If Alice's cooking is a perfect dish made entirely with knowledge and modern machines, then what Hachiman presents is just an ordinary bento box.
However, it is precisely because it is impossible to calculate that it possesses unlimited potential. The emotions conveyed in the bento are definitely something that machines cannot replace.
At this point, Hachiman doesn't have much to say. After all, he never thought of himself as a particularly enthusiastic guy. All he does is influence things around him.
But even so, even such a rational person like him, still took a very important step forward.
Even if it was just for himself, he still conveyed it.
Compared to cold-blooded, heartless machines, cooking needs more than just flavor; it needs the emotion put into it. Both his father and his former teacher taught Hachiman this way. Although he realized this a bit late, it has still arrived.
Having truly tasted Hachiman's cooking, the five judges' approval felt like an insurmountable wall instantly erected, blocking Alice from achieving victory.
Those complex flavors, ultimately achieved through the use of spices, only resulted in a feeling that couldn't be denied.
That was, warmth.
Only by truly tasting it can one experience the warmth, and only by truly feeling it can one deeply remember it.
Tadokoro Megumi: "Look, the judges' faces have all changed..."
Ryoko: "Yeah, compared to before, the judges now seem to be simply enjoying something."
Takumi: "Is this, being influenced by Hikigaya's cooking? How did he do it..."
Yukinoshita: "It's that familiar feeling again, it's just as I thought..."
It seemed that from some unknown time, the entire audience stand became silent. And those who were mocking Hikigaya and Alice were completely speechless. Only, it could be seen that both the audience and Alice had a hint of doubt and unwillingness.
If she was denied here, wouldn't it be the same as denying all the years of hard work and effort she had put in? If she was eliminated here, then what difference would there be between her and the past self who was eliminated by Erina?
Thinking like this, Alice simply took out her dish, lowered her head, and came in front of Hikigaya.
It's not that she couldn't accept defeat, but before accepting defeat, she had to understand what her efforts over the past ten years had been for, and what that seemingly cold goal was for.
Hikigaya understood, and while looking at Alice, he also understood that at this moment, perhaps she couldn't convey her inner emotions with words alone.
So...
He gently picked up Alice's sushi, put it in his mouth, and tasted it carefully:
"Whether it's the vegetables or the seafood, each sushi has its own distinct flavor. While complementing each other, they don't mask the flavors of the other sushi. It's simply a perfect piece."
Alice: "Heh, are you mocking me?"
Hachiman simply shook his head: "If it was just that, then it would be meaningless."
Perhaps not long ago, he may have had something in common with Alice. Although he didn't have the passion for cooking, he had also lost all emotion, simply making dishes that he had improved upon. But...
If he hadn't lost to his dad, Joichiro, back then, if his dad really hadn't come to Totsuki, then perhaps he wouldn't understand even now.
It was because of that day's change that he was able to stand here. Although to most people, Hikigaya was just continuing to write his miracle, even continuing towards the Autumn Selection after defeating Shinomiya, the former First Seat, but in fact, only those who understood him knew how much conflict and thought his heart had undergone during this time.
So, standing here was definitely not for anyone, nor for some cold goal or other such empty thing. He was standing here just for himself, and nothing more.
If expressions are interpreted at will, if words are misunderstood, then... what can truly be conveyed is only this dish, right?
Taking out the bento box that he had prepared for Nakiri Alice in advance, all words lost their meaning at this moment. All that was needed was to taste it personally and feel the true meaning.
"Try it."
Alice took the lunchbox with suspicion. Compared to her performance in the preliminary round, this lunchbox had at least made great progress in appearance.
Alice: "What, so it's going to end up like this after all, but..."
It seemed that no words of explanation were needed. Alice picked up the chopsticks and tasted it.
If deliciousness has something deeper to it, what is it? The Alice of the past may have never been able to understand this.
But, if she personally feels that warmth, perhaps past doubts will disappear at this moment.
Using warmth to make the deliciousness a concrete reality, the purpose of a bento is not just to satisfy one's appetite, but more importantly, the emotion and relief felt the moment one receives the bento.
The deliciousness that only a bento can convey is the driving force behind the continuous progress of the bento culture. If even the meaning within it is missing, then the so-called bento culture is worthless.
Memories of the past flooded her mind, and that past hidden deep within was laid bare. Like Erina, she, Alice, was also born as a noble young lady. Perhaps the only difference was that Alice did not show any talent at birth, so the people who approached her were essentially trying to get closer to Erina.
As if as long as Erina was still alive, she, Alice, would just be a puppet, a doll living in the shadows forever. So...
That was why she left for Northern Europe at that time, away from this world of cooking.
But even so, after leaving Totsuki, she never forgot this humiliation. Even after scores of years, she dedicated the past ten years entirely to cooking.
Perhaps she really had no talent, and even learning was a struggle to get to this point, but even so, she was just an ordinary person, relying on decades of hard work to finally return to this world of cooking.
If the sharpest, the topmost, the newest weapon in this world, not inferior to Erina, might only be those constantly updated machines and equipment, then in order to fight against these darlings of heaven from childhood with an ordinary body, she could only do so.
But, during this time, she had also forgotten.
Even cooking is full of emotion.
As memories of the past resurfaced before her eyes, only the tears that weren't living up to her expectations slowly flowed down at this moment.
She had clearly decided that she wouldn't lose to anyone before losing to Erina.
She had clearly taken this step for this goal.
But... if she felt this warmth, she would still stop, right?
Alice's cries choked in her throat, she just whimpered softly.
As a chef, her last tense string snapped gently at this moment, and finally, she just turned back into the child she once was.
Only, she had perhaps gained something now.
In that cold winter, when she was used as a stepping stone, she just cried in the snow as always, complaining about her unwillingness, and at this time...
Behind her, someone had already handed her a warm bento.
The five judges also nodded in unison at this moment. Because it wasn't a scoring system, they needed to make the final vote, and the final result of this cooking match was completely as expected.
Director: "Then, the final result has been revealed!"
"After the vote of the five judges, the final winner is..."
"Hikigaya Hachiman!!!"
There was no more discussion in the entire venue at this moment. Perhaps, the applause in the venue had drawn a perfect conclusion to this wonderful cooking battle.
"As expected of Hikigaya, that guy won again..."
"He even won against the top of Group B, so who else can beat him next?"
"Although this guy is perverted, it wasn't an overwhelming victory. At least in my opinion, Yukinoshita has a chance of winning against him."
"Idiot, the moment you compare him with Yukinoshita, he has already won."
Yuigahama: "Yumiko, did you hear that? The people next door are praising Hikki and Yukino!"
Miura: "Please, I'm not deaf, I can still hear."
Hayama Hayato: "This is good, then I'll go prepare."
Miura: "Yeah, good luck!"
Yuigahama: "Good luck to Hayato too!"
Hayato smiled lightly and quickly left here.
However, if you thought this competition would end so quickly, it would be too simple. Although she had already admitted defeat, Alice just collapsed on the ground and started making a fuss like a child.
Hachiman: "What are you doing? This is completely like a child."
Alice: "Waaaaaa...."
Hachiman: "Idiot, people are watching, get up quickly."
Without any extra nonsense, he simply walked to Alice and extended his hand.
Alice, whose eyes were already red from crying, didn't seem to want to stop so quickly, and she still began to roll around.
Hachiman: "Please, you'll catch a cold like this."
Hearing Hikigaya's caring words, Alice deliberately opened her ring finger and little finger, revealing a line of sight that her glasses could see through, and looked directly over.
At the same time, the fussing completely stopped.
Hachiman: "Well, don't cry like a child, how old are you? Why are you like Komachi when she was little?"
Alice: "It's all Hikigaya's fault, you don't know how to treat a girl gently. I've clearly worked so hard, and you don't know how to go easy on me. I'm going to have a very heavy psychological shadow when I go home tonight."
Erina crossed her arms with a displeased look: "This guy..."
Yukinoshita was calm, but her eyebrows twitched slightly: "Heh, she's quite good at talking."
Hachiman also blushed a little: "Idiot, don't say things that are so easily misunderstood."
Seeming to have found Hikigaya's weakness, Alice immediately began to smile evilly:
"Waaaa, Hikigaya-kun, you hurt me, really, lately I've been treated like that by you every night, and I'm going to have a shadow later, Hikigaya-kun is so mean."
Hachiman: "If you don't get up, I'm leaving."
He couldn't listen anymore. They were clearly just ordinary opponents, yet she was saying things like this. Even he... needed dignity to live in this huge world.
Seeming to feel that her plan had succeeded, Alice grabbed Hikigaya's hand with a smug look on her face, completely pressing herself against Hikigaya's body, and then said with a sly smile:
"Okay, I forgive you. You have to be gentle next time, and I won't let you have your way so easily!"
'Idiot, this guy is completely doing it on purpose.'
Hachiman: "Yes, yes, then I'll take my leave first."
Alice: "Wait..."
Hachiman: "?"
Alice: "Next time, I'll win!"
Seeming to finally become serious, Hachiman smiled lightly and gave her a thumbs up.
In fact, he had heard this sentence many times, but... he wasn't the type to be easily proud and arrogant. He would also observe his former opponents, so...
He was looking forward to it.
In the backstage, on Alice's path, Erina seemed to have been waiting here for a long time.
Although Alice wanted to ignore her, but...
Erina: "I didn't expect you to fall here. This is completely letting people know the bottom line of your strength, right?"
Having just lost, Alice couldn't bear to hear these words and immediately came in front of Erina to argue:
"What what what!"
"Erina is not only a genius at cooking, but also at talking badly about people!"
Faced with her sister's unreasonable behavior, Erina was very calm. Perhaps Hisako's words were completely correct.
Except in front of Hikigaya Hachiman, Erina's mind is always very calm.
Erina: "Aren't you praising my cooking skills?"
Alice: "Listen carefully, before I get my revenge, don't lose to anyone else, Erina, you idiot."
After saying these words, Alice left without looking back, leaving Erina leaning against the wall, seeming to be a little lost. Maybe she was muttering something:
"I really envy you... Alice..."
"Being able to cry so casually, to complain so freely..."
"Even accepting failure with ease, you can still stand up... and get his comfort and encouragement."
"But me... I can't accept failure."
...
At the same time, Hachiman, on the other side, had finally walked down from the stage. After advancing to the new round of the competition, it seemed that everyone was truly happy for Hikigaya.
Tadokoro: "Congratulations, congratulations!"
Ryoko: "You're pretty capable!"
Takumi: "Hmph, as expected of my opponent."
Marui: "I really believe in my friend!"
Ibusaki Shun: "Nice work!"
It was a bit like a lifetime away, and yet a bit real. Perhaps he had never thought that one day he would receive praise from others, receive encouragement from others, and stand here like this.
No... perhaps he had realized it a long time ago, even earlier.
'Even if no one praises you, I will stand here and offer you encouragement.'
Has this encouragement, which has long become a daily thing, become something genuine? Hachiman didn't know, but...
This feeling might really be pretty good.
Hachiman glanced in Yukinoshita's direction, and at this moment, Yukinoshita's gaze and Hikigaya's gaze just completed a four-eyed view.
No need to say more, just a light smile.
Hachiman: "It's your turn next, the opponent is Hayama Akira... good luck."
Mito: "Unbelievable... to actually hear 'good luck' from Hikigaya's mouth..."
Ibusaki Shun: "That's really unbelievable..."
Yoshino: "Well, that's good... Yukinoshita-san, good luck."
Faced with everyone's encouragement, Yukinoshita just smiled lightly as always, and then nodded gently.
"Then, I'll be back soon."
'This guy, seems to have said some pretty cool words.'
Along with the heat of the first match, the second match quickly stirred up the excitement of the entire audience again.
Although this time the theme wasn't Hayama's specialty, after all, in the preliminary round, Yukinoshita and Hayama Akira had received the same score. In everyone's psychological expectations, this main match might show an even more intense performance. And in some sense, this match might become the most competitive match.
Different from the first duel, this time the theme was mainly ramen. Although it is a relatively common dish in Japan, the more you want to make such a delicacy with a unique taste, the more difficult it is.
In everyone's opinion, for Hayama Akira, who has mastered the weapon of spices, it shouldn't be difficult to perform well on such a topic. And for Yukinoshita, she needs a good new idea to break through.
Tadokoro Megumi: "When I ate Seiichiro-san's ramen before, I discovered that to make such a dish well, you need more than just practicing day and night. I wonder what kind of dish Yukinoshita-san will bring out this time?"
Ryoko: "I am also looking forward to this competition. After all, these two had the exact same score in the preliminary round. This time's match..."
Under the announcement of Kawashima Urara, this duel between Yukinoshita and Hayama Akira officially began.
Ramen, a noodle dish consisting of noodles, toppings, and broth, is definitely not a simple topic. And in the past, ramen spread explosively after the post-war depression, so much so that it could be easily sold at roadside stalls.
And as ramen is exported to the world as a representative of Japanese cuisine, the depth of flavor and the effort put into it are definitely immeasurable. And all of this has to be completed within a week, which will completely test resilience and explosive power.
It was supposed to be such a highly anticipated match, but the result was a bit unexpected.
Compared to Hayama Akira's constant spraying of spices, Yukinoshita still maintained her style, seemingly without anything outstanding on the outside.
But...
When judging the winner, it was completely one-sided. Hayama Akira, who had obtained the same score as Yukinoshita in the preliminary round, lost to Yukinoshita without any suspense in the main match.
Ryoko: "What happened..."
Marui: "That was too fast..."
Ibusaki Shun: "Is this Yukinoshita's strength?"
At the same time, Erina, who had returned to the VIP room after the first match, had also clenched her fists tightly.
This back was so cold, without any words, just taking out the dish, and denying everything.
Shiomi Jun: "How... how could this be?"
Hayama Akira: "How did I lose?"
Seeming to finally realize that she hadn't prepared her dish for Hayama Akira, her opponent, Yukinoshita, who had just reacted, lightly gave a half-bow, and then left the stage.
"How can this be... wasn't it said to be very controversial?"
"Instant kill...?"
"Are you kidding me? That's Hayama Akira..."
"What happened? I can't understand the judges' words at all."
It wasn't until Yukinoshita returned from backstage to the audience and sat down next to Hikigaya again that the commotion seemed to calm down with Yukinoshita's disappearance.
But... Hayama Akira couldn't accept all of this.
It could be said that he didn't know where he lost in this cooking duel. He simply received this unacceptable result after serving the dish.
Hachiman glanced at Yukinoshita next to him:
"Although I knew you were amazing a long time ago, aren't you being a little too cruel?"
This time, Yukinoshita didn't refute Hikigaya, but nodded obediently:
"So that's how it is, I'll pay attention next time."
'Is this guy someone to be called amazing or a sadist?'
Although he couldn't accept it, Hayama Akira still left the venue in the shadows.
If Alice's words were a joke, then Hayama Akira was probably left with an unforgettable psychological shadow at this moment.
Takumi: "Thank goodness I'm not dueling with Yukinoshita..."
Isami: "Brother, you're choosing to escape at this time."
Takumi: "Well, I can tell who has no chance of winning."
Everyone looked at Takumi with some shame, Hachiman didn't expect that even the so-competitive Takumi would say such words one day.
But... in this way, he might be even more aware of what secrets his partner, who has been cooperating with him, holds.
Hachiman: "The next match is you, Takumi, and Kurokiba. Still, what I said before, just do your best."
Takumi: "Who are you looking down on! I'll win!"
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