"Evaluation is finished!"
The moderator's voice reverberated across the arena. Hayama's proud expression slowly turned serious as he felt the weight of Ryo's gaze.
Just by looking at the reaction, he knew Ryo's Eel Matelote was not to be underestimated.
"Ha! You thought you'd win?"
Ryo spoke slowly, his words laced with challenge, causing Hayama to frown as the guy didn't seem to care and continued, "I will!"
"It's finally time..."
"But..."
"The judges are frozen!"
The crowd murmured quietly, the atmosphere growing heavier as they watched the judges with tense expressions. The moderator continued, "Now, the judges will vote for the dish that was most delicious!"
"..."
Along with those words, the judges fell into silence while Hayama and Ryo stood side by side, patiently awaiting the results.
Looking at both empty plates in front of them, the judges were contemplative. Throughout the tournament, the judges had immediately voted, their extensive experience and established reputations guiding their decisions.
However, for the first time, they truly felt conflicted!
"Hmmm... I-I've decided!"
Inui, whose expression seemed nervous contrary to the participants' composed demeanor, suddenly rose to her feet.
Raising her hand, her eyes twinkled with determination as she announced, "I vote for Hayama-kun's dish!"
"I will also vote for Hayama," Mizuhara nodded, believing that the systematic approach and the perfect combination in Hayama's dish demonstrated a higher level of skill and talent.
Hayama... was a gifted cook!
The crowd gasped at the judges' votes, leaning towards Hayama as the likely winner. The tension slowly simmered away.
"He's got two..."
"Hayama's leading, I think he's going to win this..."
Their murmurs about Hayama being the clear winner echoed through the arena. Ryo gritted his teeth in annoyance, feeling the students were simply fools. His eyes burned even hotter with determination.
And as he had expected...
"I will vote for Kurokiba's dish," Gin's voice reverberated, sending an uproar through the crowd.
Gin's reputation was among the top compared to the other judges, and his vote caused a stir.
This made Mizuhara and Inui, along with the audience look at him in shock.
Inui herself couldn't help but ask, "B-but why is that?"
"The rich flavor he brings out forcefully like a savage..."
Gin felt his lips curling up into a smile as he declared, "And amidst this destructive force he placed on the dish, I saw grace!"
A fire that had never gone out, a spirit that would never be broken! That quality resonated with Gin as he could feel the pure hard work in Ryo's dish.
Being talented was great, but being disciplined was even harder!
"I agree..." Tsunozaki nodded, sighing before declaring, "I will vote for Ryo Kurokiba's dish!"
"...!"
With the four judges' decisions now split, everyone's attention slowly shifted to the last judge, Sonoka Kikuchi. Her decision would determine the winner of the round and who would advance to the final match.
However...
"I-I'm sorry, I can't decide which one is better!" Sonoka admitted with tears welling up in her eyes.
"Wait, what?"
The crowd was dumbfounded at the unexpected twist.
Ryo felt veins bulging out of his forehead as he approached Sonoka and slammed his hand on the table in front of her.
"Ahh!"
The loud resounding slam made her flinch in fright as Ryo growled, "Are you fucking kidding me!? This is a battle where it won't end until one of us is defeated! Hurry up and choose!"
"Hmm, this is quite unexpected..."
Senzaimon massaged his forehead as Alice and Tsuna argued about something irrelevant to the tournament behind him. He observed the judges, who were also at a loss for words.
"Enough, Ryo Kurokiba," Gin spoke, making Sonoka feel relieved as Ryo turned his angry attention towards Gin.
"I can't blame her for that. Both dishes were at the same level of skill..."
The crowd grew restless, caught up in the moment.
"Operations committee!"
Gin then called out for the committee, which included the Elite Ten Councils members Erina, Isshiki, and Eizan as they stepped forward to the stage.
"..."
Usually, when a collective decision couldn't be made, the match would be rescheduled with a different theme to determine the superior performance.
However, because this was the Autumn Elections, rescheduling was close to impossible since all the judges were busy, and the election itself couldn't be delayed further.
"There is one solution for this inevitable situation..."
Gin turned to the Elite Ten Council members with a serious expression. "We'll let them both win! So, I propose the Autumn Election's very first three-way battle!"
"What did he just say?"
"A three-way battle?"
"Does that mean whoever wins the next match will face both Hayama and Kurokiba?"
The crowd felt like they had misheard, looking on in disbelief.
"Gin is very sharp when it comes to decision-making," Senzaimon murmured in satisfaction, observing Gin's decisiveness.
The Elite Ten Council members, including Erina, seemed to disagree with Gin's proposal. Senzaimon sighed, realizing he needed to involve himself.
"Ito-kun, what do you think of Gin's proposition?"
Senzaimon asked, turning to Tsuna, who was busy covering Alice's mouth to stop her from spouting more arguments.
"MHMM!!"
She struggled in his grasp, her annoyed expression clear.
"Ah? What is it again?"
Tsuna replied, clearly distracted. He couldn't keep up with the conversation as Alice babbled like a machine gun.
She seemed more fierce than usual today, making him wonder if she had taken the wrong medicine.
"..."
Senzaimon shook his head before briefly summarizing the situation.
Tsuna nodded in understanding and shrugged casually, "Who cares, just let them win. I can't waste more of my time here. I need to train..."
Senzaimon sighed but couldn't help a small smile.
"Hahaha very well," he said, turning back to the arena.
Tsuna's response endeared him to Senzaimon even more, prompting a hearty laugh from the principal. As he approached the edge of the platform, Senzaimon began to speak, "That proposal is interesting..."
His voice boomed across the arena, causing everyone to pause and turn their heads toward the principal.
The judges and the Elite Ten Council members fell silent, awaiting his next words. The whole arena was suddenly hushed, the tension thick in the air.
Seeing that he had everyone's attention, Senzaimon nodded in satisfaction and began to continue, "I will acc--"
Clap!
However, a loud smacking sound reverberated across the arena, causing Senzaimon to pause. He turned around, as did everyone else, their attention now drawn to Alice.
She stood with a red face, holding her rear in embarrassment, while Tsuna stood in front of her, shaking his head.
"Y-you pervert!"
"Be a good girl and shut up," Tsuna said, his tone firm.
"..."
This turned the whole atmosphere into deeper silence as everyone wondered...
What the hell did he just do?
"As I was saying," Senzaimon coughed awkwardly, trying to regain everyone's attention.
His voice boomed once again, snapping the crowd back to reality, "I will accept Gin's proposal for a three-way battle in the Autumn Election's final round."
His final verdict sent excitement through the roof.
With the announcement of the three-way battle officially confirmed by the principal himself, the crowd buzzed with anticipation, eagerly awaiting the historic showdown.
This... was going to be historic! The very first three-way battle for the final!
And the next round, between Tsuna and Soma...
Whoever won would have to face two behemoths!