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Unfazed by the stares, Subaru Mimasaka simply ignored them.
After all, that was the nature of his ability. Over the years, many of his tracking targets had discovered him. He even attracted the attention of many passersby while tailing them.
Subaru was long used to strange looks...
....
The first and second matches were Soma Yukihira versus Takumi Aldini and Ryō Kurokiba versus Miyoko Hōjō, respectively.
The final results, naturally, went without saying: Takumi and Miyoko were completely crushed.
Soma and Ryō's Culinary skills were already second only to Erina Nakiri in the original story, and now, having been further strengthened, even Akira Hayama couldn't defeat them, let alone Takumi and Miyoko.
Although quite unhappy about his loss, Takumi conceded defeat.
Miyoko Hōjō didn't say much. While she was also competitive, she was still quite a ways off from Ryō Kurokiba's level.
The remaining two matches in the morning were Yoshino Yuki versus Alice Nakiri and Yuuki versus Hisako Arato.
Yuuki's appearance naturally made him the center of attention.
That's what happened when you were ridiculously good at cooking. Although everyone knew Yuuki would inevitably win this match, it didn't dampen their interest in seeing what he'd make.
Hisako Arato also knew she would definitely lose this match. With Erina Nakiri's words of encouragement, her mentality wasn't affected. Right now, she simply wanted to compete against Yuuki.
....
The ingredients for the subsequent matches were chosen by the competitors themselves.
Yuuki brought out a sea bass. Sashimi made from sea bass had a smooth, light, refreshing texture, which was perfectly suited for the dish Yuuki was planning to make.
Hisako, backed by Erina Nakiri, had no shortage of resources and directly brought out a piece of tuna, incredibly fresh. With a single glance, Yuuki knew it had been butchered this very morning.
While it might have seemed, at first glance, that Yuuki was at a disadvantage in terms of ingredients, his knife skills were more than enough to compensate for this difference.
After placing the fish down, Yuuki directly took out his Seven-Star Knives, unleashing the Seven-Star Flash Severing Knife Dance.
In the blink of an eye, the sea bass before him was prepped.
By the time Yuuki finished this step, Hisako Arato had only just taken out her own knife.
When it came to ingredient processing and cooking speed, Yuuki was the absolute best.
However, what came next was the crucial step.
When making Fiery Ice Fresh Fish Mountain slices, the North Star Wolf Blade was ideally used. But Yuuki didn't need that ice knife now; his Seven-Star Knives would suffice.
At this moment, a chilling air emanated from Yuuki's hand, spreading rapidly along his Seven-Star Knife.
In the blink of an eye, under the effect of the Freezing Air special ability, the Seven-Star Knife in Yuuki's hand transformed into a knife similar to the North Star Wolf Blade, and this chilled knife was reusable.
It was the perfect time to use the Arhat Crystal Slash he had previously obtained.
As Yuuki used the Arhat Crystal Slash, his entire demeanor drastically shifted. To others, he now resembled a wrathful God.
Just this Aura alone could completely intimidate an opponent. Hisako Arato, just by glancing at Yuuki, was startled, and her movements involuntarily stopped.
This was the power of the Arhat Crystal Slash—besides its powerful knife skills, the aura it exuded was also immensely intimidating.
Under this pressure, opponents were easily affected. For example, right now, Hisako Arato, even with her exceptional Culinary skills, could probably only perform at eighty percent, perhaps even less.
The fish slices Yuuki cut were like crystal shards, rapidly placed on the small ice mountain he had prepared beforehand.
Because the slices were so incredibly thin, combined with the Freezing Air enveloping the Seven-Star Knife, the fish slices, once placed on the ice mountain, seemed to vanish before their eyes.
....
During the entire process of Yuuki making the sashimi, the others didn't even dare to breathe. Only after Yuuki stopped using the Arhat Crystal Slash did the venue gradually return to its previous state.
The students in the audience seats also began to discuss.
"WHAT WAS THAT JUST NOW?! I thought I saw something terrifying! I was completely frozen!"
One student said, clearly shaken. He realized he had broken out in a cold sweat.
"It wasn't an illusion. Yuuki-sama's state just now was very strange, as if we were looking at a wrathful God!" One of the Chūkaryōri RS members said.
"Although that aura was scary and strange, did you guys notice the fish slices he made? They were like mirrors! And after landing on the ice mountain, they just vanished!"
"I can't even imagine what the texture of that sashimi would be like!"
"Now that you mention it, I'M curious too! Those fish slices, placed on such a large ice mountain, so incredibly thin—shouldn't there be a problem with that?"
....
Everyone was now focused on the sashimi Yuuki made.
Although the slices were extremely thin, and he had even used Freezing Air on his knife when cutting, if it were anyone else, doing this would definitely freeze the fish slices solid, ruining the texture.
But Yuuki was different. He could precisely control Freezing Air.
The Freezing Air formed a protective layer on the sashimi slices, ensuring the temperature remained optimal. Moreover, this Freezing Air also prevented frost from the ice mountain from affecting the sashimi.
So, although these fish slices might look like they had been frozen and lost their texture, the actual texture was like that of fresh sea bass. The freezing effect on the exterior only served to preserve and enhance the flavor and texture.
Besides that, Yuuki also prepared a special dipping sauce.
Yuuki didn't know what sauce Leon used in the original dish, but with Spice Equation, he could naturally create the most suitable sauce for this dish.
....
After Yuuki completed his dish, Hisako Arato was still processing the tuna. Yuuki didn't wait—whether he waited or not wouldn't affect the result anyway.
He presented his dish to the judges' table. This time, besides the two other graduates, Senzaemon Nakiri was also present.
The judges for each match were different. But when it came to Yuuki's match, the standard was much higher.
Especially with Senzaemon Nakiri—Yuuki participating in a competition like this, it wasn't appropriate for Senzaemon to get involved in the preliminaries, but it was different for the subsequent matches.
Senzaemon Nakiri had already decided that, in the future, as long as it was Yuuki's match, he would be there to act as a judge. As for the other judges, they were just there to make up the numbers.
"Yuuki-kun, does this dish have a name?"
Looking at this incredibly beautiful dish, Senzaemon Nakiri couldn't help but ask. Although this dish looked simple, the knife skill Yuuki demonstrated already had immense value.
Sashimi—besides the taste, the most important aspect was its texture, and the texture of sashimi was naturally related to the Chef's knife skill. They had all just witnessed Yuuki's actions.
It would be impossible for sashimi sliced with such incredible knife skills to not taste good.
As for whether the sashimi's texture had been ruined by the freezing, Senzaemon Nakiri hadn't even considered that possibility. In his view, Yuuki wouldn't make such a low-level mistake.
"The original name of this dish is 'Fiery Ice, Fresh Sea Bream Mountain,' although now it's not sea bream but sea bass, so it should be called 'Fiery Ice, Fresh Sea Bass Mountain,'" Yuuki replied.
This could be considered a modified version of the original dish, using a different main ingredient.
"What a great name! Then let me have a taste and see how it is!"
Senzaemon Nakiri was incredibly curious about Yuuki's cooking. After all, every single one of Yuuki's dishes, whether he had tasted them or not, were all excellent.
....
As he took a slice of sashimi, dipped it in the sauce, and put it into his mouth, Senzaemon Nakiri's eyes abruptly widened.
The next second, the upper half of his clothes exploded.
The two graduates next to him were both startled. Although they had always known about the Nakiri family's "Clothes Burst" tradition and had even seen it before, it was their first time experiencing it at such close range.
"Such a VIVID taste! It's as if the sea bass is still alive in my mouth! Placed on the ice mountain for so long, such thin slices, yet it still maintains this fresh texture."
"And this sauce... a refreshing sensation bursts onto the palate, invigorating the mind. Combined with the refreshing taste of the sea bass, it's simply Divine!"
Senzaemon Nakiri's praises flowed endlessly. Of course, this didn't stop him from continuing to savor the dish.
As for the two graduates on the side, seeing this, they only dared to taste one bite. Afterwards, although they really wanted to eat more, they couldn't do anything so presumptuous in front of this "Food Demon."
Just like that, Senzaemon Nakiri finished the dish all by himself.
Thankfully, the portion of this dish wasn't very large.
The sea bass Yuuki selected wasn't very big, and the part that could be directly sliced into sashimi was also only part of the fish body. With Senzaemon Nakiri's appetite, eating such a small amount of fish meat wouldn't even make him feel remotely full.
....
"The Director's praise is so high! It's rare to see him continuously praise someone like this!"
Among the Elite Ten, seeing Senzaemon's Clothes Burst and his continuous praises, they were all very envious of Yuuki. To be able to receive such an evaluation from Senzaemon was very enviable.
"I'm really curious about the taste of this dish! From what the Director said, the texture wasn't affected by the freezing at all. I wonder how he did it."
Compared to Senzaemon Nakiri's reaction, Rindō Kobayashi, as a Food Lover, was more curious about the taste of this dish. Unfortunately, she was destined not to taste this dish.
Yuuki might make it for his Polar Star friends, but he certainly wouldn't make it for outsiders.
Hearing what Rindō said, the others were also very curious about what this dish's texture would be like. But unfortunately, they could only guess based on Senzaemon's evaluation.
....
After Yuuki's dish was finished, a while later, Hisako Arato also completed her dish.
"She actually put some medicine in the dipping sauce! And without affecting the taste, it even neutralized the risks of eating raw fish!"
Yuuki saw the secret in Hisako Arato's sauce at a glance.
One couldn't eat sashimi all the time; otherwise, even without parasites, the stomach and intestines couldn't bear it.
Hisako Arato's dish could also be considered a medicinal cuisine.
....
Undoubtedly, Hisako's dish was very good. However, with Yuuki's dish having already set the bar so high, the chance of subsequent dishes catching up was close to zero.
So, the final result was still Yuuki winning. No one found this surprising, not even Hisako herself.
Although they knew the outcome, the process of the match was a feast for the audience's eyes. After all, they didn't get to see Yuuki's Secret Techniques every day.
This Arhat Crystal Slash was the first time it had appeared in this world.
....
With Yuuki effortlessly winning this match, on the other side, Alice Nakiri undoubtedly won hers as well. Although Yoshino Yuki was also very strong, facing Alice Nakiri, there was still some gap.
In the afternoon's four matches, the winners were Megumi Tadokoro, Akira Hayama, Shun Ibusaki, and Zenji Marui.
Daigo Aoki encountered Megumi Tadokoro; the outcome was already a foregone conclusion.
Although Shōji Satō had improved considerably, he was still no match for Akira Hayama, the original story's champion.
On Shun Ibusaki's side, because Subaru Mimasaka's tracking time was too short, his understanding of Shun wasn't deep enough. In the end, Shun defeated him before he could properly use his ability.
Lastly, Zenji Marui narrowly defeated Ryōko Sakaki. At that time, the judges had struggled for quite a while to decide between the two before finally declaring Zenji the winner.
....
After the eight matches ended, the remaining eight people were once again gathered together. Next, they would draw lots to determine their next opponents and themes.
Everyone was already participating for the second time; they were naturally familiar with the procedure and quickly determined their respective opponents.
Soma Yukihira faced Zenji Marui.
Megumi Tadokoro faced Akira Hayama.
Yuuki faced Shun Ibusaki.
And Ryō Kurokiba faced Alice Nakiri.
Among the eight people, seven were from Polar Star, resulting in three internal battles. As for Akira Hayama, after encountering Megumi, Yuuki also knew Akira's Autumn Election journey would end here.
After all, Megumi Tadokoro's Culinary skills were firmly in third place within Polar Star—first was Yuuki, second was Satoshi Isshiki, and third was Megumi.
Facing off against the current Megumi Tadokoro, unless Megumi made a major mistake, Yuuki didn't think Akira could win.
As for the other matches, his own match went without saying; he would definitely win. Soma Yukihira facing Zenji Marui would certainly also result in Soma winning.
But Ryō Kurokiba versus Alice Nakiri was a bit different.
Originally, Ryō Kurokiba should have been stronger than Alice Nakiri. But now, Alice had found a new path, and because she often stayed by Yuuki's side, she had received more guidance from Yuuki than Ryō had.
This led to Alice gradually catching up.
Now, the two were more or less evenly matched. Even Yuuki couldn't predict who would win.
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