[409] Pseudo-Perfect Cooking
Chapter 409: Pseudo-Perfect Cooking
Looking at the towering golden light, Mana's face showed a surprised expression, unable to help but clap her hands on the table.
"What is this?"
Hachiman explained with a smile, "This is the light of cooking, which legend says only appears when the cooking reaches perfection."
"The light of cooking... perfect cooking..."
Hearing Hachiman's explanation, Mana muttered to herself.
Although she didn't believe deep down that this young boy Hachiman could create perfect dishes, the fact was right in front of her eyes. The golden light from earlier couldn't have been faked.
If the dish had been served in some complex container, Mana might have suspected that the golden light was some special effect. But now, placed in front of her was a simple steamer, and upon closer inspection, one could even see through the small holes at the bottom to the table surface, indicating that there were no tricks involved.
"What's the name of this dish?"
Looking at the four-colored buns in the steamer, Mana asked.
Hachiman smiled slightly and said the name of the dish, "This dish is called 'Four Sacred Seafood Eight Treasure Soul Buns.'"
"Four Sacred... Eight Treasure..."
Hearing the name, Mana raised an eyebrow.
"The name is quite impressive. Let me taste it."
Saying so, she picked up a green bun with the character (blue) imprinted on it and took a bite.
"This is..." Mana paused for a moment.
Due to her severe "God Tongue" syndrome, even ordinary dishes were usually intolerable for her to eat. Even some master-level dishes only allowed her to take a few bites. Over time, Mana grew tired of eating mediocre food and had to rely on supplements to sustain her life.
At first glance, this set of four-colored buns seemed unremarkable, so she had no intention of eating them. However, seeing Senzaemon and Erina's hopeful eyes, Mana decided to give it a try, picking up one and taking a bite.
To her surprise, although the buns appeared plain, there was no sense of disgust upon tasting them. Instead, she felt an urge to continue eating, as if a voice in her mind was urging her on.
The green bun with the character (blue), the white bun with the character (white), the red bun with the character (vermilion), the black bun with the character (black)...
Soon, Mana tasted each of the four-colored buns one by one.
Seeing this scene, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Since Mana didn't reject the dish, it proved that this method was effective.
"Like a sponge-like soft dough, wrapping around seafood filling soaked in soup, this texture feels like a dance on the tip of the tongue."
"Sea cucumber, abalone, shark fin, scallop, crab, shrimp, squid, and flounder—all are top-grade dried seafood. From soaking to stewing in a clay pot and finally making into juicy filling, the whole process was flawless. Is this truly perfect cooking?"
"The taste buds seem to be trembling with excitement. It's been so long since I've felt this, it's amazing, truly amazing."
The "God Tongue" tasted the indescribable deliciousness once again, causing Mana's excited body to tremble, and a charming blush appeared on her face.
However, perhaps due to her excessive movement, the collar of Mana's kimono was shaken loose, revealing two patches of snowy white skin and a deep cleavage.
Although unintentional, this enticing sight was captured by Hachiman's eyes.
Hmm, it seems Erina's definitely her daughter, inheriting her good genes.
But in the next moment, Hachiman's vision blurred as Erina stretched out her arms, wearing an expression of embarrassment and anger, standing in front of him.
Pervert, why are you staring? This is my mom, after all.
From the girl's eyes, Hachiman understood her meaning.
This made Hachiman involuntarily curl his lips.
Of course, I know she's your mom. Do you think I'm that lecherous to you?
At this moment, Hachiman felt like his character was being questioned, feeling somewhat annoyed.
Thinking of this, he simply turned his body away.
However, seeing Hachiman seemingly angry, Erina panicked.
Of course, she knew Hachiman didn't mean to look like that. After all, given their relationship, how could Hachiman possibly ogle her mom?
But just now, her body had moved instinctively.
While Erina was unsure how to reassure Hachiman, Senzaemon spoke up.
"Cough, Mana, put on your clothes properly."
Hearing Senzaemon's words, Mana realized her indiscretion and quickly closed her open collar.
When she saw Hachiman turning away, she felt relieved.
This young man was indeed quite decent.
"Um... Hachiman-kun, you can turn back now."
At Senzaemon's words, Hachiman turned back and looked at the neatly dressed Mana, feeling relieved.
"Aunt, how was my 'Four Sacred Seafood Eight Treasure Soul Buns'?"
"It's delicious, truly worthy of perfect cooking. My 'God Tongue' didn't have the slightest resistance." As if savoring the taste just now, Mana licked her lips.
Unaffected by her action, Hachiman just smiled faintly, "As long as you're satisfied, Aunt."
"Hachiman-kun, this dish is very satisfying. If it were in the WGO, I would definitely grant you a top-tier annual salary."
"I wonder if Hachiman-kun can make other perfect dishes?"
Longing for the taste of delicious food once again, Mana naturally wanted to eat more.
Unfortunately, Hachiman shook his head, "For now, I can only make this dish that emits the light of cooking. But I can help Aunt with a few other dishes. You can try them out and see if they suit your taste."
"Well then, I'll leave it to you."
Although Mana felt a bit disappointed that Hachiman couldn't make other perfect dishes, she didn't refuse. After all, she had seen Hachiman's cooking skills just now and believed that even if they weren't perfect dishes, they probably wouldn't taste bad.
"That's nothing, Aunt, please wait a moment."
With that, Hachiman returned to the kitchen counter to prepare a few more dishes. Although he could only produce one dish that emitted the light of cooking for now, he had a new idea in his mind.
What would happen if he integrated the holy light into the dishes?
With that thought, he proceeded. He swiftly killed a sea bream with a chop of his hand, then covered it with a faint holy light and massaged it into the fish as if giving it a massage.
Once the holy light had infused into the sea bream, Hachiman carved an iceberg, preparing to make another "Ice Fresh Sea Bream Mountain".
However, while Hachiman was focused on cooking, Erina showed a worried expression beside him.
When Hachiman passed by her just now to go to the kitchen counter, Erina intended to thank him, but Hachiman didn't even acknowledge her, leaving her feeling flustered.
Oh no, could he really be angry?
What should I do? What should I do?
Although the girl's usual attitude towards Hachiman isn't particularly good, deep down, she does care about him quite a bit. It's just that she struggles to express it due to her pride.
Seeing Hachiman seeming genuinely upset now naturally worries her. After all, she lacks experience in romantic relationships and doesn't know how to comfort someone.
As the girl pondered how to cheer up Hachiman, his cooking on the other side was also complete.
The preparation of the "Ice Fresh Sea Bream Mountain" primarily requires skillful knife work, making it quite challenging, while cooking the fish itself is relatively simple.
Soon enough, Hachiman approached with a miniature ice mountain in hand.
Upon closer inspection, the fish, having undergone the purification of the holy light, seemed even more tender, with its firm flesh resembling small mirrors reflecting the faces of those present.
Although this dish didn't emit the towering golden light like before, the fish slices seemed to shimmer with a gentle golden glow.
Seeing this scene, Senzaemon's expression became somewhat excited.
"This... it's emitting light again. Hachiman, my boy, you've successfully created another perfect dish!"
However, Hachiman shook his head.
"No, this isn't a perfect dish. I simply employed some techniques to further enhance the quality of the dish. It hasn't reached the level of a perfect dish yet. This should be considered..."
"A pseudo-perfect cuisine."
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