Chapter 105.
Of course, the prerequisite for actually touching upon the profound mood of cooking was ascending to the level of a ninth-star chef.
Shijun wasn't worried. Under his draconian tutelage, Megumi failing to reach that echelon was statistically impossible.
"No way. That timid little girl is actually using the hanging cut?"
"And she's so fast! The fish was dismantled in the blink of an eye!"
"Isn't she the one from the Chinese Cuisine Research Society? I thought she was literally dead last in the first-year rankings!"
"Are you kidding me? With knife skills that clean and that fast, you're telling me she's a failure?"
"Damn it! If she's the tail of the crane, then what the hell does that make us?!"
Hearing the frantic, bewildered whispers rippling through the stands, Shijun couldn't help but smile.
In the past, Megumi's paralyzing lack of self-confidence had completely suffocated her potential, preventing her from displaying her true caliber. But after surviving the crucible of his training, she had grown significantly. At the very least, her stage fright was entirely cured.
Time relentlessly ticked down.
"Time is up! Please step away from your stations! We will now enter the tasting phase." Kawashima Urara announced, aggressively maximizing her cutesy idol persona. Shijun completely tuned her out. "There are five judges per block, each holding 20 points. The maximum possible score is 100 points, and only the top four contestants from each block will advance to the main tournament!"
The five judges presiding over Block B were terrifying titans of the culinary industry. They spent their lives aggressively hunting down the world's finest delicacies; their palates were refined far beyond human limits.
In addition to Sendawara Orie, the Chief Operating Officer of HOB Foods, the panel included Kita Shuji, the notoriously strict founder of the Kitami Food Research Club, and Ando Shingo, a prominent cultural essayist and harsh food critic. The final two seats were occupied by equally famous, incredibly wealthy gourmets.
Securing a high score from this specific panel was a brutal test of absolute culinary truth. There was no room for bribery or bias; the scores were brutally fair.
Contestant after contestant was publicly executed, many failing to even break the 50-point threshold.
And then—
An overwhelming, apocalyptic stench violently assaulted the arena.
Maria aggressively clamped a handkerchief over her nose and mouth, her eyes watering. Aside from Shijun, practically everyone in the massive auditorium was gagging, desperately trying to shield themselves from the suffocating odor.
"Is this... is this supposed to be food?!"
Maria gasped, utterly horrified. The smell was significantly worse than an uncleaned kennel. Her entire worldview was violently shaken; how could anyone serve this to judges?
"Cuttlefish ink, fermented shrimp paste, dried salted fish, lemongrass, coconut water—"
Shijun casually rattled off the ingredient list, his voice carrying over the groans of the crowd.
Several students nearby shot him looks of absolute disbelief.
What the hell?!
Even while breathing in this biological weapon, Shijun's expression hadn't twitched. He was actually dissecting the raw ingredients purely by scent.
As expected of the 8th Seat of the Elite Ten... he's a monster, the surrounding students thought in awe.
"If Shijun said it, it must be accurate."
"Wait... combining those fermented ingredients with the visual profile of the dish... is she making Laksa?"
"Laksa? The spicy, slippery noodle soup from Southeast Asia?"
"It's pitch black! 'Dark Laksa Curry' is the perfect name for that nightmare."
People muttered through pinched noses, occasionally stealing glances at the unnervingly calm 8th Seat.
To Shijun, the stench was amateur hour. During his hellish childhood training under Old Master Xie, he had been forced to prepare fermented dishes that smelled significantly worse than this. Furthermore, he recognized that this terrifying student, Nao Sadatsuka, possessed a genuine, twisted genius for dark cuisine. While the overwhelming surface odor made people want to vomit, Shijun's refined nose easily pierced the stench, detecting the complex, incredibly rich fragrance hidden beneath the rot.
It's a shame she insists on that creepy aesthetic, Shijun thought. Buried under that weird witch outfit, you can't even see what she actually looks like.
As Shijun predicted, the bizarre, terrifying witch successfully conquered the judges, securing a massive score of 84.
The heavy hitters began to step up.
Erina's loyal secretary, Arato Hisako, delivered a flawless medicinal curry, scoring a dominant 92 points.
Takumi Aldini secured 90 points. His brother, Isami, followed closely with 87 points.
Yoshino Yuki, utilizing her wild game expertise, scored 86 points.
"Oh my God! Nakiri Alice just dropped a 95!"
"That's the highest score across both blocks so far, right?!"
"As expected of the Nakiri bloodline! Her molecular gastronomy is terrifying!"
Shijun wasn't surprised. Alice's baseline culinary skills were astronomical, and molecular gastronomy, when executed flawlessly, possessed a unique, hyper-calculated flavor profile that perfectly catered to elite palates.
"Look! It's Hojo Miyoko's turn!"
"Man, I am so jealous of Shijun. His Research Society is packed with gorgeous women!"
"Her physique is absolutely insane! Did you see her tossing that massive Chinese wok with one hand? That was incredible!"
"Miyoko was the first person to formally join the Chinese Cuisine Research Society, so her foundation is obviously solid. But unfortunately, I doubt she can match a monster like Alice."
Miyoko had indeed been his first recruit. Because she had been with him the longest, Shijun frequently pulled her aside for private, highly advanced lessons. He knew exactly what she was capable of.
Today, Hojo Miyoko's pure cooking level was absolutely on par with Alice's. Judging purely by the intense, layered aroma radiating from her dish, Shijun estimated their scores would be neck-and-neck. However, without physically tasting it, he couldn't definitively predict the victor.
"WHOA! 95 POINTS! SHE TIED WITH NAKIRI ALICE?!"
"This is completely unbelievable! I remember her practical exams when school started—she was good, but she wasn't a monster like this!"
"It has to be the Research Society. Aside from Shijun, I can't imagine anyone capable of forcing such a terrifying evolution in a single semester!"
"Damn it! I really want to join the Chinese Cuisine Research Society now!"
"Give it up, man. I heard the entrance exam is practically a suicide mission now!"
The stadium erupted in absolute shock. Miyoko, a student who hadn't initially been considered a top-tier contender, had just tied the elite Nakiri prodigy.
The entire student body collectively arrived at the same terrifying conclusion: Shijun.
Only the tyrannical 8th Seat, the man who treated the rest of the Elite Ten like an annoyance, possessed the capability to forge Miyoko into a master in such a short window.
"By rapidly stir-frying the Sichuan peppercorns to explosively stimulate their aromatic oils, Miyoko is barely beginning to grasp the true essence of Chinese cuisine. "
Shijun chuckled softly. Seeing his members dominate the scoreboard brought a genuine, proud smile to his face.
"She is only barely grasping it?"
Maria whispered, her eyes wide. She knew her Young Master's culinary skills were excellent, but it was still difficult to comprehend the sheer scale of the gap. In her eyes, securing a 95 in the most prestigious tournament in Japan was the pinnacle of success. Yet, to her Young Master, Miyoko was only just crossing the starting line.
Down on the floor, Miyoko didn't even bother looking at her massive score on the jumbo-tron.
Instead, her fierce eyes immediately snapped up to the stands, locking directly onto Shijun. Her gaze was practically burning with excitement and profound gratitude. If they weren't in the middle of a formal competition, she might have actually sprinted up the stairs and thrown herself into his arms.
Miyoko knew the absolute truth: without Shijun's guidance, achieving this level of mastery would have taken her a decade. The brutal three-day hell camp had merely sharpened their execution; it was the sporadic, brilliant private lessons over the past few months that had fundamentally evolved her culinary soul.
"Monkfish Curry Hotpot! Please, taste it!"
In the center of the arena, Tadokoro Megumi stood before the five judges. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her. While she had successfully conquered her crippling stage fright, facing the final judgment of five industry titans still made her heart race.
"A hotpot utilizing monkfish and curry?"
Orie Sendawara murmured, dipping her spoon into the rich broth.
"Fascinating. She continuously pan-fried the monkfish liver until the fat rendered, then ground it into an ultra-fine paste. She integrated the spices directly into the liver, utilizing it as a foundational base, remarkably similar to how one would use miso."
Kita Shuji analyzed, his eyes widening as the flavors hit his tongue.
"The dense, velvety richness of the liver flawlessly binds the volatile spices! It elevates the delicate umami of the monkfish meat, creating an addictive, full-bodied flavor profile that aggressively stimulates the appetite!"
Ando Shingo praised loudly.
"And her vegetable selection! Mini-chrysanthemum pumpkins, Tachikawa burdock, red-veined daikon—"
The judges were instantly lost in the dish, lavishing Megumi with unanimous, overwhelmingly positive critiques.
The stadium fell into a stunned, reverent silence as the final girl presented her dish. And once again— she was wearing the badge of Shijun's Research Society.
The students in the stands could only stare in awe. Shijun's society was truly a den of monsters. Two consecutive members who had previously flown completely under the radar had just detonated like supernovas on the grandest stage.
Shijun remained perfectly composed, completely unmoved by the thousands of amazed, envious stares burning into his back.
Instead, he was watching the five judges with intense, clinical curiosity.
He was waiting to see how long it would take for their refined palates to detect the secret, philosophical 'taste' hidden deep within Tadokoro Megumi's cooking.