Capítulo 226: [226] Ongoing Training
Chapter 226: Ongoing Training
"What a romantic date," Donato chuckled.
From his appearance with blond hair and blue eyes, it was evident that he wasn't Japanese. In fact, Donato Gotoda was French, and in the eyes of the French, anything could be associated with a romantic date.
Yet, it wasn't entirely his fault; the restaurant's dim lighting and a lit candle on the table perfectly resembled a romantic dinner setting.
"I didn't expect Hikigaya-kun and Miss Erina to be a couple. It's quite surprising," Donato swirled the red wine in his hand, gaze shifting between Hachiman and Erina.
Upon hearing his words, Hachiman didn't seem bothered, but Erina immediately flared up. Blushing, she retorted, "Hah, Chef Donato, don't talk nonsense. How could I be in a relationship with this guy?"
After saying this, Erina glared at Hachiman with a mix of embarrassment and anger.
This left Hachiman, who was caught off guard, feeling very innocent. It was clear that he said it, so why was Erina glaring at him?
However, facing the situation, Hachiman raised both hands, offering a French-style salute.
"Chef Donato, you misunderstood. Erina and I are just friends, not a couple."
"Oh! That's truly unfortunate." Donato sighed, covering his forehead as if genuinely lamenting, "In my eyes, you two seem quite compatible."
"Haha, how could I be with someone like him..." Erina started to refute but stopped abruptly. After a moment, a faint blush appeared on her face.
"Anyway, I'm not a couple with this guy."
"Alright, since that's the case, I won't disturb your meal any longer," Donato nodded, wearing a regretful expression, and then turned to leave.
As Donato departed, a playful smile lingered on his lips. Uncertain about Erina, he understood Hachiman's unspoken words—perhaps not now, but who knows about the future.
Erina's flushed face gradually subsided as she looked at Hachiman, emitting a soft hum, and then got up to choose dishes.
Hachiman shrugged. The restaurant operated on a self-service basis, so he also rose to select his dishes.
Returning with their meals, Hachiman had gathered four or five dishes, while Erina chose some pre-dinner desserts and returned to her seat.
Seeing Erina's modest selection, Hachiman teased, "Erina, is this all you're eating? Your figure is already great; there's no need to diet."
Erina shot him a glare and signaled a waiter, ordering additional dishes that required on-the-spot preparation.
Observing this, Hachiman understood. The restaurant not only offered a self-service buffet but also allowed à la carte orders at an extra cost. However, considering the Nakiri family's heiress was dining here, the added expense was negligible.
Now that Hachiman had made his selections, he wasn't planning to waste anything; he would eat first.
Despite being a buffet restaurant, the chefs involved held at least a third-level culinary skill, with head chefs typically at the fourth level. The executive chef, overseeing Totsuki Resort, Gin Dojima, had reached a fifth-level proficiency.
Of course, apart from these chefs in charge, there were many assistant cooks in the kitchen, most of whom had first or second-level skills. This might be acceptable elsewhere, but not at the Totsuki Resort. With a skill level below three, there would be no chance to handle the ladle. Though cruel, it was the reality.
Being ranked among the best in the world, Totsuki Resort would never allow subpar dishes to appear on the table.
Just as Erina was enjoying her pre-dinner desserts and waiting for the dishes to arrive, she heard Hachiman's familiar voice.
"Erina, I want to ask you a question."
"Go ahead."
Setting down her fork, Erina nodded, slightly puzzled but open to the inquiry.
"For you, what is the 'God Tongue'?" Hachiman posed an unusual question.
Erina furrowed her attractive eyebrows at his question.
"What's there to ask? The 'God Tongue' is used to identify flaws in the dishes."
Hachiman sighed at her response. Azami Nakiri's teachings had deeply influenced her, and it seemed he needed to put more effort into "training" her, not to disappoint Senzaemon's trust.
"It does have that function, but that's not the entirety of the 'God Tongue.'"
"Not the entirety? But that's what I've always done." Erina's tone carried a hint of pride.
"Do you know how many culinary masters want me to help them find flaws in their dishes so that they can improve further?"
Azami Nakiri's influence had confined Erina in a small dark room since childhood, constantly tasting dishes. Plates of seemingly decent dishes were forced upon her to discard, labeled as "worthless" and lacking tasting value.
This intense memory had deeply ingrained in Erina's mind, shaping her current belief that all "commoner" dishes lacked tasting value.
This was precisely why Senzaemon sought Hachiman to change Erina.
In the world of cuisine, there was no distinction between commoner and non-commoner; there was only a difference between delicious and not delicious.
"While the 'God Tongue' can indeed identify flaws in a dish, its true purpose should be to help you discover more delicious flavors," Hachiman said, waving a finger at the girl, smiling.
Hearing these words, Erina was momentarily stunned.
Discover... more delicious flavors...
Seeing her reaction, Hachiman shrugged and continued, "That's right. Think about it. When you taste a dish, what gets magnified isn't just the flaws but also the inherent deliciousness of the dish, right?"
"But you deliberately overlooked this point before, focusing only on finding the flaws in the dish."
"If all you can taste in a dish are its shortcomings, then isn't the act of tasting dishes too cruel for you?"
As Erina processed his words, a perplexed expression appeared on her face.
"But..."
Before she could continue, Hachiman seemed to anticipate what she was going to say.
"The 'God Tongue' can indeed magnify the flaws in a dish, but isn't our purpose in tasting dishes to enjoy their deliciousness?"
"As I mentioned before, while my sense of taste may not match up to the 'God Tongue,' it has still allowed me to experience flavors beyond the ordinary."
"If I can achieve that, then your 'God Tongue' can undoubtedly do it even better."
----------------------
A/N:
Guys, let me tell you that 'God Tongue' is at level 6 (max) in the module system. And it's my birthday today, so come on, give me a stone!
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Capítulo 227: [227] Feeding Play
Chapter 227: Feeding Play
"Since I can do it, there's no problem for your 'God Tongue' to achieve the same."
Hachiman enticingly tempted the girl with a subtle tone.
"Do you want to experience flavors far beyond what an ordinary person can taste, just like me?"
His words sounded almost hypnotic, and Erina subconsciously responded.
"Yes... I want to."
Observing this scene, a slight curve appeared on Hachiman's lips as he pushed a dish towards her.
"Here, give it a try. Taste this French-style pan-seared foie gras in front of you. Don't intentionally look for its flaws; use your tongue to find the beauty in the dish, as if you were writing an article praising it."
Erina hesitated for a moment but ultimately used her fork to pick up a small piece of foie gras dipped in sauce. Encouraged by Hachiman's supportive gaze, she placed it in her mouth.
"Don't deliberately suppress your 'God Tongue.' Use it to discover the beauty within!" Hachiman continued to guide her.
In reality, this French-style pan-seared foie gras wasn't particularly delicious. In Hachiman's evaluation under the "Tasting" module, it scored only in the seventies.
The chef preparing this dish had culinary skills probably on par with Chef Kasumigaoka.
Normally, Erina would have pointed out three or four flaws by now, but under Hachiman's intentional guidance, her current expression was completely different. With closed eyes, she carefully savored the dish.
The delicate foie gras melted in her mouth, its smooth texture akin to high-quality silk sliding over her palate. It felt like a gentle spring breeze, causing the corners of the girl's mouth to relax.
However, this blissful expression only lasted for a moment. Erina furrowed her brow again and, somewhat helplessly, opened her eyes.
"No, the 'God Tongue' seems to have a consciousness. If I can't control it, it will instinctively search for flaws!"
"It's okay, take it slow. Correcting habits is a gradual process. You need to learn to control the 'God Tongue,' not let it control you." Hachiman smiled slightly, reaching over to push another dish towards her.
"Here, try this French onion soup!"
This time, the girl didn't refuse and followed his suggestion to taste it again.
However, just like the previous experience, the delightful expression lasted only for a moment before her brow furrowed once more.
Not minding her reaction, Hachiman encouraged her a few times before starting the feeding ritual again.
French lobster au gratin, Marseille fish soup, Wellington beef steak...
He presented one dish after another for Erina to taste.
"Here, the last one, French seafood bouillabaisse."
This time, Hachiman chose to feed her himself, using a fork to lift a strand of pasta and gently guiding it toward the girl's mouth.
After the delightful flavors of the previous dishes, Erina seemed to be getting into the experience. Without much thought, she opened her mouth and accepted the fork.
However, as soon as the food entered her mouth, the girl's eyes widened, and she let out a surprised exclamation with a hint of a whimper.
"Uh... you actually..."
"It's okay, just enjoy the meal," Hachiman reassured her.
Upon hearing his words, Erina's mouth moved instinctively, and her "God Tongue," already undergoing a transformation, rapidly sought out the elements of deliciousness.
In an instant, the girl was once again immersed in the flavors of the dish.
Shortly after, Erina released the fork, realizing that the strand of noodles on it had been eaten clean.
A blush appeared on her face, and she stammered, "You... you actually dared to feed me!"
Hachiman chuckled, "What's there to be afraid of? Haven't we already..."
But before he could finish, Erina guessed what he was going to say next and immediately shot him an indignant glare.
"Don't say it!"
If you say it, I'll lose all sense of shame.
Despite Erina's usually proud demeanor, she was quite a shy girl at heart. Even in a typical romance manga, witnessing a kissing scene would make her blush for a while.
"Alright, I won't say it." Knowing that Erina was sensitive, Hachiman didn't continue.
Seeing this, Erina breathed a sigh of relief. However, she glanced around, realizing that no one was paying attention to their side, finally letting go of her worries.
What she didn't notice was that Donato Gotoda, who had been secretly observing them, had already spotted this scene. He stroked his chin, a playful smile appearing on his lips.
At this moment, the dishes Erina had previously ordered, requiring on-the-spot preparation, were brought to their table. However, Erina had already been fed by Hachiman and was partially full. To avoid wasting food, she ended up sharing the dishes she ordered with Hachiman. To the onlookers, especially the graduates, it looked like something only a couple would do.
This situation left many graduates who were still single feeling a bit sentimental.
As they ate and chatted, occasionally rating dishes or suggesting improvements, the two spent a rather enjoyable dinner time together.
After dinner, Hachiman escorted Erina back to her room. During this time, Hisako had already sent a message confirming her safety, mentioning that she would come over later.
"You must be quite bored tonight. Do you want me to keep you company, maybe play some poker?"
Standing at the door of the girl's room, Hachiman smiled.
Upon hearing his words, Erina had a momentary flutter in her heart but then remembered the "feeding play" in the restaurant and responded indignantly.
"No need! Hisako will be coming over soon. Hurry up and leave!"
Seeing her reaction, Hachiman didn't insist.
"Well then, I'll head back. See you tomorrow, Erina."
"Hmph!"
The girl snorted lightly, ignoring him. With a "bang," the door closed, and the corridor once again fell into silence.
Seeing this, Hachiman shrugged and turned to leave.
However, what he didn't expect was the flush of red on Erina's face after she closed the door. From childhood to now, the girl had never had too intimate contact with peers of the opposite sex. Today, she openly experienced a "feeding play" with Hachiman at the restaurant. How could a girl with a thin skin like hers not feel embarrassed?
Moreover, thinking back to what happened at the beach earlier, where they had hugged and kissed, Erina's thoughts were in disarray. She dove onto the luxurious bed, hugging a pillow and rolling around, feeling a bit flustered.
Unfortunately, no one could witness this childish scene.
On the second afternoon of the residential training, in the central monitoring room.
Hachiman's assigned task for the day had concluded in the morning, leaving him with little to do. He decided to come to the central monitoring room and joined Dojima in observing various examination rooms.
During a somewhat dull moment, a surveillance screen caught Hachiman's attention. The display showed the classroom supervised by Shinomiya Kojiro.
In front of Shinomiya stood a girl with two blue braids.
Witnessing this scene, a smile played on Hachiman's lips.
It seemed like something interesting was about to unfold.
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