Chapter 9
Joichiro drew a deep breath and pushed down his curiosity for the moment before addressing Haruto in a more serious tone.
"Hey, kid."
Haruto looked up and met his gaze, his expression already calm again.
Joichiro smiled and pointed toward the skewers sizzling on the grill.
"Mind if I try one? Don’t worry about the price."
Haruto hesitated briefly, then nodded.
"Sure."
He picked up a skewer that had just finished cooking, but this time he did not brush it with his special sauce.
The Jewel Meat broth made the sauce delicious, but it also masked some of the Regal Mammoth meat’s natural flavor.
An ordinary customer would only think it tasted incredible, but a chef of Joichiro’s caliber would immediately notice the problem.
Instead, Haruto pinched a small amount of orange salt between his fingers and sprinkled it lightly over the meat.
Its fresh, savory citrus flavor was perfect for drawing out the ingredient’s natural qualities.
"This one’s on me. Give it a try."
Haruto held out the skewer.
Joichiro accepted it without ceremony. He first breathed in the rich aroma, then carefully took a small bite.
His teeth broke through the charred, fragrant crust, and the juices inside burst across his tongue.
Joichiro’s entire body jolted as though a current had run through him.
His eyes widened, shock filling his gaze.
The meat was so tender that it seemed to dissolve like a cloud on his tongue, yet it still had the perfect amount of spring and bite.
It was soft without being mushy, and the rich flavor carried a faint citrus note that swept straight across his palate.
The taste was unlike anything he had ever experienced, blending wild intensity with remarkable gentleness.
Even more impressive was the cooking.
The heat had been controlled perfectly, bringing the Regal Mammoth meat’s natural flavor to its absolute peak.
...
Soma stared at his father’s unusually stunned expression.
"Dad! Is it good or not? Say something!"
Joichiro seemed not to hear him.
He slowly closed his eyes and let the flavor linger on his tongue, even keeping his breathing light as though the slightest distraction might disturb the experience.
Only after a long while did he open his eyes again and look at Haruto, who had already returned to tending the grill.
"This meat is incredible."
His gaze sharpened with interest.
"And your control of the heat is just as impressive. You cooked it exactly right."
Haruto smiled.
He was very confident in his ability to judge heat.
There was a good chance it was the special ability granted by his Gourmet Cells.
Still, he suspected there was more to it than that.
He had only possessed Gourmet Cells for a short time, so he would need to keep experimenting before he could understand the full extent of his ability.
After another moment of hesitation, Joichiro finally gave in to his curiosity.
"Where exactly did you get this meat?"
Haruto merely smiled and said nothing.
He could hardly tell Joichiro that it came from a Regal Mammoth more than a thousand meters long. No one would believe him.
They would only assume he was insane.
Instead, Haruto pointed toward the long line behind him.
"You’ll need to queue if you want another one."
Joichiro blinked, then understood and let out a wry laugh.
The boy clearly had no intention of revealing the ingredient’s origin.
Still, Joichiro genuinely wanted another taste.
Without hesitation, he walked to the end of the line, grabbing Soma by the arm and dragging him along.
Soma finally snapped out of his daze and hurried after him, his eyes still filled with curiosity and anticipation.
...
Haruto glanced at Joichiro and Soma as his thoughts began wandering again.
The world of Food Wars was actually a pretty good place for him to end up.
He had already been thinking about learning how to cook properly, and Totsuki Culinary Academy might be the perfect place to receive systematic training.
It would certainly be more effective than trying to figure everything out on his own.
Now that he possessed Gourmet Cells, delicious food was also nourishment that could help him grow stronger.
At Totsuki, he would surely have plenty of opportunities to taste exceptional dishes.
The only obstacle was his lack of a proper identity.
That should be manageable, though.
Haruto glanced at Kazuya Mito, who was still waiting nearby.
As one of the leading companies in the meat industry, Mito Meat Products should have enough influence to help him.
Joichiro probably had the connections as well, but Haruto did not plan to get too involved with him just yet.
Aside from his control over heat, Haruto’s cooking skills were a complete mess.
If he spent too much time around a chef like Joichiro, it would not take long for the man to realize that Haruto was mostly bluffing.
He had already managed to look impressive once.
Haruto was in no hurry to expose how little he actually knew.
Joichiro and Soma still had a restaurant to run, so they left after buying several skewers.
Not long afterward, Haruto sold the final one.
He packed away the grill, wiped the grease from his hands, and turned toward Kazuya, who had patiently waited off to the side.
...
A little over ten minutes later, Haruto brought Kazuya back to his house.
After a brief negotiation, they reached an agreement.
Haruto would sell Mito Meat Products five hundred kilograms of Regal Mammoth meat at two hundred thousand yen per kilogram.
The total came to one hundred million yen.
Haruto was fairly satisfied with the result.
Five hundred kilograms amounted to roughly half the Regal Mammoth meat he had brought back, but the payment meant he would not have to worry about money for the foreseeable future.
Besides, the next time he entered the world of Toriko, he could bring back even more.
The only problem was that he would have to wait before he could return there.
That was more than a little frustrating.
Haruto also told Kazuya that the meat came from a species of elephant.
Technically, that was not a lie.
A Regal Mammoth was indeed an elephant—it was simply a little larger than most.
As for Kazuya, he considered the price enormous, but still believed the deal was well worth it.
Given the quality of the Regal Mammoth meat, those five hundred kilograms could generate value and influence far beyond the one hundred million yen he had paid.
Had it been possible, he would have bought every last piece Haruto owned.
Unfortunately, Haruto rejected that idea without hesitation.
As part of the agreement, Kazuya also promised to help resolve Haruto’s identity problems.
He could even use his connections to secure Haruto a place in Totsuki Culinary Academy’s transfer entrance examination.
There was only one complication.
The examination was being held in one month!
That gave Haruto just thirty days to improve his cooking enough to pass Totsuki’s transfer exam.
The deadline was daunting, but he had no intention of backing down!
He could begin preparing immediately, with a full month ahead of him.
If he still failed after that, then he would have no one to blame but himself.