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

"The lamb is firm yet tender, with a natural savory aroma. The addition of pork tenderloin adds a delicate and tender touch to this dish."

The use of beef fat is the finishing touch to this dish. As it melts, it permeates the other two types of meat, giving the entire dish a rich, oily aroma and a silky smooth texture.

As viewers savored the rich flavors on their tongues, they couldn't help but exclaim that the addition of beef fat at the end not only enhanced the overall aroma but also made the meat more tender and juicy, melting in their mouths.

Indeed, meat tastes best when it has a good balance of lean and fat!

"Professor Bai Yuan, please."

Hearing the praise from those around her, Mito Ikumi raised her hand in a gesture of invitation, her large eyes blinking expectantly, hoping to receive praise in return.

"it is good."

Bai Yuan nodded slightly, took the plate handed to him, and picked up the three pieces of meat with his chopsticks, looking at how they had become one through the cotton thread.

"The ratio of meat to fat needs adjustment, that's one issue. Another is that the cooking techniques are too monotonous; all the spices are added at once, failing to create layers of flavor..."

As he tasted the food, Bai Yuan offered his evaluation.

The idea is good, but it's too crude.

To make this dish a good one, it needs further refinement. If it were him, he would probably consider using vegetables or fruits to enhance the flavor.

"oh oh!"

Mito Ikumi nodded and quickly jotted down the suggestions Shirai had made in her notebook. She would try them out when she got back.

"Besides that……"

Seeing Mito Ikumi's serious expression, Shirabuchi took another bite of the dish and continued to analyze its shortcomings, interspersed with some praise for its strengths.

"My dish is finished too: beer-braised lamb, pineapple beer version!"

Just then, Subaru Mimasaka finished cooking.

Instead of immediately distributing the food to the audience, he strode over to Shiro and gave one portion each to him and Mito Ikumi.

"Try it and see the difference between us."

With a smug smile on his face, Subaru Mimasaka returned to the cooking station after saying this, divided the food in the pot, and had the staff distribute it to the audience below to taste.

"What an arrogant guy!"

Watching Mimasaka Subaru leave without saying a word, putting down the food, Mito Ikumi clenched her fist and said something with some dissatisfaction.

Bai Yuan's expression remained unchanged as he calmly looked at the beer and mutton in front of him.

Compared to beer, pineapple beer has a subtle fruity aroma that blends with the aroma of grilled mutton fat, creating a unique flavor profile.

"This improvement is actually quite good. The original beer, used as the stewing liquid, brings a refreshing malt aroma and a subtle beer fragrance to this dish."

Subaru Mimasaka's innovation lies in replacing beer with pineapple beer, which not only retains the original aroma of beer and lamb, but also adds the fruity aroma of pineapple and a touch of sweet and sour.

The result is a more vibrant and refreshing flavor profile, combining the richness of traditional beer-braised lamb with an innovative fruity touch.

Once the lamb enters your mouth, its flavors spread like a small bomb, the aroma of fat lingers on your tongue, and the meat becomes tender and flavorful.

The addition of minced onion and garlic gives the dish a basic spicy and sweet flavor, while thyme and bay leaves provide a long and complex herbal aroma.

Some spices are stir-fried to enhance their flavor and aroma. Other spices are added directly to the pot for stewing, where their flavor plays a supporting role and is more bland.

One is rich and the other is bland, thus creating a distinct layering.

"This……"

While enjoying beer and mutton, Mito Ikumi seemed lost in thought, her gaze fixed on Mimasaka Subaru not far away, her eyes revealing intense resentment.

Although I don't really want to admit it, this dish seems to taste much better than hers.

Putting everything else aside, its distinct aroma and layers far surpass hers, although the meat flavor is slightly inferior. But cooking is all about the overall taste...

In an instant, many thoughts flashed through her mind. Mito Ikumi looked at Shiro Awakening, who was enjoying beer and mutton. She saw admiration in his eyes and felt a moment of panic.

Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. The other party used a recipe that Teacher Baiyuan had already perfected, and then improved upon it, resulting in distinct flavor layers.

She had only studied cooking for the past few days, and although she had managed to make some dishes thanks to Teacher Baiyuan's guidance, it was far from enough.

I was defeated by Shirayuki-sensei's cooking...

It doesn't seem like they're entirely wronged.

"Don't assume you're going to lose before the results are in, otherwise you'll be at a disadvantage in terms of momentum, which isn't a good thing."

Seeing the emotion in Mito Ikumi's eyes, Bai Yuan raised his hand and tapped her head to bring her back to her senses. She nodded vigorously.

"I see.

Even if we lose, it's not terrible. As long as we're still here, we'll be able to win back someday.

He's just a petty thief, stealing only the essentials. Even if I'm not as good as him now, I'll definitely surpass him someday!

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Mito Ikumi was taken aback for a moment, then, as if she had thought of something, her eyes grew brighter and brighter, and she spoke with a hint of excitement.

"Um... is that what I meant?"

"Well, it's rare to see Little Meat Charm with such high fighting spirit, so let's not talk about anything else. This is a good thing for her."

Bai Yuan nodded without changing his expression. He then looked at the audience, where everyone had received their food and was enjoying it.

"This beer-braised lamb is delicious! The flavor is rich yet refreshing, the lamb is tender and juicy, and it has the aroma of beer and pineapple!"

"That's right, it not only combines the sweet and sour taste of pineapple with the aroma of malt, but also has a rich and layered flavor. It's truly a rare delicacy!"

"Ah! That feels great! The warmth rises from my lower abdomen, soars up to my chest, and then spreads throughout my body, leaving me feeling warm and comfortable!"

As the food entered their mouths, expressions of pure delight immediately appeared on the faces of the audience.

The rich flavor spread in their mouths, and the warmth from the mutton made them exhale comfortably, their faces filled with contentment.

"With this bite, a gentle warmth spreads from inside my body, throughout my entire being—it feels so good!"

"Indeed, and most importantly, the lamb has a very strong flavor! The intense flavor makes you know you're tasting lamb as soon as you take a bite!"

"That's right. In terms of taste alone, the two are not that different, but if we focus on lamb, the difference is huge."

At the same time, each audience member was given a scoring device, and the next moment, the lights came on and the final score appeared on the big screen.

Mito Ikumi suffered a complete defeat.

"Not a single vote was cast for me..."

Looking at the final score, Mito Ikumi bit her lip, a pitiful yet stubborn smile on her face, looking somewhat desolate and downcast.

The girl couldn't help but mutter to herself. She had thought she would lose, but she never imagined it would be a complete defeat.

"There's no need to be discouraged. If you lose, you can win next time. Your dish still has a lot of room for improvement. Subaru Mimasaka's dish has almost reached its peak. Even if you improve it, it will be difficult to make it even more delicious."

He reached out and pinched Mito Ikumi's small face, finding it slightly stiff. Bai Yuan gently comforted her, which calmed her down.

“I’ll work harder!”

Mito Ikumi nodded seriously, thinking to herself that she would practice hard when she got back, and never bring such a half-finished dish to the next competition.

This is also due to limited talent.

Although she knows a lot about meat dishes, she usually uses high-end ingredients and prefers to bring out the original flavor of the food, and this time was no exception.

Unfortunately, the proportions of beef, mutton, and pork were not well controlled, resulting in a dish that was neither fish nor fowl and lacked a clear flavor profile.

"Expand the proportion of lamb to two-thirds, butter to two-sixths, and pork tenderloin to one-sixth. It will be about 10% off from the perfect ratio. Go back and experiment, and make it for me next week."

Although we could tell Mito Ikumi the exact proportions directly, that would mean missing out on the exploration process, which wouldn't be a good thing for her.

Therefore, Bai Yuan simply helped her narrow down the scope, allowing her to make choices within that range, so that she wouldn't have to start from scratch and waste a lot of time searching for a single dish.

"Great! I will definitely improve it!"

Hearing Bai Yuan's words and feeling the lingering warmth from his hands rubbing her face, Mito Yumi's face flushed slightly, but she still spoke earnestly.

"Keep honing your skills."

Patting Mito Ikumi on the shoulder and looking at her resolute expression, Bai Yuan spoke earnestly.

"It seems the results are in. The audience voted, and the final winner is Mimasaka Subaru, who advances to the official competition."

As the vote count was announced, Sasaki Yua's voice rang out in the audience, declaring that Mimasaka Subaru had advanced to the official competition, and the dust had settled.

"What a harmonious master-disciple relationship, but unfortunately, I will crush you one by one."

Subaru Mimasaka glanced at Shirobuchi, who was comforting Mito Ikumi, and a hint of envy appeared in his eyes, but it quickly turned into a faint jealousy. The next moment, he turned around and left the competition venue through the player passage, and soon disappeared from everyone's sight.

"Go back now, I'll cook for you all tonight and throw a short celebration."

As Erina Nakiri and the others came down from the stands, Bai Yuan's voice rang out: "Advancing to the official tournament is a good thing, and it's necessary to hold a celebration."

"Yay! I can eat Shirai-sensei's cooking again!"

"That's awesome! I can't wait!"

"I'll show off my skills tonight too. I've recently developed an amazing dish that will definitely tantalize your taste buds!!"

"Hehehe, leave the final dessert to me. I just researched a molecular gastronomy dish last month, and it's at the level of a top-tier one-star chef!"

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, the audience was initially taken aback, but then burst into laughter and cheers, filling the air with a joyful atmosphere.

Bai Yuan looked at Huang Mei and the others who were staring at him expectantly, and said, "You guys come over tonight too, as well as everyone from Polaris Dormitory. My yard is quite big, so we can have a barbecue party."

"cheers!"

Countless beer glasses clinked together, containing juice, cola, beer, fruit wine, and all sorts of other beverages.

"Congratulations on advancing to the official competition, Yuuki and Megumi."

Seeing Yoshino Yuuki and Tadokoro Megumi's smiling faces, Sakaki Ryoko forced a smile, raised her wine glass, and addressed the two.

"Ryoko..."

Seeing Sakaki Ryoko forcing a smile, Tadokoro Megumi and Yoshino Yuuki exchanged a glance, both withdrawing their smiles and seeing worry in each other's eyes.

The other person is the only one of the three who did not advance. Although she seems to be in good shape now, only she knows the truth.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. I'll go to the kitchen and get the barbecue ingredients."

Ryoko Sakaki waved her hand, smiled to indicate that she was fine, and then walked towards the house.

Since it's a competition, there are winners and losers. It's just that she was the one who lost this time. That's nothing, it's normal. There are winners and losers.

"Da da da."