Greed X Malice
Huh?
There were actually two uses of Advent Emulation!
Surprise flashed in Baishi's eyes as he watched Leorio walk away. He had figured out early on that the quality of Advent Emulation would be low, but the increase in uses was a genuine and unexpected delight.
If [white] is for ordinary people and [green] is for geniuses, [blue] should be for monsters above the level of geniuses. But compared to [purple], it still falls a little short...
He ground his teeth, feeling a little greedy.
Looking down at the beautifully plated sushi, Baishi hesitated for a moment before deciding to taste it himself first.
Whether or not there was anything wrong with the fish, as the person responsible for the dish, tasting it was the most basic duty and courtesy.
For all his earlier thoughts, he had never really intended to let Menchi taste it as a test. Besides, he was now a little too hungry. If he didn't replenish himself with some food, even with the support of Nen Aura, he probably wouldn't last much longer.
With that in mind, Baishi picked up a piece of squid sushi from a spare plate beside him, dipped it in sushi soy sauce, and put it in his mouth to savor.
Mmm-
His eyes widened at once.
The sushi seemed to melt between his teeth, releasing the utmost freshness and sweetness. Strangely, what burst across his mouth was the ocean's distinctive flavor. The distinct layers of vinegared rice intertwined with the deep savor of the fish, fully revealing the sweetness from life itself hidden within its fibers!
At the same time, the potent bite of wasabi arrived like a crisp breeze, leaving the aftertaste that followed lingering on his tongue.
Whoa...
Am I really that good a cook?
Baishi swallowed the sushi in shock and quickly picked up another piece made with a different ingredient. When he put it in his mouth, his pupils involuntarily widened once again.
It was delicious to a different degree, but its flavor was fundamentally different from the previous piece of sushi. Its texture was more like the springy chew of octopus sushi, and against the tide-like flavor, its springiness drew his attention with every bite...
The ingredients are exceptionally good! But...
Chewing the sushi, Baishi quickly scanned the other examinees' cooking stations and found that quite a few had caught ingredients much the same as his. A strange look appeared on his face, and he turned to look at Menchi in the distance, still frowning as she tasted the food and delivered sharp critiques.
With ingredients of this caliber as a foundation, they still couldn't satisfy Menchi. Wasn't her palate a little too demanding?
No... that's not right. It might be a problem with how the food was prepared!
What Menchi isn't satisfied with isn't the taste of the ingredients themselves, but the various details of how the sushi is made?
Having figured that out, Baishi wore a look of understanding, while he continued stuffing the extra sushi into his mouth to fill his hungry stomach. As he ate... he even polished off all the rice left in the rice tub.
The sight drew repeated glances from the people around him.
As for Gon and the others, they had already thanked him and happily followed Leorio to join the line.
Before long.
Burp~~~
Baishi let out a soft burp and patted his stomach in satisfaction. He picked up the plate he had prepared and leisurely joined the very back of the long line.
Those were all the ingredients he had left anyway, and the sushi he had deliberately set aside was the best he could make at his current level. If Menchi still wasn't satisfied...
He could be pretty sure there was something wrong with her head.
Talking about strict culinary standards in front of a bunch of newcomers whose cooking skills were mediocre at best, some of whom couldn't even cook.
Heh heh heh~~
Smiling with narrowed eyes, Baishi turned to look toward the front from his place at the back of the line. During the time he had spent eating, Leorio and the others, who had lined up first, had reached a spot just ahead of the middle of the queue, with about ten people still in front of them.
On the raised platform.
Damn it! I've given them every hint I could... What's wrong with these guys?!
Eating the awful food, examiner Menchi grew increasingly irritable, and her words grew increasingly blunt.
"The fish is crying! Did you even try it yourself after making it taste so awful?!!"
"Mixing soy sauce and vinegar? Is there something wrong with your head..."
"It's neither fresh nor at the right temperature. Fail!"
"Forget the rice... even the grain of the fish has been cut to pieces..."
"No, no! You squeezed it too hard. The rice is rock solid..."
"..."
Before long.
When it was the confident Leorio's turn to present his dish.
Huh?
Seeing the presentable sushi and arrangement on the plate, Menchi gave Leorio a surprised look. She still had some impression of this reckless fellow's cooking.
Compared to last time, the preparation was worlds apart!
Had something suddenly clicked for this guy when it came to cooking?
Finding it curious, Menchi picked up a rectangular piece of sushi, dipped it in soy sauce and wasabi with a hint of anticipation, and put it in her mouth to taste carefully.
"Hmm... it looks good, but you didn't shape the rice quickly enough, so the heat from your hands reached the fish. The texture is really too poor. Make it again!"
Hearing this.
Leorio didn't shout or yell. Instead, his face lit up, and he picked up the plate and immediately ran back to his cooking station.
The sushi-making method he had learned from Baishi was right. As long as he could get a few details under control, he would definitely pass next time!
Kurapika and the others, who had heard the same critique, were immediately energized. Like Leorio, they thought they were on the right path, and how they proceeded from here would depend on their individual abilities!
Afterward, the examinees stepped forward one after another.
The surprise on Menchi's face grew more and more apparent.
"Oh~~ this one looks good too, but the rice isn't seasoned properly..."
"The grain of the sashimi is beautiful, but the rice is too loose..."
"No! Why is it such a mess again? Can't you use your eyes?!"
"This one won't do either! At least it looks a little like it..."
"Make it again, make it again..."
"..."
Heh heh heh!
"Finally, it's my turn...!"
Looking supremely confident, Hanzo saw that his turn had finally come. He immediately lifted the silver cover with his head held high and chest out, revealing the work he was satisfied with.
"Well? This is the sushi you wanted, isn't it?!"
On the plate was a single fist-sized ball of rice topped with a thick slice of fish, with some wasabi deliberately spread on the fish.
"This is it?"
Rolling her eyes, Menchi extended her chopsticks and pointed toward Leorio.
"Baldy, is there something wrong with your eyes? I just praised so many things, and you didn't take in a single word?"
Despite what she said, the food in front of her at least looked a little like sushi, so Menchi reluctantly picked it up with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth to chew.
Chew, chew, chew~~
Though she hadn't expected much from it to begin with, the unremarkable, filling rice left Menchi's expression increasingly vacant. After swallowing it expressionlessly, she promptly picked up the hot tea beside her and rinsed her mouth.
"No... it's not good at all!"
Huh?
Hearing this, the confident Hanzo couldn't hold back his anger and shouted.
"Are you kidding me? Not good? How could it not be good?!"
"You shape the rice into a rectangle you can eat in one bite, then put wasabi and sliced raw fish on top. With food that simple, no matter who makes it, there's no way it could taste bad, right?!"
"Simple food? It couldn't taste too bad?"
Amid her icy murmuring, a terrifyingly malicious aura suddenly descended, enveloping Hanzo in an instant.
Fear rose uncontrollably from the depths of Hanzo's heart. Veins bulged all over his body, and his muscles tensed as he stared fixedly at the terrifying Menchi. Before long, his head was covered in nervous sweat.
For a moment, the atmosphere within two meters became unnaturally silent.
"Menchi!"