Can you handle my Hikigaya's cooking?

Ryoko: "Is that the only difference? The scent is completely different from before."

Hachiman: "This is what Professor Shiomi just said, with the roasted spices as the center, the flavors of all the ingredients blend perfectly together, right?"

Feeling a little unbelievable at Hachiman's speed of progress, Yeshan Ryo simply clapped his hands without hesitation.

"You are very strong. It took me a long time to understand this. I believe you are a good opponent, but I will win."

If Hachiman in front of him was given a little more time to grow, Yeshan Ryo might not have such confidence, but now that he can say this, it can make it come true. After all, he has been studying curry cuisine, and this time it is like he is at home, facing a guy who is sharpening his knife at the last minute. It is impossible for him to reverse all this.

Hikigaya Hachiman, although he had heard of this name, a name that shined during the school trip, but even so, he had no way out. If he was not as good as others in curry cooking, then this would be the biggest blow to him.

While I was thinking this, the last dish finally appeared.

Compared with the first two curry dishes, this one is obviously more intense. Although it looks no different from the first thick yellow curry, the constantly emitting aroma of curry leaves makes a world of difference.

At this moment, the air seemed to be filled with golden curry, which constantly eroded the sanity of everyone present. The movements of their hands were completely out of control, and when they came back to their senses, the taste of curry had already spread in their throats.

Tadokoro: "The spicy impact after taking a bite is completely different from the previous one, and the distinct flavor lasts for a long time."

Ryoko: "It's delicious. I have completely lost the ability to judge the food."

Perhaps among those present, only Hachiman could rely on his willpower to constantly drive away the instinctive urge to smell the fragrance.

In response to Ryo Hayama's words, Hachiman could only respond in his heart.

'I want to win, too.'

As the curry juice in his mouth burst, Hachiman instinctively began to sort out the ingredients that had just passed over his tongue.

But... what made him feel a little unbelievable was:

"Hayama-san, the ingredients for this dish are exactly the same as before, right? It's just that water was used instead of soup when cooking."

Although I can taste it, I have no idea why.

However, when Shiomi and Hayama Ryo heard Hachiman's answer, they were completely dumbfounded.

Because this research result was just achieved not long ago, thanks to Shiomi and Hayama Ryo's sleepless nights of practice, but it was cracked so quickly, this guy...

Ye Shanliang: "You just asked me a question, now it's my turn to ask you a question, please don't lie."

Hachiman nodded. Regardless of what question the other party asked, Hachiman himself would not lie, and after that, he would not evade.

Ryo Hayama: "Hikigaya Hachiman, are you the tongue of God? Other than that, I can't think of anyone who can taste his secret the first time."

Tansho and Ryoko were both shocked, but they had doubted this question before, but now...

Ever since they found out that he was the son of Saiba Shiroichirō, who was second among the original Ten Greatest Ones, they no longer had any doubts.

Hachiman shook his head.

"I don't have a divine tongue, nor do I have any special abilities. All I can do is evolve what I remember in my brain. If I have to say, it's just that my memory is a little better. I believe this is not difficult for you."

Ye Shanliang thought he was talking about the dishes he was good at making. It was certainly not difficult to imagine them in his mind. However, Ryoko and Tanomo Megumi who were standing next to him were speechless, and their eyes were even a little dull.

How can one evolve someone else's cooking in his or her mind after just watching it once?

Not to mention that every dish in Totsuki is extremely complicated, what's more important is that after just looking at it once, Hikigaya Hachiman can almost complete the dish in his mind 100%.

Sometimes, if two identical dishes are put together, less experienced judges may not even be able to tell which one is more delicious.

Although such a copy may never be as good as the original dish, but...Yachiwa has always copied the dishes of the legendary graduate Saibashiro Ichiro...

For Totsuki's students, this is more than enough.

Moreover, after meeting Shiroichiro again recently, he even aroused his passion. In this case...Yawata, who is constantly developing his own cuisine, seems to have no shortcomings.

The only thing I want to say is... I've been a chef for too short a time. I have too many basic skills to be considered perfect. Compared to Totsuki's elite students, I'm not even on the same level at all.

Maybe it's because he's not very smart that God has closed the window for Hikigaya Hachiman.

Ye Shanliang did not overly doubt Hachiman's answer. He just nodded and continued:

"Yes, this is the result of Run's research. In terms of taste, if there are too many mixed aromas, the taste of each spice will be weakened. This is just the opposite. Using water to dilute the taste of the soup makes this curry dish highlight the flavor of the spices."

Hachiman: "I have to say, just a slight change in the way spices are used can bring about such a drastic change in the cuisine. And if I'm not mistaken, this is just one of the points, and there are countless mysteries contained in it. Yes, you do have a natural cooking method when it comes to curry."

"In fact, when you were cooking, you never even looked at the pot. You just made a quick judgment based on the smell of each spice. You were very precise in the accuracy of each spice, and even the heat was not a problem at all. It's not an exaggeration to call you 'God's Nose'."

"I believe you have prepared for this curry question. I have to say that you are a very strong opponent, but..."

"I will win."

Not for anyone, just for yourself.

This is the first battle to prove himself, and also the first battle after parting with his father, so he will not lose.

If Ryo Hayama has a god-like nose, then even Hachiman may be able to do this. After all, people living in the restaurant already have accurate judgments about every ingredient.

Perhaps when it comes to spices alone, his mastery is not as good as Ye Shanliang's, but in terms of insight, with his eyes, nose, ears, and even any sense he can perceive, all these points added together will not necessarily lead to his defeat.

Feeling the aura emanating from the other party again, Ye Shanliang just smiled faintly. Until now, he had no way of retreat.

"I'm sorry, Hikigaya Hachiman, you're amazing."

“But when I heard the pre-selected questions, I really couldn’t help but laugh.”

"I think you have a chance of beating me, but..."

"You have absolutely no chance of winning when it comes to curry."

"During the school trip, your amazing performance even overshadowed everyone else. It is said that even Erina is not as good as you, so..."

"I, Ryo Hayama, am in Group A with you, and I am looking forward to competing against you."

"My philosophy will not change. For real food, the aroma is more important than taste and appearance. It is the aroma that makes people praise it from the first time they touch it to the time they refuse to eat it."

“The cook is the incense maker.”

"When the time comes, everything will be clear."

Chapter 79: Change of Position, Yawata's Redemption

In the Polaris Dormitory, Ryoko, who recounted everything, was obviously visibly discouraged. As for the others, it was extremely difficult to maintain the joyful atmosphere of the past when they heard that there would be such an enemy in the upcoming autumn selection.

After all, no one wants to meet such an opponent at the beginning...

Obviously, this trip to the seminar was fruitful, but if one wants to compete with Ryo Hayama, who has been researching curry, then that is simply a joke.

Not only Marui and others, but even Mito, who had been confident in himself just now, became a little discouraged.

Tanosho's true colors were revealed. For her, she was naturally happy to be able to participate in such a competition, but when she thought about facing such an opponent, she began to shake her head nervously.

Although Ryoko tried her best to comfort the girl in front of her, the fear in her heart could not be eliminated so easily. After all, after witnessing such cooking skills...

Tadokoro: “I feel a bit shocked…”

After hearing what Tansho said, Ryoko wanted to say something else, but when she came to her senses again, she found...

So why not myself?

Tansho: "There's still a month until the selection. I have to come up with a recipe that can compete with someone like Hayama Ryo. I can't catch up in a day or two..."

Faced with such a predicament, everyone's faces obviously spoke their inner thoughts, which was a great blow, but... unlike the past, Hachiman did not feel frustrated.

After all, his life is dominated by failure, and failure is definitely a common occurrence. It would be a miracle if he wins, but losing is completely within the normal range.

so..

"There's no need to put so much pressure on yourself. Whether it's Tadokoro-san, Ryoko, or you all, you're all the same."

Hachiman's words quickly drew everyone's attention.

And at this moment, Tanomo Hui's hands were tightly grasping herself.

Hachiman:

"In fact, it is very difficult to defeat an opponent like Ye Shanliang who has the best of both worlds. No, it is very difficult."

Hikigaya Hachiman is not good at comforting people. After all, he is not good at lying and he just repeated the fact. But even so, it does not mean that they have no chance.

"As challengers, we have countless opportunities. Even if we fail this time, there will be next time, and the next time. We are not the ones who should be afraid. Even if we have been dealing with Curry since childhood, we may not understand him as well as we know him intimately. It's just like human nature. Even if we have lived together since childhood, we may not become friends. It's better to say that we are the one with more advantages."

Hachiman is indeed not good at comforting people, but he is more or less good at using fallacies. After all, he once told nonsense and got scolded by his junior high school teacher.

At this time, Tansho was also a little tempted to laugh at Hachiman's tone, but he just covered his mouth and said:

"Hikigaya-san, what kind of perverse logic is this?"

Ryoko: "That's right... But you were able to maintain such confidence after eating that dish, well, I think that's good."

Mito: "After all, we may not lose until the end, so we just need to work hard until the last step."

Marui: "Hikigaya-san, do you have any good ideas?"

As if he had thought of something, Hachiman just put his hand on his chin and recalled an interesting past event:

"In fact, when I was very young, my father was too lazy and gave the responsibility of creating innovative dishes to my sister Komachi."

Tansho: "This is too scary. If it were me, I would be overwhelmed and unable to breathe."

Hachiman shook his head.

"No, that's not the case. After all, Komachi was only in the sixth grade at that time, and I was only in the first grade. But even so, we still found a good solution."

At that time, Komachi was completely overwhelmed by the double pressure of school and family. In order to reduce Komachi's burden, Yawata took the initiative to take on the task of updating the menu. What he did was to count the raw materials on the menu, and then innovate the menu by directly combining different ingredients without adding any raw materials.

You only need to understand the characteristics of the food to make the simplest innovation, which can provide customers with a brand new taste without being too difficult.

And Hachiman now wants to start from this step. Although Yeshan Ryo is indeed very precise in the use of curry, and there is even a Professor Shiomi who can help him, but...

There is no limit to cooking. Since the existing dishes cannot beat Ye Shanliang's cooking, he will create a new dish.

"As long as we can find the secret of curry that Ye Shanliang didn't find, we still have a chance to win."

"Eh?"

Not only Tanosho, but everyone in Polaris Dormitory was completely shocked by what Hachiman said.

The other party is an expert in curry, and even has a scientist who specializes in studying curry behind him. How can I catch up with his progress in just one month? It's simply impossible.

Looking at everyone's eyes, Hachiman was unusually firm:

"If you keep being afraid of your own weaknesses, you will always fail, just like me in the past, so..."

"Since I want to win, I have to do it no matter what the cost."

Hachiman, who has awakened his desire to win, seems to have become a completely different person. Although he is completely the same in his daily life, when it comes to cooking, he is no longer as casual as before, but wants to try his best to do his best.

Everyone was still a little bit incredulous about what Hachiman said, but at this moment, Granny Wenxu came out:

"That's great, Hachiman."

"As expected of you, you are Saiba Joichiro's son. No, you are you, Hikigaya Hachiman. Back then, Joichiro and Gin used such courage to expand Polaris Dormitory step by step. I didn't expect that many years later, that long-lost courage would be passed on to you."

"To be honest, I am looking forward to it. Whether we win or lose, I am looking forward to your future."

Encouraged by Granny Wenxu, everyone decided not to remain dejected and just put their hands together.

Ryoko: "Anyway, just keep going."

Marui: "Anyway, we have survived the school trip. I don't believe that Hayama Ryo can wipe us all out."

Yoshino: "Idiot, you're just setting a flag like this, but... I'm going to give it my all this time!"

Mito: "Come on, everyone."

On the other side, Isshiki Hui, who was still pretending to drink tea, just smiled faintly, and then unintentionally turned his gaze to Hachiman.

Hikigaya Hachiman, you are such an amazing person. It seems that my feeling at that time was not wrong. Perhaps your arrival will change the entire Totsuki.

...

There are still six weeks until the fall draft, and during this time almost everyone has begun to devote themselves to studying Curry.

Of course, there is one person who is rather special among them. Hachiman's original plan was to study curry on his own, and to surpass others through the understanding of books and cooking practice. But perhaps because Hachiman and Shiomi got along so well in their last chat, Shiomi actually kept asking to see Hikigaya every day, and then...Ryo Hayama had no choice but to come to Polaris Dormitory to invite Hachiman Hikigaya to be a guest there.

Although he cannot be called arrogant, but when it comes to Curry, he is very confident that no one can defeat him, perhaps not even Erina, so... he did not overly restrict Hachiman in the research institute.

When Hachiman first came to the research institute, he simply listened to Professor Shiomi's complaints. Later, due to an accidental incident, Shiomi discovered that Hachiman seemed to be very smart. With his presence, all the previous research topics were suddenly solved.

Forehead...

This doesn't seem to be a bad thing, but it is definitely not a good thing either.