Food Wars: Taste Reversal

"Shiraki-kun, aren't you still sleeping?"

When Megumi Tadokoro walked into the kitchen, she saw Shiraki intently examining a potato in front of him, as if he were about to practice his knife skills again.

"Huh, Megumi, you're here too."

Hearing the voice beside him, Shiraki turned to see Megumi Tadokoro, wearing pajamas, standing next to the refrigerator and looking at him.

"Well, yes, I've been outside since you came in just now. I didn't expect you to be practicing so late, especially since your skills are already impressive." Megumi glanced at Shiraki with some embarrassment. "Everyone in Polar Star Dorm is also practicing hard to improve their skills, and I feel like I need to work extra hard to catch up."

"You don't have to put so much pressure on yourself." Shiraki suddenly reached out and patted Megumi's head. He could easily read her emotions; what she felt was clear on her face.

Despite Megumi's current grades being low, putting her at the bottom of her class at Totsuki School, her potential was undeniable. She held the tenth seat among the top ten masters, demonstrating remarkable strength and the ability to maintain her position.

"Ah, thank you..."

Encouraged by Shiraki, Megumi didn't react at first. When she did, her face flushed, and she stammered her thanks.

"Are you thinking that even though I say that, you still can't help but feel nervous about school starting tomorrow?" Shiraki asked suddenly.

"Huh? How do you know... Ah, no, I mean..."

Megumi looked at Shiraki with an incredulous expression. Blushing even more at his serious gaze, she quickly lowered her head and spoke softly. "Yes, I'm sorry. In fact, I feel very nervous about starting classes tomorrow, and I can't sleep at all. Shiraki-kun, you may not know this, but my grades have never been very good. I'm always clumsy and end up causing trouble for everyone during training. Everyone in my class is better than I am..."

"Well, you're being too hard on yourself." Before Megumi could continue her confession, Shiraki pressed her head gently to interrupt her. He could see that she was genuinely anxious; she might end up with dark circles under her eyes by tomorrow's opening ceremony, and if she continued like this, she could end up barely passing her classes.

"Since you can't sleep, do you want to eat something?"

Seeing Megumi bow her head in a state of self-doubt, Shiraki suddenly spoke up.

"Huh?" Megumi raised her head suspiciously. The celebration had just ended, and Yoshino and Aoki Daigo both had full stomachs from eating, but Megumi was too nervous to eat much. Hearing Shiraki's words now made her think of the delicious food he had prepared a month ago, and she swallowed a bit uncontrollably.

"But is that okay?"

"Of course! Just wait here for a while, and I'll be right back."

After saying this, Shiraki walked over to the cooking table, took out the leftover rice from the rice cooker, and poured it into a pot, adding a little water.

It wasn't so much that he cared about his roommates; he was just eager to try out his newly acquired knife skills. After getting started, he tossed an unpeeled potato into the air, and his right hand wielding the kitchen knife quickly moved in a blur. With a flash of movement, a peeled potato fell into his hand, caught perfectly.

Megumi watched Shiraki concentrate on cooking, momentarily mesmerized. She didn't even notice how captivated she was, realizing that men who focus on their skills are indeed the most attractive—especially since Shiraki was cooking for her at that moment.

At first, Megumi was drawn to Shiraki's impressive knife skills, wondering if she was worthy of his attention, and admiring his perfect control over the ingredients. But soon, her focus shifted entirely to Shiraki's busy figure, and she found herself unable to notice anything else around her. Her gaze was fixed on his focused expression.

Puff, puff.

Being in the same room with a boy like this, especially at night, was a first for Megumi. The Polar Star Dorm was quiet, and even the sound of crows was barely audible. In such a still environment, Megumi felt her nervousness grow; she could hear every heartbeat clearly.

Because of this, she completely missed Shiraki's 'wonderful' cooking process.