Menchi was already quite formidable among Gourmet Hunters, and she had always been proud of her Nen ability.
Her Nen ability "Menchi's Kitchen" allowed her to carry kitchen utensils without needing to lug around large bags everywhere. It was much more convenient compared to other Gourmet Hunters.
Despite this, she still faced a problem that almost all Gourmet Hunters encountered.
That was the issue of preserving ingredients!
This was especially troublesome for Gourmet Hunters like her who had extremely high standards for food quality. Ingredients have expiration dates, or rather, best-before dates. Freshly caught ingredients are almost always better than those stored for many days.
The ingredients hunted by Gourmet Hunters are usually found in deep mountains and forests, places rarely visited by people. It's impossible to carry around a large refrigerator.
Therefore, this kind of space-manipulating Nen ability that can store items becomes particularly important for them. Unfortunately, space manipulation Nen users are extremely rare, and ordinary Nen users may never even encounter one.
Hearing this, Akira couldn't help but think of Knov from the Chimera Ant extermination team.
His Nen ability "Hide and Seek" was a space manipulation ability that could let people or objects hide inside, which was very convenient.
Only after hearing everything did Akira understand why Menchi had reacted that way. She was happy to have made friends with someone who had a space manipulation Nen ability.
The regret and dejection naturally came from not having such an ability herself.
After finishing her explanation, Menchi realized she had lost her composure and regained control of her expression. However, her lively eyes were still fixed on the confused-looking Gengar, with desire evident in her gaze.
"Gengar..."
Gengar sidled behind Akira, only half its head peeking out, and called softly while tugging on Akira clothes.
"Hahahahaha." Akira burst into laughter, with tears almost appearing in the corners of his eyes. Only Menchi, who couldn't understand, was at a loss.
"Gengar just told me, are you planning to eat it?"
Menchi suddenly realized and felt too embarrassed to keep staring at Gengar.
Akira then spoke up to reassure her.
"It's okay, if you need anything in the future, just ask me for help. Of course, remember to let me have a taste after you're done."
Looking at Akira sincere face, Menchi slowly nodded in agreement, her joy reaching its peak at that moment.
She no longer fretted in her heart - 'my friend has it', which is basically the same as me having it! In her eyes, Akira was like an endless treasure, surprising her with a new ability every now and then.
After their conversation, the two became more familiar with each other. The slight unfamiliarity that existed before disappeared once Gengar jumped out.
Dinner was desert specialty food provided by Menchi. The ingredients were all very rare desert ingredients.
For example, the crisp and fresh belly meat of the Sand Worm King, and the sweet juice from the fruits that the sand tree only bears once a year...
What surprised Akira most wasn't these dishes, but a small butterfly-shaped sauce in the middle! Akira picked up a piece of sand worm meat, lightly dipped it in the sauce, and then put it in his mouth to chew.
The springy sand worm meat wrapped in the rich sauce burst with an extremely fresh flavor in Akira's mouth.
"This is... a sauce made from seafood? The taste is very complex and multi-layered, there must be quite a few ingredients?"
"That's right, this sauce is made from the most essential parts of five C-grade ingredients and four B-grade ingredients from the ocean. I call it the Ultimate Freshness!"
Akira savored it carefully again. The desert ingredients paired with the essence extracted from the ocean. The two seemed to have some chemical reaction, forming an ultimate delicacy in Akira mouth! The sand worm meat was slightly dry with a monotonous texture, which would become cloying if eaten too much.
Paired with the "Ultimate Freshness", its original shortcomings were instantly compensated, elevating the level of deliciousness by several notches! This is the work of a Gourmet Hunter!
Looking at the delicacies on the table, Akira marveled inwardly. Hunting different rare ingredients, and using one's understanding of cooking to create satisfying delicacies, pursuing the peak of culinary art... This is what it means to be a Gourmet Hunter!
With both of them eating heartily, the delicacies on the table were quickly cleared. With a snap of Menchi's fingers, all the dishes disappeared.
These tableware were materialized by Menchi using her Nen ability.
The delicacies Akira had tasted before were only considered gourmet among ordinary people. After tasting the food made by Menchi today, Akira realized just how delicious the food pursued by Gourmet Hunters could be!
This was the gourmet food in Akira mind!
Akira licked the corner of his mouth, savoring the unprecedented experience he just had, and sighed.
"Food is truly the best gift the world has given to humans... What do you think about me becoming a Gourmet Hunter after I become a Hunter?"
"Sure, I'm glad you have this idea. We have one more like-minded... Wait, you haven't taken the Hunter Exam yet?" Menchi stopped halfway through her sentence and looked at the relaxed Akira beside her in surprise.