Chapter 112: An Unexpected Sign-In Reward
Under the faint night light, Zane, the owner of the tavern, skillfully finished preparing grilled meats and engaged warmly with his customers. Couples whispered to each other, a middle-aged man freshly off work smoked alone in the smoking area, sipping his drink as he ate. Perhaps everyone who steps into an tavern would say that even if they don't drink, just entering lifts their spirits.
Here, a pot of sake, a plate of appetizers, and a skewer of grilled meat bring about a deep satisfaction and joy that seems to burst forth from the heart, perfectly concluding the day.
...
"Thank you for the hospitality!" Ikumi, having finished her meal, paid Zane, softly expressing her gratitude. "Your beef donburi has taught me a lot."
"You have good intuition. Have a good rest when you get back. I believe you'll win tomorrow's competition, no matter who your opponent is!"
"Thank you for your good words," Ikumi responded, a tuft of her hair bending into an "S" shape as she slightly blushed, her delicate face glowing with an adorable charm. After some more small talk, she left the tavern. Regardless of why or for whom she had come, watching her fading silhouette, Zane believed that one day, she would return.
...
"What's up, Momo?" Distracted, Zane quickly turned towards Momo as she called out. Holding a teddy bear tightly and pouting, she looked displeased. Finally, she sighed softly and whispered, "The heat-resistant handkerchief I gave you last time... is it useful?"
"Uh..." Zane was momentarily lost for words. It seemed that since preparing the Reincarnation Spring Rolls, he hadn't made any such heat-intensive dishes. Even when he used the Heavenly North Star Wolf Blade to prepare the Frozen Sea Bream Iceberg, that dish didn't require the handkerchief. Thinking it over, he realized he hadn't used it at all.
"Forget it."
"Let's settle the bill," Momo suggested, not really minding. After all, she had nearly forced the handkerchief off her teddy bear, "Buichi," to give it to Zane last time. Besides, an tavern mostly serves snacks and small dishes, which usually don't require such an item.
"Sorry for not meeting your kindness," Zane said apologetically.
"No, no, no, Mr. Owner, you... you don't have to be like this, I should be thanking you," Momo quickly waved her hands, her expression a bit flustered, then gratefully continued, "If it weren't for you, I would still be confused about choosing and brewing the sweet wine for tonight's Sabayon dessert!"
Thinking over her words, Momo, who was introverted and socially anxious, usually cared a lot about others' thoughts. Especially Zane, who she considered a good "friend" in her heart.
"Momo! The purpose of this tavern is to help every confused guest find their way out of trouble."
Seeing Momo, Zane simply smiled and continued, "If you have time in the future, or if there's anything else you don't understand, you're always welcome to come back to the tavern!"
"I understand, Mr. Owner!" Momo's eyes welled up with tears as she nodded at Zane's words. After settling her bill, she reluctantly left the tavern.
...
[Ding-dong! Host successfully signed in once.]
[Ding-dong! Congratulations to the host for successfully obtaining the recipe for Rainbow Vegetable Terrine, and one WMF Crescent Blade!]
Perhaps because Totsuki Academy had started its new term, the tavern tonight only had two Totsuki students, Momo and Ikumi, as customers. Yet, the business was still booming.
Dong! Dong! Dong! When the shortest hand on the wall clock finally reached the number "12," the tavern welcomed the moment to close for the night. This time, Zane again received a sign-in reward from the system. However, the items rewarded were beyond his expectations.
The system divides rewards into four categories: recipes, ingredients, kitchenware, and culinary skills. Usually, Zane would receive well-known Chinese dishes like Buddha Jumps Over the Wall or Squirrel Fish. Occasionally, he would get special recipes like Frozen Sea Bream Iceberg or Reincarnation Spring Rolls. Tonight, however, he received a French dish, Rainbow Vegetable Terrine, and a German-made WMF Crescent Blade.
Hmm! First, let's talk about the Rainbow Vegetable Terrine. A terrine, generally in French cuisine, is a type of appetizer made by grinding meat or organs of various animals together with herbs or other seasonings, pressed into a mold to cook. Most ingredients are vegetables such as cucumbers, okra, cabbage, carrots, zucchini, baby corn, celery, cauliflower, and bamboo shoots.
The method involves cleaning, cutting, and blanching the vegetables, then layering them in a rectangular mold. Next, a mixture of broth with spices and gelatin is poured in, sealed, and chilled. The final terrine, with its rainbow-like appearance, is striking and called Rainbow Vegetable Terrine for its visually stunning layers of seasonal vegetables preserved by gelatin.
In terms of taste, it offers a light, savory flavor that highlights the natural tastes of the ingredients. Served with a specially made sauce, it's a delightful and memorable dish.
Next is the unique-shaped Crescent Blade. This kitchen knife, featuring two handles and an extremely curved crescent blade, makes it easy to finely chop herbs, garlic, and other ingredients by simply rotating the handle upright and gripping with both hands. This knife, used by Takumi during the dormitory training activity at Totsuki, once made a significant impression, even shocking the examiner, Mito Komatsu, at the time. Zane's WMF Crescent Blade is made of a durable alloy, specially treated for high hardness and wear resistance, with a handle made of a special metal for a better grip.
"Could it be that I'm going to change the dormitory training activity at Totsuki?"
Knowing the original plot where Soma and Subaru had their culinary showdown, and considering tonight's two sign-in rewards, Zane couldn't help but ponder deeply...
...
In the early morning, at the Shokugeki competition venue. Wearing the Totsuki Academy uniform, Erina leisurely arrived at a luxurious guest room with a huge transparent floor-to-ceiling window. Through this window, she could overlook the entire competition, taking in every detail.
"Miss Nakiri, this time from the Donburi Research Society, it seems they've sent a transfer student named Soma, not Kojiro Shinomiya," Hisako whispered softly as Erina just sat down on the plush sofa.
"Soma? I don't seem to remember him," Erina frowned, having not served as an examiner during the transfer students' entrance exam and thus still unfamiliar with Soma.
"He's the boy who made bold claims during the opening ceremony," Hisako continued.
"Oh! That's him," Erina suddenly realized, understanding at last.
As intense lights began to gather, a cute idol-like girl, Urara Kawashima, arrived at the scene. Holding a microphone, she announced cheerily, "Hey there, everyone! Entrusted by the Shokugeki Administration Bureau, I'm your host for today's Shokugeki."
Her voice was very sweet, and her actions very cute, especially as she playfully winked at the audience, causing a sensation. As a well-known idol in the academy, Rei's appearances always drove her hardcore fans wild.
...
"Then, please welcome the contestants to the stage. First up, from our first-year students at Totsuki, a master of meat dishes and one of Miss Nakiri's loyal followers, Ikumi!" Rei introduced. As Ikumi finally appeared in the arena, the cheers rose wave after wave as the spotlight focused on her.
"Miss, don't worry."
"No matter who the opponent is, I'll win this culinary battle for you." Ikumi, shielding her eyes from the glare, glanced towards the guest room where she saw Erina's eyes steadfastly on her. Clenching her fist, her resolve strengthened.
"And now, the other contestant, his name is Soma, a transfer student to the academy."
Compared to Ikumi, Soma, who enrolled as a transfer student, wasn't well-known in the academy yet, so the cheers for him weren't as enthusiastic. Only members of the Donburi Research Society and some residents of the Polar Star Dormitory cheered for him in the public arena.
"Interesting. So this is a Totsuki Shokugeki, huh?" Soma looked around as the venue filled up, the noise making every cell in his body vibrate with excitement. The competitive spirit, long suppressed in his heart, was finally unleashed.
...
"After discussions on the Shokugeki rules between both parties, the theme of this competition is decided to be 'donburi dishes.' The time limit is set within 2 hours. If there are no objections, then both contestants may begin!" As Rei finished, the crowd became even more fervent.
Ikumi and Soma exchanged a glance before turning back to their cooking stations to start preparing.
"Oh my!"
"What... what is that?"
"It's so big! I've never seen such large meat before!"
"Look, that piece of meat is still twitching."
"Could it be that it was just slaughtered and then brought directly to the competition?"
"Hey!"
"If I'm not mistaken."
"Ikumi is using... is it the highest quality A5 grade beef?"
"Whoa, that's terrifying!"
"This is just a Shokugeki, and the opponent is just a transfer student, right? Is there really a need to go all out like this?"
At that moment, Ikumi hung up a large piece of meat, the best quality A5 grade beef, shocking everyone with its appearance.
"Transfer student, it's still not too late to give up."
"Otherwise, once my A5 beef donburi beats you, you'll be completely embarrassed in front of so many people!" Holding a thick and sharp chef's knife, Ikumi raised her head and said lightly to Soma.
"Very generous of you, using such good beef for a donburi, don't you think it's a bit of an overkill?" Soma shrugged indifferently.
Ignoring Ikumi, he then bent down to pull out a bag of ordinary beef from the supermarket from under the cooking station. Clearly, in terms of meat quality, what Soma was using couldn't compare to Ikumi's A5 grade beef.
"Ha ha ha!"
"That's hilarious!"
"Who would use such cheap fatty beef for cooking?"
"This kind of trash meat, how can it compare with the prestigious A5 grade beef?"
"Is that transfer student here to make us laugh?"
Indeed, many people laughed when they saw the ordinary beef Soma brought out. This type of fatty beef, scraped from the bones, is so cheap that it's almost universally shunned.
...
Deliciousness.
That is always the ultimate criterion for food. No matter the ingredients, if the chef is capable, they can turn decay into a miracle and create delicious dishes that conquer the guests and the five judges at the table.
This, Erina understood thoroughly from watching Zane.
"It seems that this transfer student is not as simple as we thought. Ikumi might have trouble this time."
Finally, Erina murmured softly, her eyes flickering.
"You... how did you think to use such scrap meat to make a donburi?" Ikumi was completely stunned.
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