Food Wars!: Delicious Food of the Heavens

Chapter 122 Tadokoro Megumi's Elimination

Upon hearing this, Lin Yu gave a teasing smile and asked, "So, Senior Tangdao, would you like to hear a nicer answer or a harsher one?"

Dojima Gin smiled at Lin Yu and rolled his eyes at him. "Trying to pull these tricks on an old man like me?"

What's a nice-sounding answer? And what's an unpleasant-sounding answer?

Lin Yu shrugged and spread his hands.

"The nice answer is... Chef Shinomiya graduated as the first seat of the Elite Ten."

After graduation, I went alone to Paris, which is known as the "front line of the culinary world" and is extremely competitive, to open my own restaurant.

"Arrogance is almost an inherent trait of such people!"

"Without this self-respect and pride, he might not have been able to persevere in such a competitive environment."

Dojima Gin stroked his chin, deep in thought. "That makes sense. What's the more unpleasant answer?"

"The unpleasant answer is..."

'

"It seems that during his time working alone in Paris, Chef Shinomiya has chosen to stay on high alert and strengthen himself in order to successfully keep the restaurant afloat."

"But being in such a high-pressure environment for a long time, pushing your nerves to the limit, is an enormous burden on your mental health, and can even be described as devastating!"

"Over time, Chef Shinomiya's personality, like a rusty steel bar, has inevitably been warped after being corroded by high pressure!"

"This also magnified his personality flaws to an extreme."

After listening to Lin Yu's analysis, Dojima Gin sighed deeply, his brows furrowed, and his face was filled with an overwhelming sense of worry.

"Although I'm reluctant to admit it, it seems that what you're saying is the real reality."

"It seems I haven't paid attention to Shinomiya for far too long; I was completely unaware of the pressure he was under in Paris!"

Dojima Gin felt a pang of regret and a touch of guilt at the extreme change in the personality of his promising junior.

Suddenly, Dojima Gin looked at Lin Yu with expectant eyes. "Lin Yu-kun has spoken at length; surely you must have a solution, right?"

"Does Senior Dojima think so highly of me?" Lin Yu didn't deny it directly, but answered in this way.

"Ha ha!"

Dojima Gin laughed and said, "Anyway, I don't have any ideas right now. Tell me your thoughts, I'll take a look!"

"Then I'll speak freely!"

Lin Yu smirked mischievously.

"In my opinion, Chef Shinomiya just needs to be taught a lesson. He's won too many times and gotten arrogant!"

"This is an illness!"

"Treatment is simple too." Lin Yu was secretly pleased, a smile curving upwards. "Just let him lose badly once!"

"I'll make sure his twisted personality is utterly shattered!"

Upon hearing Lin Yu's truly "outrageous" plan, Dojima Gin was immediately stunned.

Realizing what had happened, he couldn't hold back his laughter and burst into loud laughter.

"Lin Yu, what you just said... hahaha! You really know how to say something shocking!"

Dojima Gin suppressed a laugh, leaned closer, and jokingly asked, "Your words... aren't mixed with personal grudges, are they?"

Lin Yu met the other person's gaze and smiled, "What are you thinking? Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

"Really?" Dojima Gin's tone was teasing. "I don't believe it at all~"

Lin Yu, unperturbed by having his little scheme exposed, simply shrugged.

"What I mean is... of course, personal grudges are involved!" Lin Yu said through gritted teeth, a hint of resentment in his voice.

"You..."

'

Lin Yu's generous admission left Dojima Gin speechless.

"What a youthful spirit!"

Dojima Gin sighed, his tone somewhat complicated.

"But that's good too. Young people should have the energy and spirit of youth; there's nothing wrong with that!"

"You don't look that old, but that sounds a bit old-fashioned," Lin Yu said.

Stop flattering me!

Dojima Gin chuckled and rolled his eyes at Lin Yu. "But no matter what, I'm past the age of youthful exuberance. You young people are the future of Totsuki!"

Dojima Gin's expression turned serious. He looked at Lin Yu and instructed, "Lin Yu, all the mentors, including myself, have high hopes for you...."

"Tadokoro Megumi, drop out of school!"

A completely emotionless voice suddenly came from the classroom, interrupting Dojima Gin's words.

Upon hearing the name to be pronounced, Lin Yu was immediately shocked. He didn't even bother talking to Dojima Gin, who was still halfway through his conversation, and ran back to the classroom.

"What!?"

Upon hearing the words "drop out of school," Tadokoro Megumi was struck dumb. Her limbs went weak, and she swayed unsteadily, almost collapsing on the spot. She nearly dropped the plate in her hand.

Ignoring the despairing girl before him, Kojiro Shinomiya stood up from the sofa, stretched, and complained in an extremely frustrated tone, "Honestly, they're all so awful, it's a complete waste of my time!"

"Fortunately, today's assignment is finally over..."

"Excuse me!"

Tadokoro Megumi's voice suddenly rang out, trembling uncontrollably.

Kojiro Shinomiya frowned slightly, his expression impatient. "Huh? What is it?"

Tadokoro Megumi looked at Shinomiya Kojiro, who was clearly in a bad mood, and a wave of fear surged into her heart, making her throat tighten and her legs tremble.

But her intense resentment overcame her fear, and she mustered the courage to ask, "Um... Chef Shinomiya, may I ask why?"

"Why is my cooking not working...? What could be wrong with it?"

"question?"

Shinomiya Kojiro paused for a moment, then casually tossed out a sentence.

"Oh, there's nothing wrong with your cooking."

Tadokoro Megumi was even more shocked. Overwhelmed by confusion and resentment, she mustered her courage once more to ask, "Then why...why is this happening? Why was I eliminated?"

Shinomiya Kojiro looked at the timid Tadokoro Megumi with a look of disdain, but still explained in a casual tone, "While your cooking is generally fine, your basic skills seem really mediocre to me."

"Perhaps you are not very skilled in the cooking process, or you are a bit indecisive when you start cooking. Your dish has many subtle flaws in the details."

"Although each flaw is minor and has little impact on the final dish, I can still clearly notice several flaws when they overlap."

Kojiro Shinomiya leaned closer to Megumi Michidado, revealing a cruel smile.

"Actually, your cooking is just barely passing; it wouldn't matter if you passed."

"Then why...?"

Before Tadokoro Megumi could finish her instinctive question, she was interrupted by Shinomiya Kojiro's fierce voice.

"Because I'm really annoyed!"

Megumi Tadokoro was startled by Kojiro Shinomiya's fierce expression.

Kojiro Shinomiya looked displeased and said impatiently, "I came here as a tutor with no intention of having any qualified students in my projects."

"As a result, someone interfered, which made me very unhappy."

"Therefore! Although your cooking is barely passable... since someone else has already passed, you can forget about getting this passing spot."

"Is it reasonable for me to disqualify you?"

Looking at Tadokoro Megumi, who was standing there dumbfounded, Shinomiya Kojiro curled his lip and sneered.

"Anyway, with your mild-mannered nature, you won't go far in a place like Totsuki. I might as well get rid of you early on, so you don't have any unrealistic fantasies about becoming a chef."

"I've saved you from wasting time, so thank me!"

Kojiro Shinomiya's cold laughter and words were like sharp knives, piercing straight into Megumi Tadokoro's heart.

"How could this be... how could this happen?"

Tadokoro Megumi appeared dazed, eventually muttering to herself incessantly, and even looking at Shinomiya Kojiro with a broken gaze filled with despair.

"Just because of... that reason?"

Shinomiya Kojiro glanced at Tadokoro Megumi, his tone still very condescending.

"What? You're not convinced?"

Tadokoro Megumi didn't answer, but bit her lip hard, her face showing a stubborn look.

"Ugh, what a hassle!"

Kojiro Shinomiya clicked his tongue, a look of impatience on his face that said, "This is really troublesome."

"Since that's the case, then I'll make sure you give up completely!"

"Hey, Tadokoro Megumi, right? You got a really high-quality cauliflower, didn't you?"

Tadokoro Megumi nodded subconsciously. "Yes, is there a problem?"

"hehe....."

'

Shinomiya Kojiro sneered.

"Although you tried to cover it up during the cooking process... you're still too inexperienced!" Kojiro Shinomiya raised his voice.

"If you can't appear natural enough, then this deliberate attempt to conceal something is itself a flaw!"

"The way you acted back then, thinking you were being perfect but actually full of flaws, practically screamed 'I have a problem' on your forehead!"

Kojiro Shinomiya's voice deepened, and his tone became stern.

"I mentioned this before the project started, right? This cooking session doesn't allow for communication or helping each other."

"Clearly, you did not follow the rules."

"In other words, the dish you served is a cheating dish that completely violates the rules."

"Since this dish does not conform to the rules, then it is not what I requested."

"You served a dish that didn't meet the requirements of the assignment, so of course your grade is failing! What's wrong with expelling you?"

Kojiro Shinomiya's long speech completely baffled Megumi Tadokoro.

The biggest secret was revealed at this moment, and a huge fear, like a tsunami, crashed against Tadokoro Megumi's psychological defenses.

The psychological defenses of this timid girl crumbled in an instant.

Tadokoro Megumi's mind went blank. She felt dizzy and weak, and almost collapsed.

Looking at the terrified Tadokoro Megumi, Shinomiya Kojiro sneered, "Idiot, can you accept this now?"

"Of course we can't accept that!"

A voice suddenly rang out.

The familiar voice startled Tadokoro Megumi from her dazed state. With a feeling of surprise and joy, she turned around and, sure enough, saw the familiar figure.

Lin Yu walked into the classroom, looked at Tadokoro Megumi, and nodded to her.

"Lin Yujun!"

Megumi Tadokoro couldn't quite explain how she felt when she saw Lin Yu.

However, she felt very at ease and was no longer afraid. It was as if just seeing Lin Yu's figure could give rise to some kind of power within her.

Lin Yu grabbed Tadokoro Megumi's hand, pulled her behind him, and gave her a reassuring look, though he was looking at Shinomiya Kojiro.

When Shinomiya Kojiro saw Lin Yu suddenly appear, he felt that Lin Yu's face was extremely annoying.

Neither of them spoke; their gazes were like two sharp swords, locked in a fierce, invisible battle in the air.

For a moment, the air between Lin Yu and Shinomiya Kojiro seemed to be distorted, and sparks seemed to flicker faintly.

Finally, Kojiro Shinomiya couldn't hold back any longer. His brows furrowed deeply, and he spoke first, his tone extremely impatient.

"What's up?"

Lin Yu's gaze was sharp as he questioned in a stern voice, "Chef Shigu, please allow me to say that I cannot accept the reason you have given."

Upon hearing this, Shinomiya Kojiro couldn't help but laugh out loud, as if he had heard a joke.

"Whether you accept a student or not is none of my business. What can you change?"

"But this is clearly due to unavoidable reasons, isn't it?" Lin Yu said seriously, continuing, "After all, a large amount of inferior ingredients were mixed in!"

"Besides, I remember it was mentioned in the brochure for the joint training program."

Lin Yu stared directly into Shinomiya Kojiro's eyes and slowly asked, "During the joint training and accommodation period, will the instructors treat the trainees the same way they would treat employees?"

"In that case, ensuring the quality of ingredients is a responsibility that the head chef should bear."

"But now, a large number of stale and substandard vegetables have appeared in the kitchen..."

'

Lin Yu pointed at the gloomy-faced Shinomiya Kojiro, "Isn't this your fault, Shinomiya-senpai, as the head chef?!"

"Shut up!"

Shinomiya Kojiro roared angrily.

"Who do you think you are?"

"Who do you think you are, daring to speak to me in such an accusatory tone!"

Kojiro Shinomiya roared angrily, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on and was screaming in alarm.

His expression was extremely ferocious at that moment, and his face was flushed an unnatural red.

"Let me be blunt."

"Those stale vegetables were deliberately mixed in!"

Kojiro Shinomiya gave an answer that, while somewhat absurd, was one that Lin Yu had already guessed.

Lin Yu's expression darkened. "Just as I thought..."

'

Although Lin Yu had already guessed, Shinomiya Kojiro's words still shocked and surprised Tadokoro Megumi behind him.

Even Gin Dojima, who was eavesdropping outside the classroom, was filled with confusion and astonishment after hearing Kojiro Shinomiya's words.

"That guy, Shinomiya... is getting more and more outrageous..."

'

Dojima Gin was clearly quite dissatisfied with Shinomiya Kojiro's "reckless behavior," and a hint of anger rose in his heart.