The Inevitable Outcome

"Judges, please enjoy my A5 Wagyu Beef Donburi."

After Mito Ikumi brought up her dish, her face was filled with confidence.

The three judges looked at the donburi before them, at the glossy meat juices coating the beef over the rice, and inhaled the steaming aroma that rushed at their noses. They all unconsciously swallowed.

"She even considered the angle of the flames. This attention to detail, this Cooking Technique… I never expected her to be a first-year student. She’s truly remarkable."

One judge said with wholehearted admiration.

Another added,

"And beneath the grilled meat is garlic fried rice made with butter and beef tallow. I could eat three huge bowls of this rice alone. It’s truly a flawless dish."

The three then began tasting the dish.

In an instant, indescribable flushes appeared on all three judges’ faces.

They had been completely conquered by the dish!

A confident smile appeared on Mito Ikumi’s face.

See that, transfer student? This is the true pinnacle of meat—the pleasure of meat!

Normally, as judges, they would not sample too much of the dishes served first, lest it affect their judgment of the dishes that followed.

But Mito Ikumi’s dish was so delicious that they could not stop. They not only finished all the meat, but even ate half the rice beneath it.

The exquisite flavor of the A5 Grade Wagyu had been fully brought out by Nikumi’s outstanding cooking.

She was a meat specialist!

Only after they had eaten half the rice did they barely manage to stop, relying on their professional restraint.

Otherwise, it looked like they would have finished every last bite.

That display alone made everyone watching feel that the winner had already been decided.

"There’s no suspense left."

"They really do have a grudge. Yukihira Soma is about to get expelled."

"There was never any suspense from the beginning. Not once that A5 Grade Wagyu was brought out."

"…"

However, the rules of Food Wars! were here, and the battle had to continue.

"Now then, judges, please taste Xu Yue’s dish."

As the host finished speaking, Xu Yue brought up his own donburi.

Mito Ikumi, who had barely paid attention to him until now, revealed an inexplicably shocked expression when she saw Xu Yue’s donburi.

What was going on?!

The shape, the color, even the decorative cuts—it was identical to her donburi, as if cast from the same mold!

How could this be?

"Ah, why is it exactly the same?"

"If it’s just this, I wanted to savor a little more of the lingering aroma from the A5 Wagyu."

"Although it looks delicious, and the chef must be capable, the gap in ingredients is simply too great."

Seeing the nearly identical dish, the judges were somewhat surprised, but they quickly calmed down and began analyzing the reasons.

"Oh! Xu Yue’s dish looks exactly the same as Mito Ikumi’s! What is going on here? Could it be that he really used precisely the same cooking methods? This reminds me of another student…"

The host brought up the topic at just the right moment.

It also drew astonished reactions from quite a few spectators.

"How could this happen?"

"I thought he was merely copying her. It seems he really does have some skill."

"He can even replicate the details?"

"This reminds me of that other first-year student, Mikisuba Subaru!"

"Mikisuba Subaru has never lost a Food War! so far…"

"But this time is different. Even if he truly has Mikisuba Subaru’s ability to copy other people’s dishes, he can’t make up for the gap in ingredients."

"What a pity. He brought this on himself."

Totsuki Academy was an academy built on culinary skill. Once Xu Yue demonstrated sufficient ability, the audience’s attitude toward him improved somewhat.

Moreover, since there was already a first-year student like Mikisuba Subaru who excelled at imitating others, they instinctively assumed that Xu Yue’s displayed ability was the same sort of stalker-like imitation technique used by Mikisuba Subaru.

It caused a stir and drew astonishment, but it was still within a comprehensible range.

Who knew how long he had stalked her in order to replicate this dish…

That said, being able to reach this level through mere stalking and imitation was already an incredible achievement!

After all, his opponent’s cooking was indeed excellent. Unfortunately, this had been a match with a predetermined ending from the start.

The difference between the ingredients forming the foundation of their cooking was simply too great.

Even though many people now recognized Xu Yue’s culinary skill, they still believed there was no suspense whatsoever in the outcome of this match!

"I admit you have some ability, but you still can’t understand the charm of premium meat."

Smelling the aroma of meat in the air, Mito Ikumi felt her appetite stir as well. Cheap, low-grade ingredients had actually produced an aroma nearly comparable to her own! The other party truly was a highly capable chef.

A chef with a solid foundation in handling meat.

"Oh, wait a moment. The dish is still missing one step."

As Xu Yue spoke, he took out a container of seasoning and began sprinkling white powder over the dish.

The white powder appeared without giving off any particular scent.

But when it fell onto the sizzling beef juices, an explosive aroma burst forth like a storm, crashing outward in every direction.

"This is…"

"That smell!"

"Ah! I can’t take it!"

The three judges at the forefront were instantly lashed again and again by whips formed from that fragrance.

They were bound by shackles made of aroma!

Even Mito Ikumi unconsciously pressed her legs together after merely smelling it. A faint blush appeared on her wheat-colored face.

What was going on?

What was this aroma?

Judging from the finished dish, he had completely copied her recipe!

It was already a completed dish.

Yet he had added spices to a finished dish and elevated it even further?

How had he done that?!

After completing the final step, Xu Yue’s expression still carried that unchanged smile.

Given that he had only been studying spices for a short time, it was difficult for him to concoct a spice blend on the spot. But he knew the challenge and the ingredients. Creating a spice blend specifically for beef beforehand, then fine-tuning it at the venue, was no problem at all!

This was his elevating step, and the confidence that let him dare to directly imitate his opponent.

Yukihira Soma might be a little annoying, but he should stay and be milked for all his value first. Besides, I’m quite interested in this woman too. I don’t intend to lose this Food War!…

As the fragrance spread and even the audience caught its scent, everyone began swallowing, unable to believe it.

"What is this smell?"

"I want to eat it so badly!"

"Why does it feel like it might be even tastier than Mito Ikumi’s?"

"This makes no sense!"

Even Erina Nakiri, who had been calmly watching from her exclusive seat, stood up in shock.

"Mito’s dish was already complete. He added spices to a finished dish? Wouldn’t that destroy the original balance?"

For ordinary chefs, adding seasoning afterward was perfectly normal. But for a chef at Mito’s level, her dish was already "complete." Further additions should only ruin its original taste.

"Perhaps it’s only the aroma. The taste is what matters most, after all. And the difference in ingredients should be impossible to overcome."

The little secretary standing beside her voiced her opinion as well.

Upon hearing that, Erina Nakiri sat back down, though her expression had become somewhat solemn.

Her mindset of having everything under control had been disrupted. Now, she no longer had absolute confidence.

On the other side, Yukihira Soma was instantly revived at full strength after smelling the aroma.

"Haha, I knew you wouldn’t screw me over."

Although Koichi Konishi and Tadokoro Megumi had also cheered up considerably, they still said worriedly,

"But the ingredients…"

"I believe he can definitely do it!"

Yukihira Soma had lacked confidence at first because Xu Yue had been using the exact same techniques as his opponent. In that case, the gap in ingredients could not be overcome.

But since he had brought out something of his own, he clearly was not just muddling through this Food War! to learn some meat-cooking techniques!

As long as he took it seriously, I believe in his ability to turn decay into magic.

In just ten days or so, he had become a chef at this level. Tell me, aren’t you scared?

I know I am…

Once the three judges finally broke free from the fragrance’s captivity, they swallowed hard and prepared to taste the dish they had been eagerly anticipating.

Some dishes did use aroma as a trick, but surely this one was not like that.

The judge who had previously clamored about preserving the lingering flavor of the A5 Wagyu completely discarded that thought.

He picked it up and bit down…

Boom!

The aroma that erupted in his mouth, together with the heat, flowed back into his nose through his throat. It displayed an entirely different style, as if it were about to burst through his brain!

As the meat juices melted across his tongue, a flavor even more exquisite than A5 Wagyu made them feel as though they had been rammed by a living bull and hurled into the sky.

Their minds all drifted away in an instant.

How could such cheap beef release this kind of deliciousness? They could not understand it at all!

It was completely beyond imagination!

This was definitely not something spices could make up for or achieve. The quality of the meat itself had been elevated!

How could even the flavor have become so delicious? It was fully able to rival the impact of that aroma.

They had no regrets now…

"Here~ You look like you really want some. Want to give it a try? After all, you’ll be one of mine from now on."

Xu Yue brought out another portion he had prepared and held it out to Mito Ikumi, the smile on his face unchanged.

This truly was a match with a predetermined ending…

_____________

Two chapters…

Brothers, I really had things to deal with. I’ve been using emergency drafts saved up from consistently releasing two chapters a day, so there’s really no way to add another chapter. I’ll post the next chapter once the proofreading is done…