Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 448 - 447: Sharing the Golden Autumn of September with You

Chapter 448: Chapter 447: Sharing the Golden Autumn of September with You

"A bento filled with love?"

Looking at the arrangement inside the bento box, then at the pink outer box, it exuded a full dose of girlish charm.

The audience and judges couldn’t help but wear gentle smiles on their faces.

In the guest seats.

Chitben Orin chuckled softly, "This style, how should I put it, it’s something I had aspired to during my girlhood too, but back then I was too clumsy. No matter how I plated or decorated, I couldn’t achieve such delicacy. That’s why I didn’t dare to give such a sloppy bento to the boy I liked. I was afraid of being laughed at and giving a bad impression to the boy."

The COO of a major curry conglomerate recalled those times with her tongue playfully sticking out, somehow it brought back bitter-sweet memories.

That feeling of learning how to cook for a secret crush, waking up early every day to work hard on a bento box, can perhaps only be truly understood by those who have lived through their girlhood or are currently experiencing it.

From the outside, Morioka Makki’s bento was exactly that style.

It gave a sense of familiarity that warmed the heart.

Without the need for anything extravagant, it made women shyly smile and men’s hearts skip a beat.

Not far from Chitben Orin.

Hase Ichiro nudged Takai Masashi, who was sitting still beside him, and snickered, "Takai, has there ever been a girl willing to learn how to cook and make bento for you?"

Hearing this, who would have known that the normally authoritative and imposing Takai Masashi would hesitate on this topic.

"Hmm, Takai, was there or wasn’t there?" Hase teased, shamelessly.

"Hmph, of course, there was!"

Takai Masashi said stiffly, "It’s my current wife. She made many bento boxes for me."

"And how was the taste?"

"Err, well..." Takai Masashi suddenly choked on his words as if he had returned to the terror of being at the mercy of dreadful cooking.

"Ah!"

Among Far Moon’s students, quite a few boys were already holding their heads.

"Why has no girl ever made a bento for me!"

One of the boys wailed.

"Brother, wake up, we’ve always been self-sufficient, haven’t we!"

Another boy responded, hugging his head and shivering.

"Nowadays, girls who can make ’bento with love’ are getting rarer and rarer, each one a precious giant panda!"

"No, I should add, girls who can make delicious ’bento with love’ are getting even rarer!"

"Mmm, delicious indeed needs to be mentioned!"

Two nearby boys immediately agreed on this topic.

Listening to the discussions, the folks from Polar Star Dormitory exchanged glances.

"Speaking of which..." Xingping Chuangzhen couldn’t help but say admiringly, "Morioka is indeed girlfriend material."

"I can make one for you!"

Mizuhu Yumei uttered faintly from the back row.

"You can’t capture the taste of love..." Xingping Chuangzhen dismissed the offer without any tact.

"Ha, what did you just say?!"

Mizuhu Yumei’s forehead was covered in throbbing veins.

The noise from the audience was but a brief interlude.

In the judging panel.

Tiqie Xianzuowen watched the sweetly smiling Makki and slowly asked, "Morioka Makki, what’s the name of your dish?"

"Great Panda Bento!"

She answered, "A Bento with Panda Love!"

Tiqie Ailisha leaned in, sniffed, and said, "The panda’s body is a black rice ball, I smell a strong scent of seafood, is it a seafood rice? The head is made of a normal white rice ball, decorated with carefully trimmed seaweed..."

The five judges immediately grabbed the black rice ball with their hands.

One bite.

Their bodies instinctively twisted.

"Delicious!"

Shinohara Shigetaro’s pupils dilated as he quickly devoured the rice ball in his hand.

"Mmm, what about the white rice ball?"

He reached for the second rice ball, bit down, and something burst in his mouth. Shinohara Shigetaro exclaimed in surprise, "Huh, there’s a refreshing filling inside the rice ball, wait, there’s a cool sweetness, is it sweet ginger, ’Salt-preserved Myoga’?"

Dojima Yin was the first to finish both rice balls.

He held up two fingers.

"Let’s talk about the black rice ball first," he gazed at Morioka, "did you replace the lemon ingredient in the squid ink seafood rice with a kind of ’Fantasy Ingredient’?"

Morioka Makki answered calmly, "Yes."

"The ingredient I used was a ’Lemon Peach’ with a rich lemon flavor..."

"I used Lemon Peach too!" Ailisha chimed in from the side.

But the judges paid her no attention.

"Then, the white rice ball, it’s incredible." Dojima Yin even used the word "incredible" to praise it.

The venue fell silent, everyone perked up their ears.

"I’ll explain."

Xia Yu clapped his hands, swallowed the food in his mouth, and said, "The rice, it’s the new harvest. September is the harvest season, and as everyone knows, ancient rice is harder, lacks luster, and of course doesn’t taste fresh. But September’s new rice is different."

"Next, the filling."

"Here, I must emphasize, there are three types of filling, no, to be precise, four: Myoga, Matsutake mushrooms, chestnuts, and minced Sanma fish."

"Everyone should know Myoga, also known as Japanese ginger, which can be used as a seasoning and can also be salt-preserved and cooked."

"Matsutake mushrooms are a seasonal delicacy of autumn, and speaking of chestnuts, for many Neon people, when one thinks of autumn, chestnuts are inevitably brought to mind. When autumn comes, cake shops and confectioneries always cater to the season by introducing chestnut cakes and other sweets..."

With Sanma fish, autumn rice, Matsutake mushrooms, and chestnuts.

A gust of autumn wind flavor hit everyone’s senses!

This was the chef’s creation of seasonal sensations, subtle details that revealed an exquisite touch.

"This type of rice ball, it must be specially made, right?" Dojima Yin said.

"Correct."

"I found the right proportions of Matsutake mushrooms, chestnuts, Myoga, and minced Sanma fish, so the completely new flavor was born!" Morioka Makki answered with a smile.

Nowadays, the word ’creation’ had become something utterly commonplace when mentioned by a young girl.

Hearing this, Xia Yu couldn’t help but feel content.

The girl who initially needed his guidance to learn the "Furong Crab Meat Egg" recipe, in order to pass the transfer student exam at Far Moon, had really grown up.

Click!

Hearing that the white rice ball contained so many secrets, Ailisha’s smile could not be sustained.

Her heart sank.

She listened as Tiqie Xianzuowen continued, "September, the autumn of appetite, the cool and splendid fall can greatly stimulate one’s hunger, coupled with autumn’s seasonal ingredients... Is this about sharing the secret of the season with someone you adore?"

He laughed, his aged face with lines so soft.

The five judges continued to taste the side dishes.

Boiled broccoli and even the carved chrysanthemum-shaped carrots brought the flavor of the vegetables.

"Crack"

They simultaneously opened the second layer of the food box.

Several small side dishes were arranged diagonally, sprinkled with finely chopped flower petals on the surface.

Flame-grilled salmon with okra.

Salmon in Japan from September to November is especially delicious, a typical autumn seafood, hence it has another name—

Autumn salmon.

The second side dish was sweet shrimp with frozen tofu.

Notably, the tofu was formed into a beautiful chrysanthemum shape, with a faint snowflake pattern.

"Is this... Shuangjiang Frozen Tofu?" the five judges exclaimed in surprise.

From April to September, "Shuangjiang Tofu" had been marketed throughout Japan, and even some of the lower middle class had started to eat related dishes.

For example, sales data from Xia’s Main Store and its branches indicated that Mapo dishes using "Shuangjiang Tofu" sold very well. It was truly a Chinese dish worthy of high praise from the Neon people.

The second Fantasy Ingredient!

Ailisha’s pretty face had turned slightly pale.

"Also, is this an Italian pasta dish?" Dojima Yin pointed at the third small side dish.

Continuing with the Japanese cuisine’s tradition, the food box contained very small portions of each of the three side dishes.

About half a bowl of baked Italian pasta, placed in the box, mixed with a specially made salad sauce, and topped with fresh fruit cut into segments.

"Lemon peach, banana cucumber..."

Switching to a fork, the judges quickly finished the Italian pasta prepared in a Japanese style and fell silent.

"Wait, there’s still the last layer!"

Morioka Makoto said.

As the judges lifted the bottom layer of the food box, they gasped!

Everyone’s eyes widened as they caught a glimpse of light that flashed by—was it just a trick of the eye?

Xia Yu, sitting at the end, paused, her expression subtly changing.

At the bottom was a plain white miso soup with mixed ingredients.

As everyone drank it, the rich taste was followed by a sweet flavor, and then the tip of the tongue experienced a hint of the spice of mustard, warming their hearts and spleens in an instant.

...

The afternoon end-of-class bell rang.

In the deep autumn, the weather had gradually cooled, on the rooftop of the teaching building.

The boy sitting in front of the wire mesh turned his head at the sound of footsteps behind him and immediately smiled.

"Makki, you came."

"Yeah, I brought your lunch."

The girl carefully laid out a cushion on the ground, and so, the boy and girl sat opposite each other, with two food boxes in front of them.

Thump! Thump!

His heartbeat raced!

Eating his meal, the boy suddenly looked up, saw his body had shrunk, and couldn’t help but laugh and cry.

"Ah, I’ve gone back to the past!"

"What?"

Now standing tall and graceful, Morioka Makoto cocked her head looking at him.

Pointing at the food box, Xia Yu said, "So at that time, you already knew how to make a panda-shaped bento!"

He sat down, adeptly opened the bottom layer of the food box, took out the white miso mixed soup, and took a gentle sip, instantly feeling warmth spread through his slightly cold body.

"How is it?" Morioka Makoto asked anxiously.

"Hmm..."

"What does ’hmm’ mean?"

"Well, it’s a bit green, the flavor matures later on, but I like both, haha!"

Laughing, Xia Yu reached for his throbbing chest.

Come to think of it, it had been a long time since he had been so moved by food.

This was the taste.

Morioka Makoto’s personal flavor.

...

Reality.

The naked Tiqie Xianzuowen took a giant Wolf Brush Pen in hand, writing the name of the victor on a white scroll laid out on the ground—

Morioka Makoto!

The undisputed winner of the golden September!

"It’s her, after all!"

Chiben Orin whispered with a smile, "Her bento is just too unfair."

This time, her sister Chiben Natsuka actually agreed deeply, nodding her head, "Sentiment, paired with seasonal ingredients, and the use of Fantasy Ingredients... an unbeatable combo, leaving no chance of defeat!"

Her eyes shone with interest.

"Should I try to sign her?" Chiben Natsuka wondered.

While Tiqie Xianzuowen wrote, Xia Yu, who had come out of the memory, suddenly received a system prompt:

"[The Generation of Jade’s Autumn Selection] condition 2 has been met."

"..."

Blinking and realizing what happened, Xia Yu managed to suppress his exclamation of surprise in his belly.

A top-class dish, making its appearance in the quarterfinals?

What an unexpected delight!