"Forget it, you didn't mean it."
"But there's still a penalty for the Shokugeki. I remember the last time you called me Brother Okabe was when you had just turned one. You haven't called me that since."
"To be honest, I kind of miss it."
"If you lose, as your Shokugeki penalty, you'll have to call me Brother Okabe for a whole month."
Watching Erina Nakiri bow her head and admit her mistake, Okabe couldn't help but marvel inwardly. Was this the same impossibly arrogant tsundere young lady?
In the original story, no matter what mistake she made, she always had an air of 'I'm right, so suck it up'.
Not bad. It seems this lifetime's Erina has grown into a fine girl.
"A month is too long! A day, at most!"
Hearing Okabe's words, Erina Nakiri lifted her head slightly, her eyes filled with a trace of disbelief.
What kind of demon was this guy? Making her call him 'brother' for a month? How could such an utterly embarrassing term possibly come from the mouth of a nine-year-old girl like her?!
Besides, who even calls people 'brother' nowadays!
"Half a month. No less."
A thought flashed through Okabe's mind; he knew that since she hadn't refused outright, there was room to negotiate.
"One week, at the absolute most!"
Erina Nakiri grit her teeth, her mouth moving faster than her brain as she subconsciously haggled back.
"Deal."
Okabe agreed decisively. His attitude left Erina Nakiri a bit stunned, feeling like she had fallen into his trap, and her expression soured.
"Hmph, don't get cocky too soon. Calling me 'brother' is contingent on you winning the Shokugeki. If you can't win, it's all just empty talk!"
"Since you don't need to go out and buy ingredients this afternoon, you can stay here and practice this phrase: 'Lady Erina is number one in the world! Okabe will forever be your most loyal follower!'"
Spreading her hands in front of Okabe, Erina Nakiri struck a pose of supreme confidence.
Today, she would defeat him head-on in his area of greatest expertise, thereby showcasing the grace of the Nakiri family heir!
"Let's talk about that after you've actually managed to win. A friendly reminder: even if you're losing, I won't go easy on you this time."
"How could I possibly lose?!"
Erina Nakiri snapped, a bit annoyed.
"You never know. After all, it's not like there isn't a precedent…"
Okabe said pointedly, only realizing his slip-up after the words were out. He hastily clapped a hand over his mouth, but she had already heard him.
"A precedent…"
"Could it be that you let me win that match three years ago? I knew something was off! Although that fatal mistake was easy to make in that dish, with the skill you displayed, you shouldn't have made it."
Hearing Okabe's words, Erina Nakiri was instantly reminded of a certain match when she was five.
At the time, she had suffered consecutive losses and felt she could never beat Okabe, so after yet another match, she couldn't stop the tears from flowing.
Even though she felt ashamed back then, the more people tried to comfort her, the worse she felt. Eventually, the dam broke, and she threw herself into Okabe's arms, sobbing.
Thinking back, her victory in the following match was indeed suspicious. It's just that at the time, she was immersed in the joy of winning and didn't notice, or perhaps she intentionally chose not to notice…
Now that he brought it up, Erina Nakiri could feel her face burning.
"You needed a victory back then."
"Otherwise, I was worried you wouldn't be able to take the blow and would give up on cooking. But you won the later matches on your own merit. I only went easy on you that one time and never again, I can guarantee that."
Since it was out in the open, Okabe didn't try to hide it anymore. The string of failures back then had been a huge blow to Erina Nakiri, almost making her despise cooking.
It was for that reason he had thrown the match, to help Erina Nakiri stabilize her conviction so she wouldn't abandon cooking due to prolonged failure.
A secret kept for three years, unexpectedly revealed during a spat.
"Hmph, enough talk. Hisako, let's go. We're going to buy ingredients. Tonight, I'll show you the fruits of my hard work. Just you watch!"
Hearing Okabe's explanation, Erina Nakiri's cheeks flushed slightly. She then looked at Hisako Arato, who was waiting nearby, and headed for the door.
"And also, thank you."
Before leaving, Erina Nakiri suddenly turned her head and said this to Okabe, a dazzling smile on her face.
She said it with genuine sincerity.
She really hadn't known Okabe had done so much for her behind the scenes, but that victory had indeed been the start of her regaining her confidence.
Without that match, she might have wallowed in self-pity for a very long time.
After all, no one can endure constant setbacks and keep getting back up, especially when facing a peer of the same age.
At the time, she had even suspected she had no talent, that the God's Tongue was wasted on her. Otherwise, why could she never defeat Okabe?
"She really hasn't changed at all…"
Watching Erina Nakiri's retreating figure, Okabe couldn't help but smile and think to himself.
"Okabe, where are Erina and Hisako?"
Just as the figures of Erina Nakiri and Hisako Arato completely disappeared, Miu Fūrinji's voice reached Okabe's ears. She was holding a plate of mung bean cakes.
Next to her, Momo Akanegakubo held a box of walnut crisps, her eyes fixated on them with the joyous look of a hunter who has found their prey.
"They went out to buy ingredients for tonight's Shokugeki."
"I'm heading to the kitchen to work on my dish for the Shokugeki. What about you two? Are you coming with me or doing your own thing?"
Although he addressed both of them, Okabe's gaze fell on Momo Akanegakubo.
She was holding the Chinese-style pastry, and a hint of conflict flickered across her face when she heard his words.
"Can I borrow the kitchen to study these walnut crisps? It's my first time seeing this type of dessert. I had one just now, and it was delicious!"
As she spoke, Momo Akanegakubo looked at Okabe.
She knew it was a bold request; after all, tonight was Okabe's and Erina Nakiri's Shokugeki, and every second was precious.
But smelling the deep, nutty aroma of the roasted walnut crisps, her expression became resolute again.
She wanted to master this technique!
"I won't be using the oven for my dish tonight, so if you want to come, you're welcome."
"By the way, I made both the walnut crisps in your hand and the mung bean cakes Miu is holding. If you don't understand something, just ask me."
Okabe's expression didn't change much upon hearing Momo Akanegakubo's words.
He did take his duel with Erina Nakiri seriously, but that was all it was—serious.
In his three years at Ryōzanpaku, his skills had undergone a world-shaking transformation, a change not limited to fundamentals but extending to his very understanding of the essence of cooking.
If she had chosen any other type of cuisine, it might have been a different story. But she had chosen flour-based dishes, his greatest strength. If he lost under these circumstances, it would mean his training had truly gone to the dogs.
"I'll go to the kitchen with you too. But what kind of dish are you planning to make to counter her?"
Looking at the composed Okabe, Miu Fūrinji asked with curiosity.
"'Flour as the main ingredient, no restrictions on the specific cooking method, limited to a main course.'"
"That's the theme of this Shokugeki. For me, it has no limitations at all, so I plan to make a dish that combines stir-frying and pasta."
"Stir-fried Sliced Noodles!"
As he uttered the last three words, a sharp glint flashed in Okabe's eyes.
This was the result of careful consideration. After all, the options for combining stir-frying and pasta were limited, and among them, Stir-fried Sliced Noodles was what he excelled at most.
After three years of arduous training, Okabe's mastery of pasta making had reached a level of perfection.
This was the benefit of being guided by a master.
"Stir-fried Sliced Noodles... you mean Daoxiao noodles?"
Miu Fūrinji fell silent for a moment before speaking, a hint of disbelief on her face.
Although Daoxiao noodles were delicious, wasn't using them in a Shokugeki a bit too... common? It felt like serving street food in a high-end restaurant.
"That's right. But not Daoxiao noodles, Stir-fried Sliced Noodles. The difference between the two is quite significant. They are completely different in terms of preparation, texture, and flavor."
"But... it just feels like serving such a daily dish is too ordinary. Since it's a Shokugeki, shouldn't you present something more impressive...?"
Miu Fūrinji voiced her thoughts. Since it was a Shokugeki, he should definitely serve something with a chef's personal touch.
It wasn't that Stir-fried Sliced Noodles were bad, but they were just too home-style for a Shokugeki duel.
"That's why you have to innovate. I never said my Stir-fried Sliced Noodles were ordinary. It's the Okabe-Style New Stir-fried Sliced Noodles, born from three years of my hard work and creativity!"
Hearing Miu Fūrinji's words, Okabe's voice rose with passion.
"Okabe-Style New Stir-fried Sliced Noodles?!"
Perhaps because Okabe's voice was so confident, Miu Fūrinji and Momo Akanegakubo couldn't help but feel a bit more faith in him, gasping in surprise in unison.
"Naturally. By merging the essence of the Stir-fried Sliced Noodles dish with my own unique creativity, I can definitely create an unprecedented version of it."
Okabe's voice was light and cheerful as he spoke, heading towards the pasta workshop.
It was June, and he had already bought all the ingredients yesterday.
He had originally planned to cook for his masters tonight as a reward for helping him find medicinal herbs, but he hadn't expected Erina Nakiri to walk right into his line of fire.
Since it was meant as a reward, the ingredients couldn't possibly be cheap. He had prepared black tiger shrimp and fresh pomfret, and even got some silver pomfret.
He was originally going to make Hawaiian-style fried rice, but now the stir-fried main course had to be changed to sliced noodles.
In his past life, Okabe was from the south of China, and having lived in Japan for a long time, he preferred rice to noodles and rarely made stir-fried noodle dishes.
Of course, rarely making them didn't mean he couldn't.
After all, the principles behind them were not that different; a little practice was all it took to make them delicious.
"Miu, you were right about one thing. If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it to the best of my ability."
As his thoughts began to wander, the flavor imagery in his mind automatically activated. Scene after scene appeared in his head as it began to make deductions.
"Hmm?"
Okabe's words left Miu Fūrinji a little confused, and then she saw him look towards Ikaros.
"Ikaros, go to China and buy me some river shrimp. The kind you said was really crispy last year. It should be in season right now."
Thinking of the savory freshness of the river shrimp, Okabe wiped away non-existent drool. The flavor imagery in his mind was already crystal clear, the rich umami taste rushing straight to the crown of his head.
"Understood, Master."
At Okabe's command, wings instantly sprouted from Ikaros's back, and she soared into the sky. Seeing this, Momo Akanegakubo's jaw dropped.
"An... an angel!!"
Clearly, this was the first time she had seen Ikaros fly. To her, Ikaros had always just been a beautiful maid.
But now she could fly?!
Could she be a legendary angel?!
"Shh, this is our little secret. Don't tell anyone, okay?"
Seeing Momo Akanegakubo's shocked expression, Okabe realized there was an outsider in Ryōzanpaku. But he wasn't concerned, simply placing a finger on her lips.
"Momo's lips are sealed!"
Okabe couldn't help but laugh at Momo Akanegakubo's words, then reached out and pinched her cheek.
"Hmph... Momo is older than Okabe, I'm the big sister! Don't treat Momo like a little kid!"
Feeling the touch on her cheek and seeing Okabe's grinning face, Momo Akanegakubo suddenly spoke up, having just remembered she was two years older than him.
She was the older one, yet she was being treated like the younger one. It was a complete reversal of the natural order!
"Does being the older sister or younger brother really matter? To me, little Momo will always be a carefree little girl. Besides, I'm taller and stronger than you. If we went out and I said I was your big brother, I doubt anyone would be surprised."
Okabe said teasingly, but his words left Momo Akanegakubo a bit confused.
On one hand, she felt he had a point. On the other, she wondered why, despite being older, she had somehow become the little sister.
Her CPU was having a bit of trouble processing it all.
"Swoosh~"
Just then, a sound of something cutting through the air was heard. Ikaros, who had just left, had already returned, carrying a large bag of fresh river shrimp.
"Master, I've brought back the river shrimp."
Taking the river shrimp from Ikaros, Okabe nodded slightly.
As an entertainment-use Angeloid with a flight speed of Mach 24, her efficiency was extremely high, allowing her to go anywhere in the world to buy the freshest ingredients.
This was a new use he had developed for her over the past two years. After all, in the years before, his ability to protect himself was too weak, and Ikaros wouldn't have felt safe leaving him alone.
"All the ingredients are here. Let's start cooking!"
Looking at the still-lively river shrimp in his hands, Okabe's face was filled with fighting spirit, and the flavor imagery in his mind grew clearer and clearer.
"What are you doing with the pitaya? Are you hungry…?"
"Of course I'm using it in the dish. Not just the pitaya, I'll also be using spinach and pumpkin in this dish. To be precise, they're for the dough for the sliced noodles."
Okabe spoke as he peeled a red-fleshed pitaya, took the pulp, added water, and blended it into a puree with a blender.
Next, he brought a pot of water to a boil, blanched the spinach, squeezed it dry, added water, and blended it into a puree.
The pumpkin was steamed. Because of its high water content, no extra water was needed during blending, a conclusion Okabe reached by observing the state of the blender.
Thus, he obtained red, green, and yellow natural food colorings.
As for why there was white, that was, of course, because the dough itself was white.
"Are you going to add these three fruit and vegetable purees to the flour and then make the flour into sliced noodles…?"
Looking at the three bowls of fruit and vegetable puree in front of Okabe, Momo Akanegakubo stated her guess.
This wasn't uncommon in pasta dishes; she sometimes did the same when baking cookies.
However, she usually used pigments from herbs, as their flavors were relatively mild and wouldn't affect the taste of the pastry itself.
In contrast, fruits and vegetables contain a large amount of fructose. Unless the dish was specifically related to a certain fruit or vegetable, they were generally not used as natural colorings.
"Exactly. Spinach, pumpkin, and red-fleshed pitaya are all excellent seasonal fruits and vegetables. Plus, their colors are vibrant, so the coloring effect is significant when kneaded into the dough."
As he spoke, Okabe poured flour onto the board and began to adjust the proportions and knead the dough.
Using juiced fruits and vegetables to mix the dough was a product of a flash of inspiration he'd just had.
To be precise, he happened to see these ingredients under the table, and there were two leftover red-fleshed pitayas on the stove from last time, so he decided to give it a try.
As for whether it would fail? He would find out after trying.
Giving up before even starting was not something a professional chef should do.
"But, the flavors of pumpkin and red-fleshed pitaya are on the sweet side."
"Although I've never had Stir-fried Sliced Noodles, just from the name, I know it's a stir-fried dish, which should normally be savory and umami. Won't adding pumpkin and red-fleshed pitaya make the flavor profile unstable?"
Watching Okabe's extremely skilled kneading technique, forming a dough ball in just sixty seconds, Momo Akanegakubo suppressed the amazement in her eyes and voiced her concern.
"That's right, Okabe-kun. Stir-fried Sliced Noodles is a stir-fry, after all. Its main flavor profile is salty and savory, with some regions possibly adding spice. But adding pumpkin and red-fleshed pitaya to the dough feels like introducing too much sweetness…"
Miu Fūrinji's expression was similarly uncertain; she couldn't quite imagine how the final dish would taste.
"The sweetness will definitely be excessive, since I haven't even started controlling the ratios yet. Right now, this is just an experimental phase at best."
"But to put it bluntly, how will you know the right ratio without trying?"
"Your approach to cooking is too conservative. That's precisely why your progress is so slow. Failure isn't scary; what's scary is the fear of failure itself."
Hearing Miu Fūrinji and Momo Akanegakubo's words, Okabe fell silent for a moment, his hands slowing down. Then he looked at them and spoke seriously.
He understood they were worried he would waste too much time and be unable to present a decent dish during the match, as there wasn't much time left until sunset, when the official match would begin.
However, if you don't even try, you lose the possibility of it succeeding.
For a chef, to fear failure during the cooking process itself means it's absolutely impossible to create a good dish.
_____
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