"Exactly!" Doma nodded with utter sincerity. "Remember what I told you? The key to Glowing Cuisine lies in the Celestial Empire!"
Erina Nakiri: "..."
She was still being fed one tall tale after another, and was thoroughly confused.
"Take Takumi Tofu, for example!" Sogo Doma said, giving her an example. "The key to Takumi Tofu actually lies in the excavator. Remember that middle-aged man I told you about, the one who never took on students and operated the excavator himself?"
Erina nodded.
"No one knows his real name anymore, so let's call him Master Takumi. The secret technique he developed—Water-Entry Corner-Drifting Tofu Grinding—is said to hinge on his mastery of the excavator. It uses the machine's immense force and power, along with centrifugal force and a whole host of other incredible techniques that would have Newton clutching the lid of his coffin."
"Its remarkable feature is that it uses the excavator's vibrations to drive power and centrifugal force into the tofu, achieving the same level of depth and flavor that people in ancient times could impart to their ingredients."
Erina Nakiri: "..."
Could excavators really have something to do with cooking?
Sogo Doma silently nodded. Good, the story was coming together. Honestly, stringing along a chuunibyou was a great way to kill time.
Wait.
Erina Nakiri had spotted another crucial point!
"If Takumi Tofu already existed, then Glowing Cuisine should have appeared long ago!"
Doma launched straight into another tale. Sogoro sighed. "It all goes back to that old man, Master Weilong. Master Kang and Master Takumi actually came from the same school as him, but..."
A melodramatic saga slowly unfolded from Sogo's mouth. In broad strokes, it went like this:
The old man had actually been the second disciple. But before their master passed away, he had intended to leave the cookbook to his eldest disciple. Unwilling to accept this, the old man stole the cookbook, splitting their master's disciples into rival factions.
Much like the two schools of sword and qi on Mount Hua.
Because they had no cookbook to refer to,
some believed that perfecting a single dish was the ultimate goal. Master Weilong represented this school of thought.
Others believed that one should bring together all things and extract their essence. Master Kang represented this school of thought.
And still others believed...
In short,
it was all incredibly melodramatic.
Even Sogo Doma, the one making up the story, felt a chill. Ahem. Maybe he should consider adding some grudges and bloody vendettas over the cookbook?
Why? Because a certain chuunibyou tsundere had believed him.
She was gritting her teeth. "Damn it, to think something like that happened! This is a loss for the entire culinary world!"
Sogo Doma's story was reaching its conclusion, so it was time for some poisonous chicken soup:
"Actually, the old man only realized it at the very end. That cookbook was nothing but an inanimate object. His master had already passed on the real secrets to him and the eldest disciple. If the two of them had joined forces, they would have brought Glowing Cuisine back long ago."
"What?!" Erina Nakiri exclaimed.
"So what the old man ultimately wanted me to bring back wasn't the cookbook. He wanted me to give New East and Blue Shit a reason to reconcile."
"As long as they believe in each other, believe in themselves, and work together, Glowing Cuisine will surely return."
Having served up another helping of poisonous chicken soup, Sogo Doma was thoroughly pleased. Well, who hadn't swallowed a few spoonfuls of poisonous chicken soup at that age?
He'd certainly had his fair share. Things like "You're one step away from success," "Success comes from perseverance," and "If you can keep it up for 36,500 days and drink milk every day, you'll live to a hundred."
What a load of nonsense!
This time, he was the one serving up the "working together leads to success" spiel.
That was how hot-blooded manga always went, wasn't it? Friendship—or teamwork—effort—or perseverance—and victory—or success.
Was the chicken soup any good? Well, the tsundere chuunibyou was already murmuring to herself. "I see, I see. The legacy had already been left to the people. The cookbook was just an inanimate object. If they shared their techniques and combined and improved them, they could recreate dishes that shone with culinary light."
At the same time,
a skill panel suddenly appeared before Sogo Doma's eyes.
Bluffing: LV2 (100/200) You can just barely fool an ordinary adult. Maybe you could try becoming a con artist?
"..."
Sogo Doma considered himself an honest young man. Sure, he liked making up a few ridiculous stories to tease kids, but he was still a decent, truthful fellow. So what was this Bluffing skill suddenly appearing for?
Was it questioning his character? Damn it, if he could do anything about this cheat ability, he'd... Would there be a problem if his Bluffing skill went up?
But before he could say anything, the chuunibyou tsundere he'd completely taken in suddenly turned away.
"Th-this time, th-thank you, Sogo-senpai. I know what I need to do now!" As soon as she finished speaking, Erina headed over to Secretary, who had just arrived.
Under Secretary's bewildered gaze, Erina gave her an order. "Hisako, make the arrangements. I'm going back to the Nakiri Main Residence."
Watching the two leave,
Sogo Doma: "??"
Huh?! Wait, you know what to do now? Hey, I haven't finished fooling you yet! Never mind...
That night, at the Nakiri Residence.
Erina Nakiri sat before Senzaemon Nakiri.
"My granddaughter has grown up." Watching Erina sit there with such a serious expression, Senzaemon Nakiri sipped his hot tea and sighed inwardly.
But there was a time for sighing and a time for asking questions. He still had to ask.
"Erina, what made you come back to the main residence today? Are you uncomfortable in the dormitory—the villa—Totsuki arranged for you?"
"No!" Erina shook her head. "Grandfather, I need life advice!"
Senzaemon Nakiri: "@_@"
L-life advice? Right, his granddaughter was old enough now to start making plans for her future... Yeah, right.
You're only in your second year of middle school! If you want life advice, at least make it to high school first!
Wait.
Could this be the infamous rebellious phase?
The Gourmet Demon King's mind wandered, but he still managed to ask, "Phew. All right, what do you want advice about?"
Erina, already lost in her own thoughts, didn't notice that anything was amiss with her grandfather.
"Grandfather, if we learn of a clue to an almost perfect dish, what should we, as chefs, do?"
"Phew!" Hearing that, Senzaemon Nakiri breathed a sigh of relief. So it was about cooking. That was serious enough. He'd thought someone had stolen his little cabbage away!
But still,
what kind of question was that? It seemed he'd have to teach Erina the principle of climbing bravely onward, no matter how many mountains and rivers lay in the way.
After another bowl of soul-nourishing chicken soup, Erina Nakiri became even more committed to her decision.
"I understand!"
Looking at his granddaughter's solemn expression, Senzaemon Nakiri nodded in satisfaction. A precious gem needed to be carefully polished.
"Then, Grandfather, please let me study abroad in the Celestial Empire!"
Senzaemon Nakiri had just taken a sip of tea after finishing his lecture to Erina, when—
"Pfft!"
He immediately stared at her with a bewildered look.
What?
Erina Nakiri: "Please let me transfer to New East and Blue Shit."
The Gourmet Demon King was speechless again.
Wait.
Give him a moment. He needed a sip of tea to calm himself down. His granddaughter was going to leave Totsuki, where she was doing perfectly well, for that... New East and Blue Shit?
Before you continue