Excitement grew among the crowd, their murmurs slowly filling the entire arena.
The clock was ticking down, and it was almost time for the highly anticipated judgment. The participating students were nearly finished plating their curry dishes.
Supporters of the participants grew in number, some waving huge flag-like banners with encouraging words, others wearing flashy uniforms.
Amidst all these supporters, one enormous banner stretched from the audience seating edges down toward the arena, advertising Ito's Golden Fried Rice.
Atop the banner, a student wearing Tsuna's restaurant outfit fixed his glasses as sweat visibly rolled down his forehead.
Despite the hot atmosphere, he didn't seem bothered at all, even as he sweated profusely.
"Hmm, it looks like the freshmen are no joke this year..."
The student looked at the participants in Block B one by one, recognizing some familiar faces like Alice Nakiri, Hisako Arato, and other notable students.
"Yo, Sato. Isn't that Sakamoto-senpai?"
"Huh? You're right. I didn't know he came to watch."
Sato turned to look where Aoki was pointing and noticed their captain wearing a familiar outfit. He raised his eyebrows, "Is he...?"
"...promoting Tsuna's place as well?"
Both of them looked at each other speechlessly before shaking their heads. It looked like Tsuna went all out in his promotion this time, and they felt a bit sorry that Sakamoto had to be dragged into it as well.
However...
"...!"
They suddenly felt a chill down their spines. Both of them glanced at each other before robotically turning their heads toward Sakamoto...
...who was now staring at them with a gentle smile, which made them feel cold.
Aoki muttered, "...Shit..."
Both of them then lowered their heads and headed toward where Sakamoto was standing to join him in Tsuna's campaign.
Seeing them obediently come over and put on the prepared uniforms, Sakamoto nodded and turned back to the arena as the time finally came.
A strange atmosphere slowly permeated the whole arena.
All eyes were on the current stage as the large screen up top suddenly lit up, showing their beloved moderator, Urara Kawashima!
"Everyone! Time's almost up! Please finish your dishes!"
Kawashima's announcement made most participants nervous as they moved quicker, trying to beat the clock.
Her voice continued, "Now, let's count it down together!"
"5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Time's up! Please get your hands off your dishes!"
Kawashima announced with an excited voice as all the participating students breathed a sigh of relief. She continued, "Now that it's time to judge, let me give you all a bit of an explanation!"
With everyone's attention on her, Kawashima explained the judging process, introducing the background of each of the five judges. Each judge could score up to 20 points, meaning each dish could receive a maximum score of 100 points!
"Please note that only the four highest-ranking students will proceed to the next stage! And now..."
Kawashima smiled adorably, causing her fans to swoon and drawing hateful glares from the girls who saw through her act.
She ended her speech, "...let's start with our first participant!"
"Whoaa! Finally..."
"We've been waiting for too long!"
"Yeahhh!"
With Kawashima's words, the crowd went wild, their cheers filling the arena.
"...!"
However, their excitement quickly turned to silence as they realized who had walked up to the stage first.
A hush spread across the arena as everyone held their breath.
Tap... Tap...
A student in a flashy uniform slowly walked towards the judges. The silence was so profound that his steps echoed through the space.
Ishiki's eyes, usually squinted, opened slightly as he narrowed his gaze at the incoming student, mumbling, "Tsunayoshi Ito, huh? To think he'd be the first one up..."
It was indeed Tsuna!
Typically, a student of his caliber would have waited a bit, allowing others to go first, since his talent might put unnecessary pressure on them.
"But I couldn't care less about such a thing..."
Tsuna continued walking with a stoic expression, a cunning light gleaming in his eyes as he silently added, "Money and a mother I'd like to fry rice for are all that matters..."
The judges, sensing the strange atmosphere, started to look at him differently.
The student before them seemed to have a certain fame among the other students, judging by how the room had fallen silent.
Orie clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction, her irritation barely concealed. She muttered under her breath, "How annoying..."
"Hmm, it seems you have quite a reputation. I hope your curry lives up to it..."
Her voice was sweet and innocent, but her eyes betrayed her skepticism and disdain.
Tsuna simply shrugged and began placing covered plates in front of each of the four judges.
"...?"
Orie blinked in confusion as she noticed he still held one plate in his hand. Tilting her head, she asked, "Um... dear student, would you please give me my share immediately?"
"Ah, right..."
"...!"
Tsuna replied softly, as if he had just realized his oversight. His nonchalant tone caused a vein to throb on Orie's forehead.
"...He knows what he's doing, this little bastard..."
She fumed internally, though she maintained a gentle smile on the outside.
However...
Tsuna's expression suddenly turned cold, and Orie instinctively recoiled. His eyes, icy and piercing, seemed to freeze her very soul.
"I will give it to you... but only if you beg me."
"...?"
His voice cut through the silence.
The silent crowd fell into an even deeper hush as they looked at each other, wondering if they had heard correctly.
Similarly, all the participating students stared at Tsuna as if he had gone mad, including Alice, who felt a bead of sweat roll down her forehead as she silently cursed him, "This idiot, what the hell is he planning to do?"
"What did you just say?"
Orie's usual innocent expression twisted into one of beastly anger as she felt completely insulted by Tsuna's words.
She was Orie Sendawara!
Someone who held considerable influence over the landscape of Japanese cuisine. She was not to be trifled with!
All men should bow before her!
Become her playthings!
Orie couldn't help herself, "How dare you, you little peasant...!"
She stood up, pointing an accusatory finger at Tsuna, her anger boiling over. In that moment, she cared nothing for the innocent facade she usually wore.
Even the other judges frowned in disapproval, dissatisfied with Tsuna's arrogant behavior. If he had insulted Orie outside of this prestigious competition, they might have let it slide. But here, insulting one of them was like insulting all of them.
"Student, that's a bit too much..."
"I agree, no matter how annoying she was, you can't just insult her in front of us."
"Not in this elect—"
"Shut up..."
Tsuna's cold voice reverberated across the stage, silencing everyone. The crowd's mouths fell open in shock at the absurdity of the scene unfolding before them.
The judges couldn't believe what they had just heard.
One of them mumbled, "What the hell is this motherfucke—!?"
However...
Just as they were about to burst out in anger, Tsuna lifted the lid from the dish in his hand.
Immediately...
BOOM!
A blast of rich, enticing aroma billowed out, engulfing the judges and spreading throughout the arena.
"...!"
The judges immediately fell silent, their eyes widening in disbelief as they stared at the dish in Tsuna's hand.
The aroma alone had their mouths watering as Tsuna's voice cut through the silence, "Instead of wasting my time talking nonsense..."
"...!"
"Why don't you all start digging in!"
Tsuna's cold voice, paired with his icy stare that seemed to pierce their very souls, made them forget their anger.
Besides...
The intoxicating scent dominated their senses, making them feel ravenous. They gulped down their saliva and slowly lifted the lids in front of them.
Despite their initial urge to argue...
...this time, the judges felt like they could step back a little!
---
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