Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 218 - 217: The Exposed Magic Trick

Chapter 218: Chapter 217: The Exposed Magic Trick

"Ugh!"

Yoshino Yuuki’s slender legs jerked straight, tensing tightly beneath the table at the moment she bit into the dumpling.

"Indescribably fresh flavor!"

"So delicious!"

As her uncontrollable screams filled the air, the buddies from the Polar Star Dorm lost control over their voracious appetites and cleaned out the steamers on the table, each snatching up a "Rising Dragon Dumpling."

"Eh!"

Sen Tian Makoto picked up a dumpling and, upon noticing the different textures between the top and bottom layers of the wrapper, a surprised smile of realization dawned on her.

"You can play with the dumpling wrapper like this." Sen Tian Makoto murmured to herself with an indescribable joy brimming in her heart, "It seems Yu really has done research on dough-based recipes..."

With a bond as childhood friends and a shared recognition in the same field, Sen Tian Makoto’s eyes sparkled.

At the next table,

Tiqie Ailisha snatched up a steamer grid first and, not minding the hot food, used her chopsticks to bring a dumpling straight to her mouth.

"The flavor of the shrimp, wait, there’s something else!" Alice grasped her chopsticks tightly.

"It’s shrimp brain!"

Tiqie Helinai wasn’t slow either; as she chewed, her clear, large eyes in that moment seemed to turn into a vast, azure ocean.

Whoosh.

A deep red dragon’s shadow flitted past the calm surface of the water.

A pillar of water then explosively burst forth, and down from the sky fell a number of startled castaways, including Tanaka Hikari, Sen Tian Makoto, Xingping Chuangzhen, Tiqie Helinai, among others.

Falling from great heights and lacking oxygen to the brain left their minds blank. Helinai unconsciously clutched her plaid uniform dress tightly while squeezing her legs together, but her golden, slightly curly hair completely fanned out in the wind, like golden waves dancing behind her head.

Eyes blurred.

The lost Helinai inhaled a breath of sea breeze, filling her chest with the full flavor of the ocean.

Dozens of people successively plunged into the sea and sank into the water.

The cool, refreshing seawater quickly enveloped everyone. Helinai let go of herself entirely and, stretching out her limbs, let herself be soaked in the sea.

Deep down on the sea floor, suddenly, a deep red distorted shadow swooshed upward!

The next moment, Helinai felt herself being carried by some creature. Her hair, due to the sharp winds, swayed behind her, flinging out tiny droplets of water.

She lay sprawled on top of a massive, warm body.

Unable to help herself, she looked down and was stunned.

The outstretched dragon’s body was exquisitely detailed, filled with explosive power.

Shouts of alarm came from behind, and as Helinai looked back, she saw her colleagues from Polar Star Dorm—Tanaka Hikari and Sen Tian Makoto sitting on the dragon’s body, with Ailisha waving at her from near the tail.

Despite the howling wind in the air, a mysterious power kept them balanced, allowing them to comfortably take in the scenery.

"Roar—"

The Divine Dragon swept its tail and left; its majestic roar echoed through all the seas.

Perched atop the dragon’s back, Helinai wore a dazed expression. Just then, as the Divine Dragon fell silent and turned its gaze to meet Helinai’s dazed eyes, its regal golden dragon eyes seemed to convey a human-like, playful look.

Helinai’s delicate body tensed, feeling that the gaze was familiar and it gave her an odd repulsion.

"Welcome to the mythological world!"

The thunderous roar permeated heaven and earth.

Her head buzzed.

Tiqie Helinai finished the "Rising Dragon Dumpling" on her chopsticks, and the mental images shattered.

Longing for more!

Staring at her chopsticks, her cute little tongue licked her lips, and her active salivation told Helinai that she wanted to eat more, even enough to burst!

Crying out in dissatisfaction came from the next table.

Yoshino Yuuki, rubbing her tearful eyes, complained loudly, "What’s this, just one dumpling each! I protest, I want to eat more! It wasn’t enough!"

"An indescribable flavor, eating it felt like entering another dimension!"

Marui Shanji took off his glasses and vigorously wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, bowing his head and saying, "Single, pure, an ultimate enjoyment!"

Xingping Chuangzhen glanced at the plate with "Seven-hour Lamb Leg" then at the empty steamer, swallowing but managing to control his rampant hunger.

"Senior Shigong’s ’Seven-hour Lamb Leg’ wins in variety."

"Instructor Xia’s shrimp dumplings bring out the ultimate flavor of the ’shrimp dumpling’ cuisine."

Thinking to himself, Xingping Chuangzhen realized that if it were a culinary battle vote, it would really be hard for him to choose.

Who should I cast my vote for?

A French feast, a staple infused with Chinese flair.

"Right!"

Xingping Chuangzhen asked, "Makki, do you know why the shrimp dumplings moved earlier?"

Hearing this, the sisters from Tiqie Hall next door perked up their ears.

"Yeah, Makki, you’re a pastry expert, so you must know the answer!" Shen Liangzi, Tanaka Hikari, Yoshino Yuuki—all watched Sen Tian Makoto with shining eyes.

"It’s a simple principle."

Sen Tian Makoto spoke softly, "Because the shrimp dumplings are wrapped in two different types of dough."

"Two kinds of dough?"

"Yes, the outer layer, or the top, is crystal dough, and the bottom is ordinary dough... After being steamed, the two doughs expand differently, with the ordinary dough usually expanding more..."

Everybody understood.

Was it the bottom dough expanding that pushed up the shrimp dumplings?

This answer seemed very simple.

Blinking, Yoshino Yuuki complained, "Makki, after hearing you explain it like that, I feel like the myth has been shattered in my heart!"

They exchanged glances.

Everyone else showed signs of agreement, with complex expressions.

It was like a magical trick being exposed.

What seemed like sophisticated magic suddenly lost its mystical allure.

"The truth is always so cruel!" Sen Tian Makoto chuckled, "But don’t think that using ordinary dough available in the market can create such dynamic effects. Even with ordinary dough, due to the skill of the pastry chef, there are huge differences in how much it can expand!"

Tiqie Eriina nodded.

She often made pastries and knew that achieving dough with the right elasticity was no easy feat.

Kneading the dough was the key step, the basic skill of a pastry chef. And from the shrimp dumpling dish, Tiqie Eriina saw that Xia Yu seemingly had a strong pastry foundation!

"That guy..." Biting her lip slightly, Tiqie Eriina felt conflicted, "Has he already branched out into other areas?"

...

In the hotel kitchen.

"Done, let’s wrap up!"

Xia Yu placed the last set of steamers on the pot and turned to reach out his hand to Liangzi Lina.

The heroine, slightly taken aback, then curled up the corners of her mouth and high-fived him to celebrate their success.

After bustling around the hot steamer for half the day, both were drenched in sweat and went to take showers and change clothes.

Exiting the hotel room, Xia Yu planned to meet up with Liangzi Lina but bumped into Shigong Xiaoci Lang coming down the corridor.

"You won."

As soon as they met, Shigong Xiaoci Lang said with a stern face.

"Oh?"

Xia Yu was surprised in expression but chuckled inwardly; he had already received a system notification during his shower that the task was complete, along with 1000 Fame Points deposited into his account—steady was the word.

"Go to the banquet hall yourself, listen up, and see whose dishes the students are discussing."

Shigong Xiaoci Lang arrived full of grievances.

"This banquet seems like your solo show... and we’ve become nothing but green leaves in the background!" he grimly said.

Xia Yu shrugged.

His research on the ’Divine Dragon Dumplings’ frankly hadn’t reached a dazzling level yet.

The reason lay in the pastry foundation; the system had given him an average score of 85. As long as he improved his pastry basics in the coming days, the ’Divine Dragon Dumplings’ lighting up would naturally follow.

Shigong’s dissatisfaction wasn’t hard for Xia Yu to guess.

His cuisine, in terms of taste quality, hadn’t lost.

But when it came to impact, or rather visual appeal, acrobatics, ’Seven-hour Lamb Leg’ couldn’t even come close to ’Divine Dragon Dumplings.’

It was captivating.

And their contest was about whose dish could spark more conversation.

Xia Yu could only silently apologize in his heart.

He had inadvertently achieved another overwhelming victory.