One-way traffic

"I heard it all, the cheers from the fans below the stage! So, Misaka-san, if you agree to cook me a meal later, I can instantly multiply your fan base!"

"That's why I said I wouldn't help you! And by so blatantly admitting to cheating, aren't you afraid of just forfeiting your spot!"

"It's okay~☆...Anyway, if someone is planning to do this, we can just brainwash them too."

"I heard that last sentence!! Don't just brush it off with an innocent look!!!"

…Then, the camera shifted back to the fourth and seventh positions.

"Uh... what are you doing?"

Mugino Shizuri was staring at the person in front of him with a very surprised expression.

Before me... the seventh one called the Slicing Board Army Tyrant, he was lying on the ground, doing alternating push-ups and sit-ups.

"Of course they're warming up! It's so obvious, you can see it at a glance."

"That's not what I'm asking. Aren't we going to have that... uh, boring cooking competition next? And you... are you just doing this useless stuff?"

This isn't a sporting event or anything like that. In Mugino Shizuri's opinion, instead of doing these things, it would be more practical for Mugino Shizuri to quietly read a cookbook for a while.

"It's not that I'm useless!!"

"Whoa—?!"

Then, the other person suddenly jumped up from where they were.

The gesture of shouting and pointing his fist towards the sky startled Mugino Shizuri.

"What, what are you trying to do?!"

“I’m telling you, what I’m doing isn’t useless! You’ll understand in a moment. I’m just rebuilding my integrity.”

"Bone, backbone...?!"

"That's right! Whether it's cooking or making dishes, you need backbone! If you lack backbone, the dishes you make will only have the pitiful spirit of withered bean sprouts. I want to fill my backbone to the extreme, so that the dishes I make will be just like me!"

"They're completely...completely unrelated, okay?!"

That's the gist of it, isn't it?

After looking around at all the ability users and observing everything they were doing and saying, there is probably only one conclusion that can be drawn.

That means getting as far away from these lunatics as possible.

"Alright! The rules are as I just said. It's very simple. You just need to use the ingredients provided to make a hot and delicious home-cooked meal. The judges will evaluate the dishes made by the six idols, and the one with the best evaluation will be the winner."

"Then... let the competition officially begin!"

"Hey, wait a minute! There's not even time for the timer?!"

After Misaka Mikoto made that comment, the host... actually ran away without looking back?!

What's wrong with this stage?! It's getting more and more weird!!

But regardless, the competition has already begun.

The six individuals with special abilities officially began their cooking competition in front of the camera.

"Alright! Almost ready."

Click.

After completing a series of warm-up exercises, Xiaoban Junba did not go to the front of the kitchen counters.

Instead, they simply squatted down slightly.

Then—the power slowly gathered in his legs.

"Wait—wait a minute?! What are you planning to do?!"

Mugino Shizuri, who was standing to the side, was completely stunned.

"You're here to cook, aren't you? This isn't a place for murder, arson, or fighting. Even I wouldn't go that far!!"

"No, you've got it wrong! I really did come here to cook, and my actions are precisely in preparation for cooking!"

Xiao Banjunba turned his head with great confidence and smiled to the side.

"However, the ingredients here are all too mediocre!"

"Aha?!"

"I've prepared all sorts of ingredients in advance, and I've poured my heart and soul into each one! If I use those ingredients to cook, the result will definitely be the most delicious dish ever!"

"Just wait for me to get it back!!"

Boom! Smoke and dust exploded.

So, under everyone's watchful eyes, Xiaoban Junba kicked off with both legs and instantly leaped off the stage.

"...Oh dear, it seems Mr. Shokuban Junba has forcibly left the scene."

The host standing to the side twitched the corners of his mouth, barely managing to maintain a smile.

"Unfortunately, those who leave the venue are no longer eligible to participate, so there are only five people left on the venue now!"

"He got eliminated so quickly! That guy must be a complete joke!!"

Not to mention Mugino Shizuri, even Shokuhou Misaki and Misaka Mikoto, who were standing to the side, were so shocked that they didn't know what to say.

"Alright, Accelerator, can you do something as flashy as me?!"

"…ah?"

This time, the focus shifts to someone else.

Kakine Teitoku, while showing off his pair of enormous white wings, once again gestured towards Accelerator in front of him.

and many more.

At this moment, Accelerator finally noticed something.

"...Don't you even watch the pot while you're cooking?"

"Superficial? Do you think someone of my caliber needs to use just the five senses to perceive things?"

Indeed, if Kakine Teitoku has become a Holistic Ability User, it wouldn't be impossible for him to cook with his eyes closed.

Even Accelerator wasn't entirely clear on what made Level 5 Holistic Ability Users so unique.

but.

Kakine Teitoku's movements were indeed quite impressive.

"Look at me..."

He waved the seasonings around while maintaining the shaking motion of the wok.

"Elegant..."

At the same time, his pot also shimmered with a dazzling and beautiful light.

"Unparalleled skill...!"

boom! ! !

Golden and dazzling, its brilliance was like the sun, so intense it was almost blinding, a radiance that seemed to gaze upon one's very soul.

Actually, the pot caught fire.

"Pfft!! How is this possible... I strictly followed all the ingredients and cooking methods from around the world when preparing this dish!!"

"I can't even begin to say that you've lumped together a bunch of cooking methods that are impossible to integrate, but when you're controlling the heat, at least learn to consider the pot's own capacity, you idiot."

However, the cooking skills of the only person in the world with a totality level of five superpowers collapsed into this miserable state.

It's really hard to know what to say...

Accelerator scratched his head in frustration and looked directly at the pots and pans in front of him.

Let the first person in Academy City make a dish or something.

That's even more absurd than a fairy tale.

Therefore, Accelerator never intended to do these things himself from the beginning.

"Humph…"

The first monster glanced out of the corner of his eye at the judge sitting in the corner.

As long as it tastes good, it doesn't matter what it's made of, right?

If that's the case...

Recalling his unique technique, the first-place winner's face broke into a triumphant smile.

--------------------------------

"Alright! It's time for all the contestants to reveal their dishes!"

…The judges must be the ones suffering the most.

In a typical food program, the judges who taste the dishes should be very fortunate people.

After all, even if you do nothing, you can still evaluate all kinds of delicious food here, and most of the people who come to the cooking competition are people with very good cooking skills.

Apart from today.

"First, Mr. Kakine Teitoku will serve his dish~"

Click.

I couldn't tell if it was the slight shattering sound of a plate being thrown on the table, or the sound of my own heart breaking.

The judges looked at the so-called dish in front of them.

…A lump that originally radiated golden light when it was made, but after it was finished, it turned into something with a completely black base.

"...Can this...really be eaten?"

"Uh... I think it's possible."

Even Kakine Teitoku, who created this thing, found it hard to look at.

He spent a lot of effort combining recipes from all over the world, thinking that this would make the most delicious food, but he never expected it to turn out like this.

The second person, feeling extremely embarrassed, coughed twice and then looked at the judges.

"In short, it's definitely edible. It uses normal ingredients and the food is definitely digestible. It's unlikely to cause anyone's death... right?"

Can you please take that place to me?

The judge trembled, but ultimately could not bear the appearance and taste. His biological instincts told him that if he ate this, not only would he die, but even the six realms of existence would not be able to tolerate him.

"Oh dear, it seems the judges don't like Mr. Kakine Teitoku's cooking... Well then, it's Ms. Misaka Mikoto and Ms. Shokuhou Misaki's turn to cook!"

Then a plate of omelet rice was served.

And a piece of... cake?

"Uh... Ms. Misaki Shokuhou? Well, the dishes needed for the cooking competition are home-style dishes."

"Eh…?"

"In other words, um... desserts alone are not enough, so it can only be considered a forfeit."

The blonde fifth person was immediately dumbfounded. She looked at the third person with a stiff, robotic expression, while Misaka Mikoto secretly chuckled to herself.

"Um, judges... how was my omelet rice?"

"...It's ordinary, but at least it's edible."

Although the taste was just average, it was at least edible, which is quite impressive!

The judges, trembling, accepted the next dish once again.

It was just a plate of... simple sashimi.

"Uh, this—"

Bang!! Before he could say anything, Mugino Shizuri, who was carrying the dishes, slammed his hand on the table.

"Eat it, anything edible, is that what you mean?"

With a friendly smile, the fourth judge stared directly at the judge in front of him, making him swallow hard.

While sashimi is indeed edible,... due to Mugino Shizuri's terrifying expression, the judges almost choked while eating it and were nearly dragged away.