Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　The judges all turned their attention to the dishes as soon as they were served.

　"An advanced version of medicinal steamed chicken?"

　Reaching out, Kakuzaki unwrapped the tin foil and looked at the lotus leaves underneath. He muttered to himself as he used chopsticks to separate the lotus leaves.

　In an instant, the previously subtle fragrance of lotus leaves spread in all directions, and the rich aroma of steamed chicken entered her nostrils.

　"The fragrance of lotus leaves is as beautiful as the prelude to a piece of music, gently brushing past the tip of the nose, bringing a touch of natural charm and the coolness of summer."

　Sniffing, Kakuzaki Taki closed his eyes. The delicate fragrance intertwined with the savory taste of the chicken, creating a unique aroma.

　At this moment, she felt as if she were by a lotus pond in the early morning, feeling the gentle breeze on her face and the lotus leaves swaying softly.

　Immediately afterwards, the aroma of the medicinal herbs slowly rose, like the main melody of a piece of music, melodious and profound.

　The aromas of medicinal herbs such as Codonopsis pilosula, red dates, and Angelica sinensis intertwine, layer upon layer, to create a rich and harmonious medicinal fragrance.

　It made her body feel slightly warm.

　"Because it is cooked by steaming, the steamed chicken has a firmer and more delicate texture than other methods. With every bite, you can feel the freshness and chewiness of the chicken."

　Furthermore, the honey and lemon juice added during marinating give the chicken a sweet and refreshing flavor, making the overall taste of the dish more complex.

　Hinako Inui spoke with a satisfied expression, saying that compared to cooking methods such as stir-frying, deep-frying, and grilling, steaming can retain more juice and flavor.

　This cooking method brings out the original flavor of the ingredients. It can be said that the fresher the ingredients, the more suitable they are for steaming.

　"The ingenious combination of lotus leaves and tin foil not only preserves the fragrance of lotus leaves but also locks in the freshness of the chicken, making the flavor of the whole dish richer and longer-lasting."

　Licking the chicken fat residue off her fingers, Kikuchi Sonoka's expression lit up with joy; the wonderful taste was truly delightful!

　"And this sauce dish, the main ingredients should be made from Sichuan peppercorn oil and garlic sauce, right?"

　With its rich flavor, a perfect blend of spiciness and aroma, it's an absolutely delicious combination with chicken!

　Beside her, Fuyumi Mizuhara's voice rang out. Compared to the plain chicken, she preferred to eat it with dipping sauce. One bite was incredibly satisfying!

　"My dish is now ready. Please enjoy it, judges."

　Just as everyone was enjoying themselves, Hisako Shinto walked over from a short distance away and distributed the carefully prepared dishes to the judges, her face full of confidence.

　"This looks pretty good too, with a rich and fragrant aroma. It even smells better than the previous one. This flavor is simply amazing!"

　Sniffing, Kakuzaki Taki's voice held a hint of doubt. Logically, their steps were exactly the same, and Mimasaka Subaru even added his own ingredients; this dish should have been perfectly prepared.

　It's made by crushing dough.

　But now, something seems a little off.

　"Fei Sha..."

　In the audience, watching the medicinal steamed chicken projected on the big screen in the sky, it looked almost exactly like the one from Mimasaka Subaru, only a bit more yellow.

　Miyoko Hojo placed her hand on her chest, feeling the rapid rise and fall of her heartbeat, a hint of something unreadable in her eyes.

　An hour before the match started, Hisako Shinto suddenly found her and insisted that she come to watch the match, promising to tell her the correct answer.

　Since they were both students under Bai Yuan, their relationship was not bad. However, because they wanted to get more attention from their teacher, they had a feeling of being both rivals and friends.

　Miyoko Hojo knew that the other party wanted to avenge her, so they brought her here to witness it firsthand. However, if the revenge was successful under these circumstances, she would be even more unwilling to accept it.

　After all, her strength and Hisako Shinoto's are roughly equal; Shinoto is slightly stronger, but only by a limited margin. Their usual food battles are about 40/60 in terms of outcome.

　"Your unmodified steamed chicken with medicinal herbs has no chance of beating my advanced version of steamed chicken with medicinal herbs. If I were you, I would have given up the moment I started improving the dish!"

　Looking at Hisako Aragaki, who seemed completely at ease, Subaru Mimasaka suddenly had a bad feeling.

　But he quickly suppressed his anger and instead spoke in a playful, provocative tone, trying to test her sincerity through words.

　"If you were really that confident, you wouldn't be babbling on here now."

　To his surprise, Hisako Shinto only glanced at him before speaking in a disdainful tone. Her contemptuous look made him clench his fists involuntarily.

　"Hmph, I hope you can still be stubborn later."

　After saying this, Subaru Mimasaka stopped trying to embarrass himself and turned his gaze to the judges who were unpacking lotus leaves, awaiting their evaluation.

　In his view, from the moment Hisako Niito chose to keep things as they were and make no adjustments, the opponent had already lost completely.

　If his improved and more delicious dish still can't beat Hisako Shinto's original dish, then he can only suspect that the competition is rigged.

　Seeing the judges devouring the medicinal steamed chicken without even taking the time to offer their evaluations, a look of astonishment appeared on Mimasaka Subaru's face.

　Were these guys really that crazy about eating his food?!

　"Bang bang bang."

　As a series of sounds rang out, Subaru Mimasaka stiffly turned his head and found that the judges had all pressed the buttons in front of them.

　Then Hisako Shinto's name appeared on the big screen, which made him angry, followed by intense dissatisfaction.

　It wasn't just because the score was 5-0, but more so because his improved dish actually lost!

　"I feel I need an explanation for why my improved, more delicious dish is still inferior to this guy's original!"

　Subaru Mimasaka slammed his hand on the table, unable to accept it. He glared angrily at the judges, especially Gin Dojima, who was the first to press the button.

　"Does this need any explanation? Of course, it's because Hisako Shinoto's cooking is more delicious."

　Dojima Gin gave Mimasaka Subaru a strange look. Isn't the way to win a cooking competition simply whichever side's dish is more delicious?

　"I..."

　Such blunt words, coupled with the look of disbelief in the other person's eyes, made Subaru Mimasaka pause for a moment, then grit his teeth: "Just how good is it?"

　"You'll know once you try it."

　Dojima Gin thought for a moment, then pushed the remaining medicinal steamed chicken in front of Mimasaka Subaru, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.

　He deliberately saved a chicken leg to enjoy at the end, but judging from the other party's expression, the only way to truly win him over would probably be to eat Hisako Shinto's cooking.

　The difference between the two dishes was too obvious to be made up for by simple imitation, so they did not hesitate and chose Hisako Aragaki.

　"You'll know once you try it..."

　A hint of doubt arose in Mimasaka Subaru's mind, but his hands continued to move. He reached out and tore off the chicken leg that Dojima Gin valued most. He first brought it to his nose to smell it, and then took a big bite.

　Rich gravy, tender chicken, unique aroma of herbs, and the fragrance of lotus leaves—a symphony of flavors unfolds in your mouth, a true feast for the senses!

　If there's one major difference between the two, it's probably that Hisako Aragaki's cooking blends flavors seamlessly, multiplying them, while his cooking simply adds ingredients, adding more to the dish.

　The difference here is enormous.

　For example, Hisako Shinto's cooking has reached the level of a top-grade dish, while his cooking is only at the peak of a first-grade dish.

　He closed his eyes, and a hen with long feathers spread its wings in front of him, like a phoenix spreading its wings, looking very majestic and domineering!

　"You are too confident and think too little of others. Your arrogance is the key to your defeat, Mimasaka Subaru."

　Looking at Mimasaka Subaru, who had lowered his hands and no longer voiced his objections, Hisako Shinoto said coldly.

　This guy relied on his ability to track and copy other people's dishes, so he never took his opponents seriously. This mentality was the key to his defeat.

　Am I too proud?

　Hearing Hisako Niito's words and looking at the score on the big screen, Subaru Mimasaka murmured to himself...

　His words were filled with resentment.

　I originally thought I could sweep all the way up until I won the number one spot, enter Master Bai Yuan's field of vision, and become his disciple.

　But now, it seems he will be stopped in the quarterfinals, as his opponent's strength is somewhat beyond his expectations.

　Even though I didn't make any mistakes, why is there such a big difference?

　A look of confusion flashed in Subaru Mimasaka's eyes, and then he walked toward the contestant passage like a walking corpse, disappearing from everyone's sight in no time.

　Hisako Shinto breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this. They had finally won, and she had not disappointed Erina-sama's expectations, nor had she disappointed Hakubuchi's expectations!

　Thinking of this, Hisako Shinto turned her gaze to the audience seats and immediately spotted Shiroyuki in the crowd, giving him a bright smile.

　At this moment, cheers from the audience resounded around her; this was a glory that belonged only to her!

　"Teacher Bai Yuan, I did it!"

　Hisako Shinto thought to herself.

　After the semi-finals, it will be the finals. If all goes well, she will climb all the way to the top and will definitely receive Bai Yuan's special attention in the future!

　Besides regarding Bai Yuan as her teacher, she actually harbored other feelings for him.

　After all, being disciplined by him with a ruler and slaps every day, in such a private place, even being beaten had developed feelings.

　Thinking about certain aspects of her daily training, Hisako Shinoto felt a slight tingling sensation in her body, and her hand involuntarily rested on the kitchen counter.

　The most memorable time was when she made a very serious, silly mistake, and Bai Yuan spanked her in front of everyone by putting her on his lap.

　At that time, she felt both ashamed and excited.

　Especially under the watchful eyes of so many people.

　Hisako Shirato swore that if she ever became strange, it would be because of Shirabuchi!

　Chapter 200 Opponents in the Semifinals

　"That girl, she didn't even look at me the first time she won the game!"

　In the corridor above the audience seats, Erina Nakiri hurriedly stopped. As the executive officer of the Summer Selection, she had been busy and had no time to stop.

　I finally stopped, ready to watch Hisako Shinoto's victory and cheer for her, but the first thing she did after winning the match wasn't even look at her?!

　She was in such a conspicuous spot; she should have been easily seen if she just looked up. But not only did the other person ignore her, they were also exchanging glances with Teacher Bai Yuan!

　For some reason, I felt a little sad.

　Even Erina Nakiri was unaware of this emotion; it lingered in her heart, and she didn't know whether it was Hisako Shirato or Shirobuchi.

　On the other side, after nodding to Hisako Shinto, Baiyuan stood up and walked outside.

　After a brief search, he finally spotted Subaru Mimasaka standing by the lake. The boy had his hands on the lakeside railing and a melancholy expression on his face.

　"Mizaku Subaru."

　Seeing Subaru Mimasaka's retreating figure, Bai Yuan stepped forward without hesitation to greet him, then stopped beside him and looked in the direction he was looking.

　"Teacher Bai Yuan, what brings you here?"

　Bai Yuan's sudden appearance surprised Mimasaka Subaru, his voice filled with doubt. He had clearly lost the match, so why was Bai Yuan still looking for him?

　In his mind, there was only one reason why Bai Yuan came to him: he kept winning, and finally won first place in the Summer Selection, which made him value Bai Yuan and take him as his last disciple.

　That should prove his worth, right...?

　"Nothing much. I just have something to say to you about your cooking today."

　Are you here to mock me?

　Upon hearing Bai Yuan mention the dishes for today's competition, and recalling his boastful words from yesterday, which had now been ruthlessly refuted, Mimasaka Subaru couldn't help but let out a bitter smile.

　In his view, Bai Yuan was definitely coming to mock him.

　"I never mock people who work hard."

　Bai Yuan spoke calmly, telling the truth. Although Mimasaka Subaru was suspected of being opportunistic, since he had the ability, it was understandable for him to use it.

　However, he felt that this ability was not strong, and was even a little weak. He had to spend a lot of time learning from others, but he could not inherit what he had learned from the previous person after learning from the next one.

　Well, although I don't know the principle behind it, it might be some kind of special ability. In any case, Subaru Mimasaka's copying ability only works on one person.

　Otherwise, if he simply keeps imitating world-renowned chefs and incorporates their experience into his own, he could probably become the first seat of the Elite Ten in no time.

　"A hard-working person?"

　"Yes, learning from others takes time. The fact that you've reached this level proves that you've put a lot of effort into this, which shows you're a hard worker."

　Hearing Mimasaka Subaru's somewhat self-doubting words, Hakugen offered encouragement. As they were both students he had taught, he had no intention of showing favoritism.

　Of course, the most crucial thing is that the opponent becomes stronger so that he can serve as a touchstone for his current students. He doesn't want to see a situation where only his students can fight against Totsuki in the end.

　In that case, he would have no choice but to take his students to another location.

　"But in the end, I still lost the competition. I had clearly improved her dish and perfected every detail, so why did I still lose?"

　"Because your grasp of the culinary details is insufficient, what you call 'perfection' is only your own perception of it. Simply put, you've only imitated the surface, not the core elements. This is related to individual ability..."

　close."

　With his hands resting on the railing, Bai Yuan's gaze was also fixed on the distant river, watching the black swans frolicking in the lake and the lotus leaves swaying gently in the breeze.