blogombal Page 94
Page 94
Aside from the crowd, Kaguya and Hayasaka Ai stood under the eaves of the entrance hall, looking somewhat out of place.
Although she had changed into a brightly colored casual outfit, her proud, swan-like figure remained unchanged. The maid beside her, on the other hand, was dressed in a butler's uniform, which highlighted a kind of androgynous beauty.
Seeing Yato approach, Kaguya smiled, exuding elegance while a hint of mockery flickered in her red eyes.
"Then I probably won't hear you say that in my lifetime."
Yato took the nutritional supplement he had tried to concoct from Hayasaka Ai and poured a mouthful into his mouth.
Experience that extraordinary and wonderful flavor.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, realizing he really didn't have the talent to be a chef.
After defeating RU7 last time, one of the rewards was a 'skill lottery'.
There was no point in keeping this stuff, so I used it up sometime later.
The result was a knowledge-based skill: 'Universal Formula for Nutritional Supplements'.
Skills that do not have a direct impact on the body are generally categorized under 'Knowledge' and are not visible in the simplified status bar.
However, although this stuff doesn't taste very good, it's definitely more beneficial to the body than sports drinks.
Using the cultivation medicine given to him by Tianyu, his total attributes increased by 0.4 in just half a month, reaching 13.7.
"Speaking of which, what did you do to that guy?"
Kaguya glanced at a middle-aged man sitting on the ground in the crowd, who was still lost in thought and shoving his secretary.
"'undermount' President Masahiko Ohta?"
Yato turned his head to look, and said nonchalantly.
"Look, he's perfectly fine."
"I'm referring to the reason he agreed to the fight with Kengoku."
Kaguya was dissatisfied with Yato's perfunctory attitude and pointed it out directly.
"Oh, well, we just had someone intimidate him a bit, and President Ota unexpectedly couldn't handle it, so he agreed. What's wrong? Feeling a bit overly sympathetic?"
"...This is a one-time thing. If you use such insulting language to describe me again, I'll have Hayasaka post your photos online."
"I apologize." Yato smiled. Of course, he knew that Kaguya wasn't the saintly type. After all, she was one of the heirs cultivated by the Shinomiya Group. If she really wanted to do something, she might not be as extreme as him, but she could certainly make her opponents suffer to the point of wishing they were dead.
...So it seems I'm actually more amiable?
"Is posting photos online some kind of new way to threaten people?"
Yato asked, puzzled.
"You...don't you have any shame?!"
Kaguya opened her eyes wide, with an expression that said, "You're actually this kind of person."
"If my private photos were taken and posted online to be viewed by countless people, I would be so ashamed that I would not leave my house."
"..."
Yato rubbed his temples, gaining a deeper understanding of the seemingly cunning but actually incredibly innocent girl before him.
"Kaguya-sama, it's getting late, we should go have dinner."
Hayasaka Ai interrupted at just the right moment.
"Oh wow, a big meal? Is there any for me?"
Yato became interested.
No one dislikes delicious food.
Moreover, there is a group of chefs in this world who can cook medicine, which has inexplicably raised the overall level of cuisine in the world by several levels, almost to the point that the taste buds have been tampered with.
"If I said 'no,' would you not have come with me?"
Kaguya rolled her eyes at him, annoyed, and turned to leave.
Yato promptly followed, complaining as he went:
"There's no way around it. Because of the acquisition of 'argus,' I've spent almost all the money I've painstakingly saved. I don't care about daily expenses, but if I want to take a pretty girl out to a fancy restaurant, I'll probably have to fight a few matches in the neighborhood first."
"...It's hard to imagine that a man like you would be troubled by money."
Kaguya was both amused and exasperated.
"Do you think I'm some kind of robber who resorts to looting and plundering when he's broke?"
Yato remained silent.
"No, it's just that my opinion of you has changed somewhat."
Kaguya pursed her lips, her smile exquisitely beautiful.
Chapter 127
Afterwards, they arrived at a Western restaurant called 'Chunguoting'.
"It looks ordinary on the surface, but the interior decoration has a unique flavor. Is it Japanese-style Western food? I'm starting to look forward to it."
Yato surveyed the store's layout with an appreciative eye.
'Chungotei' was smaller than any Western restaurant he had ever been to before, and was about the same size as a Japanese izakaya.
It can easily be filled with twenty people.
Given the prime location, opening a shop here is no easy feat in itself.
Every corner of the restaurant is carefully decorated, with beautiful lighting and cozy cushions, so that diners will not feel the restraint of a Western restaurant, and the whole place is filled with the warmth of a young girl.
Kaguya held a cup of tea in both hands and said with a hint of pride, "It's not easy to make a reservation at this restaurant. The head chef is a graduate of Totsuki Academy and is also the second seat of the top ten. Although the restaurant has been open for less than a year, reservations are already booked three months in advance."
"The Elite Ten of Totsuki... Speaking of which, wasn't Dojima Gin, whom I defeated last time, the general manager of the Totsuki Resort?" Upon hearing this term, Yato couldn't help but recall the previous Ru7 final selection test, where Totsuki had also sent someone to participate, and that person had brought him considerable gains.
"Ok?"
Yato suddenly seemed to sense something and turned his head to look.
A young female server was seen rushing into the kitchen.
"???"
……
'Chunguoting' kitchen.
Kikuchi Sonoka, dressed in a spotless white chef's uniform, resembled a white swan. Her beautiful face was the kind of youthful appearance most men would find attractive, and coupled with her magnanimity far beyond her years, she was simply irresistible.
She stood in front of the kitchen counter, taking deep breaths repeatedly to calm herself down.
At only nineteen years old, while others are still in college, she has already started her own business, opening her own restaurant and establishing herself in this popular area.
Even among the Elite Ten of Totsuki Academy, this is still a remarkable achievement.
but……
Kikuchien has a bad habit that can't be called a bad habit.
Perhaps the burden on her shoulders was too heavy for a girl who was only nineteen years old.
She was always plagued by anxieties and worries, which eventually made her depressed and required guidance from others to recover.
Fortunately, it doesn't significantly affect the performance of the chef.
The moment I gripped the kitchen knife.
All worries and hesitations vanished, leaving only a strong sense of confidence.
"Okay!"
Feeling that she had reached her peak condition, Kikuchi Sonoka subconsciously clenched her fist, a gesture that looked quite adorable.
"Speaking of which, why hasn't the menu arrived yet?"
Somewhat puzzled, she walked towards the door.
Just as I reached the door, I suddenly heard a murmur.
They were all familiar voices to her.
One is Satake Naoki, a waitress and best friend.
The other is Yoshimi Naoki, who is also her manager, deputy, and best friend.
"???"
Kikuchi Sonoka tilted her head, about to open the door to see what they were doing, when she heard Satake Naoki say something, and then she froze.
"What should we do? Naoki-nee! Miss Shinomiya brought a monster chef who even defeated Mr. Dojima from the Totsuki Academy to dine here. If they're not satisfied with the food Sonoka made, our restaurant's reputation might be ruined!"
"It's okay. You should have confidence in Yuanguo's cooking skills. Besides, she's not here to cause trouble. Just deal with her normally. But don't tell Yuanguo this news. You know her situation. You must not put pressure on her at this time."
"...Yes, if she knew, she might be so nervous that she wouldn't even be able to hold the knife properly."
"Alright, enough talk, get back to work."
"Okay, okay, I'll go and give the menu to Yuanguo first."
Say it.
The kitchen door was pushed open.
"..."
"Sonoka?! Hey Sonoka, what's wrong? Wake up! Naoki-nee, something's wrong! Sonoka fainted while standing up!"
……
After half an hour.
Yato picked up a piece of salmon and put it in his mouth, chewing it gently, his expression revealing neither joy nor anger.
Not far away, several girls were hiding in a corner, spying on them.
"Hey, Yuanguo, stop shaking."
"Oh no, did I put too much seasoning in?"
"...How would we know? But Miss Shinomiya seems to be enjoying her meal."
"The point isn't about Miss Shinomiya."
"Hey, look! That monster chef is smiling!"
Under their furtive gazes, Yato revealed a satisfied smile.
After marinating, the salmon is grilled over charcoal, a common cooking method in Western cuisine. The grilled salmon is then drizzled with a Japanese-style sauce and served with vegetable puree and vegetable foam, which are now used as both garnishes and seasonings in Western cuisine. The dish is colorful and nutritious.
The first bite reveals a charcoal-grilled flavor, a firm and full texture, and a rich, melt-in-your-mouth quality from the abundant fish oil. It has a sweet and fragrant taste, a smooth and tender texture, and evenly distributed fat, making it non-greasy.
Afterwards, we tried several other dishes, and their quality was consistently high.
Most importantly, many of these dishes were familiar to me before, but there were subtle differences between them. It was these subtle differences that highlighted the chef's personal style and broke the original constraints on the taste of the dishes, taking them to a new level.
The only thing that Yato felt a little disappointed about was that there wasn't enough of it.
There was no way around it; he had a constitution that made him almost a native of the pirate world.
His appetite is several times that of an average person.
In the end, only Yato was left eating.
Kaguya watched for a while, probably feeling speechless and unable to bear looking at it, so she asked Hayasaka Ai to bring out her laptop and work on it there.
She's targeting 'undermount' stocks.
Although this IT upstart, comparable to a veteran company, has not shown any obvious flaws on the surface, the attitudes of other companies towards it have already subtly changed. There are undercurrents of activity. If they don't cast their nets now, are they going to wait until all the fish have been alerted before making their move?
"Is this the spiritual satisfaction that good food brings? No wonder I never get tired of it, no matter how many times I eat it."
Another hour passed.
Yato put down his cutlery, touched his perfectly flat eight-pack abs, and sighed.
"Now I understand a little better why you're short of money."