Senzaimon raised his eyebrows and asked, "A mug, huh? Why not use a wine glass? It shouldn't be hard to get one customized."
"It's not hard, indeed..."
Tsuna shrugged his shoulders, his face turning stony. "But it's expensive."
"..."
Silence permeated the arena as everyone absorbed his words, staring at Tsuna speechlessly. "I am broke" might not be said, but it was pretty clear what he meant by that.
Even Alice couldn't hold back a twitch of her lips. His cooking career was on the line, and he had time to joke around like this?
Such nerves!
"I guess you really do have nerves of steel or something..."
Mimasaka shook his head, then turned his attention to the judges, a cunning light twinkling in his pupils.
"Judges, since we both finished at the same time, why don't you try our dishes side by side?"
"..."
Tsuna observed Mimasaka quietly, realizing the extent of his confidence.
The guy thought this move would crush his spirit completely, which Tsuna found somewhat amusing.
His lips curled up momentarily before settling into a neutral expression. "I agree."
"..."
The Sendawara sisters silently exchanged glances, shaking their heads in pity.
"He's quite competent, but he's delusional," Natsume thought to herself.
She and Orie had tried Mimasaka's fried rice when he copied Tsuna's restaurant.
It was an unusual occasion, as Tsuna's place had been completely sold out at the time. Unfortunately, "I heard he was completely copying Tsuna, so I guess he also copied Tsuna's habit of only eating his own food or eating out when something catches his eye..."
This meant Mimasaka was completely unaware of how Tsuna's fried rice actually tasted.
"Since you both agreed to it, let's proceed," Senzaimon nodded decisively after careful consideration.
Both participants promptly placed their plates in front of the judges, who examined them with keen interest, momentarily ignoring the unconventional mug.
The Galbi ribs, boasting an enticing char and glossy finish, were elegantly presented on wooden plates.
They were accompanied by carefully arranged garnishes and side dishes, enhancing their visual appeal and inviting aroma.
"Mmm... It smells incredible!"
The Sendawara sisters couldn't help but release a satisfied sigh as they gazed at the perfectly grilled ribs before them.
The atmosphere in the arena shifted palpably, filled with anticipation and excitement.
Spectators felt their mouths water as they beheld the dishes.
"Though I hate that gorilla, I have to admit he's capable," Alice muttered under her breath, eyeing Mimasaka's dish with a mix of disdain and grudging respect.
"Yeah, that's making me starving. I wish I could take a bite!"
The murmurs of students admiring the dishes in front of the judges reverberated through the arena.
Mimasaka's lips curled into a satisfied smirk as he observed the judges each take a rib from his plate, the tender meat effortlessly sliding off, showcasing its perfect texture.
"You may have already guessed, especially after seeing my sous vide machine," Mimasaka began, addressing Tsuna directly as the judges tasted his dish.
Their eyes widened in surprise.
"Mmm! It's so tender!"
"It melts like candyfloss in my mouth..."
A wave of flavors danced across their palates, inciting audible moans of pleasure from the Sendawara sisters, who were clearly enjoying the galbi.
"The slow cooking process tenderizes the meat even further than your recipe," Mimasaka explained with a hint of smugness.
"This is where it ends for you, Tsunayoshi Ito...."
Mimasaka had meticulously waited for Tsuna to develop this recipe, studying every detail to enhance what was already perfect, utilizing his ability, Perfect Trace, to elevate it to an otherworldly level.
"Without you even realizing it, you've been dancing in the palm of my hand since the beginning..."
Mimasaka gloated, his eyes fixed on Tsuna, watching for any reaction from both him and the judges.
As Mimasaka's confident smirk widened, Senzaimon suddenly removed his kimono, revealing his bare chest to the crowd.
Gasps and whispers erupted among the spectators.
"The infamous stripping Principal!"
Everyone knew that for Senzaimon to go so far as to disrobe, Mimasaka's dish must have truly impressed.
Meanwhile, Tsuna's expression remained obscured in shadow as the judges cautiously approached his dish.
Mimasaka sneered, feeling assured of victory.
However...
"Mhmmm!"
"This... how is this even more tender than the other!?"
The judges' reactions were more animated than expected, and Mimasaka's smile faltered as he watched in shock.
Not only were they impressed with Tsuna's dish, but...
"T-that..."
"What in the world..."
The crowd gasped in shock as Senzaimon stripped completely naked.
"Kyaa!"
"T-that..."
"...such majestic..."
Instantly, the girls in the audience erupted into embarrassed shouts, while the male exclaimed in shock with their admiration for the principal visibly evident in their eyes.
The arena witnessed Jörmungandr brought alive!
Meanwhile...
Amidst the arena's reverie...
"Dancing on your palm?"
Mimasaka's reverie was abruptly interrupted by Tsuna's calm voice.
The gorilla turned to face him, wide-eyed, noticing Tsuna's composed demeanor, as if he had expected this outcome all along.
"...W-what did you do?"
"What did I do? You skipped the slaughtering part, didn't you?"
Tsuna shook his head, casting a glance at Mimasaka's beef ribs.
They were undeniably top-tier, likely costing a fortune.
However...
It was nothing compared to his own technique of personally slaughtering the cow with his assassination skills.
He swiftly and precisely killed the cow without it realizing its impending demise by touching its death acupoint.
With no stress depleting the glycogen reserves, they remained at optimal levels within the muscles at the time of death.
Post-mortem, glycogen could convert to lactic acid, lowering the pH of the meat appropriately. This process enhances tenderness and develops the desirable flavors associated with properly aged meat.
"...!"
Mimasaka widened his eyes at the accurate deduction.
Tsuna reached into his clothes and pulled out a bar off the buckle with multiple other bars attached to it.
He approached Mimasaka and handed him one, saying, "Take this..."
"...What is th---!"
As he grabbed it, thinking it was just a normal iron bar, Mimasaka was caught off guard by its weight.
Thud!
It slipped from his hand, crashing to the floor with a loud thud that cracked the ground beneath it.
"...!?"
Mimasaka's head snapped up to look at Tsuna in horror, recalling seeing many such bars still attached beneath Tsuna's clothes.
He muttered in disbelief, "H-how is that even humanly possible?"
"Do you know I've added more just to increase the intensity of my training, to slow down just enough for you?"
Tsuna's cold voice echoed around him, chilling Mimasaka to the core.
Seeing Mimasaka's response, he scoffed, "Do you think you could survive my usual training with such weak physical strength?"
"You couldn't copy me, no matter how hard you tried, so I restricted myself... just so you could."
Those words hit Mimasaka like a death sentence.
His legs gave out, and he fell to his knees.
Tsuna leaned in close, whispering in his ear, "You thought I was dancing on your palm? No, you're wrong. The thing is... you were dancing on mine!"
"...!"
"That's what happened, so get it right..."
Tsuna shook his head and then picked up a plate that had been set aside for Mimasaka. He handed it to him, saying, "Here, this will answer everything..."
"..."
Mimasaka unconsciously took the plate, blinking in surprise as he looked up at Tsuna, who was sneering at him.
His tactic of breaking his opponent's spirit had backfired.
Seeing those cold eyes, Mimasaka realized Tsuna had used a slightly different approach with a similar goal of crushing his spirit that was on the verge of breaking apart.
This made him also understand completely that he had misunderstood everything.
"I've never stood a chance in the first place..."
And with that realization...
"...Is this how my career ends?"