Another Bowl, Please

The next match was between Megumi Tadokoro and Ryo Kurokiba.

Megumi Tadokoro was anxious in the lounge. After learning about the competition topic, she worked very hard to find a suitable recipe and was quite confident in her cooking.

But as the event approached, she couldn't help but get nervous, anxious, and terrified.

"Meow, I've got some big information, woof!"

Tamamo Cat appeared next to Megumi Tadokoro at some point.

"Meow, this is the players' lounge. You can't come in. It wouldn't be good if someone saw us."

Megumi Tadokoro quickly pushed Tamamo Cat away, as this was the players' room and ordinary people were not allowed to enter. She didn't want Tamamo Cat to be caught and punished.

"Meow, I'm here to tell you something very important, woof!"

Tamamo Cat whispered a few words in Megumi Tadokoro's ear, then clapped her hands encouragingly, "You're going to win, woof!"

Megumi Tadokoro Tamamo Cat- no-Myanmar with disbelief. "This... this..."

What Tamamo Cat said earlier was a bit hard for her to accept; it was too unbelievable.

"Meow's on her way, woof! Good luck, woof!"

Tamamo Cat quickly disappeared from the lounge. She came and went like the wind, silently, just like a cat that appears and disappears without a trace.

Megumi Tadokoro was left alone, bewildered and at a loss.

"The second match of the Autumn Selection is about to begin!"

"The topic for the second round is ramen!"

As the host announced loudly, Megumi Tadokoro and the girl were about to enter the scene.

"Ramen? That's quite a good topic." Miyamoto Musashi sat there calmly, his arms crossed.

Yuxian nodded. "Ramen is a food that can be found everywhere, but it is very difficult to make it delicious."

The children's appetites were whetted again, and they all said, "Master, Master, let's go eat ramen for lunch too!"

The judges on the panel also commented extensively on the question posed by Senzaemon Nakiri.

One judge remarked, "Ramen is indeed a tricky topic. It seems ordinary, but it's actually quite sophisticated. It truly lives up to its reputation as the 'Demon of Cuisine'."

Artoria nodded gracefully. "Delicious ramen can really whet your appetite. I do miss it."

"Oh? Miss is quite knowledgeable about ramen?" Senzaemon Nakiri asked softly.

Artoria said, "I've had some really delicious ramen before, but I wonder if the two of you today can make something that tastes just as good."

"I'm really looking forward to it."

The match begins.

Megumi Tadokoro and her surroundings are described as "the foundation of the world".

"Oh! [Unintelligible characters]"

The host enthusiastically commented on the match, but he had some doubts about the ingredients used by Megumi Tadokoro.

"No, that's Wild Boar Meat." Senzaemon Nakiri expressionlessly, his tone devoid of emotion.

"Wild Boar Meat? That's quite a difficult choice. You know, Wild Boar Meat is much tougher than regular pork, and if it's not handled properly, the taste will be terrible."

Even Megumi Tadokoro's roommates didn't understand her choice. "Why would Megumi choose Wild Boar Meat for ramen? Isn't her hometown by the sea? Shouldn't she have more experience with seafood?"

"No!" Satoshi Isshiki clearly had more authority to speak. He said with a smile, "If Megumi also uses seafood, it will clash head-on with Ryo Kurokiba, and the collision between the two will be very intense."

"However, her choice of Wild Boar Meat as an ingredient creates a stark contrast between mountain delicacies and seafood, resulting in a significant disappointment for the judges."

As Satoshi Isshiki spoke, he nodded, "This kind of difference will make the gap between the two relatively smaller."

"But..."

His eyes suddenly sharpened, and he changed the subject, "If not handled properly, one side will become a foil to the other."

"I don't know if Xiaohui made this choice on purpose. It's a very courageous choice, and it doesn't seem like her personality."

Satoshi Isshiki's words silenced everyone at Polar Star Dormitory, who were worried about Megumi Tadokoro.

"Wait a minute! Did Megumi Tadokoro prepare a little too much food?"

Finally, someone noticed something was wrong. There were only five judges present, but the ingredients prepared on Megumi Tadokoro's table were clearly more than enough for five people.

"Huh?... What is she trying to do?"

Almost everyone misunderstood Megumi Tadokoro's actions.

Yuxian frowned as he looked at Megumi Tadokoro on the field. "She shouldn't know anything about Artoria, right? Why would she do this?"

"Senpai, this is a bit strange." Mash also expressed her doubts.

Yuxian blinked. "Let's keep watching. If it's really what we think, we'll have to go ask her about it later. Someone must have given her some guidance on this matter."

The competition is still ongoing.

Because she had prepared a considerable amount of ingredients, Megumi Tadokoro was much busier than Ryo Kurokiba. The constant busyness actually dispelled her tension. Megumi Tadokoro was so busy that she didn't even have time to be nervous.

This was undoubtedly an unexpected bonus.

Even Tamamo Cat made the suggestion, probably didn't expect that Megumi Tadokoro would perform even better after the workload was increased.

Megumi Tadokoro, who wasn't nervous, is actually quite capable; she's definitely not the bottom student who almost got expelled.

The operation was fluid and efficient, the arrangements were orderly, and all attention was focused on the food in front of them.

Anyone who sees Megumi Tadokoro like this would think she is already a qualified chef.

"Oh! The most exciting moment has finally arrived!" the host announced loudly, eliciting cheers from the entire audience.

"Let's take a look at Megumi Tadokoro..."

The host's words drew all the audience's attention to Megumi Tadokoro.

"Wow! What is this! What is this?!"

Amid the host's exclamations, Megumi Tadokoro was seen serving the prepared ramen into five bowls, one of which was exceptionally large, practically a giant bowl.

The other four bowls beside it were practically mere embellishments; they were of a completely different scale.

After the ramen was finished, it was time to serve it to the judges for review.

Megumi Tadokoro wiped the sweat from her forehead and prepared to present the ramen to the judges, but at that moment, she was suddenly dumbfounded.

While cooking, she had no other thoughts on her work, but now that she has some free time, she can't help but start to get nervous again.

Especially when she looked at the enormous bowl in front of her, she couldn't stop trembling.

"Meow meow, you've ruined me!"

Chapter 5, Section 470: Another Bowl

Megumi Tadokoro's legs trembled, and she could not move her feet. She did not have the courage to face such a scene.

"I'm sure I'll get beaten to death..."

The thought of serving such a large bowl of ramen to that important person made Megumi Tadokoro feel terrible.

However, Ryo Kurokiba's investigation has already ended, and now it's her turn. Even if she wanted to delay any longer, she couldn't.

At that moment, Megumi Tadokoro had an urge to turn around and leave immediately.

Everyone was watching her, waiting for her to submit the ramen for inspection; Megumi Tadokoro had no way to avoid it.

With a determined look in her eyes, she picked up the enormous bowl of ramen and walked forward.

Megumi Tadokoro's eyes darted around as she cautiously placed the ramen in front of Artoria.

"Please... please... please try it..."

She stammered as she finally finished speaking, then lowered her head, awaiting the reprimand that was about to come.

However, after a long time, Megumi Tadokoro still did not hear Artoria's voice.

When she looked up, she found that Artoria was eating her ramen very seriously, showing no sign of blaming her, completely ignoring her, with only the bowl of ramen in her eyes.

Megumi Tadokoro felt relieved and quickly served the other four bowls to the other judges.

The audience was very puzzled by her actions, wondering why she deliberately separated the bowls into large and small sizes, and what the deeper meaning behind it was.

Yuxian, however, was certain. He said to Mash, "It seems there are other companions in this venue who have secretly given guidance to Megumi Tadokoro."

"Is this considered cheating?" Mash asked hesitantly, feeling that such a shortcut was unfair.

Yuxian smiled and shook her head, "Catering to customers' tastes is one of the chef's jobs. Besides, without excellent culinary skills, she can't win by relying on that alone."

"That's true." Mash nodded. She realized she had misunderstood. While Artoria valued quantity, without quality, it would still be difficult to impress her.

Mash believed that, as the King of Knights, Artoria was absolutely infallible when it came to fairness and justice.

Megumi Tadokoro waited anxiously for the judges' review.

Compared to Artoria's quiet, elegant, and quick noodle-eating, the other judges' performances were much more exaggerated.

As a food judge at the Tōtsuki Academy, this is a basic skill.

"This is... this is!" one judge exclaimed excitedly after tasting the noodle soup. "I can almost see wild boars in autumn searching for food to survive the winter!"

Megumi Tadokoro explained with a smile, "I added various ingredients from the mountains this season to the soup base."

The judge continued to taste the Wild Boar Meat on the ramen. After taking a small bite, he exclaimed in surprise, "And this Wild Boar Meat is so fresh and tender, with a smooth texture yet retaining its wild chewiness!"

The Wild Boar Meat processed by Megumi Tadokoro was not tough, hard, or difficult to chew at all. Instead, it was very tender and juicy, and it still had the chewy texture of Wild Boar Meat when you put it in your mouth.

This feeling instantly won over the judge, who couldn't wait to pick up the bowl and start eating heartily.

"Boar Rush!"

Suddenly Senzaemon Nakiri stood up and drank all the soup in his bowl in one gulp, exuding a wild aura like a magnificent wild boar.

Seeing this, everyone knew that Megumi Tadokoro's ramen had absolutely won over the headmaster of the Tōtsuki Academy.

The people in the Polar Star Dormitory in the stands were happy for Megumi Tadokoro and began to celebrate.

While everyone's attention was diverted, Artoria had unknowingly finished the entire large bowl of ramen.

She gently put down the empty bowl, her expression unchanged, showing none of the excitement or turmoil others displayed; she appeared remarkably calm and ordinary.

"Another bowl, please!"

She said something very ordinary, in a low voice and with an unexaggerated expression, just like a conversation between a customer and a chef that you might see anywhere.

However, these words seemed to have a magical power, silencing everyone present.

The once noisy venue suddenly fell silent.

Boom!!!

Immediately afterwards, the entire venue exploded with noise, reaching an unprecedented level that seemed to rip the roof off the venue.

What is the best compliment for a chef?

It's definitely not the kind of food critic's review where they take a bite, talk for an hour, and then waste the food on their plate.

For a chef, the best compliment is what Artoria just said.

Another bowl, please!

Simple and unadorned, yet it fully conveys the praise within.

There is no better compliment than this.

This is what every chef most wants to hear; it is the most genuine recognition of their labor.

She won, Megumi Tadokoro won.

If Senzaemon Nakiri's performance just now only made everyone think that Megumi Tadokoro had a very high chance of winning, then Artoria's words were the final word.

With a flourish of his Senzaemon Nakiri wrote.

The winner is Megumi Tadokoro!