Advantage

A small restaurant on a commercial street, which should have had a warm and cozy atmosphere, now had its sign covered in graffiti made of eggs and flour.

The interior was a complete mess as well. Ingredients were scattered everywhere, and even the contents of the refrigerator had not been spared.

The entire little restaurant was in utter disarray.

After Xu Yue got out of the car with Minezaki Yaeko in his arms, her legs weak and her eyes sultry, this was the first sight that greeted him.

For Gate of Opening’s first mission, they had smashed the shop the Child of Destiny cared about most. What an auspicious start…

At that moment, the red-haired Yukihira Soma had already returned to the restaurant and was sorting through the ruined ingredients.

When he noticed the car parked outside and turned to see those familiar figures, he immediately understood what had happened.

"It was you people, wasn’t it?!"

Yukihira Soma was no fool. This was clearly not theft, but outright vandalism. Only those black-hearted real estate developers could do something like this.

"My, my~, little boy, don’t go making wild accusations. Be careful, or I’ll sue you for slander."

Still flushed with a rosy glow from the inside out and looking even more alluring because of it, Minezaki Yaeko immediately cut off anything Yukihira Soma might have said next.

"Oh dear, I suddenly feel so hungry. I think I want some meat. Let’s eat at this restaurant."

With a wicked smile, Minezaki Yaeko stared at Yukihira Soma and linked arms with Xu Yue as they walked inside.

Xu Yue, meanwhile, had been watching the fifteen-year-old red-haired boy with great interest.

Perhaps his cooking was not the strongest yet, nor did he possess some talent like a God Tongue that could detect every flavor, but his spirit of growing braver with every setback and never fearing failure was what gave him the greatest potential.

In this world of gourmet cuisine, let me see this cooking that makes clothes burst apart and shine…

Minezaki Yaeko and Yukihira Soma had made an agreement before. If Yukihira Soma failed to make a dish that satisfied a customer, he would have to sell this little restaurant.

This was the desperate situation she had deliberately arranged.

All the ingredients in the restaurant had been ruined. The only things left were the few ingredients Yukihira Soma had just brought back from outside.

There was not enough meat to serve as the main dish at all—only a small amount of bacon and some potatoes.

Even so, Yukihira Soma, who could still be called a boy, wore a confident smile as he reached out and untied the cloth around his hands.

"Please wait a moment!"

As he spoke, he began preparing the ingredients.

The freshly bought onions, still wet with water droplets, and tender mushrooms were instantly diced into dense little cubes beneath knife work that left afterimages.

He then thoroughly mashed those pieces into steamed potatoes, wrapped the mixture in faintly smoky bacon, tied it tightly with string, and stuffed it into the oven the next moment…

Every step Yukihira Soma performed carried an artistic beauty.

Minezaki Yaeko and the bodyguards beside her could not help but stare in surprise.

Xu Yue alone calmly sipped red wine taken from the car’s cooler, while his Sharingan, even redder than the wine in his glass, watched every move Yukihira Soma made.

The exertion of every muscle in Yukihira Soma’s body and every kneading technique he used gradually appeared in Xu Yue’s mind.

With Xu Yue’s current terrifying physical capabilities, he had not even needed to pay anything to copy the control skills of certain mechs back then.

The physical strain involved in cooking naturally cost even less.

What he needed more was to restrain his strength and make it lighter, so he would not chop the kitchen counter in half with one stroke.

But…

Mere movements could not necessarily fully display someone’s cooking ability. They only made it easier for him to achieve a similar level. His feel for the ingredients, control over the heat, and other factors would also greatly affect the taste of a dish.

After all, he had too little experience with cooking.

Whether it was Mikisuba Subaru, who could imitate others’ cooking in this work, or chefs in another gourmet anime who could copy others’ culinary skills, they all possessed sufficiently rich experience and foundations of their own.

Even so, this was still the best choice for him to transition from having no foundation at all in the early stages!

Every step Yukihira Soma took was absorbed into Xu Yue’s mind…

"Didn’t you dispose of all the meat? Where did this meat come from?"

As the dish came out of the oven, carrying a mouthwatering aroma with it, Minezaki Yaeko found herself unable to save face even in front of her boss.

She had intended to show the boss how capable she was, but these bodyguards were useless!

"W-We definitely disposed of everything, Assistant!"

"Yeah, he only brought back a little himself. The ingredients weren’t enough at all. There wasn’t that much meat."

The bodyguards hurriedly explained. They did not have Xu Yue’s sharp eyes, and under Yukihira Soma’s fluid movements, they could not see much at all.

"There’s no need to doubt it. This is Imitation Crispy Roast Meat made from bacon and potatoes."

Yukihira Soma’s face was full of pride.

"P-Potatoes? Are you playing with me? I wanted meat—delicious, juicy meat—not potatoes!"

Minezaki Yaeko spoke forcefully. Combined with her office-lady outfit, she radiated the Aura of an elegant, commanding older woman.

No one would have guessed that not long ago, she had… ahem~

Back to the point.

Facing the dish Yukihira Soma had served, Minezaki Yaeko swallowed at the aroma, but still managed to keep herself from embarrassing herself before her boss and strongly refuted the value of the dish.

It was as if true gourmet cuisine could only exist in high-end restaurants.

Before she could finish, however, Xu Yue took the initiative to interrupt her.

"Whatever. It looks pretty tasty. I’ll be the one to judge it this time."

The big boss had spoken, so Minezaki Yaeko naturally held back everything else and stood obediently beside Xu Yue.

Xu Yue used his fork to pierce the Imitation Crispy Roast Meat, so juicy that pressing it would make liquid burst out, and put a piece into his mouth.

At first, he felt nothing much, but as he gently chewed and the potatoes broke apart—

A rich burst of grilled bacon juices bloomed in his mouth and spread continuously outward.

Every chew brought a feast of pleasure to his taste buds.

Yukihira Soma watched Xu Yue chew with a confident expression, waiting for his face to change.

Yet what gradually made his smile stiffen was that as Xu Yue ate at an unhurried pace, not the slightest change appeared on his face.

It was as though he were merely eating an ordinary dish.

After finishing the entire piece of "Imitation Crispy Roast Meat," Xu Yue picked up a napkin, wiped his mouth, exhaled a breath of heat, and said blandly, "It tastes good."

Consumed Imitation Crispy Roast Meat. Obtained taste satisfaction, received a full meal effect, entered the Energetic state.

After Xu Yue finished eating, a simple notification caught his attention.

Energetic state?

It seemed that the shining food here could itself provide some simple enhancement effects!

Completely independent from other bonuses, this made Xu Yue feel that entering this space this time was actually not so bad…

"T-That’s it? Aren’t you going to say anything?"

Seeing that the other man’s face still showed no expression whatsoever, Yukihira Soma felt faintly hurt.

"Hm? You mean feedback? The quality of the ingredients seems to have been a little off. You covered it with your Cooking Technique, but those potatoes were a little old, weren’t they?"

Besides using his Sharingan to see Yukihira Soma’s cooking movements clearly, Xu Yue also possessed Force Sense!

He could fully sense the dim vitality of those potatoes, and when he concentrated, changes in flavor became even more perceptible to him.

I may not know how to cook, but I know how to eat.

Although he did not know exactly how to describe his feedback, he could tell where the problem lay…

He had put all his effort into showing the other man what he was capable of, yet after eating his dish, the man had reacted so blandly? He had even seriously offered advice?

Though it sounded like rather amateurish advice, it directly pointed out the greatest flaw in the dish—the very flaw he had already known about!

Just where had this gourmet come from…