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

She is never one to settle for "good enough." She always strives to do her best in every assessment and earns an A grade from her instructors without exception!

However, this time…

Erina Nakiri pursed her lower lip, crossed her arms tightly over her chest, and looked at Bai Yuan with a hint of humiliation as he wrote "C" on her evaluation form.

My first C grade.

Very well, man, you've caught my attention!

"Keep working hard. Your potential shouldn't be limited to this. The best way to improve your cooking skills is to keep practicing the basics."

"For now, abandon your God Tongue; you're relying on it too much!"

"Yes, Professor Bai Yuan!"

Erina Nakiri nodded vigorously. Since Bai Yuan said her skills weren't up to par, she'd just have to go back and practice like crazy! It just so happens that today ends right before the weekend; she'd ask him where he lived after class so she could visit him and ask for his help over the weekend!

If she makes good use of her rest time, she can definitely become stronger quickly!

Meanwhile, Alice Nakiri is currently standing still somewhere. If this continues, it won't be long before she surpasses her. It's something to look forward to!

Alice is nothing but a mere child, yet she dares to call her "older sister." So what if she was born a few months earlier? She will never submit to anyone!

As if she had thought of something, Erina Nakiri's lips curled up involuntarily, and she stepped back, her heart filled with anticipation for Shirabuchi's cooking.

That's a luminous dish! Although she's the young lady of Totsuki Academy and has eaten many luminous dishes, this is the first time she's seen one of that luminous level.

The shock she experienced not long ago, and the magical power of the food's aroma, left a deep impression on her, one that she still finds hard to forget.

She would give anything to taste such a dish!

"Teacher, I..."

"Your knife skills are poor, and you didn't control the heat well. This can't possibly be up to standard. Eat it all yourself. If you bring up this kind of garbage again, get out of here."

Seeing that Bai Yuan had finally let people pass, some people thought he had relaxed the conditions, so they brought forward freshly cooked shredded pork with garlic sauce.

However, after just one glance, he was reprimanded in public without any mercy, which made him feel extremely ashamed, and he silently retreated back into the crowd.

Now, those who weren't very confident in their cooking stopped and started eating with their heads down.

Silence fell once again, and no one dared to bring out the food. Bai Yuan, meanwhile, was quite content, sitting on the podium with his eyes closed, arms crossed, waiting for the bell to ring.

"Hehehe, teacher, look at mine! After six rounds of repeated adjustments, this time it will definitely meet your requirements!"

Look, here comes a mountain-style shredded pork with garlic sauce!

At the same time, a voice carrying a hint of vitality rang in his ears, and when he opened his eyes, he found that Yoshino Yuuki had already come to stand in front of him.

"You've learned your lesson! You've replaced the apples with green apples, so they won't fall apart during cooking, while still keeping the ingredients crisp."

Looking at the dish in front of him, Bai Yuan praised it, saying that no matter what, it's good to make progress. Only by constantly improving can one reach the peak!

"This is all thanks to your excellent teaching, Teacher Bai Yuan. Without your guidance, I would never have been able to come up with this idea on my own."

"I only gave you some guidance; it was mostly your ideas."

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's praise, Yoshino Yuuki scratched her head shyly and stuck out her tongue, making a cute expression.

It has to be said that the girl's innocent appearance paired with such an expression is indeed delightful, giving off a feeling of a girl next door.

"Green apples are a bit more sour than fully ripe apples, and have an overall sweet and sour taste. They go well with dishes like shredded pork with garlic sauce because they combine many flavors."

Meanwhile, green apples have a crisper texture, and when shredded, they are less likely to break during stir-frying. They also have a fresher flavor with a touch of youthful charm.

The shredded mushrooms are soft, tender, and fragrant, complementing the texture of the shredded green apples. Overall, the flavor profile is undoubtedly that of shredded pork with garlic sauce.

Very good, you passed too!

Bai Yuan nodded and announced that the test had been passed.

Compared to the background characters, these girls, who received a lot of attention in the main story, are clearly a level above in terms of skill, reaching the level of a second-class chef.

"Really? Yeah!"

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Yoshino Yuuki jumped up excitedly. She hadn't managed to get any food earlier because she was in the back.

However, judging from the crazy looks of everyone and Xiao Hui's description of her afterwards, she became very interested in the fish-flavored shredded pork that Bai Yuan made.

So I put all my effort into cooking and finally finished cooking before get out of class ended!

And they successfully passed the assessment.

"What are you afraid of? Once you're done cooking, hurry up and bring the food up. I'm not going to eat you!"

Just then, Bai Yuan's voice rang out. Looking at the timid girl behind Yoshino Yuuki, he couldn't help but feel a little impatient.

To retract my initial statement, Tadokoro Megumi does indeed have some issues. I wonder what happened in the past that made her so insecure!

Seeing that he was looking over, and his voice was slightly stern, Tadokoro Megumi carefully served the dish.

"Teacher, I..."

“I don’t know what you’ve been through in the past, but your ideas and creativity are quite good, at least better than all the useless trash around you.”

Looking at Tadokoro Megumi, who had a stiff expression and seemed to want to say something, Shirai waved his hand, interrupting her.

"So, you don't need to be so timid, do you understand, Tadokoro-san?"

When Tadokoro Megumi came to him, Bai Yuan couldn't help but raise his hand and gently pinch her face, his voice full of dissatisfaction.

"Be a little more confident. If the judges see you with a long face, even if your dish tastes good, they'll probably lose points in their minds."

Looking at Tadokoro Megumi's pained expression, Shirabuchi's voice was filled with helplessness. What to do with this girl? It's obvious this can't go on. She's such a troublesome person.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch! I understand, teacher!"

Feeling the pain on her face, Tadokoro Megumi gasped and cried out in pain. Only then did Shiroyuki snap out of his reverie and release her hand. Although it was an overly intimate gesture, Tadokoro Megumi wasn't angry because she knew Shiroyuki meant well; instead, she felt a little pleased.

After this little interaction, she felt much closer to Bai Yuan, and perhaps she wouldn't be so nervous next time she cooked.

The main reason she became nervous again was that Bai Yuan was too strict with the other students.

Except for a few people, most of them didn't even taste the food. They just glanced at it, pointed out its flaws, and then coldly mocked it before letting them eat it themselves.

She was afraid that she would be the same way, so she had been cowering at the back and dared not come forward. The main reason she came up now was that get out of class was about to end.

There's no achievement without tasting it, so she mustered up the courage to serve her dish.

"Speaking of which, how did you come up with the idea of ​​using ripe persimmons?"

This reminds me of a good chef who also created a dish of shredded pork with green peppers made with ripe persimmons. It's quite similar to what you've done.

As Bai Yuan tasted the dish, he spoke up, expressing his surprise that Tadokoro Megumi used ripe persimmons instead of sugar to make Yu Xiang Rou Si (shredded pork with garlic sauce).

Although the taste wasn't that amazing, the concept was already very good. Megumi Tadokoro's idea was similar to that of Xiao Dangjia, who was working as a kitchen helper at Yangquan Restaurant at the time.

The only difference is that Xiao Dangjia made shredded pork with green peppers, while Tadokoro Megumi made shredded pork with fish-fragrant sauce. The two are slightly different in their application.

"Because persimmons are at their sweetest when they are ripe."

So I mashed the persimmons into a paste to replace the sweetness of sugar, then prepared the usual fish-fragrant sauce and tried stir-frying it. The result was surprisingly good.

As for why I thought of using persimmons, it's mainly because there were too many persimmons in the orchard a couple of days ago that no one was eating, and I felt it would be a waste to throw them away, so I made them into dried persimmons. Then I tried making many innovative dishes, and I felt that I could use ripe persimmons relatively skillfully, so I used them in this dish.

Tadokoro Megumi answered with a hint of shyness.

Because it's persimmon season, a lot of fruit has fallen on the back hill of Jixingliao.

She felt it was a waste to waste the persimmons, but eating them directly would be too greasy. So she started researching and experimenting, eventually creating persimmon dishes that everyone could enjoy.

"Xiao Hui's persimmon dishes are amazing! She always manages to perfectly blend the flavor of persimmons into other dishes. She's really impressive!"

Seeing that Tadokoro Megumi was a bit reserved, Yoshino Yuuki spoke up for her. This wasn't a lie; Tadokoro Megumi's persimmon dishes were indeed excellent, so delicious that you could eat them endlessly without getting tired of them.

"The quality of thrift has improved your cooking skills, and the flavor of persimmon makes the shredded pork with fish-fragrant sauce more harmonious, with the purest and richest aroma."

Furthermore, the natural, unpretentious flavor of overripe persimmons pairs perfectly with the taste of vegetables, enhancing the crispness and tenderness of the shredded pork with garlic sauce. This results in a nearly perfect shredded pork with garlic sauce.

Savoring the taste in his mouth, Bai Yuan nodded in praise, a look of enjoyment on his face. This guy had really given him a big surprise!

"Your dish was excellent. I saw your dedication and creativity as a chef in it, so I decided to give you the highest score of the night."

"Your skills are excellent, keep it up!"

As Bai Yuan spoke, he picked up Tadokoro Megumi's evaluation form and wrote "A" on it.

While there were factors that boosted her confidence, the main reason was that her cooking was truly the best of the meal.

Furthermore, his appreciation for thrift also deeply resonated with him!

"Great, Xiaohui! You got the highest score today!"

Looking at the grade evaluation sheet in Bai Yuan's hand, Yoshino Yuuki hugged Tadokoro Megumi with great joy, looking even happier than if she had gotten an A herself.

As a good friend, Tadokoro Megumi is really happy to be valued!

"This guy actually got the highest score?"

"It can't be real, can it? Wasn't she always at the bottom of the class? How could she have such strength?"

At the same time, a few scattered whispers arose around her, not loud, but they clearly reached Tadokoro Megumi's ears.

"I got the highest score? Does that seem a bit unfair...?"

Feeling the shocked gazes of those around her and hearing their whispered conversations, all surprised that she, who was usually at the bottom of the class, had actually won first place, this made her somewhat flustered.

"When you get the highest score, all you should do is be happy, not doubt yourself, because you're not doubting yourself, but me!"

As for the others? Don't drag others down with you if you're useless! Cooking assessments are merely a quantification of on-the-spot performance; they don't represent a chef's skill level!

Seeing Tadokoro Megumi's timid and hesitant appearance, Bai Yuan's voice suddenly turned cold, carrying a hint of disappointment.

This guy's skills are clearly good, but his low self-esteem leads to poor results.

This won't do! We need to find a way to completely correct this in the future. As long as we can correct this personality trait, her progress will be amazing!

Because Tadokoro Megumi's foundation is so solid, even surpassing Erina's, what needs to be done now is to transform that foundation into combat power.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to doubt you at all!"

Realizing she had said something wrong, Tadokoro Megumi hurriedly apologized, while frantically explaining that she didn't mean it that way, fearing that Shiro would be angry.

"Can I try some too?"

At the same time, Erina Nakiri's voice rang out from the side, causing everyone to look over, while Bai Yuan nodded slightly.

"Try it and think about what's lacking in your cooking. This persimmon version of Yu Xiang Rou Si (shredded pork with garlic sauce) can answer your questions perfectly."