"Komatsu, if you are really interested, how about a competition with them?"
After arrangements were made for Erina Nakiri and the others, Takumi made this suggestion to Komatsu, who was chatting enthusiastically with Alice Nakiri again. Yes, this was the hope that Takumi wanted to show to Soma Yukihira and the others. As long as Komatsu takes action, he believed that after seeing Komatsu's cooking skills and the excitement brought by the different worlds connected by Dimension City, Soma Yukihira and the others would stay and work willingly, even if they were dissatisfied with the treatment they received.
As the old saying goes, it is easier to go from frugality to luxury than from luxury to frugality. For those who love cooking, after experiencing the higher level of the Gourmet World, being barred from studying it and forced to return to a low-level place like the Shokugeki World would be more uncomfortable than death! Compared to progressing to a higher level, poor treatment can be completely ignored. If one can find the Truth in the morning, one can die content in the evening. Even death is acceptable, let alone poor treatment; even if they had to work for free, they would try their best to stay.
"Yes!" Alice Nakiri's eyes lit up when she heard this, and she quickly said to Komatsu: "Komatsu, if you still have time, why not compete with me so that we can see each other's true level?"
"What? What? You want a Shokugeki?"
"I can't pretend I didn't hear this, count me in."
"Um, I want to participate too."
The same thing happened with the others nearby. Hinako Inui looked at Komatsu with gleaming eyes, expressing that they also wanted to learn from each other. They were all very interested in Komatsu's cooking skills. Not only them, but Asuna Yuuki and the newcomers who were beginning to get familiar with the work also cast curious glances. The newcomers were very curious about the level of Komatsu, a cook from another world.
"Everyone..." Seeing the cooks gathered around him, Komatsu couldn't help but feel at a loss for a moment. He still didn't realize why a friendly chat had suddenly turned into a cooking competition. He was about to refuse when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Komatsu turned around and saw the person who caused this incident.
Takumi smiled and said to Komatsu: "You have seen that Dimension City currently only connects two food-related worlds, including yours. They have been waiting for this day for a long time. Just think of it as doing me a favor and granting their wish. Of course, I won't let your help go in vain. If you beat them, I will give you five tons of ingredients as a reward. You can choose from strengthened ingredients and various other specialty ingredients. How about it? It doesn't hurt to try, does it?"
Takumi's words immediately hit Komatsu's weakness. Five tons of ingredients is a significant amount, and they are optional. In other words, as long as the ingredients are available in Dimension City, he could have them. This was very tempting to Komatsu because the souvenirs Takumi gave him before were only fortified ingredients in small quantities. If he could get more, or even ingredients he had never seen before, he had no reason to refuse. Finally, Komatsu nodded slowly: "Okay, I agree."
"Yeah! Great!" Seeing that Komatsu agreed to compete, Alice Nakiri cheered happily. In this way, the first formal cooking competition in Dimension City was held. The location was an open space outside the inner city, at a stall originally intended to sell fast food. Kitchen utensils and fresh ingredients were moved from the inner city, the area was briefly decorated, and climate simulation magic was applied to eliminate snow and maintain a moderate temperature.
Near noon, almost everyone in Dimension City was present, and even those who had gone out returned. (The Hibernation Group was still hibernating, and some others were not interested.) Under the watch of the crowd, Komatsu, Alice Nakiri, Hinako Inui, Fuyumi Mizuhara, and Sonoka Kikuchi walked to their respective stations. Takumi stood in the middle, with shelves behind him holding various fresh ingredients currently available in Dimension City.
"Then, I announce that the first friendly cooking competition in Dimension City has officially begun! Contestant Komatsu, who comes from the Gourmet World, accepts the challenge of the four chefs of Dimension City."
Among the five present, apart from Komatsu and Sonoka Kikuchi who felt a little embarrassed, and Fuyumi Mizuhara who looked calm, Alice Nakiri and Hinako Inui were waving around enthusiastically. The crowd of spectators burst into cheers and applause.
"Since it is a competition, there must be rules, and scores must be used to determine the winner. The rules are very simple. Each of the five contestants prepares one dish for everyone present to enjoy. The winner is not determined by sales, but by votes. Everyone present will receive a special spoon. You can leave your spoon at the booth you liked best. Each spoon is worth one point. Whoever scores the most points in the end wins. Did everyone understand?" Takumi took out a spoon and explained while looking at the five contestants and the audience.
This rule was not very sophisticated, but it was what Takumi came up with after careful consideration. His main purpose for this competition was to let Soma Yukihira and the others, as well as the chefs like Alice Nakiri, see how amazing the Gourmet World truly is. Therefore, it wasn't just for a few judges; everyone needed the opportunity to taste Komatsu's craftsmanship. This made the result fairer and more convincing.
At the same time, it made up for the canteen work that was delayed by the competition. Since everyone in Dimension City could have a free meal today, there was no need to prepare lunch. Sure enough, the audience's eyes suddenly lit up when they heard this. "The city lord is wise! We can get a delicious meal for free!"
"Understood!" Seeing this, the five participants also expressed that they had no objection. Takumi nodded: "Then, you can use the ingredients behind me as you like. The lunch break is three hours in total. Timing begins!"