Alice, Ryo Kurokiba, and Arato Hisako reached the audience seats just as Jaden carried three bowls of instant noodles to the judges' table.
"That guy..."
Arato Hisako frowned slowly at the sight.
Ryo Kurokiba wrinkled his nose, then fixed his gaze on the judging table, eyes sharp.
Alice Nakiri, however, showed no reaction at all.
"Erina's little secretary," Alice said lazily, "don't just look with your eyes~"
As she spoke, the three judges picked up the bowls Jaden had presented.
There was no hesitation.
No surprise.
They immediately started eating.
And in a short time-
All three bowls were finished.
Alice smiled.
"See?" she said lightly. "If it were really just instant noodles, the judges would definitely say something. Even if they didn't, they'd take one bite at most, just to be polite."
She tilted her head slightly.
"But look. They ate everything."
Her confidence was obvious.
She turned her gaze toward Jaden, interest flickering faintly in her eyes.
"So it has to be molecular gastronomy~"
Alice was certain of it.
After all, her own dishes were often like that.
Simple to the point of confusion on the surface.
But completely different once tasted.
"That's the charm of molecular gastronomy~"
Hearing Alice say this-and seeing the judges' reactions-Arato Hisako, who also hadn't witnessed the cooking process, began to believe her explanation.
Ryo Kurokiba felt something was off.
His sense of smell was sharper than most.
But he wasn't Hayama Akira.
He couldn't discern the truth from this distance.
And he'd seen Alice perform molecular gastronomy countless times.
Appearance could be changed.
Smell, perhaps, as well.
So he remained silent.
And in Alice's eyes, that silence was agreement.
After all-
"If it wasn't molecular gastronomy," she thought, "there's no way someone would actually use instant noodles in a Shokugeki~"
...
After placing his ingredients into the pot, Shinomiya Kojiro sat down on a chair.
He watched the timer.
And he watched Jaden.
Unlike Alice, he had witnessed the entire cooking process.
From beginning to end.
Which meant-
He was absolutely certain.
Those were three bowls of instant noodles.
Just with an egg.
And some bean sprouts.
That was all.
Damn it.
Is this guy looking down on me!?
Shinomiya's expression darkened.
But compared to anger, another possibility slowly took shape in his mind.
That is-
The opponent knew he couldn't compete.
So he chose passive resistance.
Shinomiya's gaze shifted toward Erina, who was speaking with Dojima Gin at the entrance of the fighter's tunnel.
He sneered inwardly.
-So this is the cannon fodder the young lady sent to test me.
It made sense.
He'd heard this guy received nothing but E grades at school.
Even if he managed to return to Totsuki this time, elimination was only a matter of time.
Hmph.
In that case-
I'll let her see the difference in skill.
Shinomiya timed it perfectly.
He opened the lid.
Removed the dish.
Plated it carefully.
Then walked to the judges' table and placed three servings down.
"Chou Farci," he said calmly. "Stuffed cabbage rolls. Please taste."
He offered no explanation.
He didn't need to.
Everything he wanted to say was already recorded in the dish itself.
As long as the judges ate it, they would understand.
Jaden's gaze fell on Shinomiya Kojiro's dish.
Eizan's dish had possessed special buffs.
So Jaden assumed Shinomiya's would too.
After all-
Vegetable Magician.
If Eizan had Magic (Small), then Magic (Large) wouldn't be excessive here.
That was what Jaden thought.
But reality was different.
There was nothing.
No buffs.
None at all.
According to the system-
The dish simply tasted good.
That was it.
No passion.
No soul.
Jaden blinked.
-Is Shinomiya Kojiro really in that bad of a state?
He didn't dwell on it.
Three simple applications of Curse descended onto the dish.
Then Jaden closed his eyes.
At this moment, the three judges finally smiled.
They had truly had enough.
That guy named Jaden was a disaster in the Shokugeki arena.
Last time, he had brought instant noodles.
They were certain he'd lose.
And then Etsuya Eizan served them a plate of "stones."
That match had redefined the lower limits of cuisine for them.
-Twice.
And now-
This instant noodle kid was challenging Shinomiya Kojiro.
A chef with real reputation.
And he still brought instant noodles.
-Did he really think his luck would hold forever?
Last time, Eizan's alchemy must have failed.
That was the only explanation.
With that thought, the judges picked up their knives and forks.
They cut into the cabbage rolls without hesitation.
Snip-
The knife slid through smoothly.
Cleanly.
Even though they knew Shinomiya wouldn't serve them stones, all three let out a quiet sigh of relief.
And then-
A foul odor drifted out from the filling.
The memory hit instantly.
The stones.
The chipped tooth.
The trauma.
The middle judge-the one who had nearly lost a tooth last time-steeled himself.
He picked up the piece.
And shoved it into his mouth.
Ugh-
The moment he bit down, sour, astringent, and faintly pungent liquid burst out.
Without any mental preparation-
He spat it out immediately.
The other two judges froze.
They set down their utensils at once.
They did not dare take a bite.
The middle judge was handed water by the staff.
He rinsed his mouth.
Again.
And again.
Only after a long while did he recover.
At this point, he felt Shinomiya Kojiro might have urinated into the cabbage roll.
But he no longer cared.
He didn't give a review.
He didn't comment.
He cast his vote directly.
For Jaden.
Last time, he had thought, as long as it's edible, it's fine.
This time, that thought changed.
Cooking must pursue flavor.
Jaden's noodles-
That bowl of noodles had actually been quite tasty.
The other two judges exchanged glances.
Then, to Shinomiya Kojiro's disbelief-
They also voted for Jaden.
Giving a verdict without tasting went against their professional standards.
But after seeing the middle judge's reaction-
They didn't dare eat it.
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