Alice stood up.
She threw the manga "The Stick of Valor: Revenge Saga" aside and looked at Erina with a puzzled expression.
"How dare you barge into my villa and read... this kind of manga."
At that moment, Erina's face turned red with embarrassment and anger.
"Manga?"
"Isn't this yours?"
"Are you afraid of me finding out that you like these things, so you always hide them from me?"
After a moment of confusion, Alice suddenly understood and chuckled.
"Nonsense!"
"How could I like something like this?"
"Those... those are all Hisako's, yes, they are all things she accidentally left at my place."
Erina, feeling uncomfortable under Alice's watchful eyes, had to defend herself in a cunning way.
"Hisako's stuff?"
Alice, nodding with a light laugh, said, "I get it. I totally understand."
Seeing Alice's smug look, Erina felt extremely irritated, ultimately feeling too impatient with her. She quickly put the comic book away. Then she sat on the sofa with a sulky expression, creating an awkward distance, like a "galactic" separation, between her and Alice.
...
The atmosphere was somewhat strained.
As the two locked eyes, Alice felt a bit awkward and averted her gaze.
"Come on, tell me, what did you come here for this time?" Erina finally broke the awkward silence and started the conversation.
"Here."
"I made some Dragon Song Strawberries."
"I thought I'd have you taste them, to see if they need any improvement?"
With that, Alice opened the exquisite box on the table, exposing the delicate strawberries to Erina.
"So, you really made Dragon Song Strawberries?"
Looking at the strawberries, Erina felt speechless for a moment.
She thought to herself that Alice was just as nitpicky about small things as before.
At first, she wanted to refuse because she had no interest in Alice's molecular cuisine now. But on the one hand, she was genuinely scared of Alice's persistent nature, and on the other hand, she was curious how much Alice had improved over the years.
After thinking it over, she reluctantly picked up a small spoon, crushed a strawberry, drizzled some strawberry jam on it, and began to taste it carefully.
...
The Dragon Song Strawberry originally came from a WGO three-star restaurant in Japan.
The most remarkable aspect of this dish's preparation was the cooking temperature, ranging from -196°C to 99°C, from low to high and then back to low temperature.
The lifelike appearance of the strawberries, the smashing on-site, the extreme temperature difference... These unique aspects clearly showed that this Dragon Song Strawberry dish, though it started with real strawberries and went through several processes, seemed to come full circle back to the original.
But it was indeed a highly creative molecular gastronomy dish.
After tasting it, Erina, who had a God's Tongue, found it to be sweet and refreshing.
The nearly 300-degree temperature difference gave the Dragon Song Strawberry a unique and marvelous texture.
The contrast of cold and hot, the combination of soft and crispy, the balance of sweet and sour... These varied sensations continued to play on her taste buds, leaving a lingering, delightful aftertaste even after swallowing.
"How is it?"
"What's your evaluation of this kind of dish?"
Seeing that Erina finally took a bite, Alice asked eagerly and anxiously.
"Well!"
"It's alright."
"The changes in flavor are quite rich, but it's not particularly amazing!"
After savoring the taste, Erina responded truthfully.
...
"Alice."
"Cooking is nothing more than working with ingredients."
"Choosing the appropriate cooking methods, pairing with suitable seasonings, presenting it nicely, and enjoying it in a suitable environment."
"So, although I can't say I really like your molecular cuisine, deep down I don't really despise it."
"At least, your use of theoretical knowledge and high-precision instruments in cooking is much better than civilian cooking!"
"However, your cooking often has fatal issues!"
"Although molecular gastronomy may not place too much emphasis on ingredients and such..."
"But it's clear that you're overdoing it, like with this Dragon Song Strawberry dish where you turned it into a pulp and then froze it at super low temperatures."
"This approach completely destroys the unique components, texture, and flavor of the ingredients."
"While it may look like an actual strawberry in the end, it's only in appearance. The texture and freshness of the strawberry itself no longer exist!"
"In other words, many of your methods are not practical and are like beating around the bush."
"Hey!"
"Erina."
"I didn't come here to be lectured by you."
"Every time, I make dishes for you to taste out of goodwill, but you always end up critiquing the flaws in the dishes. Have you ever thought about my feelings?"
As Erina evaluated her cooking that way, Alice got really angry.
If she could, she would have challenged Erina to a cooking duel right then and there.
"Feelings?"
"That's ridiculous."
"If you're at this level, I'd advise you to just drop out of Totsuki altogether!"
"Your kind of cooking will just be stepped on by others!"
"I...I..."
Alice was so taken aback that she couldn't say a word.
"If you don't understand, then come with me to the kitchen."
With that, Erina got up and left the villa, heading towards her exclusive kitchen.
After cooling down a bit, Alice knew her skills were indeed not at Erina's level, but she also wanted to see what kind of cooking Erina would use to try to convince her.
So, she quickly followed her, feeling anxious and staying close behind.
...
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
Finally, in the kitchen, at the moment Erina lifted the lid of the steamer, a majestic and imposing red dragon slowly rose up from the mist!
This shocking sight was just as impressive as all of Alice's molecular cuisine. It left her speechless, her mouth gaping wide open, almost big enough to fit an egg!
"Huh?"
"The dumplings... Have they gone to heaven?"
"Huh? How come it looks like it's standing with just its tail up?"
Even though the "dragon" didn't actually fly up to the sky in the end, it still broadened Alice's horizons!
"Eat it and see. I believe that only after tasting this Ascending Dragon Dumpling will you understand where your problem really lies."
Seeing Erina's serious expression, Alice was taken aback. Then, driven by curiosity, she picked up a small shrimp dumpling with her chopsticks and took a bite.
"Mmm!"
"This... this dumpling..."
At that moment, Alice was completely stunned!
At that moment, she knew she had truly lost, and lost completely!
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