"Erina."
"Are you free tonight?"
Looking up at the teary-eyed Erina.
Sosuke simply nodded, responding to her greeting, then immediately asked in return.
"Mm!"
"I... I'm... just free."
Erina blushed and replied softly.
"Pfft!"
"Young Lady, what do you mean 'just'?
"You were clearly dragging my hand, saying we had to hurry to the Izakaya to see what new dishes Sosuke had..."
Seeing Erina being so timid in front of Sosuke, Hisako couldn't hold it in anymore and blurted out the truth!
"Hisako."
"I... I didn't!"
"It's just that I was bored today and wanted to come to the Izakaya for a meal, and to pass my free time!"
Erina, exposed by Hisako in public, couldn't help but blush even more, and could only turn her head to glare at her in shame and anger.
Seeing this, Hisako quickly covered her mouth, knowing when to be discreet.
"Erina."
"Why are you also at the Izakaya?"
Just then, Alice, who had just recovered, took the initiative to ask.
Her voice coincidentally broke the awkward atmosphere in the Izakaya, but Erina was momentarily stunned.
From her surprised expression, it was clear that she never expected her cousin to arrive at the Izakaya before her.
"Alice, shouldn't I be the one asking you that question first?"
"What's so strange about that? I already figured that the Rising Dragon Dumplings that could fly weren't created by you at all, so I came to the Izakaya early tonight!"
Alice snorted coldly and replied.
"At least you're smart."
"You knew to come to the Izakaya to find Sosuke and have him make the real Rising Dragon Dumplings!"
Erina, of course, knew that with Alice's personality, she would certainly not listen to her. Therefore, she used the Rising Dragon Dumplings dish to make her actively seek out Sosuke.
After all, at present, only he could truly provide some useful opinions and insights to her.
...
"So that's how it is."
"This is another Young Lady of the Nakiri?"
Beside them, Rindo, who initially wasn't interested in Alice, finally understood Alice's identity after Erina appeared.
"Yes, Rindou-senpai, she is my cousin, Alice Nakiri!" Erina quickly responded to Rindo upon hearing this.
"Senpai? Is she also a student of our Totsuki?"
Alice was stunned for a moment and began to curiously size up Rindo.
"Huh?"
"You don't know her yet?"
"Rindou-senpai is the current Second Seat of our Totsuki's Elite Ten, Rindo!"
At her words, Alice couldn't help but widen her eyes, her face filled with disbelief.
Who would have thought that the diner who had been sitting silently beside her, drinking sake and eating a bowl of Almond Tofu, would actually be the current Second Seat of the Elite Ten, known as the second most important person at Totsuki Academy!
No!
What is going on with this Izakaya?
The first time she came here, she met the Second Seat of the 89th Elite Ten, and then the second time she came, she met the current Second Seat of the Elite Ten!
This situation made Alice shiver down her spine, and she kept looking around at the other diners.
...
"Erina."
"Didn't you say you wanted to see what new dishes I had?"
"Indeed, as you thought, I have recently developed a brand new dish..."
Seeing Erina just sit down, Sosuke leaned over and whispered in her ear.
"Really?"
"There's a new dish again?"
Erina's eyes lit up as she asked in return.
As a girl with the God Tongue, to be precise, she had become increasingly inseparable from Sosuke's cooking during this time.
"Then, as before, I will treat you with the new dish, and you will taste it with your God Tongue and then give your evaluation?"
"Alright, then I look forward to your new dish."
Erina nodded repeatedly.
How could she miss such an opportunity to be the first diner to taste Sosuke's new dish?
"OK!"
"Then please wait!"
After speaking, Sosuke turned and returned to the cooking station, preparing to make the new dish!
...
Eggs!
They come from hens.
And hens and eggs can be used to make many dishes, among the most representative of which is Oyakodon, or: Oyako Donburi!
First, prepare a hen, along with shiitake mushrooms, green onions, kelp, onions, eggs, mirin, sauce, and sugar.
Then, debone the hen, removing excess fat and skin, and slice the onion thickly.
Crack the eggs into a bowl, break the chalazae, and lightly beat them, no need to completely whisk them, this way the different textures of the egg white and yolk will be preserved.
Next, prepare half a bowl of water, one tablespoon of sauce, half a tablespoon of cooking sake, half a tablespoon of sugar, and half a tablespoon of sake, mix well and set aside.
Over medium heat, heat a pan, and place the chicken skin-side down to fry until the skin is oily and crispy.
This step is only to force out excess oil, not to cook the chicken through.
Finally, cut the fried chicken into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
Pour the prepared sauce into the pan and bring to a boil, add the onion slices, and the chicken cut into bite-sized pieces, cook until done, skimming off any foam occasionally.
Add half of the beaten egg, cover and cook for about half a minute.
Then add the remaining half of the beaten egg, cook for ten seconds until slightly set.
Finally, pour it over hot rice, sprinkle with green onions, and a fragrant bowl of Oyakodon is ready!
...
"Oyakodon?"
Seeing the new dish before her was just an ordinary Oyakodon, Erina felt a bit speechless.
Thinking back to the Rising Dragon Dumplings and Reincarnation Spring Roll, the shock they brought was so intense that every time she recalled them, she would wonder how such amazing dishes could exist in this world.
However, this Oyakodon before her...
Involuntarily, Erina's gaze towards Sosuke became somewhat resentful, as if she was waiting for an explanation from him.
"Don't worry."
"You will like this bowl of Oyakodon."
"Because it will awaken the person hidden in your heart, the one you will face in the future, no, perhaps very soon!"
Sosuke, however, spoke mysteriously.
Hearing this, Erina could only hold the heavy ceramic bowl with both hands.
After looking at the glistening Oyakodon inside, she could only roll her eyes at Sosuke in annoyance.
If she hadn't already witnessed his culinary skills, a dish like this would have been thrown directly into the trash by her in the past, without even taking a bite.
But in the end, she still chose to trust Sosuke and began to scoop a mouthful of rice with a small spoon and eat it.
...
Love!
It is always two-sided.
Although eggs are laid by hens, sometimes they are at odds.
A hen can give everything for her eggs, but even if she is careful and stays with her eggs, bumps and scrapes are inevitable.
Finally, one day, the hen couldn't take it anymore and left the eggs, covered in scars.
Later, the eggs began to hatch into chicks, and they gradually began to understand the hen's pain at that time, but they also felt so powerless in the face of cruel reality!
"This... this rice..."
Swallowing a mouthful, Erina's face immediately showed sadness, and finally, she murmured softly, "Mom, I miss my mom!"
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