And all of this was the fault of that evil destroyer of food

Himeko remembered the information Taco had just relayed to her.

[Elevated to level three danger because it was too delicious]

Even as its enemy, Himeko had to admit that it really was delicious-so delicious that, despite knowing eating it might cause problems, she could not help wanting to pack up a portion after dealing with it and take it back to the train to study.

But if she approached it from the opposite direction...

It was powerful because it tasted so good. Then, if we made it taste bad...

"Is there any way to make it taste a little worse?" Himeko asked Himechi Cat.

"Hm? We could just go up and cook it a little."

"That hurts a bit, but at least we're not out of options."

Himeko was not particularly willing to admit that she was a bad cook, but she had no other choice right now.

"We can only pray that, as always, we manage to make something the passengers won't go anywhere near."

"There's really no need to pray."

With a new goal, Himeko immediately swallowed two pills of [Emergency Medicine]. The injuries Pig Trotter Rice King had just inflicted healed at a visible rate.

Himeko quickly scanned her surroundings, her gaze locking onto the enormous serving of "Gourmet Delicacies" she had made at the start, which was radiating malice.

Whatever. I'll throw it into the pig trotter rice first!

While Himechi Cat drew Pig Trotter Rice's attention, Himeko caught it off guard, grabbed that enormous bowl of East-meets-West Korean army stew-pizza soaked in pork bone broth, topped with spaghetti mixed with durian fermented tofu, along with dumplings filled with chili-oil milk mushrooms and a little rat poison-and slammed it into the delicious pig trotter rice.

Previously, although Himeko and Himechi Cat had injured Pig Trotter Rice, they had failed to cause it the slightest pain. Forget screaming; aside from its initial battle cry, the thing had not made a peep.

Now, by contrast, Himeko had merely added some rather pioneering delicacies, and it had started howling.

"No, it's not enough. Maybe I could add some cream?"

Himeko was not deliberately trying to make Pig Trotter Rice King taste bad. She genuinely believed cream could be added to pig trotter rice for flavor.

"I happen to have some-"

Himeko pulled out a can of cream and pressed down hard several times before noticing something was wrong.

"Sorry, I grabbed the dish soap. I was going to take this back to use in the kitchen."

Himeko looked apologetic. She really had grabbed the wrong thing.

"No-you... food-disrespecting-devil! I'll make you pay!!!"

[Pig Trotter Rice King's flavor has declined!]

[Pig Trotter Rice King's strength has declined!]

[Pig Trotter Rice King is no longer clean!]

"It actually works?"

Himeko prepared to think about ways to make it taste even worse.

[Even knowing she's doing this to weaken Pig Trotter Rice, something made like that really would taste awful.]

[On purpose? But she looks like she genuinely thinks those squirts of dish soap really can make pig trotter rice taste better.]

[Has nobody noticed that, when Himeko first made that lump of level five danger, she genuinely thought it would taste good too?]

[She's practically the cook at my school cafeteria.]

[Pig Trotter Rice King was already absurd enough. How is someone beating it in an even more absurd way?]

[Everyone else is facing bloody, violent monsters and losing sanity like crazy. How come Himeko gets pig trotter rice?]

[Are you saying this pig trotter rice is easier to deal with than the other Amusement Park Monsters?]

[Whether it's easy to deal with is one thing. Whether it looks hilarious is another.]

[Great. Now I'm scared my pig trotter rice will suddenly stand up and beat me up while I'm eating.]

In the Broadcast Studio, WarGreymon watched Himeko frantically add all manner of bizarre things to the pig trotter rice and could not help drawing a sharp breath.

"Is she really human? This isn't a combination a human could come up with!"

"To think she came up with such a hellish combination just to deal with Pig Trotter Rice. Himeko really is something else..."

Zhang San, too, felt a deep respect for Himeko.

"Can't you see? When Himeko adds those things, her eyes hold nothing but a love of cooking! She's serious!"

"That counts as cooking? Then what do you call it when I melt chocolate and let it solidify again?" Wang Wu scorned the act of pouring ready-made things together and daring to claim you had made it yourself.

"Molecular gastronomy."

"Wait, what did she take out?"

Wang Wu looked closely and cried out in surprise.

"She started it! She started the saw in her hand! Is she going to execute Pig Trotter Rice?!"

"No! She's grinding coffee beans! She wants to add coffee beans! She's turning Pig Trotter Rice King into [Coffee Pig Trotter Rice King]!"

"What an awful name. I feel like we should call it [Pig Trotter Rice Lackey] now. Give it a little longer and it'll become the [Shame of Pig Trotter Rice], then get stripped of its pig trotter rice status."

[The people of Longjiang strongly condemn this.]

In the Restaurant, under the influence of Himeko's [Trailblaze Spirit], Pig Trotter Rice King's danger level rapidly fell.

Had anyone with an appraisal ability been present, they could easily have seen Pig Trotter Rice King's information.

[Pig Trotter Rice King: level one danger. A bowl of awful-tasting pig trotter rice. No, it is not even edible. It no longer deserves to exist in this world as food. This is a bowl of swill. And all of this is the fault of that evil destroyer of food.]

Although Himeko could not clearly check its danger level, she could sense that Pig Trotter Rice's presence was now feeble and utterly weak.

She jumped off Pig Trotter Rice King. The look in its eyes as it gazed at Himeko had changed completely.

Its former anger and fighting spirit were gone, replaced by fear of the kitchen demon.

"This ends here, Pig Trotter Rice."

Himechi Cat drove the saw hard into Pig Trotter Rice's backside. Himeko did not stand idle either; working with Himechi Cat, she cut her Monomolecular Saw into the porcelain bowl as well.

"No-!!!"

Then Pig Trotter Rice King lost all its strength and collapsed to the ground.

"I wish... I could go back to when that rich braising sauce had just been poured over me..."

"Even its dying words are this... entertaining?" Himeko could not help laughing.

[Achievement earned: Do not let fine delicacies go down the drain (Once they fall into your hands, how is that any different from going down the drain?)]

[Reward: Roleplay progress increased by 3%. Himeko: Embarkation's Banner Spear unlocks when roleplay progress reaches 10%.]

"That's just too hurtful."

Himeko shook her head, then picked up Himechi Cat.

After continuously using the intensely hot Monomolecular Saw, Himechi Cat was now a limp lump.

"You're clearly made of wax, so why do you feel so much like slime?"

"Your Imagenesis Technology must not be up to scratch. You'd better mold me properly, or I'll be all misshapen once I harden."

"Of course. Once we get back, I'll see if I can improve my Imagenesis Technology so you don't turn into slime whenever you touch fire."

Himeko had many ideas in mind.

For instance, molding Himechi Cat into a Railgun, or even a Starblazer.

Trailblazing was freedom. Himeko could mold Himechi Cat into whatever she wanted. Including... using Imagenesis to turn Himechi Cat into her.