The entire body of the red-haired pig was considered a valuable culinary ingredient. Along with its internal organs, Sui also collected the pig's blood, which filled several large buckets.
Although pig's blood is rarely consumed outside of cuisines from countries like the Philippines, Spain, Portugal, and Taiwan, it is actually quite a delicious ingredient.
The massive red-haired pig, weighing several tons, was quickly butchered into pieces, yielding over a ton of meat. Of course, Sui didn't know the exact weight—after all, there was no scale large enough in the opulent kitchen they were using.
The cuts of pork were sorted into familiar categories, such as pork belly, hind leg, and tenderloin.
"This meat is of exceptional quality," Erina observed, slightly surprised. "I thought such a large animal would have tough meat, but judging by its appearance, it seems very tender. Ikumi Mito would know more about this."
Sui nodded and said, "Take whatever ingredients you want, Erina."
"Then I won't hold back," Erina replied, nodding. She had already decided that marrying him in the future was inevitable, so there was no point in being shy.
In the end, Erina took a whole pig leg, a pig ear, and a small amount of liver and heart.
"These bones will make a great broth," Sui remarked. However, the pig's bones were so large—bigger than cow bones—that they wouldn't fit in a regular soup pot. Sui had to chop the bones into smaller pieces using a special knife.
The red-haired pig's bones were incredibly strong. Despite using the finest kitchen knives from Erina's collection—some of the best in the world—several knives bent under the force of Sui's strikes.
"Take some of these bones too," Sui said. "They'll make an excellent soup."
"Of course," Erina agreed without hesitation.
Then she remembered something. "Are you planning to use the pork belly for Stir-Fried Pork?" she asked. "Perfect Tracers like Subaru can only replicate dishes, not the ingredients. It looks like we might have the upper hand! Even if Subaru gets the finest pork in the world, it won't compare to this."
"Exactly," Sui nodded. "Shall we try cooking some now?"
"Absolutely," Erina smiled softly, clearly eager to taste it.
The two of them then began cooking. Erina prepared a roast pork roll, while Sui made Stir-Fried Pork.
"The meat is so tender!" Erina exclaimed. "It's better than Gascogne black pig or Tibetan pig!"
She was genuinely impressed. The pork was incredibly tender, juicy, and melted in their mouths. It had just the right amount of fat without being greasy, surpassing even the finest pork she had ever tasted.
Sui was pleased as well. The pigs that Erina had compared were among the most prestigious breeds in the world, sold at sky-high prices per pound. With such a large quantity of this top-quality pork, Sui felt like he had struck gold.
After finishing their meal, Sui prepared two large plates of pork fried rice, intending to give them to the two dragons as a midnight snack.
The next day, when Sui arrived at the classroom, he was greeted by Megumi and several others, all looking pale and worn out.
"You've really worked hard these past few days, Megumi," Sui said, feeling a bit guilty.
Over the last few nights, Subaru had been haunting the Polar Star Dormitory, making everyone feel uneasy, even with the doors locked.
"Don't say another word, Sui! The outcome of today's Shokugeki is in your hands! You must win!" Yoshino pleaded, dropping to her knees.
"Please defeat that creep!" Daigo Aoki, Zenji Marui, and the others also knelt before him, looking both desperate and frustrated.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," Sui reassured them. Just then, his phone buzzed with a message from the school's Shokugekis Management Bureau.
"You and Subaru have been approved for a Shokugeki, and both sides' stakes have been validated by the administration. Please arrive at Venue A by 9 AM to participate."
"Let's go," Sui said, putting away his phone.
They made their way to Venue A, which was already packed with students. Subaru had been parading around the school in an imitation of Sui, so everyone knew that Sui had been targeted by him.
"Being hunted by that guy? Even that transfer student is in deep trouble," one student whispered.
"Yeah, Perfect Tracers is terrifying!" another added.
"I heard the transfer student even revealed the dish he's going to make. He's really asking for it!" someone else commented.
"Wait, he actually told the other side what dish he's making? That's a rookie mistake!"
Several students snickered, eagerly anticipating Sui's downfall.
"I'm your host for today, Kawashima Rei," the emcee announced with a bright smile. "Now, let's welcome our first contestant, Subaru Mimasaka!"
Subaru strutted onto the stage, waved at the crowd, and in a perfect imitation of Sui's voice said, "Hello, everyone. I'm Sui. Don't worry, I'll defeat this stalker!"
Sui: "…"
Everyone: "..."
"He's way too into this," Yoshino groaned, rubbing her forehead.
"Next, let's welcome contestant Sui Mizushima!" Kawashima Rei continued.
As Sui stepped onto the stage, the audience's attention turned to the private box overlooking the venue.
"Look, it's Miss Erina!" someone exclaimed.
"Erina-sama's here in person? She must really care about the transfer student," another student remarked enviously.
Hearing the whispers, Erina's cheeks flushed slightly. She bit her lip, silently regretting her decision to come.
"Erina! When I win, please accept my proposal!" Subaru shouted dramatically from the stage.
The crowd gasped. "Wait, has their relationship really progressed that far?" one student asked in disbelief.
"If Subaru's saying it, he must know something!" another replied, knowing the Perfect Tracer's meticulous reputation.
Erina's face turned crimson with embarrassment. Furious and flustered, she thought, 'Sui, if you lose to him, I won't forgive you!'
At this moment, judges Senzaemon Nakiri, Gin Dojima, and Chapelle arrived at the venue.
"The terms of your bet have been approved by the Food and Beverage Administration," Senzaemon declared in a deep voice. "Now, let the Shokugeki officially begin. The theme is pork, and there are no restrictions on cooking style. You have two hours."
Upon hearing this, both Sui and Subaru immediately sprang into action, bringing out the ingredients they had prepared in advance.
However, the moment their ingredients were revealed, the audience erupted into murmurs of astonishment.
The reason? Both contestants had prepared the exact same ingredients: green garlic, green pepper, red pepper, ginger, and bean paste.
"Is this... Stir-Fried Pork?" Senzaemon blinked in surprise. "But they're missing the pork."
"Yes, I've heard Sui had already informed his opponent of the dish he intended to make," Dojima noted.
"A Perfect Tracer, huh? But if all you know how to do is imitate, you'll never truly reach the top," Senzaemon remarked coolly.
"The transfer student really did tell Subaru the name of his dish," someone in the audience whispered, and soon the crowd buzzed with excitement.
Subaru then unveiled a slab of pork belly from his box. The layers of red and white fat were distinct and beautifully marbled.
"What an incredible piece of meat!" Miyoko, who had come to cheer from the audience, couldn't help but exclaim.
"Indeed," Ikumi Mito, who was also watching, nodded in agreement. "Pork belly typically consists of layers of skin, fat, and lean meat. This particular cut has an even distribution of fat and lean, with the fat being pure white and the lean meat a rosy pink. It's clearly of exceptional quality."
Mito, an expert in meats, had seen her fair share of high-quality cuts, and even she was impressed. That alone spoke volumes about the caliber of the meat.
Sui, too, was momentarily taken aback when he saw Subaru's pork.
"It's Kagoshima black pork, one of the finest pork varieties in the world," Subaru smirked. "I went through all the dishes you've made at Totsuki, and I couldn't find any instance of you cooking Stir-Fried Pork. So, I'll win this with better ingredients."
"Kagoshima black pork!" Mito gasped in recognition.
"With such high-quality ingredients, Subaru already has an edge!" Sōma said with a serious expression. "If both use the same cooking technique, Subaru's superior pork will give him the victory."
"But pork of this quality isn't something you can just buy," Mito mused, perplexed.
"It's likely that Eizan used his influence as a member of the Elite Ten to acquire it for him," Miyoko said, her expression sour.
Sure enough, in one corner of the venue, Eizan could be seen quietly observing the proceedings.
"You're going to lose this time, kid," Eizan muttered, glancing at Sui with a cold expression. His mind drifted to a recent conversation with Azami Nakiri.
"I wonder who else that guy has contacted," Eizan mused to himself. "Can he really return to Totsuki?"
Meanwhile, Sui brought out his own pork belly. It, too, was beautiful, with clearly defined layers, but the color of the lean meat was darker—deep crimson, like blood.
"Huh? That doesn't look like ordinary pork," Miyoko remarked, surprised.
"The lean meat is so dark, almost blood-red," Mito observed, frowning. "This definitely isn't regular pork, but I don't recognize the breed."
As they puzzled over it, Kuga and Rindō approached.
"Damn, Sui is holding out on us! He's been sitting on pork like this and didn't even share!" Rindō grumbled, irritated.
Up in the observation box, Erina smiled knowingly when she saw Sui's pork belly. She had tasted this exact pork yesterday, and knew its flavor surpassed any other breed of pig in the world.
"That guy…" Subaru muttered, taken aback by Sui's meat. He realized too late that Sui's close relationship with Erina meant he could also get his hands on top-tier ingredients, just as Eizan had helped him.
"I was careless this time," Subaru admitted to himself, but his confidence remained unshaken. "It doesn't matter. I've studied his every move for the past few days. As long as I can keep up with his cooking, I'll win."
Sui seemed to sense his thoughts and spoke casually, "You think you can keep up with my movements? Let's see if you can."
"Haha, I've simulated your cooking process over and over these past few days. Just watch," Subaru smirked.
Both chefs began their preparations. Sui placed his pork belly into a pot of cold water to boil, while chopping green peppers and red peppers. On the opposite side, Subaru mirrored his actions exactly.
"Their movements are identical, even down to the order of steps," one student exclaimed. "He really is a Perfect Tracer! How terrifying!"
"Try to keep up," Sui said calmly, his tone even.
"Hah! There's nothing I can't follow. I've already simulated your entire process—" Subaru began to gloat, but his words trailed off as his expression froze.
Sui had moved to the chopping board and was slicing the boiled pork belly at an astonishing speed. His knife flashed in rapid, precise movements, and thin slices of meat began piling up.
"How is he moving so fast?!" Subaru's face turned pale. "He's cutting at least twice as fast as he usually does!"
Panicked, Subaru grabbed his knife, desperately trying to match Sui's speed. But it was no use. Sui's blade was a blur, and within moments, he had reduced the entire pork belly into perfectly thin slices, neatly arranged on the board.
Bonus chapters was added to the update, so it's 5 chapters daily. But if you don't like that, I will update it separately on Monday.
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