Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 109: Spice Affinity

Chapter 109: Chapter 109: Spice Affinity

Ameyoko Old Shopping Street.

A red sports car parked at the entrance of Xia’s shop. The door of the restaurant was only half-open, with warm yellow-toned light spilling out from within, illuminating a small section of the street.

Inside the shop, Xia Yu was busy in the kitchen, preparing a late-night snack for himself, Liangzi Lina, and Morioka Makki.

The snack wasn’t anything fancy, just three bowls of mildly flavored beef ramen.

The three of them sat at the same table, quietly eating.

Xia Yu seemed a bit absent-minded. In fact, just moments ago in the kitchen, he had repeatedly checked the insights he gained from the Comprehension Crystal, still finding it hard to believe.

The system data floated on his retina.

"Spices Affinity: An advanced talent from the ’Seasoning’ basic series. However, once unlocked, talent points cannot be allocated to increase its level. If you wish to become a spice authority or master, this talent is indispensable."

When opening the Chef God’s talent/skill tree diagram, one could see that the basic skill of ’Seasoning’ had a golden line from the bottom, connecting straight up to the icon representing Spices Affinity.

The icon for the Heart of Cooking was a twisted, abstract heart shape.

The icon for Bursting Flame was a flame element with enraged eyes.

The icon for Spices Affinity was a pair of slender, delicate hands.

Xia Yu was not yet clear on the specific function of this talent. Earlier in the car, he had instinctively recited the spice components in a sachet, but when he tested it in the kitchen just now, the talent seemed to apply only to spices and not to other condiments. The difference from the Divine Sense of Smell was still very noticeable.

Nonetheless, he was not returning empty-handed—at least he acquired an advanced talent. His mind found solace in that.

"By the way, what documents did Mr. Dojima put in my bag?" Xia Yu finished his beef ramen, put down his chopsticks, turned to find the document bag thrown on the counter, opened it, and took out an agreement.

His eyes locked onto the document’s title, and he instinctively read it aloud.

"Far Moon Guest Lecturer Employment Agreement..."

Uh.

Blinking, Xia Yu read the title again. After confirming it was correct, he began to flip through the contents of the agreement. "This, this, did Mr. Dojima put the wrong documents in the bag?"

"It is indeed the employment agreement," Liangzi Lina suddenly answered from the seat.

"But I’m just a high school student..." Xia Yu said, finding it amusing himself. He wasn’t pretending to be young; he really was sixteen this year, without any exaggeration.

"In the culinary world, the adept are prioritized."

Liangzi Lina said calmly, "You made that quasi-special grade dish tonight, even if Far Moon didn’t hire you through special channels. If you participated in Far Moon’s open competition for lecturers, you’d still stand out."

"But I never said I wanted to go to Far Moon," Xia Yu was truly speechless.

Teaching seemed quite nice, the thought of turning a group of Far Moon geniuses obedient and respectful filled his heart with a sense of achievement. But the problem was, what about Xia’s Chinese Restaurant? Far Moon students who reached the level of the Elite Ten could manage their time freely, but teachers might not be able to.

Being a teacher and running Xia’s Chinese Restaurant were clearly in conflict.

If forced to choose, Xia Yu’s heart had a clear answer.

"It’s not just an ordinary lecturer; it’s as a guest lecturer. Take a closer look at the agreement’s details," Liangzi Lina said.

"Alright..."

Xia Yu picked up the document, ignoring a lot of unnecessary text, and only looked at the marked work time and content.

"Only one class per week, at a fixed time—Saturday morning?"

"An elective course?"

"Course content to be determined..."

"Agreement compensation calculated per class hour, with each hour being 200,000 yen."

His eyes moved to the last page of the document. This page was almost entirely filled with signatures and personal seals. Xia Yu looked and saw signatures from Dojima Yin and Tiqie Xianzuowen. On the IGO side, there were Liangzi Lina and Shinohara Shigetaro.

These people counted as Party A of the agreement; Party B naturally was Xia Yu. The signature and stamp section were empty; once he signed his name and stamped it, the document would have legal significance.

What caught Xia Yu’s attention was that he was just an associate, an associate guest lecturer. The course also had a legitimate special-grade chef as the primary lecturer and a Far Moon-arranged associate lecturer.

What kind of course needed three lecturers? Xia Yu asked directly.

Liangzi Lina replied, "This is an experimental collaborative course between IGO’s Neon Department and Far Moon, aimed at nurturing more individuals with special-grade chef potential in the Eastern culinary world..."

"Hold on—" Xia Yu waved his hand to interrupt, his eyes widening, "Are you saying the course content is to nurture ’preparatory’ special-grade chefs?!"

The word ’preparatory’ to him meant potential for special-grade.

Liangzi Lina nodded and said, "Actually, the course has no specific content; it’s meant to guide, with an emphasis on guiding the Heart of Cooking." She then glanced at Morioka Makki, clearly implying that students with potential like Makki were key targets for the course.

"Interesting."

Xia Yu rubbed his chin.

Those familiar with the plot of Food Wars knew that soon, Ghost Father Tiqie Ji would make a strong return to Far Moon, even forcing Tiqie Xianzuowen to step down and ascend to the position of Far Moon Commander himself, followed by sweeping "elite" system reforms.

This world was deeply complicated. Tiqie Ji’s return might not stir much, or it could be even more intense than the original work. If he decided to become a guest lecturer jointly appointed by Far Moon and IGO, he would inevitably be drawn into Far Moon’s turbulent period, unable to remain a bystander.

"I’ll consider it," Xia Yu said.

"Reply to us before the start of school in April."

Liangzi Lina stood up to leave the shop, and when she opened the car door, she seemed to remember something, stopped, turned, and seriously said, "If you have results with your modified Shuangjiang Tofu for the ’Magical Mapo Tofu,’ please inform me immediately!"

"As an exchange, I can share my special-grade recipes with you." Liangzi Lina bowed deeply. "The perfect illuminating cuisine holds the mysteries of ’Culinary Justice.’ It might be my key to advancing as a Lin Chef, so I’m counting on you!"

Xia Yu was taken aback, then took a deep breath.

Dojima Yin, Liangzi Lina—these top special-grade chefs were still exploring and advancing, and he still had so much to learn. He couldn’t become complacent or stagnant.

"I’ll research it thoroughly!" Xia Yu answered solemnly. Hearing his reply, Liangzi Lina nodded and drove away.

He made a sound of surprise. When responding to Liangzi Lina, Xia Yu had received a new task prompt, leaving him momentarily dazed.

"Yu, I’m heading home too." Morioka Makki waved back at him, her laughter like bells. "I need to tell my parents I passed Far Moon’s exam."

Childhood friends ran off with light steps.

Xia Yu returned to the shop, gazing at the documents on the counter, rubbing his chin, and his eyes gradually filled with determination.

...

Late night at the Tiqie Mansion.

The courtyard’s kitchen utensils, charcoal ash, and other items had already been tidied up by the servants.

But in the corner of the courtyard, a small oven emanated a searing red glow in the darkness.

"Hizaki, quicker, quicker, the fire isn’t hot enough!" Tiqie Helinai’s voice was urgent as she turned the roast suckling pig on the grill.

"Ugh!"

Niho Fuyuka was shaking a blower when she suddenly smelled a pungent, burnt odor. She couldn’t help but stop, covering her nose. "Miss Eriina, it’s burnt!"

"I know!"

Divine Tongue said in frustration and annoyance, "Cursed, how do you control the heat in such intense fire?!"

In the tea room, Tiqie Xianzuowen withdrew his gaze and shook his head.

At that moment, the mobile phone on the tatami suddenly vibrated.

The caller ID showed a number from China, and Tiqie Xianzuowen smiled, answering with a hearty voice, "Mr. Xia Qing, I’ve been waiting for your call for a long time."

"General, is there anything urgent?" The voice on the other end sounded weary.

The old men addressed each other respectfully, yet the conversation carried a relaxed atmosphere.

"You should be aware of the illuminating cuisine, right?"

"... "

There was a prolonged silence on the other end of the line.