Moonlight poured through the tavern windows like a cold silver blade, scattering pale shadows across the floor. A bone-chilling cold emanated from every corner—walls, ceiling, floor, even the dining tables—sending involuntary shivers through everyone present.
"So cold…"
"The temperature just dropped all of a sudden…"
Standing behind Mana, Anne hugged her arms tightly, trembling despite the distance between her and Zane.
Zane, standing calmly, held the Heavenly North Star Wolf Blade. The knife's design was breathtaking—slender and slightly curved, with a handle made of carved bone, etched with a dragon motif. It was more than a kitchen tool; it was a work of art.
Mana squinted, skeptical. Is that even a real kitchen knife? Can it actually cut anything properly?
Crack—
As Zane attempted to draw the blade, he found it stuck fast in its sheath, as if sealed with superglue. With no other choice, he slammed the hilt against the floor.
Bang!
Cracks spiderwebbed through the sheath. Then, with a sharp snap, it shattered entirely, revealing the full body of the blade—translucent and gleaming like a frozen mirror, radiating cold light beneath the lamps.
"Is that… made of ice?!"
Mana's jaw dropped.
Even with everything she knew about Zane, this defied all reason. An ice blade? In a kitchen?
A deadly silence fell over the tavern, broken only by a sudden, soul-piercing chill that spread like a wave.
"So it is an ice blade," someone muttered. "No wonder it's so cold in here…"
"Achoo!" Anne sneezed, shivering harder.
"Hey… smoke?"
Megumi blinked, covering her mouth.
"No, not smoke," Satoshi corrected, eyes narrowing. "It's frost forming on the blade. The ice is so cold it's releasing vapor as it melts."
Soma's teeth chattered. "But… what can a knife like that actually do?"
In the modern culinary world, knives came in all shapes and materials—stainless steel, high-carbon alloys, ceramics. But even the most versatile blades had their limits. An ice blade? That was absurd.
"Zane," Mana asked, voice hushed, "what's the name of this knife?"
"Heavenly North Star Wolf Blade," Zane replied calmly.
Mana's eyes widened. "Just like the Frozen Sea Bream Iceberg—it's such a grand name…"
Anne quickly perked up. This knife isn't in THE·BOOK… She made a mental note to catalog it later. A blade like this would shake the culinary world.
"You're really going to use that to prepare the snapper?" Mana asked again.
"I told you before," Zane said, eyes sharp. "The Frozen Sea Bream Iceberg dish was created for this blade."
With a breath to steady himself, Zane locked eyes with the fish on the board. Then, raising the Heavenly North Star Wolf Blade, he declared, "Now begins my most spectacular performance."
Whhhssh!
He swung the blade, clean and precise. The ice knife whistled through the air, his movements like a swordsman in a legend—graceful, poetic, yet razor-sharp.
Each slice was a blur.
Each cut exuded overwhelming pressure.
"This… his earlier technique wasn't even his real strength?" Soma murmured, stunned.
If Zane's earlier mandarin fish dish put him on par with Joichiro Yukihira, this dish made Soma question everything.
Under everyone's awed gazes, thin slices of snapper were layered onto the glimmering ice sculpture, completing the Frozen Sea Bream Iceberg.
When light struck the ice mountain, it shimmered like a crystal temple. The sashimi vanished into its surface, becoming almost invisible.
"Oh my…" Megumi gasped.
She peered closer. The snapper slices were cut so thin they looked like translucent silk.
"Incredible," she breathed. "Even if I trained for a lifetime, I couldn't master that level of knife work…"
Clang, clang…
Suddenly, the ice blade in Zane's hand began to crack. Moments later, it shattered into glittering shards.
Zane didn't flinch. He calmly turned, grabbed his seasonings, and made a special sesame oil. With a flick of his wrist, he drizzled it over the fish.
"All done," he said. "This version is even better than last time."
A wave of cold swept the tavern again. It was the most chilling—and most delicate—dish anyone had ever seen.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Mana stared at the masterpiece before her, heart pounding. This was what she had been searching for—what her divine tongue had longed for.
"Um… couldn't a regular knife do the same thing?" Megumi asked hesitantly.
"No," Zane said with a smile. "The Frozen Sea Bream Iceberg is sashimi. The fish has to be kept at the perfect chill while slicing to maintain its texture and taste. The ice blade isn't just dramatic—it enhances the dish."
He turned to Mana. "Go ahead. Try it."
"Mmm!" Mana didn't hesitate. She picked up a slice and took a bite.
Time stopped.
The moment the sashimi touched her tongue, Mana froze. A rush of flavor swept over her, deep as the sea itself. The texture—springy, smooth, resilient—was unlike anything she'd ever known.
Fwoooosh…
A gentle wind stirred. It swirled through the tavern, fluttering curtains and tilting flowerpots.
Then it strengthened.
It became a cyclone of flavor, whipping around the tavern like a storm. Dishes rattled. Curtains billowed.
"W-What's going on?" Anne gasped, shielding her face. "I've never seen Mana react like this!"
Gulp.
Mana finally swallowed. The wind ceased.
Her eyes, red with emotion, locked on Zane.
Why… why did his food always make her lose control?
Her face flushed crimson. Her divine tongue had reached some kind of limit—an edge it had never touched before.
Then, unable to stop herself, she let out a scream—and dove into the dish like a woman possessed.
In moments, the plate was clean.
Still unsatisfied, she turned to Zane with pleading eyes.
"Not enough?" he asked, offering her a napkin.
"I… I want more!" she whispered, limp and breathless.
"All right," Zane said. "But the blade's gone. It won't be quite the same."
"It's fine," she murmured. "As long as it's yours, I'll eat it all."
Zane gave no reply, just a faint smile as he turned back to cook again.
Soma watched in silence.
"Dad… I think I finally get it. You sent me to Totsuki to change."
Had he stayed at Yukihira Diner, his life would've been simple, maybe even satisfying. But this world—the world of culinary battle and extraordinary chefs like Zane—this was where the real excitement lay.
Later, after five plates of sashimi, Mana finally slumped back with a loud burp.
"I'm so full…"
"Only Zane's cooking can shake the divine tongue like this…"
She cradled her stomach like a pregnant woman and closed her eyes, the flavor still lingering on her tongue.
In her mind's eye, she could still see the glittering fish slices… and the shattered shards of that ice blade.
Unforgettable.