"..."
Dojima looked at Tsuna's Happy Terrine in silence, sighing inwardly. He regarded Tsuna with a complicated gaze, silently acknowledging, "His talent... is terrifying."
"Mou! What the hell are you doing? MSG? In a vegetable terrine?"
Alice berated Tsuna for such a ridiculous action, but Tsuna stood his ground.
"Does it taste good?"
"...I-it does," Alice admitted honestly after taking a bite herself.
"Then, it's good enough."
"No! But it's unhealthy!"
Still, she couldn't help but pout as she started pointing at Tsuna's face, finding faults in whatever he was doing.
"Greatness is expensive. If you won't sacrifice for it, you won't be able to taste it..."
"That's not how it works!"
"..."
Ryo stood casually a little bit away from them, avoiding getting involved.
Dojima shook his head, observing the scene and reflecting on his plan to use this food war as a stepping stone for Tsuna's growth. However, it seemed unnecessary now.
Nevertheless...
He turned to Shinomiya, whose expression had darkened considerably.
With a sigh, Dojima took out some pennies from his pocket and handed one to each of the judges, saying, "Let's decide..."
"Place your coin on the plate of the chef you believe should win."
"..."
Silence enveloped the group as they all regarded Shinomiya with a sigh before placing their coins on the respective plates.
"I see, it's quite obvious, huh?"
Dojima silently thought as he watched the judges place their coins on the same plate.
And that plate belonged to Tsuna!
"Then, let me announce it here! The winner of this unofficial food war between Tsunayoshi Ito and Kojiro Shinomiya shall be Tsunayoshi Ito!"
Dojima declared.
"..."
A sinking feeling settled in the pit of Shinomiya's stomach, bitterness rising in his throat as he clenched his teeth. Deep down, he knew that Tsuna's dish had won them over.
Still...
Amidst his swirling emotions, a flicker of doubt started to rise.
Shinomiya's mind raced, searching for explanations...
...for someone or something to blame.
He questioned the circumstances, the judges' judgment, even Dojima's authority. How could he, Shinomiya, be bested by a mere student?
It was a blow to his ego, his pride!
"I'm the best!? So, how could I be defeated by a mere student?"
His expression twisted with a mix of disbelief and anger as those thoughts raced through his mind.
How could they choose Tsuna over him?
It felt unfair and unjust!
Seeing Shinomiya's expression, they couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. They understood Shinomiya's prideful nature, so it was definitely hard for him to accept.
"I'm sorry, Shinomiya. But I had to, it's inevitable..."
"Your Tomatoes Farcies was great, but..."
"...Scusa, Shinomiya."
Their words were heavy with regret as they shook their heads in resignation.
Shinomiya's fists clenched tightly, his nails digging into his palms as he struggled to contain his frustration.
"Are they showing me pity!? To me!?"
The notion of being pitied by the judges only fueled his indignation.
"...How dare you.." Shinomiya muttered under his breath as his eyes flashed with fierce intensity, "This is ridiculous!"
His voice boomed, reverberating through the room as he unleashed his fury. He refused to accept the decision! It's simply impossible!
"...!"
Gotoda looked at Shinomiya in shock.
Mizuhara was in a similar state as she didn't expect Shinomiya would hadn't expected Shinomiya to react with such ferocity as she then frowned, "You're blaming it on us?"
"Mhmm... Mhmm...!"
Meanwhile, Inui, who was taped and tied to a chair, couldn't help but tear up. She felt a pang of sadness at the sight of Shinomiya's current state.
"The judges are clearly biased! They couldn't even appreciate the true flavor!"
His anger soared to new heights, his accusations flying like arrows aimed at the integrity of the judges.
"Shinomiya, you..."
As Shinomiya's tirade continued, Dojima's expression darkened, his patience wearing thin.
Sekimori furrowed his eyebrows, his voice tinged with irritation, "Are you questioning our qualification, Shinomiya?"
"Of course, I am! How could a mere student best me!?"
Shinomiya's finger jabbed accusingly at Tsuna, who remained calm amidst the chaos, "You... What kind of trickery did you do!?"
"...Pathetic."
"Huh? What did you say you little twat...!"
Tsuna's cold response caught Shinomiya off guard, fueling his rage even more. With a sudden burst of fury, he charged at Tsuna, his anger boiling over.
"You might wanna think twice..."
"Shut up!"
Seeing Shinomiya rushing towards him, Tsuna simply chuckled. But before Shinomiya could reach him, a strong hand grabbed him, holding him back.
"Let me go, Dojima!"
"...!"
Dojima's own anger flared at the sight of Shinomiya's outburst, but he released his grip nonetheless.
However, before Shinomiya could react, Dojima swung his arm sharply, his fist connecting with Shinomiya's face and sending him crashing to the ground.
"Motherfucker, what do you think you're doing, Dojima!"
Shinomiya's voice rang out, laced with pain and indignation as he struggled to regain his footing, his vision blurred.
"Shinomiya, stop being stupid. Acknowledge your loss; aren't you stagnating?"
"...!"
The words struck Shinomiya like a lightning bolt, leaving him frozen in disbelief.
"Hey, four eyes..."
Shinomiya was jolted back to reality by the cold voice, turning to find Tsuna approaching him.
"Why don't you have a bite?"
He looked down at Tsuna's hand, where Tsuna held out a portion of his Happy Terrine.
"...Why would---!?"
"Just do as I told..."
A chilling aura enveloped Shinomiya, sending shivers down his spine as he met Tsuna's icy gaze. His whole body trembled under the weight of that stare, his thoughts scattering like leaves in the wind.
"...If I truly rushed at him," Shinomiya's throat felt dry as he swallowed nervously, sweat dampening his back.
He stared at Tsuna, a silent question lingering in his mind, "Just who is this guy?"
Tsuna observed in silence as Shinomiya tentatively reached for the fork, taking a hesitant bite.
"...!"
Shinomiya widened his eyes in shock as the flavor exploded within his palate. Memories suddenly flashed before his eyes, as if he were seeing a pillar in the middle of a desert and deciding to climb it to reach greater heights.
"This..."
He found himself at the peak, with nowhere else to go, and tightly clenched his fist.
However...
BOOM!
A loud explosion was heard, causing him to look down at the bottom only to see Tsuna destroying the base of the pillar.
As he slowly fell back to the ground, Shinomiya snapped back to reality.
"..."
Shinomiya looked at Tsuna in shock.
"You think you've reached the peak? That's arrogant..."
Tsuna's words sharply pierced his heart, hurting his pride. However, Tsuna continued, "Do you even know the world? Let me ask you this simple question..."
"...The world?"
"You've reached the peak of a mountain, where else to go?"
"Where else? Nowhe--"
"Four eyes, you are foolish. Of course..."
Tsuna raised his hand and pointed upward, causing Shinomiya to widen his eyes, "...The ceili--"
Slap!
Tsuna slapped Shinomiya before he could finish his answer. His glasses almost fell off his face as rage swirled within him, but...
"It's the sky, you fool!"
"...!"
Those words instantly washed away all of his anger as he widened his eyes in shock, his pupils trembling as if he had just realized something profound.
"And what's above the sky? Another one... Then another... Then another..."
"Just get straight to the point, Ito-baka!"
Alice interrupted annoyedly from the side. Tsuna turned to her with a frown, "But there are seven skies..."
"Mou! But it's a myth! And it doesn't matter!"
She rolled her eyes at him.
"Alright, alright..."
Tsuna said, turning back to Shinomiya, "Above the sky, there is a galaxy and so on and so forth..."
"...I understand now."
Shinomiya clenched his fist, this time in acknowledgment.
However, Tsuna seemed to have more to say as he pulled out a jar of white powder from seemingly nowhere and shoved it to Shinomiya's hand.
"The next step after climbing the highest mountain is to ascend to the sky. But it's impossible for humans to do so on our own; we build a plane to achieve it. And this..."
"This is..."
"That's correct! This is the plane, the one and only, the cocaine of cooking, and the king of flavors, MSG!"
Shinomiya looked at the jar of MSG and grasped it firmly in his hand.
He was enlightened!
"..."
The room suddenly fell into a loud silence as those present couldn't help but twitch their lips slightly, speechless at the scene.
---
If you want to read 15 chapters in advance, ahead of the WebNovel Updates schedules, here's where you can find them:
p@treon.com/mythoast