The air in the test kitchen was no longer filled with the taut tension from earlier and was instead wrapped in heat and excitement.

“I see. So you’re using the difference in lard’s melting point to keep the rice coating going?”

“But with a household microwave, wouldn’t the moisture fly off too much and make it dry?”

The elite of Sumeragi Foods’ product development department surrounded me, bombarding me with questions.

It seemed that the moment I acknowledged the taste of their frozen fried rice, it lit a fire under their craftsman pride.

“It’s not about theory.”

I answered with my arms crossed.

“Data and numbers matter too but in the end, what talks is the temperature of the wok surface and how well the oil circulates and your fried rice is too refined, it’s missing that hard-hitting ‘violent umami.’”

The development staff looked at each other.

In this world—a female-dominant society—cooking trends also leaned toward healthy, delicate and lightly seasoned.

They worried so much about calories and salt that they lacked the punch that hits you on instinct.

“…Explaining it is slower than making you eat it.”

I stood.

“Hey, do you have ingredients? I’ll make you ‘real fried rice.’”

At my declaration, the development staff buzzed.

In no time, top-grade chāshū, green onion, eggs, white rice, lard and chopped garlic were set out on the counter with almost magical efficiency.

“Alright.”

I tossed off my jacket and rolled up the sleeves of my dress shirt.

The instant I did, the atmosphere shifted.

“Ah…”

“Wow…”

All eyes locked onto a single point.

My forearms, now exposed.

Thick muscles built from endlessly swinging a heavy wok, veins standing out.

When I put power into cooking, the muscle fibers moved like something alive.

“Those arms… like a sculpture…”

“The veins… I want to trace them with my finger…”

Not just the development staff—even President Reiko hid her mouth behind her fan, sending a heated stare my way.

Hibiki and Karen crossed their arms too, for some reason looking proud, like, ‘Heh, impressive right?’

“Here we go.”

I twisted the valve on the high-calorie commercial burner.

Bwooom!!!

With a roar, a massive pillar of fire shot up.

With one hand, I lifted the nearly four-kilo wok, dry-heated it, then threw in the lard.

White smoke rose.

The smell of iron pushed to its limit.

I poured in the beaten egg all at once.

Juuwaaah!!

With an explosive sound, the egg puffed up.

Without pause, I added the white rice.

From here on, it was a speed match.

With nothing but wrist snap, I worked the wok.

Clang! Clang! Gakon!

A hard, rhythmic sound of the iron ladle striking the bottom of the wok echoed through the kitchen.

Every time the wok swung, golden grains of rice leapt into the air and slipped through the flames.

“S-so fast!”

“That heavy wok, with one hand so easily! The rice is dancing!”

Sweat beaded on my forehead.

The heat of the flames and the weight of the iron wok.

Even the sweat flying off became part of the show, their eyes pinned to me.

This wasn’t just cooking.

It was a primal performance that flaunted the life force of an ‘alpha male.’

To finish, I ran soy sauce around the wok surface.

Szz…

The savory bite of scorched soy sauce and the fierce aroma of fried garlic hit their noses like a finishing blow.

“It’s done.”

Thud!

Piled onto a large plate was a steaming ‘Special Manly Fried Rice.’

The ingredients were simple.

But each grain of rice gleamed gold, wearing a glossy sheen of lard.

Color? Plating? Who cares?

What sat there was a mountain of brown jewels.

“Alright, eat.”

When I urged them, the development staff reached out their spoons timidly.

Then the instant they took a bite—

Kaahh!!!

Everyone’s eyes flew open to their limit.

““Mmmn—!!””

A wordless scream rose.

A hard-hitting saltiness, the thick richness of lard and the sting of garlic that shot through the nose.

It was on a different plane from the polite cooking they’d been eating.

A raging flood of rough yet irresistible umami that felt like it was punching their brains directly.

“W-what is this! The flavor… the flavor is rushing in!”

“So strong! So greasy! …And yet, I can’t stop my spoon!”

The development staff began shoveling the fried rice in like they were possessed.

“Savage! What a savage taste!”

President Reiko too was stuffing her face in single-minded frenzy.

“And yet my body… every last corner of my cells, it starts craving this ‘strength’! Ah, delicious! This sensation, like being handled roughly… it feels like it could become an addiction!”

“Right? That’s Jō’s flavor.”

Karen said triumphantly and Hibiki nodded, satisfied.

“The strongest stamina meal the men in this world can’t make. Once you’ve tasted it, you can’t go back.”

In the blink of an eye, the huge plate was empty.

Like a post-meal ‘sage time,’ everyone sat there breathing with rapt, blissed-out expressions.

“You’ve got me beat.”

President Reiko stood, wiping her mouth with a handkerchief.

Her eyes glittered with excitement and business sense.

“Akutsu-sama. I’ve got an idea.”

She pressed close and grabbed my hand tight.

“Let’s commercialize this flavor. Not just a commercial.”

“…Huh?”

“We’ll name it ‘Akutsu Jō Supervised ‘Man’s Hearty Fried Rice’!’ A new brand that pushes this violently intense umami and stamina and your wild image, front and center!”

President Reiko launched into an impassioned speech.

“Women today may act health-conscious on the surface, but instinctively they’re starving for this kind of ‘strong flavor.’ This will sell without a doubt! It’ll become a social phenomenon!”

My eyes widened.

My staff meal becoming a product, of all things.

But… it didn’t feel bad.

My flavor would spark a revolution on this world’s dinner tables.

As a former chef, that might be one kind of milestone.

“…Hmph.”

I curled one corner of my mouth up and grinned.

“Interesting. If you can recreate my recipe, then do it. But I won’t allow even a single compromise on taste, got it?”

“Gladly! We’ll mobilize the entire company and follow your flavor!”

At President Reiko’s declaration, the development staff snapped a military-like salute and shouted, ““Yes!!””

And just like that, I went beyond the box of being merely a commercial talent and ended up standing at the center of a project that would even change this world’s food culture.