The afternoon rush had just begun when Vash stepped into the kitchen.
The restaurant wasn't completely full yet.
A few customers sat at the wooden tables, talking quietly while Grandpa handled the counter.
Vash glanced toward Grandma.
She was standing beside the stove with an old recipe book open in front of her.
Vash recognized it immediately.
The same book he had been reading for weeks.
The same book that had taught him more about cooking than he had expected.
And one recipe in particular had already become part of his cooking.
Golden Noodles.
He had struggled with it in the beginning.
He had made mistakes.
He had practiced.
And eventually, he had mastered it.
But mastering one recipe hadn't made him a master cook.
There were still countless things he didn't understand.
Grandma closed the book.
"Today, you're learning something new."
Vash looked at her.
"Another recipe?"
Grandma nodded.
"Yes."
She opened the book again.
Vash leaned closer.
His eyes fell on the title.
Golden Chicken Soup.
He smiled.
"Golden Chicken Soup?"
"Don't get excited yet."
Grandma pointed toward the ingredients.
"Knowing the name doesn't mean you know how to make it."
Vash nodded seriously.
"Then teach me."
Grandma smiled.
"Watch first."
---
Vash didn't touch anything.
He simply watched.
Grandma prepared the ingredients carefully, paying attention to every small detail.
Vash had learned enough from Golden Noodles to understand that cooking wasn't simply about throwing ingredients into a pot.
Timing mattered.
Temperature mattered.
Preparation mattered.
Even the order in which ingredients were added could change the final result.
He observed Grandma's movements.
Slow.
Controlled.
Experienced.
He tried to remember everything.
But this time, he didn't open Deep Analysis.
He wanted to learn it himself first.
Golden Noodles had taught him something important.
The System could analyze information.
It couldn't replace experience.
Grandma began preparing the soup.
Vash watched the stove.
The smell slowly changed as the ingredients came together.
He could already tell that this recipe required a different kind of control.
Golden Noodles had depended heavily on timing and balance.
The soup required patience.
A lot of patience.
"Why are you waiting?" Vash asked.
Grandma glanced at him.
"Because some things cannot be rushed."
Vash looked at the pot.
He understood.
---
After watching for a while, Grandma handed him the spoon.
"Your turn."
Vash took it carefully.
He stirred.
"Not so fast."
He slowed down.
"Good."
A few minutes later, Grandma asked him to adjust the heat.
Vash lowered it.
Then he watched the surface of the soup.
Too much heat.
He corrected it.
Not enough.
He adjusted it again.
The System appeared briefly.
[ORDINARY SYSTEM]
[Cooking Skill Detected]
[New Recipe: Golden Chicken Soup]
[Learning Progress: 8%]
Vash glanced at the notification.
Only eight percent.
He smiled.
That's fine.
He didn't expect to master a recipe immediately.
He had already learned that progress came from repetition.
---
His first attempt wasn't perfect.
Grandma tasted it.
She didn't say anything.
Vash waited.
"What's wrong?"
"Think."
Vash took another taste.
He considered the flavor carefully.
He remembered the ingredients.
The order.
The temperature.
The amount he had used.
Then he realized his mistake.
"The flavor isn't balanced."
Grandma nodded.
"Why?"
"I rushed one part."
"Correct."
Vash looked at the soup again.
He had been concentrating on finishing the recipe instead of understanding what each step was doing.
He made another attempt.
This time, he moved more carefully.
The result was better.
Not perfect.
But better.
[Cooking Progress: 21%]
Vash didn't celebrate.
Instead, he memorized the mistake.
That was becoming his habit.
Every mistake had information inside it.
---
The rest of the afternoon passed with small attempts.
Vash helped serve customers.
He returned to the kitchen.
He practiced.
He made another mistake.
Then another.
Grandma corrected him when necessary, but she didn't give him every answer.
Sometimes she simply watched.
Sometimes she asked him a question.
Sometimes she let him discover the mistake himself.
By evening, Vash had made noticeable progress.
But he still hadn't mastered the recipe.
And that was exactly what Grandma wanted.
Before closing the recipe book, she looked at him.
"That's enough for today."
Vash looked at the book.
"Can I read the next recipe?"
Grandma immediately closed it.
"No."
Vash blinked.
"Why?"
"One recipe at a time."
"But I already know how to cook Golden Noodles."
"And you are still learning this one."
Vash sighed.
Grandma smiled.
"Master this first."
Vash nodded.
"Okay."
She placed the book back in the cupboard.
Vash watched her close the door.
He understood the lesson.
There was no point rushing ahead.
---
Later that night, Vash sat alone in his room.
The restaurant was quiet.
Grandpa and Grandma had gone to sleep.
Vash opened the System.
A notification appeared.
[NEW OBJECTIVE]
Objective: Learn Golden Chicken Soup
Reward: +10 System Points
Current Progress: 21%
Vash stared at it.
Ten points.
That was a useful reward.
But the objective itself interested him more.
The System wasn't asking him to simply read the recipe.
It wanted him to learn it.
That meant understanding it.
Practicing it.
Improving.
Eventually mastering it.
Vash closed the notification.
Then he opened the full System interface.
[ORDINARY SYSTEM]
Host: Vash
Age: 14
Level: 1
[PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES]
Strength: 6.5 / 10
Agility: 5.5 / 10
Endurance: 4.5 / 10
Reaction: 5.5 / 10
[MENTAL ATTRIBUTES]
Intelligence: 6.0 / 10
Memory: 7.0 / 10
Comprehension: 6.0 / 10
Concentration: 4.0 / 10
[RECOVERY DATA]
Rehabilitation Progress: 4.5
Walking Stability: 5.0
Balance: 4.8
[SKILLS]
Cooking: Basic
Business Sense: Beginner
[ABILITIES]
Deep Analysis: Active
Pattern Recognition: Active
[SYSTEM DATA]
System Points: 57 / 100
System Integrity: 18%
Condition: Damaged
Vash slowly read the entire interface.
Everything was there.
His physical condition.
His mental attributes.
His skills.
His abilities.
His recovery.
His System Points.
And that strange line at the bottom.
System Integrity: 18%.
He stared at it.
The same question returned.
Why is it damaged?
He had thought about it many times.
The System had appeared after the accident.
It was connected to him somehow.
But how?
Was it connected to his brain?
Was it something that had existed before?
Did the accident have something to do with it?
Vash didn't know.
He opened the available System sections.
He checked his status.
Nothing.
He checked the available information.
Nothing.
He searched through the sections he could access.
Still nothing.
No explanation.
No origin.
No answer.
Vash leaned back against the wall.
I can't figure it out yet.
He looked at the System again.
It remained completely silent.
For now, he decided to leave the question alone.
There were other things he needed to accomplish.
His recovery.
School.
The restaurant.
Cooking.
And now—
Golden Chicken Soup.
Vash closed the System.
He had learned something today.
Not just another recipe.
Something about learning itself.
One recipe at a time.
He lay down and closed his eyes.
Tomorrow, he would practice again.
The recipe was only twenty-one percent complete.
He still had a long way to go.
And Vash was ready for it.