"This feeling of enjoying delicious food with family is the most wonderful, indeed."
"Although this kid's skills aren't as good as Froze, his desire to share good food with others..."
"Enjoying delicious food together with others... his understanding of the Way of Food is already quite high. This is the true path of gastronomy."
Jiro finally understood why Kei had dared to call out to a complete stranger like himself on the road. It was because Kei had no dark thoughts in his heart.
He simply encountered someone he respected and wanted to invite him to eat.
"Ah! It's Tina! And that's the shopkeeper!"
Binchotan suddenly exclaimed. She saw a photo of Tina and Kei on the television. As soon as she said it, the other two looked at the screen.
"Hello everyone, I'm Tina, the host of Gourmet Channel, bringing you the latest gourmet news."
"Recently, our reporter, along with the shopkeeper of the Gourmet Market, ventured to the Baron Islands."
Kei saw the news finally being broadcast and couldn't help but complain, "Isn't the efficiency of Tina's TV station way too slow?"
"It's been so many days, and they're only releasing the news now. And they still have the nerve to call it the latest news. Seriously."
"You know this host?"
Jiro asked.
"Yes, that woman often comes to my place to mooch meals. She never does any work. She just sits there with her chopsticks and waits to eat."
Kei said.
Jiro held his chopsticks with a somewhat stiff expression. He was thinking if Kei was making a subtle jab at him.
After all, wasn't he also here to freeload a meal?
The three of them continued eating while watching the news. At the same time, over at Akane Ramen Shop, the cats were also watching the broadcast.
"The island is very dangerous, filled with terrifying beasts. The first thing you notice upon arrival is the overwhelming roars."
"Whether it's day or night, danger lurks everywhere. Did you know that compared to the massive national beasts, the tiny electronic creatures are even more dangerous?"
"These are Bloodsucking Leeches. Once they latch onto you, they're hard to remove. But you can use leaves rich in seawater to get rid of them."
On TV, Tina was narrating her and Kei's adventure.
"Hey! That's Kei-san!~"
"He's on TV! That's amazing!"
"That's Tina-san, right? We saw her eating at Mr. Monzo's place before."
"The shopkeeper is amazing! I have to keep working hard!"
Little Hana and Shabu marveled at Kei's greatness, while Sasaki recognized Tina as the woman who ate with them before.
Monzo, however, saw this as motivation to work even harder to improve his ramen and attract more customers.
"By the way, after we close up today, let's celebrate with Kei-san and prepare a big cake!"
Little Hana said excitedly.
"That's a good idea. Let's tell Kei-san now."
"No! No! The whole point of a celebration is the surprise. If we tell him in advance, it won't be a surprise anymore."
Little Hana insisted.
"Hmm, but wouldn't that be troubling Kei-san?"
Sasaki asked.
"That's right, Little Hana. I know you mean well, but we shouldn't trouble the shopkeeper. Let's just have a simple celebration."
Monzo spoke firmly.
He had some authority in his voice, and after he spoke, Little Hana pouted and gave up on the surprise party idea.
"After searching for a long time with the shopkeeper, we finally found the Keira Crocodile. During that time, we even told ten jokes."
"The Keira Crocodile is huge. Yeah, because it's a giant crocodile! Isn't that funny?"
"Kei-san is on TV!"
Komatsu shouted when he saw Kei on the television.
"Really? Let me see!"
Ataru, who was eating, walked over and burst into laughter when he saw Kei's big face on the screen.
"This photo makes his head look so big."
"This kind of publicity should help the shopkeeper's business, right?"
Coco wondered.
"Although appearing on TV is a good thing, that last joke was really lame."
Ataru commented.
Coco and Komatsu couldn't help but nod. It was really a terrible joke.
"The flavor of the Keira Crocodile is truly delicious. The taste... Oops, sorry, I got too excited. Finally, if you're looking for rare ingredients, you can find them at the Gourmet Market, managed by the shopkeeper."
"Contact number: xxx. That's it for this gourmet news. Thank you all for watching."
Tina's news ended.
"The Keira Crocodile is huge because it's a giant crocodile. Isn't that funny?"
Kei found it amusing and commented.
Jiro and Binchotan showed puzzled expressions. What was funny about that? Was it their lack of humor?
The meal ended with laughter and cheerful conversation.
"I really enjoyed this meal. Here, if you have time, you should visit this place. The food there is pretty good."
As Jiro was leaving, he handed Kei a business card. It was the shop card of Jienai, a National Treasure of the Gourmet World.
With this recommendation, Kei could taste the dishes made by Jienai himself...
"I'll visit when I have time."
Kei put away the business card and walked the old man to the door.
"Oh, right, I have something else for you. These are some of my acupressure notes. Take a look when you have time."
Jiro took out a notebook from his pocket.
"There's an uncontrollable feral aura on you. Learning acupressure might help you control it."
"Hmm, is this the payment for the meal?"
"I'm just a moocher; I don't pay for meals."
"This is more like... I'm optimistic about you. I'll visit again when I have the time, and if you manage to find even better ingredients, that would be great."
Jiro chuckled, tossed the notebook to Kei, and wobbled away, expecting nothing. He simply found Kei pleasing to the eye. The feral aura around him felt familiar, and the meal they shared was truly enjoyable.
"I have to show this to Tina. So she knows what true freeloading looks like. That woman is just a pure moocher."
Kei watched as Jiro walked away and then took Binchotan back to the shop.
He opened Jiro's acupressure notes and looked them over. Hmm... he couldn't understand a thing.
It wasn't a matter of not learning it properly, he just couldn't even comprehend the terms. With no choice, he went to the bookstore to buy some beginner guides on acupressure.
After spending several days learning, he began to study Jiro's notes.
"Alright, let's start practicing. I need to find some creatures to test and refine my acupressure techniques."
Kei prepared to begin his training, determined to master his new skills.
Meanwhile, Tina...
"Achoo! Who's talking about me? It must be the shopkeeper, feeling grateful for me helping to promote his place!"
"Hehehe, I'll find another chance to score some free meals."
Tina hummed happily as she headed home.
(End of Chapter)
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