[A-N: I told ya. Reading 10 chapters a day is a kingly way! So Vote now!]
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A new busy day unfolded in the bustling kitchen.
"Two orders of salmon sashimi for table ten!"
"One tuna sushi for table nine!"
"Three sea bream sashimi for table twenty!"
Business was booming once again, and the kitchen staff moved swiftly to keep up with the orders.
Sui held his kitchen knife with ease, and with a precise motion, he sliced open the belly of a sea bream. He skillfully scraped out the innards, clearing them to the side with practiced precision. Flattening the sea bream onto the chopping board, his knife flashed like lightning. In just moments, the fish had been turned into delicate, thin slices of sashimi, neatly arranged on the plate.
Sui repeated the process for two more sea breams, each as effortlessly quick as the first.
"Sea bream sashimi is ready!" Sui called out.
"That was fast!" someone exclaimed.
"Yes," another voice chimed in, "he prepared three plates of sashimi in under five minutes."
The kitchen staff looked at Sui in awe. The fusion of dragon cells in Sui's body had reached such an advanced stage that both his strength and speed had far surpassed those of ordinary people. What seemed impossible to others was as effortless as breathing for him.
In no time, Sui had completed all the orders.
"Let me help with this pot of soup," Sui offered, walking up to Hinako.
"Huh? You've finished already? That was quick," Hinako praised him, patting Sui's shoulder with a smile. "Alright, I'll leave it to you."
The rest of the kitchen staff were left astonished, watching as Sui not only finished preparing all the sashimi but still had time to assist others.
"Are all Totsuki trainees this incredible?" Hoshino Miyuki remarked in disbelief.
As the peak dining rush began to wind down and the number of customers gradually decreased, the kitchen staff finally had a moment to catch their breath.
"If Sui hadn't been here today, I might have made another mistake," Kenro Ono said with a grin.
"Yeah," the others nodded in agreement. On a normal day, they would've been overwhelmed, but with Sui's help, they handled the rush with ease.
"It'd be great if you became the head chef here," Hoshino Miyuki joked, half-serious. He knew, though, that it was impossible. Sui would return to Totsuki once the internship ended.
The others shared the sentiment, feeling a tinge of regret.
"Megumi, you should take a break too," Sui said as he noticed Megumi still washing dishes. He handed her a glass of water.
"Thank you," Megumi replied, lowering her head as her cheeks turned red the moment she met Sui's eyes. She sipped the water, and to her, it tasted sweeter than usual.
Just then, a waiter entered the kitchen. "A customer said they were dissatisfied with the tofu tempura and requested to cancel the order."
"Another complaint?" Hoshino Miyuki sighed.
"It seems the dish isn't fully developed yet," Hinako pondered aloud. "Let's take it off the menu for now and work on improving it before relaunching."
Miyuki reluctantly nodded, clearly disappointed. He was responsible for the tempura dishes, and the tofu tempura was her latest creation. However, the repeated cancellations had left him feeling discouraged.
"Tofu tempura?" Megumi asked in surprise. It was the first time she had heard of such a dish.
"Oh, it's made by mashing tofu and shrimp into a paste, wrapping it in nori, coating it in egg, and deep-frying it," Miyuki explained.
"What an interesting idea!" Megumi remarked, admiring Miyuki's creativity as the chef of Kirinoya.
"Unfortunately, it's not quite perfected, and the customer feedback hasn't been great," Miyuki said with a bitter smile.
"May I try it?" Sui asked, stepping forward.
Miyuki was taken aback but didn't refuse. "Of course."
Kobayashi Kiyomizu, standing nearby, chimed in with a kind but skeptical tone, "You're wasting your time if you're trying to find flaws. The dish has already been approved by all the staff before it was put on the menu."
Ignoring the comment, Sui took a bite of the tofu tempura. The crisp nori complemented the dough's texture, and the salty flavor of the seaweed emerged with each bite. The tofu and shrimp paste inside was soft, blending the freshness of the shrimp with the mild bean flavor of the tofu.
"It's good, but it lacks depth," Sui said thoughtfully after a moment.
"Depth?" Miyuki asked, confused.
Sui nodded. "The shrimp and tofu are too soft. If you add some crisp elements like carrots, white mushrooms, and dried bamboo shoots, it will create a more layered texture."
Everyone was stunned, unsure whether to believe him.
A flash of inspiration crossed Miyuki's mind, and he quickly said, "I'll try that right now!"
With some tofu and shrimp paste still left, Miyuki hurriedly chopped up carrots, white mushrooms, and dried bamboo shoots, incorporating them into the mixture.
Minutes later, the improved tofu tempura was ready, and Miyuki eagerly tasted it. He blew gently on the steaming tempura before taking a bite.
The taste was immediately richer. The crispness of the added vegetables contrasted with the softness of the shrimp and tofu, creating a more dynamic flavor profile.
Hinako and the others watched Miyuki's reaction in amazement.
"Has it really improved?" Kobayashi Kiyomizu asked, eager for confirmation.
"Yes!" Miyuki nodded excitedly, his eyes filled with admiration as he looked at Sui. Just one bite, and he completely transformed the dish!
"No way…" the rest of the staff muttered in disbelief, hastily tasting the new dish themselves.
They, too, were astonished. The dish, now vibrant and flavorful, was a marked improvement over the original.
"This is incredible," Kenro Ono said, still in shock. "It's like a whole different dish."
"Well, of course. Sui has the 'God's Tongue,'" Megumi remarked from the side.
"'God's Tongue'!?" The kitchen fell silent, the staff staring at Sui in astonishment.