Chapter 997

"Erina Big Sister, are you inviting me to go out to the night market tonight?"

When Ikumi Mito received a call from Hisako Arato and learned the reason for the call, she was somewhat stunned.

"What, you don't have time to go?"

Hisako Arato noticed the person opposite seemed hesitant, and raised her voice to ask.

"No, I have time."

The personal invitation from the Big Sister of the Nakiri Family, who stood at the pinnacle of the Japanese culinary world and could be called royalty in the Japanese cuisine industry, even if she originally had other things to do, she had to make time to keep the appointment.

"I'm just wondering, with Erina Big Sister's noble status, why would she suddenly think of going to a night market street that ordinary people go to?"

Ikumi Mito explained the reason for her pause just now.

"Because one person—"

"One person?"

"No, this is to scout for possible enemy movements."

"Uh—"

Ikumi Mito was confused—was it because of a person, or to scout enemy movements?

Furthermore, if it was the latter, then—

"May I ask, Miss Hisako, what enemy movements are we going to investigate?"

"Ask less. If you're coming to the appointment, gather below the sixth Cooking Building around five."

Hisako Arato didn't explain; she hung up the phone after speaking.

Stuffing the phone back into her skirt pocket, the girl looked at Broly and asked: "Today, you still want to learn prenatal medicinal cuisine, right?"

"Yes, please instruct me, Miss Hisako."

Broly nodded. In the past two days, besides supplementing some basic cooking knowledge, he spent most of his time asking Hisako Arato about medicinal cuisine suitable for pregnant women.

"Fine, but I'll check your homework. The medicinal cuisine you learned the day before yesterday, let's see if you've forgotten."

"No problem."

Broly agreed and followed Hisako Arato to her Medicinal Cuisine Room.

The layout inside was completely different from Nakiri Erina's Western Restaurant Cooking Room.

First catching the eye was a Hundred-Drawer Cabinet, made of solid wood.

According to Hisako Arato, the solid wood cabinet could regulate humidity well, some woods themselves had insect-proof and anti-corrosive functions, plus the wood scent was relatively mild, which could better preserve medicinal herbs without mixing odors.

Of course, most of the medicinal herbs here were not suitable for cooking for pregnant women; those truly suitable for pregnant women were mild tonic types, such as Codonopsis, Red Date, Dried Longan, and so on.

And what Broly had been taught by Hisako Arato before was Ginseng and Date Rice and Ginger Date Longan Honey Cake; the effects of these two medicinal cuisines were mainly to strengthen the spleen and benefit Qi, and improve appetite.

Ginseng and Date Rice: take 10 grams of Codonopsis and 20 grams of Red Date, decoct to extract juice, simmer the juice with White Sugar until thick, and pour over steamed Glutinous Rice. This dish strengthens the spleen and benefits Qi, very suitable for pregnant women with insufficient Qi and blood and loss of appetite.

Ginger Date Longan Honey Paste: simmer Longan Meat and Red Date until soft, add Ginger Juice and Honey and mix well; take one Spoon before meals and dissolve in Warm Water to drink, which can also whet the appetite and strengthen the spleen.

Hisako Arato drank a cup of freshly simmered honey paste water and ate a mouthful of the Ginseng and Date Rice just made; the taste was unchanged from when she taught it the day before.

Broly's output was stable, with no errors due to the longer time, which made her very satisfied.

"The day before yesterday I taught you stomach-strengthening and spleen-opening medicinal cuisine; today I'll teach you mild tonic medicinal cuisine, suitable for daily maintenance and promoting intestinal movement: Yam and Sesame Porridge."

Hisako Arato said, picking up a yam and a small bag of Black Sesame: "Yam and Sesame Porridge. Yam is neutral in nature and sweet in taste, enters the Spleen, Lung, and Kidney meridians, can strengthen the spleen and nourish the stomach, generate fluids and benefit the lung, tonify the kidney and retain fluids."

"Black Sesame is also neutral in nature and sweet in taste, enters the Liver, Kidney, and Large Intestine meridians, can tonify the liver and kidney, benefit essence and blood, and moisten intestinal dryness."

"Rice: choose Japonica Rice that strengthens the spleen and harmonizes the stomach."

"Stir-fry the Black Sesame until fragrant, wash and soak the rice in advance for one hour and cook thoroughly, peel and cut the yam into chunks and steam thoroughly as well."

"Since it's for pregnant women, the porridge needs to be fine, so choose the Soy Milk Machine as the cooking utensil."

"Add all the prepared ingredients inside. Generally 150g yam, paired with 100g rice, plus 10g Black Sesame."

"Then add water to the middle mark of the Soy Milk Machine; what comes out is a thick porridge texture. If you want it thinner, add to the upper limit line; if thicker, don't fill to the middle line—"

Hisako Arato pointed to the middle mark of the Soy Milk Machine, then threw the prepared ingredients inside. The Soy Milk Machine started, emitting the sound of the motor spinning at high speed and the blades stirring.

"After the dish is done, there are a few points to note. First, whether to add sugar. Pregnant women with high blood sugar absolutely must not add it."

"Second, do not drink a large amount of this porridge on an empty stomach. Yam mucin protein may stimulate gastric acid, Black Sesame has high fat content, easily causing acid reflux and bloating."

"If you have a constitution prone to diarrhea and bloating, or are currently supplementing iron and calcium, it is recommended to separate the eating time of this medicinal cuisine by"

"more than two hours."

Hisako Arato served the finished Yam and Sesame Porridge to Broly to taste, and supplemented the precautions needed for eating this medicinal cuisine.

After Broly finished eating, she had Broly make it again following her steps just now. And this kind of dish, which doesn't require watching the fire or seasoning, is the type that anyone with hands can do.

"Next, is Crucian Carp and Ginger Kernel Soup—"

One simple, one difficult. But speaking of difficulty, the difficulty mainly lies in handling the Crucian Carp.

If the Crucian Carp is not cleaned properly, the soup simmered will have a blood smell.

But as long as it's handled well, this dish is also the type that anyone with hands can do.

Of course, since it's a water-bath stewing method, it really takes time.

When Broly perfectly recreated it, and after adding a little Pork Lard and Refined Salt to the stewed soup, the time had already come to evening.

Hisako Arato only tasted a sip, and after confirming there was no problem with the fish soup taste, she had Broly eat these things.

Teaching Broly medicinal cuisine, what satisfied Hisako Arato most was that no matter what dish he made, he could completely finish it, without needing to worry about wasting food at all.

"It's about time. Clean up, we should go out too."

The girl looked at the time on her Wristwatch, then said to Broly.

"Okay."

Broly tidied up nimbly, then followed Hisako Arato to find Nakiri Erina.

The three went downstairs, and downstairs they met Ikumi Mito, who wore her School Uniform in a gyaru style.

An obviously oversized white shirt, tied in a bow at the chest, revealing a slender waist with faintly visible abs and Adonis belt.

At the waist was a deliberately shortened plaid school skirt, red straps bound around the thighs, and a kitchen knife always carried on her person inserted at the side.

Of course, Mito Ikumi is ultimately a Chef, so her hands had no nail art or such things, and her face lacked heavy makeup.

The wheat-colored skin most befitting a gyaru was also naturally tanned; beneath the shoulder straps of her top, two distinctly different skin tones were clearly visible.

"You waited here in advance?"

"No, I only just arrived not long ago."

Mito Ikumi, who had arrived at the Sixth Cooking Building ten minutes early to wait, hurriedly denied it, yet her attitude toward Nakiri Erina

was respectful to the utmost.

This was not only because Nakiri Erina is one of the Totsuki Ten, but also because her overbearing father at home required her to build good relations with such a future major figure of the Culinary World.

The Nakiri Family's influence in the Culinary World is not something the Mito Family can compare to; even her own father adopts a respectful, ingratiating demeanor before this Big Sister of the same age.

"Good then, get in the car."

A luxury sedan pulled up, Arato Hisako helped open the car door, and Nakiri Erina very naturally sat inside.

【I've been invited to ride in the same car as Erina-sama————】

Mito Ikumi was somewhat excited; after entering the sedan, she sat somewhat restrained next to Arato Hisako, diagonally across from Nakiri Erina.

"Aren't you getting in?"

The sedan window was rolled down, and Nakiri Erina asked Broly, who was still standing beside the car.

"Your car's a bit small; if I get in I'm afraid I'll crowd you."

Hearing this, Nakiri Erina subconsciously turned to look at the rear seat space, then at Broly's overly tall and muscular build outside the car; the luxury sedan's rear seat, spacious enough for them, seemed a bit small for him — if he really sat in the back, he might end up pressing against her.

"Fair point, then you sit in the front passenger seat."

After thinking a moment, Nakiri Erina said so.

"No need, I have a car."

Broly waved his hand, pointing a finger behind him.

The three girls in the car looked in the direction he pointed and saw a somewhat old pickup truck.

This was a used car bought at a used car market after Polar Star Dormitory unanimously decided to operate the Night Market Stall as a long-term project.

Mainly used to transport Ingredients, cooking utensils, and stoves.

Besides that, there's another vehicle for transporting people, driven by Isshiki Satoshi.

"Wait, even if you have a car, do you have a driver's license?"

Arato Hisako subconsciously blurted out.

"Of course I do."

Broly confidently nodded, pulling from his pocket a fake driver's license real beyond real.

Not to mention, the area where Yukihira Diner is located is truly a blessed land — even talent for forging documents exists there.

Upon learning a licensed driver was needed, Broly thought of the Gold Master he encountered on his first day arriving in This World.

And this fake license took only three hours to arrange; the forger didn't even charge him.

Of course, Broly still repaid them — personally cooking them a full table of dishes.

"Are we going straight to the Night Market?"

"No, we need to pick someone up first, and go to the Logistics Department to get the Ingredients needed for the Night Market Stall."

The pickup truck hauls cargo, but the front can also seat people.

Broly went to the Logistics Department first to get the Ingredients, then went to the Teaching Building side to pick up Tadokoro Megumi.

As for Yukihira Soma and the others, they boarded the minivan driven by Isshiki Satoshi.

Inside the luxury sedan, Nakiri Erina peered through the tinted windows and caught sight of the twintailed girl settling into the pickup's passenger seat; her brows furrowed slightly.

However, her furrowed brows soon relaxed — it's just the passenger seat, a dormmate sitting shotgun, what's the big deal.

Besides, Broly isn't anything to her, just a remedial student who at most listens to her relatively well.

"Hmph~"

Erina let out a light hmph.

"Erina-sama, you seem somewhat displeased; what's the matter?"

Hearing the sound, Arato Hisako looked up, saw an obvious displeased expression on her own Big Sister's face, followed her gaze out the window, saw nothing abnormal, and couldn't help but ask in surprise.

"Nothing, just following that guy Broly around the academy in circles, making me a bit irritable."

Nakiri Erina, resting her chin on her hand, casually denied it.

"Uh, then Erina-sama, we're not going to tour the Night Market?"

Arato Hisako asked carefully.

"Wuu————"

Beside her, Mito Ikumi's expression turned complex.

【Not going to the Night Market, then am I being kicked out of the car?】

"Who said we're not going? We're going, the destination is the Night Market, just wait — you must strictly evaluate that hateful guy's Night Market cooking; if there are flaws, criticize him harshly for me!"

Nakiri Erina said angrily.

【That guy, Erina-sama must be talking about Yukihira Soma————】

Arato Hisako thought, after all her own Big Sister has never been able to stand that Transfer Student.

"Yes, Erina-sama, I will strictly nitpick!"

Arato Hisako agreed seriously.

"Ah, me too."

Ikumi Mito realized it late, but she hurriedly caught up, saying, acting like Zhang Fei.

【So you called me over to criticize together with you? Then I'll definitely do it strictly!】

"Broly-san, I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I feel that black sedan seems to be following us."

Tadokoro Megumi sat in the passenger seat of the pickup, looking at the black sedan in the rearview mirror, and couldn't help but say to the boy beside her.

"Oh, sitting inside are Nakiri Erina and Hisako Arato and the others———"

"?"

"I invited them tonight to come to our night market stall as judges, and by the way give us some improvement suggestions on our night market food."

Broly casually replied, handing over a bottle of orange juice: "I heard there's another cooking exam today, you've worked hard, have a cup of freshly squeezed juice."

"Ah, thank you."

Tadokoro Megumi hurriedly took the juice and thanked him with her mouth, but just thinking that tonight's night stall food would be tasted by Nakiri Erina, that God Tongue of the Elite Ten, she felt somewhat under immense pressure.

"Broly-san, if our night stall food can't satisfy that Miss Nakiri, will we be fired by her?"

", why would we be fired by her? I'm just inviting her over to taste our night stall food and give some suggestions, that's all."

Broly looked at the girl in the passenger seat somewhat strangely.

"Uh———"

Tadokoro Megumi also came to her senses, her cheeks blushing with embarrassment.

"Sorry, a person's name casts a shadow; Miss Nakiri's God Tongue is famous for being strict, I heard many students、"

even professional chefs, because of her evaluation, automatically dropped out, or even directly left the culinary world."

Tadokoro Megumi apologized with one sentence, then spoke of Nakiri Erina's infamous reputation outside; the content was not much different from the rumors Broly had heard when he first met Nakiri Erina from those students who abandoned the exam at the same venue during the Transfer Student Exam.

"Miss Nakiri is actually that strict? I think she's quite easygoing; even if my cooking is bad, she would carefully point out the shortcomings in my cooking and give me correct guidance."

", Broly-san, is this true?"

"Of course, I'm now at the Sixth Cooking Building, accepting her and Miss Arato beside her's joint guidance."

Broly nodded, and he didn't know that his situation as a cooking beginner was precisely the reason Nakiri Erina was relatively lenient toward him.

You can't expect someone who hasn't properly learned cooking knowledge to directly make good food, just like you can't blame an elementary student for not knowing how to use calculus.

Of course, besides that, Broly's speed of learning and mastering cooking knowledge is another reason Nakiri Erina is friendly toward him and has a good impression of him.

Who wouldn't want to bring along an obedient, talented genius student?!