Chapter 17: Wanting a Pet
Erina Nakiri stood with her back straight, but her hands were clenched into fists at her sides. She still couldn't accept such culinary principles.
For her, cuisine was a pyramid. It was divided into good and bad, noble and peasant. Commoner food was low-tier sustenance; only precious delicacies made with the finest, most expensive ingredients were true cuisine, worthy of being called perfect. Her father had drilled this into her since she could hold a spoon.
But now Ren directly told her that all dishes were the same, with no essential difference. He claimed that ingredients only determined the price tag, but to him, they were the most irrelevant variable in the equation of flavor.
"I… cannot agree with your philosophy," Erina said, her voice trembling slightly. "It insults the sanctity of ingredients."
Ren sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn't argue. Instead, he returned to the kitchen.
Erina was still standing there, stunned by his dismissal.
A few moments later, the kitchen curtain parted. This time, Ren came out with two plates: one was a bowl of chilled noodles that looked very simple and appetizing, and the other was a small, exquisite bowl of Seafood Risotto.
Ren placed them on the counter. He then divided the noodles into three small tasting portions and the rice into three portions, placing them in front of Senzaemon Nakiri, Erina, and Hisako. The already small portions became almost a single bite when divided.
Erina looked at Ren in confusion. "What is this?"
Ren just smiled and said, "Only light novel protagonists convince people with flowery speeches about the 'heart of cooking.' This is reality. To make you understand this principle, I'll use practical actions to show whether my words are right or not."
He gestured to the bowls.
"In your culinary world's terms, this is the final judgment. A blind taste test, minus the blindfolds. Among you three, I only know that the old man is quite formidable, and you two shouldn't be far behind given your uniforms. You even have a Super Sense of Taste (God Tongue). So, this kind of judgment should be authoritative enough, right?"
Senzaemon Nakiri nodded gravely. "Of course. The authority of the God Tongue is absolute."
Erina also nodded, her pride piqued. I will prove you wrong with my own tongue.
Lucifer and the others looked on with interest, munching on their own food as if watching a cooking show drama.
Erina took a deep breath to cleanse her palate. Then, she first picked up the small bowl of Seafood Risotto. Senzaemon Nakiri and Hisako did the same.
It looked expensive. Saffron, lobster, truffles.
She took a bite.
Explosion.
Just a small bite brought Erina's God Tongue to a very pleasurable state. The richness of the lobster bisque used as the base, the earthiness of the truffles, the perfect al dente texture of the Arborio rice... it was magnificent. A symphony of luxury.
"Excellent," she murmured.
The other two also had expressions of pure enjoyment.
After a moment, Erina rinsed her mouth with clear water to reset her palate. Then, with a hint of resistance in her eyes, she picked up the bowl of noodles.
It looked plain. Just cold noodles with a dark sauce and some cucumber shreds.
This cannot compare, she thought.
She took a bite.
Slurp.
Chew.
Clatter...
The chopsticks fell directly from her hand to the floor.
Ren's mouth curved upwards into a knowing smirk; this was the exact effect he wanted to see.
Erina froze. Her eyes dilated. A shockwave went through her brain.
She suddenly looked up at Ren and said in disbelief, "What... what kind of noodles are these?!"
"They're Cold Noodles with Sesame Sauce (Liang Mian)," Ren replied casually. "The most typical commoner dish you speak of. Street food. Don't doubt your initial judgment."
[Akarin's Note: Cold Noodles with Sesame Sauce (Liang Mian) is a popular Chinese dish, often served as street food or a quick meal. It relies heavily on the balance of the sauce.]
Hearing this, Erina was completely stunned.
"It really is... just cold noodles..." she whispered blankly. "But why... why does it taste just as fulfilling? Why is the impact the same?"
She looked back at the risotto. "What's in this seafood risotto?"
Ren chuckled, leaning against the counter. "With your super palate, you should be able to guess how precious the ingredients inside are. To be honest, when I was cooking that risotto, I even wondered if I was stir-frying gold. I used Blue Lobster, White Truffles from Alba, and Saffron that costs more per gram than my car. It's a dish worth thousands of dollars."
He pointed to the noodles.
"And those noodles? Flour, water, sesame paste, soy sauce, vinegar, and cucumber. Total cost? Maybe 50 yen."
He leaned closer.
"But tell me, Erina. Which one made you happier? Which one felt more 'complete'?"
Erina lowered her head and fell completely silent.
If someone of equal strength or slightly stronger than her had said something so completely contrary to her culinary views, Erina would have definitely gotten angry and argued back with theory.
But now, Ren was far, far stronger than her. He was a mountain she couldn't see the top of.
Naturally, Erina could listen to his words, but she would never waver in her beliefs easily. Yet, now, the stark reality was laid out on her tongue.
She could taste that the seafood risotto was full of precious ingredients. It was flawless luxury.
But the cold noodles... the balance of the nutty sesame, the acidity of the vinegar, the springiness of the dough... it achieved the exact same level of culinary impact and satisfaction as the gold-standard risotto.
Flavor is flavor, her tongue whispered to her. Price is a social construct.
Erina was truly bewildered. Her foundation was cracking.
When Senzaemon Nakiri saw this, he merely showed a hint of a satisfied smile. This was the effect he wanted; Erina absolutely needed to reshape her culinary philosophy! Her concepts were completely wrong, even somewhat twisted, because of her father's abusive teachings. Ren was the antidote.
Ren said nothing more to rub it in. He sat aside, continuing to play on his phone, as if what had just happened had nothing to do with him.
Saitama stood up at this moment, wiping his mouth. He put down his money on the counter.
"Still very delicious! And thanks for the extra portion. I'll come again in a few days~ Maybe after the supermarket sale."
Ren put down his phone, stood up, and nodded with a smile. "See you, Saitama."
After Saitama left, Senzaemon Nakiri also stood up. He settled the bill for the extravagant meal.
"Thank you! Ren, then I'll be going too! Erina, I'll wait for you in the car. Take your time."
After speaking, he walked towards the door, his geta clicking rhythmically.
Erina sat for a while longer, staring at the two empty bowls. Slowly, she stood up, somewhat dazed.
She gave Ren a complex look—a mix of frustration, respect, and curiosity.
Then she softly said, her voice barely a whisper, "Can I get that Osmanthus Wine to go...?"
"You can~"
Ren said, walking back into the kitchen. He returned with a very ancient-looking small ceramic wine pot, sealed with a red stopper, which he placed in front of Erina.
Erina nodded, clutching it like a lifeline. She softly asked, "How much?"
"Eight hundred yen~"
Erina paused. She blinked. Eight hundred? For a wine that tastes like heaven?
Then she gave a wry smile. "As expected of you... You really don't care about money, do you?"
"I care enough to keep the lights on."
"Shopkeeper Ren... I will come again..."
"Welcome back anytime~"
Hisako hurriedly put down a one-thousand yen bill on the table and, without waiting for Ren to give change, scurried after Erina, who had already walked out with the wine pot held tightly to her chest.
Ren looked at the bill on the table and sighed, picking it up. "Why do I always feel like I'm taking advantage of people? They always tip so much."
Lucifer smiled from her seat. "Maybe because you undersell yourself?"
Ren cleaned the table, put away the money in the register, then sighed and sat back down next to Lucifer. He continued to scroll on his phone.
Lucifer thought for a moment and leaned closer to peek at his screen.
Ren only felt a waft of fragrance—lilies and sulfur—then saw a delicate and beautiful profile appear before him.
It was the first time Ren had looked at Lucifer so closely. She truly was as beautiful as her reputation suggested. Her skin was porcelain white, flawless. Her crimson eyes were like red crystals—calm, elegant, majestic, gentle, curious—almost every emotion could be seen swimming within them.
Lucifer also noticed Ren's gaze. Her face flushed slightly as she straightened up, clearing her throat to hide her embarrassment.
"What are you looking at? Is there something on my face?"
"Just admiring the view," Ren teased lightly.
"Hmph." She tossed her hair. "Why do I always see you with your phone? Are you addicted?"
Ren tilted his head. "Chatting with old friends from my travels, checking news updates. And occasionally reading pet magazines... That's pretty much it."
"Pet magazines? Dogs?"
Ren thought for a moment and nodded. "That's right. Dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, and so on. I'll look at them all. I feel dogs and cats are a bit better for companionship. However, since it's a Restaurant, it's better not to keep pets due to hygiene regulations. So I can only look at them~"
Lucifer tilted her head as if she had thought of something. She tapped her chin.
"Is it because of toilet issues? Or fear of biting people? Or scaring them? Or shedding fur?"
Ren thought for a moment. "Basically all of them. It takes a lot of responsibility. It would be great if these things didn't exist. No... it would be great if they could directly turn into humans during business hours to help out. But that would be a bit too outrageous, even for me."
Lucifer's eyes lit up instantly. A lightbulb went off in her head.
She seemed to have thought of something brilliant, revealing a meaningful, slightly mischievous smile.
If it was a dog... I really do have one that meets all the conditions Ren mentioned~
Three heads are better than one, right?
In the limousine at this moment.
Erina tightly clutched the small wine pot in her hand, not saying a word. She stared out the window at the passing city lights.
Hisako looked at Erina with worry. She naturally knew Ren was right, and Erina was just temporarily unable to recover from the shock of having her worldview shattered.
Senzaemon Nakiri smiled from the opposite seat. "Erina, what do you think?"
Erina thought for a long time. She looked at the small wine pot in her hand. She remembered the taste of the cold noodles.
A determined look flashed in her violet eyes as she said, "I will go again!"
"Oh?"
"I need to understand it," Erina declared. "I need to understand how he does it. How he creates gold from dust."
Senzaemon Nakiri closed his eyes, a satisfied smile on his lips. This was the best outcome for today. Erina's culinary philosophy had been shaken to its core; it only needed one final gentle push to collapse and be rebuilt stronger.
And the hand that would push... would be the Elite Ten's self-selected Restaurant for the Stagiaire program.
Practical Training is coming, Erina, he thought. And you are walking right into the dragon's den.
[Akarin Note:
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