Yukinoshita: "Let me go next."
Erina: "Let me go first."
Hikigaya was also troubled by this question for a moment. Among the remaining three opponents, whether it was Tsukasa or Haruno, as long as either of them went, the match would be turned around again.
Interestingly, even Hikigaya realized that the opponent was intentionally pushing the match to a seemingly close situation. Otherwise, with Tsukasa's ability from the beginning, they could have swept their side, and with Haruno going back and forth, they could have won without losing a member.
However, Hikigaya knew from the beginning that Haruno's goal was never to win or lose, but to have a match with Yukinoshita. And after she finished the match with Yukinoshita, she probably wouldn't care what happened to the rest of the competition.
If Yukinoshita was sent out early to draw out that great power, things would only get more and more troublesome later.
His thoughts became clearer and clearer, and now the only contestant left who could go on stage was Erina.
Hachiman: "Erina should go first this round. If I'm not mistaken, the opponent will send Kinokuni first."
Yukinoshita could only nod helplessly when she heard Hachiman's decision.
And Hachiman turned his gaze to Erina's face:
"What, no confidence?"
"Don't joke around, I even beat Rindou-senpai! But..."
Speaking of this, Erina paused deliberately and glanced at Hachiman with a meaningful look:
"It's really strange, I'm actually on the same boat as you. It feels like a dream."
"Thank you so much back then."
"Although this apology is a bit late, I still want to say to you that I was wrong for all the things I did to you at the beginning of the school year."
Hachiman didn't understand. Although Erina was a bit of a handful, she had never done anything to apologize for. It was unexpected that she could change from being so proud to this.
Erina's face was slightly flushed, and she didn't dare to look directly at Hikigaya's face. She just supported her chest with her hands and kept moving her gaze.
Hachiman: "I never thought there would be such a day. But life is really interesting. Or rather, I never thought I would walk the path of a chef, and I never thought I would participate in such a troublesome competition for myself. In a way, I'm quite a handful myself."
Erina smiled faintly, and just as Hachiman was talking to himself, she gently hugged him.
"Then I'm going on stage."
"Oh, oh..."
When he came to his senses again, Erina had already run onto the stage with a flushed face. And Yukinoshita looked at the scene in front of her with some displeasure.
Yukinoshita: "Hikigaya-kun, you're going to explain this later, right?"
Hachiman: "My head is a little dizzy right now, but I think I understand."
Sure enough, as Hikigaya Hachiman guessed, the opponent did send out Kinokuni this time. And this match between the former tenth seat and the current sixth seat would begin completely at this moment.
Theme: Buckwheat noodles.
Unlike the Erina of the past, she took out an iron pot almost the same size as herself at the beginning of this match, which surprised some viewers. After all, in their minds, Erina-sama has always been an elegant being, both in person and in cooking. But...
Isn't what she's doing now a dish that only ordinary small restaurants would make? It's just like... Hikigaya.
This scene also completely stunned Kinokuni for a moment. After all, the theme is buckwheat noodles, and buckwheat noodles are different from ordinary noodles. They are not made with ordinary wheat flour. And if you stir-fry them casually, the taste of the whole dish will change. Real buckwheat noodles are boiled first and then stir-fried.
But that is made with a unique wheat flour called green tea buckwheat flour, which is completely different from the current situation.
It can be said that Erina's current cooking method is contrary to common sense, but...
Even so, the aroma from stir-frying cannot be hidden.
Although Kinokuni didn't understand, after all, her opponent was Erina, and she had also defeated Rindou. No matter what, she wouldn't let her guard down.
Unlike Erina's choice, Kinokuni's choice was more common. After boiling the noodles in cold water, she used a technique to continuously hit them in the water, and then put in fried tempura. The aroma was like water pouring in from a spring, instantly making the whole venue fragrant.
Even Hayama Akira couldn't help but sigh, Kinokuni-senpai's mastery of buckwheat noodles is a bit scary. She not only perfectly made the noodles jump back and forth in the water, making them stronger in the cold and hot water, but most importantly, she seemed to have adjusted every single strand.
The last step, plating.
"Central Cuisine Modified Kinokuni Style Ninety Percent Buckwheat Noodles."
"Served with Fried Sakura Shrimp."
"Please enjoy."
After separating the sakura shrimp and noodles and serving them on a plate, just looking at them gave off an indescribable flavor.
Eriri: "These buckwheat noodles are truly well-deserved. They are as smooth as the soft skin of a charming woman."
Togawa Sakiko: "The Edo buckwheat noodle's famous family? As expected."
Yukinoshita's mother: "It perfectly inherits the techniques passed down to this day. Even the noodles seem to be shining."
Hoshino Ai: "Without further ado, let's begin the judging."
The aroma of the bonito broth is light and rich. When eating ramen, with a 'xu' sound, all the noodles slipped into their mouths so smoothly. At this moment, all the judges refreshed their so-called understanding of buckwheat noodles.
They are clearly buckwheat noodles, but they can be made so smooth. And the flavor blooms from shallow to deep, making the delicate aroma incomprehensible.
The crispy fried shrimp, combined with the already smooth noodles, created a completely new taste in the mouth, as if completing the final fusion at this moment.
It must be said that even after tasting it, the aftertaste of the sakura shrimp still lingered in the mouth. Just another bite, another bite...
Before they knew it, they had become addicted to it. When they finally came back to their senses, both the sakura shrimp and the noodles had been eaten.
Although she is the sixth seat, if the theme is buckwheat noodles, then because the Kinokuni family has been studying it for generations, it would not be an exaggeration to say that she has the strength of the first seat.
But, even so, it's not completely hopeless.
Every time, Hikigaya Hachiman would pick up his own dish and present it without fearing anything.
Erina, too.
Even if others deny it, she has always insisted on her own cooking. If the other party's cooking is built up by time, then Erina is not afraid at all, because her cooking is also built up by time.
"Erina Style Modified Iron Pot Stir-Fried Buckwheat Noodles."
The remaining heat still in the iron pot is constantly tumbling these buckwheat noodles. Although many people say they don't understand, stir-frying with such a high heat will ruin the aroma of the buckwheat itself, but...
You won't know about any dish until you taste it.
Unlike Kinokuni, Erina chose a more vegetarian buckwheat noodle. The black noodles slipped into their mouths smoothly at this moment. Although they were stir-fried, but...
Sakurajima Mai: "It still exists... Even though it's stir-fried so much, it still retains the aroma of the noodles."
Togawa Sakiko: "The charred part of the iron pot is crispy and delicious. And comparing it to the distinct texture of the buckwheat noodles, it's simply..."
Hoshino Ai: "And the tender fat of the duck meat brings a different flavor to the whole dish, and it's even conveyed very directly. How was it done?"
Erina: "This is, Third Grade Flour."
So-called buckwheat noodles are divided into first, second, and third grades according to the different parts of the buckwheat that are ground. Each grade has its own unique characteristics. If you want to make smooth and soft noodles, you will indeed choose first grade flour, after all, that is from the highest quality buckwheat.
But...
Who said that the flour that belongs to the masses cannot make good tastes?
The smoothness of third grade flour is far inferior to that of first grade flour, but the flavor is unusually strong. And in some ways, it can naturally form a natural protective shell.
If you stir-fry first grade flour, it will indeed be destroyed, but if it is third grade flour...
Kinokuni: "You've really changed, Erina. You never used to cook like this, and you definitely looked down on such cooking."
Erina smiled faintly: "Who knows? After all, taste is king in cooking. And exploring different cuisines, whether they are folk or high-end, is the duty of a chef."
Kinokuni looked at Hachiman below the stage and said helplessly:
"Perhaps, I know why you're so fascinated by him."
When she heard this, Erina became flustered and denied with a red face:
"What are you talking about, Kinokuni-senpai? I'm not fascinated by anything."
Girls in love are always like this, after all, she hasn't said who it's about yet.
Now, Kinokuni has to admit that her cooking has undergone a qualitative change. With other cooking, she might have lost a long time ago, just like Rindou-senpai.
But...
This time, it's buckwheat noodles. There's no reason she would lose.
Yukinoshita Mother: "Kinokuni-san chose first grade flour, which is slightly sweet, elastic, chewy, and extremely smooth. And Erina-san chose third grade flour, which is not soft enough and has a relatively rough texture, but the flavor of the buckwheat noodles themselves is more prominent and the taste is more refined. It's true... this cooking match is indeed very headache-inducing."
Normally, for Yukinoshita's mother, she could decide the outcome of such a cooking match after just one bite, but...
The taste of these two people's cooking is too different. Although they both used buckwheat to make noodles, their cooking methods are very different.
Yukinoshita Mother: "Now, let's announce the winner."
At the same time, the five of them pressed the buttons in their hands. The votes represented by the five of them will determine the final winner.
Yukinoshita Mother and Togawa Sakiko both voted for Erina, while the remaining three votes went to Kinokuni.
3 to 2, without question, Kinokuni won this match.
However, even though she lost the match, Kinokuni was still wary, after all, Yukinoshita's mother, the most outstanding gourmet of them all, actually voted for her opponent.
Erina looked at the score on the machine, but she was a little calm. Finally, she smiled helplessly and walked off the stage.
"I lost."
"It's okay, you did a great job."
"I really... lost."
From birth until now, Erina has accepted defeat no more than ten times in total. And each time, it will give her great progress. These failures are deeply imprinted in her mind.
And this time, it's no exception.
Hachiman wanted to say something, but Yukinoshita gave him a wink.
Erina's expression was still calm. More than every time in the past, she just accepted it more normally this time.
But...
As expected, it's still frustrating.
She suddenly rushed into Hikigaya's arms, and tears couldn't stop falling from the corners of her eyes. Even if she tried to suppress the sound of her sobs, the violent ups and downs of her chest made her realize that this was still regrettable after all.
Hikigaya gently stroked her head. He clearly couldn't comfort people, but... now, there was no need to say much.
Many times, a hug is more useful than many things. Feeling the increasingly close two people, Erina's hands used more and more force to hold herself tightly, and Hachiman completely let down his guard, just letting her hug him.
They didn't know how long had passed, but only when her eyes became swollen did Erina leave Hachiman's arms. And that faint smile seemed to be telling everyone that she was fine now.
And next, because Hikigaya Hachiman had just fought four matches in a row and hadn't recovered, Yukinoshita Yukino knew that she had no way out.
If she won, it would be 2v2.
If she lost, all the pressure would fall on Hikigaya Hachiman's shoulders.
So, she couldn't allow herself to lose.
Since the opponent is Kinokuni... then she would take out everything she had learned to face this opponent who defeated Erina.
And then, she would face her sister.
After making the decision, Yukino said faintly:
"Then, I'm going on stage. I will win."
---
You can read 30 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu
Free member can read 2 chapters in advance