Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　"It seems quite interesting. In that case, I, your mother-in-law, will continue to serve as the examiner."

　Fumio Oomido glanced at Soma Yukihira, who had just shocked her, and then at her own rapidly increasing strength over this period.

　Yoshino Yuuki smiled slightly.

　I haven't encountered something this interesting in a long time.

　An internal showdown within the Polaris Dormitory!

　A memory from over a decade ago flashed through her mind: a group of students would hold cooking competitions at the Polaris Dormitory every day after class, with her serving as the judge.

　This has always been the motto of Totsuki Academy.

　competition.

　"The competition is scheduled for tomorrow evening. Before that, you should all go back and rest. You red-haired kid, your room is 303."

　As they were talking, a key was tossed into Soma Yukihira's arms. No one knew where this kid came from, but he could make such a delicious dish from scraps. It was truly impressive.

　"it is good."

　Yukihira Soma took the key that Oomido Fumio tossed to him and nodded. In any case, he had settled down and was no longer homeless.

　Moreover, the fact that he was challenged one after another right after entering the school, and that they were all strong opponents, was truly exciting!

　"Let's go back and rest too. I'm really looking forward to our match tomorrow, Yukihira-kun."

　Looking at the man in front of her, Yoshino Yuuki withdrew her gaze. Having learned from Shirobuchi for so long, it was time to show the world her claws.

　·

　·

　"Brother Bai Yuan, I'm back."

　A slightly cheerful voice rang out from the doorway, but there was no response.

　Alice Nakiri looked puzzled, then placed the purchased items in the entryway.

　She turned around and closed the door, took off the boots she had worn all day, and slowly peeled off the black stockings that were binding her thighs, placing them aside.

　Soon, her delicate, jade-like feet were exposed to the air, dangling nimbly twice. Then, as if remembering something, Alice Nakiri blushed and quickly put her slippers back on.

　She got up and walked into the living room. The lights were on, indicating that someone was home, but no one responded, which puzzled Alice Nakiri.

　But soon, as she looked toward the courtyard, her doubts were resolved.

　Bai Yuan and Erina Nakiri stood one behind the other, with Bai Yuan in the back and Erina in the front. Bai Yuan was teaching Erina Nakiri the moves.

　She wasn't unfamiliar with such a scene; to be precise, it was like this when she first started practicing martial arts, with Bai Yuan teaching her each basic movement step by step.

　Despite the many movements at present, what is actually taught is the most basic of the basics. What is most needed is the girl's persistence, and it will take at least a year to see results.

　In other words, she will see this scene at least several hundred more times.

　Of course, what concerned her even more was that since Bai Yuan was training Nakiri Erina in martial arts, it meant that he was treating her as a disciple.

　"Tsk, they clearly agreed that I would be their only disciple."

　Alice Nakiri pouted, knowing she had no right to refuse. She placed the shopping bag on the table and stood there like a waiting-for-husband statue, watching the two people in front of her who seemed to be one with each other.

　"Hold this position for an hour so that your muscles can get a full workout before moving on to the next exercise."

　Feeling the softness in front of him and smelling the girl's delicate fragrance, Bai Yuan was immediately distracted, so much so that the girl noticed the strangeness behind him.

　However, she didn't take it to heart. She was only concerned that Bai Yuan might have something stuck in his pocket that was slightly uncomfortable, but it wasn't a big deal.

　"I understand, I will persevere."

　Watching Bai Yuan leave quickly, for some reason, Nakiri Erina felt a little empty, but she quickly calmed herself down and focused on her movements.

　Although the movement made her arms sore, it also made her feel that she was improving, even though the posture was strange.

　"came back."

　Seeing Alice Nakiri standing in the living room gazing at the yard, her eyes fixed on him, Bai Yuan walked over with a smile, his voice gentle.

　"Well, I'm back."

　"What's wrong? You seem a bit down, or rather, depressed..."

　When he arrived in front of Alice Nakiri, she didn't rush into his arms with a smile as she usually did. Instead, she called out softly.

　This immediately put Bai Yuan on alert. He racked his brain trying to figure out what he had done to offend her, but he couldn't think of anything.

　He then turned his puzzled gaze to Erina Nakiri, and found some answers.

　"Jealous?"

　Bai Yuan asked tentatively.

　"no!"

　To everyone's surprise, Alice Nakiri reacted quite strongly, turning her head away and speaking briefly and quickly.

　"I see. Don't worry, you are my only disciple, that's for sure. You don't need to be jealous of others."

　With a little thought, one could easily figure out where Nakiri Alice's jealousy came from. Bai Yuan was speechless for a moment, but he still patted her head and gently comforted her.

　"Do not believe."

　The words were still brief and quick, but this time there was a hint of playfulness in the voice, clearly indicating satisfaction with the person in front of him.

　No matter what, as long as he was willing to coax her, she felt she could accept anything.

　"You have to believe it whether you want to or not."

　Bai Yuan naturally understood this, and then embraced Nakiri Alice, letting his own burning, beating heart resonate with hers.

　Many problems can actually be solved with a hug, because people who don't love each other won't feel any heartbeat when they hug.

　And

　Lovers can forget all their unhappiness in this kind of atmosphere.

　Alice Nakiri naturally sensed Shiro's love, and her somewhat complicated feelings calmed down. She then hugged him tightly and refused to let go for a long time.

　In the courtyard, Erina Nakiri witnessed everything, her hazy eyes revealing a mixture of understanding and confusion, and a slight blush spreading across her face.

　These two guys are actually being so affectionate in front of her! It's absolutely despicable!

　Looking at the scene before her, a multitude of thoughts flooded Erina Nakiri's mind.

　Most of what she heard was what Alice Nakiri said to her that night.

　"Erina, do you understand your own feelings?"

　She realized that, just as Alice had said, she did indeed have some improper thoughts about Bai Yuan.

　"Take me back to my room, I want compensation."

　Seemingly noticing Erina Nakiri's gaze, and though she intended to foster a relationship between the two, at this moment, Alice Nakiri only wanted to assert her dominance.

　After all, what she had just witnessed had a significant impact on her, and she had to let the other party know who the mistress of the house was!

　She can be generous, but sometimes she can be incredibly stingy.

　"now?"

　Upon hearing Alice Nakiri's words, Bai Yuan froze, glancing at Erina Nakiri in the courtyard with some hesitation.

　"is it not OK?"

　Seeing Bai Yuan's appearance, Nakiri Alice deliberately put on a disappointed look and murmured in a volume that she wanted him to hear but was also afraid he would hear.

　"Then go back to your room."

　After glancing at Erina Nakiri in the courtyard, Bai Yuan remained silent for two seconds before finally making up his mind. He walked into the courtyard and whispered a few words in her ear before returning to the living room, picking up Alice Nakiri in his arms, and striding towards the room.

　"What?! You two are being all lovey-dovey, so why are you suddenly making me stand for an extra hour?!"

　Watching Bai Yuan's departing figure and recalling what he had just said, Nakiri Erina remained silent for a while, then grew angrier the more she thought about it, and inexplicably couldn't hold back and shouted loudly.

　Unfortunately, no one paid any attention to her at that moment.

　She dared not disobey Bai Yuan's words, so she continued to stand in the courtyard in her body-training posture, looking exactly like a wronged child.

　·

　·

　The next day, the weather was fine.

　After finishing their morning classes, neither Yoshino Yuuki nor Yukihira Soma returned to the Polar Star Dormitory. Instead, they tacitly headed down the mountain in different directions.

　"Please pass on a message to Teacher Bai Yuan, telling him that I'll be arriving later this afternoon."

　Standing in front of the teaching building, Yoshino Yuuki bid farewell to Tadokoro Megumi and Sakaki Ryoko, and gave a brief explanation. After all, it was a battle between her and Yukihira Soma, and she did not want others to interfere, so she decided to go down the mountain by herself.

　But even though she was going down the mountain, she still needed to give an explanation to Master Shirabuchi, so Yoshino Yuuki asked Tadokoro Megumi and Sakaki Ryoko to inform him.

　"Okay, good luck."

　Although I think Yoshino Yuuki is a bit eccentric, she is someone who has dedicated most of her time to cooking and is passionate about it.

　Soma Yukihira's words yesterday were so rude that it was hard not to want to teach him a lesson, so they could understand Yoshino Yuuki's feelings.

　"Well, I've been studying under Teacher Bai Yuan for so long, I'm not just here to slack off."

　Yoshino Yuuki proudly raised her chin and then walked down the mountain.

　She will win. The accumulation of the past six months will turn into sharp blades, crushing Yukihira Soma and making him take back what he said earlier.

　On the other side, Soma Yukihira had no one to say goodbye to. As soon as get out of class ended, he left Totsuki Academy and rushed to the market at the foot of the mountain.

　Since it's a duck-making competition, the ingredients must be the best, and they must be live ducks to ensure freshness.

　With this in mind, Soma Yukihira entered the local livestock market.

　However, before he could even go inside, just standing at the doorway, a strong, pungent smell of livestock immediately assaulted his senses.

　Looking around, you can see all kinds of livestock and poultry.

　Despite the smell, Soma Yukihira's eyes wandered around, and soon he found a male duck with its head held high and chest puffed out, looking very energetic.

　"Boss, how do you sell this?"

　With a slight thought, Soma Yukihira stepped forward to inquire about the price.

　"This is imported. Look at its proud and imposing appearance. Its vitality and meat quality are both excellent. It's definitely top-quality and premium. If you really want it, I'll charge you 5,000 yen."

　"Five thousand yen? Can you make it cheaper?"

　Upon hearing the price, Soma Yukihira gasped in shock. What kind of ridiculous price was this? A duck could cost five thousand yen?!

　You should know that in their country, the most expensive live duck is only 1,500 yen, so this price is more than three times higher.

　"After deducting the cost price, I don't make much profit anymore, so it's impossible for it to be cheaper. If you want it, pay for it; if you don't want it, go find another store."

　Looking at the student-looking man in front of him, the owner guessed he didn't have much money. The owner, wearing an apron and holding a butcher knife, clearly didn't want to talk to him anymore. After saying that, he went to serve other customers.

　"Although I can afford it, I'll be strapped for cash for a while afterward, so it's really not worth it. I'd rather just buy some discounted duck meat at the supermarket."

　The exorbitant prices forced Soma Yukihira to confront reality. Watching the owner busy attending to other customers, he couldn't help but sigh.

　They went to the supermarket they had seen on the way there.

　What he didn't notice was that not far in front of him, Yoshino Yuuki had also arrived. At that moment, she was bargaining with the shopkeeper, her target being a wild duck that she had just caught from the mountain.

　Actually, calling them wild ducks isn't quite right, because the mountain belongs to a person who keeps many animals there without much discipline, allowing them to survive through natural selection.

　Such ingredients command extremely high prices and can be considered genuine and legal wild game.

　"That's expensive! It costs 10,000 yen! There seems to be a vacant lot behind the Polar Star Dormitory. I'll raise a bunch of them and sell them here. I'll make a fortune!"

　With a touch of reluctance, he handed over a large bill and then took the wild duck from the shopkeeper.

　Although its wings and feet were tightly bound, the wild duck seemed to know its fate and struggled desperately in Yoshino Yuuki's hands, its tiny eyes filled with a longing for life.

　"Don't worry, I'll make sure you go without any pain and perfectly showcase your value!"

　As a skilled jungler, Yoshino Yuuki naturally wouldn't let it escape. She grabbed the base of its wings tightly with both hands and lifted it up.

　Watching the wild duck struggle violently, he patted its head with his other hand, as if talking to himself or chanting to it.

　After saying that, Yoshino Yuuki picked up the small handbag next to her, which contained the groceries she had bought on this trip. It was time to go back.

　"Teacher Bai Yuan, I won't let you down!"