Chihaya Aine is a member of the team Zero

Chihaya Aine thought for a moment and decided what to make for the first dish.

"Of course. As long as it's not some ridiculously large, usable ice cube, I can prepare it for you, Chihaya Aine-san."

Since they have already asked Chihaya Aine to cook, Metron will naturally not let her worry about the ingredients. Even if Chihaya Aine asks for something like dragon liver and phoenix marrow, he will try his best to see if he can get it.

"Then please find me a half-meter square block of ice, Mr. Metron."

As Chihaya Aine finished her words, the Metron alien flashed with a blue light of instant movement, and returned to the kitchen with a half-meter square edible ice cube.

Chihaya Aine easily carried the half-meter square ice block to the kitchen workbench, and then took a small carving knife.

Thick cold air spread outward, but Chihaya Aine seemed unaffected by it. She slowly put on a pair of transparent gloves. Then, with a "whoosh" sound, most of the carving knife in her right hand disappeared into the white ice.

It's like scratching glass.

With just four simple cuts, the four corners of the upper half of the square ice block were cut off and fell to the side of the workbench.

"Good strength!"

"Aine-san's knife-wielding hand is quick and steady."

There was a gasp of surprise in the kitchen. Just this simple display of skills had already filled the hearts of the Metron people with great anticipation.

After cutting off the four corners, Chihaya Aine stopped and used the knife to draw some obvious marks on the surface of the ice, obviously measuring and carving lines.

Seeing this, everyone was puzzled.

"Although Aine is incredibly strong, and her incredibly precise blade can make a small carving knife perform like butchering an ox, isn't it a bit overconfident to use an ice sculptor without an ice hammer?"

Nagasaki Suyo, one of the only three people present with cooking experience, was a little puzzled by Chihaya Aine's behavior.

"But with Aine's physical fitness, she should be able to easily break the ice even with her bare hands, right?"

Toyokawa Shoko, who was the one who knew Chihaya Aine's physical condition best among the people present, suddenly spoke.

But soon, Chihaya Aine showed everyone else in the kitchen what she was doing with her actions.

"Whoo, whoo, whoo..."

The carving knife was swung faster and faster, and in the end only a string of flickering silver light was left.

At the same time, the sound of flying ice chips and harshness, like the sound of rubber soles rubbing against the ground, echoed in the bright kitchen.

After about seven or eight minutes, the noise stopped abruptly.

Chihaya Aine's pink hair, shoulders, and clothes were more or less stained with white ice chips.

Nagasaki Motoyo quietly took out her cell phone and pointed the camera at Chihaya Aine, wanting to record the scene.

Chihaya Aine's transitions between movement and stillness were so fast. She was so smooth and flowing just a moment ago, but now she suddenly stopped moving.

"Hurry, look—"

Toyokawa Shoko suddenly exclaimed in surprise. The once heavy, square block of ice collapsed like an avalanche, shattering into countless fragments in just a second or two. Many fragments of ice splattered, and Nagasaki Motoyo, who was filming with her phone, and Toyokawa Shoko and Wakaba Mutsumashi, who were standing nearby, tried to hide their faces. But the Metron raised his hand and blocked the flying shards.

A slightly larger piece of ice smashed onto Metron's smooth forehead. He touched his forehead with his left hand, feeling it was icy cold.

After removing the broken ice from his head, Metron turned his gaze back to the workbench. He was so startled that he leaned forward suddenly, but after a while the movement disappeared. He stared at the ice sculpture embryo on the workbench and took a breath.

“The outline is already beginning to appear!”

The Metron star was moved and said, "It's so fast! He only used a carving knife and carved out the embryo in less than ten minutes!"

Yes.

On the workbench, there is a soaring dragon with its body coiled and its head raised high.

.

It is indeed a rough draft. The head has not been finely carved yet, it is just a whole piece there, and the dragon body has only been roughly outlined, and the detailed texture has not yet come out.

When Metron saw the calm faces of Nagasaki Motoyo, Toyokawa Shoko and Wakaba Mutsu, he also controlled his temper and retracted his body.

"Ms. Aine, should I prepare some liquid nitrogen for you? Or something else for secondary cooling?"

The Metron people didn't want to see such a lifelike dragon disappear, so they spoke.

"Liquid nitrogen, secondary cooling?"

Chihaya Aine was stunned and glanced at the Metron alien standing not far away, only to see that his big, glowing eyes were full of anticipation.

"I carve very quickly, so I don't need to cool it down again!"

Chihaya Aine answered casually, without accepting the Metron's suggestion. After taking a short breath, she took half a step forward and swung the carving knife in her hand again!

With a seemingly casual stroke of the arm, a piece of fine ice crystals flew out and landed on the ground.

Chihaya Aine's rapid pace around her workbench reveals her work speed. Her expression is completely focused, completely immersed in the world of carving. Her carving knife seems like a pen, and every stroke seems meticulously calculated, flowing with ease and confidence.

Before they knew it, everyone in the classroom was watching Chihaya Aine's sculpture with bated breath.

Even students who don't know anything about ice sculpture or carving can tell that Chihaya Aine is really amazing from the smoothness of her movements, the way she makes it look like she's doing something effortless and walking leisurely.

She swung the carving knife so quickly that only a ball of silver light remained, and it seemed to have merged with her arm, allowing her to control it as easily as her own arm.

"Using my usual knife skills with the Sero Ice Axe to carve it?"

In the space of consciousness, it was not the first time that Ultraman Zero saw Chihaya Aine use her fighting skills in other places.

Some people who were chopped by Ultraman Zero with his Ice Axe suddenly felt a chill on their necks.

Half an hour passed.

Chihaya Aine's work has begun to take shape.

"This, this knife skill is too exaggerated!"

Everyone in the kitchen was paying attention to Chihaya Aine's ice sculpture.

On the workbench, the body and head of the dragon have been carved out. Now Chihaya Aine is holding a carving knife and concentrating on carving the dragon scales. As the ice crystals slide down, the details and textures become more realistic, and a strange and majestic aura gradually takes shape and spreads!

"This is the 1,145th knife..."

Volume 1: Chapter 179 Eat, Why Not Eat?

Even after swinging the knife so many times, Chihaya Aine's hand was still steady, without a trace of trembling.

The carving continues.

Another half hour.

"My work is finished!"

Chihaya Aine took a small step back and put the carving knife in her hand back into the sheath.

Seeing the magnificent dragon made of ice that seemed to be about to take off into the sky at the next second, everyone in the kitchen was filled with shocked faces.

"That's... a roaring ice dragon!"

"Can you carve this kind of artwork in just an hour and a half?"

Everyone in the kitchen, whether they know how to cook or not, found it incredible. Needless to say, the complexity of the ice sculpture, just the effort in the details and carving every stroke must have taken a lot of effort.

"Wait, there's just one last small step!"

Chihaya Aine picked up a kitchen knife at random on the workbench, then grabbed a small carrot and cut off the head and tail.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh…

The knife flashed suddenly, and every time the knife flashed, there would always be a thin piece of carrot, with a spinning momentum, tightly clinging to the body of the ice dragon. Now, the originally circular and coiled dragon body seemed to fall into a bunch of flowers, which was even more lifelike.

“That’s really well done!”

The Metron, who had been quietly watching the ice sculpture progress, suddenly exclaimed in praise, "It's such a simple combination, but with just one carrot slice, it creates a jigsaw puzzle of blooming flowers. From this perspective, the ice dragon instantly becomes a giant dragon soaring into the sky, surrounded by blooming flowers. It's even more magical! A master's touch!"

As he spoke, the Metron stood up.

"Just based on this ice sculpture, it's reasonable to give the Botan Shrimp Sashimi you prepared for me a score of 25 points, Miss Aine."

“This is an ice sculpture!”

Nagasaki Suyo's azure eyes were fixed on the ice dragon on the stage, not wanting to move away for even a second.

"I really like the idea that Chinese cuisine emphasizes that the quality of food is definitely not just about 'taste'."

"Color, aroma, taste, shape."

"Only when all four are present can it be considered a truly famous dish."

After Chihaya Aine put away the knife in her hand, she clapped her hands to bring the people who were staring at the ice dragon in a trance back to their senses.

In the eyes of everyone in the kitchen, the ice dragon was about to soar into the sky.

The ferocious and majestic dragon head, the dragon body with shining scales, the sharp dragon claws, and even the awe-inspiring and inviolable look in the dragon's eyes...all the details are displayed in the field of vision.

"This technique is completely different from Western dish plating and decoration. Western cuisine also uses carving, but it's truly unique in giving animal carvings such verve. Seeing Ms. Aine carve such a magnificent piece today is an unparalleled feast for anyone who dedicates themselves to the art of cooking!"

Nowadays, Western food plating decoration pays more attention to simplicity and exquisite style.

Take molecular gastronomy, for example, which has been popular in the food world recently and is also the specialty of Metron. It takes the aesthetic of "refinement" to the extreme, subverts tradition, and develops "refinement" to a dream realm that is difficult to achieve with ordinary hand-painted strokes.

But now, right under his nose, Chihaya Aine used her hands and a carving knife to create such a stunning ice sculpture, no, it should be said that it was the appearance of a delicacy!

Majestic!

"Although such a lifelike ice dragon is indeed quite shocking, it is still food that needs to be eaten. I wonder how Miss Ai Yi's dish will turn out..."

Seeing such an amazing ice sculpture, the appetite of the Metrons has been completely aroused. How can such a stunning ice sculpture constitute a real carved delicacy?

Metron's curiosity made him look forward to Chihaya Aine's answer.

Chihaya Aine said nothing, but just silently looked at the work she was carving on the spot. The more she looked, the more satisfied she became.

"The higher the degree of carving, the more vivid the details. That's why this ice dragon is so lifelike, with a charm that makes it seem as if it has come alive!"

Looking closely, the roaring ice dragon seemed to have awakened. Chihaya Aine's eyes narrowed slightly, and she was shocked by the aura emitted by the ice sculpture. She couldn't help but think in her heart.

Shen Yun is something that is indescribable.

Just like calligraphy, the works of true masters look very majestic.

"Don't worry."

Chihaya

Without making any movement, Aiyin scooped up a few plump botanical shrimps from the pond nearby and threw them into the air.

Chihaya Aine took her right hand off the knife holder, and the kitchen knife in her hand turned into a ray of silver light.

Silver light dances on the body of the peony shrimp, and pleasant notes sound with every jump.

"Ding."

It was not until Chihaya Aine put the kitchen knife back into the knife rack that everyone present who looked up at the dancing silver light came to their senses.

The perfectly cut prawn sashimi was lying right on top of the carrot scales on the ice dragon. The delicate meat of the prawn was spread out on the carrot slices. The prawn sashimi, which was sparkling under the kitchen light, was perfectly combined with the red carrot slices. At this moment, the dragon scales on the ice dragon were truly alive.

The pale amber hue of dragon scales reveals the texture of prawn sashimi after being frozen at -50°C. The shrimp fibers, frozen in the cold of the ice dragon, form a translucent crystalline grid. When light penetrates it, it reflects a dazzling aurora borealis-like brilliance, as if encapsulating the winter morning mist around the ice dragon's body.

The Metron alien transformed back into the appearance of a middle-aged human man. As soon as he changed, he couldn't wait to pick up a piece of dragon scale and put it into his mouth.

The moment the tip of the tongue touches it, the surface ice layer bursts into the first snow of Mount Fuji, while the shrimp meat inside gushes out a sweetness thicker than nectar, like biting into a honey sac filled with morning dew from the ocean.

When the tip of the tooth slides across the shrimp's body, you feel a triple vibration: first, the unique elastic resistance of the peony shrimp, then the delicious sweetness of the shrimp's silk layer, and finally, it is as if you have turned into a magnificent ice dragon and inhaled all the ice mist in one gulp.

What lingers after swallowing isn't a fishy smell, but rather a microscopic tsunami released as the shrimp melts on the tongue. Suspended in the icy air, tiny particles of prawns explode one after another, each micro-explosion painting a three-dimensional contour of sweetness in the mouth. The chilling air, carrying the lingering flavor of the shrimp, forms a perpetual gustatory current in the throat.

When I finally finished chewing the shrimp meat carefully, what came rushing out was a torrent of minerals like a deep-sea hydrothermal vent, and the rustling sound of shrimps shedding their shells in the coral reefs echoed in my ears.

"Why don't you eat?"

Chihaya Aine picked up a piece and put it in her mouth to taste it. She found that Nagasaki Suyo, Toyokawa Shoko and Wakaba Mutsu were standing there without moving their chopsticks, just admiring the lifelike ice dragon in front of them.

"But, isn't this what you did specifically to get Mr. Metron to take you to the Monster Tavern, Aine?"

Although the lifelike ice dragon in front of him was extremely shocking and made people want to taste it, Nagasaki Suyo did not forget the significance of the birth of this ice dragon.

"Hmm? What? Ladies, just enjoy yourselves. Food tastes better when shared with others. This is also what the senior who introduced me to this industry taught me."

The Metron alien extended his hand and gestured for Nagasaki Suyo, Wakaba Mutsu and Toyokawa Shoko to enjoy as they pleased.

After seeing the signal from the Metron alien, Nagasaki Motoyo, Wakaba Mutsu and Toyokawa Shoko started to pick up the dragon scales on the ice dragon with their chopsticks.