Chapter 50: I'm Very Glad I Could Meet You Back Then (Patreon)

Today was destined to be a day that Mana Nakiri, Leonora, and Kazuko Minami would never forget.

They had spent years immersed in the culinary world. They had seen countless exquisite dishes and long ago settled on firm ideas of what top-tier cuisine was. But the feast Ramsay cooked with his own hands completely overturned the culinary principles they had held for years, and the shock struck them straight to the core.

First came the hand-made beef balls, firm and bouncy, with a texture better than anyone could imagine. Then came a dreamlike dessert, elegant in concept and clean and sweet in flavor. One bite was enough to heal the heart!

And the hardest thing to believe of all was the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. Traditionally it takes hours of slow simmering to gather its myriad rich flavors, yet Ramsay had finished it perfectly in just over ten minutes.

Every one of these dishes would count as a miracle anywhere in the culinary world, a flavor countless top chefs could not replicate even if they poured out everything they had.

But in Ramsay's hands, these seemingly unreachable dishes now sat in plain sight, real and flawless, fragrant steam curling up, utterly irresistible.

Mana Nakiri lightly scooped up a spoonful of the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall broth. In her clear, pale purple eyes, layer upon layer of rapture and emotion rippled out.

The broth! The moment it touched her tongue, that ultimate savory fragrance burst open on the tip of it, rich and lingering, without a trace of heaviness or grease.

"Mmm~"

"This is incredible..."

she murmured, hardly able to believe it. "A traditional Buddha Jumps Over the Wall needs hours of slow simmering before the flavors of the ingredients melt completely into the broth.

"I never expected that in just a dozen or so minutes, you could simmer out a flavor this rich and pure."

She turned the spoon idly, slowly stirring the broth in her bowl and savoring its ultimate taste.

"The aroma of every ingredient is perfectly locked into the soup. Not a trace has drifted away or gone to waste, and every mouthful is pure, concentrated savor. Ramsay, is it your internal qi that locks in the fragrance and essence of the ingredients and keeps the flavor from escaping?"

Hearing this, Ramsay nodded.

"That's the gist of it!"

"In ordinary cooking, no matter what the ingredient, some aroma and nutrition is always lost to some degree. Internal qi happens to make up for that flaw and locks in the true flavor of the ingredients!"

Hearing that, Mana's brow relaxed, and a gentle smile curved her lips.

Then she couldn't help sighing with feeling.

"I've said it before. Every time I taste Ramsay's new cooking, I get a fresh surprise. Not once has it been a repeated experience."

"But the shock you've given me today..."

"It's far beyond anything I expected. It's past what words can describe!"

She looked up at Ramsay and went on sincerely, "Your Kung Fu cuisine is simply the most unanswerable weapon at the dinner table. It completely shatters the conventional logic of cooking."

"Ramsay!"

"I'm suddenly feeling very grateful~"

Mana's voice was soft and lingering, full of relief and joy.

"Hm?"

"Grateful for what?"

Ramsay glanced at her, curious.

Mana smiled faintly, a gentle light flowing in her eyes. "I'm grateful that when we first met, at the moment you offered to cook for me again, I didn't turn and walk away!"

"For you, my walking away might have meant losing just one ordinary customer."

"But!"

"For me..."

"If I had turned and left then, what I'd have missed was countless future dishes to thrill my palate, and an encounter full of endless possibilities!"

"I think meeting you, Ramsay, and watching your cooking grow, is my greatest stroke of luck!"

Beside her, Leonora nodded gently at these words.

She echoed Mana softly, her eyes full of the same agreement and warmth, quietly glad of this rare meeting.

Kazuko Minami, ever lively, blinked and asked curiously, "Senior Mana, did you invite Ramsay to study at Totsuki?"

"How did you two meet in the first place?"

Smiling, Mana slowly told the story of their first meeting. "I suppose it was fate working in the background.

"Some time ago, I was invited to a restaurant for a tasting. The chefs there were skilled, but their cooking was too by-the-book and unoriginal. There wasn't a single surprise in it.

"Haah."

"Honestly..."

"With the God's Tongue, over the years I've grown used to the blandness and disappointment of the culinary world.

"I thought it would be just another ordinary tasting. But that very day, I met Ramsay, who stunned everyone with a single dish."

Her gaze grew distant as she recalled the scene. "Ramsay, you may not know how special my first impression of you was.

"As a daughter of the Nakiri family, and with the God's Tongue, I'm somewhat well known in the culinary world.

"When countless chefs cook for me, they all grow stiff and anxious to some degree, and can't help holding back!

"But that day, you, as a kitchen helper, had clear, pure eyes and a calm, open manner, without a shred of flattery or nerves.

"You were also the first person in my life to actively keep me at a restaurant and offer to cook for me again. In that moment my instinct told me that if I stayed, I might be rewarded with an unexpected surprise!"

"Yes!"

"Luckily, I bet right."

Her eyes were full of satisfaction.

"Rather than top-tier dishes that never change, I look forward more to chefs and dishes that keep breaking through and always bring something new.

"Of course..."

"I never imagined..."

"That Ramsay would grow so astonishingly fast, refreshing my understanding again and again.

"Anyway, that choice I made back then was absolutely the most correct decision I've made on my path in cooking."

Kazuko Minami picked up her juice and took a small sip, her eyes curving as she smiled. "Good thing you insisted on staying back then, Senior. Otherwise I'd never have met someone as gentle and reliable as Ramsay at Totsuki!"

Then she remembered the incident at the Sports Festival that afternoon.

"At today's Sports Festival, if Ramsay hadn't stepped in to help, the one being picked on and wronged would definitely have been me."

"Ahem!"

"I still have to say thank you."

"Next time, I'll treat you to milk tea, as many cups as you like!"

The moment she finished speaking, Kazuko seemed to remember something. Her eyes lit up, and she looked at Ramsay with bright anticipation. "Oh right, Ramsay, you said just now that you'd prepared special little gifts for us. What are they?"

"Can we see them now?"

At those words, Mana and Leonora raised their eyes at once.

Two curious gazes fell together on Ramsay, full of expectation, the atmosphere gentle and soothing.

Seeing the three girls so eager and full of longing, Ramsay could only say softly, "Wait here a moment. I'll get the gifts from the kitchen."

Before long, Ramsay brought out the small gifts he had prepared.

He held a shallow white porcelain plate in his palm. In the center of the plate lay a block of soft tofu, smooth and lustrous like fine white jade.

Tofu, of course, was nothing rare in itself.

But when Mana, Leonora, and Kazuko saw what was on the plate, all three caught their breath, their eyes fixed on the tofu.

The surface of the tofu was covered with delicate carved lines.

And a three-dimensional relief slowly came into view... the backs of three girls walking forward side by side.

Leonora and the others recognized them in an instant. The relief depicted the three of them.

Gazing at the miniature tofu carving, Kazuko Minami was lost in thought for a moment, then said softly, "Ramsay, did you just finish carving this? It looks like... the backs of the three of us."

Ramsay answered with a satisfied look, "Earlier, on the school grounds,

"I saw you three seniors walking side by side, and I just felt that sight, seen from behind, was especially moving. So I wondered how I could hold on to that fleeting glimpse.

"I'm not very good at drawing.

"So I simply used the food-carving skills I practice as a chef to freeze that moment in place."

Then he lowered his head to look at the tofu on the plate.

"I'm fairly happy with it myself, but I don't know whether the three of you like it."

Leonora studied the figure that was her own on the relief. Even the folds of her skirt stirred by the breeze had been carved in fine detail, every hair visible.

It was only a view from behind, yet so lifelike that it seemed the three girls might step forward in the next instant. An inexpressible flutter quietly rose in her heart!

She raised her head.

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Ramsay!

"Mm-hm!"

"It's truly beautiful!"

Leonora praised him sincerely. "I never knew you had such superb carving skills, Ramsay~

"Um..."

"May I take a photo?"

"I want to treasure this one-of-a-kind scene forever!"

To this request, Ramsay naturally nodded with a smile. "Of course. As long as you like it, that's enough."

It had to be said that Ramsay had been bringing the three girls one surprise after another today.

First the immense strength he showed in the tug-of-war, then the Kung Fu cuisine he made at Polar Star Dorm that stirred their hearts...

And now,

he had brought out a miniature tofu carving filled with heartfelt care!

Even Mana, who had seen all manner of culinary marvels, took out her phone and photographed the exquisite work of food art to keep.

"I'm back!"

Just as Ramsay and the others sat around the table chatting, a listless shout came from outside the door.

The lock clicked, the front door swung open, and Joichiro Saiba walked in panting, with Gin Dojima close behind. Behind the two of them, a shorter figure stepped over the threshold.

Azami Nakamura.

He had just crossed the entryway.

The moment his gaze collided with Mana,

his pupils contracted sharply, and he blurted in astonishment, "Miss Nakiri! Y-you... why are you here?"

Before an outsider, Mana instantly dropped the relaxed, gentle look from a moment ago and returned to her usual calm, aloof manner. She glanced coolly at Azami Nakamura and answered evenly, "I was invited as a guest."

The room had suddenly filled with more people.

Mana already felt the urge to leave.

She turned to Ramsay and said, "It's getting late, and I shouldn't impose on everyone any longer.

"Ramsay, I'll take my leave now. I'm very much looking forward to tasting your cooking again."

"Do you need me to see you off?"

Ramsay stood up.

Mana shook her head with a faint smile. "No need to trouble yourself. I've already notified my driver, and he should be waiting outside by now.

"Ramsay, today was a day full of unexpected delights for me. Thank you for your hospitality."

In the end,

Ramsay saw Mana Nakiri to the door.

She had barely stepped outside when Azami Nakamura, who had been holding back his feelings, could no longer endure it and hurried after her. "Miss Nakiri! Will you come as a guest again next time?

"I long to be judged by your God's Tongue again. I've already worked out a brand-new dish!"

Mana Nakiri.

Hearing this, she paused.

Her gaze rested briefly on Azami Nakamura, and in the end, without a word, she walked straight on.

Watching her leave without a moment's pause, Azami Nakamura stood frozen in place. The black sedan slowly drove out of sight. His fists clenched until his nails almost dug into his palms, and bitterness and anxiety churned in his heart.

Inside the house,

the atmosphere quietly turned heavy and oppressive.

Leonora, sensing the tension in the air, stood and turned to Ramsay. "Ramsay, I should be going too."

Ramsay looked at her. "I'll walk you back!

"Kazuko, could I borrow your bicycle?"

"No problem."

"Just ride it off."

Kazuko Minami agreed cheerfully.

Leonora, however, gently shook her head and said softly, "Please don't trouble yourself. I can walk back on my own.

"I'm sure you still have plenty to take care of, Ramsay. Thank you for having me today. Another day, it'll be my turn to invite you to my home, and I'll cook you the dish I've put the most care into, so you can taste it."