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After completing the bun skins, what naturally followed was filling and shaping the buns. In the Cooking Master Boy anime, the Four Heavenly Seafood Eight Treasure Buns had no folds and looked just like steamed buns.
However, the buns Yuuki made did have folds.
This wasn't Yuuki trying to be different. In the past, buns did indeed have folds, although they weren't called "buns" at the time.
The folds of a bun symbolized exquisite skill and the meaning of a bountiful harvest, also reflecting the culture of the past. So, when Yuuki made buns, he added the folds.
As for the characters representing the Four Heavenly Beasts, Yuuki wrote them in Japanese Kanji on the bottom of the buns.
....
After finishing these buns, Yuuki didn't sit idle but did another thing. He prepared quite a few bamboo strips.
A Bamboo boat woven from bamboo strips to hold the Four Heavenly Seafood Eight Treasure Buns, this also corresponded to the seafood filling of the buns.
(PS: A Bamboo Boat is commonly used to serve food in sushi restaurants.)
And bamboo had a unique aroma. Combined with being made into a boat, it gave a sense of profound history.
Sometimes, the external decoration and surroundings could have a great impact on a dish.
As for whether it was possible to weave a bamboo boat in such a short time, it was exceedingly simple for Yuuki.
With his super sense of touch and Food Honor, Yuuki's actions had no waste whatsoever. His hands moved like a blur. Just relying on the naked eye, no one could clearly see what Yuuki was doing.
However, as time passed, from the shape Yuuki was weaving, they finally understood he was making a bamboo boat.
....
"Even the container is woven on site??? THIS GUY IS CRAZY!"
Watching Yuuki's actions, the Elite Ten felt their teeth ache. Yuuki was already strong enough, but this VERY powerful guy was also overly meticulous...
Just like how gorgeous cooking techniques could attract attention and be a bonus point for the judges, Yuuki's actions were undoubtedly also like this.
They now couldn't figure out why Yuuki was doing this.
His opponent was only Soma Yukihira. Although strong, Soma was strong compared to other students; compared to them, he wasn't THAT strong.
Yet facing such an opponent, the various techniques Yuuki displayed dazzled everyone. It was clear Yuuki was taking this very seriously.
It was like a special forces soldier going all out against an infant—just absurd.
....
Yuuki's movements were very fast; one bamboo boat didn't take him more than a few minutes. On the other side, when steaming the buns, Yuuki didn't use regular steam but directly used his own high-temperature steam.
Although Inferno had evolved, and he could now freely control flames, the high-temperature steam ability hadn't disappeared, so Yuuki could still use it.
The buns steamed using high-temperature steam released by himself were naturally the best.
It was a pity this world didn't have the concept of "Glowing Cuisine." Otherwise, Yuuki estimated the Four Heavenly Seafood Eight Treasure Buns he made could probably emit beams of light.
After the buns were steamed, Yuuki placed some on the bamboo boat, and the rest were directly packed up. Anyway, the Polar Star folks would definitely pester him later, so he might as well finish it all in one go.
If it were other dishes, not easy to carry, Yuuki wouldn't make them here.
But buns were much easier to make, so Yuuki made a whole bunch of buns this time. However, only a small portion was presented to the judges.
"Just normal buns—Yet in your hands, they radiate a completely different brilliance!" Senzaemon Nakiri couldn't help but exclaim as he looked at the bamboo boat and the buns on it.
Making buns wasn't difficult—
—Any normal person, after some learning, even if they might fail initially, would definitely succeed after a few tries.
Yet such a simple Dish, in Yuuki's hands, bloomed with a unique radiance. It was hard to imagine buns could be made so spectacular.
"Thank you for your praise, Director. Please enjoy—Four Heavenly Seafood Eight Treasure Buns—" Yuuki said.
"Four Heavenly Seafood Eight Treasure Buns... That's certainly an apt name... You wrote the names of the Four Heavenly Beasts on the bottom of each bun, right?"
Since Yuuki hadn't concealed anything, everyone saw how he operated. Hearing this name, Senzaemon also found it very fitting.
"Four Heavenly" was very clear—the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—written on the bottom of the buns.
As for "Eight Treasures," it clearly referred to the eight kinds of seafood.
A very common and direct name.
....
"This is... HOW?"
However, after taking a bite of the bun, Senzaemon was utterly stunned. He subconsciously exclaimed, almost jumping out of his seat.
But the next second, his shocked heart was calmed by a mysterious force, as if the earlier excitement didn't even exist.
After eating one bun, Senzaemon leaned back against his chair, a look of utter contentment on his face, emitting an air of relaxed laziness.
....
"What happened to the Director? He was clearly very excited just a second ago, but the next second, he's turned into THIS!"
In the Elite Ten's section, Rindō Kobayashi looked at Senzaemon Nakiri with some confusion. This change was simply too dramatic; she couldn't understand it at all.
"I don't know. I'M VERY curious now! What on earth IS in this dish? Why did the Director react so strongly?!"
Eishi Tsukasa was also completely baffled and leaned closer, waiting for Senzaemon to speak.
....
Senzaemon, maintaining this somewhat languid posture for a few minutes, finally snapped out of it.
"Incredible... After eating your dish, I feel completely at peace. All those earlier emotions were instantly smoothed out. This should be... Culinary Heart, isn't it? YOU'VE ALREADY MASTERED CULINARY HEART!"
After escaping the influence of the Soul Soothing Esoterica, Senzaemon once again showed an expression of extreme shock.
"WHAT?! CULINARY HEART?! NO WAY!!!"
As soon as these words were out, most of the students were completely lost, but the few Chefs who understood what "Culinary Heart" meant were FREAKING OUT.
The Polar Star residents were among them. After all, thanks to Jōichirō before, they knew what Culinary Heart was.
Only First Class Chefs could attempt to comprehend Culinary Heart. After comprehending it, they would become Special Class Chefs.
Culinary Heart was a requirement on the path to becoming Special Class. Yet Senzaemon Nakiri was now saying that Yuuki had mastered Culinary Heart!
....
"Hey, hey, hey! What are you freaking out about? What IS Culinary Heart anyway? Tell us!"
Other students, their curiosity piqued, stared at these people, annoyed.
These guys, who knew about "Culinary Heart," every single one of them had shocked expressions on their faces.
But they themselves didn't know! Although they knew it had to be something significant, this feeling of being in the dark was extremely frustrating.
"Did I hear correctly? Did the Director just say Culinary Heart?" Eishi Tsukasa asked, dumbfounded, picking at his ear and looking at the others.
"Unless my ears are playing tricks on me, that was definitely 'Culinary Heart.' But how's that even possible?"
Nene Kinokuni also had a look of disbelief on her face. Not just her, several other Elite Ten members also said they couldn't accept this.
"Culinary Heart... It's really Culinary Heart?? Grandpa didn't make a mistake, did he??" Even Erina Nakiri's eyes widened.
Although she knew Yuuki was very skilled, like a monster, the appearance of Culinary Heart indicated that even "monster" couldn't describe Yuuki.
"The Director shouldn't have made a mistake in judgment, so that means he..." Hisako Arato tried to stay rational, but now, her logic was conflicting.
Logically, Senzaemon Nakiri, as the "Food Demon," couldn't possibly make a wrong judgment.
However, logic also told her that Yuuki, only a first-year high school student, similarly couldn't have possibly mastered Culinary Heart, something only Special Class Chefs possessed.
This conflict in her reasoning made Hisako Arato trail off mid-sentence, unsure of what to say.
"Jun, what is Culinary Heart? Why are you all so shocked?" Akira Hayama looked at Jun Shiomi, who had a look of utter terror on her face, and asked with some confusion.
The other professors around also had similar expressions, even Roland Chapelle...
Keep in mind, when Roland Chapelle faced students, he only showed a serious expression. Now, for him to even look shocked was simply unbelievable.
"Originally, I wasn't supposed to tell you so early. But now it seems there's no need to hide it anymore. Culinary Heart represents a Special Class Chef—only Special Class Chefs can master Culinary Heart."
"Many First Class Chefs aren't stopped from becoming Special Class because of insufficient fundamental skills, but because of Culinary Heart. Without mastering Culinary Heart, no matter how skilled you are in other aspects, you will remain a First Class Chef."
"Because Culinary Heart has the ability to move people's hearts. You saw the Director's behavior just now, right? He went from being excited and shocked to suddenly becoming calm and peaceful—that was because of the influence of Culinary Heart."
Jun Shiomi briefly explained.
After listening, Akira Hayama finally understood why the professors had such expressions, and also why Senzaemon Nakiri, the Director, would make such an exclamation.
Special Class Chefs—they were the Chefs standing at the very pinnacle of the Culinary world!
There weren't many of them globally—among billions of people, there were only a handful of Special Class Chefs. This showed just how high the status of Special Class Chef was.
"Culinary Heart is the mark of a Special Class Chef... Does that mean he's already become a Special Class Chef? But that's impossible, right?" Akira Hayama, suddenly realizing Yuuki's potential Chef rank, couldn't help but ask.
"Honestly, never mind your age, even if you add ten more years, it's still impossible."
"Currently, the youngest Special Class Chef internationally is Jōichirō Saiba, who was also the Second Seat during the Golden Age. Even he, at your age, hadn't even reached the Third Class Chef level," Roland Chapelle stated.
"So that means he isn't a Special Class Chef yet? You can comprehend Culinary Heart without being a Special Class Chef?"
Akira Hayama asked once again.
"If this were before meeting Yuuki, I'd tell you, 'Impossible.' Culinary Heart—normally, only First Class Chefs would even touch on such a thing."
"In all recorded history, no one has ever comprehended Culinary Heart before becoming a First Class Chef—"
"But now, it seems this ironclad rule has been broken. Yuuki, at his age, cannot be a Special Class Chef, yet he's mastered Culinary Heart." Roland Chapelle shook his head, indicating he didn't know what to say now, as his common sense had been shattered by Yuuki.
Hearing this, Akira Hayama's expression became even more complex. He had originally still planned to try and catch up to Yuuki, even had the ambition to surpass him—
—but now, this budding ambition had been directly snuffed out. The gap was simply too large, to the extent that he no longer felt any desire to compete.
Right now, although Yuuki wasn't a Special Class Chef yet, according to Roland Chapelle, Yuuki just needed to improve his fundamentals to directly reach the Special Class Chef level. This was simply outrageous.
The other students around also heard their conversation and gained a brand-new understanding of Yuuki's freakish nature.
The content of their conversation also quickly spread among the students.
....
"Indeed, this is Culinary Heart—the Soul Soothing Esoterica. It has the effect of calming the heart."
"Calming the heart, huh? What a powerful Culinary Heart! Congratulations, Yuuki-kun! Although other aspects are still somewhat lacking, right now, you WILL become a Special Class Chef!"
Although he had confirmed it before, it still felt somewhat unreal.
Yuuki was simply too outrageous; even his worldview had been shattered.
After giving his praise, Senzaemon Nakiri didn't continue to eat the buns before him. He was going to take these buns to his granddaughter.
So, just like before, although last time it had been a hasty escape with the dish, this time, his departure was much more leisurely.
After all, no one would fight him for these buns this time.
Seeing this, Erina Nakiri also immediately took Hisako Arato and followed.
As for the others, their gazes fell on the other buns Yuuki had packed. But unfortunately, these buns were destined not to be eaten by them.
No one could snatch food from Yuuki's hands. After all, they couldn't even get close to him.
After leaving the venue, Yuuki met with the Polar Star residents and then returned to Polar Star. With Yuuki's Inferno ability, there was no need to worry about the buns getting cold or whether reheating them would affect the taste.
At this moment, the Polar Star residents had already started tasting Yuuki's Four Heavenly Seafood Eight Treasure Buns. Meanwhile, at the Nakiri family's residential area, Erina Nakiri also began to try this dish.
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