"Hmm? It hasn't rained recently, so why does the floor feel wet…"
The slipperiness on the ground almost made Hoshino Sora fall. Steadying himself with his firm stance, the young man bent down to examine it, then discovered the anomaly.
If he guessed correctly, this stuff…
A meaningful smile appeared on his face. It seemed that Yumeko Jabami, whom he had always considered the hardest to conquer, wasn't as pure and detached as he thought.
Since she had human emotions, conquering her would be much easier.
"What's wrong? It's all your fault, there's only one hour left until the competition starts now."
With a radiant flush on her face, dressed in her Far Moon Academy uniform, Erina Nakiri couldn't help but speak with a chiding tone to Hoshino Sora, who was lingering at the doorway.
"So, have you thought of a theme now?"
"I have, but it still needs practice. It's all your fault; now I don't have time to practice."
"But if I hadn't brought you over, you'd probably still be agonizing over what dish to make until time ran out and you'd hastily choose something. Strictly speaking, I actually helped you speed up the process."
Looking at the flushed Erina Nakiri and listening to her reply, Hoshino Sora grinned broadly.
"No way! Do I look like such an indecisive person?!"
Erina Nakiri retorted stubbornly, but inwardly, she was truly grateful to Hoshino Sora. If it weren't for him, she wouldn't have been able to truly relax and finally decide on a theme.
"It's like, haven't you always been this kind of person?"
Nodding, Hoshino Sora said meaningfully.
Soon, the two arrived at the kitchen. At this moment, Yumeko Jabami from upstairs came out of her room, her face flushed with embarrassment, holding a rag, and very quickly cleaned up the water stains on the floor.
"I'm not talking to you anymore! Hmph ╯ ^ ╰"
Hearing Hoshino Sora's words, Erina Nakiri couldn't help but roll her eyes cutely, then huffed arrogantly, her gaze turning to the counter. Everything she had asked Hisako Arato to send earlier was there.
She could start cooking!
Although there was definitely not enough time to complete the entire cooking process now, she had already gone through this dish several times in her mind. Now, she just needed to pay attention to the details.
This was a skill all advanced chefs possessed.
Thinking.
And simulating the scene in their minds, performing the cooking.
"Erina-da..."
Hearing the commotion from the kitchen, Hisako Arato, who was resting in the living room, pushed the door open and then saw Erina Nakiri looking serious in front of the counter, stopping her greeting.
Walking slowly to Hoshino Sora's side, she nudged the young man's waist with her elbow. Hisako Arato's eyes held a hint of reproach. She had met Yumeko Jabami when she went upstairs, and she had told her everything that happened earlier.
This guy really was something, still thinking about doing bad things at a time like this.
Facing Hisako Arato's reproachful gaze, Hoshino Sora merely pretended not to see, his eyes fixed on Erina Nakiri, silently watching her prepare the dish.
Time passed bit by bit. The start of the competition was fast approaching, but Hoshino Sora was not in a hurry at all, nor did he rush Erina Nakiri.
Just as he said, being overly nervous was useless.
Moreover, with two contestants not yet present, the remaining competition could not proceed. As long as they weren't ridiculously late, they would be allowed to enter.
"Alright, let's go."
After an unknown amount of time, Erina Nakiri let out a long sigh of relief, her eyes filled with brightness as she looked at the young man. Hoshino Sora also stood up from his chair at the sight.
"Let's go."
Leaving Yōbi Dormitory and getting into the car heading to Tsukiten Space, after a period of speed and passion, the two quickly arrived at the competition venue.
At this point, there were about five minutes left until the competition started. They had made it just in time.
As the two arrived, Kawashima Rei, who had been somewhat nervous because the time was almost up and the contestants weren't all present, showed a relieved expression, then brought the microphone to her mouth.
"Please welcome the contestants!"
Her voice was clear and full of determination. The next moment, the four contestants entered through their respective designated passages. The surrounding neon lights immediately dimmed, and drones filmed from the sky, projecting their faces onto the large screens.
And each time a person's face appeared, the audience below would cheer. This grand event of the culinary world was about to begin!
"Phew…"
After stepping onto the stage, Hoshino Sora let out a long breath.
He had finally made it.
"Now, I invite the Dean of the academy to speak."
As she spoke, Kawashima Rei walked off the stage, and Azami Nakiri's footsteps sounded from the other side.
"Da, da, da."
Short and powerful.
Before long, Azami Nakiri's figure appeared before everyone. The man's gaze swept around, his eyes indifferent, and no change in expression could be seen on his pale face.
On the other side, on a high platform.
Nakitiri Senzaemon's figure appeared on it. The old man's eyes were composed, exuding an intimidating aura without anger, and a surging presence emanated from him, making those standing beside him secretly tremble.
Many recognized his identity. This old man was the former Dean of the academy, Nakitiri Senzaemon, the man known as the "Culinary Demon King."
His value was countless times higher than Azami Nakiri's!
The higher up the hierarchy, the more terrifying the Nakitiri Family was known to be.
The so-called Totsuki Ten Elite? On the surface, they could dominate the academy, but in reality? That was merely the result of the Nakitiri Family's excessive delegation of power. If they wished, they could reclaim those rights at any time.
This was also the fundamental reason why the Nakitiri Family had been able to dominate Far Moon for so long. Otherwise, if a few Elite Ten members casually tried to replace the Dean? Those Elite Ten members would probably be replaced first.
Don't doubt it. With the power of the Nakitiri Family, it was impossible not to find out which Elite Ten members had secretly contacted Azami Nakiri.
But Nakitiri Senzaemon didn't. His allowing Azami Nakiri to smoothly take office seemed rather profound, and it was unclear what this man was truly thinking.
It was indeed somewhat chilling to think about.
"First, I welcome all guests to this venue. I am Azami Nakiri, the current Dean of Far Moon Academy."
A simple self-introduction broke the silence. This was Azami Nakiri's first public appearance since taking office, and it was also the first time the general public had seen this mysterious Dean.
Tall, handsome, and exuding a chilling aura.
Chapter Thirty-Nine: Nakitiri Style · Golden Shrimp Bun
"This competition will determine the champion through judge voting. The judges present are mostly professional WGO executives, possessing strong professional abilities, capable of fair and just judgment of the competition's outcome.
And I, Azami Nakiri, will serve as one of the five judges. The other judges are An, Dekora, Kuraji, and Akame. Any further words end here. Now, let the cooking begin!"
As he spoke, the ceiling of Tsukiten Space slowly opened, revealing a bright moon. To be precise, it wasn't fully revealed; at the moment, only a small corner could be seen.
Behind Azami Nakiri, An's expression was very displeased, because that guy had temporarily replaced the judges. Although she managed to remain due to her strong insistence, the others weren't so lucky.
Except for Akame, who stayed to make up the five, the others were forced to leave and could only stand by and watch.
And replacing Insterval and Chalme were two of the few first-class WGO executives, Dekora and Kuraji, two women who were half-mentors to her.
One with dark skin and black hair, sexy and charming; the other with fair skin and white hair, pure and lovely. These were two women with extremely distinct personalities.
"The time limit is from when the moon appears on this side until the last bit of moon disappears from the sky."
Seeing everyone attracted by the commotion, Azami Nakiri continued, "Tsukiten Space is called Tsukiten Space precisely because of this absolutely beautiful night view!"
"How beautiful!"
Seeing the beautiful night sky, everyone present exclaimed in unison. In this industrially polluted metropolis, it was truly rare to see such a beautiful night view.
"Indeed, it feels like the air around has improved with the skylight open."
"It's not that exaggerated, just a psychological illusion."
The audience below chatted idly. Looking at the bright stars and moon in the sky, everyone's mood improved significantly, and the air was immediately filled with a joyful atmosphere.
In contrast, the competition arena at this moment was filled with tension.
The four contestants moved simultaneously. Facing opponents of similar strength, none of them dared to relax their guard. Even Eishi Tsukasa, the former first seat of the Elite Ten, was now giving his all.
This meant that it was a competition where no matter who lost, they would have no regrets!
But there was one exception.
"Here, these lychees are so sweet."
Stepping into Erina Nakiri's cooking area, Hoshino Sora saw that she had just finished the previous step of cooking and was still idle. He then smoothly put a freshly peeled lychee into her mouth.
"Mmm… we're still in a competition now, what are you doing?"
"It won't delay anything, and you don't have much to do next, do you? The dough is already kneaded, just needs to rest."
"What about you? You've almost eaten all the ingredients…"
Looking at the pile of lychee pits in Hoshino Sora's hand, Erina Nakiri spat, taking the pit from her mouth and spitting it into the young man's hand.
"What can I do? These lychees are so sweet. Choosing them for this dish today was definitely the right choice. I'll go back now. I'll make an extra portion for you to try later."
Hoshino Sora said, preparing to return to his cooking station. At the same time, Kobayashi Rindo appeared in front of his cooking station at some point, opening her mouth, her intention clear.
"Kobayashi-senpai, only one, okay? If you eat any more, I really won't have enough ingredients."
Looking at Kobayashi Rindo, who came to ask for lychees, Hoshino Sora unhesitatingly put a lychee into her mouth. After that, he even wiped her lips with his thumb.
"Feeding is feeding, but you're also taking advantage. Hoshino-kun is unexpectedly bold~"
Noticing Hoshino Sora's small action, Kobayashi Rindo said playfully, then licked the spot he had just touched with her pink, delicate tongue, her finger still subtly gesturing beside her lips.
That action, that posture—Hoshino Sora would absolutely not believe she didn't have a side job.
"Cough, cough, it's getting late. Time to go back to cooking."
With an awkward laugh, Hoshino Sora turned to his cooking station. At this moment, the moon on the skylight had already appeared, and one-tenth of the time had passed.
"Look, it looks like they're baking bread over there? What are they doing!? Isn't the theme this time shrimp…"
"I don't know. Maybe it's useful for the dish? But what use is bread for shrimp? They're not going to make a sandwich, are they? Wouldn't that be too simple…"
Watching Erina Nakiri kneading dough and baking bread, the audience in the stands immediately started discussing, somewhat confused. But since she was doing it, there must be a reason.
Their eyes revealed anticipation. No one present wasn't looking forward to the dishes of top chefs. And among them, the most eye-catching was Hoshino Sora.
Simply because his cooking station was piled with fruit.
Pitted lychees, squeezed orange juice, and what Hoshino Sora was currently working on: black tiger shrimp that had been butterflied to the extreme, where a little more would break them.
Half a spoonful of salt, a little yellow wine, a bit of ginger, and mix the shrimp well.
Prepare a crispy batter with various flours, with cornstarch, flour, and baking soda used in the largest proportions. This was also the key to crispy shrimp balls.
After mixing evenly, add 40 grams of peanut oil. The batter would immediately thin out, flowing down when held in the hand, with a sparse beauty.
After completing this preparation step, Hoshino Sora began to process the butterflied black tiger shrimp. If a general chef were making this dish, they would probably just pat it dry with kitchen paper and fry it directly.
This was undoubtedly inappropriate. If you pick up the shrimp and squeeze it into a ball, you can clearly feel that there is still a lot of moisture inside. This is the drawback of kitchen paper.
It doesn't absorb all the moisture from the shrimp. And one of the keys to this dish is to extract all the moisture from the shrimp, so that the fried shrimp is crispy.
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