Hearing Ishikawa's threat, Asuna's heart suddenly sank. From the day of her birth, her family decided everything for her. In their eyes, she's just a human doll that they could order as they like.
However, she hoped to have a free life since she was a child. She didn't want to walk the future that her family planned for her. Her feelings kept on growing by the year until she reached high school and opened the cooking club.
Obviously, everything in the club was going smoothly since Mu Fan became a member. But this Ishikawa wanted to merge the club with the school's restaurant.
The club business was going smoothly by the joint effort of her and Mu Fan, she wouldn't be able to manage the club alone and if she didn't respond to Ishikawa right now, she will have to transfer to an all-girl school.
At this moment, Even as educated as she was, Asuna found it hard to make a decision.
She thought about everything she knew to find a way out of this situation. She didn't know how to deal with the man in front of her.
What should I do? Asuna was hesitant as she couldn't make a decision.
"What do you say? Are accepting or not? My time is limited." Looking at her hesitation, Ishikawa asked with a smile.
He guessed what Asuna was thinking. She is only a High school student after all, after a bit of threat she couldn't stay calm. He assumed it won't take her long to agree with his decision.
"Do you really want to do it?"
Hearing Ishikawa's words, Asuna became even more anxious. At this moment, a warm hand pressed her on her shoulder causing her flustered heart to suddenly calm down.
"Don't agree."
The soft voice entered Asuna's ears and calmed her down even more. She looked back and was surprised to find that Mu Fan was standing behind her and looked at her with a smile.
Asuna looked at Mu Fan and already knew what decision she had to make. She took a deep breath and raised her head and looked seriously: "Sorry Ishikawa-san, I can't accept your request."
He was confident that she would accept but when he heard her reply he was shocked. His face changed as he stood from his chair and said coldly:"Miss, Do you know what you are just saying? Aren't you afraid of this matter will be known by your family?"
"Even if this is known to my family and I have to change school, I won't accept to destroy the cooking club. Because this is just my club, it's our club. It's the joint effort of me and Mu Fan and even Tendou. I won't accept something that would trample on our club."
Asuna stared at Ishikawa coldly. The originally refined face was ice cold right now.
Is this really the same person?
Mu Fan was slightly surprised. In fact, he noticed Ishikawa from the moment he entered. Also, he already heard his request.
Mu Fan was annoyed about that man he always thought of how Asuna was always having trouble with her family and wanted to encourage her now. He didn't expect her to have this kind of powerful superiority aura.
This lady is really unexpectedly strong.
"You!"
On the other side, Ishikawa was overwhelmed by Asuna's powerful response. Just a little while back she was stuttering and couldn't speak and now she could speak like this.
"Okay… Since your being like this, then don't blame me later."
After a while, Ishikawa only said this, he thought that he could control Asuna. However, he didn't expect that Asuna had this kind of powerful personality. She was unwilling to accept which made him stunned. He finally chewed his teeth and said that. He thought that it's no problem whether they work for him or shut down the club, his restaurant will resume his normal business again.
Asuna's face changed, but she didn't say anything else.
Mu Fan was surprised by what Ishikawa said. he didn't expect Asuna to fall into such crisis. She has been under pressure to operate the cooking club. This girl was working so hard, naturally, Mu Fan won't leave her alone. So he quickly called Ishikawa who was about to leave and said.
"There is another way."
Are you ready to compromise?
After hearing the voice behind him, Ishikawa smirked into his heart and looked back at Mu Fan. This is for the best, as the club can operate normally even if Asuna was to transfer. His first goal was to merge the cooking club with the restaurant which is having a shortage of staff. This would make both parties gain.
"Uncle, you want the restaurant and the club to merge? But I don't want to leave the cooking club, so what about a duel (Shokugeki)."
"Uncle?"
Ishikawa's eyelids twitched but he looked at Mu Fan's childish face and thought that he should tolerate the word Uncle for his own goal "You don't want to leave you cooking club. Since you're a chef too then let's settle it with a duel. I will decide what we cook." Do you dare to keep going like this?
Although Ishikawa hasn't tried Mu Fan's food before, he naturally wasn't foolish enough to compare with Mu Fan's Plain noodle and Golden Fried Rice.
As long as his food is better than Mu Fan's, he will make both of them join the restaurant to work.
"Yes, since both of us are chefs, it's better to settle it like this."
Mu Fan nodded in agreement.
Ishikawa took a glance at the club's kitchen, he noticed that there was no meat, his two plat didn't contain any meat.
Silently, Ishikawa grinned and said: "So we'll each cook a simple meat dish. How is it?"
"Mu Fan, don't accept his duel. Before Ishikawa came to work here, he was working in a restaurant outside. So let's forget about this, I know that you can manage the club even without me being here"
Asuna's face changed, she stepped forward so she could warn Mu Fan. She remembered Mu Fan saying that he could only cook Plain noodles and Golden Fried Rice. These two dishes didn't contain meat, so it's quite impossible to win.
Hearing Asuna's reminder, Mu Fan shook his head. Because Asuna's shorter than him he reached his hand and patted her head to comfort her and said: "Be assured. Well, just because he started cooking before me doesn't mean he is better. As long as I'm here I won't let him threaten you and I won't let him make you transfer out of this school."
Looking at Mu Fan face, Asuna was slightly surprised.
"Because… the club was born anew with our joint effort, we must continue working hard together to develop the club and become livelier. how can we be defeated here?"
Asuna was still standing there looking at the firm figure in front of her. Her eyes couldn't help but started watering. She bit her lips and nodded her head. She said softly: "I believe our club will continue to work and Mu Fan will certainly win against him."
***
"When will we start?"
Mu Fan entered the kitchen and asked. The club's kitchen was big enough for three people to use at the same time. So they could have their Shokugeki here.
"We do it now, and will have the students here judge our dishes," Ishikawa said as he pulled several green peppers from the fridge.
"Ok." Mu Fan nodded and didn't say anything else, because he already heard the system notification in his head.
–Defeat Ishikawa Rock who is the chef in the school's restaurant in this Shokugeki. The reward will be some Fantasy points—
Although the task will only give him few fantasy points, it was better than nothing.
Thinking about this, Mu Fan glanced at Ishikawa Rock and the material he took from the fridge. He concluded that the latter would make Green Pepper Pork.
But, Mu Fan won't admit defeat when it comes to Chinese cuisine, as a Chinese person how could he do that. He closed his eyes and opened the Fantasy store.
The Many recipes appeared in front of Mu Fan, Magical Tofu recipe and many more.
In here, as long as you have enough Fantasy points you can get any recipe.
Mu Fan's eyes finally shined as locked on a recipe.
"Exchange for Green Pepper Pork Recipe."
Since Ishikawa wanted to compete, Then Mu Fan will prove that he can cook better than him.
The fantasy points he received this morning disappeared for this recipe. The knowledge from the recipe appeared like that inside Mu Fan's mind.
This recipe is simple and doesn't need that much fantasy points, but if he wanted more difficult ones it would cost him 5 or even ten fantasy points, of course, the harder the recipe, the higher the requirement for the cooking skill.
"Really, you are preparing to lose before I even start?"
Ishikawa prepared the ingredients then glanced at Mu Fan who was standing there with his eyes closed. He snickered in his hear, he didn't forget to make fun of Mu Fan: "It's about time for you to give up, if you don't you will humiliate yourself."
"Uncle, please rest assured, I won't admit defeat that easily."
After all the knowledge about this new recipe was inside his head, Mu Fan opened his eyes and smiled a little then ignored Ishikawa. He turned toward Asuna and asked: "I need your help, president, can you help me?"
"Me?"
Asuna pointed at herself with a strange expression: "I might drag you down. I'm not as skilled as You."
"No." Mu Fan shook his head and thought about the way to start cooking this new dishes, then clapped his hands together and face Asuna seriously: "This dish can't be made by me alone, this is the food that will decide the future of our club. So it has to be the two of us making it, Please!"
"Mu Fan you don't have to be polite, the cooking club depends on you, and if ask for help from me then I should help."
Asuna smiled and quickly wore her apron and arrived at Mu Fan's side and asked: "What should I do now?"
"I will trouble you to cut the green pepper and the bamboo shoots into fine strips, they must all have the same size, so this is something only you can do."
Because of how skilled she was with the knife, Mu Fan gave the task of cutting the ingredients to Asuna.
It's possible for them to work together since Ishikawa wants to close the club.
"I will try, but Pepper and Shredded pork need to be joined with onion and garlic, right?" Asuna's eyebrows were furrowed, she didn't like to eat Green Pepper, Onion or Garlic and because of this those weren't used on her home.
"Rest assured Asuna, I won't put any onion in the food, what I am cooking is an authentic Chinese cuisine! It's not the same Green Pepper Pork that you know." Mu Fan smiled a bit as he knew that most people in Japan didn't like Green Pepper.
The recipe was different than the regular Green Pepper Pork, thus he wasn't worried.
At the same time, Mu Fan quickly shredded the piece of pork, added an appropriate amount of egg's white, starch, cooking wine, and salt. In less than half an hour it will turn into tasty pork.
"Ok."
Hearing Mu Fan's words, Asuna didn't ask anymore and bit her red lips. She picked up a knife and started cutting the green pepper and bamboo shoot into strips with the same size.
"Yes like this."
Seeing Asuna's skill with the knife Mu Fan smiled. He grabbed some fresh Persimmon from the fridge and cut them into cubes then put some soy sauce on them then put them into a saucer.
"Mu Fan, What is the use of Persimmon?" Asuna continued using her knife as she watched Mu Fan and asked in surprise. In her memory, Green Pepper and Persimmon are two ingredients that were impossible to fuse.
"Of course, it's very useful you don't like it?"
Mu Fan glanced at Ishikawa who was stirring onion and garlic on the side of the pot and said: "He is using normal ways. My approach is different."
"Oh?"
Hearing Mu Fan's explanation, Asuna's heart was filled with curiosity and didn't disturb Mu Fan anymore. She just watched quietly.
Since there wasn't much time, Mu Fan didn't explain further either. He heated the oil in the pan and added the fried bamboo to the oil.
When he knew it was time, he added the shredded pork into the oil, he waited for the pork's color to change. Then he added the Green Pepper which made the oil sprinkle. After some time he added a little bit of oil again.
The next step is to put everything into the oil, which includes the sauce.
In fact, the reason why Persimmon was introduced in the recipe was that it has a slightly bitter taste and can regulate the sweetness of the dish which will add a prominent flavor to the dish. And also this made it possible to avoid using onion, garlic and the like. It was very suitable for people who didn't like onion and garlic.
But, without waiting for Mu Fan to finish, a petite blonde girl with long hair and school uniform came along with another tall girl with short hair.
"Oh, it's Vigne and Gabriel?"
Mu Fan looked up and saw two people who came in. In the last few days, Mu Fan felt the eyes looking at him increasing. He felt some gazes on him even in class.
This made Mu Fan feel somewhat strange. It's logically impossible to attract people's attention with his personality. So why were there people staring at him in class?
Mu Fan didn't seize any opportunity to talk to his classmates, he wanted to get along with his classmate, but why is a guy like him being started by that little angel?
However, Mu Fan who reached the most crucial step in his dish didn't have time to care about them. After this step, he needs to add some seasoning and fry it some more and it will be done.
But Ishikawa didn't wait for Mu Fan. He was already done so he quickly went out from the kitchen with two plates in his hand as put them in front of the two girls, who didn't order yet and said with a smile:"You two misses are the last two people coming to the cooking club today, so this dish is for you to taste. Please try it."