Childhood Memories: The Taste

Chapter 973 The Taste of Childhood Memories

"Uh, I'm so sorry, Professor Roland—"

Tadokoro Megumi quickly stood up, glanced at the untouched burgundy beef stew on the stainless steel counter, picked it up and strode to the podium, placing it on the podium table.

The beef is tender and juicy; it's been stewed until flavorful, and the batter was probably applied in a thin layer when it was coated.

Roland pressed the beef in the plate with his fork and knew that the beef stew in Burgundy was definitely above average.

I cut the meat with a knife and fork, took a bite, and found the beef to be tender and juicy, with a textbook-perfect Burgundy beef stew flavor.

Roland picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth, then nodded gently to the somewhat apprehensive girl, who seemed to be awaiting judgment.

"Your beef stew in Burgundy is excellent; I would rate it an A."

Upon hearing this, Tadokoro Megumi, who had been feeling a little uneasy, brightened up and quickly bowed to express her gratitude: "Thank you, Professor Roland."

"You're welcome. I was just giving an objective evaluation of the students' cooking. Since your cooking is up to standard, you should receive the corresponding score."

"Well, speaking of which, aren't you going to bring out that beef stew you made with a different kind of wine for me to try?"

The aroma of stewed beef wafted from the cooking classroom, but the most tempting dish was undoubtedly the one that Broly and Tadokoro Megumi had stewed with a different kind of sake.

If it weren't for maintaining his dignity and aloofness as a teacher, he would have been tempted to go over and check on the situation when he smelled that peculiar aroma of alcohol.

"Professor Roland, didn't we already get an A grade and pass?"

Tadokoro Megumi tensed up again.

Of course, if there were still intact stewed meat, that would be fine, but she believed that beef stewed with other wines would be even more delicious.

The problem is that the dishes that were stewed with another wine have already been touched by her and Broly. Bringing the leftovers to the stage would be suicide.

"Well, if that dish is also delicious, I can give you both extra points, an A grade. Even if it's not up to standard, I won't deduct any extra points."

Upon hearing this, Tadokoro Megumi was somewhat tempted. She needed a sufficient number of high scores to mitigate the precarious situation of being expelled from the academy due to her low scores and failing grades.

"There's only one piece of meat left, Professor Roland. If you don't mind, you can try it."

Just as the girl was hesitating whether to bring the leftovers to the table, Broly had already come over and placed the plate with only one slice of beef left on the lectern.

"It's just to taste the flavor, not to fill me up, one piece is enough."

Roland swallowed hard, the rich aroma of the dish wafting into his nose as it was brought closer.

"Please enjoy your meal."

Roland nodded, changed to a different fork, picked up the remaining beef, smelled it first, and then ate it.

His face also showed the same intoxicated expression as when he ate the beef stew with divine sake.

"Look, everyone, look at Teacher Roland!"

Some students exclaimed in surprise.

"Really? Chef Roland, who never laughs, actually laughed!"

"And she's smiling so innocently, like a newborn baby?!"

Roland Chappell's style of doing things at Totsuki Academy was known for being extremely strict and impartial. Even if a student made a dish that satisfied him, this strict teacher would usually give a high score without showing his joy. The fact that he was smiling now was something that many students had never seen before.

Moreover, Roland not only smiled, but tears welled up in his eyes, just as an iron tree blossomed and a holy icon in a church shed tears.

"Une pure merveille! (This is truly a miraculous dish!)"

This French culinary teacher even used his native language.

"I can't describe what it tastes like, but when I ate it and the flavor of the beef burst on my tongue, it felt like I was back in my childhood."

At that time, I was an apprentice in a restaurant, with only one day off a week. Whenever I came home, my mother would always be in the kitchen, stewing my favorite beef stew in Burgundy.

Roland wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I lost my composure. My mother passed away many years ago, and your cooking reminded me of her."

Although her ribeye stew in Burgundy may not have been as delicious as that of a professional chef, the taste will always be unforgettable in my memory.

"Excuse me, can you tell me how you made this stewed beef dish that tastes exactly like my mother's in my memory?"

Roland asked for advice.

"this--

Broly was at a loss for words, because it shouldn't be credited to him, but rather to the divine wine.

The effects of this "divine wine" vary depending on the drinker.

Some people have their minds completely blank, like they're soaking in a hot spring.

Some people, like Megumi Tadokoro, see a dreamlike vision that fulfills their heart's desires.

Clearly, for the teacher in front of him, the dish of beef stewed with divine wine brought him back to the depths of his memory, where he saw his familiar mother (a hallucination) and felt the taste of his childhood. This must be because he misses his deceased mother deeply.

"Forget it, this is your secret recipe. Exploring a student's secret seasoning recipe is a violation of professional ethics."

Affection."

Seeing the difficulty on Broly's face, Roland realized what was going on and withdrew his request for advice.

"I'm sorry, teacher, if there's a chance, I can make you a few more servings of stew."

With an easy way out, Broly naturally went along with it. The effect of adding the divine wine was excellent, better than anyone could have imagined. But now, Broly felt like he was cheating in a game, and he was a little uncomfortable.

"Okay, now, I'll add an A grade to both of your grades."

Roland nodded and solemnly announced.

"What do we do next?"

Broly asked the overjoyed Tadokoro Megumi.

"That's all for us now. Just tidy up the counter, wash the utensils, and put them back in their places, and we can leave. Hmm, Mr. Broly, I'll take care of these things. You can go now—"

Megumi Tadokoro felt that the extra A grade she could get from Mr. Roland was all thanks to Broly, and now the only way to express her gratitude to this burly boy was through her actions.

"I don't have anything to do either, so I'll help you pack."

Broly naturally couldn't leave first, but instead started packing up, which caused Tadokoro Megumi's happiness level to rise a little more.

After they finished cleaning up their cooking stations, students from other cooking stations also brought their dishes to Roland to taste.

As for the result, one can only say that the other party is indeed a strict teacher. Out of the five groups of students and their five stewed beef dishes, only one group barely passed the test.

"Professor Roland is indeed very strict—"

Tadokoro Megumi just watched from the sidelines, and a sense of panic began to creep into her heart.

"Fortunately, we've passed."

Broly said something from the side.

"yes."

The blue-haired girl with twin braids was relieved after hearing this.

"Let's go."

Broly offered his hand to the girl again, and Tadokoro Megumi didn't notice anything wrong with it. She hummed in agreement and took the boy's hand.

The two left the cooking classroom hand in hand, leaving a group of students who had not yet passed Roland's strict test feeling a bit envious.

After leaving the classroom, there was no one in the corridor, except for the faint sounds of cooking coming from other cooking classrooms.

Clearly, the first class at Totsuki Academy High School consists entirely of practical cooking classes, with the only difference being that the dishes made are slightly different.

When Broly arrived at the entrance of the cooking classroom that Yukihira Soma had entered, he found that the students inside, including Yukihira Soma, seemed to be making dumplings.

The whiteboard in the classroom was labeled with dumpling recipes, and it also noted that dumplings could be made from any country. However, both the fillings and the dough had to be made from the most basic ingredients.

"They haven't finished cooking yet, Mr. Broly. Are you waiting for your friend?"

Tadokoro asked.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

Broly didn't answer; instead, he asked a question in return.

"I don't think I have any classes this morning, so I plan to take my luggage to my dorm."

"Then I'll help you."

"Oh, I can't accept this."

"It's okay, I have nothing else to do anyway."

Tadokoro Megumi couldn't refuse Broly's enthusiasm, and the two went to the place where students' luggage was stored. Tadokoro Megumi took out her luggage, and Broly naturally took the suitcase from her. Then they went to the girl's accommodation.

"Should I take some?"

This was the first time Tadokoro Megumi had received help from someone to move all her luggage to her dormitory, and she felt a little embarrassed.

"No need, this weight is nothing."

Broly naturally refused decisively. In the brief time he spent with Tadokoro Megumi, he had already seen through the girl's true nature.

His character.

The other person is the kind of girl who feels grateful to others when they are kind to her. As the target of your pursuit, all you need to do is shower her with kindness and goodwill.

What you put in, you will get out.

"But this place is far from my dormitory."

Polar Star Dormitory is located on the edge of Totsuki Academy. Totsuki Academy is surrounded by three mountains and covers a very large area. For a normal person to commute without using transportation, it would take nearly half an hour to walk there, and that is without carrying any weight.

"It's alright. We can enjoy the scenery of the academy along the way, so we can treat it as getting familiar with the academy environment. By the way, if you get tired, you can tell me, and I can carry you on my shoulders."

"Ah, no need, I'm not tired."

Tadokoro Megumi blushed slightly and quickly waved her hand.

Only then did she realize that her left hand was still being held by the boy.

Tadokoro Megumi wanted to say something, but found that Broly seemed oblivious and just kept holding her hand as they walked.

The girl, who had no experience in refusing others or keeping her distance, couldn't bring herself to say anything and followed the Saiyan boy like a well-behaved child.

There was some silence on the way, but it wasn't awkward. Every now and then, Broly would ask her what place it was, and Tadokoro Megumi would answer enthusiastically.

Through these occasional questions and answers, the awkwardness of the two meeting today gradually disappeared, replaced by a sense of familiarity as if they had made friends.

Half an hour is neither a long nor a short time. Soon, an old-fashioned dormitory building covered in vines and looking very historic came into view.

That's my dorm room, Polaris Dormitory.

Tadokoro Megumi pointed to the old-fashioned dormitory building and introduced it to the Saiyan boy next to her.

"Xiao Hui, have you found a boyfriend yet?"

At the entrance of the dormitory building, an elderly woman with a full head of silver-gray hair and a spiky hairstyle was sweeping the floor. When she saw Tadokoro Megumi coming over with a burly young man carrying luggage and holding her hand, her eyes lit up. She quickly walked over and asked the girl in a gossipy manner.

"Ah, Aunt Fumio, don't talk nonsense. Mr. Broly is not my boyfriend."

Tadokoro Megumi frantically waved her hands in explanation.

"You've already held hands with him, do you think this old woman is blind?"

Oomido Fumio pointed at the two holding hands and rolled his eyes.

"This is—"

Feeling somewhat anxious about being misunderstood, Tadokoro Megumi didn't know how to explain.

"Hello, Aunt Fumio. My name is Broly, and I'm a new student at Totsuki Academy."

Broly took the initiative to release the girl's hand, and using the same address as Tadokoro Megumi, addressed the dormitory supervisor in front of him, and then politely introduced himself.

"So, you're a newcomer who was brought to Polar Star Dormitory by Tadokoro?"

Ōmiya Fumio looked Broly up and down, quite satisfied with the boy's incredibly strong physique; he looked like the kind of guy who could help carry things.

"I'm not too sure about settling in here. I helped Tadokoro move his luggage here. We're basically classmates who just met today."

"No other special relationship?"

Oomido Fumio had some doubts.

"I'd like to be friends with her, is that alright?"

Broly looked at Tadokoro Megumi.

"Ah, sure."

The girl being asked nodded quickly in response.

"So now I think I'm friends with Tadokoro."

Broly looked at Ōmiya Fumio again and said.

Looking at Broly's seemingly harmless appearance, the older woman had a vague feeling, based on her years of life experience, that this young man was not as simple as he claimed. However, she didn't say much. After all, Tadokoro Megumi was quite cute, and she was in her adolescence. It wasn't a big deal if someone wanted to pursue her. Besides, her first impression of the young man was that he was quite polite.

"Xiao Hui's room is on the third floor, room 302. You can just move your things up there."

As Oomido Fumio spoke, he handed over a key.

"it is good."

Broly took it and went into the somewhat old-looking dormitory building first.

Unlike its exterior, the interior, though also somewhat dated, clearly shows that it has been inhabited for a long time, as both the floors and walls are kept very clean.

"Mr. Broly, are you a day student or a boarding student?"

Broly walked ahead carrying the luggage, with Tadokoro Megumi following behind, unable to resist asking questions.

"I should be a boarding student."

Broly thought for a moment and replied that he originally didn't care whether he was a day student or a boarding student, but after discovering that there were so many romance options at Totsuki Academy, he decided that it would be better to stay at the academy.

"Which dormitory do you live in?"

Tadokoro pressed her for an explanation, saying that since Broly had helped her move her luggage, she felt she should at least repay him by helping him tidy up his dorm room or something.

"I really don't know that."

"Didn't it say that in your student handbook?"

"I haven't seen it yet."

Upon arriving at the entrance of dormitory 302, Broly put down his luggage and took out his student handbook to read through it.

Tadokoro Megumi leaned closer and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, you were also assigned to stay at the Polar Star Dormitory?!"

"What a coincidence."

Broly was also a little surprised, but quite happy. As the saying goes, being near the water tower makes it easier to get the moon first. Living in the same dormitory building as the girl next door would make it much easier to win her over and increase her happiness level in the future.

"However, Mr. Broly, if you are a new student preparing to move in, you might need to prepare a welcome meal for Aunt Fumio."

"What do you mean?"

"There's a rule at Polar Star Dormitory: any student who wants to live here has to cook a dish that Aunt Fumio can approve of."

If that's not possible, Aunt Wenxu, as the dormitory supervisor, has the right to refuse new students entry. Back then, I...

It took three months to finally move in.

"What dish should we make?"

"Any kind of dish is fine, as long as you have the ingredients."

"I didn't bring anything. Do you provide any food here?"

"You'll have to ask Aunt Wenxu about that."

. . . .

"Ha, this kid's from our Polaris Dormitory too?"

Fumio Ōmida continued sweeping the yard. Before he finished, he saw the two people who had just entered the dormitory building come down together. After hearing that Broly had also been assigned to live here, he laughed.

"Then I'll have to give it a good evaluation; Polaris Dormitory doesn't accept useless people."

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