Chapter 427: The Rice Topping Culinary Duel Begins!

"Go, Nikumi! Take down that arrogant nobody right away!"

"Show that kid what true meat cuisine really is!"

If such cheers and chants had come from other spectators around them, the members of Kyūseiryo would not have been surprised at all.

But when they saw who was wildly waving their hands, cheering for Nikumi and belittling Shōhei Sōma, the few from Kyūseiryo were truly speechless.

"Wen Shengzai, aren't you Sōma's childhood best friend? Why aren't you cheering for your friend, but instead going crazy for his opponent?"

"Do you even know Nikumi, and is your bond with her stronger than your bond with Sōma?"

Sakaki Ryōko was genuinely confused—weren't they here to support Shōhei Sōma? Even if environmental pressure forced them not to cheer for him, how could they have defected like this?

And even if they defected, wasn't Wen Shengzai Sōma's childhood best friend? To switch sides so quickly is just too much…

"Nikumi? Before coming to Tohsaka, I didn't know her at all—I didn't even know if Nikumi was male or female."

"Then why are you cheering for Nikumi?" asked Yūki Yoshino, her face full of confusion, sticking to her principle of asking whenever she didn't understand.

"Isn't that obvious? Look—everyone here is cheering for Nikumi. If I start cheering for Sōma right now, won't I get lumped in with him?"

"He's up there dueling; others can't touch him. But I'm down here—I could get beaten up."

Marui Zenji understood what Wen Shengzai said, but quickly asked again, puzzled: "Then if that's the case, why not just watch quietly with us? Why cheer for the opponent?"

"You don't get it, do you? This move of mine is called reverse jinxing—it actually boosts our side's fighting spirit."

"And there's a second reason: one side is your annoying buddy, the other's a gorgeous dark-skinned spicy girl. If it were you, who would you cheer for?"

After hearing Wen Shengzai's explanation, the Kyūseiryo members all broke into black lines—clearly, the second reason was the real point.

Sōma Shōhei is truly blessed to have a friend like you.

"I see. So Wen Shengzai, you're no different from ordinary guys."

"Then if the one dueling Nikumi right now were Ryōko, who would you cheer for?"

As Yūki Yoshino asked curiously, Sakaki Ryōko also looked at Wen Shengzai with interest.

"Of course I'd cheer for Ryōko! We've known each other a while—I'd naturally support my friend."

Hearing Wen Shengzai's answer, Sakaki Ryōko smiled in satisfaction.

"What if it were me dueling Nikumi? Would you cheer for me too?" Yūki Yoshino asked again, her face lighting up after hearing Wen Shengzai's reply.

"Uh… I guess… maybe… I might cheer for you…"

Yūki Yoshino's excited expression instantly collapsed upon hearing Wen Shengzai's utterly half-hearted reply.

"What's that supposed to mean? Ryōko's your friend, but am I not?"

"Yūki, don't misunderstand—I didn't mean it like that. You're pretty too, but I just prefer… big sisters… I mean, mature women."

Hearing Wen Shengzai's answer, Marui Zenji and Isshiki Kei glanced at Sakaki Ryōko beside them, then at Nikumi on stage, then at Yūki Yoshino's chest—and suddenly gave Wen Shengzai an expression of complete understanding.

Wen Shengzai wasn't wrong. From a male perspective, they'd probably make the same choice.

The clueless, energetic girl, though slow to catch on, now understood everything after seeing her friends' glances—and she raised her teeth as if to bite Wen Shengzai.

"Alright, alright, I was just joking. As compensation, I'll prioritize finding the best rare chicken ingredients for you. Is that fair?"

"Hmph. That's more like it. I'll reluctantly forgive you this time."

While Wen Shengzai and the Kyūseiryo members were fooling around, the culinary duel on stage began, announced by the host Chuandao.

As the heiress of Mizutani Meats, Nikumi unsurprisingly unveiled premium ingredients transported from home as she stepped onto the stage.

When a slaughtered bovine creature, lifted by a crane, appeared on Nikumi's platform, every spectator erupted in gasps.

Top-grade wagyu was no stranger to the Tohsaka students with noble backgrounds, but the meat before Nikumi was clearly no ordinary beef.

Because none of them had ever seen a cow with sharp blades growing from its back.

Due to the audience's intense curiosity—even the three judges on stage wore expressions of surprise—the host Chuandao soon received information about Nikumi's ingredient.

"This is astonishing—the beef ingredient Mizutani is using is a rare delicacy even for top chefs."

"Tetsubān'gyū—a rare ingredient with a capture rank of 8. It possesses the speed of a horse and the brute strength of a bull, a dangerous beast combining both speed and power."

"Yet its meat is exceptionally delicious—tender and low-calorie like horse meat, yet chewy and high-protein like beef."

Upon hearing Chuandao's introduction, every spectator burst into amazed applause.

As the heiress of Mizutani Meats, the audience had expected Nikumi to bring premium beef—but they never imagined she'd bring a rare ingredient of this caliber!

Tetsubān'gyū, a capture-rank-8 rare ingredient, costs tens of thousands of yen per 100 grams.

Although the Tetsubān'gyū before Nikumi appeared to be a juvenile calf, its price was still astronomical.

No—it wasn't even about the price anymore. Even if you had the money, you might not be able to buy it at all. No wonder she's the heiress of Mizutani Meats.

"It seems Tachibana is truly determined to make Sōma drop out."

The Mizutani family alone couldn't possibly obtain such a rare ingredient in such a short time—especially an entire beast.

Clearly, our Tohsaka's Tachibana has pulled strings behind the scenes to ensure Nikumi wins this duel."

Isshiki Kei, also a member of the Tohsaka Ten Sages, knew better than anyone how rare rare ingredients were.

The Mizutani family might have the means to acquire such a rare ingredient, but they'd never let Nikumi use such premium meat in a casual duel.

(End of Chapter)