The fifth person to emerge from the kitchen was none other than Midorima Shintaro.
Midorima's dish was the smallest in portion, yet also the most exquisite he had prepared a traditional Japanese kaiseki meal, world-renowned for its refinement.
Arranged meticulously on the table, each plate looked like a vibrant flower. Simply gazing at it brought a sense of aesthetic pleasure.
But… not a single person reached for their chopsticks.
Perhaps the psychological trauma left by Aida Riko and Kitayama Yuzuki's previous "lethal dishes" was too great. Now, seeing such elegant cuisine, the first reaction was not hunger, but caution.
"Eh? You're not eating? If no one touches it, I won't be polite!"
Seeing everyone frozen, Takao Kazunari put on a brave face, muttered a few words, then picked up his chopsticks with a determined "If I don't eat it, who will?" expression, reaching toward the kaiseki dishes.
At the same time, another pair of chopsticks stretched forward.
Tsugawa Tomoki gave Takao a weird grin. "Actually, I'm interested in kaiseki too. Mind if I take a bite?"
Takao narrowed his eyes, a spark igniting in them, gritting his teeth: "Of course not."
The two of them sat, silently taking bite after bite.
Those around them had expected comments after the "taste test," but after seven or eight bites, not a single word came out.
Finally,
Seirin's Hyuga, Shutoku's Miyaji, and Seiho's Kasuga subtly realized something was off.
The three exchanged glances, then simultaneously reached for the kaiseki dishes. Each carefully picked a piece of grilled fish and placed it in their mouths…
The moment the fish touched their lips, the three couldn't hide the shock in their eyes.
"What is this, this is incredibly delicious!!!"
The fish was as soft as a marshmallow. A gentle bite released rich, savory juices that instantly filled their mouths.
It was a flavor none of them had ever experienced.
Though it was tempting to shout in delight, Hyuga, Miyaji, and Kasuga silently gritted their teeth, speeding up their chopstick movements instead.
By now, even the dimmest observer could see the five were acting abnormally.
"You bastards, stop it!"
"Damn it! Are you even human?"
"What the, this is amazing! Midorima, how is your cooking this good?"
The moment reality hit, everyone lunged toward the food. Seeing the others attack the dishes like starving wolves, Takao immediately sped up his chopstick movements.
At this point, Tsugawa quietly set down his chopsticks and stepped out of the fray…
"Hmph! Finally, some sense of taste."
Midorima snorted softly, adjusting his glasses, a small smirk tugging at his lips.
Kaiseki requires time and effort, so portions were small. Even with Midorima adding more,Takao alone ate nearly half, leaving almost nothing for everyone else.
============
"Seriously, are you humans or beasts?"
Shutoku's Kimura Shinsuke, the slowest eater, only managed a single cherry tomato used for plating. Looking at the satisfied Takao sitting on his chair, he wished he could strangle him.
This, this count as a teammate?
After the frenzy, except for a few big eaters like Tsutomu Iwamura, Otsubo Taisuke, Kiyoshi Teppei, and Kagami Taiga, the rest had taken a few bites from Mitobe, Kagami, and Midorima's dishes, filling only about sixty to seventy percent of their stomachs.
By now, Hyuga, Kasuga, and others finally exhaled.
At least they wouldn't have to face the previous two "killer dishes."
Aida Riko and Kitayama Yuzuki, reluctantly accepting reality, quietly returned to the corner to "grow mushrooms."
The dining hall gradually returned to calm.
Yet somehow, everyone felt they had forgotten something.
============
The kitchen door opened a sixth time, and Akashi Asuka's voice called out:
"Two people, come help me serve the dishes."
"Coming!"
Tsugawa, who had been quietly lingering near the table, suddenly leapt up, his voice obsequious, like an ancient court attendant.
Kuroko silently disappeared into the crowd…
Two minutes later, eighteen extravagant continental dishes, four cold dishes, four hot dishes, four main courses, two soups, and four desserts, were laid on the table. Everyone's expression gradually turned to utter disbelief.
Only two people seemed relatively unfazed: Akashi Asuka herself, and Tsugawa Tomoki.
============
"Oh~ Akashi, you seem to be in a cooking mood today!"
"Nothing much, I just saw lots of ingredients in the kitchen, so I made a bit more," Akashi replied.
She removed her apron. Tsugawa had already set the bowls and chopsticks, serving her a large bowl of rice. The two sat together at the table, eating comfortably.
"Wow~~ this sweet-and-sour pork is amazing! As expected, your cooking is the best, Akashi!" Tsugawa said, fully satisfied.
Watching this, everyone's eyes twitched uncontrollably.
Especially Seiho and Shutoku players, seeing Tsugawa handle the food so skillfully, and recalling Takao's earlier actions, there was no mistaking what had happened.
The two teams exchanged cold, menacing glances at Takao and Tsugawa:
"You two bastards… did you know about this all along?"
Takao and Tsugawa responded in perfect sync, pointing at each other:
"No, I only know Akashi (or Midorima) is good at cooking. That's all on their side."
============
After deliberation, Seiho and Shutoku decided to postpone the "execution" of their anger toward Takao and Tsugawa. Filling their stomachs came first.
Unfortunately, most had already eaten so much that, despite the eighteen dishes, they could only manage a few bites before their stomachs were full.
In the end, only Akashi, Kagami, Tsugawa, Midorima, and a few big eaters enjoyed the feast.
The suffering only intensified their murderous intent toward Takao and Tsugawa.
Bloodlust seemed to glow faintly in everyone's pupils.
In the corner, Riko and Kitayama, though begrudging, couldn't resist. Their tongues and stomachs were honest, once they took a bite, they didn't stop.
Some time later, Nakatani Masaaki and Matsumoto Yukinori, having just crawled back from the depths of hell, opened their eyes to see a table overflowing with continental dishes. Still not fully conscious, their eyes widened in bewilderment.
"Have we… gone to heaven?"
Matsumoto shook his head. "I don't know… but I feel like I just saw hell."
Nakatani nodded, still shivering. "Yeah… I think I saw it too… never mind, let's eat something first. I think I just ate something terrifying, but now I can't even remember what it was."
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