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"It can't be helped. This is the Delicate Style that Master passed down. I can't change it!"
Chiru said with a helpless sigh. As a Chef, she wanted her guests to be able to eat more of her food, but this was the reality of it.
"Actually, there is a way to change it. These ingredients have a much simpler, special preparation method. Chef Chiru, could you bring me an unprepared Million Tomato?"
Yuuki asked.
"An unprepared Million Tomato?? Of course!"
Hearing his words, Chiru knew he wasn't just talking nonsense. He was clearly going to prepare the Million Tomato using a different method. She immediately brought one over.
The Million Tomato looked smaller than a regular tomato, but it had a full thousand layers of skin.
For the dishes she served to her guests, Chiru would remove all one thousand layers. But even then, you had to be incredibly careful when eating it.
Because without its skin, the Million Tomato was even more fragile. The slightest bit of force would cause it to shatter.
....
After taking the Million Tomato, Yuuki thanked Chiru. He then activated his ability, and the tomato began to emit a voice next to his ear.
"What is that...?"
Though Chirin was also a Chef, he had never seen anything like it.
"Is that... the Voice of the Ingredient? UNBELIEVABLE!"
Chiru's eyes went wide. It was unmistakable. Only when a Chef could hear an ingredient's voice would it emit such a gentle, golden light.
But what she didn't understand was how he had done it. Could he control it at will, hearing the voice of any ingredient, anytime, anywhere??
She found it incredible—yet the scene playing out before her proved it was possible.
After listening to the ingredient's voice, Yuuki knew exactly what to do. He took out his own knife. The moment it appeared, it once again captured the attention of both Chiru and Chirin.
"That knife... its aura is so sharp! It's even sharper than Master's!"
Chiru could clearly feel the sharp presence of the blade. It was even more potent than Granny Chiyo's knife had been. This left her even more astounded.
She suddenly remembered that Yuuki was also a master sharpener. Could it be that he had forged this knife himself? If so, that was truly terrifying.
Taking out the knife, though it was large, Yuuki handled it with absolute ease.
A flash of light from the blade, and the thousand layers of skin that would have taken a long time to peel were sliced off in the blink of an eye.
"SO FAST!"
Chiru's eyes went wide again. She could now be completely certain that Nono hadn't been exaggerating. Yuuki's culinary skills were indeed on par with Granny Setsuno's.
You know, even her own master, Granny Chiyo, couldn't remove the thousand layers of a Million Tomato in an instant.
But Yuuki wasn't finished. He continued to use his knife to slice the now-peeled tomato. Logically, cutting it further should have caused it to shatter.
But that was only because the person cutting it lacked the skill. For Yuuki, slicing a Million Tomato couldn't be simpler.
Soon, the tomato was cut into perfectly uniform slices and arranged neatly on a plate.
"DONE. A Million Tomato prepared this way can be eaten by anyone, without having to worry about it shattering."
Yuuki said. At this moment, Chiru and Nono both noticed that the structure of the tomato had changed.
It was clear that with his series of cuts, he had indeed made it possible for anyone to eat it.
"Mr. Yuuki, how did you cut it just now? You were too fast—we couldn't see it at all."
Nono said. Even she, a master of Food Honor with considerable strength, couldn't see how he had wielded the knife. The speed was simply too great.
Hearing this, Yuuki began to explain to the two of them how to cut the Million Tomato. Though it had looked like he had done it in an instant, in that single moment, he had made over ten thousand cuts.
It wasn't just a single slice. You had to find the cutting points. Luckily, the cutting points for a Million Tomato were always the same.
....
Later, the three of them went to the kitchen. Under Yuuki's guidance, Nono and Chiru began to practice cutting the Million Tomato.
From the very first cut, both of them were completely in the zone. After all, they were both very skilled. But Chiru was still a bit behind Nono.
So, on her first try, she failed after about five hundred cuts. As for Nono, she failed after over seven thousand cuts. This was the difference between mastering Food Honor and not.
Yuuki estimated that Nono just needed to be a little more careful, and she would succeed in another one or two tries. As for Chiru, she might still need some time.
As for Chirin, who was standing on the side, he was completely dumbfounded. He also realized one thing: It looked like he was going to the Food Honor Temple after all. As for welshing on the bet, while he could, it would mean he would be permanently marginalized by Chiru.
That wasn't what he wanted. So, for the next period of time, he could only go to the Food Honor Temple and suffer.
By the end of the day, Nono had succeeded. But Chiru's best attempt had failed at over six thousand cuts.
Though she kept failing, she could clearly feel her own progress, so she was very happy.
Chiru also invited Yuuki and Nono to stay the night. Considering Nono was her good friend, Yuuki also chose to stay.
....
"Chiru, have you heard anything about Granny Chiyo?"
During dinner, Nono asked. Her disappearance had caused quite a stir back then—many of the top Chefs knew about it.
"No. Though I've been looking for any news of Master, I haven't found anything. I don't know where she could have gone!"
At this moment, Chiru was very frustrated. She was worried about her master. After all, she was getting on in years. Though she was strong, in this dangerous world, she could still lose her life.
"I might know something about her."
However, Yuuki's one sentence immediately drew the attention of both of them.
"Chef Yuuki, you know where my master is??"
Hearing this, Chiru shot up from the table, asking anxiously.
"That's right, I have some information. But please, don't get excited."
After Yuuki spoke, Chiru also realized her behavior was a bit rude and immediately sat back down, her eyes fixed on him, hoping for an answer.
"I only have a general idea about Granny Chiyo. It seems... she has joined the Gourmet Corp. As for the reason, I'm not sure."
Yuuki knew why she had joined the Gourmet Corp—to revive her son.
Originally, she didn't have to join. But to obtain the ultimate revival ingredient, CENTER, was not something she could do alone.
At first, she had gone to Chin Chinchin. But he was different from her—he was a master of Food Honor.
His philosophy was to follow the course of nature. Their son, Ichiru, had been weak since birth and had been in the hospital his whole life.
His condition had finally taken a turn for the better, so Granny Chiyo had eagerly taken him out, wanting to bring him to the Disappearing Cuisine Restaurant to eat her cooking.
But on the way, his condition had worsened again, and in the end, he had passed away.
As a mother, how could she let go after watching her own son die?
So, she had searched all sorts of materials and had finally learned of CENTER. As long as she had it, she felt there was a chance her son could be revived.
She wasn't wrong about that. But the problem was, to revive Ichiru, she would also need a body, and she would have to find his soul and bring it back.
And a single piece of CENTER wasn't enough. Though the concept of death in the world of Toriko was weakened, the difficulty of revival was extremely high.
....
"The Gourmet Corp? Why did Master join the Gourmet Corp??"
Chiru was in disbelief. Granny Chiyo had learned the path of gratitude in Food Honor. For someone with that kind of character to join the Gourmet Corp...
"The specific reason... you might have to ask Master Chin Chinchin."
Yuuki shifted the focus to him. Chin Chinchin didn't know where she had gone now, but if he were told she had joined the Gourmet Corp, he would definitely figure out the reason immediately.
Before she disappeared, she had had a big fight with him over reviving their son.
"That's right! Master Chin must know something! Tomorrow, I'll go to the Food Honor Temple with you."
Chiru needed to find out what had happened to her master. As Yuuki had said, the answer might be at the Food Honor Temple. Chin Chinchin must know something.
....
Soon, they finished dinner and went to rest.
Of course, Chiru and Chirin couldn't sleep. Chiru was kept awake by thoughts of her master.
As for Chirin, he was kept awake by thoughts of his own miserable future.
Just like that, the next day came. Early in the morning, Chiru pulled Chirin out of bed and had him pack his bags. The group of four then set off for the Food Honor Temple.
The Disappearing Cuisine Restaurant was some distance away, but everyone was fast on their feet, so it only took a few hours.
It was mainly because Chiru and her assistant were too slow. Yuuki didn't want to just carry them, so that's why it took a few hours. Otherwise, he could have been there in minutes.
"Back in this place again!"
At this moment, Chirin's face was dark. It couldn't be helped—this place was like a nightmare for him.
"Chirin, clear your mind of distracting thoughts. Otherwise, you won't even be able to get through the gate!"
Though he had been here before—and he usually stayed at the Disappearing Cuisine Restaurant, the Food Honor Temple was much stricter. So, if he didn't adjust his mindset, he wouldn't even be able to enter.
And sure enough, just as he lifted his foot, the stairs suddenly split open, and a series of sharp spikes shot out.
This startled him. Luckily, his speed wasn't slow—otherwise, his foot would have been pierced.
At this moment, he also remembered his previous visits and quickly adjusted his mindset. This time, he wasn't targeted by the temple.
As for Yuuki and Nono, both of them were masters of Food Honor. By simply simulating a sense of gratitude, the temple wouldn't target them.
Though Chiru's Food Honor hadn't reached the master level, she wasn't far off, so she wasn't affected either.
"Isn't that Chef Chiru? And Chef Nono? What brings you to the Food Honor Temple?"
After entering, the group soon saw a Vice Master.
These Vice Masters were the teachers of the temple. Their level of Food Honor was much higher than an average person's—but they were still a long way from mastery.
Chin Chinchin never got their names right. The reason he kept them around was to continue spreading the teachings of the temple.
"We're here to visit Master Chin. Is he in the temple?"
Chiru asked. She was very familiar with the Vice Master here. Many of them would also go to the Disappearing Cuisine Restaurant to eat.
But even they couldn't eat everything there.
"Master Chin is in the main hall. I'll take you there!"
The Vice Master didn't waste any words and led them directly to the main hall. At this moment, Chin Chinchin was sitting cross-legged in the hall, in a state of Food Meditation.
"Hiss..."
Chirin's eyes went wide. He was no stranger to the Torch Horsetail.
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