Animeverse Kitchen: My Culinary Journey Begins with Glowing Food! Chapter 3: Jashin-chan Has a Really Bad Feeling About This!

"Itadakimasu," Ryohei said, following the local custom before digging into his dinner.

He had to admit, Jashin-chan's cooking was seriously good.

The soft, tender potatoes were soaked in a rich and savory broth, each piece having absorbed the delicious essence of the beef. The at itself was stewed to perfection, its savory flavor infused with the subtle sweetness of the potatoes and the unique, classic taste of Japanese ho cooking. The complex layers of flavor were intoxicating, making the rice disappear from his bowl.

"How is it? Is it to your liking?" Hanazono Yurine asked, looking up from her own bowl.

"Yeah, it's delicious," Ryohei said, giving his honest opinion. "A dish this good would be a bestseller in any restaurant."

Over on the floor, Jashin-chan, who was miserably cleaning up bloodstains with a rag, straightened up and let out an arrogant huff. Her tail, which had regenerated at so point, swished back and forth.

"You should be honored, traitor! Not just anyone gets to eat my cooking! If you have a conscience, you'll pay 100,000 yen for it. If not, whatever."

"Jashin-chan, you're making things very awkward," Yurine said, shooting her a cold glare.

Jashin-chan's neck seed to shrink into her shoulders as she quickly went back to her work.

"Ryohei-kun, do you rember your family's phone number?" Yurine asked after taking a sip of her miso soup. First, let's confirm if he's really from another world.

"I don't have any family left," Ryohei replied with a sad smile. It had been a sudden illness.

Yurine paused, then bowed her head slightly. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's nothing," Ryohei said, pulling his smartphone from his pocket. "But I have my friend's numbers saved."

He glanced at the screen, which of course showed no signal, and held it out for Yurine to see.

"I can't get a signal here. Could I borrow your phone for a second, Yurine?"

"Sure."

Yurine pulled a popular smartphone from her dress pocket, unlocked it, and handed it over.

Ryohei took it and glanced at the screen. Her wallpaper was a cute selfie of her in the sa gothic lolita outfit she was wearing now.

Of course, that wasn't what he was looking for.

He found one of his friend's numbers in his own phone's contacts and carefully dialed it into Yurine's phone.

Soon, a robotic voice replied:

"We're sorry. The number you have dialed does not exist. Please check the number and try again."

"Looks like I really am in another world," Ryohei said, ending the call and handing the phone back with a look that said, I knew it.

"I see." Yurine took her phone back, her expression a little heavy. She turned and glared at Jashin-chan. Look what you've done!

"..." Jashin-chan shrank under her gaze and pretended to be cleaning with all her might.

"So, Ryohei-kun, what do you plan to do now?" Yurine asked, her expression softening as she looked back at him.

Ryohei was about to answer when a clear ding! sounded in his mind.

Then—

A translucent blue screen shimred into existence before his eyes.

A voice and text appeared at the sa ti.

[Congratulations! You have acquired the Infinite Gacha System!]

[You receive one unconditional skill draw per week.]

[Draws are categorized as 'Ability' or 'Item'.]

[Rarity is ranked: White, Green, Blue, Purple, and Gold.]

[Your first draw is a guaranteed Gold-rank skill, plus one bonus draw. Begin now?]

Yes, yes, YES! Ryohei thought, his face breaking into a wide, joyous grin.

He couldn't believe it. Not only was he summoned to an ani world by Jashin-chan, but he also got a cheat system! And it looked like a pretty good one, too!

Ryohei felt like his life was about to take off. His heart pounded with excitent.

Right now, though, the only thing he cared about was what skill he would get.

The text on the screen vanished, the background turning black as countless points of light flew toward him. Most were white, followed by green, with a few blues and a rare flash of purple mixed in. But in the end, a brilliant streak of gold filled the entire screen.

[Congratulations! You have obtained the Gold-Rank Ability: Glowing Cuisine!]

[Effect: Your understanding and intuition for cooking are massively boosted! Any dish you ticulously prepare will literally glow, preserving 100% of its nutritional value while doubling its flavor. It also has a special property that induces a state of pure bliss, capable of captivating the body and soul of any creature who tastes it!]

Glowing Cuisine!

Ryohei's eyes lit up as he read the text. It seed he and cooking were truly bound by fate. His very first skill was related to his profession.

But what does Glowing Cuisine actually look like? he wondered. Is it like in that old cooking ani, where you lift the lid and a pillar of golden light shoots into the sky?

He was dying to find out!

The screen flashed white again, and new text appeared.

[Congratulations! You have obtained the White-Rank Ability: Japanese Fluency!]

[Effect: You can now use the Japanese language with master-level proficiency!]

Japanese Fluency? he thought. Well, that's useful. I definitely need this right now.

Even though it was just a white-rank language skill, Ryohei wasn't disappointed. It was practical, and you don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

"...Ryohei-kun?" Yurine asked again, looking at him strangely. What's with him? she wondered. First, he suddenly looks ecstatic, and now he seems like he's itching to do sothing…

"Yurine," Ryohei said, standing up from the tatami mat. Looking down at her from his full height, he realized just how petite she was.

He turned to the petite goth-loli and made a request.

"Can I use your kitchen? And your ingredients?"

"You can, but… why so suddenly?" Yurine asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"I just got my cheat ability," he said plainly. "Just like a protagonist in an isekai story. My cooking skills got a power-up! Oh, and I can speak Japanese fluently now, too."

Ryohei walked around the low table and headed for the kitchen, his face alight with eagerness.

Jashin-chan, who was still cleaning the blood off the kitchen's sliding door, whipped her head around.

"Nani!?"

"How co I didn't get a cheat ability when I'm the one who was summoned here?! That's not fair! It's totally unreasonable!" If she had a cheat skill, she might have been able to finish off Yurine for good!

"Maybe it's because you're not human?" Ryohei replied casually, still in a great mood.

Jashin-chan's face darkened. "How dare you, a lowly creature, discriminate against , the great Jashin-chan! You've got so nerve!"

"Ryohei-kun, I have a suggestion," Yurine said after taking a bite of a broth-soaked potato, a morbid smile playing on her lips. "Why don't we use Jashin-chan's tail as an ingredient?"

"Great idea!" Ryohei shot back with a grin and a thumbs-up. "I've been wanting to know what Lord Jashin tastes like, anyway."

"You two are horrible!"

A chill went down Jashin-chan's spine. She took a step back, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"I'm still right here! And you're talking about eating !"

And this summoned human, Ryohei, was able to keep up with Yurine's sadistic rhythm with a smile on his face!

Sothing was very wrong with this guy!

Jashin-chan had a really bad feeling about Ryohei. It seed she had summoned soone truly dangerous.

And the worst part? He wasn't on her side.

I'm so screwed!