As Sui returned to the stage, Ryoko, Yoshino, and the others were amazed. They hadn't expected that the dish Sui prepared would earn a perfect score from the notoriously strict Chef Chapelle.
"Sui, you're incredible," Yoshino exclaimed, giving his shoulder a playful pat.
"The gap between us keeps getting wider and wider," Sōma added with a frustrated smile. If things kept up like this, when would he ever be able to catch up to Sui?
Even Erina and Rindō were slightly taken aback by the fact that Sui had earned a perfect score.
"No, Megumi and I made this dish together," Sui said modestly. "She contributed a lot as well."
"Sui, please stop teasing me. I was just helping," Megumi blushed, feeling both embarrassed and pleased by his words.
At that moment, Rindō's eyes were glued to the remaining food on Sui's plate, her tongue sliding across her lips.
"Sui, let us taste this so-called 'perfect' dish," she demanded.
Yoshino joined in, patting Sui's shoulder again. "Yeah, let us try it too!"
Even Erina looked eager to taste it.
With a small smile, Sui cut the remaining bread into bite-sized pieces and handed them out.
"Wow, this is amazing!" Ryoko exclaimed after her first bite, her face lighting up with surprise. It was the best bread she had ever eaten.
"Yeah," Sōma nodded repeatedly. He realized that at his current level, there was no way he could produce something like this.
"Sui, your concept is brilliant," Erina praised him. "Most people, when cooking breadfruit, would aim to emphasize its sweetness. But you went in a completely different direction by adding savory flavors, similar to meat floss bread. That way, the sweetness of the breadfruit is enhanced even more."
"And the yogurt is the perfect touch," Tsukasa chimed in. "It balances out the richness of the salmon and bread, bringing the two together harmoniously. I wouldn't have thought that such a challenging ingredient could be handled so masterfully."
He was genuinely impressed by his first-year kohai. Even for someone of his skill, this dish would have been a challenge.
"It's delicious," Rindō said, patting her stomach with satisfaction. The only complaint she had was that there wasn't enough.
Suddenly, she perked up. "Hey, how does this compare to your dish, Eishi?"
Her question immediately piqued everyone's curiosity. Was Sui's dish, which earned full marks for a first-year, better than Eishi Tsukasa, which had scored 93 by third-year standards?
"Is that really necessary?" Sui scratched his head, already knowing the answer.
"Yeah, it seems a bit unfair," Eishi Tsukasa added, looking slightly embarrassed.
"What's the harm in it, Eishi?" Rindō pressed. "Go get your dish—there must be some left, right?"
Unable to refuse her insistence, Tsukasa reluctantly brought over his own dish.
The students' eyes lit up at the sight of it. After all, this was the cooking of Totsuki's first seat. It wasn't every day they got a chance to taste such a masterpiece.
"If you don't mind, please help yourselves," Tsukasa offered generously.
The dish he had prepared was a French-style fish fillet. He had seasoned sea bream with fennel, white wine, thyme, salt, and pepper, then roasted it in the oven until it was 70% cooked. He followed up by adding a paste of tomatoes, cream, and eggs, topping it off with a slice of crab meat before baking it to perfection.
Even Sui couldn't resist sampling a piece—it was his first time tasting Tsukasa's cooking.
The fish was fresh, tender, and fragrant. With each bite, the flavor of the sea bream danced on the tongue, its natural taste presented flawlessly without unnecessary embellishment.
"This is incredible!" Megumi gasped, unable to hide her shock. The fact that Tsukasa had made such a dish in under an hour was unbelievable.
"Is this the ability of the first seat? He's too strong!" Sōma's eyes widened as he realized the vast gulf between himself and Eishi Tsukasa.
"But compared to Sui's dish, it's still just a little bit lacking," Rindō said, smacking her lips.
"Agreed," Erina nodded. Between the two, Sui's dish had the edge.
"Wait… does that mean Sui-kun just beat Tsukasa-senpai?" Megumi asked, covering her mouth in astonishment.
Ryoko and Yoshino were equally stunned.
However, Erina, Rindō, and a few others remained calm. They understood that this wasn't a definitive victory. No one was putting in their full effort during a simple test like this.
Even so, they couldn't help but be impressed that Sui had managed to cook something that surpassed Tsukasa—even if it had been a more casual creation on Tsukasa's part.
Sui knew the same. His victory today was partly due to the fact that Tsukasa wasn't giving it his all, and partly because Sui had cleverly used pear bread as a key ingredient.
Still, even though there was a gap between them, it had shrunk considerably. Sui knew it wouldn't be long before he officially surpassed the first seat.
"This year's freshmen are really something else," Eishi Tsukasa said with a laugh. He didn't mind the result at all. In fact, he turned to Sui and asked, "Sui, would you be interested in becoming my assistant? You've got a lot of potential."
"Thanks, but I'll pass," Sui replied with a smile. Tsukasa had a habit of inviting others to be his assistants, a reflection of his quiet confidence in his own skills.
And just like that, the final French cooking class came to an end. The question of whether Sui or Eishi Tsukasa's dish was better became a hot topic of conversation among the students.
Most believed that Eishi Tsukasa's cooking was superior, while a few leaned toward Sui's.
But the debate didn't last long. Soon, it became known that Erina, Rindō, and a few others had tasted both dishes and rendered their judgment.
When word spread that Sui's dish had come out on top, the students were left speechless.
For as long as anyone could remember, Eishi Tsukasa had been the undisputed top student at Totsuki. But now, a first-year had created a dish that surpassed his?
It was almost too incredible to believe.