Food Wars!: Delicious Food of the Heavens

Chapter 116 The Unwilling Takumi

Hinako Inui picked up a fried glutinous rice ball and dipped it in plenty of sauce.

This sauce consists of half a translucent, light pink jelly and the other half of flower petals that have been shredded and marinated in salt and sugar.

The golden fried glutinous rice balls were rolled in the sauce and instantly turned into a dreamy golden pink color, with a few cherry blossom petals hanging on them.

This time, Hinako Inui was smarter. Even though there was no steam rising from the surface of the fried dumplings, she blew on them several times before carefully taking a bite.

"Snap!"

It was the same familiar crisp sound.

In terms of texture, the crispy dough, the sticky taro paste, and the tender filling are still amazing.

But the pink jelly on the outside, with its cool and smooth jelly texture, enhances the original triple texture, reaching a whole new level!

The crispness of persimmon seeds, the soft fragrance of wild taro, the juicy and delicious rabbit meat, and the unique aroma created by a variety of wild vegetables...

Even the refreshing aroma of green tea...

Hinako Inui closed her eyes.

The image of the forest still lingers in my mind: lush greenery teeming with wild vegetables that symbolize spring.

Wild rabbits dart through the forest.

It's different now; all the wonderful flavors, including those of the sky and the forest, are now veiled in a dreamy pink hue.

Hinako Inui put down her chopsticks, looked up at Lin Yu, and seemed to want to say something, but hesitated and stopped herself from speaking.

After a long silence, she sighed and gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"Could this be what they mean by 'the younger generation is to be feared'...?"

'

Hinako Inui couldn't help but sigh.

"It's no wonder that people like Kikuchi and Seki Morihei have such high opinions of you."

"I initially thought they were exaggerating, but now it seems I underestimated you."

'

Hinako Inui pouted and turned her head to the side. "Hmph! What a little monster!"

Lin Yu was speechless at Inui Hinako's childish attitude. "Inui-senpai..."

'

"What's wrong?"

Inui Hinako glared angrily at Lin Yu.

"You took my tea and snacks, and I can't even say anything about it!"

"Although you really gave me a big surprise..."

'

Lin Yu, too lazy to argue with Inui Hinako, quickly smiled ingratiatingly, "Of course..."

It was just a joke, and Hinako Inui wisely didn't press the matter. She cleared her throat a few times, then announced in a calm and dignified tone, "Lin Yu, Yoshino Yuuki, I declare your group qualified!"

"Yay! Lin Yujun! We passed!"

Yoshino Yuuki cheered and jumped for joy, so excited that she even jumped up and hugged Lin Yu.

"We passed the test! All thanks to you, Lin Yujun!"

"Don't say that... Yuuki helped me a lot too!"

Lin Yu stretched out his arms to catch Yoshino Yuuki, who was rushing towards him, and affectionately ruffled her hair, revealing a doting smile.

"But I only did some odd jobs."

"Don't overthink it, that's not true!"

Lin Yu tried to loosen his grip, but Yoshino Yuuki's arms were tightly wrapped around Lin Yu's neck.

Lin Yu gave Yoshino Yuuki a smile that was half helpless and half indulgent, and gently patted her head.

"Whether it was butchering and deboning the rabbit or helping to process the wild vegetables, Yuuki performed exceptionally well and helped me a lot."

"Hehe! Lin Yujun, if you say that, I'll be proud..."

'

Yoshino Yuuki clung to Lin Yu, listening to the praise in her ear, and grinned foolishly.

"Please wait a moment!"

After Hinako Inui announced the results, Takumi, who had been watching silently from the sidelines, suddenly spoke up.

He walked up to Hinako Inui, and, seemingly a little nervous, took a deep breath before asking, "Chef Inui, if possible, I would like you to conduct a comparative review of my and Lin Yu's dishes."

Hinako Inui propped up her chin with one finger, looking puzzled.

"Is Takumi still not willing to give up?"

"Yes!"

Takmi nodded vigorously.

"I want to know, between him and me, whose cooking is better?"

Seeing the determination in Takumi's eyes, Hinako Inui sighed.

"Didn't you consider that the outcome might be cruel, and might not be what you wanted?"

Takmi exhaled, his voice low.

"It's impossible to say I'm not afraid at all, but more than fear, I feel resentful."

"You can't expect me to willingly accept defeat, can you?"

Takumi stopped in front of Inui Hinako and bowed deeply to her.

"So please, Chef Inui, give me an answer!"

Hinako Inui turned to Lin Yu. "Lin Yu, what about you? What are your thoughts?"

"Judging from the current situation, it seems that Takumi is determined to stick with you."

Hinako Inui's gaze toward Takumi was somewhat profound, while her gaze toward Lin Yu was more complex.

"For stubborn people like this, willingly admitting defeat is never an option."

"This means that he won't give up until he has a showdown with you."

"And what about you? Do you want to compete with him?"

Lin Yu looked at Takumi and met his stubborn gaze.

Lin Yu, having withdrawn his gaze, raised his hand, rubbed his temples, and sighed with some frustration.

"Senior Inui, please wait a moment."

"Lin Yu, what do you mean by that?" Takumi was clearly very dissatisfied with Lin Yu's obstruction.

"I didn't mean anything by it, or to put it another way..."

Lin Yu brought over a portion of his own cooking and handed it to the taco noodles.

"Once you've tasted my cooking, you'll understand what I mean."

"Tch! Playing tricks..."

'

Unconvinced, Takumi accepted the food Lin Yu handed him.

One second ago, Takmi's face was full of determination, his eyes filled with stubbornness and refusal to admit defeat.

But after he tasted a sip of the slightly greenish tea, his expression suddenly froze for a moment, and then, as if he couldn't believe it, he took another sip.

Smacking his lips, Takumi's previously resolute expression seemed to show a hint of wavering at this moment?

"I refuse to believe it!"

Unwilling to admit defeat, Takmi gritted his teeth, shook off the distracting thoughts in his mind, scooped up a whole piece of glutinous rice ball, and put it in his mouth along with the tea soup.

Teeth break through the sticky outer layer, and the delicious broth, carrying an irresistible aroma, explodes in the takami's mouth.

The tender and juicy rabbit meat, the crisp bamboo shoots, the smooth shiitake mushrooms, the freshness of various wild vegetables, and the aroma of green tea...

Takmi unconsciously slowed down his chewing, his deliberate movements revealing a seriousness.

After swallowing the food in his mouth, Takmi's previously resolute expression finally began to waver noticeably.

When Takmi picked up a fried glutinous rice ball, coated it with plenty of cherry blossom sauce, and took a big bite, his inner turmoil intensified.

"Snap!"

"Snap!"

Each time a tooth falls, it is accompanied by a crisp sound.

After each crisp crack, Takumi's facial features would tremble once, and his eyes would even brighten slightly.

Even at the very end, Takmi tilted his head back, his eyes slightly narrowed, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up, and a genuine smile of ecstasy appeared on his face.

This is a chef's instinctive reaction after tasting the delicious food.

But after the delicious aftertaste faded, Takumi felt as if he had fallen from a great height. The blissful smile that was on his face just a second ago froze on his face the moment he came to his senses.

"Damn it!" Takumi muttered under his breath, "I hate to admit it, but it tastes kind of delicious..."

'

"Takumi."

Hinako Inui suddenly spoke up, looking at Takumi with a gentle, reassuring smile on her face the whole time.

"Now, you should have your own answer to that question, right?"

Upon hearing this, Takmi looked hesitant.

But after a long while, Takmi, his brows furrowed deeply, slowly nodded.

"Yes, that's right."

"I... lost."

'

Takmi's voice was somewhat hoarse, and deep within his words was an overwhelming sadness.

Lin Yu couldn't stand it anymore, so he patted Takumi on the shoulder and said, "There's no need to be so pessimistic."

"Strictly speaking, we didn't even have a competition, since Senior Qian didn't agree to your request at all..."

'

Lin Yu's words made Takumi's heart tremble.

Yes, Chef Qian didn't agree to my request, so strictly speaking, it wasn't a formal competition between us at all...

But..

Takmi clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

Since it's not a competition, what's causing this feeling of defeat in my heart?

hateful!

I lost! I really lost!

Not reconciled!

I'm so unwilling to accept this!

Takmi stood there, a silent cry echoing in his heart.

"That's enough!"

Takumi suddenly spoke up, interrupting Lin Yu, who was still trying to comfort him.

"That's enough! You don't need to comfort me anymore!"

Takmi looked at Lin Yu with eyes like lightning.

"Lin Yu, I know you meant well in comforting me."

"But a loss is a loss! I'm not the kind of person who can't accept defeat."

"I admit, your cooking is better than mine! I... am not as good as you!"

Suppressing his intense resentment, Takmi slowly and deliberately admitted his defeat.

Seeing Takmi's appearance, Lin Yu sighed and said nothing more.

For people with exceptionally strong self-esteem, the comfort offered by others can easily trigger a very strong sense of shame within them.

If it goes to extremes, they might even feel that others are deliberately humiliating them.

Even though Lin Yu genuinely wanted to comfort the other person.

Finally, Lin Yu reluctantly uttered, "Fine, whatever you want..."

'

"Alright, everyone!"

"Two hours are up!"

Hinako Inui clapped her hands lightly, announcing the end of this project.

The words fell.

Those who passed the test naturally breathed a sigh of relief, a relieved smile appearing on their faces. They wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads, secretly rejoicing and thinking how lucky they were.

Those who failed felt as if all their strength had been instantly drained the moment they heard Hinako Inui's voice.

His face was filled with despair, and he was so pale that he couldn't even stand up properly even when he was holding onto the kitchen counter. His whole body swayed and he finally sat down on the ground with his hands covering his face.

Faint sobbing could be heard from inside the classroom.

"Alright, everyone."

Hinako Inui looked at the two completely different scenes in the classroom.

"To those who passed, I hope you will continue to work hard and do your best in the upcoming residential training sessions, presenting the best dishes to the instructors."

"Those who didn't pass, don't be discouraged. May you continue to pursue your dreams of becoming chefs in the future."

Having said that, without waiting for the students' reactions, Hinako Inui stood up from the sofa.

"OK! That concludes my closing remarks! Everyone, get ready to board the bus back to the hotel!"

With Inui Hinako finishing her speech and leading the way out of the classroom, this project came to a complete end.

The students who passed were secretly delighted, while those who failed could only dejectedly get up from the ground and helplessly accept the fact that they had been "eliminated and expelled from school".

At Hinako Inui's call, all the students began to leave the classroom one after another, preparing to take the bus back to the Far Moon Resort.

"Lin Yu!"

Lin Yu, who was walking at the back of the crowd, was suddenly stopped by a voice behind him.

He looked back and saw that only the Aldini brothers remained in the classroom.

Takumi looked at Lin Yu, his breathing rapid, and his eyes revealed an unconcealable unwillingness. He clenched his fists tightly at his waist until his knuckles turned white.

"I admit, I lost this time, and I lost completely."

Takmi's voice trembled as he said this.

But the next second, he raised his hand and pointed at Lin Yu, his voice suddenly rising.

"but!"

"Although I admit I was outmatched this time, it doesn't mean I've given up!"

"I swear! I will challenge you again!"

Takmi stared intently at Lin Yu, his tone filled with a gritted teeth.

"Don't expect this to end like this!"

Hearing the defiant words beside him and seeing Takumi's unwilling eyes, Lin Yu frowned slightly and clicked his tongue in displeasure.

"Ugh! This is so troublesome!"

Although Lin Yu admired Takumi's resilience, he still felt uneasy about being targeted by such a troublesome individual.

A little impatient.

"I don't know why you're so obsessed with defeating me... but it seems you're genuinely very unwilling to accept losing to me?"

"How could I possibly accept this!" Takumi roared.

"I've been working on the front lines in the kitchen for eight years, using my own restaurant's name and reputation!"

"Eight years!"

Takmi let out a sigh, his tone full of resentment.

"Like you, I was also a transfer student."

"It's just that Isami and I transferred to the junior high school in the second year."

"When I first came to this college, I was very proud of my practical experience and thought that the other students were just hothouse flowers."

"During my two years of study at Totsuki Academy, I always prided myself on being on par with any of my peers, but today..."

'

Takmi paused, gritted his teeth, and said the next sentence.

"To lose so completely..."

'

Takumi glared at Lin Yu, his eyes blazing with fury, and roared with all his might, "How can you expect me to accept all of this willingly?!"