"You pass. Tell me your name."
Dylan hadn't specified what level they needed to reach to be judged as qualified; he only told her to choose based on her heart, and as long as they tried their best, he would let them pass.
As for how to sense if they had tried their best?
The cuisine itself would provide an accurate answer.
"My name is Kenji Jinno."
"Now that the first step has been taken, the rest is up to you all!"
As he spoke, Kenji Jinno looked towards another young man beside him. The two of them had arrived together, only later encountering the slender young woman.
"Let me go first. Mine is stir-fried; if it gets cold, the taste won't be good."
"Please taste my Spicy Stir-fried Rabbit."
Placing the dish, served in a halved bamboo tube, in front of Erina Nakiri and Alice Nakiri respectively, while also handing them chopsticks, the young man's face beamed with strong confidence.
"Wild rabbit from the mountains? That's quite a good ingredient. Born in the wild, its muscles are firm. A little cooking can turn it into a fine delicacy. Let me have a taste~"
Looking at the brightly colored rabbit meat in the half-open bamboo tube, Alice Nakiri's face showed a flicker of interest. She then picked up her chopsticks, took a piece, and began to savor it.
"Did you carry these chili peppers with you? They've all been dried. It's unlikely they just fell naturally in the mountains and happened to be perfectly sun-dried, right?"
Looking at the chili peppers used in the spicy stir-fried rabbit, Erina Nakiri didn't rush to taste it but looked up and asked curiously.
The saltiness from before could be explained by chemistry, but what about these chili peppers?
The process from picking fresh chili peppers to drying them into a finished product wasn't something that could be done overnight.
"That's right. Due to personal habit, I carry some chili peppers on me. And for this assessment, I applied the chili peppers to my cooking."
"I see."
Hearing the young man's explanation, Erina Nakiri nodded with satisfaction.
Finally, there were no more cooking methods she couldn't comprehend. She then extended her chopsticks, picked up a piece of rabbit meat, and put it in her mouth.
"You used chicken fat in this dish, didn't you? You exchanged chili peppers for chicken fat from the gentleman earlier."
"The fat on the surface of the rabbit meat was fully locked in by pan-frying with chicken fat, forming a crispy outer layer, while the inside maintained a relatively tender and smooth texture."
Beside her, Alice Nakiri swallowed the rabbit meat she was chewing and offered her evaluation.
"That's correct. I used chicken fat. First, I fried the rabbit meat until golden brown, then added the wild onions I exchanged with Kenji, as well as wild garlic I found in the mountain forest, to enhance the dish's flavor."
Hearing Alice Nakiri's words, the young man nodded.
Although he initially wanted to use vegetable oil extracted from nuts, there were too few nuts to be found in the mountain forest. Plus, he had met Kenji Jinno on the road, who was holding a pheasant. Without a second thought, he proposed an exchange of ingredients.
And since chili peppers and wild onions were rare seasonings, and the exchange was only for a little chicken fat, Kenji Jinno naturally wouldn't refuse, so the cooperation was reached.
"The richness of the rabbit meat and chicken fat, the mellowness of the chicken fat intertwined with the essence of the rabbit meat, forming a unique aroma. A very good combination."
Sensing the flavors lingering in her mouth, Erina Nakiri opened her closed eyes.
Due to the very limited seasonings, after a simple stir-fry, the flavors of the chicken fat and rabbit meat were exceptionally prominent.
"Besides that, there's a faint spiciness, which could be called the finishing touch."
Alice Nakiri said, pinching her chin.
Because only dried chili peppers were used, the spiciness wasn't that pronounced, which further highlighted the rich flavor of the rabbit meat itself.
A large amount of spice can easily mask the original taste, while a small amount of seasoning will accentuate it. This dish only used saltiness and spiciness, so the shaping of the wild rabbit meat's own flavor reached its peak.
"This feeling is like... frantically running through the forest, desperately avoiding the pursuit of a higher-level predator, and finally, outsmarting it and escaping to safety—that sense of relief!"
At this moment, she felt as if she had transformed into a wild rabbit, racing through the mountain forest, evading the pursuit of an eagle from the sky.
Just as it swooped down again, about to catch her, she dived into a nearby tree hole, the eagle's talons missing her throat by less than a centimeter!
Yet, that one centimeter was like an insurmountable chasm…
Letting out a long, hot breath, Erina Nakiri looked at the young man and described her most direct sensation.
This feeling of coming out on top in a jungle contest was simply too exhilarating!
"This dish is very good. You made full use of the mountain's ingredients and perfectly utilized the chili peppers you carried. You pass."
Alice Nakiri's voice carried praise. She then looked again at the spicy stir-fried rabbit before her. "However, you're wrong about one thing. This dish won't taste bad if it gets cold; in fact, its aroma will become even richer."
"It will taste better cold?" The young man's face showed confusion.
"I agree on this point. During the high-temperature cooking process, the surface of the ingredients formed a crispy crust, firmly locking in the aroma."
"After cooling, the taste of the chilled rabbit meat gradually stabilizes. If you take a bite at this point, the aroma will burst out suddenly, bringing an intense impact."
Meeting the young man's puzzled gaze, Erina Nakiri began to explain. This was a common misconception among many cooks—that hot dishes would always taste better than cold ones.
"There's a dish in Sichuan, China, called 'Cold-Eaten Rabbit.' Its color is enticing, its taste is spicy, numbing, and savory, and its texture is crispy and delicious, leaving an endless aftertaste! Its preparation method is somewhat similar to the spicy stir-fried rabbit you made."
Alice Nakiri drew an analogy, and as she spoke, she picked up another piece of rabbit meat from the dish. Because it was on the side, it was cooler than the other pieces.
"I see. This is the first time I've heard of this. It seems my learning is still insufficient."
Hearing Erina Nakiri's and Alice Nakiri's words, the young man closed his eyes and thought for a moment, deciding to try the so-called cold-eaten rabbit after he returned.
After all, he wasn't very familiar with rabbit as an ingredient. Counting the time he cooked it at Tōtsuki before, this was probably only his second time.
"Indeed, this is the taste!"
Feeling the aroma explode in her mouth like a bomb, contrasting with the chilled rabbit meat, Alice Nakiri's face showed an expression of enjoyment.
"Same question, what is your name?"
"I am Mitsui San."
Facing the question, Mitsui San stated his name. He was one of the five second-rate chefs and had performed excellently in this special training.
"Mitsui San, is it? I'll remember it."
Erina Nakiri nodded, looking at his face seriously, indicating she had memorized his name.
In Tōtsuki, those who could become second-rate chefs before advancing to the high school division were considered rare talents, with a high probability of graduating smoothly in the future.
And once successfully graduated, they became part of Tōtsuki's network. As the future director of the academy, she maintained due respect for the strong.
"Next, bring your dish up."
Beside her, Alice Nakiri didn't want to bother with these intricacies. She looked up at the last slender young woman and urged her forward.
"Is it finally my turn? Please taste the dish I made, Snake Meat Tacos, primarily made using snake meat and snake eggs."
As she spoke, the slender young woman had already stepped forward and placed the well-cooked delicacy in front of the two.
"Using mountain bamboo as a base, and the filling is snake meat. There's even a sauce! Smelling this, it should be made from wild raspberries, right?"
Alice Nakiri looked at the exquisitely shaped dish before her, her expression somewhat gleeful. This dish had a very feminine style.
"That's right. I found wild raspberries in a secluded place. Every one of them was very plump, so I used them along with honey to make a taco sauce."
The yellowish-brown bamboo leaves were cooked just right, their sides arching up like little boats due to the heat. Inside the "boats" was snake meat stir-fried in oil.
There wasn't much seasoning, just a simple de-fishing with wild onion water, then snake eggs were added and mixed evenly, followed by a quick stir-fry over high heat, and placed in the center of the bamboo leaf.
Then, a jam made from wild raspberries was squeezed on top. One bite offered a unique taste and rich flavor.
"You shaped these bamboo leaves by baking, right? And since you're in the wild now, it must have been a simple oven made of stones."
"To be able to control the temperature so precisely under such rudimentary conditions is not easy."
Picking up the snake meat taco in front of her, looking at the yellowish-brown bamboo leaf that showed cracks under slight pressure but didn't break, Alice Nakiri said with praise.
A stone oven—she had done that too, back then, to dry and preserve the meat she had hunted.
"This is actually one of the few successful products after more than ten failures."
Hearing Alice Nakiri's praise, a bitter smile appeared on the slender woman's face. Only those who had tried knew how difficult it was.
"You used nut oil, didn't you? This taco has a strong nutty aroma."
"After being stir-fried, the snake meat has a slightly crispy skin, but the meat inside remains tender and juicy. The wild onion water removed some of the gaminess of the snake meat, and because snake eggs were used in the marinade, the creaminess of the yolk and the firmness of the snake meat formed a sharp contrast."
Sensing the flavors lingering in her mouth, Erina Nakiri spoke slowly, a little more respect on her face, without a trace of her earlier disdain.
Putting other things aside.
Being able to gather so many ingredients in one day was an amazing feat in itself.
Not to mention these ingredients were perfectly combined. Although the taste didn't reach perfection, this was definitely a work she had put her heart and soul into!
"That's right. I roasted the nuts on a hot stone slab, crushed them, roasted them a second time, then wrapped them in bamboo leaves and used a heavy object to press out the oil."
The slender woman said. This little bit of nut oil was truly hard-earned.
From the first step of collecting nuts to the later extraction of oil, every step took a lot of time.
"Using the traditional physical oil pressing method, you must have spent a long time collecting nuts to complete this step."
"About five hours. After all, I didn't need a large amount of nut oil. If I needed a lot, I probably would have chosen a different method."
The slender woman explained. It was precisely because she didn't need a large quantity that she chose the physical oil pressing method.
"The most outstanding part of this is actually the sauce."
"Autumn is the perfect harvest season for large, plump wild raspberries. Paired with honey stored by bees for winter, the rich fruit aroma mixed with the sweetness of honey creates an overall sweet and sour, appetizing flavor. Paired with the stir-fried snake meat, it's simply perfect to the extreme!"
Erina Nakiri licked her lips and said with great satisfaction.
"Same question, what is your name?"
"Wakana Aomi," the slender woman said faintly.
"Wakana Aomi, is it? I'll remember this name. You pass!"
Looking at the woman before her, then at the snake meat taco on the table, Erina Nakiri announced her qualification.
"You all can go down the mountain now. These are the access cards for the hotel."
Tossing three cards to Kenji Jinno, Mitsui San, and Wakana Aomi respectively, Alice Nakiri said so.
"Please wait a moment. We'll go down with them."
"Them?"
Hearing Kenji Jinno's words, Erina Nakiri's voice held a hint of confusion. Then, she heard a rustling sound coming from the jungle.
Immediately after, countless figures dressed in black emerged from it, each holding a carefully prepared dish.
"Faster! If you dare to slow down, don't blame the whip in my hand for being impolite!"
In a spacious and bright hall, a powerfully built, imposing-looking man roared at those who were moving slowly.
And as soon as his words fell, those around him immediately sped up, their faces full of tension.
Clearly, the strong man wasn't joking; if they were slow, the whip would indeed fall on them.
"Looks pretty good, Wang Hai."
A sudden voice rang out in the hall, making the strong man turn his head. His face first showed surprise, then a look of respect.
"You flatter me, Chief."
"Don't stop moving! Chief, this way, please."
As he spoke, Wang Hai made a gesture of invitation to Dylan, inviting him to talk outside.
Dylan nodded and then walked in the direction he indicated.
"Phew, I can finally rest a bit."
"I've been practicing deep-fried dishes all day, and no matter how I fry them, those masters are not satisfied. If he weren't like this with everyone, I'd suspect he was deliberately targeting me!"
Watching Wang Hai gradually recede into the distance, a young man at a cooking station breathed a sigh of relief, then turned and muttered to his friend beside him.
"Isn't that right? It's been so long, and I only got 60 points for one tempura shrimp dish; all the others failed."
"It was the same for the assessments a few days ago. Where on earth did these guys pop out from? They're way too strict!"
Thinking about the training during this period, a pained expression appeared on the man's face.
"It's okay, it's okay. Today is the last day. The remaining few days should be much easier."
During this period, they had systematically learned 24 cooking methods including stir-frying, quick-frying, sautéing, deep-frying, and stewing. If all went well, today's lessons would be the end of it.
"At least we're much better off than those laggards who were eliminated on the first day. Their points haven't moved at all since the beginning; they've definitely been eliminated!"
When discussing their own situation, people always like to compare themselves with those who are worse off. This was their current mindset.
"But there's something strange. Weren't there a few who couldn't handle the pressure and dropped out? Their names and points completely disappeared from the leaderboard."
"But those laggards actually left, yet their points are still listed there."
Thinking about the bottom hundred names on the leaderboard, someone said with confusion.
"No matter what, with their scores below thirty, they're destined to be expelled anyway."
"That's true."
As the teacher left, people from several nearby cooking stations gathered together, chatting while cooking.
Under the extremely high pressure of daily practice, this was their only form of entertainment.
In the first few days, they still had the energy to play poker before bed, but now, they would collapse into sleep as soon as they returned to their dorms, sometimes without even bothering to cover themselves with a blanket.
"I'm so envious! Suzuki, your current score is just enough to be in 50th place. If you work a bit harder in the next few days, you'll probably be able to stay."
"Indeed. If anyone among us is likely to stay, it should be you, Suzuki."
Talking about expulsion, a melancholic look appeared on several faces. Then, someone looked with envy at the young man among them who had remained silent all along.
"Sigh, I was in 40th place at the beginning, and now I've almost dropped to 50th."
"Those guys, every one of them is working as if they've been injected with chicken blood. I'll have to give it my all from now on."
Hearing the praise from those around him, the young man called Suzuki nonchalantly flicked his hair, then pretended to sigh sadly.
"Even so, that's already very impressive!"
"Indeed. Although the assessment here is exhausting, you can clearly feel yourself improving after enduring it."
"It's just too tiring. I feel like if I stay here for less than a month, my lifespan will be shortened by a year…"
It's unknown who started it, but the hall filled with a chorus of complaints. Although they could feel their skills improving, this improvement was simply too exhausting!
Improvement was one thing, but they wanted a more comfortable way.
"Excuse me, is this the second venue?"
Suddenly, a slightly muffled voice sounded from outside the entrance, causing the students practicing tempura to all look over.
"That's right, this is the second venue. Who are you?"
A girl at a cooking station near the entrance, upon hearing the voice, looked towards the doorway with confusion. Then she saw them—a group of youths covered in injuries, dressed in black coats.
"According to the mid-term assessment regulations, starting today, you have completed all assessments. The mid-term assessment officially enters its second phase."
"Shokugeki. Use points as stakes, and plunder each other. The challenged party cannot refuse a challenge from someone of lower rank."
Taking off the sunglasses he had found from who-knows-where, the leading young man looked at Suzuki, who had been praised by others earlier, a faint smile on his face.
"Shokugeki?!?!"
"What's going on? How come I've never heard of this!"
"Who are these guys? Wait a minute…"
Looking at the menacing black-clad youths, many narrowed their eyes, their voices laced with a hint of uncertainty, but they still spoke:
"Could... could they be those laggards who left earlier!? You're Fujino!!"
"Yo, long time no see, Kana."
Perhaps because the laggards had changed so much, it was only now that they were recognized. Someone pointed at a familiar figure in the crowd and exclaimed in surprise, clearly not expecting them to be the ones returning.
_____
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