- Silas -
I was kinda ashamed to even be judging them. They were far more talented than I would have been without the help of my Restaurant System. These people have reached this level of skill, at such a young age without any supernatural help… that alone was commendable. But right now, I was at a higher skill level than them. This was without a doubt. That's why my advice would help them to improve. Only thinking of this I could bring myself to score them.
This was some of the best food I had ever eaten. Well as far as dishes made from normal ingredients could go.
We gave our verdict which was quite predictable.
The Elite Seats from number one to three won easily.
It was the lower side which changed things and caused some commotion.
"What nonsense is this? Are you telling me that my dish was inferior to these newbies?" A guy with blonde hair and glasses complained. "To begin with, who even are you three? Since you have entered this place, I have searched for you three but haven't found anything. Do you people even know about cooking?"
"Etsuya Eizan! You will hold your tongue." Nakiri-san got up angrily.
"Now now, Nakiri-chan, don't get so excited. It is only natural for people to complain when they don't understand their mistakes and think of something as unfair. Shouting loudly and reprimanding them won't solve the underlying problem. You are an educator. So, clear their doubts and make them understand the decision. And since I made such a decision, let me explain it to this child." Grandma Setsuno chided.
The man looked a bit embarrassed but then calmed down and apologised, while the rest of the crowd was gawking at her in stunned silence.
She turned towards the guy and continued. "Your dish was a salmon fish curry, am I right?"
"Yes." the boy answered gruffly.
"Coincidentally, the dish prepared by this other kid, Ryō Kurokiba, was also the same. So why was it that I graded him above you? The answer is simple. Your dish had eight hundred and sixty seven flaws compared to his."
"What!"
Several exclaims went up at her statement.
It seems Grandma Setsuno was angry and was about to teach the kid a lesson.
"That's nonsense!" The boy retorted.
I mean I know. Even I would have the same reaction if I didn't know the truth about who she was.
"Then let me list them out for you and show you how to make one correctly. Help me down, Sil-chan." I did and she walked towards the cooking platforms.
Nakiri-san quickly had the ingredients prepared for her.
And then she started schooling the school.
"The first step towards filleting a salmon is speed. The longer you take, the more flavours are lost." She picked up a knife and a salmon and then just waved her hand. Or at least that's what it must have looked like to most of the people but I saw it.
Three hundred and forty four slashes in just a second. The fish fell to the table, with all the scales removed and each bone separated.
Even the pieces she had cut were precise to a fucking nanometer. And even then I had a feeling that she was doing this casually.
The entire hall descended into a period of silence and then a few moments erupted at the display of speed.
However things became silent when she spoke again. "You took eight minutes and nineteen seconds to prepare the fish and several slashes which were completely unnecessary. Not to mention, you let the fish lay outside for too long. Twenty three unnecessary and wrong steps. If you do not believe me, you can confirm it from the cameras. I am sure everyone was recorded."
I could practically hear the verbal slap on the guy's face.
"Next step would be to capitalise on the speed and quickly preserve the flavour."
Over the next eight minutes, she schooled the guy, recounting each and every one of his flaws.
By the time her dish was completed, the guy was on his knees, with a vacant look on his face.
And then she walked to him, her dish covered with a tray and revealed it to him.
The fish was shining.
It was fucking shining as if made from gold.
The aroma which burst out from the small dish covered the whole auditorium and even I found myself tempted.
"Here, taste this." She offered the guy who hesitated for a bit and took a bite.
The next moment, he dropped to his knees and cried. He actually started crying.
"All of you, have a try as well." She offered the judges and the participants the dish and I tried it and my mind was drowned in the flavours for a while.
I knew I was good but even I couldn't reach this level right now… Maybe when the Restaurant System reached a higher level someday in the future?
Everyone had similar reactions without fail.
When we left the stadium, there was absolute silence. Even when the door had closed after us, there was still silence behind us.
We finished off the whole thing soon and moved into a private room, led by Nakiri-san. This time however, even the staff were following us, their postures humble as they followed us.
I took this chance to bring out my gift. "Thank you for entertaining us today, Nakiri-san. This is a small gift from me. I hope you like it."
I presented him with a big flask.
"What's this?"
"A little something I made for today."
He opened the cap of the flask and the aroma filled the room.
Even Grandma Setsuno looked at it in surprise. "Did you figure out the recipe, Sil-chan?"
"I was lucky to come across it."
Nakiri-san took the opportunity to pour the content into several bowls. A small aurora appeared on the bowls when the soup settled.
The people in the room except the three of us gained dopey grins as they drank the soup before realising that they had finished it.
"Century Soup. I have been trying to figure out the recipe for so long. This tastes exactly like the one we had tasted years ago. Good job."
The rest of the bowls were given to the participants and I offered them a position in my shop. Although I asked for an interview with them first.
Working in my Restaurant was not something anyone could survive. I needed to know their personality too and see if they could adjust to the Restaurant.
All of them were still students and were thus only permitted to work part time at different timings and that too because Nakiri-san made an exception for them.
If any of them wanted to, they could join the shop later on when they finish their studies or even follow Grandma Setsuno to her world and learn more about cooking.
Jōichirō-san meanwhile was very interested in my Restaurant and offered to help out for a while.
I accepted.
- Rimuru -
"Is everything ready?" He asked Ainz and his friend nodded in agreement.
"Yes. Everything has been prepared."
"We need to get him this time for sure. We won't get this chance ever again. Silas is not the kind to fall for the same trap twice. Not to mention he would make our lives absolute hell if we fail."
"Don't worry. I have thrown in top quality premium items from Yggdrasil to make sure he won't have a chance to escape. We are not going to fail."
"Just in case, don't forget to get Aqua's blessing. That annoying Goddess has at least something she is good at. We will need every bit of luck."
"Umm… you guys… don't you think it's a bit too much? Silas isn't that bad." Suddenly Saitama spoke from the side.
He looked at their bald friend with a pitying gaze.
Saitama… was probably the simplest of them all.
Oh, you poor naive fool.
How can they miss such a chance after waiting for so long?
"Saitama…" Ainz started to speak but he put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. Ainz stopped and Rimuru looked at Saitama.
"Say Saitama, did you know Silas was planning to give you a surprise gift next month on your birthday?"
"Silas was? Ah, I knew it. Silas is a very good friend. You all are being too much here."
Even Ainz looked at him confused at where he was going with this.
"Oh… is that so. Do you know what that gift is?"
"What?"
"A comb."
…
…
…
…
"Do you two need any help in the plan?"
Rimuru smiled widely.
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Beta Note: The advance chapters are in order of what is updated, a first Tier will not get 2 advanced chapters for every story, only the next two to be released.
Beta Reader: @LuluViBritania (FF.N, SB, WN and QQ)/-LuluViB|99th Britannian Emperor(Discord)
Author's Note:
I am back with another chapter of 'Isekai Restaurant'.
We have new guests.
Kazuma and his gang are here.
The guy deserved some break from the antics of his team and he has found exactly the place for that.
Aqua is as annoying as ever but the Restaurant goers have even found a use for her as a Luck Blessing Counter.
We had a visit to the Totsuki Academy. Grandma Stesuno schooled an unruly kid and gave the whole Academy a lesson in humility. Jōichirō would be joining the kitchen soon. There would be some students for the Stagiaire in the Restaurant later.
Finally, the next chapter will be the Comiket.
P.S. What exactly are Rimuru, Ainz and Saitama planning?
Enjoy the new chapter.
Good Day, Peace Out.