Luxury Meal

"Still as annoying as ever," a young male voice remarked.

"Still as bothersome as ever, brother," Liz replied sarcastically.

Edward Nonus Rosa, Liz’s twin brother and my best friend.

Liz and Ed share a close sibling bond.

The first time I met Liz was when Ed invited me to watch one of his favorite anime.

I suggested we watch it virtually, but he insisted that nothing beats watching anime together while eating delicious snacks.

Every Friday afternoon, the three of us would watch two episodes of his favorite anime, followed by two episodes of one anime Liz or myself chose.

Last week marked the eighth year of watching his favorite series, and we had finally reached episode 832.

In just a few more years, we’ll be watching the finale, I thought.

We’ve completed 55 anime series, but Ed’s favorite anime is still ongoing.

"Enjoy your lunch, you two," he said, walking away.

"Are you not gonna eat lunch with us, Ed?" I asked.

"I’m eating in the park with Zhane, she packed lunch for the two of us," he replied.

"I see, enjoy your meal," I said.

"Brother, make sure you thank Zhane and compliment her cooking," Liz reminded him sternly.

Even though Ed is the older twin, Liz sometimes takes on the role of the big sister.

Liz and I quickly went to the Cafeteria Droid to state our order.

"One Luxury Japanese Style Ramen Set," I ordered through the Cafeteria Droid.

"10 points will be deducted for the order," the Droid responded in its robotic voice.

I sat next to Liz, who had ordered a Premium Meal, an Orange Chicken with Fried Rice.

The difference between a Premium Meal and a Regular Meal lies in the number of ingredients used and the number of dishes served.

Regular Meals consist of a simple entrée and a carbohydrate, like steamed rice or mashed potatoes.

Examples include Fried Chicken with rice or Bacon and Eggs with mashed potatoes.

Premium Meals, on the other hand, include an entrée, a carbohydrate, a salad, and a dessert.

Luxury Meals are like full-course feasts, featuring a main dish made with rare ingredients and extravagant toppings.

Portions are automatically calculated by Akasha, but you can always ask for seconds for free, and the Cafeteria droid will provide another serving.

Luxury Meals are priced at ten points, Premium Meals at seven, and Regular Meals at five points.

For example, walking or jogging a kilometer or two each day earns you five points, being on time for school grants you three points, and attending any class earns you two points.

That’s why I make it a habit to wake up early and jog a few kilometers each morning.

Every activity, whether it’s a hobby, a task, or just part of your daily routine, earns you points.

For instance, reading a book for an hour will give you two points, enough to buy a simple snack like a burger and a cold soda.

Food in the school cafeteria and at food stalls is prepared either by a droid or a cook.

The food sorter machine, which can be found in any café or restaurant, functions as a sous chef.

It sorts the meal ingredients and prepares them, leaving the actual cooking to either the droid or a cook.
This is especially important in the school cafeteria, where there are thousands of menu options.

The droid takes only five minutes to cook a meal, as the broths are always prepared in advance.

The reason the five-minute cooking time is possible is the use of cultivated meat from the food manufacturing facility in the Grey Quadrants.

The Quadrants are clusters of GRIDs, each designated by color.

White Quadrants mainly serve as Neuman's living quarters.

While Grey Quadrants are dedicated to food production.

Green Quadrants on the other hand are primarily forests and animal sanctuaries.

Gold Quadrants are farmlands.

Blue Quadrants are water reservoirs.

Lastly, Black Quadrants house manufacturing factories for items like clothing, furniture, devices, and machines.

These Quadrants make up a Matrix, with the innermost area being the Blue Quadrants, followed by the Green Quadrants in the next layer of GRIDs.

Beyond that are the Gold Quadrants, Grey Quadrants, and White Quadrants, with the outermost ring being the Black Quadrants.

The Matrix consists of 289 GRIDs divided into six Quadrants: 25 Blue Quadrants, 24 Green Quadrants, 72 Gold Quadrants, 48 Grey Quadrants, 56 White Quadrants, and 64 Black Quadrants.

Currently, there is only one Matrix, known as Fruma, covering a total area of 28,900 square kilometers.

Fruma has a total population of 127,932, consisting of 117,932 neomans and 10,000 humanoid droids.
According to Akasha’s data, the daily meat consumption of Fruma is about 14 tons, which is only half of the total cultivated meat produced in the Grey Quadrants.

Cultivated meat doesn’t come from livestock, but rather from a genetically modified plant fruit.

This plant, named Caros Gramen by Akasha, is a massive mutated pitcher plant capable of digesting grains and legumes.

The plant can consume up to 50kg of agricultural byproducts each day and produce 12 to 14 kg of meat fruit overnight.

There are different varieties of Caros Gramen depending on the type of meat fruit they produce, including beef, pork, chicken, and more.

These spherical meat fruits are free from harmful bacteria, can be eaten raw, and quickly tenderize when heated.

“Rin, your Luxury Ramen is going to get cold,” Liz suddenly said after noticing my ramen sitting untouched on the table for a minute.

“Thanks,” I replied, glancing at her as she began eating her orange chicken with egg fried rice.
The rich aroma of the broth made my appetite grow.

The Luxury Meal I ordered was pork ramen, with a rich, thick pork broth, wheat-based noodles, and topped with five generous slices of pork belly, a boiled egg, fermented bamboo shoots, seaweed, scallions, two fish cakes, and a few other ingredients.

It took me half an hour to finish it, and I was completely full.

“Is it that tasty?” Liz asked, noticing I had finished my meal.

“Yeah, it tastes heavenly,” I replied.

“I think I know what I want to eat tomorrow,” she said.

“Classic humans really knew how to make delicious food,” she added.

“Yeah, it really shows their creativity, culture, and love for great food,” I responded.

“The orange chicken you recommended, I’ll ask Mom to make it for me later,” she said, resting her head on my shoulder.

“Meals really do taste different when shared with someone,” she added.

“For sure. I think that’s why we earn points every time we eat with our family,” I replied.

“I really enjoy the small talk, the silly stories, and the occasional questions from my parents during meals,” she said with a smile.

“Can I take a nap for a bit?” she asked.

“I’ll wake you up five minutes before our next class,” I replied.

I just gazed at her peaceful sleeping face as her silky blonde hair brushed against my shoulder.

“Looking forward to spending another happy school year with you,” I whispered.