The audience on the stage watched Hoshino Sora's extremely skilled operations and various small details, all showing pleased expressions on their faces.
He truly was a genius chef! His control over details was so perfect! Fukube, from the Chinese chef team in the audience, also nodded in approval at the sight.
Truly a young genius!
"Wow!"
A sudden gasp came from the audience.
"Holy crap, that's an oil pot at several hundred degrees! He just put his hand in there?!"
"Hot oil: Can you respect me a little?"
"Ridiculous, an iron hand without emotion!"
"Awesome, he's really not afraid of being burned!"
Similar exclamations rose and fell in the audience, and the atmosphere instantly reached its peak. Yet, Hoshino Sora on stage remained unfazed, still calmly testing the oil temperature with his hand.
As an experienced chef, his hands had a thick layer of calluses. Testing the doneness by pinching the meat with his hand was also a required skill for a Chinese chef.
Of course, Hoshino Sora possessed the special ability of temperature perception, so this step could actually be skipped.
Therefore, he was doing it on purpose now.
If you asked him why he did it?
He would only say, does showing off need a reason?
That's how cool he was, that's how casual he was, it was all about playing with tension and excitement!
"Amazing, even I wouldn't dare put my hand in such a scalding oil pot. This kid is good!"
Among the Chinese chef team, Cao Jun excitedly waved his fists, praising loudly, his face showing a spirited expression. It was truly rare to see someone in Neon who could cook Chinese cuisine to such a degree!
"Are you all monsters? How dare you put your hands in a hot oil pot, I really don't know what you're thinking."
Compared to the male chefs, the female chefs had subtle expressions when they saw Hoshino Sora. Why were all these men alike, liking things that looked cool but were actually dangerous, when there were professional temperature testers but they insisted on using their hands?
"What do you know? This cooking method is truly too cool!"
"Too cool!"
Hearing the praise and admiration from the audience, Hoshino Sora showed a satisfied expression, then quickened his movements.
On the other side, Erina Nakiri had already completed her dish.
Wealthy Shrimp Bun.
The outer layer was diced, freshly baked bread, followed by a layer of gelatinous shrimp meat, and then a meticulously cooked filling. These three layers, stacked together, doubled the texture.
By this time, the moon had already passed its halfway point, and Erina Nakiri had finished plating her dish. She pushed the dining cart towards the judges' seats.
As she passed Hoshino Sora's cooking station, she couldn't help but stop, a struggling expression on her face. But very quickly, the struggle turned into determination, and she took a portion of the Rich Shrimp Bao from her cart and placed it on the young man's cooking station.
"Try it. I'm going ahead."
"Okay, I wish you a resounding victory."
Turning her head, Erina Nakiri's heart suddenly filled with fear as she saw Azami Nakiri watching her expressionlessly from the stage. Her expression became somewhat flustered, and her steps slowed considerably.
However, as Hoshino Sora turned and firmly patted her back, giving her a resolute look of encouragement, Erina Nakiri suddenly felt that her father wasn't so scary anymore.
Because no matter what, Hoshino Sora was her staunchest support.
Having clearly understood this, Erina Nakiri felt relieved. She looked much more confident. Soon, she arrived in front of the judges' panel, her face full of confidence as she looked at the familiar and unfamiliar faces before her.
Because this was a dish she and Hoshino Sora had developed together!
"Father, this is my dish. Please have a taste."
Looking at Azami Nakiri, who sat on the judging panel watching her with a gentle smile, Erina Nakiri placed the Rich Shrimp Baos in her hands in front of each judge.
Two for each person, the golden shrimp baos whetted their appetites, but Azami Nakiri seemed less than satisfied.
"Erina, when did you start making such a vulgar dish?"
There was a hint of displeasure in his voice. The golden dish in front of Azami Nakiri seemed a bit common. This was not Erina's style at all, and he disliked this style of cooking.
"Father, the taste of the dish is what matters. This dish will definitely not disappoint you."
Facing Azami Nakiri's low-toned, condescending questioning, Erina Nakiri replied neither humbly nor arrogantly. With someone behind her, her confidence was exceptionally strong at this moment, even when facing this 'ghost father' who had once wildly PUA'd her.
"Then I'll try it."
Seeing Erina Nakiri's performance, Azami Nakiri was clearly a bit surprised. After giving Hoshino Sora a meaningful look, he picked up his chopsticks and began to taste the Rich Shrimp Bao.
"Gulp."
As the Rich Shrimp Bao was bitten into, the aroma sealed within instantly broke free, transforming into a golden torrent that swept across the competition venue, causing a widespread sound of swallowing.
"It smells so good, this aroma."
"Exactly! Such a rich aroma, just smelling it is unbearable!"
"Ah~ It's coming!"
The audience seats were filled with constant chatter, and in Hoshino Sora's vision, a faint but lifelike phantom of a green shrimp appeared in mid-air!
Half-step Golden Class Cuisine.
Tasting Erina Nakiri's dish at the same time as the judges, Hoshino Sora's mind echoed with the system's prompt, which further solidified his thoughts.
The phantom formed by the aroma represented the dish's grade.
The more solid it was, the higher the dish's grade, and the more delicious it would be!
"This must be sugar-free bread, right? The bread, without sweetness, perfectly highlights the shrimp flavor, and sugar-free bread doesn't burn when deep-fried, which is why it turned out this golden color!"
"Winter bamboo shoots, cooked chicken, pork, chives, and rehydrated shiitake mushrooms, green onions, and ginger—these form the filling of the Rich Shrimp Bao. The flavor is rich and mellow, truly an excellent combination."
Enjoying the deliciousness of the dish, Dekora, the dark-skinned girl, said with pleasure. Her voice even trembled slightly, clearly indicating she was greatly impacted.
"The pork is red meat, and the chicken is white meat. The proteins between them have distinct differences, which in gourmet food is called nutritional complementarity."
Kuraji also nodded, adding, "The rich texture paired with the ingenious combination fully embodies the profoundness of this dish!"
This feeling...
This feeling is like being massaged by countless large hands. Ah! I can't take it anymore! It's too much, I'm done...
"Mmm, hmm~"
An made strange noises from the side. Although she really wanted to stop, she couldn't. Sounds uncontrollably escaped from deep within her nasal cavity, and her body became strange.
"Compared to breadcrumbs, freshly baked bread is incredibly crispy and doesn't feel tough when eaten, which undoubtedly elevated the overall texture of the dish by a notch."
"The shrimp meat is smooth and bouncy, with a rich flavor. Even though the filling's taste is so profound, it still manages to be suppressed, allowing this dish to perfectly present the spirit of the shrimp."
Although also in a somewhat unusual state, Akame's reaction was much better than An's. She looked very composed and calm, then continued with her evaluation.
"How amazing."
"As expected of the legendary God Tongue! To make all the WGO judges give such high praise."
The audience below, hearing the judges give such high praise, immediately started discussing animatedly. And the rich aroma wafting in the air was undoubtedly the best proof.
"It seems there's still one..."
A spectator noticed that Azami Nakiri, sitting in the middle of the judges, had not yet reacted, and immediately whispered.
Hearing his voice, the people around immediately looked towards Azami Nakiri. They saw him using his thumb to press against his chopsticks, and with a slight force, he broke them. His clothes also tore due to the dish being eaten.
"Erina, you've improved."
After a long pause, Azami Nakiri finally uttered this sentence. His torn clothes were enough to explain everything; her progress during this period was truly significant, enough to make him appear in such a state of embarrassment.
"Father, this is the result of my joint research with Hoshino-kun during this period."
"I can see that your cooking wasn't this vulgar before. If you hadn't messed around with that brat, perhaps you could have done even better."
Glancing in Hoshino Sora's direction, Azami Nakiri said suggestively, this was definitely not Erina Nakiri's limit; she should be able to do even better.
If she had accepted his guidance.
"Please taste Hoshino-kun's dish before saying that."
Hearing Azami Nakiri slander Hoshino Sora, Erina Nakiri did not get angry but said this very seriously, then stepped down.
Although she had never thought her father would approve of Hoshino Sora, as a child, who wouldn't want their love to be approved by their parents? But she wasn't worried; at least her grandfather agreed.
"..."
Hearing Erina Nakiri's words, Azami Nakiri said nothing more, only silently turning his gaze back to the young man.
What kind of bewitching potion did this guy give Erina? He actually made her so infatuated, and even Alice seems to be entangled with him, besides that there's also...
Thinking of the various women around Hoshino Sora, Azami Nakiri felt very displeased. This kind of guy wants to give his daughter happiness? Don't be ridiculous!
Although this world allows harems, families of high officials and prominent households often would not allow their daughters to share a husband with others. The Eri Nai old man agreeing could be said to be very open-minded.
"It smells so good, let me try some later."
As Erina Nakiri stepped down, Kobayashi Rindo happened to pass by Hoshino Sora, carrying a dish. At this time, Hoshino Sora had already fried the shrimp, and the air was filled with the aroma of fried shrimp.
Smelling the aroma and seeing the table full of ingredients, Kobayashi Rindo suddenly said, craving.
"You can, but first, leave me a portion of your dish."
"You really don't let people take advantage. I'm going on stage first. Oh, and I want to try Eishi's dish too, and Erina's! I've made a portion for both of you."
Hearing Hoshino Sora's words, Kobayashi Rindo left a portion of her dish, then elegantly went up to the stage.
"Welcome to taste, Chicken Wing Wrapped Shrimp~"
As the lid was lifted, the dish instantly emitted a golden glow.
At this moment, everyone realized that there was a thick hot plate inside the serving dish, still steaming. No wonder there was a wooden stand underneath; without it, it would probably burn someone to death.
"It smells so good! This one is even more impressive!"
"Damn, I just finished dinner not long ago, how could this happen? My stomach is growling again."
"Shuihu Beef? Shuihu Beef, quickly come to my rescue! I'm starving to death!" y
"Tonight's dinner is a high-end gourmet chicken egg burger provided by Small JZ International. The patty inside is chicken thigh meat provided by Small JZ International. Please, everyone, enjoy."
Hearing the collective wails, the person in charge of Small JZ International immediately brought out their newly launched product, the chicken burger.
And the source of this chicken...
Hoshino Sora, in front of his cooking station, smiled, listening to the exclamations from the audience, feeling pleased. Clearly, this was his handiwork.
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