The Blind Bandit (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter 47: Melk the Second's Secret

The cutler laughed a bit and replied, "Looking at a knife tells you who the owner is." "Impressive...!/Really?!" The two exclaimed though Sarafina's response wasn't as loud as Komatsu. Komatsu picked up a knife that was full at the handle then tampered off in the middle to become smaller. Interesting style. "How about this one? Who owns this shiny knife?" The chef inquired. "That belongs to chef Lulubhu of Guts."

"G...Guts?! As in the topmost floor of the gourmet towers Guts?! The seven-star restaurant on the 312nd-floor Guts?! This is chef Lulubhu-san's knife?!" The small man looked at the knife he held in awe, shaking slightly. "Whoa... What an honour... To hold the knife of such an influential chef..."

Melk held up a sickle-like knife and said, "And this knife belongs to Chef Yuji of Mogura!"

"The gourmet down-town gourmet alley Yuji-san?! As in the chef whose eight-star restaurant specializes in hormone grilling Yuji-san?!" Komatsu gulped a bit. "These are all celebrity knives. It makes sense considering the calibre of your work, Melk-sama." He exclaimed in awe. "As expected, he's a major fanboy." Sarafina mumble quietly in amusement as they watched the cutler turn to a counter that had a small tub on it.

"Most of these are legacy commissions from my master. My master never cared to know about his clients. He only cared about the knives. But I'm interested in them. I want to know more about the chefs who handle such fine blades." The cutler talked as he removed a plate-sized stone that was roughly two or three inches thick. "Like you and your broken knife, Chef Komatsu."

"Hm?" Sarafina went, curious what that meant. "Huh?" Komatsu blinked in confusion. A smile on Melk's face. "When I saw it, I wondered what kind of person wields a knife with such and affection." Hmm..that was interesting. Melk sat down the stone on a large square stone. His work station perhaps? "Is the fact that I think about the owners proof that I lack concentration? Compared to my master, maybe I'm still a novice."

"I wouldn't be so sure. Each artist is different when their working. It's perfectly fine to wonder about who is using those knives." Sarafina said, smiling warmly at Melk who seemed slightly put off by the remark. "That..that's not true! A knife reflects the traits of its owner." Komatsu told the cutler, who hadn't responded to either statement. "My master..." Melk started picking up a thin-looking knife and brought it close to his face. "Focused on one thing alone. Maximizing blades to their full potential."

The chef looked at the knife for a moment, admiring it, then said, "What a beautiful knife. But it doesn't look like it needs sharpening. Melk gazed at the knife, her keen eye noticing the smallest of nicks on the knife. 'Haha, guess she had noticed it too. It's nice meeting someone else with a keen eye.' Sarafina thought with a smile. "This is the sashimi knife used by the chef at Ouki. That restaurant is known for delicate ingredients that require special preparation. Even a 1/1000th millimetre nick can significantly affect preparation." Melk explained as he brought the knife to the stone in front of him.

"Wow...I can barely see that nick." Komatsu said. "The best chefs don't see nicks, they feel them. Same with a cutler. It's not with our eyes but with our ears and fingertips that we sharpen a knife." Was it just Sarafina or was the younger man's soul sparkling as he sharpened the knife? Judging from the chef either Melk was sparkling or he was too entranced by the work and was in awe. She was leaning towards awe. Much to the amazement of the two, the knife was done in one elegant swipe. Even more amazing was that the sound came AFTER the stroke.

A..amazing..! Sarafina didn't think anything like that was possible! The cutler brought the knife up close and placed his hand flat on one side, he let out an "Mm-hm." in approval. A second later sweat poured off his face in heavy drops. "Phew..." Melk sighed out. "Wow!" Komatsu went in surprise. So much sweat. 'That happens to me too. I start gushing sweat when I'm cooking a really challenging meal.' The chef thought as the two looked on at Melk. His sweat came from a single swipe.