I Just Want to Protect the Children's Smiles / Please, Act Like a Human Being

The three judges wore expressions of happiness.

Her happiness stirred feelings of envy in the audience.

Is it really that delicious?

"It's definitely an act!"

Such self-deceiving words quietly spread among the crowd.

Everyone knows perfectly well that it was absolutely delicious and enjoyable, but unfortunately, we can't taste it.

Chapter 40, Section 507: I Just Want to Protect the Children's Smiles

No matter how unforgettable it may be, it's time to judge the result.

All three judges looked at Eishi Tsukasa without prior agreement.

Did Eishi Tsukasa win? That's what everyone's guessing.

Nicholas pursed his lips as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't speak, perhaps because he didn't know what to say.

Master Li let out a soft breath, smiled at Eishi Tsukasa, and showed no intention of commenting.

Or rather, there's no need to comment on the dishes made by Eishi Tsukasa.

On the contrary, Artoria's eyes were very serious.

She parted her lips slightly and said in an extremely serious tone:

"Humility, honor, sacrifice, heroism, compassion, soul, honesty, justice."

The eight words she spoke possessed an unusual magic, as if each word emanated a corresponding radiance from her.

It wasn't a real radiance, yet it created that illusion.

Yuxian knew that this was the belief embodied in Artoria, the belief that countless knights yearned for.

Few people present were unaware of the Eight Virtues of Chivalry; it was a long-standing piece of knowledge.

Whether it's online, in textbooks, or in casual conversations, these are all distant chivalric codes that I've heard about before.

As times change, no one denies the existence of these virtues, but no one truly regards them as sacred texts.

But when Artoria said it, it carried an undeniable air of authority.

It was as if these virtues were always surrounding her.

For Artoria, these virtues— King of Knights, Knight among Knights—were merely everyday behavioral norms.

Just like in ordinary people's lives, you should stop when you see a red light, use the crosswalk when crossing the road, and not spit or litter.

"I see!" Yuxian exclaimed as if suddenly realizing the truth.

He may have really misunderstood Artoria before; this time, she didn't become a judge simply because she wanted to eat.

The White Knight of the Table —that's probably why Artoria was sitting there.

Cherishing talent is an inherent instinct of a ruler.

If the Knights of the Round Table were to learn that their king had taken a liking to a mere cook, they would probably have to convene another emergency Round Table.

Of course, they would never reflect on why the King of Knights was always attracted to the cook.

Only those who have actually tasted Gawain's mashed potatoes will understand that it was already a great mercy from Artoria that Gawain was not hung up and exposed to the sun.

Eishi Tsukasa listened attentively to Artoria's words; he could sense Artoria goodwill.

"The virtues of a knight?" he thought to himself, not understanding Artoria's intentions. "What does it have to do with me?"

He was just a chef pursuing the pinnacle of culinary skills, and the title of "White Knight of the Table" was merely something others had bestowed upon him; he himself did not consider himself a knight.

The cook and the knight are very different.

"Perhaps you don't think these things concern you," Artoria continued, "But they are all around you."

You are confused!

Artoria said with great certainty.

Eishi Tsukasa received too much praise, and this praise slowly turned into pressure that overwhelmed him. Artoria could sense that Eishi Tsukasa's beliefs were wavering.

Such wavering might dull the sword in a knight's hand, or cause the food he makes to lose its purity for a chef.

There's nothing wrong with pursuing perfection, but demanding perfection will inevitably lead to flaws.

"Remember these eight words; they will guide you out of your confusion!"

After saying that, Artoria gently pressed the button that indicated the winner.

As for Soma Yukihira, she had nothing to say. He was a different kind of person, completely different from her, a person with infinite possibilities.

Artoria would not presume to comment on areas she was unfamiliar with.

The results are in.

Soma Yukihira vs. Eishi Tsukasa, 3-0.

Soma Yukihira wins!

The cheers from the crowd immediately rose to a cacophony, one wave higher than the next.

Soma Yukihira holds the ribbon at the beginning of his opening and raises it high in his hand.

"We have failed to provide adequate hospitality!"

His catchphrase became the final closing remark of this Shokugeki.

Eishi Tsukasa stood there, still pondering Artoria's words, seemingly out of place with the atmosphere.

"Been taught a lesson!"

After a long, long time, Eishi Tsukasa finally came to his senses. He bowed slightly, his expression very solemn.

He then reverted to that helpless expression and entered 'coward mode'.

All six Shokugeki have ended.

Of the Elite Ten, only three supporters of Azami Nakiri remain, and in fact, these three do not truly agree with his actions.

The moment Eishi Tsukasa was defeated, the position of Supreme Commander of Totsuki Academy was completely out of his reach.

As for who will become the new commander-in-chief, it makes no difference to Yuxian. After all, they are just passing through here, so they should just enjoy their current lives.

Yuxian wouldn't bother with these trivial matters; let them worry about these things themselves.

If it weren't for Azami Nakiri's appearance, he wouldn't have pulled this stunt at all; this was the limit of his meddling.

He had no liking for Azami Nakiri, and even felt an instinctive aversion to her.

This wasn't because he had any opinion on Azami Nakiri's philosophy, but because Azami Nakiri Yuxian Erina Nakiri, disgusting.

No matter the reason or hardship, Yuxian cannot condone using such inhumane educational methods on one's own child.

This is a conflict of life philosophies and values.

It's like letting Yuxian train Jack to become a real serial killer; just thinking about that makes Yuxian feel unbearable.

What? This is for the child's good?

Don't be silly!

Yuxian would rather the children become unruly and annoying kids than become puppets on a string.

He never believed that his approach to educating the children was the most correct, but as long as he saw the children's smiles, he did it without hesitation.

To hell with being right, he just wants to protect that smile!

There will be significant personnel changes in Totsuki during this period, which Yuxian with Yu Xian's own plans.

"Mash, have you contacted Da Vinci-chan yet?"

Yuxian turned to Mash beside him and asked, "Now that the matter with Totsuki is over, it's time for them to start their celebration."

"Da Vinci-chan has no problems; in fact, they are very happy."

Mash frowned. "But I always feel like there's something wrong with this."

She recalled Da Vinci's expression when he heard the news, and felt that something she didn't know might happen, but she couldn't figure it out.

Yuxian didn't care about Mash's troubles.

He smiled and reassured her, "There's nothing to worry about. We're not killing or setting fires."

Mash nodded, realizing that she might indeed be overthinking things.

"When does the senior plan to tell everyone about this?"

Yuxian stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and then replied, "Tonight, when everyone is together, I'll announce it properly to everyone."

"Can it work?" Mash asked.

"No problem! Leave it to me!" Yuxian's confident demeanor suggested he was taking full responsibility.

As the Master of Chaldea, no matter how weak he is, he is still Master. He doesn't believe he can't handle such a small matter.

"If all else fails, we'll vote, and the minority will submit to the majority!"

Yuxian's words made Mash roll her eyes; voting on this kind of thing was just being a scoundrel.

Chapter 41, Section 508: Please, have some decency!

That evening, Yuxian gathered everyone in the room.

"Master, shall we return to the matter of Chaldea?"

Artoria was a little conflicted. She knew that returning to Chaldea was the right choice, but she was doing very well here and couldn't help but feel nostalgic.

Yuxian smiled and shook his head. "Don't be nervous. We won't talk about going back to Chaldea today. And if you don't want to leave, that's fine too. The gates of Chaldea are always open to you. You can go back whenever you want."

"If I get tired of being here, I can go back."

Artoria nodded. Since the topic wasn't back to Chaldea, she still had time to consider it.

"What does the Master want to say?"

The others all turned their attention to him. They had the same thought as Artoria: that Yu Xian was going to talk about returning to Chaldea Yuxian.

The fact that it turns out not to be is something worth pondering.

Besides returning to Chaldea, is there anything else that we need to discuss together?

Yuxian paused for a moment, organizing his thoughts.

"After watching six Shokugeki, what do you guys think?"

Although they didn't know the Yuxian's question, everyone still honestly replied, "It's pretty good, quite interesting."

Yuxian nodded, satisfied that he found it interesting.

"But we were just watching from the sidelines, and it was a bit boring!"

The children had different opinions, and their words immediately brought a gratified smile to Yuxian's face.

What a good child! He hit the nail on the Yuxian right away.

"That's exactly right!"

Yuxian said, "I just feel that we don't feel like we're participating in these Shokugeki, which is a bit of a shame."

"So I thought about it, and we could hold a Shokugeki at Chaldea!"

The true intentions of Yuxian were immediately revealed when the map was unrolled.