Food Wars: Taste Reversal

[Ding! Completed dishes for 50 people. Earned 500 points. Random Lottery x1.]

As Hitoshi Sekimori announced that Shiraki had passed the assessment, the system's prompt rang in Shiraki's mind.

Takumi Aldini, who was still busy on the other side of the kitchen, glanced at Sōma Yukihira. He was frustrated that Yukihira seemed slightly faster than him. But what surprised him more was Shiraki passing the assessment despite being injured—and already cooking his 50th beef set.

"Damn... I'm lagging behind again!" Takumi muttered, visibly annoyed.

Ignoring Takumi, Shiraki confirmed his qualification and left Hitoshi Sekimori, who was sweating profusely, shaken from Shiraki's composed demeanor. Shiraki walked out of the kitchen without a word.

If I'm not mistaken, this is the perfect time to hit the bathhouse. Dojima Gin should just be about to leave. There's no risk of bumping into Erina, either. I'll head back to my room after that.

Shiraki smirked at the thought. With a high chance of Kojiro Shinomiya being tomorrow's examiner, I need to prepare for his 'arrogant tsundere' attitude. My hands are already itching to mess with him a little.

As for Tiansumi's issue, it wasn't even a problem in Shiraki's eyes. As long as I get her fresh cauliflower beforehand, there's nothing to worry about. Worst case, I'll exchange some from the system store.

Shiraki walked through the hotel corridor, deep in thought about tomorrow's assessment, when a sneaky figure appeared behind him.

Kurokiba Ryō stared blankly at the scene ahead, where Alice Nakiri quietly sneaked up behind Shiraki. Then, out of nowhere, Alice suddenly hugged him.

"Shiraki-kun, what are you thinking about so distractedly?"

"Ah!"

Two voices rang out simultaneously. Shiraki, startled by the sudden sneak attack, instinctively thought of Mrs. Wenxu's wrinkled face. His neck tingled in shock before he turned to see it was Alice.

"Y-You can't just sneak up on people like that!" Shiraki stammered.

Alice grinned innocently. "But I waved at you desperately in the kitchen earlier, and Shiraki-kun didn't seem to notice me at all."

"There were so many people there! How was I supposed to notice you?" Shiraki retorted. He sighed and adjusted his tone. "Fine... What do you want?"

"Hey, I just came to say hi," Alice said cheerfully. "By the way, I saw Chef Sekimori's reaction after tasting your food—it was hilarious! What exactly did you make?"

"Chef Sekimori?" Shiraki shook his head, recalling the chaotic 'beef set' he'd made earlier. "Nothing special. Just a trial beef set."

"Nothing special? That beef set had such an effect? Next time, let me try one of your 'trial works,' Shiraki-kun!"

Alice finally realized she had stayed too long. Slowly letting go of Shiraki, she waved and said, "That's it for today. See you tomorrow, Shiraki-kun!"

In the blink of an eye, Alice disappeared down the corridor, leaving Shiraki standing there, shaking his head. He resumed walking toward his room.

---

Inside his room, Shiraki showered and changed into the provided nightgown. Sitting on the bed, he began to plan for tomorrow's exam.

If nothing had changed, Kojiro Shinomiya's question would likely involve preparing a French vegetable terrine.

It's a simple dish, Shiraki thought. The real challenge will be finding a way to have fun with that menopausal, tsundere glasses-wearing dragon.

Shiraki opened the system's virtual mall and started scrolling. The mall stocked far more than cooking tools and ingredients—it had everything from household goods to bizarre, otherworldly items.

After half an hour of browsing, nothing particularly stood out. Shiraki sighed. "Let's try something creative," he said to himself.

"System, filter the list for items that are... lethal. Ingredients or not, I just want something lethal!"

[Ding! Filtered items are now displayed.]

The system's response popped up instantly.

The first item on the list made Shiraki's eyes widen in disbelief.

[Item: Hiroshi Nohara's Original Stinky Socks]

Origin: Crayon Shin-chan Universe

Description: The ultimate weapon exuding the most indescribable odor in existence. Capable of stunning aliens and incapacitating humans. A conceptual weapon embodying 'the smell of the world itself.'

Points Required: 200 (Clearance Sale Price).

"What... the hell?!" Shiraki groaned. His stomach churned just from reading the description.

Scrolling further, he saw another shocking item.

[Item: Gian's Solo Album]

Origin: Doraemon Universe

Description: A cassette featuring Gian's singing. Known to destroy both organic and inorganic matter upon playback. Effects ignore mystical defenses and affect gods, demons, robots, aliens, and all other beings indiscriminately.

Points Required: 1,000 (Clearance Sale Price).

Shiraki sat back, stunned. What kind of dystopian chaos does this system stock?!

His initial plan had been to use something subtle—perhaps a hint of nuclear heat or experimental spices—to "surprise" Kojiro Shinomiya. But the system's offerings were clearly on another level.

To redeem or not to redeem? Shiraki pondered.

That was the question.