184 Shizuka is Popular
Oden, Takoyaki, and Teppanyaki could be used to make a variety of pan-fried and grilled foods.
Whether it was European crêpes, Japanese crêpes, or Indian Roti Canai (flying bread), none were a challenge. There were sliced spices, mixed sauces, and all kinds of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy condiments. On one side of the stove, a pot of onion soup was simmering, and the oven was baking cakes and cookies.
Shirou's preparation could be described as impeccable, simply flawless.
"Mmmm!!!" The guests, who were thoroughly enjoying the food, completely discarded their previous lethargy and shouted out loud.
The warm soup entering the body seemed to instantly sweep away the fatigue and drowsiness within.
On the other side, Erina also began to show everyone what queen-level, opulent cuisine looked like. A variety of beautiful, sparkling dishes, like pearls and gems, drew constant praise from the people, especially the women who held them in their hands, reluctant to put them down.
Hmph, count yourselves lucky. You would never be able to eat my cooking anywhere other than a Michelin restaurant or the most luxurious five-star hotel. Erina thought to herself, then said to the surrounding guests, "The payment method is written on the sign here. Please enjoy at your leisure."
The queuing guests received the delicacies they wanted to taste, and each one showed a satisfied, healed smile.
After one group of customers dispersed, nearby children ran over. They stood in front of the cooking station, looked at the displayed dishes, and their eyes sparkled.
"Wow, so pretty! It looks so delicious."
"Is the big sister a Queen?"
"A Queen who is also a chef?"
"Hmph, it's not wrong to call me the Queen of the Culinary World. Do you want to eat?" Erina asked the children.
"Yes, we do!!" the children answered in unison.
"Then quickly take a plate and go eat over there! Don't block the way here," Erina said, waving her hand.
"Eh? Is it okay? We don't have any money," the children hesitated instead.
"Eat it, children eat for free. Just eat. Consider it the Queen's bounty. Enjoy it well," Erina said with a wave of her hand.
"Thank you! Queen!" The children raised their hands in admiration and shouted happily.
"Hmph~!" Erina tossed her glittering, flowing blonde hair and naturally accepted everyone's praise and worship, even though they were just greedy children.
Of course, she hadn't intended to charge the children in the first place. After all, her main focus was high-end cuisine for the upper class, aiming to create the ultimate delicacy that even major figures would have to book in advance, regardless of the cost. In other words, eating her food was a symbol of status.
So, she simply wouldn't care about the thoughts of a few children.
That's right! Her cooking was not the kind of street food that relies on scent tricks to attract children, making them whine for their parents to buy it.
Erina secretly glanced at the stall next door, where a long queue had formed. The young man was constantly flipping and stirring the snacks with two spatulas, adjusting them to the guests' preferences. She pouted unconvincedly, "Hmph, even if I lose in quantity, the quality is definitely higher on my side!"
Just then, a fashionable young woman wearing a pink coat and sunglasses, carrying a handbag, arrived. She was a graduate of the Paris branch school and had come out of curiosity after receiving a notification from her teacher.
Her online name was "Rabbit Alizeh." Rabbits jump high and run fast, but they are afraid of loneliness and might die if they get too lonely, so she was always eating to comfort her soul. She was actually a very lonely woman. Aside from colleagues at work and family, she had almost no interaction with anyone else.
However, because of the internet, in the eyes of some netizens and people in her social circle, she was considered one of those "living a fulfilling life."
With a somewhat pretty face, dressed up in beautiful clothes, she was constantly taking "go-as-you-please" trips on holidays. She had no like-minded friends; she ate alone and traveled alone.
As long as she had a selfie stick, she could upload a beautiful photo every day, write a short caption, and post it to her social circles and various social networks, receiving continuous praise. Without realizing it, she had become a minor internet celebrity in Paris.
Today, she held the Eggs Benedict and Soufflé Cheesecake, which looked exceptionally beautiful thanks to Erina's elaborate plating. She took out her phone, snapped a beautiful photo, and posted it online for display, which immediately aroused the envy of curious netizens, who quickly asked where this place was.
As a result, people surged toward the Paris branch school.
"Bonjour~! Are you Rabbit Alizeh?" A tall man in a coat and a long scarf came over, holding a bowl of Oden, and asked.
"Oui, and you are?" Alizeh nodded, asking in confusion. She looked at the man. His golden-brown curly hair gave him a sunny, big-boy feeling, though his dark circles were a bit heavy, which seemed to be the result of the currently popular strange illness.
"Enchanté (Nice to meet you). I'm Poivre the Donkey. I've been following you, and I didn't expect to meet you here," the big boy smiled and extended his hand to the woman.
"Ah... Enchanté, Poivre. Thank you for your support." Alizeh was stunned for a moment, then reacted and shook hands with Poivre. She remembered the netizen "Poivre the Donkey." She never thought someone like her would be approached by a fan.
But it will probably end today. He must be very disappointed that the glamorous woman online is such a quiet, socially awkward person in reality.
Thinking this, Alizeh relaxed. She decided to chat casually, as if talking to a regular convenience store clerk. "It's a beautiful day today. By the way, you look even prettier in person than in your photos." Poivre showed his white teeth and smiled.
"Eh, oh, thank you. You're very complimentary," Alizeh blinked in surprise, then smiled.
"No, I've thought you were beautiful ever since I first saw your photos." Poivre's eyes shone as he looked at Alizeh.
Lately, he always dreamed of old events at night, repeatedly reliving the experience of being dumped. The pain and torment he thought he had forgotten were causing him to suffer from insomnia recently.
Two years ago, around this time, he broke up with his first girlfriend. She inexplicably gave him the cold shoulder and told him not to call her anymore. For a time, he was immersed in the pain of heartbreak, spending all his time either sleeping or frantically browsing the web, hoping to see something from his ex-girlfriend. Until, in the social media space of a boy he didn't know, he saw a picture of his ex-girlfriend hugging that boy on the beach. She was smiling very happily.
He became even more depressed after that, until one day, he saw a set of photos online.
A reasonably pretty woman was walking alone on an old street, taking pictures and enjoying food. She seemed to be having a wonderful time and enjoying life even by herself.
She seemed incredibly cool, so cool that he felt he had to pull himself together. He then remembered the name of the woman in the photos, "Rabbit Alizeh."
In the days that followed, he left her comments, liked her posts, and followed every photo and message she put out. Gradually, he started noticing the hints of loneliness in the woman's expressions, inadvertently revealed in some photos.
His feelings for this woman unconsciously shifted from admiration to concern. Until today, when he came here, he happened to open his phone and saw an update from Rabbit Alizeh, realizing she was in the same place as him.
The moment he saw the woman, he finally understood his feelings.
"Hey, buddy, want some more snacks? Why don't you buy something nice for the lady next to you?" the young chef in the tent called out to the man.
"Wait for me for a moment," Poivre said to Alizeh, then ran forward.
"Thank you for your patronage. I recommend the coffee and dessert, and this. This is a limited-time couple's special." Shirou put the coffee in a bottle and placed it with the food in a hard paper bag, along with a wrapped bouquet of fresh flowers.
"Thanks, brother," Poivre's face immediately lit up with joy, and he took out money and put it in the box.
"Oh, good luck~!" Shirou waved his hand.
"This is for you, Rabbit Alizeh. You have always been a woman I admire." Poivre took the flowers and presented them to Alizeh.
"Ah! Thank you." Alizeh took the bouquet of brightly colored roses and inhaled the fragrance of the flowers. This time, she finally relaxed and showed a genuine, joyful smile.
"Let's go sit down over there and chat while we eat," Poivre opened the paper bag, showing the coffee inside, and suggested.
"Mmm, I was thinking the same thing," Alizeh agreed with a shy smile.
In short, Shirou was devoted to the principle of making everyone happy. Throughout the morning, the visitors to the Paris school shed their previous gloom and were filled with laughter and joy.
By the afternoon, the erected stage officially opened.
Hiratsuka Shizuka, having changed into a white evening gown, walked onto the stage with a flushed face, holding the hem of her skirt, forcing down her shame.
The woman, who had taken the effort to dress up, was like a completely different person. Her natural beauty, usually suppressed by her lack of makeup and dressing up, seemed to have fully burst forth, stunning everyone.
Even the teachers and students of the Chiba branch school were surprised, never having expected that their Hiratsuka-sensei, who usually wore a suit jacket, long pants, and a lab coat without much makeup, could look so feminine when dressed up.
The snow-white, off-the-shoulder evening gown complemented Hiratsuka Shizuka's fair skin perfectly. The bustier flawlessly showcased her healthy and attractive figure. The slender
frame of the Eastern woman made her neck look long, and the exquisite arc of her collarbone was distinct. Her rounded shoulders exposed delicate skin, smooth as jade.
Unlike the trend of tanning popular in France, Hiratsuka Shizuka's black hair and snow-white skin added a touch of exotic novelty. The moment she appeared, she captivated the entire audience. Under the stage lights, her whole body seemed to be possessed by a Holy Spirit, emitting a sacred light.
This was the result of a discussion among the three in the cooking room last night while preparing the materials for the next day.
Erina, who was preparing the ingredients, spoke first, "Since you're going on stage to perform, why don't you borrow the power of your Servant, Sensei?"
"Eh? Can a Servant help with singing too?" Shirou and Hiratsuka Shizuka were both surprised.
"Hiratsuka-sensei's Servant is Martha, right? Isn't it natural for her to guide believers out of their predicament? Besides, a person's inner quality affects the resonance of their singing."
"If it's Saint Martha, with her forbearance that can even subdue a wicked dragon, singing a holy and noble song will surely heal the weary hearts of everyone," Erina said with a confident smile.
"Eh? Forbearance?" Hiratsuka Shizuka was taken aback. Shouldn't it be "fist-power"?
"But it might actually work," Shirou nodded. He hadn't considered this approach before.
"I'll also be relying on Baa-chan's power tomorrow. After all, on-site cooking can be heavy physical labor if there are a lot of people," Erina said.
"If you get tired and don't want to rest in front of others, you can go into the school building," Shirou kindly reminded her. After all, this young lady didn't seem like she would show fatigue in front of outsiders; she would maintain her usual magnificent and glamorous queenly demeanor.
"What are you talking about! I won't lose to you in either cooking skill or stamina!" Erina retorted.
"Do you two really want me to go on stage and sing with Martha?" Hiratsuka Shizuka said, conflicted. She pulled out her phone and contacted the Servant she was now very familiar with.
"Huh?! You want me to go on stage and sing! You two brats aren't trying to make us look like fools, are you!?" Martha directly possessed Hiratsuka Shizuka, jumping out and shouting.
"..." The cooking classroom fell silent. Shirou was used to it, but Erina was stunned, as if she were hallucinating.
"Why did I think I just heard the Saintess cuss? Was I hallucinating?"
Martha coughed, then showed a kind and gentle smile, "Ahem, I meant that as a clergy member, one must be rigorous. That kind of singing while hopping around is really not suitable for me."
"No, if you have the Saint's blessing, wouldn't singing a church hymn be good, even without dancing?" Erina suggested.
"Yes, singing is a customary part of church, isn't it? Things like 'Hallelujah,' 'Amazing Grace,' 'Ave Maria,' and so on," Shirou asked.
"Ugh..." This time, even Martha couldn't argue.
In the end, Martha agreed to be summoned and possess her. As a Saint, she couldn't stand by and ignore these suffering believers.
It seemed that with the Saint's halo bonus, her singing had a miraculous effect on the melancholic patients. The frowns on the faces of the distressed people smoothed out, and their lowered brows relaxed.
The French song Hiratsuka Shizuka sang might not have been technically excellent, but it was so pure, like natural, uncarved jade, possessing a unique beauty.
It had an extraordinary power to resonate, especially the lyrics, which encouraged people never to give up in the face of difficulties and assured them that the Lord was with them.
The positive, uplifting lyrics, telling people to punch away annoying and hateful things, were incredibly inspiring and brought a full dose of positive energy, warming people's hearts and giving them the courage to face their misfortunes.
Listening to the song, some people seemed to be touched, shedding tears, perhaps from the torment of the strange illness or from long-buried emotional wounds.
When the song ended, people silently wiped their tears with handkerchiefs and erupted in warm applause.
When Hiratsuka Shizuka changed out of her gown and walked out, a group of middle-aged women and grandmothers came to hold her hands, and a group of uncles and grandfathers paid their respects, thanking her for presenting such a wonderful song.
A French grandmother said regretfully, "It's a shame. I should have asked her if she'd be willing to stay in France. I would absolutely introduce her to my neighbor's nephew's uncle's nephew, who owns a multinational company that has partnered with a Fortune Global 500 company."
A French middle-aged woman next to her shook her head, "No chance. A kind and beautiful girl like her must already have a boyfriend."
The women around her all nodded, sighing with regret, "Yes, why isn't such a wonderful girl French?"
Without her knowing, Hiratsuka Shizuka had once again missed an opportunity to find a good man.
At that moment, a fairly handsome young man in a custom-made suit seemed to be captivated by the Eastern woman. He stared intently at Hiratsuka Shizuka, trying to make eye contact. The light in his eyes seemed to convey a thousand thoughts to the beauty who had sung the heavenly song.
The first time their eyes met, she thought it was a coincidence. The second time, she looked away. The third time she was stared at with that look, Hiratsuka Shizuka felt she could no longer back down.
"Hmm? Is he trying to provoke me?" Hiratsuka Shizuka glared back fiercely. Did he really think she was easy to bully?
The man opposite, stunned by the glare, awkwardly looked away, wondering, The person singing on stage just now was clearly an angel, so why has she turned into a tigress now?
"Sensei... I think you misunderstood," Shirou said, covering his face helplessly. "At this rate, if you can't get married, you can't blame anyone else..."
This is Paris, the romantic capital of the country known as the most romantic in the world. People usually communicate using elegant language accompanied by appropriate gestures, but for certain individuals, often just an exchange of glances is all that is needed.
Most men and women here yearn for love, are skilled in emotional communication, and are passionate and uninhibited. When showing affection for someone, they can often gauge their compatibility with just a glance. The two can exchange glances in the same place for a week without speaking, then start dating directly in the second week, entering a passionate relationship.
At the same time, people here value love more than the average person. They fall in love easily but will never tolerate betrayal. Once love is gone, it is a complete and utter breakup or divorce.
The students of the Paris branch school held the gourmet festival to soothe the spirits of the people around them. Future master chefs all brought out their signature dishes for the guests to eat.
This time, because some people saw the news, they brought their sick family members here.
Though not perfect, it still brought smiles back to some people's faces.
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In the dream world, the black book-turned-monster, and the countless transparent hands floating in the air, constantly trembled and loosened their grip.
People in reality who had found joy and hope, protected from the dream world's re-attraction by Merlin's shield, only felt their bodies lighten, and felt that they could now finally have a peaceful sleep.
In the dream world, the monster lingering near the palace sensed the anomaly. The chunks of flesh on its body were receding, its energy was losing its source, and its shape was beginning to shrink.
The black mud monster, which had constantly grown and changed by madly absorbing dream energy, now also felt its own weakening and let out a sharp, wailing shriek like an infant's cry.
The little girl covered in black mud inside the black book was also screaming.
"It's not over yet! Even without those people outside, the people still in this dream world are enough. It will definitely come true! My wish!"
A black curtain rose, covering the sky, and the borders of the world were also covered by a layer of black mist. The dream world was sealed off again. Those who were in deep sleep, those who were sleeping at this time and were sucked into this world, and those who hadn't completely escaped the ethereal hands, would not be able to leave this time once they entered.
After the black mud monster's modifications during this period, the fairy-tale world that the dream world was previously connected to had completely lost its trace. Except for the ruins of that palace, large forests became barren land, the azure lake was covered with sludge, and the animals that were there before had long disappeared.
Vast areas of land were overturned and rebuilt into enclosed regions separated by stone walls. People in the dream were placed in different districts in rotation and fixed by the monster in places that would most efficiently produce inner pleasure or hatred.
The four areas, the four districts, were divided into the Street of Depraved Dreams, the Street of Desired Dreams, the Street of Sorrowful Dreams, and the Street of Nightmares.
The Street of Depraved Dreams became a city of sin. People here were dressed glamorously but acted wantonly behind the scenes. They were immersed in a life of debauchery: endless money, modern women who changed every day, luxury cars and fine horses.
After they had indulged to the extreme, the black mud Servant's clones would consume them.
The Street of Desired Dreams was dedicated to lust. The streets here were shrouded in pink haze. People wore the lightest clothing, ready to be removed at any time, or were simply naked, adorned with gold and silver, walking in the streets.
They engaged in mating anytime and anywhere, satisfying their desires as they pleased.
Then, in a frenzy of ecstatic pleasure, at the climax, they were sucked into the black mud monster's body to create dolls for the dual embryo.
The Street of Sorrowful Dreams was the gathering place for all sad people.
They seemed to be repeatedly experiencing their most sorrowful and lowest moments.
Some people cried while eating grilled skewers in a heavy rain, holding an umbrella.
Others knelt on the ground, hitting their heads against a wall, screaming hysterically until their brains were splattered, only to wait for the next revival, repeating the process.
Black mud rain would fall from the sky, covering everything.
The Street of Nightmares was a place where nightmares devoured each other, venting their dissatisfaction in a battle royale, constantly fighting from dusk till dawn, leaving only one survivor.
And then it would continue the next day.