Chapter 6: Sorrowful Rice (Patreon)

"Haah..." "My cooking." "Is it still not up to your standard, after all?"

Azami Nakamura clenched both fists, his knuckles bleaching to a bloodless white. Resentment and anxiety churned in his eyes.

Just a few words from Mana Nakiri had shattered the dish he'd spent days perfecting. All his ambition, all his hope, gone!

His throat tightened.

He was almost ready to bow and beg.

To beg this great figure, the owner of the God's Tongue, for one more chance to prove himself.

But just as he was about to speak, the curtain to the kitchen was lifted gently. Ramsay stepped out carrying a steaming bowl, and every eye in the room snapped to him.

"So sorry about that!" "Sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Nakiri."

Ramsay walked over, unhurried, and set the porcelain bowl down in the center of the polished solid-wood table.

"Here you go!" "This is a dish I made myself. Please, have a taste!"

---

With that, every gaze in the hall dropped to the bowl on the table. The murmuring died at once.

The moment Nakamura saw what was inside, he went rigid, as if struck by lightning.

What?

A bowl of char siu rice. The most ordinary dish imaginable.

Shock came first. Then a scornful smirk welled up in him.

Ramsay was nothing but an unremarkable grunt in the back kitchen! The only things he was fit for were crouching by the sink washing vegetables and standing at the cutting board trimming scraps!

Now that he thought about it...

He had never once shown any cooking skill in this kitchen!

At best, he might be able to produce a presentable bowl of char siu rice.

That had to be his limit. How dare he dream of serving something that could move Mana Nakiri?

The other chefs looking on traded glances too, open mockery in their eyes. They figured Ramsay was overestimating himself and asking for humiliation!

---

The faint whispers of contempt all around drifted into Ramsay's ears. He couldn't have cared less.

His gaze stayed quietly on Mana Nakiri the whole time, without a flicker of panic!

Mana looked down at the bowl of char siu rice, and her brows drew together slightly. When she first met Ramsay, the calm, detached air about him had made her wonder, privately...

Whether this unremarkable apprentice might be a hidden master!

But. What sat before her now. Was a plain, home-style bowl of char siu rice.

It crushed that faint hope completely!

A thin trace of disappointment passed through her clear eyes. The interest she'd just worked up mostly evaporated. The fingers holding her chopsticks loosened, and she had nearly lost the urge to eat at all!

---

Ramsay caught it. That fleeting flash of letdown in her eyes.

The corner of his mouth curled into a faint smile, and he spoke softly: "Miss Nakiri, you can never judge a dish by its looks alone." "Even a simple bowl of char siu rice can make a splash."

"Mm!" "Honestly..." "I don't have many dishes I'm good at! But this char siu rice is the work of my whole life, polished and studied day after day for years." "Why not try a bite? It might surprise you!"

---

As the holder of the God's Tongue, Mana had professional principles that would not bend.

No matter a dish's origin or how it looked, once it was set before her, she tasted it. That was the most basic respect owed to a chef and to food itself.

True, she was a little disappointed.

But she didn't turn and walk out. She was upholding the pride of a gourmet of the Nakiri family.

Now, seeing Ramsay still calm and composed, with no trace of guilt or retreat, she pushed down her letdown. She would try it herself and see what flavor this apprentice, so full of confidence, had hidden in the bowl.

Slowly, she raised her hand.

Gently, she rolled back her sleeve.

A slender stretch of pale, delicate wrist was exposed to the air.

Her long, slim fingers held the bamboo chopsticks steady as her eyes returned to the porcelain bowl.

---

In the bowl. The char siu rice.

It was neatly plated, and exquisite. Emerald-green vegetables set off the glossy, ruby-red slices of char siu.

Wisps of fragrance curled upward. The thick, translucent honey glaze seeped slowly down between the grains of rice toward the bottom of the bowl, coating every grain in a warm, saucy sheen. Just looking at it made the mouth water!

Even so. Mana Nakiri had spent half her life roaming the world's top culinary arenas.

She had tasted every delicacy and legendary dish there was. Even the finest char siu rice was, to her, just ordinary fare. She held no expectations!

She picked up a slice of char siu, evenly cut, and placed it gently in her mouth.

---

The next instant. She closed her eyes.

Her focus narrowed to the flavors bursting across her tongue.

Sweetness woven from honey and savory sauce exploded first in her mouth. It was mellow, never cloying, and it spread outward from the tip of her tongue.

Her teeth parted the meat. The fat melted at once, and the flesh was so tender it nearly dissolved, without a hint of dryness or toughness. Abundant juices mingled with the secret glaze and soaked every inch of her taste buds!

The aroma of the meat. Layer upon layer. It lingered between her lips and teeth.

And beneath it all hid a faint, subtle note of fresh sweetness and spice, nearly undetectable in the base flavor, yet it created layers beyond words.

---

In an instant!

Mana Nakiri's heart began to race.

The hand holding her chopsticks froze in midair, fingertips trembling slightly.

It was her tongue.

Her tongue was cheering, from the very depths of her being.

For so long, most dishes had only left her feeling bored and hollow. Her sense of taste had been like a barren wasteland. It had been ages since she'd felt a joy this vivid, this alive!

Now, the extreme delight blooming on her tongue had fully awakened her long-dormant God's Tongue!

Every taste sense she had. Stirred awake, and a long-forgotten vitality swept through her whole body!

---

Instinctively. She wanted another slice, to savor it slowly.

But her eyes inexplicably grew warm and damp. A gentle, clean sweetness slid along her taste buds and went straight to her heart, and in that instant Mana picked out the hidden flavor...

Yes!

That was it!

Slow-simmered onion, drawing out the freshness.

It softly cut the richness of the meat juices without ever standing out!

---

In her shock. She did something that left everyone present gaping.

Her tongue. Slipped out lightly. And carefully licked the honey glaze lingering at the corner of her lips.

She was the legitimate daughter of the Nakiri family, a guest at top gourmet gatherings in every country. Her every word and gesture upheld elegance and propriety, and when dining out she was always poised and composed!

Yet a casual, unguarded act like this. Was something Mana Nakiri had never once shown in front of outsiders!

Now she had completely forgotten the eyes around her. She simply, instinctively, craved the wonderful flavor still clinging to her lips!