"Squirrel Mandarin Fish? Can squirrel and fish together even taste good?" Kushina asked, raising an eyebrow in doubt.
"It probably doesn't actually use squirrel at. Maybe the final dish just looks like a squirrel," Minato offered, calmly washing vegetables.
Since he hadn't prepped any squirrels, it was safe to say none would appear on the plate.
"Minato's right. There's no squirrel in this dish," Mugetsu explained while cleaning the scaled and gutted fish.
Squirrel Mandarin Fish was a classic Su cuisine dish—colorful, aromatic, and full of flavor.
Mugetsu had watched countless videos on how to make it in his past life and even tried cooking it once himself. Unfortunately, his knife skills back then weren't up to par, and the result looked nothing like it should.
But now, with the Chef skill activated, Mugetsu had already visualized the process the mont he picked up the fish—even before starting.
He carefully removed the backbone, leaving about one centiter attached near the tail. Then, laying the fish skin-side down, he made diagonal cross-cuts into the flesh, slicing four-fifths of the way through.
This step was critical. One slip and the final appearance of the dish would be ruined.
Thanks to the Chef skill, Mugetsu executed every motion perfectly. When finished, the golden, crispy fish curled beautifully into a squirrel-like shape. Once topped with sweet and sour sauce, the dish was not only fragrant, but visually stunning.
"Huh? How did the fish turn into this while Minato and I were just chatting?" Kushina blinked at the dish in shock.
No exaggeration—she had never seen food that looked this beautiful.
In her mind, food was ant to fill the belly first, and taste good second. That was it.
Minato walked over to the table to get a closer look, equally amazed.
"This is the first ti I've ever thought a dish looked... beautiful," Minato admitted. Mugetsu's creation was truly a feast for the eyes.
"Don't just stare. Try it," Mugetsu said with a small grin.
Kushina and Minato didn't stand on ceremony. They picked up their chopsticks and each took a bite.
The mont Minato tasted it, the sweet and sour flavor hit first, followed by the crispy outer texture and the tender, juicy flesh inside. The flavor had soaked deep into the at.
After a stunned pause, he imdiately served himself a bowl of rice and started eating in earnest. This sweet and sour dish was dangerously appetizing.
"No—either Minato or I must learn how to cook this!" Kushina declared seriously after finishing her portion.
She still preferred braised pork, but this dish had scored way too many points for its looks.
"No problem. I'll teach you," Mugetsu replied warmly.
"But just so you know, this dish is much harder than braised pork. So be prepared," he warned.
Braised pork didn't need to look fancy. As long as you followed the steps, it would turn out well.
But Squirrel Mandarin Fish? Its appearance was the soul of the dish. A single flaw in presentation and the entire thing could be considered a failure.
"I don't believe this dish can be harder than those advanced Sealing Techniques," Kushina said, full of confidence in both herself and Minato.
"Mugetsu, how's your Three-Finger Sealing going? Any problems so far?" Minato asked, shifting the conversation.
"It feels way more complicated than One-Finger Sealing. I've been practicing for ten days and I still feel clueless," Mugetsu replied with a sigh.
Of course, in reality, he'd mastered it by day six. But since Kushina expected it to take about a month, Mugetsu decided to claim completion on day twenty-seven.
He then brought up the problem he'd "encountered" on the first day, playing the role of a hardworking student.
Kushina and Minato enthusiastically helped answer his questions.
Mugetsu didn't waste the opportunity. While he did ask a few questions just to maintain his cover, he also brought up genuine Sealing Technique problems he didn't yet understand.
With Minato and Kushina—two top-tier Sealing masters—as his tutors, he gained a great deal. The Chef skill had arrived at the perfect ti.
Without it, his friendship progress would have taken far longer.
---
Two days after the final exam...
Kotetsu, Izumo, and Anko had agreed to check their grades together.
Once they t up, the trio walked toward the school.
"I got second in practical again. If only my theory score were a little higher, I could ask Teacher Mugetsu for extra rewards," Anko said, clearly in a good mood.
"Didn't you say the test was easy when you finished? I bet you scored high," Kotetsu teased with a grin.
"Yeah, we're the unlucky ones. There were lots of questions I wasn't sure about," Izumo added with a troubled face.
"It's fine. Once we see our grades, I'll treat you both to breakfast," Anko declared proudly.
"Wait, really?" Kotetsu's eyes lit up.
"When have I ever lied to you?" Anko asked, hands on her hips.
Kotetsu and Izumo exchanged skeptical glances and shook their heads. When hasn't she? they both thought.
As they neared the school, Anko suddenly narrowed her eyes and looked at the two suspiciously.
"Wait a minute… You both scored really well last ti. You're not tricking into thinking I did badly again, are you?"
"No way. Last ti was just dumb luck," Kotetsu quickly denied.
"Yeah, no chance we're that lucky again," Izumo added, sighing.
They could either check the bulletin board or head to their classroom to get their returned test papers. The three opted for the classroom, where Mugetsu had already placed each paper on the correct desk.
They greeted him politely, then went to check their scores.
"Eh? Only seventy-eight? That's two points lower than last ti," Anko said, scratching her head. She'd expected at least eighty-seven.
"Kotetsu, Izumo, what about you guys?" she asked, clearly deflated. How was she supposed to ask Mugetsu for a reward now?
"I think I got lucky again. A bit higher than yours," Kotetsu replied casually, flipping his paper over face-down.
"Sa here. Slightly higher than Anko," Izumo smiled faintly.
"A little higher?" Anko's eyes narrowed—then in a flash, she grabbed both their test papers.
"You call one hundred compared to seventy-eight 'a little higher'?!"
"Kotetsu is one hundred?!"
"Izumo is also one hundred?!"
Both boys were stunned.
"We agreed not to study!" Kotetsu exclaid. "Izumo, did you lie to two weeks ago? You said you were playing gas, but you were actually studying!"
"Oh, like you're innocent?" Izumo shot back. "You said you were reading novels, but you were studying every day, weren't you?!"
"You two!" Anko stared at them, dumbfounded.
They had pretended to slack off, only to secretly compete like maniacs behind her back.
She couldn't take it anymore.
"Bastards! You ruined ! And breakfast? Take this punch first!"
She chased after them, fists flying.
"Take this! You fraudulent geniuses!"
Watching the chaotic trio, Mugetsu chuckled to himself. As he glanced at the system's reward notifications, he felt satisfied.
This sester's harvest had been quite bountiful.
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