Chapter 23: Vegetable Duel

"Did my eyes deceive me, or is it just an illusion?"

"Probably not, or we might as well be soulmates since we saw the same illusion..."

"But, aren't you both dudes...?"

Murmurs of disbelief echoed through the room as they heard how Tsuna had just challenged Shinomiya to a food war.

It wasn't just anyone, but Shinomiya!

The former 1st seat of the Ten Elite Councils of the Totsuki Culinary Academy. He was the first one to have won the Pluspol awards in France.

That award alone proved Shinomiya's capability as a chef and undeniably could be considered a world-class chef!

"Oh? Isn't this interesting? A food war between a student and an alumnus, huh? This should be quite a sight to see..."

"Oh my, oh my..."

A voice suddenly interrupted the tense atmosphere as both Tsuna and Shinomiya turned to look at Dojima, who was walking up to them, with Inui following behind with a smile.

"Dojima-san?" 

Shinomiya adjusted his glasses and looked at Dojima with a hint of surprise before he furrowed his eyebrows in displeasure.

He noticed Inui and clicked his tongue, "...Hinako, huh?"

"Eh? Why is your reaction so different?"

Inui pouted and then bombarded Shinomiya with words, speaking rapidly like a machine gun.

"Shut... the fuck up, Hinako!" 

He sharply narrowed his eyes at her, prompting her to bow instantly, "My apologies..."

She gracefully apologized, a stark contrast to her childish attitude moments before.

"Oh?"

Tsuna raised his eyebrows as he observed their interactions.

Meanwhile...

Dojima looked at Tsuna with a serious expression, silently musing to himself, "I was about to intervene somehow, as it would be unfortunate to overlook such talent. But Ito seems to understand Shinomiya's character well enough to use it against him..."

He could see that Tsuna's insult was calculated, targeting Shinomiya's pride directly.

"He understood that Shinomiya was prideful enough to not let such insults slide by..."

The fact that Tsuna further aggravated Shinomiya's wound and his insecurity made Dojima narrow his eyes in skepticism.

"How did he even know that?"

Dojima knew that Shinomiya had been facing a wall that stopped him from growing lately.

As his senpai, Dojima felt the need to extend a helping hand somehow, to lift him up or push him forward so he could overcome whatever was blocking him.

"We won't be able to hold an official Food War, but we can still do something similar..." Dojima spoke as they turned their attention back to him.

He smiled as he continued, "...a street fight, or basically an unofficial food war! Do you both still want to do this?"

"Unless he's afraid, nothing is stopping me..."

Tsuna shrugged, which made Shinomiya grit his teeth, "Hah! Afraid? As if...!!"

"Then, it's decided!" 

Dojima chuckled as he then turned to Tsuna, "You have to finish your next assignment first, so we'll do it afterward..."

"Make sure you both come to the basement later in the afternoon! I'll think about all the necessary stuff, and just be ready... to decide which one of you is better!"

"..."

Shinomiya glared at him coldly before scoffing as he left.

Tsuna just smirked, silently thinking, "What a fool. Now, all that's left is to win this..."

By winning this, he could assimilate himself with the advanced earth bending, which he was looking forward to more than the street fight against Shinomiya!

After that, Tsuna also left after bidding his farewell to Dojima. 

"Hmm? It's definitely better than Shinomiya-senpai's recipe but..." Inui approached Tsuna's Nine Terrine Vegetable and mumbled.

Her eyes were quite different from her usual playful ones, and she continued, "...this might not be enough to face him."

"It's obvious that he seems to dislike vegetables..."

Dojima also nodded as he took a bite.

Although it was definitely still above a student's level, he could feel the reluctance to cook it in the taste.

"But such a trait isn't good if you're a chef, Ito-kun," he murmured to himself before his eyes flashed with a cold glint, "Seems like I know the theme for the street fight later. This will be my lesson to you, Ito..."

Someone who was talented would require a building block for him to fly higher.

Dojima was planning to be that building block himself so that Tsuna could realize why he should cook without prejudice against vegetables, and that way, he would be able to grow further!

As the students went to complete their second assignment for the day, rumors started to spread about Tsuna challenging the alumni to a food war.

Many just shrugged it off as a mere rumor, seeing Tsuna himself seemed to be nonchalant about it and still acted as he usually did during the second assignment.

By the time they completed the second assignment, to their relief, there wouldn't be any additional assignments that day.

They took a deep breath of relief as they entered the hotel lobby.

"..."

Meanwhile, Tsuna slowly went to the basement and found a door leading to a hidden kitchen.

"So, it's him?"

Sekimori looked at Tsuna as he walked in, raising his eyebrows in surprise. Gotoda looked at Tsuna, putting his hand on his chin and muttering in Italian, "Oh mio..."

"I don't take responsibility if Chef Chappelle finds out," Mizuhara spoke from her position squatting on a chair intended for the judges.

She glanced at Shinomiya, who stood facing her on one of the countertops, and continued, "I'd blame it on Shinomiya..."

"...You're as impolite as always, Mizuhara!"

Shinomiya adjusted his glasses as he retorted.

However, his eyes remained locked on Tsuna's figure as he walked over to his side on the other countertop.

"Mmmph mmph!"

A muffled sound reached Tsuna's ears as he turned to see Inui, tied to a chair with her mouth taped shut.

She looked at him with a hopeful expression.

"..."

Speechless, he felt his mouth twitch at the sight before him.

Yet, everyone else seemed rather casual about it as he shrugged it off. He chose to ignore Inui's pleading gaze directed at him as well.

"Well, then, let's get started before Chef Chappelle finds out..."

Dojima gathered both Tsuna and Shinomiya's attention.

"Those three will be the judges today," he said, gesturing to Sekimori, Mizuhara, and Gotoda.

He then pointed at the leftover vegetables on the table as he continued, "Feel free to make whatever you want with the vegetables. The only requirement is to use them as the main ingredients for your dish."

Upon hearing that they were about to cook vegetables, Tsuna frowned, a reaction Shinomiya noticed.

Shinomiya asked mockingly, "Why? Are you afraid now?"

But Tsuna just ignored him, raising a hand, which made Shinomiya feel his veins bulge out of his temple as he cursed under his breath, "Arrogant prick...!"

"Wait a minute..."

"Yes?"

Dojima frowned as he asked, "Do you have any problem with the theme?"

"No, but..."

Tsuna then moved his hand over and pointed at two other students in the room, "What the hell are these two doing here?"

It was Alice and Ryo!

"Hmph! I'm here to watch, of course!" 

Alice just scoffed and crossed her arms on her chest.

"Still, why are you going around looking for trouble?"

She sprinted over to Tsuna's side and leaned closer, tilting her head in confusion while putting her finger on her cheek.

Alice blinked and continued, "Geez, Ito-kun. Seems like trouble is your middle name, huh?"

"..."

Tsuna just shook his head and decided to ignore her as she turned to Ryo, "What about you?"

"I'm just following her."

"..."

Fair enough, or so Tsuna thought with a long sigh.

He scratched his head and turned to Dojima, "Alright, go on..."

"..."

Tsuna's casual tone, as if he didn't even put an ounce of significance on the street war, left everyone speechless, and Shinomiya seemed to be even more angered.

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