Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 100: Special Hospitality (Part 1)

Chapter 100: Chapter 100: Special Hospitality (Part 1)

Time rewound to half an hour ago.

Tiqie Mansion kitchen.

A fit man in a suit stood with folded arms in the spacious kitchen, watching a female chef meticulously prepare food for the evening dinner.

"Miss Reiko, I didn’t expect you to come." Dojima Yin said cheerfully.

The female chef, dressed in a pristine white chef’s uniform, was preparing traditional Japanese cuisine. Without looking up, she replied, "I came here today because of work."

"What a coincidence, I’m here for work too."

Dojima Yin chuckled, not surprised, "After all, it’s an inspection. Has IGO decided to nominate him as a candidate?"

"There are too few non-special-grade chefs who have grasped the essence of cooking," she said indifferently, "This time IGO is collaborating with Far Moon on a special course that requires not only a real special-grade guest lecturer but also two assistant lecturers."

"Far Moon has already decided on their candidates, haven’t they?" Busy with her tasks, the female chef finally lifted her head to glance at him.

"Of course!"

"The White Knight, Si Yingshi," Dojima Yin said with folded arms. "Among this year’s Ten Masters of Far Moon, he’s the only chief who has grasped the essence of cooking. With his culinary skills, serving as an assistant lecturer is no problem, but his capabilities..."

Dojima Yin suddenly became embarrassed. He couldn’t exactly say that this chief among the Ten Masters of Far Moon was actually passive by nature and particularly disliked hassles.

"By the way, has IGO consulted him about this?"

The female chef said nothing.

...

Tiqie Helinai had just taken her seat when the ’Food Demon King’ also arrived.

However, what surprised everyone was that Dojima Yin was actually following behind the Far Moon Commander, sitting with a cheerful smile at the lower end of Tiqie Xianzuowen’s seat.

"Let’s serve the food."

Tiqie Xianzuowen turned his head to address a maid, kneeling at the door and dressed in traditional kimono.

The maid bowed, quietly retreated, and closed the sliding door behind her.

"Huh?" Tiqie Xianzuowen scanned the long table and then noticed Xia Yu was missing. Niho Fuyuka spoke up, "I’ll go call him; he’s been using the main house’s kitchen all afternoon."

Niho Fuyuka went through the door.

"Are you one of the successful candidates today?" Dojima Yin said curiously as he stared at Xingping Chuangzhen, with his spiky red hair, feeling vaguely that the boy’s profile seemed familiar.

"Yeah."

Xingping Chuangzhen was not at all nervous. He was naturally big-hearted. He had been resting his chin on his hands, pondering the details of the ’Transformed raw egg rice bowl’ given by Xia Yu, but his trail of thought was interrupted. All he did was scratch his head and say, "Uncle, can we start serving the food? I’ve been sitting here all afternoon, and to be honest, I’m quite hungry."

"Ha-ha, just wait, there’s a sumptuous feast coming up; you’re going to be satisfied!" Dojima Yin was taken aback, and then let out a hearty laugh.

"People really are commoners; they don’t know the first thing about table manners!"

Across the long table, Tiqie Helinai looked disdainfully at Xingping Chuangzhen, lacking any interest in him. In contrast, Xia Yu, who had defeated her in a formal cook-off, and Morioka Makoto, who presented the ’Emperor Crab Thick Egg Omelette,’ genuinely piqued her curiosity.

For a moment, the only sounds in the tea room were the quiet conversations between Eriina and Morioka Makoto.

Tiqie Xianzuowen closed his eyes to rest.

Dojima Yin looked curiously at Xingping Chuangzhen and Morioka Makoto while also eagerly anticipating the arrival of another youth. After all, his being called to tonight’s dinner by the Far Moon General actually involved other secret tasks.

Soon, the sliding door opened, and Xia Yu and Niho Fuyuka came in, one after the other.

All eyes in the room lifted to look at them, focusing on Xia Yu.

"Mr. Dojima, hello!"

This was the second time Xia Yu had seen Dojima Yin, and he greeted him very familiarly, to which Dojima Yin responded with a hearty laugh.

"Here, here, sit here!" Xingping Chuangzhen waved him over to a seat.

Seeing that Tiqie Eriina had taken the spot next to Morioka Makoto, Xia Yu simply went along with Xingping Chuangzhen’s invitation and sat between him and Dojima Yin.

As soon as he had taken his seat, several kimono-clad maids began to bring in the dishes one after another.

It was a traditional Japanese banquet, centered around Japanese cuisine.

Two maids, one on each side, drew open the bamboo curtains of the tea house, and the view of the courtyard at dusk slowly unfolded, with the orange glow of the setting sun spilling onto the pond—creating a tranquil scene.

Other maids, holding lacquerware containers that resembled works of art, gently placed them on the table.

The first dish brought out was an exquisite appetizer for each person.

The appetizer was actually a starter, with a small dish filled with seafood broth, a green block of tofu made from mugwort, sesame, and kudzu root placed in the center, topped with sea urchin, shepherd’s purse, and wasabi sauce.

Xia Yu carefully picked up the tofu, chewed it together with the sea urchin, and swallowed it, instantly feeling puzzled and intrigued.

The others didn’t speak, including Xingping Chuangzhen, all focusing intently on the plates in front of them.

After a while, when the appetizers were nearly finished, a beautiful kimono-clad woman, who appeared to be the head maid, clapped softly, and a new group of maids presented the next course while clearing the dishes from the appetizers.

Next came the platter, but this time there was something more substantial to fill the stomach.

On a dark red wooden tray, there were three antique lacquerware pieces: the rice was in a small black lacquered bowl on the left, just about the size of a fist, distinctly black and white. The soup was on the right, also in a small black bowl, very thick and white.

As for the "first course" of sashimi on the plate at the front of the tray, it contained translucent slices of raw fish, accompanied by katsuobushi flakes, shiso sprouts, and green leaves, beautifully decorated.

Xia Yu took a deep breath of the enticing aroma and murmured to himself, "Sea bream sashimi?"

"What is this white miso soup?"

Elegance all around!

After sampling the appetizer, Xia Yu grasped a very natural style of Japanese cuisine, that peculiar sensation where the chef evidently had a "culinary heart." Even after just a small taste of the appetizer, his mind calmed down without any distraction.

"Mmm, delicious!"

Xingping Chuangzhen’s voice, full of surprise, came from beside him as he devoured several slices of sashimi, his eyes shining.

Xia Yu also picked up his chopsticks and took a slice of sashimi, dipped it in some soy sauce, and placed it in his mouth.

The thin slice of fish melted upon entry.

Delicious!

"Sea bream?" Xia Yu tasted it carefully, "This quality of meat, it’s definitely not your average sea bream, right?"

"This is cherry sea bream sashimi..."

Tiqie Eriina had a few bites of the raw fish slices, then suddenly said, "This sea bream is caught in the inland sea as a migratory species... Probably around February each year, the true sea bream from the open ocean near Kyushu move towards the shores, passing through the Kii Waterway and Fenghou Waterway, heading north into the Seto Inland Sea. From spring to autumn, the true sea bream shuttle between Naruto Strait and Mishima Strait."

"This cherry sea bream, with a color as delicate as cherry blossoms, has a fresh and delectable texture, adored by all. It is on par with the Akashi sea bream and is considered a fine delicacy in cuisine, commanding a high price."

Although she was not explaining to anyone in particular, it was clear that she was taking into account the presence of Xia Yu, Xingping Chuangzhen, and Morioka Makoto.

Ordinary sea bream, these three would have tried, but not necessarily the cherry sea bream or Akashi sea bream, those high-end delicacies.

Tiqie Eriina continued by taking a sip of the miso soup, her eyes brightening, "This main soup is very appetizing, uh-huh, indeed, it is white miso soup cooked with gluten, paired with taro shoots!"

Xia Yu listened silently, enjoying several slices of cherry sea bream sashimi, scooping up a ball of rice and swallowing it, before finally leisurely sipping the miso soup.

After having the soup with the rice, his stomach only grew hungrier.