"What a cheeky boy," Leonora murmured to herself.
As Dylan exited and closed the door behind him, Nakiri Leonora lowered her arms and breathed a sigh of relief, though the image of his departing gaze lingered in her mind.
He was probably just curious, she thought, couldn't resist looking a couple more times.
"But the flavour of this dish... it absolutely reached the level of a Special Grade Chef! And it was even the extremely difficult-to-prepare glowing cuisine... Who on earth is this guy? I've never heard of such a young Special Grade Chef!"
Downing the last of the ramen broth, not even leaving a drop at the bottom of the bowl, Nakiri Leonora panted heavily, her face flushed. It took her a while to recover before she fell into deep thought.
Dylan's skill level was simply too high, disturbingly so; it completely defied his age.
It felt as though everyone else his age was learning '1 + 1 = 2', while he was already delving into calculus. It was truly unbelievable.
"Mom, can I have Dylan be my teacher?"
Having also finished every last bit of the tonkotsu ramen in her bowl, Nakiri Alice lifted her innocent little face to look at Nakiri Leonora, her eyes brimming with anticipation.
Just from today alone, she felt she had learned more than in the past few years combined. If she could study closely under Dylan, her cooking skills would surely advance by leaps and bounds! Then she could surpass Erina, adopt a superior attitude, and mock her for being weak!
"Alice, how much do you know about this person?"
Nakiri Leonora turned to Nakiri Alice, her expression slightly serious.
"Dylan? Like I said before, this morning I saw him being bullied by three large men in front of a restaurant. At the time, he was very..."
Hearing her mother's question, Nakiri Alice thought for a moment before recounting how she met Dylan. She never imagined that the little beggar she had randomly picked up would turn out to be such an incredible chef!
"How could a Special Grade Chef fall into such circumstances? And be rescued by you, of all people... However... although his identity is still questionable, I can clearly feel from his cooking that his fundamental nature isn't bad."
Gazing at the empty ramen bowl before her, Nakiri Leonora let out a long breath and uttered these words. Cooking is the embodiment of the chef's spirit.
Although Dylan's cuisine possessed a strong sense of aggression, it was generally positive and uplifting, leaving an endlessly satisfying aftertaste. The sheer level of skill was evident.
"Then let's keep him!"
Nakiri Alice looked expectantly at Nakiri Leonora, reaching out to hug her arm and shaking it gently, full of playful pleading.
"Since you like him so much, then let him stay. Honestly, having such a skilled chef as your cooking teacher is almost overkill... assuming you can convince him, that is."
Thinking of Dylan's superb culinary skills, Nakiri Leonora couldn't help but chuckle wryly. Even if they were willing, the final decision still rested with him.
Such formidable Special Grade Chefs rarely agreed to teach a fledgling apprentice unless there was a family connection or a superior-subordinate relationship.
"Don't worry, Dylan already promised me!"
Hearing Nakiri Leonora relent, Nakiri Alice immediately jumped up happily, her face alight with excitement.
"So you two already discussed it?"
Hearing Alice's words, Nakiri Leonora pinched her chin, a look of understanding dawning on her face. It seemed the Nakiri household was about to get livelier.
Because the "Nakiri International Research Group" was just starting, Soe rarely came home, maybe once a month. The large villa usually housed only mother and daughter. Leonora kept busy with her research institute work, but the crucial point was Alice. Having just arrived in Denmark, she had no friends, and the only thing she could really do was cook. Honestly, it was quite lonely for her.
"Alright, let's go upstairs and change. Is the room next to yours okay for Dylan?"
Seeing the ecstatic Alice jumping up and down in celebration, Nakiri Leonora took her small hand and led her upstairs.
"Yes!"
That night, Dylan moved into the room next to Nakiri Alice's. Since his entire worldly possessions consisted of just those few ragged clothes, there wasn't much to unpack. Upon entering the room, he went straight to bed and lay down.
"Alice is only seven now... there are still at least seven years or so until she returns to Totsuki. And I haven't seen Kurokiba Ryou yet..."
Based on Nakiri Alice's age, Dylan mentally organized the timeline and decided to stay here for a while.
His current problems were significant: his body was too thin and small, he had no money. His internal energy was decent, but only at the level of an average martial arts master, mostly useful for enhancing his cooking or dealing with four or five burly men simultaneously.
Not enough! That wasn't nearly enough!
He had to build a sufficiently strong physique and further cultivate his internal energy. Only then could he feel safe navigating the world.
Although this world seemed much safer than the world of Chuuka Ichiban – seemingly centered entirely around chefs, where skilled cooks could even influence politics and command fear from both legitimate society and the underworld – Dylan still preferred to rely on his own strength.
After all, back in the Dark Culinary World, almost every famous chef was a martial arts expert. Especially that Leopard Head Arkan – his internal energy was supposedly so profound he could ignite the Yangtze River to cook.
Knock, knock, knock.
Just as Dylan was lost in memories of the past, someone knocked on his door. Immediately after, Nakiri Alice entered, wearing a white lace nightgown.
"What's wrong? Can't sleep and want me to keep you company?"
Seeing Nakiri Alice's unexpected visit, a flicker of surprise crossed Dylan's face, but he still spoke half-jokingly.
"A little... I wanted to ask, this morning, when you were chopping the bacon and onions, why did the ingredients fly into the pot by themselves?"
"Please answer my question! Otherwise, I won't be able to sleep tonight!"
After some hesitation, Nakiri Alice finally voiced the question that had been piquing her curiosity. The image of Dylan chopping vegetables kept replaying whenever she closed her eyes. If she didn't get a clear answer, she really wouldn't be able to sleep!
"Oh, that? Basically, during the chopping process, you quickly lift the knife, creating a kind of 'flicking' force. This allows ingredients stuck to the blade due to moisture to be flung off."
"As for why they land in the pot, that involves a concept: practice makes perfect. I can sense the weight of each ingredient, allowing me to adjust the force applied and ensure they land precisely where intended."
Looking into the girl's eager eyes, Dylan simply explained the principle. It had taken him a full week to learn this technique. There was nothing particularly special about it, except that it looked really cool when used!
For a guy, looking cool is a lifelong pursuit!
"I see! You really are amazing, to be able to do something like that!"
Hearing Dylan's explanation, Nakiri Alice was momentarily stunned. The principle was simpler than she had imagined, but based on his description, the execution must be incredibly difficult.
Without perhaps ten years of knife skills, one probably couldn't even conceive of it, let alone perform it.
"Well then, when making the ramen broth, why..."
"I understand now."
"What if..."
After a period of discussion and answers, Nakiri Alice suddenly felt enlightened. Cooking puzzles that had long troubled her were all resolved in that moment.
Dylan often cut straight to the heart of the matter in just a few sentences, then answered her questions simply and concisely.
____________
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