"Being full is basically the foundation. How you dress it up on top is personal style—so long as it all stays cohesive."
Alice Nakiri mulled over Kael's words as she kept thinking about what to make next.
This theme wasn't particularly friendly to Alice, but the change from the original story didn't hit her as hard here.
In the original, Alice excelled at molecular gastronomy—now she was stronger in Chinese cuisine.
There are countless dishes in Chinese cooking that can fit into a bento box. For a chef who specialises in Chinese cuisine, bento isn't much of a problem.
"Speaking of which, the second round's theme doesn't need much discussion—you three are pros."
Yuki Yoshino glanced at Megumi Tadokoro, Shun Ibusaki, and Ryoko Sakaki.
"Right. The second round is ramen. We're all good at ramen—though Megumi should win. No surprises there."
Ryoko Sakaki shook her head. At first Alice and Soma Yukihira had been a bit ahead, but the bento theme made that advantage less certain.
They didn't worry about Arato Hisako—partly because she wasn't from the Polar Star Dormitory, partly because she was on a totally different level from Soma and Alice.
That kind of gap can't be closed by simple preference or aptitude. The second group was the same: Megumi was far stronger than Ryoko and Shun.
So even if the dish favoured Shun or Ryoko, it wouldn't change Megumi's outcome.
"The third round might have a little suspense—depending on the theme. The fourth round? No suspense at all."
The third round paired Yuki Yoshino against Zenji Marui—skills were similar, Marui was a bit stronger, but not enough to guarantee a win.
The fourth round had no suspense: the gap was simply too wide, and both contestants specialised in Chinese cuisine, so theme didn't matter.
After a round of discussion everyone went to prepare.
Alice started hunting videos of bento on the internet—this was an area she genuinely needed to study.
Soma already knew bento well; he only had to choose which style to make. Sometimes knowing too much is a burden—dozens of bento ideas popped into his head at once, and he had to pick one and refine it.
Time passed and the first assessment began.
With three contestants on stage, the Shokugeki officially started. The judges were the same across the four matches—and Senzaemon Nakiri himself sat among them.
"A three-person match—first time in Autumn Elections history, right?"
Watching the three on stage, the judges chatted.
"Couldn't help it. This year's students are talented. In previous years the top in prelims only scored in the eighties. This time a few people got perfect scores."
Senzaemon said. Rules are rigid, but people aren't—adjusting the format a bit isn't necessarily bad.
"Exactly. With this batch being so strong, and several perfect scores in prelims, that means a handful of Four-Star Chefs besides Kael."
"They only had that during the Golden Age, didn't they? Time really flew."
The judges remembered the Golden Age scenes—they'd followed them even if they weren't the ones judging back then.
But the Jewel Generation had surpassed the Golden Age by more than a notch—that was scary.
As the three began to cook, all eyes fixed on them. The one who seemed most helpless was Arato Hisako—she hadn't advanced with a perfect score like the other two.
In the end Soma presented a seaweed bento. It was undeniably good—satisfying to eat, well-balanced nutritionally, and fun: he hid a thickened sauce inside the lid.
He'd even borrowed some basic molecular gastronomy techniques—not to mock Alice, but because when Soma finds something interesting he learns it.
He lacked the gear and mentors for advanced molecular work, so he only used the basics.
No doubt his bento was a success. Alice didn't bring the sushi bento from the original story—she made a classic Chinese-style bento.
Alice's bento had another feature: every box contained completely different dishes.
"My bento has twice-cooked pork, fish-fragrant eggplant, and stir-fried greens."
"Mine's different—red-three-chop, stir-fried cauliflower, and homestyle tofu."
…When Alice brought her bento up, the five judges realised each box was different.
"This really takes me back. When I was a kid, the street vendors sold bento from three-wheel carts, each box already packed and ready to grab."
"And the boxes were all the same—no fuss. You took what you got and ate it. That taste takes me back."
The old man beside Senzaemon's seat smiled, delighted.
He'd eaten two main types of Chinese bento: the cafeteria-style where you choose your dishes, and the tricycle vendor style where crowds meant you just took whatever you were handed.
For pure fun, Alice's blind-box approach beat Soma's lid-sauce gimmick.
"Hey, hey—this is my bento, what are you doing!"
An old judge suddenly found a pair of chopsticks reaching into his box, taking a piece of dish.
"I know it's yours, but I'm just curious what it tastes like—sharing won't change anything!"
Senzaemon laughed. The two old men had known each other since childhood and were close friends—hence the casual food-snatching.
"You old rascal, you're the same as before—give me a bite too."
The other grumbled and reached into Senzaemon's box. Senzaemon dodged with a sly move.
"What do you mean dodge? If you eat mine you have to give me some!"
The two of them clattered on, making a scene in the judges' seats. The other three judges weren't as chummy, so they didn't join in.
"Old kids, indeed—they really are childish!"
Kael watched and couldn't help smiling. The two old men were amusing—and it proved, indirectly, that Alice's bento concept worked.
Kael remembered when he was a student in his previous life—he'd done the same thing, peeking at a friend's box and trying a bite.
After some bickering, the bento disappeared—eaten. Arato Hisako watched with resigned helplessness. She already knew she couldn't match the other two. Her bento focused on medicinal cuisine—her speciality—and it was high-end.
Ordinary bento make up ninety-nine percent of the market. The remaining one percent use luxury ingredients and advanced techniques—meant for the wealthy. Her box fell into that one percent.
Though not off-theme, compared to the grounded appeal of Soma and Alice, her bento came across as too showy—no bonus points for approachability.
Her skill couldn't match the others, her creativity fell short, and even bonus points were gone. Naturally, Arato Hisako was eliminated.
In the end Alice beat Soma.
"Alice, where did you get that blind-box idea?"
Though he lost, Soma admitted he'd learned a lot.
The blind-box concept had caught his eye. He was curious where Alice had found it—she'd once been half-baked on bento, and now her understanding was spot on.
"From video sites. Search 'childhood bento' and you'll find plenty of old Chinese bento clips. The blind-box idea came from those."
Alice smiled. This time she hadn't asked Kael for help—his initial tip was enough. If she'd leaned on him again she'd be ashamed of herself, she said.
She'd searched online and been surprised: countless videos and novelties popped up, more than she could digest in a short time.
"Video sites, huh? I'll check them out too."
Soma nodded—Arato overheard the exchange and suddenly understood why those two had such an edge. She'd researched bento before, but her social position limited her access to information.
She hadn't grasped the essence of bento: the cultural context and playful accessibility.
She realised she'd lost not just in technique but in insight, and accepted the result. She promised herself to work harder.
First round: Alice Nakiri advanced.
The second round began immediately after.
Its theme was ramen—no suspense; Megumi Tadokoro advanced. The remaining two rounds would be on the next day.
On the first match of day, Zenji Marui won—the theme was hamburgers, and neither competitor knew burgers well.
Marui's greater theoretical knowledge gave him an edge, plus a slightly stronger skillset than Yuki Yoshino—that tiny advantage decided it.
"Next is the final round. I didn't expect the theme to be dessert. You're both good at Chinese cuisine—there are plenty of Chinese desserts. I can't wait to see what you bring out!"
Kael and Hojo Miyoko drew dessert as their theme. Because Kael was involved, this match excited everyone the most.
The result was a foregone conclusion—Kael would win and Hojo Miyoko lose—but everyone was eager to see what Kael would make.
"Miyoko, have you decided on a dessert?" Kael asked Hojo.
"Of course I have—but dessert isn't my specialty. Come to think of it, I've never seen you make dessert."
Hojo Miyoko said. She'd seen Kael cook many times, but never dessert—she wondered if sweets might be his weak point.
"I rarely make desserts, but that doesn't mean I can't. Just watch."
Kael smiled. He didn't often do sweets, but that didn't mean he wasn't good—he was an all-around chef.