The strongest anime shop owner

Soon it was 7:10 in the morning, between moon and sky...

Today is the final of the food festival. The finalists are definitely representatives of the first-year students, which also represents the level of this year's competition.

So today, the stadium was packed with spectators. Most importantly, they were almost all standing, with the distance between them no more than a fist or two. The entire stands were densely packed with people, so you couldn't see any complete figures; you could only count heads. From above, it looked like a dense swarm of ants, a sight that dazzled the eyes.

It's clear how much attention is being paid to this event, which also puts considerable pressure on the participants. However, being able to compete in such a grand arena must be quite nerve-wracking for the contestants.

"From now until the actual cooking begins, you can use the time as preparation time. Contestants, please bring your ingredients and cooking utensils into the venue." After Su Luo and the others stood on the worktable, a voice came from the loudspeaker.

At this moment, all that could be seen was a scene of chaos and uncertainty, with countless figures swirling in the air, their faces blurred and their movements unsteady. The scene was a breathtaking spectacle of countless figures, their faces etched with the weight of countless others, their movements swift and unsettling. The scene was a breathtaking spectacle of countless figures, their faces etched with the weight of countless others, their movements swift and unsettling. The scene was a scene of utter devastation and uncertainty, ...

"Oh, look at the saury those three took out!"

"The fish are all shimmering with light!"

"The luster and firmness of the fish indicate that it is of superior quality! The abundant condensation on the fish shows that it is very fresh."

"Like three blades drawn from their sheaths...! Three renowned swords about to clash and determine who prevails!!"

When Su Luo and the others took out the saury, many people expressed their opinions. The saury's silver skin shimmered and gleamed in the light, looking just like a sharp sword.

"Damn it...! They really did pick the best saury!" Mito Ikumi said resentfully after seeing how high the quality of the fish Su Luo and the others had brought out was.

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Chapter 231 Taking Position

However, Erina Nakiri's gaze was quickly drawn to something, and with a composed expression, she said, "That's—"

"The contestants seem to be ready..." Looking in the direction Erina Nakiri was looking, a familiar figure stood on the stage. He had short, soft hair, wore a formal suit, and was holding a microphone. It was none other than Isshiki Satoshi. Clearly, it was somewhat surprising that he was hosting this competition, but it was also quite reasonable: "Next, I will introduce the three judges for this competition..."

"It's Isshiki-senpai!"

"He was wearing a suit jacket; I almost didn't recognize him..."

Looking at Isshiki Satoshi standing on the stage, dressed in a sharp suit, he looked incredibly capable. Compared to his usual self, he seemed like a completely different person. His aura was absolutely that of a male god, which surprised those who had only recently met him.

"As everyone knows, our Totsuki Academy... is led by the Nakiri family's supreme commander, and it can be divided into..."

Overall Commander: Totsuki Elite Ten Council, General Affairs Department, Public Relations Department, Research Department (Nakiri International Research Association), Tourism Department (Totsuki Resort), Production Department (Food Management and Distribution), Education Department (Totsuki Academy School Corporation)

Partners in the production department (food management and distribution): Tokuzo (eggs), Kosuke (lentils), and Hisasaku (natural cheese).

Education Department (Totsuki Gakuen School Corporation): Roland Chappell, Jun Shiomi

Each department cooperates with each other to contribute to the operation of the academy... and the judges for the final are also rotated among the department heads, which is a tradition of our academy. This is the last competition of the Food Festival and the highlight of Totsuki Academy, so naturally, as is customary, we will begin with an introduction to the academy.

"The chairman of the review committee is the school's headmaster, Mr. Nakiri Senzaemon..."

The head of the Tourism Department, Senior Dojima Gin...

And one more… Let us introduce the head of the research department! Nakiri Leonora. Following her are the judges, mostly from the top tier of the academy, showing their keen interest in this matter, as it represents the pinnacle of the new students' abilities.

Tadokoro: "Wow...what a...what a beautiful person!"

Yoshino Yuuki: "Her skin is so white..."

Ryoko Sakaki: "Is she from Scandinavia? She's such a beautiful woman..."

Just as Isshiki Satoshi was introducing the last judge, a woman walked towards the judges' table. She had a flawless oval face, rosy cherry lips, and gentle, watery eyes. Her delicate features were perfectly set on her face. Her soft blonde hair was parted on both sides and styled in a simple updo. She wore a black lace-trimmed dress and a metal necklace around her neck, making her look very fashionable.

Alice Nakiri: "Oh! Mom..."

"what?"

Upon seeing such a beauty, even a woman would surely utter words of praise. However, what shocked some who were unaware of the situation was that this young and beautiful woman, who resembled a goddess, was actually Alice Nakiri's mother. Considering Alice Nakiri's past actions and then looking at the gentle and serene woman on stage, the difference seemed quite significant.

"The Nakiri National Research Association was established as a research department of Totsuki Culinary Academy. It is an academic institution that uses the latest science to create new cuisines and molecular gastronomy. She is the one who commands all of this. It is no exaggeration to describe her as a talented woman... There is such an intelligent woman." Marui, who was standing to the side, raised his eyes. As someone who was known as the "Master of Taste," he knew a lot about these things, especially a woman with such strong abilities and bubbly beauty.

"Please give a speech." As Nakiri Rui Onora walked up, Isshiki Satoshi handed her the microphone and said.

Leonora Nakiri coughed a few times, clearing her throat with a practiced air, and it actually looked quite convincing. However, the result was...: "H-Hello everyone... I... I am Leonora Nakiri... I live... in Denmark... Japan is difficult... so... so? Judges... it seems difficult... but I will try my best."

After hearing Leonora Nakiri's introduction, everyone was stunned. What the heck is going on?

"His Japanese is terrible!" This was almost the first thing the audience thought after hearing this.

"...But that makes her even cuter!" Some people thought to themselves, well, as expected, goddesses are always popular no matter what.

"So...so scary!!"

"If the contestants are all superhuman... then the judges are all monsters!"

As the audience watched the judges and contestants gradually appear, they couldn't help but think that none of those who appeared last would be easy to deal with.

"Thank you all for being here... We will now move on to the cooking stage... Please look up at the ceiling!" After introducing the judges, the competition is about to begin.

"!?!" After hearing Isshiki Satoshi's words, many people raised their heads almost instinctively and looked up at the ceiling without thinking.

"Wow! This is amazing! The ceiling has opened up!"

In the center of the ceiling, there was a rectangular window that opened up, through which one could clearly see the twinkling stars in the night sky.

"We're almost there..." Isshiki Satoshi kept staring at the open skylight and listening to these words, as if he was waiting for something.

"Oh...it's the moon!"

Soon, as everyone waited, the moon's silhouette gradually began to appear as it was seen through the skylight.

"This is the true form of the [Moon and Sky]... from the moment the moon fully appears... until the moon completes its journey through the heavens and is completely submerged!" At this moment, Isshiki Satoshi revealed the meaning behind his previous words, and also explained the rules of the competition.

With the ingredients theme decided, the judges in place, and the contestants all ready to give it their all, they're just waiting for the moon to fully appear.

"Hmph... Although this is an annual tradition, it still seems quite exaggerated." On the judges' panel, Dojima Gin leaned against the judges' table, crossed his arms, looked up at the skylight, and couldn't help but sigh.

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Chapter 230 Saury

“Soma-kun…” Tadokoro, standing to the side, clenched his hands tightly, also worried about Soma.

"There's another person about to fish for saury. Just how good is his eye? Can his saury match those three... or what?!"

Upon seeing Soma push the cart up, she immediately took a box from it, opened it, and said, "Um... that's strange! Where did the fish go?"

"!?!" Everyone was speechless after hearing Soma's ridiculous words.

"Does being the last one to appear mean you're the best? No need to be so pretentious!" Su Luo thought to herself as she watched almost all the audience members become completely captivated by Soma.

"Oh! Found it! Found it! My fish... is here!" Soma rummaged around in the box for a long time before finally pulling out a saury. The saury was covered in a beige substance, and apart from its shape, it looked exactly like a saury.

"Ugh... Ugh ugh ugh-!!? I've been waiting for so long, and this is what you show us after all that anticipation?

"Your...your knife looks really dull!!!"

What the hell is this? Looking at the fish Soma took out, I was utterly bewildered.

"What...what is that?! Is Soma doing something weird again?! Compared to the sharp blades of the other three, his saury is like a blunt knife!? Although the fish that Su Luo chose is also a bit strange, although it looks shiny, I don't know if it's just my imagination, but it feels very gentle."

"And I heard he didn't even go to the riverbank this morning."

"Does he have some special channels to get the freshest saury?"

"···"

After seeing the fish that Soma took out, many people in the audience immediately started discussing it.

"Yo! Long time no see, you guys." Soma looked at Su Luo and the others across from him, hands on his hips, and said, "Speaking of which, why is the final being held on a different night than before? The semi-finals were clearly held at noon!"

"Hmm..." Compared to Soma's relaxed demeanor, the other man seemed more relaxed and uneasy.

Looking at the scene, the ostrich-like figure seemed to be stirring and praying, but the world around him was filled with sorrow and despair. He looked around, his expression shifting, his gaze fixed on the distant, shimmering, and indistinct landscape. He felt a deep sadness, a sense of loss, and a profound sense of desolation. He was lost in thought, his gaze fixed on the distant, shimmering landscape, his expression shifting ...

"We've prepared for this, so just look forward to it!"

"Tsk... A man who lost six hundred matches, are you daydreaming? I remember some people saying the same thing every time, but the result..." Looking at Soma's arrogant appearance, Su Luo, as the younger brother, felt incredibly embarrassed. It was definitely a mistake to acknowledge each other. He immediately distanced himself from the relationship between the two and took a few steps back. He had heard that idiocy was contagious, and wondered if it was true: "Well, although I don't know what you're relying on, I think it's time for me to take this seriously. After all, this is the finals. Although I look down on the organizers, they have the nerve to ask me to participate on such a small stage, but they insist on me participating, which is really a headache! So, I'm sorry, I've already reserved first place."

Okay, after hearing what you said, I'm sure being an idiot is a contagious disease. And to add, you really are a brother, this pace is just too fast for me to keep up with.

After hearing Su Luo's words, everyone was immediately speechless.

"Seriously...?"

Meanwhile, to be honest, no one knew about this, since Su Luo had consistently performed well in the competition. Whether he was hiding his true strength was unknown. However, despite this, as his opponent, Su Luo was still very confident in his abilities.

"What a joke! You two are really arrogant. If I were in berserk mode right now, I would definitely run up and beat you up." After hearing Su Luo and Chuang Zhen's words, [the text abruptly ends here, likely due to an incomplete sentence or a formatting error].

"So that state is what you call Berserk Mode!" Soma recalled the intense heat and scalding sensation of the previous state.

"The young lady chose this name..."

"Ah, is that so..."

"Soma... Choosing the right saury will almost certainly determine the outcome of this race. And since you didn't go to the riverbank today, congratulations on coming in last place. That's something to be proud of." Faced with Soma's arrogance, Hayama Akira naturally wouldn't hold back. After saying this to Soma, he turned to Su Luo and said, "I don't think you'll be able to take first place. If you have any secret weapons, then feel free to use them."

"That's for sure..." After hearing this, Su Luo smiled mysteriously, which made everyone's hearts tremble.

"Su Luo... he really is a bit unreliable." Looking at Su Luo's strange smile, Sakaki Ryoko immediately had a bad feeling. Then, thinking about the ingredients Su Luo bought, she immediately felt uneasy.

"Can you please stop being so arrogant..." Mito Ikumi looked at Soma, who was still acting arrogantly, and she really couldn't do anything about him. He was simply beyond redemption.

"Damn it, Soma! Did he even succeed in making it?! But it looks like the saury he made is different from the one we tried. He must have found... some kind of answer, right?" Ryoko Sakaki said, stroking her chin as she looked at the saury that Soma had taken out.

perhaps···!

"Hopefully, they won't come up with anything weird or unusual."

After listening to Ryoko Sakaki's words, almost simultaneously, the same thought flashed through everyone's minds: Although Su Luo didn't directly show any strange dishes in her daily life like Soma did, thinking about the cow dung dish she made last time, it suddenly seemed unreliable. However, thinking about Joichiro, they knew that this might be a kind of heredity. Although Su Luo's expression wasn't very obvious, it was still... quite worrying.

"Damn it! You really don't know your place... It should be your honor to invite you..." Upstairs in the arena, Erina Nakiri was looking out the window. After hearing Su Luo's words, she seemed to lose her mind. She kicked the air angrily and said with her head flushed red, she was furious.

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Chapter 232 The Ultimate Battle! The Four Heavenly Kings!!

"Oh! I really like this feeling. It's so Japanese..." Leonora Nakiri said, leaning back in her chair, looking quite content.

At this moment, everyone held their breath, staring intently at the skylight. The atmosphere was extremely tense. However, the waiting time was always long. The moon moved little by little until it finally revealed its true face, round and bright, like a giant pancake hanging in the sky.

"Begin!! Cooking..." Just as the tail of the moon appeared, Senzaemon Nakiri roared with great momentum.

The moment Senzaemon Nakiri finished speaking, all the contestants immediately sprang into action, carrying out their tasks in a very organized manner without the slightest hesitation. It seemed that they had all come well-prepared.

"None of the four contestants bothered with the saury; instead, they chose to process other ingredients... Just as I expected..." Dojima Gin said, stroking his chin as he watched Su Luo and the others' actions.

"Because some unnecessary steps will definitely reduce the freshness of the fish, we must preserve its freshness as much as possible," explained Senzaemon Nakiri, who was sitting in the middle of the judges' panel.

If Su Luo heard this, she would definitely say, "Huh!? Freshness? Are you sure? What the hell is that Soma thing? Fish that's specially treated can be left out for hours without any problems, right? Are you sure this isn't just some kind of habit?"