Second Round (4)

Chapter 78: Episode 34 - Second Round (4)

"TIME'S UP!!! Please step away from your work," the announcer said as both teams followed.

Four hours had already passed and despite my team's earlier chit-chat, we were able to create our desserts without any hesitation.

I and Natsuki met eyes and I could see that her bubbly smile came back. I was more used to seeing her like this than what I saw earlier since it looked as if she was nervous about us. To be honest, we had little chance of winning this round in the first place, but we hadn't lost hope yet.

"Now the judges shall start with Team Natsuki. Please line up and arrange the food in front of the judges," the announcer instructed. The audience on the sidelines viewed Team Natsuki as they brought their dishes over to the judges to present.

"It seems like they're done lining up the plates. Now let's see their presentation!"

Without wasting a second, a smug smile appeared on Natsuki's face and a *snap* came from her fingers.

"Oh, the lights have been turned off with the leader's signal! What does Team Natsuki intend to do?"

I was confused by the darkness of the room as I glanced at Team Natsuki's dessert.

'Wh-what's going on?'

Suddenly, a torch was lit and the 4 girls held oranges inserted into a long fork as long orange peels unwinded from it. Blue flames captured the orange peels from top to bottom as they performed their flame performance.

"Blue flames are running down the orange peels. AND, they've applied the crepe suzette. It's a stunning flame performance! The orange peel is placed just like that around the glass." The announcer exclaimed as the audience on the sidelines "oohed" and "aahed".

I was worried about going against Natsuki's team but after seeing their flame performance, there was no way that we would be winning this round. I could feel a pit in my stomach after witnessing their presentation.

"Thank you for waiting. This is a tropical fruit Mille Feuille and ice with a mango sauce dessert that we imagined. This is the "Wave of Passion"," Natsuki explained calmly as those on the judging panel looked at their dessert with eyes filled with excitement.

'Oh no. From the looks of everyone from the judges to the audience… we have no chance in winning against Team Natsuki!'

"We've been had… they've totally caught and carried the room's atmosphere with that performance," Kashino said with a slight bit of worry.

"Is that even possible?" Andou said, scratching his head in confusion at Team Natsuki's performance.

On the sidelines, I could see the smile from Tennouji Mari's face disappear as she looked at Team Natsuki. She glowered at the team's performance and she then directed her piercing gold eyes at me. She didn't look at me in worry, but it was as if she was asking me with her eyes, "What are you going to do to turn the tables?"

I could immediately feel the pressure from her eyes weigh my shoulders down but I knew that she was still supporting my team from how much she paid attention to us. At this moment, I was at a complete loss for words. Nothing came to mind besides the fact that we had already lost this round. There goes having no hope that we could do this.

Meeting eyes with Natsuki again, her serious face formed into a slight smirk as if saying, "Sorry, but we have to win no matter what."

"We made it with fruits that basked in the Okinawa sun, so please do relish in these sweets," Natsuki smiled at the judging panel.

The judges began to dig into the desserts presented to them.

"Hm, the pineapple, orange, kiwi, papaya, and guava—the tastes are all different," one student from the judging panel said as they dug in.

"These fruits are so juicy… the flaky pie with this custard cream that just melts in your mouth is not at all soggy. The tastes of these blessed fruits become intertwined in my mouth and resound. Just like a wave… it's a "Wave of Passion"," another student from the judging panel proclaimed.

Even those from the sidelines were begging to eat it.

"Aya! I want some too!"

"Gimme some, please?!"

"Lemme try it!"

During this commotion, the five judges were consulting their opinions with each other to come to a consensus on Team Natskui's score

"Please quiet down as the scores ARE! IN!" The announcer brought up, as everyone's attention directed at the big electronic screen centered in the middle of the salon.

It read: "Team Natsuki: Taste - 89, Technique - 96, Theme - 88, Total - 273."

'Wow… a total score of 273. Natsuki's team is amazing after all.'

"This is bad…" Kashino stated with reluctance in his voice.

"Please quiet down! Next is Team Michiko's turn. Now then, I wonder what kind of dessert they'll show us?" The announcer wondered, trying to calm down the loud chattery crowd.

Looking around the room, I could see everyone's eyes fixed on Team Natsuki and their dessert.

'The room won't quiet down. At this rate, even when we present, we'll lose impressions. Natsuki's dessert had a wow-factor… but what about ours? I need something… I need something to turn the tables!'

I quickly thought back upon our dessert. It seemed as if the real thing that we were missing was the wow-factor that would amaze everyone. How my mother opened her engagement dessert was that she undid the chocolate petals that hid the inside manually by hand, but one thing was tugging at the back of my brain… How could I make it so that the chocolate petals would release by themselves, slowly revealing the main dessert on the inside?

'How can I create the wow-factor needed to create the blooming flower effect that would 'wow' everyone's mind?'

I looked back at my station to see if I had anything to work with.

'Chocolate is known for having a melting point of about 90 degrees, so maybe if I—Wait, that's it!'