Noise.
Tension.
These two atmospheres coexisted and solidified at this moment.
All the contestants had faces marked with fatigue, but their eyes sparkled with pride.
In competitions, there are winners and losers, but they all knew they had given their best, so regardless of the outcome, they should leave with the demeanor of "victors"!
At noon, the weather was somewhat sultry.
Back at the dormitory of Polar Star Dorm, Yuuki raised her glass, slightly tilted her head, and drank it all in one gulp.
Then, a mist of tears appeared in her bright eyes.
"Sob, sob, sob..."
"Megumi, tell me, what did I do wrong?"
"In the preliminaries, my braised chicken turned out pretty well, and I scored 88 points, but in the end..."
At this moment, she couldn't hold it in anymore and collapsed into Megumi's arms, pouring out her heart with tears and bitterness.
...
They say when children are born, each one is like a blank slate.
However, compared to the gentle and quiet Megumi, Yuuki was much more lively and cheerful.
A girl like her should be very likable, but without the "main character" aura, Yuuki clearly didn't have much presence!
If we were to describe them with two animals, Megumi would definitely be a pure, gentle rabbit.
Yuuki, on the other hand, would be a bouncing, energetic fawn.
Honestly, in this preliminary round, Yuuki's braised chicken had many commendable aspects.
But unfortunately, in this autumn selection, there were quite a few contestants stronger than her, so she was quickly eliminated.
Facing Yuuki's sorrowful crying, Megumi felt confused and helpless.
Originally, several residents of Polar Star Dorm had qualified to participate in the autumn selection, but now, only she and Soma had successfully advanced to the top eight!
Therefore, in front of Yuuki, she didn't know how to comfort her.
...
"Yuuki."
"You did great."
"Only the top four from both A and B blocks can advance."
"The competition is much fiercer than the last training camp, so being eliminated doesn't mean you're not strong, it's just that there were too many strong opponents."
Satoshi sipped his sake, glanced at her, and comforted her.
"I just feel so unsatisfied!"
"My braised chicken used the freshest ingredients, even the chicken was a special breed from China that I personally raised."
"But in B Block, Takumi, Mimasaka, Alice, all their curry dishes were incredible!"
"Sigh!"
"If only I had been placed in A Block, it might have been better."
As she spoke, tears started falling from Yuuki's eyes again.
...
"A Block is supervised by Erina."
"Judging by the contestant list and the overall competition, I think your braised chicken wouldn't have made it to the top four there either."
Seeing that Yuuki seemed still not to give up, Satoshi spoke honestly.
"I know that."
"I didn't have high expectations, just didn't expect even Megumi to advance."
Wiping her tears, Yuuki finally looked back at Megumi.
Thinking of Megumi's monkfish curry hotpot that impressed the two curry queens, she couldn't help but feel a bit jealous and curious.
Everyone knew that Megumi had always been timid and scared.
Every time she faced a significant competition, she would panic terribly.
But during this period, not just Yuuki, but any resident of Polar Star Dorm could see her rapid progress.
And winning fourth place in the preliminaries of B Block surprised everyone.
"When I first got on stage."
"I was a bit nervous."
"Satoshi, you were standing by the judges' table and must have seen it, I couldn't even hold my knife properly."
"But later, I kept thinking of Zane from the tavern, his handsome face and tall figure, and the dishes he made..."
"And then, my heart calmed down, and I wasn't afraid anymore."
"Oh."
"Yes, yes."
"That monkfish curry hotpot."
"When I visited the tavern, Zane made it for me too!"
"I always feel like he can predict the future, telling me the answers in advance, which benefits me greatly."
"He... he's the most important person in my life."
In the end, Megumi's eyes were filled with admiration and love.
Maybe she truly had feelings for Zane, but she was too shy to express them openly.
...
"I knew it, your rapid progress has always been related to him."
Hearing this, Yuuki's eyes sparkled, and she moved closer, lightly nudging Megumi with her elbow, teasing, "What? You think Zane is your prince charming?"
"Huh? No... nothing like that!"
Megumi's face turned red.
"Hehehe, I think you're lovesick."
Yuuki raised her eyebrows and teased again.
Teased like this, Megumi didn't retort but blushed even more.
...
At Shunkatei Western Restaurant.
Wearing a chef's uniform, Sonoka was hiding in a corner, peeking.
She watched in curiosity and confusion as Sonoka, who was busy making desserts in the kitchen.
She saw Sonoka measuring ingredients.
Finally, she prepared cocoa powder, coconut oil, honey, powdered sugar, and stevia extract.
She slowly added hot water to a bowl, poured coconut oil into a pot, stirring continuously, then scraped the honey into the pot with a whisk, and added vanilla extract.
She mixed everything into the melted coconut oil until it fully dissolved into a thin syrup.
"Sonoka, what are you doing hiding by the door?"
"If you're not busy, come over and help me with the baking sieve."
Suddenly, Sonoka, who was making chocolate, turned around and saw Sonoka peeking. Noticing her puzzled expression, she waved her over.
"Cut it out!"
"Why are you making desserts?"
"You're a master of French and Italian cuisine, not a dessert chef, right?"
Sonoka shrugged but obediently went over to help with the baking sieve.
"He took you in, didn't he?"
"So I thought I'd make some desserts to thank him."
Sonoka smiled happily.
"Oh!"
Sonoka nodded.
She remembered feeling lost, and Zane kindly offered her a job, giving her a temporary place to stay. She indeed owed him a bit of gratitude!
But seeing Sonoka's satisfied and happy expression, her gratitude and goodwill towards Zane faded.
"Thank him?"
"Why be so nice to that jerk?"
"Without us working hard, could the tavern be so successful?"
"I think he should be thanking us!"
"Alright!"
"Stop being stubborn."
"We both know that big changes are coming to the culinary world."
"Can you ensure this restaurant will always operate smoothly, unlike your restaurant, which closed due to the midnight chef incident?"
Sonoka spoke emotionally, placing cocoa powder in the baking sieve.
...
"You mean..."
"They plan to take over all the famous restaurants in Japan?"
Hearing this, Sonoka was stunned.
Given that the midnight chefs had quickly spread their influence throughout Western Europe, it indicated:
Taking over Japan should be within their reach!
"Not entirely sure."
"But I believe it's likely to happen."
Sonoka's face turned cautious and serious as she continued, "So, in the upcoming changes, the only person we can rely on is Zane!"
"I understand, but you don't have to be so nice to him, right?"
Sonoka pouted, slightly annoyed.
"Alright, Sonoka, you can remove the baking sieve now."
Sonoka, amazed by Sonoka's delicate methods, finally snapped out of her daze and removed the baking sieve.
...
In her memory, Sonoka never had much foresight.
Her sole goal was to run Shunkatei successfully and earn a two-star rating from the WGO culinary organization!
Though she helped out at the tavern every evening, she maintained her pure heart.
Of course, on the other hand, Sonoka's situation deeply impacted her.
After all, running the restaurant for two years and then suddenly closing was terrifying for anyone.
"You're doing well."
"Sonoka, I didn't know you were skilled in desserts too!"
Sonoka admired Sonoka's skilled chocolate-making.
...
"Huh?"
"French cuisine includes many desserts."
"And it's a top contender in the pastry world, known for its elegance and sophistication."
Sonoka scratched her head, then looked at Sonoka with a strange expression.
"I don't want to discuss the connection between French cuisine and desserts."
"I'm curious why you're making heart-shaped chocolates representing romantic love?"
Suddenly, Sonoka seemed to realize something, exclaiming, "Wait, today is Valentine's Day! Are you going to confess to Zane?"
"What?"
"Is today Valentine's Day?"
Sonoka looked at the unfinished chocolates in front of her and froze.
"Ha! You almost fooled me. You do have feelings for Zane."
"Are you planning to confess to him today?"
Seeing Sonoka standing there in a daze, Sonoka clenched her fists in frustration.
"It's not like that... I didn't realize today was Valentine's Day. I made heart-shaped chocolates because I only had heart-shaped molds."
"Sonoka, I really don't have any romantic feelings for him!"
With Sonoka's questioning, Sonoka's face turned red, her heart racing like a frightened fawn.
"Really?"
Sonoka remained skeptical.
Sonoka continued her work, pouring the warm chocolate into heart-shaped molds, placing them in the refrigerator to chill.
Once fully solidified, she removed them from the molds.
Finally, the heart-shaped chocolates symbolizing love were finished!
...
"They look nice."
The blushing Sonoka commented coldly.
Then, wanting to taste one of the chocolates, she asked, "Can I try one?"
"Sure," Sonoka nodded.
Hearing this, Sonoka eagerly took a black chocolate piece and chewed it.
At first,
it tasted bitter, but soon a rich sweetness spread on her tongue, reaching deep into her heart.
She took a deep breath, savoring the lingering taste.
"Not bad, biting into it."
"The fragrant aroma and crunchy nuts are different!"
"Although slightly bitter, the walnuts' crunch perfectly balances the chocolate's sweetness!"
...
Chocolate varies in quality.
High-quality chocolate is fragrant, sweet, melts smoothly, and leaves no residue.
By all standards, Sonoka's chocolate was:
Excellent!
But despite Sonoka's praise, Sonoka seemed neither joyful nor excited.
She calmly packed the chocolates into a fancy box and headed out of the kitchen.
Sonoka, seeing this, froze again!
"Sigh!"
"You say it's not for Zane."
Watching her leave, Sonoka sighed deeply.
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