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Hearing this, Xia Yu couldn't help but shake his head, a hint of seriousness in his eyes.
Morioka Makoto had truly given him a big surprise. She made it sound simple, but she had spent a full week trying before she succeeded, demonstrating the dedication and effort in the cooking's details.
The Furong Crab Meat Egg had been turned into a pizza-like dish, yet it was not a real pizza.
The pizza base was baked with high-gluten flour, which typically gave it a hard texture.
Xia Yu picked up another pair of clean chopsticks and gently poked a piece of the egg cake on the plate. He didn't use any force—just a slight pressure caused the golden egg cake to collapse like a sponge. When he removed the chopsticks, it sprang back to its original shape.
The flexibility was astonishing!
A trace of amazement involuntarily appeared in his eyes.
So, this wasn't some pizza but could be more aptly called a crab meat savory cake. Xia Yu savored the taste lingering in his mouth, and just as he was about to grab his chopsticks, two other pairs beat him to the remaining egg cakes on the plate.
"Damn—"
Xia Yu, slightly annoyed, turned to glare at An Ya and Mu Xiaoyue, who unapologetically acted like thieves.
If it had been an ordinary dish, it wouldn't have mattered. But being snatched of something delicious, Xia Yu's temper remained surprisingly good given that the system rated the dish a high score of 70.
At this moment, Morioka Makoto covered her mouth with a chuckle, lifted the top layer of the food box to reveal the second layer, which also held a plate of Furong Crab Meat Egg!
"Awesome!"
"You're so thoughtful!"
His eyes lit up, and this time Xia Yu showed no restraint. He embraced the entire food box, using his body to block An Ya and Mu Xiaoyue, devouring the delicacy solo.
"Ahh..." Finally, he patted his belly and drank half a cup of hot tea, looking contented.
Pastries, tea, a leisurely life—this is the way it should be.
"We're not full!" Mu Xiaoyue's protesting broke the atmosphere.
"Yeah, not full!" An Ya echoed.
Seeing Xia Yu sitting leisurely there, unmoved, Mu Xiaoyue played the emotional card, her eyes welling with tears. "Our flight's at two in the afternoon. Do you plan to send us back home hungry? Boohoo."
"There's in-flight meal service," Xia Yu replied, half-lidded eyes resembling a meditative monk, too lazy to move.
Mu Xiaoyue wiped her eyes, revealing a mischievous smile. "Do you believe I'll post an article slamming you?! Xiao Ya and I have been working like dogs for you all week, no salary fine, but not even food! This black shop is so getting reported!"
"Alright, alright..."
Knowing Mu Xiaoyue was joking, Xia Yu was amused by this playful girl, standing up. "You do deserve some food with those acting skills. What do you want to eat?"
"What to eat?" he asked while walking towards the kitchen.
Mu Xiaoyue's eyes showed a mischievous glint, "Furong Crab Meat Egg! I haven't had enough yet!"
Was this a challenge?
Stopping at the kitchen entrance, Xia Yu faced away from the counter, addressing the three women, "Alright!"
…
Meanwhile.
At the door of Xia's cuisine shop stood a short-haired, purple-haired girl with a bag in hand.
This was a strikingly figured young girl, not very old, but her feminine curves were prominently displayed in her uniform and skirt. The white shirt barely contained her full bust, with the short skirt revealing long, shapely legs without a trace of excess fat.
Her neat half-short purple hair and aggressive eyes gave her an imposing presence.
"This should be the place, right?" Hozoi Midori's eyes flashed, as she stood and entered.
Mu Xiaoyue, still savoring Morioka Makoto's dish, kept praising it in English with a thumbs up, while Morioka Makoto just smiled silently.
"Ah, a customer!"
"Leave it to me!"
Morioka Makoto willingly stood up.
"Customer, are you here for dining?" Morioka Makoto asked.
"I want to taste your dishes..."
"Sorry, before six in the afternoon, we only serve tea and pastries," Morioka Makoto apologized with a bow.
The purple-haired girl frowned. She had come to Tokyo mainly to participate in the IGO One-star certification. Having passed, she didn't plan to linger in Tokyo. Might as well be straightforward.
"Then call out your head chef. I challenge him to a Food Duel!"
"A Food Duel?"
Morioka Makoto was startled, staring in surprise at the uniform and skirt of the purple-haired girl, then exclaimed, "You, you're a Far Moon student?"
"That's right. I'll be moving from middle school to high school in April." The purple-haired girl glanced at her with a strong voice. "According to culinary world rules, I have the right to initiate a Food Duel challenge!"
An Ya and Mu Xiaoyue didn't understand, but they could sense the sudden tension in the shop.
With the girl's loud announcement, Xia Yu, who had just entered the kitchen, was in no way unable to hear it.
"Who's this?" he asked as he opened the kitchen door and stopped short.
"…Hozoi Midori?"
"You know me?" The purple-haired girl crossed her arms.
Xia Yu smiled.
Hozoi Midori, one of the characters from Food War Spirit, the daughter of the head chef at Yokohama's high-class Chinese Restaurant, was skilled in various Chinese cuisines.
This was the basic information on Hozoi Midori.
Beitiao Building at Yokohama Chinese Street was an established Chinese cuisine name for fifty years. Yet, being the designated heir in her father's eyes, Hozoi Midori faced constant discrimination in the relatively traditional Chinese kitchens.
It couldn't be helped. Chinese cooking demanded physical prowess, such as skills like 'wok tossing,' requiring chefs to lift heavy metal woks from the stove to ensure even seasoning and temperature.
Ordinary wok tossing wasn't so demanding, but with large flips and dramatic movements causing food to rise and overturn—how long could female chefs sustain it?
However, Hozoi Midori was different.
She was robust, with exceptional arm strength, her favorite sport was basketball, and her signature move was the "reverse slam dunk," able to leave male students defeated.
"I am the chef and owner of this restaurant," Xia Yu pointed to himself.
"You?"
Her piercing eyes locked onto him. Hozoi Midori frowned, "I don't know you. You obviously aren't a Far Moon student!"
"Right, who said I was from Far Moon?" Xia Yu shrugged.
Hearing that, Hozoi Midori gazed at him deeply.
"Not from Far Moon, and yet at your age, you dare claim to be a head chef?" Hozoi Midori spoke deeply, "Let me test your culinary skills to see if you have the qualifications to run a Chinese Restaurant!"
Knowing the chef was a peer, Hozoi Midori's fighting spirit grew sharper, her presence more aggressive.
Xia Yu was genuinely peeved.
Damn it, was he not allowed to open a shop if he wasn't from Far Moon?
Tiqie Eriina questioned him like this, and now Hozoi Midori did too. What could Xia Yu say? Far Moon's significant influence in the Japanese Food Industry was indeed impressive—collaborations between IGO and Far Moon demonstrated that—but it didn't mean all chefs must subordinate themselves to Far Moon's dominion.
Moreover, with Hozoi Midori's dominant nature, refusing would lead her to think of cowardice or incompetence in his culinary ability.
Food Duel then it would be.
Xia Yu suddenly became interested. This was his first time facing someone in a Food Duel after becoming a chef, wasn't it?
"System, any tasks?"
"Host, please achieve victory in the Food Duel!" The system mechanically cheered him on, following with a cold splash of reality. "If the Food Duel is lost, the host's culinary level will be reset to zero, and must start anew."
Was this encouragement or a threat? Xia Yu reined in his jests, adopting a serious attitude.
"You know the rules for off-campus Food Duels, right? This isn't Far Moon," he asked.
Snap.
Hozoi Midori placed her One-star Chef certification on the counter with a slap. "Yesterday, I just passed the examination. I'm now an IGO-certified One-star Chef, with the right to challenge any chef outside of school!"
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