"Can I win?"
Hisako looked at Erina with nervous and expectant eyes.
"I'm not sure. After all, I haven't tasted Ryo's cooking, so I can't compare it with the God Tongue!"
Erina spoke honestly.
"Really?"
Hearing that the soft-shelled turtle burger didn't guarantee a win, Hisako felt a bit helpless.
This morning, her Four Herbs Bitter Melon Lamb Soup had already lost to Ryo.
So, it's understandable that she felt pressure.
Seeing her downcast and tense, Erina felt a bit heartbroken. "Hisako, winning or losing isn't important."
"Anyway... it's just an autumn selection match. Winning would be great, but if you lose, I won't blame you!"
"Mm!"
"I understand."
Hisako forced a smile upon hearing this.
...
At 2 a.m., the lights of the tavern gradually dimmed.
The air still carried the scent of alcohol and grilled meat, as if telling the story of tonight's gathering and farewells.
Because he had to run his Shunkatei restaurant during the day, Zane usually let Sonoka leave by midnight.
At this moment, Ryoko was busy tidying up, carefully wiping each corner of the table with a cloth, putting a perfect end to the night in this cozy "little shop."
Zane stood at the cooking station, looking at the tavern he had been running for over three months, feeling a surge of emotions.
With the end of the preliminary competition, he thought there would be many Totsuki students coming to the tavern tonight.
Unexpectedly, the timing of the quarter-finals differed from the original story and was moved up to the next morning.
This meant that people like Alice, Hisako, and Erina wouldn't come to the tavern tonight.
As for Megumi, her mindset was more relaxed, and she didn't care much about the fame and results of the autumn selection. After all, reaching the quarter-finals was already quite an achievement for her.
"Ding-dong!"
"[Host, you have successfully checked in once.]"
"Ding-dong!"
"[Congratulations, host, for obtaining a new special recipe: Bouncy Soft-Shelled Turtle Soup, with two fresh soft-shelled turtles!]"
"Hmm? Today's check-in reward is Bouncy Soft-Shelled Turtle Soup?"
Learning that the new reward was a special recipe for Bouncy Soft-Shelled Turtle Soup, Zane was a bit surprised.
This dish comes from "Cooking Master Boy."
Its creator is Liu Mao Xing's friend:
Tang Sanjie.
The preparation is unique; the turtle is steamed in a cantaloupe.
It's flavored with salted plums, then cooled until it congeals into a jelly.
The main feature of this dish is its incredible elasticity. When eaten, the turtle jelly feels very Q and bouncy, like numerous turtles dancing on your tongue.
The taste is mild but surpasses many other turtle dishes.
In short, while Bouncy Soft-Shelled Turtle Soup might not be as stunning as Ice Phoenix Fish, it's a classic dish suitable for a tavern!
...
It was exactly 8 a.m.
The fragrant flowers on both sides of the road looked especially vibrant under the morning light.
Some were budding, others in full bloom. With the breeze blowing, their faint fragrance filled the air, making people feel relaxed and happy.
The first round of the autumn selection quarter-finals was about to begin.
"Hey!"
"Good morning, everyone!"
"Today, we will host the two matches of the quarter-finals, starting with the first round."
"The contestants are Hisako, third place from Group A, and Ryo, second place from Group B. Let's welcome both contestants to the stage."
As the female host, Rika Kawashima, finished speaking, the competition venue instantly became lively.
"Miss, I will definitely defeat Ryo."
Walking slowly from the waiting room to the stage, Hisako couldn't help but look at Erina standing by the judges' table with a determined gaze.
At the same time, Ryo appeared, sporting dark circles and a lazy demeanor, in front of the audience.
Seeing both of them on stage, Rika Kawashima didn't delay, immediately announcing the start of the cooking competition.
The first round of the quarter-finals had a burger theme, and contestants could use all the prepared ingredients on the table or bring their own. In short, there were no ingredient restrictions.
The cooking time was one hour, which was quite tight.
At this moment, Hisako tightly held a soft-shelled turtle.
"Wow!"
"Look, it's a soft-shelled turtle!"
"And it's alive. What... what is she planning to do?"
"The theme is burgers, so does she need a turtle for this?"
"She's picking up a kitchen knife."
"Wait, is she going to..."
As the lively soft-shelled turtle appeared, many people focused their attention on Hisako.
But Hisako ignored the reactions of the onlookers. She tightened her grip, flipped the turtle over, making its back face the ground and belly up.
Then, as the turtle stretched its neck to the fullest,
She brought down the knife!
...
"Interesting."
"No wonder Lady Alice often warned me to be careful of this secretary."
With a sidelong glance at Hisako handling the turtle, Ryo yawned lazily.
Then he rubbed his sleepy eyes and tied a headband with a flame pattern around his forehead.
"Now, let my performance begin!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ryo suddenly transformed into another person, becoming very fierce.
He was no longer exuding laziness but instead appeared like a wild beast, emitting a dangerous aura.
Tap-tap-tap~
Tap-tap-tap~
He grabbed some South American white shrimp and processed them with a kitchen knife.
The sound of the knife hitting the cutting board was like the roar of a beast.
Constantly reverberating through the audience!
...
Knife skills.
In a way, it relies entirely on brute force.
But if you look closely, you can see that Ryo's seemingly forceful knife work is exceptionally precise.
What appears chaotic and wild is, in fact, extremely accurate with each cut!
"Wow!"
"This... this knife skill is incredible."
"His rough yet delicate knife work is amazing."
"Maybe, very few Totsuki students can match his level."
The onlookers couldn't help but be amazed.
Shrimp!
Processed.
Directly fried.
In the 200°C hot oil, the ingredients flipped calmly, with smoke rising.
Once the shrimp turned golden, they were quickly taken out to drain the oil. Then a lettuce leaf, some salad dressing, and they were put into a burger bun.
"Alright, my Ultimate Seven Shrimp Burger is done."
Finally, Ryo showed a slightly ferocious smile, satisfied.
"I'm done too!"
At the same time, Hisako also completed her turtle burger.
...
Both finished their burgers almost simultaneously.
This surprised Rika Kawashima, so she quickly returned to the stage to announce the start of the judging phase.
When she announced the judges, the crowd was shocked because they were:
Senzaemon Nakiri.
Leonora Nakiri.
Kiyoshi Shinomiya.
"Wow!"
"Am I seeing things?"
"Even the Director is here, and the current head of the Food Administration Bureau, Kiyoshi Shinomiya."
"Wow, who's that beautiful woman?"
"She looks a lot like Lady Alice. I've heard Alice's mother is the current head of the Nakiri International Research Department."
"Could it be her?"
Amidst the exclamations, Senzaemon and the other two judges took their seats and began judging.
...
The thick patty melted in the mouth.
With the first bite, the taste of the turtle meat emerged.
The sauce made from turtle broth tightly coated the patty, bringing out a rich flavor.
The thick patty and turtle taste made the whole body feel hot, like sitting on a volcano!
With a "shh" sound, the Director's clothes burst open.
"Yes!"
"As expected."
"The Director burst his clothes after just one bite."
Seeing this, Hisako clenched her fists, excitement shining in her eyes.
After all, the Director bursting his clothes meant that her turtle burger was recognized by the judges.
Then, the judges continued to taste Ryo's Ultimate Seven Shrimp Burger!
The burger seemed ordinary in appearance, ingredients, and preparation, with nothing eye-catching.
At first glance, it looked like a regular market burger.
Almost no difference, without much visual impact.
However, with just a light bite, the finely crafted South American white shrimp and nutritious fish paste immediately surprised the judges.
"This... this... unexpectedly delicious!"
The next moment, the Director burst his clothes again.
...
"I see."
"By baking at high temperatures, an air pocket forms inside the bread."
"Then, the shrimp and lettuce are filled inside."
"If I remember correctly, this is a common bread in the Middle East?"
Beside her, Leonora, who also tasted it, nodded thoughtfully and smiled.
"Yes!"
"Not surprising from a judge."
"Even more so from Lady Alice's mother."
"My Ultimate Seven Shrimp Burger looks ordinary, but it's made with special yogurt sauce to remove the shrimp's fishy smell."
"As for the round bread, shrimp, sauce, and Indian pickles, they're meticulously paired."
"The pungent aroma of mustard oil enhances the burger's flavor. Simply put, it's an outstanding fragrance that builds the aroma of the pickles."
Ryo explained calmly.
...
At this moment, listening to Ryo's explanation.
Leonora thought for a moment, then nodded with satisfaction.
"No... no way."
"Your cooking is that strong?"
Seeing the Director burst his clothes again, Hisako was shocked.
Her face turned pale, she stepped back a few steps, feeling a bad premonition:
Her turtle
burger might lose.
Sure enough, after the judges evaluated both dishes, the result came out.
1:2
Ryo won by one vote over Hisako.
This meant that Hisako, the most loyal secretary to Erina, could only stop at the quarter-finals this way!
...
"No way?"
"Hisako, who has been with Erina for years, lost?"
"Scary, so scary. Ryo appeared sickly but turned out to be so strong."
"Sigh!"
"Too cruel."
"Hisako's turtle burger wasn't bad either!"
The crowd was abuzz with discussions.
"Yay! Amazing, I didn't expect Ryo to be so strong, beating Hisako."
Seeing the score on the screen, Alice excitedly ran to the judges' table to her mother's side.
Erina, the tenth seat of the Elite Ten responsible for the competition, watched the entire match.
Clearly, she underestimated Ryo's strength.
"Hey, Alice."
"This is the judges' area. Can you, an unrelated person, go back to the audience?"
Finally, she looked at Alice angrily and shouted.
"No, I won't. It's obvious you're mad because Hisako lost!" Alice replied smugly.
"I don't want to argue with you. Please leave now."
"Mom, look, Erina wants to kick me out."
Unexpectedly, Alice clung to her mother Leonora's arm, slightly pouting.
"Erina, the match is over."
"Don't be so petty, let her stay with me for a while."
Leonora patted her hand, warning her not to cause trouble, then smiled at Erina.
"You two are impossible."
Erina felt speechless.
...
"Impossible."
"Why did my turtle burger lose?"
"My life's pursuit is this medicinal cuisine that gives people strength. Doesn't Miss like my cooking?"
"But why?"
"Why didn't the judges... where did I go wrong?"
On stage, Hisako looked like a soulless zombie, her spirit breaking down!
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