Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 163: The New Member of the Family

Chapter 163: Chapter 163: The New Member of the Family

A week’s time isn’t particularly long; it swiftly passes amidst daily routines and the honing of culinary skills.

In recent days, the shopping street had witnessed a sudden revival, bustling with unfamiliar faces. Xia Yu had inquired from Morioka City and found out that it was the "Food Festival’s" crowd; for some unknown reason, they had distributed flyers in the vicinity of the shopping street, including residential areas, commercial buildings, and schools, promoting the Food Duel.

At the crossroads beneath White Seagull High School’s slope.

"Yu, I’m heading home first!"

Nishimura Eiki waved his hand but then suddenly remembered something. With a curious expression, he lifted the flyer in his hand, "Yu, isn’t your family’s shop on this shopping street? Do you know any insider information about that Food Duel?"

Food Duel.

These two words were deemed sacred to the people of this world.

Imitation Food Duels were a common sight on television culinary shows, which garnered high viewership ratings as long as they were done with care. It reflected the people’s enthusiasm and longing for the sacred profession of chefs and their competitive spirit.

Opportunities to witness a chef’s Food Duel in person were rare, especially those open to the public for free.

Moreover, the flyer clearly stated the conditions for victory or defeat in the Food Duel!

The loser would face a devastating loss in the eyes of the public, forfeiting one or two houses, and becoming homeless! This was a real Food Duel, not an entertainment show on television!

Nishimura Eiki’s eyes held a spark of excitement, which Xia Yu noticed.

"I don’t have insider information..."

Xia Yu felt a mix of emotions, not expecting the "Food Festival" folks to have distributed flyers to the area around White Seagull High School.

"Ah!" exclaimed Nishimura Eiki, "Let’s rush there right after class ends tomorrow, otherwise, I’m afraid we won’t be able to squeeze in!"

After saying goodbye to his schoolmates, Xia Yu saw a crowd of people on his way home, heading to the shopping street, their faces alight with excitement and anticipation.

Shopping street.

A stage constructed of frames already spanned the center of the street, where staff bustled about hanging colorful banners and laying out carpets.

These staff members were all from the IGO organization.

IGO had approved Lancelot’s Food Duel request and, after consulting Xia Yu, had erected the grand stage for the Food Duel right on the shopping street. Seeing the IGO staff’s experienced approach, it was clear they were no strangers to setting up outdoor stages.

The area was now surrounded by curious passersby A and B.

A pair of girls, who had also just left White Seagull High School, conversed quietly ahead of Xia Yu.

"I heard that the food show team from the TV station is coming to broadcast it live tomorrow..."

"Right! If we can’t make it in, we can just watch the broadcast on TV at home!"

"It’s said that one of the Five-Star Chefs is a blonde hunk, and he’s even a graduate from the United States Orlando College!"

"Wait, the other chef’s name on the flyer, isn’t it the same as a boy from our school?" One of the girls stared at the Food Festival’s flyer and suddenly gasped. Her profile looked somewhat familiar, as if she was one of the girls from class.

Frightened, Xia Yu quickly turned about and ducked into his shop.

"This has certainly attracted a lot of attention!" Xia Yu bolted the shop door; no need to worry about business, as both today and tomorrow were days off. He had already arranged for An Yilun to post the notice on the shop’s website.

Lots of attention was certainly beneficial for the victor.

The "Food Festival" had intentionally made such a big fuss—apparently to prevent IGO from targeting them during the Food Duel. Knowing they couldn’t hide their movements, they decided to hype it up and stimulate public interest, which would force IGO to be cautious about making any untoward moves.

Through the promotion, Xia Yu could deduce that the Food Festival core member was quite confident in his culinary skills. A cold smirk crept into Xia Yu’s heart, "The real victor will be unveiled on the stage!"

Xia’s shop kitchen was spotlessly clean.

The research on fish maw soup was halted two days ago. Xia Yu shifted his focus more onto the new recipe "Heavenly Hero Grilled Bluefish."

"Meow~"

Perhaps because it was hungry, upon hearing his return, the wild Hua Mao by the corridor ran up to him, crying out, and timidly shrank away, ready to flee at any moment Xia Yu approached.

This week’s meals had been good, and the wild Hua Mao’s fur appeared more lustrous and sleek. Xia Yu thought for a moment, with the shop closed for the next two days, there was plenty of time, he headed to the fridge, and picked out some vegetables, meats, and fish ingredients, humming a tune while preparing a lavish cat meal for the Hua Mao.

He set the plate down in the hallway, composed of freshly made cat food mixed with beef, chicken breast, carrots, cabbage, and some tuna.

Cooking mainly involved blanching and steaming.

As for seasonings, Xia Yu only added a tiny bit of salt and no spices.

"Go ahead and eat—"

He squatted down and, with a light laugh, pointed to the colorful cat food on the plate, "This is your custom-made special dish!"

The Hua Mao fixed him with its amber eyes for several minutes before hesitantly moving forward, and seeing Xia Yu still squatting motionlessly, it gathered the courage to approach the plate and began sniffing.

Xia Yu had thought the Hua Mao would feast greedily, but after a few sniffs, it looked up with a pitiful expression, meowing in a seemingly coquettish tone.

Eh? Xia Yu didn’t understand and scratched his face.

Noticing this, the Hua Mao became anxious, its cries more urgent.

Resigned, Xia Yu picked up the plate while the Hua Mao followed at his heels; he headed to the kitchen, and the cat followed.

"Whoosh"

As a shadow flashed by, Xia Yu blinked, and the nimble cat had already jumped onto the stove, rubbing its paw against the bottom of the frying pan, its fluffy tail swishing back and forth, eyes like jewels pleading with a human-like desire.

"Dammit, picky eater, don’t like boiled food?!" Xia Yu realized and couldn’t help but swear with a laugh; he had no choice but to turn on the heat and add oil, careful with the amount, he looked at the water-boiled cat food on the plate and tossed it into the pan to stir-fry.

Once it was fragrant, he removed it from the heat.

He carried the plate out, and the Hua Mao nimbly ran alongside him; it was only when Xia Yu bent down to put the plate on the floor did the cat start gorging it down, making quaint, tender meows and a rumbling sound from its belly, seemingly enjoying its meal immensely.

It seemed the household was about to gain a new member.

Observing the Hua Mao eating, Xia Yu thought that since he didn’t have allergies to cat fur, keeping a pet seemed like a nice idea, plus, this cat was really smart and spirited; he genuinely liked it from the bottom of his heart.

The night passed.

The next day, Xia Yu wasn’t nervous about the evening’s FOOD DUEL, spending his day as usual attending classes at school.

That afternoon after school, he was accompanied by two classmates.

Both Nishimura Eiki and Boss Sakamoto tagged along.

The trio arrived near the old shopping district, only to be dumbfounded by the dense crowds that resembled a bustling firework festival.

"This, this..." Nishimura Eiki was flabbergasted, "If we go over there, could we even find a place to stand?"

Xia Yu gave him a look but said nothing, leading the way at the front.

"Come in—"

He opened the side door to the shop, leading Sakamoto and Nishimura to the living quarters on the second floor, opened the window, and wow, a sea of people stretched across the street below.

"This spot is amazing!"

Nishimura Eiki exclaimed in joy, his gaze crossing over the crowd, firmly focused on the large food duel stage not far ahead.