Chapter Seventeen: Caught a Stray Cat, Cat Meat for Today's Cooking / Chapter Eighteen: Meow Really Can't Beat Them

P. S.: Regarding white rice, in the setting, Kurenai Enma believes that white rice is the ultimate dish.

I have a personal experience.

Having grown up in the south, I've always eaten white rice. For a while, I went to the north and ate wheat-based foods for a month or two.

When I ate rice again, I cried tears of happiness.

So don't underestimate the staple foods you've eaten since childhood, whether it's rice or steamed buns. You may think they're just ordinary now because you eat them every day.

None of the foods chosen by humans as staple foods are actually simple.

Chapter 17, Section 483: Caught a stray cat; making cat meat today.

The next morning, Erina and Megumi Tadokoro got up early to prepare for their new day of internship.

Before I even entered the kitchen, I saw Attila carrying a sleepy-eyed cat out.

"Teacher Hong, I caught a stray cat stealing food in the kitchen. Let's make cat meat for breakfast."

Upon seeing this, Megumi Tadokoro Megumi's eyes widened immediately, and she quickly ran forward to Attila.

"Meow Meow, what are you doing here?"

She then repeatedly apologized to Attila, saying, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, Meow Meow came to find me, I'm really sorry."

She had witnessed Attila throwing customers out, and was very worried about Tamamo Cat's situation.

Attila glanced at the extremely nervous Megumi Tadokoro, then at the struggling Tamamo Cat in her arms. She blinked curiously.

"You two know each other?"

"Yes, yes, Meow Meow is my friend." Megumi Tadokoro nodded immediately, afraid that Attila might do something to Tamamo Cat.

Tamamo Cat was being held by the scruff of her neck by Attila, her face showing great displeasure.

She shouted, "Let go of meow! Meow's getting angry! Meow's really getting angry, woof!"

"Even the cat is afraid of itself when it's angry, woof!"

She kept shouting and struggling, but Attila's grip on her was so skillful that no matter what she did, Tamamo Cat couldn't break free.

At that moment, Kurenai Enma walked over.

She grabbed Tamamo Cat's ear and said calmly, "Want me to see you get angry? kiss"

Tamamo Cat's face fell as Kurenai Enma pulled her ear, and she stopped struggling.

"Teacher Hong... Teacher Hong, meow isn't angry, woof..."

"If you're not angry, go make breakfast, chirp!" Kurenai Enma released Tamamo Cat's ears. "Don't you need to open the shop anymore? Chirp."

Attila released Tamamo Cat upon hearing this, allowing her to move freely.

Under Megumi Tadokoro Megumi's surprised gaze, Tamamo Cat obediently ran to the kitchen to make breakfast.

This was the first time Megumi Tadokoro Tamamo Cat had ever seen Tamamo-neko like this. The Tamamo Cat she knew was wild and always did things its own way; it was never this obedient.

She once again realized the power of the Kurenai Enma, and felt worried and terrified about this internship.

Upon arriving in the kitchen, Tamamo Cat casually grabbed a large piece of meat, preparing to process it.

"Eating meat so early in the morning, don't you find it greasy? kiss"

"Make porridge."

When the voice of the Kurenai Enma came, Tamamo Cat froze in her hand and put the meat back, feeling very wronged.

She obediently started making vegetable porridge, which was nothing like Tamamo Cat.

Megumi Tadokoro had never seen Tamamo Cat make vegetable porridge before, and watched with great curiosity.

With Tamamo Cat's help, a pot of hot vegetable porridge was quickly prepared.

Everyone got a bowl and started eating.

After eating the hot porridge, I felt warm and cozy all over, and the slight drowsiness I felt when I woke up in the morning was instantly dispelled, leaving me feeling refreshed and energetic.

After finishing Erina porridge, Erina couldn't find any flaws, so she couldn't help but take a closer look at Tamamo Cat.

She knew in her heart that Megumi Tadokoro's friend was an excellent cook.

Even so, Kurenai Enma was still not satisfied. She scolded Tamamo Cat with a displeased expression, "You can't even make a vegetable porridge without being wild, chuckle! This is a vegetable, not a wild vegetable! Chuckle."

As she spoke, she reached out to grab Tamamo Cat's ears, but she was too short to reach them.

Seeing this, Tamamo Cat lowered her head in a very aggrieved manner and put her ears in front of Kurenai Enma's eyes for her to pull.

The fluffy ears within reach actually made Kurenai Enma lose interest. She shook her head and said, "Never mind, that's all you can do."

Kurenai Enma has a sharp tongue.

However, Tamamo Cat didn't care much about these things. Seeing that Kurenai Enma had let her go, she immediately hid far away and went to do other things.

Megumi Tadokoro and Erina exchanged glances, once again feeling the strictness of the Kurenai Enma.

They thought Tamamo Cat's vegetable porridge was already very good, but Kurenai Enma belittled it, which made them feel a lot of pressure.

There were no customers in the morning; everyone was in the kitchen preparing for the lunchtime customers.

Even Erina meticulously learned to do some tasks she had never done before, such as picking vegetables, washing vegetables, and sorting them.

In the past, she could have any ingredients she wanted prepared for her; all she had to do was complete the final cooking process.

But that won't work here.

No one here will treat her like a princess; she has to do all the work, even the last tasks like washing dishes and mopping the floor.

Compared to when she first arrived, Erina has no complaints now.

In this kitchen, Kurenai Enma's words are absolute.

Although Erina's movements were clumsy and she was often scolded by Kurenai Enma, she still did her work meticulously.

She knew very well that she was here to learn, and that Kurenai Enma was clearly a culinary master worthy of her emulation.

However, when Megumi Tadokoro was assigned by Kurenai Enma to start cooking at the kitchen counter at noon, she still felt a turmoil in her heart.

She fell behind.

Megumi Tadokoro is very proactive and skilled in various tasks, so it's only natural that Kurenai Enma would ask her to cook for a while.

Despite being allowed to cook, Megumi Tadokoro was incredibly nervous.

"Hurry up!"

"Do you even know how to cook?!"

"The water crossing took too long!"

"How did you grow so big when you're so clumsy! kiss"

Seeing Megumi Tadokoro constantly being scolded, Erina suddenly wasn't so envious anymore.

Under the grueling tutelage of the Kurenai Enma, the days of internship passed by one by one.

Erina and Megumi Tadokoro were almost questioning their existence.

Especially Erina, one of the Elite Ten of Totsuki Academy, has never faced so much criticism.

In the past, her cooking was recognized and even sought after wherever she was.

But not here.

She believed her work was exceptionally good, even her works that exceeded expectations would be criticized mercilessly by Kurenai Enma, who would sharply point out the problems, and Erina could not refute such accusations.

This is what frustrated her the most.

Because everything that Kurenai Enma said were real problems.

The two even doubted whether they were suited to be chefs.

Time flies, and my internship is coming to an end.

Erina and Megumi Tadokoro each prepared a dish and stood in front of Kurenai Enma, waiting for her to rate it.

After tasting it, Kurenai Enma nodded slightly, "Not bad."

The two of them immediately burst into laughter, "You passed!"

"Qualified?" Kurenai Enma looked at them as if they were idiots. "You're still a long way off."

"What I mean is that you can barely be called chefs, cooking in the kitchen, chuckle."

Erina and Megumi Tadokoro were dumbfounded. It turned out that in Kurenai Enma's eyes, they could not be called chefs before.

Chapter 18, Section 484: Meow, I Really Can't Beat It

Today is the last day of internship for Megumi Tadokoro and Erina. Tomorrow they will leave Enma-tei and return to the Tōtsuki Academy.

Although the Kurenai Enma was exceptionally strict, and she was not polite at all when she spoke.

But since the two were about to leave, she still personally cooked a table full of dishes to send them off.

Megumi Tadokoro's face beamed with happiness as she ate the dishes prepared by Kurenai Enma.

"Ah! I really want to stay here forever. I don't want to go back to the academy."

Erina was also captivated by Kurenai Enma's dishes, but upon hearing Megumi Tadokoro's words, she couldn't help but glance at her, the meaning in her eyes self-evident.

When Megumi Tadokoro saw Erina's eyes, she felt a chill and immediately recalled the tragic experiences of the past few days.

She was extremely conflicted; it was truly a difficult choice.

However, they did not have a choice; as students, they ultimately had to return to the Tōtsuki Academy to continue their studies.

The next day, the two said goodbye and left early in the morning, and Tamamo Cat also left at the same time as Megumi Tadokoro.

Kurenai Enma and Attila were not surprised by this; they had never even considered having a wild and untamed little cat like Tamamo Cat stay at Enma-tei to help out.

Back in Totsuki, Erina went home alone first.

Megumi Tadokoro and Tamamo Cat went to Yuxian.

Everyone happened to be there, and seeing the two return, Yuxian greeted them, "Back from your internship? How was it?"

Megumi Tadokoro said wearily, "I encountered a terrible teacher. Meow Meow almost got turned into a dish and eaten. It was so scary!"

The thought of her internship made Megumi Tadokoro tremble with fear, and she hadn't recovered even after returning to Totsuki.

Everyone looked at Tamamo Cat in surprise. Was there really someone in this world who could make her lose?

Tamamo Cat pouted and said, "It's Kurenai Enma and Attila! It's not that I can't beat them, it's just... it's just..."

As she spoke, Tamamo Cat's face showed a dejected expression, and her voice became low.

"Okay... Meow really can't beat it... woof..."

"Kurenai Enma and Attila?" Yuxian's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he quickly asked, "Have they arrived yet?"

Tamamo Cat blinked. "What are they doing here, woof?"

Yuxian skipped a beat. She quickly thought of Tamamo Cat's personality and tentatively asked, "Didn't you tell them we were here?"

Megumi Tadokoro asked curiously, "Do you know Ms. Kurenai and the others? Why didn't you tell me, Meow Meow?"

"You didn't ask why I said 'woof'," Tamamo Cat replied matter-of-factly.

Yuxian patted his slightly aching head. This was really Tamamo Cat's style.

Where are they?

Yuxian asked Megumi Tadokoro for detailed information such as the address of Kurenai Enma and the others.