Reborn in Japan as a Chef God

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Neon, Tokyo, Taidong District.

The orange sunset spilled over the bustling shopping street, amid the busy city, a young boy in a junior high school uniform skillfully rode his bicycle, weaving through the crowd.

"I'm back!"

In a quiet alleyway, the boy casually tossed his bicycle at the entrance of a half-open half-closed restaurant. If you looked closely, you'd notice the sign with the words "Chinese Cuisine" written in traditional characters hanging at the entrance.

The narrow shop was empty, and no one responded to him, something Xia Yu had long been accustomed to.

About two years ago, Xia Yu, who had ambitiously vowed to eat until he vomited before going to bed, mysteriously became a first-year student at White Seagull Junior High School in Neon Tokyo after waking up.

The initial panic and unease gave way to adaptation, and Xia Yu took just one semester to adjust.

As for any insights or experiences, since he was already in it, what else could he do except enjoy it? Moping around like a grumbling wife was not an option, so Xia Yu simply gifted himself four golden words:

Stay optimistic!

Fortunately, in this life, his name was still Xia Yu, and the bloodline of China still flowed within him. However, unlike before when he was carefree and only had to fend for himself, in this life, he had gained a grandfather who was both respected and feared.

Walking through the shop to the backyard, sure enough, there sat an old man with white hair on a cushion in the hallway. Hearing footsteps behind him, the old man opened his eyes unhurriedly and pointed to the teapot on the low table beside him, "You're back? Hot water, make tea."

It was standard Mandarin.

"Oh."

Xia Yu responded, picked up the teapot, and instead of getting water from the tap, went into the shop's kitchen. He scooped water from an old water jar into the pot and then placed the teapot on the gas stove.

Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle.

In a brief moment, steam rolled out of the teapot, and while Xia Yu looked at it, his gaze grew somewhat dazed.

After being in this world for two years, Tokyo seemed to be the Tokyo he knew. However, some undeniable details in life kept reminding Xia Yu that this world wasn't as simple as it appeared.

For instance...

Xia Yu's gaze swept over the old water jar in the kitchen.

The shop wasn't big to start with, and the kitchen was even more cramped. An antique water jar took up too much space, which seemed illogical no matter how you looked at it.

At that moment, as the evening darkened, Xia Yu didn't rush to turn on the lights. Instead, he stood quietly for a while. As the sunset faded from the kitchen, plunging the narrow space into darkness, the old water jar suddenly emitted tiny, sparkling flashes, leaving the water's surface and drifting in the air.

Xia Yu knew very well that it wasn't the water's problem. He casually turned off the gas stove, not in a hurry to make tea for the old man, but glanced at the courtyard outside. With a quick move, he reached into the water jar and fished around, and in the darkness, gems shone brightly like night pearls.

In his hand was a wet, slippery stone, roughly the size of an egg.

Sighing, Xia Yu rubbed the stone and tossed it back into the water jar, then picked up the teapot from the gas stove and left without looking back.

He had asked the old man about the stone more than once, exhausted all kinds of methods, and tried to hint at it, but the old man remained tight-lipped, frustrating the reincarnated Xia Yu to no end.

Damn it, wasn't this treatment unworthy of a reincarnator? Was there some sort of mistake in the way it was supposed to be unlocked? Xia Yu had endured hardship for two years, being worked like a horse by the old man while suffering from serious sleep deprivation all year. During the day, he caught up on sleep at school, which earned him the nickname "Sleep King" throughout his three years at White Seagull Junior High School. Today, Xia Yu had just taken White Seagull High School's internal entrance exam, hoping that when spring break ended and school started in April, he could shed the nickname related to sleep at his new school.

With his mind buzzing with activity, Xia Yu sat kneeling on a cushion next to the low table, obediently making tea for the old man.

The tea leaves were purchased from a shop on the shopping street, and the owner was also an old man. Every time Xia Yu ran errands to pick them up, the tea shop owner would smile and take out a small bag from the inner room, somewhat mysteriously.

Oh, speaking of the shopping street, this was Ameyoko near Ueno Station. During the day, it offered a variety of fresh and cheap seafood. At night, it turned into a mixed night market where almost anything could be bought. However, after a few rounds, Xia Yu lost interest in the shopping street. It was no different from the night markets back in China, except for the higher cost-effectiveness of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Other items, like clothing, had a strong counterfeit feel—rustic and cheap, indeed.

The fragrance of tea wafted.

Once the tea was brewed, Xia Yu poured a cup for the old man and one for himself. As the tea flowed down his throat, a mysterious restlessness surged through his long-exhausted body. In that instant, Xia Yu felt like an indestructible cockroach, unable to help but shed tears of joy.

"Alright, get to work," the old man said, waving his hand with eyes closed.

"Oh."

Xia Yu quietly wiped his tears, stood up, glanced at the ingredients piled outside the kitchen, and headed up the narrow stairs to his room on the second floor to change clothes for work.

As usual, he opened the wardrobe.

Ah! Xia Yu recoiled as if electrocuted, examining his right palm where he'd just grasped the cabinet door. A gash, like a cut from a small knife, nearly ran across his palm. The wound seemed deep, yet strangely, no blood flowed.

"Damn it, has the door come off its nails?" Xia Yu gripped his injured hand, grimacing fiercely, and directly removed the entire sliding door from the cabinet.

But the door lying on the ground was smooth—there were no sharp nails or other mysteriously sharp protrusions.

Really unscientific!

Xia Yu felt a bit disoriented, wondering if he'd had a hallucination. He glanced at his right palm, the noticeable wound remained, yet no blood flowed.

"Beep, system detection in progress, binding program activated, completed."

What the heck?!

Holding his injured hand, Xia Yu was stunned, on his way to find a medical box, and exclaimed in surprise: "System?"

"Host, I'm here."

The electronic synthesized voice in his mind just reappeared. This time, Xia Yu focused and confirmed he wasn't hallucinating. He was dumbfounded for a while before collecting himself from the shock.

Since he'd experienced transmigration and reincarnation, what else was impossible? Thinking so, Xia Yu immediately grew calm. Barefoot people weren't afraid of those with shoes, and now that he was in this situation, he may as well open his heart wide and sit on the bed, asking, "Where in my body are you?"

"The system chip has been implanted into your brain."

Xia Yu's mouth twitched. He glanced at his injured right palm, then touched the back of his head. Could this chip have traveled from his arm to his brain? Just thinking about it sent a chill down his spine.

"Introduce yourself," Xia Yu asked, settling down.

"This system is for cultivating the Chef God…"

Beep.

Accompanied by the synthetic electronic voice's answer, a character attribute window popped up on Xia Yu's retina:

"Host: Xia Yu.

Gender: Male

Age: 16

Overall Physical Fitness: lv9 (strength, agility, explosiveness, neural reflexes, etc.)

Culinary Skill: lv1 [Novice Start]

Reputation: 0 (This relates to the host's fame, exposure, and achievements, which can be used to purchase items in the system store.)

(Level cap is lv100. So, you're just a fledgling in the culinary world, merely understanding the basics of ingredient handling without independently cooking any dishes, essentially a kitchen apprentice.)"

"What is this!"

Seeing the evaluation at the bottom of the data, Xia Yu's face flushed with embarrassment.

He was a foodie who loved eating, which led to his ill-considered vow and subsequent transmigration, but who said all foodies had to be chefs?

This was just Xia Yu's inward tsundere thought. Most foodies certainly wished they had good culinary skills. The Chef God System was like a ray of light in Xia Yu's muddling life; he saw hope!

Wow, the dramatic turning point in his life finally arrived!

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(P.S.: Newbie's new book, seeking recommendations, and collections!)

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