Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

But now, it seems he will be stopped in the quarterfinals, as his opponent's strength is somewhat beyond his expectations.

Even though I didn't make any mistakes, why is there such a big difference?

A look of confusion flashed in Subaru Mimasaka's eyes, and then he walked toward the contestant passage like a walking corpse, disappearing from everyone's sight in no time.

Hisako Shinto breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this. They had finally won, and she had not disappointed Erina-sama's expectations, nor had she disappointed Hakubuchi's expectations!

Thinking of this, Hisako Shinto turned her gaze to the audience seats and immediately spotted Shiroyuki in the crowd, giving him a bright smile.

At this moment, cheers from the audience resounded around her; this was a glory that belonged only to her!

"Teacher Bai Yuan, I did it!"

Hisako Shinto thought to herself.

After the semi-finals, it will be the finals. If all goes well, she will climb all the way to the top and will definitely receive Bai Yuan's special attention in the future!

Besides regarding Bai Yuan as her teacher, she actually harbored other feelings for him.

After all, being disciplined by him with a ruler and slaps every day, in such a private place, even being beaten had developed feelings.

Thinking about certain aspects of her daily training, Hisako Shinoto felt a slight tingling sensation in her body, and her hand involuntarily rested on the kitchen counter.

The most memorable time was when she made a very serious, silly mistake, and Bai Yuan spanked her in front of everyone by putting her on his lap.

At that time, she felt both ashamed and excited.

Especially under the watchful eyes of so many people.

Hisako Shirato swore that if she ever became strange, it would be because of Shirabuchi!

Chapter 202 Opponents in the Semifinals

"That girl, she didn't even look at me the first time she won the game!"

In the corridor above the audience seats, Erina Nakiri hurriedly stopped. As the executive officer of the Summer Selection, she had been busy and had no time to stop.

I finally stopped, ready to watch Hisako Shinoto's victory and cheer for her, but the first thing she did after winning the match wasn't even look at her?!

She was in such a conspicuous spot; she should have been easily seen if she just looked up. But not only did the other person ignore her, they were also exchanging glances with Teacher Bai Yuan!

For some reason, I felt a little sad.

Even Erina Nakiri was unaware of this emotion; it lingered in her heart, and she didn't know whether it was Hisako Shirato or Shirobuchi.

On the other side, after nodding to Hisako Shinto, Baiyuan stood up and walked outside.

After a brief search, he finally spotted Subaru Mimasaka standing by the lake. The boy had his hands on the lakeside railing and a melancholy expression on his face.

"Mizaku Subaru."

Seeing Subaru Mimasaka's retreating figure, Bai Yuan stepped forward without hesitation to greet him, then stopped beside him and looked in the direction he was looking.

"Teacher Bai Yuan, what brings you here?"

Bai Yuan's sudden appearance surprised Mimasaka Subaru, his voice filled with doubt. He had clearly lost the match, so why was Bai Yuan still looking for him?

In his mind, there was only one reason why Bai Yuan came to him: he kept winning, and finally won first place in the Summer Selection, which made him value Bai Yuan and take him as his last disciple.

That should prove his worth, right...?

"Nothing much. I just have something to say to you about your cooking today."

Are you here to mock me?

Upon hearing Bai Yuan mention the dishes for today's competition, and recalling his boastful words from yesterday, which had now been ruthlessly refuted, Mimasaka Subaru couldn't help but let out a bitter smile.

In his view, Bai Yuan was definitely coming to mock him.

"I never mock people who work hard."

Bai Yuan spoke calmly, telling the truth. Although Mimasaka Subaru was suspected of being opportunistic, since he had the ability, it was understandable for him to use it.

However, he felt that this ability was not strong, and was even a little weak. He had to spend a lot of time learning from others, but he could not inherit what he had learned from the previous person after learning from the next one.

Well, although I don't know the principle behind it, it might be some kind of special ability. In any case, Subaru Mimasaka's copying ability only works on one person.

Otherwise, if he simply keeps imitating world-renowned chefs and incorporates their experience into his own, he could probably become the first seat of the Elite Ten in no time.

"A hard-working person?"

"Yes, learning from others takes time. The fact that you've reached this level proves that you've put a lot of effort into this, which shows you're a hard worker."

Hearing Mimasaka Subaru's somewhat self-doubting words, Hakugen offered encouragement. As they were both students he had taught, he had no intention of showing favoritism.

Of course, the most crucial thing is that the opponent becomes stronger so that he can serve as a touchstone for his current students. He doesn't want to see a situation where only his students can fight against Totsuki in the end.

In that case, he would have no choice but to take his students to another location.

"But in the end, I still lost the competition. I had clearly improved her dish and perfected every detail, so why did I still lose?"

"Because you don't have a good grasp of the details of cooking, what you call the ultimate is just your own perception of the ultimate. Simply put, you only imitated the surface, but not the core. This is related to individual ability."

With his hands resting on the railing, Bai Yuan's gaze was also fixed on the distant river, watching the black swans frolicking in the lake and the lotus leaves swaying gently in the breeze.

It's actually quite normal that Subaru Mimasaka can't imitate Hisako Shinto's cooking, because his own skill level isn't up to par, and even if he tries to imitate, it's just a poor imitation.

A dish developed through time and meticulous refinement of every detail is far more valuable than one that is mindlessly added to other dishes.

"Isn't it enough in terms of details...?"

Subaru Mimasaka muttered to himself, a hint of melancholy in his eyes, because the dish he presented in today's competition was already the limit of his ability.

"Imitate others less. What others have is ultimately theirs. You can learn from them, but you should focus on yourself. Only by learning more and practicing more can you become a master."

After patting Mimasaka Subaru on the shoulder, Bai Yuan left after saying this.

Imitating others isn't a bad thing; all chefs start out that way. But blindly imitating others will never make you a master chef.

"Imitate others less, be yourself more..."

Looking at Bai Yuan, Mimasaka Subaru's face showed a thoughtful expression. He then glanced at the bustling crowd in the moonlit sky before turning and leaving.

"Teacher Bai Yuan, I won! I've successfully advanced to the semi-finals! I didn't let you down, did I!"

Just as they returned to the entrance of the Moonlit Chamber, preparing to wait for Alice Nakiri and the others to come out, a petite yet voluptuous and graceful figure rushed towards them.

No sooner said than done, Bai Yuan opened his arms and tightly embraced the figure, feeling its solid weight, a smile appearing on his face.

"I knew you could do it, Hisako."

He raised his hand and gently patted her back. Bai Yuan's voice was gentle and encouraging, but he had never doubted that she could win.

Miyoko Hojo lost because she was caught off guard, while Hisako Shinoto was well-prepared and had Erina Nakiri by her side, so her chances of losing were very low.

However, although I never doubted it, I couldn't help but cheer for her in my heart when I actually saw her win the competition.

This is truly his disciple!

"Teacher Bai Yuan, not only this match, but I will also win all the matches in the future. No matter who the opponent is, I will never let you down!"

Pressing her face against Bai Yuan's chest, feeling its warmth, Shinoto Hisako looked up at his face and spoke slowly, her voice filled with determination.

"Just do your best. The rest are not easy opponents. Don't put too much pressure on yourself, win or lose. You've already done a great job."

He raised his hand and tapped Hisako Shinto's nose to reassure her. Seeing the girl blush, Shirayuki's smile widened.

Indeed, a girl is most beautiful when she blushes and becomes shy.

Bai Yuan was stunned. Hisako Shinto was quite handsome, but because of her soft facial features, she had a melting, icy look when she was shy.

"Teacher Bai Yuan? Teacher Bai Yuan? What are you thinking about? You're staring at me like that, it's making me shy. Is there something on my face?"

Faced with Bai Yuan's increasingly intense gaze, Shinoto Hisako, who could initially meet his eyes, gradually looked away, appearing exceptionally shy.

"No, it's just that you look especially radiant and beautiful when you blush. To put it simply, you become even cuter, making my heart race."

Without hiding his amazement, Bai Yuan praised her directly.

Fifteen or sixteen years old is the prime of life, especially for girls, who have basically grown up and can look no different from adult women with a little dressing up.

Only the childlike innocence between her brows revealed her true age at a glance, but this did not diminish Bai Yuan's appreciation of her beauty.

"Huh? Why...why are you suddenly bringing this up? How could I possibly be cute? I'm so..."

Shirabuchi's direct words instantly made Hisako Shirato's heart race, causing her to panic and become somewhat incoherent.

"Because I think you're cute, and you asked me, I told you."

As for the point that you're cute, there's no need to doubt yourself; it's an objective fact. You are indeed very beautiful and likable.

After letting go of Hisako Shinto's hand, the student and teacher were pulling and tugging at each other outside, which was really inappropriate.

However, because the two are about the same age, most of the audience in the Moonlight show are outsiders, and everyone just assumes they are a young couple.

Hisako Shinoto had obviously thought of this as well. She opened her mouth but didn't know what to say. Deep down, she felt a sweet warmth, and a strange feeling was growing inside her.

Being hugged like this by Teacher Bai Yuan was a rare sight in her memory, but she didn't find it annoying at all; on the contrary, she was very happy.

If she disliked this kind of thing, she wouldn't have hugged him in the first place.

"Teacher Bai Yuan, let's go back. The dish we made in the competition was actually not perfect. I'd like to make it for you to try and get your feedback."

"Sure, let's go back and cook then."

Upon hearing Hisako Shinto's words, Shiroyuki nodded without refusing. He then glanced at the Moonlit Realm and, not seeing Alice Nakiri, left.

As Hisako Shinohara watched Shirabuchi's retreating figure, and seeing that he hadn't waited for Alice Nakiri, a strange light flashed in her eyes. She then quickened her pace, ran forward, and mustered her courage to boldly take his hand.

The other person has been holding her for so long, it's not unreasonable for her to ask for some interest back, and it's normal for a teacher to hold a student's hand.

Although at this moment she sees herself not just as a student.

The soft touch sent a shiver down Bai Yuan's spine. It felt like touching a piece of fine jade; it was cool at first, but warmed up after a while, which was very comfortable.

Bai Yuan glanced at it, tightened his grip, and smiled slightly, clearly in a good mood.

The girl was willing to take his hand, so he naturally didn't refuse. Hisako's hand felt subtly different from Alice's. It was thinner and had more defined knuckles.

Soon, the two returned home. Hisako Shinto went to the kitchen to cook, while Shirabuchi sat in the living room, took out some snacks from the sofa drawer, and turned on the TV channel to Crayon Shin-chan.

About ten minutes passed.

There was a noise at the door. Bai Yuan looked up at the entrance and saw Alice Nakiri running in from the door, puffing out her cheeks, and lightly punching him.

"Ugh, they didn't even wait for me!"

"We've been waiting for quite a while, but we haven't seen anyone."