Chicken Soup Is Poisonous

"That's right!" Sogo Doma nodded with utmost sincerity. "Remember what I told you? The key to glowing cuisine lies in the Middle Kingdom!"

Erina Nakiri: "..."

She remained dazed, continuously being led by the nose.

"Take Takumi Tofu for example!" Sogo Doma offered an analogy. "The key to Takumi Tofu actually lies in the excavator. Remember that middle-aged man I mentioned who doesn't take students and only drives his own excavator?"

Erina nodded.

"His name is lost to history, so let's call him Master Takumi. He mastered a secret technique—Water-Entry Corner-Drifting Tofu Grinding. It is said that the crux of this secret art lies in the mastery of the excavator, utilizing its immense power, torque, and centrifugal force—a powerful technique that forces Newton to hold down his own coffin lid."

"Its brilliance lies in using the excavator's vibrations to force power and centrifugal force into the tofu, thereby achieving the ancient realm of infusing ingredients with pure force."

Erina Nakiri: "..."

Can an excavator really be related to cooking?

Sogo Doma nodded inwardly. Good, I'm slowly steering it back. Honestly, fooling a chuunibyou is a great way to kill time.

Wait.

Erina Nakiri spotted a blind spot again!

"If Takumi Tofu already exists, then glowing cuisine should have appeared long ago!"

Sogo Doma, spouting nonsense with a straight face, sighed. "The reason goes back to that old man, Master Weilong. Master Kang and Master Takumi actually came from the same school, but..."

A melodramatic soap opera slowly unfolded from Sogo's mouth. Roughly:

The old man was actually the second disciple, but before their master passed away, he wanted to pass the recipes to the eldest disciple. The old man, feeling resentful, stole the recipes, leading to a schism in the sect.

Much like the Sword and Qi factions of Mount Hua.

Because there were no recipes to reference:

Some believed that reaching the extreme of a single path was the pinnacle, represented by Master Weilong.

Some believed that fusing all things to extract the truth was the way, represented by Master Kang.

Others believed...

In short.

It was melodramatic, exceptionally melodramatic.

Even Sogo Doma, the one fabricating the story, felt a chill. Ahem, should I consider adding some grudges and vendettas surrounding the recipes?

The reason—the chuunibyou tsundere actually believed it.

Traces of gritted teeth appeared on her face. "Damn it, to think such a thing actually happened. This is a loss for the global culinary world!"

Sogo Doma's story reached its conclusion, and it was time for some toxic chicken soup:

"Actually, the old man only realized at the very end that so-called recipes are just dead objects. The true mastery had already been passed down to him and his senior brother by their master. If the two of them had joined forces, they would have recreated glowing cuisine long ago."

"Nani!?" Erina Nakiri exclaimed.

"So, what the old man ultimately wanted me to bring back wasn't a recipe, but a reason for new east and blue shit to reconcile."

"As long as you trust the other party, trust yourself, and unite, then glowing cuisine will surely reappear."

Feeding her more toxic chicken soup, Sogo Doma felt delighted. In one's chuunibyou phase, who hasn't gulped down a few bowls of toxic chicken soup?

He certainly drank plenty in the past, things like You Are One Step Away From Success, Success Lies in Perseverance, or If You Persist for 36,500 Days and Drink Milk Every Day, You Will Surely Live to a Hundred.

What a load of nonsense!

This time, it was his turn to feed her Unity Leads to Success.

Isn't that how all hot-blooded manga go? Friendship (unity), effort (perseverance), and victory (success).

As for whether this chicken soup was tasty, the tsundere chuunibyou was already muttering to herself: "So that's it, so that's it. The inheritance was actually left to the people all along. The so-called recipes are just dead objects. If they exchanged techniques and fused them to improve, they could recreate that food which emits the light of cuisine."

At the same time.

A skill panel suddenly appeared before Sogo Doma's eyes.

Beguile: LV2 (100/200) Barely enough to fool an average adult. Perhaps you could try a career as a con artist?

"..."

Sogo Doma considered himself an upright youth. Although he liked to spout nonsense to tease kids, he was an honest young man. But what the hell was this Beguile skill suddenly appearing for?

This was a challenge to his character. Damn it, if he couldn't get rid of this golden finger, he would have to... Wait, would there be a problem if this Beguile ability leveled up?

Before he could speak, the chuunibyou tsundere, who had been completely led astray, suddenly turned her head.

"Thank you, Senior Doma. I know what I have to do now!" As soon as she finished speaking, Erina walked toward Hisako, who had just arrived.

Under Hisako's puzzled gaze, Erina ordered: "Hisako, make arrangements. I'm returning to the Nakiri Main Residence."

Watching the two of them leave.

Sogo Doma: "??"

Eh!? Wait, you know what to do? Hey, I haven't finished fooling you yet! Forget it...

That night, at the Nakiri residence.

Erina was sitting before Senzaemon Nakiri.

"My granddaughter has grown up." Watching the solemn Erina, Senzaemon Nakiri sighed inwardly while sipping his hot tea.

However, sighs were one thing, but the necessary inquiries still had to be made.

"Erina, what made you think of returning to the main estate today? Are you not accustomed to the dormitory (villa) arranged by Totsuki?"

"No!" Erina shook her head. "Grandfather, it is a life consultation!"

Senzaemon Nakiri: "@_@"

A, a life consultation? Right, his granddaughter had reached that age, already beginning to plan for her own life... as if.

You are only in your second year of middle school! If you want a life consultation, at least finish high school first!

Wait.

Could this be the legendary rebellious phase?

The Totsuki General Manager's mind wandered, yet he still struggled to ask, "Hah, speak then. What is the consultation?"

Erina, already lost in her own world, did not notice her grandfather's strange behavior in the slightest.

"Grandfather, if one discovers a clue to near-perfect cuisine, what should we, as chefs, do?"

"Hah!" Hearing this, the Totsuki General Manager breathed a sigh of relief. So it was a culinary question. It was so serious; he had actually worried that his little cabbage had been snatched away by someone!

However.

What kind of question was this? It seemed he would have to properly explain to Erina the principle of bravely climbing, no matter how many mountains and rivers stood in the way.

After being fed another bowl of chicken soup for the soul, Erina became even more committed to her own path.

"I understand!"

Watching his granddaughter's solemn expression, the Totsuki General Manager nodded with satisfaction. A precious gem must be polished with care.

"Then, Grandfather, please let me study abroad in the Celestial Empire!"

Senzaemon Nakiri, having just finished lecturing Erina, took a sip of tea, and then.

"Pfft!"

Immediately following was a look of (?_?)

What?

Erina: "Please, Grandfather, let me transfer to new east and blue shit."

The Gourmet Demon King was once again "@_@"

Wait.

Let him slow down first. Let him have a sip of tea to calm his nerves. His granddaughter was leaving the perfectly fine Totsuki to go to that... new east and blue shit?