Food Wars!: Delicious Food of the Heavens

A leaf was blown by the wind and landed on Lin Yu's face, waking him from his sleep.

"Is it getting dark?"

Looking at the dark sky and the empty campus, Lin Yu, who had slept all day, calmly took out his phone.

The information that he passed the entrance exam for the transfer student program had been sent to his mobile phone, along with the dormitory assignment.

"Pole Star Room?"

Following the map navigation, after passing through the deserted campus, at the end of a forest path, Lynch saw his destination.

A building with an old and quaint design, its exterior covered with vines.

"Even though I was mentally prepared, it was still a bit eerie to see it in person."

I went up and knocked on the door, but it wasn't the dormitory manager who opened it; it was a new friend I had just met that day.

Soma Yukihira.

"Good evening, Lin Yu!"

"Yukihira-kun?" Lin Yu raised an eyebrow. "You live in this dorm too?"

"Yes, you are too?"

Lin Yu nodded.

"Then why are you only arriving now? I thought I was late enough because I got lost, but you're even later than me."

Lin Yu was a little embarrassed. "Hehe, I fell asleep on the bench and it was already dark when I woke up."

Soma Yukihira chuckled, "Wow, you're being way too relaxed."

"Slacking off is my life motto. Didn't I tell you that during the day? Okay, let me in."

Soma Yukihira seemed to suddenly remember something and asked, "Have you made any preparations?"

Lin Yu asked, puzzled, "What preparations?"

Soma Yukihira grinned mischievously. "These are the ingredients for the dorm move-in test!"

Lin Yu suddenly realized and slapped his forehead, "I had no idea about that at all."

"Haha, me too. I only found out about this when I got to the dorm. But I improvised and made a dish with some leftover ingredients in the kitchen. I passed the test."

"Who's outside?"

An aged voice came from inside the house, interrupting their conversation.

"Grandma Wenxu".

Soma Yukihira introduced Lin Yu, "Lin Yu, this is our dormitory manager."

"Grandma Wenxu, this is Lin Yu. He is a new student who passed today's transfer student entrance exam along with me, and it seems he was also assigned to the Polar Star Dormitory."

"Good evening, Aunt Wenxu."

Knowing he was in the wrong, Lin Yu's attitude was quite proper.

"Your mouth is quite clever, though."

Noticing Lin Yu's form of address, Oomido Fumio had a fairly good first impression of him. She sized him up as he stood outside the door. "He's good-looking, but why are you so late?"

I accidentally fell asleep.

Lin Yu's honesty displeased Oomido Fumio, and when he saw Lin Yu's empty hands, he showed a look of disgust on his face.

"You're not like this red-haired kid, completely unprepared for the dorm move-in exam, are you?"

Lin Yu lowered his head in embarrassment. "Please forgive me."

Ōmiya Fumio frowned, as if it was a sign that he was about to send the person away.

Seeing the situation turning sour, Soma Yukihira quickly stepped in to defuse the situation, "Aunt Fumio, can't Lin Yu use the leftover ingredients from the kitchen to cook like I do?"

"How dare you say that?"

Fumio Oomido looked at Soma Yukihira and said, "I'll let it slide since you're a decent cook. But don't you know what's going on in the kitchen? There were only leftover ingredients, and after you used them, there's hardly anything left."

"Don't worry about that, Aunt Wenxu."

Soma Yukihira patted his chest and pointed at Lin Yu, "This guy is super amazing."

"Oh?"

"I'm not kidding, you're even better than me."

Upon hearing Soma Yukihira's words, Fumio Oomido looked at Lin Yu with curiosity.

"I've already recognized Yukihira's skills. He said you're even better than him, and I'm really looking forward to it."

"Rest assured, I will definitely not let you down."

"That sounds nice..."

"Then come in, it's windy outside."

Oomido Fumio opened the door and gestured for Lin Yu to come in.

"Don't underestimate me just because I'm an ordinary dormitory manager with mediocre cooking skills. I've tasted the dishes of many excellent chefs, so don't be fooled by my discerning palate."

"Newcomer, let me make this clear beforehand: even if you can't find enough ingredients and seasonings, I won't lower my standards. If your cooking doesn't satisfy me, then you'd better be prepared to spend the night outside in the cold wind."

Lin Yu felt a strange sense of familiarity with these words. "I think I've heard this before today?"

"What are you muttering about, kid?"

"It's nothing, just a thought." Lin Yu shook off the jumbled thoughts in his mind. "Looks like I'll have to get serious again today."

"Come on, where's the kitchen?"

Fumio Oomido led the two into the kitchen, where the aroma still lingered.

Lin Yu leaned closer to the stove and the pot, and took a deep sniff.

"Mackerel?"

"You can smell that?"

Soma Yukihira behind him looked shocked.

"As a chef, I should have that kind of sensitivity. By the way, Yukihira-kun, are you making mackerel?"

"No, it's canned mackerel."

Soma Yukihira shook his head.

"There weren't many ingredients available in the kitchen, but I found a can of mackerel. I mixed the mackerel with eggs, onions, and breadcrumbs to make a hamburger patty, and then poured on a sauce made from the canned broth and citrus vinegar to make a hamburger patty combo."

"Although it was an impromptu meal, Aunt Fumio gave it a very high rating." Soma Yukihira grinned smugly. "How about that? I'm pretty good, aren't I?"

Lin Yu gave Yukihira Soma a thumbs up, "You're very resourceful. Now, help me see if there's anything left over."

"No problem! I'm also very curious to see what kind of dishes you can make."

The two searched the kitchen thoroughly, looking through every nook and cranny, but in the end they only found two cans in a corner cabinet and a piece of bread in a corner of the cupboard.

"Your situation seems even more difficult than mine. At least I have a can of fish to use."

Soma Yukihira scratched his head, looked at the can of chickpeas and the can of tomatoes on the table, his face full of worry, and then picked up the bread and banged it on the table.

"This bread must have been forgotten in the cupboard for days. It's so hard you could use it as a hammer."

"I'm sorry, Lin Yu, I didn't know you were coming. If I had known, I would have kept half of that can of fish and eggs."

Soma Yukihira seemed a little down, as if he was genuinely feeling guilty.

Hearing Soma Yukihira's words, Lin Yu remained as calm as ever.

"Saying such discouraging things doesn't sound like you, Yukihira-kun."

Lin Yu was the one facing the assessment, but now he had to comfort Yukihira Soma instead.

"Besides, weren't you just praising me to Aunt Wenxu about how strong I am?"

Lin Yu patted his shoulder and gave him a calm smile.

"In that case, you should trust me even more! If I can't even overcome this little difficulty..."

Lin Yu looked directly into the other person's eyes. "Yukihira-kun, you're seriously underestimating me!"

Seeing the confidence in Lin Yu's eyes, the straightforward Soma Yukihira immediately put his emotions aside.

"Lin Yu, keep it up!"

"Of course!"

Lin Yu waved his hand, and Yukihira Soma stepped back to the kitchen doorway, making room for him to work.