Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 113: Lunch Bread (Part 1)

Chapter 113: Chapter 113: Lunch Bread (Part 1)

"Yo, Eriina!"

Xia Yu scoffed at the tsundere’s disdain as he waved to the camera.

Eriina Tiqie didn’t want to bother with him and was about to put her phone down on the chair next to her.

"Wait, Eriina, remember our agreement—" Xia Yu quickly interjected.

"What else do you want?!" Eriina Tiqie furrowed her brow. "I’ve used the power of the Elite Ten to arrange a dorm for Sen Tian Makki, and even per your request, secured her a fixed partner for class collaboration. What more do you want? Want me to just give her straight ’A’s for all her classes?"

"That would be great!" Xia Yu waved her off, about to continue, but a commotion broke out outside, and a group of students were yelling and cursing.

Xingping Chuangzhen’s voice came through clearly:

"Uh, did none of you get that? Well then, I’ll say it again!"

"Seriously, I never thought about studying at Far Moon before, but I met some interesting folks who changed my mind. What I want to say is, I won’t lose to a bunch of chefs who’ve never faced real customers. Since I’ve come to Far Moon... I’m going to conquer this place, take the top spot, then go challenge that guy and beat him!"

Boos filled the room.

Chuangzhen was met with jeers from the crowd as Sen Tian Makki dashed off the stage.

"That scared me to death!" Makki said, retrieving her phone from Eriina, patting her chest for the camera, and complaining, "What’s with Xingping? Picking a fight with all the freshmen!"

"Don’t worry about him," Xia Yu couldn’t help but smile.

If Chuangzhen didn’t stir up trouble during the opening ceremony, then he wouldn’t be Xingping Chuangzhen.

But in the original story, that was the end of Chuangzhen’s trajectory at Far Moon. Xia Yu had already arranged Makki’s first class partner through Eriina. Two girls, each with their own nascent "culinary spirits," would likely spark some interesting fireworks.

"Makki, you remember how to make ’Burgundy Red Wine Stewed Beef’ that I taught you the other day, right?"

At White Seagull High School, the opening ceremony was also coming to an end. Xia Yu made a point to ask as he turned off the video. This class was crucial for another girl to continue studying at Far Moon.

"Of course!" Makki replied confidently.

"Then let your heartfelt cooking bring a smile to that always-stern professor’s face," Xia Yu said as he shut down the chat app and stuffed his phone and earpiece into his pocket.

After the opening ceremony, everyone returned to their classes as usual.

At Neon Junior and Senior High, the first class usually started at 8:50 am, lasting 50 minutes, with four classes in the morning and a lunch break from 12:40 to 1:25 pm. With less than an hour’s break, both junior and senior high school students had their lunch on campus.

As the bell rang at the end of the fourth morning class, a buzzing sound of footsteps came from the corridor outside the classrooms.

Students who didn’t bring lunch boxes, regardless of gender, rushed to the cafeteria. Many of them were actually just going to buy some fresh bread and a drink.

Those with lunch boxes gathered with friends in the classroom to share tables, or found a spot at the corner of the outside stairs, or on the benches in the courtyard, enjoying the leisurely lunch atmosphere of the campus.

The classroom was filled with the scent of food, Xia Yu sniffed, and his chef’s professional habit kicked in:

"What’s with that lunch box? The pairings are all wrong!"

"Terrible smell! The fried chicken nuggets are burnt; there must be a charred taste on the surface!"

He might not have the "Divine Sense of Smell," but those food scents were so strong that any other chef could pick out many flaws too.

"Mr. Sakamoto, let’s eat our lunch boxes together!"

Several girls surrounded the class’s big shots, each brandishing their own brightly colored bento boxes.

Xia Yu glanced over, then looked away, quietly shaking his head inside. He had woken up late that morning, so he hadn’t prepared a bento, but he had brought some food to fill his stomach.

He took out his lunchbox and lifted the lid; inside were three pieces of bread, each separated by a sheet of seaweed.

The bread was a classic French crusty loaf, with a perfect golden crust that was shiny and appealing, coated with a glossy layer of oil that added to the bread’s appearance.

Each piece of bread was split open in the middle and hollowed out to stuff in stir-fried noodles, which were cooked to a golden, oily sheen.

Of course, it wasn’t just about stir-fried noodles. The strands were mixed in with bean sprouts, shredded cabbage, and strips of carrot.

There was also neatly chopped slices of ham.

Eggs were, naturally, indispensable.

"Ha, ha—"

Just as Xia Yu was wrapping up a piece of noodle-filled bread with the soft seaweed, ready to eat, a set of heavy breaths came from the next table.

"I got it, I got it!"

The black-haired boy at the neighboring table wiped the sweat from his forehead and placed two wrapped pieces of bread and a box of fresh milk on his table, a look of accomplishment on his face, "It’s only the first day of school, and the cafeteria store is really bustling, huh? Getting two stir-fried noodle breads was more exhausting than running a major dungeon in a game!"

Uh.

Noticing the gaze from the next table, the black-haired boy looked over and said with a friendly smile, "Hello, I’m Nishimura Eiki, would you like to join me for a leisurely lunch?"

"Hello, I’m Xia Yu."

"Ah, are you an exchange student from China?" The boy named Nishimura Eiki asked in surprise.

"Although there are exchange students at our school, I am not one," Xia Yu shrugged his shoulders. "I properly advanced all the way from the junior department. I know more than half the people in this class, but whether they know me is another matter."

Bang! Nishimura Eiki moved his desk over, combining it with Xia Yu’s, and also shifted his seat to sit next to Xia Yu, "Haha, I transferred here from a suburban junior high. Please take care of me from now on!"

He brought his palms together in front of Xia Yu; the black-haired boy had strong social skills, not seeming like the stay-at-home type.

Suddenly, he sniffed.

Nishimura Eiki curiously looked at the stir-fried noodle bread in Xia Yu’s lunchbox, then at his own just bought from the school store, his expression visibly twitching, "...Did you buy these breads from outside the school?"

His Adam’s apple moved uncontrollably.

Up close, the aroma wafting from Xia Yu’s stir-fried noodle bread made Nishimura Eiki’s mouth water, and he couldn’t help muttering, "It looks really delicious!"

He tore open the packaging bag and brought the school store-bought bread close to Xia Yu’s lunchbox for a comparison, which immediately made him feel embarrassed.

Not to mention the noodles, the quality of the outer bread was worlds apart.

Xia Yu’s bread had a perfect golden color, its hue and shape reminiscent of enhanced food photos in advertisements, with just a glance drawing you in and the worms in your stomach waking up.

And then there were the stir-fried noodles, so rich in color, not only the noodles’ own hue but also layers of egg strips, lettuce strips, bean sprout strips, carrot strips, and ham strips.

These various garnishes, cut into strips, caught Nishimura Eiki’s eye and looked machine-cut, uniform in size and shape. Together, they formed a colorful handcrafted art piece, not at all like fast food.

Yet Xia Yu was hungry and, ignoring Nishimura Eiki, picked up a noodle-filled bread and took a bite.

"Not bad!" His eyes lit up.

The crispy outer layer of the French bread made a subtle crackling sound when bitten, and the bread’s inner layer was unexpectedly soft and multi-layered. Chewed together with the stir-fried noodles and the various condiments, the rich aroma instantly filled his entire head.