Chapter 35: Mapo Adores Tofu
Seeing that Gilgamesh's expression was quite unsightly, Shirou quickly put down the controller and proposed.
"It's getting a bit late. I know a restaurant you must not have tried. Why don't we go and sample it?"
The ancient era Gilgamesh hailed from certainly did not have as many delicacies as the modern world.
Especially not the incredibly diverse and complex Japanese cuisine.
"Hmph... fine." Gilgamesh was indeed somewhat displeased, but he wouldn't get angry over such a trivial matter. He had also developed some interest in the Chinese cuisine Shirou spoke of.
And so, the four people went together to a Chinese restaurant.
There was only this one Chinese restaurant on the commercial street:
The Red Land Banquet Hall: Mount Tai.
The glass windows were tightly shut even during the day, making the movements of customers completely unclear. It was a street corner demon's lair that would scare anyone into wanting to flee home after just one glance.
The proprietor was an old man nearing fifty, but even at this age, his back was straight, and his spirit was better than some young people.
According to him, he was from Sichuan and Chongqing.
The proprietor enthusiastically prepared his signature dish. All the food ingredients in the wok he was wielding were coated in chili.
This meant the food would be very spicy.
Extremely spicy.
It was the kind of spiciness you'd get from stabbing your tongue a thousand times with a toothpick and then pouring salt on it.
"Well, let's try this first."
After they were seated, the dish brought out by the proprietor caused both Gilgamesh and Kotomine Kirei to show surprise in their eyes.
In the pure white porcelain dish placed on the red wooden long table, bright red chili oil was bubbling like lava.
That overpowering spiciness, mixed with a special complex aroma, made Kotomine Kirei feel his saliva being secreted uncontrollably.
Was this truly... food for mortals?
"This is...!"
"What beauty...!"
Kotomine Kirei praised the dish involuntarily, as if he were looking at the most beautiful object in history.
Gulp—!
Gulp—!
A clear swallowing sound came from Kotomine Kirei's throat, showing that the dish served in the pure white porcelain plate was already making him drool.
Unable to bear it any longer, Kotomine Kirei was the first to pick up his spoon, scooping up the only piece of white, tender food amidst the fiery red chili oil from the pure white porcelain plate, and sent it into his mouth without hesitation.
"Sss-ha—!"
Hot!
So hot!
His tongue, lips, and mouth were all burning, but despite this, Kotomine Kirei could not bring himself to spit it out, only letting it roll wildly in his mouth.
After managing to swallow it down with great effort, a flustered Kotomine Kirei immediately looked at Shirou with an emotional expression.
"What exactly... is this!?"
"This is 'Mapo Tofu,' you know." Shirou answered Kotomine Kirei's question.
"It seems you haven't even heard of it."
Even people who hadn't tasted Chinese cuisine would have at least heard of it, but Kotomine Kirei was completely clueless.
"Due to some special reasons, I am rarely active in the world of ordinary people..."
Realizing his lapse in composure, Kotomine Kirei's facial expression gradually returned to calm, but when he saw the Mapo Tofu in the pure white porcelain dish before him, the fervor in his eyes remained unconcealed.
Only such an intense sensation could make a man like Kotomine Kirei feel a surging heartbeat.
"I have truly never encountered food like this. To think such beauty exists in this world..." Kotomine Kirei murmured, gazing at the piping hot, bubbling Mapo Tofu.
He was born with a personality flaw.
He couldn't even understand what ordinary people considered beautiful.
Instead, he could feel deeply for things that many people considered ugly.
This dangerous cognitive dissonance had kept Kotomine Kirei's wretched life so far in an unspeakable state of dullness.
Neither the birth of his daughter nor the death of his wife could cause him an emotional fluctuation.
Although he had constantly tried to suppress his inner heartlessness, striving to align himself with the normal world.
But even after so many years, he still hadn't managed to do so.
However!
Today!
Kotomine Kirei felt an unspeakable emotion from that plate of scalding 'Mapo Tofu.'
His heart had never pounded so strongly, and his emotions had never been so intense!
This near-twisted pleasure made him crave to possess this delicious food like a famished wild dog.
Kotomine Kirei was originally apprehensive about Chinese cuisine, but the taste of this particular restaurant was like hell itself.
In the mechanical motion of scooping up the tofu and putting it into his mouth again and again, Kotomine Kirei felt his basic ability to think gradually diminish.
He was now like a beast feeding on instinct alone, continuously eating and drinking the piping hot Mapo Tofu.
The diagonally sliced garlic sprouts remained fresh and vibrant green.
They were consumed along with the scalding tender tofu.
It was as if it melted on his tongue, making him close his eyes in satisfaction and reveal a look of pure pleasure.
The numbing sensation of the Sichuan pepper...
The spiciness of the chili bean paste...
The aroma of the beef...
The heat of the tofu...
These various sensations interwoven like a magnificent symphony, making Kotomine Kirei feel a physical and spiritual sublimation.
Even though his lips were slightly reddened from the heat, Kotomine Kirei still did not pause for a second.
Spoonful after spoonful of tofu was delivered to his mouth.
A never-before-felt satisfaction was filling his empty heart.
He ate until he was drenched in sweat, as if there was a fire burning inside him.
His image was long forgotten. The Kotomine Kirei of the moment only wished that the moment of satiation would come later so he could savor this delicacy for a little longer.
Kotomine Kirei's relentless momentum drew glances from some pedestrians on the street outside.
Sweat poured from his forehead, yet he didn't drink any water. The intensity of his continuous eating, bite after bite, was like a Shura (Asura).
It must be really good, right? Such thoughts popped up in people's minds.
The result, which seemed to be chili oil and chili peppers mixed and simmered for a hundred years until they were completely integrated, was a dish that would henceforth be considered utterly delicious even by Kotomine Kirei, who regarded himself as an outsider and evildoer.
The pure white porcelain dish, originally brimming with chili oil, was completely emptied by Kotomine Kirei's sweeping onslaught in a short time.
Looking at the clean pure white porcelain dish, Kotomine Kirei's eyes held a hint of reluctance.
Although he wanted to eat it again, he was completely full.
Furthermore, if he continued, he might not be able to savor the same deliciousness while already full.
So, he could only stop there.
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