175: Unexpected

"You~ you~"

In the underground kitchen, the Wall Penguin cub, Youyou, was chirping happily.

It slid down a five-colored glowing slide that had appeared out of thin air, belly-sliding like a little pudding, before landing with a "poof" on a soft cushion of light. It scrambled up, wobbling as it ran back to slide again.

But Erina, standing in front of the prep table, couldn't bring herself to be happy.

She kept her face taut, her kitchen knife "thud-thud-thudding" as she cut ingredients, each strike radiating a "don't mess with me" aura.

Finally, when Youyou slid past her again, Erina stopped what she was doing.

She turned her head, glared at the happily playing Youyou, and then fixed her gaze on Lin Luo, who was watching the fun from the side.

Lin Luo was leaning against the prep table, his fingertips glowing faintly—obviously, he was the one who had created the slide. He was watching Youyou play with a smile, clearly enjoying himself.

Erina gritted her teeth and kicked his shin.

"Hey!"

Lin Luo wobbled from the kick, and the slide shook along with him. Above, Youyou let out a confused "You?".

He turned his head to look at the pouting Erina, his smile deepening: "What's wrong?"

"If you two want to play, play," Erina said irritably, "but why here? Can't you see I'm busy? This is a kitchen, not a playground!"

She pointed at the ingredients she was half-finished with, then pointed to the empty space on the other side of the kitchen, her meaning clear—go play over there!

Lin Luo looked over there, then looked down at his feet, where Youyou was waiting eagerly for the slide to be restored. He nodded: "Hmm, fair point."

Erina huffed, thinking he was finally being sensible, and prepared to get back to work.

But then—

"However," Lin Luo changed his tone, and the light on his fingertips grew brighter.

He waved his hand gently, and Youyou floated up. The little guy was stunned for a moment, then began excitedly flapping its small wings in the air, chirping "You, you" as if it were flying.

Lin Luo looked at Erina with a mischievous smile: "I refuse your suggestion."

Erina was so angry she almost laughed: "You—!"

It had been a week since they returned from the ice field.

After sending Toriko and the others off to recuperate, Lin Luo and Erina had returned to Setsunos Diner. But as soon as Erina returned, she buried herself in the kitchen to research the century soup, refusing to see anyone.

Lin Luo, bored, had started playing with the Wall Penguin cub.

As for why he had to play in the kitchen? It was all because the Young Miss only had eyes for that pot of soup right now.

"Erina, you're too tense. Go out for a walk; you might find some new inspiration." As Lin Luo spoke, he gave a gentle push with his palm, and Youyou flew into Erina's arms.

Bumped by the fluffy little creature, most of Erina's anger vanished instantly.

She held Youyou, rubbing against its soft fur: "You've been playing for so long, you must be hungry, right?"

"I'm hungry." Lin Luo immediately chimed in.

Erina shot him a glance: "I wasn't asking you."

Youyou chirped in her arms and gently pecked her face, making her laugh in spite of herself: "Alright, alright, I'll get you something to eat."

Lin Luo quickly leaned in: "What about me? What about me?"

He looked at the pot simmering on the stove, the soup inside clear and fragrant, and couldn't help but swallow hard: "Actually, this soup smells great already. Let me have a taste? Maybe I can give you some suggestions and help you find inspiration. My tongue is pretty sharp, too."

Erina pushed his leaning face away in disgust: "Got it, got it."

Lin Luo picked up the soup bowl, deliberately drawing out his tone: "Thank you for the grace of Lady Nakiri Erina—"

"Stop with the glib talk." Erina gave him a sidelong glance.

Lin Luo smiled and took a sip. The delicious flavor exploded in his mouth instantly, and warm energy flowed through his limbs like a stream. The "food energy" contained in this bowl of soup was even purer and more domineering than the natural century soup on the ice field. The only downside was that it lacked that captivating, dreamlike quality.

He had never drunk the real century soup, but this bowl was already so good it left him speechless.

"It's amazing." He praised sincerely.

Erina shook her head: "It's not enough, it's still far off." She had tasted the real thing Lin Luo brought back—that was a flavor that made one involuntarily sink into it, as if falling into a magnificent dream. By comparison, while this bowl of soup was exquisitely delicious, it lacked that Soul-stirring quality. They were worlds apart, like heaven and earth.

"You~ you~" Youyou had run over at some point and was pecking at Lin Luo's pant leg with its small beak.

Lin Luo immediately protected the bowl: "What are you doing? This is mine! Isn't the food prepared for you enough? No, no."

Erina rolled her eyes at him in annoyance: "Why are you picking a fight with a little one?" She turned and fetched a small saucer, ladling a shallow bit of soup into it: "Come here, Youyou, this is for you."

"What a waste of good ingredients," Lin Luo muttered, "it doesn't know what deliciousness is. Its ancestors might have even been ingredients for this soup."

"Shut up." Erina snapped without turning her head.

Who would have thought, just as Lin Luo's joke fell, the unexpected happened.

Youyou was happily lowering its head to sip the clear soup from the saucer when a drop of crystal-clear saliva slid down the tip of its beak and silently dripped into the broth.

In that very instant—

On the surface of the previously clear soup in the saucer, a faint, yet unmistakable... seven-colored light suddenly rippled across! The light was dreamlike and fleeting, but like a bolt of lightning, it split the chaotic fog in Erina's mind!

Her violet eyes widened suddenly, staring fixedly at Youyou, then snapping back to the transformed soup, her heart beating uncontrollably.

The final missing ingredient of the century soup, the one that gave it its "dreamy" charm... was actually...

"Clap!"

A crisp sound of clapping hands echoed through the kitchen, startling Erina out of her shocked reverie.

"What are you doing? You scared me!" Erina clutched her chest, looking reproachfully at Lin Luo, who had suddenly acted.

Lin Luo had already put away his previous idle expression. He was rubbing his chin, his eyes burning as he stared at the Wall Penguin cub hiding behind Erina's legs. His gaze was full of the inquisitive interest of someone who had discovered a new continent, and even... carried a hint of malicious "calculation."

"Hehe..." Lin Luo let out a meaningful low laugh, slowly crouching down and reaching out toward Youyou: "Little guy, come here..."

"You!" Youyou was so frightened by his gaze that its feathers puffed up slightly, and it scrambled even harder to hide behind Erina, its two small wings clutching her calf tightly, burying its little head inside, revealing only a pair of timid, black-bean eyes, peeking at Lin Luo with vigilance and fear.

"Lin Luo! Don't scare it!" Erina immediately turned to shield Youyou, like a mother hen protecting her chick, glaring at Lin Luo with dissatisfaction: "What kind of look is that?"

Lin Luo stood up with a smile and spread his hands, though excitement flashed in his eyes: "Aren't I helping you find the answer?" He looked past Erina at the trembling ball of fluff, his lips curling: "It seems... our little thing here is the key to opening that final door."

A flash of light appeared at Lin Luo's fingertips, and a small, shimmering "scalpel" made of pure energy appeared in his palm, which he spun around theatrically.

"Come on, just a check-up, my skills are excellent..." He leaned in with a smile.

"Get out! Get out!" Erina hugged the terrified Youyou tightly, protecting it like a treasure, while pointing at the door with her other hand, her arched eyebrows raised: "Look at how you've scared Youyou!"

Lin Luo looked at the little fur ball huddled in Erina's arms, daring only to peek at him with one eye. He curled his lip, dispersed the energy at his fingertips, and shrugged: "Fine, fine, I was joking, why so serious?"

Erina huffed, and Youyou followed suit, sticking its little tongue out at Lin Luo and making a soft "pfft" sound.

However, that fleeting glimpse of the aurora phenomenon had already taken root like a seed in Erina's heart. How could she let this clue go? After comforting Youyou a few times, she immediately carried the little guy to a clean prep table, her expression becoming incomparably focused, and began a rigorous experiment and adjustment.

...

Time passed quietly.

When a bowl of soup, emitting a soft glow and with a hazy, dreamy seven-colored aurora floating above its surface, was solemnly placed in front of Lin Luo, the corner of his mouth twitched.

"I'm telling you..." Lin Luo pointed at the unrealistically beautiful soup, his expression slightly twisted, "I really don't want to drink this." Thinking about what the "special catalyst" for this soup was, he felt a bit disgusted.

Erina, however, looked serious, as if she were giving an academic report: "Lin Luo, as someone who pursues the true meaning of gourmet food, you must understand that the sources of ingredients are diverse. The raw materials for some top-tier delicacies might sound chilling, but countless people still flock to them. We must treat all possibilities with a calm mind and cannot be biased."

Lin Luo squinted at her and pointed to the soup bowl: "I understand the logic. So, what about your 'Gods Tongue'? Why don't you taste it first?"

Erina stiffened her neck, her eyes drifting, but her tone was firm: "Th-this is a 'thank you gift' I prepared for you with great care! It's my heart! Drink it or don't!"

"Oh? Your heart, is it..." Lin Luo drew out the tone, suddenly beckoning to her with his finger, smiling somewhat maliciously: "Then come a little closer."

Erina backed away half a step warily: "What?"

"Come here, I have a secret to tell you." Lin Luo continued to beckon.

Erina moved a small step forward, half-believing, still maintaining a safe distance.

Just then, an invisible, gentle force suddenly pushed her waist!

"Ah!" Erina let out a light cry as her body uncontrollably fell forward, bumping straight into the waiting arms of Lin Luo.

She looked up in a panic, her beautiful eyes wide open. Before she could question him, Lin Luo had already lowered his head, accurately capturing her lips.

"Mmph...!"

A brief but undeniable light kiss.

Lin Luo pulled away quickly, smacking his lips as if still savoring it, and commented with great seriousness: "Hmm... tasted it. Sweet, smooth, not bad."

"You... you hooligan!" Erina turned bright red from her face to the roots of her ears, both shy and angry, and raised her hand to hit him.

Lin Luo caught her swinging fist with quick hands, holding it in his palm. With his other hand, he picked up the bowl of soup shimmering with the dreamy aurora, cleared his throat, and said solemnly: "Alright, alright, stop messing around. I'm ready to taste the 'heart' of Miss Nakiri Erina. If we keep messing around, the soup will get cold."

Saying that, under Erina's shy and angry glare, he examined the magnificent sight in the bowl, and then... held his breath, as if about to drink some special medicine, and took a cautious sip.