บท 116: Chapter 115: Can You Keep Up With My Movements?

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.