The top-floor test kitchen of Sumeragi Foods headquarters.

There, a man’s low growl echoed through the space.

“…You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

I, Akutsu Jō, was staring intently at the tablet screen in my hands.

Displayed there was the SheTube video I had uploaded the other day, The Demon King’s Cooking Classroom – Flame-Born Twice-Cooked Pork Edition.

Views: 12.54 million.

“One week and it’s already this… Is something bugged?”

When I muttered in disbelief, Yū, who had been hammering away at a laptop beside me, replied while rubbing her sleepy eyes.

“…It’s not a bug. The access is normal. If anything, it’s a miracle the servers didn’t crash.”

Yū manipulated the screen and brought up the comments section.

I could eat three bowls of rice just staring at his arm veins.
His eyes when he cooks are literally the eyes of a predator hunting prey.
Wait, does twice-cooked pork really take this much effort!?
That final “just eat it” sent me straight to heaven.

The number of comments had exceeded several hundred thousand.

Most of them were fervent praise… or rather, closer to confessions of faith.

“And that’s not all, Master!”

Ai, the assistant, came running over while hugging a roll of kitchen paper.

“Did you see the news!? Sweet wheat paste and chili bean paste have disappeared from supermarkets nationwide! Even with factories running 24 hours, the manufacturers can’t keep up!”

“Huh? They’re just seasonings, you know?”

“Also, there’s rampant scalping of Chinese woks. A 36-centimeter iron wok is selling for ten times the retail price!”

I grabbed my head.

Just how starved were the women of this world for a man’s cooking?

All I did was swing a wok and talk some culinary trivia.

“…You really are a sinful man.”

Hibiki gave a wry smile as she held her coffee.

“The fire you lit wasn’t just on the stove. Looks like you lit an inextinguishable flame in women’s hearts all over the world too.”

She looked amused, but my feelings were complicated.

I just want to make good food.

I have no intention of becoming an idol or a cult leader.

At that moment.

Tap, tap, tap….

The sharp sound of obviously expensive heels echoed from the test kitchen entrance.

“Oh my, things seem quite lively.”

The one who appeared was the master of this building—President Reiko Sumeragi.

As always, she was wrapped in a dazzlingly flashy dress, holding a folding fan, with several secretaries in tow behind her.

“Yo, President. Did you come to eat something good again?”

When I joked casually, Reiko let out a fearless “Fufu” and hid her mouth behind her fan.

“Yes, indeed. However, today I am not here merely as a customer.”

Her eyes flashed sharply.

They were not the heated eyes of a Jō fan.

They were the cold, calculating eyes of a business leader who commands a massive corporation.

“Akutsu-sama. Allow me to be blunt.”

Reiko closed her fan and pointed its tip straight at me.

“Would you care to have a ‘match’ with me?”

…

Tension ran through the kitchen.

I frowned and looked back at Reiko.

“A match?”

“Yes. A cooking showdown.”

Reiko puffed out her chest confidently.

“The theme shall be… ‘curry.’ A national dish and an art of spices. Let us go with that.”

Curry, huh.

Simple, yet profound.

A staple of home cooking, but once you obsess over it, it becomes a swamp with no bottom.

“Sounds interesting. But who’s my opponent? You’re not putting on an apron yourself, are you?”

When I asked, Reiko snapped her fingers.

The door behind her opened and a group in white lab coats filed in.

Every one of them wore glasses and carried tablets or precision instruments.

They looked more like scientists than cooks.

“Allow me to introduce them. The elite development team our Sumeragi Foods is proud of… commonly known as ‘Team Spice.’”

Reiko introduced them proudly.

“They are professionals who use taste sensors and AI analysis to calculate the golden ratios that the human brain finds most ‘delicious.’ …For this occasion, I have gathered only our top aces.”

The women in lab coats all turned their eyes on me at once.

There was no hostility in their gaze.

But there was contempt.

The arrogance of scientists who thought, ‘It’s just personal intuition and experience,’ and ‘You can’t beat our data.’

“I see… So it’s ‘an individual chef’ versus ‘organizational science,’ huh.”

I grinned.

Now this is a setup that gets the blood pumping.

“What are the conditions?” I asked and Reiko smiled alluringly.

“One week from now, we will cook here and the winner will be decided by a blind taste test conducted by 100 female employees.”

Then she stepped forward and peered into my face.

“As for the wager… how about this? The loser grants the winner ‘any one wish.’”

“Any one… wish?”

Hibiki and Karen reacted at the same time.

Both their faces went pale.

“Wait a second! What do you mean by ‘any’!?”

Karen snapped back.

“Knowing you, you’re probably planning to say something like ‘Make Jō my lover’ or ‘Cook for me for the rest of your life,’ right!?”

“Oh my, how rude. Well, you wouldn’t be entirely wrong.”

Reiko giggled softly, hiding her cheek with her fan without a hint of shame.

“Jō, no. This is too dangerous.”

Hibiki grabbed my arm as well, stopping me with a serious gaze.

“She’s a business executive. She wouldn’t propose a match she can’t win. That development team’s ability is the real deal. If you lose, you’ll be squeezed dry to the bone.”

They were right.

The opponent was a giant of the food industry.

Data, funding, time, manpower—she surpassed me in every category.

Normally, there was no benefit in accepting.

But.

“…Heh.”

A laugh slipped from my mouth.

“This is interesting.”

I gently removed Hibiki’s hand and stepped forward.

Then I glared at President Reiko and the group in white lab coats behind her.

“Hey, you scientist ladies. …You look awfully confident.”

At my low voice, several members of the development team flinched.

“Calculations? Data? Golden ratios? …All well and good. But listen.”

I slammed my fist against my chest.

“Cooking isn’t a formula. You picture the face of the person who’ll eat it, feel the day’s temperature and humidity, listen to the ingredients and pour your soul into it.”

I turned back to Reiko.

“Your ‘correct curry’ versus my ‘passionate curry.’ Let’s see which one truly moves people’s hearts.”

Reiko’s eyes widened in delight.

“You’ll accept… then?”

“Yeah. You picked a fight—so I’ll buy it.”

I smiled fearlessly and declared.

“But if I win… you’ll grant my wish too.”

“Gladly!”

Reiko shouted.

“As for what it is… fufu, let’s keep that as a surprise until you win.”

“Yeah. That’ll make it more fun.”

We stared each other down, sparks flying between our gazes, both hiding dark desires deep in our bellies.

“…Ahhh, you said it.”

Karen grabbed her head.

Hibiki sighed, looking at me with resignation—and a hint of amusement.

“One week from now. Wash your neck and wait.”

“Yes! We shall be waiting with the finest spices prepared!”

Thus began the merciless curry war between me and Sumeragi Foods.

But I still didn’t know.

That the ‘ultimate curry’ they were preparing was not merely a product of data.

And that this match would become an unprecedented trial questioning my very way of life as a chef.

* * *

That afternoon, I decided to head outside.

“…Master, are you really going?”

Ai called out worriedly as I put on my shoes at the entrance.

“The opponent is a major corporation. They’ll source top-grade spices from all over the world. Can you really win with ingredients from some local market?”

Ai’s concern was valid.

A corporation’s procurement power was on a completely different level.

They would spare no expense on rare spices and premium meat.

“Idiot. Cooking isn’t about price.”

I patted Ai’s head.

“And besides, I’ve got the strongest allies.”

“Allies?”

“Yeah. ‘Instinct’ and ‘my legs.’”

I grinned.

“I only cook with ingredients I’ve chosen with my own eyes and nose. Top-grade stuff? Fine by me. I’ll find ingredients with the ‘best compatibility.’”

I tapped Ai’s shoulder reassuringly, then called out to Saotome, who was waiting quietly in the corner of the living room.

“…Hey, Saotome. Get the car.”

“Where to?”

“The market. Take me to the biggest one in the city.”

I slipped on my well-worn leather jacket.

“In my previous life I went every day, but this is my first time going to a market in this world. …Not a place a man should go alone, right?”

When I said that, Saotome relaxed into a pleased smile and adjusted her sunglasses.

“A wise decision, Akutsu-sama. The markets of this world are battlefields crowded with starving women… an unguarded man who steps inside would be hunted as ‘ingredients’ before he could buy any.”

She took the car keys from her pocket and bowed respectfully.

“I will accompany you as driver and bodyguard. As long as I draw breath, I will not let anyone lay a finger on you.”

“Yeah, yeah. Sounds reassuring.”

I gave a wry smile and followed her outside.

A black chauffeured car was waiting for us.

“We’re looking for spices and bone-in meat. Count on you to pick good places.”

“Understood. I have a place in mind.”

The car began to move quietly.

Our destination was a labyrinth of ingredients.

A journey to find the fated ingredients needed to defeat a curry forged from the pinnacle of science.

‘…Just you wait, scientists. I’ll smash your equations to pieces.’

I sank deep into the seat and clenched my fist.

It was my first time in a while entering ‘serious mode.’

The blood of a chef burned hot within me.