The strongest anime shop owner

The truth is this: Every night, the loudspeaker in the room would always blare the same message: "Tadokoro-chan... are you asleep yet? You're having a lot of fun here... even though I'm all alone... there are lots of delicious dishes here... if you're not asleep yet... come over..."

Upon hearing this, Tadokoro's face darkened, and he roared inwardly, "Because if I don't participate, my senior will talk to me every few minutes..."

"You can just ignore him! He'll give up on his own... Megumi is so honest!" Looking at Tadokoro's expression, Ryoko Sakaki seemed to have figured something out and said this without giving Isshiki any face.

"Listen up, everyone! Young people living under the same roof, eating from the same pot... This is youth! This is student life!" Yise, suddenly inspired, launched into a speech as if no one else was there, his face gleaming with an inexplicable starlight. He declared with grandeur and emotion, "It was this kind of life that I moved into the dormitory... Come! Let us sing praises to this glorious boarding school life!"

Seeing this, Su Luo was speechless and didn't know what to say.

"That's alright, but could you please stop climbing up the ceiling into our room?" Sato Shoji, standing to the side, was really getting fed up with Isshiki's strange behavior. Didn't he know that scaring people can kill them? He'd probably get sick from fright one day.

“That’s right. I’m Isshiki, a second-year student. You can call me ‘Isshiki-senpai’! The rest of you are all first-year students, just like you two.” With that, Isshiki extended his hand to Soma and Su Luo, saying, “Welcome to Polaris Dormitory, Yukihira Soma-kun and Su Luo-kun.”

Su Luo and Soma both shook hands with Isshiki symbolically, as a matter of politeness.

At this point, Ryoko Sakaki took out her own homemade brew and said to Su Luo, "Little brother, would you like some?"

"Please, children shouldn't drink alcohol." As soon as Ryoko Sakaki said this, Yuuki Yoshino immediately spoke up, interrupting Ryoko Sakaki.

"Oh! It's alright! It's just a little bit." Sakaki Ryoko paid no attention to Yoshino Yuuki's advice and continued pouring wine as if she were doing something else entirely.

And so, the two started arguing.

"Seriously, is it really okay to be making such a racket so late?" Soma asked curiously.

"Of course it's related. Didn't you notice that you're surrounded by forests when you came here?" Su Luo looked at Soma with an expression that said, "Are you an idiot?"

“But, that old lady in the dormitory…” At this moment, Su Luo unconsciously remembered the fierce-looking Mrs. Wenxu who had escorted her to the dormitory when she came in.

Just as Soma was worrying about this, Mrs. Fumio's voice suddenly rang out: "Hey! You bunch of brats!!!"

Upon hearing this, Soma was immediately startled.

"There's braised crucian carp with radish in the kitchen, send someone to get it!" That's what came over the loudspeaker again.

"Mrs. Fumio, I love you!" Upon hearing this, Isshiki immediately said this.

'So you're just going to ignore it?' Soma was stunned for a moment upon hearing this answer.

After the banquet began, the atmosphere became increasingly lively. For some reason, Su Luo suddenly felt that the atmosphere was really wonderful. It was a feeling he had never experienced since his rebirth. A smile involuntarily appeared on his face, which was flushed from the rice wine.

"Come back before Mrs. Fumio boasts about the Ten Outstanding Individuals," someone instructed as they saw several people going out to serve dishes.

"What are the Ten Heroes?" Soma asked, puzzled.

"Huh! Are you serious?" Sakaki Ryoko asked doubtfully.

"You really entered Totsuki without knowing anything?" Yoshino Yuuki asked, also looking surprised.

Su Luo, standing to the side, immediately covered her face, inwardly lamenting her embarrassment, but still said, "How could you not even know something so important?"

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Chapter 45 The Contest Between Soma and Isshiki

"Then you know?" Soma asked in return.

“Of course!” Su Luo didn’t give Soma a chance to speak and said directly, “The Elite Ten Council of Totsuki Academy is a committee composed of the top ten students in the academy. Many things in Totsuki Academy are handled by the students themselves. All issues are decided after the members of the Elite Ten have discussed them. It is practically the highest decision-making body in the academy. In the academy’s organization, it is directly under the management of the Commander-in-Chief, and even the lecturers must obey the will of the Elite Ten.”

"Wow! My little brother is so amazing! He even knows this." Upon hearing this, Ryoko Sakaki immediately praised him.

But Su Luo felt that this wasn't a compliment at all. Besides, when did I become yours?

“I heard that decades ago, when all the rooms in the dormitories were full, several members of the Elite Ten emerged from the Polaris Dormitory!” Yoshino Yuuki said.

"It seems like there's still a year left, and all the spots in the Elite Ten will be filled by the Polar Star Dormitory! Mrs. Fumio can talk endlessly about this." Clearly, almost every student knows a little about this, even Tadokoro.

"I see—" Soma had no concept of these things at all, and simply said indifferently.

Suddenly, Isshiki appeared wearing only an apron, striking various poses as if showing off.

Upon seeing this, Su Luo was speechless. Seriously, do your family know about this? Are you sure you won't expose certain parts of your body? This dormitory is truly a gathering place for weirdos.

Before long, many people brought out their own dishes, such as Ibuzaki Shun's smoked cheese and three-layered pork, and Aoki Daigo's fried vegetables.

Soon, the banquet proceeded in a lively and bustling manner. People ate, drank, and made a ruckus until finally they all collapsed and fell asleep.

Currently, only Soma, Su Luo, and Isshiki remain conscious.

"Welcome again, Chuangzhen-kun and Su Luo-kun. Please take care of me in the future," Ise said with a smile to the two.

"No... I'm the one who needs your guidance!" Soma said.

"Please give me your guidance." Su Luo wasn't as pretentious as Soma, and said directly.

"Little... Su Luo, you haven't answered me yet?!" At this moment, Soma suddenly remembered something and said to Su Luo.

"What?" Su Luo asked, looking completely bewildered.

"Don't play dumb with me. I'm talking about a competition. Do you agree or not?" Soma said.

At this moment, Su Luo suddenly realized that something like that had actually happened, and said, "Now?"

“Yes!” Soma nodded.

Upon hearing this, Isshiki immediately understood what was going on and said, "If you want to have a competition, I can be a judge! I'm one of the Ten Heroes!"

"What? Isshiki-senpai, you're one of the Elite Ten?" Soma looked at Isshiki with a surprised expression.

Su Luo, who was standing to the side, already knew about the situation, so she wasn't too surprised. However, she still refused Soma's challenge, saying, "If the competition is now, then forget it."

"Why?" Soma asked, puzzled. At the same time, Isshiki, who was standing next to him, also looked puzzled.

"Because I have a food battle tomorrow, I need to prepare well, so..." At this point, Su Luo didn't need to continue.

"Food Wars? What's that?" Soma asked, looking puzzled.

"The traditional one-on-one cooking competition of Food Wars at Totsuki Culinary Arts University was designed to resolve disputes between students. It can also be used to compete with sufficient stakes, and the same applies to challenging our Elite Ten." When Su Luo said this, Isshiki was quite surprised. After hearing about Su Luo's opening ceremony, she knew this day would come, but she didn't expect it to be so soon.

"Hey! Su Luo, you're so cunning! You didn't even call me about something like this." After understanding what had happened, Soma began to complain.

Ugh! I have to call you for something like this? Su Luo was speechless and didn't know what to say.

However, at this moment, Isshiki spoke up: "Since Su Luo-kun is preparing for tomorrow's food battle, how about you have a match with me?"

"Okay!" Soma's frustration at being rejected immediately reignited, and he readily agreed: "But does that mean that if I beat Isshiki-senpai, I can become one of the Elite Ten?"

"That's impossible!" Su Luoshi said, unable to bear it any longer.

"Why?" Soma asked, puzzled.

"Because this requires a formal competition like a Food War, and the prerequisite is that you must bring something of equal value to the Elite Ten to even participate in the Food War," Su Luo explained. "So, it's impossible. You don't seem to have anything of that value right now!"

"Even if it means dropping out of school." Seeing that Soma still seemed a bit unwilling to give up, I immediately knew what he was thinking and said directly.

"Okay! I really don't have any." After thinking for a while, Soma really couldn't think of anything of value, so he had no choice but to give up.

"Don't be so discouraged! You'll definitely have your chance in the future." Isshiki patted Soma's shoulder reassuringly, then said, "But, how about a match with me? Would you like to give it a try?"

"Of course!" Soma replied decisively, his fighting spirit renewed in an instant.

"Let's make it a spring theme! As for the ingredients, it seems we only have one mackerel left, so let's split it in half! Is that alright?" Isshiki said after thinking for a moment.

“Okay!” Soma nodded and said.

"Then would it be alright if Su Luo-kun could be the referee this time?" Then, Isshiki turned around and said to Su Luo with a smile.

Su Luo was initially unwilling to take the position, but after looking at the crowd lying on the ground, she was speechless. It seemed that she was the only one still alive, so she could only nod and agree.

Having read about their duel in the original work, Su Luo felt that seeing it and experiencing it firsthand were completely different experiences. Therefore, she was very much looking forward to the dishes they prepared. At the same time, she knew that Isshiki Satoshi, one of the Ten Heroes, only wanted to see Soma's strength and wouldn't use his true abilities. However, even so, she was still very much looking forward to it.

"Alright! But you'd better make a few extra portions," Su Luo said to the two of them.

"Why?" Soma asked instinctively without even thinking.

"Because they might wake up soon, it's better to make a few extra just in case!" Su Luo said, looking at the people lying on the ground. He knew that in the original story, several people woke up after Soma finished making them. Was it really that coincidental? So he couldn't help but think how powerful the protagonist was.

Isshiki and Soma nodded thoughtfully. Since making one or two copies was the same thing, it didn't matter, so they nodded.

"Mackerel?" Soma murmured, then after a moment's thought, he quickly figured out what to do and exclaimed with great enthusiasm, "Great! Perfect timing to use the number 20 from Yukihira Restaurant's secret menu!"

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Chapter 46 Sichuan Pepper Roasted Mackerel with Cabbage Puree

After saying that, Soma pulled out the white cloth tied to his hand, tied it to his forehead, and began to prepare his own dish.

Of course, Isshiki wouldn't be left behind. After rubbing his chin a few times with his hand, he seemed to immediately think of something and followed Soma out as well.

The two quickly began preparing the dish, using the leftover mackerel as the main ingredient.

"Ugh~~" Just then, Yoshino Yuuki woke up, stretched and yawned.

At the same time, a delicious aroma wafted from the tip of her nose. Only then did she realize that Su Luo and Isshiki were cooking. She couldn't help but ask curiously, "Hmm... Did I fall asleep...? Strange? Why are Isshiki-senpai and Soma cooking?"

"Is it because I'm hungry?" Ryoko Sakaki, who had regained consciousness, asked in confusion.

"Oh! Oh! You're awake! But you've woken up just in time! They're having a cooking competition, you can all try some!" Hearing the puzzled voice, Su Luo turned around and said to them.

"...What about those two? Why? Why?" Upon hearing this news, Yoshino Yuuki immediately became interested and asked excitedly.

"I don't know either. They saw each other and started fighting without saying anything. Maybe this is what they call bromance (close friendship)!" Su Luo didn't even think before she directly mocked Yi Se and her older brother.

"Oh~~" Everyone suddenly realized and said with a meaningful look.

"Shouldn't we comment on what the senior is wearing at this time?" Yoshino Yuuki, who is usually quite lively, suddenly became interested when she saw Isshiki wearing only an apron and said this.

"It's a rare culinary showdown, it wouldn't be good to throw cold water on it..." At this moment, Ibuzaki Shun, who rarely spoke, spoke up.

"You guys know it's not good, didn't you see how gay they were?" Su Luo rolled her eyes and said irritably, but in her heart she thought, "I knew it, the people in this dorm are really weirdos."

But seriously, Su Luojun, do your family know that you're badmouthing others behind their backs?

After hearing Su Luo's words, everyone turned their heads. What was originally a thrilling duel suddenly became unbearable to watch. The scene was too beautiful to bear.

"However, you all woke up just in time. I just asked them to make a few extra portions. If you can, you should try making them too! Let's see who does it better." Su Luo said to the others, seeing that they still had some time before they finished.

"Little brother, are you concerned about me? I'm so touched!" Upon hearing this, Ryoko Sakaki immediately cupped her face in her hands, looking shy.

"I didn't!" This action made Su Luo's lips twitch. Okay! Big sister, just pretend I didn't say that, okay?

Su Luo was completely helpless when it came to this Ryoko Sakaki. In her previous life, Baidu had described Ryoko Sakaki as very kind, so what was with this scheming and ruthless side of her?

“Oh! So what if you have it? What’s there to be shy about!” Ryoko Sakaki continued.

Su Luo was speechless. "Hey, sis, where did you get the idea that I'm shy? You're not into shota, are you?"

The thought of being a shota lover, combined with Ryoko Sakaki's personality, makes her seem just like Bianchi from Katekyo Hitman Reborn!