"By the way, ......, here you go. This is Chinese food, one of the three great cuisines of the world.

There were Chinese rice bowls, bean curd, fried rice, dumplings, shrimp chili, Chinese shrimp sauce, Chinese shrimp sauce, octopus balls, Chinese soup, and other all-star dishes.
And I guess the genre of Chinese food itself has not been established in this world.
All of the dishes served were completely new to the eyes of otherworldly people, and they made full use of fresh ingredients such as vegetables.
No wonder my dad has been such a winner.
I'm rather surprised that my father was such a good cook.
I heard that he used to be a cook when he was young: .......

This is a very colorful dish. I've seen a lot of different cuisines in my life, but I've never seen such a colorful dish.

And what a savory smell. It's not just the smell of the ingredients themselves, like when you cook meat or fish. This is the very smell of cooked food. That's what makes it so appetizing.

"Well, well, so much for the rave reviews, but taste it anyway.

Even in the face of the rave reviews from the judges, my father remains as aloof as ever.
The judges slowly take a bite of the dishes laid out as if rushed by his father.
At that moment, their taste buds are bombarded with a rush of deliciousness.

"Hey, what a dish this is!

The mere tofu couldn't be more flavorful, and the right amount of spiciness rather stimulates the appetite!

"Not only this dish!　It has a Pieman-like crunch, but with less bitterness than that, and the harmony with the meat and sauce couldn't be more pervasive!

No, the scary thing is that all these dishes have their own personality, and their flavors are solidified like a genre. Moreover, this oolong tea naturally enters your mouth as if it were a drink prepared for this dish. The naturalness, harmony, and variations in this dish are all above and beyond what I have seen in the past with Keogh's seafood dishes. I assure you, it is delicious!

"Oops!　No way!　That gourmet master assures me that it's delicious!

Not only did the judges rave about it, but the old man, who was called the "gourmet master," expressed his surprise to the audience and even the other judges.

"You said 'Keiji-dono,' didn't you? The name, this cooking method, you're that Keji-dono's ......

Well, that doesn't really matter for the game. Judge it on taste, not identity.

The gourmet master smiles at his father's statement, "That's true, too," he says.

Now, let's continue with Kyou and Mina's cooking!

At the call of the host, I bring the cooked food to him.
At that time, I thanked Mina standing next to me.

...... Thank you, Mina.

No, please do as you wish until the end.

That's what it meant. It was obvious to the audience who watched us cook.
I didn't ask for Mina's help, and I cooked by myself.
That's what I asked Mina to do the day before.
There were many reasons for this, but I wanted to win this final against my dad on my own.
The demons I've raised, the food I learned from Kasarina and Mina.
I wanted to put them all together to see how far I could go.

Of course, this competition was to elevate Mina's status as a cook, and she had her reasons for refusing.
But she entrusted me with everything, saying, "It was you who brought me to this point, so I'll leave it to you to do what you want in the end.
To answer her expectations, I put everything I had into the dish and spread it out in front of the judges.

"Here's your dish. This is my dish.

"Oh, this is--

Spread out there was a jack-o'-lantern soup. Devil Carrot and Mandragora with flowers. Baked entree cake. And cockatrice with killer plant sauce.

It was the first diner contest I participated in with Mina.
It was the first dish Mina cooked with ingredients I had prepared.
But the ingredients were the culmination of all the demons I've cultivated since I came to this other world.
They were the first ones I cultivated and have been cultivating ever since I came to this world.
It's too simple a choice for the purpose of this tournament, which is to cultivate food.
But against my old man, even if I try to trick him, he'll beat me to it.
That's why I dare to choose this dish.
The quality of the demons I raised, their quality and taste.
Mina's skills, Kasarina's guidance, Fitis' help, and my cooking, which has improved during this competition.
I'm going to show you all of them.
It's simple, but this is the answer I found.

The judges stretched out their chopsticks to the culmination of all of our efforts and slowly slurped it up.

"Hmm.

This.

What leaked out of it was neither the grandiose impressions nor the rave reviews that I had just heard.
It's just a sigh of admiration. After letting it out, the judges quietly put my food in their mouths and ate it all before they knew it.

"It was indeed a good dish.

That's what the gourmet master let out the first time he tasted our food.

Now, the judging begins!　Judges write the name of the one who was more delicious and vote!

The room goes silent at the presenter's declaration.
Then the first judge's evaluation is given.

It says--Keiji.



"Oops!　The first vote is for Himlo-Keiji!

The audience's clamor and the jury's vote that followed is revealed at the same time.
There it was written again, Cage.
The presenter's voice asks if he will get all the votes for the final as well, but it will be shattered by the next vote.
The name on it is Kyou. That is, my name.
Without even the time to gasp, the votes of the four eyes are revealed. It was my name on there too.

Wha-ha!　Finally, in the final, the myth of Cage's victory with all the votes is overturned!　This leaves the vote at 2 to 2, and the final judge is now the Gourmet Master's assessment!

The room is abuzz with excitement. The enthusiasm is at its peak and the gourmet master, quiet as a rock, slowly takes his pen as if he has made a decision.
Running letters. Eventually the brush stops moving and the gourmet master's eyes look at me to compare my father to me.
And then silently his name spreads through the hall.

"------

Was it me who took my breath away. Or was it my father?
The whole hall was silent for a moment, and I couldn't even tell.
But soon, the crowd was celebrating the winner of the final, and the crowd was cheering.
My father and I just stood there quietly and watched the results.

"...... hmmm, oh boy. Well, whatever the outcome, it was fun to play this full-out match with you, Kyou.

And then I see my dad reaching out to me.
Yes, I do. Regardless of the outcome, if you did your best for each other, then I'm entitled to hold your hand.

I looked at Mina and shed tears, and in the audience I saw Dora-chan, who was also in tears, as well as Lily and Fitis hugging Rock.

Strangely, the only feeling I had inside me was a sense of accomplishment.
I had given it my all. Come to think of it, I've never done such a thing since I was born.
Regardless of the outcome, I won't deny the good feeling I have right now.

But next time I won't lose. Dad.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.

The winner is Himuro Cage.
The final of the grand culinary competition - in which I suffered my first defeat.