46 Another Miss of the Nakiri Family

Life and death are the processes and endpoints of life. Perhaps for a foodie like Rindo, the ultimate test is whether she is willing to have the "resolve to die" in order to taste the cuisine! And obviously, the poisonous fugu is the most captivating touchstone.

But when the fugu sashimi was served, the chef Zane naturally had to be the first to eat. Under Rindo's gaze, he delicately picked up a small, thin slice of fugu sashimi with chopsticks and began to chew on it.

"The owner, we don't need a taste-test session for the fugu, right?" Rindo asked.

"Hehe, I am testing not the poison, but the confidence and skill that a chef should have!" Zane replied.

"Conceited. I am not a timid person. Just a kind of fugu sashimi can't make me flinch, right?" With these words, Rindo glanced at Zane and then made a praying gesture with her hands.

Although she is an adventure-loving enthusiast of exotic ingredients, she is actually very kind-hearted, especially towards adorable creatures like the fugu...

Cough!

Anyway, cuteness aside. When it's time to eat, you have to eat!

So, after making a prayer, Rindo eagerly picked up a small piece of fugu sashimi with her chopsticks and savored it slowly.

...

The fugu meat, with no need for dipping sauce, maintained its original flavor. The exceptionally full-bodied fugu meat, the moment it entered the mouth, swiftly enveloped the taste buds, stimulating every part of the tongue. The texture was quite extraordinary, and it had a good chewiness that made one want to sink their teeth into it.

The taste can be summed up in just two words: incredibly refreshing!

In this era of fast food, various cuisines have been trending towards richer flavors. Dishes like the light and simple fugu sashimi appear even more precious. Perhaps the "taste of no taste" is not necessarily what the public pursues. But the fugu meat, rich in umami amino acids such as glutamic acid and aspartic acid, and nucleotides such as inosinic acid and guanylic acid, truly justify its delightful flavor.

Especially when Rindo was captivated by the deliciousness of the fugu, she could better understand the perseverance and courage behind the saying "absolutely must eat fugu."

"Mmm, the texture is incredibly resilient!"

"The freshness and elasticity, completely different from other types of sashimi when it enters the mouth."

As she continued to eat, Rindo became captivated by the experience and couldn't break free.

Fresh!

Elastic!

That kind of inexplicably wonderful gustatory sensation.

It felt somewhat like the tender flesh of a fish belly.

With just a slight touch of the tongue, the fugu meat seemed to come "alive" in the mouth, pulsating and seemingly hiding a bit of mysterious moisture, incredibly plump.

In the end, Rindo devoured the entire plate of fugu sashimi with a speed akin to a whirlwind, giving the dish a perfect 10 out of 10.

In her impression, she couldn't imagine any other sashimi dish in the world that could rival Zane's fugu sashimi!

...

"Owner, why does the fugu's original flavor alone make it taste so delicious?" Rindo, having just enjoyed the delicious fugu, blinked her eyes curiously and asked Zane.

"Sashimi is all about pursuing the original flavor of the ingredients, so the quality of the ingredients is definitely important."

"Then it's the knife work. The thickness, size, and shape of the ingredients all directly influence the appetite."

"In theory, the thinner the fugu meat is sliced, the more delicious it will be, and the texture will be more resilient!" Zane replied.

To be honest, his words seemed a bit evasive and vague. But that's just how sashimi dishes are. If you truly eat some serious "high-end" Japanese sashimi dishes, you'll soon find that even sushi made with some rice is more delicious.

And even with sushi, the pursuit is more about a sense of ritual, and the enjoyment that the taste brings is just passable.

Chefs in China like Zane often disdain the Japanese concept of pursuing the original flavor of the ingredients.

A whole golden-eye fish, steamed with scallion oil, wouldn't it be deliciously tender and sweet? A bluefin tuna belly, dried with coarse salt, then stewed with eggplant and a hint of Sichuan pepper, or simply pan-fried with minced garlic, wouldn't that excite the neighbors' kids? 

 Also, isn't it great to use this kind of fugu for braising?

So, what's the result?

The people of Japan just happen to use it for sashimi!

Gurgle!

Gurgle!

Just then, Rindo, who had just finished eating the fugu sashimi, felt her stomach growling again.

She quickly patted her stomach, thinking that after eating a whole plate of sashimi, she was only about one or two tenths full, which was quite unsatisfying!

So, she awkwardly said to Zane, "Owner, can... can I have some more fugu sashimi?"

"Hmm?"

"Still want to eat?" Zane almost couldn't help but chuckle at this.

"Here!"

"Eaten one!"

"And there are still 9 left in the aquarium, right?" Rindo pointed to the big aquarium in the corner.

"There's still a lot of leftover material."

"In that case, I might as well make you a full fugu feast, including fugu hot pot, fugu risotto, fried fugu, braised fugu..."

As she actually got the attention of the other 9 fugu, Zane quickly stopped her.

"Okay, let's do it your way."

After hearing this, Rindo knew that Zane was going to use the leftover fugu to make a full fugu banquet, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.

"OK, then you continue to wait."

After saying that, Zane returned to the cooking station.

Meanwhile,

At the entrance of the Totsuki Academy,

A black car resembling a mysterious beast came to a stop.

Then, two students preparing to take the entrance exam for the Totsuki Academy got out of the car.

One had dark circles under his eyes and always looked lazy—Ryo Kurokiba. The other was a lovely girl with fair skin and a exotic mixed-blood style, Alice Nakiri!

"Miss, is this the Totsuki Academy?"

Standing behind, Ryo Kurokiba, after taking a few looks at the entrance of the Totsuki Academy.

The scale of this culinary academy and the faintly visible tall buildings in the distance seem to have left him in awe!

"Yes, this is Grandfather's Totsuki Academy."

Alice Nagikiri just nodded.

As the other Miss of the Nagikiri family, Alice Nagikiri also has a striking appearance and unique talent!

But unlike Erina, who has been living at the Totsuki Academy, she has been living in Northern Europe with her mother since she was a child.

Now, it may be that Erina had long expected it, or maybe she never thought that her cousin from far away would be preparing to transfer to the Totsuki Academy at the beginning of the school season.