Chapter 15: The 'God's Tongue' Girl and the Pointy-Hatted Magician!
Nakiri Erina had arrived at the restaurant.
Caught in a downpour on the way, drenched, she finished bathing and came to the counter to watch Luke's cooking process.
Undoubted skill;
Unquestionable excellence.
But these didn't mean the dish was 100% delicious.
So Erina picked up the spoon, preparing to taste.
Before that, Erina couldn't help but ask,
"Luke-san must have studied many cooking books in the past, right?"
"Why do you ask?"
"You just mentioned the 'Maillard reaction'. I think ordinary chefs wouldn't pay excessive attention to this, and then perfectly control the temperature during cooking."
The so-called 'Maillard reaction' is actually a series of complex reactions that occur between reducing sugars (like carbohydrates) and amino acids or proteins in food at room temperature or when heated, ultimately producing brown or even black macromolecular substances called melanoidins.
It can impart unique color and flavor to food.
For example, caramelizing sugar, frying french fries, baking bread, etc., are all results of the Maillard reaction.
Similarly, heating rice congee is also like this.
But if the heat control is improper, it easily leads to situations where the rice is uncooked or the congee is too thick.
"I just like reading cookbooks, I haven't particularly researched it. It's more about practical operation."
"I see..."
Is this because of talent?
Nakiri Erina didn't think too much, focusing on the snow-white rice congee mixed with crab meat before her.
As she scooped up half a spoonful of rice congee with a silver spoon, an even richer aroma rushed towards her, making her unable to resist putting it in her mouth.
Bang!
The world seemed to change in an instant!
The ginger shreds now turned into burning maple leaves, paving an autumn shrine path on Erina's tongue.
Each strand of spiciness was a pillar of a vermilion torii gate, the burning sensation spreading along her tongue into three thousand stone steps, and syrup seeped from the gaps in these stone steps—that was the gentle taste neutralized by the mellowness of the rice congee.
Taking another bite, the delicious crab leg meat cracked between Erina's teeth into twelve streams of moonlight, continuously falling from the sky.
The translucent fibers mixed within turned into silver threads, carrying the coolness of the night wind through the torrent of scorching taste.
And when the thickest texture was bitten through, the inherent oceanic umami of the crab meat, wrapped in rice fat, achieved sublimation, playing an unforgettable symphony together with the rice grains.
"Delicious..."
Erina ate a bit hastily.
To cover up such embarrassment, she had to cover the corner of her mouth with her left hand, cherry-blossom-colored breaths escaping between her fingers.
"The temperature control of this pot of congee is perfect. The ginger seasoning greatly enhances its taste, and the crab meat fibers weren't destroyed either..."
A flush appeared on her cheeks, her breathing somewhat rapid. Erina only felt a warm current surging within her body.
"Luke-san's skills are amazing..."
The 'God's Tongue', usually tsundere towards outsiders, didn't hide her praise at this moment.
Simple yet complex;
Delicious and extraordinary.
This was Erina's evaluation of this bowl of rice congee.
"As long as you like it. There's still plenty in the pot, you can savor it slowly."
"Looks like the pastry Kobayashi-senpai shared with me before was made by Luke-san."
"Those pastries used quite a few ingredients."
"Yes, that's it. There were some ingredients I couldn't identify at all."
Erina stopped her movements, her face full of curiosity.
Erina, possessing the same 'God's Tongue' as her mother, couldn't believe she would be 'unclear' about the ingredients of a certain dish.
"Next time I have free time, I can take you to see the place where those ingredients grow."
The 'growing place' Luke mentioned was actually located near the mountainside of Youkai Mountain.
As the two chatted about this topic, a new customer suddenly arrived.
The main door was opened somewhat roughly, and Luke immediately saw the visitor clearly.
This time's guest had a pointy head...
Golden-sand-colored short hair peeked out from under the brim of her black pointed hat.
Her iconic black dress had a crookedly tied white apron at the waist, the bow that should have been at the back had slipped to her left hip, swinging like a pendulum with her steps.
It looked like the girl had gone through quite a struggle before coming here.
Luke, guessing this in his heart, looked at the visitor.
"Marisa, where did you cause trouble again today?"
"I wasn't causing trouble! I was solving problems in place of the lazy Reimu, DA☆ZE!"
The human magician living in the Forest of Magic, the girl who carried out youkai extermination activities competitively like Reimu, was named Kirisame Marisa.
She ran a 'Kirisame Magic Shop', a jack-of-all-trades shop, and had previously been asked by Luke to resolve the 'fairy commotion' incident in the backyard forest.
The result turned out to be just some idiot ice fairy playing hide-and-seek with friends...
"So what happened in the end? You look a bit battered."
"Hmph, hmph, I just went to the Scarlet Devil Mansion for a trip, and fought with the lazy gatekeeper there."
"Quite a sudden action..."
"Not really, we agreed before to have a spar sometime."
"Did you win?"
"A draw."
Marisa finished speaking and sat down to Erina's right.
She fiddled with her pointy hat, glanced at the rice congee in Erina's bowl.
"Give me a bowl too! Can I?"
"There's nothing you can't have."
"Coming to Luke's place for breakfast was indeed the right choice! I certainly didn't want to stay at the Scarlet Devil Mansion and eat with those fellows."
Marisa, who had been wandering around since early morning, talked non-stop, showing no intention of stopping.
"Missy, you look like a new face, first time at the restaurant?"
"That's right..."
"My name is Kirisame Marisa, magician of the Forest of Magic, I accept any commission! Especially if it's youkai extermination!"
"Ha..."
When Erina heard the word 'magician', although very surprised, she didn't show it.
Since she had already arrived at a restaurant in another world, other 'abnormalities' weren't that special anymore.
Moreover, compared to the so-called 'magician', the current Erina just wanted to leisurely enjoy the delicious rice congee before her!
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