Everyday Life Starting with Food Wars

He returned to the counter and began tidying up, only taking the knife case and going downstairs after he had finished everything.

They bumped right into the group from Polaris Dormitory who were rushing over.

"Ah Xing! Well done!" Aoki Daigo immediately gave him a bear hug.

"That's amazing! As expected of you, Xing! I found it quite funny to see Alice rolling around on the ground just now," Sato Shoji said gleefully.

He leisurely packed up his knife case, stepped off the counter, and bumped into the Polaris Dormitory members who were rushing to join him.

"Ah Xing! Well done!" Aoki Daigo rushed up and gave him a bear hug.

"Haha, the way that guy rolled around on the ground at the end was hilarious," said Shoji Sato gleefully.

"Alright, the first match is over. Now it's up to you two, Megumi and Soma." Chen Yuxing yawned and looked at Soma Yukihira and Megumi Tadokoro.

"I think the second match was between Xiaohui and Yeshan Liang."

When Tadokoro Megumi heard Hayama Akira's name, she stiffened.

She looked at Chen Yuxing and nodded: "Um... it's Ye Shanliang..."

After all, Hayama Akira was ranked first alongside A-Xing, and Xiao Hui also knew how skilled Hayama Akira was in terms of spices during that period of learning about curry.

It would be a lie to say she wasn't nervous. For the past two weeks, she had been thinking about how to deal with Hayama Akira's spices, but she just couldn't come up with any ideas.

"Okay, don't think too much about it. Just don't be nervous."

Chen Yuxing's words pulled her back to reality from her chaotic thoughts.

"Don't forget, you defeated Chef Shinomiya during the residential training program. He was an even stronger opponent than Akira Hayama, but you still won in the end."

“But that time, Ah-Xing was always with me…” Tadokoro Megumi said softly.

“I only assisted you that time,” Chen Yuxing said earnestly to Xiao Hui. “The real victory lies in what you thought about while cooking—the thought of considering the diners.”

Tadokoro Megumi suddenly froze.

"Your cooking always has that gentle consideration for the diners, and that's your secret weapon."

Chen Yuxing continued, "So just do what you can do well! Keep it up!"

Hearing Chen Yuxing's words, Xiao Hui's tension gradually dissipated.

"Yes! I will try my best!"

"That's more like it."

Yukihira Soma grinned and said, "Me, Hoshino, and everyone from Polaris Dormitory will be cheering you on! Let's crush that Hayama Akira!"

Chen Yuxing glared at Yukihira Soma with annoyance: "Couldn't you have put it more politely...?"

"Oh, wasn't what I said very simple and easy to understand? This is the absolute truth!"

Looking at Chen Yuxing and Yukihira Soma, Tadokoro Megumi couldn't help but smile, feeling a warm feeling in her heart.

Chapter 76 Home-Style Cooking

After the first round of matches in the morning, everyone took a short break.

But the short lunch break was over very quickly.

The auditorium was packed again in the afternoon, even more so than in the morning.

The corridors and steps were filled with students who hadn't managed to get seats, all discussing the outcome of the morning's match and the upcoming one.

"That match this morning was too outrageous. Both of their dishes caused the head coach's clothes to rip off. I still find it unbelievable."

"Yeah, that transfer student is a bit of a monster. Do you think he'll win all the way to the end?"

"It's hard to say. Among the remaining contestants, Hayama Akira is tied for first place with him, and the other four, Shinoto Hisako, Kurokiba Ryo, Takumi, and Yukihira Soma, are also quite strong."

"Don't think too much about it yet. Let's see how this match goes. Maybe there will be some surprising developments."

"Who do you think will win? Hayama Akira performed very well in the preliminaries, but although Tadokoro Megumi only ranked third in Group B, it seems that she won a competition against Chef Shinomiya during the dormitory training. The duel between these two should be very interesting."

"We'll see. Although Tadokoro Megumi's performance was good, she didn't seem to be very consistent. Compared to a monster like Hayama Akira, she's still a bit lacking."

Everyone in the Polaris Dormitory returned to their respective seats and sat down.

Yoshino Yuuki was holding up a banner she had prepared for Tadokoro Megumi, which featured a chibi version of Megumi with braided hair and a small spatula.

"Will Xiaohui be happier when she sees this banner?" Yuuki asked everyone while holding up the banner.

"Are you sure she won't get even more nervous because she's too ashamed to see this?" Marui Zenji seriously expressed his concern.

“How could that be! This is called encouragement, don’t you understand?” Yuuki retorted.

"I think Xiaohui might really blush, but she can definitely feel everyone's support for her," Ryoko Sakaki said gently from the side.

"Speaking of this competition, Xiaohui still has a good chance of winning." Marui Zenji analyzed, looking at the field below: "The topic she and Hayama Akira are competing in is home-style cooking, which is very similar to Xiaohui's cooking style. Hayama Akira's strength lies in the use of spices. Home-style cooking does not require too complicated spice combinations, so this is an advantageous situation for Xiaohui."

“Yes, Marui is right. Let’s trust Megumi.” Ibuzaki Jun rarely agreed.

Soma Yukihira, who was leaning on the railing looking down, turned around when he heard what the others were saying: "Yeah, just trust Megumi."

Grandma Wenxu sat in the middle of the group, holding Kamo no Suke in her arms, and looked around at everyone. "I've seen how hard Xiaohui has worked these past few days. That child will definitely be fine."

"Yes, I saw Xiaohui's potential during the preliminaries. Let's all cheer for Xiaohui together," Hojo Miyoko added from the side.

Chen Yuxing stood next to Yukihira Soma, looking at the stage below, without joining the discussion.

Just then, the lights between the moon and the sky suddenly dimmed, and the previously noisy audience seats fell silent.

The stage spotlight suddenly turned on, shining directly onto the center of the stage.

Kawashima Rei came out in a new host outfit, raised the microphone, and addressed the audience.

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

"After that thrilling first round of competition this morning."

"The main competition of the Autumn Selection Tournament has also officially begun."

"Next up is the second round of this autumn selection competition!"

"The two teams in the match are—"

Kawashima Rei paused for a moment, then pointed to the contestant passage on the left.

"The spice prodigy of Group A in the preliminary rounds, known as having a divine sense of smell—Ryo Hayama!"

"as well as!"

She then pointed to the contestants' passage on the right.

"From Polar Star Dormitory, she made her way into the main competition with her gentle style, and scored a high score of 94 points in the preliminaries—Tadokoro Megumi!"

The spotlights were now shining on the contestants' tunnels on both sides.

The first person to step forward was Akira Hayama.

He was wearing a silver-gray chef's uniform today, and with his cold expression and hands in his pockets, he looked like a sharp knife.

He walked to his cooking station, stood there, and nodded slightly towards the judges' panel, completely ignoring the cheers from the audience.

"That guy, Hayama Akira, is still the same as ever." Yukihira Soma smiled as he looked at Hayama Akira who came out, his eyes filled with fighting spirit.

Tadokoro Megumi also came out from the passage on the right.

She was wearing a plain white chef's uniform and carrying a small basket, which probably contained the ingredients she had prepared.

When Xiaohui came out, everyone in the Polar Star Dormitory started cheering for her.

"Hello, go for it!" Yoshino Yuuki held the banner up to its highest position.

"Megumi, don't be afraid! Defeat that arrogant white-haired bastard!" Daigo Aoki shouted at the top of his lungs from the side.

"Yes, yes, yes, defeat that white-haired guy on the other side!" Sato Shoji shouted along.

When Tadokoro Megumi heard the voice, she subconsciously looked up and saw everyone cheering her on. Her initial nervousness eased a little.

Chen Yuxing didn't shout encouragement like Yuuki and Daigo; he just gave Megumi a thumbs-up.

Megumi Tadokoro smiled and nodded at everyone in the audience.

The judging panel is slightly different from the one in the morning.

Commander-in-Chief Senzaemon Nakiri remained seated in the center, flanked by Kikuchi Sonoka and Kakuzaki Taki.

However, the other two food critics were not present this time; instead, Jun Shiomi and a food critic who is well-known for his home-style cooking were present.

"Alright! Now, let's move on to the topic of this competition—"

The large screen flickered, and four large characters appeared on it.

"Home-style cooking".

The once quiet audience seats were now filled with discussion once again.

"Home-style cooking?"

"It feels the same as the questions from this morning; they all look simple but are actually very difficult to solve."

"Yes, everyone has a different understanding of everyday life."

"The more common something is, the less likely it is to surprise you with its flavor."

"But for Tadokoro-san, this should be her forte. She is a member of the local cuisine research club and is very good at gentle style of cooking."

"If Akira Hayama used his spices in everyday cooking, it would be terrifying."

On the judging panel, Shiomi Jun was stunned when he saw the topic, and then he laughed.

"Home-style cooking..."

She looked at Hayama Akira below the stage, a hint of anticipation on her face.

This question wasn't something Akira Hayama was particularly good at, but it wasn't exactly a weakness of his either.

Because Akira Hayama can make more than just dishes that make spices explode.

Seeing that both sides were ready, Kawashima Rei loudly announced, "The match will last two hours!"

"The competition now officially begins!"

As Kawashima Rei finished speaking, the two people on the field moved simultaneously.

He went to the food he had brought and took out a chilled sea bream, a large bag of clams, fresh shrimp, tomatoes, and several spices.

Seafood tastes great, but it also has a strong fishy smell, which may be difficult for an average chef to handle well. However, for Akira Hayama, his forte is the use of spices. Using spices to remove the fishy smell and blend their deliciousness together is a simple matter for him.

Hayama Akira first scraped the scales off the sea bream with the back of a knife, cut open the belly and took out all the internal organs, then cleaned them thoroughly. He then dried the fish with absorbent paper and marinated it with salt and white wine for a while.

Then he took out several small bowls and ground together the prepared spices, such as saffron, fennel, and bay leaves, in proportion.

During the grinding process, the spices' crisp yet rich aroma begins to spread.

Shiomi Jun, sitting on the judging panel, took a sniff and his eyes quickly lit up. "The sweetness of saffron and the crispness of bay leaves, combined with other spices to finish..."

It's much simpler for Tadokoro Megumi.

She took out a few potatoes and asparagus, a small bag of fresh seaweed, eggs, flour, and some common seasonings from the basket she had brought.

Megumi Tadokoro washed and peeled the potatoes, cut them into small, uniform pieces, and put them in a pot to cook.

Asparagus, on the other hand, has some of the tougher parts at the root removed. It is then blanched in hot water with added salt, and after being taken out, it is placed in ice water to cool down while maintaining its crisp texture and bright green color.

"What dish is Xiaohui planning to make?" Hojo Miyoko asked, somewhat surprised, looking at the ingredients Xiaohui had brought. "Asparagus, potatoes, and seaweed. Potato and seaweed pancakes? But what are you going to use the asparagus for?"

“It should be potato and seaweed pancakes. Asparagus was probably something Xiaohui came up with herself,” Chen Yuxing chimed in. “If it’s Xiaohui, this is probably the most common home-cooked dish she could come up with.”

On the stage, Megumi Tadokoro was taking the cooked potatoes out and putting them all into a large bowl, then mashing them with a spoon.

When she had mashed it halfway, she added a small piece of butter and a little milk, and then continued to mash and stir until the mashed potatoes became silky and had a creamy sheen on the surface.

Xiao Hui also took out the prepared asparagus, cut it into small pieces with a kitchen knife, and rinsed the seaweed several times with clean water to remove the salt.

At this moment, Taki Kakuzaki, who was on the judging panel, guessed what Tadokoro Megumi was going to do by looking at her actions, and looked at her expectantly: "You're adding seaweed and asparagus into mashed potatoes to make pancakes? It's a very traditional way of making them."

"But that's far from enough."

As Kakuzaki Taki spoke, he glanced at Hayama Akira on the other side.

But Megumi Tadokoro didn't just do that. After adding diced asparagus and seaweed to the mashed potatoes, she cracked in two eggs, sprinkled some salt and white pepper on top, and then started stirring.

During this time, the savory flavor of butter, asparagus, and seaweed blending together begins to spread.