Food Wars!: Delicious Food of the Heavens

Chapter 119 Elimination

"Xiao Hui..."

'

Before Lin Yu could finish speaking, Tadokoro Megumi suddenly looked up, her tearful eyes staring directly into Lin Yu's eyes. She gently placed a finger on Lin Yu's lips and shook her head slightly.

"Lin Yujun, don't refuse."

Tadokoro Megumi's voice was soft, but her tone was exceptionally firm.

"Does Lin Yujun want me to live with a guilty conscience forever from now on?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Yu felt as if his heart had been struck by a hammer.

"This...I..."

'

While Lin Yu was speechless, Tadokoro Megumi forcibly shoved the cauliflower back into Lin Yu's hand.

"Lin Yujun, don't worry about me! Take this and unleash your true power!"

"If possible, after I'm eliminated, I hope Lin Yujun can apologize to everyone in the Polar Star Dormitory for me. We clearly promised to all return to the Polar Star Dormitory together..."

Tadokoro Megumi forced a very strained smile at Lin Yu, with glistening tears in the corners of her eyes.

Lin Yu knew he shouldn't reject Tadokoro Megumi's kindness; it would only cause this sensitive girl to fall deeper into her own troubles.

He was filled with guilt and self-blame.

But if Lin Yu just lets Tadokoro Megumi be eliminated because of poor-quality ingredients, he'd want to punch himself!

He rubbed his hair in frustration and sighed.

"I'm really scared of you!"

"In that case, we'll have to use the second option!"

"Just wait!"

Using the crowd as cover, Lin Yu quickly broke the cauliflower in half with both hands.

Lin Yu stuffed half of the cauliflower back into Tadokoro Megumi's hand.

"Here, we'll each have half."

"Vegetable jelly requires nine kinds of vegetables, and each vegetable is used in small quantities. If it's half cauliflower..."

As long as there are no mistakes, it should be enough.

Tadokoro Megumi was stunned for a moment, seemingly not expecting the problem to be solved so easily, and immediately burst into laughter through her tears.

"I thought... But thank goodness! Lin Yujun, you really have a way."

Lin Yu gave a somewhat helpless smile and gently flicked Tadokoro Megumi's forehead. "You little brain..."

It's not as simple as you think.

"Eh?"

"They deliberately mixed in substandard vegetables with the ingredients and even issued and emphasized rules that strictly prohibit mutual exchange or assistance."

Lin Yu looked at Tadokoro Megumi, his tone somewhat serious, and his voice became low.

"Chef Shinomiya is a graduate of Totsuki Culinary Academy, an elite chef who emerged from fierce competition. Do you think he wouldn't think of a way to break the deadlock by sharing a small amount of ingredients?"

"Whatever Chef Shinomiya's intentions were, he certainly didn't want anyone to exploit this loophole to violate the rules he had emphasized."

Suddenly, Lin Yu changed the subject.

"Did you take those vegetables?"

"Asparagus, white asparagus, baby corn, okra."

Megumi Tadokoro answered truthfully, "And the cauliflower that Lin Yu-kun just gave me."

"very good!"

Lin Yu's tone softened a bit, "Cauliflower is the most perishable ingredient, and you even brought a few other slightly less desirable ingredients?"

"The remaining types of vegetables don't require as much freshness."

Lin Yu met Uedako's gaze and solemnly instructed, "Megumi, remember this!"

"Whether you're going to get other vegetables later or when you're cooking, remember to cover them up and hide the broken pieces of the cauliflower."

"Otherwise, if Chef Shinomiya finds out, he will definitely be able to guess immediately that this cauliflower has been separated."

Hearing Lin Yu's heavy tone, Tadokoro Megumi nodded nervously.

"Of course, don't make the act of concealing too deliberate, and don't let your nervousness show on your face."

"Chef Shinomiya isn't someone easy to get along with; arrogant people like that are usually very perceptive!"

"If he notices that you're deliberately hiding something, it will definitely arouse his suspicion, and then everything will be over!"

"Did you remember what I said?"

Tadokoro Megumi nodded vigorously. "Yes, Lin Yu-kun, I've remembered everything you said, don't worry!"

Having said all he needed to say, Lin Yu felt a little relieved looking at the obedient girl before him.

"Okay, good. Go get the other vegetables."

"By the way, we can prioritize processing the cauliflower later. Once it's cut open, the cut edges shouldn't be so noticeable."

Lin Yu gently ruffled Tadokoro Megumi's hair, revealing a warm smile.

"Don't be nervous, stay calm."

"If you're really nervous, you can think back to what I've taught you before."

"Let's hurry up and finish cooking, and get through this challenge together."

"Keep going, Xiaohui, I believe in you!"

Hearing Lin Yu's gentle words, Tadokoro Megumi was encouraged and smiled happily, her eyes crinkling with joy.

"Yeah! Lin Yujun! You keep it up!"

Lin Yu gently comforted Tadokoro Megumi with a few words, encouraging her, and then the two parted ways.

The remaining vegetables, such as carrots and cabbage, are relatively less prone to spoilage, and Lin Yu and Tadokoro Megumi quickly collected all nine kinds of vegetables.

Leaving the still-scrambling crowd, the two returned to the spacious cooking area.

"Lin Yujun......."

Tadokoro Megumi instinctively wanted to say something, but before she could finish speaking, Lin Yu interrupted her with a stern look.

He gestured with his eyes towards the front of the classroom and shook his head almost imperceptibly.

Tadokoro Megumi then realized what was happening, quickly turned her head away, and silently began to process the vegetables in her hands.

Lin Yu also shifted his attention and began to process and handle the nine kinds of vegetables in different ways.

On the other side, Tadokoro Megumi would occasionally steal a glance at Lin Yu, who was completely focused.

This oppressive atmosphere made Tadokoro Megumi feel somewhat uncomfortable, and her knife movements became slower.

But remembering Lin Yu's instructions, Tadokoro Megumi could only suppress her discomfort and try to concentrate all her energy on the vegetables in her hands.

"Lin Yujun...don't worry! I'll do my best!"

Inside the classroom, the noisy scrambling gradually subsided, and the crowded throng dispersed.

Many students who had collected all the vegetables began to return one after another, and the classroom started to get busy. The sounds of pots and pans clattering and the rhythmic slicing of knives filled the air.

"Hey, isn't this a bit off?"

In the back of the classroom, a student looked up and noticed that his classmate in front of him had made a mistake.

Because the two usually had a good relationship, he subconsciously spoke up to remind the other person.

"Huh? Is that so? Let me see..."

Just as his companions were trying to look up the distributed menus, a stern voice suddenly rang out from the front of the classroom.

"Hey! You two over there!"

The two weren't speaking loudly, but amidst the clattering of pots and pans, Shinomiya Kojiro still noticed the two unusual voices.

The two students were startled. Shinomiya Kojiro stood up from the sofa and looked at the two students who had spoken with a cold gaze.

"As I just said, mutual assistance is strictly prohibited."

Kojiro Shinomiya's tone was displeased and extremely oppressive.

But one of the students mustered his courage and said tremblingly, "Um... he seems to have made a mistake in one step, I just told him..."

'

But Shinomiya Kojiro interrupted him without any politeness, letting out a cold laugh.

"Isn't this kind of reminder helpful?"

"I hereby announce that both of you are fired!"

The two seemed unable to believe their ears. "What?!"

"The meaning is very clear: you two have failed the assessment, and your project is unqualified!"

Kojiro Shinomiya pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

Behind the lenses, two sharp, piercing gazes were reflected.

To put it even more simply, you've been eliminated!

"Can you understand now?"

Kojiro Shinomiya pointed towards the classroom door.

"Get out now!"

The two students immediately became agitated upon hearing this. "Chef Shinomiya, I don't understand! Are you really going to...?"

'

"A trivial matter?!"

With a roar, Shinomiya Kojiro's cold light shone from behind his glasses, like two giant hands that forcefully gripped the necks of the two students.

Their overwhelming aura rendered them speechless.

Kojiro Shinomiya's voice continued.

"On the first day of the joint training program, I eliminated one trainee during my opening remarks."

"I thought that lesson would have been enough to remind you!"

"But now it seems, you guys are really... ha!"

Shinomiya Kojiro sneered, then uttered, "Hopeless!"

Kojiro Shinomiya shifted his gaze from the two students, scanned the entire room, and suddenly raised his voice.

"Then I'll tell you again!"

"In this classroom, I am the instructor, I am the head chef, and my words are the rules!"

"You're just a bunch of errand boys; your only job is to execute!"

Kojiro Shinomiya's voice echoed throughout the classroom; several students nearby felt their ears being deafened.

pain.

"I said no talking to each other! So you'd better just shut up and cook for me!"

Kojiro Shinomiya looked at the student who had violated the rules, his tone imperious and his expression disdainful.

"Not only did you break the rules I set out to say, but you also talked back time and time again. I really don't know where you got the courage!"

One of the students was still somewhat unconvinced, or perhaps resentful.

"But this is a bit too much... Chef Shinomiya, please give us another chance!"

"Opportunity? Heh..."

'

Shinomiya Kojiro sneered.

"Those two guys!"

"Don't make me say it a third time, you two have already been eliminated."

Shinomiya Kojiro roared angrily;

"Now, get out!"

Seeing Kojiro Shinomiya's dark and gloomy face, and the fierce look reflected in his glasses, the two students exchanged a glance, hesitated for a moment, and finally swallowed back their words of pleading.

Watching the two dejected figures walk out of the classroom, the students still inside felt a chill run down their spines, a wave of fear washing over them.

Everyone lowered their heads and began to cook quietly, making the air in the classroom increasingly oppressive.

But Kojiro Shinomiya seemed quite satisfied with this scene.

Looking at the trembling crowd, he sat back on the sofa, in high spirits, and couldn't help but curl a cold smile at the corner of his mouth.

Outside the classroom window, in an unseen corner, a tall, strong figure silently listened to everything that was happening inside the classroom.

He watched the dejected backs of the two eliminated students, then peeked into the classroom and saw Kojiro Shinomiya's fierce eyes and the cold smile on his lips.

After a long while, he let out a long sigh from the shadows.

"Eh~"

"The problems in the fourth house are getting more and more serious..."

'

In this oppressive atmosphere, Lin Yu adjusted his mindset, his hand movements were smooth and steady, and he was not affected at all.

To be fair, the recipe provided by Shinomiya Kojiro is actually a bit beyond the scope of this topic.

For Lin Yu, this [French Nine Treasures Vegetable Jelly] was of course not difficult at all.

However, the vast majority of those participating in the residential training program were freshmen who had only been in the first year of high school for a few days.

Even though they had three years of junior high school experience, which laid some foundation for them.

However, some of the steps in this recipe were still a bit too difficult for them.

In the projects conducted in the previous days, the more outstanding the students were often able to submit their dishes to the tutor for review earlier.

But today's topic is different from the previous ones.

The immense pressure weighed on everyone's hearts like a mountain.

Only those who possess both skillful culinary techniques and a good mindset can understand the somewhat vague steps in a recipe and use their solid fundamentals to calmly and accurately perform complex operations.

In a stressful atmosphere, students who lack solid culinary skills or a stable mindset often fail to accurately understand a vague description in a recipe or to precisely process the ingredients.

The more you do, the more mistakes you make, and the more mistakes you make, the more panicked you become.

The more panicked you are, the more mistakes you'll make.

Time passed by, second by second.

Later on, more and more people broke down due to mistakes they made, and submitted dishes they made in a panic.

"Failed!"

"Tsk! You must have had a tough time, classmate, to force yourself to serve such awful food!"

"However, it is obvious that the profession of chef is not suitable for you."

"Quit school!"

Shinomiya Kojiro simply took a bite, his expression unchanged, and then pronounced the fate of the student standing in front of him.

"How...how could this be?"

Upon hearing this, the student who was presenting the dishes was immediately thrown into a panic.

"Please make it again... Chef Shinomiya, please let me make it one more time!"

"Oh?"

Hearing the student's plea, Shinomiya Kojiro let out a disdainful chuckle.

"Excuse me, student, I don't recall mentioning a rule like 'you can redo it if you fail' in the rules I announced before the project started, right?"

The student was stunned and stammered, "But... other professors' projects can be redone."

Shinomiya Kojiro's eyes turned cold as he looked up and stared directly at the other person.

"So you mean... I'm not as good as the other mentors?"