In the blink of an eye, the competition had reached the sixth round, but neither side had suffered any major losses. As it stands, both teams still have seven members, meaning the outcome is still anyone's guess.
However... this round might just break that balance.
After enduring so many rounds, the Elite Ten finally sent out Tsukasa, the first seat. Known as the strongest fighter in Totsuki Academy, whoever the rebels face, it's unlikely they can guarantee a win against him.
And the theme for this round... beef.
Mito: "Beef? That's not exactly Alice's specialty."
Ryoko: "Yeah, and her opponent is the first seat. This is going to be tough."
Yoshino: "If we lose two matches in a row, Hikigaya and the others will lose their spirit. Alice, even if you lose, you need to put up a fight and keep the morale up."
The viewers on the sidelines aren't the only ones worried. For those participating in the competition, this news isn't good at all.
Fortunately, Alice seems to be maintaining her usual calm. Perhaps just keeping her normal level against such an opponent is already impressive, and Alice doesn't seem affected.
As the drum sounds, both sides quickly enter the cooking phase. Alice specializes in cooking that applies molecular knowledge, creating beneficial cycles through the combination of various ingredients. And her use of machines to replace manual work makes the process even more precise. Unless she encounters a strange character like Hikigaya, her cooking is still on the cutting edge of science.
Alice brings out the beef she prepared in advance. The overwhelming amount, the amazing juice, and the already impressive roast beef instantly fill the dish with excitement.
Even beef expert Mito can't help but admire:
"Her technique is definitely not just for show. It seems she has improved a lot lately. The heat from roasting is fully penetrating the center of the meat. The injected spices and machine baking, displayed through the cut portions... it's simply the best roast beef."
While placing the beef in the oven, Alice doesn't stop her hand movements. She cuts scallions while pouring heavy cream, sour cream, and anchovies into a bowl to extract and mix.
Komachi: "Her movements are so smooth! She looks like she's making a cream sauce to go with the meat. As expected of Alice-senpai."
Tadokoro Megumi: "Either way, Alice is a strong contender in the Autumn Elections. The strength she's showing now is her true cooking ability."
If she relied too much on high-end machines before, after that battle with Hachiman, she spent more time on herself. As a cook, only dishes made with your own hands can truly be called cooking. Machines are just there to help eventually. Even in ten thousand years, that will never change.
Alice is completely in her rhythm, using four spoons in one hand to bring out the flavor from the ingredients. On the other side, she stops the instant the machine rings.
But it's not over yet. Alice has one last step to complete her dish. Yes, she grinds the cooked bitter melon into powder and scatters it over the beef. By adding and helping with various spices, she weakens the taste buds on the tongue, creating the effect of eating sweet food. That's what Alice wants to do.
Half an hour passes quickly. Alice's bitter melon roast cream beef is finally ready. Alice breathes a sigh of relief. This dish is the best beef dish she can make right now. She chose bitter melon for the vegetables, and even seasoned it with cream and various ingredients, making it different from ordinary beef dishes.
Even if it's just one vote, as long as she can win one vote...
"Please enjoy, judges."
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Alice slowly presents her dish. The combination of soft-boiled eggs and bitter melon, covered with cream, highlights the bright red beef. Just from the appearance, it's already an amazing dish. More importantly, the aroma emanating from the dish is gradually invading the judges' brains.
Hoshino Ai: "I'll start tasting..."
Eriri: "Me too..."
Sakurajima Mai: "This melt-in-your-mouth texture... Even after all these years, I've never tasted such a combination. The cream and eggs complement each other, creating a completely new flavor at this moment."
Togawa Sakiko: "I've never had such a beef dish before. It's amazing! From the taste to the appearance, it's even better than I imagined. The more I eat, the more I want to eat!"
Eriri: "Yes! The cream sauce feels like an electric current. It perfectly compensates for the heaviness of the roast beef. The impact of the meat is amazing, but it combines the unique freshness and bitterness of the vegetables, making them stand out."
Snow Mom: "So this is the so-called taste created by human illusion? I've learned something."
Hearing Snow Mom say this, the entire venue becomes noisy.
It seemed like it would be a one-sided match, but Alice's cooking has been full of surprises so far. Even Takumi and Tadokoro Megumi are looking forward to whether Alice's cooking can turn things around in the end.
Erina is still a bit worried. As a former Elite Ten member, she doesn't know much about Tsukasa, other than the feeling he gives when he cooks is always different. And it's the same now.
Even though Alice has broken through her limits, showing her own cooking in all aspects... can she really win against such an opponent?
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Tsukasa, wearing a white coat, walks step by step to the five judges with his dish.
"Central Cooking Modified Pizza Beef Cake! Please enjoy."
Tsukasa's face doesn't show any change in expression, as if he is emotionless. He simply puts his dish in front of the judges, and then...
Yukinoshita: "He seems confident in his cooking..."
Kuga: "That's Tsukasa-senpai. Only those who have truly tasted his cooking can understand. I know Alice has done her best, but..."
The moment the lid is lifted, countless golden particles floating in the air are like elves, just flying around the judges. As the fragrance spreads, the suffocating feeling that's impossible to refuse hits them at this moment.
If you look closely at this dish, you'll find that the fillings on the left and right sides are completely distinct. Although it doesn't seem to have anything special, what's with this flavor?
The judges pick up the pizza on the right, a biscuit fried with sweet soy sauce. Before making this beef pizza, Tsukasa brushed the dish with yuzu sauce. This combination makes the whole dish more sour and bitter. Normally, it shouldn't taste like this, but...
Tsukasa's cooking is like this, unconsciously approaching absolute balance. This balance is not ordinary, but special. The variety of flavors in the dish highlights the uniqueness of his cooking. By using miracle fruit to turn the sour taste into sweet, the flavor of this dish is pushed to its climax.
But that's not enough, because his true strength is in the so-called beef dish.
The remaining half of the pizza is a crust made from cheese and milk. After wrapping the beef inside, the beef flavor itself is enhanced by various flavors, making it incredibly prominent.
It's an irresistible flavor, from sour to sweet. The taste of this dish can be included in textbooks. Perhaps only a delicious three-stage jump that leads the taster higher and higher into the sky can achieve such a result.
Kawashima urara: "Now, for our final vote, the sixth round of the Team Food Wars, the winner is?"
"5 to 0, Tsukasa Eishi, the first seat of the Elite Ten."
Alice seems stunned after hearing the result, but after a few simple laughs, she returns to normal. As expected, she still can't beat such an opponent at this point.
However, this doesn't mean she failed. Everyone saw Alice's improvement in this match. Even when facing a dish she's not good at, she still made an excellent dish.
She is not disappointed in herself. It's just a pity that she didn't win against the so-called first seat.
Alice: "Sorry, everyone."
Hachiman: "It's okay, he's really strong."
Erina: "After all, it's Tsukasa-senpai. You've done really well, Alice."
Alice: "Hearing Erina say that makes me feel particularly uneasy."
Erina: "What..."
Alice: "But, he is really amazing. When I was cooking, I didn't feel any pressure from him at all. Only when his dish was in front of me, I felt that I had already lost."
This kind of terrifying suppression usually only happens when a professional chef faces an ordinary chef, but it also happened to Tsukasa, and it was against a competitor like Alice.
Alice: "No matter what, do your best! I'll leave the rest to you!"
Kuga: "Don't worry, although I can't guarantee that I can beat Tsukasa-senpai, I've been waiting for this day for too long. Next, I will definitely show everything I've learned."
Hachiman: "Then I'll leave it to you."
On the Elite Ten side, Tsukasa doesn't seem to be planning to leave the stage. He's just looking at Alice's dish and saying with a bit of regret:
"That's too bad. After all, I haven't used my real cooking yet..."
Perhaps others don't know, but Rindou is very clear that Tsukasa hasn't used his real strength from the beginning. Because if he got serious, the energy he releases would definitely not be like this.
However, for Rindou, although she has been eliminated, if even Tsukasa is going on stage, then there's nothing fun anymore... After all, normally speaking, he can win against all opponents, as long as his stamina lasts.
Kawashima urara: "Now, please welcome Kuga Terunori from our rebel army. He's also the former eighth seat. The match with Tsukasa-senpai is becoming more and more anticipated."
Tsukasa puts on a friendly look, looking at Kuga who is walking up, and greets him as usual:
"Kuga, long time no see. I didn't expect you to leave the Elite Ten. After all, you were always clamoring to challenge me back then."
Kuga: "Well, being able to compete against Tsukasa-senpai, joining this side seems like a good choice."
Tsukasa is calm, simply saying in a peaceful tone:
"You know, you can't beat me, even if you challenge me a hundred times."
"Who knows?"
"If that's the case, then we can only let the facts speak for themselves. But I'm quite happy that you can come and compete against me, Kuga."
This time, Kuga doesn't waste any words, simply walking to the lottery machine and randomly grabbing a slip of paper.
'Green Tea'
Kuga: "Let's save the reminiscing for later, senpai. I can't wait to compete against you now!"
Tsukasa sighs helplessly, then gently takes off his gloves:
"Kuga, I still liked the time I spent with you. Sending you out of school myself feels cruel..."
"You idiot, even if I drop out, I'll still come find you in the future. Don't go easy on me!"
Hearing Kuga's words, Tsukasa seems relieved, simply smiling gently:
"Since you said so, then let's begin."
Kuga: "This time, I will definitely win against you, senpai!"
Rindou is also feeling sentimental. After all, the energy that Tsukasa is releasing now is different from what he used during the previous match. And without a doubt...
"He really doesn't know how to be nice to his juniors, that idiot..."
"But, since even Tsukasa is getting serious... maybe they..."
Rindou glances at Hachiman with some worry, but at the same time, Hachiman also looks over.
Unlike the others, he doesn't seem worried at all, as if he still has something up his sleeve. It's becoming more and more interesting...
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