"How's that? You've never seen anything like this before, have you?"
Shiraki smirked knowingly at Ikumi Mito.
"..."
Ikumi Mito stood frozen for a full ten seconds, utterly speechless. Then it hit her—she had just lost the upper hand to this arrogant transfer student in terms of presence!
"Hmph. Enjoy your little moment of pride while you can—it won't last!"
Leaving those sharp words behind, Mito turned back to her cooking station. She grabbed a knife from the side and began breaking down the hanging A5-grade beef carcass. Her movements looked rough, almost aggressive, as if fueled by anger.
Yet, a closer look revealed the opposite. Despite her lack of delicate movements and the cleaver she wielded, Mito's precision was extraordinary. Every cut was intentional, wasting none of the meat and leaving the fibers completely intact.
This A5-grade beef, sourced from the Mito Group's premier production line, had been aged for a month. Its firmness, intricate marbling, and the balance of fat and lean meat made it the pinnacle of beef quality. It wasn't just premium—it was the best of the best.
Of course, the term "top-notch ingredient" only applied to the current world.
Shiraki's mysterious black fruit, on the other hand, wasn't from this world at all. Its rarity and quality far surpassed anything humanity could cultivate—making it incomparable, even to the finest Wagyu beef.
"Mito-san's really using A5-grade beef!"
"This is going to be good. I think that transfer student is done for this time."
"Yeah, but what's up with those weird black things he's using? What even is that?"
The audience buzzed with excitement. Mito's use of A5-grade beef—an ingredient so rare that even affluent families rarely encountered it—was a clear sign that she wasn't holding back. But Shiraki's choice of ingredients left everyone scratching their heads.
Sure, the fruity aroma wafting from his station was undeniably sweet and appealing, but this was a hot pot competition. Was Shiraki seriously planning to make fruit hot pot?
Before they could dwell on this thought, Shiraki's next move stunned the crowd.
On the big screen, he casually dumped all the black, jewel-like fruit into his pot, clearly intending to use it as the soup base. As if that weren't strange enough, he reached for his next ingredient—chili peppers.
"Wait, what? Is he serious?"
The audience stirred again. At first, they thought Shiraki was adding just a small amount of chili to enhance the flavor. After all, unusual techniques weren't uncommon at Totsuki Culinary Academy, where students frequently experimented with unique cooking styles.
"Isn't that... a Habanero pepper?"
Someone in the crowd recognized the fiery red pepper in Shiraki's hand and gasped.
Unfortunately, this assumption was incorrect. Although the peppers resembled Habaneros, they were something far more exotic—Devil Peppers from another world. Unlike their earthly counterparts, these peppers were naturally grown and classified as a special culinary ingredient, renowned for their unparalleled heat.
What happened next left the audience in utter shock.
Shiraki casually grabbed an entire handful of Devil Peppers. Without warning, he tossed them into the air. As they fell, he expertly wielded his knife, dicing the peppers midair in a display of breathtaking precision. In mere seconds, the peppers were reduced to a fine mince.
For Shiraki, the concept of "too much" was irrelevant. Two minutes later, half the pot was filled with finely chopped Devil Peppers. The sight was broadcast live on the overhead screen for all to see, leaving the audience speechless.
It wasn't measured in grams anymore—it was measured in pots.
And these weren't just any peppers. These were peppers believed to be the hottest in the world!
"What is he even trying to cook?!"
Even the students itching to ridicule Shiraki held their tongues. Rumors about his strength had been circulating ever since his arrival at Totsuki, and even Erina Nakiri, known for her pride and high standards, had a complicated relationship with him. It was clear Shiraki wasn't an amateur.
Still, his current actions defied logic, leaving the audience's collective worldview in ruins.
Meanwhile, Ikumi Mito, focused on frying her beef, noticed the uncharacteristic silence from the crowd. She assumed Shiraki had pulled off some impressive culinary trick but didn't bother investigating further—she had her own dish to perfect.
First, she began rendering the beef fat over medium heat to ensure its flavors fully developed. She then basted the beef in butter to lock in the juices. The aroma of A5 beef, rich and decadent, began to fill the air.
Her technique was flawless. Normally, such a display would have the entire room salivating. But now...
Turning off the heat, Mito suddenly realized something alarming—she couldn't smell the A5 beef at all.
"What the..."
She glanced at the frying pan, where her golden-brown beef still sizzled, emitting wisps of white smoke. The aroma should have been overwhelming, but all she could smell was the strange, fruity sweetness wafting over from Shiraki's station.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. She turned to look at Shiraki, who was calmly straining the black pulp from his pot.
The aroma of her prized A5 beef... had been completely overshadowed by Shiraki's fruit.
Mito's heart sank. Cold sweat trickled down her back as the realization hit her.
Her A5 beef—her ultimate ingredient—had just been upstaged.