God Tongue.
It has always been shrouded in mystery.
Not only does it represent extreme sensitivity and appreciation for taste, but it also symbolizes an ability to penetrate the surface and reach the very essence of food!
Therefore.
In the eyes of ordinary people.
God Tongue is irreplaceable and is often mythologized as a supernatural ability.
After all, many times, cooking is like the blind men touching an elephant—there is no definitive correct answer. One can only rely on gradual exploration, making corrections through repeated mistakes.
This process is long and exhausting!
The role of God Tongue is to know the correct answer in advance.
For example:
Erina Nakiri.
She can taste a dish and use her ability directly at a Food War, instantly elevating Soma's culinary skills to top-tier levels!
As for her mother, Nakiri Mana, her ability to become the world's most influential WGO Special Executive Officer.
Largely stems from her possession of God Tongue.
...
However.
Behind the glory lies little-known suffering and hardship.
Due to their extreme pickiness about food flavors in later stages, every possessor of God Tongue gradually develops an illness:
Anorexia!
Many times, Mana nearly lost her life because of anorexia.
It wasn't that she didn't know she was dying—she simply couldn't eat. The agony of being extremely hungry yet deeply despising food haunted her throughout the latter half of her life.
For her.
Eating had long become a form of torture.
Eating was no longer about nourishment but about inner conflict and exhaustion. All food turned into numbers, and her mind raced with calculations—
It felt as if every additional bite would plunge her deeper into hell!
Moreover.
She could no longer sense the deliciousness of food.
Even dishes she once loved could no longer bring her any joy.
Yet, deep down, Nakiri Mana still yearned to enjoy delicious meals. Especially when she saw others devouring their food with gusto, she felt intense envy and jealousy!
Beyond eating, a more prominent psychological state was her sense of unworthiness.
Tormented by anorexia, Nakiri Mana had been on the verge of collapse for years.
She lost her confidence.
And she stopped loving herself.
She believed she was unworthy of any happiness in this world!
It is said that anorexia has the highest mortality rate among psychological disorders. Without active treatment, 20% of patients ultimately die.
Additionally, the ultimate fate of every God Tongue possessor in the Nakiri family has been death by starvation.
Hence.
Nakiri Mana had long foreseen her own future destiny.
Perhaps out of fear of death, or perhaps because she still felt unwilling to accept defeat, she had spent these years desperately searching for dishes that could conquer God Tongue.
...
Theoretically speaking.
The one who could ultimately cure her anorexia might be Erina Nakiri, who also possesses God Tongue.
Firstly, magic must be defeated by magic—the curse of God Tongue must ultimately be broken by God Tongue itself!
Secondly, Erina is indeed very talented.
However, in the original storyline, she had not yet reached Nakiri Mana's level. If given more time to grow, would it mean that her cooking could satisfy Mana?
Of course, no one can know the answer to this question!
...
Night.
Streetlights.
The warm, hazy yellow light seemed to veil this romantic city in a thin gauze.
The small restaurant tucked away in the alley was approaching closing time.
"Ah!"
"It's exactly midnight!"
"They say if you light a candle at this hour and peel an apple in front of a mirror without breaking the peel, you'll see... bloody fingers!"
Currently in high spirits, Executive Anne was holding a Scare Apple and telling it nighttime horror stories.
As she spoke, she made exaggerated gestures, trying to create a terrifying atmosphere.
Unexpectedly.
Before she could finish the story.
The Scare Apple began to look "drowsy."
Its originally vibrant red skin gradually lost its luster, like a doll drained of energy.
"Huh? What's going on?"
"It... it... was perfectly fine, how did it fall asleep?"
Watching the snoring Scare Apple drooling at the corner of its mouth, Anne was instantly baffled, completely at a loss.
"Your story was too boring."
"Not just the Scare Apple, even I felt sleepy listening to it."
Beside her, Ye Chen suppressed a laugh and said softly.
...
"The world is vast, full of wonders indeed!"
"Having lived over thirty years, I've never seen an apple with such human-like expressions before."
Holding the Level 15 Scare Apple in both hands and staring intently at its frightened expression, Nakiri Mana found it quite amusing.
Through fear.
The apple's flavor could become more delicious.
How could such an ingredient, such a thing, not pique interest?
And recalling the previously rumored Jewel Meat, Nakiri Mana increasingly felt that Ye Chen before her was no ordinary person!
"Heh."
"Truly fascinating."
"Rather than a Scare Apple, it's more like a human-faced apple."
"Yes, an apple with a human face!"
Mana thought for a moment and couldn't help but laugh.
...
"Ye Chen."
"Is my nighttime horror story really that bad?"
Anne tossed the sleeping Scare Apple back to Ye Chen, then blinked unwillingly as she asked.
"Well, it didn't scare me, and it didn't scare that Scare Apple either."
Ye Chen caught the Scare Apple.
Then, right before Anne's eyes, he picked up a sharp kitchen knife and made a slashing motion toward the Scare Apple.
Whoosh!
Thump!
After the sound.
The kitchen knife flashed past the Scare Apple's face.
The already sleeping Scare Apple immediately jolted in fright, gradually revealing an extremely terrified expression.
...
"Wow!"
"Is it really that timid?"
Seeing the frightened apple, Anne leaned in closer to examine the Scare Apple carefully.
Growing increasingly curious, she asked, "Ye Chen, how much would a Scare Apple like this sell for?"
"Hmm!"
"After appraisal."
"This Scare Apple is Level 2, priced at around 1 million yen!"
Ye Chen rubbed his chin with one hand and replied.
"Only 1 million yen?"
"That price isn't too expensive then."
"I believe many upper-class nobles would spend money to buy them in large quantities."
Beside them, Nakiri Mana was actually surprised at how cheap the price seemed upon hearing it.
Immediately after, with an "ah-um" sound, she boldly opened her delicate little mouth and took a bite of the Scare Apple in her hand, right under the gaze of Ye Chen and Anne.
"I forgot to mention, the price of Scare Apples varies depending on their grade."
"The one you're holding costs 7.5 million yen!"
"Huh?"
Nakiri Mana was completely stunned!