Food Wars, my food not only glows!

　The restaurant on the first floor.

　"Teacher Bai Yuan, hiccup, where did you go?"

　Tadokoro Megumi sat in a chair, feeling somewhat dazed due to the amount of alcohol she had consumed. However, upon seeing Shirabuchi, she attempted to rise to greet him but nearly fell, only to be saved by Yoshino Yuuki.

　"I went upstairs to enjoy the evening breeze for a while. Please have a seat."

　Bai Yuan took a few steps forward, reached out and pinched her cheek, then sat down beside her.

　The girls in front of him had all drunk some alcohol; some were still relatively sober, while others were already snoring on the table, giving him a headache.

　"Cheers, Professor Bai Yuan!"

　"Cheers! Cheers!"

　Just as he was about to say something, Tadokoro Megumi came over and held up her wine glass, wanting to drink a toast with him. This made him flustered for a while before he finally calmed down.

　After drinking the nuptial wine, there was another toast. Fortunately, Bai Yuan had a good alcohol tolerance. After drinking more than a dozen cups, he didn't feel much different except for feeling a little bloated.

　His impressive drinking capacity instantly won cheers from the entire audience, with praise pouring in, and every girl looking at him with admiration.

　After that, the group got a little bored and suggested playing drinking games.

　It started with simple handshakes, push-ups, and squats, but gradually the content became more explicit.

　Because Bai Yuan was the only man present, those who remained all had feelings for him, which led to the game gradually changing its nature as it progressed.

　However, for Bai Yuan, the only boy present, the distorted game gave him all the benefits, and he played until very late before reluctantly leaving.

　"Brother Bai Yuan, I'm sleeping with my mom tonight."

　After the game ended, Bai Yuan immediately found Nakiri Alice sitting opposite him. He was just about to pull her back to the room to cool off a bit when he noticed that Nakiri Alice was holding Nakiri Leonora's arm and whispering intimately to her.

　"ah??!"

　"What do you mean 'ah'? You can sleep alone tonight, or you can make your move on Megumi or Erina, since you've already confirmed your relationship anyway."

　Standing next to Leonora Nakiri, while poking Megumi Tadokoro and Erina Nakiri, who had turned into minions and were sleeping on the table, she said meaningfully.

　"Forget it, I don't want them to lose something important in this ambiguity. We still need to make a proper plan."

　Despite being urged by Alice Nakiri, Bai Yuan waved his hand.

　Normally it wouldn't matter, but the key is that this is the two girls' first experience, and he feels he needs to cherish it, rather than just rushing forward. He should wait until they wake up and then find a suitable time.

　A natural and inevitable end to a date is far more memorable than a forceful and demanding act like today.

　"I didn't expect Brother Bai Yuan to be so serious. Your girls are so lucky. We're tired, so please take them back to their rooms."

　Hearing Bai Yuan's words, Nakiri Leonora covered her mouth and chuckled, preparing to give him one last...

　Bofuli then pulled Nakiri Alice back to their room, leaving only Bai Yuan and Dead Fish in the living room.

　"This scene is really something. If I weren't a gentleman, I probably would have done something."

　Looking at the scene of drunkenness before him, Bai Yuan shook his head. It was fortunate that he was the one who appeared here; if it had been a lecherous fellow, none of them would have escaped!

　He bent down and picked up Ryoko Sakaki. Because of her height, she was quite heavy and her steps were a little unsteady.

　One of the girl's stockings had been removed and was now in Bai Yuan's pocket, still warm from her body. This was the punishment for losing the drinking game.

　Fortunately, everyone retained some rationality towards the end, which prevented the plot from veering completely off course into disharmony, though it wasn't far off.

　He put Ryoko Sakaki on the bed, then went to the living room to move Yuuki Yoshino. As he put her down, the girl suddenly reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, her arms tightening slightly, unwilling to let him go: "Hana, don't run around anymore, do you know how hard I've been looking for you!"

　Feeling the strange sensation coming from his nose, Bai Yuan took two deep breaths, silently moved Yoshino Yuuki's hand away, then tossed a pillow into her arms, covered her with a blanket, and returned to the living room.

　The other girls did the same thing. Luckily, this was a villa with enough rooms, otherwise it would have been impossible to accommodate so many people.

　"Heave ho".

　Finally, after moving Erina Nakiri to the room, Shirabuchi let out a long sigh of relief.

　Looking at the girl's rosy cheeks, Bai Yuan kissed her forehead before leaving and returning to his room.

　Bai Yuan took a set of clothes from the closet, took a cold shower in the bathroom to cool down his body, returned to the bedroom, lay down on the bed, and soon fell asleep.

　He had a wonderful dream.

　The girls in his dream were shy but followed the rules. He kept winning in the drinking games, eventually even managing to win over Leonora Nakiri...

　·

　·

　"Yukihira, how was your income today?"

　"After deducting all the costs, I made about 50,000 yen out of 73,200 yen. If I work hard for another week, I should be able to cover the accommodation and food expenses for the competition."

　After selling the last portion of ingredients, Soma Yukihira apologized to the customers who had been waiting in line for quite a while: "Today's special okonomiyaki is sold out. If you want some, please come early tomorrow."

　"Oh, what a pity."

　"Let's go, let's come back tomorrow."

　Upon hearing Soma Yukihira's words, the remaining customers immediately showed expressions of disappointment. They had queued for more than half an hour just to have a bite.

　"Here you go. Tomorrow you can use the VIP channel. As long as you arrive, you'll get a special okonomiyaki. Consider it compensation for not being able to satisfy you today. I'm really sorry."

　As he spoke, Soma Yukihira took out several self-made voucher cards, each featuring a hand-drawn cartoon smiley face, intended as an anti-counterfeiting measure.

　"Thank you! We'll definitely come tomorrow!"

　Even though they knew the okonomiyaki at the stall was almost sold out, they insisted on queuing until the very end just to get this voucher!

　Tomorrow, not only will you not have to spend any money, but you can also enjoy the top-notch flavor of Japan's number one okonomiyaki, which is a win-win situation!

　"Speaking of which, is that okonomiyaki place a new one that opened recently? Have you guys tried it before?"

　"No, but I've passed by several times. The aroma is so strong that you can smell it all over the street. Every time I try to get in line, there are always huge crowds and the lines are so long that you can't even squeeze in."

　"A vegetable okonomiyaki costs only 200 yen, and a meat okonomiyaki costs 500 yen. The portions are very generous, so it's no wonder that it attracts so many customers."

　"Wrong, wrong, wrong! Value for money is only one aspect; what truly attracts everyone is the top-notch deliciousness!"

　Hearing the conversation between the boys walking side by side ahead, a girl behind them, who had also been waiting in line and had obtained a VIP queue-jumping card, quickened her pace.

　Have you ever tried okonomiyaki?

　They noticed a very pretty girl chatting with them. The two boys exchanged a glance and slowed their pace until they were side by side with her.

　"Of course! That's why I'm not home right now. I was so hungry that I came down to queue after dinner, intending to buy some for a late-night snack, but I couldn't get any. There weren't that many people a couple of days ago."

　Upon hearing the question, the girl thought for a moment and revealed a longing expression. She would never forget that taste; it almost made her swallow her tongue!

　"Its fragrance travels for miles, and it's become famous by now."

　After glancing at Soma Yukihira and Takumi Aldini, who were packing up their stall, the tall, thin boy with glasses among the three spoke up.

　"At this rate, it won't be long before it upgrades from a stall to a shop. I really don't know where this chef came from, he has such skills."

　With a touch of emotion in his voice, he thought, "If someone can make such delicious okonomiyaki, they must be able to cook other dishes with ease. Such a person shouldn't be found in a small alley, but in a grand restaurant."

　As the sounds faded into the distance, Soma Yukihira and Takumi Aldini packed up their stall and headed toward the hotel they had rented.

　"This is..."

　Pushing the stroller and scrolling through his phone with one hand, Soma Yukihira looked at the hundreds of messages on LINE, his expression changed slightly, and then he hurriedly opened them.

　The messages were from the Polar Star Dormitory members, all asking where he was and urging him to hurry over for his match against Hisako in the Moon and Sky Realm.

　"What are you looking at? Your expression is so scary."

　Beside him, Takmi Aldini was also looking at his phone, but apart from his brother's greeting, there were no other messages.

　He turned off his phone, looked up, and saw Soma Yukihira looking unwell, so he asked him in confusion.

　"It's a bit of a pity that I missed a game."

　Soma Yukihira handed the phone to Takumi Aldini. After spending the last few days together, their relationship had improved considerably, and they could be considered friends.

　"What's done is done; we can always try again next time."

　After reading the message, Takumi Aldini sighed; it was truly a pity.

　"That's true. The current goal is to earn enough for the trip to China. The Fujian Youth Chef Competition starts in ten days, which happens to be during the autumn break."

　Because they were too busy, the two put their phones on silent to avoid being disturbed by such trivial matters, thus slowing down the cooking process.

　In fact, even if Soma Yukihira received the news, it would be impossible for him to return to Totsuki.

　After all, they weren't at the foot of Mount Totsuki, but in Kawasaki, a city on the outskirts of Tokyo, where chefs are allowed to set up stalls, so they came here.

　Although it's already late, there are still many vendors and pedestrians around, showing that the city has a very vibrant nightlife.

　Before long, the two followed a small path to a secluded inn.

　Although the hotel is located in a remote area, it is decorated in a very cozy style. The overall color is light green and the structure is made of pure wood, which gives people a refreshing feeling.

　"Oh, Yukihira and Takumi are back. Did the stall go well today? I was quite surprised to see you taking out such a huge amount of ingredients this morning!"

　They've all come back empty-handed; looks like they bought everything. But then again, with your skills, someone's bound to buy something if you just set up a stall.

　The sound came from inside the hotel. Looking up, they saw an older man wiping the front desk. He greeted the two of them as they entered.

　"Today went quite smoothly, and I even had some new inspiration. Uncle Shanle, could I borrow the kitchen tonight? I'd like to research an advanced version of okonomiyaki."

　"Use it as you like, but put everything back in its place when you're done. Don't make a mess of it. Also, give me a portion of the finished dish; dinner's been a while and I'm a little hungry."

　With the dishcloth tossed aside, Uncle Sanraku had high expectations for Soma Yukihira's cooking.

　"Of course, even if you didn't say anything, I would still save some for you to try."

　Soma Yukihira nodded. His current improvements were based on advice given to him by an elderly man when he set up his stall at noon. He found the advice very reasonable, so he decided to try it out when he got back.

　"I need to buy groceries tomorrow, so I'm going to bed now."

　Although Takumi Aldini wanted to stay and study with them, he remembered his mission and headed towards the room after saying that.

　"Okay, then you should get some rest."

　Soma Yukihira greeted them and then went into the kitchen to prepare to modify the okonomiyaki. The uncle who was initially called Yamaku also came in.

　He came to see Soma Yukihira's cooking and also to learn how to make this delicious okonomiyaki. He was completely won over by the taste the first time he tried it!

　Unfortunately, his culinary talent was limited. Despite frequently watching Soma Yukihira's cooking videos, he only learned a tiny fraction of what he could make, and his okonomiyaki was merely edible.

　"The ingredients are all there, so I don't need to go to the supermarket again. But the supermarket is closed at this time. It seems that Lady Luck is on my side."

　Take out the cabbage, scallions, and ginger from under the counter, arrange them neatly on the cutting board, and chop them into small pieces with a sharp knife. Set them aside for later use.

　"That knife skill is amazing!"

　Soma Yukihira displayed superb knife skills, which drew admiration from Uncle Sanraku standing next to him.

　"They're all just basic skills."

　Soma Yukihira shook his head, not taking the praise to heart. It was impressive to a layman, but quite ordinary to an expert.

　After preparing the cabbage, scallions, and ginger, Soma Yukihira opened the refrigerator and found seafood inside, so he decided to use it without hesitation.

　The seafood selection is fairly standard, consisting of shrimp and squid, both of which are staples of seafood okonomiyaki, so their inclusion here is quite fitting.

　"Is the focus on yams...?"

　He chopped the shrimp and squid into small cubes, and then found some yams still covered in dirt under the counter. Soma Yukihira looked suspicious.

　The old man said that although his Osaka-style okonomiyaki was delicious, it wasn't authentic because it lacked the most essential ingredient: yam. He still remembers that.

　Okonomiyaki, a type of Japanese vegetable pancake, is a popular local dish in the Kansai region of Japan and a representative of Osaka's noodle culture.

　Due to its appearance, some people also call Okonomiyaki "Japanese-style pizza".

　Regular okonomiyaki mainly uses all-purpose flour, and Soma Yukihira also uses all-purpose flour.

　Just then, an old man suddenly appeared and confidently told him that adding yam would make it even more delicious. How could he not be curious and give it a try?

　Grind the yam into yam pieces using gloves.

　Set aside the mashed yam. Sift 100 grams of all-purpose flour, add an equal amount of Japanese dashi stock, season with white soy sauce, and stir until there are no lumps. Then add the mashed yam. This completes the batter.

　The process was the same as before, except that an extra portion of mashed yam was added in the middle, which Soma Yukihira had never tried before, so he wanted to give it a try.

　Even if the taste wasn't good in the end, he accepted it, after all, it was his own choice.

　Add four spoonfuls of cabbage, one spoonful of scallions, one spoonful of red ginger, one spoonful of shrimp, and one spoonful of squid to the batter. The proportions can vary, but not too much.

　After this period of training, Soma Yukihira has mastered a unique skill: perfectly controlling the proportions of ingredients with an error of no more than two grams.