Closing their eyes and savoring the deliciousness of the dish in front of them, the rumbling stomachs in the audience seats rose and fell. Seeing this, the staff immediately brought out Wagyu donburi provided by the Research Institute.
The beef in the donburi was provided by the Shuihu Group. This was a marketing strategy thought up by Hoshino Sora to attract partners for the Shuihu Group.
Few of the audience members who came to watch the Elite Ten ranking match were simple individuals, because tickets for this competition were said to be extremely hard to come by outside. This meant that the minimum status of those seated here was at least a medium-sized restaurant owner.
Among them, there were also quite a few big names from the business and political circles, and even more were elites from various social strata, who were also the main customer base for Shuihu Beef.
"They even provide bento boxes, that's great! Finally, I don't have to just watch the judges eat, so touching!"
"Provided by Shuihu Beef? They actually covered the entire venue, how generous! Let me see how it tastes~"
As the bento boxes were distributed, expressions of pleasant surprise appeared on the audience's faces. Then, they all noticed the Shuihu Beef on top of the bento boxes, and their few existing impressions of it were instantly awakened.
"Wagyu donburi? The color of this beef is really good, just looking at it makes one feel full of appetite!"
"Delicious! This bite is simply too blissful!"
Sounds of happiness rose and fell throughout the audience. Every audience member who tasted the Shuihu Beef felt genuinely satisfied, and while enjoying the delicious donburi, they made a mental note of this company.
Shuihu Beef, you deserve to have it!
"The quality of this beef is so high. Has Japan's farming level reached this extent?"
Tasting the Wagyu donburi in front of them, the chef team from the East all praised it, with a hint of surprise in their eyes.
The skill level of the chefs who made the Wagyu donburi wasn't particularly high, but the Wagyu beef inside was exceptionally delicious. It could be said that the quality of the ingredients forcibly elevated the taste of this donburi by a notch.
"No way, when I traveled to Japan two years ago, I remember the beef here was quite ordinary. It's the same Shuihu Beef, how could its quality suddenly improve so much in two years?!"
Cao Jun's brows furrowed slightly. Two years ago, he had traveled to Japan once at a friend's invitation and cooked many dishes for him, many of which used the Shuihu Beef brand.
At that time, Shuihu Beef felt to him like it was a bit better quality than ordinary beef, but definitely not to an absurd degree. But the Wagyu beef in front of him...
Looking at the beef held by his chopsticks, Cao Jun's expression was subtle. It couldn't be that the Shuihu Group, in order to promote their beef, gave everyone a piece of A4-grade beef, could it?
Although the beef in front of him was not the most top-grade beef he had ever eaten, it was definitely not bad. Only a very small portion of a cow could reach this standard.
And judging by the reactions of the others, it was clear that they also ate the same beef as him. This was strange. If so, it meant that the Shuihu Group really did have a method for cultivating high-quality beef cattle.
In less than two years.
Perhaps results had already been achieved earlier, but only recently had they truly been put into use.
Thinking of a relatively 'reasonable' explanation, Cao Jun nodded gently. For now, this was the only explanation.
20, 19, 19, 20, 20
"Congratulations, Tsukasa-senpai, for scoring 98 points! You've tied with Hoshino Sora for first place and advanced to the finals!"
Just as the audience below was immersed in the Shuihu Beef, Kawashima Rei's penetrating voice came from the stage, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
"98 points! Another 98 points!"
"I'm so surprised, but I actually thought for a moment that dish would exceed 98 points."
"That's unlikely, 98 points is already ridiculous, okay? You know this is the WGO, a world-class judging organization!?"
"You're right, it was truly spectacular. Today was definitely not a wasted trip!"
"Exactly, and we even got to eat top-grade Wagyu donburi. The ticket price was totally worth it, hahaha."
"Shuihu Beef, the quality of this beef is so high. From today on, I'm a loyal fan of this beef!"
As Kawashima Rei's words fell, the discussions in the audience grew louder. No one was surprised by Eishi Tsukasa's excellent score of 98 points; after all, he was the former Ten Elite First Seat, so having this much skill was normal.
It was Hoshino Sora, though.
Many people present didn't recognize the young man and thought he was a dark horse, but some who knew Hoshino Sora's standing and strength at Far Moon Academy understood that, strictly speaking, he couldn't truly be considered a dark horse.
However, to be tied for first place with a former Elite Ten member was indeed impressive, especially as a first-year. He was truly a young genius! Perhaps his talent was even greater than Erina's!?
Such comments were not uncommon among the crowd, as Hoshino Sora had already surpassed Erina Nakiri in terms of scores. Of course, judging a chef's quality could not possibly be based solely on scores.
"Now, announcing the list of qualifiers."
"Eishi Tsukasa, Hoshino Sora, Erina Nakiri, Kobayashi Rindo."
Seeing the atmosphere reach its peak, Kawashima Rei picked up the microphone and continued, first announcing the list of qualifiers. As each name was spoken, a neon light swept over the person corresponding to the name.
"Now, we will draw the theme for the finals."
As soon as she finished speaking, the screen suspended in mid-air instantly flickered, and everyone's gaze, including Hoshino Sora's, gathered on it, his eyes revealing anticipation.
He hoped to draw a theme favorable to him, thereby securing the ultimate victory in this competition!
There was no other reason; it was simply to prove himself. Since he entered the competition, he intended to win the championship—that was Hoshino Sora's mindset.
A very pure thought.
Moreover, losing would be incredibly frustrating!
[Quest Triggered]: Heart of a Strongman
[Quest Description]: A strongman grows stronger when faced with strength. Detecting the host's desire to become stronger, this quest is hereby issued. It is hoped that the host will always maintain this ambitious heart and never give up!
[Quest Requirement]: Never give up, defeat Eishi Tsukasa
[Quest Reward]: Talent: Stronger When Faced With Strength
[Stronger When Faced With Strength]: When encountering an opponent whose overall strength is greater than one's own, dish flavor increases by 10%, and cooking speed increases by 10%.
Uh...
The moment he saw the quest, the smile on Hoshino Sora's face froze. What was this? What did it mean by "never give up" as a quest requirement? Did it mean he should never give up?
And this 'Stronger When Faced With Strength' talent was ridiculously absurd! It could directly improve dish flavor, and even the mystical cooking speed.
Shrugging his shoulders, Hoshino Sora looked up at the large screen above. The screen was rapidly scrolling, and now the scrolling speed was getting slower and slower, finally coming to a gentle stop.
Cooking Theme: "Shrimp"
Cooking Time: 1 Hour
The massive character for 'Shrimp' appeared on the screen. Looking at the freshly announced theme, Hoshino Sora's mind raced, and he quickly thought of a solution.
"Students will have eight hours of preparation time. During this period, you can bring your own ingredients or use ingredients provided by the academy."
Eight hours of preparation time?
Hearing Kawashima Rei's words, Hoshino Sora silently repeated the preparation time. Although he already had a theme in mind, success still required practical execution.
"Let's go home."
Walking to Erina Nakiri's side, Hoshino Sora's voice was soft. As he spoke, he reached out and took her hand, proving their relationship to the world.
Couples.
This was the only thought of the audience at the scene after seeing their intimate actions. Many faces showed shock, and also blessings. If they weren't a couple, they couldn't possibly hold hands so intimately.
For a moment, phrases like 'talented man and beautiful woman,' 'a match made in heaven,' and 'a perfect couple' came from all corners of the audience. This caused Erina Nakiri, as she passed the audience, to blush profusely.
However, she did not let go of Hoshino Sora's hand, holding it tightly, feeling the warmth from his palm. She proudly held her head high, as if declaring her status as the main partner.
In fact, she did achieve it. Many people around them were taking photos. Erina Nakiri was in love—this was big news in the culinary world!
In the VIP audience section, Azami Nakiri watched Hoshino Sora lead Erina away without saying a word. He simply got up and left silently. He was going to be a judge for the final match.
He wanted to see if that boy truly had the ability to marry his daughter!
After so many events, Azami Nakiri had come to terms with things. His power was gone. Although he still had many supporters among the students, due to the previous research society incident, his support rate definitely did not exceed fifty percent.
In other words, Hoshino Sora could convene an Elite Ten meeting to dismiss him at any time.
But Hoshino Sora didn't. He still allowed him to remain in that position. He couldn't understand the reason, nor did he want to know. He only blamed himself for not thoroughly investigating Far Moon Academy's rules.
Who would have thought that the supreme Elite Ten Council could not turn Far Moon Academy into a one-man show? The current development of the situation had already deviated from his initial expectations.
If he had known this would happen, he would have definitely bought off a large number of students beforehand, giving Hoshino Sora no chance to recover.
"I only got eighth place, everyone is so strong!"
Biting her finger, her face filled with unwillingness, Yumeko Jabami walked out of the Tsukiten Space after Hoshino Sora and Erina. It was currently noon, and eight hours later, it would be night.
The finals were scheduled for the evening, probably for that reason.
Hoshino Sora thought of the Autumn Elections finals last time, which used the rising and setting of the moon as a time limit. It was quite innovative, he thought. Oh no, he was starting to look forward to it.
"Eighth place is already very good, especially since you are only a first-year right now. Speaking of which, in this Elite Ten ranking match, first-years occupied a full five seats."
At this, Hoshino Sora's face showed a proud expression.
Of these five first-years, one was him, and the other three were from his harem. It could be said that his faction was full of talent!
"Hoshino-kun~ Over here, over here!"
As she spoke, Alice Nakiri, already standing beside a private car, was waving to the group. Tadokoro Megumi was by her side, clearly having been waiting there for a long time.
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