How majestic. The magnitude of the shaking... under her clothes, they might even be more impressive than Alice's!
Dylan naturally noticed this, and an image of Erina Nakiri's body under her clothes instantly appeared in his mind. If all restraints were removed and she maintained this posture, the swaying would certainly be eye-catching!
"Master Dylan?"
Noticing Dylan's blatant, undisguised gaze, Erina Nakiri's face turned slightly red. She bit her lip gently and called out his name, trying to pull him out of his fantasy.
By now, she was almost certain that Dylan had improper thoughts about her.
Looked at that way, they could be considered to have mutual affection in a sense. At the very least, if she confessed to him, it was impossible for him to refuse.
At this thought, Erina Nakiri's anxious heart calmed down considerably. Her biggest fear was confessing and then being cruelly rejected.
That way, not only would she fail to find love, but she would also lose the dignity they had maintained with each other. This was something she absolutely could not accept.
"Hmm, you can handle these few plates."
Averting his gaze, Dylan handed her a few plates from the sink that didn't have many stains on them.
It was worth mentioning that although these plates looked quite clean, they had been licked clean by the girls, so they were still quite dirty in essence.
"Okay."
Erina Nakiri nodded and took the plates Dylan handed her.
Although she had never washed a plate at home, with plates this clean, it was just a matter of rinsing them with water a couple of times and wiping them with a sponge cloth.
After just a minute of practice, Erina Nakiri learned how to wash dishes. However, her mind wasn't on washing dishes right now, but on what she was about to say.
She opened her mouth to speak several times, but the words would die on her lips and she'd swallow them back down. Erina Nakiri really didn't know how to begin; she had absolutely zero experience in this area.
"Is there something you want to say?"
Seeing Erina Nakiri's hesitant expression, Dylan keenly sensed that something was amiss, so he put down the washed bowls and chopsticks and asked.
"Ah, no, well, actually, there is something..."
Erina Nakiri was a bit incoherent.
She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself.
Clenching her fists, she finally mustered her courage after a long while. Erina Nakiri stared directly at Dylan, her heart pounding so hard from nervousness that it felt like it would jump out of her chest.
"No, I can't do it at all!"
She tried hard to open her mouth, but no sound came out. Erina Nakiri shyly lowered her head. Just then, a warm, large hand came over to caress her.
At the same time, the young man's gentle voice accompanied it.
"It's okay, you can tell me when you've thought it through."
Dylan gently rubbed her head, smoothing her slightly frazzled hair as if he were petting a dog. Feeling the faint warmth from her hair and smelling the unique, fresh mint scent from the young man, Erina Nakiri's face turned completely red.
Her already racing heart was now beating to the extreme, as if it would leap from her chest. Even Dylan, standing next to her, could hear it clearly.
Seeing Erina Nakiri in such a state, Dylan had a pretty good idea of what she wanted to say. After all, he was all too familiar with this kind of behavior; Alice Nakiri had been just like this, struggling for many years.
Soon, the two finished washing the dishes and left the kitchen.
Along the way, Erina Nakiri tried to speak several times, but she always swallowed her words. It wasn't until midnight that she and Hisako Arato went back.
"So? What did Erina say?"
As the figures of Erina Nakiri and Hisako Arato disappeared, Alice Nakiri excitedly grabbed Dylan's sleeve by the door, her eyes full of gossip.
"That little girl isn't mentally prepared yet. She'll probably need a little more time to really make up her mind. There's no need to rush this, take it slow."
Also watching the two of them leave, Dylan's voice was calm. He had seen everything Alice Nakiri had done, and he had tacitly allowed it.
After all, Erina Nakiri was very beautiful, had a great figure, and although she was a tsundere, she was very respectful towards him, so he quite liked the girl.
A fair lady is a gentleman's desire.
Dylan didn't plan on letting go of a single one of the beautiful girls in the Shokugeki world. It was just that his personality from his previous life was so dull that he didn't know how to pick up girls.
Fortunately, he possessed heaven-defying cooking skills.
Just by standing there, countless girls would flock to him like moths to a flame. He only needed to express a slight interest, and countless people would be willing to throw themselves into his arms.
This was the confidence he had as a powerful man.
"Hmph, she clearly promised me she'd make things clear today, but she still chickened out in the end. What a useless girl, can't even seize the opportunity I gave her."
Hearing Dylan's words, Alice Nakiri was not very satisfied. She let out a light snort and started complaining mercilessly in the direction Erina had left.
"You should worry about yourself first."
Glancing at Alice Nakiri, Dylan took a step back and pulled his sleeve free.
Beside him, Alice Nakiri was still pondering the meaning of his words when she was suddenly swept up into his arms. Losing her balance for a moment, she instinctively wrapped her arms tightly around Dylan's neck, afraid of falling.
"What are you doing?"
There was a hint of confusion in Alice's voice. She was startled when he picked her up, but realizing it was Dylan, she relaxed again.
"What happened in the courtyard just now, you haven't forgotten so quickly, have you? The punishment I mentioned wasn't just a simple joke."
He strode back to the room, speaking to Alice Nakiri as he walked. For not following the rules, this girl had to be properly punished.
"Alright, I accept your punishment."
Hearing Dylan's words, Alice Nakiri assumed it would be like usual and didn't mind, just letting out a bell-like laugh in his arms.
"Hey, don't touch there, that's ticklish."
Feeling the ticklish spot on her waist being inadvertently touched, Alice Nakiri looked at Dylan with a slight pout, wanting to use her cute act to escape punishment like before.
Even if she couldn't escape, he would be gentler with her because of her cute act, turning the punishment into a reward. At least, she found it very pleasant every time, even when she was spanked.
"Can't take it already? There's more excitement to come. I hope you don't end up begging for mercy, because not only will it be useless, it will make me even more excited!"
Tossing Alice Nakiri onto the bed, he strode to the drawer and took out a pair of leather handcuffs, ensuring they could restrain her firmly without causing injury.
"?!"
"Dylan-nii, when did you buy this?"
Seeing the leather handcuffs, Alice Nakiri finally realized something was wrong. It seemed he was serious this time. She then shrank back, looking pitiful and scared.
"A few weeks ago, I think. I realized that ordinary punishments don't seem to work on you. In fact, for you, they might even be a reward. So, to make you deeply understand your mistake when you misbehave, I bought these. I think the store also sent some matching accessories."
As he spoke, Dylan rummaged through the drawer and soon found a ball-shaped object, as well as a blindfold. He tried it on; sure enough, he couldn't see anything, just pitch blackness.
"A blindfold?"
Watching Dylan walk towards her, Alice Nakiri was taken aback. Seeing the blindfold in his hand, she was a bit confused. What was this for? To help her sleep?
"Put it on."
"No!"
He had already said he was going to punish her, so how could she possibly obey? She pouted in refusal, then rolled off the bed, wanting to leave the room.
However, Dylan, who had been watching Alice Nakiri's movements, would never give her that chance.
"Just put it on. If I have to do it myself, the result will be the same. Don't think about delaying. The sooner you accept the punishment, the sooner it will be over."
His body imperceptibly blocked the doorway, cutting off her only escape route. Dylan tossed the blindfold to Alice, his voice full of authority.
"Fine..."
Knowing she probably couldn't escape this time, Alice Nakiri's head drooped like a frost-bitten eggplant, but she still looked up, not giving up hope.
"Please be gentle with me, Dylan-nii."
"Pleading is useless. I much prefer the defiant look you had just now."
He personally fastened the leather handcuffs on Alice Nakiri. The other end of the cuffs was connected to the bed, restraining her firmly and ensuring that no matter how much she struggled, it would be useless.
Watching her struggle violently but to no avail, a satisfied expression appeared on Dylan's face.
Then, he personally put the black blindfold on her, which she had been so reluctant to wear, plunging her completely into darkness, yet her senses became incredibly sharp.
Beyond the darkness, Dylan skillfully removed Alice Nakiri's black stockings that accentuated the shape of her feet. After confirming she really couldn't see, he brought them to his nose and sniffed, then bent his finger and tickled the sole of her foot.
"Ah! Dylan-nii, you're bullying me! It tickles! I was wrong! Can't I just say I was wrong?! I'll never act on my own without your permission again!"
Suddenly feeling her sole being tickled, Alice Nakiri's body twitched. She then tried to pull her foot back, only to find herself tightly bound.
This feeling of helplessness instantly made Alice Nakiri panic. Her body began to twist violently, but no matter how she struggled, she couldn't break free.
Helpless, she could only resort to her cute act. However, today Dylan was determined to teach her a lesson and naturally wouldn't be swayed by such tactics.
"This is just the beginning. The real show is yet to come. The night is long. Enjoy it to the fullest."
As he spoke, Dylan gently touched Alice Nakiri's face with his fingers. His voice was very gentle, but it made the young girl's heart race violently.
She knew Dylan wouldn't do anything too outrageous, but she knew even better how uninhibited he could be when angered.
It was the ultimate experience of both pain and pleasure!
The train roared through the night. Megumi Tadokoro stood waiting by the exit with her suitcase. As the train slowly pulled into the station and stopped, she was the first to get off.
"Finally here. First, I need to find an inn to stay at."
Dragging her luggage, she stood at the station exit and used her phone. She first booked an inn nearby, then left the train station and took the subway to get there.
"Excuse me."
After getting off the subway and walking a considerable distance, Megumi Tadokoro stopped in front of her destination, then stepped forward and pushed open the inn's door.
"Welcome. You must be Ms. Tadokoro, who called to make a reservation just now."
The inn's owner was a gentle young woman. Hearing the door open, she looked over. Her eyes lit up when she saw Megumi Tadokoro, and she then spoke to confirm her identity.
"Yes, I'm Tadokoro. Thank you for having me."
"I'm Kitakaede. My grandmother is the owner of this inn, but I'm the one mainly in charge now. You can come to me if you need anything. Please follow me. As per your order, we will provide a complimentary dinner. Do you have any dietary restrictions? I will inform the kitchen to be mindful."
Leading Megumi Tadokoro to her room, Kitakaede made a routine inquiry along the way.
"No dietary restrictions, but for dinner, I would like to have a loach dish. I've long heard that Gunma Prefecture's loach cuisine is famous, and I'd like to try it today."
Megumi Tadokoro shook her head to indicate she had no restrictions, then blinked her big eyes and stated her request.
"You want to try loach cuisine? Then you've really come to the right place. We may not have much else, but our loach dishes are second to none! This is your room. The bathroom and toilet are to the right as you exit. Here is your key. Dinner will be brought in about half an hour."
Leading Megumi Tadokoro to a spacious and bright room where the morning sun could shine in, Kitakaede opened the sliding door and spoke to her, then left.
Watching Kitakaede's figure gradually disappear, Megumi Tadokoro dragged her luggage into the room.
The room's furnishings were simple. The floor was covered with tatami mats, on which sat a square, natural wood table with a tea set on it.
Since she arrived at night, the futon was already laid out, placed neatly in the center of the room. That was everything inside.
Putting down her luggage and taking out a few changes of clothes, Megumi Tadokoro closed and locked the door from the inside, then headed towards the bathroom as Kitakaede had said, preparing to enjoy a comfortable hot bath.
When she came out, a boiling hot pot had been placed at the door of her room, and Ms. Kitakaede was waiting there.
"I guessed you went to take a bath, so I waited here for you to come back. This is our Gunma Prefecture's specialty dish, loach hot pot. Please let me bring it in for you."
When Kitakaede saw Megumi Tadokoro, an 'I knew it' expression appeared on her face. She then picked up the dish from the floor, which was bubbling away.
"All the bones in the loach have been removed, so you can eat it directly. This over here is fried loach, made with small loaches. It's very crispy with one bite, and the flavor is very rich."
Hearing Kitakaede's words, Megumi Tadokoro looked over and noticed the dish next to the loach hot pot: a plate of small loaches fried to a golden crisp.
By the time Kitakaede placed the dishes on the table and was about to get a lighter, Megumi Tadokoro had already picked up a crispy fried small loach and started eating.
The next moment, a rich flavor spread throughout her mouth.
"Before the loach was fried, it was marinated with spices like ginger, garlic, chili powder, and Sichuan pepper. After being deep-fried at high temperature, its skin becomes golden and crispy, while the inside remains relatively tender. It's a pretty good snack to go with drinks."
Megumi Tadokoro gave her evaluation mentally. The taste wasn't particularly stunning, but it was still a decent dish.
Good ingredients paired with decent skill resulted in a fried loach dish that, in both taste and texture, had already reached the level of a second-grade dish.
"Would you like some sake, miss?"
"Please bring me a bottle."
"Certainly."
Kitakaede nodded, then went to the bar outside to get a bottle of sake, handed it to Megumi Tadokoro with both hands, and then left the room.
Taking the sake, Megumi Tadokoro closed the door properly, then poured a cup of sake into her teacup and enjoyed the fried loach with it, which had a unique flavor.
After finishing the fried loach, Megumi Tadokoro's attention finally turned to the hot pot in front of her.
The loach hot pot before her was less a hot pot and more like pan-fried loach on an iron plate. The pot was less than eight centimeters high, looking very shallow.
Under the high heat, the loach sizzled. There was also a plate of vegetables on the side. Before leaving, Kitakaede had instructed her to add the vegetables before the dish was ready to let the flavors meld.
Thinking of this, Megumi Tadokoro took action.
The vegetables in the dish were burdock root, ginger, and scallions.
Among them, ginger and scallions could enhance the freshness of the ingredients and were indispensable. The burdock root had a crisp and tender texture, and stewing it with the loach could effectively enhance the flavor of the hot pot, making it equally invaluable.
As this plate of vegetables went into the pot, coming into contact with the loach and the iron plate, it immediately let out a 'sizzle', and a fragrant aroma wafted to her nose.
"Let's add some sake to remove the fishiness."
Looking at the old-fashioned loach hot pot in front of her, Megumi Tadokoro poured the sake from her teacup into it. The 'sizzling' sound grew louder, and the aroma in the air became even more intense.
When the dish in the pot was fully cooked and the broth had evaporated, Megumi Tadokoro finally picked it out, placed it on a plate, and tasted it with a bit of novelty.
"What a full-bodied flavor!"
Putting both the loach and vegetables into her mouth, the two textures intertwined on her lips and tongue, and Megumi Tadokoro's eyes instantly lit up.
During the cooking process, the loach could quickly absorb the broth, becoming plump and juicy. Every bite was filled with the richness of the broth and the delicacy of the loach.
In addition, she could also taste a complex flavor formed by the combination of various spices such as chili, Sichuan pepper, ginger, garlic, and fermented black bean paste.
The taste was numbing, spicy, fresh, and fragrant—spicy but not harsh, numbing with a fragrant undertone, greatly stimulating her appetite and making her unable to stop eating.
Especially because tender ginger was added later, it perfectly removed the loach's natural earthy smell while adding the aroma of scallions, further enhancing the flavor!
"So this is what loach tastes like. To be honest, it's a bit like fish, but thanks to the ingredient itself, it can absorb the deliciousness of the broth very well..."
Savoring the taste in her mouth, Megumi Tadokoro murmured to herself. This was the first time in her life she had eaten loach, and it was quite a novel experience.
She had expected a strange taste, but after careful tasting, it felt somewhat familiar. The most important thing was its characteristic of being able to absorb broth well.
Taking one bite after another, experiencing the unique deliciousness of the loach, Megumi Tadokoro's mind spun rapidly as she began to construct a new loach dish.
Soon, the prototype of the dish was formed in Megumi Tadokoro's mind, but this was far from enough. She needed to taste more loach dishes to further refine it.
"I should rest early tonight."
Putting down the bowl in her hand, Megumi Tadokoro made up her mind. She planned to rest early tonight and wake up early tomorrow to go to the morning market to see if there were any new loach dishes.
As Ms. Kitakaede said, Gunma Prefecture produces high-quality loach. They cherish loach, and their cooking methods for it are the best in all of Japan.
"Knock, knock, knock."
However, just as Megumi Tadokoro was thinking about her itinerary for tomorrow, a knock on the door brought her back to her senses.
"Ms. Tadokoro, I've come to collect the dishes. Please open the door."
"Okay, I'm coming."
Megumi Tadokoro stood up and let Kitakaede in. The young woman looked at the completely empty loach hot pot and said with a smile, "So? Isn't our Gunma Prefecture's loach hot pot delicious!"
"It tastes quite good. The loach is large and plump, and the dish has a distinct flavor. But I'd like to try more loach dishes. Could you tell me where some good places are?"
Looking at Kitakaede who had come to clear the dishes, Megumi Tadokoro had a flash of inspiration.
She was a local and seemed to be a proponent of loach cuisine herself. Perhaps she knew which local shops had the best loach dishes.
"Where are the best places... well, there are many to choose from. Each shop has its own style. To be honest, I think they are all on par with each other."
Hearing Megumi Tadokoro's question, a conflicted expression appeared on Kitakaede's face. She didn't quite know which one to recommend, because every one of them tasted great.
"Could you tell me about all of them? I'll be staying here for a while, so I can just visit them one by one."
In contrast to Kitakaede's indecision, Megumi Tadokoro's eyes lit up.
She needed a large number of shops that were up to standard, and it was a good thing that they had their own specialties. Otherwise, if all the shops on the street were cookie-cutter, it would be too boring.
"There's a shop in the eastern part of the prefecture called 'Dojomi'. They've been making loach dishes for over twenty years and have their own understanding of loach. In the west, there's a place called..."
Faced with the inquiry, Kitakaede didn't hold back. She spoke effusively, listing all the good-tasting loach restaurants she knew.
"I've got it down. I'll be sure to visit them."
Closing her notebook, Megumi Tadokoro nodded seriously, deciding to visit all these shops during her stay to learn from their experience.
"Then you should get some rest. I'll be going now."
Collecting the dishes from the table, Kitakaede nodded to Megumi Tadokoro, then left the room and headed to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Their inn's business wasn't very good. There was only her and a chef working, and the chef was her childhood friend who had come to help her out.
In the room.
Megumi Tadokoro didn't immediately crawl into her futon. Instead, she sat at the wooden table, writing in a notebook, recording all her experiences from just now.
This was something she did every time she developed a new dish.
Because a person's memory is limited, even if it's vivid now, it will gradually fade in a few days.
Only by recording these experiences and cross-referencing them later could she more effectively advance her culinary research. This was her own unique method.
"It absorbs broth very easily, its meat is delicate, and it's full of flavor. In that case, I'll use this characteristic to make its taste even richer!"
Putting down her pen, Megumi Tadokoro murmured to herself, then closed her eyes and began to further construct the dish in her mind.
She sat like that for an entire hour.
______
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