Four days isn't exactly a short time, but for such busy matters, it almost feels like it slipped away in the blink of an eye.
During these few mornings, Hikigaya had been going to Totsuki's market with Tadokoro Megumi and Ibusaki early in the morning. Because the next round of the Autumn Elections required using their own ingredients, finding fresh saury was crucial.
However, saury isn't easy to keep fresh, and finding truly fresh ones isn't a simple task. So, even though they had been coming to the market on time every day, they hadn't found a satisfactory source.
Tadokoro Megumi: "If it were Hayama Akira, he'd probably use his nose to find fresh saury."
Ibusaki: "It seems like we'll be going back empty-handed again today. For the three of us, we need to keep at least 20 fresh saury..."
Hachiman did notice that Kurokiba had been appearing almost every day during this time. According to Alice, he's lived by the sea since he was little and is extremely skilled at seafood cooking. So, it's possible that Kurokiba is snagging the fresh ingredients before Hikigaya can find them.
However... since the market is so big, it's impossible to lose all sources of saury. Just keep looking carefully...
Back at [Hikigaya Restaurant], Hachiman was also in charge of buying ingredients, so what he's doing is actually something he's good at.
The bloody air constantly exudes a fresh smell from the deep sea. It's even more noticeable when you're in the seafood market. Just follow this scent, searching over and over...
"It's here..."
Dozens of saury are just swimming there. But when Hachiman arrives, the owner seems a little excited.
"Young man, you really have a good eye! My saury are very fresh, you see how they're flopping around."
Ibusaki: "It doesn't feel very reliable..."
Tadokoro Megumi also put her hand on the saury. Although she's not an expert in this area, she can still easily tell if they're fresh based on what she's learned at school.
But, Tadokoro Megumi shook her head with a slightly dim look. Hachiman seemed to notice something strange instantly and said to the owner:
"Bring out the fresh goods you just got."
"Young man, what are you talking about? These are fresh, they're all the same."
Hachiman: "These fish have been kept alive in an oxygen tank for a long time, right? Otherwise, it's impossible to keep saury brought back from the deep sea here. This trick might fool outsiders, but it shouldn't fool anyone in this school."
Owner: "Okay, it looks like you really know your stuff. In that case..."
The owner lifted the black cloth behind him, and completely frozen saury that could still move freely appeared before everyone's eyes.
Tadokoro Megumi looked happy when she saw this. Obviously, these ingredients were enough to satisfy the needs of all three of them. After Hachiman haggled a bit, they finally got them for the lowest price.
Ibusaki: "How could this owner think of doing something like this in Totsuki's market? You know, this might fool ordinary students, but it's just for show to students who know saury well."
Tadokoro Megumi: "I have no idea. But it's amazing that Hikigaya was able to find them!"
Hachiman: "After all, I used to buy ingredients for [Hikigaya Restaurant], so it's just a matter of practice making perfect. It has nothing to do with anything else."
"But..."
This familiar scene reminds Hachiman of his first meeting with Dojima Gin. Luckily, Dojima Gin didn't ask for his name.
...
Autumn Elections, the five-into-two round-robin battles.
With Kawashima Alice's entrance, the whole place exploded again.
Because of the limited time, the contestants are almost all doing this at the same time, using a points system to decide the final winner.
On this stage, which has been transformed into six cooking stations, their opponents will appear on the screen as they are assigned. This means that three matches will be held at the same time on one stage. More importantly, this round-robin battle tests the contestants' stamina. Before the top two contestants who win all their matches are decided, it cannot be stopped.
For the audience, this is a feast of cooking.
In this venue that can hold ten thousand people, it's already packed even in the preparation stage, more so than the ten-into-five round. Grandma Fumio and the others from the Polar Star Dorm have come to the viewing platform again.
Ryoko: "No matter how many times, I still think this format is too crazy. Not to mention having to make the same dish five times, even the physical exhaustion is completely immeasurable. I'm really worried about Hikigaya."
Yoshino put her arm around Ryoko's neck in a carefree manner: "Don't worry, when has Hikigaya ever made us worry? I'm more worried about Megumi and Ibusaki. Their opponents are monsters in a way."
Ryoko: "Yeah, and that guy named Kurokiba Ryo. He completely changes when he puts on his bandana. I wonder what kind of dish he'll make this time."
Marui: "It's a little scary... I'd probably be dead if I had to endure this much physical exhaustion."
Mito: "But you always push yourself until the end, don't you? In a way, that's pretty amazing too."
Grandma Fumio: "Now, it's up to them."
...
As the judges enter, they are still the same familiar faces. Except for Judge Anton, the other three have already met them. However...
'That guy is the one I met at the market.'
Not only Hachiman, but even Tadokoro Megumi and Ibusaki seem to have realized it. Kurokiba also seems moved by this face.
Kawashima Alice: "Now, let's welcome our new judge, Teacher Okamoto!"
"A famous fisherman from Venice, who became a food critic after catching all the fish in the world and getting bored."
If you pay attention, you'll notice that this legendary man named Okamoto has a yellow streak of hair and a thin mustache, which seem to be some of his features.
He waves his hand slightly, seeming to greet everyone in the venue. For fishermen, almost everyone knows him. Not only that, but any child who grew up by the sea has heard his name. After all, he has left his legends on coasts around the world.
'So that's how it is...'
Kawashima Alice: "I don't need to say much about the rules. This is the ultimate feast of cooking. Judges, please eat as much as you want. The first round of the draw will begin now!"
"First battle: Hikigaya VS Ibusaki!"
"Tadokoro Megumi VS Kurokiba!"
"Yukinoshita gets a bye."
Grandma Fumio: "The first match is an internal battle? If that's the case, it'll have a negative impact on morale no matter who wins."
Ryoko: "Well, Grandma Fumio, you should think of it this way. Since the first match is an internal battle, it means that someone from our Polar Star Dorm will win this match for sure. We should pay attention to Megumi's side."
Yoshino: "That sounds right... And since Ibusaki is fighting Hikigaya..."
On the stage, Ibusaki smiled helplessly:
"I didn't expect to be up against you in the first match, Hikigaya."
"Then let's go all out."
The time limit is two hours. The moment the drum sounds, all four of them start moving almost at the same time.
Ibusaki brings out his best dish, which is smoked food. From one viewpoint, smoking isn't suitable as a cooking method for deep-sea fish like saury, but after a few days of research, Ibusaki has found his own method.
However, Hachiman on the other side seems to be planning to use the same method.
Ryoko: "Hikigaya, what is he planning to do..."
Yoshino: "Smoking? That setup can't be anything else, right?"
Marui: "How is that possible? Ibusaki has been studying smoking since he was little. I know this the best, and smoking is definitely not an advantage with saury as the theme, even if Ibusaki has found a loophole through days of research. Hikigaya actually wants to do the same thing?"
After all, Marui has been by Ibusaki's side for the past few days, and he knows his efforts best. In fact, he doesn't think any student in this school can surpass Ibusaki in the art of smoking.
Far away, Erina in the VIP section is just crossing her arms, focusing all her attention on Hikigaya.
Hisako: "He knows that the other side's strength is smoking, but he still wants to use smoking to fight back. What is Hikigaya planning to do?"
Erina: "That guy is messing around again. I can't stand him, but..."
Because of those few days, Erina's heart is now completely leaning towards Hikigaya. Even if this guy comes up with some strange dish, if he has that scary growth speed, then... even if it's the other side's best dish, he might... be able to win.
She's just focusing all her attention on Hikigaya. Even though she trusts him so much, she still feels a sense of unease. As time goes on, it seems more and more people are noticing this.
Ibusaki: "I didn't expect that you would also do smoking, Hikigaya."
Hachiman: "I've been secretly learning until now, always thinking of finding a chance to use it in actual combat. For me, this is probably the only chance to feel the difference between you and me to the greatest extent."
Ibusaki: "In any case, I don't plan to hold back."
Hachiman: "That's good..."
On the other side, Tadokoro Megumi seems to have forgotten her nervousness, focusing all her attention on cooking. The encouraging words Hikigaya said keep floating in her mind, and that's the motivation that keeps her going this far.
The smoke behind her is still rising. The terrifying black fog that blocks her view still distracts Tadokoro Megumi. But...
She smiles faintly:
"Hikigaya, you're really amazing... Perhaps it's a great thing to be able to experience your own growth like you."
Thinking like this, Tadokoro Megumi just continues to focus her attention. On the contrary, Kurokiba, Tadokoro Megumi's opponent, seems to forget everything around him the moment he puts on his bandana, turning into a cooking maniac and starting that crazy cooking.
Yukinoshita is just sitting in front of her cooking station. Even though she's just sitting there gracefully, she still unconsciously attracts a lot of attention from the venue. With the white coat on, her already beautiful face is even more stunning. If you meet her eyes, you might fall completely into this rosy trap.
Even Yukinoshita is frowning when she sees Hikigaya messing around, seeming to be staring angrily.
Kawashima Alice: "Time's up! Please submit your dishes."
Ibusaki and Hikigaya smile at each other, then together they bring over their dishes.
Teacher Okamoto, who is obviously sitting there and getting impatient, is waiting for their dishes.
Okamoto: "I remember you. You're very good."
Hachiman: "It's just a matter of practice making perfect."
Okamoto: "Even so, as a veteran fisherman, I know how difficult it is to find those fresh saury behind me. After all, they're completely trapped in ice."
Hachiman smiles faintly and doesn't continue to answer. He just gently holds out his hand, striking a pose to enjoy the taste.
Takumi: "Although these two dishes are themed around smoking, they're not the same at all. From a certain viewpoint, Hikigaya's dish seems like an impromptu choice. This guy is really crazy."
Isami: "Not letting go of any chance to improve... That's him, isn't it?"
Mito: "No matter what, that's too reckless."
Judge Anton gently tastes the two saury dishes one after the other, then frowns slightly:
"Hikigaya, you used walnut wood to smoke your saury, right?"
"Yes..."
"Because of the characteristics of walnut wood, it brings out the taste of the saury without covering the flavor from the deep sea. That's very good... but..."
"Ibusaki, your approach is completely different."
"That's right. I used the most primitive diti wood to discard all the seafood flavor of the saury. During the process, I combined marinating and smoking to completely remove the fishy smell of the saury. The final flavor is my answer."
Judge Anton nods, seeming to already have an answer in his mind.
Okamoto: "From any perspective, your choice is correct, Ibusaki. But... Hikigaya has a strong grasp of the one unique feature. It's really hard to make a choice..."
After all, can seafood that loses its sea flavor still be called saury cooking? And the ground fish roe that Hikigaya used can minimize the loss of this flavor...
Kawashima Alice: "Now then, the voting begins..."
"The winner of the first match is Ibusaki!"
Ryoko: "So it turned out this way... That Hikigaya is really something."
Yoshino: "Well, they're all our people after all. Just try harder next time."
Marui: "Wait a minute, don't you think it's scary..."
Mito: "?"
As everyone's eyes focus on Marui's face, his glasses tremble a bit out of control:
"Didn't you... really notice?"
"This guy actually almost surpassed Ibusaki in smoking, almost with impromptu cooking."
"This means that he can surpass Mito in beef cooking at any time. He can surpass Ryoko in brewing at any time. And although he's not familiar with Italian cooking, if he studies for a while, he'll probably... soon be able to surpass you, Takumi and Isami, in your grasp of Italian cooking."
"Can someone like that really exist in the world?"
After Marui said this, everyone finally seemed to realize it. At this time, they couldn't even tremble.
Grandma Fumio: "You guys are too slow to react. Even I, an old woman, can't keep up..."
Takumi: "That's too exaggerated, isn't it..."
Mito: "I feel like he's the main character in some novel..."
Ryoko: "I still can't believe it."
Alice: "I can prove that's true, okay!"
Alice jumped over. I don't know when, but she had already appeared behind everyone and started eavesdropping. And she's not the only one standing here. Shiomi Jun and Hayama Akira are also standing here.
Marui: "A-A-Alice?!"
Alice: "I'm not going to eat you. Why are you so surprised? Speaking of the topic just now, I can prove that what Marui said is true. Hikigaya is really amazing."
Shiomi Jun: "I think you can feel that too, Akira."
Hayama Akira crossed his arms and nodded slightly while looking at Hikigaya.
Takumi: "Speaking of which..."
Isami: "How much has Hikigaya mastered?"
Shiomi Jun: "Since the day he entered the research institute, the research topics have been broken through one after another. In a way, he has even promoted the development of the spice industry. Such achievements... are enough to be called a doctor. Although he always pushing the achievements on me, saying that it's all my credit, but only I understand... I can't do it there at all."
Alice: "What's even scarier is... it only took him three days to replicate the operating theory of the machine with action, It's just like copy and paste, no... a degree of completion that is even more terrible than copy."
Hayama Akira: "Is this guy... really human?"
On the other side, Yukinoshita is obviously unhappy that Hikigaya lost like this, and she's just pouting while waiting for her opponent.
The first match is over. Hikigaya lost to Ibusaki, and Tadokoro Megumi lost to Kurokiba.
Second round drawing:
Hikigaya VS Kurokiba.
Ibusaki VS Tadokoro Megumi.
Yukinoshita got another bye...
Yukinoshita, who had just stood up, sat down again. Her gaze became even more resentful, and she seemed to be pointing in one direction.
'I feel like Yukinoshita wants to kill me... Well, I'll be serious.'
Far away, Hisako seemed a little incredulous after seeing Hikigaya lose. Speaking of which, this is the first time Hisako has seen Hikigaya lose a match in public in the half year since they met. However...
Erina seems even more anxious than Hisako.
"That guy is just messing around!"
"It's an insult to cooking!"
"I must teach him a lesson when I meet him next time, no... I'm going down after the game!"
Hisako is a little helpless when she sees Erina throwing a tantrum at her.
Speaking of which, I don't know who was going to deny Hikigaya to death at first, and even wanted to drive him out of this school...
But even if she complains in her heart, she is happy from the bottom of her heart that Erina can have this special feeling, after all, she has been growing up with Erina since she was a child.
Moreover...
'Hikigaya, maybe you really have some magic.'
As the second drum sounds, the time is still two hours, and the dish is still saury. This time, Kurokiba, as the challenger, seems even more serious, and a terrifying aura is constantly erupting from outside his body.
Alice: "Kurokiba is... serious..."
Hayama Akira: "It's completely different from his state just now. It seems that he has already regarded Hikigaya as an opponent."
Marui: "Um, but he just lost to Ibusaki. Is he disappointed?"
Alice: "No... Kurokiba is not that kind of person. What he needs for the opponent he recognizes in his heart is to defeat him head-on, so there will be no change until he steps on the other side."
"But..."
In an unnoticed corner, Alice showed a sad expression, and then quickly cheered up:
"No matter what, Kurokiba, you can't defeat him."
For some reason, Alice thought so unconsciously in her heart.
Kurokiba instantly took out a pile of ingredients. Compared to the previous duel with Megumi, he was fully armed. Whether it was fish, shellfish, olive oil, or ripe tomatoes, he obviously had already figured out what to do.
Okamoto: "Is it Italian fish stew? If it's a local dish of Southern Italy, it's completely reasonable to use these ingredients..."
"And you... Hikigaya, what are you going to do?"
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