At the WGO, China Division!
Mana was pacing back and forth in her room, her heart burning with anxiety.
"It's almost 3 AM, why hasn't she come back yet?"
"Lady Mana."
Anne hurried back to the WGO division from the tavern.
Out of breath, she didn't even bother wiping the sweat off her forehead. She directly handed Mana an insulated lunchbox: "Lady Mana, this is the sour plum fried rice I brought back from the tavern..."
"Hurry, hurry, hurry."
"Don't waste time, give it to me."
"I've been starving these days, craving Zane's cooking to the point of madness!"
Without further ado, Mana snatched the lunchbox from Anne's hands.
She quickly opened it, and as soon as she did, a dazzling golden light shone from the box.
"Huh?"
"The rice is glowing even in the insulated box?"
Mana was stunned.
---
Looking closely at the sour plum fried rice in the insulated box, it glowed under the light, like a plate of twinkling stars.
Each grain of rice was coated in the juice of the sour plums, absorbing the heat during cooking, becoming plump and elastic.
Meanwhile, the light shining through the translucent grains cast a warm and soft glow, making Mana's already hungry stomach grow even more impatient.
The aroma of the sour plums mixed with the smoky scent of the fried rice, creating a unique fragrance.
This fragrance, wafting through the air, made Mana, standing so close, unconsciously captivated.
Plums.
Rice.
Green onions.
Maybe, just a little bit of lard?
Anyway, the sour plum fried rice in front of her seemed to capture the essence of autumn. Just the smell brought a feeling of sweet and sour freshness!
"Yes, this is Zane's cooking!"
Mana was overjoyed. She quickly picked up her chopsticks and shoveled a few mouthfuls of sour plum fried rice into her mouth.
---
In an instant, it was like walking into a colorful fairyland.
Her God Tongue's thousands of taste buds immediately experienced a wonderful taste transformation.
The sour plum fried rice, like suction cups, kept stimulating her tongue, causing her mouth to water with a sourness that strongly shook her esophagus and stomach.
This intensified her appetite.
The fresh sourness mixed with the sweet and salty fried rice.
The taste was indescribably exquisite, reviving all the energy lost due to hunger!
"It's been almost an hour now, right?"
"The sour plum fried rice came all the way from the tavern, I was worried it would be cold and not taste good, but..."
"Oh dear, this sour plum fried rice is just as charming as the comet fried rice!"
Mana, fully immersed, quickly ate several more mouthfuls of fried rice, stuffing her cheeks full.
"Lady Mana, that's why Zane is so clever."
"He knew the sour plum fried rice would lose its flavor over time, so he used an insulated lunchbox."
Anne smiled from the side.
---
The insulated lunchbox contained three separate small bowls.
The capacity was quite large, and each bowl had a handle on the lid for easy handling.
But the most important feature of the insulated lunchbox was its ability to retain heat. Good insulated lunchboxes can keep food warm for a long time, especially important in cold weather.
Generally, if it can keep food above 60℃ for 6 hours or more, it's a good insulated lunchbox!
Zane's insulated lunchbox used the latest thinning technology.
It reduced the weight of the box, making it easy to carry.
It also had a double-layer anti-scald design, keeping food warm for 26 hours, meeting the needs of those who bring meals with them.
The seal was also excellent, preventing leaks even if it contained soup!
"Mmm mmm..."
*Cough cough, cough... mmm mmm..."
Suddenly, Mana's face turned pale.
She pounded her chest and clenched her fists, tilting her head back.
"Lady Mana."
"Are you alright? Is it the sour plum fried rice..."
Seeing this, Anne was terrified, thinking the rice had somehow turned bad despite being kept warm, making Mana sick!
She rushed to get some nutritional supplements.
---
"Phew~"
"Finally swallowed it!"
Like a bright flash of lightning breaking through the darkness in her mouth, she managed to swallow it all.
All the chewed sour plum fried rice quickly passed through her esophagus and into her stomach.
At that moment, Mana felt like she was about to "go."
She opened her eyes: "Anne, I'm fine, I just ate too much too fast and choked."
"Choked?"
Anne stopped.
She looked back and understood, wiping the sweat off her brow.
"Lady Mana, you're really something, starving yourself yet refusing to join me at the tavern for a meal."
Anne couldn't help but feel puzzled.
Mana sighed deeply: "Anne, if you were in my shoes."
"How would you face your daughter during the internship? Plus, with Hisako running away from home, it's already a lot to handle. I can't just make things worse for her by showing up and rubbing salt in her wounds!"
"I..."
Anne fell silent.
At the tavern, she had sensed the strained relationship between Erina and Hisako.
Now she somewhat understood why Mana would rather endure hunger than go to the tavern!
---
"Alright, don't worry, I'm not dead yet, am I?"
Mana ate her sour plum fried rice happily, smiling at Anne.
"Lady Mana, sometimes I think you're a great mother."
Anne snapped back to reality, speaking earnestly.
"No, I'm a very irresponsible mother."
Mana shook her head, her bright eyes showing a hint of sadness. But then she became serious and continued: "I asked you to investigate Subway restaurants, what did you find?"
"Oh, about that."
Anne slapped her forehead and quickly pulled a thick investigation report from her bag.
"Lady Mana, as you suspected, the rapid expansion of Subway in Neon was indeed orchestrated from behind the scenes."
"Who?"
Mana's eyes sharpened.
"The Nakamura Trading Company from Wall Street, USA. In other words... your... um, Nakamura Ji!"
Anne glanced at Mana before stammering.
"Hmph, so he finally couldn't contain his ambition."
Mana sneered.
"Also, we found something peculiar about Subway's expansion route."
"Hmm?"
Mana raised an eyebrow.
"Every Subway branch opens near one of the 56 restaurants controlled by Totsuki's current Elite Ten member, Eishi Tsukasa."
Anne explained.
"So, he's deliberately trying to suppress and attack Totsuki's influence?"
Mana's eyes turned cold, and her face showed a hint of anger.
"Not sure, but it seems likely."
Mana slowly closed her eyes, then seemed to make a decision: "Notify all first-class officers that within a month, they must review every Subway branch in Neon."
"Then, investigate every detail of each branch, from head chef to cashier, even the guard dog if they have one!"
"A month?" Anne thought she misheard.
"Yes, the sooner the better." Mana took a deep breath and added, "Also, contact Asahi Saiba, and have him lead all the Midnight Chefs back to Neon within three days."
"All of them? Back to Neon?"
"Wasn't the plan to put the Midnight Chefs on hold for now?"
Anne's heart skipped a beat.
"The Midnight Chefs are my pawns, but they are also sharp swords."
"Though it might be early to point them at Neon, they should be more than capable of dealing with the trading company from America!"
Mana said with a deep gaze.
---
Rome, an ancient and charming city.
It was like a thick historical scroll slowly unfolding in the river of time.
Sitting on the plains downstream of the Tiber River, it shone like a bright pearl on the map of Italy.
Churches, sculptures, fountains, and squares were everywhere, either standing at street corners or hidden in parks, silently telling the glorious history and culture of the Roman Empire.
This city is always so fascinating!
On a bustling street, there was a three-star restaurant recognized by the WGO food organization.
Inside, the restaurant was beautifully decorated. The walls were adorned with exquisite Italian landscape paintings, each one telling an old and touching story.
The tables and chairs were made of carefully selected solid wood, smooth and fine to the touch, exuding a faint woody scent.
On the tables, white tableware, silver knives and forks, and glasses sparkled under the lights, hinting at the upcoming culinary feast!
The rich aroma of coffee.
The enticing scent of roasted meat.
In the semi-open kitchen, chefs were busy preparing various Italian dishes.
In the corner of the restaurant, soft jazz music flowed gently, adding a sense of tranquility and comfort to the space.
All these elements made every diner feel light and happy!
---
Historically, Italy gave birth to the Roman Empire.
From the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, Italy was always the most prosperous and wealthy region in Europe, nurturing a rich culinary culture.
Though it doesn't have the vast land and diverse natural environment of China, Italy is also a country with mountains and seas and a complex history, so Italian cuisine also shows different characteristics.
Among them, Italian risotto is quite famous.
Unlike other regions' risotto, it includes locally produced fragrant cheese, fish, mushrooms, and Barolo wine.
Just the color alone is enough to make people's hearts flutter.
"It's impossible, you're not Italian, so how... did you make this risotto..."
At this moment, the head chef of this three-star restaurant looked pale, staring at the young man in front of him wearing a baseball cap and a face mask that hid his true appearance!
"Nothing is
impossible. Using Vialone rice, Lodi cream, top-quality saffron, mushrooms and truffles, Piedmont red wine, bone marrow, and beef broth to make Milanese risotto is your restaurant's signature dish, isn't it?"
The young man said mysteriously.
"You..."
The head chef was shocked, eyes filled with disbelief.
Compared to pasta, risotto is relatively easy and simple.
Pasta must be boiled in rolling water for six, eight, or ten minutes. As soon as it's cooked, it must be scooped out and placed in another pan without sauce.
The shape of the pasta and the sauce pairing must follow strict guidelines, and the portion sizes must be calculated in grams based on the number of diners.
But cooking risotto doesn't require worrying about cooking time, nor do you need to think about the perfect pasta shape and sauce pairing.
For example:
Risotto cooks on the stove for about half an hour.
But if it goes over or under by a minute, it doesn't matter.
If there's too much, you don't have to throw it away. Just heat it in the pan the next day and it's good to eat.
Since the rice and ingredients cook in the same pot, you don't have to calculate separate cooking times.
Risotto rice, unlike the various shapes of pasta, has relatively few varieties. As long as it's not rice for making rice salad or Asian dishes, it will work.
Additionally, risotto ingredients are extremely diverse: squid, seafood, pumpkin, asparagus, frog legs, peas, eel, lamb, shrimp, Treviso red chicory, saffron, pork, snails, pork ribs, water chestnuts, black truffles, mushrooms, and peas... all can be used in risotto!
Yet, this seemingly simple risotto was made to world-class standards by the mysterious young man in front of him!
"According to the Shokugeki rules, your three-star restaurant is now closed and out of business."
The young man stopped talking.
He just gave a brief warning before turning and walking away.
"Wait, can't we discuss this?"
"You have to understand how hard it is to grow a restaurant to three-star status. I spent over 40 years just to barely reach this point!"
"This restaurant has my life's work in it. I... I can't lose it."
"Please, have mercy, spare me!"
The head chef knelt down and begged, tears streaming down his face.
"A three-star restaurant chef being so humble and submissive, it's pathetic!"
Asahi Saiba paused, then looked back at him with disdain.
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