Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

　"A sense of relaxation, maintaining a certain level of relaxation is very beneficial for winning the championship!"

　Being constantly tense can cause a winning situation to slip away due to excessive nervousness and frequent mistakes!

　Alice Nakiri covered her head, looking somewhat aggrieved, with an expression that said, "If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense."

　"You have a whole bunch of fallacies. I could say that maintaining a proper level of tension makes it easier to perform exceptionally well."

　Listening to Alice Nakiri's endless stream of fallacies

　Looking at her confident appearance, Bai Yuan said helplessly.

　"What you said makes sense. Some people do perform exceptionally well when they are nervous, but I am more suited to a relaxed state."

　Alice Nakiri gave Shirai a bright smile as she spoke.

　"You're quick-witted and always have a point, huh? Now, just watch the game! I'll test you later. Think about it: if one of them were your opponent, how would you respond?"

　Reaching out, Bai Yuan gently pinched Alice Nakiri's fair and soft cheek, then shook his head, focusing his attention on the arena and waiting for the match to begin.

　However, at this moment, something unexpected seems to have happened at the competition venue.

　The host rushed onto the field in a panic, whispered a few words to Zhang Zhong, and then Zhang Zhong's expression turned grim.

　"Is there really such a thing?"

　Just to be on the safe side and to avoid any misunderstandings, Zhang Zhong inquired further.

　"It's true! At first, we couldn't get in touch with the player, and now she's not in the players' lounge either. What are we going to do now?!"

　Wiping away non-existent cold sweat from his forehead, he realized that the fact that a player had disappeared before the match was a rare occurrence, happening only a few times more than a decade ago, and always due to deliberate interference from the opposing player.

　It's very rare to see someone voluntarily disappear like this, since everyone who comes to participate in the Young Chef Competition is aiming to win the championship, right?

　Even at the very least, they want to perform well in the competition and make a name for themselves. It's very unlikely that these dream-filled athletes would voluntarily withdraw from the competition.

　"Since the other party chose to withdraw from the competition, they have no one to blame but themselves. When the competition time is up, wait for ten minutes. If the contestant does not arrive, it will be considered that she has forfeited."

　Zhang Zhong's voice rang out. He had nothing to worry about, after all, they hadn't used any external force to make Lian withdraw from the competition; it was all her own choice.

　Although I don't know the reason, I respect it.

　"understood."

　Hearing Zhang Zhong's words, the host nodded, then took the microphone and went up. It was already time for the competition to start, and Wang Qing had arrived at the cooking station early to wait.

　His face was full of confusion, because the person who should have been standing opposite him was nowhere to be seen, as if he had disappeared.

　"What's going on? They haven't even arrived yet. This is such an important match, and they're just making us sit here waiting."

　"Exactly! Do they even take this competition seriously? They haven't even shown up yet!"

　"If you knew you'd be late, you should have left earlier! What's with making us wait here?! This is outrageous!"

　Time passed by, and someone started complaining, which suddenly made the originally quiet scene become chaotic.

　"What's going on? Is that guy not coming?"

　Alice Nakiri frowned. She had thought she would be able to see a great match, but she couldn't see her opponent at all.

　"We don't know the situation yet; they might have been delayed on the way."

　Bai Yuan's voice carried a hint of speculation.

　As for why Kawanoshika was targeted and therefore unable to arrive at the scene, he didn't even consider that possibility.

　The reason is simple: Chuanlinghua is registered under his name, and currently no chef in Fujian dares to offend him, let alone his subordinates.

　"Hopefully she can make it here."

　"Otherwise, we would really miss a great game."

　"I don't know what happened..."

　Changle Airport.

　"I'm already at the airport, I'll be going back soon."

　Kawano Rinka's voice was tinged with urgency. Her eyes were red, and she looked as if she had just been crying, which was indeed the case.

　"No rush, be careful on the road, the driver can hold on for a few more days."

　A clear female voice came from the other end of the phone, but Kawanishika could sense a distinct sadness in it.

　"How can I not be anxious! How could it suddenly worsen! Just a few months ago they said that rest would be enough for recovery, and that I could live for another ten or eight years without any problem. How could it suddenly deteriorate like this!"

　Kawana Hibiki's voice was filled with strong emotions. If she weren't about to board the plane and surrounded by people, she really would have burst into tears.

　When she was a child, her parents were very busy, and she didn't have many friends. She was always depressed at home.

　It was that little old man who said to her, who was sitting in the yard lost in thought, "Little rascal, if you're so free, come and help me pick some vegetable leaves. This old man will teach you how to start a fire and cook."

　Then, in the days that followed, she inexplicably started learning to cook from that old man until recently when she participated in the Sichuan Youth Chef Competition and won the championship.

　It turns out that this little old man was not just an ordinary kind-hearted neighbor, but the former president of the Sichuan Provincial Chefs Association. The current president is his apprentice and also her senior.

　A 37-year-old top-tier five-star chef, a top-notch genius.

　"master..."

　Once on the plane, after switching her phone to airplane mode, Kawanishika took out a pocket watch from her bosom.

　The table contains a photo of her and her mentor.

　The master was an old man with thinning hair and a white beard, missing two front teeth. He liked to smoke, but knowing that she hated the smell of smoke, he would stay away from her while smoking and would only come back when the smell dissipated.

　This was just one small thing her master did to show concern for her. There were many other things she vaguely remembered but that truly warmed her heart. That's why she was so devastated when she learned that her master's condition had suddenly worsened.

　"No matter what, you must hold on until I get back!"

　Kawanobi pursed her lips slightly, closed her eyes, and made a praying gesture. No matter what, please hold on until she gets back!

　The old man loved her most; if he couldn't see her one last time before he died, he would probably regret it for the rest of his life...

　"It seems there really is something important, otherwise they wouldn't skip the competition. Let's go back."

　After waiting for a long time and still no one came, the host announced the winner of the match, Wang Qing. Bai Yuan couldn't help but shake his head and say something.

　"It's a pity."

　Seeing Bai Yuan get up, Nakiri Alice also expressed her regret.

　Although I've only seen Kawahira's cooking a few times, she is indeed a formidable person with strong skills and her dishes have a very distinctive style.

　"Go home. Since there's no match today, tomorrow will be your showdown with Wang Qing. Regardless of the outcome, as long as you give it your all and have no regrets, that's enough."

　Looking at the girl in front of him, Bai Yuan raised his hand and gently rubbed her head, his voice gentle, his eyes filled with expectation.

　The apprentice he personally trained is going up against a top player from Fujian. Who will be stronger? It's definitely something to look forward to.

　At the same time, such questions were also stored in his brain.

　Now, it all depends on tomorrow's game!

　After glancing at the disappointed audience members who were shouting for refunds, Bai Yuan pulled Nakiri Alice's hand and left.

　Tomorrow is her competition, so he plans to give her the rest of the day to fulfill all her requests.

　"What do you want to do next?"

　When the crowd dispersed, leaving only Bai Yuan and Alice Nakiri alone, Bai Yuan spoke.

　"After the finals tomorrow, school will probably start at Totsuki Academy, and we'll have to go back then. Let's do anything we want to do now!"

　Even with the abilities of characters like Alice Nakiri, they wouldn't learn much even if they went to school.

　But they are still quite young, and it's a bit too early for them to go out and make their way in the world.

　When you're young, you should enjoy campus life so that you'll have something to look back on when you grow up.

　Instead of starting out early to work hard, life is more or less boring.

　"Actually, there's nothing in particular I want to do. To be precise, I've done everything I wanted to do these past few days. I can do the rest anywhere. How about we go back and practice cooking? The finals are tomorrow."

　Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Nakiri Alice tilted her head.

　This guy just told her to be more nervous, but now he's taking her shopping, which is supposed to be relaxing, and it's only made things more tense and caused a conflict.

　So, does this guy want her to be nervous, or does he want her to relax...?

Chapter 281 Bai Yuan's Special Tutoring: Preparations Before the Finals

　silence...

　A brief silence...

　Bai Yuan looked at Nakiri Alice with a puzzled expression, then raised his hand and touched her forehead, before touching his own as a comparison.

　He whispered, "He doesn't have a fever."

　"What?! I'm the one who voluntarily wants to learn cooking, and you think it's just a sign of having a fever? You big idiot, Bai Yuan!"

　Slapping away Bai Yuan's hand from her forehead, Nakiri Alice finally realized, did this guy think she'd lost her mind?!

　So she puffed out her cheeks and made an annoyed expression. Didn't this guy trust her at all?

　"It's just a bit strange that you've suddenly changed your personality. You were quite diligent when you were young, but now you've started finding all sorts of ways to be lazy. And now you're offering to cook. It's really surprising."

　Seeing Alice Nakiri's puffed-up face, Bai Yuan reached out and poked her cheeks, smiling ingratiatingly as he spoke.

　As a child, Alice was completely obedient to him; if he told her to go east, she would go west, and she always exceeded her training targets.

　And now, there's Alice Nakiri.

　When she's asked to train, she still tries her best, but it's more of a task-oriented effort, unlike before when she would do her best.

　Now, with no training assignments in the world, how could he not be surprised when Alice Nakiri suddenly told him she wanted to take cooking lessons?

　"Tomorrow is the final, it's just one last push, so I'll naturally work hard and try my best to win the championship."

　Seeing Bai Yuan's surprised expression and recalling her usual attitude during special training, Nakiri Alice felt a little guilty and then explained the reason.

　"Okay, okay, stop looking at me like that kid who's finally grown up..."

　. "

　Feeling Bai Yuan's slightly touched gaze, Alice Nakiri felt goosebumps rise all over her body, and she felt inexplicably ashamed.

　"In that case, let's focus on Wang Qing's strengths and conduct targeted training!"