The headquarters building of the major food manufacturer Sumeragi Foods.

The test kitchen on its top floor was wrapped in a taut tension like an operating room.

Dozens of female development staff in white lab coats stood lined up at attention.

Their gazes were fixed on the table placed in the center of the room and on the one man sitting there—me, Akutsu Jō.

And sitting across from me was the empress who stood at the top of this food empire.

“We have been expecting you, Akutsu Jō-sama.”

A woman with blonde hair styled into long ringlets, hiding her mouth behind a folding fan.

It was President Sumeragi Reiko.

The moment she saw me, she snapped her fan shut and sprang to her feet.

“My! What a manly figure! You’re a hundred times more wonderful than in photos! The real, live Jō-sama!”

For a split second, it felt like her eyes turned into heart marks as she leaned forward with enough force to practically climb over the table.

“Ah, those thick arms! That broad chest! I can’t bear it, embrace me at once—”

“Stop.”

“Ma’am, you’re too close.”

As the president charged, Hibiki and Karen—standing at my sides—immediately stepped in to block her.

A well-practiced team.

Lately, it was like this everywhere we went.

“…Pardon me. I lost my composure.”

President Reiko cleared her throat and sat back down.

The giddy light vanished from her eyes and a sharp glow, fit for an executive, settled in.

“However, I will not mix business and pleasure. I am a devoted fan of Jō-sama but even more than that, I love our company’s products.”

She snapped her fingers.

“These are the crystallization of Sumeragi Foods’ soul. We will have you judge them strictly, since you are rumored to be a former chef and see whether they suit your palate.”

There was no lie or flattery in her words.

Absolute confidence.

I grinned.

“You’ve got guts. Alright, let’s eat.”

A cart was wheeled in.

First up was Juicy Oversized Gyoza.

Freshly cooked gyoza gave off a fragrant, toasted aroma.

I took up my chopsticks and picked one up.

No dipping sauce.

The proper way is to taste it as-is first.

The springy resistance of the wrapper traveling through the tips of my chopsticks, the firmness of the seared surface.

I put it in my mouth in one bite.

Crunch. Juuwa…

In the silent kitchen, the sound of chewing rang out.

The development staff swallowed hard, waiting for my reaction.

I took my time tasting, swallowed, then opened my mouth.

“…The wrapper thickness is about 0.8 millimeters.”

A stir ran through the room.

“It’s a thicker wrapper but it’s not powdery. You adjusted the strong flour ratio to bring out that chewy texture while keeping the strength to hold the soup inside without letting it escape.”

I kept piling on analysis, one after another.

“The filling isn’t machine-kneaded, you deliberately used coarsely ground meat to keep the texture. And this sweetness and depth… you mixed in back fat, didn’t you? The chive aroma is standing up properly too.”

I looked President Reiko straight in the eye.

“To bring frozen gyoza this close to ‘restaurant flavor’ that’s some serious technique. No complaints, it’s delicious.”

In that instant, President Reiko let her fan slip from her hand.

Her cheeks went bright red and she trembled.

“T-that’s right! The 0.8-millimeter wrapper and the hidden back-fat taste, the golden ratio we reached after years. For you to see through it in one shot…”

Even the development staff let out voices of awe.

“That’s amazing…”

“Everything’s been exposed.”

“Next.”

I reached for the main dish, Direct-Flame Fried Rice.

A golden mound piled on the plate.

First, I brought my nose close and inhaled.

'…Oh?'

The rich aroma of scorched soy sauce and lard.

When I scooped it with a spoon, the grains of rice fell apart, light and separate.

Bite.

The instant it hit my mouth, I felt an intense heat.

A savory fragrance blasted up by wok-level high temperature you could never get from a home frying pan.

Each grain of rice was coated in oil and the more I chewed, the umami burst out.

There was none of that soggy texture typical of frozen food.

Without a word, I kept moving my spoon and finished the entire plate.

Then I took a sip of water and said quietly.

“…Pass.”

I nodded deeply.

“You used lard and blasted it at high temperature, then sealed that aroma in with rapid freezing. If you can eat this flavor with a home microwave, there’s nothing to complain about.”

I stood and bowed my head to the development staff standing in a row.

“Good work. You must’ve gone through a lot of trial and error. That soul of yours—‘we want people to eat something delicious’—I definitely received it.”

Those words seemed to strike a chord in them.

“U-uuuh!”

“To be praised by a man… by Jō-sama…”

“It was worth developing this through all those all-nighters…”

The women in white coats collapsed into tears one after another.

And at the front, President Reiko was also pressing a handkerchief to her eyes.

“I’m so happy! My beloved fried rice has been acknowledged by my beloved Jō-sama!”

She looked up at me with watery eyes and wore an expression of rapture.

“This is already… basically the same as a ‘marriage registration form,’ isn’t it?!”

“Huh?”

“It means I’ve practically captured your stomach! Ah, Jō-sama! From today on, you are my exclusive chef and lifelong partner—”

“That’s a leap.”

I brushed off the president, who was about to go off the rails, with a cold tone, then grinned.

“But the taste is real. Rest easy, President.”

I rolled up my sleeves.

“I’ll take responsibility for delivering this flavor to the public. When I swing the wok, I’ll make it look even more delicious.”

At my confident declaration, President Reiko let out a strange “Hauu!” and went limp, collapsing on the spot.

“S-so cool! I’ll follow you for the rest of my life…”

“President! Please pull yourself together!”

“An ambulance! No, an oxygen tank!”

The test kitchen erupted into chaos.

Watching it, Hibiki and Karen let out a deep, deeep sigh.

“…We’ve got another rival now.”

“And she’s rich and has a lot going on…”

And so, the commercial contract with Sumeragi Foods was finalized.

My first commercial shoot as a chef was about to begin.