The next day, feeling the unparalleled strength within her body and her five senses enhanced by an unknown degree, Shiina Mahiru wrapped her arms around Hoshino Sora's neck and kissed him fiercely, her eyes seemingly swirling with emotion.
That was an expression that only appeared when one was moved to the extreme, Hoshino Sora knew clearly, but he didn't speak, only raised his hand to stroke Shiina Mahiru's head.
"Good luck with today's competition; you must win!"
Staring at Hoshino Sora's face, Shiina Mahiru suddenly began to encourage him. This was the only thing she could do now: cheer him on, even if it didn't have much effect.
"Since it's encouragement, then let's have another encouraging kiss, but this time, kiss here, okay?"
As he spoke, Hoshino Sora raised his hand and pointed to his lips, a slight smile playing on his face. Watching the beautiful girl shyly kiss him felt truly wonderful!
With a smile on her lips, Shiina Mahiru, though embarrassed by his words, didn't hesitate much. Looking at the man nearly a head taller than herself, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed Hoshino Sora's mouth.
Hoshino Sora also bent down to make it easier for her to kiss him. The kiss lasted a full five minutes, until Shiina Mahiru was almost out of breath, before they finally stopped.
Her face flushed, she looked at Hoshino Sora, seemingly savoring the taste of just now.
The feeling of a boy was truly wonderful. Shiina Mahiru began to understand why, in manga, after enduring countless hardships in their romance, male and female protagonists would be so entwined.
It felt like stealing forbidden fruit!
——————
[Trigger Task]: Advance! Advance! And still Advance!
[Task Requirement]: Win the first Elite Ten selection match.
[Task Reward]: 3000 Reputation Points
[Current Reputation]: 5300
Far Moon Academy.
As soon as Hoshino Sora stepped into Zone A, the system's notification sound rang in his mind.
Although it was only three thousand Reputation Points, considering he hadn't received a task in a long time, these three thousand Reputation Points became especially precious.
Hoshino Sora had already deeply realized the value of Reputation Points. Reputation Points could not only be used to branch Gourmet Cells but also to exchange for various rare and valuable items in the store.
In the Reputation Mall, there were many rare items that could help his wives improve their strength, including but not limited to "Reaction Capsules," "Mental Power Potions," and various cooking utensils.
However, because the prices were generally expensive, and they weren't necessities, Hoshino Sora didn't exchange for them. He wanted to save his Reputation Points for unexpected needs.
"Thank you for waiting, everyone! Today marks the beginning of the first round of the Elite Ten selection! Winners will successfully advance, while losers will enter an even more rigorous competition arena!
They might be able to fight their way out, or they might just fade into obscurity.
Two matches mean two opportunities, and students who perform exceptionally well in this selection will also become candidates for next year's Elite Ten. Please give your best, compete with style, and demonstrate your skill!"
Holding a microphone, Kawashima Rei stood on the stage, delivering an enthusiastic opening speech, chattering on and on. She looked even more excited than the contestants themselves.
Hoshino Sora, however, had no patience to listen. He simply smiled and chatted with Shiina Mahiru, who was beside him.
Since she hadn't advanced, she was quite free, and having just started her relationship with Hoshino Sora, she naturally came to the venue to cheer him on.
With light makeup on her pure face, Shiina Mahiru wore a pristine white dress, standing out from the surrounding students in their school uniforms, immediately attracting many envious glances.
This was normal; Shiina Mahiru was already very beautiful in her usual state, let alone today, when she had meticulously dressed up. Sitting next to the handsome Hoshino Sora,
They were perfectly matched, a truly heaven-made couple!
"Now, let's draw lots."
As she spoke, everyone's gaze turned to the large screen in the air, where sixteen names were frantically spinning. Soon, the first contestant was chosen.
Hoshino Sora.
His expression held a hint of surprise. He hadn't expected to be the first to appear, but a one-in-sixteen probability wasn't low, so thinking about it that way, it seemed quite normal.
Understanding, Hoshino Sora shifted his gaze to the other side of the screen, his face full of curiosity.
"Hojo Miyoko."
Looking at the name that stopped on the other side of the screen, Hoshino Sora softly read it aloud. He hadn't expected her to advance, which was surprising, but it seemed fine, after all, she used Chinese cuisine.
If she couldn't stand out using Chinese cuisine, then Hojo Miyoko would be too useless.
"Hmph."
Looking at the name on the screen, Hojo Miyoko snorted coldly, rose from the audience seats, and walked onto the stage with her head held high, looking directly at Hoshino Sora, who was coming up behind her.
"Hoshino Sora, I heard you're hailed as Far Moon's number one in Chinese cuisine. To be honest, I'm not convinced. I will defeat you, advance, and prove to the world that I, Hojo Miyoko, am the best!"
Wearing a fiery cheongsam, with sparks in her eyes, Hojo Miyoko had long wanted to challenge this renowned man!
After all, there were only a few people in this school who specialized in Chinese cuisine, so she was often compared to Hoshino Sora and Kuga Terunori.
And the conclusion drawn by those short-sighted boys was always the same: she was inferior to the other two. This made her very indignant. Who said women must be inferior to men?!
"Then let me see your strength. Please save a portion of your dish for me to taste later. In return, I will also let you taste my dish."
"My pleasure!"
Looking at Hojo Miyoko, who had a stunning figure and a heroic spirit in her brows, Hoshino Sora was also full of fighting spirit.
Hojo Miyoko was also momentarily stunned by his calm words, then, as if she had received respect, a rare smile appeared on her face.
However, she quickly coughed, hiding the smile on her face, then looked at Hoshino Sora with determined eyes.
She had competed in many matches, but each time she failed to gain her opponents' respect. Those men inherently looked down on women. Although some didn't say it explicitly, she could feel it from their attitude.
Against such arrogant individuals, Hojo Miyoko always retaliated with heavy blows, simply put, she would crush them with her cooking and then give them a disdainful look.
"Now, let's draw the theme!"
As both contestants took their places, Kawashima Rei raised her hand and pointed to the screen above. The images on the top screen were rapidly changing: noodles, broth, beef, eggs...
All sorts of themes flashed across, some were broad categories, others were specific ingredients, and there were all types. This was also one of the key challenges of this Elite Ten selection.
Instant themes, no prior preparation possible. This severely tested a chef's adaptability. If one accidentally encountered a theme they weren't good at, but their opponent was, they could very likely lose directly.
Therefore, this competition format was only for one round, the very first one, to quickly eliminate the weak. After this, each subsequent round would have three days of preparation time.
The loser's bracket had two days, to catch up with the winner's bracket.
"Fried Rice!
This time, the theme is Fried Rice, a basic dish in Chinese cuisine. Both contestants are extremely skilled in Chinese cuisine, so this will undoubtedly be a spectacular competition!
The cooking time limit is half an hour, and ingredient preparation time is ten minutes. There will be three judges on site, and victory will be awarded to the contestant who receives support from two or more judges."
As the image above them froze on "Fried Rice," Kawashima Rei immediately became excited, explaining with an impassioned tone, while the audience below, upon seeing the theme of Fried Rice, all showed strange expressions.
It had to be said, this theme truly suited the identities of these two inheritors of Chinese cuisine.
"Is the competition about Fried Rice? If I lose on this, no one will have any complaints, right?"
Looking at the words "Fried Rice" on the big screen, Hojo Miyoko's face was full of fighting spirit. For Chinese cuisine, fried rice was fundamental, so if one lost on this, it truly meant they were inferior in skill!
"Indeed, it's a theme that can easily crush one's confidence."
Nodding, Hoshino Sora's expression was a bit strange. Fried rice. He had just acquired the Soul of Golden Fried Rice a few days ago. With this theme, he was invincible no matter what.
However, Hoshino Sora didn't plan to showcase Gold-grade cuisine in a competition of this level, so he decided to settle for second best, simply making a shrimp fried rice.
But regarding the choice of shrimp, Hoshino Sora decided on river shrimp. Although river shrimp were very troublesome to prepare and not a dish that could be served in half an hour,
That was for ordinary chefs. For Hoshino Sora, twenty minutes was more than enough.
He retrieved river shrimp from the ingredient pantry and placed them on the cooking counter. Hoshino Sora processed them with extreme speed. With a swift pull and cut of a small thumb-sized knife in his hand, the shrimp meat scattered like falling petals onto the plate.
"You... are you really going to make shrimp fried rice with river shrimp?!" Seeing Hoshino Sora's actions, Hojo Miyoko was utterly shocked. Did he even know there was only half an hour?!
"That's right. Although the fattest season for river shrimp has passed, river shrimp meat is firm and springy, rich in nutrients, and tastes much better than larger shrimp."
Hoshino Sora explained while processing the tiny river shrimp. Having broken through level five in Gourmet Cells, his reaction speed far surpassed that of ordinary people; even multitasking was no problem for him.
"You're working hard. I'll just make a simple Golden Fried Rice," Hojo Miyoko said with a wry smile. If it were anyone else, she would only mock their overestimation of themselves, but since her opponent respected her, she naturally couldn't verbally taunt him.
"Golden Fried Rice?"
Hearing Hojo Miyoko's words, Hoshino Sora was first startled, then cast his gaze over, only to see that the raw ingredients on her cooking counter were very simple.
A basket of eggs and a basin of cooked rice.
The taste it would be fried into depended entirely on the chef's skill.
"I'm really looking forward to it."
Possessing the Soul of Golden Fried Rice, Hoshino Sora's body actually trembled slightly as he looked at the raw ingredients for making Golden Fried Rice. A strange feeling surged from within him.
This feeling was very peculiar. Hoshino Sora could only look away. One minute later, the competition began, and Hojo Miyoko immediately started frying the Golden Fried Rice.
The key to making Golden Fried Rice was its dry and savory taste. The rice should have less moisture. Heat a wok with plenty of oil over high heat, then leave some residual oil to prevent the rice from sticking.
Separate the egg yolks from the whites. One serving of rice typically requires three egg yolks; four servings would be twelve. Frying such a large pot of rice all at once was clearly unrealistic.
I'll use two woks.
Thinking this, Hojo Miyoko skillfully began to operate. Because the theme involved fried rice, different moisture levels of rice were prepared in advance on site, saving a lot of time.
She turned up the heat, holding the wok handle and stir-frying quickly and evenly. Just as she said, fried rice is a signature skill of Chinese Cuisine and is fundamental to testing a chef's technique.
"What a magnificent technique! This isn't something that can be achieved in a day; it must be the result of many years immersed at the stove. Many adult men might not even be able to wield that large wok so smoothly."
"Indeed, I wonder what level of chef this would be considered at Far Moon? If this is just ordinary, then this year's students are truly terrifying!"
"At least she should be in the top ten. With this fried rice technique, she might even have a chance at the top five!"
"Look over there! That kid over there is also getting started. He seems to be controlling four woks simultaneously."
In the audience, discussions buzzed incessantly.
Suddenly, a cry of surprise rang out, and many people on site turned their gaze towards Hoshino Sora.
He was seen dividing the peeled river shrimp into four portions, cracking eggs, then all four stoves were lit, each with a wok, and he began cooking with the same technique.
Because of the half-hour time limit, cooking one wok at a time would mean the earlier fried rice would get cold before the later ones were even cooked.
Stir-frying a large batch all at once, while possible, certainly wouldn't taste as good as cooking in separate batches. The reason is simple: the rice is prone to uneven heating.
Since he possessed the Silver Chopsticks Ten Pot Return skill, Hoshino Sora naturally chose the optimal solution.
His technique was dazzling; the rhythm of the four iron woks miraculously synchronized, with rice leaping out of the wok and falling back in, with only about a second's interval.
And Hoshino Sora's spectacular performance naturally earned him cheers from those around him.
If Hojo Miyoko's technique was merely skilled, then Hoshino Sora had already mastered fried rice and elevated it to a new height; the difference between the two was very obvious.
On the high platform, Nakitiri Senzaemon nodded as he watched Hoshino Sora, whose technique was sharp and movements agile.
"Golden Fried Rice. Please eat it while it's hot."
Hojo Miyoko arranged three steaming bowls of Golden Fried Rice in a line before the judges, then made a gesture to invite them to eat, before stepping to the side.
At this moment, Hoshino Sora also entered the finishing stages.
"Soft, springy, fragrant, with every grain distinct, and perfect in color, aroma, and taste. They say fried rice reveals a chef's basic skills, and seeing it today, it's truly so!"
As the fried rice entered his mouth, Lin's eyes instantly lit up, and words of praise flowed ceaselessly. Although the entire dish only used eggs, rice, and some chopped green onions as garnish.
But overall, the taste was in no way inferior to high-end cuisine. As a chef studying Chinese Cuisine, being able to make fried rice to this extent truly showed her mastery!
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