Time passed, second by second, and the competition entered a white-hot stage.
"From Yoshinoya, contestant Yoshino Takashi announces his dish is ready."
The corners of Mo Bai's mouth curled up, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Finally—I've... been... waiting... for... you!"
The rich aroma of the fourth pot of fresh fish soup was wafting through its lid.
It was like a risqué work that avoids full nudity to stay out of the adults-only category; as long as it's within the rules, who can say it's a violation?
Since they were already enemies, total annihilation was the only way forward.
"Please briefly describe your dish."
"A Salmon Oyako-don. I used Imperial Shibetsu Salmon from the Shibetsu River on Kunibetsu Island in Betsukai, Hokkaido. The salmon roe is also fresh, having arrived in Akihabara from the Shibetsu River this very morning..."
"Enough. Do you think that I, the chief food critic of Hokkaido, have never eaten Imperial Shibetsu Salmon? Are you planning to recite the entire curing process for the Imperial Shibetsu Salmon next?" Colson frowned and cut off Yoshino Takashi's introduction, his opinion of the man inexplicably dropping a few notches.
In truth, judging from Colson's cool and stern demeanor and how he immediately fired that IGO staffer after the competition, he was definitely the type with a straightforward temper.
While not quite explosive, he wasn't far from it.
He could converse pleasantly with Mo Bai because of Mo Bai's culinary skill. Had everyone forgotten how menacing he was before tasting Harano Katsuya's dish just moments ago?
And now, some low-star chef was boasting to him about ingredients from Hokkaido in such a smug tone?
Are you f*cking kidding me?
Look at my title, bro!
Chief Food Critic of the IGO Hokkaido Branch!
You think that's just for show?
"Let the tasting begin." With a grim face, Colson picked up his chopsticks. The two novice judge girls trembled, their expressions saying, 'You're the boss, you call the shots.'
Actually, Yoshino Takashi's Salmon Oyako-don looked decent enough.
The dark, sauce-infused salmon roe were plump and round, sprinkled like jewels over the salmon meat. The flaked salmon was a pale orange-red, semi-cooked, and the grilled salmon belly was cooked to perfection without a single scorch mark.
"This Yoshino Takashi doesn't look like much, but maybe his cooking skills are actually good?" The salmon meat, mixed with roe and white rice, was about to enter their mouths.
At that very moment, however, Mo Bai lifted the lid of his fresh fish soup pot, and at the same time, the lids of the shellfish, shrimp, and dried fish broths were removed one by one.
The savory aromas of the four broths merged into one. In an instant, the roar of the ocean manifested, and a wave of fragrance swept through the entire arena with unstoppable force.
The crowd of onlookers immediately erupted into a commotion.
"Hey! This aroma is incredible!"
"(╯▽╰ ) So fragrant~~, it smells so good!"
"Oh my god! I really want to rush onto the stage and snatch those four pots of soup from Station One!"
...
"Looks like Old Mo has no intention of letting that guy off the hook." Wang Yao looked at Yoshino Takashi, who had yet to grasp the situation, with a pitying gaze. "But that roaring sound... why does it feel so much like the style of the Dark Cuisine world?"
The moment the salmon rice entered his mouth, an overwhelming fragrance surged into Colson's nostrils, violently suppressing the umami that was supposed to rush up from his taste buds.
When the flavor in one's mouth fails to meet expectations, the dish's flaws are infinitely magnified.
Colson dropped his chopsticks immediately. Chiba Eda chewed a few times before spitting it into the trash can by her feet with a blank expression. Only Takagaki Kaede swallowed, but the pained look on her deeply furrowed brow said it all.
"Is this shoddy, mass-produced thing what you prepared?!" The last shred of anticipation in his heart shattered, and Colson slammed his hand on the judges' table in a rage.
The host, Kasuga Yanagi, had already switched to mute mode the moment she saw Colson's expression darken, turning the entire stage over to the three judges.
"I can't believe this is a dish served in the finals!"
"The salmon roe is over-seasoned, the salmon is overcooked, the nori wasn't toasted long enough, and what I never would have expected is that even the white rice has an off-taste?!"
"How dare you serve this garbage, which is worse than assembly-line food, to the judges' table!?"
There's no need to waste words on how important a chef's mentality is when cooking.
After all, cooking is a task that requires complete concentration from start to finish.
The consequences of Yoshino Takashi's mental breakdown, when he had crushed the roe and then hastily finished his work, were now glaringly obvious. The roe was already fishy, and when fresh roe bursts, the fishiness is compounded. In his state of despair, Yoshino Takashi hadn't thoroughly washed his hands before starting to wash and cook the rice.
The off-taste had naturally clung to the white rice.
Mo Bai nearly burst out laughing. This was a classic case of reaping what you sow. He never expected that launching a single missile would produce the effect of a nuclear bomb.
"If I had the authority, I would revoke your Three-Star Chef qualification right now!" Colson roared, his face flushed red. If he had a blonde wig, he could perfectly cosplay as a furious version of the Golden Lion King.
"Zero points! Take it away!" Colson sat down in a huff, waving his hand for an embarrassed waiter to remove the Salmon Oyako-don from his sight. Every extra second that thing remained before him felt like a personal provocation.
"Zero points," the sweet miko Chiba Eda said coldly. The Nekomata in her arms swiped its tail, knocking the rice bowl to the floor.
"I'm sorry, Contestant Yoshino, but please forgive me, I really cannot accept this." Takagaki Kaede also gave the harshest score of her life: zero points.
With three zeros announced, the five chefs on the high platform seemed to have hit a pause button.
The atmosphere was nearly frozen.
The joy of advancing from their respective groups had made them completely forget that the three judges on the panel possessed the power to pronounce judgment on their entire lives with a single word.
"Could this Yoshino Takashi's cooking skills really be that terrible?" Wang Yao, sitting in the front row of the crowd, muttered to himself as he watched the eyes of the young man beside him gradually turn red.
"Damn that Yoshino Takashi, does he think he can bully our goddess Kaede because she's good-natured? How dare he serve that kind of garbage to our goddess?!" As he spoke, the young man's eyes reddened further, and he prepared to charge forward.
Wang Yao quickly stopped him. "Hey, hey, hey, brother, calm down! Don't do anything rash! There are IGO staff equipped with riot gear guarding the cooking stations."
Persuaded by Wang Yao and seeing an IGO staff member take out a stun baton, the hot-blooded young man calmed down, but the anger in his heart could not be quelled. "Then what do you suggest we do?"
"Although you can't hit him, you can curse him. With so many people in the audience, you're definitely not Takagaki Kaede's only fan here." Being a troublemaker at heart, Wang Yao had a flash of inspiration, and a brilliant idea came to mind.
"Yoshino Takashi is a moron! Bullying our goddess Kaede! Get out of Akihabara!" Wang Yao's lone shout stunned the young man beside him, as well as everyone else, both on and off stage.
Soon, Takagaki Kaede's fans scattered throughout the crowd seemed to have found their leader and began to chant along.
"Yoshino Takashi is a moron! Bullying our goddess Kaede! Get out of Akihabara!"
"Yoshino Takashi is a moron! Bullying our goddess Kaede! Get out of Akihabara!"
"Yoshino Takashi is a moron! Bullying our goddess Kaede! Get out of Akihabara!"
...
The layered waves of sound echoed endlessly. Kasuga Yanagi nearly broke down in tears; this was definitely a major broadcast incident!
Mo Bai hid behind his soup pots, his head bowed as he snorted with laughter like a pig, feeling as refreshed as if he were eating ice cream on a hot summer day.
"But... it's still not enough. This is just the interest!" Thinking of Wang Xiang still lying in the hospital and those hooligans from before, Mo Bai's expression returned to one of calm.
"Xiao Bai, let's get this party started!"
"Now... let's count up your sins!"
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