[38] - Magical Mapo Tofu (BONUS)

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"Yuuki-kun, long time no see! I won't hold back this time. Show me what your special ability is all about!"

After seeing Yuuki, Terunori Kuga also greeted him. He knew that Yuuki's special ability was very powerful, but he didn't think that Yuuki, having only just awakened it, would have already become stronger than himself.

"The special ability isn't the key—"

Yuuki didn't waste words with Kuga and instead took out his cooking tools.

This time, Yuuki didn't take out the Seven-Star Knives, as his dish wouldn't require them.

Judging by the ingredients Kuga brought, Yuuki already knew what he planned to make. Without a doubt, Terunori Kuga was going to make Mapo Tofu.

Terunori Kuga's signature dish was also Mapo Tofu—Yuuki knew this very well. So, he already knew what Kuga planned to prepare.

And Yuuki also intended to make Mapo Tofu.

However, this Mapo Tofu was a bit different.

Yuuki planned to make Magical Mapo Tofu from Cooking Master Boy.

This Mapo Tofu was innovative—which made it a perfect counter for Terunori Kuga.

However, there was one tricky aspect to preparing this dish—it required making the Tofu from scratch. Such a thing had never been done in a Shokugeki before.

After all, making tofu took quite a bit of time, and no one would want to waste their time on it in a Shokugeki.

But Yuuki was different. He could accelerate the tofu setting process with his Inferno ability.

This required precise control over temperature and timing, which would have been risky for others, but for Yuuki, it was easy.

....

After both had finished their preparations, Senzaemon Nakiri took his seat at the judge's table. With the announcer's words, the Shokugeki officially began!

"Kuga is taking this pretty seriously, isn't he? He's probably planning to pull out all the stops—" Rindō Kobayashi observed. She knew Kuga quite well.

"Most likely. But more importantly, what is Yuuki doing? Is he... making tofu from SCRATCH?! He's also making Mapo Tofu? But there's no way he has enough time!"

Compared to Kuga, Eishi Tsukasa was more focused on Yuuki, as Yuuki's actions had left him stunned. The others had the same reaction. After all, no one had ever seen someone making tofu from scratch in a Shokugeki before.

"Starting with homemade tofu...? What on earth is he thinking?! No matter how you look at it—he doesn't have enough time!"

Erina Nakiri said, frowning. She also couldn't understand Yuuki's actions...

....

"Megumi, did Yuuki tell you what he was making for this Shokugeki?"

Not only were the outsiders baffled, but even the Polar Star residents were completely confused. No one could understand Yuuki's actions.

"Nope, he only said he would make something 'Special.' I didn't ask for the specifics—"

"But don't worry, everyone! You know how Yuuki is—he wouldn't do this without being completely sure he could pull it off."

Although Megumi Tadokoro also didn't know what Yuuki was going to make, she completely trusted him and knew he wasn't reckless—Yuuki only did things he was absolutely certain of.

So, he must have his reasons for doing this.

"She's right. Yuuki wouldn't choke under pressure—" Even Alice Nakiri knew Yuuki's character.

The time spent at the Tōtsuki Resort wasn't for nothing. Among them, only Soma Yukihira, being completely new to the group, didn't really understand Yuuki.

While he knew Yuuki, it was just a name; he didn't know anything beyond that.

....

Yuuki's actions not only baffled the audience but also Terunori Kuga, who had been keeping an eye on Yuuki.

However, even Kuga didn't believe Yuuki would mess this up.

After all, Yuuki was the one who proposed this Shokugeki. He definitely had a plan—

—It was precisely because of this that Terunori Kuga decided to give it his all and bring out his Speciality dish.

Unable to understand what Yuuki was doing, Kuga simply focused all his attention on his own cooking, no longer paying attention to Yuuki.

As for Yuuki, he had already practiced making Magical Mapo Tofu during his time at Polar Star. With his abilities, he could perfectly recreate it.

So this time, it was second nature to him.

After the tofu preparations were complete, Yuuki began making the sauce. This step was crucial, as the "Magic" of the Mapo Tofu was revealed at the end.

Although the sauce was prepared in advance, in order to ensure it perfectly complemented the tofu, Yuuki spent much more time and effort on the sauce compared to the tofu.

During this process, Yuuki directly used Inferno. Flames erupted from the stove, spreading to engulf almost his entire being and the cooking station.

This scene startled everyone in the audience—

"Hey, hey, hey! Is he going to be okay? He's completely surrounded by fire! SOMEONE STOP THE MATCH AND CALL AN AMBULANCE!"

Seeing Yuuki surrounded by fire, some of the students were terrified, worried he would be burned alive...

"Do you guys have amnesia or something? His special ability is Inferno! HE controls fire. And he's immune to fire and high temperatures! Remember??"

Other students, remembering Yuuki's special ability, realized this was clearly intentional. Plus, the school officials weren't reacting—obviously, Yuuki wasn't in danger.

"So, that's Inferno, huh...? The visual impact is something else. He's completely engulfed—can't see a thing he's doing!"

Even the Elite Ten were surprised seeing Yuuki surrounded by flames. Although they already knew about Inferno, seeing it in person was quite impactful.

Besides the shock, their curiosity was also aroused. Yuuki had completely shrouded himself in flames, preventing anyone from seeing what he was doing.

This, too, was intentional on Yuuki's part. After all, besides its flavor, the key element of this dish was its magical presentation. And magic required a sense of mystery—

That's why Yuuki used flames to envelop both himself and the cooking station. Because his Inferno had evolved, he could easily control the high temperature, preventing it from destroying the tofu mold or anything else.

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