Can you handle my Hikigaya's cooking?

Hachiman didn't ask too much about his father's past memories. He could feel that the so-called collision between 'Saiha' and 'Hikigaya' probably happened in the past.

Time passed quickly and the atmosphere was pretty good, but as night fell, everyone started to return to the dormitory to rest.

After all, these few days of training had completely exhausted everyone's physical strength, and they finally got a chance to rest now. Marui, in particular, seemed to have really reached his limit, and with the arrival of night, he soon fell asleep.

However, Hachiman, who always wanted to rest early, couldn't fall asleep at this time. After all, his father's sudden appearance and all kinds of things he had never heard of piled up at the same time, so he chose to sit up from the warm bed.

"Dad."

"Hachiman, long time no see, does Gin look healthy?"

As if he had already anticipated that Hachiman would come to find him, Shiroichiro just stood on the balcony, quietly looking at the moonlight.

"Idiot, at least take care of your son first. Senior Dojima Gin seems to be a good guy, but if I say that he has looked for you before, do you know?"

"Well, you never needed me to worry about you since you were little. Now, it's true. As for that kind of thing, we will meet each other if we are destined to. Why bother about it too much?"

"Yes Yes Yes..."

Hachiman didn't want to interfere too much in his father's past, so he just mentioned it briefly.

Chapter 74: Father and son duel, you can't lose face for your father

However, although it was not easy to interfere in the past, Hachiman would never stand still regarding his own affairs. After all, this matter had been kept secret from him for nearly a decade, and it was not just a good thing like having a wealthy family, but a series of extremely complicated things, so...

When it is time to ask clearly, you must ask clearly, and the same applies to Hikigaya Hachiman.

But before that, he had to figure out why he chose this school out of so many. What exactly is Totsuki to his father, Shiroichiro? What is Polaris Dormitory? And what about food? For his father, he was already at the same level as his former senior, Gin Dojima, but what did he get?

After all, he is his son. The moment their eyes met, Shiroichiro seemed to notice Hachiman's doubts. He simply waved at Hachiman, motioning him to come over.

Under the bright moonlight, even though there were no lights on in the room, it was still so bright. Standing here with his son, perhaps Shiroichiro would miss the days of his youth.

Hachiman: "Dad, what is Totsuki to you?"

Up to now, there are only two people that Hachiman can directly raise troubles to without having to think too much, one is his sister, and the other is his father. Because of the bond called "family affection", no matter how troublesome the questions he raises are, the other party will not have any strange thoughts.

Yes, in response to this question, Shiroichiro just smiled faintly:

“Totsuki Academy is a very remarkable place. Every year, there are outstanding students who enter the culinary world and leave a very rich mark on culinary history.”

"What about the Polaris Dormitory? What kind of place is this dormitory where my father once lived to you?"

"It's very interesting. Everyone can delve into their own cooking and strengthen their own field as much as they want."

It always felt like they were all very official questions, which obviously could not satisfy Hikigaya's doubts. When Hachiman wanted to continue asking questions, Shiroichiro took the lead.

"Hachiman, what is cooking to you?"

Hachiman had thought about this question before, but if he deceived himself into thinking that cooking was something that he must not let down in this life, then I'm sorry, Hikigaya Hachiman was definitely not that great. Perhaps even now, cooking was just an optional thing, and he just happened to take a trip down this path in life.

"A skill to make a living." Without any emotion, he answered Shiroichiro's question in this way.

Shiroichiro didn't seem surprised by this answer. After all, he was his son, and he knew him very well in terms of personality and other aspects. However...

"Hachiman, I actually know what you are thinking. After all, I raised you myself. Although it seems unreliable, I am truly troubled by your thoughts and feelings."

"This guy, it turns out he knows how unreliable he is..."

Because it was not the time for him to complain, Hachiman's expression did not change at all. He just looked at Shiroichiro, as if waiting for him to give him an answer.

Chengyilang sighed slightly:

"The thing you've always been looking for, the real thing."

"That is something that cannot exist in this world. Perhaps you will use various excuses to comfort yourself. After all, this world is extremely bad, so it is normal that it does not exist. However... I want to tell you that what you want is not completely non-existent. It just appears in this world in a different form."

“Cooking is an art. In the process of constantly studying cooking, in a school where cooking is everything, every student tells their own experiences and life through their own cooking stories. That world without any deception or hypocrisy is here.”

From the very beginning, Shiroichiro knew that Hachiman had never pinned his hopes on anything, even now. After all, cooking might be everything to him, but it was not everything to his son. So compared to Komachi, he was actually more worried about Hachiman.

It doesn't matter if he becomes a great chef or even gets expelled from school. After all, Shiroichiro's goal was not to achieve that goal from the beginning.

Listening to his father's words, Hachiman was a little stunned. After all, he had never revealed the so-called "real thing" to anyone since he was a child, and even his father was not surprised. But now, he dragged all of this out.

Hachiman: "So, you just want me to find the so-called 'real thing' here?"

Joichiro: "No, it doesn't matter what you find, as long as it's what you want, that's fine."

Perhaps it was the first time that he truly got to know his unreliable father, Shiroichiro, and Hachiman's words came to a halt, not knowing what to say.

Taking a deep breath, Hachiman was no longer as casual as before, and even when facing his father, Shiroichiro, his eyes became sharp.

"Dad, what does cooking mean to you?"

Faced with this extremely serious question, Shiroichiro smiled calmly.

He once enjoyed treatment above the crown, a status above everyone else, but in the end, because of his own choices, he fell to the level of a wandering chef. In the end, he had a son and a daughter, abandoned his past cooking stories, and started a new chapter in his life.

However, life is not over yet, and it would be a pity to end it here. So if I have to say, the relationship between Shiroichiro and food seems to be entangled for half a lifetime, and has become a part of life that cannot be abandoned. It can be said...

"life."

If he loses his food, he will not die, but from then on, his life will lose its true soul.

For him, it was just a skill to make a living, but for his father, it was comparable to his life. Even though they had lived together under the same roof for so long, it was the first time that Hachiman felt the heaviness brought by Shiroichiro's words.

"Hachiman, maybe you don't understand it now. After all, you are just students. But for a real chef, denying her cooking is equivalent to denying your own life."

"It's just as I expected. No, it's even better than I expected. You have a strong insight and are excellent in every aspect. This is of course related to your past experiences. However, even so, you still lack the most important point."

"Because you have always regarded cooking as something that is dispensable, so in a contest of absolute strength, that will will become the key to your failure."

"If you don't understand what cooking means to you, then one day, you will fail completely, even losing everything you have now. And sooner or later, the pursuit of the 'real thing' will only lead to results that you cannot accept."

Although Shiroichiro did not state the words explicitly, it was not difficult for Hachiman to understand.

If you want to pursue your own "real thing", then continue on this path. This is the choice given by your father.

Hachiman: "Now, you should tell me what's going on with Saibo, right?"

After a brief thought, Hachiman decided to bring up this question. After all, in his past life, he had never heard of the word "Saiha". Whether it was his father's name, his own name, Komachi's name, or even the name of the restaurant, they were all named after "Hikigaya". If he were asked to change his name now, he would not be willing to do so anyway. After all, even if it was a name, it would become emotional after being used too much, and...

I'm used to being called a nickname with this name.

However, in response to Hachiman's question, Joichiro just shook his head:

"I don't want to tell you so soon. Maybe it will be a very strong test for you and Komachi at that time. If you continue on this path, you will know it sooner or later. By that time, it will be too late for me to explain it."

"He is indeed an unreliable guy!"

Even if it was his own father, since he didn't want to say it, Hachiman wouldn't force anything, but...

He can choose not to talk about anything, but he must explain the matters concerning his younger sister, Komachi. Of course, this is also Hachiman's bottom line, and it is definitely not because of his sister complex.

As if he had already guessed what Hachiman was thinking, Joichiro just patted him on the shoulder and said calmly:

"Don't worry, Komachi is fine now. She did well in the high school entrance exam. I'm not willing to let her enter Totsuki based on her scores, but... that guy has made his own choice. I guess he will come to this academy to report as a freshman after the autumn selection."

Hearing this good news, Hachiman also showed a long-lost smile on his face. After all, there was a possibility that Komachi came because of him, which was enough to make him happy for the whole day. As for the autumn selection...

"what is that??"

"Only those who are selected by the top ten are eligible to participate in the exams held every autumn to select elites. Of course, if you can't even pass the autumn selection, it would be too bad..."

"Come on, I'm not the second in the original top ten. I know my own level very well."

"Then please hold on until you get to Komachi."

"Of course!"

Under the moonlight, the conversation between the father and son became more and more comfortable. After all, they had said what they needed to say and asked what they needed to ask. As for the next topic, it seemed a little more relaxed.

Time passed quickly, and if you didn't pay attention, a whole day would have gone by in the blink of an eye. The two of them were chatting happily, but when they were about to take a break, Shiroichiro blocked Hachiman's way back.

"Son, do you want to have a competition?"

"Idiot, go and bully others but don't bully me. I'm just a little chef who has been here for less than a month, and you, Old Deng, have been a chef for decades. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at if this gets out?"

Although Hachiman said this, he didn't object to the opportunity to spar with his father, Shiroichiro.

Perhaps it was because he was pessimistic in nature, or perhaps it was because he witnessed his sister fail 490 times, but Hachiman had no desire to win from the beginning.

only...

Joichiro: "Come to think of it, this is the first time I'm sparring with you, Hachiman. After all, you didn't even know how to hold a knife before. Well, relax, failure is normal. After all, Komachi has lost 490 times. But... remember, only with the desire to win and the study of cooking can you move forward."

"Tomorrow at 8 o'clock, in the kitchen, I will find Wen Xu to be our referee. Then, give it a try, Hachiman."

...

The next morning, we arrived as promised.

Compared to Hachiman's sleepy eyes, Shiroichiro's eyes were shining and he was obviously very energetic.

Facing his son, Shiroichiro just nodded slightly:

"Hachiman, you still can't learn to wake up early."

That gentle smile carried an extremely confident expression, even though he was facing Shiroichiro, his father. But when he walked into the kitchen, it was completely different. The two of them seemed to be separated from all relationships... completely lost all previous ties.

If you don't know about your father's past, then he is just a small chef in Hotel Hikigaya, and the food he makes is very close to life, and there is nothing new and refreshing, but...

After learning that this former Totsuki graduate, the runner-up among the Ten Elite, was his father, Hachiman's mood changed once again.

Perhaps now is just as my father said, in cooking, all relationships will exist as real objects. After all, no matter whether it is identity, status, power, or money, everything has lost its value at this moment. Only when the food is satisfactory to people and opponents can it be called a victory. This kind of confrontation without any lies and hypocrisy may only be achieved by cooking.

Joichiro: "Judges, you may begin."

"We?"

If we follow what we said yesterday, Granny Wenxu should be the only judge today. After all, everyone who participated in the school trip should be very tired, and because they had so much fun last night, getting up early is simply a fantasy. However...

Hachiman really underestimated these people's admiration for his father. The gossip that was just revealed last night has already filled the audience today... The so-called judges are usually an odd number, around three to five, but today... is a bit of an exception.

Marui, Ibusaki, Yoshino, Ryoko, Isshiki, Tadokoro, Mito and Granny Wenxu, a total of eight...

No, to put it simply, everyone is awake.

Hachiman: "Something's not right..."

Marui: "Hikigaya, you don't understand. As a kid who has been eating at other people's houses since childhood, you have no idea how tempting Mr. Shiroichiro's food is to us."

Ryoko: "Yeah... I'll cheer for you, Hikigaya!"

Isshiki: "Haha, both of you should keep up the good work."

Tadokoro: "Hikigaya-san, come on..."

Hachiman: "I still feel like something is wrong..."

In response to this unexpected event, Shiroichiro quickly changed his strategy. In the past, the side with more people won, but this time it was different... Each judge used a scoring system, with 10 points as the full score to calculate the total score. In this way... the possibility of a draw would become very small.

Granny Wenxu: "Well, since it's breakfast, let's focus on noodles."

Joichiro: "Hachiman, are you ready? I hope you don't lose 490 times from now on like Komachi."

Hachiman: "That's impossible. After all, if I lose too many times, I will just give up."

Tansho: "It's not right to treat it in such a negative way, but... after all, the one I'm facing is the runner-up of the former Ten Greatest..."

Ryoko: "Well, it's very Hikigaya-style, but... Mr. Joichiro is the same..."

There was no excessive nonsense, after all, everyone was getting impatient.

Just with a command from Granny Wenxu, this competition without too many rules began.

For a top chef, it is absolutely not possible to directly use ready-made noodles. The two seemed to have thought of this at the same time. They just picked up the flour beside and started kneading it. However, in terms of technique, Hachiman was still far behind. After just one round, he was much worse than Shiroichiro in both speed and quality.

Because there are eight judges, plus the other judges' portions, that means nine servings of noodles have to be made at one time. This workload is not a big deal for Shiroichiro, but it is a bit difficult for Hachiman.

Unlike the school trip, although there are no time restrictions, it is the same dish after all, and if there is a slight deviation, the taste will also be different.

Fortunately, this is Hachiman's strong point. When it comes to careful calculations, his eyes seem to be able to see through everything and he does not make any mistakes.

Under such circumstances, Hachiman still chose to observe his father while carrying out his own actions. Because he was fighting against his father, the cooking recipes he had learned from his father were not very useful.

However, if you think that Hachiman is helpless in this situation, you would be underestimating what he has learned during this period.

On the other hand, there was nothing strange about Shiroichiro's actions. Looking at him, he didn't seem to be doing anything weird. He was simply using broth, smoked barbecued pork, pickled bamboo shoots and other ingredients to make a ramen that couldn't be more ordinary.

'What kind of plane...'

No matter how you look at it, there is nothing strange about it. Soft-boiled eggs, seaweed, red ginger and chives, isn't this the ramen they usually eat? Seeing this scene, even the judges were a little dumbfounded.

You know, ramen is a strange dish.