Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　Looking at Bai Yuan, who was tightly surrounded by students, Nakiri Alice let out a long breath, her eyes revealing excitement.

　"Alright, some contestants have finished. You can go back and prepare. Come back if you have any questions."

　Meeting Nakiri Alice's gaze and watching her walk towards him, Bai Yuan clapped his hands, dismissing the group of students who had come to ask him questions.

　"Okay, thank you teacher."

　The person leading the group was the girl who had come to ask him earlier if he could have an extra serving of sashimi. Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, she bowed respectfully.

　The crowd then dispersed.

　"Come on, let me see your determination."

　"Please enjoy, raw marinated shrimp with crab sauce!"

　Alice Nakiri bowed slightly, then raised her hand and opened the plate, revealing the beautifully presented dish inside.

　The rich aroma of crab roe wafts through the air the moment the plate is lifted, making you want to close your eyes and take deep breaths to savor the wonderful flavor.

　"Using crab roe as the base for the sauce? Taking it from the river and using it back in the river, that's excellent. You've grasped the theme of this assessment very well."

　Looking at the state of the food in front of him, Bai Yuan nodded in approval.

　The vast majority of the ingredients in this dish were taken from the river in front of us, which perfectly matches the assessment content.

　"That's right. I used crab roe as the main ingredient in the sauce, and then marinated the shrimp with salt, sugar, vinegar, light soy sauce, and dark soy sauce. Try it, Brother Bai Yuan."

　Holding the plate in both hands, making herself the dining table, Alice Nakiri looked intently at Bai Yuan, her heart pounding faster.

　This was the best cooking method she could think of under the given constraints.

　Chapter 105 A Further Step Forward! Alice's Final Score

　"This season is when crabs mature and lay their roe, which is also when their flavor is at its most intense. Fresh crab roe is perfect as the main ingredient in sauces."

　Looking at the bright yellow crab roe in front of me, tinged with soy sauce, it stands out vividly against the white shrimp, like a painting with ink spreading out.

　Just from the smell in the air, Bai Yuan was able to determine the steps involved in its preparation, and at the same time, he noticed areas in Nakiri Alice's cuisine that could be further improved.

　but...

　Bai Yuan didn't say it explicitly, but instead brought over a stool and invited Nakiri Alice to sit down, while taking the metal tray from her hands.

　Have you ever tried this dish?

　"Not yet..."

　Bai Yuan's sudden words startled Alice Nakiri, causing her to freeze as she sat down. She then tried to get up, wondering if she had made a mistake.

　"Don't be nervous, I didn't say there was anything wrong with your cooking."

　Bai Yuan reached out and pressed Nakiri Alice down, then continued, "But you need to change your impatient habit, or you'll run into trouble sooner or later."

　"Well..."

　Suddenly being scolded, especially in this way, Alice Nakiri immediately looked at Bai Yuan with a resentful gaze.

　"The raw marinating method allows the shrimp meat to fully absorb the essence of the crab sauce and seasonings, while also making the meat tender and juicy."

　Every bite is a perfect blend of freshness, sweetness, sourness, and saltiness, preserving the original flavor of the seafood while adding complex and enticing layers of taste. It's really quite good.

　Picking up a piece of shrimp and putting it in his mouth, savoring its rich flavor, Bai Yuan couldn't help but nod, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

　Despite the barren land, Alice Nakiri can still consistently produce top-tier dishes. It seems that during the summer before she goes to high school, she can go to China.

　With Alice Nakiri's current strength, she has at least a 50% chance of passing the exam. As for the remaining 50%, she can make up for it during this period.

　"That's certainly a good method, but for shrimp dishes that use crab roe as a sauce, there's actually an even better way to cook them. Do you know what it is?"

　Looking at Alice Nakiri, who had just tasted the food and was showing a look of pure enjoyment, Bai Yuan slowly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of scrutiny.

　"Oh? There are other ways to cook it..."

　Bai Yuan's words startled Alice Nakiri. Then, the girl lowered her head, frowned, and began to think.

　Bai Yuan wasn't in a hurry. He savored the deliciousness of the raw marinated shrimp with crab sauce while waiting silently for her to make a decision.

　Under Alice Nakiri's superb knife skills, the fresh shrimp, after having its head and vein removed, is halved and then cut in half again, each cut halving its thickness, until it becomes a thin slice the size of a palm leaf fan.

　Its texture is tender and bouncy, perfectly complementing the savory flavor of the crab roe. This dish is multifaceted.

　It has already reached the top level. If you want to take its flavor to the next level, you can only change its form.

　Change form? Change state!

　Suddenly, a flash of lightning seemed to strike his mind, and a thought, like a streak of light, entered his sea of ​​consciousness, then became unstoppable: "Scorching."

　"Using flames to roast it, right?!"

　With a trembling excitement in her voice, as she found the answer, Alice Nakiri stared intently at Shiro Akimoto's face, awaiting his reply.

　"Bingo, you didn't learn anything in vain."

　Because your sauce contains soy sauce and sugar, grilling it over a flame will cause a Maillard reaction, producing a unique caramelized and smoky flavor.

　As Bai Yuan spoke, he ran to the bus, rummaged through the trunk and found a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor). He then jumped off the bus, took a sip of the liquor, and lit a match with a lighter.

　The next moment, the wine in her mouth turned into a large number of tiny sparks, which were ignited the instant they passed the match, and then burned on the surface of the raw shrimp with crab sauce, startling Alice Nakiri.

　"Don't worry, it won't get hot at this temperature."

　Seeing Alice Nakiri's frightened expression, Bai Yuan took the plate from her hand and held on even though it was covered in flames.

　"But it's still quite frightening to be hit like that so suddenly. But won't the flames burn your mouth if you use this method?"

　With a hint of sarcasm in her voice, Alice Nakiri watched the flames rise from their peak to gradually subside, then glanced at Bai Yuan's lips, her expression thoughtful.

　"If the speed is fast enough, it's not a big problem. It looks scary, but it's actually just an extremely ordinary operation."

　Bai Yuan offered an explanation.

　"This...is ordinary..."

　Alice Nakiri was speechless. After spending so much time by Bai Yuan's side, she found herself becoming almost desensitized to the word "ordinary."

　Because no matter how amazing Bai Yuan's actions are, he will always use a nonchalant "ordinary" to cover everything up.

　Perhaps this was just an ordinary thing for him, but for them, it was an incredible, heaven-defying feat. Before Bai Yuan, no one could have done it!

　As the flames slowly died down, the aroma of crab sauce filled the air.

　The tender white shrimp meat curls slightly under the heat of the flames, and a golden-brown crispy shell forms on its surface, which enhances the aroma of the sauce while locking in the juices and freshness.

　"Alright, let's try it."

　Although it was only briefly roasted over a flame for a dozen seconds, the aroma on it increased explosively several times over, making people unable to help but swallow their saliva.

　"The way you're saying this makes it sound like you're the original creator of this dish."

　Seeing Bai Yuan's actions, Nakiri Alice couldn't help but complain, "Is this the dish I made? Am I going to let him taste it?"

　"I was involved in the cooking process and even helped you complete a crucial step, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I was one of the authors."

　Hearing Alice Nakiri's words, Shirayuki shrugged. Although it was just a simple fire breath, it was a crucial step in enhancing the flavor of the dish.

　"Okay, let me experience the difference between breathing fire and not breathing fire."

　Swallowing hard, Alice Nakiri looked at the crab sauce-marinated raw shrimp in front of her with a longing expression.

　Bai Yuan is right. Although it was just a simple grilling, it was the key to enhancing the flavor of the dish.

　Putting everything else aside, just looking at that golden color really whets my appetite!

　She parted her cherry lips slightly and put the delicious flavor mixed with crab sauce into her mouth.

　After being flamed, the juices inside the shrimp meat are locked in, allowing you to experience even more juiciness with each bite, making it incredibly satisfying.

　In terms of taste, the grilled shrimp meat has a slightly crispy caramelized crust, which contrasts sharply with the tender shrimp meat inside, bringing an incredibly strong sense of layering.

　"Indeed, although it was only exposed to flames, the texture and flavor have been significantly improved, with the most significant improvement being in the texture!"

　As Alice Nakiri sampled the raw marinated shrimp with crab sauce, a look of enjoyment appeared on her face, and she then expressed her agreement.

　"This is the power of fire."

　Bai Yuan said this with a smile, while picking up a piece of raw marinated shrimp with crab sauce and savoring it.

　"I would give this dish a score of 95 out of 100. You took more than an hour to prepare it, so overall I would give it a score of 98 out of 100. I hope you will continue to work hard."

　I just said that I would use my own cooking as the standard for a perfect score, but Bai Yuan would never actually do that.

　Otherwise, even if it were Alice Nakiri on the spot, she probably wouldn't get many points, as the difference between them would be too small to achieve the purpose of the test.

　"98 points? It's not 100...?"

　Hearing her cooking score, Alice Nakiri looked at Bai Yuan with a hint of regret. She had tried so hard, yet she only got 98 points...

　"The scoring criteria this time are based on the top-tier evaluation level. To get full marks, the dish must be outstanding within the top-tier category."

　If you had thought of and done the idea of ​​using fire to roast something without my prompting, I would give you 100 points, but you didn't.

　Bai Yuan nudged his hand; the crab sauce and raw shrimp made by Alice Nakiri tasted good, but it didn't reach the limit for scoring. 98 points was...

　The fairest evaluation.

　"Teacher Bai Yuan, Teacher Bai Yuan, I have a question for you."

　Just then, Mito Ikumi trotted up to Hakubuchi and Nakiri Alice, causing a violent tremor that drew everyone's attention.

　"What's the problem? Go ahead and say it."

　Hearing the noise, Bai Yuan and Nakiri Alice both looked over and then saw this astonishing scene.

　The girl was soaking wet from fishing in the river; her clothes clung to her body, highlighting her stunning figure. She was walking barefoot toward him.

　Fortunately, this is by the river, where the mud and sand are relatively soft; otherwise, walking barefoot in other places would be quite uncomfortable, as Mito Ikumi had!

　"I'd like to ask the teacher, which of these wild vegetables are edible, and are these mushrooms poisonous? They don't look very reassuring."

　Mito Ikumi, carrying a small bamboo basket, trotted over to Shirabuchi and poured out the various ingredients inside.

　"Identifying ingredients is indeed a difficult point that requires special attention."

　Bai Yuan spoke as he searched and examined the items.

　He had to cram all this knowledge into himself after he came into this world.

　By constantly consulting botanical encyclopedias, he has memorized most of the edible wild vegetables in East Asia and Europe.

　"This is dandelion, which has powerful effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, reducing swelling and promoting urination. It is suitable for stewing pork ribs and making pig's feet soup."

　This is the root of prickly amaranth. In the Guangdong and Guangxi regions, it is often used to stew pork ribs and make pig's feet soup. It also has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, and promoting diuresis and reducing swelling.

　Among plantain, wild chrysanthemum, and watercress, wild chrysanthemum is the best for cooking fish. In some areas, it is also called pond kudzu. It is suitable for stewing crucian carp soup. The stewed soup is milky white and fragrant, which is very suitable for nourishing the body in autumn.

　As for these mushrooms, apart from this one that grows in small golden clumps, the others are unusable.

　This mushroom, called the Elm Yellow Mushroom, grows in clusters and is golden yellow in color. It's absolutely delicious in soups; I'm looking forward to your cooking!

　Looking at the wild vegetables that Mito Ikumi had collected, Shirabuchi nodded approvingly as he flipped through them.

　Although most of these ingredients are unusable, there are quite a few that are suitable for cooking fish soup and are considered to be of very high quality.

　"I see. Professor Bai Yuan, you know so much."

　Upon hearing the explanation, Mito Ikumi nodded, then looked at Shiro with admiration. Originally, she had only come to give it a try and didn't have high hopes.

　Unexpectedly, Bai Yuan really knew it!

　"Of course, the Yuan in Teacher Bai Yuan's name means 'profound knowledge'."

　Before Shiro could speak after hearing Mito Ikumi's praise, Nakiri Alice spoke first.

　With that proud little expression, anyone who didn't know better would think she was the one being praised.

　"Alright, hurry up and do it."

　After putting all the ingredients back into the basket and handing it to Mito Ikumi, Shirabuchi patted her on the shoulder as encouragement.

　Although the final time is in the evening, the earlier you submit, the higher your score will be, and once you have completed the assessment, you can move around freely in the vicinity.

　This can be considered one of the few perks.

　"Yes, Professor Bai Yuan."

　Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Mito Yumi nodded vigorously, then jogged back to the nearby shore, where all her kitchen utensils were kept.

　"Next comes cooking..."