Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 115: Entertaining Old Classmates

Chapter 115: Chapter 115: Entertaining Old Classmates

"Mr. Xia Yu, did you buy that bread from outside the school?"

"Mr. Xia Yu, Mr. Xia Yu, could you bring me a few loaves of bread tomorrow...?"

"Mr. Xia Yu..."

Mr. Sakamoto fell silent, and Xia Yu found himself bombarded.

The lunch break was forty minutes, and a group of girls gathered around, one asking where he bought the bread and another asking him to help buy some. Xia Yu made do with various excuses, but during the break after lunch, it was the boys’ turn to bombard him.

Nishimura Eiki and Sera Yuuya, who didn’t get to eat the bread, were the main bombardiers, and the situation persisted until school ended in the afternoon.

At Neon High School, there were only two classes in the afternoon. Around a quarter past three, the homeroom teacher, Saito Yui, came by to assign some tasks and called away Boss Sakamoto.

After three o’clock was club activity time. Of course, Xia Yu belonged to the go-home club, ignoring the recruitment efforts of the many school clubs. As soon as the homeroom teacher left, he grabbed his backpack and left the classroom.

If it weren’t for the stir caused by the stir-fried bread, the first day of school should have gone as blandly as Xia Yu had planned.

Attending class? Actually, during the whole day, Xia Yu was immersed in his own culinary world. After receiving a wave of Fame Points through a gift pack, he maintained communication with the Chef God Space during lectures, recording and experimenting with the sparks of inspiration in his mind, while considering how to maximize the use of the [Spice Affinity] talent to open up another culinary field.

"Spices!"

Standing at the school gate, Xia Yu still had the large word floating in his mind.

It had been about a week since the banquet at the Tiqie Mansion that night, yet Dojima Yin’s ’Spice Nine-layered Egyptian Roasted Chicken’ dish lingered in Xia Yu’s memory. He had been trying to recreate the dish these past days, and though there hadn’t been results yet, through repeated attempts, he was beginning to grasp the essentials of spice studies.

At the street corner, Nishimura Eiki, who was leaving school with Xia Yu, waved farewell to him.

"Mr. Xia Yu, I’m going to catch the train home first!"

Nishimura Eiki was also a member of the go-home club. He had barely run a few steps before stopping again to shout at Xia Yu from across the street, "Oh, and remember to download the online game we talked about today in class when you get home. We’ll form the strongest ’Array Cat’ guild!"

Xia Yu couldn’t help but laugh.

Nishimura Eiki wasn’t a shut-in but rather an open-minded gaming enthusiast, recently obsessed with a certain dungeon online game. His character seemed to be a heavy knight, always eager to be on the front lines in battle, which said a lot about his bold and cheerful personality.

Of course, Xia Yu didn’t have time to play games, so he just casually humored Nishimura Eiki. With his mind full of spice recipes, Xia Yu rode his bicycle and set off on his way home.

The bike ride from Ameyoko to Original Asakusa Town took only about ten minutes.

Returning to the familiar old shopping street, Xia Yu parked his bike at the entrance of Xia’s shop and suddenly heard the crisp sound of a bicycle bell.

A certain cool-looking boy dressed in a black uniform was balancing on one foot with a bicycle beside him.

"Mr. Sakamoto?" Xia Yu was surprised, suddenly realizing he had been followed. He had been lost in thought about recipes all the way and hadn’t noticed the tag-along behind him.

Adjusting his glasses, Sakamoto parked his bike, stood at the entrance of Xia’s cuisine shop, and examined the three-story building with that cool expression, "So, this is where Mr. Xia Yu lives."

Since he was already there, it wasn’t polite for Xia Yu to chase him away.

"Come on in!"

He unlocked and pushed open half of the shop door, inviting the big shot into the shop.

"A Chinese restaurant?" Sakamoto walked in, glancing around as a hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes. So it wasn’t a bakery making handmade bread after all.

The shop’s interior was spotlessly clean, and even though it was somewhat narrow, the air was fresher than that of a vast park, with a refreshing post-rain feel. Sakamoto walked around, sniffing, and wondered, "Is there a ventilation system?"

After searching for a while, Sakamoto finally found the vents of the ventilation system in several concealed corners.

Silent!

He placed his hand over a vent, clearly feeling the airflow brushing his palm, though the not-yet-open shop was so quiet that Sakamoto could hear his own breathing. The ventilation system was completely silent, emitting no noise.

Suddenly, the sound of a pot and spatula clashing came from the kitchen.

Sakamoto chose to sit down rather than peek into the kitchen.

After a short while, Xia Yu brought out a plate of freshly made assorted fried rice, with diced ham, egg strips, and carrot strips mixed together, filling the air with a delicious aroma.

"Please enjoy—" Xia Yu, now dressed in kitchen attire, placed a plate full of fried rice on the table, then turned around to fetch another cup of freshly brewed green tea, smiling, "I bet Mr. Sakamoto is hungry. This is my treat as the host. You can rest assured about the cooking skills."

As soon as he finished speaking, the phone in his pocket vibrated and rang, but Xia Yu didn’t answer it, appearing as if he had expected the call, as he walked out of the shop.

Looking at the steaming fried rice on the table, Sakamoto’s stomach indeed protested.

The stir-fried bread he had at noon left a lingering memory, but his character wouldn’t allow him to directly express it. So, no wonder that after school, Sakamoto had tailed Xia Yu to the Xia’s shop, not far from school.

What Sakamoto didn’t expect was that Xia Yu, his old classmate’s family business, was neither a convenience store nor a bakery, but an authentic Chinese restaurant.

The clean chopsticks and spoon were already prepared. Sakamoto picked up the white porcelain spoon, scooped a full spoonful of the assorted fried rice, and brought it to his nose for a sniff. His eyes lit up with an impassioned gleam, "This flavor... it’s just like the stir-fried bread from noon!"

"Heat! Energy!!" Sakamoto gobbled the spoonful of rice, chewing with a cool expression that turned into one of blissful enjoyment.

"Delicious!"

A simple two-word compliment was followed by ravenous devouring.

In a few minutes, the entire plate of fried rice was devoured. Sakamoto exhaled and then noticed some noise from the kitchen side. He looked up to see several sturdy men in black carrying boxes of well-packed ingredients through the side door.

Outside, he vaguely heard the voices of Xia Yu and another younger man conversing.

"Chef Xia Yu, here’s the list of ingredients. Please take a look." The young man, which sounded much older than Xia Yu, spoke in an unusually respectful tone.

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Anteng."

The conversation ended there, and the men in black soon vanished, followed by the sound of a delivery truck and a van driving away.

Xia Yu returned, holding a list of ingredients.

He didn’t have the leisure to entertain Sakamoto, having already timed an opportunity earlier to casually prepare a fried rice dish for his old classmate. Of course, this fried rice was simply at the level of home cooking, with a casual and flexible approach to its ingredients. As for whether it tasted good, there was no question.

Entering the kitchen, Xia Yu checked off the list of ingredients delivered by the IGO institution today, nodding with satisfaction.

The ingredients for the next couple of days were all here.

Speaking of which, the shop had been repaired and open for business for several days. Xia Yu stood in the back kitchen, summoned the system, and opened the three-dimensional holographic image of the cuisine shop, examining the upgraded modules.