Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　Bai Yuan had some idea what Erina Nakiri was trying to say by adopting this posture. After all, he was all too familiar with this kind of look; Alice Nakiri had struggled for many years in the same way.

　Soon, the two finished washing the dishes and left the kitchen.

　During the journey, Erina Nakiri tried to speak several times, but swallowed her words back. It wasn't until midnight that she returned home with Hisako Shinoto.

　"So? What did Erina say?"

　As Erina Nakiri and Hisako Shinomiya disappeared from view, Alice Nakiri excitedly grabbed Shirahara's sleeve at the doorway, her eyes full of gossip.

　"That young lady isn't mentally prepared yet. She'll probably need some time to make a real decision. There's no need to rush things. Let's take it slow."

　As he watched the two figures depart, Bai Yuan's voice was calm. He had seen everything that Alice Nakiri had done, and he had tacitly approved of it.

　After all, Erina Nakiri is very beautiful and has a great figure. Although she is arrogant, she respects him a lot, so he likes this girl quite a bit.

　My lady, my gentleman is good.

　Bai Yuan had no intention of letting any of the beautiful girls in the Food Wars world slip by. It was just that his dull personality from his previous life prevented him from knowing how to woo girls.

　Fortunately, he has an extraordinary culinary skill.

　Just by standing there, countless girls flocked to him like moths to a flame; if he simply expressed his desire, countless people would throw themselves into his arms.

　This is the source of his confidence as a strong person.

　"Tsk, he promised to make things clear to me today, but he chickened out in the end. What a useless guy, he couldn't even seize the opportunity."

　Hearing Bai Yuan's words, Alice Nakiri was not very satisfied. She clicked her tongue and began to criticize Erina in the direction she had left without any politeness.

　"You should think about yourself first."

　Glancing at Alice Nakiri, Bai Yuan took a step back and bent over.

　Beside her, Alice Nakiri was still pondering the meaning of his words when she was suddenly picked up horizontally. She lost her balance for a moment and clung tightly to Bai Yuan's neck, afraid that she would fall.

　"what are you up to?"

　Alice's voice was tinged with doubt. She was startled when she was picked up, but she relaxed when she remembered that the person holding her was Bai Yuan.

　"You haven't forgotten what happened in the yard just now, have you? The punishment I'm talking about isn't just a simple joke."

　He strode back to his room, speaking to Alice Nakiri as he went, telling her that this girl had broken the rules and needed to be punished properly.

　"Okay, I accept your punishment."

　Hearing Bai Yuan's words, Nakiri Alice assumed it was the same as usual and didn't care, only letting out a silvery laugh in his arms.

　"Hey, don't touch there, it's so itchy."

　Feeling the ticklish spot on her waist being inadvertently touched, Alice Nakiri looked at Bai Yuan with a hint of reproach, trying to escape punishment by acting cute as she had before.

　Even if she couldn't escape, the other person would be gentler on her because of her coquettishness, and the punishment would become a reward. At least she felt happy every time, even if she was spanked.

　"Can't take it already? There's more to come, so I hope you won't beg for mercy. It won't do any good, it'll just excite me even more!"

　He tossed Alice Nakiri onto the bed, strode out of the drawer and pulled out leather handcuffs, making sure he could restrain her securely without harming her body.

　"??!"

　"Brother Bai Yuan, when did you buy this?"

　Looking at the leather handcuffs in front of her, Alice Nakiri finally realized something was wrong. This time, the other party seemed to be serious. She then shrank back, looking pitiful and worried.

　"A few weeks ago, I realized that the usual punishments didn't seem to work for you, and might even be considered a reward for you."

　So, to help you deeply understand your mistakes when you make them, I bought these. The seller also seemed to have included some freebies.

　As he spoke, Bai Yuan rummaged through the drawer and soon found a spherical object and an eye patch. He tried it on and found that he could see nothing at all after putting it on; it was pitch black.

　"An eyepatch?"

　As Bai Yuan walked towards her, Alice Nakiri paused, looking at the eye mask in his hand with some confusion. What was he planning to do? Was it to help her sleep?

　"Put it on."

　"do not want!"

　Since the other party had already said they would punish her, how could she possibly obey? She pouted to show her refusal, then rolled out of bed, wanting to leave the room.

　However, Bai Yuan, who had been paying close attention to Nakiri Alice's movements, was unlikely to give her that opportunity.

　"Just put it on. If I take action, the end result will be the same. Don't try to stall for time. Accept the punishment sooner and end it sooner."

　His body almost imperceptibly blocked the doorway, cutting off her only escape route. Bai Yuan tossed the blindfold to Alice, his voice filled with absolute authority.

　"All right..."

　Knowing she might not escape this fate, Alice Nakiri hung her head, looking like a wilted eggplant, but she still stubbornly looked up.

　"Please have pity on me, Brother Bai Yuan."

　"Being coquettish won't work. I still prefer your arrogant attitude from just now."

　He personally put leather handcuffs on Alice Nakiri, with the other end of the handcuffs connected to the bed, binding her firmly and ensuring that no matter how much she struggled, it would be useless.

　Seeing her struggling violently but to no avail, Bai Yuan's face showed a satisfied expression.

　Then, he personally put the black blindfold on her, which she had been reluctant to wear for a long time, plunging her into complete darkness, yet her senses remained incredibly clear.

　Outside the darkness, Bai Yuan skillfully removed the black stockings that accentuated the shape of Nakiri Alice's feet. After confirming that she really couldn't see, he brought them to his nose and sniffed them, then tickled the soles of her feet with his fingers.

　"Ouch! Brother Bai Yuan is bullying me! It tickles! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, okay? I promise I won't do anything without your permission next time!"

　Alice Nakiri was suddenly tickled on the sole of her foot, and her body twitched. She tried to pull her foot back, but found herself tightly bound.

　This feeling of powerlessness immediately panicked Alice Nakiri, and she began to twist her body violently, but no matter how hard she struggled, she could not get rid of it.

　Helpless, she could only resort to coquettishness, but Bai Yuan was determined to teach her a lesson and would not be fooled by such tactics.

　"This is just the beginning; the real show is yet to come."

　Enjoy the long night.

　As he spoke, Bai Yuan gently touched Nakiri Alice's face with his fingers. His voice was gentle, but it made the girl's heart race.

　stand up.

　She knew Bai Yuan wouldn't do anything too outrageous, but she also knew how unscrupulous he would become if she angered him.

　That was the ultimate experience of pain and pleasure coexisting!

　·

　·

　The train roared and hummed in the darkness. Tadokoro Megumi waited at the exit with his suitcase. As the train slowly pulled into the station, he was the first to get off.

　"We've finally arrived. Let's find a hotel to stay in."

　Standing at the exit with her luggage, Megumi Tadokoro started using her phone to book a hotel in the vicinity before taking the subway from the train station.

　"excuse me."

　After leaving the subway and walking quite a long way, Megumi Tadokoro stopped in front of her destination and then pushed open the door of the hotel.

　"Welcome. You must be Ms. Tadokoro, who called to make a reservation earlier."

　The innkeeper was a gentle woman. When she heard the door open, she looked over and her eyes lit up when she saw Tadokoro Megumi. She then asked to confirm her identity.

　"That's right, I am Tadokoro. Sorry to bother you."

　"I am Beifengyuan. The owner of this shop is my grandmother, but now I am the one in charge. You can come to me if you need anything."

　Please follow me. As per your order, we will provide you with a complimentary dinner. Are there any dietary restrictions you may have? I will inform the kitchen staff.

　He led Tadokoro Megumi to her room, and on the way, Kitafuuen routinely inquired about her.

　"I don't have any dietary restrictions, but I'd like to have loach dishes for dinner. I've heard that loach dishes in Gunma Prefecture are very famous, and I'd like to try them today."

　Tadokoro Megumi shook her head to indicate that she had no dietary restrictions, then blinked her big eyes and made her request.

　"Want to try some loach dishes? Then you've come to the right place! Our loach dishes are absolutely superb!"

　This is your room. The bathroom and toilet are just to the right after you exit. Here's the key. Dinner will be delivered in about half an hour.

　Kitafuu led Tadokoro Megumi to a spacious and bright room where the morning sunlight streamed in. He opened the sliding door, spoke to her, and then left.

　As Kitafuu's figure gradually disappeared, Tadokoro Megumi dragged her luggage into her room.

　The room was simply furnished, with tatami mats on the floor and a square wooden table on the tatami mats, on which were placed tea sets.

　Because she arrived at night, bedding had been laid out on the floor early and neatly arranged in the center of the room; that was all the things inside.

　After putting down her luggage and taking out a few changes of clothes, Tadokoro Megumi closed and locked the door, then headed towards the bathroom as Kitafuuen had indicated, ready to enjoy a relaxing hot bath.

　When they came out, there was a hot pot boiling at the door of the room, and Miss Beifengyuan was waiting at the door.

　"I knew you went to take a shower, so I waited for you to come back here. This is a specialty dish from Gunma Prefecture, loach hot pot. Please let me bring it in for you."

　When Kitafuu saw Tadokoro Megumi, a look of "I knew it" appeared on her face. She then picked up the dish on the ground, which was still bubbling.

　"All the bones in the loach have been removed, so it can be eaten directly. This is deep-fried loach, made with small loaches. It's very crispy and has a rich flavor."

　Upon hearing Kitafuuen's words, Tadokoro Megumi looked over and then noticed the dish next to the loach hot pot: a plate of small, golden-brown, crispy fried loaches.

　When Kitafuen brought the dishes to the table and was about to get a lighter, Tadokoro Megumi picked up a crispy fried loach and started eating it.

　The next moment, a rich flavor spread throughout the mouth.

　"Before frying, the loach is marinated with seasonings such as ginger, garlic, chili powder, and Sichuan peppercorns. After being deep-fried at high temperature, its outer skin becomes golden and crispy, while the inside remains relatively tender."

　That would make a decent snack to go with drinks.

　Tadokoro Megumi mentally assessed the dish, saying that while the taste wasn't particularly amazing, it was still a decent meal.

　With good ingredients and decent cooking skills, the final fried loach dish can be considered a second-class dish in terms of both taste and texture.

　Would the guests like some wine?

　"Give me a bottle."

　"Ok."

　Kitafuu nodded, then went to the bar outside, took a bottle of wine, handed it to Tadokoro Megumi with both hands, and then left the room.

　After taking the sake, Tadokoro Megumi closed the door and poured a cup of sake into her teacup. She then enjoyed the fried loach with the sake, which had a unique flavor.

　After finishing the fried loach, Tadokoro Megumi's attention finally turned to the hot pot in front of her.

　The loach hot pot in front of me is less like a hot pot and more like a plate of fried loach. The pot is less than eight centimeters high and looks very short.

　Under the high temperature, the loach made a sizzling sound. There was also a dish of vegetables next to it. Before leaving, Beifengyuan had instructed that the vegetables should be poured in before the dish was finished cooking so that the flavors of the two would blend together.

　With this in mind, Tadokoro Megumi took action.

　The vegetables on the plate are burdock, ginger, and scallions.

　Ginger and scallions are essential ingredients that enhance the flavor of the food. Burdock has a crisp and tender texture, and when stewed with loach, it effectively adds to the flavor of the hot pot, making it equally valuable.

　As the vegetables were added to the pot, they sizzled as they came into contact with the loach and the hot plate, followed by a fragrant aroma that wafted into the air.

　"Let's have some more wine to get rid of the fishy smell."

　Looking at the front of me

　The old-fashioned loach hot pot was being prepared. Tadokoro Megumi poured the sake from her teacup into the pot, making a louder sizzling sound and intensifying the aroma in the air.

　Once the food in the pot was fully cooked and the broth had evaporated, Tadokoro Megumi took it out, placed it on a plate, and tasted it with a touch of novelty.

　"What a rich and satisfying flavor!"

　As she put the loach and vegetables into her mouth together, the two textures intertwined on her lips and tongue at the same time, and Tadokoro Megumi's eyes lit up instantly.

　During the cooking process, the loach can quickly absorb the broth, becoming plump and juicy. Every bite allows you to feel the richness of the broth and the delicacy of the loach.

　In addition, she also tasted the complex flavor created by a combination of various spices such as chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, ginger, garlic, and broad bean paste.

　The flavor was spicy and savory, spicy but not overpowering, with a numbing and fragrant taste that greatly stimulated her appetite, making her unable to stop eating it.

　Especially with the addition of scallions and ginger, its earthy taste was perfectly removed, while the aroma of scallions was added, making it even more flavorful!

　"So this is what loach tastes like. To be honest, it's a bit like fish, but thanks to the nature of the ingredient, it absorbs the delicious broth very well..."

　Savoring the taste in her mouth, Megumi Tadokoro murmured to herself that this was the first time in her life she had ever eaten loach, and to be honest, it was quite novel.

　I thought it would have a subtle flavor, but after tasting it carefully, it felt somewhat familiar. The most important thing is its characteristic: it can absorb the broth very well.

　As she picked up food with her chopsticks, savoring the unique flavor of the loach, Megumi Tadokoro's mind raced, and she began to conjure up new loach dishes.