9:00 AM, Spring Fruit Pavilion Western Restaurant.
A small piece of Shad Sashimi lay on a slice of air bread, accompanied by sweet and sour kumquat pulp and peel.
With one bite, the fusion of fish and citrus sweetness instantly stimulated Kakizaki Taki's appetite.
As the saying goes:
Good wine with good food.
Starting with a bottle of rosé champagne, paired with the Hamachi Shad she had just eaten, the flavor was truly thought-provoking and unforgettable.
After the appetizer, a dazzling plate of Alaskan King Crab dish followed.
This dish used fresh King Crab leg meat, paired with avocado and two-colored pickled daikon, with a special cucumber juice drizzled in the center.
It tasted fresh and chewy, with a light fragrance and a sweet aftertaste.
Finally, paired with the slightly stronger champagne, the prominent floral and fruity notes emerged.
The concentrated flavors of honey, candied citrus, and minerals, when combined with the King Crab, further elevated the sweet freshness of the crab meat on the tongue.
In fact, besides the delicious food, what comforted Kakizaki Taki was that this Harukatei, which had not yet received a two-star restaurant rating, had not fallen into decline but continued to offer such delicious French cuisine, which was truly rare!
Such fine wine, delicious food, and beautiful scenery naturally made her good friend, Kakizaki Taki, feel very comfortable.
...
After a while, Kakizaki Taki slowly came back to her senses.
Her eyes showed a hint of doubt as she savored the dishes she had just tasted, then after some thought, her expression suddenly changed: "No, this isn't right! How could your cooking improve so rapidly in just one month?"
"Taki, has my cooking really improved so much compared to before?"
Seeing Taki's shocked expression, Kikuchi's heart secretly rejoiced.
"Yes, the flavors are much more harmonious."
"It also seems to have a bit more human touch, feeling like it was replicated from the Izakaya next door."
"Especially the sole fish at the end, which was cooked at a low temperature, successfully locking in the fresh fish flavor while retaining the delicious juices within the fish meat."
"Sprinkling a thick layer of caviar on the Shine Muscat grape slices, then pairing it with a white sauce made from Shine Muscat grapes, completely elevated the unique fresh flavor of the sole fish to another level!"
After speaking, Kakizaki Taki stared at her blankly, then finally seemed to understand, and added: "Sonoka, are you and that Sosuke involved recently?"
"Ah?"
"You... how could you think that?"
Hearing this, Kikuchi's little face instantly turned red, and she quickly turned her head away, not daring to look directly at Kakizaki Taki.
"Intuition!"
Kakizaki Taki affirmed.
"Alright, actually, I've been working as a kitchen assistant at the Izakaya every night recently. After all, my goal of hitting a two-star restaurant failed this year, and I'm not resigned to it, so I want to continue to get stronger."
"So I took this opportunity to learn cooking from him... from him."
Knowing that this matter could not be hidden from her after all, Kuguchi Sonoka could only take a deep breath and confess truthfully.
"Hmph! I knew it."
Kakizaki Taki, with her arms crossed, continued unhappily: "What do you mean by 'learning cooking'? It's clear you're lusting after him. I think you're just a slut!"
"Taki, I'm not like what you said."
Facing the aggressive Kakizaki Taki, Kikuchi lowered her head slightly and couldn't help but whisper.
Seeing her like this, Kakizaki Taki immediately got angry: "Your mind is always simple. Aren't you afraid that Sosuke will suddenly turn into a big bad wolf and eat you, a little lamb?"
"I'm not afraid. He's very gentle."
"And indeed, after being with him, I've learned a lot in terms of cooking."
"Alright, alright!"
"I'm too lazy to talk to someone with a love-struck mind like you."
If she continued, Kakizaki Taki couldn't guarantee she wouldn't go crazy with anger, so she could only wave her hand, indicating that they should stop discussing this topic!
...
For a moment, both of them fell silent.
The atmosphere in the entire Spring Fruit Pavilion Western Restaurant suddenly became very awkward.
Slightly raising her head to glance at Kakizaki Taki, seeing that she still seemed to be sulking, Kikuchi could only speak first: "Taki, we've only been apart for a month, why do you have time to come to my Chun Guo Ting Restaurant today?"
"What? Can't I come to see you, my good friend, often?"
Kakizaki Taki rolled her eyes at her and said.
"No, no, I'm very happy and touched that you can come to see me." Kikuchi quickly shook her head and replied.
"Alright!"
"There are some things I can't hide from you either."
"A few days ago, my Taki Amarillo Western Restaurant already went bankrupt. Coming to Harukatei this time is because I'm truly at my wit's end and can only plan to stay with you for a while."
After speaking, Kakizaki Taki's eyes gradually dimmed, and tears even flickered in her eyes.
Perhaps even in her dreams, she never imagined that the restaurant she had painstakingly built would completely close its doors overnight!
"Ah!"
"How could this be?"
Hearing this news, Kikuchi covered her mouth in shock: "Taki, when you came last time, I remember you seemed to be preparing to challenge for a two-star restaurant, but why would it... it..."
"Times have changed!"
"Currently, a world-shaking event is happening across the entire European region.
The five Nordic countries, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain, where I am, all the restaurants in these countries are being purged by a group of Midnight Chefs!"
They use the Shokugeki rules to gamble various things, even their most precious lives, and then engage in culinary duels in restaurants everywhere.
Kakizaki Taki murmured, looking utterly distraught.
"Shokugeki rules?"
"Isn't that only at Totsuki?"
Kuguchi Sonoka was slightly stunned upon hearing this, feeling very confused!
It is well known that the so-called Shokugeki rules are limited to Totsuki Culinary Academy, meant to mediate various conflicts among internal students.
In the entire culinary world, even in all of Japan, there are absolutely no Shokugeki rules, and many chefs don't even know the word "Shokugeki" in their lifetime.
So, hearing about this group of Midnight Chefs.
Constantly destroying restaurants around the world using the Shokugeki rules, Kikuchi felt that this matter was truly absurd!
"Sigh, you underestimate their methods. I told you they even dare to gamble their lives, so naturally, they have many ways to force you to accept their Shokugeki duels."
"Take me for example, when I faced them, I naturally didn't give them a good look, and even refused their Shokugeki demands."
"But..."
"These bastards actually forcibly pushed me to the ground and then held a chef's knife to my neck!"
They are lunatics, a group of lawless chefs.
"No!"
"They are not chefs at all."
Kakizaki Taki said word by word, her eyes radiating intense hatred.
But upon closer inspection, one could notice her body trembling constantly, as if she was afraid of something!
"What?"
------------------------
There are already 70+ chapters available on my Patreon!
The story will continue to update 1 chapter per day on Webnovel,
while early access chapters are posted on Patreon.
Maybe it's not worth it today but it could be later
[email protected]/Kazenova223
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"