The story begins in Food Wars, when Alice took him home.

Under Alice Nakiri's superb knife skills, the fresh shrimp, after having its head and vein removed, is halved and then cut in half again, each cut halving its thickness, until it becomes a thin slice the size of a palm leaf fan.

Its texture is tender and bouncy, perfectly complementing the savory flavor of the crab roe. This dish has already reached its peak in every aspect; to further enhance its flavor, its form must be altered.

Change form? Change state!

Suddenly, a flash of lightning seemed to strike his mind, and a thought, like a streak of light, entered his sea of ​​consciousness, then became unstoppable: "Scorching."

"Using flames to roast it, right?!"

With a trembling excitement in her voice, as she found the answer, Alice Nakiri stared intently at Shiro Akimoto's face, awaiting his reply.

"Bingo, you didn't learn anything in vain."

Because your sauce contains soy sauce and sugar, grilling it over a flame will cause a Maillard reaction, producing a unique caramelized and smoky flavor.

As Bai Yuan spoke, he ran to the bus, rummaged through the trunk and found a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor). He then jumped off the bus, took a sip of the liquor, and lit a match with a lighter.

The next moment, the wine in her mouth turned into a large number of tiny sparks, which were ignited the instant they passed the match, and then burned on the surface of the raw shrimp with crab sauce, startling Alice Nakiri.

"Don't worry, it won't get hot at this temperature."

Seeing Alice Nakiri's frightened expression, Bai Yuan took the plate from her hand and held on even though it was covered in flames.

"But it's still quite frightening to be hit like that so suddenly. But won't the flames burn your mouth if you use this method?"

With a hint of sarcasm in her voice, Alice Nakiri watched the flames rise from their peak to gradually subside, then glanced at Bai Yuan's lips, her expression thoughtful.

"If the speed is fast enough, it's not a big problem. It looks scary, but it's actually just an extremely ordinary operation."

Bai Yuan offered an explanation.

"This... is ordinary..."

Alice Nakiri was speechless. After spending so much time by Bai Yuan's side, she found herself becoming almost desensitized to the word "ordinary."

Because no matter how amazing Bai Yuan's actions are, he will always use a nonchalant "ordinary" to cover everything up.

Perhaps this was just an ordinary thing for him, but for them, it was an incredible, heaven-defying feat. Before Bai Yuan, no one could have done it!

As the flames slowly died down, the aroma of crab sauce filled the air.

The tender white shrimp meat curls slightly under the heat of the flames, and a golden-brown crispy shell forms on its surface, which enhances the aroma of the sauce while locking in the juices and freshness.

"Alright, let's try it."

Although it was only briefly roasted over a flame for a dozen seconds, the aroma on it increased explosively several times over, making people unable to help but swallow their saliva.

"The way you're saying this makes it sound like you're the original creator of this dish."

Seeing Bai Yuan's actions, Nakiri Alice couldn't help but complain, "Is this the dish I made? Am I going to let him taste it?"

"I was involved in the cooking process and even helped you complete a crucial step, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I was one of the authors."

Hearing Alice Nakiri's words, Shirayuki shrugged. Although it was just a simple fire breath, it was a crucial step in enhancing the flavor of the dish.

"Okay, let me experience the difference between breathing fire and not breathing fire."

Swallowing hard, Alice Nakiri looked at the crab sauce-marinated raw shrimp in front of her with a longing expression.

Bai Yuan is right. Although it was just a simple grilling, it was the key to enhancing the flavor of the dish.

Putting everything else aside, just looking at that golden color really whets my appetite!

She parted her cherry lips slightly and put the delicious flavor mixed with crab sauce into her mouth.

After being flamed, the juices inside the shrimp meat are locked in, allowing you to experience even more juiciness with each bite, making it incredibly satisfying.

In terms of taste, the grilled shrimp meat has a slightly crispy caramelized crust, which contrasts sharply with the tender shrimp meat inside, bringing an incredibly strong sense of layering.

"Indeed, although it was only exposed to flames, the texture and flavor have been significantly improved, with the most significant improvement being in the texture!"

As Alice Nakiri sampled the raw marinated shrimp with crab sauce, a look of enjoyment appeared on her face, and she then expressed her agreement.

"This is the power of fire."

Bai Yuan said this with a smile, while picking up a piece of raw marinated shrimp with crab sauce and savoring it.

"I would give this dish a score of 95 out of 100. You took more than an hour to prepare it, so overall I would give it a score of 98 out of 100. I hope you will continue to work hard."

I just said that I would use my own cooking as the standard for a perfect score, but Bai Yuan would never actually do that.

Otherwise, even if it were Alice Nakiri on the spot, she probably wouldn't get many points, as the difference between them would be too small to achieve the purpose of the test.

"98 points? It's not 100...?"

Hearing her cooking score, Alice Nakiri looked at Shiro Awakening with a hint of regret. She had tried so hard, yet she only got 98 points…

"The scoring criteria this time are based on the top-tier evaluation level. To get full marks, the dish must be outstanding within the top-tier category."

If you had thought of and done the idea of ​​using fire to roast something without my prompting, I would give you 100 points, but you didn't.

Bai Yuan nudged his hand. The crab sauce and raw marinated shrimp made by Nakiri Alice tasted good, but it didn't reach the limit of the score. 98 points is the fairest evaluation.

"Teacher Bai Yuan, Teacher Bai Yuan, I have a question for you."

Just then, Mito Ikumi trotted up to Hakubuchi and Nakiri Alice, causing a violent tremor that drew everyone's attention.

"What's the problem? Go ahead and say it."

Hearing the noise, Bai Yuan and Nakiri Alice both looked over and then saw this astonishing scene.

The girl was soaking wet from fishing in the river; her clothes clung to her body, highlighting her stunning figure. She was walking barefoot toward him.

Fortunately, this is by the river, where the mud and sand are relatively soft; otherwise, walking barefoot in other places would be quite uncomfortable, as Mito Ikumi had!

"I'd like to ask the teacher, which of these wild vegetables are edible, and are these mushrooms poisonous? They don't look very reassuring."

Mito Ikumi, carrying a small bamboo basket, trotted over to Shirabuchi and poured out the various ingredients inside.

"Identifying ingredients is indeed a difficult point that requires special attention."

Bai Yuan spoke as he searched and examined the items.

He had to cram all this knowledge into himself after he came into this world.

By constantly consulting botanical encyclopedias, he has memorized most of the edible wild vegetables in East Asia and Europe.

"This is dandelion, which has powerful effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, reducing swelling and promoting urination. It is suitable for stewing pork ribs and making pig's feet soup."

This is the root of prickly amaranth. In the Guangdong and Guangxi regions, it is often used to stew pork ribs and make pig's feet soup. It also has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, and promoting diuresis and reducing swelling.

Among plantain, wild chrysanthemum, and watercress, wild chrysanthemum is the best for cooking fish. In some areas, it is also called pond kudzu. It is suitable for stewing crucian carp soup. The stewed soup is milky white and fragrant, which is very suitable for nourishing the body in autumn.

As for these mushrooms, apart from this one that grows in small golden clumps, the others are unusable.

This mushroom, called the Elm Yellow Mushroom, grows in clusters and is golden yellow in color. It's absolutely delicious in soups; I'm looking forward to your cooking!

Looking at the wild vegetables that Mito Ikumi had collected, Shirabuchi nodded approvingly as he flipped through them.

Although most of these ingredients are unusable, there are quite a few that are suitable for cooking fish soup and are considered to be of very high quality.

"I see. Professor Bai Yuan, you know so much."

Upon hearing the explanation, Mito Ikumi nodded, then looked at Shiro with admiration. Originally, she had only come to give it a try and didn't have high hopes.

Unexpectedly, Bai Yuan really knew it!

"Of course, the Yuan in Teacher Bai Yuan's name means 'profound knowledge'."

Before Shiro could speak after hearing Mito Ikumi's praise, Nakiri Alice spoke first.

With that proud little expression, anyone who didn't know better would think she was the one being praised.

"Alright, hurry up and do it."

After putting all the ingredients back into the basket and handing it to Mito Ikumi, Shirabuchi patted her on the shoulder as encouragement.

Although the final time is in the evening, the earlier you submit, the higher your score will be, and once you have completed the assessment, you can move around freely in the vicinity.

This can be considered one of the few perks.

"Yes, Professor Bai Yuan."

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Mito Yumi nodded vigorously, then jogged back to the nearby shore, where all her kitchen utensils were kept.

"Next comes cooking..."

Looking at the few small crucian carp she had painstakingly caught in the basin, she found that their small size made processing them quite troublesome.

Before going to find Bai Yuan, she had already marinated the cleaned fish with salt, pepper, ginger slices, and minced garlic.

The rest is...

Pick out the wild chrysanthemum and elm mushrooms from the ingredient basket, cut them into small pieces suitable for cooking, and then take out the akebia quinata hidden in the pot.

This was discovered in the nearby mountains and forests. It is unknown how many years it has been growing. The vine is thick and strong, and it is twining around a tree.

By the time she arrived, there were not many akebia fruits left, only a few that were difficult to pick from the vines at the top of the tree.

But this didn't stump her. With her agile skills, she performed a monkey climbing a tree for everyone and collected all the remaining fruits.

"It's a treasure that's hard to come by."

Seeing the skin burst open, revealing the white jade-like fruit inside, Mito Ikumi couldn't help but sigh. Then she picked up her kitchen knife and swiftly cut it into small pieces, setting them aside for later use.

Place the marinated fish in a pot, add stream water, just enough to cover the fish, bring to a boil over high heat, and skim off the foam.

Add the prepared wild chrysanthemum greens and elm mushrooms, along with salt, chili, soy sauce, and cooking wine to create a simple base flavor. Then, simmer over low heat, keeping the broth at a gentle boil.

"Without a stove, the flame is really hard to control. If only we had a barbecue grill."

I looked at Erina Nakiri's barbecue grill with envy, wanting to borrow it, but I was too embarrassed to ask.

Mito Ikumi ultimately chose to cook the fish using Hisako's hanging pot method. She turned the fish occasionally to ensure even heating.

After the fish has boiled in the pot for a while, add the chopped akebia fruit to the pot to increase the sweetness of the soup base and make the flavor richer.

Of course, Mito Ikumi didn't make the fish soup that Shirabuchi had suggested, even though that was indeed the best solution. She wanted to make something of her own.

Therefore, after much deliberation, she decided to make a dish called stewed fish, and luckily she had brought most of the seasonings needed to make this dish.

As for the lack of scallions and garlic, she traded them with others using a few harvested akebia quinata, since she only needed one.

Having finished all that, all that was left was to wait. Mito Ikumi paced around her cooking area, glancing warily at the other students.

At this moment, everyone present is in competition, and there's no guarantee that someone who can't finish their dish won't come and destroy someone else's.

Therefore, you can't relax for a moment until the food is finished!