The secret was in the chef

Jiang Yao took the initiative to express his gratitude.

Himeko and Welt quickly responded.

Trailblazers, the Nameless, simply enjoyed helping others without expecting anything in return.

"I only just woke up, and I have nothing to my name. The only thing I can offer is my cooking, so if you two don't mind..."

“Would you like some Egg Fried Rice?”

Jiang Yao had made enough for two people and a dog.

Earlier, since he had cooked without asking, he hadn't dared to go overboard.

This time, with Asta's permission, he certainly didn't mind making an extra portion for himself.

Ahem. A portion sized to his own appetite.

So even with Himeko and Welt joining them...

There would still be more than enough if he took a little less for himself.

Besides, Himeko and Welt might not even want any.

As soon as he said that...

Asta's little face took on a wary look.

Jiang Yao's fried eggs had been so delicious that she couldn't stop thinking about them. Even now, their flavor still lingered in her mouth.

And those had only been two fried eggs!

She couldn't even imagine how delicious his Egg Fried Rice would be!

With Himeko and Welt joining in, wouldn't she have two more rivals?

If Jiang Yao were one of the Nameless, that would be one thing.

But right now, she had a chance to keep Jiang Yao here.

Himeko and Welt didn't know how good his cooking was.

She wanted to make the most of that.

What if Jiang Yao's cooking won Himeko and Welt over too?

Wouldn't her guaranteed chance of winning the bidding drop to fifty percent?

Just like those damned gacha banners.

What was the difference between a fifty-fifty pity and a guaranteed loss?

"That sounds good. Thank you for the meal."

Himeko and Welt thanked Jiang Yao.

They really were a little hungry.

They had barely started eating the feast prepared by the space station when Asta's text summoned them here.

They hadn't eaten their fill in the first place.

Now that they had smelled the food, their stomachs had long since started protesting.

Jiang Yao divided the food into portions for four people and a dog.

He gestured for everyone to eat while it was hot.

Cold, day-old rice was best for making Egg Fried Rice.

But once the fried rice came out of the wok, it wouldn't taste good if it went cold.

Reheating it wouldn't make it taste as good as when it was freshly cooked, either.

"I'm digging in!"

Asta had been looking forward to the Egg Fried Rice for ages.

Wasn't this very moment what she had been waiting so long for?

Did they have any idea how agonizing the wait had been?

From the moment she first saw the Egg Fried Rice, Asta had practically been drooling.

Although it was called Egg Fried Rice, there was actually no egg visible at all.

A closer look revealed that the egg had completely coated the grains of rice.

Every grain gleamed golden.

Without waiting another moment, Asta scooped up a spoonful and put it into her mouth.

She swallowed her first bite of fried rice.

Her eyes instantly lit up!

Just like the fried eggs, its aroma carried no greasy heaviness at all.

Instead, the fragrance of rice joined the aromas of oil and egg.

The tender egg enveloped grains of rice that were soft yet pleasantly firm. All three fragrances blended perfectly, creating an unprecedentedly delightful texture.

This was nothing like the rice she usually ate!

How had she ever put up with that stuff before?

Asta protested inwardly. What kind of life had she been living all this time?

Then...

One spoonful, two spoonfuls!

One bite, two bites!

By now, Asta no longer cared that Himeko and Welt were watching beside her.

She went all out, shoveling down the rice!

She was one step away from telling Jiang Yao, “Don't hold back. Please shovel it all into my mouth~”

In the blink of an eye...

Nearly half a plate of Egg Fried Rice had vanished.

Himeko and Welt stared, dumbfounded.

Come on, it's just a plate of Egg Fried Rice. Is there really any need to go this far?

She looked as though she had missed all nine meals over the past three days.

Are you still the Asta we know?

Himeko and Welt's thoughts were remarkably in sync.

Still, the sight of that golden Egg Fried Rice whetted their appetites, and they were eager to try it.

"This aroma..."

The moment Himeko and Welt scooped up their first spoonfuls, their mouths began to water.

They had only one thought: I need to eat this!

The perfect combination of rice and egg made every pore on their bodies open up.

The diced sausage was the crowning touch.

There was no greasy heaviness at all. Instead, its flavor burst forth after the aromas of rice, oil, and egg.

It felt like following a basic attack with an ultimate.

So satisfying!

Their skeptical expressions vanished as soon as the Egg Fried Rice entered their mouths.

The joy of good food lay in allowing those who savored it to relax completely and immerse themselves in the experience.

Just like a journey of Trailblaze.

Himeko and Welt were a little entranced.

All their earlier doubts and complaints were thrown to the back of their minds.

Now, their hearts, eyes, and mouths held nothing but this Egg Fried Rice!

Himeko, Welt, and Asta all wore happy, contented expressions.

Hmm? Had someone been forgotten?

Peppy?

The dog had finished ages ago!

Good times ended all too quickly.

Delicious food disappeared even faster.

Clink, clink~

Spoons clattered against plates.

That was how good food worked. Himeko, Welt, and Asta only had to eat to their hearts' content, gulping it down like people welcoming rain after a long drought. The food on their plates had far more to worry about.

Sure enough, the Egg Fried Rice was soon gone.

Even the plates gleamed with oil!

Not a single grain of rice remained.

"This is the best Egg Fried Rice I've ever had!"

Welt rubbed his stomach with a sigh of admiration.

"Now I finally understand why Miss Asta was waiting so eagerly."

Himeko spoke wistfully.

Question Asta, understand Asta, become Asta!

"Hehe..."

Asta scratched her head, feeling a little embarrassed.

Only after finishing did she realize how disgraceful her table manners had been.

But could she really be blamed?

Was this Asta's fault?

No!

It was Jiang Yao!

Jiang Yao's cooking had completely overturned everything she knew.

In his hands, such simple ingredients could be transformed from the mundane into something magical, becoming irresistible delicacies.

Not just anyone could do that!

"Miss Asta, may I ask where you purchased these ingredients? Or, if it's convenient, I'd like to buy some to keep in reserve."

Thoroughly satisfied, Welt said:

"I've never tasted rice this delicious before."

"I imagine it isn't ordinary rice."

"And these eggs have such a rich flavor, far beyond any I've eaten before."

Welt thought that while Jiang Yao was certainly a good cook...

The ingredients must have been excellent as well.

This was clearly Asta's domain, so naturally, he asked her.

Asta's expression suddenly turned strange. "No, this is just ordinary protein rice."

So she wasn't the only one who had assumed it was the ingredients!

"...Huh?"

Welt looked a little bewildered.

"The eggs are just the most basic chicken eggs, too."

Asta dealt another blow.

At the same time, her own expression was one of disbelief.

When Jiang Yao had chosen chicken eggs for the Egg Fried Rice earlier, Asta had felt a little disappointed.

After eating such wonderful fried eggs, she would now be eating chicken eggs of a somewhat inferior grade.

It was only natural that she had been worried.

But Jiang Yao's skill had made all her concerns vanish.

"...What?!"

Himeko and Welt were both rather shocked.

Their eyes instinctively turned toward the utterly composed Jiang Yao.

If the ingredients were all ordinary...

Then the secret behind food this delicious could only lie in the chef, couldn't it?