Shokugeki-no SOMA 36
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(cutlery) 36 Sensual Karaage (2)
Star: Just before the release of JC Volume 4, a center color to celebrate two volumes coming out on consecutive months!!
Text: —A strategy meeting with interesting contents…!?
Shokugeki-no SOMA
Story: Tsukuda Yuuto
Art: Saeki Shun
Collaborator: Morisaki Yuki
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Souma: Oooh!
Cutlery: Checking out the enemy in-station!
Souma: It’s true! It looks really clean now.
Souma: These are the in-station stores, huh…They look kinda fashionable.
Souma: (cd: Hahaha) With something like this here, our shopping district doesn’t stand a chance.
Mayumi: I-It’s no laughing matter, Yukihira-kun…
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Ikumi?: …
Ikumi(thinks): …That’s right, Yukihira even asked me to help
Ikumi(thinks): It’s no wonder that anyone else is with him.
Ikumi(thinks): …But
Souma: —Sorry for having you take the time come here, Nikumi!
Ikumi(thinks): Why am I this irritated…?
Souma: Ah…Am I really troubling you?
Ikumi: Not really…
Aki: Listen, Mayu…
Aki: This is your chance!
Aki: A man and a woman spend time together inside a closed room aiming for the same goal…
Aki: This can’t but lead to a deep relationship,
Aki: For anyone with at least some guts…!
Mayumi(thinks): Aki-chan…That’s too much pressure…
Mayumi(thinks): She was called…Mito-san, right?
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Mayumi(thinks): She’s like an actress or a model… It’s my first time seeing someone this sexy.
Mayumi(thinks): Hi…High schoolers are amazing…!
Box: *Kurase-san forgot that she is in high school.
Mayumi’s sd: Ah!
Mayumi(thinks): Maybe she’s Yukihira-kun’s girlfriend…Or something like that…!?
Ikumi: What the hell are you looking at?
Mayumi: So-so-sowwy…
Souma: Hey, don’t bully Kurase, Nikumi.
Souma: Oh,
Souma: Isn’t that it? The rumored Karaage!
Woman: Hey, hey…Come by here.
Sign: Karaage Specialty Shop Mozuya
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Woman: This is Karaage’s "Mozuya".
Box: Karaage Specialty Shop "Mozuya" Manager Nakamozu Kinu
Ikumi: Wha…!? With chain…You meant Mozuya!
Souma: You know it?
Ikumi: It’s a really famous Karaage shop in Kansai.
Ikumi: And, she is— Nakamozu Kinu.
Ikumi: She’s the head of "Mozuya", a shop with its headquarters on Kyoto that expanded to the whole area of Kansai!
Ikumi: They were the first in history to win for three consecutive years in the "All-Japan Karaage Convention"…
Ikumi: Everyone says they will surely win again this year—
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Souma: There’s really a lot of housewives shopping here.
Mayumi: Yes…It’s even busier at night.
Mayumi: The package is fashionable so it’s especially popular among women,
Mayumi: They say there’s a lot of people who take the train just to buy it…
Souma: The store’s appearance is nice and there’s also a lot of salesgirls so it’s really showy.
Souma: Oh…There’s such a big line—
Souma: What are you doing, chairman…
Yuuya: Souma-chan! No…I just thought I could help you out somehow.
Souma: Right…What’s that disguise for?
Yuuya: This is enemy territory…
Yuuya: It will be dangerous if they find out my identity.
Souma: …Why?
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Yuuya: Souma-chan, you be careful too—
Kinu: —You don’t have to be all secretive
Kinu: You can just line up openly, ok, Mr. shopping district chairman?
Yuuya: Eeeeeeeeek!!
Kinu: Ah, are you his friends from the shopping district?
Kinu: Why don’t you eat a sample?
Souma: Is it ok? Then I won’t hold back!
Souma: !!!
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Ikumi(thinks): Inside the lightly crispy coating
Ikumi(thinks): The fat full of the tender chicken meat’s deliciousness rampages inside my mouth…!
Ikumi(thinks): It’s like flavor arrows
Ikumi(thinks): Come at me one after another!!
Mayumi: Wow…!
Mayumi: I wonder what they did to make them this tasty…
Kinu: Ohohoho! Well, you see…
Kinu: We use Omi chicken…
Kinu: They’re a super high class breed that’s raised using only herbs!
Kinu: And the deciding factor is our secret soy-based sauce!!
Kinu: We firmly rub this sauce that uses grated apple as a base as well as dozens of seasonings into the chicken
Kinu: And then we fry it while letting it come in contact with the air until it becomes crispy!
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Kinu: Some people even call them "The best karaage on Earth"
Ohohoho…
Souma: …Is it ok to be telling us all that?
Souma: As far as it goes, we’re checking out the enemy.
Kinu: I don’t mind at all!
Kinu: There’s no way you can make it anyway!
Kinu: …However, you sure are a shameless man…
Kinu: To think you’re relying on women and children!
Yuuya: Uh…
Kinu: You just watched how your clients went away…
Kinu: Don’t you have any self-respect?
Kinu: If a depressing man like you stands in front of my shop it will hinder business.
Ikumi(thinks): …This incompetentness, I think he’s like a someone I know…
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Souma: It seems you have a lot of confidence…
Souma: Then,
Souma: If we can make a Karaage more delicious than yours in the shopping district
Souma: It would be Mozuya’s shame!
Kinu: You seem to be skilled at talking big, boy,
Kinu: Don’t try to get smart with me, you idiot.
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Kinu: What can a bunch of brats like you do?
Kinu: Eh?
Mayumi: Hyah…
Kinu: Well…
Kinu: A weak shopping district with no competitive power or originality
Kinu: Can’t but die out, right?
Kinu: I hope to have your patronage
Kinu: On the in-station Mozuya from now on.
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Mayumi(thinks): Th…That was scary!!
Mayumi(thinks): It was like a yakuza movie…
Ikumi: For now, shall we try a recipe similar to theirs?
Souma: I guess so!
Mayumi(thinks): And those two aren’t agitated at all. (cd: That’s some mental strength…)
Souma: Alright! Let’s overthrow Mozuya…
Souma: Let’s start making test dishes!!
Souma: Into the meat cut in random sizes
Souma: I rub "sauce"!
Souma: I put grated apple and onion…And some ginger too.
Souma: This will be the base for the flavor!!
Souma: I pickle the chicken in the sauce thoroughly so that the flavor fits in it—
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Souma: Since this is a test I’ll fry them right now
Souma: But on Mozuya they let them pickle in the sauce for about ten hours.
Mayumi: Ten hours!? That long…!?
Souma: And then I coat them uniformly
Souma: With potato starch.
Souma: Dropping off the extra flour is the secret to make them crispy.
Mayumi(thinks): I see…I thought they were more delicious the more flour they had.
Souma: Alright…The temperature is perfect.
Souma: Here we go…
Souma: Test dish #1 is done!
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Mayumi: Afuh…Afuh.
Mayumi: It’s hot…
Mayumi: Puhaah
Mayumi: It’s delicious!! This is also really delicious, Yukihira-kun!
Souma: But you know…
Souma: This loses against Mozuya’s dish’s impact.
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Souma: That high quality sauce…
Souma: It creates a gradation of flavor by combining the deliciousness of
Souma: Soy sauce, garlic, and many different spices!
Souma: They surely completed it after many years of adjustments…
Mayumi: …! Fighting against that sauce…
Ikumi: That’s it…!
Ikumi: We don’t really have to fight with Karaage!
Ikumi: We could use other meat, like beef or pork…There’s many options!
Souma: Hmm…But if we don’t strike against their main dish we can’t get the clients back.
Ikumi: How about "A5 beef"?
Souma: !
Ikumi: Like that you’d win on the ingredients’ quality and popularity for sure, you know?
Souma: But…That’s expensive, right?
Ikumi: In behalf of our friendship
Ikumi: The Mito group will disregard the profit and sell you the best ingredients!
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Ikumi: Wait a bit! I’ll calculate the price…
Souma(thinks): Thanks, Nikumi…That helps a lot!
Souma(thinks): If the price is
Souma(thinks): Less than 1000 yen for 100g…!
Ikumi: Ermmm,
Ikumi: 100g for 3500 yen.
Souma: No thanks then…
Ikumi: Do…Don’t hold back because of its cheap price!
Souma: No, umm, I’m not holding back…
Souma: Kurase, any ideas?
Mayumi: Eeh…! Ermmmmmm…
Mayumi: Hmmmmmmmmm…
Mayumi: Ma…Making it shopping-district-like…Maybe!
Souma: …
Mayumi: Ah…But, ermmm,
Mayumi: I don’t have any concrete suggestions, sorry…
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Souma: After changing the seasoning and the coating
Souma: And making many test dishes…
Souma: None really felt quite right…
Souma(thinks): …What should we do?
Souma(thinks): What kind of karaage can win the clients back…?
Ikumi: Middle schoolers, huh…
Ikumi: There’s many of them even though it’s a holiday…
Souma: They’re coming back from their clubs. (cd: It’s that time already.)
Souma: There’s many schools around here,
Souma: High schoolers and college students crowd here too…
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Souma: That’s it!!
Ikumi: !?
Mayumi: Yu-Yukihira-kun?
Souma: That’s it! I was being too thickheaded…
Souma: We don’t have to fight them on their territory!
Ikumi: !
Ikumi: Then…It’s A5 meat’s turn?
Souma: No, we’re making Karaage.
Ikumi: Uh…!?
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Ikumi: But you said we’re not fighting on their territory…!
Souma: We’re not.
Souma: We just have to think about things they can’t do…
Sign: Sumiredoori Shopping District //Sumire street
Souma: That we can do with the same dish because we’re in a shopping district!
Both: …?
Souma: The most delicious way of eating karaage—
Souma: We’re creating…
Souma: The axis that will decide this war!
Star: Souma has a secret plan!? Next issue, lead color pages!! //FINALLY!!!!!!
Shokugeki-no SOMA
(cutlery) 36/End
Next issue, with lead color pages, the critical point of the karaage battle!!
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