Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　The main reason she became nervous again was that Bai Yuan was too strict with the other students.

　Except for a few people, most of them didn't even taste the food. They just glanced at it, pointed out its flaws, and then coldly mocked it before letting them eat it themselves.

　She was afraid that she would be the same way, so she had been cowering at the back and dared not come forward. The main reason she came up now was that get out of class was about to end.

　There's no achievement without tasting it, so she mustered up the courage to serve her dish.

　"Speaking of which, how did you come up with the idea of ​​using ripe persimmons?"

　This reminds me of a good chef who also created a dish of shredded pork with green peppers made with ripe persimmons. It's quite similar to what you've done.

　As Bai Yuan tasted the dish, he spoke up, expressing his surprise that Tadokoro Megumi used ripe persimmons instead of sugar to make Yu Xiang Rou Si (shredded pork with garlic sauce).

　Although the taste wasn't that amazing, the concept was already very good. Megumi Tadokoro's idea was similar to that of Xiao Dangjia, who was working as a kitchen helper at Yangquan Restaurant at the time.

　The only difference was that Little Chef made shredded pork with green peppers, while Tian...

　Su Hui made shredded pork with garlic sauce, and the two are slightly different in application.

　"Because persimmons are at their sweetest when they are ripe."

　So I mashed the persimmons into a paste to replace the sweetness of sugar, then prepared the usual fish-fragrant sauce and tried stir-frying it. The result was surprisingly good.

　As for why I thought of using persimmons, it's mainly because there were too many persimmons in the orchard a couple of days ago that no one was eating, and I felt it would be a waste to throw them away, so I made them into dried persimmons. Then I tried making many innovative dishes, and I felt that I could use ripe persimmons relatively skillfully, so I used them in this dish.

　Tadokoro Megumi answered with a hint of shyness.

　Because it's persimmon season, a lot of fruit has fallen on the back hill of Jixingliao.

　She felt it was a waste to waste the persimmons, but eating them directly would be too greasy. So she started researching and experimenting, eventually creating persimmon dishes that everyone could enjoy.

　"Xiao Hui's persimmon dishes are amazing! She always manages to perfectly blend the flavor of persimmons into other dishes. She's really impressive!"

　Seeing that Tadokoro Megumi was a bit reserved, Yoshino Yuuki spoke up for her. This wasn't a lie; Tadokoro Megumi's persimmon dishes were indeed excellent, so delicious that you could eat them endlessly without getting tired of them.

　"The quality of thrift has improved your cooking skills, and the flavor of persimmon makes the shredded pork with fish-fragrant sauce more harmonious, with the purest and richest aroma."

　Furthermore, the natural, unpretentious flavor of overripe persimmons pairs perfectly with the taste of vegetables, enhancing the crispness and tenderness of the shredded pork with garlic sauce. This results in a nearly perfect shredded pork with garlic sauce.

　Savoring the taste in his mouth, Bai Yuan nodded in praise, a look of enjoyment on his face. This guy had really given him a big surprise!

　"Your dish was excellent. I saw your dedication and creativity as a chef in it, so I decided to give you the highest score of the night."

　"Your skills are excellent, keep it up!"

　As Bai Yuan spoke, he picked up Tadokoro Megumi's evaluation form and wrote "A" on it.

　While there were factors that boosted her confidence, the main reason was that her cooking was truly the best of the meal.

　Furthermore, his appreciation for thrift also deeply resonated with him!

　"Great, Xiaohui! You got the highest score today!"

　Looking at the grade evaluation sheet in Bai Yuan's hand, Yoshino Yuuki hugged Tadokoro Megumi with great joy, looking even happier than if she had gotten an A herself.

　As a good friend, Tadokoro Megumi is really happy to be valued!

　"This guy actually got the highest score?"

　"It can't be real, can it? Wasn't she always at the bottom of the class? How could she have such strength?"

　At the same time, a few scattered whispers arose around her, not loud, but they clearly reached Tadokoro Megumi's ears.

　"I got the highest score? Does that seem a bit unfair...?"

　Feeling the shocked gazes of those around her and hearing their whispered conversations, all surprised that she, who was usually at the bottom of the class, had actually won first place, this made her somewhat flustered.

　"When you get the highest score, all you should do is be happy, not doubt yourself, because you're not doubting yourself, but me!"

　As for the others? Don't drag others down with you if you're useless! Cooking assessments are merely a quantification of on-the-spot performance; they don't represent a chef's skill level!

　Seeing Tadokoro Megumi's timid and hesitant appearance, Bai Yuan's voice suddenly turned cold, carrying a hint of disappointment.

　This guy's skills are clearly good, but his low self-esteem leads to poor results.

　This won't do! We need to find a way to completely correct this in the future. As long as we can correct this personality trait, her progress will be amazing!

　Because Tadokoro Megumi's foundation is so solid, even surpassing Erina's, what needs to be done now is to transform that foundation into combat power.

　"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to doubt you at all!"

　Realizing she had said something wrong, Tadokoro Megumi hurriedly apologized, while frantically explaining that she didn't mean it that way, fearing that Shiro would be angry.

　"Can I try some too?"

　At the same time, Erina Nakiri's voice rang out from the side, causing everyone to look over, while Bai Yuan nodded slightly.

　"Try it and think about what's lacking in your cooking. This persimmon version of Yu Xiang Rou Si (shredded pork with garlic sauce) can answer your questions perfectly."

　As Bai Yuan spoke, he handed over his chopsticks. Nakiri Erina took them and stood in front of him. She picked up a piece of persimmon-flavored shredded pork and savored it.

　Overripe persimmons have an exceptionally strong sweetness, which means that no additional sugar needs to be added to the dish, while still providing a rich persimmon aroma.

　That rich flavor is unique to persimmons. Compared to the regular version of shredded pork with garlic sauce, this one has a significantly more prominent flavor!

　"Is this what it means to incorporate innovation into cooking? So this is what it feels like..."

　You don't need to belittle yourself; this dish is truly excellent and deserves an A grade.

　As if a thunderbolt had exploded in her mind, Erina Nakiri opened her eyes and gained a deeper understanding of the meaning of Shirai's previous words.

　Fusion is not simply one plus one, but rather a deeper analysis of the essence of cuisine.

　The girl in front of me, with her blue hair tied in braids, actually managed to do that... she's truly remarkable.

　Look! How come I have no recollection of this at all?

　"Thank you."

　Upon hearing Erina Nakiri's voice, Megumi Tadokoro was flattered and blushed.

　"What's your name? With such amazing culinary skills, you shouldn't be unknown."

　"My name is Tadokoro Megumi. This was actually a coincidence; I had done prior research, which is why it went so smoothly..."

　Tadokoro Megumi said with a slightly flushed face, then added as if she was worried about something.

　"Research done before cooking is called accumulation, and there's nothing shameful about it. Tadokoro Megumi? I'll remember that name."

　Erina Nakiri nodded, indicating that she remembered her name.

　"Alright, it's getting late. Is anyone else going to bring up their food?"

　As he spoke, Bai Yuan turned his gaze to Shinoto Hisako, who had a plate of food in front of her and was resting her hands on the counter. She did not take any action after hearing his words.

　"Looks like we failed."

　Bai Yuan thought to himself, "That's normal. It would be really difficult for a second-class chef to combine medicinal cuisine with shredded pork with garlic sauce."

　This is not to say that Hisako Niito is bad, but rather that a second-class chef's experience is simply insufficient to support the complex and modified medicinal cuisine.

　Even though Hisako Shinto was born into a family of medicinal cuisine masters, the strongest member of her family was only a Special Grade Two Star, so there was very little he could teach her.

　Thinking of this, Bai Yuan withdrew his gaze and had no intention of going up to say anything.

　If you can't even face your own inadequacy, then you might as well give up being a chef.

　Because as the cooking progresses, this kind of thing will only happen more often! After all, people who are proficient in all aspects are few and far between.

　"Fei Sha..."

　Seeing Hisako Shinto standing motionless, Erina Nakiri called out worriedly, but received no response.

　"Ding ding ding~"

　At the same time, the bell rang to signal the end of get out of class.

　A smile appeared on Bai Yuan's face as he watched the white figure that had appeared at the classroom door and was silently waiting for him.

　Chapter Ninety-One: Come to my classroom tomorrow night at eight o'clock, and I will teach you the art of medicinal cuisine.

　"Alice, what are you doing here?"

　Before Bai Yuan could speak, Erina Nakiri spoke first, her voice filled with doubt as she looked at the white figure at the door.

　Could it be that he came here to see her?

　Thinking about it carefully, this possibility is not small. After all, besides herself, Alice Nakiri should not know anyone else here.

　So, what do you want to talk to her about?

　Erina Nakiri stepped forward and approached Alice Nakiri, awaiting her answer.

　"What I do here is none of your business. Besides, have you forgotten what happened in our previous food battle? Erina-neechan~"

　With a hint of teasing in her voice, Alice Nakiri looked at Erina Nakiri with amusement, reminding the two of the events from the Food Battle a few days ago.

　As expected, upon hearing Alice Nakiri's words, Erina Nakiri's expression visibly worsened, and her fists clenched involuntarily, but she still reluctantly called out, "Alice-neechan."

　After saying that, Erina Nakiri turned her head away, not daring to look at the person in front of her. The shame in her heart made her want to turn around and run away!

　However, considering that Shirai had not yet started cooking and had not received any reward for this assessment, Nakiri Erina ultimately did not take any action.

　He couldn't help but curse inwardly. He had tried his best to avoid Alice all this time, but he never expected that she would take the initiative to come looking for him.

　"Hey, sweetie~ Here's some candy for you."

　Upon hearing Erina Nakiri's words, Alice Nakiri smiled, and then, as if prepared, took out a few candies from her pocket and handed them to her like she was coaxing a child.

　"So why did you come here?"

　Erina Nakiri naturally couldn't accept Alice Nakiri's offer of candy, otherwise it would be tantamount to admitting that she was a child and inherently inferior to this girl.

　However, Erina Nakiri was also curious as to why Alice was here. If she wasn't here to see her, then who was she looking for?

　"Of course I'm here to see my dear Bai Yuan-ge! You didn't think I came for you, did you? How narcissistic of you, Erina~"

　Perhaps feeling somewhat ashamed to use the term "sister," Alice Nakiri stopped using it.

　Then, as if she had thought of something, she couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.

　As soon as she finished speaking, the girl strode a few steps toward Bai Yuan, then grabbed his arm and put on an affectionate pose.

　"Seriously! I knew it was you, the new Chinese cuisine teacher. After all, no one else deserves to be called 'amazing' by Grandpa!"

　But since you came to Totsuki yesterday, why didn't you come see me first? Do you know how much I missed you?! You idiot, Abe-nii!

　Turning her head to look at the girl's somewhat evasive eyes, Nakiri Alice pursed her lips, very dissatisfied that Totsuki hadn't told her about Shirobuchi's arrival.

　.

　If she hadn't heard that a new Chinese cuisine teacher had come to Totsuki Restaurant and specifically called her grandfather to ask, she probably would still be in the dark!

　This guy... came back without telling her. Could it be that he did something to offend her? Is that why he's afraid to see her? Just like Mom said...

　For a moment, Alice Nakiri thought about many things.

　"I wanted to surprise you, didn't I? I thought you'd be happy to see this when you get home. You just got off the plane last night, and all the shops were closed. I couldn't go there empty-handed."

　As Bai Yuan spoke, he took out a bunch of tulips from under the podium and began to explain.

　He bought this at the flower shop this morning, intending to give it to Alice after class as a little surprise for their long-awaited reunion.

　As for the reason, it was simply because someone told him that girls like flowers, and even if they say they don't want them, they will still be happy to receive them.

　This is what's known as the 'True Fragrance Theorem'!

　"No need! I'm already happy just to see Brother Bai Yuan. If you had told me beforehand, I would have been happy for a long time!"

　"But this smells so good, it must have been picked not long ago. It's a thoughtful gift from you."

　Seeing the bunch of tulips in Bai Yuan's hand, Alice Nakiri indeed showed a happy expression. At the same time, she excitedly hugged his neck and kissed him on his left cheek, their behavior being extremely intimate.

　Although there were still many people in the classroom, all staring at them in surprise, it didn't stop her from expressing her burning emotions.

　Besides, after such a long separation, how could she possibly resist the urge to see him again?

　"What is the relationship between the two of you?"

　Watching the two people behaving intimately in front of her, Erina Nakiri scratched her hair, feeling like someone had finally gotten a toy and then told it was hers.

　This incredibly skilled Chinese cuisine master chef actually has an inexplicable relationship with Alice?!

　It seems she's found the reason why she lost to her.

　"Can't you tell? We have a very loving master-disciple relationship!"

　Holding the bouquet of tulips that Bai Yuan had given her, Alice Nakiri smiled at Erina Nakiri, while simultaneously linking her arm with his to assert her ownership.