Food Wars!: Delicious Food of the Heavens

Chapter 130 Voting, Victory

4

"My dish is ready!"

"A Gathering of Talents! Please enjoy!"

Lin Yu divided the vegetables from the baking pan into individual plates, arranged them in a decorative way, drizzled them with a specially prepared sauce, and presented them to the three judges.

Not only that, Lin Yu also prepared several extra portions so that everyone present could taste his cooking.

"Oh? I get some too?" Dojima Gin took the dish from Lin Yu.

Hinako Inui accepted the plate with a grin, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons. "Great! I knew Lin Yu-jun was the best! I wish you all the best in defeating Shinomiya-senpai!"

"Hey! Hinako, I heard you!"

Kojiro Shinomiya yelled at Hinako Inui, but then stared blankly at the plate of food handed to him.

"Do I have to eat too?"

Kojiro Shinomiya frowned deeply behind his glasses, and his words were even more impolite.

"You don't appreciate my kindness! Lin Yujun, if he won't eat it, give it to me! I can still eat another serving!"

Hinako Inui pouted and tried to rush up to take the plate from Lin Yu's hand, but halfway there, the tall Gin Dojima grabbed her by the back of her collar with one hand and lifted her up, hanging in the air.

Hinako Inui struggled a few times, her two short legs flapping in mid-air.

Once she realized that struggling was futile, Hinako Inui simply gave up.

"I'm sorry... Dojima-senpai, I was wrong..."

'

Don't be greedy all the time...

'

Dojima Gin reprimanded Inui Hinako before putting her down.

The moment Hinako Inui landed, she immediately breathed on Kojiro Shinomiya, as if blaming him for getting her scolded.

The culprit.

After exhaling, Hinako Inui turned her head, carefully holding her plate, and went to linger at the judges' table.

"Really not going to eat?" Lin Yu asked.

"Of course I won't eat it!"

Kojiro Shinomiya adjusted his glasses, crossed his arms, and looked disdainful.

"Sorry, I don't have the habit of eating junk food..."

"

"Hello!"

"Shinomiya, that's going too far!"

"Shinomiya-senpai is spewing nonsense again!"

Before Shinomiya Kojiro could finish speaking, Seki Morihei, Mizuhara Fuyumi, and Donato Gotoda, the three judges, protested.

Hinako Inui jumped up, glaring at Kojiro Shinomiya, and issued a strong protest.

Even Gin Dojima looked at Kojiro Shinomiya, his helpless gaze carrying a hint of reproach, as if to say:

Why do you have to say things like that?

"Tsk!"

Furious, Shinomiya Kojiro turned his head away and walked to a corner to sulk.

"Chef Shinomiya... are you some kind of [tsk tsk monster]?"

Lin Yu let out a speechless complaint, then placed the plate in his hand on Shinomiya Kojiro's cooking table.

"Xiao Hui, come here!"

Lin Yu beckoned Tadokoro Megumi to come over to him and handed her a dish with a smile.

"Here you go, Xiaohui."

"Lin Yujun, I have one too?"

"Of course!"

Touched, Tadokoro Megumi accepted the dish Lin Yu handed her, took a gentle sniff, and immediately revealed an expression of delight.

"It smells so good!"

The rich aroma made Tadokoro Megumi feel dizzy, and her body swayed uncontrollably.

A few seconds later, Tadokoro Megumi, now fully awake, saw Lin Yu looking at her with a teasing smile on his face, and she immediately blushed with embarrassment.

"Lin Yujun, you can definitely win!" Tadokoro Megumi quickly changed the subject.

"What a coincidence! I think so too."

Seeing Tadokoro Megumi blush, Lin Yu couldn't help but tease, "Looks like Megumi and I are really on the same wavelength!"

Megumi Tadokoro lowered her head, and the blush on her face instantly spread to the tips of her ears.

"Lin Yujun..."

"Haha, okay, I'm just teasing you. Xiao Hui, have a taste."

"Um."

After taking a few breaths and calming down, Tadokoro Megumi began to examine the dish in her hands.

In the center of the pristine white plate, vibrantly colored vegetable slices are soaked in rich vegetable sauce. Although the charred marks on the surface are still visible, the overall color has turned a healthy red.

Lin Yu carefully arranged the vegetable slices into a spherical shape by overlapping them alternately, and then drizzled them with a vegetable puree sauce that had been cooked and baked.

The sauce that originally covered the vegetables has now become semi-solidified, similar to the filling of an egg tart, with a slight trembling sensation, and the surface is covered with a crystal-clear crispy shell.

"So beautiful!"

Megumi Tadokoro's eyes lit up; she was almost reluctant to ruin the look.

Finally, at Lin Yu's prompting, Tadokoro Megumi mustered up her courage, gently cut off a piece with her fork, and put it in her mouth.

"Snap!"

The moment the food entered her mouth, Tadokoro Megumi heard a crisp sound.

That's the glistening, crispy shell covering the solidified sauce.

As the solidified sauce broke apart on her tongue, a magical flavor so complex it defied description exploded in Megumi Tadokoro's mouth.

Roasted peanuts, walnuts, pine nuts, and pistachios release a strong, smoky nutty aroma, mixed with a burning sensation from the flames.

Perilla, mint, fennel, basil leaves, lemon, and lime.

Several herbs and fruits combine to create a refreshing and cool aroma, with the base notes carrying the sweet and sour scent of citrus fruits.

The milk and eggs, which act as a harmonizing agent, solidify after baking, adding a wonderfully soft and smooth texture to the teeth and tongue.

That's not all!

The vegetable sauce at the bottom was equally amazing!

Tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, and onions are all strongly flavored vegetables. After being roasted over a high flame, their unique smoky and fiery aroma is absorbed into every crevice of the vegetables!

Two different sauces are applied to the top and bottom, allowing the sauce to seep into the vegetables from two directions.

The tender vegetables, after being salted and roasted at a low temperature to further concentrate their own flavor, still managed to absorb the rich sauce.

The top layer is a refreshing, cooling sauce, while the bottom layer is a flavorful, rich vegetable sauce.

In addition, there are several vegetables with different textures, such as eggplant, tomato, and zucchini in the middle.

By combining and matching these ingredients, several different flavors can be created on a small plate!

"Ah~"

Tadokoro Megumi let out a soft moan.

"What a cozy and comforting smell~"

Megumi Tadokoro tasted the "free combination of flavors" that Hayashi had arranged in the dish.

Although the dishes had a wide variety of flavors, they didn't feel out of place to her.

On the contrary, no matter what ingredients or sauces are combined, the resulting flavors are incredibly harmonious, as if everything is perfectly natural, and that these ingredients and sauces are meant to be combined this way.

This rich and harmonious feeling made Tadokoro Megumi feel incredibly warm and at ease.

At this moment, feeling as if she were floating on air, Tadokoro felt her thoughts transform into a light feather, dancing gracefully in the warm breeze and drifting away.

The wind stopped, and the feathers, following the wind's trajectory, slowly fell, sinking deep into the depths of memory.

"Xiao Hui~"

Deep in my memory, in the kitchen of my old home, there was always a gentle and quiet woman standing quietly in front of the stove.

Megumi Tadokoro subconsciously took two steps, but was surprised to find that her body had become younger.

"Mother!"

Young Megumi Tadokoro happily ran to the stove, where she was now shorter than the stove itself.

But out of curiosity, she clung to the edge of the stove, tiptoeing, greedily inhaling the aroma wafting from the pot.

The woman chuckled softly, reached out and placed her hand on Tadokoro Megumi's head, gently stroking it.

Young Megumi Tadokoro closed her eyes, revealing an expression of enjoyment.

"Xiao Hui, come here~"

The gentle woman ladled a bowl of stew from the pot, blew on it lightly, and then handed it to Tadokoro Megumi.

"Be careful not to get burned!"

"Um!"

Tadokoro Megumi nodded happily and accepted the stew the woman handed her with a smile.

The warmth traveled from the bowl to Tadokoro Megumi's hands. She scooped up a spoonful of stew, mimicking a woman's movements, gently blew on it, and put it in her mouth.

"So delicious!"

The rich and comforting flavor, carrying a heartwarming warmth, flows into the stomach and spreads throughout the body.

Tadokoro Megumi felt her whole body warm up!

"It's so warm!"

A blissful expression appeared on Tadokoro Megumi's face, and she involuntarily closed her eyes, just to fully enjoy the wonderful taste on her tongue.

"Mother!"

"When I grow up, I want to become a chef, just like my mom, and make dishes that bring happiness to people!"

Young Tadokoro Megumi excitedly hugged the woman's waist and, in her childish words, made the most earnest vow she had ever made as a child.

"Okay~"

The woman looked down at her daughter, who was clinging to her, her eyes filled with loving kindness.

The woman spoke gently as she lightly stroked her daughter's cheek.

"I believe Xiaohui can definitely do it!"

The warm atmosphere gradually dissipated, and the memories became increasingly blurry.

When Megumi Tadokoro realized she had returned to reality, a feeling of moisture quietly appeared on her face.

Megumi Tadokoro raised her hand to touch her face, and only when she felt a clear dampness on her fingertips did she realize that these were her tears.

Megumi Tadokoro cried...

Although she was crying, she was also smiling at the same time!

Tadokoro Megumi understood. This comforting smell... it was the smell of home!

"Now that both food battle contestants have finished tasting their dishes, let's begin voting."

Dojima Gin had Lin Yu and Shinomiya Kojiro stand on either side of the table, and placed an empty plate in front of each of them.

"One coin represents one ticket. If you prefer someone's dish, put the coin in your hand into the empty plate in front of the contestant."

"Voting begins now!"

Donato Gotoda, Mizuhara Fuyumi, and Seki Morihei exchanged glances and nodded in tacit agreement.

"In that case, I'll go first!"

Mizuhara Fuyumi stepped forward, holding a coin in her hand.

Lin Yu and Shinomiya Kojiro silently watched each other, their expressions unchanged.

On the contrary, Tadokoro Megumi, who was behind Lin Yu, felt a panic as she watched Mizuhara Fuyumi getting closer and closer, and nervously closed her eyes.

"I have lived in fear of dropping out of school until now."

"Until I met Lin Yujun, his gentleness and patient guidance made me feel like I was becoming a better person! Becoming more courageous!"

"But... it was me again who dragged Lin Yujun into this situation, forcing him to have to go on a food battle with a graduate, and the bet was that he would drop out of school."

"I'm afraid I can never repay this kindness..."

'

"Lin Yujun said he believes in me, that he thinks I have potential... I don't want to let him down!"

Megumi Tadokoro clasped her hands together, praying silently.

"God! Please!"

"May a miracle happen, don't let Lin Yujun drop out of school!"

"Please, a better future is just beginning, I don't want it to end now!"

"I also want... for Lin Yujun to see the day I go even further..."

Three crisp sounds rang out, and the votes were handed over.

With a feeling of unease, Tadokoro Megumi slowly opened her eyes.

Three coins were lying quietly on the plates in front of them.

Tadokoro Megumi's pupils widened suddenly, the intense surprise almost making her faint!

God!

It worked!

Lin Yujun succeeded!

Standing behind Lin Yu, Tadokoro Megumi was extremely excited, but she didn't shout out. Instead, she secretly glanced at Lin Yu's profile.

Great! Lin Yujun doesn't have to drop out of school!

Tadokoro Megumi looked away, a sweet smile on her lips, as if coated with honey.

Hehe, I don't need it either.

From now on, I can continue to stay behind Lin Yujun.

"No? Are you kidding me?!"

Kojiro Shinomiya was clearly very dissatisfied with the result. After a brief moment of surprise and astonishment, he glared at Gin Dojima and the three judges with an expression of disbelief on his face.

"What are you doing?!"

"It's simple, Shinomiya." Dojima Gin met Shinomiya Kojiro's angry gaze. "They chose the dish they liked better, that's all."

Kojiro Shinomiya sneered, clearly still unconvinced. "You guys prefer that brat's cooking? You think his cooking is better than mine?"

Sekimori and the others scratched their heads, feeling somewhat embarrassed in the face of Shinomiya Kojiro's angry glare.

"Lin Yu's cooking... how should I put it... it's just that kind of hard-to-describe flavor..."

'

"But it's definitely delicious!"

"Yes, it makes me feel so happy!"

Kojiro Shinomiya was stunned and frowned.

"What nonsense is this?"

At that moment, Gin Dojima walked up from behind and gently placed his hand on Kojiro Shinomiya's shoulder.

"Shinomiya, your cooking is delicious, but that's all it is, delicious."

"No? It's just that it tastes good?"

Shinomiya Kojiro impatiently shoved Dojima Gin's shoulder and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Dojima-senpai, what kind of riddle are you speaking in?"

"Just say what you have to say! Okay?"

Seeing the unfriendly look in Shinomiya Kojiro's eyes, Dojima Gin raised an eyebrow. "Just say it directly? Fine then."

Dojima Gin looked at Shinomiya Kojiro with a calm gaze and said in a light tone, "Shinomiya, if I'm not mistaken, you've already... stagnated, haven't you?"

Boom!

Dojima Gin's short sentence struck Shinomiya Kojiro's head like a bolt of lightning.

Having his deepest secret exposed in public, Kojiro Shinomiya felt a wave of dizziness wash over him as memories flooded back...

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