"Ryō!"
"This is the finished Dragon Whispering Strawberry."
"Could you please taste it and see if there are any areas that need improvement?"
Alice softly said, handing a finished Dragon Whispering Strawberry to Ryō Kurokiba, who stood beside her with dark circles under his eyes.
At first glance, the Dragon Whispering Strawberry was indistinguishable from a real strawberry, but upon closer inspection, one could still notice that their textures were completely different!
Although the ingredients used were strawberries, and the final product was also strawberries,
after dozens of complex processes, this Dragon Whispering Strawberry had truly become the most intricate Molecular Cuisine dish in the world.
Gelatinization of gelatin, whipping with a siphon, freeze-drying with liquid nitrogen, low-temperature slow cooking…
Not only that, the combination of traditional techniques like sugar blowing and precise laboratory equipment made Ryō Kurokiba, who was about to taste it, feel that this small "strawberry" on the plate was extremely complex!
Puff!
Ryō Kurokiba gently tapped the strawberry with a small spoon.
Instantly, the thin, crisp outer sugar shell shattered, creating a heartache as if a perfect work of art had been destroyed.
Immediately after, Ryō Kurokiba quickly drizzled a spoonful of hot strawberry jam over it.
This combination of cold and hot truly brought the visual effect of the "Dragon Whispering Strawberry" to a stunning level.
His skilled pouring motion indicated that he had tasted the Dragon Whispering Strawberry more than once before.
Finally, under Alice's expectant gaze, he slowly opened his mouth and began to taste it.
...
Upon tasting it,
a sweetness that was strawberry-like yet surpassed strawberries immediately exploded in his mouth.
As for the texture, it was definitely the "double heaven of ice and fire" at -196℃ and +99℃.
Sour!
Sweet!
Icy!
Cold!
Crisp!
Soft!
There was also a sensation similar to popping candy.
All sorts of unexpected flavors were concentrated in one tiny strawberry.
It directly left Ryō Kurokiba unable to describe the impact of this taste on his tongue with any words!
"Miss Alice."
"Your Dragon Whispering Strawberry has improved a lot compared to the previous times."
Finally, Ryō Kurokiba swallowed and continued with a poker face, "However, with this level of cooking, I don't think it will satisfy Miss Erina!"
"That's for sure."
"She's a monster with the God Tongue; she won't be satisfied with any dish I make."
As she spoke, Alice actually packed up the remaining Dragon Whispering Strawberry, then calmly said to Ryō Kurokiba, "I just want her to understand."
"The me now is no longer the person who only made desserts and cakes!"
With that, she hastily left the kitchen.
Seeing Alice like this, Ryō Kurokiba could only let out a soft sigh.
...
At the same time.
In a quiet courtyard at Totsuki Academy.
Everywhere here were carved beams and painted pillars, and walking along the green paths, all one could see were rare flowers and exotic plants.
Not far away, a winding stream flowed under a corridor, then poured into a small pond, like a fairyland, intoxicating the heart and soul.
As usual, Erina had to taste all kinds of dishes.
And now, placed before her, was the last dish: oyster congee.
Looking closely at this bowl of congee, there were a few scallions, several chopped green cilantro leaves sprinkled on the surface, and occasionally a few mischievous oysters, with plump and milky white bellies, swimming in the congee…
Wafts of aroma rose upwards, filling the entire courtyard, making even Hisako, who was standing nearby, feel intoxicated with hunger!
Slurp!
Slurp!
Afterward, Erina took a bite.
It was more like seafood congee than oyster congee.
Besides oysters, it also contained dried scallops, regular scallops, sea eel, shrimp, and other seafood products.
There were even dozens of ingredients like carrots, lily bulbs, goji berries, and dried walnuts, all cooked together in a ceramic casserole, simmered over high heat with cold water for 4 hours, until the bone marrow permeated from the bone seams and the bone broth reached a milky white consistency.
Overall, the taste was delicious, thick, smooth, and fragrant.
But it was clear that such oyster congee still failed to satisfy Erina.
A single comment of "tasteless" might even ruin the culinary career of the chef who meticulously prepared the oyster congee.
...
"It's truly tasteless."
"Why can't those famous chefs be like Sosuke?"
"Able to create dishes that even the God Tongue finds amazing with just a few simple ingredients?"
Walking out of the courtyard, Erina said with a troubled expression.
She wondered if it was influenced by Sosuke's cooking, or if her God Tongue had become even pickier.
Now, whenever she tasted various dishes, her mind would involuntarily recall those Reincarnation Spring Roll, Rising Dragon Dumplings, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall…
Indeed, during this period, Erina seemed to have developed a dependence on Sosuke's cooking.
It's just that she didn't seem to have truly recognized this point yet, simply thinking that everyone else's cooking was inferior to Sosuke's!
"Hisako."
"Are there any other work arrangements?"
"Miss Erina, all your work for today is finished."
Hisako Arato, who was following closely behind, couldn't help but chuckle, covering her mouth, seeing Erina constantly mentioning Sosuke one moment and Rising Dragon Dumplings the next.
"All finished?"
"It's rare to have an entire day that's so relaxed."
Knowing that there was nothing to do today, Erina couldn't help but take a deep breath.
Then, she finally couldn't suppress her restless heart, cautiously observing her surroundings, and after finding no one, she whispered into Hisako's ear, "The latest second volume of 'Redo of Healer'…"
"I just bought it."
Hisako Arato quickly added, "Miss, it's on the sofa in your villa's living room."
"Really?" Upon hearing this, Erina's bright eyes instantly lit up.
She couldn't help but reach out and pat Hisako's shoulder, smiling, "You've worked really hard lately. If there's nothing else, you should go rest too!"
"Alright, alright, Miss, I won't bother you anymore!"
Knowing that Erina was eager to go back and read those "pure" manga books, Hisako nodded understandingly.
...
Returning to the villa, Erina impatiently pushed open the door.
However, the first thing she saw was her cousin, Alice Nakiri, sitting on the sofa reading a manga book, and it was none other than "Redo of Healer."
"Erina."
"Where have you been? Why are you only coming back now?"
Moving the manga book aside, Alice slightly raised her head, blinked, and asked Erina.
"Ah?"
"Alice?"
"How… how did you…"
Erina certainly didn't expect Alice to be there.
But when her eyes landed on the manga book, she suddenly blushed!
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