Chapter 3: God's Tongue Intrusion
The night air in the small restaurant buzzed with a strange tension.
Xia Yu narrowed his eyes, staring at the middle-aged man who had just
polished off half of his midnight snack without permission.
"This guy…" Xia Yu's expression darkened.
"Hey, you," he said flatly, sticking out his hand. "Money."
The man blinked. "Money?"
Xia Yu pointed at the now-empty bowl. "You ate it. You pay. Or are you
expecting a free meal?"
The middle-aged man chuckled, bemused. "How much?"
Xia Yu tapped his chin thoughtfully, then grinned with mischief. "That was
today's limited-edition midnight snack. Only two bowls made. You ate
one, so... 10,000 yen."
A steep price—completely made up. He just wanted to get back at this
uninvited glutton. No matter who he was, regular or stranger, Xia Yu didn't
take kindly to people helping themselves to his food, especially not the best
meal of his day.
But—
Pop.
Without hesitation, the man reached into the pocket of his dark gray coat,
pulled out his wallet, and dropped a 10,000 yen bill on the table.
"If I could eat Mr. Xia's cooking every day," he said with a smile, "I'd
happily go bankrupt."
Xia Yu froze.
Ten thousand yen for a bowl of ramen?
That kind of cash could buy over a dozen bowls at a regular Tokyo shop—hell,
maybe two dozen at a cheap joint. He glanced at the bill in disbelief, then
quickly stuffed it into his pocket with zero shame.
After all, he lived on just 1,000 yen a day, thanks to his miserly
grandfather. That barely covered a bento and a cup of instant noodles. Bread
had become his staple diet.
If he didn't bike to school, tram fare alone would've wiped out his lunch.
Most days, Xia Yu played grocery-store hunter, stalking half-price bentos
nearing expiration. He'd become something of a scavenger-gourmet—surviving off
discount meals that others wouldn't touch. The fact that he hadn't once ended
up with food poisoning was either a miracle or a product of divine favor.
All in all, for a time traveler, he'd drawn a pretty lousy hand.
As he rubbed the smooth surface of the 10,000 yen note in his pocket, Xia Yu
was already plotting how to splurge. Protein. A real meal. Maybe even dessert.
"Are you Xia Yu?" the middle-aged man suddenly asked.
"Huh? Guaranteed authentic," Xia Yu said without missing a beat.
Now that the man had paid up, he seemed much more pleasant to look at.
The stranger smiled and turned toward the kitchen.
"Boss Xia…"
From behind the counter, the old man stepped out slowly, arms crossed,
exuding a dignified, unshakeable calm.
"Mr. Kanhara," the old man greeted, his tone neutral.
Kanhara?
Xia Yu blinked. That name sounded vaguely familiar.
"Boss Xia, is this your grandson?" Kanhara gestured at Xia Yu. "If so, I
accept your request. But since it's your grandson, I want to see his cooking
skills for myself. You're leaving soon, after all. I need a replacement."
The old man's expression didn't change, but he lifted a finger and beckoned.
"Come here," he ordered.
Still caught off guard, Xia Yu walked across the store to the kitchen like a
student being called to the principal's office.
But while he was processing the sudden change in atmosphere, a mechanical
chime echoed in his head:
"If you can prepare a midnight snack that satisfies Masato Kanhara, the
host will complete the Initial Mission."
Xia Yu's heart skipped a beat.
So this guy is my first 'guest'? The mission target?!
He stared at the cooking station in front of him—and froze.
Wait a second.
I can't cook!
Panic flared. Xia Yu turned helplessly to his grandfather, but the old man
didn't move.
"When I was your age, I was already a chef. I held up the Xia family's
reputation on my own. Now it's your turn."
"Don't give me that crap!"
Xia Yu wanted to scream. You never taught me anything! All he did
around the shop was odd jobs. Mopping, cleaning, ingredient prep. Not once had
he been taught how to cook.
And stop flexing about the good old days. This isn't a kung fu movie!
But as if reading his thoughts, the old man snorted.
"Why do you think I made different suppers for you every night?" he asked.
"Those were beginner dishes. Simple, freeform. If you haven't mastered even
one, that just means you've been slacking off."
His voice dropped cold. "You've lost the soul of the Xia family."
Oof.
Now the system and his grandfather were both ganging up on him.
Xia Yu drew a deep breath. Fine. I'll go all in.
The first question was—what should he cook?
His mind raced.
Then—snap—inspiration struck.
"Ramen! The beef ramen I just had!" His eyes lit up. "That's it!"
He poked his head out of the kitchen and shouted, "Mr. Kanhara! Do you mind
eating another bowl of beef ramen?"
Kanhara chuckled. "If it's as good as the last one, I don't mind at all."
"Great. Please wait a moment."
Xia Yu rolled up his sleeves and got to work.
The high-gluten flour for ramen was already out. A pot of water sat on the
stove, just beginning to boil.
Step one: the noodles.
There weren't any pre-made ones in the shop, so he'd have to do it from
scratch—kneading, rolling, pulling. Every step mattered. Noodle quality could
make or break a bowl of ramen.
Just then—
"System: Host, you have an unclaimed Novice Gift Pack. It is recommended
you claim it before preparing your first dish."
Xia Yu blinked. Gift pack?
He wasn't annoyed by the interruption—just intrigued.
Beep!
A translucent interface lit up in his vision. A familiar talent-tree system
bloomed across his retina like a game UI.
Cooking Level: Lv2
Talent Points Available: 1
"…Wait, when did I level up?" Xia Yu was dumbfounded. "I was just Lv1
yesterday!"
A log appeared:
2016/07/20 – Processed 10 meat ingredients. +10 EXP
2016/07/20 – Processed 10 seafood ingredients. +10 EXP
2016/07/20 – Processed 10 vegetable ingredients. +10 EXP
It continued on for a while.
Apparently, all his grunt work had quietly earned him experience.
100 EXP had bumped him to Lv2. The next level? A steep climb—1,000 EXP.
Still, it was progress.
"Alright then. Claim the gift pack!"
"Host has received one free spin of the Virtual Lottery Wheel."
A colorful turntable appeared before his eyes. Beside it were categories:
[Ingredients] –
Top-grade cooking ingredients
[Kitchenware] –
High-end equipment
[Recipes] –
Blue-grade or higher recipes
[Consumables] –
One-time-use tools
[Special] –
Ultra-rare skills like 'God's Tongue' or 'God's Hand'
...God's Tongue?!
Xia Yu stared, wide-eyed.
This was turning into Shokugeki no Soma at lightspeed.
And in the background, the faint aroma of beef broth began rising into the
air.
The real cooking was just about to begin.