Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 243 - 242: Alternate Candidate Quota

Chapter 243: Chapter 242: Alternate Candidate Quota

Lunch break was only forty minutes long, Sakamoto and Nishimura Eiki couldn’t wait for the next pot of seafood rice to be ready and had to return to class.

So in the dedicated kitchen, only Reiko and Eriina were left.

"Phew..."

Relieved, her burden lifted, Eriina took off her hood and mask, her slightly curled wavy blonde hair cascading over her shoulders.

Liangzi Lina also put away her sunglasses.

A little while later, Xia Yu presented his second practice seafood rice dish.

"Try this."

He handed a bowl to each, Reiko and Eriina.

The ’Divine Tongue’, which had no expectations at first, was astonished and her eyes widened after just one spoonful.

"Delicious—"

She blurted out almost subconsciously, without time to think.

Tiqie Eriina’s legs and arms clung tightly to herself as her cheeks flushed crimson.

Cold and heat alternated in her mouth, and the ’Divine Tongue’s’ sense of taste, being more sensitive than ordinary people’s, oscillated between the biting cold of winter and the blazing sun of summer, leaving Eriina utterly confused in an instant.

"Is this ’quasi’ Special Grade Cuisine, strictly following the recipe..."

Liangzi Lina put down her spoon.

Xia Yu nodded, "I didn’t add anything, I followed the original recipe."

"Just a bit off," said Liangzi Lina with a look of appreciation. "Refine the details a bit more. If you can completely integrate the ’Jet-Black Rice’ into the dish, you’ll be able to make ’Special Grade One Star’ cuisine according to the recipe!"

About the details, Liangzi Lina didn’t say much.

A miss by an inch is as good as a miss by a mile.

Currently, Xia Yu’s proficiency with the "Valencia Baaiya" recipe wasn’t enough. In short, he needed to practice diligently; it was like obtaining a secret martial arts technique and needing to practice until he mastered it.

Having enjoyed the meal, Liangzi Lina put on her sunglasses, ready to leave.

But at the doorway, she suddenly remembered something and turned back, "Oh yes, you can skip the three-star ranking assessment. The assessments from three-star up to nine-star are all cancelled. Minister Shinohara is applying for a ’Special Level Candidate’ spot for you at headquarters."

"Special Level Candidate?" Xia Yu was surprised.

"That’s right, it’s a rank above nine-star but below Special Grade, it’s only disclosed internally within the IGO organization."

Liangzi Lina explained, "Becoming a ’Special Level Candidate’ allows you to download the ’Special Grade IGO Online’ app, which includes a new IGO online shop feature. ’Special Level Candidates’ can, like Special Grade chefs, obtain some Fantasy Ingredients for free from the IGO shop every month."

"Is that a perk for Special Level Candidates?"

Xia Yu’s eyes lit up.

What he currently lacked was the "foundation" of being a chef!

For the Special Grade assessment, one must use some kind of Special Grade ingredient to improvise, create a recipe on the spot, and present the finished dish.

He had encountered too few Fantasy Ingredients so far, starting with ’Shuangjiang Tofu’, then ’White-haired Cinderella Beef’, ’Land Shark Fin’, and now the ’Jet-Black Rice’ used in cooking the seafood rice.

Counting all, he had personally cooked with only ’Jet-Black Rice’ and ’Shuangjiang Tofu’.

If IGO’s Special Grade ingredient vault was open to him, he didn’t even need the freebies. Having the means to purchase and practice with Fantasy Ingredients at his own expense was undoubtedly very important for his growth.

"There should be a response from headquarters today."

Liangzi Lina noticed the ripple of interest on Xia Yu’s face, her eyes holding a hint of a smile.

"In any case, what can be anticipated is that a Special Envoy from headquarters will arrive soon. You should prepare yourself."

"As long as you satisfy the Special Envoy, the ’Special Level Candidate’ spot won’t slip away!"

She watched as Liangzi Lina left.

On his retinas, the information for a new task popped up:

"[Advance—Special Level Candidate]!"

"Hint: Gain the approval of the IGO headquarters Special Envoy, going from a ’two-star chef’ directly to ’Special Level Candidate’."

"Reward: 2 chances for high-level lucky draw."

Receiving a new task should have been a joyous occasion, but as his gaze swept over the reward section, Xia Yu’s face darkened immediately.

Jumping from two-star to nine-star and damn it, all for just 2 lucky draw chances?

A trap!

The last time he spun the wheel, moments of heaven and hell were still vivid in his mind.

He was so close to landing a golden divine talent.

So, what about this time? No, this time there are two chances!

Xia Yu calmed himself down, was he not the African chieftain who could not afford to show a glimmer of hope for a chance to smuggle his way to Europe?

He turned to ponder the task at hand.

That so-called Special Envoy hadn’t shown up yet, so there was no need to overthink it.

But the task itself was worth contemplating.

How to satisfy the Special Envoy in an open task? No need to think twice about it—conquer with cooking, of course!

The question was, which dish would do the conquering.

...

After school in the afternoon.

A peculiar scene unfolded on the street.

A girl, who was picked up by a chauffeured car, trailed leisurely behind a boy on a bicycle.

This odd couple eventually returned to the rundown old shopping district.

"Come in and have a seat."

Parking his bike, Xia Yu knocked on the window.

"You can go back first."

Tiqie Eriina said to the driver, who had diligently waited outside White Seagull High School all afternoon.

"Alright, Miss," the black-suited driver nodded.

Once Eriina got out of the car, the black sedan left without lingering.

"Come in, make yourself at home—"

Xia Yu gestured with a wag of his hand behind him and pushed the door open, throwing his backpack casually onto the bar counter.

"Meow~"

With a coquettish meow, a small creature leaped, scrambling up Xia Yu’s leg and onto his shoulder in the blink of an eye, startling the following Tiqie Eriina.

"Did we have any other ’visitors’ at our place today?" Xia Yu patted the pet cat’s little head and asked.

The pet cat tilted its head slightly, then let out a low mew.

"Quite peaceful, huh..."

Xia Yu raised an eyebrow.

Tiqie Eriina stood still, her gaze curious as she observed this master and servant communication. "Do you like cats a lot?"

"They’re for catching mice, too many dirty things around," Xia Yu casually replied, and the pet cat on his shoulder, seemingly offended, made a show of unsheathing its claws in a threat.

Smack!

A firm flick on its little head followed by a swift grab at the back of the cat’s neck, he lifted it down.

"Take a seat for now."

After saying that, Xia Yu headed into the kitchen to make the cat’s meal. He hadn’t come home at noon, and the cat must be hungry.

Tiqie Eriina sat in front of the bar, her gaze wandering through the glass, scanning the boy busy at the stove and the pet cat by his side wagging its tail, begging for food. A smile involuntarily curled at her lips.

Thump, thump.

Sounds of footsteps and knocking at the door.

"Sorry to disturb."

With the voice, the shadows of three men fell in the shop interior, silhouetted by the setting sun.

At the sound, Tiqie Eriina turned around in surprise.

"It’s not opening time yet," she said instinctively, not realizing at the moment that she was also a guest.

"Is that so?"

The handsome blond youth smiled nonchalantly.

"We’re not here for a meal."

Tiqie Eriina glanced at the young man and felt he looked somewhat familiar.

"Then you are..."

Meanwhile, Xia Yu, who was in the kitchen preparing the cat’s meal, also noticed the newcomers to his shop. Glancing outside, his eyes swept over Lancelot through the clear glass, pausing for two or three seconds, then skimmed the other two middle-aged men beside him, before withdrawing his gaze.

Unhurried, he continued to prepare the cat’s meal, his rhythm not disrupted by the unexpected guests.

"Come on, it’s mealtime, little buddy!"

He plated the cat food, covering half with cling film to store in a thermal box, and took the other half still warm to the small courtyard hallway.

Crouching down to watch the eager cat eat, Xia Yu chuckled. If it were an ordinary house cat, it would’ve surely been burned by the food, waiting a while until it cooled down to eat.

Patting the pet cat’s little head, Xia Yu stood up and walked leisurely back to the front of the shop.