Sakonji Urokodaki took one bite of the food and couldn't stop. Though he had once held a high position in the Demon Slayer Corps as a Hashira...
Back then, he had been out on missions every day. It wasn't as though he'd never had a lavish meal, but they hadn't been frequent. Since retiring all those years ago, he had lived a simple life.
Now, faced with a feast that could rival a top chef's cooking, he couldn't stop after that first bite. After eating light, simple dishes every day in retirement, he had suddenly been served a delicacy that had been hard to come by even in his old days. Who could resist that?
"Mr. Urokodaki, have you agreed to my earlier request?"
Ye Chen picked up a piece of meat and popped it into his mouth, looking at Sakonji Urokodaki with a smug gleam in his eyes.
"Hmm... well, let me give it some thought first..."
Sakonji Urokodaki didn't even glance at Ye Chen. He kept helping himself to the dishes on the table, especially the honey-roasted meat. He simply couldn't stop eating it.
Ye Chen blinked. This old rascal really was quick with his chopsticks. He grabbed several pieces at once, put them into his mouth, and swallowed with barely any chewing. That saying from his previous life hadn't lied: soldiers ate as quickly as they drank water. This old rascal certainly lived up to his reputation as the Demon Slayer Corps' former Water Hashira.
But why did this guy have to wear his mask even while eating? This was ridiculous! Eating with a mask on-what kind of behavior was that? He wasn't El Toro Fuerte or Kakashi Hatake. Why act so mysterious?
"Holy crap! My roast meat's almost gone!"
Ye Chen froze. More than half of the full two kilograms of roast meat had vanished. He had thought there would be plenty left over with so many dishes, but this guy's appetite had taken him by surprise.
Without thinking any further, Ye Chen reached his chopsticks toward the platter of roast meat, intending to fill his own stomach before the guy ate it all.
Whoosh.
A shadow flashed past Ye Chen's chopsticks, and the piece of roast meat he had been about to pick up disappeared. He glanced at Sakonji Urokodaki, who had already slipped the meat beneath his mask. The sound of chewing followed.
Forget it. Maybe he didn't mean to. With that thought, Ye Chen let it slide and reached for the next piece of roast meat.
Whoosh...
Another shadow flashed past his chopsticks. The roast meat Ye Chen had been about to take vanished again, appearing between Sakonji Urokodaki's chopsticks a moment later. Then Sakonji Urokodaki popped it into his mouth again...
Holy crap, wasn't that going too far?
Several veins bulged on Ye Chen's forehead. He raised his chopsticks, spotted Sakonji Urokodaki about to take another piece of roast meat, and snatched it with frightening speed. Picking it up and putting it into his mouth was one seamless motion. As he chewed, Ye Chen shot Sakonji Urokodaki a sidelong glance.
"Heh. You've got some skill, kid."
Sakonji Urokodaki was a little surprised. He had assumed Ye Chen was an ordinary person, but the kid actually had some ability. He had snatched a piece of meat before Urokodaki could really react. Urokodaki offered him a word of praise, but his hands didn't slow down. His chopsticks moved toward the roast meat again.
But Sakonji Urokodaki suddenly saw another dark blur flash past his chopsticks and snatch the piece away. He was no pushover, either. Applying force through his hand, he twisted his chopsticks swiftly at an unbelievable angle and stole the meat straight from Ye Chen.
Ye Chen refused to back down. I'm not just a hunter-I'm a professional chef, too! You bastard, you're not only fighting a hunter over food, you're stealing food from a chef!
With that thought, he moved his chopsticks again, thrusting one forward at lightning speed and piercing the roast meat clean through, turning it into a meat skewer.
Ye Chen grinned smugly and was about to put it into his mouth, but Sakonji Urokodaki flicked his chopsticks again, knocking the meat off course and sending it flying...
Sakonji Urokodaki leaped up, caught the piece of roast meat in midair with his chopsticks, and brought it to his mouth.
Though Ye Chen couldn't see his expression behind the mask, he could almost see him saying:
"You're still too green to take me on, kid."
Ye Chen chuckled. He had indeed been a little careless, but he wasn't going to let this old rascal steal his food so easily again. He raised his chopsticks and reached for another piece of roast meat. Seeing this, Sakonji Urokodaki moved his own chopsticks swiftly...
"Meow..." Off to the side, Xiao Hua ate a piece of fish while watching the two battle with wits and skill in bewilderment. Wasn't this just a meal? Why were they fighting over the food?
Makomo, however, was rather surprised. This exchange made it clear that Ye Chen was probably no ordinary person. Sakonji Urokodaki was a genuine former Water Hashira, after all. Though they were only fighting over roast meat, they were moving far too fast for an ordinary person to follow. Yet Ye Chen could compete with Sakonji Urokodaki on almost equal footing. It was simply unbelievable.
When they reached the final piece of roast meat, Ye Chen managed to stuff it into his mouth once again, giving Sakonji Urokodaki a rather smug look.
"Not bad, kid. You're improving pretty quickly."
Sakonji Urokodaki hardly knew what to say about Ye Chen. The guy had been honing his technique while figuring out ways to break through his defenses. At first, he had struggled to get any roast meat, but the longer they fought, the better he became. He had actually won several rounds in a row.
"Ah, I really am getting old. A little exercise, and my hand's already trembling."
Sakonji Urokodaki had to give him credit. Then he said to Ye Chen, "All right. With your strength, joining the Demon Slayer Corps won't be a problem. I agree to your request."
"You mean..." Ye Chen gave him a strange look. Though he had already suspected it, he asked, "You were testing my strength?"
"Of course. I don't normally fight people over food." Sakonji Urokodaki waved a hand, then continued, "You asked me to recommend you for a place in the Final Selection, but the Demon Slayer Corps is a dangerous line of work. Being a good cook isn't enough to get you in."
So you were having fun messing with me while I was trying to eat?
The corner of Ye Chen's eye twitched hard several times. This old man was hardly young anymore, yet he really did love pulling this sort of nonsense.
No wonder he made things difficult for Tanjiro in the original story, telling him to split a boulder almost two meters across. Sure, Tanjiro eventually split it, but hadn't the old man said he'd thought Tanjiro would never manage it in his entire life? If Tanjiro hadn't met Sabito's and Makomo's souls, who knew how many years it would have taken him to split that thing? Seriously, what a way to hold a student back! Had coming to him for help been the right choice or a mistake?
Ye Chen looked at the ceiling and sighed. Then something suddenly occurred to him, and he looked at the food in front of him. Aside from the roast meat, Makomo and Xiao Hua had eaten most of the other dishes. And that old rascal Sakonji Urokodaki, who had already eaten so much, was still calmly helping himself to more.
"Ah, I spent so many exchange points on all this food today, and I still couldn't get my fill..."
Ye Chen tilted his head back and let out a long sigh. Never mind how little food was left-after all that fighting, he wasn't even in the mood to eat anymore. Then his eyes lit up as something occurred to him. He grinned at Sakonji Urokodaki and said:
"Oh, right, Mr. Urokodaki. I've realized my technique still needs work. I'll be counting on your guidance from now on."
A chill ran down Sakonji Urokodaki's spine as he realized Ye Chen was addressing him. Hmm? Technique? What technique needed work? Did he mean that food-snatching technique just now? What did he mean by guidance from now on? Could he possibly...
Holy shit, this brat wasn't really going to disrespect his elders like that, was he?
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