Food Wars: Let him cook

"This is really exaggerated. It's just a cooking academy, yet it's furnished so magnificently..."

Walking into Totsuki Saryo Culinary Academy, Soma Yukihira constantly looked around, sighing in admiration as he observed. He felt a bit like a country bumpkin in a big city.

Before long, he saw a familiar face in the courtyard. Just as he was about to greet them with excitement, he saw the person suddenly speed up and leave the scene before he could catch up.

After a thought, Soma Yukihira stopped and instead wandered aimlessly around the academy, looking left and right, curious about everything.

"What's the situation over there?"

"I don't know. Why did a group of people in black cloaks suddenly arrive? They look like villains from a TV show."

Inside the academy, a few wealthy young men chatting in small groups looked up, their gazes falling on the few people who had just entered through the main gate.

Following the sound, Soma Yukihira looked over and saw five black-robed figures walking towards him, finally stopping opposite him.

There was also a chair there for resting.

"Ah, I'm exhausted! I told you we should have come two days earlier, but you guys had to drag it out. Now look, we just landed, and we have to rush over after resting for less than a few minutes."

Taking off the hood she was wearing, Liu Yu couldn't help but complain. As she spoke, she propped up her feet, clearly having walked too much today.

"And this black robe, I don't even know where to start complaining. Everywhere we go, people stare at us with strange looks. If they didn't know better, they'd think we were cosplaying!"

Wang Jing tugged at the black robe she was wearing, a subtle look of disgust on her face.

If it weren't so cold in winter, and if this robe wasn't so thick with a hood to cover her face, she would have probably taken it off and thrown it aside long ago.

"No one objected when we were told to wear them. What's the use of saying so much now? You all thought it looked cool when you were posing in the mirror, right? We even took several sets of photos. Who knew it would be so cringey when we actually wore it out?"

Zhang Chen couldn't help but retort. He was the one who had proposed this idea. When they set out, he just thought it looked cool and would bring honor to the Dark Cooking Society, but after wearing it out, he found that wasn't the case at all.

Walking on the street, everyone looked at them as if they were fools. Helpless, they could only put on a front, raising their 'coolness factor' to avoid being whispered about behind their backs.

"Now I know why Xiao Mei refused to wear this even if it killed her, and even set off a step ahead. So she had already foreseen the result."

Li Wanwan sighed, a wave of regret suddenly washing over her.

"It's actually alright. This material is expensive, definitely high-grade stuff, and it's custom-made. It shouldn't look that clownish."

The three girls were sitting, and the two boys were standing.

Although they were here for a cooking examination, they weren't discussing anything related to cooking, but rather their outfits.

This couldn't help but surprise Soma Yukihira, because along the way, most of the people he had met were extremely nervous about the exam. Even with companions, they still looked uneasy.

"Who are these people? Why do they seem so calm?"

This doubt appeared in Soma Yukihira's mind, but he didn't go up to talk to them. Instead, he sat in his own seat and closed his eyes to rest.

"It seems everyone here is from a noble family. That car costs a million, and they even have butlers and maids. I can't imagine how rich their families are."

"It's just a school for nobles. If the Leader wasn't here, I wouldn't come even if invited. Participating in this kind of transfer student exam is just a waste of time."

Zhang Chen said with some disdain. However, for him to become a first-grade head chef at his age, he indeed had the capital to be arrogant.

"It's better not to underestimate this academy. Since the Leader chose to teach here, there must be something extraordinary about it."

"It became extraordinary because the Leader came here, not that the Leader came because it was extraordinary. You still need to get the cause and effect right."

"That's true. It's getting late, let's go in."

Sitting on the chairs, the group chatted for a while longer. Feeling they had rested enough, they all stood up from their chairs, straightened their black robes, put on their hoods, and walked straight towards the large classroom.

Soma Yukihira heard the commotion, hesitated for a moment, then got up and followed. He was a stranger in a strange place, not even knowing the way. Following someone was better than being on his own.

Following the flow of people into a huge hall.

Soma Yukihira looked around. At this time, the butlers and bodyguards had already left, leaving only the children of wealthy families who had come to take the transfer student exam.

"What's going on?"

He noticed that these people were all standing in place, mainly near the entrance, while on the far side, there were only two people, forming an absolute dividing line in the middle.

Seeing this situation, Soma Yukihira couldn't help but squeeze forward, wanting to see what was going on.

"That person... could it be?"

"There's no mistake..."

Looking at Erina Nakiri standing in front of everyone, wearing the academy uniform that accentuated her curvaceous figure, the surrounding examinees instantly became agitated.

A sense of unease spread through the crowd.

"Greetings, all examinees. I am today's sole examiner, Erina Nakiri."

With her arms crossed, which made her figure seem even more ample, Erina Nakiri looked down condescendingly at the uneasy examinees below. She paused for a moment and looked at Hisako Arato standing obediently beside her, saying, "The admissions department's announcement? Read it now."

"First, according to the documents, we will conduct group interviews in groups of 10, followed by a technical test of three dishes. Those who pass will then..."

"Hmph, utterly boring. How about this... bring the cooking station over."

Before Hisako Arato could finish reading the document in her hand, Erina Nakiri snorted with disdain, then signaled for her to bring the cooking station over.

"What? What is she going to do?"

"Is she going to cook?"

Seeing Erina Nakiri's actions that went against the admissions department's announcement, the people below immediately started to murmur, somewhat confused about what she was going to do.

"The main ingredient is eggs. Make a dish with it. Only those who can create a dish that satisfies my tongue will be allowed to enter Totsuki Academy."

Playing with an egg in her hand, and looking at the somewhat puzzled examinees before her, a playful smile appeared on Erina Nakiri's face.

"Additionally, those who wish to take the exam must make a decision within one minute from now. I will allow you to give up the exam, which means..."

Looking at the flustered examinees below, their moods in turmoil, Erina Nakiri knew her goal had been achieved, and her mood improved.

After finishing the assessment here, she could go back to Master Dylan's class. Wasting her time on these good-for-nothings was truly a waste!

Running while shouting, the crowd gathered in the assessment hall, already unsettled by Erina Nakiri's appearance, now seemed to have found an outlet, frantically running towards the exit.

"What happened? Why is everyone running?!"

Seeing this scene, Soma Yukihira was completely bewildered, at a loss for what to say. He wanted to grab someone to ask, but they ran too fast, giving him no chance.

So he turned his gaze back to Erina Nakiri, wanting to see what was so special about her that she could scare away so many people.

"As expected of the God's Tongue, on par with the Super Taste. Just a few simple words, and she sent away half of our competition."

Watching this scene, Ning Feng couldn't help but sigh.

"God's Tongue? Her name is Erina Nakiri? She doesn't look that special. But her figure is ridiculously good, isn't it? Is she a high school student?!"

Wang Jing looked at her own flat chest, a regretful expression on her face. That was not a figure someone her age should have!

"You can't tell this kind of thing from appearances. Just like Xiao Mei, if she didn't tell you she had Super Touch, would you know?"

"But the head examiner is so young. I thought it would be an old man..."

"You're overthinking it. The Leader is busy with a myriad of things; how would he have time for such trivial matters?"

In less than a minute, only seven people were left at the scene. Looking at the empty surroundings, the few people in black robes chatted idly.

Erina Nakiri also looked over. Seeing so many people had stayed, her expression couldn't help but show some surprise.

"Erina-sama."

Beside her, Hisako Arato quickly found the files of the few people in front and handed them to Erina Nakiri, then stood to the side.

"To think there are people who don't know their place and want to challenge my authority. Very well! Give it your all, and satisfy my tongue!"

Quickly flipping through the files in her hand, except for a red-haired kid whose family ran a common eatery, the files of the others were all incomplete. She didn't know how these people had passed the academy's screening.

Although she wanted to get off work quickly, since there were so many courageous people, giving them a chance was not out of the question.

"My words from before still stand. The theme is eggs, and the condition for passing is to satisfy my tongue. Begin your cooking!"

So Erina Nakiri brought over a chair and sat down, waiting for them to start cooking.

"The theme is eggs? It's a relatively common ingredient in cooking. It's easy to make something, but it's not easy to make it well."

Stepping forward and looking at the eggs placed on the table, Li Wanwan fell into deep thought.

"I thought of Golden Fried Rice. The main ingredients are eggs and rice. It's very easy to make. I feel I can pass this assessment quickly."

Liu Yu pinched her chin. If there was a dish that fit the theme of eggs and was convenient and fast, Golden Fried Rice was undoubtedly one of them.

"Golden Fried Rice is a bit too ordinary, isn't it? This is the transfer student exam for a noble school, after all. I feel like we need to show off some skills to pass."

Beside her, Zhang Chen couldn't help but retort.

"The important thing is the taste of the dish. What you make doesn't matter. Since you all think it's ordinary, then I'll make it. You guys can think of other dishes."

Liu Yu snorted lightly. The more she thought about it, the more she felt it was feasible, so she made up her mind, strode to the cooking station, and began to prepare.

"I'm making Shrimp and Scrambled Eggs. Don't copy me."

Seeing Liu Yu make a decision so quickly, Wang Jing thought for a moment and also spoke to the others, then trotted to the cooking station.

"It shouldn't matter if we make the same thing. I'll just make some Crispy Yellow Vegetables."

Ning Feng shrugged, acting nonchalant, then stated the dish he was going to make.

"That's a good one. Make an extra portion for me when you're done. I'll make Sautéed Crab Roe Substitute. The Leader quite likes this dish."

Huang Mei was the only one at the scene who knew Dylan would appear, so she chose a famous egg dish that Dylan quite liked, Sautéed Crab Roe Substitute.

"That dish is quite technically demanding. Can you handle it right now?"

Liu Yu, who was already prepared, spoke up. Hearing that Huang Mei was going to make Sautéed Crab Roe Substitute, her expression became somewhat peculiar.

If this dish was not made well, the taste would be very strange. It could be said to be a great test of a chef's skill.

"Don't worry, I've practiced the Leader's favorite dishes at least a hundred times in private. I won't drop the ball at such a critical moment."

"You shouldn't worry about that. Xiao Mei is a possessor of Super Touch. She can't possibly be stumped by a small dish of Sautéed Crab Roe Substitute."

Speaking one after another, the several black-robed figures each chose a cooking station. Huang Mei also chose one, located in the corner of this classroom, next to Soma Yukihira.

"Eggs are the most basic ingredient in Chinese, Japanese, and Western cuisine. Facing Erina-sama, who tastes all kinds of high-grade egg dishes every day, what kind of dish will they make..."

Because of the considerable distance, Hisako Arato and Erina Nakiri didn't hear the group's conversation. They only saw them gather and say a few words, then disperse to their respective cooking stations.

"These people are not simple."

After observing for a good while, and looking at the calm and unhurried demeanor of the few people before her, as well as the blank spaces on their file information, Erina Nakiri came to this conclusion.

With Totsuki Academy's status in Japan, it was absolutely impossible for a situation with blank file information to occur, unless the person who left the file had a special identity.

"Their techniques are very pure, and their fundamentals are also very solid."

Beside her, Hisako Arato also spoke up.

After Dylan's special training during this period, both their fundamentals and their vision had greatly improved. They could naturally see the prowess of the few people before them.

"Although they're dressed a bit like vampires, they're surprisingly skilled."

Erina Nakiri stated her conclusion.

Below, the cooking was proceeding in full swing.

"The ingredients here are quite complete. I was thinking if I couldn't make Shrimp and Scrambled Eggs, I would just make simple scrambled eggs. Now I can go all out."

Looking at the ingredients before her, Wang Jing nodded with satisfaction. She then selected seven or eight large shrimp, quickly peeled off their heads and shells, cut open their backs to remove the source of their fishy smell, the shrimp vein.

She put a little salt on the processed shrimp, quickly mixed them by hand to let the shrimp firm up, then rinsed them clean under running water.

For Shrimp and Scrambled Eggs, the most important point was the egg liquid; it had to have that 'tender' feeling when eaten, so Wang Jing chose to use pasteurized eggs.

She added a little salt, pepper, sesame oil, and a small amount of starch water to the eggs, and quickly beat them evenly with chopsticks.

She added yellow wine, pepper, and a little more salt to the shrimp for a base flavor, then added starch and mixed well.

She brought a pot of water to a boil and added the shrimp. Because they would be stir-fried later, they only needed to be blanched until seventy or eighty percent cooked before they could be taken out and placed directly into the egg liquid.

She added an appropriate amount of oil to a wok. Scrambled eggs must be cooked on low heat, using a pushing method to fry, which was an extreme test of a chef's control over the heat.

"What a fragrant smell. This is Shrimp and Scrambled Eggs from Chinese cuisine, right?"

As the egg liquid and shrimp entered the wok, a rich aroma immediately filled the air, attracting Erina Nakiri's gaze and making her step forward.

"That's right. I'm making a relatively older version of Shrimp and Scrambled Eggs, with a bit of personal innovation added. This dish needs to be fried with a large amount of oil; otherwise, it won't look good. When it's done, you need to drain some of the oil, or the taste will be excessively greasy. But you can't drain too much, or it won't have that taste."

Hearing Erina Nakiri's voice, Wang Jing explained to her while simply draining some oil from the Shrimp and Scrambled Eggs.

Although Shrimp and Scrambled Eggs were simple, to make them delicious required a great test of a chef's control over the flame. As an assessment dish, it was very suitable!

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