Everyday Life Starting with Food Wars

Cut the cake base and lay it flat. Cover it with the set ice cream layer, sprinkle the crushed caramel nuts on top, and place a slice of candied lemon on top. That's it!

"Finish!"

Subaru Mimasaka was the first to carry a large tray with five exquisite frozen cakes on it as he walked toward the judges' table.

"A special edition lemon frozen cake, please enjoy it, judges."

Subaru Mimasaka's tall stature made him appear very imposing when he stood in front of the judges' panel.

Kakuzaki Taki, sitting in the very center, looked rather displeased.

From the very beginning, her gaze toward Subaru Mimasaka was filled with disgust.

"Your cooking method is truly disgusting."

Kakuzaki Taki crossed his arms and didn't even try to taste it, just coldly watching Mimasaka Subaru.

Subaru Mimasaka was taken aback by Taki Kakuzaki's words, and his smile faltered: "Chef Kakuzaki, I don't understand what you mean."

"What do you mean? I mean it literally, of course!" Kakuzaki Taki retorted without any politeness, "The guy who directed the plagiarism of other people's recipes, just by adding a few random things, thinks he can claim it's his own improvement? What do you think of a chef's dignity? You're a disgrace to the culinary world!"

She looked at the cake on the plate with disgust: "To be honest, I really don't want to eat a single bite of your food. If I weren't a judge, I would throw this whole thing in your face right now!"

The entire venue fell into a deathly silence.

No one expected that Taki Kakuzaki would be so ruthless, publicly humiliating Subaru Mimasaka.

Subaru Mimasaka's forehead veins bulged, and his face turned bright red.

He suppressed his anger and looked at Kakuzaki Taki: "Chef Kakuzaki, the rule of Food Wars is that the dish determines everything."

“You may look down on my methods and my people, but you must taste my food and rate it.”

"I believe that once you take one bite, you'll know how perfect my cooking is!"

"Humph."

Although Kakuzaki Taki looked displeased, Mimasaka Subaru was right. After all, she was a professional judge invited by Totsuki Academy, and she couldn't just give a score because she disliked her.

Without saying another word, she picked up her knife and fork, casually cut off a piece of cake, and put it in her mouth.

Kikuchi Enka and the other three food critic judges also forked off a piece of cake to taste.

Kakuzaki Taki, who initially looked disgusted, stopped eating after taking the first bite.

This taste...

The refreshing aroma and tartness of lemon melt on the tongue first, and the ice cream-like texture of the sabayun and cream is also very good. The sweetness is restrained and not as cloying as ordinary Western desserts.

Following closely behind is the top layer of caramelized nuts, and when your teeth touch the sponge cake below, a rich, savory flavor emerges.

It's salted lemon powder!

It's not just salty; the flavors of the lemons are concentrated through the pickling and drying process.

That slightly salty flavor instantly transformed the originally light and delicate frozen cake into something reminiscent of heavy metal rock.

Sour, sweet, and salty, along with the slight bitterness of caramel, create a constant collision of flavors in the mouth, which are then perfectly blended together by the moist liqueur cake.

Chapter 71 The Victory of Will

The collision of four different flavors in the mouth creates a wonderful experience.

Kakuzaki Taki closed his eyes and savored the moment.

She felt as if she was sitting in a high-end Italian restaurant, and the next second, the restaurant door was kicked open.

A burly man in a leather jacket roared in on a motorcycle.

The heat from the exhaust pipe and the heavy metal sound instantly shattered the restaurant's originally elegant ambiance, but this savage and brutal power also carried a special magic that was irresistible.

"call……"

Kakuzaki Taki opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

Although her face still showed disgust, she couldn't help but cut the second piece of cake.

"Indeed...it's so delicious it's infuriating..."

Kakuzaki Taki stared at Mimasaka Subaru and said, "We can use the properties of salt to lock in the flavor of lemon, and also use the saltiness of salt to enhance the flavor of desserts."

"It has to be said that although this method is crude, it has indeed effectively brought this frozen cake to a new level."

The girl next to her, Kikuchi Enka, had also finished tasting the cake and gave her review: "The outer layer of the cake is very cool and refreshing, but when you bite into it, it feels like a volcano... It's really delicious..."

The other food critics also nodded in agreement.

Hahahaha!!!

Seeing the judges' reactions, Subaru Mimasaka couldn't help but burst into laughter.

He turned to look at Takmi.

"See that, Takumi? That's the truth!"

"I have thoroughly dissected your cooking and made improvements that you could never have made!"

"So, what do you have to offer to beat me? Forfeit now and give me your kitchen knife!"

Meanwhile, the Polaris Dormitory members in the stands were also somewhat worried.

"This is terrible. Subaru Mimasaka's method of salting is really amazing. Adding salt to desserts to increase the flavor..."

However, unlike the others on stage, Takmi on stage showed no concern and instead laughed.

He kept his head down, his golden hair obscuring his eyes, making it impossible to see what he was thinking.

What are you laughing at?

Seeing Takumi's reaction, Subaru Mimasaka felt a sense of unease for some reason.

Takumi raised his head, his deep blue eyes unwavering, instead burning with a light that stung Subaru Mimasaka.

"Do you think I don't know you'll research and improve my cooking?"

"You don't think you're the only one making progress, do you?"

Takumi picked up his plate and strode toward the judges' table: "If that's what you think, you're sorely mistaken! You think you can steal my soul by copying my cooking?!"

He presented five equally exquisite plates to the judges.

"Please enjoy this Italian lemon chilled cake!"

From the appearance alone, Takumi's cake and Mimasaka Subaru's cake are almost indistinguishable.

The same caramelized nuts, the same candied lemon slices, the same cake.

Kakuzaki Taki frowned as he looked at the plate: "From the outside, there is no difference."

"I have to remind you, although I despise his approach, you can't win if you can't make a cake that surpasses the impact of that saltiness."

“Of course I know, you’ll see when you cut it open,” Takumi said confidently, bowing slightly.

With a hint of disbelief, Kakuzaki Taki picked up a fork and cut the cake in the center.

"Um?!"

The moment the cake was cut open, a thick sauce, like liquid gold, slowly flowed out from the middle of the cake's layers.

The sauce is hidden very deep; you won't notice it at all unless you cut the cake open.

"What is this? Is it the fourth layer of the cake?" Kikuchi Sonoka covered her mouth in surprise.

A lemon aroma, even purer than the one from Subaru Mimasaka's cake, wafted out as the golden sauce flowed out.

"This is... lemon curd?"

Kakuzaki Taki cut off a piece of cake with a fork, dipped it in some lemon curd, and put it in his mouth.

Even a tiny bit, and her eyes widened.

Compared to Subaru Mimasaka's work, it didn't have the slightest impact.

It has a very gentle scent.

The richness of the egg mixture, the sweetness of the sugar, the fragrance of the olive oil, and an indescribable, warm, sweet and sour flavor, like sunshine.

“This taste is…” Kakuzaki Taki looked up at Takumi.

"This is a special curd made from lemons grown by our Aldini family."

Takumi straightened up, his voice filled with pride, "We use sugar, egg liquid, special lemon juice, and scraped lemon zest, heating it in a double boiler until it boils and becomes viscous."

"Finally, add olive oil and stir to emulsify, resulting in the hidden fourth layer of this frozen cake!"

Kakuzaki Taki couldn't wait to fork off another large piece of cake and savor it.

The brutal heavy metal illusion that Mimasaka Subaru had just created has completely dissipated.

Instead, a warm breeze blew in.

Kakuzaki Taki found herself standing on the streets of Florence, Italy, without realizing it.

The setting sun cast its rays on the stone bricks, turning the entire city a vibrant orange-red.

Not far away is the Arno River, from which comes the melodious sound of a violin.

She wandered around aimlessly, eventually stopping in front of a traditional restaurant with a wooden sign hanging above it—Trattoria Aldini.

Pushing open the door, you'll find the room filled with diners wearing satisfied smiles.

A deep love for one's hometown melts on the tongue along with the golden lemon curd.

It doesn't need to rely on any other flavors; it can move people to tears simply through the chef's longing and respect for the ingredients and his hometown.

"This is real Italian cuisine..."

Kakuzaki Taki opened her eyes and touched the corner of her eye, realizing that she had shed tears without even realizing it.

She looked at Takmi, her previously tense face softening as she smiled at him.

"The things that guy named Mimasaka Subaru makes are indeed full of novelty and impact, but you can't feel his respect for the ingredients. They're like cold machines."

"Your dish is quite the opposite; I can feel your heartfelt sentiments and your pride in your hometown from it."

"This is a mark that belongs only to you."

Kikuchi Sonoka was also eating and crying at the same time: "Waaah... After eating Takumi-kun's cooking... I suddenly feel like I want to go home..."

Kakuzaki Taki glanced at Kikuchi Sonoka with some disdain, but didn't say anything.

Meanwhile, Mimasaka Subaru was completely frozen in place.

"How could this be... It's impossible... Absolutely impossible..."

He stared intently at Takumi's dish: "My salted lemons should have a much stronger flavor! And when did he prepare the lemon curd? There's absolutely no information about that in my reports!"

"Of course, it was the day before the competition. I also made some preparations for the match against you."

Takumi looked coldly at Subaru Mimasaka: "Recipes can be copied, techniques can be imitated, but you have absolutely no idea what a chef's heart is like."

"If a chef only has a desire for victory, but no respect for the ingredients and no heart for the diners, he can only hide in the shadow of others."

The entire venue was completely silent; everyone was quietly watching the two people on the stage.

At this point, the staff also brought out the scoreboard for voting.

The screen lit up.

The results from the judges, including Kakuzaki Taki, Kikuchi Sonoka, and the other three food critics, were all displayed on the big screen.

"So, the result of the match was—"

"Takumi, 5 votes!"

"Subaru Mimasaka, 0 votes!"

Kawashima Rei's voice cracked with excitement, "Complete domination! The ultimate winner of this tiebreaker food battle is—Takumi Aldini!"

"Congratulations to Takumi for securing the final ticket to the Fall Selection Tournament!"

"Yes! We won! Takumi won!"

The Polar Star Dormitory members in the stands were also excitedly cheering for Takumi.

Meanwhile, Subaru Mimasaka, sitting in the audience, seemed to have all his strength drained away, his legs buckled and he collapsed to his knees.