When Bai Mo asked Erina Nakiri to prepare three dark dishes, she was reluctant.
After all, she was the renowned "God Tongue"!
How could she possibly stoop to making such lowbrow, abominable dishes? It would be a disgrace to her skills.
But when Bai Mo promised her both a good show and an introduction to a student whose expertise in spice flavors far surpassed hers, Erina finally agreed.
The juice she had prepared was called "Life~"—a name Bai Mo had come up with himself.
Holding the glass of "Life," Isshiki Satoshi stiffened for a moment before summoning his resolve. He decided to chug it in one go, determined to avoid letting the liquid touch his taste buds.
Unfortunately, even gulping it down couldn't completely spare his tongue.
The moment the flavor hit, Isshiki's face twisted in agony.
"Pfft—!" He spat it all out violently.
"Uh… Isshiki-senpai, if you can't handle it, maybe you should just pick the next one?"
"No, no… It's just that this 'Life' is… too aptly named," Isshiki said with a strained smile. "Lemon juice, corn juice, bitter melon juice, chili juice, and premium rose salt—tsk!"
"Sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty… Truly, the flavors of life."
With that, he mustered his courage and took another sip.
Watching Isshiki's suffering, Erina couldn't help but smirk.
But more than him, she was dying to see the look on Yukihira Sōma's face when he tasted her dark dish.
With two choices left, Ibusaki Shun went next. Observant as ever, he noticed Erina subtly tilting her head toward the left dish. Taking the hint, he picked the left plate.
Under the lid were several strips of bacon-wrapped Oreos—fat, starch, sugar, and meat, all combined. Ah, the primal cravings of humanity, all in one bite! Maybe it would even taste good?
Though the flavor was… questionable, Ibusaki silently powered through all five bacon-wrapped Oreos.
That left only one dish—and one final challenger: Yukihira Sōma.
As Sōma stood before her, Erina couldn't suppress a cold smile.
"Sōma… You poor thing," Bai Mo sighed.
"Huh?" Sōma scratched his head in confusion. "Is the last dish that terrifying?"
"Honestly, I don't even know what she prepared. I gave her four different recipes to choose from."
Curiosity piqued, Sōma wasted no time and lifted the lid.
Instead of a single dish, the plate held a meal accompanied by a small can.
"Heh." Seeing everyone's puzzled expressions, Erina proudly explained, "Originally, Bai Mo wanted me to make douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) and banlangen instant noodles!"
"But I thought, if we're doing dark cuisine, why not go all the way?"
"So I prepared banlangen instant noodles… paired with fish罐头!"
The moment everyone read the label on the can, their throats tightened with dread.
Ibusaki, in particular, was silently thanking Erina for sparing him.
"This is an authentic Swedish surströmming—premium aged edition! I got it straight from the Canned Food Research Society. Consider yourself privileged,"* Erina declared triumphantly.
At her words, several people instinctively took a step back.
Erina then pulled out two gas masks from the cart.
"Ahem. The smell might be… a bit strong. So you can open it yourself."
With that, she swiftly donned one mask and tossed the other to Arato Hisako before retreating to stand beside Bai Mo and the others.
"Yes, just like that. Stay over there while you eat. Keep your distance."
"Is this really necessary?" Sōma had heard of surströmming before, but if Swedes could eat it and even consider it a delicacy, surely it couldn't be that bad, right?
After tasting Bai Mo's recommended banlangen noodles (which were bland but tolerable), he steeled himself and pried open the can.
Due to excessive force, the opener slipped, sending fermented fish juices splattering everywhere.
The moment the stench hit his nose—along with his hands, clothes, and plate—Sōma's face paled.
When he turned to Bai Mo to forfeit, he realized everyone had retreated at least ten meters away.
"Cough. Sōma, just say what you need to say from there. We can hear you!"
"Yeah, yeah!"
"Uh… Do I really have to eat this?"
By now, the overpowering stench had practically destroyed Sōma's sense of smell.
"Nah, you don't have to if you don't want to!"
But before Bai Mo could finish, Erina cut in:
"Unless you admit you lack the backbone of a man."
"Hey, hey—you're not seriously expecting him to eat that, are you? One bite, and his taste buds might die!"
"Hmph. Consider it punishment for his disrespectful remarks during the freshman orientation!"
Crossing her arms (and unintentionally emphasizing her ample assets), Erina radiated smug satisfaction. Bai Mo could only sigh—women really do hold grudges, huh?
In the end, Sōma braved a tiny bite…
And immediately vomited.
The Polar Star Dorm members burst into laughter.
But when Sōma, still reeking of fermented fish, tried to approach them while holding the remaining罐头…
He was swiftly subdued by a barrage of thrown objects.
The can toppled over, spilling its foul contents all over him.
At this point, he was probably marinated to the core.
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T/N:
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