"How infuriating!"
Hanley couldn't help but speak up as he read through the comic's storyline.
The woman who had initially shown up with bodyguards turned out to be from a real estate development company. She wanted to acquire the land to build new buildings, and to do so, she tried to buy out the main characters' restaurant.
After they refused her offer, the next day, Sōma and his father discovered their small restaurant's kitchen in complete disarray. All the meat in the fridge was ruined, and even the restaurant's signboard had been vandalized with white paint.
This reminded Hanley of a similar incident involving his uncle's home. Because his uncle refused to sell, their house disappeared while they were away on vacation.
Although everyone knew who was responsible, there was nothing they could do about it.
"You said yesterday that if you couldn't serve food that satisfies your customers, you'd close the restaurant, right? Well, the pictures are ruined anyway, so why not just close up for good? I can compensate you handsomely..."
Watching the woman arrogantly speak to Sōma and his father made Hanley even more upset.
If he, just a reader, felt this angry, how much more must the main character have felt?
Suddenly, Sōma stood up and swiftly untied the bandage on his wrist.
The bandage that had been wrapped around his hand unraveled dramatically.
With a stern expression and bold, enlarged text, Sōma declared, "Swear that you will never come here to cause trouble again. If you dare make that vow, I will prepare food that even your tongue will approve of."
"Finally, it's happening!" Hanley felt a wave of nostalgia rush over him. This reminded him of when he used to watch Cooking Master Boy, where every time the protagonist entered a cooking duel, his bandage would also be dramatically torn off, revealing the symbol of a top-level chef—a blue dragon.
In that moment, Hanley felt a rush of excitement, as if he was reliving his youth. That same thrill of reading a cooking manga had returned.
But it also reinforced Hanley's growing belief that Sōma's father wasn't a simple man.
After all, in the comic, Sōma was just a young chef who had lost hundreds of times to his dad.
But if Sōma's dad, who was far more experienced in dealing with the restaurant's issues, didn't step in, it could only mean one thing—he believed Sōma was capable enough on his own!
Sure, Sōma kept losing to his dad. But who exactly was his dad? Likely a former big shot. Losing to him wasn't a big deal, right?
Compared to chefs in his own league, Sōma's skill level was clearly high.
With these thoughts in mind, Hanley kept reading.
The next scenes seemed to shift into a more intense mode.
Even though the main character was just cooking, the way he cut the ingredients and handled the food radiated confidence and power.
However, something made Hanley frown.
It was the meat!
The restaurant's meat had been destroyed by the thugs sent by that woman. So where did Sōma get the meat he was using?
Did the artist forget the earlier plot point, leading to a plot hole?
But soon enough, the comic provided an explanation.
The meat was indeed ruined, but Sōma ingeniously used freshly bought bacon and prepared a potato-based dish. By dehydrating the potatoes and adding various seasonings, he created a dish that closely resembled real meat!
This was a remarkable level of skill, further confirming Hanley's suspicions about Sōma's abilities.
Before long, the dish was ready.
The real estate woman picked up a knife and fork and took a bite of Sōma's creation.
As the food entered her mouth, and her teeth began to chew, the carefully roasted bacon and juicy, aromatic flavors filled her mouth...
The intense, action-packed comic panels suddenly took a strange turn.
The woman's expression became unusual, and the story began to take on a more mature, suggestive tone.
Her face blushed with a strange allure.
Her eyes rolled back, her legs squirmed, and her lips parted slightly to reveal her tongue.
"Aah~~ I'm going to break~~"
The scene here was even more suggestive than what Hanley remembered from similar comics in his past. As a seasoned reader, Hanley had seen his fair share of mature-themed manga, so drawing this scene seemed second nature to the artist.
It made the woman's reaction to the dish seem like she wasn't tasting food, but rather...
An aphrodisiac?
An aphrodisiac that could bring customers to ecstasy?
This wasn't Food Wars!, this was more like Aphrodisiac Wars!
And the main character...
Was basically a master of culinary aphrodisiacs!
Despite the embarrassing tone of the scene, Hanley didn't feel the slightest sense of discord. When customers surrendered to the main character's cooking, he only felt an intense sense of satisfaction!
Especially at the comic's climax, when Sōma confidently untied the bandage on his forehead and said, "Just a small gesture of hospitality," while the real estate agents, having finished eating, lay scattered on the floor as if they had just fought a great battle. It filled Hanley with an inexplicable sense of fulfillment.
But still…
Who would've thought a cooking manga could play out like this?
Normally, such exaggerated reactions to food would seem weird.
But maybe because Hanley had read so many similar scenes before, it felt oddly reasonable within the comic's culinary world.
And the cheesy dialogue only heightened his excitement.
Beyond that…
This comic perfectly captured the over-the-top culinary thrills of Cooking Master Boy.
Even though some cooking techniques in the manga were unrealistic, the comic provided professional and detailed explanations for each step!
Following the manga's instructions, Hanley actually felt like the dish could be recreated to produce the same taste shown in the comic.
Gulp.
Hanley swallowed.
He realized he was actually getting hungry.
Looking at the food on the page and seeing the real estate agents' and bodyguards' reactions sparked a strong craving—not for just any food, but for the main character's cooking!
"Honestly… every time I read the Porter's cooking manga, I get so hungry."
Hanley patted his belly, reluctantly heading to the kitchen to heat up some leftover food in the microwave while continuing to read.
Even though he had only read the first chapter, Hanley was sure—this comic still had that same familiar flavor.
He was once again hooked by the Porter's unique cooking manga.
"Yep, if you're going to read a food manga, it has to be one of the Porter's works!"
Only the Porter's manga could truly capture the look, aroma, and flavor of food in all its glory.
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