Chapter 75: Sorta Roast Pork
BLUE Main Tournament Semifinals — Second Match.
The battle between Yukihira Soma and Santoku Shogo—was fiercely intense.
"Haa… haa… haa!!!"
"Shaa…! Hehe!!"
The two chefs ran around the kitchen without stopping for even a second.
Their skill, their dazzling cooking processes—every eye in the audience was glued to them.
The theme was—A single dish that combines the five major cuisines of the world.
It was an extremely high-difficulty theme: combining French, Turkish, Chinese, Indian, and Italian cuisine into one dish. Under the 180-minute time limit, there weren't many chefs in the world capable of producing a satisfactory result. It was perfectly natural for most to freeze, unable to even plan the menu.
And yet, standing before such an unreasonable challenge—the two chefs were smiling.
Haha, this is seriously insane. I only understood after clashing with him directly. This guy Shogo… he's ridiculously strong!!
From the moment the theme was announced and cooking began, Soma felt his entire body's hair stand on end from the pressure as he watched Shogo start moving immediately.
Soma began cooking a few minutes later, but a single mistake would end everything. Even while smiling at the severity of combining five major cuisines into one dish, he could feel Shogo's true ability through his skin as he cooked in the kitchen across from him.
What's with that speed! Is he even human!? When we talk normally, he's so calm it makes me doubt we're the same age… Now that I think about it, Shogo has always seemed more mature.
As sweat poured down his face, Soma recalled the day he first met Shogo.
The day he came to take Totsuki's transfer exam without knowing anything, the only person who didn't look down on him was Santoku Shogo.
Talking with him was easy because he spoke on the same level, and they quickly became close. If asked who his first friend after graduating middle school was, Soma would name Shogo without hesitation. That was how strong their friendship was.
However, they didn't remain just good classmates. For Soma, Shogo had become a goal comparable to his own father.
You passed the transfer exam normally while I got rejected by Nakiri. I didn't really understand back then, but I get it now. That's what your ability really is.
For Soma, who believed that fighting strong opponents was the fastest way to grow, Shogo was the ultimate prey. Even after having every challenge rejected, he never gave up because he instinctively knew that one day, the chance to fight would come.
You took first in the Hell Camp. In the Autumn Selection, you lost to Hayama like me, but you took first in the preliminaries… Thinking about it now, you probably weren't going all out back then. I don't know why, though.
While continuing to cook, he thought about his opponent. It wasn't that he couldn't concentrate on cooking—rather, by re-evaluating his opponent's strength, Soma was fueling his own fighting spirit.
The school festival, the promotion exam, the Regiment de Cuisine. You were always incredible. …I admired you, even if it was unlike me. To be able to fight someone like you on such a huge stage—there's no way I wouldn't burn for it!!
He converted every overflowing idea into cooking without waste. He even felt as if his hands weren't his own, so perfectly did his mental image match his actions.
Even the time battle of creating each country's cooking separately to combine five major cuisines into one dish—he could now confidently say he could achieve it.
However, even as Soma entered an extreme state of concentration, an even more absurd sight entered his vision. It was Shogo using four frying pans, three pots, and two ovens simultaneously.
"…Haha! No way! How is that even possible!? —This is so much fun!!"
Even when faced with an enormous wall, Yukihira Soma never took a single step back.
He simply poured everything he had into facing the dish. He walked through the stormy horizon of flavors with a smile, enjoying every moment.
The allotted three hours passed in the blink of an eye, and time was up. Any chef who hadn't plated their dish by then had no right to be judged.
Both Yukihira Soma and Santoku Shogo had finished their dishes right at the limit.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!!"
"Mine is also complete."
The dishes were placed before the three judges. They were covered, so the contents couldn't be seen. At this point, only the aroma could be judged.
The one who took control with the opening aroma was Shogo's dish. In contrast, almost no aroma came from Soma's dish.
Although they had plated at the same time, Soma was judged to have plated first by a tiny margin, so his dish was judged first.
The judges removed the covers, revealing the dish—.
"Yukihira Style… no, Soma Style—'Scentless Fried Rice'."
Chinese: Dongpo Pork. Italian: Acqua Pazza. Indian: Poriyal. French: Mirepoix texture. Turkish: Pilaf base.
A dish that took elements from each cuisine, created separately, and combined them into one plate. It was truly a perfect fusion of the five major cuisines.
"So that's why there was no aroma—the rice was coated with egg!"
"That's why the coating melts the moment you bite in, and all the aromas explode inside your mouth!!"
"To combine flavors that would normally clash so perfectly… this dish should be impossible to create…!"
The judges moved their spoons frantically as they gave their impressions. It was clear to anyone that it was a huge success, and Soma felt a definite response. The fact that he had fallen behind in aroma only to strike when his opponent let his guard down had become a major advantage.
Even so, it wasn't enough to feel the taste of victory.
Despite receiving high praise for a dish he had poured his full power into, the word "relief" did not appear on Soma's face.
So, what are you going to show me? Let me see it, Shogo.
The judges opened Shogo's dish for the next evaluation.
What appeared along with warm steam was a dish that stopped Soma's thoughts entirely.
"Named—'Sorta Roast Pork ~Five Major Cuisines Style~.' Please enjoy."
At Shogo's words, the audience tilted their heads. The judges in front of the dish also couldn't understand the meaning of "sorta."
Among them, only one chef immediately understood what Shogo meant. His opponent—Soma.
"That's… similar to something I made before? …In other words, roast pork without using the original ingredients."
He recalled the time before enrolling at Totsuki Academy. It was when he had repelled the land developers trying to shut down Yukihira diner through a cooking battle. By coincidence, it was the same dish Soma had presented back then.
Why would he make something like that…? There's no way he's holding back… so what does this mean?
While Soma was seriously racking his brain, Shogo began explaining the dish to the judges.
"I steamed potatoes, mixed them with finely crushed Turkish ekmek bread, wrapped them with Italian pancetta, and roasted them until fragrant. Furthermore, French porcini mushrooms double the strength of the aroma, raising the overall impact of the dish. The sauce drizzled over everything uses Chinese seasoning spices mellowed with Indian yogurt sauce so that only the umami remains. —Please enjoy."
Without needing Shogo's prompt, the judges dove into the dish. Their forks sank in with almost no effort.
The moment they took a bite of the jewel-like portion, the judges trembled with joy.
"Ah… aah…!"
"W-what is this…?"
"…Impossible. Not only did he combine all five major cuisines, but every single element enhances the strengths of the others…!!"
The three judges showed a clearly different reaction from when they ate Soma's dish. After one bite, their hands stopped. They couldn't bring themselves to take a second. Not because the taste was bad, but because they lacked the courage to face that shock again. And without a doubt, if they took a second bite, they wouldn't be able to stop.
If they ate this dish purely on instinct, something inside them would break. Their reason was desperately sounding the alarm.
"You should try it too. Soma."
"!? …Y-yeah."
Soma accepted the offered plate and swallowed hard.
Cold sweat running down his face, he steeled himself and took a bite.
"—!? What the hell is this flavor…!!!"
His hand wouldn't stop. He kept taking one bite after another.
And with every bite, the taste changed.
"…I see. You made two kinds of sauce. Slightly different sauces… The inconsistency creates a new flavor every time you eat."
"You caught on quick. As expected of you, Soma."
"…But it's impossible. To create such a complex combination and even incorporate inconsistency…"
"It's amazing, right?"
"Amazing doesn't even begin to describe it! …Haha, I'm seriously scared. What the hell am I supposed to do about this?"
Soma set the plate down and looked down in a daze.
Shogo stood before him and asked with an expression that almost looked trusting.
"So? Did you fall into despair?"
An overwhelming superior's words.
Faced with a statement that could make a chef want to quit—Soma was smiling.
"No way in hell!! How do you even make something that tastes like this!? Hey, hey! Teach me next time! Shogo!!"
"…I'll make it once in front of you. Watch and steal it."
"Oh! For real!? It's a promise! I'll definitely recreate this flavor, and then raise the level of my own cooking! …So when that happens… let's have another match, okay?"
Even before the results were announced, Soma accepted his defeat. Sitting weakly on the ground, he wore a satisfied expression.
In order to climb the high, steep wall before him, at this moment, he once again deepened his love for cooking. No matter how long it took, he would use this defeat as nourishment and reach the same realm. He had been shown that he could still go much further.
Santoku Shogo [3] — [0] Yukihira Soma
BLUE Main Tournament Semifinals — Second Match.
Winner — Santoku Shogo.
"Here, can you stand?"
"…Haa… …Yosh!"
Taking the hand Shogo offered, Soma stood up. He scratched his head with a frustrated look but laughed cheerfully.
"Total defeat! I lost completely!"
"You're probably the only chef who can smile like that after losing."
"It's seriously frustrating. If you've got any advice, I'd love to hear it."
"Then here's one. The secret to becoming a great chef is… meeting a woman you'd want to give your entire cooking to. Or so I've heard."
"That's my dad's… why do you know that, Shogo?"
"Doesn't matter, does it? Basically, that's the absolute difference between you and me."
"Do you have someone like that?"
"Yeah, I do. A woman I'd give not just my cooking, but everything I have to."
Soma tilted his head in confusion. Seeing the man who didn't quite get it, Shogo continued.
"You have one too. You just haven't noticed her yet."
"Huh? Me?"
"Yeah. —The girl who's always by your side and calls your name."
"…Hm? Why did you mention Tadokoro just now?"
"Haha, who knows. That's my advice. Think about the rest yourself."
Looking at Shogo's exasperated smile, Soma sank deeper into thought.
The moment Yukihira Soma grasped the secret to becoming a great chef—was still a little further away.
***
For early access to 7 chapters ahead: p@tre~~.com/Demonic_Fiction (Link is in the synopsis and my profile).