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

Taking a deep breath, Tadokoro Megumi's face showed a satisfied expression. Then she looked around and found that everyone looked hungry and eager, as if they wanted to snatch her food away.

Such a direct gaze made her subtly nervous. She then carried the dish to the judges' table, glancing at Bai Yuan along the way. Seeing that his expression was calm, her nervousness instantly dissipated.

"Please enjoy the taro stew."

"The aromas of scallions, ginger, and garlic blend together and converge on the taro at the top—it's a truly brilliant preparation!"

Looking at the taro casserole that Megumi Tadokoro brought out, although it wasn't as neat as Hisako Shinto's, the color combination made it very appetizing.

"Taro and pork have been a perfect combination since ancient times. Taro is glutinous and pork is fragrant. Only sandy, fresh and fragrant can describe this taro."

Without any hesitation, she put a piece of taro into her mouth, savoring its texture, and said as she chewed.

"It also contains abalone. Taro is considered a delicacy, and the abalone releases its aroma after being baked. The combination of the two brings together a feast of delicacies from both the mountains and the sea!"

Picking up abalone from the casserole and pairing it with taro, Dojima Gin closed his eyes, savoring the deliciousness of the abalone and the sweetness of the taro, which intertwined in his mouth.

"What a rich flavor!"

Besides taro and pork, Megumi Tadokoro's sauce also has a particularly unique flavor.

The flavors weren't immediately apparent, but as they ate more and more taro and their appreciation deepened, the subtle tastes began to unfold in their mouths.

"The addition of Sichuan peppercorns and dried chili peppers adds a spicy kick to the overall flavor, while the mellow aroma of Shaoxing wine permeates the entire dish!"

At the same time, the flavors of the Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies added later are also released, forming an excellent three-layered flavor profile!

"If Hisako Shinto's cooking is the ultimate expression of taro, then Megumi Tadokoro's cooking surpasses the limit by 100 points."

After a long pause, Dojima Gin gave it a very high evaluation, which caused Shinoto Hisako's expression to change slightly, and her fist under her sleeve suddenly clenched.

"That's right. One is a perfect representation of taro, and the other is using other ingredients to give taro a gorgeous outer layer, which is also a perfect representation of its flavor."

Kikuchi nods in agreement, saying that in terms of taste alone, Tadokoro Megumi is undoubtedly better, but both of them performed very well in terms of the theme.

Since that's the case, the outcome is already decided.

They exchanged a glance, already having their answer in mind. Finally, Dojima Gin spoke up: "Hisako, your cooking is very good, but you're a little too focused on expressing the flavor of taro."

The reason why chefs are called chefs is that they can add new flavors while preserving the original taste of the ingredients, so as to give customers a completely new experience.

The taro paste dish you made truly brought out the best in the taro, allowing us to experience the exquisite flavor of Lipu taro.

but.

A dish that limits its score from the beginning, even if it gets a perfect score in the end, will only get a hundred points, and it will be difficult to beat a dish that gets a perfect score.

Unfortunately, the dish Tadokoro Megumi served exceeded a perfect score. Therefore, I declare Tadokoro Megumi the winner of the second semi-final match!

As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent. Dojima Gin looked at Tadokoro Megumi in front of him and found her calm and composed, as if she had known this outcome all along. His eyes widened in surprise.

At the same time, the audience below went from being completely silent to erupting in uproar, especially the students from Totsuki Academy.

"That bottom-of-the-class student has pulled off another upset! Aren't they all students taught by Teacher Bai Yuan? How did she make it to the finals?!"

Some viewers couldn't believe it and even slapped themselves to make sure they weren't dreaming. Only after feeling the pain did they mutter to themselves.

"I don't know! But she has indeed made significant progress in the past six months. In the classes she teaches, she almost always gets a super S-level rating."

A student who took the same class as Megumi Tadokoro said that since returning from the midterm exams, this girl has been like she's been injected with chicken blood, and her cooking skills have improved by leaps and bounds!

"Looking at it this way, it does seem to have some skill. As expected of a high-level chef, Teacher Bai Yuan can turn a bottom student into a top expert in the academy with just a little guidance!"

"That's right, Teacher Bai Yuan is truly amazing; he can even turn rotten wood into exquisite reliefs!"

When Bai Yuan is mentioned, almost everyone in the academy admires him, and suddenly all the illogical things become reasonable.

"It's not just a casual lesson. Besides, Xiaohui wasn't originally a bottom student; that was just a disguise she put on before she showed her true colors."

Sitting in the center of the audience, Bai Yuan naturally heard the conversation of the students around him. He shook his head helplessly, thinking to himself.

While he played a significant role in getting Tadokoro to where she is today, it wasn't really him who helped her, but rather her decade-long, unwavering effort!

His guidance merely accelerated the process of Tadokoro Megumi transforming her efforts into strength; in other words, without her previous accumulation, she wouldn't be who she is today.

However, Bai Yuan wouldn't bother to explain anything. He was just happy for Tadokoro Megumi in his heart and hoped that she would grow up quickly and reach the point where she could compete with him on the same stage as soon as possible. That was what he wanted to see.

"Xiao Hui is also an amazing person. She has made such great progress in just half a year. It's really hard to imagine that she was just a bottom-of-the-class student half a year ago."

There are not many people who know the inside story about Tadokoro Megumi's sudden increase in strength, and Nakiri Erina is clearly not one of them.

At this moment, she sat in the VIP seat on the high platform, muttering to herself, her eyes filled with a hint of inquiry as she looked at Tadokoro Megumi.

Hisako Shinto lost, lost completely. Erina Nakiri was somewhat disappointed, but didn't think much of it.

Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Both of them were taught by Baiyuan, so it's normal that they couldn't break each other's moves. I just hope Hisako won't take it to heart.

Thinking of this, Erina Nakiri looked at Hisako Shinoto with worry in her eyes. She knew that this girl had a strong sense of pride, and she didn't want her to do anything foolish just because she lost a match.

"Let me try your cooking, Xiaohui."

Fortunately, Erina Nakiri's worries were unnecessary. Hisako Shinoto was only briefly distracted before smiling and speaking to Megumi Tadokoro.

"That's exactly what I was thinking. I've prepared a special dish for you, so let me try your cooking too."

As they spoke, Megumi Tadokoro took out the dish she had prepared for Hisako Shinto, and Hisako had also prepared one for her. The two then exchanged dishes and began to enjoy them.

"I see, it's a truly gentle flavor. No wonder it won over the judges."

Taro stuffed with pork, served with broth, is like being enveloped in soft marshmallows with every bite, feeling light and airy.

Hisako Niito was convinced. Compared to this dish, her claim of bringing out the full flavor of taro was a joke; her strategy was flawed from the start.

"Eating this in the summer is so satisfying!"

Beside her, Megumi Tadokoro showed an expression of enjoyment as she tasted Hisako Shinto's dish. The sweet taste and silky texture were simply wonderful!

In the sweltering summer, no one can resist a bowl of taro dessert like this!

Megumi Tadokoro's eyes flickered slightly, clearly wanting to comfort Hisako Shinomiya. Of course, the taro dessert was also genuinely delicious.

"I lost this match, so you have to win the championship in return!"

As she spoke, Hisako Shinoto grasped Megumi Tadokoro's hand and said earnestly, word by word.

"I will try my best."

Looking at Hisako Shinoto standing in front of her, Megumi Tadokoro nodded seriously. She didn't make any promises, but she was very satisfied.

As students taught by Bai Yuan, in order not to embarrass him, at least one of them had to win first place. This was a decision they made together before participating in the competition.

Chapter 207 The Theme of the Finals

"I'm relieved to hear you say that. At least one of us has made it to the finals. I hope you can win the championship."

Hisako Shirato nodded slightly, showing no sign of disappointment and exuding a carefree air, which ironically made people a little uneasy.

"It's getting late, I need to go back and prepare dinner. Otherwise, Lady Erina will be starving when she gets back. I'll take my leave now."

After speaking these words quickly, Dojima Gin left through the contestants' passage before announcing the theme of the finals, and disappeared in no time.

"Fei Sha..."

Before long, she saw Hisako Shinodo by the pond outside the moonlit sky. He was resting his hand on the railing, gazing into the distance. Her hurried steps slowed down, and her anxious heart finally settled.

"Hey beautiful, are you alone?"

Stepping forward and patting Hisako Shinoto on the shoulder, Erina Nakiri naturally stood beside her, following her gaze into the distance.

The lotus flowers stand tall and graceful, while black swans frolic in the pond.

Everything was so peaceful. If it weren't for the fact that it was nighttime and their limited vision meant they could only see the scene illuminated by the streetlights, everything would be peaceful.

"Lady Erina...

I'm sorry to have disappointed you.

Turning her head, she saw that it was Erina who had come. Hisako Shinoto, who had finally managed to control her emotions, couldn't hold back any longer and immediately bit her lower lip.

"No, you did very well. Victory and defeat are common in war. Losing doesn't mean you didn't try. If even you start to doubt yourself, wouldn't those who lost to you be even more likely to want to commit suicide?"

Erina Nakiri said jokingly that she knew Hisako Shirato's abilities better than anyone else; she was a genuine first-class chef, and her dishes were no problem, but her skills were just not as good as others'.

This is perfectly normal. After all, there are so many amazing chefs in the world. Before you've truly mastered the craft, who would dare say they're better than anyone else?

While it's not common for a chef who hasn't reached the Special Grade level to defeat a Special Grade chef, there are quite a few instances of a Special Grade One-Star chef defeating a Special Grade Two-Star chef, or even a Special Grade Three-Star chef.

The reason for this is that the difference in quality between dishes in the later stages is not that significant. It is very likely that a small detail is overlooked, which will cause the dish's quality to drop, leading to the final defeat.

"But…"

Hearing Erina Nakiri's words of comfort, Hisako Shinoto wanted to say something, but she was stopped by Shinoto's hand covering her lips.

"There are no buts. What you need now is not to dwell on the failure, but to find a place to rest, recharge your energy, and get back into the right mindset before continuing to work hard."

Thinking back to the first time she was defeated by Alice Nakiri, she realized that Alice was very similar to Hisako now, always in a state of disorientation.

However, this condition usually improves after a good night's sleep.

"I'll do as you say, Lady Erina."

She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but seeing Erina Nakiri's serious expression as she offered her advice, Hisako Shinoto finally nodded.

She didn't want Erina Nakiri to worry. As her secretary, her job was to share her burdens and solve her problems. It would be unacceptable for her to make her worry!

"Hmm, what would you like to eat tonight? How about trying one of my newly developed dishes?"

Seeing Hisako Shinoto's brow relax, and thinking that her comforting words had worked, Erina Nakiri looked deeply into her eyes and said...

"We have to try it!"

Hisako Niito nodded enthusiastically in response.

"The final will be held in a week, still at the Moon and Sky Pavilion, with the theme of loach."

Loach is a nutritious and delicious ingredient, known in Chinese folklore as "the fallen dragon." Summer is the season when loach is at its fattest and most delicious, making it perfect for cooking into a culinary masterpiece…

Holding a microphone, Dojima Gin looked at Liu Yu, who was walking out from the back dressing room and standing next to Tadokoro Megumi, and began to talk about the theme of the finals with great enthusiasm.

"Loach? This is a rather uncommon subject. Its flesh is firm and elastic, with a delicate and delicious taste, possessing a unique umami flavor."

However, if not handled properly, it can have an exceptionally strong bitter and fishy taste, making it quite an interesting ingredient.

Upon hearing the theme of the finals, Bai Yuan's expression became subtle. He tapped the armrest of the chair next to him lightly with his fingers. The theme of the finals was actually loach. It seemed that the contestants were going to be tested on their ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

"Everyone is tired of the common things, so the finals will definitely have to be something uncommon. We don't usually use loach as an ingredient, so it will be novel."

Alice Nakiri propped her chin on her hand, trying to figure out what the organizers were thinking.