Chapter 22: I Hate Gluttons

Fortunately, he found the real thing in the woods, not something similar, so Sora returned to the Second Exam Site in a good mood.

"As expected, it doesn't look like a green onion.

... But I didn't expect the large leaves to be in such a dense forest. Just as expected of a gardening terrorist, just like mint. Your fertility is too strong."

By the time I muttered to myself and returned to the Venue, most of the students who had gone to find Fugura had already returned.

"Ah, Sora's home. Yes, this is it. Is about 5 okay?"

"Yes, I'm home. Yes, this is enough. This is a great harvest. Thank you, Gon."

Gon noticed Sora's return and called out to confirm.

Noticing the dissatisfied and disgruntled gazes of the two, Sora looked up and tilted his head.

"What?"

Killua did not hide his frustration at that question and answered "Nothing," then turned and walked away.

He rarely expressed his dissatisfaction so frankly, but Sora did not know why he would ask such a question, so he tilted his head and answered.

"Because I have a fishing rod."

"………………Really."

Kurapika stopped speaking, as he was dumbfounded by this overly simple answer.

"... She is a rare villain."

Leorio whispered with annoyance in his eyes, and once again took Kurapika's elbow iron block to his side.

Killua also kicked me from behind, and I shouted: "That's unreasonable!"

While explaining the unreasonable damage caused by the two bursting out at a slightly upward angle, he said: "They have a good relationship," and asked.

"Then let's do it right away. Gon, how much can you cook?"

When I asked Gon to procure Fugura for me, I said, "I will teach you what I cannot do for you," so I tried hard to fulfill my promise. I will try. If you refuse, please tell me what went wrong."

"This is crazy! Gon is such a good kid, I'm starting to feel sad about being alive!"

"Why!?"

Seeing Gon's straightforward and overly pure smile and words, Sora overreacted and leaned back as if blinded, and Gon rushed in.

While the other three were watching in surprise, they also returned to their respective kitchens with somewhat embarrassed expressions and began to stare at the Fugura.

Apparently, everyone decided not to rely on Sora and to make the first dish themselves.

If I gave bad Suggestion, it is very likely that the judgment would be stricter, so Sora told everyone: "Well, if there is anything you don't understand, just ask me."

Sora was somewhat optimistic at this time.

He probably had a strong interest in food, having grown up in Japan, where even the world's worst British food could be made. Both men and women had learned basic cooking in home economics class, which is simply unimaginable.

A few minutes later, Sora hummed and cut the Fugura into three pieces, completely unaware that he was witnessing with his own eyes many things that could only be called Chaos, created by someone who had never cooked before.

＊＊＊

"... Now, let's start by recognizing the existence of the Kitchen Knife."

This was the first Suggestion Sora gave while holding his head after seeing what the three of them did after being rejected by Menchi.

Surprisingly, three out of four people didn't even process the Fugura.

Leorio stuffed several live Fugura into a ball of vinegared rice, creating something quite terrifying, and Gon and Kurapika stuck a small Fugura into Leorio's bite-sized vinegared rice. In fact, the three of them insisted that the things that didn't look very good were called "Sushi," and brought them to Menchi with relative confidence; for Sora, who was waiting for a roast, it was already just a blur.

I would rather it be like this.

However, to Sora's despair, Kurapika was shocked to hear that he and Leorio were on the same level, but he grabbed him tightly and asked: "... Is the 'Sushi' I made that bad?"

Apparently he still didn't understand what went wrong.

Sora, who promised not to lie to Kurapika, said: "... The consideration is completely correct," while slightly averting his eyes.

I didn't lie, but as expected, even this airbreaker couldn't say my true feelings.

Leorio's appearance was the worst, but unlike Leorio, who had no cooking experience at all, and Gon, who could eat anything as long as it wasn't poisonous, he was able to think about everything correctly. However, the Kurapika that Sora made do that thing firmly believed that from Sora's perspective, this was the most dangerous thing, and he would keep it a secret for the rest of his life.

By the way, only Killua tried to cut the Fugura while ignoring the existence of the Kitchen Knife, but for a child who had never cooked, cutting a raw Fugura was too difficult. The remains of the Fugura carcass instead of fillets.

Since it was within Sora's expectations, Sora gave him the sliced fillets, and Killua used them to make his own "Sushi," which is currently awaiting review.

While Sora wanted to retrieve the dismembered corpse of the Fugura that had been shredded by Killua, he also handed the cut Fugura to the three of them.

"I can teach you how to handle it, but it takes time, so just use this for now.

Also, a hint. Sushi is not something where you put or mix Fugura into rice."

"I'm home. This is bad."

When I explained to the three of them, Killua returned and told me bluntly that I had failed.

Hearing this, Sora, who knew what Killua had brought, gave a wry smile.

Killua made the carpaccio Sora gave him with olive oil and spices.

It once looked delicious, but that was not the case.

"Yeah, Killua has the best cooking skills and talent, but you forgot that 'too simple is hard,' right?

In this regard, the three of us are closer than Killua."

"Are you serious?"

"Sorry!"

Killua was displeased with Sora's Suggestion, and Kurapika and Leorio were annoyed by the fact that what they made was treated as trash.

"Alright, everyone calm down."

Killua laughed as if he were making fun of the two who were going crazy, and Sora stepped in to stop a fight from breaking out before he was taken away and tried to provoke subsequent blows.

At the same time, he scooped up a spoonful of the things he had chopped and mixed himself and handed it to Killua, who was closest to him.

"Rather than that, let me taste it."

Killua turned to look at the things on the spoon and the things on the cutting board.

On the cutting board, Killua carefully removed the bones and internal organs of the Fugura he had dismembered, then cut the fish meat into a paste rather than mincing it. This was not uncommon in Sora's world.

It is said to have originated from what fishermen made on their boats while fishing, so it generally uses blue fish like horse mackerel, but there are also "Namero" made with clams or squid, which is why it is called "river fish." "I haven't made it before, but it's fine." Sora thought about it and tried making it too, but the cause of this tragedy was most likely Killua's unfamiliarity with Miso.

"!? What is that!? Look at the poop!!"

Killua shouted the words he least wanted to hear while cooking, and most people in the hall inadvertently either burst out or froze for a moment.

Menchi was drinking tea to satisfy her hunger at the time and spat it out; the tea entered her trachea, causing her to choke violently, but Menchi's misfortune did not end there.

Sora immediately replied, asking if he was angry because the food was considered the opposite, or if it was intentional.

"You, Killua!! Apologize to the curry!!"

"Eh!? Apologize to the curry?"

Killua was told to apologize to it, referring to the thing that looked more like his, rather than to himself who made it. The curry.

During that exchange, the Examinees burst out again, their abdominal muscles collapsing.

Speaking of Menchi, she was already completely unable to breathe and was seriously dying, but without noticing the Examiner's panic, Sora said what he wanted to say, "Just eat it." I pinched my nose and put the spoon in. I stuffed it into my mouth without hesitation.

With a kind of unknown food that looked like dirt stuffed into my mouth, it wouldn't come true if I blocked my mouth.

At first, the resistance didn't even last a few seconds.

It was almost paste-like, so after confirming that he had swallowed without chewing, Sora let go of Killua's hand and asked, smiling like a child who had successfully pulled off a prank.

"How is it?"

"……Hmm, isn't that not bad?"

For Killua, who likes childish sweets and is unfamiliar with sweet food, this was not a flavor he liked, but he still thought it was delicious.

Usually, green onions are included, but perhaps because they were not included, the spiciness was less.

Having just recovered relatively quickly from the conversation between Killua and Sora, Gon ran over innocently and swallowed it naively, saying, "It's delicious," even though he was dishonest. '' he asked.

Sora gave Gon a spoonful of Namero, and Gon was not shy about letting him eat it, opening his mouth like a little bird to let Sora feed him.

"Wow, it's really delicious! It's a bit salty, but it looks like it goes well with rice!"

"Ah, I used a lot of seasonings to cover up the smell. But it goes well with both bread and rice."

While answering Gon's words, Sora gave Kurapika an equal spoonful.

Sure enough, he was shy and wouldn't let Sora feed him, so he picked up the spoon and ate it himself.

On the other side, Leorio joked, "Hey, let me have some too," and then opened his mouth wide.

"……Hmm. The taste is strong, but it's not bad…… how should I put it, it's a unique, very strange taste."

"Ah, this seems to go well with sake. Damn, I'm starting to want a drink."

"It seems to be popular. Or rather, Leorio. You're still a minor, aren't you?"

After letting everyone finish eating and confirming that it was fine for people in this world to eat, Sora grabbed the vinegared rice and wrapped it with seaweed.

I was told to make something other than Nigiri Sushi, but as a hint to my friends, I made a battleship roll, put the Namero on top, and threw the finished product into my mouth first.

"Hmm…… it's a bit dark after all. Hmm, I wonder if this is a matter of personal preference?"

While saying this, he let the four of us eat the battleship rolls made in the same way, confirming the taste again.

As a result, Kurapika and Gon replied "a bit strong," while Killua and Leorio replied "just right," and I decided to go and see.

Being told to make creative sushi, in the eyes of the Japanese Sora, there was no creativity at all, but 70 people didn't know the existence of "sushi," which meant that sushi had never existed in this world. Sora wondered if Japanese culture was that widespread.

Or rather, Sora had lived in this world for three years before knowing of Japan's existence; with an island shape almost the same as Japan and good culture, I don't think it's a developed country. There is even a possibility of a closed country.

So for Sora, hamburger sushi (now the main sushi dish) and California rolls (not Nigiri Sushi) were very likely sushi that Menchi had never seen or heard of.

Since "Namero" itself is similar to food eaten by fishermen, it is doubtful whether they even know of its existence.

So, well, I tried to bring "This is good."

Therefore, her subsequent actions had nothing to do with thoughts like "I interfered with the exam" or "I ruined my chance of passing."

"Well, let's go."

"Have a nice day."

"If you pass, please help us!"

Just as Sora was about to put the Namero battleship roll on the tray, someone got angry at Menchi.

"This is a simple dish where you can make bite-sized rectangular rice on rice, and then put wasabi and fish slices on top!

No matter who makes it, the taste is the same!?"

Ha, sorry!!"

A young man in black with a distinctive top of his head exposed the method of making sushi, his voice louder than Leorio and Kurapika, who said "sushi is made of fish."

The moment he heard the revelation, Menchi's face turned into a Hannya, and at the same time, Sora's face became expressionless, as if the temperature had suddenly dropped.

"……Uh, Sora?"

Everyone noticed the change in his appearance, only Kurapika had the courage to speak to the suddenly expressionless Sora.

"……Kurapika. Take this."

"Hmm? Ah, ah."

Sora expressionlessly handed Kurapika a tray with the battleship rolls on it.

As soon as Sora's hands were empty, Sora ran toward Examinee No. 294, Hanzo, who was being held by the collar by Menchi and receiving a big sermon.

"You guys, how can you be so bald!! If you don't like Japanese food, I'll cut off your tongues!!"

"Over there!?"

Like Menchi, Sora was annoyed by his rude comments about sushi and cooking.

However, how could these two greedy women stop in such a hurried chant? Hanzo didn't know why he was sitting on his knees hearing more and more sermons.

The machine-gun sermon of these two women lasted about ten minutes. After it ended, the word "Failure" was marked on Hanzo's face, and Sora silently exchanged a firm handshake with Menchi. A smile.

"Phew. I'm home."

"What do you want?"

The person shaking hands might not even know.

Of course, after this, the exam could not proceed smoothly.

At first, Sora asked, "I know Sushi, but what should I do?" Even though Menchi shouted at him, she could not stop her anger and completely lost her cool. She said, "We will judge based solely on taste," and began demanding professional-level taste, just as Sora had feared.

Contrary to her appearance and gender, because Menchi became a Gourmet Hunter, she had eaten quite a lot of Sushi, but no Examinee could create the taste she wanted, so she only ate for about an hour. It seemed that pushing it was no longer a good quirk.

"Evil!! My stomach is already full."

It is a natural result that the number of successful applicants is zero.

However, as a matter of course, Menchi's exam was judged unreasonable by the exam committee, and the Examinees were saved by the appearance of Netero, the Chairman of the Hunter Exam.

With the appearance of the Chairman, the hot blood that had been rising in Menchi's head subsided. She admitted that her exam was unreasonable and insufficient and stated she would resign from her position as a judge, but Netero refused and offered a choice.

"The judging will continue. In exchange, we will ask you, the judge, to participate in the new test in the form of a demonstration."

Hearing Netero's proposal, Menchi raised her head as if she had thought of something.

And the menu she held up with a smile...

"Boiled Egg"

Menchi requested Netero to take him and the students to a certain mountain by airship.

Looking at the mountain he pointed to, Netero understood all of Menchi's intentions, smiled slightly maliciously, and readily accepted.

Just like that, the students were taken to a strange mountain split in two by a cliff, as if it had been cut like a cake.

Brought to a cliff where the bottom of the mountain could not be seen, some Examinees turned pale.

"What on earth is down there?" one of the students muttered uneasily.

After I told him, Menchi jumped into the cliff.

"Eh!? Ahhhh!?"

While the students widened their eyes at the sudden bungee jump without a rope, Netero explained what Menchi had done.

"Spider Eagles inhabit Mount Muhuta. I went to get its egg."

"To protect its eggs from land animals, the Spider Eagle hangs its eggs on strong threads between valleys. It sticks tightly to the thread, picks up only one egg, and then climbs back to the rock wall."

The student Todo, who was sent to Buhara due to Netero's explanation, said, "I can't do that!" and climbed the cliff to show the egg he got.

"Hehe, I'm going to make boiled eggs with these eggs."

(... That sounds nice. Can you have the guts to jump down like that!!)

Just as Netero said, even if he did a "demonstration" to show it was not impossible, and he was a "Gourmet Hunter," he would not accept it.

He did not admit that he was inferior to Menchi, telling himself in his heart that this exam would fail again.

But behind him, this excuse was completely destroyed.

"Oh, good."

"You were waiting for this, weren't you?"

"This is much faster and easier to understand than running and ethnic cuisine."

"Mr. Menchi! How many eggs can one person take?"

"You said you only had one, you idiot!"

The boys around 12 years old raised their voices as if to say "easy win," and those who seemed to be companions spoke softly, without any sign of being intimidated, jumping off the cliff first.

One by one, they had no disgust, nor a tense expression as if enduring fear, but smiles believing they would pass the exam.

Most of those who followed had the same faces as those who jumped in at first, or blank faces as if saying "this is too easy," but nearly half of them froze when looking down at the cliff. I just couldn't jump down.

Menchi asked the uneasy student: "What's left? Giving up?"

Todo did not have the energy or stamina to say: "You can't do that!"

"It takes courage to quit; the exam is not just this year."

After Netero finished saying these words to the students who gave up, he looked down at the cliff just like Menchi, watching the students who went to get the eggs.

"Ah, Chairman. Thank you again."

"I volunteered to give it up, but this year is truly amazing."

While squatting and waiting for the students to return, Menchi said to Netero.

"Hmm. As expected, the number of people in the first half and the second half is very good."

"That's right! I lost to everyone once, but the rookies this year are especially excellent!"

"By the way, I recommend number 100!"

Menchi talked enthusiastically about the excellent performance of this year's Examinees and his favorite Examinee.

Of course, the Sushi made by Sora, also known as number 100, was full of bad marks in Menchi's test aimed at reaching a professional level, but it met the initial passing criteria. Menchi had a good impression from the beginning. He claimed he knew Sushi, and although he gave hints and help to his friends, he did not tell them how to make Sushi.

Thus, I accidentally mixed up the public and private thoughts that made her pass the exam, but she said: "Don't hesitate, throw away the bad things, it's embarrassing to pass here." Since he passed the exam, he was the first to pass. He jumped in with confidence.

In Sora's view, the motivation for taking the exam was "because a license is good for identification," just like a driver's license, so I didn't want to leave my friends here and pass the next exam alone; everyone would be happier if they didn't know others.

"... Does number 100 refer to that white-haired girl?"

Menchi had no interest in Menchi's recommendation, just slightly widening her eyes, surprised to find that she seemed to know her before Menchi opened her mouth.

However, although she was an Examinee, she had already mastered instinct.

"Yeah. Even so, that girl looks great. Sorry, but when I was asked, I asked about her gender first."

"It's okay, as expected, she doesn't like being mistaken for a sickle or a pot, but she doesn't seem to mind being mistaken for a man."

When I mentioned Sora's genderless appearance as a topic, Sora and Netero said they knew her better than Menchi, and this time they widened their eyes.

Netero looked at Menchi's shocked expression, smiled, and spoke up.

"If you like, you can exchange family codes. Maybe you will know many dishes that even you don't know."

As I spoke, my gaze returned to the bottom of the cliff.

The disciple climbed the rock wall with an egg in his suit pocket, and when Netero looked down at him, he wore a puzzled expression.

Netero narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself, curiously wondering what he looked like reflected in those deep blue eyes.

"Let's make dishes from another world."

From the moment I first wanted to start this series, the scene I most wanted to write was "You!

Killua, for the second half, I really couldn't manage a Separation from Sora, nor did I have any parts containing original elements, so I had to put it in as is. Next time, I will talk about the content from inside the airship to Trick Tower, but for some reason, this will become very long. I think it will take at least 3 episodes. It's very interesting, it should just be dialogue...