Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

Honestly, it's a bit pitiful to have so little seafood on such a large beach.

Upon hearing Mito Ikumi's praise, Nakiri Erina first looked proud.

Then, as if she had just thought of something, she looked at the huge beach in front of her and couldn't help but complain.

"After all, it's not high tide season now; the seafood on the shore is truly plentiful during high tide!"

Seeing Erina Nakiri chattering away, complaining that they hadn't even reaped as much as they had in Fuzhou despite the vast beach, Bai Yuan smiled gently and gazed at the sea before him.

"Indeed, during high tide, you can see several seafood dishes just a short walk away!"

In fact, compared to the upper sandy areas, the areas impacted by the sea, and those further up, have significantly more seafood.

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Mito Ikumi also spoke up.

As for why she knew there was more seafood near the sea, that was purely based on experience.

"Your oysters, mussels, and whelks must have been dug up from the rocks on the beach, right?"

Upon hearing Mito Ikumi's words, Shinoto Hisako stepped forward and rummaged through Hojo Miyoko's bamboo basket, where the seafood ingredients were clearly different from theirs.

"Yes, there are many on those rocks over there; these were all found there."

Miyoko Hojo nodded slightly, pointing to the reefs emerging from the sea not far away as she spoke.

“You guys are really lucky. We just checked two rocks, but unfortunately we didn’t find anything. We didn’t check any other rocks after that.”

Hearing Hisako Shinoto and Miyoko Hojo's conversation, Erina Nakiri showed a regretful expression.

They wanted to go to the reef, and in fact they did.

Unfortunately, the top was empty, with only two or three large and small snails.

They initially thought it was just an extreme case, so they stubbornly searched other reefs, only to find the same result. As a result, they stopped going to other reefs after that.

"It must have been taken by other tourists. Before we rented it to them, this villa had hosted a group of college students who came to dive. It's normal for them to go beachcombing after diving."

Bai Yuan's voice rang out at that moment.

He rented the seaside villa here, and just before he rented it, some college students who came to dive during their weekend break might have gotten bored after diving and started playing around the villa, collecting seafood.

And the reef that Erina Nakiri chose might have been one that had been driven out to sea by someone.

"Is it just bad luck...?"

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's explanation, Erina Nakiri's lips twitched slightly. She clearly hadn't expected this reason, but upon closer inspection, it did make a lot of sense.

After all, they were both reefs, so there was no reason why the one Mito Ikumi encountered was full of snails, while they had searched several places in a row and found nothing.

Even if there is differential treatment, it can't be this much different!

The only possibility is that the previous group of people happened to be in the area where she encountered those reefs and took all the snails off the reefs.

In this situation, you can only accept your bad luck.

"I'm really speechless."

Erina Nakiri muttered to herself, she hadn't expected the truth to be like this.

"In the end, it all goes into our stomachs anyway. Whether you're lucky or unlucky when you're beachcombing, the difference isn't that big."

Seeing that Erina Nakiri had lowered her head and seemed somewhat dejected, Bai Yuan immediately put his arm around her shoulder and pressed his face against hers to comfort her.

It's such a small thing, why are you so unhappy?

"The main problem is that nothing good has happened lately, and now that I've finally managed to get to the beach to relax, even the rocks are bullying me! It's really frustrating."

Erina Nakiri knew that Shirabuchi was right; it was just a trivial matter.

But she just felt uneasy, feeling that nothing she did went smoothly lately, not only because of bad luck, but also because her skills hadn't improved much.

"If the reef is bad, we'll just ignore it."

I'm going scuba diving tomorrow, not beachcombing.

I'll show you the magnificent ocean world then! I guarantee it will lift your spirits!

The last sentence was spoken by someone present.

Upon hearing his words, the crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

"Really?!"

Since it was the first time she had heard of it, Mito Ikumi was still somewhat incredulous. As she spoke, she moved closer to Shiro, wanting to hear him confirm it again in person.

"I wouldn't lie about something like this."

Bai Yuan smiled and tapped her head, then looked at Erina Nakiri, who was deep in thought beside him, and said, "If that's not enough, I can take you surfing and build sandcastles. I guarantee they'll be taller and more luxurious than anyone else's!"

"Thank you, Professor Bai Yuan."

As Bai Yuan talked incessantly about the arrangements for the next few days, coming up with all sorts of activities that she might enjoy, Nakiri Erina suddenly looked up at him and expressed her heartfelt gratitude.

"Well, I enjoyed the process too, so you don't need to thank me."

If I had to say thank you, it would be that I thank you for guessing correctly, and thank you for appearing in my life and making it so rich and colorful.

Looking into the girl's sincere eyes, Bai Yuan felt a little ashamed by her sudden gratitude. As he spoke, he looked up at the sky, his eyes revealing a hint of emotion.

What he said is true.

In his previous life, he was also very ambitious and performed exceptionally well in his professional field, but because he had never been in a relationship, he could never find a suitable woman.

It's not that no one is pursuing him.

Given his circumstances at the time, he couldn't accept the girls who pursued him.

The best time to fall in love is during school years, when love doesn't involve so many interests and is more about liking someone simply because you like them.

As we grow older, the factors of love become more important.

Houses, cars, money—but what's missing is genuine affection; it's more of an exchange of interests.

And now, he has found true love.

He could clearly sense that the girl in front of him genuinely liked him.

Whether it's his talent or anything else, I just really like him!

“Even without us, Brother Bai Yuan will still be surrounded by other people.”

It's that we can't do without Brother Baiyuan, not that Brother Baiyuan can't do without us.

So Brother Bai Yuan, there's no need for thanks; we should be the ones expressing our gratitude.

Looking at Bai Yuan, whose eyes were filled with emotion, Nakiri Alice could not possibly know about his past life, and therefore could not understand his current feelings.

But she knew that Bai Yuan could live without them, but they couldn't live without Bai Yuan!

“That’s right. Bai Yuan can be with anyone, but we can only be with Bai Yuan. After being with Bai Yuan, we feel that no other man can catch our eye.”

At this moment, Erina Nakiri also spoke up, her eyes looking at Shiro Awakening with a dark and unfathomable expression, filled with indescribable emotions.

She used to be arrogant, believing that no man in the world was worthy of her. She lived to build her career and one day stand at the top of the culinary world, invincible.

It wasn't until she met Bai Yuan, became his student, and tasted his cooking that she realized there were always people more capable than herself.

If she wants to defeat such a powerful figure, she can only sacrifice herself to feed him, making him so intoxicated by her charms that he cannot extricate himself, and then she can seize the opportunity to surpass him.

Erina Nakiri offered an explanation for her absurd behavior during this period.

"Master Bai Yuan, you'd better take responsibility!"

Seeing that Bai Yuan was a little embarrassed by what they said, Nakiri Alice immediately turned her head to look at his slightly red face and said, her eyes almost overflowing with tenderness.

There was nothing she could do; this was the first time she had ever seen Bai Yuan with such an expression.

"Of course I will take responsibility."

Seeing Alice Nakiri's expression, Bai Yuan knew exactly what she was thinking, but he still spoke firmly, word by word.

He is very happy with his current life.

He is willing to give everything to protect the present moment.

"arrive."

During their conversation, the group finally arrived at the villa.

"If you're tired, you should rest for a bit. I'm going to make some fish soup to strengthen Ryoko's bones."

Pushing open the villa's door, Bai Yuan gave a brief explanation before heading towards the kitchen.

"Wait, I'd like to go and observe."

Seeing Bai Yuan head towards the kitchen, Nakiri Erina and Nakiri Alice exchanged glances and decided to follow him.

Mito Ikumi and Hojo Miyoko, though somewhat confused, followed along.

In any case, being able to observe Bai Yuan's cooking process was a rare opportunity for them. Moreover, the next cooking steps would need to continue in the kitchen.

Not long after.

The group of five arrived at the kitchen.

The place was very clean, and there were several bags of pork and some spices next to the stove, as if someone had bought the food in advance.

"Why is there pork here? I don't remember buying any at noon."

Looking at the various ingredients piled on the stove, Erina Nakiri put down the bamboo basket in her hand, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

If her memory serves her right, she shouldn't have bought these things. Everyone else bought seafood, so there shouldn't be any pork in the house.

"Was there a thief? Or is the villa owner renting it out to two different people, and now another group has moved in...?"

Hisako Shirato was equally puzzled, and pinched her chin as she shared her guess.

There are indeed some unscrupulous bosses in this world who fill their villas' schedules with too much activity, and then accidentally mix things up, causing all sorts of funny mishaps.

"That's unlikely, as this villa belongs to the Far Moon Group."

The management might not be very competent, but they shouldn't have done this knowing that Erina and I were checking in.

Alice Nakiri shook her head, indicating that it was impossible.

This villa belongs to their family. When they learned that they needed to rent it, the manager personally received her and was extremely respectful throughout. It's impossible for such a misunderstanding to have occurred.

"Stop guessing, I bought this."