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Among these Special Class Chefs, Jōichirō Yukihira was quite unique. Besides him, no other Special Class Chef would just gallivant around the world on a whim.
Everyone wasn't particularly perplexed by Jōichirō's appearance here.
Jōichirō himself came from Polar Star, and he was instrumental in Polar Star's current independent budget system—
Plus, Soma Yukihira also lived at Polar Star now, so although Jōichirō Yukihira's appearance initially surprised them a bit, it wasn't really that strange after some thought.
"Does this mean we get to try a Special Class Chef's cooking tonight?!" Daigo Aoki and Shōji Satō said, rather excitedly.
"Even if it is cooked by a Special Class Chef, it might not reach Special Class level." Alice Nakiri shook her head.
For a Special Class-level dish, even a Special Class Chef had to put in serious effort—Jōichirō Yukihira's cooking tonight was just a casual meal for the dorm residents; reaching Special Class level was unlikely.
"Well, even if it doesn't reach THAT level, being able to eat a Special Class Chef's cooking is AMAZING enough!"
No one was disappointed—
While the food might not be Special Class-level, the Chef himself WAS a Special Class Chef, so having a chance to eat his cooking was great.
Previously, the food Yuuki ate at Yukihira Restaurant had only reached Senior-level.
....
Not long after, Jōichirō Yukihira finished cooking—
These dishes had distinctly different styles, all learned by Jōichirō during his travels around the world.
Each dish basically represented a different country's characteristic cuisine—
—Except for that rather suspicious-looking pot of snake meat. That thing was a Dark dish Jōichirō concocted.
This guy had liked creating these weird dishes ever since he was in school—he even brought out such dishes from time to time during Shokugeki, making the Tōtsuki students back then completely speechless.
This habit was also passed on to Soma Yukihira. In the original story, Soma also used such Dark dishes to mess with people at Polar Star, though this time, Soma wasn't able to pull it off—
The reason was simple: when it came to Dark dishes, YUUKI was the Grandmaster.
After all, before he transmigrated, Yuuki had researched all sorts of bizarre foods online.
There were even things that couldn't even be classified as edible, and the fact that someone actually ate them made Yuuki rather speechless.
So, when Soma Yukihira started to bring out his Dark dishes, Yuuki directly stuffed a whole bunch of Houttuynia Cordata into Soma's mouth. Unless you grew up eating it, hardly anyone could stand the taste.
Yuuki even mixed fermented bean curd with it—that bite was incredibly sour and refreshing—after which, Soma never dared bring out his Dark dishes again.
Not that he had given up—he just considered his Dark dishes a failure and planned to develop something better before trying again...
....
Not knowing better, the other Polar Star residents didn't suspect anything, and some became victims of the snake meat. In Yuuki's opinion, that stuff was just unappetizing, not really a true Dark dish.
However, Jōichirō Yukihira's other dishes were quite stunning—
Although Jōichirō Yukihira wasn't trying his hardest, these dishes only reached Second Class level, but they were still very good.
And Yuuki even tasted something else within them—
"Jōichirō-senpai, there seems to be some kind of heartwarming effect in your dishes."
After carefully tasting a few dishes, Yuuki realized it wasn't just his imagination; there really was such a special effect in Jōichirō's cooking.
"Really? Why didn't I notice it?" Yoshino Yuki looked at Yuuki, puzzled.
The others felt the same—these dishes had very different flavors, showcasing characteristics from different regions, but they didn't feel any "heartwarming" effect.
"As expected of someone called the Greatest Prodigy of the Culinary world by the Director! To think you'd actually notice it... is it because of your Evolving Touch?" Jōichirō Yukihira looked at Yuuki with surprise.
Yes, his dishes did have such an effect. But now, the dishes he made weren't seriously made, just Second Class level.
So, the "heartwarming effect" infused within them was very faint—it was difficult for normal people to notice. He guessed perhaps it was due to Yuuki's special sense of touch that he could feel it.
"So there really IS something!"
Hearing Jōichirō's words, everyone's eyes widened. They quickly took another bite, but besides the deliciousness, they didn't sense anything special.
"It's normal that you didn't notice it. I wasn't exactly trying my hardest when making these, so that effect is extremely faint. It must be Yuuki-kun's special sense of touch—" Jōichirō Yukihira shook his head.
Hearing this, the others understood. If Yuuki noticed it through his special sense of touch, it made perfect sense. After all, Yuuki's Evolving Touch was incredibly potent.
If Yuuki touched something, nothing remained a secret. It was only because Yuuki didn't know medical skills; otherwise, just one touch, and he'd know what was wrong with a person's body.
"So what exactly is this 'heartwarming' effect? Is it like a special ability?" Alice Nakiri asked with a puzzled look.
"It's not a special ability. Although I'm a Special Class Chef, I don't have any special ability. This is something you comprehend after reaching Special Class—it's the mark of a Special Class Chef: 'Culinary Heart.'" Jōichirō Yukihira explained.
A Special Class Chef was very different from Chefs of other ranks—
—the most significant difference was "Culinary Heart," a Chef's culinary philosophy, infused into their cooking. This Culinary Heart not only enhanced the dish's deliciousness but also touched people's hearts.
After Jōichirō explained the concept of Culinary Heart, everyone frowned. Even Yuuki did the same.
Although thanks to The System, his Culinary skills had improved rapidly, he still had no clue about this Culinary Heart.
"You guys shouldn't think too much about it for now. Comprehending Culinary Heart requires you to be a First Class Chef at the very least. Only after reaching First Class can you attempt to comprehend it."
"Although I don't know the exact reason, since ancient times, it's always been this way for every Special Class Chef—"
"So there's no point in thinking about it now. Instead of wasting time pondering such things, you should focus on improving your Culinary skills. Reaching First Class is your priority."
Jōichirō reminded everyone who was deep in thought—each stage had its own goals. It wasn't time to worry about Culinary Heart yet.
"So that's it. 'Culinary Heart,' huh...?"
At this moment, everyone, including Yuuki, was looking forward to it, wondering what their own Culinary Heart would be like.
"Indeed, very interesting. But yours is 'Heartwarming,' huh? Are you sure about that?" Fumio Daimidō looked at Jōichirō Yukihira, a strange look on her face.
"Is something wrong, Auntie Fumio?" Megumi Tadokoro looked at Fumio, puzzled, not understanding her words.
Others were similarly confused—
"This guy, back in school, was called 'The Demon.' His cooking was domineering, brutal—like facing a demon from Hell itself!"
"If he did have a Culinary Heart, it should also be some kind of violent Culinary Heart, right?" Fumio Daimidō explained.
Only those from the Golden Age and a few subsequent generations of students knew how brutal Jōichirō Yukihira truly was back then. The title "The Demon" wasn't just for show.
"Well, that was the past. Right after leaving school, I was indeed like that. But after meeting someone, I changed." Jōichirō Yukihira said with a smile.
He thought of Tamako Yukihira. It was because he met this woman that his brutal side changed and eventually transformed into this "Heartwarming" nature.
This change was actually a good thing. After all, following the original "Demon" path, even Jōichirō himself wasn't sure he could have reached his current level.
....
After they chatted about Culinary Heart for a while, everyone cleaned up a bit and then went to bed.
Yuuki, after returning to his room, didn't immediately go to sleep. He had new bait waiting to be used. Besides the daily Small Bait, he had also received another Large Bait.
What a Large Bait could catch was no joke. At this time, Yuuki began his new fishing session—
"White Snake Entanglement? Another Secret Technique! And a handling-based one!"
Yuuki was a bit disappointed looking at the result. Although the White Snake Entanglement was a Secret Technique, for him, it wasn't particularly valuable.
After all, he already had his super sense of touch.
The Evolving Touch combined with Food Honor allowed him to control power with extreme precision.
With this, he could already replicate this kind of dough-kneading technique of the White Snake Entanglement on his own. He didn't need to learn it from The System's rewards.
So, this Secret Technique wasn't particularly valuable to him. However, he didn't dislike it. This Secret Technique would save him some research time.
....
Yuuki immediately accepted the inheritance of this Secret Technique—
—But after receiving it, he realized he had underestimated it.
Because this Secret Technique was a bit different from the previously obtained Raging Bull Blue Dragon Slash.
The Raging Bull Blue Dragon Slash was just a pure Secret Technique, although it contained a large amount of knowledge when deconstructed.
However, the White Snake Entanglement was more special, as it also came with the "Soul Soothing Esoterica."
This Soul Soothing Esoterica was undoubtedly a form of Culinary Heart.
"Once I reach First Class Chef, even if I haven't discovered my own Culinary Heart yet, I can fill in the gap with this one..."
For Yuuki, his path forward now was clear. For other Chefs, the Culinary Heart obstacle between First Class and Special Class was very difficult to overcome. Many were stuck at First Class precisely because of this Culinary Heart—
—But with the Soul Soothing Esoterica, Yuuki could directly reach Special Class Chef level and then use the Soul Soothing Esoterica to search for his own unique Culinary Heart...
They were both forms of Culinary Heart. Although different, they still had common ground.
For other Chefs, wanting to comprehend this intangible "Culinary Heart" was very difficult, as they didn't even have a concrete concept of it.
With no reference, they could only explore on their own; the difficulty was self-evident.
Although other Chefs could also try to gain insights by tasting Special Class Chefs' dishes, the status and position of a Special Class Chef were very high.
So, wanting a Special Class Chef to always cook for you with their full effort—that was purely wishful thinking, unless they were direct descendants. For example, Soma Yukihira was Jōichirō's son.
Once Soma reached First Class level, Jōichirō would definitely be willing to help. Other people weren't so lucky.
....
This fishing trip was incredibly beneficial for Yuuki.
If it weren't so late at night now, and going to the kitchen would disturb others, Yuuki would want to test out the Soul Soothing Esoterica right away.
Using Culinary Heart at the Third Class Chef level, that would probably stun even Jōichirō Yukihira.
Having caught something good, Yuuki happily went to bed.
....
The next morning, Soma Yukihira and Jōichirō began their Shokugeki.
Although Soma knew he would still lose—after all, Jōichirō was a bona fide Special Class Chef—
—he still accepted Jōichirō's proposed Shokugeki. Because he was very clear that every time he had a cooking battle with his father, he could learn something useful.
A large part of the reason why his cooking was so strong was because of these matches with Jōichirō Yukihira.
Of course, Soma's fearlessness of failure was also an advantage.
Not being afraid of losing, if he lost, he would win next time. And if not next time, then the time after next.
Soma would even record his failures and remember the reasons to motivate himself to move forward continuously.
Such a mindset wasn't something everyone had.
....
As for Yuuki, although he knew they were competing, he didn't go and join in the excitement.
The reason was simple: to accommodate Soma Yukihira, Jōichirō Yukihira would inevitably not use his full strength.
Yuuki wasn't particularly interested in a Jōichirō who wasn't going all out.
So, Yuuki wasn't present for this father-son duel. Anyway, the outcome was clear: Jōichirō Yukihira, seriously holding back, was thoroughly defeated by Soma.
....
After the match ended, Jōichirō left not long after. For him, his purpose this time had been achieved: Seeing Yuuki, and also witnessing his son's growth.
The facts showed that his son was developing very well. As a father, he could rest easy.
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