Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 138: Straight to the Highest Difficulty (Ninth Update!)

Chapter 138: Chapter 138: Straight to the Highest Difficulty (Ninth Update!)

"Wait a minute!"

Kawashima Reika, called to a halt, saw Xia Yu reaching for the microphone with a gesture of request. Startled, she handed him the microphone.

Taking the microphone, Xia Yu didn’t bother with any preamble and got straight to the point.

"You all must be curious about my cooking skills, eager to see if I’m truly as good as they say and if I deserve to be an instructor at Far Moon, right?"

At the sound of his voice, many students in the auditorium instinctively nodded their heads.

"Both the General and Minister Shinohara have said, this is a very important experimental class. To avoid any misunderstandings you might have about the course, it’s essential for us, teachers and students, to increase our mutual understanding!"

Saying this, Xia Yu pointed to Si Yingshi, the top of the Ten Masters of Far Moon, standing about a meter away from him.

The scene froze at that moment.

Si Yingshi was taken aback, the shock crossing his handsome face as a hint of panic flashed through his eyes, which began to dart around. He exuded an air of vulnerability.

Just as everyone was puzzled, Xia Yu spoke up.

"White Knight of the Table, how about a friendly contest with me—"

The atmosphere in the auditorium instantly plummeted to a freezing point.

The teachers and students were petrified, and so were most of the members from the Polar Star Dormitory. Yoshino Yuuki broke out in cold sweat, whispering with a low voice, "Does he know who he’s challenging? Si Yingshi is a third-year, and also the Ten Outstanding Chief. His culinary skills are nearly on par with seniors like Kazasaki Tatsuki and Kikuchi Sankaku from the previous class!"

"Look at that—"

Reiko Liangzi glanced at a gaping Dojima Yin with amusement in her eyes, "To call him out by name for a duel with the Ten Outstanding Chief right off the bat, indeed he’s got guts."

"I’m looking forward to what he will present."

Dojima Yin’s face was a picture of excitement.

In fact, he too was wondering about the outcome of the match between Xia Yu and Si Yingshi.

He had tasted Xia Yu’s nearly Special Grade Cuisine ’Flame-Roasted Suckling Pig’ that night, and had a rough idea of Xia Yu’s capability, but Dojima Yin wasn’t certain that Xia Yu had a sure chance of defeating Si Yingshi.

Each chief of the Ten Masters is no simple character.

As a former chief among the Ten Masters, Dojima Yin had the most say. Back when he was still at school, he had already mastered at least one Special Grade Recipe. Even Saito Chiyokuro, who was second, and Nakamura Ayame, who was third, were similar; when it came to a life-or-death Food Duel, it all depended on who had a deeper understanding of the Special Grade Recipes.

In a duel between experts, victory and defeat could be determined within a single move. Whether Xia Yu or Si Yingshi would win, Dojima Yin wouldn’t be surprised.

"Interesting!"

Shinohara Shigetaro laughed, gazing at Xia Yu and muttered to himself, "The last time, during his two-star rating assessment, he presented three-star level cuisine, and that wasn’t even his trump card. What will he show this time?"

"A duel of gems!"

Tiqie Xianzuowen said just these few words, concise and powerful.

"This, this..."

On stage, the female host, Kawashima Reika, was stunned.

Si Yingshi, the one Xia Yu had directly challenged by name, reacted even worse than the host. He stumbled a few steps backward and stuttered, "What, what! I don’t want any duel! Who said I would duel you!"

The response of the Ten Outstanding Chief was not unexpected to Xia Yu.

This was Si Yingshi: a man with exceptional culinary skills and a handsome appearance, seemingly flawless, but in truth, outside the kitchen, he was someone who constantly switched on his timid mode, avoiding Food Duels and disputes as much as possible, dedicated to research and study, devoting himself and his pride to the art of cooking. It was for this reason that he had acquired the title "White Knight of the Table."

Si Yingshi’s performance, in the eyes of a group of Far Moon students, quietly fanned the flames of their passion.

"Senior, accept the challenge!"

"Yes, accept it, defend the honor of Far Moon!"

Students immediately began to shout from below the stage.

In the corner of the auditorium, the Ten Masters of Far Moon, except for Si Yingshi on stage, which included Ichise Hui and Tiqie Helinai, the other seats were occupied by the ’Alchemist’ Rui Shan, Koga Shoji, Nikunokuni Ningning, Saito Sohmei, Kishikubo Momo, Nakamuki Fuyosuke, and Kobayakawa Ryodan, all gathered here.

"How arrogant!"

The ninth seat, Rui Shan, spoke coldly, obviously disliking the sudden appearance of the newcomer on stage.

"Actually, I quite want Si Yingshi to accept the challenge. After all, I have an agreement with him that if I perform well at the Moon Festival, he will have to face me in a Food Duel. So before that, I want to figure out the extent of Si Yingshi’s skills."

The eighth seat, Koga Shoji, seemed quite nonchalant about it.

The other Masters remained silent while the second seat, Kobayakawa Ryodan, a beautiful girl with blood-red hair, held snacks in her hand. She tossed snacks into her mouth while watchfully keeping an eye on Xia Yu on the stage with interest.

"A very interesting person indeed, but his method of forcing Si Yingshi into a match in such a public setting will only result in his humiliation," Kobayakawa Ryodan shook her head with a smile. Her eyes swept over the meek Si Yingshi, hiding a wariness, "His depth, I still cannot quite fathom!"

"Well, let’s see the level of the deputy guest lecturer brought in by the IGO organization."

The sixth seat, Nikunokuni Ningning, pushed her glasses up. She was a girl filled with academic air.

On stage.

"How about it!"

Xia Yu didn’t care about the atmosphere in the auditorium and said to Si Yingshi, "You’re the ’Ten Outstanding Chief’ of Far Moon, representing Far Moon, and you ought to defend its honor. So, you can just see me as a challenger."

It couldn’t be helped.

In fact, Xia Yu didn’t want to show off his culinary skills in front of everyone; he preferred to return to his own small restaurant, to cook calmly, and serve to diners who wanted to eat.

But staying in his small shop, working in isolation, wouldn’t lead to any improvement in his culinary skills.

He accepted the offer from Far Moon and the IGO leaning on Far Moon as a stepping stone.

What kind of stepping stone? Of course, it was one to make a name for himself in Neon’s Food World, where it’s easier to gain attention and easier to obtain system tasks. Look, upon his arrival at Far Moon, he already received a major task for the Purple Recipe!

Hearing this, Si Yingshi appeared to be in quite a predicament, and after hesitating for a long time, with the shouting of a group of students below the stage, he finally sighed and said, "Instructor Xia, I really hate any form of culinary competition."

"But like you just said, as the chief of the Ten Masters, I must come forward to maintain the honor of my alma mater."

"So, I can’t lose to you!"

Si Yingshi swept away his timidity, his eyes becoming sharp.

Nobody expected that this unique elective class, at its very first session, would witness a match between two outstanding young chefs whose skills could be very close, and although it was a friendly match, it was still filled with tension.

Xia Yu and Si Yingshi left side by side to go backstage to prepare for the upcoming match.

The female host, Kawashima Reika, finally got her microphone back, but no one was paying attention to her anymore; the auditorium was abuzz with discussions about the program that was about to take place.

"Get ready—"

Tiqie Xianzuowen said this to a middle-aged administrative manager sitting behind him.

The middle-aged man was Keiru Kuusho, the current director of Far Moon’s Food Duel Administration.