If you looked closely, though, you could still spot a hint in his flickering eyes.
"Fantastic! I never expected the test topic to be a traditional dish from my homeland. I've got this exam in the bag!"
While the examinees were still guessing, Menchi finally gave them the answer at just the right moment.
"Judging by those confused looks on your faces, I suppose it's no surprise you don't know. This is a traditional national dish from a small island nation to the east."
"A traditional national dish from... a small island nation?"
"Amazing, Roy got it right again!" Gon said happily.
"Yeah, but honestly, I wish he hadn't..." Leorio grumbled. "What the hell is a traditional national dish supposed to mean?!"
"But even if we don't know, Roy definitely does, right?" Gon said.
"...That's true! Roy, you know what sushi is, don't you?"
"Mm." Roy smiled and stepped forward.
"Excuse me, Examiner, but I need to interrupt for a moment. Sushi isn't actually a traditional dish of some small island nation."
The moment Roy stepped in and even contradicted the Examiner, every examinee immediately fell silent. They all watched him carefully, trying to pick up any clues about sushi.
"Sushi actually originated in an ancient eastern civilization. It was only later introduced to that island nation, where it was further refined and popularized. As for why it flourished there instead, that's simply because the mainland civilization had too many kinds of cuisine—sushi was just one inconspicuous food among countless others."
Menchi froze for a second, then asked, "How do you know that so clearly?"
"Because, strictly speaking, that ancient civilization is my homeland."
Menchi understood at once and nodded.
"I've learned something."
When it came to food, Gourmet Hunters approached it with the utmost seriousness.
"That's nonsense! It's obviously a traditional food from my homeland!" the bald ninja screamed inwardly in protest. But one look at Roy, who clearly wasn't someone to provoke, and he immediately swallowed those words back down.
"Tch. Fine. I'll just show you later what real sushi looks like."
Next, Menchi led the examinees to the cooking stations inside the room.
Inside, the knives, preparation tables, rice, and other tools had all already been set out.
Some of the examinees even noticed, in the corner, the corpse of the Great Stamp chief that Roy had brought out earlier.
"This is where you'll be making the dish. The most basic tools and ingredients are already laid out before you. I've also prepared the rice you absolutely need for sushi. And here's the biggest hint I'll give you: among all forms of sushi, I only recognize nigiri sushi as a valid finished product."
Menchi stood there with one hand on her hip, looking openly excited for the upcoming test.
"All right, we're about to begin. The exam ends when I decide I'm full. Until then, you can make as many pieces of sushi as you want."
After giving all the hints she intended to give, Menchi officially announced the start of the test and found a sofa to sit on.
Most of the examinees could only fumble around cluelessly with the rice and knives. Some even directly squeezed the rice into balls, having no idea what they were supposed to do with it.
At the same time, many pairs of eyes kept drifting toward Roy.
"Roy, do you know how nigiri sushi is made?" Gon had developed a very good habit: whenever he didn't know something, he asked Roy. After all, there didn't seem to be anything Roy didn't know.
Roy noticed that many other people were holding their breath as well, their attention fully fixed on him.
So naturally, his mischievous streak surfaced again.
"There are many kinds of sushi," Roy began. "Nigiri sushi, aburi sushi, rolled sushi, and several other varieties. Rolled sushi is made by laying a sheet of roasted seaweed over a small bamboo mat, spreading a layer of vinegared rice on top, adding fillings in the center, rolling it into a long cylinder, and then cutting it into smaller pieces. Common fillings include seaweed, shredded meat, cucumber, corn, and other side ingredients."
"As for aburi sushi, that's when the topping used for nigiri sushi is quickly seared with a torch. It's generally used for sushi with fattier cuts of meat, because once the fat caramelizes, it gives off a distinctive aroma. As for nigiri sushi..."
Roy saw that countless people in the room were listening to his explanation with rapt attention.
Then he suddenly said, "Gon, you guys come closer. I'll explain the details to you properly."
"Pffft—!" The other examinees nearly spat blood.
You bastard—could you be any more shameless? You explained all the other kinds of sushi, but when it came to the most important one, nigiri sushi, you stopped talking. Damn it!
Android 18 didn't care at all about this second phase retest. After entrusting the sushi-making to Roy, she went off to talk business with Buhara regarding the later handover.
Menchi had never said the dish had to be made by a single person alone.
When the other examinees saw the looks of sudden enlightenment on Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio's faces after receiving Roy's explanation, they were so annoyed their teeth itched.
Hmph. So you're not going to tell us? Fine. We'll just watch what ingredients you go out to gather later!
At that moment, Roy spoke again:
"Gon, you guys can rest for now. I already have all the ingredients I need on me, so there's no need to go out."
K.O.
...
The examinees were completely out of options now. What else could they do? They could only try to figure something out themselves.
(End of Chapter)
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