Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　"Nothing... Shall we go eat, Professor Bai Yuan?"

　The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't bring myself to say them. How am I supposed to say something like this?

　Does this mean I woke up in a vacuum and somehow became a vacuum? Mr. Bai Yuan, do you even know what's going on? What does it mean to say something like that? Are you asking me to take responsibility?

　Thinking about this, Mito Ikumi's feelings became complicated.

　Knowing that Bai Yuan was the only man in the villa, she felt no anger when she saw herself in that state yesterday; instead, she was filled with excitement at being recognized.

　After the initial excitement, she felt a little lost because Bai Yuan wasn't by her side when she woke up. This suggested that he might not be willing to take responsibility, and she wondered how she should face him.

　Thinking of this, Mito Ikumi felt a little inferior again.

　Girls with dark skin like her, no matter what, would never be popular with men.

　Teacher Bai Yuan is so outstanding, he definitely didn't have those kinds of thoughts about her. What happened yesterday was probably just an accident. Trying to get her to make a promise might just make her dislike you.

　After thinking it over, I decided to just pretend it never happened.

　This way, at least we can maintain our original lifestyle...

　"Of course, you go ahead first, I still need to wait for someone."

　Bai Yuan was naturally unaware of Mito Ikumi's complex thoughts; otherwise, he would have held her tightly and whispered in her ear that girls with wheat-colored skin had a unique charm, and were even more alluring than girls with snow-white skin at times, telling her to just be herself and not to feel inferior.

　"Okay, I'll head over now."

　Hearing Bai Yuan's words, Mito Yumi felt a little disappointed. At the same time, she became even more certain that Bai Yuan seemed to have no feelings for her. So she suppressed her feelings even deeper and carefully protected them so that they would not be discovered.

　That's good. Maintaining the current lifestyle seems fine.

　At least when the cooking went wrong, Shirabuchi was still willing to make physical contact with her.

　"I've changed it."

　Shortly after Mito Ikumi left, Kikuchi Sonoka, having changed her clothes, came out of the room, exuding a faint lavender scent.

　"So slow, did you go take a shower?"

　"Ugh, I felt so sticky and uncomfortable, so I went to take a shower. Come to think of it, it's all your fault!"

　Thinking about the craziness of last night, Kikuchi Sonoka couldn't help but purse her lips and complain. The other party was not satisfied with the norm at all and dragged her to do a lot of unconventional things.

　"hey-hey."

　In response, Bai Yuan simply scratched his head and gave an awkward smile.

　"Let's go, I can already smell the aroma of food. By the way, who's cooking today?"

　Seeing Bai Yuan's awkward smile, Kikuchi Sonoka didn't intend to delve into the matter further, so she walked towards the living room after saying that.

　"Alice, judging from the taste of the food, she must have cooked it, and Xiaohui was helping out."

　Bai Yuan sniffed, savoring the unique fragrance in the air, and spoke.

　"You can smell that?!"

　Shirobuchi's words surprised Kikuchi Sonoka.

　"Don't underestimate super sense of smell, okay?"

　"Hard to judge, I really want to fight you genius freaks!"

　Hearing Bai Yuan's nonchalant words, Muji Chienka said through gritted teeth, "These geniuses are really annoying. They can easily do things that no matter how hard I try, I can't achieve."

　"No need. If we work hard, it wouldn't be bad to have a little genius in the future."

　Seeing Kikuchi Sonoka waving her little fists in the air, looking annoyed, Bai Yuan thought to himself how cute she was, and then stepped forward and took her fist.

　"That's okay too."

　Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Kikuchi Yoko's face visibly flushed red. She then gently stroked her lower abdomen, a tenderness flashing in her eyes.

　"If we have a boy, we'll call him Bai Ren, hoping he'll be as sharp as a sword, brave and fearless in the face of difficulties. If it's a girl, we'll call her Bai Youyou, hoping she'll be carefree and unrestrained, like the white clouds in the sky."

　On this topic, Kikuchi Sonoka couldn't help but talk about her vision for the future, which included having a child with Hakugen.

　"It's a good name, but we'll have to wait a few years. Take advantage of your youth and see more of the world."

　Upon hearing what Kikuchi Sonoka said, Hakugen burst into laughter.

　It's not too late to have children when you're older. Now, while you're young, strive to reach the pinnacle of the culinary world, stand atop the mountain and look down upon all living beings, and then retire gloriously to enjoy the life of an ordinary person.

　"Hey, what are you doing?"

　Thinking of the bright future, Bai Yuan's lips curled up slightly. He then quickened his pace and stepped forward, his hands naturally slipping under Kikuchi Sonoka's knees and back, and lifted her up in a princess carry.

　He used to think that hugging people like that was pretentious, but after actually trying it, he realized the joy in doing it.

　Because the girl is leaning her whole body on him, she will unconsciously hug him tightly, afraid that she will fall off. The boy can enjoy the wonderful moment and show his boyfriend strength at the same time.

　"Didn't you ask for this? Of course I'll carry you to the restaurant."

　"I was just saying that offhand, you don't need to take it too seriously!"

　After saying this, Bai Yuan quickened his pace, completely ignoring the fact that the little face of the girl in his arms, Kikuchi Sonoka, had turned bright red, and that she was gently pounding his chest with her hand, her voice filled with shyness.

　"I don't care about any of that, I'm only responsible for fulfilling your wish."

　Bai Yuan knew, of course, that it would be embarrassing for her to appear at the restaurant carrying Kikuchi Yoko, but he had that purpose in mind, so he walked very fast.

　Before long, the two arrived at the living room.

　Alice Nakiri and Megumi Tadokoro were busy in the kitchen, while the others were either doing their morning exercises in the yard, watching TV, or still in bed. One after another, exquisitely presented breakfasts were brought out from the kitchen.

　"They're making dim sum?"

　“That’s right. The dim sum I had in Fuzhou before was great, so I wanted everyone to try it too.”

　Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Alice Nakiri, who was busy in the kitchen, immediately turned around and expressed her thoughts with a smile.

　"Good morning, Sister Yuanguo. I noticed that Brother Baiyuan didn't come yesterday, so I guessed it was you."

　The next moment, Alice Nakiri saw Sonoka Kiko being held in Hakugen's arms.

　The girl looked shy and bashful, burying her head in Bai Yuan's arms, not daring to look at the outside world.

　She immediately put down her tools and greeted her with a smile.

　"Good morning, this is really good. I'm even thinking of selling it in my restaurant."

　Hearing Alice Nakiri's greeting, Kikuchi Sonoka gently patted Shirobuchi's arm, finally getting him to put her down. She then took two steps forward and praised the dishes in front of her.

　"Actually, it's pretty good. Although the style might not match the taste a bit, the flavor is really good! It would definitely be a hit in your restaurant!"

　Upon hearing what Kikuchi Sonoka said, Nakiri Alice's eyes immediately lit up. Ever since she had dim sum, she had completely fallen in love with the taste and often tried to make it herself.

　If Kikuchi Sonoka wants to open a related menu, she would be happy to go and help!

　"Let me think about it."

　Pulling out a chair and sitting down, Kikuchi Sonoka looked at the large quantity and variety of dim sum on the table and couldn't help but swallow hard, while seriously considering the feasibility of Nakiri Alice's words.

　Her restaurant, "Chun Guo Ting," is a Western restaurant specializing in steak and other Western dishes. But dishes like shrimp dumplings are typically served in Chinese dim sum; wouldn't it seem odd to put them in her Western restaurant...?

　"Go ahead and add it. Western restaurants are characterized by their prominent main ingredients, beautiful presentation, and delicious taste. In this respect, Cantonese dim sum is not only not inferior, but even superior to most Western restaurants, so you can rest assured to add it to the menu."

　Seeing the hesitant girl before him, Bai Yuan's voice rang out, completely dispelling any remaining doubts from Kikuchi Sonoka. With similar positions, it seemed there was indeed nothing to worry about.

　"Then let's add dim sum to the menu. It would fill the gap in the restaurant's breakfast offerings, although it seems like not many people in Japan eat breakfast out..."

　"That's because the taste isn't good enough to attract them to the restaurant. If the food tasted good enough, they would fly here even if they were thousands of miles away."

　Bai Yuan succinctly revealed the truth of the matter.

　Whether you have customers or not is never determined by whether you are popular or not, but by whether the food tastes good or not.

　As long as the food is delicious enough, plenty of people will come even if they travel thousands of miles!

　"Since you've put it that way, let's add it then. It will fill the gap that 'Chun Guo Ting' doesn't serve morning tea. Alice, I'll need your guidance in the future."

　As she spoke, Kikuchiko turned her gaze to Nakiri Alice, who had been eavesdropping since earlier.

　"Not at all, I'm just bored in the morning anyway. Helping out at your place can help me gain cooking experience. It's a good opportunity to try and see if I can incorporate molecular gastronomy into dim sum."

　Despite Kikuchi Sonoka's politeness, Nakiri Alice waved her hand dismissively.

　"No matter what, I still have to thank you. I heard you won first place in the Fujian Youth Chef Competition. This is a congratulatory gift I prepared for you. I hope you like it."

　As she spoke, Kikuchi Sonoka reached into her pocket, where there was a small box containing the hairpin she had bought.

　I bought it simply because I thought it was pretty and that Alice Nakiri might like it.

　And that was indeed the case. The moment the hairpin appeared, Alice Nakiri couldn't take her eyes off it, staring intently until it was handed to her and she examined it closely in her hand.

　"Thank you for the gift, I love it!"

　After putting the hairpin back into the box, Alice Nakiri spoke to Sonoka Kikuchi with a touched expression.

　She was genuinely touched; she hadn't expected that Kikuchi Sonoka, even from all over Japan, would be thinking of her. Although she understood that this was a case of Kikuchi Sonoka extending her affection to Shirabuchi, the sudden joy of receiving a gift still thrilled her.

　"You're welcome, it's nothing expensive."

　"It's the thought that counts. A gift isn't valuable just because it's expensive; the sentiment behind it is far more valuable than the gift itself."

　Seeing Kikuchi Sonoka's slightly embarrassed expression, Nakiri Alice carefully read each word.

　He really said that.

　She never cared about the price of a gift; after all, with her family's wealth, what couldn't she get? The key was whether it was thoughtfully chosen. As long as the gift was carefully selected, she would be very happy.

　"I'm glad you like it, but how long until we can eat? This looks so tempting, I'm hungry."

　Looking at the exquisite shrimp dumplings, char siu buns, steamed siu mai, and other classic Cantonese dim sum dishes in front of her, Kikuchi Sonoka's eyes seemed to sparkle as she turned to look at Nakiri Alice as she spoke.

　"They can come anytime they want to eat. I'm almost done here, so I can call them over for dinner anytime."

　"Dinner? Is dinner served yet? I've been looking forward to it for so long!"

　As if triggered by a keyword, Yoshino Yuuki stood up and ran to the dining table. She leaned on the table and looked at Nakiri Alice with an expectant gaze.

　"That's about enough, Yuuki. Go wake Ryoko up. She drank the most yesterday."

　Thinking about how the girls got together to drink yesterday, and how none of them would give in, Alice Nakiri couldn't help but complain, and then said to Yuuki Yoshino.

　Of all the people here, she, Xiaohui, and Sakaki Ryoko are the closest. Xiaohui has to help her out, and only Yoshino Yuuki is the most free.

　"Okay, but don't you dare sneak a bite!"

　Upon hearing Alice Nakiri's words, Yuuki Yoshino nodded slightly and then ran towards the room on the second floor.

　"Brother Baiyuan, could you please go and call Erina and the others who are doing their morning exercise in the courtyard?"

　"OK."

　Bai Yuan nodded gently, then got off the windowsill and walked towards the courtyard.

　At this moment, four people were standing in the courtyard: Erina Nakiri, Hisako Shinoto, Ikumi Mito, and Miyoko Hojo. They were practicing ancient martial arts.

　"Teacher Bai Yuan."

　Upon seeing Shiroyuki emerge from the villa, Erina Nakiri smiled and greeted him.

　"Concentrate, your posture is all messed up."

　However, Bai Yuan did not respond, but simply reached out to straighten Nakiri Erina's posture.

　"Goo~"

　While it was being straightened, Erina Nakiri's stomach started rumbling.

　"Didn't you come to call me for dinner?"

　Erina Nakiri pursed her lips in confusion as her posture was forcibly straightened.

　She had heard the conversation in the living room, but she didn't go back immediately because she wanted to make a good impression on Bai Yuan.

　Most of the others around her shared the same thought, which is why they stood still and persisted. However, they didn't expect that when the other party came over, they not only didn't make them stop, but also corrected her posture with a serious expression.

　"I've come to call you for dinner, but I need to correct your posture before you eat to avoid making mistakes in your future cultivation. Otherwise, it would be a loss. Stand for another five minutes before dinner."

　Upon hearing Erina Nakiri's words, a gentle smile appeared on Bai Yuan's face. However, his words made people shrink back in shock, and even made the people in the courtyard freeze in place.

　Five more minutes? They're almost at their limit! If it weren't for wanting Bai Yuan to come and see their efforts, they would have already relaxed and rested...

　I thought Bai Yuan's arrival would be a salvation, but it turned out to be a nightmare!

　"Alright, stop looking at me with that resentful look. Since you've decided to embark on the path of cooking, then climb to the highest peak. Otherwise, you might as well go home and grow sweet potatoes."