Everyday Life Starting with Food Wars

"Are they all here to take the exam?" Chen Yuxing glanced around; there were about forty or fifty people.

Following the signs, we arrived at the examination room, which was a large cooking classroom with dozens of workbenches, each containing various seasonings and basic ingredients.

The examiner, a middle-aged man wearing glasses, announced the rules with a blank expression: "The exam topic is eggs. You have three hours to cook any dish, but it must be based on eggs."

As soon as the words were spoken, the test takers rushed to the food section to grab things.

Chen Yuxing, on the other hand, was in no hurry. He waited until everyone else had finished grabbing theirs before going over and taking a box of eggs and some side dishes.

He glanced at the seasonings provided on the counter; they were quite comprehensive, including Japanese seasonings such as miso, soy sauce, and mirin.

"An egg..."

Several recipes for eggs flashed through Chen Yuxing's mind, some from his previous life, and others from "The Book of Cookery".

Just as he was about to make his move, a notification sound suddenly rang in his mind:

[Triggering Task: Pass the entrance exam.]

[Mission Reward: Unlock new recipe - Three-Egg Shumai.]

"Oh? A new recipe?" Chen Yuxing became interested.

In "The Book of Cookery", as your cooking skills improve, you can obtain different new recipes.

As he thought about it, he began to prepare, first cracking the eggs and separating the yolks and whites.

He moved so fast that those around him could only see his fingers flying across the table, and he had separated more than a dozen eggs in the blink of an eye.

Then Chen Yuxing started whipping the egg whites, adding granulated sugar three times during the whipping process.

This is a basic technique for making cakes, but his method of beating egg whites is strange. Instead of stirring in one direction, he uses a specific rhythm, drawing a figure eight with his wrist.

The egg liquid quickly expanded under his hands, becoming snow-white and fluffy.

After beating the egg whites, Chen Yuxing then processed the egg yolks.

He added flour, milk, and a little melted butter to the egg yolks, stirred them well, and then folded in the whipped egg whites in three batches.

This step is crucial; if the egg whites deflate, the cake won't stand up.

But Chen Yuxing's hands were very steady. His folding motion was gentle yet powerful, and the egg whites and yolks quickly blended together, presenting a beautiful pale yellow color.

He found a mold, poured the batter into it, and then put it into the preheated oven.

While the cake was baking, he began preparing the ingredients.

Slice the strawberries, dice the mango, and find a bottle of whipping cream on the countertop. Pour it out and whip it.

Twenty minutes later, the cake was ready.

The golden-yellow cake base is fluffy and soft, exuding a rich aroma of eggs and milk.

Chen Yuxing waited for the cake to cool, then sliced ​​it into thin slices, spread whipped cream on top, added fruit, and stacked them up layer by layer.

He stacked seven layers in total.

The final product is a cylindrical cake with seven distinct layers visible from the side. The cream is snow-white, the cake is golden, and the fruit is vibrant.

He cut off a small piece, placed it on a plate, squeezed a few butter flowers around the edge of the plate, and sprinkled some mint leaves as decoration.

"cake..."

The student next to me muttered, "Eggs can indeed be used to make cakes, but isn't this a bit too simple?"

Ignoring what others said, Chen Yuxing carried the plate toward the examiner.

The examiner, who wore glasses, looked at the cake in front of him.

He wasn't particularly striking in appearance, but his expression changed instantly when he picked up a fork, cut off a piece, and put it in his mouth.

The cake base is as soft as a cloud, melts in your mouth, and although it is made with eggs, it has no eggy smell at all, only a light sweet aroma.

The cream is smooth and creamy, and the sweet and sour taste of the fruit perfectly balances the sweetness of the cake.

The most amazing thing is that after eating the whole cake, a kind of indescribable fragrance lingers in your mouth, as refreshing as if you had just eaten the first strawberry of spring.

"What...what was added?" the examiner couldn't help but ask.

Chen Yuxing casually replied, "Just a little bit of lemon zest is enough."

The examiner took another bite, then closed his eyes to savor it carefully.

The cake slowly melted in his mouth, and its light texture made him feel as if he were lying on a cloud, with the warm sunshine shining on him and a gentle breeze carrying the fragrance of flowers and fruits.

"That's amazing..." The examiner opened his eyes. "I've eaten countless French desserts, but I've never tasted such a light cake. What technique did you use?"

"It's actually just a basic sponge cake made with separated eggs," Chen Yuxing smiled. "I just added a little bit of white vinegar when whipping the egg whites, and the baking temperature was ten degrees lower than normal."

"That's all?" The examiner didn't believe it.

"That's all." Chen Yuxing nodded. "But mindset is very important when making it. If you're too nervous and use too much force, the egg whites will deflate, and the cake won't stand up."

The examiner stared at him for a while, then looked down and wrote a few words on the scoring board.

Chen Yuxing couldn't see what was written, but the shock in the examiner's eyes was unmistakable.

"You don't seem like a simple transfer student." The examiner pushed up his glasses. "I look forward to your performance at Totsuki."

Chen Yuxing walked back to his seat and leaned against the control panel, waiting for the exam to end.

Other candidates were still busy, some making omelet rice, some making steamed eggs, and some making French-style stewed eggs.

He yawned and started to feel sleepy again.

He got up too early today; if it weren't for the exam, he would be sunbathing on a bench in the store right now.

He stood there for a while, his head nodding, and he almost fell asleep.

"drop--"

The timer rang, and the exam was over.

The examiners tasted and scored each item, and finally announced the results from the podium:

"The one who passed the transfer exam this time is Chen Yuxing."

"Those who fail, all other candidates."

The classroom was filled with wails.

Chen Yuxing rubbed his eyes and woke up.

"Just me?" He was a little surprised.

The examiner said expressionlessly, "Totsuki is not an ordinary school. We don't need people who are just there to make up the numbers. If there is even the slightest flaw, you will be disqualified."

Then he glanced at Chen Yuxing: "You, school starts in three days. Come back then to complete the enrollment procedures and check into your dormitory."

Chen Yuxing nodded, picked up the knife case, and walked out of the classroom.

Chapter 2 Freshman Ceremony and First Lesson

After passing the exam, Chen Yuxing's first action was not to celebrate, but to rush back to the store.

He's not some rich kid; this small shop is his only source of income right now. He can go to school, but he has to settle things at the shop first.

That afternoon, he posted a notice at the shop entrance, roughly saying that the boss was going to take further training and the shop would be temporarily closed, with the reopening date to be announced later. Several regular customers saw it and came over to ask what was going on. Chen Yuxing told them he was going to learn some new skills and would come back to cook delicious food for everyone.

Katsunori Okamoto, that bald uncle, also came over, rubbing his hands with a smug look on his face: "What did I tell you? I knew you'd definitely pass! That cake, the one you made at the exam site, I heard about it. Now the whole Totsuki examiner circle is talking about it, saying there's a genius among this year's transfer students."

Chen Yuxing was tidying up the spice jars in the kitchen when he heard this and turned around: "The news spread so fast?"

“That’s Totsuki Culinary Arts. The culinary world is only so big, and even the slightest rumor travels fast.” Katsunori Okamoto leaned against the door frame. “But don’t get too cocky. The days ahead aren’t going to be easy. You know Totsuki’s dropout rate, right? Every semester, more than half of them are expelled.”

Chen Yuxing neatly arranged the salt shakers and wiped his hands: "I know, that's why I want to learn some new things."

"Even if you're studying, you don't have to close your shop, do you?" Katsunori Okamoto felt sorry for him. "Your shop has finally become popular recently."

"It can't be turned off."

Chen Yuxing walked to the door and patted the door frame.

"Once I've established myself, I can come back and open for two days on weekends. Besides, this shop was left to me by my parents, so I don't have to pay rent and won't lose money if I close it."

After hearing what he said, Katsunori Okamoto stopped talking.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the morning of the first day of school, Chen Yuxing carried a bag, took the knife case, locked the shop door, and went to Far Moon.

The freshman ceremony was held in the largest auditorium in the academy. When he arrived, there were already quite a few people inside. The front row consisted of students who had been directly promoted from the elementary school. They were all dressed neatly, and their faces seemed to say, "I am an elite."

The back row was filled with a few transfer students. Only two of them passed the transfer exam this year. One was him, and the other was a red-haired boy sitting next to him with his legs propped up on the back of the seat in front of him, chewing gum.

"Hey," the redhead initiated the conversation, "You're a transfer student too?"

Chen Yuxing nodded.

“My name is Soma Yukihira.” The red-haired man extended his hand. “Where did you learn to cook? You look pretty good.”

“Chen Yuxing.” He shook the other’s hand. “His family runs a small restaurant, that’s all.”

"A small restaurant?"

Soma Yukihira's eyes lit up. "My family also owns a restaurant! Yukihira Restaurant, ever heard of it?"

Chen Yuxing shook his head.

"It's okay, you'll hear about it later."

Soma Yukihira didn't seem to care, putting his hands behind his head. "My dad told me to come to Totsuki to learn more skills, but this place doesn't seem as amazing as he described."

"why?"

“Look at those guys in the front row, they’re all so arrogant.” Soma Yukihira pursed his lips. “It’s just a helicopter, what’s so great about it? Cooking isn’t about who has the highest nose.”

Chen Yuxing couldn't help but laugh. This red-haired kid was quite interesting. No wonder he was the protagonist of the original work.

As the two were talking, the stage suddenly fell silent.

An old man with gray hair walked onto the stage, wearing a kimono and wooden clogs. His face was sagging, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.

Senzaemon Nakiri, the headmaster of Totsuki Culinary Academy, is a figure at the very top of the culinary world.

The old man stood on the podium, without saying any opening remarks, and went straight to saying, "Congratulations on your enrollment."

The students below immediately sat up straight.

"However, only about one-tenth of you will graduate successfully."

Nakiri Saemon remained expressionless.

"Nine out of ten will be eliminated halfway through. This is Totsuki's rule, and it's the consequence you must accept when you choose Totsuki."

After he finished speaking, he paused slightly, his gaze sweeping from the back row of the auditorium to the front row.

"Among the new students here today, two of them entered through this year's transfer exam, and another one is the top student in the direct promotion exam from the elementary school. Let's have these three say a few words. Elementary school representative—Erina Nakiri."

A blonde girl stood up in the front row. She was tall and had a delicate face like a doll, but her expression was so cold it could freeze you.

Erina Nakiri walked up to the podium, glanced at the students below, and when her gaze swept over the transfer student area, her brows furrowed slightly, as if she were looking at something unclean.

“I am Erina Nakiri.” Her voice was not loud, but every word carried a sense of pressure. “As the representative of the direct admission from the elementary school, I only want to say one thing—Totsuki Academy is not a game, and there is no room for useless people here. Especially those who transferred in, don’t think that you can graduate just by relying on a little cleverness to get in.”

After saying that, she snorted, raised her chin, and walked off the stage, her leather shoes making a clicking sound on the floor.

Chen Yuxing heard Yukihira Soma click his tongue next to him.

“Next up are the transfer students,” Nakiri Saemon continued.

Chen Yuxing and Yukihira Soma exchanged a glance.

"Who should go first?" Soma Yukihira asked.

At this moment, Nakirizaemon on stage added, "Both of this year's transfer students, come up here."

Well, nobody can escape now.

Chen Yuxing sighed, stood up, but Yukihira Soma was a step ahead of him and had already strode onto the podium.

Chen Yuxing followed behind, slowly walking onto the stage and standing next to Yukihira Soma.

Hundreds of eyes in the auditorium were fixed on the two of them. The students in the front row who had directly entered from the primary school were scrutinizing them, as if they were evaluating whether these two transfer students were qualified to stand there.

Soma Yukihira spoke first.