Hachiman mostly gets his ingredients from Yuihama, and this salmon was the same. After Kurokiba looked around, he finally found ingredients he was happy with. Hayama Akira, on the other hand, gets his from Totsuki official sources. After all, Hachiman's side is the rebellion, and it's good enough that they're not completely hated.
Luckily, because of the 'Stutter Cookies' and 'Hikigaya Restaurant' locations, it's not hard to get fresh ingredients. But... if they want to make sashimi, it's too common and will lose points for originality. Plus, with Hayama Akira as an opponent, sashimi will likely be weaker than Hayama Akira's spices in some way.
Thinking this way, Kurokiba instantly had an idea. He quickly grabbed his knife and made eighty-one cuts into the salmon, each one creating a unique decoration. Besides looking good, this decoration will also give a bursting feeling when eaten, instantly melting the taste buds.
Without noticing, lemon slices had already covered the salmon. The oven, prepared long ago, suddenly flared up. Everything seemed calculated. The lemon flavor would be infused into the salmon through the eighty-one cuts using grilling. At the same time, Kurokiba moved even faster, constantly grinding black pepper and sprinkling it, like putting salt on a wound, revealing a terrifying smile.
Bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and honey were also being prepared in different ways. Once this step was done, his dish would already be finished.
Tadokoro Megumi: "So fast..."
Alice was proud: "Ryo has lived by the sea since he was little, so he's definitely one of the best at handling seafood. Hayama Akira is just unlucky to draw this opponent, like when he drew curry for the fall selection."
Erina focused her eyes on Kurokiba, watching his flawless movements. She felt relieved, as long as he kept going like this... If he didn't make any mistakes, his dish would definitely be top-notch. Even Erina, with her 'God Tongue,' thought so.
But...
Hachiman felt like something was off. Although the excitement from both the stage and the audience clearly showed that this was an important match, he felt like something was missing.
Spices...
That's right, spices. Hayama Akira's strongest weapon had disappeared without a trace. If it were the old Hayama Akira, he would have started releasing the aroma of spices the moment he started cooking, drawing the attention of all the judges and giving his dish different emotions, like a dancer.
As if suddenly realizing something, Hachiman's body trembled slightly. At the same time, Haruno, who had been watching Hikigaya, finally smiled faintly:
"You finally noticed?"
Hachiman: "I have something to tell you. I should have realized it sooner, but sorry."
Seeing Hachiman blaming himself, everyone didn't blame him. Instead, they focused their attention on him, asking seriously:
"What is it, Hikigaya-kun?"
Erina: "We've come this far, just say what's on your mind. I can share the burden with you, Hikigaya-kun, you don't need to keep it to yourself."
Hachiman shook his head and said calmly, "No, it's our fixed mindset that has put us at a disadvantage. Although each opponent has dishes they're very good at, the most important thing is that during this time, the Central Organization's modification has fundamentally changed the way they cook. For example, Hayama Akira, although his dish no longer releases the aroma of spices, I'm sure this core essence hasn't changed. It's just moved to another place, which is..."
Komachi: "Although I haven't seen his dish, listening to big brother, I feel like there are many secrets hidden inside."
Hachiman gently patted Komachi's head: "That's what I mean. As someone who hasn't fought them before, you have an advantage. We can't be careless because, as expected, they've mastered the technique of controlling their special skills."
As Hikigaya finished speaking, Hayama Akira arrived in front of the judges with his dish. He politely said to the five judges:
"Please enjoy, ladies."
"Central Cooking's Spice-Modified Teriyaki Salmon."
Just from the appearance, there's nothing particularly Akira-like about it. But even so, everyone understood that at this level of competition, they wouldn't present a worthless dish. That's for sure.
Whether it was Snow Mom or the others, their actions were very elegant. They slowly took it with a fork, bringing the perfectly cooked salmon to their mouths, and it burst.
The aroma of spices didn't explode like before. Instead, it felt like an onion, with each bite giving a suitable feeling of taste and texture. It could definitely be called a top-notch dish.
The next moment...
The moment the core of the salmon was touched, the judges were instantly stunned by the intense spices, letting it rush into their brains, taking away their control.
Eriris: "How... how can it be so delicious!"
Shoko: "It makes you want to keep eating. This unique flavor is incredible..."
Snow Mom was also surprised by the taste, but quickly returned to normal, lightly wiping her mouth: "A very good dish."
Hoshino Ai: "The smooth texture is like eating ice cream. Is this really salmon? And this unique spice flavor, as expected of Hayama Akira!"
After all, they're old acquaintances, so the evaluation of Hayama Akira was very positive.
On the other side, Kurokiba's dish was also brought to the table. He was still the same as before, showing no mercy to anyone when wearing his headband, looking at the five people with a fiery gaze.
Snow Mom wasn't in a hurry. She casually used a fork to take the dish Kurokiba presented, lemon mushroom grilled salmon.
Despite the continuous aroma, Snow Mom seemed completely unaffected, not even changing her expression:
"Hmm, very good."
"Huh? What do you mean, very good!"
"It's just very good."
Hachiman could feel that even when facing Kurokiba's pressure, Snow Mom's pressure didn't decrease at all. Her expression that never changed for any dish made Hachiman a little dumbfounded.
"Yukinoshita, what's up with your mother..."
Yukino was calm and took a deep breath: "I've never seen my mother interested in anything..."
Hachiman: "This is really troublesome."
Compared to Snow Mom, the other four judges were completely immersed. No matter what, Kurokiba's dish was top-notch. If it didn't even move the judges, then the final result would be obvious.
Kawashima Urara: "Now, let the judges give us the final decision. Please wait a moment."
"Finally, to announce the result, for the first battle of the Regiment Food Wars, the winner is... Hayama Akira!"
With the cheers of the crowd, Hayama Akira raised his hand high and clenched his fist.
Kurokiba was a bit unconvinced, grumbling as he walked down.
"I'm saying, is it possible they're cheating?"
Yukino shook her head helplessly: "Obviously, mother was asked by big sister, but something like what happened last time with Hikigaya-kun is impossible because mother never stands on big sister's side."
Although still a bit upset, Kurokiba could only calm down after hearing this and said again:
"Sorry, miss, I lost."
Alice: "Don't worry, we'll win it back for you."
Kurokiba: "He really has changed. When I was cooking, I didn't feel his presence at all. It was like he had disappeared."
Hachiman: "It seems... we can't keep testing like this."
At the same time, Kawashima Urara asked:
"Hayama Akira, do you need to change team members?"
Hayama Akira didn't ask for anyone else's opinion and simply shook his head:
"I will defeat whoever comes."
Etsuya: "Tch, what a conceited guy."
Haruno smiled lightly: "Isn't it good this way? We don't have to participate in that troublesome competition."
On the other side, Hachiman had decided on the next contestant. Facing Hayama Akira, it would be his younger sister, Komachi.
However, after hearing this announcement, Kawashima Urara was clearly incredulous.
After all, she's a new student. Her cooking level, no matter what, can't compare to the Elite Ten. To challenge one of the Elite Ten right away is just making people say that the times have changed.
Komachi: "Big brother, I'll go!"
Hachiman: "Yes, you're a genius, Komachi."
Komachi giggled and didn't deny it, nodding in thanks.
Watching Komachi's back as she went on stage, Tadokoro Megumi said nervously:
"Komachi isn't nervous at all. This is her first time on stage."
Hachiman was also emotional: "Yeah, Komachi has grown up. She's no longer the little sister who needs her big brother for everything."
...
On stage, with Komachi's appearance, the audience was clearly incredulous. After all, if she was a famous character, they would have remembered her, but this person...
Kawashima Urara: "Komachi is our first-year high school student. She's also a transfer student. Of course, most important of all... she's Hikigaya Hachiman's younger sister!"
Hearing Kawashima Urara's introduction, everyone suddenly understood and no longer looked down on her. Hayama Akira kept his eyes on Komachi:
"You're Hikigaya's younger sister?"
"That's a strange way to say it, I'm also Hikigaya..."
"Okay, I'm sure of it now. In this aspect, you siblings are exactly alike."
"Eh? I'm not as annoying as big brother..."
"No matter what, I won't hold back. I lost to your big brother before, I won't lose to you now and I won't underestimate you."
Komachi was still calm, showing a enjoying expression in front of so many viewers:
"Since you lost to my big brother before, it's not embarrassing to lose to me, I have learned cooking earlier than my big brother, as far as I can remember, I was holding a spatula when I was only five already."
"You are a chatterbox and nothing like him at all. Go and pick the ingredients."
Komachi did not hold back. She went to the ingredient booth and took out a piece of paper.
"Celery."
It was a vegetable. Neither of them thought that such an ingredient would be selected. However, neither side selected an ingredient that the other was good at so in a way, it was a fair competition.
When vegetables are the main ingredient, you must think of which dish to make. When Hayama Akira was standing still and thinking, he realised that Komachi started moving her knife.
Hayama Akira was a little surprised because he would not have believed she would have been able to think up of a dish so quickly if he did not see her draw the card for the pick machine herself.
This kind of speed will give the opposing chef certain pressure, only a strong minded person like Hikigaya Hachiman may be able to withstand this pressure.
It was obvious that Hayama Akira was affected and picked up the celery to start processing it. Hachiman saw this and smiled.
He did not know that Komachi had helped the 'Hikigaya Restaurant' make dishes since she was little. As the assistant, she has more jobs to do than her old man. Therefore, she has gotten the habit of processing two things at once for the past 10 years.
With many groups of customers over the years, her large number of menus in her head was gained via those years.
Hachiman: "It all comes down to now, Komachi."
Just like Hachiman, Komachi would not let external movements distract her when she start cooking. She started copying his movements and created the same silhouette.
Komachi's movements have gotten faster, as an illusion that she had sprouted three heads and six arms.
That's right, this is one of Komachi's talents: her large number of menus in her head and her rapid movements along with processing two things at once. Maybe only her can make this dish.
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