Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

She ate the golden fried rice with gusto, and soon the plate in front of her was empty. Bai Yuan gave Mito Yumi a thumbs up to show that her cooking was up to standard.

The fried rice this morning was only at the level of a first-class dish, but now it is almost at the level of a premium dish, which is undoubtedly a huge improvement!

Of course, this is also related to the fact that Mito Ikumi only makes golden fried rice from morning to night.

Focus on one point, reach the pinnacle, and make this dish to a top-tier level.

This is the strategy that Mito Ikumi devised for this field training!

"Hehe. Is there anything else I need to pay attention to? To be honest, today was a bit strenuous, especially tonight. My arms are sore and aching. I think I should optimize the steps for making fried rice."

As they were talking, Mito Ikumi pulled out a chair and sat directly opposite Shiroyuki, resting her hands on her neck as she asked him for a solution.

As for whether the other party can provide an answer, Mito Ikumi is not worried at all.

In her eyes, there was nothing that Teacher Bai Yuan couldn't solve!

"Does optimizing the steps make frying rice easier?"

You know what, I actually have that method.

Upon hearing Mito Ikumi's request, Hakugen closed his eyes and began to think.

"what?"

Shiroyuki's words elicited an excited expression from Mito Ikumi.

"Mix the egg yolks and rice together beforehand, so that the egg liquid coats the rice grains. This not only makes the rice more evenly colored, but also reduces the number of times you need to stir-fry it by half."

Bai Yuan explained that Mito Ikumi expended most of her energy on tossing the wok. By mixing the egg yolks and rice in advance, the initial tossing step could be reduced during the stir-frying process.

After all, to mix the still-unset egg yolk and the white rice together in the ten or so seconds it takes for the egg to cook, you need to toss the pan with tremendous force. This is the most physically demanding part of making golden fried rice.

Mixing the rice and egg yolks together beforehand undoubtedly optimizes this step.

"I see. But mixing rice takes time and effort, and one person simply can't manage both. It would be best to find someone to help..."

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's explanation, Mito Ikumi showed a thoughtful expression, then raised her hand to scratch her wet hair and tousled it back, looking quite troubled.

"Let me do it."

"Huh? Professor Baiyuan, do you need help?!"

Mito Ikumi looked at Shiroyuki in shock, clearly not expecting him to say that.

“This is something that should be done in pairs. You were unlucky and were assigned to a group of one. It’s obvious that you can’t complete this workload by yourself. As your teacher, it is my duty to help.”

It wasn't that she was being unfair or corrupt; the main problem was that Mito Ikumi was indeed short one person, and the work she was assigned required two people to complete.

"Alright, then I'll leave it to you, Teacher Bai Yuan. I'll assist you!"

Mito Ikumi said with bright eyes, already imagining herself and Hakugen combining their swords in her mind. This was a privilege usually reserved for Nakiri Alice!

“I’m the one who mixes your rice; you’re the chef of this restaurant. Don’t put the cart before the horse.”

"Huh? Me, making fried rice? Isn't that a bit of an overkill for Teacher Bai Yuan..."

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Mito Yumi hesitated. She felt she didn't have the face to have a top-tier seven-star chef assist her.

"Don't treat me like a top-notch chef, just think of me as a new apprentice at your restaurant."

Aside from mixing rice, I won't help you with anything else.

Seeing that Mito Ikumi's attitude had changed, Bai Yuan immediately realized that the other party had misunderstood.

So he quickly patched the issue, clearly stating that he would not provide any assistance other than mixing rice.

Chapter 316 A Young Girl's Thoughts (Parts 2 and 3)

"Understood, I'll try my best not to hold you back!"

Upon hearing about the patch that Shirai had made, Mito Ikumi said with a serious expression.

"Well, this guy didn't listen to a word he said."

Looking at Mito Ikumi's appearance, Bai Yuan couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

He then stood up from his seat, looked at the girl sitting upright in front of him, and said, "Don't be so nervous. Relax a little. You can't make good food if you're so nervous."

"Ok!"

Mito Ikumi answered seriously once again.

Seeing her like this, Bai Yuan was speechless and decided not to continue the topic.

"Let's go home first. Speaking of which, it seems your store manager has already passed away."

Seeing that Mito Ikumi had also stood up, Bai Yuan walked towards the door, and she followed closely behind. Soon the two were standing at the shop entrance, with the girl holding a silver key in her hand.

"I told him to go back first, after all..."

As she spoke, Mito Ikumi fastened the metal bolt with a swifter motion than usual, her studded boots making a crisp echo on the floor tiles.

"What's the point of having a wooden stake standing there during a perfectly good two-person discussion?"

That's right, once she recognized Shiro's identity, Mito Ikumi was ready to enjoy her time with him all to herself.

Those irrelevant people, just get as far away from her as possible!

As dusk deepened on the street, Mito Ikumi's short boots tapped out a light rhythm on the cobblestones. She suddenly quickened her pace and walked around to stand in front of Shirayuki.

"My house is just up ahead."

She turned her head to the side and pointed to an apartment building not far away, her face slightly flushed, with a faint aroma of fried rice still lingering on her fingertips, as she spoke and introduced the building.

"I rent a two-bedroom apartment, and there happens to be a spare room. There's no public transportation at night, and it's hard to get a taxi around here... Why don't you stay here tonight, Teacher Bai Yuan?"

Bai Yuan pondered for a moment.

We will continue our cooperation tomorrow, and the round trip is indeed time-consuming and exhausting.

So he nodded, looked at Mito Ikumi's face and smiled, "Then I'll take my leave."

"Great!"

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's reply, Mito Ikumi's voice suddenly lit up with joy, but then, as if remembering something, she quickly pursed her lips to suppress her smile, "It's only two hundred meters away."

She quietly counted her steps, occasionally glancing out of the corner of her eye to check if Bai Yuan was keeping up.

The night breeze brushed against her burning ear tips.

This was the first time she had been alone with the person she admired, and the pounding of her heart almost drowned out the noise of the street. She had to bite her lower lip, but she still couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from turning up in a smile.

So this is what happiness is—something that overflows from the corners of your eyes and brows!

Five minutes later, the sound of their footsteps echoed crisply in the apartment corridor.

The apartment building, located at the corner of Chinatown, is now asleep, with only a few windows still emitting warm yellow light.

Mito Ikumi stopped in front of room 305, the key making a faint metallic sound as it turned.

"This is it." She pushed open the door and casually pressed the light switch on the wall.

"It was simply furnished when we moved in, so it might be a bit basic..."

The soft overhead light instantly illuminated the entire space.

The apartment, which is about 60 square meters, is kept in a very good order.

Several white cushions with geometric patterns are neatly arranged on the beige fabric sofa, the wooden coffee table is polished to a shine, even the spice jars in the kitchen are arranged in order of height, and a few eggshells lie in the trash can, all revealing the strong traces of life.

"It's much cleaner than I expected. I thought it would be a mess when I came."

Bai Yuan raised an eyebrow in surprise.

He glanced around the living room and sighed sincerely.

Only by comparing it to the room where Erina Nakiri lived can one know just how clean this room was.

"I have a slight obsession with cleanliness. I don't feel at ease living here unless every corner is thoroughly cleaned."

As I walked to the guest room, a soft "click" sounded, and warm yellow light spilled out from inside.

She stepped aside to make way, her earlobes, faintly visible through her hair, were tinged with the blush of the sunset.

"This room is prepared for the teacher..."

After a pause, as if remembering something, Mito Ikumi added softly, "However, the mattress in my master bedroom is memory foam. If the teacher doesn't like a firm mattress..."

Before the words were even finished, a refreshing woody scent quietly filled the air.

Seeing Bai Yuan suddenly bring his face close to hers, Mito Yumi hurriedly lowered her eyes, but couldn't hide her slightly flushed cheeks.

She suddenly realized that what she had just said was a bit too ambiguous.

What is this? An invitation to a bed partner?!

"I'll stay in this room. You should go take a shower first; you're all sweaty and it's easy to catch a cold."

As he spoke, Bai Yuan's fingertips lightly brushed across Mito Yumi's forehead, tucking a strand of sweat-dampened golden hair behind her ear, his eyes revealing a somewhat ambiguous meaning.

Under the lights, Mito Ikumi's honey-colored skin glowed with a coral-like blush.

The girl's three-dimensional facial features were incredibly lifelike at that moment.

His amber eyes were wide open, his lips were slightly parted, and even his nostrils twitched slightly with his rapid breathing.

All the changes in expression happened in an instant, like a silent film that had been fast-forwarded.

"Um..."

Even though I have a thousand words I want to express.

But when the words finally came out, all that was left was "hmm".

When Bai Yuan's sleeve brushed against her collarbone, the faint woody scent finally made her last shred of reason surrender.

It turns out that it's not just the high temperature in the kitchen that makes people dizzy!

After Bai Yuan closed the door.

Mito Ikumi remained standing in the same spot, her breathing rapid as she slid down the wall and sat on the ground.

The faint warmth from Bai Yuan still lingered on her forehead, making her face burn intensely. It took her a long time to recover before she could stand up by supporting herself on the floor.

Anyway, let's take a shower first.

Previously, she was constrained by the conditions outside, but now that she has some free time, her psychological fastidiousness began to take effect, and Mito Ikumi quickly returned to her room.