Chapter 433: The Judges are Red
At this moment, the TV in Shirou's small shop was frozen on the scene of a press conference, though it hadn't officially begun. The presenter from Asahi News was reading the relevant information in a perfectly articulated, professional broadcasting tone.
"Not this one! Shirou, check your phone, change to this channel!" Erina handed over her phone and urged him.
"Yes, yes~" Shirou agreed, obediently changing the channel. The young lady's temperament was like a donkey that needed to be stroked in the direction of its fur—regardless of who was right or wrong, he had to go along with it.
On a local TV station in Japan, a young and energetic beautiful news anchor was holding a microphone, wearing a sweet smile as she introduced to the audience this world-renowned, super-specification culinary competition.
"Friends in front of the television, and viewers watching online, hello! We are at the scene of the Chef's Grand Prix press conference, and I am broadcasting live for you via Banana TV. For friends who don't have a TV nearby, you can also watch via the mobile website; this is a global live stream broadcast."
"After a year-long process, the global, super-large-scale Chef's Grand Prix has finally arrived at the day of the final battle. It took half a year of rigorous competition to determine the Top 4. Then, to build a stage worthy of this magnificent event, it took another three months. Just today! The stage for the final battle has finally been completed."
At this point, the camera aimed at the massive structure behind the host, blocked by coverings. Although this grand building was veiled, one could see the magnificent white marble pillars supporting it. On the wall connecting the pillars, there appeared to be the outlines of statues stretching out their arms, and on the upper level, there seemed to be subtle, large inverted triangular geometries.
Even so, that could not hide the grand style of the building. The structure was surrounded by walls and over a dozen large wooden boards, completely obstructing anyone from getting a peek inside.
The host continued her introduction: "Next, the unique title of 'Chef God' will be born in this very place! From the four contestants below. Now, allow me to introduce the Top 4 contestants of this grand competition once again."
First to appear was an elderly man wearing a red bandana, full of vigor! He stood over eight feet tall, and the two arms hidden inside his sleeves were bulging with terrifyingly defined muscles. He was the oldest among the Top 4, as well as the tallest and most robust in physique.
The host introduced him: "In the competition ten years ago, the 'Old Man Liu' used the 'New Comet Fried Rice' to defeat the 'Sorrowful Rice' from the Kitchen King of Hong Kong, and has
been recognized as the strongest chef in the world. This time, he participates as the representative of China, fighting for the glory of China—a nation with 5,000 years of culinary history—to be the world's number one gourmet kingdom."
As the host spoke, the TV began to review the old man's glorious history in past cooking competitions. From black-and-white footage to 4K, this man had appeared in arenas all over the world, winning countless awards in his lifetime. He was also the first chef from the mainland to break into the Western culinary world and conquer countless diners. Three years ago, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Association of Top Chefs.
There were documentaries produced by television stations in various countries specifically for him. From the day he announced his acceptance of the invitation to participate in the Chef's Grand Prix, the British BBB television station had sent specialized personnel to shadow him, recording his life over the past year and producing exquisitely high-quality programming.
It could only be said that this old man was already a living legend. Winning this Chef's Grand Prix would be nothing more than adding flowers to the embroidery of his astonishing resume.
After introducing the world-famous defending champion, the host continued with the next contestant. The image shifted to a middle-aged man wearing a long white chef's hat, a curly beard, and a gloomy, sharp gaze.
"He is the century-renowned master chef Pablo from Paris, France. He was born in Colombia, South America, and at eighteen, he crossed the ocean to reach Paris—the capital of gourmet food—to seek the true essence of being a chef. Hollywood big stars and government officials from various countries are his supporters."
"They claim that if they cannot eat the cuisine from his restaurant for three days, they feel uncomfortable all over; they can no longer eat food from anywhere else, and if they aren't eating at a restaurant under Pablo's banner, they would rather starve to death!"
Next was an old man with long, flowing hair and a scar on his face, wearing a kimono.
"He is none other than the former General Manager of the most famous cooking school in Japan, Totsuki Academy! The grandfather of the famous 'God Tongue' Nakiri Erina, the 'Demon King of Food,' Nakiri Senzaemon! I believe the people of Japan are already all too familiar with his great name!"
At this point, the host's voice went up an octave.
"And last but not least is... unknown nationality? Unknown appearance? Unknown name? The most mysterious chef of this tournament! The Cosplay Chef, Mask X!!!"
On the screen appeared a man wearing a dashing mask in the style of a Kamen Rider, dressed in a form-fitting chef's uniform that showed off his athletic build. The two long red cloths tied behind his lower back fluttered elegantly.
The TV began to review the highlights of the "Red Chef" from previous matches.
When he dueled a Turkish Kebab master—one of the three great world cuisines—he made a Turkish rotating kebab; when he faced a Malaysian chef, he made a spicy fish dish from Malaysian cuisine; when he competed against a master of Middle Eastern Halal cuisine, he used a Halal whole lamb soup; when he encountered the Japanese God of Ramen, he used even more precise, art-like ramen techniques to conquer the God of Ramen.
"Although his culinary skills are so exquisite, except for videos, the world knows nothing about him. Many netizens from various countries have put forward various arguments and analyses, pointing out that Mask X is a person from their own country, but no one can convince anyone else. There were people on the internet who admitted they were Mask X, but they were immediately exposed as fakes."
"There are many opinions about this mysterious chef, and there is still no confirmed information!"
"But it seems that it is precisely because of this mysterious feeling that he has become an idol for young people today! In many countries, there are children mimicking his attire, and because of his activity, many children in various countries have developed a keen interest in cooking."
The TV played a video—it seemed to be in a certain European country. The street was very lively, with some sort of parade happening. Blonde and red-haired children dressed just like Chef Mask X were holding black-and-white toy kitchen knives and frying pans, happily chasing each other as they ran past.
"Why! Why! Do you have to hide your identity!" Erina lightly hammered Shirou's shoulder in annoyance, complaining indignantly. If not for this, she wouldn't have had to go to such lengths to navigate around her family's politics.
Hisako, standing to the side, chimed in: "But Shirou-sama, look at what's on TV. That's probably a Christmas parade, right? You are as popular with children abroad as Santa Claus. If you keep hiding and never appear, they will be disappointed. Won't you reconsider?"
"No, no, that could also be Halloween, right?" Shirou said with dead-fish eyes, waving his hand dismissively. Come to think of it, a guy running around the street with a kitchen knife and a frying pan in his hand is actually quite terrifying.
Although Shirou enjoyed participating in the competition, he didn't want to be too famous. If he became a household name, even in this small canteen, the door would definitely be trampled by curious people and foodies seeking him out by reputation. Then how could he continue his "salted fish" (laid-back) life?
Therefore, money had to be earned, and a wife had to be married, but being famous was absolutely forbidden.
The host on TV continued the introduction:
"According to medical experts who have observed and studied the videos, and referring to the condition of his hand skin and calculating from his physical silhouette, his age should be between twenty-three and thirty-five. It has been confirmed that this is a very young person, but one whose culinary skills are very comprehensive and whose fundamental techniques are solid. There is already someone in Japan offering a bounty of one million yen just to catch a glimpse of the true face under Mask X's mask!"
"Heh heh, let's see how much longer you can hide," Erina said, looking at Shirou with a bit of gloating.
"What if you sell my identity? Then take that bounty money home?" Shirou pondered, chin in hand, then reached out to wrap his arm around the woman's shoulder, making the suggestion to Erina.
"I don't want that!" Erina pushed Shirou away, grumbling angrily. She wanted Shirou to be more ambitious so that she would have bargaining chips to negotiate with the relevant interest groups and get married sooner. But if Shirou were too famous, even if he was too lazy to go flirting, there would still be a swarm of "mad bees and wild butterflies" (fan-girls), and the one who would feel distressed in the end would be herself.
"Let us look forward to his brilliant performance in the upcoming matches! That concludes the introduction of the Top 4 contestants! I believe everyone is already familiar with the information on these big shots. But! The following news is the explosive, big news that everyone cares about! Something nobody expected! The organizers will announce the identities of the judges in advance at today's press conference!"
Erina sat up straight and tightened her grip on the pen in her hand.
"Ohh! The main event has finally arrived!" The people in front of the television screens also exclaimed in unison.
As everyone knows, the Chef's Grand Prix is a century-long celebration organized by mysterious sponsors; the organizers have eyes and ears everywhere, yet are extremely mysterious. Neither the underworld nor the legitimate business world has been able to find any inside information. The only thing that has appeared is the recurring delegation of judges.
At the beginning of the open auditions, they were famous big-name chefs, local food critics, and food bloggers. Then there were the chefs from the "Underground" world, who were even more demanding, viewing culinary skill and life as equal in value.
By now, ordinary food critics, and even ordinary humans, were no longer sufficient to serve as judges for this competition. Only transcendent beings could use their vast knowledge and keen senses to make comparisons from dishes that approached infinite perfection and decide the winners among them.
"Everyone look! The big screen behind me—now! The identities of the judges for the Top 4 battle are finally being announced! This time, five mysterious big shots will personally appear to serve as judges for the competition."
After the beautiful host's speech, the camera pulled back and aimed at the screen at the press conference. Five silhouettes appeared. Using cool special effect animations, they were enlarged one by one, and little by little, their true faces emerged.
Judge 1: A fat man in a red cape wearing an olive wreath, with an extraordinary temperament. Judge 2: A 2-meter-tall muscular man with short curly red hair and a beard. His resolute and bold smile revealed at a glance that he was a rare hero of the world—a righteous, open-minded, and great man. Judge 3: A European woman with long red hair, wearing a gentle smile and filled with maternal radiance. She was simply the ideal older sister, mother, and wife; by the standards of Japan, she was a true Yamato Nadeshiko. Judge 4: A mysterious beauty of the night with long brown hair, enchanting crimson eyes, and stunning beauty. Judge 5: A young girl? Wearing red robes and a Chinese-style ancient red crown, full of majesty and imposing manner. Looking closely, it was actually a red-black sparrow doll being clamped by two red-sun-white-paper fans on her head?
"As I thought..." Shirou sighed helplessly.
To be honest, when the competition had just started, he had signed up with the thought of making some prize money. This world-class competition had unprecedentedly rich rewards; as long as you entered the Top 32, you could get a prize. And the prize money for reaching the Top 4 was enough to buy a house in the city center of any national capital.
It was also quite interesting to see chefs with different personalities creating novel dishes. But when Shirou discovered that this competition had traces of these guys, he didn't really want to participate anymore.
"In fifteen minutes, a press conference will be held in front of the Chef's Grand Prix venue. The five judges appearing on screen will attend here to accept interviews from reporters and answer questions hidden in everyone's hearts."
"Now, it's ad time. Viewers in front of the TV, please stay tuned. We will see you in fifteen minutes. Friends watching through the live online stream, don't go away. This is Tokyo Banana TV; I am Sayuri, and I will continue the live broadcast for you here."
On the TV in Shirou's small restaurant, commercials began to play.
"Come to think of it, Shirou, didn't you receive a notification for such an important event before?" Erina asked, looking suspiciously at Shirou behind the kitchen counter.
"Ah... I think there was one, but I was busy with something at the time, so I hung up," Shirou said as he recalled. Actually, it was because he heard a somewhat familiar voice, so before he could listen carefully, he had reacted by reflex and hung up the phone immediately. Later, the other party contacted him via email.
Shirou spread his hands and said, "Anyway, it's just a promotional press conference, not the official competition, so there's no need to worry."
"That's not good at all! If you want to win, the judges' preferences are also an important part of the puzzle!" Erina slammed the table, took out a notebook, walked over to the table facing the TV, and sat down, preparing to record all the intelligence.
"Actually, there's no need for such trouble..." Shirou gave a helpless, bitter smile. At least for this competition, he didn't need to worry at all about being familiar with the judges' tastes.
When the clock struck eleven, the press conference officially began.
On the stage, a wave of fragrant wind drifted over, and the clear sound of a bell rang out.
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