Prince Of Cooking

Walking down the stair and into the dining room, Lovin notices a light was on in the kitchen room.

Wondering who was up so early in the morning apart for him and Isshiki, he enters the kitchen and comes upon Soma holding a balloon that he just fills with water.

"What are you doing with that balloon?"

Hearing a voice behind him, Some was startled and quickly turn around. His heart setters down when he discovered it was just his friend.

"Ah, that scared me..." he sighs and remembers Lovin's question and down on the balloon, "This is for my match against Takumi."

Facing up and make contact with the person in front of him, Some couldn't help but feel excited but also nervous at the same time.

"You know, I might go up against you in the next round... I going to give everything I got in today's match so I could have that chance."

"I hope you win too so that everything will go as I picture it."

Soma tilts his head a bit, confused by what he said, "What does that mean?"

"Nothing you need to worry about" Lovin replied as he walks out of the kitchen.

"That guy, he never answers thing clearly" Soma mutter and went back to his preparation for his election match.

***

"Let the match begin!"

With the signal from Senzaemon, both contenders begin cooking for their hamburger. From Hayama, he decides to go with Doner kebab.

Everyone freak out a little when Hisako took out a live Chinese softshell turtle and cut through its neck in an instant without hesitation.

"Man, I wish I could eat those dish instead of just watching,"

In the private booth, overlooking the match. Lovin complains, leaning on the seat and facing up at the ceiling.

"You could make them yourself if you want to eat it"

Usually, Erina would be the one in this booth, but she steps out to watch so she could hear what going on, so it just him and Ikumi who was sitting beside him.

"It not the same, I want to try what they cooking."

Finished with her cooking, Hisako makes her way toward the judges and present her Suppon Burger.

Picking up the burger, the five judges feel could how bouncy and soft the bun is. They feel a heat running through their body when they bit into the burger and the glow of their skin when they release the hot breath inside.

'Hmm...that new'

Watching the scene above, Lovin thought in mild surprise. Instead of raw Ginger like she used originally, Hisako uses pickled Ginger this time in her burger.

When it was Hayama's turn, even though his burger looks heavy with all the meat. It was gone in the judge's hand when they took a bite of it, they devoured the food before they even realize it.

Even though she uses pickled Ginger when she thought back on the match between Alice and Lovin so it would be a genuine burger and also enhances the meat, but Looking at the spectacle in front of her, Hisako was quickly overcome with hopelessness in her chance of winning the match.

After he was announced the winner, Hayama then gives a devastating blow to her pride and confidence, putting her in complete despair.

"Even though you spent time with the God Tongue and him, I would've thought your aim would be higher but everything about you is small...your cooking and your goals. I would never lose to someone like you."

Hisako walks toward the exit with her head down and apologizes to Erian who was standing there before running off.

"Poor girl, I go look for her and cheer her up." back at the booth, Ikumi said as she got up and leave the room, looking for Hisako.

***

[Now, we'll start off the fourth round! A match between Yukihira Soma and Takumi Aldini, with the theme being dessert!]

As the announcement of the final round before moving on to the semi-finals start, the door in the private booth was open, and a glum Erina steps in and sits down beside Lovin.

"Why did Hisako run away like that? She lost, so what. It not like I would think any less of her."

Lovin put his arm around her shoulder and subtly leaning her head toward his shoulder while keeping his eyes forward.

"Well, cheer up. Ikumi runs after her and when they are done talking, she'll be back by your side, maybe even improvement in her cooking."

"That's good, I want to go after Hisako but I wouldn't know what to say to her" Erina replied, not even noticing that her head was on Lovin's shoulder.

As time pass, Takumi was the first to serve. His dish was a Fourth-Layer Semifreddo with lemon curd in the second-layer, which he added after thinking hard about during the match.

The dish was a great success with the judges and its lemon vivid flavor, earning the bare-c.h.e.s.t of the Totuski's director.

After the evaluation of Takumi's dish was over with, Soma walks toward the judging table and present his dish.

Instead of normal plating, he has a beautiful thin white, transparent bowl with small spikes on top.

In the crystal clear bowl rest a Panna Cotta with shiny and juice pineapple cube around it, and on top of the Panna Cotta was some kind yellow egg yolk.

"Quite the presentation you have here..." Senzaemon said and notice something as he inspects the bowl closely.

Brokering off a piece of the spikes, he put it in his mouth, "This is sugar."

Hearing his statement, the other judge also did the same thing as Some talk over the subject.

"Yeah, you can eat it together with the Panna Cotta if you want."

Doing as he advises, the judges broke off a piece of the sugar bowl and eat with the dessert inside. Tasting the mango and intense flavor of the pineapple, along with the crunchy texture of the sugar.

"The yolk is a spherification mango!"

"Hey, that my idea!" hearing the term spherification, Alice who was watching with her aide points her finger at Soma and shouted.

"That not all he did, the pineapple is compressed to give it intense flavor...but what is that sweetness that coming through in the pineapple?"

Before the Soma could respond, the director answers in his fellow judges, "It's Star anise."

"What?..."

That was a surprise to everyone watching, it even though it has a sweet taste, Star anise doesn't see a lot of use in a dessert.

"I put it with the pineapple when I vacuum seal it. I'm not that confident in making dessert so I also went for the look of the dish, hoping it would give me an edge in winning if I and Takumi would to tie in tastes."

Hearing Soma's explanation, the judges continue happily eating the dessert and play around with the sugar bowl.

"That was a delicious and fun dish."

Senzaemon got up of his chair with his top off and went for the gain brush and write the winner's names.

[And the winner is Yukihira Soma!]

In the private booth, Ikumi opens the door and comes back with the pink hair, the secretary of Erina who went up to her and bows down in apologize.

"I'm sorry Erina-sama, for showing you such a disgrace display."

"I understand, just make sure it doesn't happen again" Erina replies, not showing any reaction but she was secretly happy that Hisako was back.

Stand beside Lovin, Ikumi look on the match below and said, "So, Yukihira won."

"Yeah, and I hope so much that me and him compete against each other in the semi-finals" Lovin smirk.