"Oh, the two of you haven't changed a bit," Leonora said, a wide smile on her face. "You two were always so playful with each other back then."
"It seems that the boy has grown, but his memory is still as terrible as ever," Senzaemon added with a playful grin on his face. "I can't believe you've forgotten this old man after he would always spoil you with my cooking."
Haruya, still being shaken by Alice, just gave an embarrassed laugh. He felt a little bad for not remembering. "I'm sorry, I really don't remember much. I was really young, right, Mom?" he said, looking at her with puppy-dog eyes.
Akari just laughed. "Yes, dear. We stopped visiting their home often after they moved to Denmark. However, Alice will be attending middle school here at the Totsuki Culinary Academy."
Haruya's eyes widened. "Totsuki Culinary Academy? Isn't that where you attended?"
"That's right, Senzaemon here is the director of the academy, too," she said, pointing towards the elderly man who seemed quite proud hearing this.
"The Totsuki Culinary Academy is the best culinary academy for aspiring chefs in the whole world!" he boasted. "I heard from your mom that you seemed to have inherited her skills as a patissier. How about it, young Haruya, do you want to attend our academy as well?"
Leonora nodded, "In baking and pastry-making, Akari is definitely the best student to ever attend Totsuki. Although her skills in terms of... other cooking styles were not as good, she was still able to climb to an Elite Ten seat."
Tilting his head with a confused expression, Haruya asked, "What's the Elite Ten?"
"The Elite Ten are the best chefs in the academy!" Alice, who had finally let go of Haruya, replied. "I'll definitely be part of the Elite Ten in the future!"
Soe Nakiri, the well-built man, spoke up for the first time. "At that time, it was quite controversial due to her skills being limited to baking, but that just shows how good she was to be able to shut down other forms of orthodox cooking. In fact, she is the only patissier in the history of the academy to ever make it to the Elite Ten." His voice was calm and collected.
"Wow..." Haruya replied, still trying to process all the new information. "You were pretty amazing when you were young, too, Mom."
"Hey!" Akari ruffled her son's head. "I'm still young!" She snorted, making the others laugh out loud.
Leonora smiled warmly. "It was during our time at the academy that we met and became best friends with each other," she continued. "It's just a pity that Mana..."
Hearing the name she mentioned, the joyful mood seemed to dampen a bit, making the atmosphere quieter than it was.
"Alright," Akari clapped, trying to lighten everyone up. "Since we've all reintroduced ourselves, why don't you, Nakiris, get to doing what you're best at. Cooking!"
Senzaemon nodded, "That's right, isn't that what we came here for? We won't be rude, then, we'll be borrowing your kitchen. Let's go, Soe." he pulled his son and headed toward the kitchen.
"Wait, bring Haruya with you," Akari called out. "He's only been able to learn pastry-making and baking from me, but for conventional meals, he's never had any proper professional training before. Who knows, he might be just as talented in other styles of cooking." She pushed her son towards the two men.
Senzaemon thought for a while and nodded. "Let's go then, young Haruya. It's been a while since these old bones of mine taught someone, I hope you can keep up well." He burst out laughing.
"Wait!" Alice raised her hand. "I wanna come too! I'll show you how good my cooking is, Haruya!"
"Nope." Just before she could follow along, Akari and Leonora grabbed her. "We don't have the proper tools for your molecular gastronomy style, and we'll be having our own girl talk!"
Alice's eyes turned cartoonish as she pouted, sounding out a small "Nooo~" but was ultimately not able to resist the two older women.
Haruya chuckled lightly at this sight.
Although he couldn't remember much about this apparent childhood friend of his, he still found her quite amusing and cute.
"Let's go then, young Haruya." Senzaemon pulled him and Soe straight to the kitchen.
Haruya followed behind them, his mind still a whirlwind of new information.
Totsuki Culinary Academy, Elite Ten, his mom's achievement when she was younger, and now a sudden, unexpected cooking lesson with two of the most powerful people in the culinary world.
It was a lot to take in.
As they entered the kitchen, the air instantly changed.
It was no longer the peaceful, comforting space it had been just a few hours ago when he was baking with Hayasaka.
Now, it felt like a professional battleground, albeit a very clean and organized one. The two men went to work immediately, their movements precise and practiced.
"Alright, young Haruya," Senzaemon's deep voice rumbled. "Your mother tells me you are an excellent patissier. That is good. The art of sweets requires discipline, precision, and an understanding of flavor that is second to none. But today, you will learn the true soul of cooking."
The elderly man scoured around the kitchen for ingredients and tools.
Senzaemon's cooking style, Haruya soon realized, was not about showmanship or fancy techniques. It was all about the fundamentals.
He had a quiet intensity, a focused energy that was completely different from Akari's more joyful, instinctive approach to baking.
Soe, on the other hand, was the perfect bridge between his father's tradition and the modern world.
He would watch his father's every move, then explain the technique in a way that made sense, almost like a translator for his father's unspoken knowledge.
"We will make yakitori," Senzaemon announced, his hands already moving with a speed that defied his age. "It is a dish of simplicity, but its perfection lies in the details. The way the meat is cut, the way it is skewered, and the way it is cooked over the flame. All of this contributes to a dish that is both simple and profound."
Senzaemon picked up a large chicken breast he grabbed from inside the refrigerator, and with a single, fluid motion of his knife, he separated the skin and the fat.
Haruya, who was used to working with delicate pastries, was mesmerized. He had never seen a chef work with such speed and grace.
Senzaemon then picked up a bamboo skewer, and with a few flicks of his wrist, he had perfectly pierced a dozen small pieces of chicken.
"The skewer must be placed in a way that allows the meat to cook evenly," Soe explained, his hands mimicking his father's. "Too close together, and the inside won't cook. Too far apart, and the outside will get too dry. It is a dance of balance and foresight."
Haruya nodded, trying to absorb every single piece of information.
When it was his turn to try, he found that his hands, which were so used to kneading dough and piping cream, moved with a surprising dexterity.
He was used to the careful placement of fruits and the precise piping of frosting, and this experience translated perfectly to the art of skewering.
Haruya was able to place each piece of chicken with a natural rhythm, impressing the two men.
His super ability was working.
Next came the marinade, the tare.
At the Nakiri home, Senzaemon had a large, centuries-old pot that he used for his tare, a mixture of soy sauce, mirin, and sake that had been simmering for generations.
It was a living thing, a piece of history that had been passed down from one chef to another. He simply gestured for Haruya to take a small bowl.
"We will be using a tare," Senzaemon said, his eyes on the pot he had taken from somewhere. "Each culinary family has its own. You will make yours today. The first of what will hopefully be a very long line of your own."
Haruya was taken aback. This wasn't just a lesson; it was a rite of passage.
Somewhat, he felt a sense of honor, a feeling he rarely got outside of the Sumeragi Bakery.
Soe showed him the ratios for the ingredients, and Haruya, with his background in patisserie and special ability of Adaptability, instinctively understood the balance of sweet, salty, and umami.
He added a touch more mirin, a little more sugar, and a few drops of something else, creating a glaze that was all his own. Senzaemon watched him, a silent, approving nod on his face.
Finally, they moved to the indoor grill. A professional yakitori grill that was stored somewhere in the kitchen was brought out and lit up.
The heat was intense, but it was the kind of heat that made you feel alive.
Haruya had worked with ovens and stoves before, but this was a completely different kind of flame. It was wild and untamed, and it had to be controlled with skill and finesse.
Senzaemon taught him the rhythm of the grill.
The quick turn, the gentle tap of the skewer to make sure it wasn't sticking, the moment when to dip it in the tare. Haruya's hands moved with an almost instinctive grace, his experience in the bakery translating perfectly.
He was used to knowing exactly when a pastry was done, when a cake was baked through, and he found that he had a similar feel for the yakitori. He was a natural.
After a while, Senzaemon, who had been watching him closely, burst out laughing. "Incredible!" he said, a genuine smile on his face. "Your mother was not exaggerating! You have the touch! The balance of a patissier, and the instinct of a chef!"
Soe nodded in agreement. "It is truly remarkable. To be able to pick up conventional cooking with such ease... You have a natural talent, Haruya."
Haruya felt a genuine sense of pride swell in his chest. It was one thing for his friends to compliment his baking, but to be praised by these two legendary chefs was something else entirely.
It was a feeling of validation, a confirmation that his skills weren't just limited to one type of cooking.
A meaningful experience that opened up a gate to a larger culinary world.
They finished up the last of the yakitori, the smell of sweet, smoky chicken filling the entire house.
It was a scent that was completely different from the familiar smell of bread and pastries, but it was just as comforting.
As they put the skewers on a large platter, Haruya felt a sense of accomplishment, a new kind of satisfaction that was different from the one he got from baking.
"It is done," Senzaemon said, a proud look on his face. "Now, let us go and see what the women have been up to. I am sure they are hungry."
Haruya just smiled. He followed the two men out of the kitchen, ready to share the fruits of their labor.
...
A/N: I haven't gotten any new reviews yet in a while, so if you liked the story so far, please do drop a couple of positive ones. I'll be reducing my power stone goals for this week because my summer break is finally ending today, and I'll be having classes again. I won't be able to write as much anymore, so yeah. We'll see if I'm able to stockpile a lot next week, which will maybe make it better or worse for the next goal, but we shall see. Also, I'm no expert cook, so I'm sure if I'm writing the cooking scenes well, but hopefully it's good enough to understand. Thank you all for reading. Let's all aim for a higher power stone ranking this week.
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