Night falls.
In Room 303 of Polar Star Dormitory:
"90 points?"
"You barely qualified for the top eight?"
A voice full of surprise and disbelief came from the other end of the phone.
"Dad, what could I do?" Soma sighed helplessly. "The top two contestants have talents beyond ordinary people. One has superhuman sense of smell, and the other has beast-like intuition and concentration."
"Is that so?"
"It seems you've encountered some strong opponents."
On the other end, Joichiro couldn't help but sigh.
"Encountered?"
Soma was puzzled.
Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked, "Dad, do you remember your score when you participated in the Autumn Selection?"
"Zero points!"
"I was at the bottom."
Soma: (⊙o⊙)
Hearing this, his eyebrows twitched, feeling incredulous.
Given his father's skills back then, how could he have scored zero in the Autumn Selection?
"Surprised, aren't you?"
"The theme that year was rice balls."
"And I made an evolved version with squid ink, honey sauce, herring, pig liver, stinky tofu, and Houttuynia cordata, making the three judges vomit and have diarrhea…"
Goodness, the spirit of deliberately messing with people through cooking...
It's exhilarating!
"Dad, you're incredible!"
Finally understanding the reason, Soma couldn't help but feel admiration.
"Anyway."
"Congratulations on making it to the top eight."
"Soma, I'm genuinely happy for you because finding strong opponents among your peers is a blessing!"
"Chefs often cook not for themselves."
"When you understand this, that's when you truly grow!"
"Alright!"
"I have something to do, so I'll leave it at that."
After that, the sound of a dial tone came from the phone.
Staring blankly at the ended call, Soma felt disheartened. Although he had avenged his loss to Ikumi in the preliminaries, he still felt a gap between himself, Ryo, and Akira, which left him puzzled.
He had hoped to chat with his father and perhaps get some advice.
But before he could talk much, his father hung up.
Sigh!
Reflecting on it, Soma knew he still had a long way to go and needed to work harder!
...
The sunlight shone on the ancient castle.
Golden light intertwined with the stone walls, telling stories of a thousand years.
With an 8-hour time difference between France and Japan, it was still daytime. Standing on the castle, Joichiro gazed at the distant, endless snow-capped mountains, lost in thought.
"Perhaps you haven't realized your terrifying talent yet?"
Finally, Joichiro looked away and muttered softly.
His thoughts drifted back ten years.
One day, while he was busy entertaining guests at Yukihira Diner, his six-year-old son suddenly put down his knife and said with a smile, "Dad, I want to be a chef who surpasses you in cooking!"
He would always remember.
Facing this scene back then, he didn't feel comforted or happy, but rather amused.
Because he knew that Soma's talent wasn't in cooking, and he believed his son could never become a great chef like him.
If possible, he would be an excellent lawyer, doctor, or civil servant!
Moreover, kids often say things casually and forget them later.
But to discourage him, Joichiro had a few cooking matches with him.
However, during this process, he discovered Soma's most incredible trait:
His ability to absorb knowledge!
...
In terms of talent.
Soma was utterly ordinary.
Such people, when encountering exceptionally talented individuals, often subconsciously accept failure as normal!
This recognition is like pouring a little hot water into a thermos and immediately sealing it, preventing more hot water from being added.
But for Soma, he had no such lid.
He had a unique ability to calmly face his deficiencies and continuously improve.
This unwavering spirit allowed him to objectively understand the essence of things and courageously attempt personal reflections.
In other words:
He was like a thermos without a lid.
One that could continually be filled with hot water!
Yes, his talent lay in his lack of the "common sense" shaped by stereotypes.
This lack of common sense often placed him in difficult situations when cooking!
The Don RS incident, the breakfast challenge during the training camp, and his performance in the preliminaries… all reflected this.
However.
His exceptional learning ability.
Often helped him find a way out in these tough situations.
Hence, Joichiro, who knew his son best, firmly believed that Soma would surpass him in the future!
"Even if you surpass me, what does it matter?"
"I am already a man abandoned by the times, destined to exit the stage."
"And those who can truly bring hope to this decaying culinary world are the young chefs with strong beliefs, who strive to present the best of cooking to people!"
He looked at his bandaged hands and sighed deeply.
...
A good knife enhances culinary skills.
From the initial preparation of ingredients, it subtly affects the final taste of a dish.
Otherwise, the saying "to do a good job, one must first sharpen his tools" wouldn't have been passed down.
Yes!
This is the truth.
A good knife must first be sharp.
Sharpness not only speeds up ingredient processing but also makes cutting more precise, producing thinner slices and finer shreds.
But considering edge retention, rust resistance, grindability, control, design, and cost-effectiveness, it's impossible to excel in all aspects.
In other words:
Knives always have imperfections.
The set of "Sparrow's Melody" kitchen knives was of good quality.
Of course, compared to special knives like "Northern Star Wolf Blade" or "Eternal Spirit Knife," it couldn't measure up!
...
At this moment.
It wasn't yet time to open the tavern.
Zane steadied himself, lightly grasping the knife handle with his right hand, his fingers pressed against the back of the blade, feeling its weight and balance.
Then, he opened his eyes and swiftly sliced into the fish.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The blade moved across the fish, producing a faint sound.
In no time, the whole snapper was neatly sliced into uniform pieces.
"Phew~"
"Just as I thought."
"The Luohan Crystal Slash and Bull Dragon Slash have improved my knife skills!"
To become a head chef at a five-star hotel, one must pay a higher price than others.
In his previous life, he started learning from the simplest vegetable cutting, gradually mastering it without anyone willing to teach or support him.
Zane never thought of giving up.
He often observed various chefs' knife techniques in the kitchen.
Being a determined person, he had resolved from the moment he picked up the knife.
With no one willing to teach him, Zane chose to learn by watching, constantly observing and practicing. He stayed behind after the head chef left to practice, enduring this for five years!
So, he knew how challenging it was to become a qualified chef.
Now, with the system's help, he could grow quickly without much effort.
"Sigh, if this continues."
"I'm afraid even I won't know what kind of monster I'll become."
Retracting his knife, Zane looked at the perfectly sliced snapper and could only laugh at himself.
...
"Zane."
"Zane."
At this moment, two voices called out.
Sonoka, who had already arrived at the tavern, greeted him.
Their soft voices pulled Zane out of his deep thoughts. He looked up to see two beautiful women standing before him.
"Huh?"
"It's not even seven yet, not time for the tavern to open. Why are you here?"
Recovering, Zane asked with a smile.
"Zane, I made some chocolates for you."
As she spoke, Sonoka extended her hand, presenting a beautifully wrapped box of chocolates to him.
"Chocolates?"
Zane was puzzled, feeling curious.
Driven by curiosity, he glanced at the box, noticing its deep chocolate color, symbolizing endless sweetness and temptation.
The gold decorative stripes on the lid added a touch of luxury!
"Sonoka, you really put in effort."
Looking back, Zane praised.
He then accepted the box of chocolates and asked, "Can I open it now?"
"Yes."
Sonoka nodded quickly.
So, Zane gently opened the lid, and a rich chocolate aroma wafted out, intoxicating him.
Inside, the neatly arranged chocolates looked like works of art, their smooth surfaces shining invitingly.
What amused Zane was their shape:
All heart-shaped!
...
Each heart-shaped chocolate.
Under the light, they sparkled, as if telling a sweet love story.
Perhaps?
That sweet scent was the smell of love?
"Oh wow, they look nice."
"Sonoka, I didn't expect a French and Italian chef like you to make such exquisite chocolates."
"Not bad, right?"
"They only look cute because of the molds."
"Zane, why don't you try one and see how it tastes?"
Knowing Zane was pleased with her chocolates, Sonoka blushed and felt delighted.
"Alright, I won't hold back."
Saying this, Zane eagerly picked up a piece of black chocolate and popped it into his mouth.
Sweet.
Rich.
It spread through him at that moment.
Each bite brought a smooth and delicate sensation, like a taste feast on his tongue.
Wonderful and pure, its texture felt like silky smooth fabric flowing in his mouth, the rich, sweet flavor instantly capturing him.
To be honest, the sweet taste was like a mysterious spell, gripping all his taste buds.
Soon, Zane closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.
As he savored the taste, he noticed the lingering flavor filling his nose.
Unconsciously.
A smile spread across his face!
...
There.
Sonoka sneakily glanced at Zane.
Seeing him smile, she felt overjoyed.
"How is it?"
In her joy, Sonoka asked expectantly.
"It's good. From the initial sweetness, to the slight bitterness, to the lingering taste, each layer has a different flavor and texture."
"But the sugar syrup ratio seems off, making the initial strong flavor quickly fade, lacking a striking impact or memorable experience."
Opening his eyes, Zane thoughtfully replied.
"Huh?"
"Ratio off?"
Sonoka froze.
"I shouldn't criticize your chocolates in such a wonderful atmosphere."
"After all, it's something you worked hard on…"
Pfft!
Before Zane finished, Sonoka covered her mouth and chuckled softly. "Zane, you really know how to consider others' feelings."
...
After speaking.
She stopped smiling and picked up one of her handmade chocolates.
Under Sonoka's gaze, she slowly put it in her mouth, chewing carefully.
Hmm!
How to put it?
There was a slight bitterness.
This bitterness wasn't unpleasant, but added complexity and depth, making the flavor unique.
But indeed, the strong sweetness quickly faded in her mouth.
And the texture wasn't great, feeling a bit crumbly.
Realizing this, Sonoka's expression turned sour, and she hurriedly spit out the chocolate pieces.
"Zane, I'm sorry."
"I didn't expect my chocolates to turn out so poorly!"
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