I Never Bluff

MMP!

Sogo Doma smiled, but inwardly he was constantly complaining. How long would he have to bear this fool's reputation?

The Shinomiya Family—and their affiliates—were they that idle?

All this publicity, apart from making him embarrassed at times, was basically useless. The Doma Group's stock wouldn't fall because of these rumors (truths).

Or was it that Kaguya Shinomiya, whom he had made cry back then, still hadn't let it go? The Shinomiya Family was truly something, such a large family, yet they couldn't let go of a little incident.

It was as if they wanted the whole of Japan to know.

Just like back then.

When he first transferred to elementary school, he met his deskmate who knew his embarrassing secrets. Her name was Yukino Hinoshita... Pfft, pfft, Yukino Yukinoshita...

Only.

The one who said they wanted to escape Japan was still suffering in Japan, while the one who acted like they were justice and absolutely correct (though eventually cried over a trolley problem) had gone abroad. How melancholic.

Why did he have to expose himself at that meeting? If he hadn't, and had just obediently grown to eighteen and applied to go to the Celestial Dynasty, wouldn't that have been it? Not like now—

After being exposed as a traitor to Japan and an incompetent runaway, he didn't even have the chance to buy a plane ticket. The major families, led by the Shinomiya Group, were all waiting for him...

However, complaints aside, deception aside, he, Sogo Doma, was about to have his moment to regain his reputation.

"Erina, do you know, that old man told me that Japanese cuisine lacks inheritance..."

Erina Nakiri looked skeptical: "Impossible. Most Japanese cuisine is passed down from father to son, and then to their sons. How could it lack inheritance?"

Indeed...

Although Japan is a capital-driven country, most of its professions are passed down from father to son. Why are there so many Japanese otaku? It's mostly because they can't resist the atmosphere of reality and don't want to inherit their fathers' businesses. If they want to work hard, the only path is to become a corporate slave... In reality, Japanese society is already dead.

However, It is precisely because of this that the craftsmanship of some traditional industries has been preserved, such as the seasoning and inheritance of cuisine.

However.

Who is Sogo Doma?

He is Doma, the Deceiver, Sogo! Come, listen to him deceive you, and you'll be guaranteed to buy crutches even if your legs are fine.

"What I'm talking about isn't the superficial inheritance, but the inheritance of the body and even the soul, Erina. Do you know how people cooked in ancient times?"

"How did they cook?" Erina Nakiri asked with curiosity.

"In the Celestial Dynasty, chefs cultivate something called 'inner strength.' Mr. Lu Xun said: 'If your cooking doesn't have strength, you'll struggle everywhere.' It's clear that a chef without inner strength would have trouble even being a kitchen assistant."

"I know Lu Xun, he's a great writer from the Celestial Dynasty. Did he really say that?" Erina Nakiri was deeply suspicious.

"Believe me, Lu Xun said it..." Sogo, who never lied, said with certainty.

"And it's precisely because of this that there were so many glowing dishes back then," Sogo Doma continued, sighing, before Erina could refute him.

"Why?" Her confusion turned into curiosity.

"Because no matter how you cook now, you can't achieve the ancient method of infusing strength into the food. That's what the old man told me back then: 'Japan lacks the inheritance of samurai, French knight chefs have also closed their doors, and as for Europe and America, they are far behind when it comes to fine cuisine.'" Sogo Doma said with a serious expression.

"Glowing dishes, glowing dishes..." Erina Nakiri murmured as if possessed.

Sogo Doma: "..."

Haha, has this girl been completely fooled? Hmm, if she's fooled, she won't bother him, right? Speaking of which, if Senzaemon Nakiri knew the current situation, would he fight him to the death? That's a question.

Sogo Doma fell into deep thought.

Several minutes later.

Erina Nakiri came to her senses: "Are you trying to trick a child, Senior Doma? If the Celestial Dynasty really had glowing dishes, it would have been revealed long ago..."

By asking such a question, Erina was already starting to believe him, wasn't she? If she didn't believe him, she would have just dismissed it as boring. Speaking of which, this girl is really easy to fool. Sogo Doma decided to continue deceiving her.

"The reason why the Celestial Dynasty hasn't revealed news about glowing dishes yet is because the puzzle pieces of glowing dishes are not held by a single person."

"Nani? Not in one person's hands?" Erina Nakiri—still accepting the deception.

"Do you remember the two places I told you about?" When deceiving someone, you have to involve them.

"New East and Blue Shit?" Erina Nakiri recalled slightly and gave her answer.

Sogo Doma nodded with satisfaction: "That's right, you can also call them New Oriental and Lanxiang. These two schools hide the secret of glowing dishes."

"First is New East, which is New Oriental. Two masters are hidden there. One of them is named Wei, and his surname is Long. Legend has it that he has mastered the art of spiciness to its extreme. Compared to him, Terunori Kuga is just a little brother... Pfft, how can I compare a master to a student? Isn't that an insult?"

"Hiss~!" However, Sogo's reaction only made Erina Nakiri gasp.

Who was Terunori Kuga? She naturally knew. Setting aside Sogo Doma, he was the genius senior of Totsuki Academy, rumored to have the qualifications to contend for the Elite Ten.

She had also tasted the dishes he made. Indeed, they were already far beyond those of ordinary students, to the point where even if he were a head chef at some restaurant, he wouldn't ruin its reputation.

However, In Sogo Doma's words, such a person wasn't even worthy of comparison to the master named Weilong. If he wasn't lying, then Master Weilong must be a world-class chef. Yet, such a person was quietly hidden in that so-called New East. The depth of the Celestial Dynasty was truly astonishing.

"There is also another master, whose surname is Kang. He is so perfect it's sorrowful. Legend has it that no matter what ingredients pass through his hands, they turn rotten into magic and become supreme delicacies."

Hearing this, Erina Nakiri's eyes widened.

One of the concepts inside was completely different from what she had in mind. What did he mean by turning decay into magic regardless of the ingredients? She, Erina Nakiri (under brainwashing), was the lifelong guardian of high-end ingredients and haute cuisine!

However, before she could retort, Sogo Doma continued his narration.

"These two account for half the puzzle of glowing cuisine, yet the most important piece is hidden in Lanxiang."

"Lanxiang?" No matter how much dissatisfaction she felt, she had to suppress it for now; Erina Nakiri still gave him enough face to offer a tentative inquiry.

"That's right, Lanxiang," Sogo Doma, having successfully hoodwinked her, smiled with great delight. "In Lanxiang, there is a middle-aged man who doesn't teach students and spends all day operating an excavator by himself."

"He doesn't teach students? Why?"

"According to the old man, that guy is always like that, believing that the excavator is everything, saying things like 'excavators are easier to communicate with than people.'"

Erina Nakiri: "???"

With a confused expression, she thought, I am very innocent, don't try to trick me.