"Joichiro, how are things on our side? Some of their customers have already eaten their fill and left." At the stall, a customer who had bee
"Joichiro, how are things on our side? Some of their customers have already eaten their fill and left."
At the stall, a customer who had been waiting for twenty minutes without getting their food complained.
Because the ingredients couldn't be prepared in advance, Joichiro Yukihira, even using every trick up his sleeve, couldn't possibly produce the dish in twenty minutes.
Originally, he had planned to 'yield' a bit to Dylan at the start and then catch up from behind.
This was his usual strategy: feign weakness at the beginning to create an illusion, then surge forward in the middle and finally overtake.
But now, Dylan's superhuman cooking speed had truly caught him off guard.
If this continued, all the customers at the scene would be snatched away by him!
"Sigh, encountering such an opponent, I can only count myself unlucky. This is simply not something a human can contend with."
"Joichiro, don't be discouraged even if you lose. This isn't your fault."
Among the customers queuing behind, someone saw Joichiro Yukihira's predicament and couldn't help but speak up for him.
This was a completely unsolvable situation!
Faced with such an opponent, no matter who came, it would be impossible to win, right!
"There's still hope."
Joichiro Yukihira said as he lifted the iron lid in front of him.
In an instant, a rich aroma accompanied by thick steam spread out from the cooking station in all directions.
"Soma, start serving."
"Got it!"
Taking the potstickers from Joichiro Yukihira's hand, a smile appeared on Soma Yukihira's face, and he immediately began serving.
Compared to Dylan's more complex dishes, Joichiro Yukihira's most time-consuming parts were the preparation of ingredients and the making of the potstickers.
Once the potstickers were in the pan, he only needed to calculate the cooking time, then lift the lid at the moment they were done, flip the potstickers on the iron plate, and after another short pan-fry, they could be served immediately.
This efficiency was undoubtedly the highest; on average, ten portions of the dish could be produced in ten minutes.
However, compared to Dylan, who was using ten woks simultaneously in an orderly manner, this was somewhat lacking.
At this moment, Dylan's hands were moving so fast that only afterimages could be seen. Ingredients were constantly being tossed into the air, and with a flash of his knife, they were shelled, cut, and fell into a bowl.
A slight stir with the silver chopsticks, and they were processed to a state ready for cooking.
The entire process didn't even take a minute, and he was doing it for a dozen portions simultaneously.
And that wasn't the most terrifying part. The most terrifying part was that while processing the ingredients, he also had to manage the heat of the dishes.
He even had time to create a red dragon decoration for the plate to add flair?!
The battle between the two was less a battle between humans.
And more a game between a god and a man.
Such a desperate gap, even the spectators on the scene could clearly feel it. This was a battle that was absolutely impossible to win.
However, Joichiro Yukihira had no intention of giving up. Instead, he continued to cook with a serious expression.
He was gambling. Gambling that Dylan's stamina is not that strong.
Such formidable cooking techniques would inevitably consume a large amount of stamina to perform and couldn't be sustained for long.
Human strength has its limits!
Once Dylan showed signs of fatigue, that would be his best moment to overtake!
Joichiro Yukihira thought so. What he needed to do now was to persevere, conserve his stamina, and prepare to surpass him the moment he showed fatigue!
Time passed, minute by minute.
Due to the limited customer base, by around eight o'clock, there weren't many people left at the scene, only a few scattered tourists who came over out of curiosity.
"The peak period has passed. The outcome is basically decided. There's no point in competing further; it's just a waste of time. Why don't we stop here."
Handing a dish personally to the customer in front of him, Dylan's movements slowed down. Not because he was out of stamina, but because the number of customers was simply too small.
"Let's stop here. At this point, I've accepted it. I lost this match."
Hearing Dylan's words, Joichiro Yukihira put down the spatula in his hand. Looking at the steaming potstickers on the iron plate, a helpless expression appeared on his face.
During the course of the competition, the gap between the two not only didn't shrink with time but actually grew larger and larger.
Especially now that there were few customers, most passersby chose Dylan first, with only a few scattered customers choosing him.
Although his potstickers weren't common in Japan, they could occasionally be seen. They were far less attractive than Dylan's "Treasure Trove of Four Small Eats."
"Give me a platter of the four small eats. I want to see for myself what kind of dish could snatch away my customers on such a large scale!"
After briefly tidying up his stall and putting the potstickers into a basin, Joichiro Yukihira walked over to Dylan's stall and handed over his number card.
"And one for me."
At the same time, Soma Yukihira also walked over and took out his number card, which he had gotten earlier when his father hadn't finished cooking yet.
"I've already prepared them for you, and Sonoka's too..."
As he spoke, Dylan used his silver chopsticks to pick the food out of the wok, letting it land steadily on the plates, with each dish having its own place.
After finishing, Dylan didn't rush to clean up his cooking station. Instead, he came to Kikuchi Sonoka and gently used his fingers to wipe away the sweat from her forehead.
After being busy for several hours, Kikuchi Sonoka was already exhausted. This was her first time serving customers at such a high intensity; it was even more tiring than cooking!
"Thank you."
The cool pad of his thumb touched her face, which had become hot from the bustle. Kikuchi Sonoka felt as if she had been electrocuted, her whole body tingling, and her face became even hotter.
Although they had done many more intimate things, this was the first time in front of outsiders. The young woman's sense of shame was about to explode!
"I don't know who your master is. I've never heard of such a skilled chef in Japan. Looking at your age, you shouldn't be over 20 yet."
Looking at the steaming dish before him, Joichiro Yukihira swallowed, not rushing to taste it but instead looking at Dylan and asking.
"I came from China, and I'm exactly 20. You live in seclusion here, so it's normal that you haven't heard of me. As for my master, you can consider it to be all the chefs in the world."
Faced with the inquiry, Dylan just responded faintly, with no intention of saying more.
"To take all the chefs in the world as your master? What magnificent ambition is that?! You should try my dish as well."
Hearing Dylan's voice, Joichiro Yukihira gasped, clearly not expecting him to say such a thing. Without hesitation, he took out the potstickers he had prepared in advance and placed them in front of Dylan.
"Then it would be rude of me to refuse."
Dylan nodded and did not refuse.
Even if the other party didn't say it, he would have asked for a portion to try. This was something he had to do after every Shokugeki: to absorb the opponent's strengths through their cooking.
"Here."
Taking the dish from Joichiro Yukihira's hand, Dylan picked up his chopsticks, took a potsticker, and didn't rush to taste it but instead observed it in front of him.
The potsticker was pinched in the middle with both ends open, allowing him to clearly see the filling inside, which was currently sizzling with oil and emitting a tempting aroma!
He opened his mouth and took a bite.
The flavors of fresh shrimp and beef exploded in his mouth.
The richness of the beef and the fresh sweetness of the shrimp intertwined, each bite a supreme tease to the taste buds.
And the addition of shiitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots not only added a fresh aroma to the potstickers but also cleverly balanced the greasiness of the meat, making the overall taste more refreshing and pleasant.
The innovation of this dish was the use of a clear chicken stock starch slurry.
The bottom of the potsticker formed a unique texture that was golden and crispy, while the filling was rich with broth.
This crispy crust, formed by the rapid coagulation of the clear chicken stock, had both the crispiness of traditional potstickers and the richness of chicken soup, adding another layer of flavor to the dish.
And the cheese powder lightly sprinkled on the surface of the potsticker added a faint milky fragrance, complementing the savory flavors of the beef and shrimp.
Although it was a fast-paced dish, the standard of these potstickers was very high, at least at the level of a Four-Star Special Grade Chef.
The only drawback was that the chicken stock was not rich enough. Because only chicken breast was used, the flavor was not fully brought out!
"Time to eat."
On the other side.
Clasping his hands together and looking at the dish before him, Soma Yukihira said sincerely, then picked up a piece of beef and put it in his mouth, closing his eyes to savor it carefully.
Meanwhile, Joichiro Yukihira also put the food into his mouth, but unlike Soma, who ate the Orange Black Pepper Beef Cubes first, he tasted the shrimp.
Only by first experiencing the original taste of the Jade Hairpin Prawn Balls could he know what its sublimated taste was like. He was very curious, having heard many customers praise it!
But looking at the state of the Jade Hairpin Prawn Balls, it shouldn't be difficult to make. He wondered if he could replicate this dish later and use it as a signature dish for the restaurant.
"The freshness of the shrimp is completely locked within its body. The three vegetable threads provide a crispness, giving the prawn balls a rich textural experience!"
Savoring the continuous flavor in his mouth, Joichiro Yukihira commented, then tried a piece of the Orange Black Pepper Beef Cubes.
The sweet and sour of the orange, the spice of the black pepper, and the tenderness of the beef—each flavor was handled just right. This required extremely strong heat control!
Joichiro Yukihira took another Jade Hairpin Prawn Ball, savoring it with the lingering taste in his mouth, then took a bite of the Sesame Fragrant Chicken Cutlet, followed by a Snow-Clad Small Dumpling.
In a short while, the entire dish was finished.
And as the food was swallowed, a faint warmth spread from within his body.
Blinking his eyes, he was surprised to find that he had entered the illusion woven by the dish, an expression of disbelief on his face.
"A skilled chef can express their inner thoughts through their cooking, but those who participate are mostly unable to move freely. But now..."
Lifting his hand and moving his foot, Joichiro Yukihira began to run wildly within the illusion.
Everything before him was so real, as if he had truly returned to his childhood. Looking down, even his body had turned into that of his younger self.
Without hesitation, he took off his shoes and frolicked in the fields, played with the shrimp in the river, and when he was tired, he ran up the mountain, feeling the cool autumn wind, watching the cows leisurely eating grass, and the golden wheat fields, with a few chickens walking on the small path.
Such a scene, no wonder those people would order portion after portion of the dish at Dylan's stall, unwilling to leave even when their stomachs were full.
For adults under great pressure, life offered few chances to breathe. To find a rare place of rest, they would surely cherish it.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, as if he thought of something, Joichiro Yukihira shouted at the sky, and immediately after, the illusion collapsed, and his consciousness returned to reality.
"Is this the special quality of Flowing Light Cuisine? Breaking the rules, creating a world that couldn't possibly exist. How fantastical..."
It seemed like a long time had passed, yet it was only a moment. Looking at Soma Yukihira beside him, who also wore a look of astonishment, Joichiro Yukihira couldn't help but sigh.
"How on earth was this done? It was such a crude cooking method, why could it produce a dish with such a refined taste?!"
Soma Yukihira looked at Dylan, his eyes full of confusion.
He couldn't understand why Dylan's seemingly casual cooking could have this effect. The dish was radiant with flowing light, clearly having already reached the Seven-Star level!
If Joichiro hadn't briefed him yesterday on the current world's chef ranks and the conditions to reach them, he wouldn't even have realized how strong Dylan was.
This was the gap in experience from living in a popular eatery for so long!
"Proficient skill, and a serious attitude."
Facing Soma Yukihira's inquiry, Dylan gave a simple ten-word answer.
"Proficient? Serious? I've been helping out at the restaurant after school every day for twelve years now. Isn't that proficient and serious enough..."
Soma Yukihira frowned, thinking Dylan was unwilling to tell him and just gave a random answer.
"Not enough. Where do you even stand? How dare you say you're proficient in cooking! You haven't even laid a solid foundation, don't even think about cooking!"
Glancing at Soma Yukihira, Dylan couldn't help but scoff. He then placed a carrot from the basket on the cutting board and sliced it down the middle.
"Taking knife skills as an example, you have to at least reach this level to be considered proficient."
He lightly tapped the carrot. The next moment, a slice of carrot less than a tenth of a millimeter thick flew up and floated in the air.
If Soma Yukihira hadn't been focused on the carrot after hearing Dylan's words, he probably wouldn't have even noticed this thin slice.
It was just that thin!
So thin that moonlight could pass through it without any obstruction, not even casting a shadow on the ground. A gentle breeze blew it far away.
And what was even more terrifying was its condition: a completely intact slice, without a single tear, despite being cut thinner than a cicada's wing!
"How is that possible? A carrot can be cut this thin? And without any damage..."
Soma Yukihira's mouth hung open, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He could slice a carrot into 1-millimeter-thin slices, but it got harder the thinner he went.
A tenth of a millimeter.
This was already beyond the realm of human capability.
And this was only considered 'proficient'?
Soma Yukihira looked at Dylan's normal expression, and for a moment, he couldn't tell if the other was pulling his leg or really thought so.
If it was the latter, wouldn't that be too terrifying?!
"Let me try."
Noticing Soma Yukihira's hesitation, Joichiro Yukihira's voice sounded. He then took the kitchen knife from Dylan's hand and looked at the carrot on the table.
Placing his fingers on the carrot, Joichiro Yukihira closed his eyes to find the feeling. Then, the crowd only heard a "da-da-da" sound, and the carrot was transformed into evenly sized thin slices at an astonishing speed.
However, compared to Dylan's, although these slices were also very thin, they clearly obstructed the moonlight when it passed through, being about half a millimeter thick.
"So I haven't reached proficiency either. And here I was, calling myself a pioneer of the wilderness. Now it seems I can't even see the back of my predecessors..."
Looking at the slices on the cutting board, a wry smile appeared on Joichiro Yukihira's face.
Before meeting Dylan, he had always thought his knife skills were strong, and indeed they were. It was rare to see someone who could rival him.
But...
Seeing Dylan's knife skills just now.
He understood that he had been like a frog in a well.
So, there was an even stronger genius ahead, pioneering an even deeper wilderness for them.
However, with such knife skills, it was no wonder Dylan could use such a technique, tossing ingredients into the sky and processing them perfectly with just a single silver chopstick and a knife.
"This one... is my loss."
Looking at the small booklet Dylan handed him, Joichiro Yukihira took a black marker from his pocket and, referencing the predecessors, wrote his own name in it.
The twelfth page was his record of defeat.
He had finally become a Five-Star Special Grade Chef, only to find that what awaited him was not a chance to shine brightly, but to be a stepping stone for someone else.
It was truly lamentable.
But, the opponent was Dylan.
His heart didn't feel a shred of unwillingness. Especially after witnessing that divine technique, he was at peace with it.
When the gap between two people reached a certain extent, you really couldn't muster any thought of catching up, especially from his position.
Being a genius was merely the threshold to see him.
However.
Unlike Joichiro Yukihira, Soma Yukihira's eyes showed no discouragement. Instead, they burned with a blazing fire and a surging fighting spirit.
"You've competed against my old man. Can you have a cooking duel with me?"
The young man said so, looking at Dylan with sparkling eyes.
"Wait until you can beat her. But we're leaving tomorrow."
The young man's fervor was genuine. A smile suddenly appeared on Dylan's face.
This was a protagonist, a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger. No matter how strong the opponent, he could firmly brandish his kitchen knife at them.
"Defeat her? There's still time now, and there are still ingredients left here. Let's continue the competition! Use the remaining ingredients here to create a brand new dish, and let's settle this!"
Hearing Dylan's words, Soma Yukihira looked at Kikuchi Sonoka and spoke.
"Are you challenging me? I can accept, but you're not allowed to cry if you lose, okay?"
Turning her head to glance at Dylan and seeing him nod slightly, Kikuchi Sonoka smiled at the little brother before her and said in a tone as if coaxing a child.
"I can't possibly lose!"
Sensing Kikuchi Sonoka's condescension, Soma Yukihira's words were firm and forceful.
"Then let's begin. After being a salesgirl all day, I could use some stretching. I really didn't expect to be challenged by a kid here."
Kikuchi Sonoka's voice carried a hint of emotion. At Tōtsuki, no one dared to offend her. She didn't expect to be provoked by a chef from a small eatery as soon as she left school.
If it weren't for the fact that his father was so strong, and she wanted to see the skill of someone trained by a Five-Star Special Grade Chef since childhood, she probably would have politely declined.
"You two clean this up and then go inside to compete. Old brother Joichiro and I have some things to talk about. We'll come over in an hour to check on the results."
Looking at the passionate young man and the young woman whose fighting spirit had been ignited, Dylan warmly put his arm around Joichiro Yukihira's shoulder and said to them with a smile.
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