Food Wars!: Delicious Food of the Heavens

"Have they already left?"

Just before entering the players' entrance passage, Lin Yu seemed to remember something and looked up at the VIP viewing boxes located high up in the venue.

At this moment, there was no one behind that huge glass curtain wall.

"Lin Yujun!"

As we entered the contestants' entrance passage, the members of Polaris Dormitory had already been waiting for quite some time.

"Lin Yujun, you've won!"

Yoshino Yuuki was the first to rush up and excitedly gave Lin Yu a high five. Judging from her jubilant appearance, she was even happier than if she had won the food war herself.

"Lin Yujun, well done."

Isshiki Satoshi stepped forward, revealing a gentle smile.

"We all believed you could win from the beginning, and you certainly lived up to our expectations. This is not only an honor for Lin Yujun personally, but also for everyone in the Polar Star Dormitory!"

Lin Yu chuckled lightly, "A piece of cake."

"Of course we believe in you, Lin Yujun!" Yoshino Yuuki added from the side.

"But Lin Yujun, you didn't see it. Just now in the audience, a lot of guys didn't think highly of you and were saying bad things about you. It really made me angry!"

As she said this, Yoshino Yuuki stomped her foot angrily, her face full of resentment.

But in the blink of an eye, her expression changed back to a playful grin.

"Hehe, but don't worry, you're one of us from Polaris Dormitory, how could we let you suffer! We Polaris Dormitory are the most united group!"

"We gave them a good tongue-lashing, and they were speechless!"

"But Isshiki-senpai is still the best. Facing that guy with the foul mouth, Isshiki-senpai simply revealed his Elite Ten identity, glared at him, and that blustering guy slunk away with his tail between his legs!"

"Aren't we awesome?"

Yoshino Yuuki chuckled and nudged Lin Yu's arm with her elbow, looking like she wanted praise.

"Yuuki!"

Isshiki Satoshi spoke up, "The main reason those guys were silenced was Lin Yujun's strength, not my status as one of the Ten Heroes."

As she spoke, Isshiki looked at Lin Yu with an expression of appreciation.

"Congratulations in advance, Lin Yujun."

Lin Yu asked, puzzled, "Congratulations to me?"

"Of course!"

Isshiki Satoshi smiled at him and said, "That Mito-san is quite famous among the first-year students. Now that you've defeated her, you're probably going to be a big star among the first-year students."

Lin Yu remained calm in response to Isshiki Satoshi's words, saying, "As you know, I don't care about things like fame."

"Lin Yu, don't be so old-fashioned. Young people should be more energetic!" Isshiki Satoshi tried to persuade Lin Yu.

"Although I still don't feel much, but..."

Lin Yu smiled at Isshiki Satoshi and waved his hand, "Thank you for your concern, Isshiki-senpai!"

Knowing that Iroha was genuinely concerned about him, Lin Yu was deeply touched and his mood improved considerably.

In short, thank you all for your trust and support!

Lin Yu looked at the members of the Polar Star Dormitory and said with great sincerity, "I'm very happy that you came to support me!"

"Lin Yu, I knew you could do it!"

Yukihira Soma somehow managed to squeeze to the front, a big smile on his face, and raised his fist to tap Lin Yu on the shoulder.

"How was your first Food War?" Soma Yukihira asked curiously.

"Did you feel anything special?"

Lin Yu shrugged, as if he had thought of something else, "Although I never thought I would lose from the beginning, but..."

Lin Yu pinched his chin, closed his eyes, and savored the feeling of being on the ring.

"It still feels pretty exciting!"

"Compared to practicing alone, this kind of two-person competition seems to ignite a stronger competitive spirit!"

Wow! This makes me want to try it out.

Hearing Lin Yu's words, Soma Yukihira was filled with excitement, rubbing his nose, looking eager and excited.

"I've made up my mind!"

Soma Yukihira pointed to the ceiling and shouted.

"Decid what?"

"I want to participate in the food war too!"

Soma Yukihira revealed a strange, enigmatic smile, and suddenly flicked his finger pointing at the ceiling, stopping right in front of Lin Yu.

"Lin Yu! Let's have a food battle!"

Soma Yukihira let out a "hehehe" laugh.

"Just thinking about having a thrilling food battle with a master like you makes my blood boil!"

"Lin Yu, how about it? Let's settle this once and for all!"

"I can't wait, how about today?"

Soma Yukihira's face was burning with passion, but it took him several seconds to notice that the surrounding air was deathly still.

"What's wrong?"

Soma Yukihira was somewhat confused.

Lin Yu gave a helpless wry smile. "Yukihira, it's good that you have passion, but let's take it one step at a time. This is for your own good."

With that, Lin Yu patted Yukihira Soma on the shoulder and left without looking back.

"Senior Isshiki, what does Lin Yu mean by this?"

Soma Yukihira looked at Satoshi Isshiki with a puzzled expression, hoping that Satoshi could provide an answer.

"Hehe, Yukihira-kun, although Totsuki Academy strongly supports food battles between students, formal food battles require an application to the Food Battle Management Bureau. It's not like you can just decide to hold a food battle today."

As she spoke, Isshiki looked at Lin Yu's departing figure.

"Furthermore, I think the implication behind what Lin Yujun just said might be... considering that you have only just entered Totsuki Academy and come from a small restaurant background, your basic theoretical knowledge is not yet fully developed."

"He probably wants you to study for a while first, build a solid foundation, and then challenge him to a food battle."

"Otherwise, if the difference in strength between the two sides is too great, even if you lose, it will be difficult to gain experience from the defeat."

"Oh, I see..."

Soma Yukihira scratched his head, a look of sudden realization on his face.

"I thought he just looked down on me..."

Upon hearing this, Isshiki Satoshi's smile instantly vanished. "Don't overthink it. How could Lin Yu possibly have such thoughts?"

At the end of the corridor.

"Lin Yujun".

While the Polaris Dormitory members were still chatting leisurely in the back, Tadokoro Megumi took the lead and caught up with Lin Yu.

"Lin Yujun, congratulations."

"Thank you, Xiaohui."

Lin Yu yawned. Although it was a food battle he was sure to win, the two hours of intense cooking had still taken a toll on his energy.

All he wants to do now is go back to his dorm and get a good night's sleep.

Suddenly, Lin Yu noticed that Tadokoro Megumi had been staring at him, her gaze somewhat unnatural.

"What's wrong, Xiaohui?"

"It's nothing."

Megumi Tadokoro shook her head.

"I'm just a little concerned. Was that really the reason Lin Yujun rejected Yukihira earlier?"

Lin Yu's brow twitched. "You figured it out?"

Tadokoro Megumi nodded. "It's just that this kind of answer... well, it's not really like Lin Yu-kun's style."

"Then why?" Tadokoro Megumi continued to press.

"Haha, why would I ask?"

Lin Yu smiled nonchalantly. "It's simply because I find it troublesome."

"Eh!"

Seeing Tadokoro Megumi's astonished expression, Lin Yu waved his hand and disappeared from her sight without looking back.

After returning to Polaris Dormitory, Lin Yu took the first bathroom break before everyone else came back.

First, I took a shower and had a good, relaxing bath, then I lay down in the bathtub that was already filled with hot water.

"Ah~"

Lin Yu let out a long, comfortable sigh, his whole body unconsciously going limp as he lay lazily in the bathtub, feeling all the fatigue of the day disappear.

"Ah, that feels so good!"

Just as Lin Yu finished his hot bath and lay on the bed, feeling so comfortable that he was about to fall asleep.

Suddenly, the ceiling above their heads opened, and a head popped out.

"Lin Yujun?"

"Holy crap!"

Lin Yu looked at Isshiki Satoshi lying on the ceiling and almost couldn't resist picking up the pillow next to him and throwing it at her.

"Isshiki-senpai, could you please not be so sudden next time?"

Lin Yu said through gritted teeth.

"That's really scary!"

"Really?" Isshiki Satoshi looked somewhat surprised, completely unaware of his own "surprise attack".

"If Lin Yujun really doesn't like it, then I'll be more careful next time."

"But you can't miss tonight's party; everyone's throwing it especially for you."

Since Isshiki Satoshi has said so, Lin Yu certainly can't refuse.

Lin Yu sighed, "Senior Isshiki, you go first, I'll be there soon."

"Okay, it's in the same room as last time, remember to come quickly."

With that, Isshiki closed the ceiling.

This time, Lin Yu was determined not to climb the ceiling like last time, but instead chose to take the normal stairs to reach Marui Zenji's room.

"So, couldn't you have changed rooms for your party?"

"Why did they choose my room again this time?!"

As soon as Lin Yu opened the door, he heard a desperate roar coming from inside.

"Hehe, well, Marui's room is the biggest and the cleanest!"

"How dare you bring this up!"

Upon hearing Yoshino Yuuki mention that his room was clean, Marui Zenji immediately erupted in anger.

"You guys said last time that you would clean my room after the party."

"And the result?"

"I asked you for the results!"

Faced with the aggressive Marui Zenji, everyone in the room lowered their heads in embarrassment.

Marui Zenji continued to roar in that desperate voice, "Do you know that after you left last time, I was scolded by Granny Fumio all morning the next day, and I even had to clean the whole room by myself under her supervision?"

Where were you when I was so exhausted I could barely stand up straight?

"Tell me! Where is it?"

Hearing this roar filled with tragic grandeur, everyone lowered their heads even further.

"sorry......"

After a long silence, someone whispered an apology.

"sorry."

"I'm sorry, Marui-kun."

With someone taking the lead, everyone began to apologize.

Yoshino Yuuki stood up, walked to Marui Zenji, bowed deeply, and said in a deeply apologetic tone, "I'm sorry, Marui-kun!"

"I was the one who suggested coming to your room for this gathering in the first place."

"I apologize if this has caused you any trouble. If you're still not satisfied, you can slap me a couple of times!"

Yoshino Yuuki looked intently at Marui Zenji, "I'll do anything to calm you down!"

Marui Zenji was somewhat taken aback by Yoshino Yuuki's actions. Looking at the pitiful, tearful expression on the girl's face so close to him, Marui Zenji's heart softened, and he even felt a little embarrassed.

"Okay, okay, I didn't say it was your fault!"

"It's just that... you all promised to stay and help me clean up after the party, but you all ran off... that's why I'm a little angry..."

"So now, Marui-kun, you're not going to kick us out, are you?"

"Let's just forget about it for now."

"After all, everyone is already here, and this gathering is to celebrate Lin Yu's birthday."

"Hmph, I'm not exactly a spoilsport..."

"But this is a one-time exception!"

Marui Zenji suddenly changed the subject, his expression turning serious.

"And you all have to stay and help me clean up after this party! Last time I cleaned by myself and my back almost broke."

As he spoke, Marui Zenji thumped his lower back, seemingly recalling the memory of cleaning up the mess alone, and a look of lingering fear appeared on his face.

"So... Marui-kun, you've agreed this time?"

Yoshino Yuuki opened her big eyes wide, filled with anticipation.

Marui Zenji sighed, "I agreed, but..."

"yeah!"

"I knew it! Marui-kun, you're the best person ever!"

Before Marui Zenji could finish speaking, Yoshino Yuuki jumped up happily, her cheers interrupting Marui Zenji's unfinished words.

Yoshino Yuuki skipped over to Sakaki Ryoko and hugged her tightly.

"Hehe! I knew it! Marui-kun would fall for this!"

"I just used a little trick, and it turned out exactly as I expected, haha!"

Upon hearing Yoshino Yuuki's unrestrained laughter, Marui Zenji suddenly felt like he had been tricked.

"You guys... me... oh dear~"

The words he wanted to say stuck in Marui Zenji's throat, but looking at the jubilant Yoshino Yuuki, he finally let out a long sigh.

"Marui-kun, that's just Yuuki's personality, don't take it to heart."

Isshiki Satoshi, who fell from the ceiling, patted Marui Zenji on the shoulder and offered words of comfort.

"Isshiki-senpai... eh...."

......

"To celebrate Lin Yu's victory in his first food battle since entering school, cheers!"

"Cheers!!!"

Under the guidance of the lively Yoshino Yuuki, the atmosphere in the room quickly became lively.

"Cheers to Lin Yu's victory over Mito Ikumi!"

"Cheers!!!"

The special rice fermented juice provided by Ryoko Sakaki was enjoyed by everyone amidst laughter and cheers. After clinking glasses, Yoshino Yuuki and Marui Zenji boldly tilted their heads back and drank the rice wine in one gulp.

"Ha! Haha! Rice juice, great stuff!"

After just two drinks, an unnatural blush rose on Marui Zenji's face, his speech became somewhat intermittent, and he even let out a burp.

"That's right! Rice juice is great!"

Yoshino Yuuki, who was standing nearby, also became lively. After clinking glasses with Marui Zenji, she joined him in loudly echoing his sentiments.

"Ryoko, I want more! Another cup!"

Ryoko Sakaki looked somewhat helpless, covering her face and avoiding looking at the two of them, seemingly ashamed of her embarrassment.

"You two, if you can't hold your liquor, don't start drinking so heavily!"

"He's only had a few drinks, and he's already talking nonsense while drunk."

"nonsense!"

The instant Ryoko Sakaki finished speaking, Yuuki Yoshino and Zenji Marui immediately raised their voices and shouted:

"I'm not drunk!"

Seeing their unfocused gazes, Ryoko Sakaki knew that arguing with drunk people at this time was pointless, so she could only go along with what they said.

"Okay, okay, you're not drunk!"

"Of course we're not drunk!"

With a flushed face, Yoshino Yuuki handed the cup to Sakaki Ryoko. "Ryoko, another one!"

"Okay, don't blame me if you have a headache when you wake up tomorrow."

"No way!"

At this moment, although Yoshino Yuuki was already swaying a bit, she would still subconsciously refute every word that said she was "drunk" in a defiant tone.

"Fine, whatever you want."

Resigned to her fate, Ryoko Sakaki took out a sake bottle and poured a large glass of homemade rice sake for Yuuki Yoshino.

"Me too!"

"Hehe! Rice juice, great stuff, I want more!"

Marui Zenji, who was standing nearby, also rushed over with a silly grin and handed the cup to Sakaki Ryoko.

"Marui-kun when he's drunk is so different from his usual self..."

Ryoko Sakaki also poured a large glass of sake for Zenji Marui.

"Everyone!"

Having regained her alcohol, Yoshino Yuuki raised the paper cup in her hand and walked to the center of the room. Although she swayed slightly, her small body exuded an inexplicable aura.

"Everyone!"

Yoshino Yuuki shouted again, drawing everyone's attention to herself.

"This glass of wine..."

"To everyone in Polaris Dorm, may you successfully get through this hellish dormitory training camp! Cheers!"

"Cheers!!!"

"Cheers!!!"

"Cheers to passing the joint training camp in the residential area!"

"We won't leave until we're drunk!"

A roar of cheers erupted from the crowd, filling the room with a joyful atmosphere.