“What the hell is betting on chastity! That's us betting on our integrity... Bah, a battle of conviction.
If I lose, I'll have to leave Totsuki Culinary Academy and be expelled, and if Nikumi loses, she'll have to join the Bowl Rice Research Society.”
“I see, so it's a Food War with a beautiful girl's freedom as the stake?
Then, after that beautiful girl named Nikumi joins the Bowl Rice Research Society, will you force her to do anything strange?”
Hearing Seiya's words, Yukihira Soma's forehead instantly showed a line of black lines, and he looked at him irritably, saying, “I say, you guy, don't listen to their nonsense!
You just met Sakaki and Yoshino today, right? Why have you already picked up their bad habits?
I don't have any strange ideas about Nikumi, and I'm not a member of the ‘Bowl Rice Research Society’. The reason I'm fighting on their behalf is just because I'm annoyed by Erina's actions!
Acting all high and mighty, and categorizing dishes into different grades—as long as a dish can bring happiness to people, isn't it a good dish? Why so many distinctions between high and low!”
The reason Yukihira Soma disliked Minezaki was because her past self was just like Erina is now.
Erina Nakiri's actions were even more overbearing and unreasonable.
Someone who arbitrarily tramples on others' culinary dreams, what right does he have to call himself a chef!
“I understand, your target isn't Nikumi, but that young lady Erina?
I must say, putting aside her tsundere personality, young lady Erina is indeed quite good.”
“So didn't I say, I simply...”
“I get it, I get it, you can't stand her actions, wantonly trampling on others' passion and dreams for cooking, right?
Standard protagonist lines and template, but according to typical plot tropes, enemies like you two often end up together.”
Yukihira Soma was too lazy to explain anymore; he realized Seiya was just messing with him.
He and Erina ending up together? That's simply a joke! Just thinking about her arrogant demeanor, Yukihira Soma felt a chill run down his spine at the thought of his future partner being like that.
If there were truly no other choice, he, Yukihira Soma, would rather turn gay than ever choose that kind of tsundere young lady!
“It's a rare opportunity, and this time you've brought the ingredients I need. Why don't you try the Shalyapin Steak Bowl I made!”
Yukihira Soma always said Seiya was overly competitive, but in reality, this guy was the most competitive one.
Every time he lost a match, whether against him or Joichiro Yukihira, this guy would hide in the kitchen, repeatedly trying again.
Now that Seiya, the food critic, had arrived, and good ingredients were already available, how could he not feel an itch to cook.
So, in just thirty minutes, a steaming “Shalyapin Steak Bowl” was placed on the table in front of Seiya.
“Shalyapin Steak, it is said that a singer named Shalyapin, who suffered from toothache in the past, wanted to eat tender steak, and thus Shalyapin Steak was born.”
Seiya specialized in China Cuisine from his home, but as he had said before, to be prepared for anything, he also had some understanding of other regional cuisines.
When he saw the Shalyapin Steak Bowl that Yukihira Soma served, Seiya recounted the dish's origin as if listing his family treasures.
After picking up a piece of golden-fried steak from the bowl with his chopsticks and putting it into his mouth, Seiya slowly closed his eyes to savor it.
“The texture of the steak is indeed excellent, crispy and delicious on the outside, and the meat beneath the golden crust is tender and juicy, exuding a unique aroma.
When you prepared the steak, you must have coated it with minced onion and then used it to create a sauce to drizzle over it, right? This improved ‘Shalyapin Steak Bowl’ indeed has a unique flavor.
But…”
Seeing that Seiya could tell how he had prepared the steak with just one bite and even gave a good review, Yukihira Soma's face had just shown a smile, but it was interrupted by Seiya's sudden “but.”
No, what the hell, why are you talking with such a big pause! What's the “but”? Just say it, damn it!”
Seiya first picked up another piece of steak from the bowl, then looked at the rice in the bowl, and couldn't help but say to Yukihira Soma, “But... did you forget the meaning of a Shalyapin Steak Bowl?”
“What do you mean by that? Is there a problem with how I prepared the steak?”
Hearing Yukihira Soma's puzzled retort, Seiya sighed and shook his head, saying, “What I mean is, are you too focused on the outcome of your match with Nikumi, so you've forgotten the main point?
The theme of your Food War this time is to decide the winner with a ‘Shalyapin Steak Bowl with meat as the main ingredient’, right?
In other words, the meat ingredient used in a Shalyapin Steak Bowl is not limited to beef; other types of meat can also be used, right?
The reason you chose beef is simply because Nikumi's family's ‘Mito Meat Products’ can provide very high-quality beef, so you want to defeat her in her most specialized area, right?”
Facing his childhood friend who had seen through his thoughts, Yukihira Soma did not deny it. Anyway, Yukihira Soma was always competitive; the first time he lost to Seiya, he cooked Seafood Fried Rice for several days straight. What's the big deal about something like this?
“Since I'm going to win, I naturally want to win so that the opponent is completely convinced. So, what does this have to do with what you just said?”
Seeing that Yukihira Soma still hadn't understood, Seiya tapped the Shalyapin Steak Bowl in front of him with his chopsticks and said, “It has a lot to do with it! You need to understand that what you're competing in now isn't a steak dish, but a Shalyapin Steak Bowl with meat as the main ingredient!
The existence of the steak is only to make the Shalyapin Steak Bowl more delicious, not to solely consider the steak's issues while ignoring the original meaning of the Shalyapin Steak Bowl.
It's a good thing you're not a member of the Bowl Rice Research Society, otherwise, if I were the president, I would kick you out of the society immediately.
In your eyes, does Shalyapin Steak Bowl just refer to that piece of steak on top? If so, why not just eat the steak directly? Does the rice have any meaning in its existence?”
Seiya's words struck Yukihira Soma like lightning, leaving him stunned in place.
Because he had no way to refute Seiya's words, and he looked at his hands with great annoyance. As a chef, being too focused on winning a meat-on-meat showdown, he had actually forgotten the meaning that cooking itself represents.
“To put it simply, you were too obsessed with researching the flavor of the steak, to the point where this dish became a bit overwhelming.
Now, the rice itself no longer matches the steak on top; this will make the customer feel that the rice below is difficult to swallow after eating the steak.”
