Kurokiba was clearly a little unconvinced. Entering the Elite Ten like this felt too much like taking a shortcut. However, Hachiman could only shake his head helplessly at the situation.
After all, everyone has their own point of view and represents different beliefs. If doing so could protect what's important to them, perhaps Hachiman would also compromise.
So, there was no need to blame others, nor was there a need to ask too many questions. After all, he was just a challenger, a simple challenger.
Hayama Hayato's appearance also surprised many people. After all, he had dropped out before, and he himself had admitted that he wasn't suited for this line of work. Even if he kept trying, he might not get the results he wanted. But now, he was appearing here, acting in a way that was completely different from before.
Tadokoro Megumi: "Hayama..."
Hayama Hayato was the same as before, just giving a gentle smile and scratching his head awkwardly as he said:
"I've been asked to do this. I have to go in the opposite direction from you all."
Perhaps others didn't understand why he would take this path, but Yukino and Hachiman knew that it didn't matter who appeared in the Elite Ten. The biggest problem was that tenth seat, Yukinoshita Haruno, had actually stepped up herself.
Although she still seemed carefree, everyone knew that once she took the stage, she would get serious. When that time came, would they really have a chance to fight?
Shinomiya, watching this, was also a bit dumbfounded. After all, he had experienced Haruno's strength firsthand, and back then, she was only just starting to learn how to cook, yet she had already shown terrifying talent. And now...
Facing Yukinoshita Haruno, who had graduated years ago, what could they possibly use to win?
It seemed that the situation was leaning against Hachiman, and not many people were optimistic.
As the drums sounded, the lights in the hall went out instantly. The huge venue was now pitch black, as if covered in darkness, and everyone was filled with panic.
But the torch in the center of the stage slowly rose, and as the flames spread, the entire venue was once again filled with light.
The Flame Banquet venue represents the hope and dawn after rebirth, a new life after being tempered by fire, and new dishes. It also symbolizes the highest-level cooking competition at Totsuki Academy. According to Totsuki's history, the last time a competition was held at the Flame Banquet venue was almost 10 years ago. In these 10 years, no chef has truly been worthy of reigniting it.
Today, after 10 years, the venue is lit again, representing a re-arrangement of the world of cooking. Will Central's cooking be better, or will original cooking be more popular? Now, everything will be revealed.
Kawashima Urara, dressed as an angel, slowly descended from above. She would be the host for the 100,000 spectators in the audience, and she would also be the host representing the countless viewers watching on TV.
Kawashima Urara's appearance once again caused the audience in the venue to applaud. Kawashima Urara's costume was like seeing a real angel, and their hearts were filled with shock and awe.
Kawashima Urara:
"Hello everyone, I am the host of this team Food Wars, Kawashima Urara!"
"Now, let me introduce the judges for this final battle. They are all famous star players from all over the world, and they have professional qualifications when it comes to cooking. Their abilities are beyond doubt!"
"The first person to appear is Sakurajima Mai, who has been famous around the world since she was young. As a star actress, she also has her own thoughts on cooking!"
Instantly, the venue erupted with cheers that shook the sky, and Sakurajima Mai, wearing professional attire, slowly entered the stage as everyone watched.
"The second person to appear is Eriri, a famous illustrator who has grown from an online platform!"
With her flowing yellow hair and sweet smile, her appearance was quickly recognized by everyone. After all, everyone has read adult comics. If they didn't even know Master Eriri, wouldn't that be too narrow-minded?
"The third person is an old friend. She's a world-class idol who has won the Best Idol of the Year award three times, Hoshino Ai!"
If the appearance of the first two judges was recognized by domestic audiences, then Hoshino Ai, as a world-renowned national idol, was almost universally known. The already booming ratings would rise again with Hoshino Ai's arrival.
"The fourth person is also a very famous singer. Although her name is relatively new, she has quickly shown her talent. With performances all over the world and her amazing singing, she has quickly gained the love of fans. She is the famous singer, Togawa Saki!"
Unlike the previous few people, Saki's expression was extremely calm. I don't know if it was because she wasn't very famous or because she wasn't used to it, but even so, she was still very much looking forward to the Food Wars that was about to begin.
With the previous four people being so important, more and more viewers began to look forward to the appearance of the last judge. Generally speaking, the headlining judge would be an absolute heavyweight. With Hoshino Ai, a national idol, already appearing beforehand, who would the last person be?
Kawashima Urara:
"The last person, wow, she really has a lot of connections..."
"I bet you can't guess who would come to such an event."
"Let us announce it. The last judge is the person in charge of the Yukinoshita family, Yukinoshita's mother (because the original work doesn't say what she's called...)."
Seeing Yukinoshita's mother's appearance, everyone was a little speechless. After all, most ordinary people wouldn't know about her existence, but... the more famous and wealthy a family is, the more they would know what Yukinoshita's mother's existence represents. As the actual person in charge of such a huge family, Yukinoshita's mother has countless powers, and being able to invite her here...
Haruno: "Hahaha, I asked my mother to come... Hikigaya, you won't blame me for being selfish, right?"
Hachiman: "Huh? Why are you asking me?"
Yukino didn't say a word, but her eyes became sharper as she looked at Haruno, eventually sighing helplessly.
Yukinoshita's mother looked at Yukino and Haruno, then glanced in disbelief at Hikigaya, the boy whom the two girls cherished. In the end she said plainly:
"You've both grown up. I will be the fairest judge in this competition."
After saying that, she ignored the rumors in the audience, and didn't even care about what others thought of her. Hachiman was sure that someone like her had a level of inner strength that was beyond his imagination. Being able to appear so quietly, and calmly accepting everything, this person's background... was indeed amazing.
Alice: "Um, even though I think this is very discouraging, I just realized that all four of the famous judges who just appeared seem to be under the Yukinoshita family's management."
Komachi: "Amazing..."
Hachiman: "...It's hard to imagine the world of the rich. But since that's the case..."
He turned his gaze to Haruno, and his tone became calmer:
"What exactly is your purpose in doing this?"
Haruno still had a faint smile: "Huh? I thought Hikigaya understood."
As she spoke, Haruno's gaze turned to Yukino's face, with a hint of regret in her eyes:
"She's always chasing after herself, and because of that, she keeps failing. She won't be chosen. She's a poor, sweet little sister."
Hachiman: "As expected, it's hard to understand."
Haruno: "Hikigaya, you don't need to think so much. Just put on a good show for the audience. You can do that now, right?"
What Haruno meant was that Hachiman only needed to do his own thing and not worry about other things. After all, this was Yukino's own matter. If he interfered, he might ruin what Yukinoshita had been working so hard for.
But...
Hachiman: "Since you said that, I'm going to butt in."
Haruno's eyes became sharp, and the smile from before disappeared:
"Are you sure?"
Hachiman: "Actually, what I hate most is acting under someone else's control. It would be even better if I could destroy everything."
Haruno: "Hikigaya, you're a bad boy too."
At the same time, in the audience, because the level of this competition was different from the past, each contestant was equipped with a microphone, so their words were undoubtedly heard by everyone in the hall, and Yukinoshita's mother remembered the boy who said such arrogant words.
Yui: "I feel like the atmosphere isn't right..."
Miura: "Yui, you're really stupid. The situation right now isn't about whether it's right or not. The two sides that already had conflict are about to completely explode."
Ryoko: "I hope they'll be okay..."
Marui: "Ryoko, when did you become a believer in chance? Prayers like that don't work."
Ryoko rolled her eyes at him speechlessly, and continued to pray:
"Please, I hope they win."
...
One torch was extinguished, but countless torches appeared, instantly covering the entire venue. Perhaps the time had come, as Kawashima Urara, under everyone's gaze, came to the front of the two teams:
"Team Food Wars, begin!"
"Please select your first contestant."
As the first contestant to appear, everyone knew that this first battle was very important, and if they could use it to gain the right to fight several battles in a row, it was even more important. To give them momentum, Hachiman decided to let Kurokiba, who was already overwhelming with his aura, go first. Everyone thought that this was a great choice.
On the Elite Ten side, they decided to use Hayama Akira, who had just taken office. The two of them competing against each other could be considered a way to give the Autumn Election a conclusion. After all, the audience thought that the two of them would fight until the end, but they didn't expect that Hikigaya and Yukinoshita would suddenly appear and take the top two spots. So, for many students, this competition was also full of interest.
"The opening is a battle between two of the top fighters, how interesting!"
"I'm already curious. Will Hayama Akira's spices be better, or will Kurokiba's seafood cuisine be better? We'll get an answer today!"
Kawashima Urara: "The rules of the competition are the same as before. Draw your recipe by yourself, and then you will have two hours to cook. Now, please come on stage!"
Kurokiba: "Lady, I'm going."
Alice had a lot of confidence in Kurokiba. After practicing for this period of time, everyone seemed to have been reborn. If he was dealing with Hayama from that time, he would definitely be able to win without much effort.
On the other side, Hayama Akira gently pressed Shiomi Jun's head:
"I will win, for our research institute."
Shiomi Jun: "Mm..."
As the two of them came on stage, the entire audience once again erupted with thunderous shouts. Hayama Akira and Kurokiba were like old friends, just smiling at each other:
"Do you want to go, or should I?"
"I'll go."
"The final recipe is... salmon?!"
Even Kurokiba didn't expect that he would randomly draw his best seafood dish. With the learning from this period of time, he seemed to see victory waving to him.
Kurokiba turned around with a proud look: "Hayama Akira, I will definitely win this time."
Hayama Akira was calm. Even when faced with this situation, he just replied softly:
"Having lived in the slums since I was a child, I have an unparalleled talent for smell. But even so, I have lost many important competitions, and lost a lot of important things."
"At that time, I had nothing, until Shiomi Jun picked me up, a malnourished child, and took me back to the research institute. I made up my mind that in the future, I must win everything!"
"Victory will only favor two kinds of people. The first kind are those who wait for the opportunity to come, and the second kind are those who will do anything to win!"
"Come on, Kurokiba, let us present the most exciting competition!"
The drums sounded, and the cooking began.
This was clearly Kurokiba's area of expertise, but from the very beginning, Hachiman had observed that Hayama Akira was not much slower than Kurokiba, and in fact, his basic skills were even more precise.
As expected, it wasn't that easy, Hachiman sighed helplessly.
Even if they try harder to practice, they won't be able to widen the gap with their opponents by much in the same amount of time, and in a competition, the most important thing is the ability to perform under pressure.
No matter what, the cooking competition has begun. What will be the outcome of Kurokiba and Hayama Akira's competition? In two hours, the result will finally be known.
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