Chapter 411: Flower Fairy?

The next ingredient was a peculiar giant shrimp, spanning eight meters long. It had bird-like feet beneath its body and bat-like wings on its back, giving it an intimidating appearance. As soon as it appeared, it flapped its wings aggressively, attempting to soar into the sky and launch an attack on Sui.

But within seconds, the creature fell to the ground as a lifeless corpse, its head almost split cleanly in two.

Sui calmly sheathed his Etsy. His knivesmanship had improved significantly over the past few days.

—Shrimpfly—

—Food Grade: A

—Description: A colossal shrimp capable of flight, with speeds rivaling those of a jet plane. Its enormous, upward-curving teeth are incredibly sharp, capable of tearing its prey into pieces. Combining the best of both sky and sea, its meat is exceptionally tender, comparable to that of premium king crab and shrimp.

—Origin: Toriko

"How could it be so fast?" Sui muttered in shock after reading the description. Thankfully, he had dispatched it with a single blow before it could take to the skies. Otherwise, its vicious nature and incredible speed would have made it much harder to catch.

Despite his initial surprise, Sui soon felt delighted. With such a large shrimp, he could prepare enough food for at least two meals! Although the shrimp's shell would contribute a lot to its weight, it wasn't wasteful—it could be dried and used to make a delicious soup.

When Sui checked the market price of the Shrimpfly, his eyes nearly bulged out of his head. A single Shrimpfly was worth 500 million yen, twice as expensive as the prized Marble Tuna!

But after considering the size difference, Sui found it understandable. The Shrimpfly was eight meters long, while the Marble Tuna was only slightly over three meters. Additionally, lobster-like ingredients tended to be pricey by nature.

Eager not to waste the shrimp, Sui decided to process it immediately. Gripping the hilt of his Nichirin, his aura shifted—steady, sharp, like a drawn blade ready to strike.

'Raging Bull Azure Dragon Cut!'

A bright flash of light filled the kitchen. Sui had perfected this cooking technique after processing over a hundred ingredients. With effortless precision, he sliced the shrimp cleanly.

A crisp cracking sound echoed through the kitchen as the shell on the shrimp's back split open. A deep cut ran down the entire length of the shrimp, revealing its tender, snow-white meat. The head, bird-like feet, and wings were also expertly severed.

The shrimp eagle legs were discarded as they were tough and not particularly useful, while the wings met the same fate. Sui tossed them into the trash can.

Switching to his Cinderella knife, Sui skillfully peeled the shrimp, leaving behind a flawless piece of shrimp meat stretching five meters across the kitchen counter, with the shrimp vein perfectly removed.

Next, Sui picked up his Etsy knife and meticulously sliced the shrimp meat into smaller pieces, ensuring that its freshness remained intact.

Of course, he didn't let the leftover shrimp shells go to waste. They would be dried and used to make a rich, flavorful soup.

This time, Sui reached for the Derous knife instead. Modeled after a traditional cleaver, with a wide blade designed for chopping tougher objects, it was perfect for this task.

The Shrimpfly's shell was nearly as tough as metal, but the Seven-Star Knife, known for its unparalleled sharpness and durability, made short work of it. Sui swiftly chopped the shell into smaller pieces, packing them neatly into several large bags.

After finishing the preparation, Sui let out a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his brow. Processing such a large shrimp was hard, physical work!

With Erina still out, Sui decided to start dinner. The main ingredient would, of course, be shrimp.

He took a portion of the shrimp meat and sliced half of it thinly to make sashimi. The remaining half was diced, coated in batter, and fried to perfection.

For the main course, Sui prepared shrimp porridge. He boiled black rice for thirty minutes, then marinated the shrimp in sugar, salt, and pepper before adding them to the pot.

As he was cooking, Sui suddenly remembered the Butterspice ingredient. In his rush to deal with the Shrimpfly, he had completely forgotten about it.

Looking around the kitchen, he couldn't find it anywhere. He sighed in frustration—Erina's kitchen was enormous, and locating a single butterfly would be no easy task.

Just as he was feeling at a loss, Sui caught a glimpse of his reflection in the shiny blade of a knife resting on the counter.

To his surprise, a colorful butterfly sat perched atop his head, like a blooming flower.

Sui froze for a moment, then laughed helplessly. He had been searching for the Butterspice ingredient, only to find it nestled in his hair the whole time.

Gently, he lifted the Butterspice from his head and held it over the simmering pot. As it sensed the rising heat, the butterfly fluttered its wings, releasing a small burst of fragrant, colorful phosphorus powder into the soup.

Satisfied, Sui returned the butterfly to his hair.

"This Butterspice is really a chef's best friend," Sui mused, chuckling. "It likes to rest in your hair, ready to be used whenever needed."

At that moment, the sound of footsteps echoed from the door, and Erina walked in.

Seeing Sui, she paused briefly before breaking into laughter.

"Sui, when did you start wearing hairpins like a girl?" she teased.

Sui felt a bit speechless. "This isn't a hairpin," he began to explain, but before he could continue, the Butterspice, drawn by the scent of the girl opposite him, fluttered down from his hair.

Gracefully, it danced through the air before landing on Erina's head, where it perched like an exquisite butterfly-shaped hairpin. It perfectly complemented Erina's noble and aloof demeanor.

"Oh, what a lovely butterfly!" Erina exclaimed, her face lighting up with joy. She carefully removed the butterfly from her hair, holding it up before her violet eyes.

"What a beautiful butterfly! And it smells so sweet!" she remarked, admiring it for a moment before placing it back in her hair. Then, with a twirl, she spun around in front of Sui, her skirt billowing around her like the petals of a flower. She looked like a fairy in full bloom, a gentle fragrance lingering in the air.

"Well, Sui, how do I look?" she asked shyly, her cheeks flushed.

Sui gave her a look of mild exasperation. "Do you think you're a flower fairy or something?"