Abby's Griddle Cakes

Xiao Ai isn't stupid, but Subaru Mimasaka dumbfounded.

The cake that was completely devoured was made by Emiya.

The one he made remained perfectly intact on the table, untouched.

He couldn't believe that his cake was so different from Emiya's; he didn't even want the children to take a bite.

Subaru Mimasaka reached out and scraped some of the remaining cake from the plate. He wanted to taste Emiya's cooking and see where the difference lay.

He was stunned the moment he took a bite.

Tasty!

Even the smallest residue stuck to the plate has this taste.

Without exaggeration, this is the best cake Subaru Mimasaka has ever eaten, bar none.

He cut another piece of the cake he made, ready to see how big the difference was between the two.

What's this?!

Subaru Mimasaka's eyes widened; he almost spat out the cake in his mouth.

It tastes like chewing wax.

Is this really a cake I made myself?

No wonder these kids, who look so hungry, didn't touch the cakes he made.

The gap is just too big.

It is large enough to create an illusion for one's sense of taste.

It's greasy, astringent, and dry—completely useless; it's a waste of ingredients.

This is his evaluation of his own cake.

Subaru Mimasaka was extremely frustrated. He picked up the cake, ready to throw it in the trash can; the cake was simply inedible.

"Eat it!"

Attila stood solemnly in front of Subaru Mimasaka.

"Wasting food is bad civilization. If nobody wants to eat it, then you should eat it all yourself!"

Subaru Mimasaka was dumbfounded; he dared not disobey Attila's words.

You should know that he personally witnessed Attila stuffing all of Soma Yukihira's culinary disasters into Soma Yukihira's mouth.

Subaru Mimasaka huddled in a corner, struggling to eat the cake he had made.

While eating, he kept recalling the process of making it, but he was disheartened to find that he couldn't find the reason.

His signature imitation technique failed him for the first time.

Section 492, Chapter Twenty-Six: Abby's Pancakes

Imitation is an art.

This statement sounds very harsh, after all, imitating others' creative achievements and using them for one's own purposes is by no means a glorious thing.

But there's nothing shameful about imitation itself.

A baby's first words are always learned through imitation.

Humans are animals that are good at imitation.

Who in Chaldea would dare say that Emiya is a disgrace?

Subaru Mimasaka clearly had not yet grasped the true essence of imitation; his imitations were far from reaching the level of art.

Filled with endless questions, Subaru Mimasaka went to Emiya.

"Want to know why?" Emiya smiled and beckoned Soma Yukihira over.

"You tell him."

Unlike Soma Yukihira Subaru Mimasaka, Soma Yukihira went to the other extreme.

Every dish he makes breaks with convention, creating new ways of cooking in his own way.

"Subaru Mimasaka, you're the chef who's cooking." Soma Yukihira answered without hesitation.

Subaru Mimasaka was completely confused; judging from his expression, he clearly didn't understand what Soma Yukihira meant.

Emiya shook his head slightly and said to Subaru Mimasaka, "Continue to learn in your own way. You can imitate everyone in this kitchen."

"However, if you really want to go down this path, you have to make a breakthrough."

Emiya said very seriously, "No one can help you with this."

"How about this?" He thought for a moment, "As long as you can make one dish that the children will approve of, you'll be considered qualified."

Subaru Mimasaka was completely bewildered; in theory, this was a very simple matter.

The children don't ask for much.

However, Subaru Mimasaka knew that he had been blacklisted by these kids. It might not be difficult for others, but it was definitely not easy for him.

Emiya stopped paying attention to Subaru Mimasaka and turned to instruct Soma Yukihira.

Just as he said, this is something that can only be overcome by oneself; others can't help. He only pointed out a path for Subaru Mimasaka. To be honest, Emiya wasn't sure if he could succeed.

The level of willfulness among those children is unmatched by ordinary children.

The intensive training is underway, and the students who make it to Totsuki Culinary Academy all have a good talent for cooking.

Moreover, this is a generation known as 'uncut gems,' whose talent far surpasses that of ordinary people.

Despite being constantly berated by Kurenai Enma, their enthusiasm remained undiminished, and they continued to grow stronger every day.

That night, Ryo Hayama was on the phone with Jun Shiomi. Since it was getting late, he was afraid of disturbing others, so he went out into the yard.

After listening to Jun Shiomi's rambling, Ryo Hayama smiled and hung up the phone, preparing to go back to his room to rest.

Suddenly, he heard a noise coming from the kitchen in front.

"Who could it be so late?"

Ryo Hayama was very puzzled. He knew that they had been exhausted from being trained by Kurenai Enma during the day, and they would almost fall asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow at night. Where would they have the energy to continue practicing in the kitchen?

The image of Soma Yukihira flashed through his mind, and he thought that probably only that guy would have such enthusiasm.

Ryo Hayama walked over quietly, wanting to see what Soma Yukihira was doing.

In the kitchen, several children were whispering amongst themselves.

"It's all your fault! Who told you to eat so early? Now you're all starving."

"What can we do? The restaurant is so busy during dinner time. If we don't eat early, we'll have to eat very late."

"Stop arguing, stop arguing. If Teacher Hong finds out we're sneaking into the kitchen to make something to eat, we'll definitely get scolded."

"Abby, are you done yet?"

"Xiao Ai, what brings you here? Didn't you eat dinner very late?"

"I'm hungry too."

"Okay, okay, thank goodness Abby knows how to make pancakes, otherwise we would have been starving until dawn."

A group of children were whispering among themselves, while Abby was busy running around by himself.

As the saying goes, "the best among the worst," and among this group of children, only Abby's pancakes were reasonably good.

What are you doing?

Ryo Hayama discovers that the person in the kitchen is not Soma Yukihira, whom he had expected, but a group of children.

Curious about what the children were doing so late, he pushed open the door and came in.

"Oh no! We've been discovered!"

The children were startled when they heard someone's voice.

They soon discovered that only Ryo Hayama was there, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Abby is making pancakes, but you can't tell anyone."

"Yes, just pretend you were never here and didn't see us."

Ryo Hayama watched Abby busy at the stove, he sniffed and instinctively began to discern the smells.

"Butter, bacon, potatoes," he asked. "What are you making?"

"Flatbread! Abby's flatbread is delicious." Little Jeanne, not wanting Abby to be looked down upon, immediately praised Abby's cooking skills with great seriousness.

Abby said shyly, "I didn't do well, don't listen to them."

"Besides, all I can do is make pancakes; I can't make anything else."

They had tasted the food made by Ryo Hayama and knew that he was a very good cook, Abby dared not show off her skills in front of an expert.

She was a little annoyed by Little Jeanne's exaggerated words, which made her feel embarrassed.

"Flatbread? Is that America's specialty?" Ryo Hayama asked. "May I try some?"

Abby quickly shook her head and said, "I really did a terrible job, so I'd rather not."

Ryo Hayama smiled slightly, "I'm a little hungry too. It's so late now, I should eat something before I go to sleep."

"Well... alright then." Abby finally nodded and agreed to let Ryo Hayama eat the pancakes she made. Making an extra one wouldn't be a problem for her.

"Just a moment, it'll be ready soon."

Ryo Hayama wasn't in a hurry. He wasn't hungry at all, but he noticed that Abby's movements were clumsy, yet his expression was unusually focused.

He was suddenly curious and wanted to try it.

Abby had no objection, and the other children had even less. The fact that Ryo Hayama ate the pancakes made him an accomplice actually made them feel more at ease.

Soon, the fragrant baked pancakes were ready.

The children couldn't wait to each pick up a piece and start eating.

"Here you go." Abby handed a piece to Ryo Hayama as well, then picked up the remaining piece and ate it herself.

Ryo Hayama looked at the slightly burnt pancake in his hand, and without even tasting it, he knew it definitely wouldn't taste very good.

But since he had requested it himself, he naturally wouldn't waste the pancake; wasting food here was a serious offense.

Take a small bite and chew it slowly in your mouth.

Suddenly, Ryo Hayama's eyes widened in surprise.

It wasn't as bad as I imagined; in fact, it tasted pretty good.

Although it was far from delicious, it was definitely not as bad as he imagined.

He continued eating while pondering the reason.

Before I knew it, a large piece of flatbread had disappeared from my hand, and I had eaten it all.

Thank you for your hospitality.

Ryo Hayama smiled slightly, then turned and left.

An unexpected experience.

P. S.: Three books on Python

"Courting Grand Order"

Reborn as Yukino's Dad

I, Golden Flash, am going to be a tyrant.