.
He poured out the flour, a white powder dusting the air, and his large, rough hands fell upon it.
Flour, salt, water.
With a swing of the dwarf's arm, the three ingredients merged into an elastic dough.
He set the kneaded dough aside to proof and picked up an iron basin to fetch water from the sink.
Only after filling the basin to the brim did he return to the cooking station. He crouched down, poured half a small bag of salt into it, and stirred it clockwise with his arm until it dissolved.
"The feel is just right."
He placed the saltwater on the station.
The dwarf brought over a high stool, reached out, and pinched the proofing dough, feeling the subtle texture. A satisfied look appeared on his face.
"Secret Technique: Water-Slicked Noodles!"
His eyes sharpened in an instant. The dough on the table was now somehow in his hands.
He spread his five fingers slightly, and the dough clung evenly to his hand. He pulled it apart from both sides, dipping the bottom end into the saltwater to moisten its surface.
One turn clockwise, one turn counter-clockwise. While pulling the noodles, he intertwined the dough into a twisted, rope-like shape. When the dough became dry, he dipped it in saltwater to moisten it. When it was wet, he continued to twist and slick the dough.
Before long, the surface of the once-rough dough became smooth and elastic. Once it reached a uniform thickness, the dwarf began the next step.
Flour flew across the cutting board as the slicked dough was repeatedly slammed against it. After thirteen pulls, one thick strand of dough transformed into 8,192 Dragon's Beard Noodles, each one light and unbroken. He then heated oil in a wok, took a portion of the noodles, and deep-fried them until both sides were golden brown before taking them out.
"Fried Dragon's Beard Noodles, complete!"
Looking at the Dragon's Beard Noodles, each as fine as a strand of hair, a confident expression appeared on the dwarf's face. This dish was his specialty, and it was the best he could produce within a ten-minute time limit.
Meanwhile, the pink-haired girl had already placed the marinated and starch-coated carp into the wok.
After it was deep-fried to perfection, she removed it from the oil, transferred it to another pan to drain, and then moved it to a third pan filled with sweet and sour sauce to be cooked over a high flame.
"Secret Technique: 108 Styles of Fish Basting!"
Watching the fried carp rapidly change color under the intense heat, a glint flashed in the pink-haired girl's eyes. She used a spoon to scoop up the sweet and sour sauce from the pan and poured it over the carp's surface.
This basting step was not done randomly.
To allow the flavor of the sweet and sour sauce to penetrate every corner of the fish meat evenly, it required not only the chef's control over the heat but also meticulous care during the basting process.
Through the accumulated experience of past masters, a complete fish-basting procedure was eventually developed, known as the 108 Styles of Fish Basting.
Its core was to lift the sauce with a ladle one hundred and eight times and pour it over the carp's surface, allowing the sauce's flavor to perfectly merge with the fish meat.
The speed had to be fast; otherwise, the fish would burn, and the sauce in the pan would dry up. A fraction too much or too little would affect the taste to some degree.
"Sweet and Sour Carp, complete."
She placed the basted carp onto a serving platter and then poured the remaining sweet and sour sauce from the pan over it. The pink-haired girl let out a long breath.
To create this dish in ten minutes was the result of her pushing herself to the limit, not daring to slack off for a single second.
"Sweet and Sour Carp? Your method seems to be a modern, innovative version, right? Its texture leans towards crispy-soft, focusing on infusing the flavor deep into the fish meat."
Looking at the Sweet and Sour Carp served by the pink-haired girl, Zhu Shiyi's expression remained unchanged. He silently picked up the provided chopsticks, probed the dish before him, and lifted a piece of the crispy skin and flesh.
The traditional Sweet and Sour Carp involves frying the marinated and coated carp until crispy before placing it on a plate. However, this version was pan-seared to cook the sweet and sour sauce into the meat.
The traditional version with poured sauce is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with distinct layers.
But the pan-searing method results in a dish that is soft within its crispiness, with a thorough infusion of flavor.
For a quick dish that needed to be completed in ten minutes, the girl's bold approach already showed an intent to show off her skills.
"The sharpness of white vinegar, the mellowness of aged vinegar, the liveliness of hawthorn, and the warmth of rock sugar... did you add hawthorn as one of the sources for the sourness?"
Looking at the piece of fish on his chopsticks, Zhu Shiyi brought it closer to his nose and quickly analyzed the ingredients used in her sweet and sour sauce.
Unlike traditional Sweet and Sour Carp, her sauce included hawthorn. The addition of fruit acid nicely enriched the dish's flavor profile.
As he put the fish in his mouth, the first thing he encountered was "crispy-soft," the result of the crispy carp surface being completely saturated by the sweet and sour sauce.
Then came a rich tenderness.
Under precise heat control, the carp's flesh had firmed up into plump, garlic-clove-like sections. A gentle press of the tongue was enough to break it down into countless fine, tender flakes.
"Is it because of the basting?"
A moist transitional layer existed between the crispy shell and the soft meat, allowing the crispy fragments of the exterior and the tender flesh within to blend harmoniously, locking the juices firmly inside.
"Are you willing to sacrifice the texture of Sweet and Sour Carp in pursuit of flavor harmony?"
"I don't think it's that simple. You, the short kid over there, don't just stand there傻. Bring over your freshly fried Dragon's Beard Noodles and place them on top. That's the dish you two really wanted to present, isn't it!"
Feeling the marvelous sensation on his tongue.
To say it's Sweet and Sour Carp, it lacks the signature crispiness. To say it's not, she did indeed use the cooking method for Sweet and Sour Carp.
However, no one decreed that Sweet and Sour Carp must be crispy, though a crispy texture certainly makes it more interesting.
In that case, the answer was clear.
Zhu Shiyi looked at the dwarf-like man, who was already prepared. Hearing his words, the man's lips curled into a smirk. He used his chopsticks to pick up a sheet of fried Dragon's Beard Noodles, strode forward, and placed it on top of the pink-haired girl's Sweet and Sour Carp.
"A combination: Carp with Baked Noodles! Please enjoy."
As the Dragon's Beard Noodles were placed on the Sweet and Sour Carp, the confident voices of the dwarf and the pink-haired girl rang out as they gestured for Zhu Shiyi to begin.
"The crispiness sacrificed by the Sweet and Sour Carp is replaced by the crispiness of the fried Dragon's Beard Noodles, resulting in a Carp with Baked Noodles that achieves both flavor and texture."
"Separately, they are two dishes; together, they are one. You two have played your hand quite well!"
Zhu Shiyi snorted coldly, then picked up his chopsticks and began to taste the Carp with Baked Noodles before him.
CRUNCH—
An extreme crispness exploded in the quiet room, as if a thousand fine glass threads were shattering between his teeth.
The Dragon's Beard Noodles, having been slicked with saltwater and deep-fried, had formed a unique porous and fluffy structure, making them incredibly light.
Most of the thick sauce was absorbed by the noodles the moment they touched the plate. Upon the first bite, the taste buds were met with an ultimate crispness, stimulated by the aroma of vinegar.
This was immediately followed by the soft, tender fish meat enveloped in the sweet and sour sauce, and finally, the faint, fresh sweetness that lingered deep within the fish's muscle fibers.
"Using noodles as a coat to reconstruct crispiness." Zhu Shiyi gently put down his chopsticks, a sharp glint in his eyes. "You sacrificed the carp's own crispy shell for a more thorough infusion of flavor, then used the Dragon's Beard Noodles to restore the crispy texture. Such a trade-off is rather clever."
His gaze swept over the smug faces of the pink-haired girl and the dwarf-like man, his tone suddenly turning icy after the praise. "But do you know that true Carp with Baked Noodles emphasizes that 'the fish should not be separate from the noodles, and the noodles should not overpower the fish'?"
The triumphant smiles on their faces faltered upon hearing his words, and their breathing grew tense.
"Your Dragon's Beard Noodles…" Zhu Shiyi pointed at the dwarf-like man. "...are overly crispy but lack the fragrance of wheat. By excessively pursuing the fineness of a hair, you've lost the inherent texture and body that noodles should have."
"And your sweet and sour sauce…" Turning his head, he looked at the pink-haired girl beside him. "...you overused hawthorn for a quick flavor infusion. While the fruit acid does enrich the layers of taste, it also masked most of the carp's natural fresh sweetness."
Before his voice had faded.
Zhu Shiyi suddenly stood up and walked to the stove.
He casually picked up a live carp, and the blade flashed like a bolt of lightning.
Scaling, gutting, removing the muddy line, scoring the fish—his movements were as smooth as flowing water.
He then took sweet potato starch, mixed it with water, and added extra flour to create a thin batter for coating.
Following that, he turned on two stoves simultaneously.
One wok for heating oil to seventy percent heat, the other for simmering the sweet and sour sauce.
When the carp went into the hot oil, he tossed the wok with one hand to evenly baste the fish with oil, while his other hand moved a ladle through the sweet and sour sauce in a mystical pattern.
"Open your eyes and watch carefully!"
Zhu Shiyi's voice was calm. As he spoke, he looked at the pink-haired girl. "The so-called '108 Styles' was never a rigid number.
There's no need to pursue it completely. This technique is about sensing the heat. The number of times you baste depends on the size and quality of each fish."
He fried the fish for no more than three minutes. As soon as the outer crust set, he immediately took it out but didn't rush to plate it. Instead, he suspended it with a ladle over the wok with the sweet and sour sauce.
His left hand held the fried carp at a slight angle, while his right hand skillfully scooped and drizzled the sauce.
The moment the sauce flew into the air, it seemed to come alive, seeping into the carp's interior through the gaps made by the scoring knife.
TSSSLAAAA—
Amidst the deafening sizzle, steam billowed upwards.
The pink-haired girl and the dwarf-like man could clearly see the sweet and sour sauce in the air split into two layers.
One formed a crystalline, amber-like glaze on the outside, while the other penetrated the very texture of the fish meat within.
Finally, Zhu Shiyi picked up the dwarf's remaining dough.
Using the same noodle-pulling technique, he gave it a completely different interpretation in his hands.
The dough flew between his fingers like a white ribbon. After just eleven pulls, it had already reached the required size for Carp with Baked Noodles, so he stopped.
He cut off a section with a knife and placed it into the hot oil. With a slight flick of his chopsticks, the noodle strands naturally coiled into the shape of a cloud.
"This is true Carp with Baked Noodles. Remember its taste!"
He gently placed the fried Dragon's Beard Noodles over the fish. The carp's tail was still twitching slightly, whether from the heat of the oil or something else was unclear.
And as the Dragon's Beard Noodles covered the carp, a dazzling golden light erupted from the plate, completely illuminating the dim space before gradually returning to calm, revealing the dish's true form.
Struck speechless by shock, the pink-haired girl stared at the glowing dish before her, her expression frozen. This was the first time she had ever seen food that could glow.
The dwarf-like man was equally stunned.
The exact same ingredients, with just a slight change in technique and sequence, could actually make a dish glow. What kind of astounding culinary skill was this?!
Gulp.
The pink-haired girl couldn't resist stepping forward to taste it, her eyes filled with longing as she looked at the Carp with Baked Noodles.
She picked up a portion with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth. The moment she bit down, she froze on the spot.
The outer shell was as crispy as ever, the inside just as tender and smooth, but the sweet and sour sauce was divided into two distinct worlds of light and shadow!
On the outside, it was bright and crystalline; on the inside, it was rich and mellow.
Even more wondrous were the Dragon's Beard Noodles. Seemingly coarse, they held a hidden depth. The crispiness was accompanied by the sweet taste of wheat, creating a trio of flavors with the dual-layered sweet and sour sauce!
This feeling!
In a daze, she found herself standing beside a rushing golden waterfall.
The river was not liquid but a scalding, fragrant sweet and sour sauce, emitting a mouth-watering sour and sweet aroma.
The next second, the ground beneath her feet trembled, and a giant golden carp with scales shimmering with an amber glow leaped thunderously from the river!
It didn't fall back into the river but swam upstream against the waterfall. Despite the immense pressure and various hardships, its determination to advance was unshaken.
It surged to the top of the waterfall.
In that instant, the carp's body melted away, dragon whiskers sprouted from thin air, and it transformed into a golden dragon soaring through the nine heavens!
The true dragon roared, its divine might shaking the heavens, unleashing countless golden thunderbolts. And amidst this thunder, it rode the wind and departed, and the surroundings returned to tranquility once more.
"Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate."
The chopsticks in her hand fell to the floor.
Feeling the majestic aura of the Carp with Baked Noodles before her, the stunned pink-haired girl uttered those five words.
"I can't believe glowing food actually exists in this world. I always thought it was just a legend. I mean, how could food possibly glow..."
The dwarf-like man was also frozen in place, so shocked by the taste of the Carp with Baked Noodles that he was speechless. His previous understanding of cooking was shattered at this moment.
What shocked him even more was that the dish glowed.
This concept, which had only existed in legends, was now tangibly before his eyes, giving him a strong sense of unreality.
Was he dreaming?!
"Although your cooking skills are nothing special, your exploration and creativity with Carp with Baked Noodles have some merit. You can stay for now."
Wiping his hands gently with a warm towel, Zhu Shiyi spoke with a calm expression as he looked at the shocked faces of the two.
"State your names."
Although he had utterly disparaged their joint dish, for them to create something of this level at their age was enough to qualify them as pawns on their chessboard.
"My name is Himeshima Kou."
"Kannoyama Hikorintarou."
Hearing Zhu Shiyi's words, the two, who had thought they would surely be eliminated, exchanged a look of ecstasy before introducing themselves.
They were half-siblings, raised in an orphanage since childhood, and had relied on each other ever since.
They didn't need many words; a single glance was enough to understand each other, sometimes not even needing that. They were closer than blood siblings.
Because the orphanage where they grew up was forcibly demolished by the Moriguchi Gourmet Group to build a high-end restaurant, they, burning with revenge, resolutely chose to join the darkness.
In their years in the darkness, they endured countless hellish training sessions. After surviving them, their skills underwent an astonishing transformation.
And so, three years ago, with the full support of the Dark Cuisine World, they finally launched a Shokugeki against the arrogant Moriguchi Gourmet Group. With just three dishes, they seized control of the massive corporation.
Later, they tore down the high-end restaurant built on the orphanage's grounds and rebuilt the orphanage, taking in children who had become orphans for various reasons.
Besides caring for them, they also dedicated themselves to helping these young children find foster families. To date, no child has stayed in the orphanage past the age of three.
All were adopted by people from all over the world before their third birthday, escaping the fate of being an orphan.
"I hope you can execute this mission perfectly. You two over there, bring your dishes forward. I see you've been waiting for a while."
He shifted his gaze to the narrow-eyed man and the brown-haired man in the distance. Both were holding a platter. Hearing his words, the narrow-eyed man stepped forward and lifted the lid of his dish in front of him.
A wave of steam from the soup rushed towards his face.
_____
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