Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 474 - 473: This Must Be a Trick

Chapter 474: Chapter 473: This Must Be a Trick

The target was as tall as a person, round, much like an ordinary dartboard, but enlarged, with each section representing a different question.

At this moment, the target was spinning at high speed, and the ten questions on it were blurred and illegible.

Who would shoot?

Xia Yu and Bernard stood ready as a staff member handed them a coin.

Unexpectedly, neither paid any attention to the coin but instead locked eyes with each other.

"That, that..."

Chiyoda Aichi interrupted them, "Time is tight, please toss the coin to determine who will throw the dart to select the question!"

"Miss Chiyoda, why don’t you throw the dart?"

Xia Yu glanced at the female host, who already had a shiny copper dart in her hand.

"Ah, should I do it?"

Chiyoda Aichi was flustered.

"Then please let this beautiful lady do us the honor."

Bernard gave a slight bow, the picture of a gentleman.

To him, the specific question was not important, what mattered was his own performance on the field!

Such an internationally watched competition involved not just culinary skills but also the psychological strength to bring those skills to bear.

At least, Bernard felt his heart was much stronger than that of the young chef before him.

"In a competition like this, you shouldn’t be on stage," Bernard sighed out of kindness, "If you lose, you can’t imagine the terrible shadows it will cast over you. Can you imagine the public atmosphere? The endless mockery, curses, and the people kicking you while you’re down. Although you’re young and passed the special grade examination, your downfall will be more terrible because of your brightness. If you can’t bear this pressure, you might find it hard to step on a stage again."

"Thank you."

Xia Yu replied with a smile, "But your words are based on the assumption that you will win. Can I take this as your premature victory declaration?"

Bernard’s expression turned cold at once.

"To show my gratitude, I’ll give it my all!" Xia Yu added.

He emphasized the words "my all."

"Ha—"

Bernard said coldly, "I too hope you bring your strongest cooking skills so that together we can make a successful debut in Area A. After all, a one-man show really is no fun. A duel is meant to be between equals, not a crushing defeat!"

While the two exchanged verbal jabs, Chiyoda Aichi hesitated and looked down at the director for guidance.

The director made an ’OK’ gesture, so the host had no choice but to step out of the scripted process and, with a slightly trembling right hand, took hold of the prepared dart and focused on the rapidly spinning target ahead.

Multiple cameras zoomed in.

Whoosh.

The dart fell, and the spinning target abruptly stopped, with the hit question shown in close-up on the big screen at the venue.

"Wow—"

The audience immediately erupted, with more than half standing up in shock.

Two big characters were clearly displayed on the screen—

French Cuisine!

"Oh my God... French cuisine!"

"This, this is too disadvantageous for Instructor Xia. Isn’t his opponent a student from the French Academy? The French Academy is right in the birthplace of French cuisine, France, more precisely, the French Culinary Institute!"

The Polar Star Dormitory members’ eyes widened.

"I knew it!"

Dojima Yin rubbed his furrowed brow, his heart sinking as he listened to the commotion in the venue.

This was an international competition, and each participating team’s special grade competitors were at the apex of the pyramid, the least of which, if they didn’t have a ’killer’ recipe, were half-way through developing one.

Furthermore, the chosen topic hit right in the enemy’s area of expertise.

Tiqie Eriina was already shaking her legs, sitting on the chair, restless, only able to anxiously bite her nails, listening to the clicking friction between her teeth and nails, as a pair of fine eyes gradually became hollow.

"Instructor Chapeau, I’m counting on you for the second round. You must win!" Tiqie Zongwei turned his head to the old professor and said, "Win the second round, win the third, and leave the fourth to me!"

He had already taken for granted that Xia Yu’s debut was a loss.

"Now, Chef Xia is going to lose!" Elizabeth covered her mouth, squinting with a smirk like a little fox rejoicing in another’s misfortune, "Speaking of which, I’ve never seen him lose before. What expression does he make when he loses, Uncle Mars?"

Mars could only silently shake his head at his niece’s mischievous question.

On stage.

"I’m, I’m sorry!"

Chiyoda Aichi bowed repeatedly, almost crying out loud.

She knew the significance of this battle and even more so the kind of public criticism the loser would face. Therefore, she felt extremely guilty for drawing such a "biased" subject for herself.

Xia Yu could only comfort her, gently patting the back of the female host, while inwardly rolling his eyes—ironically, he was the contestant yet he had to comfort someone else; what kind of situation was this?

Bernard, silent, carried the confidence of a victor, and directly requested ingredients from the staff.

"Contestant Xia Yu, what ingredients do you need?"

One of the staff members asked.

Xia Yu looked up, glancing over at Bernard, "Whatever he wants, I want the same, bring me an exact copy of his set."

"Eh...?"

The female staff member was suddenly sweating profusely.

"Hurry up, we’re pressed for time," Xia Yu urged.

"O-okay!"

This scene, witnessed by the audience, again sparked widespread discussion.

Unable to hear their conversation, they only saw the staff member looking bewildered and leaving.

"Miss Chiyoda, have you stopped crying?" Xia Yu said to the hostess rubbing her eyes beside him, voicelessly, "Don’t worry, if I lose, I definitely won’t blame you. You shouldn’t feel burdened."

After saying that.

He entered his own cooking station on his own.

Chiyoda Aichi watched his retreating figure, murmuring, "The exact same ingredients? What is he going to do?"

Although the host couldn’t show bias, in her heart, Chiyoda Aichi definitely supported the chef she was familiar with, especially since she had known Xia Yu for over half a year. In her heart, she admired and aspired to be like this young Chef Xia. Hence, for drawing a topic that was extremely unfavorable for Xia Yu, Chiyoda Aichi was so genuinely distressed and panicked.

Soon, the ruckus in the venue did not diminish but instead seemed to grow stronger. Everyone’s ears were filled with a buzzing noise.

Two sets of identical ingredients and utensils were placed near two diagonally opposite cooking stations.

Xia Yu and Bernard faced each other across the stage.

He could see the surprise and doubt that faintly appeared in Bernard’s eyes.

"The angle here provides a clear view!"

He whispered playfully to himself. Since they don’t wear microphones during cooking, this self-talk was only audible to Xia Yu and Chiyoda Aichi standing nearby. The hostess tilted her head slightly, indicating her confusion.

Clang!

The gong sounded, marking the beginning of the cooking segment. Contestants had to present their dishes within 2 hours.

Five judges had already taken their seats by the side of the arena.

The local people of Neon were very unfamiliar with these five, as naturally, for an international event, the judges were chosen from around the globe—there was a middle-aged handsome man with blond hair and blue eyes, a mature beauty with flaxen hair and a slender figure, and also an old man who was hunched over and frail.

Roar.

Following the roaring sound, two large iron cages were wheeled onto the stage by staff members.

Inside the cages, astonishingly, was a strange hybrid animal.

"This is..."

Many chefs stood up in shock.