"Lexon?"
"Lexon-kun?"
Megumi Tadokoro and Soma Yukihira both looked back in surprise, and Kanichi Konishi was no exception.
Turning around, they saw Lexon's handsome face with a gentle smile.
He wore a hat pulled low, making it difficult for students who had only seen him once to recognize him.
Only those familiar with him, like Soma Yukihira, could identify him at a glance.
"Yo."
"I knew you wouldn't just run off and leave me high and dry!" Soma Yukihira's confident expression returned as he spoke to Lexon with relief.
"I did consider it, actually," Lexon said with a smile.
Soma Yukihira's expression froze.
"Hurry up and get down there, Lexon. The five minutes are almost up," Megumi Tadokoro urged.
"Has Lexon not arrived yet? There is only one minute left! Ikumi Mito is about to win by default!"
Urara Kawashima's voice blared from the speakers.
"Go, go! Lexon!" Soma Yukihira urged.
"If you're still planning on pulling some mischievous stunt, I'll just throw the match," Lexon told Soma.
''Isn't it just because I wanted you to take the lead after finding out about the Shokugeki rules, then I'd drop some provocations to get the other students to challenge us, and finally cement our reputations as Totsuki's Two Tyrants?''
''It's not exactly a bad thing...''
Soma thought to himself while replying aloud, "Alright, alright!"
He felt that avoiding expulsion was a bit more important than making a reputation for himself.
"Only thirty seconds left!"
Urara Kawashima's voice rang out again.
"Over here! Over here!" Soma Yukihira stood up and shouted.
As he spoke, Lexon tipped his hat, vaulted over the audience railing, and leaped down.
He landed steadily.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on him.
Handsome.
That was their first impression.
Incredibly handsome.
That was their second.
Whether it was his hair fluttering in the arena's breeze, his sharp and well-defined features, or the effortless aura of total control he radiated... everything about him contributed to that feeling.
Suddenly, the audience's perception of him improved significantly.
Especially among the young female students.
After all, while looks weren't everything... they certainly accounted for most things.
His words at the entrance ceremony had been infuriating at the time, but more than a week had passed since then. Since he wasn't saying anything provocative now, their opinions began to shift...
As Lexon walked step by step toward the stage, no one hurled insults as they had before; the audience was dead silent.
"It looks like Lexon hasn't run away after all! He's arrived with only thirty seconds to spare, leaping down from the audience stands!" Urara Kawashima's voice boomed excitedly over the speakers.
"Hmph... so you didn't run away?" Ikumi Mito, who had little interest in his looks, remained hostile and mocked him.
"Let's begin the match," Lexon replied gently, without wasting any words.
"You're going to lose to my A5-rank beef anyway," Ikumi Mito said confidently.
"Who knows..." Lexon gave a gentle smile.
"Will both parties please take their positions! I hereby declare that this Shokugeki has officially begun!"
Following Urara Kawashima's high-pitched announcement, Ikumi Mito pulled back the cloth covering her prepared ingredients.
A whole side of beef suspended from a rack was revealed to everyone.
From the color of the beef at the cut, it was clear that its grade was exceptionally high.
Both the lean meat and the fat had incredibly fine textures, showing off top-tier marbling...
This was the premium ingredient Ikumi Mito had brought.
A5-rank, highest-quality Wagyu beef!
This time, Ikumi Mito had no intention of holding back. She was using her finest ingredients to crush this arrogant transfer student head-on, turning him into a laughingstock at Totsuki Academy and ensuring the other transfer student would be expelled!
It was thanks to her family's status as a leader in the meat industry that she could obtain a whole side of A5-rank Wagyu on such short notice for a Shokugeki.
This was an advantage other chefs could hardly match.
"I'll show you the charm of the most noble of ingredients!" Ikumi Mito suddenly grabbed a large butchering knife from her station and wielded it with expert precision.
With every swing, a portion of beef fell away.
Each piece landed perfectly in her ingredient bowl.
After selecting her cuts, she spun the knife and sheathed it before pulling out other tools to begin prepping the meat with care.
"Ikumi Mito has indeed chosen A5-rank beef! In every Shokugeki she has fought so far, her loss record when using such ingredients is exactly zero!"
Urara Kawashima's voice rang out once more.
"Now, let's take a look at Lexon's ingredients!"
All eyes turned to Lexon.
Lexon reached into the inner pocket of his loose jacket and pulled out a well-wrapped bag.
"What could it be? Faced with Ikumi Mito's A5-rank beef, what kind of ingredient will Lexon present?"
Urara Kawashima's commentary piqued the audience's curiosity.
They were intensely focused on what kind of ingredient was hidden inside Lexon's black bag.
He opened the bag.
Lexon removed the ingredient, which was covered in plastic wrap.
[(On Sale) Super Cheap Beef!]
The label on the ingredient immediately caught everyone's eye.
"?"
In an instant, it was as if question marks appeared over everyone's heads.
What was going on?
That looked like nothing more than discount supermarket beef...
He wasn't seriously going to use that against Ikumi Mito's A5-rank beef, was he?
There was no way...
The same thought occurred to everyone in the room.
But a moment later, Lexon removed the plastic wrap and placed the slab of beef—which seemed freshly thawed and was still dripping water—onto the prep station.
He's actually going to use that!
Everyone was stunned.
Just by looking at it, anyone could see the massive disparity.
The gap between them was like night and day!
Even if he didn't have A5 beef, he should have at least brought something decent.
This was the kind of discount meat that was about to expire and couldn't even be sold!
"Lexon!!" Soma Yukihira's loud, gentle shout came from the audience.
Lexon replied with a calm smile.
"You should just give up... meat like that has no business being compared to my A5 Wagyu," Ikumi Mito said to Lexon, having noticed the situation.
"I've got to at least try," Lexon replied peacefully.
He raised his knife and swung it.
Ikumi Mito and everyone else present felt as if a flash of silver light had streaked past.
What happened?
Everyone was confused.
They looked closely, but the slab of beef on the board was still dripping water, completely unchanged.
Nothing had happened...
"Hmph... just playing to the gallery," Ikumi Mito sneered, falling silent after that.
She turned all her attention back to her cooking.
Marinating, browning the beef, preparing the sauce, putting it in the pan, basting with tallow, sealing in the juices...
Each step of the process...
Meticulous, skilled, and focused...
This displayed the steady and formidable culinary level of the woman known as the Meat Master, Ikumi Mito.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]