Rather than saying she was accustomed to solitude.
It's more accurate to say it was a kind of helplessness in life.
It wasn't until recently, when Kobayashi Rindo brought her to the Izakaya, that her cold heart gradually melted, and she felt a trace of warmth here.
Especially the Shopkeeper Sosuke; she had only met him a few times.
But every time they met, he could quickly recognize her and call out her name.
Clearly, being able to perceive the existence of the "invisible" Akanegakubo Momo was enough to move her for a long time!
...
Regarding the concept of dessert cuisine.
She definitely understood and knew more than many people.
However, whether it was the soufflé that wouldn't collapse, or the zabaglione dessert, or even these macarons, they all made her truly feel the "cute" side of desserts.
Even now, subconsciously, she feels that Sosuke is a cute person!
"Shopkeeper, am I... am I considered your friend?"
Finally, a somewhat flustered Akanegakubo Momo's pretty face flushed slightly.
She first stammered a few times, then finally mustered the courage to look up, gazing deeply at Sosuke, and asked earnestly.
"Yes!"
"Why wouldn't you be?"
"I remember the first time you came to the Izakaya, I accidentally got my hand scalded."
"You directly took off your oven mitts from your doll and gave them to me. At that moment, I knew a friend like you is worth getting to know deeply!"
Noticing Akikubo's expression, Sosuke couldn't help but recall that scene.
"Deeply?"
Akanegakubo Momo blinked and couldn't help but murmur to herself.
...
Soon, other customers arrived one after another.
Therefore, after a brief chat with Akanegakubo Momo, Sosuke became busy with other things.
Meanwhile, Akikubo, on her own, ate macarons and drank coffee, truly enjoying herself.
"Huh? This door... it even has an automatic sensor now?"
"Not coming for a while, the internal dining environment seems to have changed a lot. Could it be that this Izakaya has been renovated again?"
Just entering, Anne was startled by the unfamiliar sight before her.
But she was, after all, a WGO Executive Officer who had seen the world, so she quickly composed herself. She then chose a seat, promptly pulled out her thick "THE BOOK," and began to consult it.
"Mana didn't come with you?"
Seeing her, Sosuke couldn't help but come over and greet her.
"No, Mana-sama has a lot of work to do and can't get away."
Anne answered Sosuke's question while consulting the book.
"Oh!"
"Then what would you like to eat?"
Hearing this, Sosuke could only continue to smile.
"Coffee." Anne, engrossed in the book, replied without thinking.
Then she realized, how could there be coffee at an Izakaya?
So she hastily tried to change her order, wanting to reorder a bottle of sake, but unexpectedly found herself in a coffee shop, where coffee was being brewed with a coffee machine!
"Interesting, now even Izakayas have coffee?"
Anne couldn't help but mutter.
...
Bitter.
It was just a direct taste.
Sour, too, actually, but coffee beans naturally have different acidity levels!
Although it was directly brewed by an automatic coffee machine rather than manually, the coffee brewed this way still satisfied even the picky Anne.
Then, gently placing the coffee cup on the table, Anne couldn't help but look up and gaze deeply at Sosuke.
Seeing him always diligently wiping his chef's knife, she couldn't help but seem thoughtful.
Immediately after, she blinked her eyes and asked, "Shopkeeper, I remember you seemed to have rejected Mana-sama's invitation last time, didn't you?"
"What invitation?"
Sosuke paused slightly, a puzzled expression on his face.
"Oh, it was the invitation for you to be an Executive Officer at the WGO Gourmet Organization, or to serve as a judge for THE BLUE competition!"
Seeing Sosuke's expression, Anne instantly replied anxiously.
"Yes, I did reject it!"
Sosuke came back to his senses and nodded.
...
THE BLUE competition, full name is the World Young Chefs Selection Contest!
According to the regulations of the WGO Gourmet Organization, chefs participating in this world-class cooking competition must be under 35 years old.
Initially, this cooking competition would only invite young chefs who performed exceptionally well in various world competitions the previous year.
However, with the development of the times and the continuous evolution of the catering industry, the WGO also realized:
True cuisine.
Should be something that all chefs can enjoy and go wild for!
Therefore, in the past two years, the qualification requirements for chefs have been gradually relaxed, and the number of spots has increased.
Of course, even with the relaxation of various conditions, the number of chefs who can participate in this cooking competition each year is still very small.
And even more ironically, in the original plot, due to the rapid rise of the Midnight Chefs' influence, this year's THE BLUE competition actually turned into a battle between chefs from the surface culinary world and the underground culinary world!
For Sosuke, he is currently unwilling to get involved in this mess.
Just as he never wanted to go to the WGO Gourmet Organization or Totsuki Culinary Academy, he had no interest in this cooking competition either.
"What?"
"Is THE BLUE competition starting early?"
Finally, Sosuke seemed to have thought of something and asked Anne.
"Not yet, but it's already in WGO's plan for next year."
Anne said faintly.
...
Grrrrumble! Grrrrumble!
At this moment, Anne's stomach suddenly rumbled.
She first touched her empty lower abdomen, feeling truly a bit hungry, then continued, "Shopkeeper, can you just make some random dishes?"
"Of course, I like customers who are so easygoing."
Hearing this, Sosuke became busy again.
The simpler the dish, the more it reveals skill.
Anyone can make bear paw and shark fin, but only a true master can make delicious greens and Tofu.
This saying is similar to the martial arts principle of "heavy sword has no edge, great skill has no art," but using the dish "Twenty-Four Bridges, Moonlit Night" as evidence is a big bug.
Because this dish itself is not truly simple, but rather...
Simplification into complexity.
He carved the Tofu into uniformly sized cylinders using a mold, then hollowed out the middle and put quail eggs inside.
He prepared ham, but considering the high salt content of ham, which is not friendly to people with high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol, Sosuke made some improvements.
After processing the ham, he continued to split the leg.
He first dug 24 round holes, then shaved the Tofu into 24 small balls and placed each into a hole, tied up the ham, and then steamed it.
"What kind of cuisine is this?"
"I've traveled all over the world, how have I never seen it?"
Anne couldn't help but feel astonished! (End of Chapter)
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