By the time Dylan left Jin Da Fu's small courtyard, it was almost dusk.
Dylan walked toward the venue for the Youth Chef Competition and saw young chefs coming out of the hall one after another, their faces marked with dejected expressions. Clearly, these guys were the losers.
"So, how did it go, little ones?"
Looking at Alice Nakiri and the others standing before him with their heads held high, their demeanor clearly different from those around them, Dylan already knew the answer even without asking. Their smiles were the triumphant songs of victors.
"It went very smoothly. I passed in third place for Group A."
Liya's voice rang out. Dylan turned his gaze to her and saw her bright smile as she bounced before him like a lively little rabbit.
"First in Group C! You can praise me now!"
Who would have thought that before Liya could make another move, Alice Nakiri would beat her to it, throwing herself into Dylan's arms and wrapping her hands around his waist as she spoke in a cute, spoiled tone.
Faced with the young woman's coquettishness, Dylan smiled and patted her head, speaking in the same doting tone he often used with her. Whenever Alice Nakiri performed exceptionally in cooking, he would always praise her as if she were a small child, and Alice would always be delighted.
At the same time, Megumi Tadokoro and the others also gathered around, chattering all at once as they recounted the events of the competition before finally stating their own results.
Erina Nakiri, second in Group B.
Liu Yu, fourth in Group B.
Chuan Weihua, first in Group D.
Megumi Tadokoro, fourth in Group D.
"It's alright. Just work harder next time."
Seeing Hisako Arato's dejected face, who had barely spoken a word since he arrived, Dylan gently patted her shoulder to console her. Her rank was fifth in the C-bracket, just one spot away from qualifying for the main tournament. Alice had secretly told Dylan this when she had hugged him moments ago.
Besides that, he also received another piece of information: Soma Yukihira had also come to Fujian.
Although he didn't know the reason, not only had Soma competed, but he had also achieved a great result of fourth place in the C-bracket under the pressure of so many skilled chefs. With a mixed fried shrimp dish that combined different fruit flavors, he ultimately received high recognition from the judges, successfully advancing to the main tournament.
"Did Yukihira come by himself? For him to qualify with his skill level..."
It felt strangely unexpected, yet somehow logical. That kid's on-the-spot performance ability was very strong. Dylan pinched his chin and mused aloud.
This Youth Chef Competition was turning out to be quite interesting.
Soma Yukihira was a performance-type genius. His skill depended entirely on his state of mind. Ordinarily, he might only have the level of a first-grade head chef, but in an official competition, he could often produce Special Grade cuisine.
This was related to his upbringing. He had been having cooking battles with Jōichirō Yukihira since he was a child, and the themes were always chosen randomly, which had greatly enhanced his creativity.
"Let's head back first. It's getting late. Do you all know the topics for the next round of the competition?"
Looking at the dwindling crowd around them, the sky had also completely darkened. Because they were wearing masks and standing together, they were attracting a lot of stares.
"Not yet..."
"I don't know. We don't even know who our opponents are."
"The Youth Chef Competition uses a live draw. Whatever theme is drawn is what you have to cook, and you can only use the ingredients provided by the organizers." Just then, Chuan Weihua's voice sounded.
Before coming, she had carefully checked the official website.
The main tournament of the Fujian Youth Chef Competition uses a live draw format. At the same time, the ingredients are placed on a shared cooking station for both contestants, who then take turns selecting them.
Each person can select a maximum of ten ingredients and can lock in three of them. After the selection is over, the opponent can take three of the other person's chosen ingredients for their own use.
This was to increase the difficulty for both contestants and to test a chef's ability to adapt on the fly. If Totsuki's competitions were at an elementary school level, then the Youth Chef Competition jumped straight to the university level, demanding an extremely high level of personal quality from the chefs.
"I see. That's quite interesting. It will be a challenge for all of you. Feel free to shine in the arena."
After hearing Chuan Weihua's explanation, Dylan nodded slightly, then looked at the others and said these words.
"We absolutely will! No matter who the opponent is, we will fight with all our might to win!"
Liu Yu, who had been silent until now, spoke up, her face filled with immense seriousness.
Her qualification this time could be considered a stroke of luck. The fifth-place contestant had the same score as her, receiving scores of 7, 9, and 7 from the judges, for a total of 23 points. She, on the other hand, received scores of 8, 7, and 8, also totaling 23 points. However, because two judges gave her a higher score, she advanced to the main tournament with a 2:1 advantage.
"That's right! No matter who we face next, we won't lose!"
Liya also raised her arm high, her face written with confidence and bravado. She had absolute faith in her own abilities; she should be able to make it into the top three, at least!
"The official matches start in three days, which means we still have three days to prepare. Let's start special training when we get back! At the very least, we should get familiar with the competition format."
"I agree. Let's be each other's opponents..."
The girls chattered and giggled. Dylan watched from the side without interfering too much. After all, this was their competition.
"There's always someone better out there. I thought that even if I couldn't advance, the gap between me and the person ahead of me wouldn't be too big, but..."
On the small road to the inn, Soma Yukihira and Takumi Aldini walked together. The setting sun cast long shadows behind them.
"According to what you just said, you got a theme you're worst at. Even if you didn't do well, it's understandable that your final score wasn't high."
"Don't worry. I'll carry your share and keep winning all the way!"
Seeing Takumi Aldini's dejected look, Soma Yukihira couldn't help but comfort him. As partners who had come to China together, the two had a very good relationship.
"Those are all excuses. The truth is, my skills are still lacking. If I were strong enough, I could have passed the assessment smoothly even with a dish I'm not good at."
Takumi shook his head, not intending to run from this failure. Lacking skill was lacking skill; there was no need to make excuses.
If you lacked skill and still desperately tried to find excuses to absolve yourself, that would be truly and utterly shameful.
"What are you going to do next? Go back? Or wait until the Youth Chef Competition is over and we go back together?"
"What a stupid question! Since I'm already here, even if I'm not competing, I have to watch the matches before going back. No one who makes it to the main tournament is weak. Their matches are bound to be incredibly exciting!"
Hearing Soma Yukihira's question, Takumi Aldini rolled his eyes at him, looking a bit exasperated. A showdown between the most formidable chefs of the younger generation—even just as a spectator, you could still learn a lot.
"Don't worry, I'll support you. Do you understand the format of this competition? We have a total of three days to prepare. During this time, I'll simulate the match situation with you to help you quickly get familiar with the process."
As if thinking of something, before Soma Yukihira could speak, Takumi Aldini spoke up again.
With these brand-new rules, if one wasn't familiar with them beforehand and just started on the day of the competition, they could very well be caught completely off guard.
The gap between theoretical understanding and practical application is enormous; you have to experience it firsthand to truly understand.
Hearing Takumi Aldini's words, Soma Yukihira offered his heartfelt thanks. He had just been about to ask when the other had spoken up—how considerate.
"No, I'm too angry today. Let's not rest tonight when we get back. Let's have a cooking duel right away, with the theme decided by a draw."
Three days passed in a flash.
Besides cooking duels, Dylan also took the girls on a tour of Fuzhou, eating their way through all the local delicacies and getting a taste of the authentic flavors of the city.
This was to satisfy their appetites, but more importantly, to give them a baseline, to understand the formidable nature of their opponents. Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you be invincible.
"I'm actually in the first match. But that's good. The sooner I compete, the sooner I can advance to the next round, which can reduce..."
Her phone rang. Alice Nakiri, who was in the middle of a meal, looked down at the message, a burning fighting spirit igniting on her face.
"You're the first one up?"
Erina Nakiri's expression flickered. They had conducted many simulated training sessions these past few days, but there was always a difference between simulation and reality. Now that the official competition was finally about to begin, they could see what that difference was.
"That's right! It's finally my time to shine! This time, the one who will be the center of attention in the competition arena, adored by all, will be me!"
Alice Nakiri declared with grand ambition. Not having competed at Totsuki back then had left her with considerable regret, and she couldn't miss this chance now!
"I hope you don't get eliminated in the first round."
"How could I! Do you think I'm you?!"
Erina Nakiri said with a hint of playful malice. If Alice Nakiri were eliminated in the first round, then Dylan would focus all his attention on her.
Faced with Erina Nakiri's jab, Alice Nakiri rolled her eyes cutely and didn't really take it to heart.
"But, why didn't it tell me who my opponent is?"
After carefully reading the message again and confirming nothing was missed, a trace of doubt appeared on Alice Nakiri's face.
"That information is only revealed right before the match begins, to prevent contestants from being targeted."
Seeing Alice Nakiri checking the message over and over, Chuan Weihua explained the reason. Such things had happened before in the Youth Chef Competition.
Because the opponent was announced in advance, some people, in order to advance to the next round, would hire thugs to harm their opponents, causing them to be seriously injured before the match.
If it weren't for the fact that it was always that one contestant's opponents who got injured every single time, the organizers started an investigation. Such a malicious act might not have been discovered, as people were still quite simple and honest back then.
"Something like that actually happened? Using dirty tricks when you can't win a fair match, tainting the competition!"
Hearing Chuan Weihua's story, the room fell silent for a moment, then someone spoke up indignantly, complaining about such vile behavior.
For them, who came from Totsuki, a cooking duel was a cooking duel. They had never experienced anything like this. Dylan, however, remained expressionless, not showing much reaction, as if he had known about it all along.
In the world of Chūka Ichiban!, while such incidents weren't exactly common, they were by no means rare. Once you've seen enough, you naturally become guarded.
"So, what's the plan now? Should we continue with the duels? After all, the competition is tomorrow."
"I'm not continuing. Dylan-nii, come into the room with me. I need you to help me relax completely, to soothe the fatigue in my body."
In response to Liya's question, Alice Nakiri waved her hand in refusal. She had no desire to work overtime tonight when the official match was tomorrow.
At a time like this, of course, she would find Dylan-nii to help her relax! The accumulated pressure had made her body stiff. If she didn't release it properly, she wouldn't be at her best for the competition tomorrow, which was not what she wanted.
"Roger that. Let's go to the room then."
Hearing Dylan's words, Alice Nakiri couldn't help but act spoiled. She opened her arms and looked at him expectantly, letting herself go limp like a noodle.
"Alright."
Seeing this, Dylan dotingly bent down, placed one hand behind her back and the other under her knees. He lifted Alice Nakiri in a princess carry and then strode into the smaller room further inside.
The other girls watched from outside, their expressions unreadable, their thoughts unknown.
"We'll get to see the Youth Chef Competition tomorrow. It's a rare grand event, so let's go back and get a good night's sleep to be well-rested. We don't want to be drowsy then."
Miyoko Hojo yawned, said her piece, and left Dylan's room, heading back to her own.
"That makes sense. Let's go back and rest early today."
The others nodded one by one, and soon Dylan's room was empty. Megumi Tadokoro, the last to leave, thoughtfully closed the door, casting a final, lingering glance at the room, her thoughts a mystery.
Meanwhile.
Alice Nakiri's hands gripped the pristine white sheets tightly. Her beautiful, swan-like neck was arched high, and beads of sweat seemed to dot her forehead. Her pearly white toes curled slightly, and her chest heaved up and down. Emotions churned in her eyes, and her pearly teeth bit down hard on her lower lip. Her white hair was scattered across the bed, creating a beautiful image.
"My dear guest, is this pressure to your satisfaction?"
Placing Alice Nakiri's foot on his lap, Dylan had a smile on his face. His fingers applied gentle pressure to the various acupoints on her foot. This was his standard massage procedure; he always started from the feet.
"Satis ah fied!"
Alice Nakiri suddenly gripped the sheets tighter, her face flushing red. Dylan's hand began to move to other places, causing her body to tense up, but it quickly and completely relaxed again.
That familiar tingling sensation spread from the inside out, making it impossible not to let out a soft moan.
When it came to massages, Dylan was a professional.
This was thanks to a vast accumulation of experience.
And among all, Alice Nakiri's contribution was the greatest.
_____
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