Reborn in Japan as a Chef God

37: Chapter 37: Sen Tian Makoto (Part 1) 37: Chapter 37: Sen Tian Makoto (Part 1) Editor: Dragon Boat Translation An afternoon, neither too long nor too short.

In the information age with mobile phones, time always slipped away quietly while browsing forums and checking Twitter.

At precisely six in the evening, as the tangerine sunset spilled into the shop through the doorway, there was movement in the back kitchen.

Under Xia Yu’s instructions, Mu Xiaoyue hung the sign for today’s six dishes on the menu board on the wall.

An Ya stood at the counter, taking a notepad and pen, ready to take customers’ orders.

“Sure enough, not a single dish is below 2000 yen!”

“Vegetarian dishes average 2500 yen, non-vegetarian ones average 3500 yen!”

An Yilun also stood with Sazama Eri in front of the menu board.

Sazama Eri wore a relaxed expression, which was not feigned; as the daughter of a United Kingdom diplomat, she had tasted countless exquisite dishes and was even a regular at many high-end restaurants under the Far Moon umbrella.

She had also tasted dishes personally cooked by Tiqie Helinai, and they still lingered memorably in her mind.

She glanced at An Yilun, knowing he worked hard at part-time jobs and was tight on money, so she naturally said, “Since I’m inviting you, I’ll pay.”

An Yilun gritted his teeth, insisting on going Dutch, “We’ll each order two dishes!”

“Whatever.”

Eriina pouted.

Her inherent tsundere personality prevented her from persuading further, so she turned to An Ya behind the counter and said, “I want this one, and this one!”

Although An Ya didn’t understand Japanese, she could discern gestures.

In fact, Ren Xue and Shuigu Jun had already ordered before them, so Eriina simply used gestures since she knew about the language barrier.

“I want these two!” An Yilun followed up.

An Ya carefully recorded.

The slowest to order were three little girls, chattering in front of the menu board, indecisive for quite a while.

The two strings of orders had been delivered to the kitchen by Mu Xiaoyue, after which Mu Xiaoyue lingered at the kitchen door, eagerly watching Xia Yu get busy.

First came the chopping.

For home-cooked dishes, Xia Yu didn’t pull out the [Jade Fragment Knife], simply using a regular kitchen knife.

The ingredients transformed in his hands, diced, shredded, or sliced as if calculated to an exact science, with no deviation in size and shape.

Thump!

Thump!

Two large woks were placed on the fiercely burning stove, with cooking oil poured in, sizzling, echoing throughout the kitchen.

Coincidentally, a table of customers ordered his specialty, Squirrel Sea Bass, a Su Cuisine dish.

The boneless fish fillets, already deboned and marinated at the onset, were perfectly timed for the hot oil.

The whole fish quickly turned golden in the boiling oil.

While frying the fish, Xia Yu was simultaneously cooking with another large wok.

A full basket of large shrimps, prepped and ready, were dumped into the wok.

Sizzling, after just a quick five-second fry, he scooped the shrimps out with a slotted spoon, draining the oil for later use.

The Squirrel Sea Bass was still frying, far from finished, so Xia Yu, unhurriedly, poured the peanut oil used for the shrimp into a prepared wok, returned the quick-fried shrimps, added various spices, and began the actual stir-fry.

Mu Xiaoyue was entranced.

The precision of his cutting skills, the effortless stir-frying, marked by fluid grace, captivated her.

Especially witnessed during the vigorous stir-fry of the shrimps, that hefty black wok looked imposing, yet the young chef wielded it with ease, showing no signs of exertion.

She was unaware that Xia Yu had made significant physical advancements today.

Alternating movements came naturally to him.

The first completed was the Su Cuisine fried shrimp.

The second dish was the same cuisine’s Squirrel Sea Bass.

The third was Shandong cuisine, Imperial Seafood Tofu.

When Xia Yu instructed her to open the steaming pot on the third stove, uncovering a plate of cooked food, Mu Xiaoyue was astonished to realize the young chef was running a three-line operation!

These three dishes belonged to Ren Xue and Shuigu Jun’s table.

Having ordered first, they naturally were served the freshest dishes.

“Serve the dishes—”

Xia Yu continued cooking while Mu Xiaoyue served dishes.

Three plates of food were placed on the table, drawing the attention of other guests for Ren Xue and Shuigu Jun.

The aroma was simply overwhelming.

Fresh shrimp, fried fish, squid steamed tofu.

Three distinctly different aromas wafted through the shop.

The three undecided girls began drooling on the spot.

Ren Xue and Shuigu Jun couldn’t wait for Mu Xiaoyue to serve rice, eagerly picking up their chopsticks, and after tasting a bite, increased the frequency of their bites with a whirlwind-like speed, leaving bystanders speechless.

“Looks like we came to the right place!” Sazama Eri was delighted.

If the little shop’s food was delicious enough, she’d have another excuse to mock the noble Tiqie Helinai.

As for An Yilun, the aroma of the food was already causing his stomach to churn, looking down as he continuously adjusted his glasses.

The reality showed that Xia Yu’s painstaking training in the Chef God Space paid off handsomely.

For these three tables of guests, he managed to prepare all the ordered dishes within an hour.

Maintaining high efficiency while ensuring quality, each dish was scored by the Chef God System to ensure approval before instructing Mu Xiaoyue to serve them.

“Click”

Before picking up her chopsticks, Sazama Eri took lots of pictures of the beautifully colored dishes from different angles with her phone.

She ignored her “childhood friend.”

An Yilun clenched his chopsticks tightly, his Adam’s apple bobbing, his expression under the large black glasses frame somewhat gloomy.

Soon, the dishes ordered by the three little girls were also served.

The shop fell silent, with only the distinct sound of chopsticks touching plates.

In the kitchen, as he washed various utensils and discarded unused scraps, Xia Yu hadn’t had time to catch his breath when the second wave of guests for the day arrived.

The once quiet little shop seemed bustling shortly after its six o’clock opening, with over half the seats filled.

Diners came and went from six o’clock until midnight.

Regardless of how many batches of guests cycled through, no one was fortunate enough to see Xia Yu, who remained busy in the kitchen.

Late night.

Xia Yu emerged from the back kitchen, heading to the counter for some fresh air.

“Huh?”

He noticed the guests hadn’t all left.

Ren Xue and Shuigu Jun had departed but apart from An Ya and Mu Xiaoyue, there was a solitary black-haired girl standing at the entrance, back turned to him.

“The shop is closing now.”

Xia Yu smiled, glancing at the antique clock hanging in the shop, with fifteen minutes to midnight remaining, “Ueno Station is nearby.

If you leave now, you might catch the last train.”

Hearing his words, the girl turned around.

“Sen Tian Makoto?” Xia Yu took a closer look at the girl’s face, slightly tempering his smile, “What brings you here?”

“I tasted delicious Chinese cuisine tonight, so I stayed on purpose, wanting to see what the head chef looks like…”