Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　"It's normal for leaders to inspect the work, I understand."

　Bai Yuan shrugged as he spoke, somewhat surprised that Senzaemon Nakiri had only come to find him now.

　The time that was in between should have been used to go to the teacher to understand the situation and find out exactly what he had done in the past month.

　"The results this time are remarkable. Although 95% of the people were eliminated, the remaining people have all been promoted to the level of second-class chefs. This is unprecedented in the many years since the establishment of the school in Totsuki Academy!"

　You are a truly remarkable man.

　Senzaemon Nakiri's voice rang out, filled with admiration.

　Clearly, Bai Yuan's achievements far exceeded his expectations!

　Chapter 128 Teacher Bai Yuan, are you impotent in that area?

　"You flatter me. I just did what I was supposed to do."

　Hearing Senzaemon's praise, Hakugen remained indifferent; to him, it was indeed a trivial matter.

　If these students weren't so young, had such low stress tolerance, and hadn't undergone special physical training, he wouldn't have dared to really push them to the limit.

　Otherwise, these little guys could have become much stronger.

　Of course, it is also possible to suddenly collapse before becoming stronger, thus failing at the last minute, and in severe cases, even developing psychological illnesses.

　In my past life, such things were not uncommon in the world of culinary disasters.

　However, those who developed mental illnesses were regarded as cowards by the Dark Cuisine world. Instead of receiving treatment, they were dealt with directly.

　"It's not an overstatement. Being able to do what our predecessors couldn't do is a skill in itself, and we naturally deserve this praise."

　Hearing Bai Yuan's modest words, Nakiri Senzaemon shook his head, then looked up at the bright moon in the sky and shared his own insights.

　He had heard about Bai Yuan's cultivation program a month ago.

　At the time, he thought it was a standard, ordinary elimination-based training program that made students nervous because they would be eliminated if they were lazy, thereby stimulating their potential.

　This would cultivate a group of strong individuals, but at the cost of making more people sacrifices, which was in line with Totsuki's competitive spirit, so he did not interfere.

　However, when he learned that none of the students who remained were less skilled than second-class chefs, Senzaemon Nakiri was greatly surprised.

　In every year, when students from the elementary school advance to the high school, ten of them become second-class chefs, which is considered an exceptionally high-quality cohort.

　If twenty students become second-class chefs, it would be a once-in-a-lifetime achievement.

　As it stands now, with fifty students in the elementary school reaching the level of second-class chef, this is the first time in the many years since Totsuki Academy was founded!

　"It seems we can continue this method in the future. Bai Yuan is not only a genius himself, but he is also good at training people."

　Senzaemon Nakiri thought to himself.

　The methods used by Hakugen to cultivate talent are remarkably similar to those used in residential studies at the higher education level.

　The two approaches involve bringing students together for specialized and modular training, enabling them to integrate what they have learned over the years and advance further.

　This training method is equally terrifying; anyone who fails to meet the instructor's requirements will be ruthlessly eliminated, with the pass rate consistently around 50%.

　Bai Yuan's training method goes a step further on this basis. He has students integrate what they have learned and then compete against each other.

　Progress can also be made in the process of competition; the immense pressure stimulates the release of dopamine, allowing them to perform at their best.

　Remembering that feeling and fully entering that state is what we call progress.

　"call..."

　"Although this is sudden, I have a personal question for you."

　Seeing that Bai Yuan was somewhat silent and just running with his head covered, Nakiri Senzaemon suddenly changed the subject and his expression became serious.

　"what is the problem?"

　Noticing the change in Senzaemon Nakiri's tone, Hakugen also became much more serious.

　He had a vague feeling that what the other person was about to say was related to him, and that there was some connection between the two of them...

　It seems that only Erina Nakiri and Alice Nakiri remain.

　Do you like Alice?

　After a brief pause, Senzaemon Nakiri asked seriously, slowing down and staring intently into Hakugen's eyes.

　"It's impossible to say I don't like her. After all, we've lived together since we were little, and we had already pledged our lives to each other long before I came to Totsuki."

　Upon hearing Senzaemon Nakiri's question, Hakugen answered frankly.

　"What about Erina? Your relationship with her isn't simple either. I often see her running out of your house with a red face. She's clearly not acting normally."

　Senzaemon Nakiri pressed further, asking a question that had puzzled him for a long time.

　In the past, when he went for a run, he often saw Erina Nakiri running out of his house, and every time she was flushed, which was obviously abnormal.

　"Erina? She's just my student. The reason she came to my house is to ask about the cover of the recipe."

　I can't say whether things will develop further in the future, but I don't dislike her.

　Bai Yuan's heart skipped a beat, thinking that this day had finally come. After all, anyone would be wary of someone associating with both of his granddaughters at the same time.

　However, he disdained lying and, after thinking for a moment, gave his answer.

　He also has feelings for Erina Nakiri. He liked her when he watched the anime, and he likes her even more after getting to know her in person!

　After all, in the original work, she didn't treat the protagonist very well, and had no redeeming qualities other than being pretty.

　But in real life, because of her status, she wasn't arrogant towards him, only coquettish. It's hard for him not to like a girl like that.

　Of course, the occasional tsundere remarks are also one of Erina Nakiri's endearing qualities; at least Hakugen doesn't find them offensive, but rather finds them quite charming.

　That's the charm of tsundere characters!

　"I see, so your relationship with Erina is still developing..."

　Does that mean you have those thoughts, but haven't acted on them yet? That's surprisingly honest.

　Hakugen's honesty impressed Senzaemon Nakiri, who was the grandfather of two girls and thus faced pressure from his elders.

　Although I had already received this news from Leonora Nakiri, the way she said it was different from how Hakugen said it.

　It was Bai Yuan who said it himself.

　This means that Bai Yuan wholeheartedly acknowledges that Nakiri Alice is his person and is willing to publicly acknowledge her, which is enough to prove his sense of responsibility.

　As for being a womanizer?

　Senzaemon Nakiri didn't care about that. What man isn't a womanizer? Especially powerful men, it's common for one man to marry several women.

　The key is not to forget your roots. You can't forget your old love just because you have a new one. A man like that is terrible and can't be entrusted with important responsibilities in any way.

　"There's no way to hide this kind of thing, especially since Erina is a really nice girl, quite likable."

　Bai Yuan expressed his thoughts.

　Although Erina Nakiri in the anime is very arrogant and behaves quite rudely.

　But anime is anime, and reality is reality. The focus is on Erina Nakiri's attitude towards him, not her attitude towards others.

　"She would be very happy to hear you describe her like that."

　Thinking back to his conversation with Erina Nakiri a while ago, when they talked about Hakugen, Senzaemon Nakiri couldn't help but sigh.

　"Maybe, she might also feel disgusted, after all, she's being targeted by a man who's several years older than her."

　Upon hearing Senzaemon Nakiri's words, Hakugen couldn't help but tease him.

　"Age is not a problem. My wife is more than ten years younger than me. You two are only a few years apart! As long as you two truly love each other, there will be no problem. Even if there is, you can overcome it smoothly."

　Senzaemon Nakiri shook his head and looked into the distance.

　"Do we truly love each other...? I understand now."

　Bai Yuan nodded, glanced at the incredibly bright moonlight, and then quickened his pace: "Then I'll go ahead, old man."

　"I wonder how far those two little ones will ultimately go under his tutelage."

　Watching Bai Yuan's receding figure, Senzaemon Nakiri muttered to himself.

　·

　·

　The peaceful days lasted for several months. Compared to the terrifying midterm exams, the final exams were child's play for those who stayed behind, since Bai Yuan wasn't involved.

　After successfully passing the midterm exams, the students embarked on their journey home.

　When they come back next year, they will be genuine high school students and will participate in the competition for the Elite Ten.

　"Professor Baiyuan, are you really not planning to stay at Totsuki Academy during the winter break?"

　Looking at Shiroyuki, who was about to embark on a long journey with the Seven Star Sword on his back, Erina Nakiri stood at the entrance of Totsuki Academy, her eyes filled with reluctance.

　Everyone has finally left. If Bai Yuan can stay, then it will belong solely to her.

　After all, her home is in Far Moon, and she can't leave during the winter break, so she can enjoy Bai Yuan's one-on-one personal guidance!

　Unlike now, when I'm idle, my grandfather has forcibly assigned me a series of tasks.

　The main tasks are handling matters related to the graduation of senior high school students and taking over the top ten spots.

　Currently, she ranks first in her class. Although Alice Nakiri is better than her, she entered school too late, and her overall assessment score is not as high as hers.

　Therefore, after her seniors graduated, she was automatically promoted to the tenth seat of the Elite Ten, with a three-day public announcement period during which she could accept challenges from anyone.

　If anyone can defeat her, they can replace her as the tenth seat of the Elite Ten, which has always been a tradition of Totsuki Academy.

　Coincidentally, her public announcement period coincided with the short time after Alice Nakiri flew to China to participate in the master chef assessment.

　Thus, she successfully became one of the Elite Ten while still in elementary school.

　"I still have some things to take care of here, but I should be back a week before school starts. You can come find me then."

　Bai Yuan could naturally see through Nakiri Erina's thoughts, so he smiled and rubbed her head, feeling the softness and coolness of her long golden hair, and spoke gently.

　"Okay! It's a deal!"

　Upon hearing Bai Yuan's promise, Erina Nakiri's dim eyes lit up once more, and she took two steps forward, getting extremely close to him.

　These two movements confused Bai Yuan. Firstly, they were too close, and secondly, Erina Nakiri's swaying motion was really captivating.

　Especially with such a sudden approach, the vibration is quite significant due to the high speed.

　"Where are you looking, Professor Bai Yuan?!"

　Noticing that Shirai Abyss had automatically locked onto a certain spot, Erina Nakiri's face visibly flushed red, and she took two steps back.

　"I'm ignoring you now, I'm going back first, be careful on the road."

　After saying this, Erina Nakiri suppressed the flutter in her heart, turned her back, smiled slightly, and then quickened her pace to leave.

　Hisako Shinto, who had been standing to the side, handed a box to Shirabuchi as Erina Nakiri turned to leave.

　"These are some herbal cookies I baked last night. You can take them with you on the way as a snack. If you don't need them, you can just throw them away."

　After hastily finishing her sentence, Hisako Shinoto, without waiting for Shirai to say anything, turned around with a slightly flushed face and ran towards Erina Nakiri: "Erina-sama, wait for me!"

　"I will savor it."

　Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Bai Yuan shook the cookie box in his hand a few times, a smile appearing on his face, before leaving the foot of Mount Totsuki.

　He only carried the Seven Star Sword on his back; he didn't take anything else with him, or rather, he didn't want to take anything. He could just buy whatever he needed.

　His purpose in leaving Totsuki this time was to travel around Japan, sample the local cuisines, and absorb the best aspects of their cooking.

　Compared to China, Japan is not very large. A two-month vacation is enough for him to travel from south to north. Hopefully, he will encounter some great food.

　"Teacher Bai Yuan! Over here!"

　Just as Bai Yuan arrived at a nearby tram station, preparing to randomly choose a city as a starting point and then travel along the tram line to various cities to play.

　He saw a familiar figure at the tram stop. The figure looked around and immediately went up to him with an excited smile on its face.

　"What are you doing here? Are you heading home? Congratulations on your successful graduation. What are your plans for the future? As one of the Elite Ten of Totsuki Academy, you shouldn't have trouble finding a job anywhere."

　Pointing to the tram station, the two began chatting as they walked inside.

　"I'm planning to open my own Western-style restaurant, but before that, I need to understand the standards and flavors of Western-style restaurants in my country. So, I'm embarking on a journey to study and learn from them all over the country."

　Upon hearing Bai Yuan's question, Kikuchi Yoko spoke up, but unlike him who was traveling light, she had two extra suitcases in her hands.

　“Your attitude is good. For us chefs, we should travel around instead of staying in one place and sticking to what we’ve learned so far.”