Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

The aroma continued to grow stronger until a young man in a designer hoodie finally gave in.

He forced his way to the front of the crowd, staring at the skewers sizzling over the grill.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

"Hey, are you actually selling these?"

Haruto glanced up at him, one corner of his mouth twitching as he replied lazily, "Why else would I set up a stall here?"

The young man had no answer to that, but his face quickly brightened.

"Then how much for one?"

Haruto raised a finger.

"Ten thousand yen."

"Ten thousand?"

The young man nearly nodded before his brain caught up with what he had heard.

His voice shot up in disbelief.

"Are you robbing people?! You want ten thousand yen for one tiny skewer?"

The rest of the crowd immediately erupted as well.

"Is he crazy? Ten thousand yen could buy a huge chunk of meat! That skewer isn’t even as thick as my finger!"

"Seriously, who would pay that much?"

"This has to be some kind of publicity stunt."

"He’s looking for an idiot to scam..."

Complaints rose from every direction, but Haruto ignored them and continued turning the skewers over the heat.

As far as he was concerned, ten thousand yen was practically giving them away.

This was meat from a Regal Mammoth.

Ordinary people would never have the chance to taste something like it.

If he were not desperate for money—and worried that a higher price would scare everyone off—he would have happily charged a million yen per skewer.

"Don’t buy one if it’s too expensive," Haruto said without looking up. "Nobody’s forcing you."

There was a trace of impatience in his voice.

If his pockets had not been completely empty, he never would have brought out such a valuable ingredient just to sell it cheaply to strangers.

...

As he spoke, Haruto’s eyes suddenly sharpened, and he quickly lifted one of the skewers from the grill.

The timing was perfect.

Another second over the heat would have cost the meat some of its tenderness.

He glanced at the hesitant young man, pinched a little orange salt between his fingers, and sprinkled it evenly over the skewer.

Then he took a bite without the slightest hesitation.

His teeth broke through the lightly crisped surface, releasing a flood of hot juices.

The deep aroma of the meat blended with a subtle hint of citrus and spread through his mouth.

The flesh was firm and pleasantly springy, yet seemed to melt against his tongue. There was no gamey taste at all, only an intense savoriness that rolled across his palate.

Haruto could not help narrowing his eyes in satisfaction.

This was ridiculously good!

Apparently, he really did have some talent for cooking.

Of course, most of the credit went to how familiar he had become with Regal Mammoth meat.

Knowing the ingredient so well allowed him to cook it almost perfectly.

One skewer only made him want more, so Haruto picked up two more that had just finished cooking, dusted them with orange salt, and began eating with gusto.

Fat ran down the corner of his mouth, but he did not care in the slightest.

Watching Haruto eat with such obvious enjoyment made the young man’s throat itch with desire.

The rich aroma curled around him like an invisible hand, tugging relentlessly at his appetite.

Finally, he gritted his teeth, pulled a ten-thousand-yen note from his wallet, and slapped it down on the small stool in front of Haruto.

"Give me one!"

"Give me a minute," Haruto replied indistinctly, his cheeks still bulging with meat.

...

Only after swallowing the last bite did Haruto leisurely pick up a perfectly cooked skewer, sprinkle it with a thin layer of orange salt, and hand it over.

The young man snatched it from him and immediately shoved the meat into his mouth.

The instant he bit down, his entire body froze.

In his mind, an enormous beast large enough to blot out the sky came charging straight into his taste buds.

A tidal wave of flavor swept through his mouth—rich, powerful, and unlike anything he had ever tasted.

There was just enough smokiness from the charcoal, while a delicate citrus fragrance lingered on his tongue.

The juices burst between his teeth, and a muffled moan escaped him.

His body began to sway involuntarily, his face melting into an expression of pure bliss as though he were floating among the clouds.

Haruto watched his strange little dance with a faint frown and undisguised disgust.

Wasn’t that reaction a little excessive?

He had only added orange salt. It was not as though he had slipped the guy something suspicious.

The surrounding crowd, however, seemed far less bothered by the exaggerated response.

Their complaints gradually died away, replaced by curiosity.

The young man finished the skewer in no time and licked his lips, his eyes burning with obsession.

He emptied the rest of his wallet, counted the notes, and shoved the entire stack into Haruto’s hands.

"Thirteen more!"

Haruto looked at the thick bundle of cash, and a smile finally appeared on his face.

"No problem."

He calmly returned to turning the meat over the grill.

The people watching—especially those with plenty of money to spare—began staring at the skewers with growing desire.

Even those who had complained about the price were becoming tempted.

Judging by the young man’s reaction, perhaps the skewers really were worth ten thousand yen each.

It was not long before a second customer stepped forward with a banknote in hand.

"Boss, give me one too!"

Then came a third, followed by a fourth.

Without exception, everyone who tasted the meat immediately emptied their pockets, desperate to buy every skewer Haruto had left!

...

Farther down the shopping street, inside a small restaurant, Yukihira Soma scratched his head as he looked at the two empty tables in the dining room.

"Dad, why are we so quiet today?"

Joichiro glanced across the restaurant while carrying out a freshly prepared dish.

"Well, days like this happen sometimes."

Despite his casual reply, Joichiro was puzzled as well.

Ever since he had taken charge of the cooking again, the restaurant was usually packed during mealtimes.

This was the first time so many seats had remained empty.

There were still customers waiting for their food, however, so he could not simply leave to investigate.

...

Meanwhile, at the entrance to the shopping street, Haruto handed the last five cooked skewers to a middle-aged man.

He then gave the crowd in front of him an apologetic shrug.

"Sorry, everyone. I’m out of ingredients. You’ll have to come back tomorrow."

He had worried that his price might be too high for him to sell much, but he had clearly underestimated the power of truly delicious food.

Had he known things would go this well, he would have raised the price even further.

"What? You’re already sold out? I’ve been waiting in line forever!"

"Boss, you’re coming back tomorrow, right? You’d better come back!"

"Can’t you make another batch? I’ll pay double!"

Disappointed cries filled the street, while the customers who had managed to buy some looked immensely relieved.

The middle-aged man who had secured the final five skewers immediately turned to leave, only for several unfortunate customers to block his path.

"Come on, sir. I’ll give you eleven thousand yen for one!"

The man shook his head so quickly that his cheeks wobbled.

"Sorry. They’re not for sale."

He slipped around them and hurried away before anyone else could make an offer.

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