Chapter 13: The Greed of God's Tongue (Patreon)

“Mm! This dish... the impact it has on me is several times stronger than last time.”

Mana slowly set down her silver chopsticks. The aftertaste surged and rolled across her tongue in layers. She looked up at Ramsay by the stove, real surprise in her voice.

Then she touched a fingertip to her lips, savoring the flavor she had just taken in, and began to share her thoughts.

“When I tried your cooking last time, the concept was fresh and clever, but there were small flaws everywhere in your fundamentals, in the heat control and the seasoning. Your foundation clearly had gaps!”

“But today, tasting it again, those little flaws are gone! Your whole technique flows like water, so practiced and polished that you don’t seem like someone our age at all.”

“So tell me. This past week, did you put yourself through some strict, targeted training?”

Meeting Mana Nakiri’s searching gaze, Ramsay laughed softly and answered, “I never forgot that Miss Nakiri said she’d come back to try my cooking.”

“The trouble is, I had no idea when you’d come. So I didn’t dare slack off or get lazy, not for a moment!”

“I’ve been polishing my skills every single day. Looks like training day and night finally paid off. I promise, next time you come, I’ll serve you something even more stunning.”

Hearing that, Mana Nakiri smiled too, her tone almost teasing. “Sounds like you’re challenging me.”

“Haha! It’s hardly a challenge. Just a sincere invitation to come by often.”

Ramsay answered calmly.

Mana Nakiri studied him in silence for a moment, then rose slowly and smoothed the hem of her clothes with a practiced motion.

“If I have time, I’ll definitely come again to show my support.”

“I’m looking forward to tasting something even better next time.”

Her schedule was always packed, and this visit to ONLY had been a hurried one. In moments she turned and left.

But as she walked out, Mana couldn’t help marveling inwardly. She had stumbled across such an interesting young chef!

…

Objectively speaking, the first dish Ramsay had served her was not top-tier in terms of raw skill.

Only that wild, free-flying creativity had stirred a palate that had already known ten thousand delicacies!

Yet after just a few days, Mana Nakiri had developed a keen interest in this boy who was about her own age.

Maybe it was the pure, unclouded determination in his eyes. Maybe it was his gentle, easy way of speaking, which made him wonderfully comfortable company!

Or maybe it was his growth, which was nothing short of a thousand miles a day.

It had hit her hard, her, who had seen the finest chefs in the world!

Mm! So which one was it, really? Which part of him tugged at her heart?

For now, Mana had no wish to dig any deeper. She only looked forward to her next visit, when she could watch him break through his own limits once more!

…

As for Nakamura, standing off to one side?

Mana Nakiri had already put him out of her mind without even realizing it.

In terms of overall strength, Nakamura was an Elite Ten member of Totsuki and by rights should have held the edge over Ramsay. But his cooking followed the rules, kept strictly to orthodox frameworks, and had no daring newness at all!

Mana had stood at the peak of the culinary world for years and had tasted every kind of orthodox masterpiece.

So when it came to Nakamura’s cooking, she often felt it lacked that creative spark that grabs the soul and makes the eyes light up.

Frankly, a dish like that, seemingly balanced and flawless, was hard for her to remember!

…

Azami Nakamura had no idea that he had long since been overlooked.

He had watched with his own eyes as Mana Nakiri gave all her attention to Ramsay, and a fierce competitiveness and bitter resentment welled up in him.

Then Nakamura stared heavily at Ramsay’s back.

Deep down, he resolved that no matter how much effort it cost, he would create a brand-new dish capable of shaking the God’s Tongue.

After all, he held a seat among the Elite Ten.

How could he let himself be so easily outshone by some kitchen hand?

…

Day after day, the days flowed by at an even pace.

Mana Nakiri kept faithfully to their original agreement.

Every week she carved out a stretch of free time to come to Ramsay’s little restaurant and sit down for a meal.

The two never made much small talk. Everything they said revolved around critiques and discussions of flavor, cooking approach, and the like.

And then, over time, an unspoken understanding quietly took root between them.

One sat in silence, savoring each dish and catching every detail in it. The other stayed at the stove, pouring all his heart into polishing each plate!

…

Gradually, Mana began to crave this atmosphere.

Especially watching Ramsay transform at a speed anyone could see, she felt a secret pride rise in her heart, as if she were the one growing so fast!

Of course, Ramsay never stopped growing.

By day he practiced knife work, heat control, and seasoning in the kitchen over and over. At night he entered his private study space to keep sharpening his techniques.

Without exaggeration, he was training almost twenty-four hours a day, without a break.

And that steadfast effort bought him a transformation visible to the naked eye. His cooking skyrocketed as if strapped to a rocket, his fundamentals and creativity climbing in step!

…

Nakamura saw all of it, and his anxiety and resentment piled up day by day.

Every time, he gave everything he had to improve his dishes, and their flavor rose steadily compared with before. Yet Mana Nakiri’s gaze stayed locked on Ramsay’s cooking from start to finish!

Yes! As for him, she really paid him no attention at all!

Once a chef’s mind is out of balance and obsession takes hold, it is hard to keep a steady heart, and naturally hard to cook excellent food.

And remember, Nakamura was on a field training placement.

He was supposed to use this chance to break through his bottleneck. Instead, his strength had not improved noticeably at all. Trapped in comparison and envy, his progress as a chef was quietly stalling!

Yes. He was fixated on beating Ramsay.

His whole heart and mind were set on taking Mana Nakiri’s attention for himself.

But those stray thoughts and schemes disturbed his purest pursuit of cooking and capped his own potential.

Ramsay, by contrast, had only one thought in his head: polish his dishes and sharpen his skills. With no rush to win and no distractions, his progress naturally leapt ahead by the day.

From then on, every single week, Mana came as promised, tasted simply, offered a few comments, and quietly left.