Everyday Life Starting with Food Wars

"Your cooking is very good," Hayama Akira said earnestly. "Actually, if it's just a matter of 'home-style flavor,' I'd definitely be the loser."

"Alright, I hope there will be another chance to compete with you in the future, and I also hope that you can bring out even more amazing dishes when we meet again."

With that, Hayama Akira turned around, waved, and left.

Tadokoro Megumi stood there stunned for a moment before realizing that it seemed like Hayama Akira had approved of her cooking.

At this moment, everyone from the Polar Star Dormitory also came down from the contestant passage.

"Xiao Hui—!"

Yoshino Yuuki was the fastest runner; as soon as Tadokoro Megumi stepped off the counter, she grabbed her and hugged her tightly.

"You're already amazing, Xiaohui! You're really incredible!"

Yoshino Yuuki hugged Xiaohui tightly, her voice choked with emotion: "It was just one vote short! Kikuchi Sonoka-senpai was moved to tears by you, and the Commander-in-Chief ultimately chose you. Xiaohui, you are truly amazing!"

"The look on your face broke my heart."

"Huh?" Tadokoro Megumi stared blankly at Yuuki: "I... did I make any expression just now?"

"It's that kind of feeling, like someone who's really sad but tries not to cry," Yoshino Yuuki said, hugging Xiaohui even tighter. "It makes me so sad to watch."

Hearing Yuuki's words, Tadokoro Megumi completely relaxed, patted Yuuki on the back and said, "Oh, it's okay, Yuuki."

"I was a little disappointed to lose because I was so close to losing, and everyone was cheering me on."

"It's alright now, and I've also realized my shortcomings."

"You've really grown a lot, Xiaohui."

Chen Yuxing walked up to Tadokoro Megumi and handed her the water.

"It's normal to feel unwilling. Hayama Akira's performance today was also outstanding. Losing to an opponent like that is not shameful."

"You did a great job today, and your dish expressed what you wanted to convey."

"It was just one vote short."

"I'll win it back next time I face Hayama Akira!"

Xiao Hui clenched the water bottle in her hand and nodded.

"I see……"

"Next time, I'll definitely win!"

Xiao Hui cheered herself up and then smiled.

"That's more like it," Chen Yuxing said, ruffling Xiao Hui's hair.

Kawashima Reiya continued her broadcast: "The remaining two qualifying spots will be decided in tomorrow's two matches."

"Same as today's match time, divided into two parts."

"Alright, that concludes today's competition. Please leave in an orderly manner, and remember to take your belongings with you."

The list of those who advanced on the big screen has also been updated.

The current top four are Chen Yuxing and Ye Shanliang.

The next two spots will be decided after tomorrow's competition.

In the morning, it's Kurokiba Ryo vs. Shinoto Hisako.

In the afternoon, it will be Soma Yukihira and Takumi.

Afterwards, everyone returned to the Polar Star Dormitory for a celebration. Although Xiao Hui didn't make it to the next round, she was still very satisfied with her result.

"So, to celebrate A-Xing's advancement to the semifinals and Xiao-Hui's advancement to the quarterfinals! Cheers!" Daigo Aoki cheered loudly.

Cheers!

"Speaking of which, Soma and Takumi's match is tomorrow afternoon. What's the topic? Soma, don't you need to prepare?" Yoshino Yuuki asked Soma Yukihira curiously.

"Hehehe, I'm very confident about tomorrow's topic. It's squid, which is a dish I'm very good at," Soma Yukihira replied with a smile.

“That’s true, but I feel like all the squid dishes you make are like that…” Aoki Daigo and Sato Shoji’s faces turned ashen, as if they had thought of something bad.

"This dish should be familiar to Takumi, right? I remember when school started, the food battle between A-Xing and Takumi was about squid." Ryoko Sakaki took a sip of tea and then reminded him, "Soma, what kind of squid are you planning to make tomorrow?"

"Well, that's a secret for now!" Soma Yukihira said mysteriously, "You'll find out tomorrow. This is a special dish that Hoshino and I developed together."

"What's all this secrecy about!" Yoshino Yuuki's curiosity was piqued. She looked in Chen Yuxing's direction and asked, "But why is Ah Xing involved? What kind of special dishes did you two prepare?"

"Well..." Chen Yuxing started playing the riddle game: "You'll find out when you watch the Soma competition tomorrow."

"And you can wait until the match is over and have Soma make you a sample to try."

"All I can say is that Soma's creativity is really... great, and the dishes he makes are very impactful."

"Hehehe, of course! That's a special dish I got from my dad!"

Chapter 78: The Showdown Between Hamburgers

The next morning arrived quickly, and the stands between the moon and the sky were still packed.

The four contestants competing today are all very famous figures.

Especially the two players in the first match of the morning.

Hisako Shirato is not only Erina Nakiri's secretary, but also the heir to a family of medicinal cuisine chefs.

Ryo Kurokiba, Alice Nakiri's sidekick, is a berserker chef who looks like a completely different person when he puts on that flame headband.

Regardless of their individual strengths or the fact that they are respectively servants of the two young ladies of the Nakiri family, their duel is very interesting to the audience.

As for the afternoon session, needless to say, it included the transfer student Soma Yukihira, who made outrageous remarks during the opening ceremony, and Takumi Aldini, the Italian culinary master who recently won a competition against Subaru Mimasaka.

Both of these matches are highly anticipated.

In the stands, the members of Polaris Dormitory had already taken their spots early on.

Today, Yoshino Yuuki brought a new banner with a chibi version of Yukihira Soma holding a squid.

However, it wasn't Soma's match yet, so Yuuki just held the banner in her arms.

"Speaking of which, will today's judging panel be different from yesterday's?" Marui Zenji said, flipping through his booklet. "I wonder if the head judge will still be there this time. Logically speaking, since the head judge attended all day yesterday, the next time he should participate should be the finals."

"I don't know, but this year's autumn selection competition was so amazing, maybe the head coach will stay." Ryoko Sakaki held a thermos cup and guessed while looking at Chen Yuxing who was yawning: "Xing, when are you guys finishing your debriefing tomorrow? You look so listless."

"The debriefing was alright. After the celebration, I only spent two hours helping Xiaohui review the details." Chen Yuxing also opened his thermos and took a sip. "It's mainly Chuangzhen's fault. I had just finished helping Xiaohui with the debriefing and was about to wash up and go to bed when Chuangzhen got up after resting for a while."

"He then dragged me to try the new dishes he had prepared twice more, and by the time we finished, it was almost dawn. I only managed to get a short nap."

"Hehehe, isn't my match next? I'm thinking of seeing if I can improve a bit more." Soma Yukihira chuckled from the side.

"Everyone, look at the judges' panel!" Daigo Aoki suddenly shouted.

The lights between the moon and the sky also lit up at that time.

Kawashima Rei changed into a new pink uniform and walked onto the stage. As usual, she made a cute pose for the camera before starting her introduction.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Sorry to keep you waiting! Today is the third match of the quarterfinals of the Totsuki Academy Autumn Selection Tournament!"

"Before the competition begins, let me introduce our five distinguished judges who are here today!"

"They are—"

The spotlight then shifted to the judges' panel.

"First on the list is Ms. Shigeno Kuraki, a remarkable woman in the world of Japanese cuisine and the manager of the 'Kuraki' restaurant!"

A woman dressed in an elegant kimono stood up and nodded to the crowd. Although she had a gentle smile on her face, her demeanor still exuded a great deal of pressure.

Many students in the audience gasped in surprise. Kuraki is one of the most difficult restaurants to book in Tokyo, and Shigeno Kuraki himself has a nickname: "the living encyclopedia of Japanese cuisine."

"The second one is the legendary figure who stands at the pinnacle of the sushi world! The 'God of Sushi'—Mr. Jiro Ono!"

An elderly man with gray hair and a thin frame stood up and smiled at everyone. He was wearing an ordinary white chef's uniform and looked like an ordinary old man. However, his deeds impressed everyone. Not only did the audience below the stage applaud, but the other judges on the judging panel also applauded.

"The third one is none other than the very familiar headmaster of Totsuki Academy! The 'Demon King of Food'—Mr. Senzaemon Nakiri!"

The commander-in-chief, still wearing a dark kimono, sat in the center with his arms crossed and nodded.

"The fourth one is our legendary lecturer from Totsuki Academy, known as the 'Chef Who Never Smiles'—Professor Roland Chappell!"

Professor Chappell remained as aloof as ever, merely nodding slightly when he was introduced.

"Fifth is Mr. Kinmoto Jiro, the head of the Japanese restaurant 'Matsukawa Tsuki'!"

The last person to stand up was a middle-aged man with a slicked-back hairstyle. He looked quite interesting, wearing a suit and an expensive watch. He stood up and waved to the audience with a smile.

As the introduction ended, the audience erupted in excitement.

"This is outrageous! They even invited the God of Sushi?!"

"And then there are the restaurant managers, Kuraki and Matsukawa... plus the head chef and Chef Chappell, these five people together can probably determine the future direction of the Japanese culinary world..."

"It's only the quarterfinals, and I already feel so much pressure cooking in front of people like this, even before I've gone on stage..."

After the five judges were all seated, Kawashima Reiya continued to announce.

"Then the first match of the morning is about to begin!"

"The two players facing off in this match are—Ryo Kurokiba and Hisako Shinto!"

The topic of this match is—

The large screen flickered, and finally two words appeared.

"Hamburger!"

"Hamburgers?" Yoshino Yuuki blinked in confusion. "Isn't that just fast food? Why would a competition like this have a question like that?"

"Don't underestimate hamburgers," Marui Zenji explained. "Hamburgers may look simple, but in reality, there's a lot of freedom in making them, and the hamburger itself is a very inclusive food."

"Bread, steak, sauces, and side dishes—every step allows for the chef's imagination to shine."

"Making an amazing burger under these circumstances is also a testament to skill."

"Oh!" Daigo Aoki squeezed in with a look of sudden realization. "I see!"

"What the hell are you 'oh' for! Did you even understand? So that's how it is." Yoshino Yuuki pushed Aoki Daigo back down.

"Anyway, today's match is going to be very interesting. You'll see as you watch," Miyoko Hojo commented from the sidelines.

As the competition began, the two competitors each went to their respective cooking stations.

Hisako Shinto opened the food box and took out a still-lively turtle.

"Turtle?!" Sato Shoji on stage was so surprised his eyes almost popped out. "Using turtle to make hamburgers, isn't that a culinary disaster?"

Hisako Shinto acted without hesitation. She placed the turtle on the cutting board, glared at it with the back of her knife, and the turtle, startled, stretched out its neck.

The next second, before the audience could even see clearly, the turtle's head was severed.

Hisako picked up the turtle and held it upside down to bleed it. After collecting all the blood in a bowl, she added some unknown liquid and poured it down the turtle's neck.

Then she used the tip of her knife to trace a circle around the edge of the turtle's shell, and with two quick snips, the entire plastron was cut off and opened. She then inserted her fingers and swiftly pulled out all the internal organs.

The whole process looked disgusting, but her expression didn't change at all.

"Hisako-neechan... is so charming..."

Since the preliminary rounds of the Autumn Selection Tournament, Nao Satsuka has become Hisako Shinto's sidekick, switching from following Erina Nakiri to following Hisako Shinto.

"Sadazuka Nao? Isn't she the pervert who stalks Erina-san every day?"

"Who knows... Never mind her, let's keep watching the game."

The people around her were also looking at Satsuka Nao, who seemed to be in heat, with some strange expressions.

Meanwhile, everyone in the Polaris Dormitory was also discussing it.

"Your technique is so skillful." Daigo Aoki looked at Hisako Shinoto in surprise at how she handled the situation.

“After all, Hisako comes from a family of medicinal cuisine chefs, so she must have been practicing handling ingredients like turtle since she was a child,” Marui Zenji explained from the side. “Turtle shells are very rich in collagen, which can be used as a natural thickener and adhesive.”

Hisako Shinto put the prepared turtle meat and internal organs into a pot, poured in a small bottle of white wine, and added medicinal herbs such as angelica, astragalus, and wolfberry. She then turned on high heat to steam it.

Soon, white smoke billowed up from the pot, carrying a unique aroma that blended the scents of wine and herbs.

While steaming over high heat, she also began to process the other parts of the turtle. For example, she added a little salt to the drained turtle blood and stirred it to make it coagulate; she put the turtle shell in the oven and waited for it to be baked until crispy before taking it out and grinding it into fine powder.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Kurokiba Ryo also put on his flame headband and transformed into beast mode, dismantling a crab.