The strongest anime shop owner

Su Luo rolled her eyes, giving Aoki Daigo a look that seemed to say, "Are you an idiot?" and said, "Are you stupid or am I stupid? I don't have that much time. I'll just choose a few that I'm confident in. As for the others, I'll see if I have time! I can't work like a machine all the time, and I also have to complete the courses arranged by the academy."

"That makes sense." After hearing Su Luo's explanation, everyone thought about it and agreed. After all, no matter what, a person's energy is always limited.

“However, I plan to have another food battle tomorrow, then rest the day after tomorrow to prepare for the food battle the day after that,” Su Luo said after taking a sip of her steaming soup.

Pfft! Tomorrow? Everyone was speechless. You call that impossible to work like a machine? If you calculate it like that, plus the school's course schedule, where is there any time left? Except for the evenings.

"Is this another gamble involving dropping out of school?" Ryoko Sakaki asked, whether out of concern or something else.

"Of course not, I'm not that stupid," Su Luo said, shaking her head.

“But it seems like you don’t have anything else to gamble on besides this!” Yoshino Yuuki hit the bullseye.

"Uh! This..." After thinking for a moment, Su Luo realized that there really wasn't anything she could bet on. She had just subconsciously assumed that she had won the food battle with Mito Ikumi, so that there would be a stake. Only now did she realize that this food battle seemed to be ranked before that one.

"No, we don't have that." Su Luo scratched her head and said somewhat awkwardly.

After hearing Su Luo's words, everyone rolled their eyes and were speechless.

"So how are your preparations going?" Mrs. Wenxu asked with concern. Although it wasn't her own competition, she was still a little worried. In any case, she believed that Su Luo still had the potential to become one of the top ten. If she really became one of the top ten, it would be very good for the reputation of the dormitory. In that case, she would also have face when she went out.

"Since I've chosen this competition, I'll naturally be well-prepared!" Su Luo said confidently. Regardless of the opponent, she would take it seriously, because this wasn't just a food battle, but also a demonstration of her respect for her culinary skills and her opponent.

"Um... Su Luo." At this moment, Yoshino Yuuki, who was usually very lively, said to Su Luo apologetically, looking embarrassed and with an apologetic look in her eyes.

"Is there something you need?" Su Luo asked, knowing that Yoshino Yuuki had something to say.

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Chapter Sixty-Five: A 'Luxury' Feast for Transfer Students

"I probably won't be able to cheer you on tomorrow. I have a lot of classes to finish tomorrow," Yoshino Yuuki explained somewhat apologetically.

"Hey! I thought it was something serious! What's the big deal? You just go about your business." Su Luo waved her hand, acting as if it were no big deal. Honestly, it's just a food battle! It doesn't matter if anyone comes to support us! It's just that having someone support us makes us feel more at ease!

Seeing that many people seemed to want to say something but were too embarrassed to speak, Su Luo, being a perceptive person, naturally noticed something and said, "If you also have something to do, then don't come. I have many more food battles to attend, and you can't always accompany me. After all, you also have your own things to do."

After hearing Su Luo's words, everyone felt a little better and then spoke up. In the end, only one person was left. Don't ask me who this person is. To be honest, we can't even be friends anymore.

Alright! So it's me then, but none of that matters! Victory in the food battle is the only thing that matters.

"Oh! By the way, little brother, would you like to come and visit my research group this afternoon?" Ryoko Sakaki paused while eating, as if she had thought of something, and said to Su Luo.

"No, I have things to do this afternoon!" Su Luo only wanted to join the research group to complete the task. He didn't have time to care about these messy things. If he had time, he could go and take a look.

"Alright then!" Sakaki Ryoko had no objection to this, and said somewhat listlessly.

And so, the pleasant lunchtime came to an end while we chatted and ate. Afterwards, everyone went to do their own thing.

·······

"I used tenderloin from Wagyu beef... grade A5, of course, and aged for over a month. It will reach its peak quality in three days, which can be described as... an A5 that surpasses A5." In a luxurious office, Mito Ikumi stood in front of Erina, confidently stating, "I will do everything in my power to bring out the freshness of this top-quality meat and completely defeat the Rice Bowl Research Club and that transfer student, Su Luo!"

"...I'm really looking forward to seeing how you do." Erina said with great interest, sitting in her chair with her hands crossed and her chin resting on them.

"Hehe... I didn't expect the opportunity to come so soon." Erina turned her chair around excitedly, thinking to herself.

At this moment, Erina thought of Su Luo's disgusting dish again, and her face immediately darkened, like the prelude to a storm, so gloomy it was frightening.

That wretched poor man actually fed me such disgusting stuff; he deserves to die.

"Su Luo, let's see where you can run this time!" Thinking of Su Luo, and then of Soma's repulsive face, Erina's expression darkened further, like a steam engine inexplicably radiating sparks of anger. She gritted her teeth and said, "Yukihira Soma and Su Luo, you two transfer students, let's see how you escape my grasp this time! I will definitely expel you from Totsuki Academy. People like you should stay where people belong."

"Lady Erina, Lady Erina, something terrible has happened!" Just then, a voice came from outside, and then a person ran in, their face full of anxiety.

"Hisako, what's wrong with you? Why are you in such a hurry?" Erina was imagining Su Luo and Soma being kicked out, and couldn't help but laugh. Just then, she was interrupted by the sudden voice. She turned back to her chair, looked at the hurried Hisako, and asked curiously. Hisako had been with her for so long, and she knew her personality quite well. It was rare for her to be like this.

"Lady Erina, everyone at school is talking about you, and it's even on the front page of the school newspaper," Hisako said, panting slightly as she calmed down.

"Isn't this normal?" Erina said, feeling quite pleased with herself.

"Erina-sama, this matter is..." Hisako paused abruptly, unsure of what to say, and simply handed Erina a copy of the school newspaper, saying, "Erina-sama, please read it yourself!"

Erina took the newspaper with a puzzled look. The first page read, "[God Tongue Woman, one of the Ten Heroes, Erina Nakiri attends the transfer student food battle review and eats the transfer student's 'luxurious' meal]." The rest of the article described the meal and said that Erina ate it with great relish.

Seeing this, Erina trembled all over, a fire of anger brewing within her. She couldn't bear to read any further, grabbing the newspaper tightly, her eyes blazing with fury. She roared, "Who published this newspaper? Wait a minute, no, immediately, right now! I don't want to wait a minute longer! Blow this newspaper office up with an atomic bomb! I want them to die a horrible death!"

"Yes, I'll go right away." Seeing the extremely angry Erina, Hisako didn't dare to say anything more. After all, this was the first time she had seen Erina so terrifying, so she didn't dare to say anything and went to do it directly.

Erina could no longer bear it. In a fit of rage, she threw the newspaper away and stomped on it, gritting her teeth as she said, "Su Luo, you despicable poor man, I'll make sure you die a horrible death."

As Su Luo walked down the street, she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, as if she were being watched by a demon, and she couldn't help but shiver.

Unintentionally, Su Luo had really offended this arrogant young lady. In fact, he didn't expect that such a small matter would turn into such a big thing. He originally just wanted to tease her.

·······

Meanwhile, the newspaper caused an uproar at the school, with a large number of people discussing the matter, and many of Erina's die-hard fans even wanting to launch a food battle against Su Luo.

For some reason, the news spread throughout the entire campus in less than half a day.

The newspaper's sales were terrifyingly high, making the school newspaper very profitable and bringing the newspaper owner overjoyed. Little did he know that he was not far from hell.

Su Luo then spent her time choosing which lobster dish to make and buying ingredients. Although the system space also sold ingredients, she tried to avoid spending system coins if possible. Of course, some rarer ingredients still needed to be exchanged using the system space, since some extremely rare items simply couldn't be bought with money.

Su Luo thought the other party might make lobster sashimi, so she wouldn't choose sashimi again. Besides, sashimi is already very common in Japan, which might cause some taste fatigue unless it's made exceptionally well. After thinking about it, she decided it would be better to make it a hot dish.

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Chapter Sixty-Six: Buying Lobsters

Since we're choosing to make a hot dish, the choice of lobster is also very important. After all, with the advancement of technology, lobsters from all over the world can be sold everywhere, giving people a lot of choices.

There are many kinds of lobsters, such as Australian lobsters and Canadian lobsters. In addition to being named after their respective countries, there are also many varieties.

Su Luo ultimately chose Australian lobster. Compared to Canadian lobster, although the meat quality is not as good, the amount of meat is much greater. Most importantly, in terms of appearance, Australian lobster is definitely more graceful. It doesn't have large claws, but it has a pair of beautiful horns. Canadian lobster, on the other hand, is like a strongman. It doesn't have horns, but it has a pair of large claws. Its shell is also relatively hard, so the meat is also very firm.

Currently, Australian lobsters are being farmed. However, farmed lobsters are still farmed lobsters and can never compare to wild lobsters. Therefore, it is natural to choose wild lobsters, which are also significantly more expensive.

After choosing which type of lobster to buy, you'll naturally need to go out and select it. After all, lobsters can't be used immediately after purchase; they need to be kept in clean water for at least a day to expel the sand and gravel from their stomachs. This is a basic method for handling aquatic products; otherwise, it will affect the quality of the entire dish.

As a chef, you have to consider all these things; often, it's just a small detail that can determine whether you succeed or not.

Su Luo went to the market and randomly went to a seafood restaurant. In order to ensure the absolute freshness of the seafood, many expensive seafoods are kept in water tanks. Of course, the prices are naturally different.

I quickly found the ingredients I wanted. Although the label said "wild Australian lobster," it didn't mean that it was actually a wild lobster. So you can't trust these things when buying lobsters. You have to rely on your own eyes. Some vendors take advantage of your ignorance. If you buy it, you can only say that you were blind. You can't call the vendor a crook. After all, you've bought it. If the vendor says it's wild, then it's wild. In that case, you can't say anything.

After looking at it, Su Luo couldn't stand it any longer, so she called to the shopkeeper, "Boss, come here for a moment."

"What does this gentleman need?" The boss was a middle-aged man with a pointed face and a monkey-like appearance, who had the potential to be a shrewd businessman.

"I want to buy a wild Australian lobster," Su Luo said, looking at the lobster swimming around in the tank. She emphasized the word "wild."

"Which one do you want? Pick whichever you like." It was unclear whether the shopkeeper was playing dumb or genuinely didn't understand Su Luo's meaning.

"Boss, shouldn't we be more honest in doing business? As for the price, a higher price is fine too." Seeing that the boss wasn't going to budge, Su Luo pointed to the lobsters in the tank and said bluntly, "Do you really think these dead lobsters could be wild?"

He paused here, then added, "I am a student of Totsuki Academy."

The meaning is quite clear: your lobsters are wild? Who are you trying to fool?

Well, the boss was completely deflated. What could he do? The other person had studied this major! But regardless, he couldn't turn down business. So he said, "Come with me!"

Su Luo knew that this meant there was a way in, so she followed them into the inner room. Inside, there were many water tanks, which were the real wild ones, while the ones outside were just for fooling laymen.

Soon, Su Luo was led to the Australian lobster tank. After glancing at it, Su Luo quickly identified her target and pointed to a lobster, saying, "I want this one."

"Sir, you have excellent taste! This is the best and biggest one I have here," the shopkeeper exclaimed.

Regardless, this is indeed true. This lobster is much larger than a typical lobster. Generally speaking, Australian lobsters weigh around two to three pounds, but this lobster is a whole size larger, weighing about four pounds. Moreover, it has a bright red color, golden claws, a uniform shape, and no damage to its body. It has a small head, a large body, and a plump body. It is simply a top-quality lobster.

Su Luo simply smiled at his boss's words and remained silent. He truly hadn't expected a child to possess such insight.

"This lobster is the king of lobsters here, so the price is..." Having chosen the biggest one, I was still a little unhappy, no matter what.

“Since it’s already on display, it’s naturally for sale. It doesn’t matter if the price is a little higher. After all, the bigger the lobster, the higher the price. I understand that. Besides, the price of Australian lobsters has increased significantly in recent years.” Seeing the owner’s anxious and hesitant look, Su Luo understood and said understandingly.

"I'm so glad you understand, sir. I won't charge you too much. I originally planned to sell this lobster for 18,000 yen per catty, but I'll give you a discount and sell it to you for 14,000 yen per catty. I hope you'll patronize our shop more often in the future. Consider this a friendly gesture." Since they had already gone this far, the owner naturally wouldn't say anything more and just spoke very frankly.

Su Luo was quite satisfied with the price; 14,000 yen was roughly equivalent to 800 yuan. After all, people are increasingly enjoying life, and more and more people are buying lobsters, so the price of lobsters is naturally going to rise, and rising quite rapidly at that.

Two years ago, it sold for around 3,600 to 5,400 yen per kilogram, but now it's basically selling for 9,000 to 18,000 yen per kilogram. Of course, not all lobsters are this expensive; farmed ones are much cheaper, generally between 1,800 and 5,400 yen.

Of course, if it's a super-large wild lobster, the price is even more terrifying. For example, a few years ago, someone caught a Chinese spiny lobster weighing 5.78 jin (2.85 catties), and someone offered 80,000 RMB to buy it. Converted to Japanese yen, that's basically over 200,000 RMB per jin. If you calculate it that way, this lobster could sell for more than 2 million yen.

Therefore, this lobster is incredibly cheap compared to other lobsters.

"This lobster weighs 4.02 jin (approximately 2.6 catties), so let's say four jin (approximately 2 kg) for now. The total is 56,000 yen. I hope you'll come again next time," the owner said, scooping up the lobster, weighing it, and then proceeding to say this.

"That's for sure, as long as the boss's stuff is good, that's all that matters." Su Luo nodded and said jokingly.

"If you come, it will definitely be the best." After making such a big deal, the boss was in a much better mood and assured him.

To ensure the lobsters survive, they are packaged in a bag filled with seawater and oxygenated with an oxygen cylinder.

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Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Food War Begins

Su Luo paid for the lobsters she had chosen. As for the other ingredients, she decided to leave them for later, since they wouldn't be as fresh by the next day. It was better to buy them on the day of the food battle.

There are many ways to prepare lobster, including sashimi, deep-frying, and various other methods.

Regarding the understanding of cuisine, many people say that ordinary things cannot be high-end. However, the types of dishes and ingredients are not judged by their quality, but by the skill of a chef. A bowl of fried rice can be transformed into countless different fried eggs in the hands of a master chef. This is a fact, but it is undeniable that high-end ingredients do have an inherent advantage.

After selecting the dishes she wanted to make, Su Luo immediately began modeling practice. For relatively simple dishes, this was sufficient.

I applied for the food battle yesterday and it was approved. The time is scheduled for 10:00 AM this morning, because many people are already hungry at this time, so this is a suitable time for the food battle.

Su Luo didn't get up very early in the morning. After having breakfast with everyone, she had to go to the food battle. After all, it was already quite late. Of course, she couldn't forget to go to the market to buy fresh ingredients, which would take a lot of time. In addition, the journey to the arena would also take a considerable amount of time.

Encouraged by everyone, Su Luo, carrying the Australian lobster she bought yesterday, set off for the food battle.

After purchasing the ingredients, Su Luo immediately headed towards the competition venue.

"Did you hear about today's food battle? It's that transfer student who fed Erina a 'feast' yesterday."

"But he's really arrogant. He started a crazy challenge as soon as he arrived at the academy. I really don't know what to say."

"That despicable transfer student dared to insult my goddess, he deserves to die."

""

After yesterday, following the publication of the newspaper article about feeding Erina a "feast," Su Luo has been the focus of a huge number of people's attention. Well, not attention, but hatred. So the news that Su Luo is going to have another food battle spread very quickly, and there will probably be a lot of viewers today.

In a luxurious restaurant, Erina was having breakfast, with Hisako standing opposite her.

Hisako said, "Lady Erina, Su Luo is going to have another food battle today. Would you like to go and watch?"