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In a secluded villa, Azami Nakiri indulged in a rare moment of leisure, glancing at the television. "A dish that satisfies the God's Tongue, eh?" Azami poured himself a bottle of fine red wine into a stem glass, contemplating in silence.
The God's Tongue evaluation show had been a long-running culinary program, a partnership that began when Erina was in middle school. Azami had never shown much interest in such programs. Many independent chefs and aspiring amateur cooks saw the show as a stepping stone, so the quality of the entries varied greatly. It had been quite some time since the last 4-A rating, where both the judging panel and the God's Tongue gave unanimous praise. And even that time, the chef hadn't actively sought out the show; the production team had invited Erina to evaluate their dish. Now, another 4-A rating had appeared.
Unfortunately, the dish wasâramen. Azami Nakiri frowned slightly. He disliked commoner's cuisine. In his eyes, such dishes were low-end, primitive. Because once the preparation process was mastered, these types of dishes were highly replicable, could be mass-produced, and anyone could make them. Eating too much of such food easily led to boredom. It wasn't high-end enough.
However, satisfying the God's Tongue was a high honor in the culinary world. After all, the God's Tongue was the most authoritative judge in the culinary realm; no one held a higher position in evaluation. Receiving the God's Tongue's praise as a newcomer would make one's start extremely smooth. If all went as expected, Totsuki Academy would soon extend an invitation.
Azami Nakiri rested his hand on the base of the stem glass, contemplating, gently sipping the tart wine. Due to differing ideologies, Azami and Senzaemon Nakiri had a fierce argument, after which Azami remained active outside of Japan's culinary scene, venturing into business. Now, returning, Azami still harbored his own ambitions. He intended to establish his own academy, to implement his own philosophy, and to prove that his obsession with gourmet food was not mistaken.
Although he didn't like ramen, Azami Nakiri didn't want this young chef to fall into Totsuki Academy's hands. Satisfying the God's Tongue indicated culinary talent. It wasn't that he couldn't change the chef's way of thinking. Most importantly, as a school principal, image was crucial. To attract more people to his school, a relatable image was essential. He needed to find prime examples, and this chef, from a commoner's culinary background, fit the bill perfectly. Azami Nakiri inviting such a chef to join his academy would undoubtedly make it easier to attract other chefs specializing in commoner's cuisine.
He might dislike it, but Azami Nakiri was very clear about what benefited him. After being expelled from the Nakiri family, he spent a long time in North America, even venturing into business. Therefore, his mind was very clear when weighing interests. Even if he didn't invite this commoner chef, he had to thwart any desire the chef might have to go to Totsuki Academy. At the very least, Totsuki Academy couldn't be strengthened because of him.
Tomorrow... he would find some time. To visit the chef's restaurant? Azami Nakiri placed the stem glass on the glass table. He already had a preliminary idea.
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Inside the restaurant, after the God's Tongue evaluation concluded and the camera crew and judging panel left, the crowds of spectators rushed in, eager to taste Renz's special ramen. The influence of the God's Tongue was immediately apparent. Renz, single-handedly acting as cashier, waiter, and chef, was starting to feel the strain, even with his youthful body. The main reason was his lack of motivation.
For anyone else, this would be a classic period of career growth, and they would be frantically making money. But the problem was, Renz had seen too much money. This was indeed a period of career growth, but only for ordinary students; for him, it was just a small windfall. In Renz's eyes, the money earned here was merely a small sum, not worth mentioning. He was not only calm but also lacked drive. After all, Renz had earned far more money. At the peak of his career, even if Renz did nothing but converse with people, his assets would continuously generate funds, and his industries would constantly expand and surge, consistently in the black.
Finally, the restaurant closed. Renz pulled down the door curtain and checked the time. It was time to go home and cook for Mashiro Shiina, Erina's cousin.
During the interview earlier, Renz's initial thought was simply to praise his tsundere wife Erina, secretly compliment her and show his loyalty. A few words could make Erina happy, so why not? But who would have thought that the beautiful interviewer's questions would stray further and further off topic? Towards the end of the conversation, Renz spoke from the heart, inadvertently expressing his feelings about living together for decades. And he had learned to cook, from beginning to end, solely for the sake of Erina's God's Tongue; it truly wasn't his own interest or hobby.
Although his body had become younger, the tacit understanding from his early years of 'showing affection' with Erina remained. After unintentionally pouring out these genuine and pure emotions during the interview, the situation became a bit overwhelming.
Unfortunately, Erina was attending the event with the production team, not in a private capacity. Renz couldn't say much. After the evaluation ended, Erina left the venue with the main group of the camera crew. It was a good thing he had praised her so diligently.
He picked up his phone. On LINE, there was a message from an hour and a half ago:
"You worked hard."
"I'm very happy today!" â Erina.
"Oh, I see," Renz replied blandly on LINE. There was no pause of a few seconds. He wondered if Erina was waiting by her phone for his reply.
"Are you angry?" came Erina's instant reply. "I couldn't help it. I couldn't stay, or our relationship would be discovered. My grandfather would absolutely not agree to our relationship right now."
How did Erina know he was angry? Was it due to the nature of online communication, making it hard to discern tone? Renz was bewildered.
"How about this, next week, I'll see if I can stay over at your place for a night," Erina mused, typing on LINE. "As a reward, I'll cook you a special Erina-style dish."
Now that got his attention.
"Won't Hisako worry?" Renz asked after a thought.
"I'll tell her I'm visiting my cousin, and then send her a message later tonight saying I won't be returning to the dorm," Erina replied after a moment of consideration.
"Okay, I understand. By the way, Mashiro's situation is a bit special. I hope you can help me share the pressure then," Renz said, suddenly feeling a headache when he thought of Mashiro Shiina.
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