Chapter 16: Erina Surrendered
Ren emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray with Sonoko's order. The Green Papaya Salad (Som Tum), the Grilled Meat Roll (Nem Nuong), and a small porcelain pitcher of the Osmanthus Wine were arranged neatly.
The girl, Sonoko, smelled the wine immediately. It wasn't the harsh chemical smell of cheap spirits, but a delicate, floral perfume that seemed to calm her racing heart.
She frowned, picking up the pitcher. "What kind of wine is this? It smells like a garden."
Ren tilted his head, a gentle smile playing on his lips. "This one? Ah. This is my specially brewed Osmanthus Wine. I ferment it with rock sugar and dried osmanthus flowers for three years. It's very suitable for what you're thinking right now."
"What am I thinking?"
"You want to forget, but you don't want to suffer. With this, you can get drunk but won't harm your body. The wine tastes very good, sweet but potent~"
The girl nodded, saying no more. She poured a cup, downed it in one go, and felt a warm, comforting heat spread through her chest. It was like a hug.
She picked up her fork and reached for the appetizing Green Papaya Salad. The shredded papaya was vibrant green, tossed with tomatoes, green beans, and peanuts in a glistening dressing.
With one bite, a faint coolness entered her mouth, followed by an explosion of flavors.
Crunch.
The papaya shreds broke in her mouth with a crisp sound that echoed from her oral cavity all the way to her mind. A hint of natural bitterness emerged, immediately balanced by the umami of fish sauce, the sharp acidity of lime juice, and a touch of fiery bird's eye chili.
"Oh..."
The girl's mind, previously occupied by thoughts of a cheating boyfriend and a failed confession, was instantly consumed by this dish. The sourness made her mouth water, washing away the bitterness of her day.
She ate rapidly, almost forgetting about the meat roll beside her, nodding occasionally in silent approval.
It was only halfway through her meal that the girl remembered the Grilled Meat Roll. This wasn't a wrap, but literally a sausage-like roll made purely of seasoned pork, grilled on a skewer until charred.
The girl swallowed, picked up her knife, and cut it in the middle.
A burst of hot steam released a rich meaty aroma mixed with a faint hint of lemongrass and garlic.
The girl looked at the cross-section and saw that the center of the meat roll wasn't just solid meat; it was textured, filled with tiny pockets of air and juice. She could see mushrooms, ground meat, and onions integrated perfectly.
She sniffed, cut off a small piece, and put it into her mouth.
Instantly, she froze.
"No taste?"
For a split second, her tongue registered nothing. The girl absolutely refused to believe such a fragrant dish could be tasteless.
But just as she was about to frown, the flavor exploded.
It rose from her throat and finally filled her mouth like a delayed bomb. The savory depth of the pork, enhanced by the sweetness of the caramelized onions and the earthiness of the mushrooms, dominated her entire mouth and brain.
The girl eagerly cut another piece. This time, she focused on the texture: the astonishing elasticity of the ground meat (it bounced!), the crispy exterior of the roasted skin, combined with the supreme chewiness provided by the mushroom dices soaked in meat juice.
Addictive.
The girl felt that this was what addiction must mean. It was better than any boy.
As she was happily eating, Ren returned with a white porcelain pot.
"Hmm. It seems to suit your taste. That's good. You look much happier now."
He placed the pot on the table. "So, this is your Red Wine Braised Beef (Boeuf Bourguignon) and rice. Please enjoy. Just call me if you need a refill."
After saying that, Ren was about to leave, but the girl reached out and grabbed his sleeve gently.
"Thank you," she said softly, her eyes shimmering. "It's a very delicious dish… I feel like I'm alive again."
Ren paused. He looked at her hand, then at her face. He smiled warmly. "Thank you for the compliment~ Enjoy."
With that, Ren turned and walked towards the counter where Lucifer was waiting.
Lucifer watched him with a knowing smile until he sat down opposite her. Then she rested her chin on her hand and glanced at the main table, where Erina was currently slumped over, almost melting into a puddle of bliss.
Ren understood and followed her gaze. Sure enough, Erina was already lost in a culinary paradise, her face flushed, her eyes glazed over. She looked less like a queen and more like a devotee.
Senzaemon Nakiri, meanwhile, would occasionally glance at his granddaughter and show a mischievous smile while buttoning up his spare shirt. What a good, wicked national grandfather~
Ren chuckled softly. "This is a normal reaction for high-level dishes. If I'm not mistaken, this girl has a Super Sense of Taste—probably the God Tongue—that can visualize the flavors of food. The old man is really quite wicked. Bringing her here without warning... This kind of sensory overload will be too much for her inexperienced mind."
Lucifer smiled, sipping her water. "The curse should be gone now, right~ You finally sat down."
"Eat up~" Ren gestured to the clay pot.
This time, Lucifer picked up her chopsticks. She had already been conquered by just one sip of the fish soup earlier. She knew that if she returned to Hell now without finishing this, she would go crazy thinking about it for eternity.
She picked up a piece of white fish fillet. It was tender, almost falling apart. She put it in her mouth.
Spicy. Sour. Savory.
The soup had cooled slightly, but it still couldn't diminish its deliciousness. The pickled greens provided a crunchy contrast to the soft fish.
Lucifer narrowed her eyes in pleasure. She swallowed and then said to Ren, trying to make conversation, "By the way, I finished the novel you told me to read on the phone~"
"Finished it?" Ren raised an eyebrow, surprised. "That fast? There are fifty chapters."
"Mm. I read fast. It's that novel called 'Love Metronome'."
Upon hearing this title, the black-haired girl (Utaha Kasumigaoka), who was immersed in the taste of her beef at the window seat, immediately sobered up.
Her fork clattered against the bowl. She froze.
She discreetly glanced over her shoulder, her heart pounding. They are talking about my book?
Ren smiled, calmly eating his dish, unaware of the author's presence. "How was it?"
Lucifer ate a piece of the pork chop Ren had added to her soup, then shivered at the spice. Her face was slightly red.
"Hmm… well, to be honest, as you said, the writing is average," Lucifer critiqued ruthlessly. "The character development isn't distinct enough yet, and the plot is too straightforward. The pacing drags in the middle. The key is that this plot is a bit… cliché. Does anyone really read plots like this anymore…?"
The girl at the window seat lowered her head. Her expression became dejected. Even a random customer thinks it's bad...
Ren looked at Lucifer and smiled. He noticed the girl's reaction in his peripheral vision—he had known who she was the moment she walked in.
Lucifer continued, softly, "But... you can see between the lines that the author went from not caring about this work to being unwilling to give up. The passion in the later chapters is palpable. That's great. It has soul. It's a pity it stopped updating."
The girl looked at the two of them in disbelief. Her eyes widened behind her glasses.
Ren smiled and said loud enough for her to hear, "Right. I've been following it all along. It has potential to be a masterpiece if the author just pushes through. It's a shame I don't know the author's address, otherwise I'd definitely send a razor blade—I mean, a fan letter—to encourage them to update~"
Lucifer smiled, not expecting Ren to have such a whimsical side. "You'd threaten them into writing? How demonic."
"Whatever works."
The girl, Utaha, took off her glasses. Her beautiful large, dark red eyes were now slightly misted with tears.
Someone is reading. Someone is waiting.
She took a sip of her Osmanthus wine. A fresh, sweet taste surged forth, and it was as if the flavors of all the dishes she had eaten before were sublimated into pure inspiration.
After a long while, the girl opened her eyes. Her gaze was no longer scattered or heartbroken. It was filled with determination.
I will write. I will update tonight.
Meanwhile, at the main table.
Finally, with Hisako's support, Erina sat up. Her golden hair was completely soaked with sweat, sticking to her neck. Her clothes were also damp, as if she had just taken a hot bath or run a marathon.
Erina, panting heavily, looked at the finished dish in front of her. The plate was licked clean.
After a long moment, she exhaled a shaky breath. "Haa..."
Senzaemon Nakiri had already finished eating and was waiting patiently for Erina to return to reality. Seeing Erina eat the last slice of Bluefin Tuna Sashimi with a look of reverence, Senzaemon Nakiri smiled.
Mission accomplished.
At this moment, Erina looked at Ren.
She saw him playing on his phone and eating his dish—common Sauerkraut Fish—without changing his expression, chatting casually with the white-haired beauty.
She no longer looked down on this man. The arrogance was gone, stripped away by the Fleur de Sel and the perfect Wagyu. All she felt was awe and a terrifying amount of respect.
Erina was arrogant, that was true. But she was also a perfectionist. In the face of such a vast difference in skill, Erina would not act as she usually did.
This principle is like someone with five million yen in savings envying someone with ten million. They would express dissatisfaction, compete, and try to surpass them.
But they would never have such thoughts about someone with fifty billion. The gap is too wide. It ceases to be a competition and becomes a fact of nature.
All she could feel was admiration and worship. The reason is simple: because this was someone she could never catch up to, even if all the luck of her entire life burst forth. He operated in a different dimension.
Senzaemon Nakiri smiled and said, "Are you convinced, Erina?"
Erina didn't speak immediately. She gritted her teeth and looked away, her cheeks pink.
"I..." she started. She wanted to deny it. But her tongue wouldn't let her lie.
She would no longer disrespect Ren, but she still couldn't accept such a brilliant chef wasting his skills in this dark alley. This was a loss for the entire culinary world! It was a crime against gastronomy!
Senzaemon Nakiri laughed loudly. "Ren! Come here a moment!"
Ren walked over, wiping his mouth.
"Ren! You've accomplished something many people can't~ To convince my granddaughter, the possessor of the God Tongue, that's truly as hard as ascending to heaven! Hahahahaha!"
Ren smiled. He reached up and tidied a strand of silver hair that had fallen by his ear.
"Is that so?" he said nonchalantly. "Then that's truly my honor. Though, I didn't expect to meet a customer with a Super Sense of Taste tonight."
Erina was stunned. She looked up sharply. "How... had I mentioned having the God Tongue?"
Ren saw Erina's confusion and said with a gentle smile, "Be confident. You didn't say it. I don't know who you are, really. The reason I know you have a Super Sense of Taste is simple."
He pointed to her empty plates.
"Because any dish in my hands can reach this level of flavor for a normal person. But your state just now—the sweating, the trance, the physical reaction—there's no other explanation besides a Super Sense of Taste amplifying the experience a hundredfold~ Normal people just say 'yummy'."
Erina sighed. She slumped in her chair. She was completely seen through.
At this point, Erina stood up directly. She bowed slightly—a huge gesture for her.
"Mr. Ren! First, please forgive my previous rudeness and arrogance. I was blind."
She raised her head, her eyes burning with intensity.
"Then, I have a request. Please enter the professional culinary world! Come to Totsuki! Your skills and these top-tier dishes are a loss to the culinary world hiding here! You could be the greatest chef of our generation!"
Ren paused. He looked at her earnest face.
Then he smiled, a bit sadly. "Someone in another field has said that too. 'You should fight in the Kengan matches,' she said. But I won't leave."
"Why?!" Erina demanded.
"Don't ask why. Because cooking, to me, isn't about showing off or pursuing the ultimate deliciousness for critics. It's about the first two points: eating until you're full and eating happily."
He gestured to the empty restaurant.
"Deliciousness is an added bonus after that~"
He looked her in the eye.
"As long as I have ingredients, I can make anything. But different people need different things. Here, eating happily and being satisfied is always the first priority. Then comes the deliciousness you pursue. And finally... the quality of the ingredients. That is, what you call 'rare ingredients' or 'luxury'. Because that thing is the most useless part of cooking."
Erina's eyes widened suddenly. She felt like she had been slapped.
She had just heard something completely contrary to her entire culinary philosophy! Ingredients are the most useless?!
Meanwhile, in a dark dojo in another part of the city.
A long-haired girl with purple hair (Saeko Busujima) punched a wooden stake, shattering it.
She paused, wiping sweat from her forehead.
Achoo!
She sneezed delicately. Her face immediately flushed as she rubbed her small nose.
"Is Ren thinking of me?" she murmured, a dreamy smile appearing on her usually stoic face. "Hehehehe~ I should go visit him soon."
[Akarin's Note: The girl writing the novel is Utaha Kasumigaoka from Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend. The purple-haired girl is Saeko Busujima from Highschool of the Dead.]
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