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Senzaemon Nakiri's praise came from the heart. His evaluation of Yuuki was getting higher and higher.
The disconnected feeling in the dish was impossible to completely eliminate, unless Yuuki used Inferno for further heating after the "Magic Trick." Only then would that feeling completely disappear.
But this dish couldn't be handled that way.
Because by the time the "Magic Trick" was performed, the dish was essentially complete, so it naturally couldn't be heated again.
This meant the slight disconnect in this dish couldn't be eliminated.
And Yuuki's approach was to incorporate this disconnected feeling into the dish itself. If used well, even negative effects could become positive.
However, achieving this required a lot from the chef. It tested not just Culinary skills but also adaptability.
Senzaemon Nakiri's thinking was indeed correct.
Although this dish was replicated by Yuuki—
—replicating such a dish wasn't easy. After all, many dishes in the world of Cooking Master Boy had a certain fantastical quality.
Yuuki needed to completely transform these elements into his own, only then could he replicate the dish.
"Thank you for the compliment!"
Being praised naturally made Yuuki happy. After he spoke, the entire venue erupted into a frenzy. After all, this dish had received Senzaemon Nakiri's approval, and such high praise at that.
And everyone could tell that Senzaemon Nakiri's praise was genuine. Firstly, because he was the "The Food's Demon King," the head of the Nakiri family, he wouldn't bother lying.
Secondly, Senzaemon Nakiri's clothes had burst. While words could be deceiving, the Nakiri family's Clothes Burst wouldn't lie—
And looking at the dish, which had only a bit of sauce left, anyone with a brain knew that Yuuki's Mapo Tofu was undeniably incredibly delicious.
A powerful special ability, a peculiar magic trick-like technique, and ultimate deliciousness—Yuuki demonstrated to everyone, through his actions, that he was a force to be reckoned with.
Although Yuuki had been among the top in his first year before, he hadn't reached such heights.
This time, with just one dish, everyone knew that Yuuki was an exceptionally powerful Chef.
....
After their amazement, most people's gazes shifted to Terunori Kuga, as his dish was also finished. And because there was no concealment, everyone saw that Kuga's dish was also Mapo Tofu.
Yuuki had received such high praise, so what about Terunori Kuga, an Elite Ten member?
The audience was full of anticipation, waiting for the result. At this moment, Terunori Kuga was feeling rather uncomfortable. After all, he couldn't possibly compare to Yuuki's series of actions.
Moreover, because he had focused too much on Yuuki, he had made a few small mistakes during the cooking process. While the overall impact wasn't significant, in this kind of Shokugeki, even the smallest mistake could determine victory or defeat.
The most crucial thing was Senzaemon Nakiri's reaction. That level of Clothes Burst made Kuga feel immense pressure.
But no matter what, he still had to serve his dish. Kuga wasn't afraid of failure and wouldn't just surrender without a fight.
....
Compared to Yuuki's Magical Mapo Tofu, while Terunori Kuga's Mapo Tofu also had visual appeal, with Yuuki's dish as a prior example, Kuga's Mapo Tofu now seemed quite ordinary.
And Senzaemon Nakiri only took one bite of Kuga's dish before stopping.
"This is, without a doubt, an excellent dish. However, unfortunately, compared to Yuuki's Mapo Tofu, this dish falls short in every aspect—It's completely outclassed."
"Moreover, there are some flaws in this dish. With your skills, such flaws shouldn't appear. Clearly, you were affected by Yuuki..." Senzaemon Nakiri commented.
Although Yuuki's dish hadn't caused a "Taste Lock," it definitely had an impact.
Yuuki's dish was superior to Kuga's Mapo Tofu in every way, especially in the spicy and numbing flavors. This time, Yuuki specifically highlighted these flavors, but without sacrificing the other flavors.
As they say, there's no harm without comparison. With the comparison now made, the flaws in Kuga's signature dish were glaringly obvious.
Hearing this, Terunori Kuga's heart sank.
....
"HE WON! YUUKI WON!"
In the audience, in the area where the Polar Star residents were sitting, Yoshino Yuki exclaimed excitedly.
"Yuki, calm down! We all know how skilled Yuuki is—wasn't it obvious he'd win?" Ryōko Sakaki looked at Yoshino Yuki, a bit speechless.
"That's true, but this time he completely crushed a member of the Elite Ten! Even without obtaining an Elite Ten seat, in everyone's eyes, Yuuki is already stronger than the Elite Ten!"
Yoshino Yuki stated that even without an official Elite Ten seat, the spectators weren't blind; they were well aware that Yuuki was now at the Elite Ten level.
Moreover, this was a complete victory, a crushing defeat for Kuga. In the audience's eyes, Yuuki's Culinary skills were clearly superior to most of the Elite Ten.
"If Auntie Fumio hears this news, she'll be overjoyed!" Megumi Tadokoro said with a smile.
With Yuuki being so outstanding, as his girlfriend, she was naturally proud of him.
"Yuuki, can I try your Mapo Tofu?"
When the Shokugeki ended, Terunori Kuga asked.
He knew that his crushing defeat was to be expected, but he still wanted to taste Yuuki's dish, to at least know just how good it was.
"There should be a party at Polar Star tomorrow night. I'll make this dish then. If you're interested, you can drop by—" Yuuki said after thinking for a moment.
He knew that after he got back to Polar Star, those guys would definitely pester him to taste the dish, so he would surely have to make it again.
Since Terunori Kuga was also interested, Yuuki would just let him taste it. Although Yuuki knew very well he didn't have the "Persuasion Dish" like in the manga, it didn't hurt to try.
What if he could knock some sense into this guy?
Terunori Kuga was someone with potential—he could be tasked with those trivial matters later on.
Of course, if it didn't work out—no big deal. Yuuki already had a plan: To recruit Miyoko Hōjō.
Yuuki was quite familiar with Miyoko Hōjō. She hadn't joined the Chūkaryōri RS precisely because of Kuga's philosophy.
Now that the Chūkaryōri RS was Yuuki's, the probability of successfully recruiting Miyoko Hōjō was almost one hundred percent.
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