At first glance, Akanegakubo Momo's dish is no different from a work of art, with its budding flowers completely flawless.
But... if you look closely, you'll see that these individual flowers are placed on top of a fruit tart base. The so-called roses are actually a dessert made from apples.
Eri lightly picks one up, and the scent instantly fills the entire venue. Unlike the strong smell of spices, this is a childlike scent.
The sweet aroma enters the nose like a blooming field of flowers, and the crisp texture of the apple is a delight. Unlike ordinary works of art, this is not a decoration. This is the "Damask Rose," recognized as the most fragrant flower in the world.
It must be said that although the scent is fully incorporated, the shape has not been ruined by cooking. From a certain point of view, if the aroma were concentrated by stewing, the shape and texture of the apple would become a mess. But now... it's perfectly preserved.
The truth is, this dish can't be made with just boiling. The rose scent is simply allowed to "infuse." The amount of work involved is like climbing a mountain for a girl.
Akanegakubo Momo's dish has clearly earned an untouchably high score. Next up is Tadokoro Megumi. Everyone is watching closely to see if she can counterattack. After all, if she loses, the rebels will lose another major player.
Unlike Akanegakubo Momo's dish, Tadokoro Megumi's dish has no appeal or fancy points in terms of appearance or vibe because it is a surprisingly common dorayaki.
Yoshino: "In terms of looks alone, she's already lost."
Suzuki: "No, the important thing is the taste."
Ibusaki: "It definitely has Tadokoro's style."
Although it doesn't seem to have any special touches, a professional judge won't issue an ultimatum based on appearance alone. They simply pick up the dish as usual and slowly put it in their mouths while everyone watches with bated breath.
White bean paste cleverly mixed with diced apples. Although not as impressive as Akanegakubo Momo's dish, the fresh and clean aroma quickly envelops everyone. But one thing is different: the aroma is coming from the judges.
The real aroma is inside.
All you have to do is take a bite...
Sanbon sugar, honey, and tofu, along with a silky smooth pancake, gently touch the lips. The rich flavor sets off like fireworks on the tongue, creating a colorful display. The light apple flavor is constantly blooming and disappearing, and the aroma that spreads in the mouth has a super strong stickiness that goes straight to the brain.
If you only look at the appearance, it may not be a masterpiece. But... the biggest secret of this dish lies in... the apple butter spread inside the pancake.
As the name suggests, this is a sauce made by adding lemon juice and sugar to apple puree and then mixing it with butter. This not only blends the fruit's flavor with the butter, but also adds acidity, umami, and a rich flavor to the dish.
But to make such a dish, you must perfectly blend two completely different ingredients and emulsify them. This is like mixing water and oil, which is unbelievable.
It's tightly bound together, creating a smooth texture, and the control of the aroma is so delicate.
Eriri: "Too bad, even so, it's still a step behind."
Sakurajima Mai: "It's a solid effort on all fronts, but... in terms of flavor control, it's still one move short."
After tasting the two dishes, the judges seem to be lost in thought. At the last moment of the judging time... the results are announced.
"3 to 2."
"Akanegakubo Momo wins."
Perhaps as Sakurajima Mai said, even if she did her best, she was still one step short. Akanegakubo Momo's dish is not that easy to surpass. The dish she created is perfectly matched on all fronts, and in some ways, it has no weaknesses.
And that is the key to victory.
Tadokoro Megumi looks at the result, and for a moment, she seems unable to accept it.
She is burdened with a lot of pressure, but she didn't bring the final victory to everyone. Although it was only a one-vote difference, she knows that losing is losing. No matter how much she says, it doesn't mean anything.
Akanegakubo Momo: "That's not very cute."
As the winner, she naturally has the right to continue standing on the stage, while Tadokoro Megumi, who has lost the competition, walks off the stage looking dim.
Ryoko: "Is Megumi okay?"
Yoshino: "It's okay. Megumi isn't who she used to be. And, Hikigaya is there, so she'll be fine."
Ibusaki: "But now it's a 3-to-7 disadvantage. Losing four games in a row isn't a good thing."
Not to mention her roommates, even the uninformed audience, after seeing the terrifying difference in numbers, instantly seemed to see the result.
Tadokoro Megumi: "I'm sorry, I still didn't win."
Hachiman: "It's okay, you've already done very well."
Tadokoro Megumi: "Hachiman, you're so kind. I never do well, but you still comfort me like this."
Hachiman: "Maybe. But you really did well. Look, haven't you overcome a lot of things? Like inferiority, like nervousness, just be proud. Your opponent was the Third Seat."
Hearing Hachiman's words, a drop of tear couldn't help but slide from the corner of her eye. Yes, as a student who was about to be expelled, she never thought that one day she would stand on such a big stage and compete against the Third Seat of the Ten. And even though she didn't win...
She is slowly getting closer.
Next time, she will definitely win.
But more than that... she looks at Hikigaya Hachiman with concern:
"Hachiman, can I leave it all to you?"
This time, Hachiman didn't answer. Instead, he gently stroked Tadokoro Megumi's head and said calmly:
"I've always acted according to my heart, and even now, I've never gone down the wrong path, so... I'll win."
Under the worried gaze of Yukinoshita and Erina, Hachiman just said these words with great confidence.
Let the counterattack begin next time.
Hachiman can see that if Yukinoshita Yukino enters the game, Haruno will immediately follow. And Erina needs to rest. In that case, he'll break this losing streak.
Yukino: "Hikigaya..."
Hachiman: "What?"
Yukino: "If we lose in the end, will you still continue cooking?"
Hachiman: "Of course. Maybe somewhere in paradise, there'll be a 'Hikigaya Restaurant'."
Seeming to get a positive answer, Yukino's mind also became calm. She just smiled and replied:
"Okay."
Walking onto the stage again, feeling the cheers around him again, Hachiman no longer has any emotion. Unlike his first time on stage, he now has his own beliefs. No matter who the opponent is, he just needs to show his strength and defeat them one by one.
Yukino's Mother: "Is he Hikigaya Hachiman?"
Hoshino Ai: "Yes, he's a very great guy!"
Eri: "Is he really as great as you say?"
Sakurajima Mai: "I'm skeptical."
Etsuya: "Humph, don't lose so quickly. I still want to get revenge."
Tsukasa: "The first-year autumn selection champion?"
Haruno: "Interesting."
As the already-crowned Hachiman, his fame is now not low even outside the school. He has even reached the point where he can stand with the Ten. Will Hachiman be able to break the rebel's losing streak, or will it make things worse?
His strength is beyond doubt, but his opponent is also the Third Seat of the Ten.
Hachiman isn't afraid. He just glances at Akanegakubo Momo and says calmly:
"You can draw the lot."
Akanegakubo Momo: "Okay!"
Seeming to hear the best news, Akanegakubo Momo happily runs to the drawing machine again, puts her hand on the machine, and randomly takes out a piece of paper.
[Brown Sugar]
It must be said that both apples and brown sugar are very suitable themes for making desserts. But so far, Hachiman hasn't made a single dish in the competition, which makes people feel worried.
Takumi: "Is it really okay to draw lots like this?"
Alice: "Don't worry, even Hikigaya has undergone special training, especially under the guidance of those two. I don't believe his desserts will be bad."
Takumi naturally knows that the two Alice is talking about are Yukinoshita and Erina. As excellent producers of desserts, they would definitely take special care of Hikigaya to some extent.
And now... it's time to check the results.
Akanegakubo Momo seems to have entered the zone. In the blink of an eye, she grinds all kinds of ingredients into batter.
But, although you can't see the action clearly, you can smell it.
Strawberry, matcha, cocoa, blueberry, black sesame.
Rather than cooking, it's more like a palette, coloring her artwork. And Akanegakubo Momo becomes excited at the thought of someone being able to eat her delicious paint.
Painting time, start now.
The patterns that are completed one after another leave even the audience speechless. The terrible speed seems to be getting faster and faster. It even surpasses Komachi from just now. The reason why she has such speed is simply because of her skill. She probably wouldn't be affected even if she closed her eyes. What is called practice makes perfect. Akanegakubo Momo is like that.
Pour all the brown sugar batter mixed in, and this action is similar to an ordinary cake roll.
On the other hand, Hachiman, as always, has no special points in terms of action or speed. It seems as if he is completely isolated from everyone in the venue. He is just quietly completing his dish.
Take out aluminum foil, mix the black sugar mixed with sesame paste and put it in the oven, just like a layer of bread, with a crisp texture at the same time. The burnt aroma of brown sugar and the sesame tile are also very fragrant. Also, Hachiman isn't idle. He's just preparing the batter made with eggs. In this way, everyone will soon analyze that Hachiman will also be making desserts.
Kawashima: "Tasting Time Starts Now!"
Akanegakubo Momo is still one step ahead. She just pushes her cart and comes to the judges.
"Hey, what's that..."
"Who knows."
"It's like a castle."
That's true. More like a castle stacked up than a cake. Although it is said that the most important thing is the taste, after witnessing all this, it is still a bit shocking.
What kind of taste will this cake made of castles bring? Everyone can't help but be curious.
At the same time, Eri has put the dish in her mouth.
Only love can describe the situation before you.
The excellent taste and sweetness, clearly has a soft and elastic power before tasting it, but melts directly like ice cream when tasting. It puts on a perfect dance on the tip of your tongue.
Akanegakubo Momo: "I whip fresh cream, sucrose, vanilla, and soy sauce together, then put it on the cake base and roll it up and chill it, so the effect is natural."
Hachiman: "I see."
Akanegakubo Momo: "Hachiman, you might as well surrender sooner."
Hachiman: "Since you said so, senior, I can consider it. But before that, do you want to taste my dish first?"
"Hachiman-style Souffle Reimagined with Brown Sugar."
Compared to Akanegakubo Momo's dish, Hachiman's dish is indeed simpler. It can't even be called a dish in front of Akanegakubo Momo. After all, it's not cute at all.
But...
Hachiman: "If you look at everything with your eyes, you can't feel the beauty inside, no matter how beautiful things are. What really matters is the inside. Just like cooking, what really matters is the taste."
Hearing Hachiman's words, Akanegakubo Momo is unable to refute for a moment. At the same time, the judges, who have put the souffle in their mouths, are shocked, and even their expressions change directly.
Eri: "This taste... how is it possible!"
Sakurajima Mai: "I can't resist it at all... It's over, is it spice? No... what is it?"
Yukino's Mother also smiles faintly at this time: "The winner has been decided."
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