Everyday Life Starting with Food Wars

Kojiro Shinomiya interrupted Megumi Tadokoro.

"The essence of this dish lies in the harmonious and wonderful flavor created by the sweetness of various vegetables."

He grabbed the recipe from the table and threw it directly in front of Tadokoro Megumi.

Where in the recipe does it say "emphasize the sourness"?

“What you made is a completely different dish.” Shinomiya Kojiro looked coldly at the girl whose eyes were already brimming with tears. “A dish that doesn’t meet the requirements of the topic will of course be unacceptable.”

"Do you understand?"

Xiao Hui could no longer hold back her tears, which fell "plop plop" onto the apron on her chest.

She didn't even have the courage to refute it; she could only feel an immense despair instantly engulfing her.

Chen Yuxing stood behind, listening to Shinomiya Kojiro's absurd remarks, and took a deep breath.

At this moment, the anger he had been suppressing completely ignited.

"I have a slightly different opinion, Chef Shinomiya!"

Chen Yuxing pulled off the apron from his waist and strode onto the podium amidst the shocked gazes of the entire class.

"This is beyond our control; fresh ingredients are mixed with flawed ones."

Chen Yuxing stood in front of Tadokoro Megumi, his eyes meeting Shinomiya Kojiro's without flinching.

"If that's the case, then we should be equivalent to the staff under Chef Shinomiya, since the ingredients are provided and managed by the Chef."

"So, if there are substandard ingredients, shouldn't it be your responsibility, Chef Shinomiya?"

The moment these words were spoken, the entire classroom fell into a deathly silence. Everyone stared at Chen Yuxing as if he were a madman.

Kojiro Shinomiya's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"What are you doing, acting like a lunatic? Do you want to drop out of school with her?"

"You seem to misunderstand, so let me tell you." Shinomiya slammed his hand on the podium. "The cauliflowers that didn't look as appealing were deliberately mixed in; it was to further filter out the qualified ones."

“Cauliflower is one of the vegetables that requires the most care because it is prone to oxidation, easily damaged, and difficult to handle.”

"This way, we can ensure that those fools who lose their composure and make mistakes are unqualified, and those who are a step behind and can't get good ingredients will suffer the same fate."

“So…” Chen Yuxing wasn’t buying it at all, “Xiao Hui is trying to make up for her slowness by doing things in other ways, isn’t she?”

"I'm the head chef! How could I tolerate some nobody from who-knows-where arbitrarily altering the recipes I came up with!"

Shinomiya leaned forward angrily, staring intently at Chen Yuxing in front of him.

"You bastard, do you want me to use my chef privileges to kick you out of Totsuki Academy too?"

"Chef privileges?" Chen Yuxing stared at him without backing down. "Your so-called chef privileges are just using flawed ingredients as traps to expel students who are trying their best to make up for their shortcomings in other ways?"

"Recipes are dead, but people are alive."

Chen Yuxing's voice wasn't loud, but every word was firm and resolute. "When there's a problem with the ingredients, shouldn't a chef's first reaction be to adjust the processing method according to the state of the ingredients to make the dish more delicious? Xiaohui used red wine vinegar to bleach the oxidized cauliflower and cleverly improved the taste of the French terrine. Isn't this the kind of emergency response a good chef should have? If we just blindly follow the recipe without any flexibility, what's the point of us learning here? We might as well let the machines cook!"

"Shut up!"

Kojiro Shinomiya slammed his hand on the table, the loud noise echoing through the quiet classroom.

The veins on his forehead bulged, clearly indicating that Chen Yuxing's words had hit a nerve.

The students present were all taken aback by Kojiro Shinomiya's sudden outburst of anger.

"I am the head chef of this classroom! If I say it's not up to standard, then it's not up to standard!"

Kojiro Shinomiya gritted his teeth and said, "Do you think you're so great that you can spout nonsense at me like that? Totsuki doesn't need arrogant people! If you're planning to drop out with her, then I'll grant your wish!"

Chen Yuxing was equally furious. Just as he was about to step forward to continue his rebuttal, a pair of trembling hands grabbed his clothes from behind.

"Ah Xing, classmate!"

Chen Yuxing turned around and looked.

Xiao Hui stood behind him, tears streaming down her face, but she still managed to force a smile that looked even worse than crying.

"No... please stop talking, Ah Xing..."

Tadokoro Megumi clung tightly to Chen Yuxing's clothes, preventing him from walking any further.

"It's okay... I'm not very smart anyway, I'm already satisfied that I've persevered this far. Ah Xing, you've already passed, there's no need for you to do this for me... so please stop saying anything..."

"I'm already very happy that Ah Xing stood up for me... It's okay... You... You don't need to worry about me anymore..."

Chen Yuxing felt a sudden pang of pain in his heart as he looked at Tadokoro Megumi's face, which was already covered in tears but was still forcing a smile.

This silly girl, even though she was terrified and filled with resentment and unwillingness, still had to suppress her own pain to comfort him, afraid of implicating him.

This almost fawning humility made Chen Yuxing feel both heartache and anger.

But at the same time, he calmed down.

Arguing with someone like Kojiro Shinomiya is pointless, because he's a chef with the Order of Purusspool and has been famous for a long time; he has his own pride.

For him, Chen Yuxing was just a newcomer who had just started his culinary journey.

Seeing this, Shinomiya Kojiro smirked sarcastically: "Since you've come to terms with reality, pack your things and get out of here."

After saying that, he turned around and prepared to leave the classroom.

"Wait a minute, Chef Shinomiya." Chen Yuxing's voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet classroom, "I have one last question..."

Shinomiya Kojiro stopped and turned slightly to the side: "What? Chen Yuxing, do you have any last words?"

"I'd like to ask if that rule from Totsuki Academy also applies to lecturers who have already graduated from Totsuki?"

Upon hearing this, a smile suddenly appeared on Kojiro Shinomiya's face, which had been somewhat impatient.

"Oh...you mean...food wars?"

Chen Yuxing took a deep breath and said firmly, "That's right, a food battle. If I can beat you in a food battle, then please rescind your expulsion order against Xiaohui."

All the students who hadn't left yet stared at Chen Yuxing as if he were crazy.

"What on earth is that guy thinking? Has he gone mad?! He's challenging Chef Shinomiya to a food battle?!"

"That's the head chef of the 79th class! A monster standing at the forefront of the culinary world!"

To challenge the top graduate of the Elite Ten, the chef known as the 'Magician of Légumes'? That's practically suicide!

"Hahaha..."

Kojiro Shinomiya burst into laughter, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.

He looked at Chen Yuxing with an expression as if he were looking at an idiot.

"Are you out of your mind? Although in Totsuki, a food battle can be held as long as both parties agree, why should I accept your food battle? It's only natural to win against a first-year kid like you. It's a waste of my time and doesn't do me any good."

"What if I were to act as the notary?"

A deep, powerful voice suddenly came from the classroom doorway.

Everyone turned around and saw Dojima Gin push open the classroom door and stride in.

Following behind him was Hinako Inui, who looked like she was enjoying the show.

“Mr. Dojima?!” Kojiro Shinomiya frowned.

"Alright, the rest of you who have finished your assignments, please go back now."

Dojima Gin walked to the front of the podium as he spoke.

He glanced at Tadokoro Megumi, whose face was streaked with tears, then at Chen Yuxing, whose gaze was resolute, and finally fixed his gaze on Shinomiya Kojiro.

"What's wrong, Shinomiya? You've been provoked in public by a junior. Are you just going to slink away like this?" Dojima Gin's tone was playful.

"Senior Dojima, this is nothing but a ridiculous farce!" Kojiro Shinomiya said unhappily. "This topic was supposed to be entirely under my judgment. These two people don't meet my criteria; I was just fulfilling my duties as an instructor. A food battle? That's laughable!"

"Really?"

Hinako Inui walked up to Megumi Tadokoro's kitchen counter, picked up a spoon, and took a bite of her vegetable jelly.

After chewing a couple of times, her eyes narrowed, and an expression of enjoyment appeared on her face.

"Hmm... the cauliflower retains its crispness very well, and the acidity of the red wine vinegar doesn't mask the sweetness of the vegetables; instead, it adds more layers to the dish." Hinako Inui looked at Kojiro Shinomiya. "At this level, it would definitely be considered acceptable. You old fogey, Shinomiya-senpai! Narcissist!"

"Hinako! Shut up!" Shinomiya Kojiro glared at her angrily.

Dojima Gin's smile faded, and his eyes became deep and thoughtful.

"Shinomiya, you've stagnated."

Dojima Gin's words struck Shinomiya Kojiro's heart like a heavy hammer.

"Shut up! What do you know! You're employed by the Totsuki Group and spend all your time in this resort, what do you know about me!" Shinomiya Kojiro seemed to have been hit where it hurt, and his emotions instantly spiraled out of control as he roared.

"Precisely because I don't understand, I want to see what you're afraid of."

Dojima Gin looked at him calmly, "It's just a challenge from a junior. If you don't even dare to accept it, then all those years you spent in Paris were wasted."

Kojiro Shinomiya gritted his teeth, the veins on his forehead bulging.

“Alright, since Dojima-senpai has said so, I’ll play along. But…” He turned and glared fiercely at Chen Yuxing, “If you lose, you and this idiot will have to get out of Totsuki Culinary Academy together! You’re never allowed to set foot in the culinary world again!”

“No problem.” Chen Yuxing agreed without hesitation.

“In that case, to avoid disrupting the training schedule, let’s set the time for tonight at 7 p.m.,” Dojima Gin decided. “As for the location, let’s use the kitchen on the first basement floor of the Totsuki Imperial Palace’s annex. The kitchen there won’t be used during this training camp, so no one will bother us. I will personally act as the notary for this informal food battle.”

……

It was 3 p.m. in the corridor of the Totsuki Palace.

Tadokoro Megumi and Chen Yuxing walked towards the room one after the other.

Throughout the journey, Tadokoro Megumi kept her head down and remained silent, only clutching the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands.

Finally, when she reached a secluded corner, Tadokoro Megumi stopped.

She turned around, looked up at Chen Yuxing, whose tear-streaked face was filled with anger, confusion, and self-blame.

"Why...why did you do that!?"

Tadokoro Megumi suddenly broke down in tears. She squatted on the ground, covering her face with her hands, "Ah-xing is such an idiot! You already passed, you didn't do anything wrong, you could have just ignored me!"

"Why do we still have to compete... If Ah Xing gets expelled because of me... then... what am I going to do..."

The pressure Tadokoro Megumi had been under these past few days, the despair of being expelled from school, and the guilt she felt towards Chen Yuxing all erupted at this moment.

Chen Yuxing looked at the girl who was squatting on the ground crying and couldn't help but sigh.

He crouched down, gently placed his hand on Tadokoro Megumi's head, and softly rubbed it.

"Because Xiaohui is very cute."

Chen Yuxing's voice carried a reassuring quality, "Xiao Hui has already worked so hard, practicing diligently in the kitchen every night, and your dishes are full of tenderness for your guests. I feel that someone like Xiao Hui should absolutely not be easily eliminated in a place like this!"

“But…” Tadokoro Megumi raised her tear-streaked face, her voice choked with emotion, “I always cause trouble for Hoshino-san… I have absolutely no idea how I can make it up to you…”

Looking at her pitiful expression, Chen Yuxing suddenly had a thought.

He pretended to think about it seriously for a moment, then a smile appeared on his lips: "Compensation... How about this, if we win the food battle tonight, when we get back, Xiaohui, you can be my maid for a month, how about that?"

"A maid?" Tadokoro Megumi froze, then suddenly, like a steam engine, her face turned bright red, and steam began to rise from her head. "Eh... Eh!!??"

"It's settled then!"

Chen Yuxing stood up and stretched. "Let's go back and rest for a bit. We need to save our energy for tonight's competition."

Starting from Chapter 31, perfect coordination.

At 7 p.m., on the first floor of the Far Moon Palace, everyone from the Polar Star Dormitory gathered in the lounge area of ​​the lobby.

At this time normally, everyone should already be gathered in Marui's room playing around.

"This isn't normal, this is definitely not normal!" Yoshino Yuuki paced anxiously in the rest area, her hands gripping her hair tightly, making a mess of her two cute buns. "Megumi isn't in her room, and neither is Hoshino! How strange! Could something have happened?"

"Stop shaking me, it's making me dizzy." Aoki Daigo said with some concern as he sat on the sofa. "Could it be that today's lesson was too difficult and the lecturer made me stay behind to do some kind of cleaning as punishment?"

"Cleaning my foot!" Shoji Sato rolled his eyes. "Do you think residential training is like a spring cleaning?"

"I can't get through on the phone either; it says they're out of service area." Ryoko Sakaki put down her phone, her usually gentle smile now clouded with gloom. "The signal is bad in the mountains, and all the projects should be finished by now. How come they're completely out of touch?"

“Since neither Xiaohui nor Axing is on the list of unqualified individuals, then there shouldn’t be any problems…” Marui Zenji pushed up his glasses and turned to look at Ibuzaki Shun, who was leaning against the side. “Ibuzaki, you’re usually the most well-informed. Have you heard anything?”

Unusually, Ibuzaki Jun didn't read the book; instead, he put his hands in his pockets and shook his head.