Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

As he spoke, Bai Yuan produced a ruler from who-knows-where and slapped it against the table beside him, making a crisp sound.

"Eh...Eh?!"

Seeing the ruler pulled out from who-knows-where, Hisako Shinoto's expression changed slightly, almost thinking she had been tricked.

"If you want to surpass others, you must put in efforts that are beyond the reach of ordinary people. If you want to give up, then get out now!"

Think about the shocked, resentful, and ultimately worshipful expression on that young lady's face after you surpassed Erina. Isn't that more beautiful than you humbling yourself to fawn over her?

The ruler kept striking the table, and Bai Yuan's voice seemed to have some kind of magic, subconsciously influencing Shinoto Hisako and making her unable to help but believe.

"To...to make Lady Erina look at me with such admiration?!"

Hisako Shirato murmured to herself, closing her eyes as a short scene unfolded in her mind.

"Hisako, Hisako, how do I do this?"

You're so amazing! It feels like you can do everything. I'm nowhere near as good as you. From now on, let me call you Hisako-sama!

"Now that you have something to look forward to, let's get started! First, show off everything you're good at and make the dish you're best at!"

The ruler struck the table again, and Bai Yuan tossed over a bag full of various Chinese medicinal herbs.

At the same time, various kinds of ingredients were scattered out.

"I hope you can endure it and successfully transform in the end, Hisako!"

"Yes!"

Hisako Shinoto nodded seriously, then looked at the bag of ingredients in front of her and began to hesitate, wondering what she should do to satisfy Shirayuki!

"Make the first dish that comes to mind, and start now. You'll never become a good chef if you keep putting things off!"

"Yes!"

The ruler rose and fell with a crisp sound. Under the lamplight, the boy's face showed a hint of excitement, while the girl suppressed her shame.

However, as long as I can become stronger.

Make Erina Nakiri call her Hisako-sama!

She is willing to undergo trials here!

At this moment, Hisako Shinoto's eyes had become somewhat crazed.

Chapter 98: If you want to learn, then learn; if you don't, then get out!

"Have you heard? A new Chinese cuisine teacher joined the junior high school, and she's incredibly skilled!"

"Yes, yes, everyone who has taken his class says he makes dishes that glow, and he's very likely a legendary five-star chef!"

In the corridor, many people who knew each other were chatting outside the classroom. As they talked, they started talking about Bai Yuan and continued the conversation on that topic.

"I've heard about it for a long time, and that was so long ago! Besides, you can remove the 'maybe,' that person is a five-star chef, I used to take his classes."

Although he was very capable, he hardly taught anything in class. Each class he would only cook one dish, and then let the students in that class create and improve upon that dish.

The result of this is that only a few people pass the assessment in each class.

Some people who have taken Baiyuan's course have come forward to share their experiences.

"Oh? Is it that strict? What about the rest of the people?"

"Of course, he gave the lowest possible rating to all of them. In some aspects, he was even stricter than Professor Roland Chapel. If you happen to be assigned to his class, then you'd better pray for good luck."

However, a large number of people enjoy his classes, and you can have a food battle with them, giving up your class in return—that's also allowed.

Thinking of Bai Yuan, who had ruthlessly said "unqualified," the male student shrank back.

Bai Yuan didn't seem to be teaching them, but rather screening them—selecting students with sufficiently good foundations and then training them privately.

A truly elite teaching program.

The result of this is that these students with relatively weaker abilities cannot pass, can only receive the lowest grade, and are ultimately expelled.

If that's the case, it would be better to give this class to those who want to take it, as there are quite a few of them, indicating a severe polarization.

At the same time, crisp footsteps sounded, and at the end of the corridor, Bai Yuan raised his hand to yawn, his figure appearing at the stairwell.

A few steps behind him followed a girl who was also yawning repeatedly, her face full of fatigue, perhaps because she hadn't slept well last night.

I could hear the chatter of students on both sides of my ears.

Bai Yuan's expression was somewhat subtle, but he didn't say anything more and simply continued forward at his usual pace.

Because he looks young, and most students haven't seen him before, it's common to see people talking about him when he's walking down the street.

"Brother Baiyuan, you're really famous in Totsuki now! No matter where you go, you can hear people talking about you."

Hearing the conversation around them, Alice Nakiri showed an interested expression and took two steps forward to stand beside Shiro Awakening.

"Most of these people have never even met me. They're just talking about me through hearsay. Such fame accumulates quickly but dissipates even faster, and it's not very useful."

You have so much free time to worry about this; you should focus your energy on cooking. You'd be making amazing dishes by now.

Seeing the excited look on Alice's face, Bai Yuan raised his hand and tapped her on the head, then spoke quite seriously.

This kid is too playful; he gets distracted by the slightest disturbance, which is just like a child's mentality.

Even though he's been in Totsuki for a month, his heart still hasn't settled down. Fortunately, his cooking skills are improving, otherwise he wouldn't have spoken so gently.

"Master, please stop reading. Master, please stop reading. Your disciple knows he was wrong."

Bai Yuan's words made Nakiri Alice take two steps back, cover her head with her hands, and pretend to be in pain. Her silly antics made Bai Yuan laugh.

"You silly girl..."

"I think what Teacher Baiyuan said makes a lot of sense, and that's what I've always done."

Greetings, Professor Bai Yuan.

Just as Bai Yuan was about to say something, a clear and melodious female voice rang out from not far away. The two looked over and saw that the person was none other than Erina Nakiri.

"Good morning, Professor Bai Yuan."

Beside her, Hisako Shinto was holding a pile of documents.

When she saw Bai Yuan looking at her, her fair cheeks visibly flushed red. She quickly lowered her head and greeted him with a dart in her eyes.

Because of her grueling training in the dark, whenever she sees Bai Yuan, she thinks of the power of the ruler.

This guy really deserves a beating for making mistakes!

They have absolutely no sense of chivalry or respect for women!

Or perhaps he enjoys the miserable state of her being beaten?

However, thanks to this, her cooking skills are now improving at an astonishing rate. After digesting what she had learned before, she has reached the upper level of a second-class chef.

However, since she couldn't see her at night, Lady Erina had begun to have some doubts and would sometimes ask her about it casually.

She's managed to brush it off for now, but I wonder how long that will last. I'm really looking forward to seeing Erina's expression when she finds out she's become stronger than her!

That must be really interesting!

"Good morning, Erina and Hisako. This isn't the place to chat, let's go to the classroom first."

Feeling the gazes of the students gathering around him, Bai Yuan stopped, greeted them with a smile, and then headed towards the classroom.

Seeing this, Erina Nakiri and Hisako Shinoto immediately followed behind.

"You guys wait for me a moment."

Watching the group gradually disappear into the distance, Alice Nakiri called out anxiously, ran forward, and soon stood alongside them.

"By the way, the midterm exams are next week. Are you all ready? I heard that last year's final exams caused quite a few people to drop out of school."

On the way to the classroom, Bai Yuan seemed to suddenly remember something, turned his head, and asked Nakiri Erina in a seemingly casual manner.

He didn't doubt that Erina Nakiri and the others could pass, but he still wanted to know more information because he had taken on a job from Senzaemon Nakiri.

"That kind of assessment is a test of one's ability at a certain stage. As long as one's ability reaches the level of a second-class chef, one can basically pass it. There is no need for special preparation."

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's question, Erina Nakiri shrugged indifferently, not taking it to heart.

"Indeed, and the assessments in recent years have been meaningless. I remember last year's final assessment required us to prepare banquet dishes according to recipes, and the last ten students who finished were expelled."

Hisako Niito nodded in agreement. For these top students, the midterm exam was just a formality, and there was almost no possibility of failing.

"However, compared to the elementary school, the competition in the high school is extremely fierce! Out of more than a thousand students, less than a hundred made it to the second year last year, resulting in a dropout rate as high as 90%!"

As if she had thought of something, Hisako Shinoto added further explanation.

The assessments in the elementary school are more about creating a sense of urgency for the students, letting them know that they can't stop, or they will fall behind, and they need to get stronger quickly.

The assessments in the higher education program are genuine competition and elimination! Those who do not meet the college's requirements will be expelled.

Show no mercy...

"With a 90% elimination rate, after two rounds, less than ten people are left. No wonder you don't see any senior students at this school; they've all been expelled."

Alice Nakiri seemed to be hearing this for the first time, then nodded in sudden understanding.

At that moment, she finally understood why there were so few upperclassmen left in the school. With such an astonishing dropout rate, only the most exceptional students remained!

"Each year of the third grade has fewer than twenty students, and very few of them are able to graduate successfully."

However, each graduate is essentially a first-class chef, and the top ten members are generally expected to become master chefs within twenty years.

Erina Nakiri said this, her voice filled with pride.

Looking across all of Japan, no other academy can train chefs with exceptional talent like they do!

"He must be a top-tier chef from Japan."

Alice Nakiri suddenly asked a question.

"Of course, Japanese chefs definitely take their certification exams in Japan. Isn't that obvious?"

Faced with Alice Nakiri's question, Erina Nakiri felt completely baffled. Wasn't this something that was beyond question?

It's like a slap in the face to the Japan Food Research Society for its own chefs to go to other countries to take the top chef exam.

"That's alright. I've seen the exam questions for top-level chefs in Japan. They're not very difficult. If that's the case, then it's reasonable."

Those who graduate from Totsuki Culinary Academy are the elite of the elite, and with twenty years of experience, passing the Japanese Master Chef Examination is indeed not a very difficult thing.

"Not very difficult? Have you seen any other countries' master chef exam questions?"