Food Wars: Taste Reversal

"Shiraki-kun, are we going to make fish dishes?" Tadokoro Megumi followed Shiraki to the river, glancing at the fishing rods held by other students. She hesitated, "Or... should I go back and get a fishing rod now? We can't fish without one..."

Earlier, in her hurry to follow Shiraki, she hadn't stopped by the warehouse to grab a rod. Tadokoro assumed Shiraki had simply forgotten, and she felt uneasy.

"No need," Shiraki said with calm confidence. "Take a closer look at the students around you first."

Tadokoro frowned but did as he said, observing the others by the river. What she saw surprised her: although the area was bustling with activity, very few people were actually catching fish.

"Damn it, I can't catch anything!"

A frustrated student groaned as their bait disappeared into the water for the third time without so much as a nibble on the hook.

Another student sat nearby, sighing heavily as they held up a tiny, palm-sized fish. With a disappointed shake of their head, they released it back into the river.

"Hey, idiot! You scared my fish away with all that noise! Can't you keep it down?!"

A frustrated yell broke out as yet another student lost a promising catch.

"Finally! I caught one!"

A female student's excited squeal cut through the commotion. She triumphantly held up a small river fish, her face glowing with joy. Though the fish was tiny and not ideal for cooking, her classmates around her didn't care. At a time like this, any success was a victory.

The scene around the river was pure chaos: those lucky enough to catch a fish quickly ran off to prepare their ingredients, while the less fortunate grumbled and redoubled their efforts.

Watching the mess unfold, Tadokoro took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Then, she turned to Shiraki and asked, "What do we do next?"

"Go grab a bucket. You won't need a fishing rod," Shiraki replied simply.

"A bucket?" Tadokoro blinked but quickly nodded. "Got it!" She dashed off toward the warehouse to find what he asked for.

While Tadokoro was away, Shiraki opened his system mall, scrolling through the available cooking skills in search of something specific.

"I'm sure I saw a skill related to fishing last time I browsed the system..." he muttered to himself.

"System, filter out cooking skills related to fishing for me!"

Ding! Filtering skills related to the keyword 'fishing'...

A list of fishing-related skills appeared in his system menu. Most of them required a fishing rod, while a few didn't. However, the skills that didn't rely on rods were SSS-level techniques, powered by mysterious forces, and far beyond Shiraki's reach. He scanned the list until his eyes landed on the perfect option:

S-Level Cooking Skill: Fishing Master

Points Required: 4200

Description: This skill modifies the user's hand characteristics, making them naturally attract fish. By stirring the water with a specific technique, users can catch fish without any additional equipment. (Because this skill is exclusively for fishing, its cost is lower than other S-level skills.)

Shiraki checked his points balance—5400. Thanks to his daily S-class dish tastings, he had more than enough. Without hesitation, he redeemed the skill.

Ding! Redemption successful. Points balance: 1200.

The skill appeared on his attribute panel immediately. Without wasting any time, Shiraki knelt by the riverbank and plunged his hands into the water. He began stirring the water using the technique described in the skill's instructions.

His actions quickly drew the attention of the nearby students.

"Shiraki, what are you doing?" Yukihira Soma called out, glancing over. Like most others, Soma hadn't had much luck catching anything.

"Fishing," Shiraki replied nonchalantly, his hands moving smoothly through the water.

"With your hands?!" Soma exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief.

"That's absurd!" another student muttered under their breath.

"Yeah, his movements are too rough. He's just scaring the fish away."

Whispers of doubt spread among the students. Most of them exchanged knowing smirks, certain that Shiraki's unconventional approach would fail.

But then, Shiraki's hand shot out of the water, holding a lively fish.

The stunned silence that followed was broken only by a splash as one of the doubters, so shocked by what they had just witnessed, lost their footing and slipped into the river.

"Shiraki-kun, I brought the bucket!" Tadokoro's voice rang out as she returned, panting slightly from running. She carried a bucket filled with water and stopped in her tracks as she saw Shiraki holding a fish. Around him, the other students stood frozen, their mouths hanging open in disbelief.

"Did... something happen?" she asked hesitantly.

"Nothing," Shiraki said casually, dropping the fish into the bucket before turning back toward the river.

Tadokoro watched, confused, as Shiraki knelt down and began stirring the water again. "Wait, Shiraki-kun! Why aren't we heading back to the classroom? We already have a fish, don't we?"

"This is just the beginning," Shiraki replied.

As he repeated the same movements, the other students couldn't tear their eyes away. Their skepticism began to fade, replaced by curiosity.

"It was just luck," one of them muttered, though their tone lacked conviction.

"Yeah, there's no way he can do it again."

Moments later, Shiraki's hands moved swiftly, and another fish leapt from the water, wriggling desperately in his grasp.

"Unbelievable..." Tadokoro murmured, watching as Shiraki calmly added the second fish to the bucket.

The onlookers fell silent, their expressions a mix of awe and frustration.

"This technique..." Shiraki mused aloud. "It's more efficient than I expected."

As he reached for another fish, a group of students finally broke the silence.

"Hey, Shiraki! What's your secret?!"

"Yeah, tell us how you're doing that!"

Shiraki glanced at them, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Figure it out yourselves."

Ignoring their protests, he continued fishing, his movements smooth and precise. By the time Tadokoro called out to him again, the bucket was nearly full.

"Shiraki-kun, I think we have enough now..." she said softly.

He stood up, brushing off his hands. "Alright. Let's head back and start cooking."

As they walked away, the other students could only stare, their minds racing with questions.

Tadokoro glanced at Shiraki, her eyes shining with admiration. "You really are amazing, Shiraki-kun."

Shiraki chuckled lightly. "It's all about technique, Tadokoro. That's what sets a chef apart."