The strongest anime shop owner

Even though Ye Shanliang wasn't ready yet, judging from the wonderful aroma alone, some people thought he was the most likely to win first place.

As soon as Ibuzaki Shun opened the lid, thick white smoke immediately billowed out.

"Ugh, my nose is getting itchy from this incense..."

"By the way... smoking is also a cooking method that can effectively bring out the aroma! This guy has once again turned the atmosphere of the meeting around."

When Hayao Ibuzaki was cooking, he attracted a lot of attention.

In this preliminary round, everyone gave it their all, showcasing their best skills one after another! Despite this, only 4 people remained in the end, which was a cruel reality.

"Hmm...it seems...it's actually quite interesting." Seeing this, Natsume Senpyo's interest was clearly piqued. She turned to Eizan Etsuya, who was standing nearby, and asked, "Eizan-kun, who is your favorite candidate?"

"Hmm... this... who do you think has the best chance? That's a difficult question..." No one can say for sure about these things, and for a moment, Eizan Etsu didn't give a definitive answer, simply saying, though she did have some ideas: "However, I do want to confirm that man's strength, as for the other one..."

"Hmm...where is that guy?" As Hayama Akira was working, he suddenly remembered Soma.

"How's that guy doing?" As for Mito Ikumi, since they were in the same exam room, she would naturally pay attention to Soma.

"Sleeping...asleep? You can even fall asleep in that kind of chair..." Seeing that Soma could actually fall asleep in such a situation, on a chair without a backrest, I really don't know what this guy is doing.

After seeing this, many people were speechless. What on earth is going on?

"Perfect timing!" Just when everyone thought Soma was about to give up or something, he suddenly woke up and opened the lid of the pot that was cooking.

"What...what is this aroma?" The moment Soma opened the pot lid, a rich and fragrant aroma wafted out, leaving Hayama Akira momentarily speechless, unable to find the words to describe it or what ingredients could produce such a fragrance.

"Hmm...?" The scent emanating from it made people crane their necks to get closer so they could smell it more clearly.

"Hey! Look at that pot!" After Soma opened the pot, the ingredients inside were exposed to everyone's eyes.

"It's rice... It's rice stewed with vegetables, spices, and rice... That's risotto!"

"Did the transfer student make curry... [risotto]?"

It's quite surprising that something with such a rich aroma is just risotto. More importantly, compared to other curries, curry rice is probably the most ordinary food, almost a staple for the poor.

At this moment, Soma began preparing the other parts of the meal. He went to the ingredient section to pick out a few eggs, and on his way back, he unexpectedly ran into Hayama Akira. He was clearly a little surprised, but still greeted him: "Oh... Hayama! So your cooking station is here."

"...You put mashed apples, bananas, and carrots in your pot, right? These vegetable purees produced a thickening agent, thus creating a risotto-style dish..." With Hayama Akira's exceptional nose, he had clearly smelled something.

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Chapter 167 Each Shows Their Own Methods 3

"Oh! You're amazing, you're right! Your nose is really sharp." Soma was clearly a little surprised that Ye Shanliang knew these things, but he said it casually, without any worry or other emotions.

"No, what else is hidden here to enhance the aroma? The spices are clearly not special ingredients, but what exactly is this complex fragrance?" However, as he said this, Ye Shanliang quickly refuted his previous judgment in his mind. He had obviously discovered something he didn't know.

"Oh dear, I was actually still trying it out this morning, so when I was concentrating on differentiating the flavors just now, I accidentally fell asleep. It gave me quite a fright!" Although he said this, Soma didn't seem nervous at all when he said it. Instead, he seemed to be talking about something insignificant.

"Just how bold is this guy?" After hearing this, Hayama Akira really didn't know what to say. He could only say that Soma's mentality was really good.

"But just watch closely." Although that's what he said, Soma didn't think his dishes would be ordinary: "My dishes are only just beginning!"

Venue B -

"Isshiki-kun, when are you going to come to our company? Hurry up and become mine!" In the judges' panel of the B venue, one of the judges was Chipyo Natsume's younger sister, Chipyo Orie, who was now saying to Isshiki next to her in a coquettish tone.

"Hehe, I'm still a student." In the face of Chipyo Orie's coquettish voice, Isshiki watched the arena calmly and said this.

"It's okay, even if you drop out of school right now, I'll take care of you for the rest of my life." Chipyo Orie had expected Isshiki's calm demeanor, but even so, she wouldn't give up, continuing to plead sweetly, "Okay, hurry up, you're so naughty!"

Hearing these cheesy, coquettish words, especially in this kind of setting, gave the judges goosebumps, and they all blushed.

"Well, please enjoy the dishes prepared by the lovely first-year students today." Faced with Chipyo Orie's coquettish words, Isshiki was obviously a little helpless, but she was already used to it, so she didn't react much and just said this.

"Sigh - but there are quite a few students who seem boring, for example, look - just like her." Chiyo Orie was clearly not very interested in the cooking skills of this great-auntie technology student, and even pointed out one person in particular.

The person pointed at was none other than Tadokoro Megumi. She was pounding spices, thinking to herself, "No problem, I've already practiced many times when I went back to my hometown. Just do it the way I practiced!"

However, while Tadokoro was thinking this, she accidentally knocked over the bowl. It was clear that Tadokoro was too nervous and not in the right state of mind.

In the audience, some couldn't stand it anymore and exclaimed, "Tsk! What is she doing? So clumsy!"

"Oh, these two people have the same surname. Are they twins?" Chipyo Orie flipped through the contestants' forms and immediately spotted two people with the same surname, clearly twins. After all, she was also a twin herself, so it must have felt a bit familiar.

In one corner of the stadium, Takumi Aldini was stirring the broth, with pieces of ingredients clearly visible inside. As it simmered, steam rose clearly from the pot.

"The broth is made from beef shank and chicken bones! It seems to have been roasted in the oven before being simmered."

"Yes! That's why the broth you make has such a wonderful depth of flavor."

Their productions are all exposed to the public, and the people in the audience are not the kind of people who know nothing about these things. They obviously know a lot about these things, so they all make their own comments while watching.

While the broth was simmering, Takumi Aldini began preparing the other ingredients, starting by rolling out the dough. At this time, people in the audience started making their own comments: "Oh, that's pasta! That's Italian dough! It looks a bit yellowish, doesn't it? But they must have added turmeric or something like that when they were kneading the dough."

After rolling out the dough, he sprinkled some flour on the flat dough and stacked it up to form a long mound. After doing this, Takumi Aldini held a crescent-shaped long knife in both hands and cut the dough in the blink of an eye.

"What? He cut the pasta with mezzaiuna in the blink of an eye?" Many people were astonished by Takumi Aldini's rapid movements. It seems that Takumi Aldini must have put in a lot of effort in this technique, otherwise he couldn't have achieved such speed. After all, even the simplest movements require constant practice and a lot of time to reach a certain level.

"By the way, isn't that a kitchen knife used for chopping food?"

"Their technique is amazing—they can cut the spaghetti so neatly!"

Takumi Aldini attracted a lot of attention with just this simple action. After all, both the unusual knife and the speed and skill with which he cut the food were remarkable.

"Curry with pasta! Truly befitting an Italian chef!"

"And how is things going with my brother?" After finishing these tasks, Takumi Aldini couldn't help but look towards his younger brother, Isami Aldini.

"There was a layer of tomatoes at the bottom of the pot?"

"What? What is that?"

Isami Aldini then laid a layer of prepared tomatoes in the pot, and after doing this, he began to knead the dough.

"So that's how it is—" After seeing this, Isshiki above stroked his chin, clearly knowing what he wanted to do.

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Chapter 168 Each Shows Their Own Methods 4

"Tomatoes are an indispensable vegetable in Italian cuisine... He seems quite familiar with the characteristics of tomatoes." Although Senpyo Orie is a curry tycoon, as a person of considerable status, she naturally doesn't eat ordinary dishes every day. She has a great understanding of food. It's like, even if you haven't eaten pork, you've still seen pigs run, right? Moreover, as a person of status, you definitely have to know about food. Otherwise, if you go to a restaurant and don't know what to eat, you'd seem like a nouveau riche. And this is just about food. So, don't be fooled by their glamorous appearance; being a truly high-status person is very hard work.

"Oh dear...? My brother also took out some kind of dough. It doesn't seem to be pasta. What kind of dough is it?" Seeing Isami Aldini take out a dough, he initially thought it was for making pasta like he was, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to be for making pasta. So, Takumi Aldini was very curious.

"Listen up, Isami... You need to bring the spirit to defeat me and come at me bravely!" Although he is his own younger brother, on this kind of field, he is an opponent.

“Oh! I’ll try my best—but if I win, brother, please don’t cry. You always cry the moment you lose a game.” However, Isami Aldini said this without any politeness.

“That! That was when we were in elementary school!” Upon hearing this, Takumi Aldini immediately exploded in anger. However, having such a blunt younger brother was truly a tragedy for him, especially since they had grown up together since childhood.

"Okay, let's begin." As for Yoshino Yuuki, she was full of energy. After turning on the fire, she added various spices to the frying pan.

"Mmm...! This unique, lingering aroma...!" The moment the spices were added to the pot, a distinctive scent wafted over, an aroma that seemed to cling to one's skin, making one involuntarily groan. However, she quickly guessed the source of the spice's aroma: "She's...stirring the spices with [duck fat]..."

"Her cooking is amazing...! From the broth to the fat, even the ingredients are made with duck..."

"What...what would it taste like...?"

Seeing that Yoshino Yuuki's dishes were all made with duck, it quickly piqued the interest of some people, who couldn't resist wanting to try what it tasted like when all the ingredients were made with duck.

"Interesting... Is she going to make [wild game curry]...?" Chipyo Orie rested her head on one hand, clearly showing some interest in Yoshino Yuuki's cooking when she saw this.

Yoshino Yuuki, who was making broth, obviously noticed something and looked up at the audience. She saw her roommates shouting "Well done, Yoshino!" Yoshino Yuuki gave them a big smile, looking very confident in her cooking. She was clearly no longer as nervous as she had been when she received the news that she had been selected, and was completely in the zone.

"Look at those two... they seem completely different from the others!" Dishes prepared differently always attract attention. Soon, Hisako and Alice Nakiri's different ingredients caught everyone's attention. After all, in this curry-themed competition, everyone's dishes were basically modified or created from the original recipes. Although they were completely different from the originals, the use of those ingredients was already in people's minds, so there was not much reaction. Instead, it seemed quite natural.

“Alice Nakiri… she mashed the potatoes and sifted them, and now she’s mixing in cilantro… looks like she’s making the crust for a pie, but… come to think of it, what I’m more interested in is…” The audience watched Alice Nakiri’s actions and kept analyzing, but when they saw some of the equipment next to her, they were a little puzzled: “A blast freezer and a centrifuge… a whole collection of the latest machines!”

"I can't even imagine what kind of dishes she would make! But in this respect, Erina's secretary on the small street is just as good!"

Looking at these, one of the inspectors stroked his beard and thought to himself, "When making curry, the first thing to consider is [stir-frying the spices in oil]... Using oil and heat to bring out the essential oils in the spices and thus release their aroma is the most suitable method..."

"But... after mixing the spices in the book, she poured them all into the water." It was quite surprising to see Hisako crushing several spices, mixing them together, and then pouring them directly into the pot.

"That really piques my curiosity..."

"Yes...! What exactly is her purpose?"

Hisako's action clearly attracted a lot of attention. After all, most people would process spices further, but she simply crushed all the spices and poured them into water, which inevitably aroused the curiosity of some people.

"That's quite rare, you actually used your special skill." Alice Nakiri was in the same group as Hisako, so she could see her almost instantly. Alice clearly recognized Hisako, after all, she had always wanted to defeat Erina Nakiri, and they were cousins. Alice definitely knew a lot about Hisako's life, even though Hisako was just a secretary. That was enough to ignite Alice's competitive spirit. She said to Hisako, somewhat smugly, "You're definitely in my group, so you're getting serious, right? I'm so happy."

"I just thought that since Erina was involved in running the stage as one of the Elite Ten, I should hide my weakness." Although that's what Alice Nakiri said, Hisako didn't give her any face at all. You could tell from her words how important Erina Nakiri was to her.

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Chapter 169 Black Magic and the Child Called "Demon"

"Hehehe, now's the only time you can show off." Behind Hisako, Nao Satsuka was stirring her pot, which contained pitch-black water, making it impossible to tell what she had added.

"This scene feels less like cooking and more like a description of 'black magic' or 'spells'."

"She's laughing. There probably isn't anything strange inside, right?"

Looking at the pitch-black dish in Nao Satsuka's pot, her gloomy attire, and the strange laughter that kept coming from her stirring, it was quite eerie. If this weren't a competition venue, one would think they had wandered into the wrong place. It didn't feel like cooking, but rather like a sinister witch brewing something. Although it was impossible to understand what she was making, it still attracted the attention of many people.

"Ooh ooh ooh ooh!"

While many people were looking this way, a commotion arose from the other side. Clearly, they had seen something extraordinary, which immediately drew everyone's attention.

That person was from a famous Chinese restaurant that had been open for 50 years in Yokohama Chinatown. The woman who carried on the restaurant's tradition was Miyoko Hojo. Today, she was wearing a cheongsam, and it was an old-fashioned floral cheongsam. Cheongsams can be said to be clothing that showcases a woman's charm. Such clothing that fits the body can highlight a woman's alluring figure. If you don't have a good figure, well, you shouldn't wear it out and scare people.

Wearing this outfit, Hojo Miyoko's alluring and sexy figure was immediately revealed. Since she had been wearing a school uniform before, no one could tell. Whether it was her curvaceous figure or her S-shaped curves, everything was perfectly showcased. In addition, the opening of the lower body revealed her pair of fair and slender legs. As the saying goes, beauty is in the legs. Even disregarding the food, just looking at her was enough to attract the attention of many men and make them howl like wolves. It can be seen how attractive Hojo Miyoko is now.

"Ah, I can sense someone being showered with a man's attention." Kawashima Rei, who was waiting on standby, felt a surge of jealousy rise in her heart after seeing this scene. She clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and glared angrily at the other side.

"The pot used in Chinese cooking is a metal Chinese pot, which is basically the only type of pot. Because the pot is simple, it can be swung freely to any extent – ​​iron arms, physique, which will have a great impact on the dish!!" On the judges' table, an old man saw this scene and his nose started bleeding. After looking at the pot used by Hojo Miyoko, he immediately thought of the characteristics of this pot.

"Wow! That's so exaggerated!"

"She can actually swing such a big pot around with such a calm expression!"

Seeing how Hojo Miyoko, with her petite frame, could swing such a large pot around so many times without any difficulty on her face, one can imagine that it must have taken her a long time to hone her skills.

After all, this kind of physical work is a real challenge for women. This kind of blame-shifting action is very strenuous, and most people can't do it, let alone women who are even weaker. So, the price to pay behind it must be huge.

But isn't that constant honing precisely about showcasing one's extraordinary culinary skills in this world, and demonstrating a resolute attitude that refutes the notion that women are inferior to men? With such a belief in one's heart, one has a goal to pursue, and isn't that pursuit precisely what people strive to achieve and persevere in in this world?

"Moreover, many of the spices used in Chinese cuisine are the same as those used in curry."

"Yes, it makes one really look forward to what dishes she will make."

After witnessing Miyoko Hojo's amazing performance, many people were filled with anticipation for her dishes. Her stamina, which was comparable to that of men, and her experienced wok-handling skills all demonstrated her mastery of the cookware. If all other factors were excluded and the dishes were made the same, then the difference between men and women in cooking was that the dishes made by women undoubtedly raised expectations.

"Hey, isn't that a child? I'm not mistaken, am I?"