[Poll Has Ended!! This one and the Marvel SCP fic are going to be picked up!!]
After saying his piece, Shun left the kitchen outright.
Sitting on the floor, Soma replayed Shun's words in his head again and again. His once-dazed eyes suddenly snapped into focus.
Shun's advice was like a lighthouse, lighting up his path in an instant.
"An overly heavy 'original flavor'… can become a shackle?"
"Use the power of sake and spices to rebuild the flavor?"
…
Soma kept murmuring what Shun had said. A moment later he sprang to his feet; the dark circles around his eyes seemed to clear, and the exhaustion of an all-nighter evaporated.
He stared hard at the regular beef bowl on the counter, then snapped his head toward the spice jars and bottle of sake where Shun's gaze had lingered.
"I get it now! I was obsessed with matching the richness of A5 wagyu and forgot I could improve the ingredient from another angle…"
Excitement lit up Soma's face. He smacked his right fist into his left palm in realization. "Don't chase it—take another route! Use a powerful, layered aroma and a distinct texture to create a brand-new impact that belongs to this bowl alone!"
Like something out of a wuxia novel, it felt as if Soma had punched open the Ren and Du meridians. He began redrafting the recipe, and the gloom from moments ago vanished without a trace.
Shun headed to the third-floor kitchen, threw together a few simple dishes, and ate as he went, not giving much thought to the help he'd just given Soma.
He tasted his simple fare unhurriedly. Not bad—but only that.
From downstairs came faint sounds of Soma diving back into cooking: spatulas clacking in upbeat rhythm, brimming with a vigor and resolve that hadn't been there before.
From the third floor to the first, an ordinary person wouldn't hear something so subtle—but Shun wasn't ordinary. He heard it clearly.
"Looks like he's got it," Shun smiled faintly.
If you're gold, you'll shine; a protagonist's aura doesn't snuff out so easily.
Shun had simply "followed the plot," offering an early nudge to speed the process along.
Meanwhile, on the first floor—
Soma cooked like he'd never get tired, his thoughts clearer than ever.
"Sake to relax the meat fibers and add a clean, elegant fragrance—cutting through the heaviness and greasiness of the meat itself."
He spoke to himself as he worked, pouring a measured amount of sake into a bowl and starting to marinate the standard beef slices.
His gaze swept across the spices on the bench.
"Sake alone isn't enough. I need a bold aroma to deliver a real hit on the palate."
After a moment's thought, he chose a few go-to spices, ground them fine, then mixed the powder with soy sauce and mirin into a brand-new marinade.
"The marinating time can't be as short as with other beef. The flavor has to penetrate fully…"
Watching the beef change color as it soaked up the sauce, Soma's mind raced. "And the cooking method needs to change! Heavy stewing might rob these treated slices of their unique flavor…"
In the original storyline, when Soma faced Ikumi in a Shokugeki, he made [Chaliapin Steak Donburi]. Now, with Shun's hint, the plan shifted.
"If A5 wagyu's richness is the ultimate 'point,' then I'll use common beef to create the ultimate 'plane'! A storm-level, layered aroma and a chewy, tiered bite… Color, aroma, taste—if I can't max one, I'll max the other two!"
With a clear target, Soma threw himself wholly into the cooking.
…
A little over ten minutes later, Shun heard Soma's shout from downstairs.
"Shun, where are you? Come taste my donburi!"
Shun had just finished his simple dishes and was still a little hungry. Hearing Soma's excited, expectant call, he knew the new dish—born from his hint—was ready.
Curious, he walked down from the third floor to the first-floor kitchen.
Soma stood at the counter. He still wore the fatigue of a sleepless night, but his eyes were clear and brimming with confidence.
There was light in them again. He'd found his footing—something every chef needs to make something truly delicious.
Shun's gaze fell to the counter. A steaming donburi sat there, already quite different from the original Chaliapin Steak Donburi concept.
The beef wasn't a thick steak but thin slices seared over high heat to a tempting deep brown, edges slightly curled.
A heady fragrance rolled out—sake's gentle sweetness, the spicy bouquet of ground aromatics, and the roasted savor of beef all weaving into a complex, aggressive aroma.
Even the rice looked treated—tiny signs of a quick stir-fry were visible—and crisp onion slivers added a clean accent on top.
Shun's mouth curled into a smile. "Looks good."
"Come taste it! I tried a completely new approach, just like you said!" Soma pushed the bowl and a spoon toward him, barely able to wait.
Shun took the spoon.
"The aroma's on the attack—and it's a complete shift from where you were going before," he said, then scooped up a bite with sauce-soaked rice, seared beef, and a few crunchy onion strands, and put it in his mouth.
At the instant it touched his tongue, the layered aromatics detonated across his palate.
Sake's soft sweetness deftly neutralized any trace of gaminess, while the blended spices drove wave after wave of stimulation, lighting up his taste buds in a flash.
The fierce sear locked in the beef's juices and gave the surface the perfect char-crisp; combined with the natural chew of standard beef, it created a distinctive, satisfying bite.
The lightly fried rice had absorbed both sauce and meaty essence, and the raw-crisp onion slivers provided refreshing crunch and a prickle of bite that cut through any looming heaviness.
This dish no longer chased the saturated richness of A5 wagyu. It attacked head-on with swaggering aroma and richly tiered texture as its weapons.
Shun savored it carefully, then set the spoon down after a moment.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 500 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]