Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 450 - 449: The Advancing Antagonist (Part 2)

Chapter 450: Chapter 449: The Advancing Antagonist (Part 2)

The first round of the decisive battle on September 15 ended right at noon.

Xia Yu didn’t leave the school, but instead joined Dojima Yin, Indira, and Shinohara Shigetaro for lunch at the Tiqie Mansion.

They chatted idly over tea after the meal.

"Kid, how well have you mastered my recipe?" Dojima Yin curiously asked.

"Recipe? Are you talking about the Special Grade Recipe?"

"Killing!" Dojima Yin said resentfully.

"Oh, probably... 50%!" Xia Yu scratched his head.

Indira and Shinohara Shigetaro then curiously asked Xia Yu about the details, and he laughingly told them the truth.

Recently, Dojima Yin had allowed Xia Yu to observe him cooking a "Killing" dish and to taste it, in exchange for getting a pot of Far Moon tangerine leaves.

Thus, Xia Yu had "stolen the master’s skills" legitimately.

However, even with "Super Vision," Xia Yu’s replication of the recipe wasn’t completely flawless; there were some gaps that he had to keep trying to fill in by himself. Afterwards, Xia Yu honestly confessed to Dojima Yin about "stealing his skills."

"It’s okay, it’s just one Special Grade Killing Recipe," Shinohara Shigetaro said laughingly after hearing it, winking at Xia Yu, "President Dojima has deep pockets, you’ve got a long way to go before you can get to the bottom of him!"

Dojima Yin grumbled discontentedly, "Minister Shinohara, you make it sound so easy. For top-notch special chefs like us, having three Killing Recipes would make us invincible at our level!"

"So, President Dojima, how many do you have?" Xia Yu asked.

"Heh, how many? I’m not telling you!"

Dojima Yin was very displeased.

Anyone would be steaming mad if they were tricked like that, and not spitting blood was already a sign of great restraint.

Xia Yu chuckled inwardly, and not wanting to tease him further, turned his gaze toward Tiqie Xianzuowen sitting across the table, and pursed his lips, "General, I have a request this time..."

"Oh?"

The teahouse went quiet; Dojima, Shinohara, and Indira held their voices, knowing that the two were about to discuss serious matters.

"I want to buy that plantation."

Xia Yu got straight to the point.

"Buy it?"

Dojima Yin’s brow furrowed; even though the plantation was in a remote area of Far Moon, it was still school property.

But considering Xia Yu’s status as an instructor, Dojima Yin’s frown eased.

"That land has already been authorized for your independent accounting, the school won’t interfere with the management. Isn’t that enough?" Dojima Yin said, half-joking, half-annoyed, "Polar Star Dormitory operates under this independent accounting system too! Chiyokuro and I had a hard time fighting for this!"

"Not enough!"

Xia Yu stated firmly, "I want to truly take the land into my own hands, turning it into my private property!"

Upon hearing this.

A flash of insight crossed Dojima Yin’s face, and he said seriously, "Have you sensed something?"

Tiqie Xianzuowen also looked up.

"Um..."

Xia Yu responded softly, shrugging his shoulders, "I want to secure the land before the Far Moon Board of Directors faces major upheavals."

Indeed, he had a strong sense of crisis, especially as the ’Autumn Selection’ continued to gain momentum, and more people were discussing the origins of the high-quality Fantasy Ingredients used by students, the plantation was increasingly under covetous gazes.

Securing the estate first would put his mind at ease.

"Major upheavals?"

Dojima Yin shook his head, "With the General here, we Tiqie are as solid as Mount Tai. Your concerns are unnecessary. The Tiqie Family has always been the Far Moon Kingdom’s mainstay."

Xia Yu sighed inwardly. Seeing the hint of contempt in Dojima Yin’s eyes, he refrained from saying more.

Indeed, the Tiqie Family has always been the Far Moon Kingdom’s mainstay.

But would they tolerate someone who had been expelled with the audacity to powerfully return and shit on their heads?

Xia Yu, who knew the future plot, could never allow Ghost Father Tiqie Ji to return!

So, he had to change!

To fight against the stubborn timeline!

"General, I’ve made up my mind." Xia Yu locked eyes with Tiqie Xianzuowen’s profound gaze, "If you could sell me that land, or offer it at a clear price... I will help you stabilize Far Moon!"

This was a declaration of picking sides.

Shinohara and Indira quietly exited the teahouse, secretly listening to Xia Yu’s words, and exchanged shocked looks.

Helping the Far Moon General stabilize Far Moon?

If the ’Food Demon King’ couldn’t even secure the Far Moon throne, what was the point of leading the Neon Food World?

"This kid’s talking nonsense..." Shinohara Shigetaro chuckled and apologized to Indira, "Let’s go, let’s go sit in another room."

The two of them being outsiders, it wasn’t appropriate for them to eavesdrop on Far Moon’s internal affairs.

Xia Yu didn’t leave the Tiqie Mansion until evening.

Standing in the valley, bathed in the glow of the setting sun and looking out over the vibrant fruits and vegetables, Xia Yu thought to herself, "It all comes down to tomorrow’s Board of Directors meeting. Currently, the Tiqie faction still has the upper hand, as long as Dojima Yin has communicated with the other tycoons, the acquisition proposal should have no problem!"

Her gaze grew colder.

Acquiring the manor land was only the first step, a way to calm her own nerves.

Next would be a decisive strike!

Digging out the very foundation of Ghost Father’s return, without the backing of the Board of Directors, she wanted to see how he would leap!

Xia Yu had a plan in mind for dealing with the behemoths of the Board.

As a special-grade chef herself, Xia Yu felt in no way inferior.

This soaring confidence was, to a great extent, due to the supplement of "Killing" recipes from Dojima Yin and Indira!

Once she thoroughly studied both sets of recipes and gained her insights, she’d feel confident about her invincibility against Ghost Father Tiqie Ji.

...

The next day.

Today, September 16th, was the second round of the quarterfinals, with Xingping Chuangzhen vs. Takeomi Alldini set to compete.

The four matches were spread over four days, from the 15th to the 18th. The next two matches were Tanaka Hikari against Heimuzhang Liang and Yashan Liang against Niho Fuyuka.

But something was off with the atmosphere at the judges’ table today.

Only Indira and Shinohara Shigetaro were present; the three judges from the Far Moon faction, Xia Yu, Dojima Yin, and Xianzuowen, were nowhere to be seen. The three empty chairs sparked much discussion among the audience.

"Sorry, so sorry!"

Host Kawashima Reika, receiving an urgent notification from a staff member, announced with a sweaty brow, "The second-round match themed ’Ramen’ will start normally in 10 minutes! Additionally, the General, Instructor Xia, and President Dojima are unable to attend due to an emergency. We have contacted other judges, so please wait patiently!"

A sudden change of judges?

The crowd buzzed with surprise.

Shinohara Shigetaro’s face grew tense as he thought, "Is there turmoil in the Far Moon Board of Directors after all?"

Indira closed her eyes.

She was a judge of pure impartiality.

"Bang!"

At the Far Moon Board of Directors meeting, Kikuchi Musashi slammed his hand on the table, pointing at a document and cursing, "That’s a property of Far Moon; there’s no way it could be sold!"

"Seconded!"

One of the tycoons stood up.

"It’s not only unsellable, but the Board of Directors should also revoke the land use rights and bring it under the management of the academy."

A second opposing tycoon stated coldly.

Seeing this, Dojima Yin struggled to contain his anger and stood up, "We’re here to discuss matters, not to convene a marketplace gathering, and besides, the General himself signed the land use agreement. Why didn’t you voice your objections so strongly back then?"

Kikuchi Musashi lifted his head and stated, "Let’s set aside the land use rights issue for now, and decide on this acquisition proposal!"

Hmm?!

Dojima Yin’s eyelids twitched, and the uneasy feeling in his heart intensified.

The opposition was at a numerical disadvantage in the Board of Directors, yet Kikuchi Musashi actively pushed for a decision, which was highly unusual!

First in seat, Tiqie Xianzuowen was half asleep, with his eyes half-open.

"Let’s have the vote then—"

He declared, "Those in favor of this document, raise your hands."

Apart from Xianzuowen, only four people raised their hands.

Dojima Yin, Tiqie Zongwei, and two other directors.

"Mr. Kasuga?"

A man in a kimono, around fifty years old with partially gray hair, remained seated, his expression indifferent.

Three tycoons from the opposition, including Kikuchi Musashi, and the turncoat Kasuga Shigeru quickly accumulated 5 votes together.

Thud! Thud!

Dojima Yin staggered backwards in shock.

"Senior, why?!" Dojima Yin stared at Kasuga Shigeru in disbelief.

This former head chef had been the one to promote him. Dojima Yin’s eyes were bloodshot.

Kasuga Shigeru closed his eyes, offering no response.

"Heh heh!"

Kikuchi Musashi mocked, "Dojima, why don’t you make a call to see what Saito Chiyokuro thinks? Even if he agrees, the votes for and against are evenly split!"

Not counting the leader, there were ten members of the Board of Directors. Originally, six belonged to the Tiqie faction, who moved together to ensure most proposals passed.

But Kasuga Shigeru’s defection had shattered the foundation of the Tiqie camp.

"...Wait a minute, aren’t you forgetting about me?"