At this moment, the Puffer Whale didn't shine with a golden light and still looked ordinary.
"What precise movements! The Puffer Whale didn't even realize it had been gutted!"
Komatsu exclaimed. He circled around Kei's dissected Puffer Whale for a long time, growing more and more astonished the more he looked.
"Amazing!" Komatsu said.
"Your knife skills are impressive. Every time you make a mistake, you learn from it and find the correct technique the next time."
"But you forgot one thing: The Puffer Fish and the Puffer Shark are different. Their poisons also differ slightly."
"Such minor differences can determine whether your cut succeeds or fails. Don't rely on experience; rely on your intuition as a chef."
In the Konosuba world, Kei was a swordmaster who had perfected his crafting skills. During that time, he had killed countless magical beasts.
Now, any creature before his eyes could instantly be broken down into parts and pieces. This was probably the legendary skill of Butcher Ding's method of dissection.
As Kei spoke, he casually picked up another Puffer Fish and skillfully extracted the poison, purely by intuition without any thought.
"That's about it."
Kei said.
"Going by feeling, huh."
Komatsu showed a thoughtful expression as he picked up the Puffer Whale and became completely absorbed in concentration.
"Alright, keep an eye on these two dissected Puffer Whales. No matter if Little Luru succeeds in making the dish later or not, you'll have something to eat."
"I'll head back now. When you have time, come by my shop, and we'll have a meal together."
After saying that, Kei glanced at them and began to say his farewells to Ataru and the others.
"Got it. I'll come with Coco next time."
Ataru waved his hand at Kei.
"Let's go."
Kei, carrying the twenty Puffer Fish he caught, walked out of the cave beach with Tina, then boarded the train heading back.
...
The next day.
In the shop.
Binchotan once again cleaned the shop thoroughly, making sure every corner was spotless and immaculate.
"When will the shopkeeper come back?"
Binchotan looked at the empty shop, feeling somewhat lonely as she sat dazedly at the entrance, waiting for Kei to return.
"Meow!"
From a distance, Mr. Sasaki, who had just hung up his shop sign, waved and greeted Binchotan sitting at the door. Binchotan also waved back in response.
Binchotan sat at the entrance, watching the gradually bustling street. She felt a little sleepy and drifted off while leaning against the doorframe.
"Why is Binchotan sleeping outside?"
"Binchotan-chan, don't sleep outside. You'll catch a cold."
"Don't wake her up. She probably hasn't been sleeping well these past few days."
In her dazed sleep, Binchotan heard familiar voices. She felt herself being picked up and held in a warm embrace.
Warm, wide, and filled with a sense of safety, Binchotan curled up and drifted into a beautiful dream in that cozy embrace.
In her dream, she saw her grandmother again.
"Binchotan, have you been eating properly lately?"
"Yes, the shopkeeper always makes delicious food for me."
"I see. The shopkeeper is a good person."
"Yes, he's such a good person!"
"With someone like that taking care of you, I can rest assured. Make sure to live well from now on."
The image of her grandmother in her dream began to fade away. Binchotan started panicking and couldn't help but cry.
"Grandma, grandma, please don't leave me. Don't go!"
"Good child, don't cry. Grandma will always be watching over you."
"Don't cry. Remember to live well and grow up happily."
Her grandmother's hand gently patted her head, filling her with warmth and reassurance. Binchotan gradually calmed down and smiled.
"I will, Grandma. I will live happily and well."
"Now, with the shopkeeper taking care of me, I've also made many new friends: the gluttonous Tina, the tall Mr. Toriko, Mr. Sasaki, and Mr. Monzo. They're all very good, very kind people. You don't have to worry about me."
As she watched her grandmother's figure gradually disappear, Binchotan tried her best to smile, but tears couldn't stop flowing.
When Binchotan woke up, she found herself lying under a warm blanket, with Kei sitting beside her, his hand resting on her head.
For a moment, her grandmother's image overlapped with Kei's.
"Did you have a nightmare, Binchotan?"
"No, it was a beautiful dream."
"That's good. Let's enjoy some delicious food then. The legendary Puffer Whale that contains the flavor of all fish. Super Meal Course."
"Mm, I'll help."
Binchotan crawled out from under the blanket, reaching out to hold Kei's finger.
One big hand, one small hand, they walked together towards the kitchen.
"Camera, camera! I have to capture this moment!"
Tina immediately began rummaging for the camera. Though she could never seem to find it before, she managed to grab it successfully this time.
She snapped a photo of their backs as they walked hand in hand.
As she took the picture, the two of them turned their heads and looked at each other. Kei had a smile on his face, eager to enjoy the food, while Binchotan's face glowed with happiness and joy.
"Perfect! A super awesome photo!"
Tina exclaimed excitedly.
Kei and Binchotan entered the kitchen to start cooking. While handling the Puffer Fish, Kei said, "Tina, you're still here? Trying to mooch off another meal?"
"Hehe, it's not mooching. Just a taste, just a taste."
Tina scratched her head and stuck out her tongue, trying to cover it up.
"You can mooch if you want, but come help clean the dishes."
"Oh, and go over to Ramen Akane across the street to invite the cats over. They brought gifts before, so we should return the favor. Invite them over for a meal."
Kei never hesitated to share precious ingredients with others. Eating alone would just make him sick of it, but eating with a group of people was pure joy. Good food needed good company, too.
"Got it. Oh, by the way, I just took a photo. I'll get it developed and show it to you later."
After saying that, Tina went outside to invite the cat employees from Ramen Akane. At first, they felt embarrassed about mooching, but they couldn't resist Tina's enthusiasm and were also very curious about the legendary Puffer Whale.
When the Puffer Whale was finally prepared and placed on the table, its golden, glistening meat made everyone's eyes light up.
Taking a single bite felt like eating the entire ocean, with countless beautiful flavors dancing on their taste buds.
"I'm digging in!"
Everyone started enjoying the delicious food!
[Welcome "Pirate King" to the Chat Group]
[Welcome "Second Lady of Aolai Nation" to the Chat Group]
[Welcome "Silver-Haired Samurai" to the Chat Group]
...
The next day.
When Kei opened the chat group, he saw a large number of messages. After scrolling through, he realized that new members had joined the group.
[Pirate King]: Gol D. Roger — Just by looking at the name, it's clear he's Roger from the One Piece world.
[Silver-Haired Samurai]: Sakata Gintoki — His speaking style was so distinct and full of personality. Plus, he kept talking about running his own shop.
[Second Lady of Aolai Nation]: Six-Eared Macaque — It took Kei a while to remember that this was a character from Fox Spirit Matchmaker.
After chatting a bit with the newcomers and getting to know them, Kei started his new day.
"Binchotan, I don't feel like cooking today. Let's go to Akane for some ramen."
Kei walked out of his bedroom and saw Binchotan cleaning outside.
"Mm."
Binchotan nodded. As long as she could eat with Kei, it didn't matter where they went or what they ate.
Kei held Binchotan's hand, and the two of them walked toward the nearby Akane Ramen Shop. As they reached the entrance, they ran into Sasaki.
"Sasaki, good morning."
"Good morning, Shopkeeper."
They exchanged greetings and went inside.
"Good morning, Shopkeeper."
"Meow, good morning."
When they entered the shop, it had just opened and didn't have any customers yet. Monzo was busy working behind the stoves and greeted Kei when he saw him.
Shortly after, Little Hana emerged from the back, made a welcoming gesture, and prepared to serve them.
Finally, the little black cat, Shabu, was preparing the bowls, chopsticks, and soup base.
"Mr. Shabu, Mr. Monzo, Little Hana, good morning, everyone."
Binchotan greeted everyone politely, and they all responded warmly.
They found a place to sit.
"What would you like to eat today? I recommend the Rich Soup Akane Ramen and the Soy Sauce Akane Ramen."
Little Hana handed the menu to Kei and asked.
"Alright, one of each. Oh, by the way, can you split the ramen into smaller bowls? Binchotan's appetite is small, and she can't finish a big bowl."
"Yes, we can do that."
"Then let's have two bowls each of the Rich Soup and Soy Sauce ramen, with some of the noodles divided into smaller bowls."
"And two orders of pan-fried dumplings. Hmm, and some meat to go with it."
After placing the order, Monzo and Shabu quickly got to work. Before long, the ramen was served.
Monzo also came over, standing nervously by the counter, eagerly waiting for Kei to give his opinion on the flavor.
"Slurp, slurp."
"Slurp, slurp."
Before long, all four bowls of ramen were devoured by Kei. After thinking for a moment, Kei finally spoke:
"Hmm, the taste is pretty good. But that's just my personal opinion. You still need to ask more customers for their feedback."
Hearing Kei's words, Monzo let out a sigh of relief.
"We'll officially introduce this adjusted flavor soon. If the customers' feedback is good, we'll officially add it to the recipe."
Monzo explained. He had worked hard to adjust the flavors, tirelessly cooking pot after pot of ramen, fine-tuning the recipe.
Every day, he would ask customers how the flavor was, what was lacking, and what could be improved.
After spending a lot of time, he had finally made a tiny adjustment!
"Keep up the good work."
Kei encouraged him before heading back to his shop with Binchotan.
After some time, the person who had pre-ordered the Puffer Whale sent someone to pick it up, and billions of credits were instantly transferred to Kei's account.
At noon.
"Huh? Acupressure Master Jiro?"
While browsing the current gourmet market, Kei suddenly spotted a hunched-over old man with a pompadour hairstyle and two missing front teeth.
"Hmm? I didn't expect young people these days to recognize me."
Jiro looked up with a kind smile and spoke.
"Of course, I recognize you. You're a famous strongman among Gourmet Hunters. What are you doing at the gourmet market?"
Kei asked curiously. After all, the gourmet market shouldn't have anything that could interest someone like him.
"Just wandering around."
Jiro replied. He was really just strolling around, enjoying the lively atmosphere, and also looking for a place to have a little drink.
"Would you like to come to my shop for a meal?"
Kei suddenly asked.
Jiro looked at Kei with a puzzled expression before smiling, "Inviting this old man to eat won't get you anything in return, you know."
"I'm simply inviting you to a meal, nothing more. After all, you're a strong and respectable guy."
Kei said.
Seeing Kei's sincere and straightforward gaze, Jiro nodded, "Alright then, I won't be polite about freeloading."
Kei smiled and led Jiro back to his shop.
"Shopkeeper, you're back."
Binchotan came out to greet Kei. As she came out and saw the unfamiliar old man, she showed a curious expression.
Then, she quickly walked up to support the old man, "Old man, let me help you."
In the past, when her grandmother's waist hurt, she would often hunch over, and it was always Binchotan who supported her while she walked.
"Good child, what's your name?"
Jiro asked with a gentle smile.
"My name is Binchotan."
Binchotan answered.
The three of them walked into the shop and sat down at a small table. Kei turned on the television in the corner and poured some tea.
"Luckily, there are still a few Puffer Whales left from yesterday. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have anything to treat you with."
Kei started preparing the leftover Puffer Whales while Binchotan went to prepare rice.
Jiro looked around the room, which wasn't luxurious but had a warm and peaceful atmosphere, filled with a sense of everyday comfort.
Before long, the Puffer Whale dishes were ready, the rice was cooked, and Kei even went out to buy a bottle of sake.
"Give it a try. I'm not a professional chef, so my skills are just average. I hope you don't mind."
Kei said as he picked up some meat and placed it on Binchotan's plate, "Eat more, Binchotan. The more you eat, the more you'll grow."
Binchotan wasn't picky about food, but for some reason, she always preferred eating vegetables and rarely ate meat. Kei was really concerned about this.
"Mm."
Binchotan nodded. Then she reached out and put some meat on Kei's plate, some on Jiro's plate, and picked some vegetables for herself before starting to eat.
(End of Chapter)
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