Chapter 8 – Divine Fried Rice Skills
Under Hestia's watchful eyes, Shirou began using Takemikazuchi's food stall to prepare snacks.
The food stall didn't have a wide variety of ingredients—it mainly served two dishes: fried potato balls and fried rice.
There wasn't much to say about the fried potato balls. The process was simple: mash pre-prepared potatoes into balls and deep-fry them for a few minutes.
The key lay in controlling the frying time and making the sauce.
Shirou had often made similar dishes at home before, so using the leftover ingredients at the stall, he smoothly prepared well-formed potato balls and dropped them into the fryer.
"Oh! That looks pretty good! Shirou, you might actually have a real talent for cooking!"
Hestia, who had been watching from the side, came closer—her chest squished against the food cart—and sincerely praised him.
"Be careful not to get splashed by the oil,"
Shirou simply gave a concerned reminder, then began preparing the next snack.
In a sense, this next dish was the one Shirou cared more about—it was the key to helping Takemikazuchi's stall turn things around.
Yes, during his earlier chat with Takemikazuchi, Shirou had already decided to help attract more customers to his food stall.
But unlike Hestia, Shirou couldn't rely on looks or charm to draw in people.
However, Shirou was skilled in cooking, so he naturally thought of using his culinary skills to make delicious food that would attract customers.
The fried rice he was about to make was crucial to this plan.
Most people might think fried rice is a simple dish and that no matter who makes it, the results won't differ much.
But that's a layman's view.
In truth, fried rice—though it seems simple and has few steps—is a dish that truly tests a chef's skills.
The simpler the dish, the harder it is to make it truly delicious.
Fortunately, Shirou was a god-tier chef capable of turning even plain fried rice into a delicacy.
He quickly began the preparation.
When it came to fried rice, there were three key factors: wok technique, ingredients, and sauces.
Shirou couldn't change the latter two with what he had, so the contest came down to the most fundamental and skill-dependent factor: his stir-frying technique.
"Hestia, help me watch the heat."
With that, Shirou started making fried rice at a speed that dazzled the eyes.
Under his hands, each grain of rice in the oil became golden and crisp on both sides, like it was touched by a divine hand. Nearly every grain had a crispy side, almost like pan-fried dumplings—golden, aromatic, and full of life without being burnt.
Even Hestia, a complete amateur, was dumbfounded at the sight of such fried rice emerging from the wok. Unconsciously, drool trickled from the corner of her mouth.
Shirou, on the other hand, looked a bit regretful. The ingredients and sauces Takemikazuchi had prepared were simply lacking.
Even someone as skilled as Shirou couldn't avoid occasional grains sticking to the pan due to subpar ingredients. Though still delicious, the presentation and visual appeal were somewhat compromised.
The sauces were even worse—they were the key finishing touch that could elevate an ordinary dish to the next level.
Still, Shirou's fried rice technique was undeniably divine.
As the grains turned golden, Shirou would flick them gently, forming a graceful arc in the air. The grains fell like raindrops back onto the griddle. The flying rice looked more like a stunning painting crafted by an artist than just a dish of food.
As Shirou displayed his god-like cooking abilities, his dazzling skills quickly attracted the attention of passing adventurers.
Even before tasting it, the adventurers were convinced: this stall's fried rice was no ordinary fare.
"I'll take one!"
"Me too! I want one too!"
"Move! I was here first!"
…
In no time at all, the once-deserted food stall was swarmed by excited adventurers. The snacks Shirou had just finished were sold out in an instant.
As the Matthew Effect kicked in, the livelier the stall became, the more people it attracted.
Shirou and Hestia were practically working overtime, pushing themselves to the limit just to keep up with the flood of customers.
Even so, the ingredients Takemikazuchi had prepared weren't nearly enough. Before evening even arrived, the stall had completely sold out and had to officially close for the day.
Many adventurers left reluctantly, unable to accept that they'd missed out on such divine food.
"Damn it, I'll be first in line tomorrow! You have to open again!!"
To those cries, Shirou could only respond with a wry smile.
He hadn't fully recovered from his injuries to begin with, and now after cooking at such an intense pace, he was so exhausted he couldn't even speak.
He thought to himself: sometimes, it's better not to be overly eager.
Shirou quietly took that lesson to heart.
As Shirou and Hestia lay on the stall like two exhausted salted fish, Takemikazuchi finally returned from his meeting with Hermes.
When he arrived and saw the empty stall and nearly overflowing cash register, he was completely dumbfounded. He had no idea what had just happened.
Hestia couldn't even be bothered to explain. She just handed him a hidden portion of Shirou's fried rice she'd saved.
Even though it had cooled down a bit with time, Takemikazuchi could instantly tell this was no ordinary fried rice. One bite—and he understood everything. He exclaimed in awe:
"This is the best fried rice I've had in my life—both in taste and presentation! Who made this?!"
"Shirou did."
Hestia answered quietly, pride shining on her face.
As a member of her Familia, Shirou's outstanding performance brought her great joy and pride.
Takemikazuchi, after learning everything, didn't show a shred of greed. He directly gave Shirou half of the day's profits, saying it was what he deserved.
Shirou didn't refuse—after all, given how exhausted he was, he definitely earned it.
More importantly, with money in hand, he could finally go seek a healer to treat his injuries—maybe even recover his ability to fight.