Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 626 - 625: Withdraw from the Competition

Chapter 626: Chapter 625: Withdraw from the Competition

"Rainbow Wine" created a sensation after the competition, and the scene of the Lin Giant group visiting the villa that night was surrounded by media and captured on camera. The following day, related reports spread to every household.

Zhu Qing’s private "deal" with the Lin Giant didn’t need to be spelled out. These past couple of days, Zhu Qing had been running to the kitchen for no particular reason, constantly nagging in Xia Yu’s ear. She talked about how many delicacies and ingredients she exchanged for cups of wine, effectively becoming a major housekeeper. And Xia Yu, too, over these two days, had tasted the Lin-grade dishes from several giants, deeply imprinting the character "Lin" in his mind.

The day after the competition.

"Click!"

After fitting the lid onto the clay pot, Xia Yu hurried to the corner to grab a roll of paper without looking, and swiftly pulled out a long strip, taking a good while to deal with his blocked nose before scrunching the tissue into a ball and tossing it into the sealed bin. It’s worth mentioning that looking down, one could easily see that the bin was already piled high with white balled-up tissues.

Turning back, the cellphone on the dining table stand had its camera on.

Xia Yu approached the table, "Where was I just now?"

His voice was not as crisp as usual, slightly deep and husky.

"Temperature control..."

On the phone screen was the kitchen environment of the Tiqie Mansion. Eriina, dressed in a pristine white chef uniform with her blonde hair tied back into a ponytail, had a bowl of freshly washed, snow-white rice grains beside her. This was Jile Rice, a new ingredient introduced during the summer special exam. Over the past six months, it had been selling across the globe, coveted by renowned chefs and high-end restaurants, leading to a supply shortage and price spikes. Now, every hundred grams boasted a price comparable to gemstones.

"Temperature control? Yeah, managing the heat for Jile Rice is indeed an important aspect. Eriina, you can look for the video tapes of the June summer exam. Don’t just watch me, see how other chefs cook this type of rice and learn from them. My techniques, well, they’re pretty unique and can’t really be replicated or applied by others..." Xia Yu said while sniffling.

Because she had already grasped her own cooking spirit, Eriina was charging towards a sprint for the special grade. In the blink of an eye, it was late November, and December was coming again. At the end of this month, almost all schools in Neon would go on winter break, typically running from the end of the year to mid-January. Although the break was only half a month long, for Eriina, it represented a crucial step in her life—

The winter training at Chiyoda Shrine!

Only by achieving excellent results in the minor and major exams during the training could one qualify to apply for the special grade exam. Back then, Xia Yu faced considerable pressure when in front of the seniors. Now, it was Eriina’s turn to withstand it.

"I just want to learn your way of mastering Jile Rice!" Eriina exclaimed from the other end.

She leaned on the countertop with her hands, her upper body tilted back slightly, as if trying to bring her fair and delicate face closer to the front camera to show the firmness and stubbornness in her eyes to the young instructor on the other end.

Speaking of which, ever since Xia Yu defeated Tiqie Ji and dispelled the darkness in her heart, the girl’s tsundere nature had not only failed to weaken but, in Xia Yu’s opinion, had grown even stronger. She often acted whimsically around him in private, like right now.

But unlike her past exasperating, condescending queen-like tsundere behavior, Eriina’s words now sounded more like a little girl throwing a tantrum...

"Ugh!"

Xia Yu met Eriina’s twinkling eyes through the screen, and that look clearly said—Coach me, I want to learn Bursting Flame too!

Of course, this sentence was something Xia Yu imagined in Eriina’s tone, but he was absolutely certain that Eriina harbored such a thought. As tsundere as she was, the fact that she could say "I want to learn your way to master Jile Rice" was already quite something.

He sniffled again.

With his nose blocked, his brain not as sharp as usual, Xia Yu had been focusing most of his energy on the recipe he had just started studying, the Four Divine Seafood Eight Treasure Soul Suppressing Dumplings. Then, he somewhat perfunctorily answered, "Hmm, you wanting to learn is fine, no problem. But let’s talk about it after the Sapporo competition is completely over..."

Eriina’s eyes showed dissatisfaction. She opened her mouth to speak, but seeing the young man on the screen frown and seemingly out of it, with his mind not fully on teaching through the video, she sighed softly and said, "Let’s leave it at that for now. Sorry to bother you!"

"Mhm..."

"And another thing!"

Leaning forward, her pretty face enlarged on the screen, the young girl about to turn off the video suddenly became very serious as she advised, "With the way you’re feeling, you really shouldn’t participate in the second round of the competition!"

Xia Yu looked up.

Hesitating for a moment, Eriina said with a serious face, "Do you remember the incident in April when Senior Shigong directly caused a gel-haired boy to drop out during the lodging study period? Don’t overlook the details; even a slight odor can ruin a dish, let alone with your current condition, sniffling at the cooking station..."

At this, Xia Yu waved his hand to interrupt.

"I know!" Xia Yu’s smile was tinged with bitterness as he helplessly watched the girl on the screen. ’Divine Tongue’ had really changed; had it been when he first interacted with her, she would have likely started with sarcasm instead of a tactful reminder.

He knew that entering the competition while ill would not only fail to earn him praise from the audience and judges, but also invite a barrage of skepticism.

The reasoning was simple.

If diners at a restaurant knew that the head chef had a cold and spent the whole day sniffling, and even had to use tissues to clear his nose during cooking, well, most would likely imagine many appetite-killing scenarios.

External factors could also greatly destroy the ’essence’ of gourmet food. Imagine tasting with a thorn in one’s side, unable to immerse or indulge in the experience, how then could one appreciate the landscape of flavors?

Xia Yu, who had come to understand the ’essence’ of gourmet food, knew the situation was worse than Eriina realized.

"Damn it!"

After closing the video, Xia Yu couldn’t help but curse, "What on earth is this Impermanence Card? Don’t bring me this kind of thing again. It’s useless whether I open it or leave it to collect dust! I don’t want to prove my lineage again!"

He couldn’t take part in the crucial second round.

This round was a brutal elimination game from 10 to 3. If he wished to obtain the legendary ’Jade Dragon Pot’, he still had two hurdles to overcome. Watching himself conquer one hill after another, only to be taken down by some random item, Xia Yu felt utterly aggrieved.

...

That afternoon, a petition from the Far Moon Contest Team was delivered to the desk of the Sapporo competition’s Executive Chairman.

Kogawa Shinyiro read the letter and immediately summoned monitors from IGO and the Gourmet Society. Of course, high-ranking officials from the Neon Government were also involved in this emergency meeting.

The contents of the petition could be summarized as—

Xia Yu was ill, caught a cold, and the team requested Saito Chiyokuro as a substitute contestant.

After the meeting, a group of people immediately rushed to the villa where the Far Moon Team was staying, and the official competition even brought in a professional medical team.

That evening’s news exposed the footage of the medical team’s arrival at the Far Moon’s accommodation, causing an uproar across the entire internet. Not only were the Neon people talking, but domestic social media platforms were also flooded with various rumors. As the controversy escalated, an official announcement from the competition came late at night.

"Chef Xia withdrew from the competition due to illness, replaced by another special chef from the team, Saito Chiyokuro?"

"The medical institution’s diagnosis has been posted!"

"Hard to believe!"

Night.

Yet Xia Yu was still in the cold kitchen, responding to the essay-length private messages from his fans. From evening until midnight, his phone was bombarded with calls. Makki, Eriina’s friends and relatives, familiar faces like Takai Masashi, Hase Ichiro, as well as names from the Sapporo competition like Li Han, Tang Yuqiong, Bernard...

As he read the private messages, his phone buzzed again with a vibration.

He was about to dismiss the call without a thought, but upon seeing the number, Xia Yu chose to answer:

"Hello, old man..."