Everyday Life Starting with Food Wars

Under the moonlight, this food battle arena, which has witnessed countless legends, is once again filled with spectators.

Half an hour before the start of the Autumn Selection Tournament, the stands were already filled with students, classrooms, partners of the Far Moon Group, and some foodies who came to watch.

The surroundings were very noisy, with everyone discussing various aspects of the competition and waiting to see a good show unfold.

The members of Polar Star Dormitory had taken up prime front-row seats. Granny Fumio had even changed into a new outfit and was sitting in the very center. Yuuki's Kamo-no-suke was also being held by Granny Fumio.

Meanwhile, Daigo Aoki and Shoji Sato each held a banner pole on either side, while Yuuki Yoshino stood on a chair, holding an oversized banner that read in fluorescent marker, "Polarstar products are guaranteed to be of the highest quality." Next to the words were three chibi-style figures: Chen Yuxing holding a wok, Soma Yukihira holding a squid, and Megumi Tadokoro, who looked like a country girl.

"Hey, Yuuki, lift her up a little higher, she's about to tilt!" Daigo Aoki directed from below.

“I’ve already raised it as high as I can! Who told you two to make the pole so short! I told you to keep it longer!” Yoshino Yuuki stood on tiptoe to raise the banner, her face turning bright red.

Tadokoro Megumi sat next to Granny Fumio, holding a small amulet in her hand. She had brought it from the shrine near her home, and it was embroidered with the words "Victory is certain".

She would look up from time to time towards the contestants' tunnel, waiting for Chen Yuxing to appear.

Soma Yukihira, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed, leaning back in his chair with his legs crossed, snapping photos of a bag of potato chips in his hand.

"Don't be so nervous. When has Ah Xing ever caused you any trouble? We should trust that he can definitely handle it."

“It’s different.” Marui Zenji said seriously from the side, “The judging criteria for the main competition are completely different from those for the preliminaries. Moreover, Alice Nakiri also got 95 points in the preliminaries, only one point away from A-xing and Hayama Akira. Nobody knows if she has anything hidden, let alone molecular gastronomy, such a cutting-edge technology.”

Ryoko Sakaki took a sip from her thermos and said, "We have to trust Xing. Xing hardly went out last week. I remember on Tuesday I woke up in the middle of the night thirsty and wanted to get a drink of water, and I saw him studying something in the kitchen."

Soma Yukihira put the potato chips aside and added, "Megumi and I have been preparing for the main competition in the kitchen every day, but we can't figure out what A-Xing is researching."

“Ah Xing’s kitchen counter is full of things like bean sprouts, carrots and winter melon, and he’s also carving something with a carving knife.”

"Sculpting? Does Ah Xing want to make that crystal dish from last time?" Yoshino Yuuki, seeing that the competition hadn't even started yet, was getting tired of holding the banner and shoved it at Aoki Daigo, leaning closer: "But wasn't the topic for the first competition to be making bento boxes?"

“I didn’t dare disturb him.” Ryoko Sakaki shook her head. “But I saw a huge pile of bean sprouts on the cutting board, as well as some carrots and winter melons for carving. He was holding a small carving knife in his hand, as if he was carving something.”

At this moment, Megumi Tadokoro chimed in, "I remember A-Xing telling me that Chinese bento boxes are completely different from Japanese bento boxes."

"In Chinese cuisine, it is called a 'food box'. In the past, only wealthy families would bring it when attending banquets or traveling long distances. Moreover, each dish inside was cooked separately, and it had its own flavor regardless of whether it was hot or cold."

"Oh! A Chinese food box?"

Marui Zenji's eyes lit up when he heard this, as it touched on his area of ​​knowledge. "I've read about things like the Eight Treasures Food Box and the Assorted Food Box in ancient books, but they don't explain the specific recipes. Could it be that Ah Xing knows how to make these?"

“Maybe more than that.” Ibuzaki Jun, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.

"I believe in Aki!" Daigo Aoki said, holding up the banner. "That guy is monster-level when he gets serious!"

Suddenly, a spotlight in the moonlight shone on the stage.

Kawashima Reiya, wearing a short skirt and white uniform, came out with a microphone.

"Dear viewers and guests! I'm sorry to have kept you waiting!"

"Let me first introduce the five judges for the main competition of this autumn selection contest!"

"They are!"

"The Supreme Commander of Totsuki Academy, known as the Demon King of Food—Senzaemon Nakiri!"

"The second seat of the 88th Totsuki Elite Ten—Kakuzaki Taki-senpai!"

"The 1st seat of the 89th Totsuki Elite Ten – Kikuchizono-senpai!"

"Mr. Oizumi Kakinosuke, the president of the Japanese Food Industry Association!"

"Mr. Saotome Seishu, a director of the Japan Gourmet Association!"

Chapter 73, First Round of the Competition

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting! The first match of the main competition of the 43rd Totsuki Academy Autumn Selection Tournament is about to begin!"

Kawashima Rei stood on the stage and shouted loudly, and as she announced, the large screen between the moon and the sky lit up, and the two names appeared on it at the same time.

"The two sides in the competition are—"

"Chen Yuxing, a student from Polaris Dormitory, achieved a high score of 96 points and tied for first place in Group A of the preliminary round!"

"And the first place winner in Group B of the preliminary round with a high score of 95 points, the goddess of molecular gastronomy—Alice Nakiri!"

At the same time, the contestant passageways on both sides of the venue were also lit up.

"Now, let's invite our two contestants to the stage!"

Alice Nakiri emerged from the passage on the right, dressed in a pure white chef's uniform. Behind her was Ryo Kurokiba pushing a cart filled with various instruments, such as centrifuges, liquid nitrogen tanks, and gelling machines.

Alice walked to her cooking station, arranged everything, and then looked towards the contestants' passageway opposite her. Her eyes were full of self-confidence. The results during the preliminary rounds were just a warm-up for her. In today's first main competition, she was determined to unleash the full power of her reputation as the 'child of molecular gastronomy'.

Chen Yuxing slowly walked out from the passage on the left. There was nothing fancy about him, only the familiar knife case he was carrying.

When Chen Yuxing came out, the members of Polar Star Dormitory in the audience all stood up. Yoshino Yuuki snatched the banner and then made Aoki Daigo and Sato Shoji stand on the left and right as pillars.

"Ah Xing, over here, over here!"

Yoshino Yuuki swung the banner around, making a loud clattering sound.

"Go, A-Xing! Take down that mad scientist on the other side!" Daigo Aoki shouted at the top of his lungs.

"What mad scientist? He's a master of molecular gastronomy... Ouch, ouch, ouch..."

Marui Zenji was about to say something when Yoshino Yuuki kicked him and he started crying out in pain.

“Ah Xing is one of our Polar Star Dormitory’s top players.” Yoshino Yuuki didn’t even turn around to look at Marui, staring intently at Chen Yuxing and the other person below. “Don’t boost others’ morale and diminish our own.”

"Speaking of which, this is also my first time watching Alice Nakiri's match."

Shoji Sato leaned over the railing and looked down: "I heard that all her machines are custom-made, and the shipping costs alone would cover my expenses for a year."

“The equipment is one aspect,” Ryoko Sakaki said, pointing to the judging panel. “Alice won the International Molecular Gastronomy Competition when she was in elementary school, and the headmaster is watching from the stage today…”

Today, Senzaemon Nakiri was wearing a dark kimono and sat in the center of the judges' panel. To his left and right were Taki Kakuzaki and Sonoka Kikuchi, and further out were Oizumi Kakinosuke, the president of the Japanese Food Industry Association, and Saotome Seishu, the director of the Gourmet Association.

"Now, let's see what the topic of the first match is—"

Kawashima Rei's drawn-out tone aroused everyone's anticipation, and then two words appeared on the screen behind her.

convenient.

When the audience saw these two words, they started discussing them enthusiastically.

"A bento box? This seems much simpler compared to the curry in the preliminary round."

"Don't be silly. The simpler the dish, the harder it is to determine a winner. And didn't you see the five dishes on the judges' panel? Do you think they're simple now?"

"It's true, two top graduates from Totsuki Academy, industry bigwigs, not to mention the commander-in-chief of the Food Demon King himself has also joined the fray... Just watching from here makes me feel incredibly pressured..."

"Is this the standard for the main competition of the Autumn Selection Tournament...?"

While the audience was discussing, the two people on the stage were also exchanging ideas.

Alice looked at Chen Yuxing, smiled slightly, and said, "Chen Yuxing, I've been preparing for today's match for a long time."

"I can tell."

Chen Yuxing glanced at the various instruments placed around Alice.

"And I specifically chose this chef's uniform, which I love the most, just to compete with you. Do you know why?"

Alice said, opening her arms and twirling under the spotlight, "Because my cooking is like this dress."

"Clean, refined, and confident."

Chen Yuxing hadn't expected her to be so narcissistic. He twitched his lips and complimented her, "It is indeed very beautiful. Then please give me your guidance."

Alice was taken aback by Chen Yuxing's directness. She stood there for a moment before straightening her face and saying, "Don't cry from how delicious my bento is when you taste it later."

Rei Kawashima then returned to the center of the stage, made a cute gesture towards the camera, and made her announcement.

"Alright, both contestants are ready."

"Now, I hereby announce that the competition will last for two hours, and it shall now officially begin!"

As Kawashima Rei finished speaking, Alice also began to move.

She turned and walked toward the centrifuge she had prepared, then took out the prepared peony shrimp from the side and put them into the centrifuge tube, adding a little sea salt and lemon juice.

"What is she doing?" Shoji Sato asked, puzzled, as he watched Alice's actions.

"It's being centrifuged, isn't it?"

Marui Zenji adjusted his glasses and explained, "We separate the water and protein in the shrimp meat by using the high-speed motion of centrifuge tubes, and extract the essence of the shrimp meat from it."

"No, I don't quite understand. Isn't this a bit too high-tech..." Daigo Aoki listened in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Alice continued her actions on the field.

As the centrifuge started operating, she turned around and opened the valve of the liquid nitrogen tank. The extremely low-temperature liquid nitrogen flowed through the pipe and was finally injected into a container, from which white cold mist spread out like a special effect on a stage.

Alice picked up a red crab, removed its legs and claws, and carefully separated the crab meat into a bowl. She then poured in some olive oil and lemon juice, stirred it for a while, and then used tongs to lift the entire bowl and place it into liquid nitrogen, where it was rapidly rotated.

Liquid nitrogen has a temperature of -196 degrees Celsius, so the crab meat was frozen the moment it touched the bowl. However, because Alice kept rotating the bowl, the crab meat did not freeze into a block of ice, but instead became a fresh-frozen state encased in frost.

"This is liquid nitrogen flash freezing."

Alice proudly explained to the camera: "It's dozens of times faster than freezing in a regular refrigerator, and the cell walls of the crab meat won't be pierced by ice crystals. The taste is almost indistinguishable from that of a live crab. This is something that traditional techniques can't achieve."

Chen Yuxing, on the other side, completely ignored the commotion from Alice's side, and was focused on processing a freshly killed bass.

The fish had been scaled, gutted, and thoroughly cleaned. Chen Yuxing held the fish head in his left hand and used a kitchen knife in his right to make a clean cut along the spine, revealing the fish meat intact.

Then flip the fish over and repeat the process, and two whole pieces of fish meat are sliced ​​off.

Chen Yuxing then placed the fish on the cutting board, and quickly made a row of cross-shaped cuts on the fish with a knife in his right hand.

The spacing between the cuts was also perfect, without cutting through the fish meat.

"That knife skill is really solid..." Kakuzaki Taki on the judging panel stared wide-eyed at Chen Yuxing's technique. "That's a fancy knife for slicing squirrel fish."

"But isn't the topic bento?" Kikuchi Sonoka asked doubtfully, "It doesn't seem right to put squirrel fish in a bento."

"Squirrel fish is a hot dish. If it cools down, the batter will soften, which will greatly reduce the taste."

"Besides, the presentation of the squirrel fish doesn't seem to match the bento box very well."

Kakuzaki Taki did not reply, but continued to watch Chen Yuxing's movements.

Chen Yuxing put the fish fillets, which had been scored, into a bowl, added cooking wine, ginger slices, and a little salt to marinate them.

Next, a yellow-feathered chicken was taken out of the freezer.

Its fingers went under the skin of the chicken's neck and pushed down, separating the layers of fascia between the skin and flesh. The whole chicken skin was finally removed intact, with only a few small cuts left at the wing and leg areas.

"This is to make 'Budai Chicken'."

Senzaemon Nakiri, who was in the very center of the judging panel, suddenly spoke up.

The judges next to him also turned to look at the old man. After all, the head coach rarely offered comments during the competition, so it was quite remarkable that he had spoken up to explain the dish.

"Bag Chicken is a delicacy of Shandong cuisine in Chinese cuisine."

Senzaemon Nakiri explained, "This dish requires deboning a whole chicken while maintaining its shape, stuffing it with various ingredients, and then steaming it. However, this dish is quite rare, and I never expected to see it here."

Chen Yuxing's subsequent actions confirmed the commander-in-chief's suspicions.

He first picked up a boning knife and inserted it into the opening in the chicken's neck, sliding the blade down the chicken bone little by little.

Soon, all the bones of the whole chicken were removed, while the skin and meat remained intact.

"Isn't this a bit too much..."

Someone in the audience was stunned, "They managed to cut out a whole chicken so quickly?"

Chen Yuxing put the deboned chicken aside and began preparing the filling.

He took out a piece of pork belly and minced it. He added chopped shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, and bamboo shoots, then added an egg. After preparing all of these, he added salt, pepper, and cooking wine and started mixing the meat filling.

After mixing the minced meat, take out the prepared fish, absorb the surface moisture with kitchen paper, and evenly coat it with a layer of starch and egg liquid.

At this moment, Chen Yuxing opened a basin covered with a damp cloth, inside which was dough that had already risen.

He pinched off a small piece of dough from the top, spread it out on the cutting board, rolled it into a sheet, and then cut it into thin noodles.

"Is Aoki making noodles?" Daigo Aoki asked, scratching his head.

"It's bamboo-pressed noodles, isn't it?"

Marui Zenji explained, "Bamboo-pressed noodles are a specialty snack in Guangdong. Because a large number of duck eggs are added during the production process, the noodles have a very chewy texture."

"This must have been made and brought by Ah Xing yesterday."