Holding a fork, she picked up a portion of the dish that had been cut. To her surprise, even though the inside was mashed potatoes, the dish did not fall apart due to the fork's entry.
Instead, it was picked up perfectly intact. The slightly fatty parts of the bacon had rendered their oil, turning golden, and were absorbed by the mushrooms in the mashed potatoes, causing them to swell. The visual effect was absolutely perfect!
Everyone's gaze followed the picked-up portion, watching Akame swallow the entire dish.
The next moment, a rich, mellow taste exploded in her mouth. Her fists clenched slightly, and Akame lost her previous composure. Her fair, tender thighs involuntarily intertwined, twisting left and right, and her originally placid cheeks visibly reddened by several shades.
At the same time, because the dish had just come out of the oven, the internal temperature was very high. Akame opened her mouth as if scalded, fanning herself constantly, but because the dish tasted so good, she was reluctant to spit it out. Her small tongue moved flexibly, making Hoshino Sora feel a bit parched.
Damn it, deduction, deduction.
Feeling ashamed of his impure thoughts, Hoshino Sora tried his best not to look at Akame's face, or more precisely, her pink lips, fearing he would lose his composure.
Her appearance made him inexplicably think of a pure doll being broken. Ah, what, a dark expression?
"Mmm, Woo…"
She made incomprehensible sounds from her mouth. Her teeth collided with the scalding mashed potatoes. Although it was mashed potatoes, it was more delicious than meat. This was Akame's only thought.
The rich aroma intensified as the dish broke apart, completely captivating Kurome, who had already endured to her limit. She picked up her fork and began to devour it.
"Asaka-nee, Rika-nee, don't be shy, eat as much as you like. There's another portion in the kitchen; I'll go get it."
Her face was flushed, meat juice flowed from the corners of her mouth, and she greedily chewed while exhaling hot air. The taste of this dish had far exceeded Kurome's imagination!
Her entire soul seemed to detach from her body, and illusions appeared before her eyes—the joy of harvest! Potatoes piled up, enormous in size. In her fantasy, a hoe appeared in her hand. As she tilled and turned the earth, she saw head-sized potatoes, which instantly piled into a mountain, engulfing her.
"The rich, mellow, and robust flavor of the fat perfectly combines with the mushrooms. The silky, smooth mashed potatoes pair harmoniously with the distinct mushroom pieces, creating the illusion of eating meat."
"And this sauce, slightly sweet, with an endless umami aftertaste, perfectly enhances the bacon's inherent saltiness. They are two completely different flavors, yet they coexist so harmoniously. It's truly miraculous!"
Their eyes sparkled with an unusual light. After the initial frenzy, the two sisters began to seriously review the dish in front of them, closing their eyes and savoring it carefully as they spoke.
Bringing the dishes to Ya Xiang and Rika, Hoshino Sora smiled and explained, "I added honey. Honey can tenderize the meat, making the bacon, which should be crispy, soft, achieving a synergistic texture. The sauce is an improved teriyaki sauce. I added more onions and a small amount of the original braising liquid from pig trotters to make the flavor layers richer." Because of limited ingredients, he couldn't use red wine like Yukihira Soma, but he also had some research on sauces, so there was no need to be particularly fixated on one kind.
When it comes to cooking, a thousand people have a thousand tastes, and what is called unique also originates from this.
"It's really amazing! This is the first time I've had such a dish. Right, big sister?"
With excitement in her eyes, the girlish Kurome clasped her hands together, then turned her head with a smile to look at Akame.
"Mmm, another one."
Akame set down the empty plate in front of her, nodded gently in response, then looked at Hoshino Sora with a blank expression, extending a finger to ask for another portion.
"There's none left. This is a hidden menu item and usually won't appear in the shop."
"Ours here can…"
"Alright, then we'll take our leave for now. We'll come back if we get the chance."
Touching her stomach, which was only two-thirds full, Akame didn't wait for Ya Xiang to finish speaking. She stood up, nodded to Hoshino Sora, then pulled out two thousand Japanese yen, placed them on the table, and hurried away with her sister.
"So delicious! This mashed potato is truly amazing!"
With her hand lightly propping her face, an expression of enjoyment spread across her features. As Akame and Kurome left, Ya Xiang released Rika's restraining hand and picked up her fork to eat the potato bacon roast.
Because she knew their identities, she was worried about ruining her brother's opportunity. So, even when Hoshino Sora brought the dish to the table, emitting an astonishing aroma, she still used her remaining rationality to restrain her strong desire to eat.
Her idea was very simple: to satisfy the customers. The portion size of the food was also an important factor affecting their mood. Now that Akame and Kurome had left, they no longer needed to endure.
Saliva had long been flowing in her mouth, especially Rika. If Ya Xiang hadn't held her back, she would have long since plunged her fork into the dish.
"You two eat first. I'll go wash the dishes."
Looking at the two sisters, who were beaming with happiness, Hoshino Sora smiled knowingly, then returned to the kitchen to wash the dishes. When he came out again, the two sisters had already finished most of the dish.
"Sora, this is for you."
— — — — — — — — — —
[Hidden Task Completed]: Host the Critic
[Task Description]: Host the unexpectedly visiting food critic and prepare a dish that satisfies them.
[Task Reward]: bone removal dragon saber
[Grade]: Bronze-grade cooking utensil
[bone removal dragon saber]: Cuts through iron like mud, can cut various animal bones without dulling, leaves a smooth cut without bone fragments, suitable for chopping bones and deboning meat.
After eating the remaining potato bacon roast, Hoshino Sora's mind suddenly heard a prompt. This made him pause. What was the setting for a hidden task? Did it refer to small probability events that happened by chance?
Upon closer thought, it was indeed so. If Akame and Kurome hadn't come today, or if he hadn't hosted them, then this task would have had no chance of being completed. It mainly depended on his choices.
It was similar to side quests outside the main storyline.
Hoshino Sora thought to himself, simultaneously closing and locking the shop door. A cool breeze blew in, making his clothes flutter.
"So cold…"
As she spoke, Rika leaned closer to Hoshino Sora, her body brushing against him intentionally or unintentionally. Finally, she wasn't satisfied with just touching and simply hugged his arm.
"Ah, how sly!"
Seeing Rika proactively cling to him, Ya Xiang exclaimed, then, not to be outdone, hugged Hoshino Sora's other arm.
It was fortunate that it was night. If such a scene were seen by outsiders during the day, who knows what they would say.
Hoshino Sora was already used to the sisters' closeness, but the softness touching his arms made his heart flutter, bringing him both pain and joy.
And when Ya Xiang and Rika saw that Hoshino Sora didn't say anything, their initially reserved actions became even bolder. They could say they adored their younger brother immensely.
Moreover, their parents had also hinted, overtly and covertly, that either sister marrying Hoshino Sora would be a good choice. With their parents' support, they had no more worries.