Dragon Ball: Saiyan's Gourmet Journey

Chapter 702 Sword Maiden Also Wants to Be Best Friends
Judging whether a dish is delicious can actually be divided into three aspects: color, aroma, and taste.

Seele's bento box was visually appealing and fragrant, but the taste was... well, let's just say it wasn't great.

This is somewhat related to Freya's culinary philosophy.

This beautiful goddess believed that seasonings are like human emotions; they should not be fixed but should change according to the cook's mood.

For a passionate and upbeat mood, add more chili peppers to express the chef's emotions; for a more subdued or melancholic mood, add more salt made from seawater.

Sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and salty – in this extremely capricious process of adding seasonings, a special skill has been created that can turn good ingredients into culinary disasters.

Generally speaking, the more carefully Freya prepares her dishes, the worse they tend to taste. However, if she is careless and somewhat perfunctory, the dishes she makes may actually taste quite good.

Without a doubt, Broly's lunchbox was carefully prepared by her, so everyone who tasted the food together made the same expression as if they had bitten their tongues after taking their first bite.

"This is sweet?"

The cloyingly sweet taste of the tamagoyaki made the fairy girl, who didn't dislike sweets, look like she was questioning her existence.

"It's so salty."

The pastries that looked like sweets were so salty that the swordswoman frowned and felt her tongue tighten.

Even Ryu was drooling from the sour taste of the baked flatbread in her mouth, and her whole body was trembling from the sourness.

The three of them instinctively spat out the food in their mouths.

Broly, on the other hand, chewed on the bright red steak and swallowed it whole.

"Mr. Broly, is there anything wrong with your bento?"

Lefia looked at the spicy-smelling meat cutlet in his lunchbox and couldn't help but ask.

"It's a bit spicy, but I can handle it."

The insanely spicy flavor made Broly miss the dishes Randolph used to cook in the Magic Continent.

"Is it just a little spicy?"

Liu looked at the bright red steak and asked if she could try a piece. After receiving a definite answer, she forked a piece and put it in her mouth.

"puff……"

The moment the meat patty entered her mouth, the elf spat it out.

"Ah, water, water..."

She gasped for breath until Broly summoned a bowl of water for her to drink, and only then did she recover.

But Miss Elf's small lips had become a little red and swollen; spiciness is actually a kind of pain.

No wonder Seele said this morning that it's okay not to force yourself to eat if you can't; this food really is awful!

Liu had a bitter expression on her face.

"Oh, is it really that bad?"

Lily Luca and Bell were a little confused, simply because their bento boxes were normal.

The two couldn't quite understand what was happening to them, as if the three of them had bitten their tongues by the food they had just eaten.

"It's worse than you think."

Even though Seele was her friend, Ryu couldn't deny that it tasted good at this moment.

"Then let's try some too."

Belle and Lily Luca were a little curious, so they also picked up some food from the other bento box and tasted it.

Then, the two of them reacted in a similar way to the other three.

"Oh, how could Miss Seele's cooking be so bad?"

"Did Miss Seele really make this?"

Bell and Lily Luca asked at the same time, feeling as if their sense of taste had been attacked, finding it really hard to connect these culinary abominations with the delicious, normal dishes they were eating.

“Mr. Broly, this may be a prank dish that Seele made for you, and she said that if you don’t like it, you don’t have to force yourself to eat it.”

Ryu, looking at the Saiyan boy who was tasting the food in the other bento boxes and had his brows slightly furrowed, told him what Seele had said to her that morning when she asked her to bring a bento.

"Not all of them are bad; these dishes are normal."

Broly tasted the food in each bento box and quickly picked out the ones that tasted normal and delicious.

. . . .

Outside the courtyard, Haici and Helen looked somewhat helpless upon seeing the bento boxes separated. They knew things would turn out this way; it was a miracle that Freya's capricious seasoning wasn't mistaken for poisoning.

The only saving grace is that it seems there's no longer any need for her as a therapist; the separated lunchboxes and those unpalatable dishes will definitely be discarded.

But that's also because, apart from knowing that this food was made by the goddess herself, who among the members of the Freya Familia would put such unpalatable food into their mouths and eat it?
However, even understanding this, Haici was still a little annoyed. Why should the guy who refused Freya-sama's cooking receive special treatment from Freya-sama, who got up early in the morning to prepare a bento for him? The correct thing to do should be to force himself to eat it even though he knew it would taste bad!
Haiji suddenly stopped thinking because she realized that the separated bento boxes hadn't been discarded. On the contrary, the Saiyan boy mixed some of the food from the bento boxes together and started eating them.

"Is he eating Lady Freya's cooking?"

Heci rubbed his eyes and asked Helen beside him with some uncertainty.

"That's right. You see other people picking up other bento boxes to eat, and they didn't show any signs of discomfort."

Although the bento boxes weren't marked, you could still tell from the expressions on other people's faces whether they were eating her food or Freya-sama's food.

"Hmm, she does have some backbone..."

Haici muttered something to himself.

Anyone who dares to eat so many of Freya's dishes deserves recognition.

Helen: "..."

The idea that eating a certain dish can be described as having "backbone" is rather subtle.

However, without a doubt, as the goddess's attendant, she now also holds the Saiyan boy in the courtyard in high esteem, feeling that he has not failed the goddess's favor, even if he himself may not know it yet.

"Mr. Broly, don't you find it unpalatable?"

Watching the boy devour the mixed dish, Ryu couldn't help but ask.

"It's not very tasty, but the flavor is acceptable to me."

Ever since he tasted the cuisine of the Six Worlds Demon Continent, Broly has become very tolerant of certain seasonings.

The dishes that Xier made today were just a little sour, sweet, salty, spicy, and bitter, but not too difficult to accept.

"When mixed together, the various flavors are balanced, and it's actually quite good. Miss Ryu, would you like to try some?"

"Uh, no thanks."

Ryu looked at the mixed dish (a paste) handed to her, swallowed hard, and quickly shook her head to refuse.

"Really? Then I'll eat it all by myself. You guys can eat the other normal dishes."

Broly didn't seem to care, but the others who had tasted the unusual dishes looked at him as if he were a god with a loss of taste.

"Did you choose to eat it all because it was a dish made by Seele?"

After taking a couple of bites of her normal, delicious bento, Liu couldn't help but ask.

"That's part of the reason, but another part is that I'm used to not wasting food."

Broly picked up a piece of spicy steak, put it in his mouth, and chewed.

"Of course, if I can, I still prefer to eat normal food, like this spicy pork chop, which is quite good. It gives me a warm feeling in my mouth after eating it."

Among unconventional dishes, Broly has a particular fondness for spicy pork chops.

"I will pass on your message to Seele."

Liu felt the burning sensation in her mouth return, and after asking the boy for another sip of water, she said...

Lunch was quick, and just as everyone was emptying their lunchboxes and preparing to start afternoon training, the three members of the Takemikazuchi Familia arrived with blank expressions, their minds filled with knowledge.

"Good afternoon, you three. Judging from your appearance, you must have had a good morning and learned quite a bit about dungeons, right?"

Broly greeted the three of them.

"Yes, I have learned something, Miss Eina. She's quite a strict teacher!"

Yamato and the other two responded and then simultaneously covered their heads, looking as if they were still shaken.

"It's good that you've learned something. Now, let's relax and start exercising."

Broly, who had also attended the half-elf lady's dungeon lectures, knew what the three needed most right now and spoke up.

"Before that, Mr. Broly, was your clan's residence being watched?"

Yamato pointed to the two people outside the iron bars and asked them a question. They had noticed the two people watching the courtyard from outside when they came over.

"Hey, I think I saw them when I came here this morning too."

Bell turned his head to look at the direction Yamato was pointing and said something as well.

. . . .

"Miss Haici, it seems we've been discovered."

"So what if we've been found out? We weren't hiding anyway. We'll just pretend to be ordinary people planning to join the Hestia Familia."

"What if they agree?"

“Then find an excuse to refuse.” The two standing outside the Hestia Familia’s encampment whispered to each other, then fell silent as Broly approached.

. . . .

"Is there something you two want?"

Broly had actually noticed the two, but since some nearby residents often watched their daily training from outside the fence, he hadn't paid much attention to their situation.

"That's right, we are adventurers looking for a clan to join us."

Haici answered in a sweet, girlish voice.

"So, you've come to join our Hestia Familia?"

Broly was taken aback and asked instinctively.

“That’s how it was originally.”

Haici nodded.

"original?"

"Yes, but judging from your training progress, we think it's probably impossible, so..."

Helen hadn't finished speaking when Heci interrupted her.

"We're very sorry if we've disturbed you. We'll leave now."

Heci and Helen were very polite, bowing to Broly before leaving. This politeness wasn't entirely an act; they genuinely respected the brave soul who dared to devour the large portion of their goddess's carefully prepared culinary masterpiece.

Being overly polite is never a bad thing. Although Broly felt a little strange, he didn't stop the polite duo from leaving. However, when they returned, he asked the elf lady, "Miss Ryu, does Miss Seele have any sisters?"

"Uh, I've never heard Seele mention having any sisters. Why is that?"

Liu asked out of curiosity.

"No, I just felt that one of the two people outside had a similar aura to Miss Seele."

Broly doesn't usually remember the scent of strangers, but it's a different story if it's someone he knows or someone he's trying to win over.

Now that he's become familiar with Miss Seele, he can remember the aura of the mascot girl. The gray-haired girl outside just now gave him a vague sense of déjà vu, as if he had seen her before, but upon closer inspection, he was certain that he had never seen her before.

That's why he asked this question.

Can you tell me what kind of person he is?

Liu asked curiously. She knew a lot about her friend Xi'er, but not too much, because her friend sometimes took long leave of absence.

She knew most about the other person in the bar, but little about the girl's private life.

Although she has a good relationship with Seele, Ryu would never pry into her friend's privacy.

Just like Seele never asked about her past, or why she was covered in blood and lying in an empty alley.

"She was a woman with long, straight, gray hair that partially covered her eyes. She looked to be about the same age as Miss Liu, but her eyes were like those of a dead fish, lacking vitality. Her aloof demeanor was similar to that of Miss Liu before, giving off a feeling that strangers should not approach her."

Liu: “…”

Is this considered being insulted to my face?
"I'm aloof and unapproachable just because we're not familiar with each other. I'm not like that with friends I know well."

After thinking for a moment, Liu offered a brief explanation, partly to justify her aloofness.

"I can tell that Miss Ryu's attitude is much warmer now than before."

Broly nodded, agreeing with what the elf lady in front of him had said.

"Ah, was I really that cold before? I feel just a little better now than before, it doesn't even need to be described as warm!"

Liu said with some dissatisfaction.

"So, am I now considered your friend, Miss Ryu?"

Broly asked the elf lady with some curiosity.

"Uh, I guess so..."

Liu looked away and answered the question somewhat awkwardly.

Although she had already acknowledged in her heart that the Saiyan boy who had made Seele's terrible bento box had eaten it all, and was also grateful for his guidance in swordsmanship, she still felt awkward about admitting that they were close.

In short, she is a female elf with a somewhat arrogant personality, a trait that is actually quite common among elves.

"That's wonderful news! Well then, my friend, may I shake your hand?"

Broly extended his hand to the elf lady.

"Uh, does this have any special meaning?"

Liu looked at him with some confusion.

"When I was little, someone taught me that shaking hands means we can become best friends in the future."

Broly offered an explanation, but the elf lady who heard it was somewhat speechless.

"Mr. Broly, your behavior and your appearance are truly consistent!"

Liu sighed and said something.

Are you trying to say I'm a bit childish?

That's somewhat the idea...

"I just wanted to remind you that we're not best friends, at most we're just ordinary friends."

Liu's answer was irrelevant.

"I know, but that's just our current relationship. I think we might be able to build a closer personal relationship in the future, but I don't know if Miss Ryu agrees with that?"

Broly asked.

[My friend's potential future husband will indeed have a closer personal relationship with her.]

Liu Xin thought about it and didn't refuse the hand that was offered to her.

"Okay, I agree with you."

Liu reached out and shook hands with the small hand in front of her.

This one handshake made the elf girl sense something different.

It's different from the bold approach one takes when the other person is instructing them on swordsmanship and adjusting their movements.

The way the boy shook hands with him at that moment was extremely gentlemanly and polite.

Hold the front of your hand and shake it up and down a couple of times, then let go after two or three seconds.

There was no lingering or opportunistic hand-rubbing; the handshake was performed in strict accordance with the standard etiquette.

. . . . .

Time flies when you're busy; in the blink of an eye, an afternoon has quietly vanished during training.

"We're taking a break tomorrow, so you don't need to come."

Broly informed us of this.

The reason is simple: the Soma clan's divine wine feast is about to begin, and tomorrow during the day, Lily will be resting and recuperating.

Although resting and recuperating wasn't really his concern, there's a saying: "The sound of my roommate turning pages keeps me awake all night." If we need to rest, we should all rest together, mainly so as not to affect the little girl's mindset.

The three members of the Takemikazuchi Familia who came to get some guidance naturally had no objections and simply followed the arrangements.

The swordswoman's face, however, showed a hint of disappointment characteristic of the "Scroll King," as if to say that there was no more instructional lesson.

The elven girl couldn't hide her joy. Of course, Lefia didn't think Broly's training was too hard; she just thought that maybe tomorrow she could take the opportunity to have Miss Ais instruct her in swordsmanship, so she was secretly delighted.

How wonderful it is to spend time alone with Miss Ais (practicing swordsmanship)!

Just as Lefia was lost in daydreams about her date (training) with the Sword Princess tomorrow, Ais walked up to Broly and extended her hand to the Saiyan boy.

"What's wrong, Miss Ais?"

Broly was puzzled and asked the swordswoman who reached out her hand.

"I see, you want to become best friends with Miss Ryu."

"Yes, I want to be your best friend too."

Ais understood the difference in closeness and distance between the naturally naive girl who suddenly said this. She didn't want to fall behind the elf girl, mainly because she was worried that if the other girl became best friends with the boy, she might receive better swordsmanship instruction from her.

Simple thinking allows the girl to always arrive at the core answer. Ais's strong personality makes her subconsciously put her inner answers into action, resulting in corresponding competitive behaviors.

Broly was taken aback by her sudden action.

"Can't you?"

Not getting the answer she wanted from the boy right away, Ais tilted her head and showed a slightly disappointed expression, like a puppy that had realized it had been abandoned, looking at him with longing eyes.

"No, of course you can."

Upon realizing what had happened, Broly quickly denied it and stepped forward to firmly grasp the girl's slender hand.

Ryu, watching from the side, suddenly noticed that the boy's handshake had changed again.

For her, it was a polite handshake, but for the Fiora, it was a strong and enthusiastic handshake.

(End of this chapter)