Chapter 20 – Deceiving Erina Nakiri

Double chapters for next week if can reach 300 power stones before the end of this week.

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***

"Do you really intend to run this restaurant properly?" Erina Nakiri narrowed her eyes, clearly seeing his efforts as haphazard.

Of course not...

Although he wanted to say that, now was not the time for such honesty. Regardless, for the foreseeable future, this restaurant would serve as an altar for seizing luck, and keeping it operational was crucial.

"Of course, I do. I just don't want to be bound by boring rules."

After staring at him intently for a moment, Erina sighed and decided not to pursue it further, longing to taste his cooking again after such a long time. "Since you say you can make anything, then I'll leave the choice of dish to you."

So troublesome...

Sadao inwardly complained. At this moment, he thought having a complete menu might not be such a bad idea after all.

"I understand, I'll make sure you're satisfied..."

Although he wasn't sure how the system would seize their luck, he would still do his best to keep them here longer with his cooking.

...

But what dish should he prepare?

After rummaging through the kitchen, he found some rice batter left over from the morning.

It's been a few hours, but it's still usable...

Sadao smiled slightly, having made a decision. Despite Erina's discerning palate, he was confident that even with leftover ingredients, he could satisfy her.

It's so good not to have to think too much about the menu...

As Sadao gloated to himself, Erina, waiting outside, probably never imagined that Sadao would dare to be so perfunctory with her, a renowned "God's Tongue" in the culinary world.

She was eagerly awaiting his creation. "Hisako, what do you think he'll come up with?"

"Well..." Hisako Arato hesitated. Honestly, she felt like she might be pouring cold water on Erina's expectations, but she didn't believe that peculiar guy would serve any high-end cuisine. In her view, Sadao would likely, as he did years ago, serve a dish that was delicious but plain and unremarkable.

"It should be quite a delicious dish..." After organizing her thoughts, Hisako finally gave an answer she could accept.

"Of course..." Erina clearly missed the hidden meaning in Hisako's words and nodded in agreement. In her mind, regardless of Sadao's eccentricities, he should have taken to heart what she said to him years ago. The likelihood of him serving a lowly dish like before was very slim.

This...

Seeing Erina's growing anticipation, Hisako felt a heavy burden. Now, she only hoped Sadao wouldn't serve anything too outrageous.

But as the saying goes, 'What you fear most is likely to happen.' In just a moment, Sadao came out with two plates.

"So fast!?" Erina was surprised and her expectations grew even higher.

In contrast to Erina's anticipation, Hisako felt increasingly uneasy. She was sure this wasn't any high-end cuisine... Preparing gourmet dishes wasn't that simple.

As she suspected, when Erina saw what was on the plates, she was dumbfounded. What is this?

"This is what you're serving me?" Erina was fuming at Sadao's response. It seemed he hadn't taken her previous advice to heart at all. How frustrating!

"Yeah, I serve fast, right?" Sadao secretly smiled, maintaining a calm and composed appearance.

He knew Erina was angry, but what of it? He enjoyed seeing her reluctantly conquered by his commoner's cuisine despite her displeasure.

"You..." Erina was quite annoyed. She wanted to leave right then and there, but the aroma of the dish on the table was irresistibly tempting.

Why does this jerk like these commoner's dishes so much?

"If I don't like this dish, you know the consequences. A restaurant rejected by the 'God's Tongue' has only one path – closure!"

"Please rest assured..." Sadao still appeared confident.

Restaurant closure? That's not happening, not unless he chooses to shut it down himself. Even if Erina's review is low, with his financial resources, keeping the restaurant running is an easy task.

Truly fearless...

Erina felt helpless. Why do these commoner's dishes have a more impressive flavor than high-end cuisine? It was incomprehensible!

Finally, Erina began to eat. Though she had little expectation for the Cheung Fun served by Sadao, the moment the silky-smooth rice noodle touched her palate, she had to admit that its delicate taste was exquisite. Combined with the shockingly good sauce, her initially displeased demeanor gave way to a serene smile. (t/n: Cheung Fun = Rice Noddle Rolls)

What a marvelous flavor... It was like being enveloped in soft clouds, experiencing an ethereal bath that couldn't possibly exist in this world.

"Ha..." Erina quickly regained her composure and sighed. "Your culinary skills are as exceptional as ever. However, I still can't understand why you're so fixated on commoner's cuisine. The taste of this dish alone could rival the best in high-end cuisine!"

"If you're satisfied, then that's great. As for your question..." Sadao smiled, "...the answer is quite simple. I grew up eating commoner's cuisine, so naturally, I have a special fondness for it. Does that answer satisfy you?"

Erina fell silent. She would never understand Sadao's feelings, but that didn't stop her from understanding his sentiment... After pondering for a moment, she spoke softly, "Your restaurant has many issues, the interior decoration is lacking, and so is the service attitude, but the culinary aspect is indeed outstanding... Although I still think you should return to Totsuki for further study, I respect your decision to run this restaurant. I will help make your restaurant famous. You should also improve the decoration soon!"

Sadao was startled by her words. Fame, she must be joking. If he wanted to make a name for himself, he would have done so already. Did he need her help?

However, he couldn't just say anything carelessly. After organizing his thoughts, Sadao politely declined, "Thank you for your kind offer... But there's no need for fame. My restaurant awaits those who are destined to come. For those who are not, I have no intention of entertaining them."

"This..." Erina looked astonished. What was he trying to do?

"It's part of my practice." Sadao displayed a profound smile, inwardly ridiculing the absurdity of his excuse. Could such a poor excuse really work?

"Since you say so, I won't insist. I'll come again when I have time."

However, to his surprise, Erina, completely captivated by his cooking, accepted his ridiculous explanation.

"I will be sure to treat you well when you come." Though he wanted to comment on her logic, Sadao knew better than to ruin the moment.