Chapter 983: Cooking Showdown, Rice Bucket Reincarnated!

Back at Polar Star Dormitory, Isshiki Satoshi and Soma Yukihira had already prepared their dishes for the competition; they had not made just one dish each, but several.

"This time, all members of Polar Star Dormitory are the judges. Everyone can vote for the dish they think tastes best, and the one with the most votes wins. No problem?"

"No problem, let's start."

Soma Yukihira nodded, seeming eager to begin.

"Since that's the case, I'll go first."

Isshiki Satoshi served out plates one by one, each holding a piece of grilled fish meat.

Beside them was a small pile of green paste-like dipping sauce, looking like wasabi but not quite.

"This is my dish: Green Sichuan Pepper Charred Mackerel."

The youth in the naked apron introduced the dish this way.

"This citrus aroma, Isshiki-senpai, did you use green Sichuan pepper?"

Iwasaki Shun smelled the aroma and asked.

"That's right. This is green Sichuan pepper from late spring to early summer. I ground it into powder and sprinkled it over the freshly grilled mackerel to add aroma."

"Isshiki-senpai nodded."

"Just smelling this flavor gives a fresh, spring-like breath."

Yoshino Yuuki loves this flavor because it pairs perfectly with the wild game cooking she excels at.

"The grilled fish: the skin is charred and fragrant, cooked just right, the fish meat fresh and sweet, with just a little salt to enhance the flavor—"

Sakaki Ryouko sipped the fish meat, a look of satisfaction on her face.

"And this green dipping sauce—I thought it was mustard sauce that pairs better with seafood, but unexpectedly it's cabbage puree."

"This should be cabbage blanched and made into a fine paste, then seasoned with a little salt and black pepper."

"Ah, charred mackerel meat dipped in cabbage puree—this dish blends the delicate freshness of the fish meat, the charred aroma of the grilled fish skin, the fresh spiciness of green Sichuan pepper, the rich spicy numbing aroma of black pepper, and the vegetable sweetness unique to cabbage."

"To blend so many flavors harmoniously, Isshiki-senpai's reputation as one of the Elite Ten is well deserved—"

Marui Zenji truly deserves the title of Taste Doctor; after eating one piece of cut charred fish meat, he analyzed the flavors inside clearly and thoroughly.

Unlike Broly, who speared the whole piece of fish meat with one fork, dipped it all in cabbage puree, and ate it in one mouthful, giving only a five-word evaluation: "This is really delicious~"

Unlike Broly, who speared the whole piece of fish meat with his fork, dipped it all in cabbage puree, and ate it down in one mouthful, giving only a five-word evaluation: "This is really delicious~"

"Uh, I only prepared one portion per person."

Isshiki Satoshi scratched his head and took out the portion he had prepared for himself.

"But this portion of mine can be given to you."

"Isshiki-senpai, you're really a good person. If you ever need to dig up land, you can come find me anytime."

Broly took the grilled fish dish from the naked-apron youth's hand and solemnly gave his promise.

"If worse comes to worst, I'll summon a white shadow ninja and throw him to Isshiki Satoshi to boss around."

"Broly-san, if you still aren't full, my portion can also be given to you."

Tadokoro Megumi watched him put another piece of fish meat into his mouth, thought for a moment, and offered her own portion as well.

"Komekko, you really are a super good girl~"

Broly's gaze toward Tadokoro Megumi became even more satisfied; the act of willingly sharing delicious food with him was definitely a big plus in his book.

And Tadokoro Megumi, being so straightforwardly praised, blushed even on her baby-fat cheeks.

"But you should eat it yourself."

", Broly-san, are you full?"

"Not full, but for delicious food, I'd rather share it with someone important than enjoy it alone."

Broly smiled broadly at Tadokoro Megumi, and this time he spoke from the heart, his tone and expression both appearing extremely sincere.

Broly showed Tadokoro Megumi a big smile, and this time he spoke from the bottom of his heart, his tone and expression both appearing incomparably sincere.

Tadokoro Megumi felt little deer racing in her heart, while the Polar Star Dormitory members watching this scene beside them had hesitant expressions.

"Isshiki-senpai's cooking centers on a spring theme, and spring is the season when all things burst with life, and animals going into heat is also spring~"

Yoshino Yuuki said, looking at the two across from her, moved by the scene.

Yoshino Yuuki looked at the two people opposite her and spoke with feeling.

Sakaki Ryouko nodded in agreement beside her.

Spring-like cooking, spring-like people—color, aroma, and taste all complete.

Isshiki Satoshi's cooking received votes from everyone in Polar Star Dormitory.

Even Soma Yukihira, after tasting it, did not refrain from voting just because it was his opponent's dish.

"Soma-kun, if you vote for me too, then I'll have gotten a full vote."

Isshiki Satoshi looked somewhat surprised at Soma Yukihira, who had actually voted for him.

"What's wrong with that?"

Soma Yukihira countered.

"I won't deny the deliciousness of the food you made just because you're my opponent in this cooking competition."

"But if I get a full vote, how will you beat me?"

"But if I get a unanimous vote, how are you going to beat me?"

"So you're admitting defeat?"

"Wrong. I'm just saying I can't win, not that I'll lose."

The red-haired boy showed a confident smile and served a portion of rice in front of everyone at the dining table.

Then he took out a frying pan and placed a piece of pan-fried fish meat on each person's rice.

Then he took out a frying pan again, placing a piece of pan-fried fish meat on each person's rice.

"Uh, this is fried fish over rice?!"

Yoshino Yuuki asked in surprise.

"No, still missing the final step~"

Soma Yukihira took the pot back to the kitchen, then brought out a teapot and poured clear broth into everyone's bowls.

"Tea broth over rice?!"

"Correctly speaking, it's salt kelp tea broth over rice. The gentle salty taste and aroma are most suitable for us who drank a bit of rice fermented beverage yesterday. Everyone, please taste. Isshiki Satoshi-senpai, you try too~"

【Looks ordinary on the surface, just ordinary tea broth over rice. Smells nothing special either, like ordinary public canteen level————】

Isshiki Satoshi inwardly evaluated Soma Yukihira's tea broth over rice, but once he actually tasted it, the gentle broth flowed into his stomach warmly. The broth-soaked rice carried a salty fragrance with every chew. Paired with the fried fish meat — some fish skin softened from soaking in broth, some fish skin still crispy from not soaking — the multi-layered texture. This absolutely wasn't texture and flavor a public canteen could produce.

"This is good too. More?"

Broly raised his bowl again.

"Haha, Broly-san, I know you eat more, so I cooked a lot of rice. Not too much fried fish, but rice is absolutely enough for you!"

Soma Yukihira laughed loudly and directly brought out the rice cooker, placing it on the table next to Broly, providing refill service for Broly alone.

Broly ate six large bowls before stopping. Everyone at Polar Star Dormitory was somewhat stunned. Broly's appetite wasn't small — his build showed that — but this level of eating still exceeded their expectations.

"Soma, another bowl~"

When Broly raised his bowl for the seventh time, Soma Yukihira's face showed a helpless bittersweet smile.

"Uh, Broly-san, very sorry. My 'enough for you' just now was boasting. There's no more rice."

Six bowls wasn't Broly's limit, but the Polar Star Dormitory rice cooker's limit. However, adding everyone else's rice, this rice cooker was actually quite large.

"Uh, that's truly regrettable. I'd only just whetted my appetite."

Polar Star Dormitory everyone: "————"

【You're a rice bucket reincarnated?!】

Though no one said it aloud, the exchanged glances seemed to express this consensus.

"Broly-san, I'm actually full already. If you don't dislike that these are my leftovers——"

"Don't dislike. Komekko, how could I dislike something you've eaten~"

Tadokoro Megumi hadn't finished speaking. The remaining one-third of her broth-soaked rice was directly taken away by Broly.

"How about I show you a trick too?"

Seeing Broly seemed still not full, Yoshino Yuuki proposed.

"Can I?"

Broly's eyes lit up. He looked at the golden-haired bun-haired girl and asked.

"Of course. However, I make game meat cuisine. It takes some time to produce. At least one hour or more."

"Then during this one hour, my fermented cuisine will hold the fort first!"

Seeing Yoshino Yuuki volunteer, Sakaki Ryouko also rolled up her sleeves eagerly.

"If you can still eat, we'll show a hand too."

Aoki Daigo and Sato Shoji said.

"Wouldn't that trouble you all too much?"

Broly was somewhat embarrassed.

"Haha. Seeing your stomach capacity today, you definitely didn't eat enough last night. A welcome party yet letting the welcomed newcomer not eat full — this is a chef's humiliation. Wait. The sea shrimp I ordered yesterday will arrive soon. Watch me show my skills and let you experience the multi-method preparation of sea shrimp!"

"Then let me show you the charm of vegetable multi-method preparation!"

"No, why are you all planning to cook? What about my match with Isshiki Satoshi-senpai?"

Soma Yukihira saw this group about to leave and got somewhat anxious.

"Your broth-soaked rice cuisine, giving score, giving score~"

"Right. Very delicious."

"Isshiki Satoshi-senpai, then how does this cuisine match count?"

"How else to count? Of course it's a draw. Your cuisine indeed isn't inferior to mine. Indeed possible to achieve what you said at the entrance ceremony — surpassing everyone above."

"How else could it count? Of course it's a tie. Your cooking is indeed not inferior to mine, and it's indeed possible that you could do it at the start of the school"

"Only my acknowledgment is useless. I'm just Elite Ten Seventh Seat. There are still six people ranked above me in this academy. And those ranked below me aren't necessarily worse in cooking skill than me. You want to surpass everyone in this academy — at minimum you must first become Elite Ten yourself."

"Then how do I become Elite Ten?"

"This... besides filling vacancies after current Elite Ten graduate, the rest is challenging current Elite Ten via Shokugeki and succeeding."

And those ranked behind me aren't necessarily inferior to me in cooking skill. If you want to stand above everyone in this academy, you must at least become one of the Elite Ten first."

"Simply put, it's a cuisine match. But with a notary, audience, odd number of judges together witnessing the entire contest."

"In other words, if I challenge you, Isshiki Satoshi-senpai, to a Shokugeki now and succeed, I can replace your Elite Ten position?"

"Right. However, Shokugeki requires both parties' agreement and wagering corresponding stakes. You want to challenge my Elite Ten position — even if you use your own expulsion as stake, it's still not enough."

"Simply put, it's a cooking competition, but one with a notary, an audience, and an odd number of judges witnessing the entire contest together."

"You must first continuously demonstrate your own cooking ability in the academy, seize various honors in various cooking competitions, raise your own status and fame in the culinary world. Only thus do you have qualification to challenge the current Elite Ten within the academy."

Isshiki Satoshi patted Soma Yukihira's shoulder and spoke earnestly.

And in this short while, Sakaki Ryouko had already brought up her fermented cuisine.

The girl cut some melons, fruits, vegetables that can be eaten raw, and used natto to toss them into a vegetable salad cuisine.

However, looking at the natto salad cuisine Sakaki Ryouko served on the table, Broly's face showed difficulty.

While this was happening, Sakaki Ryouko had already brought up her fermented cuisine.

The girl cut some melon fruit vegetables that could be eaten raw, then tossed them with natto into a vegetable salad dish.

However, looking at the natto salad dish Sakaki Ryouko served to the table, Broly wore a troubled expression.

It's just that the smell of natto has a whiff of ammonia water, mixed with the breath of fermented soil.

"You haven't eaten natto cuisine before?"

Sakaki Ryouko saw the difficulty on Broly's face, thought of something, and asked.

"No."

"Then you can hold your breath and taste it; although natto smells a bit strong, once it enters your mouth, you'll discover natto's deliciousness~"

"Okay."

Broly didn't refuse; after all, this was cuisine someone kindly made for him to eat, so he held his breath as told and tasted a

mouthful.

Mhm, the melon fruit vegetables are crisp sweet, mixed with the stringy dense silky strands, not smelly, but a salty savory taste, similar to soy sauce and miso taste, but more primitive than these two tastes.

The bean grains are soft tough, the outer layer is soft voice, the inner core retains a slightly hard granular feel, chewing produces a rich soy fragrance taste.

"How is it?"

Sakaki Ryouko looked at him expectantly.

"Pretty tasty, but after chewing, my mouth has a slight bitterness."

Broly honest answer.

"This is very normal, fermented cuisine is like this, and this is the amino acids and isoflavone glycoside hydrolysate produced by natto fermentation, bitter then sweet."

"Mhm, seems like it."

Broly nodded his head.

"Want another serving?"

Sakaki Ryouko asked again.

"Then another serving."

"Okay, you stir the natto first, I'll go cut vegetables."

Sakaki Ryouko handed the stirring natto matter to Broly, herself then ran to the kitchen to cut vegetables.

Broly ate two servings before stopping, saw Yoshino Yuuki who had boiled water preparing to slaughter wild duck, so he proactively leaned over to indicate he could help beat down the hand.

"No need, I'll handle these, you just wait to eat my wild duck stewed with winter melon soup."

"Yoshino, you don't need to refuse, Broly-san's knife skills are an absolute."

"Mhm, his knife skills, really very powerful!"

Yoshino Yuuki originally planned to refuse, but heard Soma Yukihira say this, and even Tadokoro Megumi was vigorously nodding head at the side, her aroused interest, she also didn't persist in killing duck herself.

"Then Broly, you come."

The gold hair bun girl passed over the knife, she thought Broly would cut throat bleed the duck, but unexpectedly the Broly who took the kitchen knife directly knife light flash, decapitated the imitate wild raised duck.

Speed so fast, even the slaughtered duck didn't react over.

Duck head all fell ground, duck body still silly stood in original place.

Cut surface just about to spurt blood, was caught by Broly one hand, directly thrown into washing sink inside.

Bang a sound, Yoshino Yuuki only then returned to spirit: "No, who taught you to slaughter duck like this?"