Almost all the examinees had followed. Among them were some with very clumsy hiding methods. After the suitable hiding spots were taken by other examinees, they simply picked up a small tree and held it in front of themselves, deceiving themselves.
"Let them be."
Law lifted his foot and continued forward.
Seeing that Law didn't mind, Tonpa also felt it didn't matter. Anyway, he just needed to cheer from the sidelines.
Seeing Law and Tonpa start moving again, the examinees emerged from their hiding spots and followed closely.
Some examinees didn't follow Law, such as Kurapika's group of four, and Hanzo.
Although Hanzo was quite curious, to complete the test, he suppressed his curiosity and, relying on his nimble skills, leaped through the forest in search of the nearest river.
On the other hand, Kurapika shared the knowledge he gained from the literature with Leorio and the others.
"Sushi is vinegared rice mixed with seasonings, topped with fresh fish. And based on what the examiner said about 'grasp', it should mean shaping the rice with hands into a specific form." (T/N: Nigiri could also mean grasp in Japanese.)
Kurapika explained methodically.
Leorio and Gon nodded in understanding, though it was unclear if they truly understood.
"So we don't need to follow those people? We just need to catch fish?" Killua asked, hands behind his head.
Kurapika nodded and said, "Relying solely on imagination might differ from the real nigiri sushi. But we can prepare the fish first and then wait."
"Wait?" Leorio didn't understand.
Kurapika's eyes flashed, "Didn't you hear what the examiner said? 'You can make as many as you want, until I'm full'. That means if no one brings up a dish, the test won't end."
"So, we have plenty of time to observe. We can wait for the first examinee to bring out nigiri sushi, then judge the true form of hand nigiri sushi based on the examiner's reaction."
"Amazing, Kurapika."
After hearing the explanation, Leorio couldn't help but think highly of Kurapika. Then he thought of something and worried, "What if the female examiner is like the fat examiner and accepts anything?"
If Menchi ate everything, with her small frame, wouldn't she get full quickly?
"Right." Gon also thought of this problem, mainly because Buhara's indiscriminate eating had left a deep impression on him.
But Kurapika said with certainty, "She won't. Because, apart from the first two plates of Lion's Head, the female examiner didn't even glance at the Lion's Head made by the other examinees. She even looked disdainful. This shows she is very picky."
"So once the appearance doesn't meet the requirements, she will definitely refuse to taste it."
"I see."
If Menchi and Law were present, they would certainly view Kurapika's observational and analytical skills in a new light, thinking that Kurapika was indeed a rare talent with great potential.
In fact, the theme of this test wasn't cooking, but testing observation and attention to detail… something Kurapika perfectly demonstrated.
However, the examiner for this test was Menchi!
As soon as Law caught a fish, all the examinees frantically entered the water, caught a fish at random, and returned to the venue at the fastest speed, afraid of missing the process of Law making sushi.
Those examinees with terrible fishing skills simply gave up on catching fish and wanted to follow Law instead.
Anyway, they knew the ingredient needed for hand-pressed sushi was fish.
Inside the building, Menchi and Netero shared a sofa. On the table were the chopsticks and dipping dishes used for tasting sushi.
"So slow." Netero picked up the chopsticks and played with them boredly.
Menchi asked, "Chairman Netero, why did you think of coming to ob... observe?"
Buhara, sitting behind the sofa, thought: 'He came because he wants to eat the food Boss makes.'
"Haha, I just happened to be hungry," Netero laughed, finding a very legitimate reason.
'Impossible.'
Menchi thought to herself. But knowing Netero wouldn't tell the truth, she gave up pursuing the matter.
After a while, the first examinee returned. It was Hanzo, carrying a river fish.
Seeing that the first person back was Hanzo, and he was carrying a river fish, Menchi was slightly surprised. This indicated that Hanzo knew how to make sushi.
Hanzo, seeing that there wasn't a single examinee in the venue, was delighted. He occupied a cooking station at the fastest speed, then cut the fish and quickly made three portions of sushi.
Then, he almost ran to bring the sushi over, afraid that other examinees might return while the examiners were tasting it and witness this scene.
Netero, Menchi, and Buhara saw through Hanzo's little scheme at a glance but didn't expose it. They all picked up the made sushi, dipped it in sauce, and put it in their mouths.
'Not tasty.'
Netero and Buhara didn't show it, nor did they voice their thoughts, because their current status was essentially that of freeloaders.
Menchi was the examiner. Without any psychological burden, she stated the truth: "Tastes bad. Do it again."
"Impossible!"
Hearing this, Hanzo said excitedly, "Isn't this what sushi is? No matter who makes it, the taste shouldn't be too different, right!"
"What did you say?" Menchi looked at him with a cold gaze, her Aura unconsciously releasing.
Netero calmly picked up a cup of hot tea and took a sip. Buhara slightly shook his head.
The aura impact hit Hanzo, making him feel as if he were facing a furnace.
"Care to say that again?" Menchi said coldly.
Hanzo's smooth head was instantly covered in sweat. He directly retreated, his full confidence shattered like withered leaves on the ground.
Returning to the cooking station, Hanzo pinched his chin, trying hard to recall the sushi from his hometown, attempting to find the mistake.
In less than a minute, Law and Tonpa returned.
"They're finally here!"
Menchi's expression straightened. Then, she noticed Netero subconsciously straightening his sitting posture, looking very expectant.
Hanzo, seeing someone return, initially thought about hiding the fish. But seeing that Law and Tonpa were each carrying a variety of fish, he immediately understood that they also knew sushi.
Law and Tonpa carried the river fish, returned to their cooking station on their own, and began making sushi.
The so-called nigiri sushi highly tests one's shaping technique.
Law had no problem in this aspect, but he currently only had one hand, making it difficult to complete hand-pressed sushi. However, he could use exquisite Nen control to substitute for both hands.
This time, Law didn't add any spices nor take out any special sauce. Instead, he took out his personal sea salt.
To make the sushi delicious, once the technique is up to standard, it relies on this sea salt.
Pretending to let Tonpa scale and gut the fish, he then took the fish, cut them into slices of appropriate thickness, and used a subtle technique to integrate the sea salt into the fish meat, then set it aside.
The rice for sushi needs to be kept at a temperature of 40 degrees.
Law held a ball of vinegared rice in his palm, sensing the temperature.
When the temperature was right, he released his Nen, letting it flow over every grain of rice, quickly shaping it, then placed the fish on top of the rice.
Following these steps, he soon made ten different types of sushi with different fish, very efficiently.
Menchi carefully observed Law's method but didn't find anything special, feeling somewhat disappointed.
Law made three sushi platters, thirty pieces in total, and openly handed them to Tonpa, telling him to present them as his own dish.
The shortcomings of incomplete rules were thus revealed.
Netero and Buhara, seeing the ten pieces of sushi on the plate, thought Law was really considerate.
Menchi, however, had no reaction, 'If it didn't taste good, having a large quantity wouldn't earn extra points.'
Thinking this, she picked up a piece of sushi, lightly dipped it in the seasoning, put it in her mouth, and chewed.
'Hmm? This is sea fish?'
Menchi subconsciously came to this conclusion but quickly rejected it because she had personally seen that what Law brought back were clearly river fish.
'But... my tongue wouldn't lie.'
'What kind of magic did this man use to forcibly twist the characteristics of river fish into those of sea fish?'
Menchi swallowed the sushi, lightly bit her chopsticks, and stared silently at Law, who was still making sushi.
'Dammit, even though I was watching the whole time...'
She had watched intently the entire time but couldn't figure out how he did it. This made Menchi feel a frustrating sense of defeat.
Compared to Menchi's inner turmoil, Netero and Buhara were eating particularly happily, one piece after another, soon finishing them.
Hanzo, seeing this phenomenon, was secretly astonished.
Just as Law was about to finish three more portions, Kurapika's group returned with fish. Like Hanzo, they didn't need to follow the crowd, so they were relatively fast.
Thus, they were fortunate enough to see the sushi in Law's hand. Then, they noticed the sushi on the table was the same as the one in Law's hand, and Menchi had eaten it.
'So that's what it looks like!'
"Pass."
Menchi, after finishing all the sushi, said unwillingly.
Hearing this, Tonpa was delighted. He stepped aside to let Law approach.
Law walked over and placed the three portions of sushi on the table.
Buhara and Netero directly picked up their chopsticks, but Menchi didn't. She looked up at Law and asked, "How did you make it?"
Compared to the self-esteem of a genius, Menchi's curiosity was stronger. She faced the sense of defeat head-on, set aside her status as an examiner, and asked Law as a seeker of knowledge.
That attitude, different from before, drew sidelong glances from several people present.
"Sea salt."
Law didn't hide it and directly answered Menchi's question.
"Sea salt..."
Menchi lowered her head and muttered to herself. A moment later, she suddenly looked up at Law and couldn't help asking, "Just who are you?"
She was, after all, a rising star among Gourmet Hunters. Not only was she proficient in much knowledge, but she also knew all the outstanding Gourmet Hunters.
Yet, she had never heard of this examinee No. 405.
At this moment, she urgently wanted to know if this examinee No. 405 before her was that Law?