Food Wars!: Delicious Food of the Heavens

Chapter 117 Shinomiya Kojiro

Takmi was very emotional, his face flushed, and he said a lot.

But all his voices ultimately became echoes, merging into Lin Yu's long sigh.

"~Okay..."

'

Lin Yu met Takumi's gaze, his eyes unusually calm.

"Seeing how persistent you are, I accept your challenge."

"Although I don't think it will be any different from today..."

"

After saying that, Lin Yu ignored Takumi and turned to walk out of the classroom.

Feeling underestimated, Takumi stared at Lin Yu's retreating figure, clenching his fists in resentment, and shouted after Lin Yu, "I will definitely challenge you to a food battle! That day won't be far off!"

"Okay!"

Upon hearing Takumi's "declaration of war," Lin Yu neither stopped nor turned around, but simply waved his hand behind him.

"Hurry up and get out! The bus is waiting for us!"

On the bus, Takmi sat by the window in the back row.

Seemingly feeling a bit stuffy inside the car, Takumi opened the window, letting the wind outside blow on his face and make his hair fly wildly.

"Brother, are you alright?"

Beside Takmi, Isami looked at him with a worried expression, hesitant and unsure of what to say.

"I'm fine, don't worry, Isami."

"Can...

Please!

Seeing Isami's worried look, Takmi gave a helpless smile, patted his younger brother on the shoulder, and comforted him with a laugh, "Really! Don't you know my personality?"

"Your brother here isn't that fragile!"

"I'm really fine, don't worry, I just... need some quiet time..."

Seeing the somewhat forced smile on Takmi's face, Isami's words of advice welled up at his lips, but he ultimately swallowed them back down.

"elder brother."

"Um?"

"I believe in my brother. One day he will definitely be able to defeat Lin Yu."

Takumi raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "You have that much faith in your older brother?"

"certainly!"

"And I will help my brother."

"You little brat..."

'

Looking at his younger brother's encouraging gaze, Takumi felt a surge of mixed emotions welling up inside him, making him feel somewhat choked up.

In the end, Takmi simply patted Isami on the shoulder and didn't say anything more.

"Isami, thank you..."

Isami returned to his seat, looked up at the roof of the car, his brow furrowed, seemingly lost in thought.

Takmi, resting his chin on the window frame, watched the scenery rushing past outside the window, his thoughts becoming increasingly complicated.

The two brothers, who had always worked together seamlessly, were now both enveloped in an indescribable silence.

The time spent in the dormitory for joint training was always intense and busy, and time flew by.

After a short lunch break, the students began their afternoon assignments.

"How's Xiaohui doing these past few days?"

Lin Yu and Tadokoro Megumi walked side by side in the corridor.

"Thankfully! I can manage!"

Tadokoro Megumi clenched her fist, a gentle smile on her face, in response to Lin Yu's words.

"It's a good thing that you can still persevere!"

Lin Yu breathed a sigh of relief and remarked with lingering fear.

"Actually, at first, I was a little worried about Xiaohui."

"But judging from your current state, it seems you've overcome the problem of your mind going blank when you're nervous?"

Upon hearing Lin Yu's words, Tadokoro Megumi immediately recalled the embarrassing scene from the two days of joint training and accommodation, during which she struggled to pass the assessment.

Tadokoro Megumi straightened her hair sheepishly and whispered, "I'm sorry to have troubled you, Lin Yu-kun, but I'm fine..."

'

Lin Yu glanced at Tadokoro Megumi, reached out, and gently flicked her head.

"If you were alright, you wouldn't have made a point of emphasizing that you're alright."

Tadokoro Megumi let out a soft groan of pain, clutching her forehead and pouting in dissatisfaction.

"Lin Yujun, it hurts so much..."

'

Just as Tadokoro Megumi was halfway through her complaint, Lin Yu suddenly moved closer to her.

The two were standing very close, which startled Tadokoro Megumi.

"You look a bit tired?" Lin Yu carefully examined Tadokoro Megumi's face. "Not only are your eyes tired, but your complexion isn't good either."

Tadokoro Megumi kept her head down, not letting her flushed cheeks be exposed to Lin Yu.

"Yeah, I don't know why either."

Tadokoro Megumi nodded, a deep sorrow lingering between her brows like a dark cloud, impossible to dispel.

"I feel very tired, but I'm also very clear-headed."

"During my lunch break, I thought I could rest for a while, but I couldn't even calm down, let alone take a nap."

Lin Yu gently ruffled Tadokoro Megumi's hair with a tender expression. "No wonder, you must have been under a lot of pressure, being on edge all day."

Tadokoro Megumi shook her head and forced a smile.

"Actually, I'm fine... Lin Yujun, you don't need to worry about me!"

Megumi Tadokoro twisted her fingers together in front of her chest. "I'm so nervous during class. I keep thinking about what I'll do if I fail!"

"I am indeed a little anxious!"

Tadokoro Megumi smiled and changed the subject.

"But then I thought about how much everyone in Polaris Dormitory and Lin Yujun had helped me before."

"If I'm eliminated during the residential training and have to drop out, everyone will be very disappointed, right?"

Tadokoro Megumi suddenly looked up, met Lin Yu's gaze, and her eyes hardened.

"Yuuki, Ryoko, Fumio-san, Isshiki-senpai..."

'

Tadokoro Megumi recited the names of everyone in the Polar Star Dormitory, word by word.

"I'm scared, but I don't want to let everyone in Polaris Dormitory down, especially Lin Yujun!"

As she said this, Tadokoro Megumi's gaze towards Lin Yu remained unwavering, and something seemed to be gleaming brightly in the depths of her clear eyes.

Lin Yu was silent for a few seconds, then raised his hand and gently tidied Tadokoro Megumi's hair, tucking a stray strand behind her ear.

"Xiao Hui is amazing!"

Under Lin Yu's gentle smile, Tadokoro Megumi finally couldn't resist anymore. Her cheeks flushed red, and she lowered her head, muttering softly, "This...this is all because of Lin Yu-kun's guidance and encouragement before..."

'

"That's not true at all, it's just that Xiaohui is very capable." Lin Yu smiled and placed a hand on Tadokoro Megumi's head, gently stroking the girl's soft hair.

Under Lin Yu's gentle touch, Tadokoro Megumi's shyness finally subsided somewhat, and she dared to raise her head and meet his gaze again.

Before they knew it, the two had arrived at the door of the assessment classroom.

"Come to think of it, I'm actually quite lucky!"

"Today I get to be in the same classroom as Lin Yujun."

Lin Yu looked at Tadokoro Megumi, "If we can form teams freely later, would you like to be my partner, Megumi?"

Hearing Lin Yu's words, Tadokoro Megumi nodded happily and vigorously.

"Um!"

As the time drew near, students arrived at the classroom one after another.

A rather luxurious high sofa was placed at the front of the classroom, but it was empty at the moment.

It wasn't until the very last minute of the lesson that the owner of the sofa finally strolled into the classroom.

"Hello everyone!"

A man with an imposing presence stood at the front of the classroom, looking down at everyone in the room.

He was dressed in a meticulously groomed white chef's uniform, his hair was clearly carefully combed, and he wore sharp-looking glasses and earrings, making him stand out from the crowd.

"I am Kojiro Shinomiya, a graduate of the 79th class."

The man's voice, like his attire, exuded an air of superiority and arrogance.

"This topic is very simple!"

"That means following the recipes I distribute, strictly adhering to the ingredients and steps in the recipes, and making the specified dishes to a qualified standard."

Shinomiya Kojiro chuckled lightly. "That's all, isn't it simple?"

A rustling sound arose from the crowd.

"What bad luck! I ran into Chef Shinomiya."

"Yes, I heard he expelled more than thirty people yesterday."

"And we're making a recipe devised by Chef Shinomiya, which makes it even more difficult!"

Ignoring the rustling whispers in the classroom, Shinomiya Kojiro began his simple explanation.

"【Nine Treasures Vegetable French Jelly】!"

"Although the colorful vegetables give a luxurious feel, the overall flavor of this dish is very mild."

"The key lies in the harmony of flavors!"

"Cabbage, okra, carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, asparagus, white asparagus, baby corn, cucumber."

'

"Nine kinds of vegetables, each of which requires different processing methods or cooking temperatures."

"Never let any one vegetable taste too bland or too prominent. The best way to present the flavor of this dish is to let their flavors complement and enhance each other."

"But that's also the challenge of making this dish!"

"besides..

'

Kojiro Shinomiya's explanations were quick and concise; before some people could even react, he had already finished explaining the entire cooking process.

However, this rough, general explanation obviously failed to reassure the students, and even made them feel more insecure.

"There's a recipe on each counter; everyone has one, right?"

Kojiro Shinomiya asked a question, but when he looked up, he saw that all the students in the classroom had worried expressions.

"Hey! Hey! Why does everyone look so gloomy?"

A slight upward curve appeared at the corner of Shinomiya Kojiro's mouth.

"This is a relatively simple dish that I carefully selected from my recipes."

"What's wrong?"

"Judging from your defiant looks, do you want to try an even harder recipe?"

Kojiro Shinomiya sneered, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt, and his tone laced with sarcasm.

But not a single student dared to utter a word of dissent against the imposing Shinomiya Kojiro.

"Oh dear~"

Kojiro Shinomiya sighed.

"You're supposed to be students of Totsuki Academy, and if you can't even cook something like this, then I can only say that even as first-year students, you're far too incompetent..."

Looking at the silent classroom, Shinomiya Kojiro also felt bored and began to explain the rules of this lesson.

"This project will not be conducted in a team format. Each person will cook individually and submit their finished product to me for review."

"Furthermore, it is strictly forbidden to communicate with or offer assistance to others during the cooking process."

"As for the ingredients, you can choose them yourself from the pile of ingredients at the back of the classroom."

Kojiro Shinomiya pointed to the back of the classroom.

Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing and saw several large counters at the back of the classroom, each piled with a small mountain of vegetables.

"Oh, and one last piece of advice!"

Kojiro Shinomiya suddenly chuckled.

The laughter was short but cold, devoid of any warmth, and even sent a chill down the spines of many in the classroom.

"If you want to win this project, you'd better not try to have any sentimental thoughts."

"The wisest approach is to treat everyone except yourself as an enemy!"

All the students in the classroom felt a chill run down their spines because of what Shinomiya Kojiro said.

But faced with the many frightened students, he simply gave another cold laugh. Judging from his condescending expression, he clearly had no intention of explaining his words.

In that instant, Lin Yu even sensed a hint of "waiting for the show to begin" in his eyes.

Kojiro Shinomiya dropped his arrogant demeanor and cleared his throat twice.

"The cooking time is three hours."

"Remember what I said, no communication is allowed."

"Well then, I declare the cooking to begin!"

Given the rules that Shinomiya Kojiro had just mentioned, the moment he finished speaking, the entire classroom exploded like a few sparks falling into a powder keg!

The crowd surged toward the back of the classroom, rushing toward the nine food cabinets piled with vegetables in an almost frenzied manner.

Crowding, pushing, shoving, shouting...

At this moment, each of the nine vegetable counters is like a battlefield, and the vegetables on them are their target for conquest.

The people around you who were fighting with you for vegetables, even if they were classmates from the same school just minutes before, have now become enemies fighting each other.

Tadokoro Megumi, holding a tray, stared in disbelief at the horrifying scene.

"Everyone is so excited... no! It's beyond just being excited!"

Tadokoro swallowed nervously, her voice trembling slightly.

"This scene...it's clearly rage! Everyone's gone mad!"

Tadokoro Megumi's breathing became rapid, and she subconsciously took two steps back, but was still knocked to the ground by the frenzied crowd.

Tadokoro Megumi sat on the ground, rubbing her sore spot, tears welling up in her eyes.

But the next second, for some reason, the scene of her talking with Lin Yu in the corridor suddenly appeared in her mind.

Every word they exchanged, the expectations of everyone in the Polaris Dormitory, Lin Yu's gentle smile and voice, and the warm touch as he gently stroked her head...

Everything was vividly clear in my mind.

"No!"

Megumi Tadokoro shook her head, trying to shake off the fear in her mind and regain some control over her body.

"I...I can't give up!"

"No matter how scared you are inside, you have to take action!"

"I have to change!"

"Otherwise... I'll definitely disappoint everyone in Polaris Dormitory and Lin Yu-jun!"

"No! Absolutely not!"

"Tadokoro Megumi! Get moving, get moving!"

Tadokoro Megumi mentally prepared herself several times before finally mustering up her courage.

She got up from the ground, gritted her teeth, and charged into the scrambling crowd.