Chapter 89: Bean Sprout Party

Chapter 89: Bean Sprout Party

After finishing shopping at the mart, we returned to Senior Fumas 10-pyeong studio apartment.1

I had a feeling that we had bought too much without thinking, but with four people, maybe we could eat it all?

Shinji, the apron.

Yes.

After placing all the shopping bags on the floor, the President said so and extended her arm.

Then, the Vice President took out a white apron from somewhere and handed it to the President.

It was almost like witnessing a scene from a surgery room.

The President, with Minamis help, tied the apron, put on a white headscarf, and finally picked up a kitchen knife.

I will show you the essence of the bride lessons Ive learned so far!

She looked like a general heading into battle.

Hmph, thats just book-smarts. Do you think you can beat me, tempered by countless real-life experiences?

In contrast, taking advantage of her home turf, Senior Fuma, who had skillfully finished preparing for cooking, took out a knife from the kitchen cabinet.

Seeing this, the Akagi siblings were astonished.

That thing!

Huhu, do you recognize it?

Senior Fuma muttered so, pulling the handle of the sword.

Swoosh!

With a clear metallic sound, the sword drawn from its scabbard was a ninjato2 with a distinct wave pattern engraved.

Its Lightning Cutter, the famous sword of Tachibana Dosetsu.3 It was acquired by Fumas ancestor.

To think wed see the Black Night Demons beloved sword here

Its just as beautiful as Ive heard

I dont know what it was, but it seemed like a very impressive sword.

Anyway, it seemed Senior Fuma was going to use this Lightning Cutter as a kitchen knife, as she wiped the side of the blade with a dry cloth.

Earlier, she accused the President of relying on quality ingredients, but it seemed she herself was planning to gain the upper hand with superior equipment.

This must be what they called hypocrisy or something.

Well, then we should start soon.

The President said so and looked at the clock on the wall.

6 PM.

It was the perfect time to start preparing dinner.

Lets aim to finish in exactly 30 minutes from now. Fuma, youre on board, right?

Then, Senior Fuma crossed her arms beneath her ample chest and nodded.

I agree.

Minami, Shinji, and Yu-seong will act as the judges.

An odd number, so theres no chance of a tie.

Ive asked them to be as objective as possible in their evaluation, so they wont claim delicious food is tasteless.

Ive never had such concerns in the first place.

With the conversation between the President and Senior Fuma concluded, the Vice President got ready to press the stopwatch on his smartphone.

Both of you, compete fairly and squarely.

An incredible level of fire control

Such fire control without fire Is she really from the upper echelons?

Hearing the Vice Presidents somewhat bitter muttering, I casually asked.

What ranks do you and Minami hold?

I was genuinely curious since it kept being mentioned.

Hearing my question, the Vice President made a frustrated sound, then, avoiding my gaze, he answered.

Im still a low rank. Its Fuma, that woman, whos the odd one. An upper echelon at 18? Ive never heard of it.

In other words, Senior Fuma was exceptionally strong.

Given that she had handled Ivan, who seemed like the strongest in this world, she might indeed be extremely skilled.

It was hard to imagine with her current clumsy demeanor, though.

Then, Senior Fuma, who quickly stir-fried thinly sliced pork with bean sprouts and special sauce over high heat, put it on a plate and said,

The Fuma-style pork and bean sprout stir-fry is done.

Almost at the same time, the President, who had finished preparing the shabu-shabu ingredients, also said,

Im ready, too.

Their gazes naturally met.

It was like sparks flying, but there was no time for that now.

Come on, lets eat before it gets cold.

I said that, mediating between the two, then brought out the round dining table from the corner and set it up in the living room.

Start with the dish I made.

Senior Fuma said confidently, bringing what was literally a mountain of bean sprouts.

Bean sprout salad, bean sprout doenjang soup, stir-fried thinly sliced pork leg with bean sprouts, and quickly cooked bean sprout teppanyakiall seasoned with a special sauce before the texture was lost.

It was an array of dishes, unbelievably prepared in just 30 minutes.

Certainly, other vegetables were included, but why did it seem like only bean sprouts were visible?

Despite my doubts, I held a bowl of rice and murmured,

I will eat well.

First, I reached for the main dish of the bean sprout course, the pork and bean sprout stir-fry.

It must be the dish she put the most effort into, and thus her most confident one.

I grabbed a mouthful of bean sprouts and pork with my chopsticks and ate it.

Crunch!

The first thing I noticed was the characteristic crunch of the bean sprouts.

Then, the savory yet sweet, addictive taste of the special sauce spread on my tongue, and the Maillard reaction created a crispy, browned pork leg that exploded with umami at the end.

Although it seemed overly sophisticated to describe, simply put, my evaluation of this pork and bean sprout stir-fry was

Another bowl.

It was a repeat offense of being a rice thief. 4

ED/N: A 10-pyeong studio apartment would have an area of roughly 33 square meters or about 355 square feet.

ED/N: A ninjato, also known as ninjaken or shinobigatana, is a type of short sword that is often associated with the ninja of feudal Japan. It is characterized by its straight blade, contrasting with the curved blade of the more common samurai sword, the katana. The ninjato is typically depicted as having a simple guard and is thought to have been designed for stealth and versatility, fitting the covert operations of the ninja.

ED/N:Tachibana Dsetsu was a famous samurai in Japan during the Sengoku and early Edo periods. He was known for his great fighting skills and was the father of Tachibana Ginchiyo, a rare female samurai leader. Originally named Betsugi Akitsura, he worked for the powerful tomo clan in Kyushu. He's famous for surviving a lightning strike by using his sword, which he named Raikiri, meaning "Lightning Cutter." This story of his sword has become a popular legend in Japanese culture.

ED/N: In Japanese culture, "rice thief" is a playful term for someone who eats a lot of rice because the side dishes are so tasty. It suggests they're "stealing" extra rice to go with the delicious food, but it's said in a fun and affectionate way, not seriously.