Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

She was no longer the clueless little girl she once was. Because Erina Nakiri suddenly became interested in this, she crammed a lot of knowledge about it.

He himself became a seasoned miner.

The so-called punishment was nothing more than an excuse for Teacher Baiyuan to satisfy his own selfish desires.

Of course, this kind of excessively shameful punishment also had some effect on them. It was a matter of mutual consent, so they couldn't blame Bai Yuan at all.

"You guessed right, so you'd better work hard from now on to avoid being punished."

Seeing Hisako Shinto's face visibly turning red, Shirabuchi said meaningfully.

"Well..."

Feeling the heat of her gaze, Hisako Shinoto's body went numb, and her hands, which were originally at her sides, began to wander back from time to time, showing that she was ready to defend herself at any time.

"Don't be so nervous."

Even if I were to punish you, it would be in private. I wouldn't spank you in public; I'm not some exhibitionist pervert.

On the way to the seafood market, seeing Hisako Shinto's shy yet wary expression, Bai Yuan couldn't help but burst into laughter.

This feeling is absolutely wonderful.

He said all this just to see her blush and act shy. If she acted even more lewd than him, then all his words would have been for nothing!

Cross two streets and pass a supermarket.

The two finally arrived at their destination, a seafood market located on the outskirts of the city, a super-large seafood market where major restaurants source their seafood.

"Filefish, mantis shrimp, clams, scallops, baby lobsters..."

As she walked forward, Hisako Shinoto opened the menu in her hand and began to read it aloud to herself.

The note listed dozens of seafood ingredients, making one wonder if Cao Sandao had included every type of seafood available at the market.

Cao Sandao was the old man's name. On the way, Shinto Hisako briefly introduced his identity to Shirabuchi.

The other party is Chinese. He came to Japan and settled there thirty years ago for unknown reasons. He likes to wander around the red-light districts of various places after dark.

"Wait a minute, the first part is all normal, after all, where you live is a personal choice. But what's with the last sentence about liking to visit the red-light district after dark? Did he say that himself? He's probably just making fun of you guys."

Bai Yuan bluntly criticized, strongly suspecting that the guy had said this to amuse a child.

Some people, when they get old and have nothing to do, like to do this: say things that seem somewhat true but are actually exaggerated, in order to see how others will react to what they say.

He really enjoys doing it.

"I thought so too at first, until I saw him go into the red-light district and have his arms around two mature and attractive women in their thirties..."

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's complaint, Shinoto Hisako pouted.

Her initial thought was the same as Bai Yuan's; after all, there were too many old rascals, and it would be too foolish to take some of their jokes seriously.

Two days ago, an unexpected encounter led her to discover the truth.

Cao Sandao is truly honest! He doesn't lie at all. He said he likes to visit red-light districts, and he really does, even though he's married.

"It's only human nature, it's only human nature. I think I've found the reason he came to live in Japan..."

Upon hearing Hisako Niito's description of the scene, Shirabuchi suddenly understood.

Food and sex are basic human needs, and Japan is far ahead of the world in this regard. Whether you're slender or plump, as long as you pay, the service is excellent—who wouldn't be captivated?!

"stare..."

Seeing Bai Yuan's understanding expression, Shinoto Hisako's expression became somewhat subtle, and she stared straight at him.

"Ahem, I'm a gentleman, I have absolutely no interest in the red-light district!"

Seeing this, Bai Yuan coughed awkwardly twice.

His mind was only on cooking; he had absolutely no interest in the so-called red-light district.

Of course, people will definitely take a second look out of curiosity when they pass by.

Who doesn't like a beautiful older woman with a great figure?!

"I hope so."

Although she didn't know her status in saying those words, seeing Bai Yuan's cooperative attitude still made Shinoto Hisako feel overjoyed.

Looking at her, Bai Yuan couldn't help but think to himself that she was adorable.

As expected of the beautiful girl specifically mentioned in the original work, every smile and frown of hers is exceptionally captivating!

As if he had thought of something, Bai Yuan suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Hisako Shinto bumped into his sturdy back unexpectedly, her nose brushing against his cotton jacket, which was slightly warm from the sun.

"Be careful."

Feeling the touch on her back, Bai Yuan turned around, and the back of his hand inadvertently brushed against the inside of her forearm. Her skin immediately felt a fine, itchy sensation, as if she had been stung by a jellyfish. Seeing this, Hisako hurriedly took half a step back, trying to create some distance, but accidentally bumped into an ice bucket on a nearby stall.

"Ah, so cold!"

The splashing icy water soaked the snow-white uniform shirt, revealing the cherry blossom pink lace underneath. Upon seeing this, Bai Yuan's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, but he quickly took off his linen coat and draped it over her shoulders.

The warm fabric pressed down heavily, and the scent of sea salt and sandalwood instantly overwhelmed Hisako Shinodo's sense of smell, gradually calming her initially flustered heart.

“Thank you…”

He clutched the overly long cuffs, feeling the warmth of his body wash over him, dispelling the chill from the icy water. His fingertips sank into the creases still warm from his touch.

At this moment, Bai Yuan was bending down to brush the ice water off Shinobu Hisako, his warm breath brushing against her earlobe: "The third button is undone."

Upon hearing his words, Hisako clutched her chest as if electrocuted, only to see that Shiro was trembling from suppressing a laugh. "You...!" She raised her foot to stomp on him, but he pulled her aside by the waist.

Nearby, a plastic crate containing live lobsters slammed to the ground, brushing against her skirt, as she moved violently, splashing water around her feet.

Hisako Shinto was thus pulled into Shiro's arms, and feeling the strong body in front of her that was much warmer than her coat, her face became even more flushed.

"Young lady, be careful when buying shrimp!" The stall owner, an older woman, laughed loudly in her Kansai accent, "Your boyfriend is certainly very protective of you!"

"We are very sorry, we will compensate you for all of these at the original price."

Hearing the stall owner's laughter, Hisako Shinto finally realized what was happening. She blushed and pushed Shirayu away, hurriedly trying to take out her wallet from her pocket.

"It's okay, it's okay."

"You didn't do it on purpose, and it was just a simple drop; it won't affect resale. Besides, I also put my stall so close to the front."

But the stall owner simply waved her hand and didn't ask Hisako Shinto for compensation.

She's a businesswoman, not someone who forces people to buy or sell. Besides, she set up her stall in the aisle, so she bears some responsibility for that.

"Then let's buy two pounds of mantis shrimp and a small lobster. The quality of the ones sold here is quite good, and these two ingredients are exactly what's on our shopping list."

In return for the favor, since the older woman doesn't intend to pursue the matter with Hisako Shinto, it's perfectly normal for them to buy two pounds of shrimp to express their apology.

Bai Yuan glanced at the shrimp at the stall and noticed they were of good quality.

Those shrimp must have been placed in ice to keep them fresh, but the ice gradually melted into ice water because the sun was too strong.

"Alright, two catties of mantis shrimp and one small green lobster."

Hearing Bai Yuan's words, the old lady's smile became even brighter, and she offered to help them catch mantis shrimp, which was part of her job as a street vendor.

"Auntie, I can do it myself."

He stopped the older woman from scooping up the mantis shrimp, and Hisako Shinto bent down and squatted in front of the mantis shrimp stall, ready to do it herself.

"Well, I didn't expect you to be so virtuous at such a young age. You even know how to choose better seafood. You will definitely be a good wife in the future."

The old lady's words were sincere.

The ability to select better quality ingredients based on experience is a skill typically found only by housewives who have only been in their first few years of service.

I never expected that this seemingly very young girl would also know how to do that.

"I don't know if I can be a good wife, but I'm sure I'll be a good chef!"

Faced with the old lady's praise, Hisako Shinto glanced at Shirayuki almost imperceptibly. Seeing that the other party's expression did not change, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

"A chef? I see."

Upon hearing Hisako Niito's answer, the older woman had a look of sudden realization.

No wonder she started picking out ingredients right away; she's a chef! That makes sense now. I never thought her seafood would catch the eye of a chef!

If it's a very famous chef, it might even increase the reputation of her seafood.

"The translucent, bluish-green carapace has a metallic sheen, as if it has been coated with a layer of varnish."

The abdominal plates have clear markings and translucent amber edges; a good shrimp.

At this moment, Hisako Shinoto's attention was entirely focused on the mantis shrimp in front of her, and she began to observe their appearance and select them.

It must be said that the seafood at this stall is of very high quality; every mantis shrimp is alive and meets the standards for good quality.

Next, we'll see if they have any flesh on their bodies...

Thinking of this, Hisako Shinoto picked up a large mantis shrimp and began to press on the base of its third pair of walking legs. As a result, the shell collapsed and made a hollow "creaking" sound.

"this..."

"These are usually shrimp that have been injected with water, or mantis shrimp that have just molted. Don't have any different expectations just because they are large."

Seeing Hisako Shinto's surprised expression, Shirabuchi's voice rang out.

"I understand."

Nodding slightly, Hisako Shinto picked up a mantis shrimp that was noticeably smaller than the one next to her and pressed down on the base of its third pair of walking legs again.

This time, however, I felt the firm rebound force of the muscles, which was clearly very substantial.

"That's it!"

Hisako Shinto's eyes lit up, and she immediately tossed the mantis shrimp into the basket the old lady had prepared beforehand, while simultaneously selecting other shrimp according to this standard.

Before long, a basket of mantis shrimp, with excellent appearance and inside, was weighed.

Priced at 1,600 yen.

"Then came the little green dragon..."

As she spoke, Hisako Shinodo looked at the plastic box she had just overturned. The little blue dragon inside had been picked up by Bai Yuan and put back.

There are five in total, all of them are lively and energetic.