As time passed, Kuga Terunori finally returned to normal. But as he looked back at Ryuji's cooking station, then at the plate of mapo tofu that had sent him into a delusional high of music and rock 'n' roll passion, he felt as though his entire worldview had been flipped upside down.
All of his past training and studies—absolute garbage!
He had spent years refining every detail, demanding perfection in each step, and yet he'd been completely crushed by a clearly amateur dish from someone like Ryuji!
That knife work alone—he could tell it was the kind of basic chopping skills only someone who occasionally cooked at home might have. Heck, even most home cooks would know their way around a knife better!
Kuuga stared at the faint slice marks on Ryuji's fingers and felt even more disoriented.
Those tiny cuts meant Ryuji had nearly sliced his own hand while chopping. If that didn't scream "unprofessional," he didn't know what did.
But that was the thing.
This was the guy who beat him.
This guy!
"No way! There's just no way! How can this be?! Your cooking technique is absolute trash! You didn't consider Japanese palates at all with your ingredients! Your heat control, your seasoning—none of it was right! How… how could this happen?!"
Kuga clutched his hair and dropped to his knees, overwhelmed with frustration. He just couldn't wrap his head around it.
He stared at Ryuji, his eyes wide with disbelief, unable to process the outcome.
Ryuji, for his part, felt a little awkward under the scrutiny. He wasn't exactly a professional chef from this world, so he couldn't fully empathize with Kuga's emotional turmoil. Still, in an attempt to ease the tension, he opened his mouth.
"Ahem… You know, there's a saying… something like… 'The heart that believes is magic'—wait, no. 'A heart full of belief is the best seasoning.' As long as you cook with the intention to do your best with each dish, that feeling naturally makes its way into the flavor. That's probably the idea here."
Everyone froze for a second.
His words landed with all the awkwardness of a bad dad joke.
"…Seriously?" Erina muttered, burying her face in her hands in embarrassment.
A dish that looked absolutely unappetizing had somehow produced such an overwhelming effect—it was something that shattered the worldview of any professional chef in this world.
To them, it was like saying 1 + 1 no longer equals 2—or that a perpetual motion machine actually works under the laws of thermodynamics and energy conservation. Completely absurd.
If Erina hadn't known that this phenomenon stemmed from Ryuji's strange, otherworldly powers, she would've been questioning reality just like Kuga.
But still, what Ryuji just said…
It was like saying rockets should be fueled with coal-washed water.
Kuga nearly coughed up blood from that line, but strangely enough, it did rekindle a bit of his fighting spirit.
"Ahem—you really dare to talk big, huh? I don't know why you're provoking me like this, flaunting your cooking like some cheap trick, but I'm not backing down! Yeah, I'll admit the gap between us is huge, but I'll do everything I can to beat you! You're from the China, right? That means it's gotta be some sort of secret recipe? Fine! I accept your Shokugeki challenge! Not for pride—but because I want to unravel your act and devour its secrets to become stronger!"
He stared at Ryuji with burning intensity. Even if he couldn't win, he was sure he could learn something from this enigma of a chef. If he could just see how Ryuji made such mouthwatering food—how he pulled off that magic—then he, Kuga Terunori, could transform from a snake into a dragon. And with his superior fundamentals, surpass Ryuji for real.
He believed in that with everything he had.
Anyone worthy of being one of the Elite Ten had that kind of confidence. A belief that said: "Even if you know my recipe, even if you know exactly what I'm going to cook, you still can't beat me."
But Kuga's passionate, upright attitude—and his completely shameless attempt to steal Ryuji's techniques—left Ryuji feeling a bit… conflicted.
He wasn't sure whether to admire the guy's spirit or call him a thick-skinned, ambitious weirdo.
Still, since Kuga had laid it all out there—especially after Ryuji had proposed the Shokugeki himself—Ryuji figured he'd let it slide as "having guts."
As for those so-called secret techniques…
"Uh… well, if you're that fired up, good for you. But honestly, I don't have any secret techniques. Studying me might just lead you down the wrong path."
Ryuji offered the warning sincerely—but the dyed-blond across from him didn't believe a word.
"Hahaha! You're really something else, man!"
With that, Kuga strutted off, full of fighting spirit. Though his legs trembled slightly, and his grin looked a little stiff.
Clearly, he cared far more about the Elite Ten title than he let on. And Ryuji's challenge? It got under his skin more than he admitted. He just wasn't the type to show weakness.
"Looks like you hit him hard," Erina commented, walking up beside Ryuji as they both watched Kuga leave. Then she turned her attention to Ikumi Mito.
"But, Mito, what brings you here?"
Erina eyed Ikumi curiously. The Mito family was large, yes, but as the daughter, Ikumi wasn't exactly the most valued. Sure, she'd been sent to Totsuki, but her real role was to forge ties with Erina—and hopefully find a husband talented in meat cuisine.
It wasn't her fault. Her family controlled the nation's premium meat market, but she herself lacked the talent to maintain that monopoly. Naturally, they needed a competent son-in-law—or at least some powerful connections.
The Mito family, after all, was a rising nouveau-riche power in Japan. Though technically aristocrats now, they lacked the deep roots of old money.
If not for the Nakiri family being firmly in the leadership position—essentially the leadership positon of the gourmet world—the Nakiris could've easily overtaken the Mitos.
The Nakiris did dabble in trade, but their main domain was education, culinary innovation, and systems—making them the undisputed authority in the culinary world.
For instance, Erina thought, if she wanted to crush the Mito family, all she needed was a few articles or a recipe that could make cheap meat taste like A5 wagyu. That alone could ruin everything the Mitos had built.
That was why the Mito family had been so eager—sending their heiress to become her follower, trying desperately to stay in her good graces.
Looking at Ikumi's blonde hair, Erina brushed her own golden locks aside and thought briefly of her white-haired, red-eyed cousin, Alice Nakiri.
In this country, if you didn't have ties to the Nakiris, you weren't dominating anything.
As for Ikumi herself—she clearly resented all this. Otherwise, she wouldn't be working so hard to master cooking or stay close to Erina.
Ikumi nervously glanced at Ryuji, then turned to Erina.
"Erina-sama, I was just wondering if the Nakiri family—or you, personally—have any plans regarding the meat market. No matter what, the Mito family will remain your most loyal supporters. If there's anything we can do, we'll give it our all."
"Huh?"
Erina blinked in surprise, not quite following. Meat market layout? Did she have any such plan?
"Wait… are you talking about—was it you?" She turned to Ryuji.
He nodded calmly. "I was grilling some meat that day—you know, that kind—and she just showed up."
Tch.
Erina covered her face in frustration, then looked back at Ikumi.
"Relax. That was just a test product. There's no way it'll hit the market. It's way too expensive to mass-produce. Even as a luxury item, it's not viable for wide distribution."
She decisively squashed any hope Ikumi had of muscling in. After all, she knew better than anyone how hard that meat was to source. Even supplying their own circle was difficult—no way they could build a whole system around it.
But what made her most unhappy was that she had not eaten this kind of meat for a long time. Since Ryuji brought this meat here, he actually gave it to another woman to eat!
Unforgivable.
To Erina, that meat held a special place. Not just for its perfect flavor—but because it had brought her and Ryuji together in the first place.
So now, she was going to give Ryuji a little trouble. Just a little.
"Besides, it's not like I can even get it anymore. If you're serious about running something with that meat, don't look at me—ask your own instincts."
Ryuji didn't catch her subtle resentment, but he understood that she meant she couldn't get it from the original supplier anymore.
Ikumi, however, misinterpreted.
"So… that means he's the one, then?"
She looked at Ryuji. And Ryuji, of course, looked back—and once again, his eyes wandered that plump place again.
What could he do? Gravity was gravity.
"I see," she murmured, cheeks slightly red.
In her mind, Erina's message was clear: she wouldn't monopolize this meat, but since Ryuji was its creator, it was up to Ikumi to secure his loyalty.
And how do you recruit a man? Money, women, status.
Ikumi noticed where his eyes had landed. Her head felt a little dizzy.
She'd imagined this moment someday. But now that it was real, she was nervous.
Still, she looked at Ryuji and thought it over.
Amazing cooking skills. Unparalleled meat cultivation expertise. Older, yes—but practically the perfect son-in-law for the Mito family.
So…
Be bold, Ikumi Mito.
For the sake of the family, you've decided to give up on a love that never had the chance to bloom.
~~~~~~~
Bonus chapter every 200 PS.