ch401-ch420 · 415-ch415

Chapter 415: Ninja Blue Shadow VS Ninja Summer Shadow

Well then, let's watch the cooking showdown video from yesterday.

Pressing play, it opens with 'Ninja Blue Shadow' standing arms crossed before an enormous jumonji spear.

・Nin-nin.

・Clicked the thumbnail, got baited.

・Dissolution, seriously?

・There's something behind him lol

・Where even IS this?

The comments start rolling in immediately.

The venue: the Chiba Dungeon—a special event kitchen set up at the shrine.

Everyone's reacting to the 'Giant's Jumonji Spear,' aren't they.

Makes it worth having held this in Chiba.

Incidentally, I don't know what's in the video.

Yesterday was, coincidentally, March 14th.

I was busy from the morning, you see.

'Everyone, nin-nin. 'Ninja Blue Shadow' here. Something rather serious has happened. As the thumbnail says—believe it or not, the 'Sword Saint' has been defeated. The opponent was an assassin sent from the shinobi village where I was raised. That hasn't been left on video, but today, unbelievably, assassins have been sent to ME as well. If they beat me, I shall never be able to appear in public again. Without further ado, allow me to introduce them: 'Ninja Spring Shadow,' who defeated the 'Sword Saint'—and today's opponent, 'Ninja Summer Shadow'!'

With a flourish of fanfare music, the camera pans—and there stand two ninjas, arms crossed.

One is a hulking, musclebound ninja in green shinobi garb; the other, a slim ninja in yellow.

A caption appears.

The yellow one is 'Ninja Summer Shadow.' What is it he does again......

And the green one is 'Ninja Spring Shadow,' I see.

Spring Shadow is a body double—we hired an actor.

To conceal my identity, we deliberately picked a huge man with completely different features from mine.

Now nobody will suspect that Spring Shadow is me.

This video has that purpose, too.

Whatever happens from here on, it was 'Ninja Spring Shadow' who did it—not me.

・What is this farce lol

・"Defeated"? Does that mean he's stronger than 'Sword Saint-chan'?

・Spring Shadow, Summer Shadow—at this rate there's gotta be an Autumn Shadow and Winter Shadow too

・What's this "shinobi village"? Is growing up in a village the condition for getting 【Ninja】?

'Now then, let me introduce the judges. First, the judge chairman: the "Sword Saint," Hoshino Chiharu!'

'Sword Saint-chan' takes her seat at the judges' table and gives a little bow.

・She's ALIVE!?

・She's just right there lol What's this about losing?

・Blue Shadow is hosting, so it's a cooking showdown, right? There's even a judge chairman

・The momentum is so wild I can't tell what's happening

'Next: the "Queen of the Sky," Uehara Asuka!'

'Hold on—I get dragged to Chiba out of nowhere, and now WHAT? This makes no sense? What is that ninja? The showdown is a COOKING one? What am I supposed to do?'

The 'Queen' provides the tsukkomi.

・Nobody briefed her lol

・So this is Chiba

・Why hold it in Chiba?

・Turns out the shinobi village is in Chiba

・What's with that spear lol

'And—a new member, Mami-tan!'

"P-pleased to meet you."

・Not a swimsuit......

・Such a fresh reaction

・They're really big

'And—Aikawa Natsuki!'

"How do, everyone!"

Aikawa is already holding up her "summer" sign.

Ooh, just like an idol.

・Oh, the newbie

・On camera already, huh

・That's a debut pattern

・Don't compare them

・I sense malice in the lineup

・That random ninja push lol

Looks like Aikawa's nickname is going to be "Newbie"—lmao.

Shall I leave a comment too?

(So cuuute, and)

'Now, the challenge will be announced. This time, it is the 'Ultimate Parfait Showdown.' Whoever makes the tastier parfait wins. Should the judges' votes tie, the side the chairman votes for wins! Then—begin!'

Suddenly, 'Ninja Spring Shadow' announces the challenge.

What a husky, lovely voice.

・He spoke!!!

・Of course ninjas settle things with cooking. Huh?

・Are these people's jobs 【Ninja】? Or 【Chef】?

And so the cooking showdown began.

I made the challenge a parfait showdown.

That way, even Soushi has a chance of winning, after all.

They weren't filmed, but Kasumi-san and Shiraishi-san were surely on site too.

'Ooh! Summer Shadow is peeling all manner of fruit! He's going on the offensive with a fruit parfait! And Blue Shadow, with beautiful form, is mixing his whipped cream! What kind of parfait will emerge from this!'

Spring Shadow narrates as the cooking showdown proceeds.

This person is REALLY into it.

・Spring Shadow lol

・How did THIS guy beat 'Sword Saint-chan'?

・↑Wasn't it a cooking contest?

・The viewers have been left behind here? Why are they even fighting in the first place?

'Oh my—it seems Blue Shadow has finished first. Let's have him taste the finished Blue Shadow parfait ahead of the rest.'

They're making parfaits, after all.

It doesn't take that long.

Blue Shadow finishes quickly, but Summer Shadow isn't done yet.

The parfait that comes out is a perfectly ordinary, unremarkable parfait.

Whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, cornflakes, and chocolate cookies on top, maybe?

That chocolate cookie is the same kind I handed out yesterday.

I ate one myself—even on its own, it was good enough to charge money for.

At once, 'Sword Saint-chan' stretches her spoon toward the served parfait.

The camera zooms in for one bite......

And with a 'b,' she gives Blue Shadow a thumbs-up in praise.

・No COMMENT? lol

・Looks like a plain old parfait

・It's the skill making it taste good, right? I'd love to try it and see

'As expected of Blue Shadow. Delicious beyond complaint. Surpassing this might be a bit much, don't you think?'

The 'Queen' raves too.

Summer Shadow, you okay?

'Munch munch, munch munch. Hah! My apologies—too delicious for words!'

Is Mami-tan the glutton character?

Her eating speeds up the comments too.

'Ah—well...... how should I put this. I'd have to try Summer Shadow's parfait to......'

The "summer" sign in Aikawa's hand starts to lower.

It's that good, huh......

'And here, Summer Shadow's parfait appears to be finished! Ohh? What's this? It's not just one kind!'

Summer Shadow's parfaits are distributed to the judges—but every one of them gets something different.

'What's this? Hmm-hmm, I see. So THAT'S the play! Judges—your tasting, please!'

Spring Shadow was whispered something by Summer Shadow, but apparently he wants to see the judges' reactions before any explanation.

'Ah, peach. Nice.'

A peach parfait for 'Sword Saint-chan,' is it.

'Mine is mango. They're all different?'

A mango-topped parfait for the 'Queen.'

'Mine is melon! I love melon~'

Melon for Mami-tan.

'Mine is grapes. Mm, delicious!'

A grape parfait for Aikawa.

So this is Soushi's—no, Summer Shadow's secret strategy.

The face under the yellow hood looks, if I'm not imagining it, rather smug.

'According to Summer Shadow, these are parfaits made with each judge's favorite fruit. In other words: the ultimate fruit parfait, tailored to each person's tastes. That, he says himself, is the secret strategy he prepared.'

・Summer Shadow doesn't get to TALK lol

・Is this even allowed?

・Ninjas really are dirty!

The strategist was Shiraishi-san, probably?

I'd rather hope it wasn't because Shiraishi-san simply wanted to eat all sorts of parfaits.

'Now, your judgments, please. Judgment from the "Sword Saint"! Blue—Blue Shadow!'

Huh?

'Sword Saint-chan' votes for Blue Shadow, of all things.

Isn't that bad?

'Judgment from the "Queen of the Sky"! Blue—Blue Shadow!'

AHHHH!

Two votes—Blue Shadow's win is decided, chairman's vote included......

'Judgment from "Mami-tan"! Blue—Blue Shadow! Judgment from the "Newbie"! Yellow—Summer Shadow! With that, three to one—Blue, Blue Shadow, wins!'

・He wooooon!

・Dissolution averted

・The entire panel IS 'Blue Ocean,' so what can you do

・No, seriously—why would losing mean dissolution anyway?

・Blue Shadow's probably a renegade ninja, no? Just saying

・Autumn Shadow and Winter Shadow are still to come

One vote went to Summer Shadow thanks to Aikawa, but that was all......

True, the entire judging panel belongs to 'Blue Ocean'—but 'Sword Saint-chan's' tongue compromises for no one.

The fact that even that one vote didn't come means we simply lost on flavor, huh......

'Now then, a comment from the judge chairman. Why did you vote blue?'

'Simply that it was delicious. That is all.'

Guh. Figures.

'Me too. Summer Shadow's parfait was delicious and seasoned to my taste, but as a completed parfait, it fell short of Blue Shadow's plain one. In terms of the "ultimate parfait," I think Blue Shadow's was closer to it.'

The 'Queen' elaborates on 'Sword Saint-chan's' point.

'Both were delicious, but the deciding factor was probably the whipped cream? When I ate Summer Shadow-san's, I caught myself thinking—ah, Blue Shadow-san's cream is tastier.'

A true glutton—such a well-reasoned comment.

'I only voted yellow because it was made with things I like, seasoned the way I like.'

We know Aikawa's tastes inside and out, after all.

So it came down to insufficient research?

'I see. Then a comment from the winner, 'Ninja Blue Shadow.' Straight up—what won it for you?'

・Spring Shadow lol

・They get along great, huh

'Simply the craft, perhaps? I made the best parfait I am capable of. Summer Shadow's parfaits, by contrast—seasoning the whipped cream and ice cream to each fruit, the proportions were a bit indulgent, no? Making four kinds of parfait at all was his undoing, I'd say. He who plots many schemes drowns in them.'

The ultimate parfait—the ultimate ONE.

In that sense, it was Blue Shadow's overwhelming victory.

'For today only, you can taste the parfaits both of them made, right here in the Chiba Dungeon, at the Jumonji Spear Shrine. They'll each make them fresh on the spot, so if you're interested, do come. Quantities are limited, so hurry on down—'

Spring Shadow's utterly abrupt advertisement.

What even IS this guy......