Although Takanashi Toka specialized in French cuisine, that did not mean she could not cook other styles of food.
After all, the fundamentals were interconnected.
Most of the dishes on the table were common Japanese home-style meals. Aside from those, there was only one Chinese dish.
Mapo Tofu.
In Japan, probably the most famous Chinese dish was mapo tofu. The bright red thickened sauce blended together with the tender white tofu, resting atop explosive, vibrant chili peppers, garnished with green scallions and a sprinkle of Sichuan pepper powder. An intense wave of spiciness rushed straight at them.
This dish combined numbness, spice, freshness, fragrance, heat, color, tenderness, and crispness, making it one of the representative dishes of Sichuan cuisine.
Sato scooped a spoonful into his bowl and tasted it carefully. At first, he could feel the delicate softness of the tofu, then immediately after, the fiery spice began dancing across his tongue.
Mapo tofu with white rice was simply a perfect match!
"Mmm…"
Sato let out a satisfied sound, then looked at the bright red mapo tofu in front of him and sighed.
"It's really been a long time since I've had such authentic Sichuan cuisine."
"And what would you know about authentic Sichuan cuisine?"
Takanashi Toka glanced at him with her crimson eyes. The meaning behind that look was obvious enough.
Hadn't you always lived out in the countryside? Where would you even have eaten authentic Sichuan food?
Sato merely smiled without saying anything. He had eaten Sichuan cuisine for an entire lifetime before, that certainly was not fake.
"What are your plans now that you've come back, Toka-san?"
Before following her senior brother Shinomiya Kojirou to France, Takanashi Toka had already quit her original job in Japan.
"Shinomiya-senpai has already acquired a restaurant in the city center as his branch store in Japan and invited me to become the head chef there and manage it for him. I already agreed."
Takanashi Toka spoke calmly.
"That famous restaurant?"
"Mm."
Sato nodded in realization.
He had heard that Shinomiya Kojirou was one of the most outstanding people at Totsuki Academy in French cuisine. His restaurant had even received Michelin star certification and could truly be considered a famous establishment.
"What about him personally?"
"Of course he's staying in France to manage the restaurant there. Though he said he'll be coming back often in the future. It seems he plans to take a position at Totsuki as well."
The two chatted about many things during the meal.
After the lavish dinner, Takanashi Toka stayed behind to wash the dishes and kitchenware clean. Only when she was about to leave did Sato realize she had actually brought her own kitchen knives.
"A famous knife?"
Sato asked curiously, wondering if this world might have something like the legendary eighteen golden kitchen utensils.
"Not really."
Takanashi Toka shook her head and said, "But they were made by a renowned craftsman. I specially commissioned them from a master when I went to France."
"What's different about them compared to normal kitchen utensils?"
Takanashi Toka paused for a moment, then tilted her head slightly and said uncertainly, "Maybe… psychologically, it feels like I'm being strengthened by them?"
Sato froze for a moment at the sight.
Honestly, when Takanashi Toka made that gesture, she unexpectedly lost some of her cold aura and gained a bit of cuteness instead.
Was this the legendary head tilt attack?
Its power really was tremendous…
Sato sighed inwardly. Even he had almost been affected.
In the end, after thanking Sato once again for all his help over the past few months, Takanashi Toka brought Takanashi Rikka back upstairs.
After returning to his room, Sato accompanied Kanna in SAO for a while, then came back out to take a bath and work on his manuscript.
Only deep into the night did he turn off the lights and go to bed.
…
The next day, Private Mixed High School.
Sato carried his commuter bag and walked beneath the teaching building with some confusion. He took out his key from his pocket and opened his locker to change into his indoor shoes.
Why did everyone seem to be looking at him strangely today?
Just as he was thinking that, the moment he opened the shoe locker, a pile of envelopes suddenly came pouring out onto the floor with a rustling sound.
Sato blinked and quickly noticed the hearts decorating the envelopes.
These were all… love letters?!
After picking up the letters from both the floor and the locker, he found himself holding a thick stack in his hands. A rough estimate put them at no fewer than thirty letters, and almost every one of them had "To Nohara-kun" written on it.
Why were there suddenly so many?!
Sato's expression turned strange.
Although he had never done anything particularly amazing at school and was not some soccer club ace like Hayama Hayato, his outstanding appearance still had earned him a few love letters last semester.
After all, humans were almost all drawn to attractive appearances. That was an undeniable fact.
At any time and any place throughout history, this phenomenon had always existed. People naturally liked beautiful things.
But today's situation was especially abnormal.
Sato understood his own situation fairly well. Because he never really stood out and because he knew too many girls, many people mistakenly believed he already had a girlfriend, causing his attractiveness to drop significantly…
So…
Something definitely had happened.
Just as Sato entered the classroom holding the large stack of love letters and thinking to himself, the previously noisy classroom suddenly fell silent.
He raised his head in confusion and looked at everyone in the classroom, then glanced behind himself to confirm no one was there before turning back and asking, "What's wrong?"
Tap tap tap!
Isshiki Iroha suddenly ran up to him at full speed and took a deep breath. Then she pulled out her newly bought white smartphone and opened one of the videos on it.
In the video, a battle comparable to a movie action scene was taking place. A large group of delinquents wearing the uniforms of Akehisa High School were surrounding and attacking a single boy. Facing the assault of dozens of people, the boy moved like a butterfly weaving through flowers. Every time he swept past someone, another person would either collapse or be sent flying…
It was clearly a hopelessly uneven fight, yet in the end, the only one still standing was that boy!
And the boy's face appeared several times in fleeting glimpses throughout the video.
It was none other than him.
Sato opened his mouth slightly, finally understanding everything.
Someone actually filmed it?!
He could not help covering his face.
When exactly did that happen?!