"Ryohei-kun seems to really enjoy stamping? Why not stamp one for me?"

Just after Lucoa left, Yurine poked Ryohei Tanaka in the waist with her folding fan. Her tone was extremely flat, with no discernible emotion.

"Since when do I like stamping? How did I not know about this?"

Ryohei Tanaka's mouth twitched as he turned around with an innocent look. He had never stamped anyone.

This was pure nonsense!

'Tsk—! Unlucky Lucoa!'

Ryohei Tanaka clicked his tongue inwardly, plotting to stamp Lucoa several times tomorrow, maybe even write on her with watercolors. He couldn't just suffer this injustice for nothing.

While his thoughts wandered, he gently separated one of the pendants and put it on Yurine.

The ice-blue snowflake pendant, tied with a red string, hung around Yurine's slender white neck. It looked surprisingly good.

It also matched her red and white miko outfit perfectly!

"...It's so cool!"

Yurine felt a refreshing chill wrap around her entire body, like stepping into an air-conditioned room on a scorching summer day. It was so comfortable that every pore on her body seemed to relax, and a look of pure relief spread across her face.

She looked down, her fingertips gently stroking the pendant resting on her chest, and praised sincerely:

"I didn't expect Yusa to have such a practical ability!"

"Tell me about it."

Ryohei Tanaka put a pendant on himself, then handed the remaining three to Yurine with a smile.

"There are three left. Go give them to Auntie and the others."

"Okay."

Yurine didn't stand on ceremony. She extended her pale hand, took the pendants with a nod, and walked out of the kitchen.

...

For lunch, Ryohei Tanaka prepared a five-color somen noodle platter, sweet and sour lotus root slices, and suoyi cucumber (Accordion Cucumber Salad).

Although there were only three dishes, they were definitely not simple.

When the old priest led everyone into the reception room to eat, the three accompanying musicians and the five temporarily hired shrine maidens glanced at the table and were instantly shocked.

"Eh—!? It's actually glowing!"

"Could these be... glowing dishes!?"

"..."

Unless they were living in some remote corner without internet, everyone knew about the "glowing cuisine" that had been viral online for the past few months.

Even if they hadn't eaten it, they had certainly seen videos of it.

"Ryohei-kun, thank you for your hard work."

The old priest took his rightful place at the head of the table, glancing at Ryohei Tanaka with satisfaction and joy in his eyes.

"Not at all, you're the one working hard!"

Ryohei Tanaka replied with a humble expression.

"Everyone is in for a treat this afternoon!" Toshio Hanazono laughed heartily, gesturing for everyone to sit.

At this moment, some people recognized Ryohei Tanaka.

A purple-haired miko covered her mouth lightly with her hand, looking at Ryohei Tanaka in surprise. She hesitated for a moment before asking:

"Excuse me, are you the 'Cooking Sage'?"

"Yes."

Ryohei Tanaka smiled at her and sat down next to Yurine.

"Toshio, how did you manage to invite him here?"

The shamisen player glanced at Yurine beside Ryohei Tanaka, then looked at Toshio Hanazono with a knowing look.

They were old friends who had been in a band together, so the question was casual and natural.

"He's my second daughter's boyfriend."

Toshio Hanazono answered with a smile.

"Alright, let's eat first," the old priest interrupted their conversation with a concise order.

Having said that, he picked up his chopsticks and looked at the five-color somen platter in front of him.

The white was the somen itself, the green was blanched okra, the yellow was corn kernels, the red was thin tomato slices, and the black was shredded nori.

The old priest picked up the ceramic cup containing the amber-colored Hiyajiru (cold dipping sauce). He first placed a small portion of somen into the cup to let it fully soak up the broth, then lowered his head and slade the noodles into his mouth with anticipation.

The moment it entered his mouth, his eyes widened involuntarily. Then, he lifted his chin, and his expression softened.

"Absolutely delicious—!"

Whether somen is good or not depends heavily on the dipping sauce. The umami and texture of the sauce directly affect the overall flavor!

And the cold sauce Ryohei Tanaka made was stunning!

It was an intense, unparalleled umami!

The old priest couldn't help but slurp another mouthful, just as the drummer's exclamation rang in his ears:

"So fresh!"

"It's fresh and mellow, and there's a hint of green mandarin aroma mixed in... How was this cold sauce made?"

The drummer was a sturdy-looking middle-aged man who clearly worked out regularly.

After a tentative taste, he looked at Ryohei Tanaka curiously.

Everyone in the reception room looked over in unison, or at least pricked up their ears.

This wasn't some unspeakable trade secret, so Ryohei Tanaka smiled at the drummer and began to explain confidently:

"I used kombu and rehydrated dried shiitake mushrooms to boil the base stock..."

He paused here, organizing his words to show off a bit:

"Kombu is rich in amino acids like glutamate. Its unique seaweed flavor comes from minerals accumulated from seawater. These components dissolve into the soup during boiling, forming the foundation of umami."

"Dried shiitake mushrooms contain rich guanylate, which works synergistically with the inosinate in kombu and other components to significantly enhance the depth of the soup's umami."

"Shiitake mushrooms also contain natural sugars and amino acids, further strengthening the overall flavor profile."

"On this basis, I added light soy sauce, mirin, green mandarin juice, and green mandarin zest for seasoning—"

"And that created the cold sauce you're tasting now."

"...So that's it." The drummer listened, stunned. Not just the drummer, but everyone else too.

Ryohei Tanaka started directly from the ingredient composition, throwing out various chemical terms. Who wouldn't be dazed hearing that?

Although they didn't quite understand, they all felt a sense of "I don't know what he said, but it sounds amazing."

They couldn't help but feel a surge of respect!

As expected of the Cooking Sage! His understanding of ingredients was in a completely different dimension from theirs!

He was practically a "scientist of the culinary world"!

"..."

With Ryohei Tanaka's explanation, everyone found a unique flavor in the somen as they ate.

The purple-haired miko slurped a mouthful, closed her eyes, and chewed with a face full of bliss.

The freshness of the kombu and the mellowness of the shiitake mushroom condensed into a rounded layer under the low temperature.

The saltiness of the light soy sauce outlined the silhouette of distant mountains, while the sweetness of the mirin was like golden sunlight spilling from the sky.

The acidity and fresh flavor of the green mandarin were just like that rushing, incredibly cool river...

"..."

A wave of coolness suddenly hit her!

The purple-haired miko opened her eyes, shocked to find herself in a canyon, right on a river channel!

She looked down in surprise and saw that her miko outfit had somehow turned into a red and white bikini. And the soft thing she was sitting on was actually a ball of white somen noodles, carrying her as she sped along the turbulent current.

Waves crashed over her head, the spray shattering into crystalline star-dust on her face. The river channel suddenly narrowed, and the rock walls whistled past her ears amidst her screams.

The purple-haired miko instinctively reached out to grab the slippery stone ridges on the shore. The moment her fingertips briefly kissed the moss, the current dragged her into the next bumpy leg of the journey.

In the distance, familiar screams and laughter broke through the waves.

She focused her gaze—and there, bobbing on the crest of the waves, were the familiar faces of everyone else!

~~~

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