Placed before Senzaemon Nakiri was a simple plate of Fried Tempura.
Fresh fish and vegetables were kneaded together, then coated in egg and batter.
Then, they were placed in a wok of oil and fried.
When eating, one would dip it in a sauce made of soy sauce and grated daikon radish.
This was one of this country's most famous dishes, and also one of the most common.
Basically, everyone knew how to make it, but achieving perfection was extremely difficult.
Senzaemon took a deep breath, as if preparing for something.
Then, with a solemn expression, he picked up a piece of Tempura and dipped it in the sauce on the side.
The moment he placed the Tempura in his mouth, his solemn expression instantly became one of utter relaxation, as if he were enjoying the most sublime pleasure in the world.
Under the shocked gazes of Erina and Hisako, the clothes on Senzaemon's upper body exploded right off!
"He actually! He actually made Grandfather's clothes explode!!!"
Erina was utterly shocked.
Clothes explosion—this was the Food Demon King's ultimate evaluation of a dish!
Only a dish that had reached the pinnacle of completion could trigger the conditions for a clothes explosion!
In other words...
Erina stared in shock at the ordinary-looking Tempura.
She no longer knew what to say...
'To think he had taken such an utterly ordinary dish to this level!'
"Ahem, please be mindful of your image!"
Kamisaka Yuto looked at the bare-chested Senzaemon, feeling quite helpless.
Why did this clothes-exploding setting have to exist?
This was the fourteenth time Senzaemon's clothes had exploded!
And it was the fourteenth time he had given the same reminder...
"Hahaha! My apologies, my apologies. It's just that your cooking is too delicious, young boss!"
Senzaemon had somehow changed into a new set of clothes from who-knows-where.
He stroked his beard, his expression one of extreme satisfaction and excitement.
Erina turned her gaze to the Tamagoyaki in front of her.
This was one of the simplest ways to prepare eggs in Japanese cuisine.
But it was very popular with girls.
The soft, tender egg carried a hint of sweetness from the sugar—a delicacy that no girl could refuse.
The Tamagoyaki in front of Nakiri Erina was sliced.
It should have originally been a rectangular block of egg.
But now, it was divided into four perfectly square pieces.
They looked like small, exquisitely folded blankets.
A gentle poke with her chopsticks revealed a surprising springiness!
The faint aroma of egg that reached her nose made Nakiri Erina subconsciously pick up a piece and place it in her mouth.
The egg, cooked to a perfect state between soft and tender, was as fluffy as cotton candy.
The subtle sweetness spread throughout her body before she even realized it.
Sweetness is the first beautiful sensation humans experience.
When people are sad, eating candy can unknowingly lift their spirits.
This is a memory buried deep within the human body.
Erina subconsciously closed her eyes.
In a daze, she seemed to see a paradise made of eggs.
And she was the sole visitor to this paradise...
"My lady, my lady..."
In her hazy consciousness, Erina seemed to hear a familiar voice calling her.
'Oh, it was just Hisako...'
'Huh?!'
Erina realized something was wrong as she finally came back to her senses!
And when she did, she found that everyone in the small shop was staring at her...
A wave of shame instantly washed over her!
"Would you like some water?"
Kamisaka Yuto poured a glass of water for Erina.
Erina forced herself to nod calmly, not daring to look up at the people around her.
Beside her, Hisako also took a bite of her own Ochazuke.
In an instant, she became just as Erina had been moments before.
Her eyes glazed over, her movements paused, as if she had been drugged.
Kamisaka Yuto tapped her hand, which was what brought her back to her senses.
"You want some water too?"
"Ah? Oh! Yes! Thank you!"
The two girls now sat quietly, clutching their water glasses.
They looked calm, but the blush on their faces betrayed the turmoil in their hearts.
"Hmph, now you know how amazing Yuto-kun is, don't you!"
The tipsy Kasumigaoka, emboldened by the alcohol, mocked the two girls.
Kamisaka Yuto, however, felt helpless.
"Kasumigaoka-san, you're drunk. Please stop talking and just drink your tea quietly."
Kamisaka Yuto poured a cup of tea for Kasumigaoka.
The girl rested her chin directly on the tabletop, her face as red as a cute apple.
"Hehehe, I'm not drunk."
The girl with hazy, drunken eyes declared that she was not drunk.
Her words were met with a helpless sigh from Kamisaka Yuto.
He really shouldn't have been soft-hearted and let her drink today!
...
After the embarrassing experience, Erina, who had finally calmed down, could only stare blankly at the Tamagoyaki before her.
As the owner of the God's Tongue, her desire for fine cuisine was beyond what an ordinary person could imagine.
But right now, to avoid any further embarrassment, she could only forcefully suppress her craving for the Tamagoyaki in front of her.
Under the table, out of everyone's sight, Erina's left hand was already clenched so tightly it had turned red.
She had to do this just to barely divert her attention from the Tamagoyaki!
"Hahahaha, was I wrong?"
Senzaemon let out a few hearty and open laughs.
Seeing the contrast between his granddaughter's current state and her earlier demeanor, he felt a sense of gratification and joy.
His purpose in bringing Erina here wasn't just to have her taste the food.
"How could this be... It's just such a simple Tamagoyaki... Why would it..."
Erina muttered to herself.
Ripples of bewilderment and disbelief stirred in her eyes.
"My lady..."
Seeing her lady in such a state of existential doubt, Hisako couldn't help but worry.
Kamisaka Yuto didn't notice Erina's expression.
His attention was focused on the drunk Kasumigaoka before him.
"Honestly, she's like this after just half a bottle..."
"If you can't hold your liquor, you shouldn't drink so casually..."
The drunken Kasumigaoka had already slumped over the table, passed out.
Kamisaka Yuto was clearing away the dishes and trash around her.
His quiet muttering was filled with helplessness and exasperation.
But he didn't wake Kasumigaoka up.
She'd had a tiring day, so he would let her rest for a while.
"What's your name?"
While his back was turned to Erina and the others, Kamisaka Yuto heard a question spoken in a somewhat strange tone.
He turned around.
Under the warm yellow light, the blonde girl looked... like an elf.
Except her gaze was now fixed intently on him.
"Kamisaka Yuto."
Kamisaka Yuto stated his name, a little taken aback.
He was a bit surprised.
'Why is she staring at me like that?'
Erina repeated the name "Kamisaka Yuto" in her mind.
She searched through all the famous chefs in her memory, trying to find any connection to those four characters.
But unfortunately, she was completely unable to find any chef associated with that name.
In other words, the fame of this person as a chef had never been known!
This shocked and indignant her even more!
A chef like this, why would he open a shop in a place like this!
Why not go to Totsuki?!
To possess such skill yet be willing to languish in a place like this?!
It was infuriating!
"I'll remember you." Erina took a deep breath.
Her heart was in turmoil.
There were many things she wanted to say, many questions she wanted to ask.
But in the end, she held them back.
Kamisaka Yuto froze for a second.
'I'll remember you.'
Why does that sound so much like she's challenging me to a fight?
Kamisaka Yuto silently made a simple judgment about Erina in his mind.
Erina had no idea what Kamisaka Yuto was thinking at that moment.
Her gaze returned once more to the Tamagoyaki before her.
Just recalling its deliciousness in her mind was enough to make her body feel weak.
She took a slow breath to banish those strange thoughts.
Senzaemon had been watching his granddaughter's reactions the whole time.
When he saw Erina fall silent, he smiled inwardly.
'Today's objective has been achieved.'
"Boss, the check." Senzaemon said in a clear voice.
"Thank you for your patronage. The Fried Tempura is 2000 yen, the Tamagoyaki is 800 yen, and the Ochazuke is 3500 yen, for a total of 6300 yen!"
Kamisaka Yuto listed the prices one by one, then looked at Senzaemon with a smile.
"Keep the change."
Senzaemon directly pulled out a stack of yen, all in 10,000-yen denominations.
A conservative estimate put the stack at at least 100,000 yen.
"Alright."
Senzaemon had already eaten here fourteen times, and Kamisaka Yuto had grown accustomed to his generosity.
He was one of the rare big spenders among his customers!
"Erina, Hisako, let's go." Senzaemon said to the two girls.
A flicker of emotion crossed Erina's eyes.
She wanted to say something, but in the end, she returned to her calm composure.
"Pack this."
But ultimately, she did something that was out of character for her.
Those two simple words left Hisako utterly shocked!
Senzaemon, for his part, chuckled to himself.
"OK."
Kamisaka Yuto simply packed Erina's unfinished Tamagoyaki into an exceedingly ordinary paper bag.
Such simple and plain packaging made Erina frown instinctively.
'This packaging was unworthy of this dish!'
"Here you go."
As Kamisaka Yuto handed over the paper bag, he caught sight of Erina's expression.
Anger, resignation, confusion...
Such a rich display of emotions left Kamisaka Yuto baffled.
How had he offended her???