Chapter 8
The first batch of skewers came off the grill with their surfaces golden and glossy, tiny beads of clear juice still clinging between the fibers.
Haruto handed one to the young man waiting eagerly at the front of the line.
The moment he received it, the young man bit down without hesitation.
His pupils contracted sharply.
A deep blush spread across his cheeks almost at once, reaching all the way to the tips of his ears.
Soft, breathless moans escaped his throat despite his best efforts to suppress them, and the oddly sweet sound only made everyone waiting nearby even more desperate for a taste.
Haruto ignored the performance entirely and turned to put another batch of skewers on the grill.
Just then, hurried footsteps approached from behind the crowd.
Haruto glanced up and saw a middle-aged man in a suit making his way toward the stall.
His hair was combed neatly into place, though a thin layer of sweat covered his temples from forcing his way through the crowd.
Haruto vaguely recognized him as the customer who had bought the final few skewers the previous day.
"Excuse me for disturbing you, young man."
The middle-aged man bowed slightly, his posture unusually respectful.
He reached into the inner pocket of his jacket, took out a gold-embossed business card, and offered it to Haruto with both hands.
"My name is Kazuya Mito. I’m the procurement manager for Mito Meat Products."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Our company is very interested in purchasing the meat you use for these skewers. Would you be willing to discuss a possible partnership?"
...
Kazuya’s heart pounded as he waited for an answer, terrified that Haruto might reject him immediately.
He had taken several skewers back to the company the day before, initially thinking only that the meat was unusually interesting.
The test results had been far beyond anything he expected.
Its quality exceeded even the finest A5-grade wagyu, while its nutritional value was several times higher than ordinary beef!
Yet it was neither beef nor lamb.
Its muscle fibers had a structure unlike anything their technicians had seen before, and all they could determine was that it came from some kind of enormous animal.
Mito Meat Products was one of the leading companies in the beef industry, though it dealt in other kinds of meat as well.
There was no way they could ignore an ingredient of this caliber.
If they managed to secure a steady supply, the company could use it to build connections with people far beyond its current reach.
Haruto paused and looked down at the gold lettering on the business card.
After a moment of silence, he accepted it.
Selling Regal Mammoth meat directly had never crossed his mind before.
He had only set up the barbecue stall because he needed quick money to get settled.
Still, Kazuya’s proposal was not necessarily a bad idea.
The meat was going to be sold either way.
Whether he sold it raw or grilled it into skewers made little difference to him.
The price, however, could not be low.
This was meat from a Regal Mammoth. Even the finest ingredients in this ordinary world could not compare to it.
Haruto casually slipped the card into his pocket and looked at Kazuya’s eager expression.
"We can talk after I finish selling what I brought today."
He was already interested, but he still intended to finish what he had started.
He was not going to leave everyone who had waited in line standing around while he discussed business.
...
Kazuya opened his mouth, intending to offer to buy the entire remaining batch.
His company needed a large quantity anyway, and a few extra skewers would hardly matter.
Before he could speak, however, a chill ran down his spine.
He instinctively looked over his shoulder and found the entire line staring at him.
Every pair of eyes was filled with open hostility!
Kazuya immediately swallowed his words and forced an awkward smile.
"Of course. Y-you’re absolutely right. We can talk once you’re finished."
He nodded repeatedly and wisely stepped aside.
He had a strong feeling that if he tried to buy everything, several people in the crowd would happily offer him a fist to the face.
Haruto paid him no further attention and returned his focus to the grill.
He turned the skewers as fat dripped onto the charcoal, sending the flames surging higher.
The aroma grew richer with every passing second.
Before the next batch was ready, however, a stir suddenly spread through the crowd.
"Isn’t that Joichiro from Restaurant Yukihira? What’s he doing here?"
"Joichiro’s an incredible chef."
"Hey, Soma came with him too."
"Did they come to try the skewers?"
Haruto’s hand froze.
One of the skewers nearly slipped from his fingers.
He looked up sharply and followed the crowd’s gaze, only to see two very familiar figures approaching.
The man in front wore simple kitchen clothes and carried himself with an easy, relaxed confidence.
He was tall, with long dark-red hair and a laid-back expression.
Haruto knew exactly who he was.
Yukihira Joichiro—the chef once known throughout the culinary world as the Asura!
Walking behind him was a red-haired boy with a scar over his left eyebrow.
Yukihira Soma.
...
Haruto’s pupils contracted.
For a moment, it felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck him, freezing the blood in his veins.
This was ridiculous!
Being transported to japan had already been unbelievable enough.
He had never imagined that he had not merely crossed national borders—he had entered an entirely different world!
Yukihira Joichiro. Yukihira Soma.
This was the world of Food Wars!
Haruto finally understood why everyone who ate his skewers reacted as though they had taken some kind of drug.
That was simply what people did in this world when they tasted good food.
His thoughts descended into chaos.
Meanwhile, Joichiro and Soma had already reached the stall.
Even from a distance, the overwhelming fragrance of grilled meat had immediately caught Joichiro’s interest.
As a top-class chef, he had tasted more premium ingredients than most people could imagine.
Yet he had never encountered an aroma this captivating.
There was a wild, vigorous vitality hidden within it, balanced by a surprising gentleness.
It carried the freshness of wind passing through a mountain forest and the warmth of sunset over an open plain, with so many layers that even Joichiro found himself impressed.
As he drew closer and saw the skewers on the grill, his eyes grew brighter.
With his sensitivity to ingredients, the texture of the meat and its unique fragrance were enough for him to reach one conclusion.
He had never seen this ingredient before.
The distribution of fat was more perfect than even the finest wagyu could achieve, while the muscle fibers possessed a delicacy and resilience unlike anything he recognized.
A completely unknown ingredient was enough to excite even Joichiro.
He genuinely wanted to know what kind of meat this was.
Beside him, Soma stared wide-eyed at the grill, his nose twitching as he quietly muttered to himself.
"That smells amazing... It’s not beef or pork. I wonder what it tastes like?"