Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Nakiri Leonora covered her mouth and chuckled, preparing to give him one last treat. She then pulled Nakiri Alice back to their room, leaving only Bai Yuan and Dead Fish in the living room.

"This scene is really something. If I weren't a gentleman, I probably would have done something."

Looking at the scene of drunkenness before him, Bai Yuan shook his head. It was fortunate that he was the one who appeared here; if it had been a lecherous fellow, none of them would have escaped!

He bent down and picked up Ryoko Sakaki. Because of her height, she was quite heavy and her steps were a little unsteady.

One of the girl's stockings had been removed and was now in Bai Yuan's pocket, still warm from her body. This was the punishment for losing the drinking game.

Fortunately, everyone retained some rationality towards the end, which prevented the plot from veering completely off course into disharmony, though it wasn't far off.

He put Ryoko Sakaki on the bed, then went to the living room to move Yuuki Yoshino. As he put her down, the girl suddenly reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, her arms tightening slightly, unwilling to let him go: "Hana, don't run around anymore, do you know how hard I've been looking for you!"

Feeling the strange sensation coming from his nose, Bai Yuan took two deep breaths, silently moved Yoshino Yuuki's hand away, then tossed a pillow into her arms, covered her with a blanket, and returned to the living room.

The other girls did the same thing. Luckily, this was a villa with enough rooms, otherwise it would have been impossible to accommodate so many people.

"Heave ho".

Finally, after moving Erina Nakiri to the room, Shirabuchi let out a long sigh of relief.

Looking at the girl's rosy cheeks, Bai Yuan kissed her forehead before leaving and returning to his room.

Bai Yuan took a set of clothes from the closet, took a cold shower in the bathroom to cool down his body, returned to the bedroom, lay down on the bed, and soon fell asleep.

He had a wonderful dream.

The girls in his dream were shy but followed the rules. He kept winning in the drinking games, eventually even managing to win over Leonora Nakiri...

"Yukihira, how was your income today?"

"After deducting all the costs, I made about 50,000 yen out of 73,200 yen. If I work hard for another week, I should be able to cover the accommodation and food expenses for the competition."

After selling the last portion of ingredients, Soma Yukihira apologized to the customers who had been waiting in line for quite a while: "Today's special okonomiyaki is sold out. If you want some, please come early tomorrow."

"Oh, what a pity."

"Let's go, let's come back tomorrow."

Upon hearing Soma Yukihira's words, the remaining customers immediately showed expressions of disappointment. They had queued for more than half an hour just to have a bite.

"Here you go. Tomorrow you can use the VIP channel. As long as you arrive, you'll get a special okonomiyaki. Consider it compensation for not being able to satisfy you today. I'm really sorry."

As he spoke, Soma Yukihira took out several self-made voucher cards, each featuring a hand-drawn cartoon smiley face, intended as an anti-counterfeiting measure.

"Thank you! We'll definitely come tomorrow!"

Even though they knew the okonomiyaki at the stall was almost sold out, they insisted on queuing until the very end just to get this voucher!

Tomorrow, not only will you not have to spend any money, but you can also enjoy the top-notch flavor of Japan's number one okonomiyaki, which is a win-win situation!

"Speaking of which, is that okonomiyaki place a new one that opened recently? Have you guys tried it before?"

"No, but I've passed by several times. The aroma is so strong that you can smell it all over the street. Every time I try to get in line, there are always huge crowds and the lines are so long that you can't even squeeze in."

"A vegetable okonomiyaki costs only 200 yen, and a meat okonomiyaki costs 500 yen. The portions are very generous, so it's no wonder that it attracts so many customers."

"Wrong, wrong, wrong! Value for money is only one aspect; what truly attracts everyone is the top-notch deliciousness!"

Hearing the conversation between the boys walking side by side ahead, a girl behind them, who had also been waiting in line and had obtained a VIP queue-jumping card, quickened her pace.

Have you ever tried okonomiyaki?

They noticed a very pretty girl chatting with them. The two boys exchanged a glance and slowed their pace until they were side by side with her.

"Of course! That's why I'm not home right now. I was so hungry that I came down to queue after dinner, intending to buy some for a late-night snack, but I couldn't get any. There weren't that many people a couple of days ago."

Upon hearing the question, the girl thought for a moment and revealed a longing expression. She would never forget that taste; it almost made her swallow her tongue!

"Its fragrance travels for miles, and it's become famous by now."

After glancing at Soma Yukihira and Takumi Aldini, who were packing up their stall, the tall, thin boy with glasses among the three spoke up.

"At this rate, it won't be long before it upgrades from a stall to a shop. I really don't know where this chef came from, he has such skills."

With a touch of emotion in his voice, he thought, "If someone can make such delicious okonomiyaki, they must be able to cook other dishes with ease. Such a person shouldn't be found in a small alley, but in a grand restaurant."

As the sounds faded into the distance, Soma Yukihira and Takumi Aldini packed up their stall and headed toward the hotel they had rented.

"This is..."

Pushing the stroller and scrolling through his phone with one hand, Soma Yukihira looked at the hundreds of messages on LINE, his expression changed slightly, and then he hurriedly opened them.

The messages were from the Polar Star Dormitory members, all asking where he was and urging him to hurry over for his match against Hisako in the Moon and Sky Realm.

"What are you looking at? Your expression is so scary."

Beside him, Takmi Aldini was also looking at his phone, but apart from his brother's greeting, there were no other messages.

He turned off his phone, looked up, and saw Soma Yukihira looking unwell, so he asked him in confusion.

"It's a bit of a pity that I missed a game."

Soma Yukihira handed the phone to Takumi Aldini. After spending the last few days together, their relationship had improved considerably, and they could be considered friends.

"What's done is done; we can always try again next time."

After reading the message, Takumi Aldini sighed; it was truly a pity.

"That's true. The current goal is to earn enough for the trip to China. The Fujian Youth Chef Competition starts in ten days, which happens to be during the autumn break."

Because they were too busy, the two put their phones on silent to avoid being disturbed by such trivial matters, thus slowing down the cooking process.

In fact, even if Soma Yukihira received the news, it would be impossible for him to return to Totsuki.

After all, they weren't at the foot of Mount Totsuki, but in Kawasaki, a city on the outskirts of Tokyo, where chefs are allowed to set up stalls, so they came here.

Although it's already late, there are still many vendors and pedestrians around, showing that the city has a very vibrant nightlife.

Before long, the two followed a small path to a secluded inn.

Although the hotel is located in a remote area, it is decorated in a very cozy style. The overall color is light green and the structure is made of pure wood, which gives people a refreshing feeling.

"Oh, Yukihira and Takumi are back. Did the stall go well today? I was quite surprised to see you taking out such a huge amount of ingredients this morning!"

They've all come back empty-handed; looks like they bought everything. But then again, with your skills, someone's bound to buy something if you just set up a stall.

The sound came from inside the hotel. Looking up, they saw an older man wiping the front desk. He greeted the two of them as they entered.

"Today went quite smoothly, and I even had some new inspiration. Uncle Shanle, could I borrow the kitchen tonight? I'd like to research an advanced version of okonomiyaki."

"Use it as you like, but put everything back in its place when you're done. Don't make a mess of it. Also, give me a portion of the finished dish; dinner's been a while and I'm a little hungry."

With the dishcloth tossed aside, Uncle Sanraku had high expectations for Soma Yukihira's cooking.

"Of course, even if you didn't say anything, I would still save some for you to try."

Soma Yukihira nodded. His current improvements were based on advice given to him by an elderly man when he set up his stall at noon. He found the advice very reasonable, so he decided to try it out when he got back.

"I need to buy groceries tomorrow, so I'm going to bed now."

Although Takumi Aldini wanted to stay and study with them, he remembered his mission and headed towards the room after saying that.

"Okay, then you should get some rest."

Soma Yukihira greeted them and then went into the kitchen to prepare to modify the okonomiyaki. The uncle who was initially called Yamaku also came in.

He came to see Soma Yukihira's cooking and also to learn how to make this delicious okonomiyaki. He was completely won over by the taste the first time he tried it!

Unfortunately, his culinary talent was limited. Despite frequently watching Soma Yukihira's cooking videos, he only learned a tiny fraction of what he could make, and his okonomiyaki was merely edible.

"The ingredients are all there, so I don't need to go to the supermarket again. But the supermarket is closed at this time. It seems that Lady Luck is on my side."

Take out the cabbage, scallions, and ginger from under the counter, arrange them neatly on the cutting board, and chop them into small pieces with a sharp knife. Set them aside for later use.

"That knife skill is amazing!"

Soma Yukihira displayed superb knife skills, which drew admiration from Uncle Sanraku standing next to him.

"They're all just basic skills."

Soma Yukihira shook his head, not taking the praise to heart. It was impressive to a layman, but quite ordinary to an expert.

After preparing the cabbage, scallions, and ginger, Soma Yukihira opened the refrigerator and found seafood inside, so he decided to use it without hesitation.

The seafood selection is fairly standard, consisting of shrimp and squid, both of which are staples of seafood okonomiyaki, so their inclusion here is quite fitting.

"Is the focus on yams...?"

He chopped the shrimp and squid into small cubes, and then found some yams still covered in dirt under the counter. Soma Yukihira looked suspicious.

The old man said that although his Osaka-style okonomiyaki was delicious, it wasn't authentic because it lacked the most essential ingredient: yam. He still remembers that.

Okonomiyaki, a type of Japanese vegetable pancake, is a popular local dish in the Kansai region of Japan and a representative of Osaka's noodle culture.

Due to its appearance, some people also call Okonomiyaki "Japanese-style pizza".

Regular okonomiyaki mainly uses all-purpose flour, and Soma Yukihira also uses all-purpose flour.

Just then, an old man suddenly appeared and confidently told him that adding yam would make it even more delicious. How could he not be curious and give it a try?

Using gloves, grind the yam into a paste and set aside. Sift 100 grams of all-purpose flour, add an equal amount of Japanese dashi broth, season with white soy sauce, and stir until there are no lumps. Then add the yam paste, and the batter is complete.

The process was the same as before, except that an extra portion of mashed yam was added in the middle, which Soma Yukihira had never tried before, so he wanted to give it a try.

Even if the taste wasn't good in the end, he accepted it, after all, it was his own choice.

Add four spoonfuls of cabbage, one spoonful of scallions, one spoonful of red ginger, one spoonful of shrimp, and one spoonful of squid to the batter. The proportions can vary, but not too much.

After this period of training, Soma Yukihira has mastered a unique skill: perfectly controlling the proportions of ingredients with an error of no more than two grams.

Osaka-style okonomiyaki made in this way has a very standard flavor, which is the secret to its deliciousness.

Add the eggs to the prepared filling and stir clockwise with a spoon until well combined, constantly lifting the spoon to incorporate more air, which will make the fried filling softer.

Pour the prepared Osaka-style okonomiyaki batter into a pot, then add slices of smoked pork belly on top. Once the bottom has slightly solidified, flip the pork belly over.

Soma Yukihira's favorite moment is when the pot and pork belly make a sizzling sound, which is especially exciting.

After frying for three minutes, flip it over and use the rendered pork fat to fry the other side of the pancake until fragrant. Fry each side for two to three minutes before removing it from the pan.

However, before taking it out of the pot, Soma Yukihira brushed it with a special okonomiyaki sauce, which he had prepared in advance and was ready to use.

After brushing on the sauce, continue to fry the okonomiyaki for a while until the sauce thickens and blends perfectly with the okonomiyaki before serving.

"Try it, Uncle Shanle. After you've tasted it, tell me how it's different from before."

Soma Yukihira handed the finished okonomiyaki to Yamaku with a bright smile. He was curious to see how the improved dish would be received; it probably wouldn't be too bad.