Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 392 - 391: "Sure-Kill" Won’t Lose

Chapter 392: Chapter 391: "Sure-Kill" Won’t Lose

A sleepless night.

"Beep beep beep, beep beep beep, beep beep beep..."

Early in the morning, the alarm went off.

The woman on the bed slowly opened her eyes, gazing at the ceiling of He Fengshe, then turned her head to look at the window illuminated by the sunshine.

The early summer morning always came so quickly; as soon as Yuchuan Ayaka sat up from the bed, the two maids outside the door, hearing the noise, knocked and entered.

Meanwhile.

The shopping street.

Sen Tian Pastry Shop.

"Yu, Yu..."

The neatly dressed Sen Tian Makoto, knocked on the guest room door.

After a long while without response, Mrs. Sen Tia peeped out from the kitchen and smiled, "Makki, Yu has been up for a while, you should go check at Xia’s Main Store."

With that, Mrs. Sen Tia watched her daughter trot out the door, a smile radiated from her eyes.

Xia Yu wasn’t in the main store, but in a branch.

When Sen Tian Makoto finally found him, panting, he was in the spacious courtyard of the branch, moving and pausing, practicing tai chi like an elderly person.

Although the style was that of an older person’s tai chi, Xia Yu practiced with focus, his forehead faintly dripping with sweat.

Sometimes his fingers came together like eagle’s claws, as if a mighty eagle was swooping down on its prey.

Sometimes, like a fierce tiger descending the mountain baring its claws and teeth, full of vigor.

"Hu—"

With a powerful punch thrown.

Sen Tian Makoto’s mouth slightly opened, it wasn’t an illusion. When Xia Yu threw his punch, the cluster of flowers and plants in front of him shook violently, as if swept by a hurricane, the reaction was too strong.

After finishing the routine and breathing out.

Xia Yu didn’t even wipe the sweat from his forehead; he looked towards Sen Tian Makoto, and the young girl was immediately captivated by his bright, piercing black eyes.

"Come on, Makki, let’s have breakfast together!" Xia Yu called her to join him in the kitchen, and soon after, casually served up two bowls of fragrant traditional Chinese breakfast delicacy.

It was tofu pudding.

Sen Tian Makoto stared at the bowl with beautifully patterned Shuangjiang Tofu, exclaiming, "Made with Shuangjiang Tofu?"

"You should say it’s made with soymilk from ground Fantasy Soybeans."

Xia Yu corrected his childhood friend’s mistake with a smile.

The two took their bowls to the branch’s main hall, where Xia Yu began eating and switched on the hall’s electronic equipment.

The morning gourmet news.

The screen showed the interior of a classical venue.

The camera panned left and right, then focused on the center stage, where two diagonally arranged kitchen stations were set up.

The stage was big enough to hold two sets of professional kitchen tools and equipment and still have plenty of space left.

The female host’s excited voice came through:

"...This is the landmark building of Far Moon Culinary Academy, which in the past only opened for Food Battles among the Elite Ten — Moon Sky Hall!"

"It is known that there were three candidate targets for this Food Battle venue: the top-grade arena of the IGO Neon Department, Far Moon Academy’s Moon Sky Hall, and the mysterious Lin Pavilion at Shi Lin Temple!"

"But in the end, Far Moon won in the competition!"

Actually, Far Moon had snagged a great bargain.

Such a highly anticipated Food Battle had its venue debated from the end of the top-level assessment night all the way to the end of the month, finally settling the matter yesterday.

The Yuchuan Family, and Yuchuan Ayaka herself, strongly opposed having the Food Battle at the IGO venue.

And Lin Pavilion at Shi Lin Temple faced protests from both the IGO Neon Department and Far Moon. After all, Yuchuan Ayaka originates from Shi Lin Temple.

So, both sides engaged in all sorts of verbal sparring, competition, and compromise, leading to Moon Sky Hall picking up the opportunity.

Change the channel!

Xia Yu listened to the hostess reveal the inside story of the venue struggle, his eyes twitching slightly, and he clicked the remote.

The next program turned out to be an interview.

The host asked two newly-promoted top-grade chefs for their opinions on the Food Battle starting at six o’clock that evening. Xia Yu recognized both experts: ’King of Losers’ Nakajima Sei and ’Curry Queen’ Ujou Mamie.

"May I ask the two new top-grade chefs, what are your views on tonight’s Food Battle?" the male host asked, "For example, who do you favor more?"

Nakajima Sei and Ujou Mamie exchanged glances.

"I’ll say it!"

The fiery Ujou Mamie spoke without reservation, "This Food Battle has been unfair from the very beginning; Chef Xia is definitely on the losing side."

"A ten-year gap, is it just ten years?"

Ujou Mamie addressed the camera, her words revealing undisguised admiration for Yuchuan Ayaka.

"Actually, Miss Yuchuan," said the host, "even years before she officially passed the special grade exam, she already had her own ’killer’ recipes. The abbot of Shi Lin Temple is very satisfied with this disciple."

The host didn’t expect Ujou Mamie to be so dismissive of Xia Yu, and after a slight startle, she said with a wry smile, "So, Chef Ujou, in your opinion, does Chef Xia have no chance of winning at all?"

Ujou Mamie shook her head, not directly answering the question.

"If he had passed the special grade exam and accumulated two or three more years, he would have had more than a ten percent chance of winning," Ujou Mamie said with regret. "I hoped to see a battle where the strength of both sides is equal, an incredibly exciting Food Battle, not a lopsided fight where the outcome is predictable even before the match."

The host then turned to ’the king of losers,’ Nakajima Sei.

"Chef Nakajima..."

Nakajima Sei said helplessly, "Actually, I generally agree with Chef Ujou’s view. This Food Battle is too sudden, too rushed."

Then, changing his tone, he smiled at the camera and said:

"However, losing may not necessarily be a bad thing for Chef Xia. I hope that after this defeat, he can settle down and create his own ’killer’ recipe within two or three years, and then go back to challenge Miss Yuchuan."

Snap!

The remote control was snatched from Xia Yu’s hand.

Makoto Sen Tian grabbed the remote, turned off the TV, and said with a frown, "No more TV! Don’t let the outside noise influence you!"

"Influence?" Xia Yu was quite interested, listening to the comments from acquaintances, and was surprised when the screen went dark.

He pointed to his own face.

"Makki, do you think I’m influenced?" he chuckled.

"I just want to see how many people underestimate me before the match," Xia Yu said patiently, then sighed, "I have to say, that woman Yuchuan Ayaka really exerts a formidable ’pressure’ on me!"

With the TV off, his mood vanished, he finished eating his Shuangjiang Tofu, patted his buttocks, and went to the branch kitchen to continue working on the last piece of the puzzle for his ’killer’ recipe.

The sauces were already taking shape!

With only one day left, Xia Yu felt a sense of urgency in his heart!

The final bell tolls!

...

Noon.

Haneda International Airport.

Three foreign travelers arrived quietly within Neon’s territory, attracting no onlookers.

This was the observation group from the Hong Kong Chef Alliance.

Leading the group was Guan Xingchen, a middle-aged man with a stern face and square features, dressed in a sharp suit. The two accompanying him, a man and a woman, were both in their twenties, their faces exuding the arrogance and confidence of geniuses, apparently not ordinary chefs.

"Father, do you really think our observation target is so extraordinary? A special grade chef at sixteen!" asked the woman, who had her hair tied in a neat ponytail. Her name was Guan He.

Guan Xingchen showed a faint smile, "This is the mission arranged by the higher-ups."

"From my perspective, it’s just a sham..."

The young man accompanying them, Guan Yi, spoke disdainfully.

Soon, the trio stopped in front of a large screen at the airport exit.

The screen was showing the news of tonight’s Food Battle, drawing the attention of many travelers in the airport, with a lot of foreigners whispering among themselves in Mandarin and English.

Yuchuan Ayaka was being interviewed in the main house’s kitchen.

The interviewer was Chiyoda Aichi, and this was clearly an official promotional tactic designed to drum up excitement before the Food Battle.

"’Killer’ dishes won’t lose." Facing the camera, the female chef, exuding a Bohemian Goddess vibe, spoke flatly, "If I am to lose, it would be to a dish of ’killer’ caliber..."

A hint of hidden scorn flashed in her eyes.

It was a blunt statement, anyone could hear her declaration—

She, who mastered the ’killer’ dishes, would not lose!

"’Killer’ dishes, huh!"

Guan He and the young man exchanged glances, unable to deny that, if it were them, they would likely lack the confidence to step onto the Food Battle Stage.

Even for Guan Xingchen, known as the Cantonese Cuisine King, a sense of apprehension was visible.

A Lin Chef, when facing special grade ’killer’ dishes, would need to put in extra effort to have a chance at victory.

"Destined to lose?"

Guan Xingchen continued to watch the screen, as the scene switched to a shopping street, where a young chef was being interviewed by the officials in front of a store.

The interviewer was Dubian Yuuki.

It seemed the officials dispatched two teams to interview both sides of the Food Battle simultaneously.

To Dubian Yuuki’s many questions, the young man simply smiled slightly.

"I think I will not lose..."

With just this concise sentence, a wave of astonishment swept through the airport terminal.

Guan He covered her mouth, looking at the confident young man on screen.

Interest flickered in Guan Xingchen’s eyes.

The young man accompanying him mocked incessantly, "Hah? Not lose? Faced with a ’killer’ recipe, even I would bow out, where does he get his confidence? He really knows no bounds of heaven and earth!"