"Enough, enough, these fish are already enough for our two groups to cook with."
Looking at the bucket full of stream fish, Ryoko and Tadokoro Megumi both looked at Seiya with admiration.
They hadn't expected that Seiya was not only skilled in cooking, but also so outstanding in physical ability.
The challenge Inui Hinako gave this time, the main difficulty was not actually the Japanese-style cuisine, but the additional condition of acquiring ingredients from nature.
Although the entire Totsuki Resort is rich in resources, since it was limited to nature, they naturally couldn't use the farmed and cultivated ingredients from Totsuki Resort.
The less time they spent collecting ingredients, the more time they would naturally have to cook dishes, which was probably why Inui Hinako had them team up.
After all, if relying on one person, finding suitable ingredients from nature and cooking within the time limit would not be a simple task.
And at this moment, Ryoko sincerely believed how correct her decision to partner with Seiya had been.
Originally, she only saw that Seiya had no partner, and out of a desire to help a friend, she proactively sought Seiya to team up, but she hadn't expected that she would be the one carried in the end.
"You two take these fish and go ahead. When I was catching fish just now, I found another good thing in this stream."
"So I've changed my mind now; I don't plan to use stream fish as the main ingredient anymore."
Hearing Seiya's words, Yukihira Soma and the others were stunned for a moment. He had originally wanted to ask Seiya if he needed help, but as soon as he thought of the physical ability Seiya had just displayed, he instantly chose to shut his mouth.
"The dish I'm going to make was decided long ago. Since you don't need help, then we'll go ahead."
Although Yukihira Soma was also curious what good ingredients Seiya had found, time was limited. Besides passing the assessment this time, he also had a Shokugeki with someone.
He had already decided on the dish he was going to make, and for that, he even snatched the persimmon seeds, which the lecturer was eating as a snack, right from his hand.
Changing the dish at the last minute was definitely not an option, so after thanking Seiya and his group, he and Tadokoro Megumi hastily grabbed their buckets and left.
However, Sakaki Ryoko, as Seiya's partner, was very curious about what Seiya's 'good thing' was, so she also leaned over at this moment.
However, when she clearly saw the 'good thing' in Seiya's hand, her previously expectant expression instantly turned into a bitter gourd face.
"The 'good thing' you mentioned, you don't mean the crab in your hand, do you...?"
That's right, the thing Seiya was holding in his hand at this moment was a small crab, not very large, with an ugly, wrinkled shell.
Compared to the large hairy crabs in lakes and rivers or various crab species in the sea, river crabs also generally exist in streams, but because of their smaller size, this type of crab is generally not very popular.
"This kind of wild river crab, if cooked properly, tastes very delicious."
Hearing Seiya's words, Ryoko reached out and took the crab from his hand, and soon she discovered that the crab in her hand was not only small but also ugly.
"It's true that river crabs from streams are delicious, but these crabs are too small, not only having little meat, but the appearance of this crab is also... Is this kind of crab really better than those stream fish just now?"
"While there's still time, why don't we catch some more fish?"
Ryoko had originally thought that the crab Seiya had just caught was an isolated case, but she quickly discovered that the crabs continuously thrown into the bucket in her hand were all small and ugly-looking.
"These crabs don't have a bad appearance; they've just recently gone through their molting period, which is why they look wrinkled."
"The current season is exactly the molting period for crabs here, and the dish I want to make requires precisely this kind of crab."
Ryoko, hearing Seiya's explanation, quickly picked up a crab from the bucket, and by pressing it with her finger, she soon discovered that the crab's shell, which should have been very hard, was quite soft at this moment.
But even so, Ryoko was still a bit puzzled about what dish Seiya was going to make that required him to specifically choose this kind of crab.
Crabs are not like stream fish; although they are quite agile in water, they are clearly much easier to catch than stream fish.
So while Seiya was enthusiastically catching crabs, Ryoko also helped catch quite a few.
Some Totsuki students nearby who hadn't caught any fish also brightened up when they saw Seiya and his group catching crabs, thinking that if they couldn't catch fish, catching some crabs would also work.
But when they caught those crabs, they found that these crabs were not only very small but also soft-shell crabs from their molting period, so they all discarded them with disdain.
It was obvious that, in their opinion, even if they caught such crabs and used them as ingredients to cook dishes, they would definitely not pass the assessment.
"Ryoko, since you specialize in fermented dishes, can I leave the dipping sauce and miso soup parts to you?"
When Seiya and Ryoko returned to the cooking classroom with a bucket of crabs, Yukihira Soma and Takumi, who was having a Shokugeki with him, had already begun cooking.
Besides the crabs, on their way back, they also gathered some wild vegetables and fungi mushrooms. Making a side dish clear soup would not be difficult for Ryoko.
But the main point was that Ryoko was now very curious about how Seiya was going to handle those small, soft-shell crabs.
"I see, it's crabs then..."
In fact, at this moment, Ryoko was not the only one paying attention to Seiya.
Yukihira Soma, as well as Inui Hinako, who was the lecturer, also turned their gazes towards Seiya.
Yukihira Soma looked towards Seiya for two reasons: one was his curiosity about the 'good thing' Seiya found by the river, and the other was his strong competitive spirit. Although his Shokugeki opponent this time was the blond-haired Kutami, he also considered Seiya a potential rival.
He had lost to Seiya so many times before, but he never had a chance to get his revenge.
Since coming to Totsuki, Yukihira Soma could feel that his skill had improved significantly. This was a rare opportunity, so he naturally intended to use his cooking to defeat both Seiya and Kutami this time.
As for why Inui Hinako paid attention to Seiya, the reason was even simpler: a young man who dared to refute Shinomiya, and who also gained the attention of Gin Dojima and the Director, she was equally curious what kind of dish Seiya would present.
When Seiya first placed a crab on the cutting board, everyone's expression was normal. But when Seiya used a sharp small knife to instantly dismember the crab, and in just a few breaths, extracted all the crab meat and roe from its legs, everyone was instantly dumbfounded.
Extracting crab meat and roe itself was nothing remarkable; even many novice kitchen assistants could easily do it.
But the crucial point now was that Seiya's speed was simply too fast!
