Chapter 11
At the front of the hall, Erina addressed the applicants.
"My name is Nakiri Erina, and I’ll be overseeing today’s transfer examination."
After introducing herself, she turned to Hisako.
"What did the admissions department arrange?"
Hisako immediately stepped forward and opened the documents in her arms.
"First, the applicants will be divided into groups of ten for a collective interview based on their submitted materials. After that, they’ll complete a practical examination consisting of three dishes. Those who pass will then—"
"Boring."
Erina cut her off with a slight frown, clearly impatient with such a long and tedious process.
Her time was valuable.
She had no intention of wasting half the day dragging out an entrance exam like this.
Hisako promptly closed the file and waited for further instructions.
After thinking for a moment, Erina’s eyes suddenly brightened as an idea came to her.
"Bring a cooking station over here."
"Yes, Erina-sama!"
Without hesitation, Hisako wheeled a mobile cooking station to the front of the hall.
Its counter was covered with a wide variety of fresh ingredients.
The applicants exchanged uncertain looks, completely unable to guess what Erina was planning.
Erina walked over to the station, surveyed the ingredients, and finally picked up an egg.
Holding it where everyone could see, she swept a cold gaze across the hall.
"Your main ingredient will be egg."
"Make me a dish using it."
"If you can create something that satisfies my tongue, you pass."
...
The hall erupted.
"What? We have to cook with eggs?"
"Satisfy the God Tongue? That’s impossible!"
"She’s deliberately trying to make us fail!"
The applicants went pale. Some even stumbled back half a step, despair already settling across their faces.
Satisfying Erina Nakiri’s God Tongue was no ordinary task.
Even renowned professional chefs could not be confident of earning her approval, let alone applicants who had yet to set foot inside Totsuki.
Worse still, if Erina publicly declared their food terrible, the judgment could follow them throughout the culinary world and ruin their careers before they had even begun.
Haruto calmly studied the egg in Erina’s hand, lightly rubbing his chin as he recalled everything he had prepared over the past month.
Soma, on the other hand, immediately perked up and rubbed his hands together, looking eager to begin.
An egg was one of the most basic ingredients in cooking, but it also offered endless room for creativity.
As far as Soma was concerned, this challenge sounded almost too easy.
Erina had expected the panic.
A mocking smile touched her lips as she continued.
"One more thing. For the next minute, any applicant who wishes to withdraw may leave without taking the examination."
That was the final push most of them needed.
The applicants abandoned all concern for dignity and rushed toward the exits, nearly trampling one another in their haste.
Their frantic footsteps made it seem as though some ravenous beast were chasing them from the hall.
Haruto could understand their decision.
Most of them came from wealthy or influential families. They had no reason to gamble their entire futures in the culinary world on a single examination.
Still, refusing even to try said plenty about the limits of their ability.
...
Unlike Haruto, Soma was completely bewildered.
He stared at the fleeing applicants, unable to understand why everyone was so terrified.
They only had to make an egg dish.
Was it really worth panicking this badly?
Unable to make sense of it, Soma reached out and grabbed one of the applicants stumbling past him.
"Wait. Why’s everyone running?"
The applicant was already sweating heavily.
When he turned and saw Soma’s genuinely confused expression, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"You don’t know who that is?"
"Nope. Go ahead and tell me."
Soma answered so honestly that he did not seem to realize how absurd the question sounded.
The applicant looked caught between laughter and fury as he blurted out his explanation.
"That’s Nakiri Erina! She possesses the God Tongue, the finest palate known to mankind!"
"Most children start speaking when they’re around one or two years old, but when she was only three months old, her first words were, ’The flavor isn’t rich enough!’"
"Her talent was obvious from infancy. Famous restaurants all across Japan have hired her as a consultant since she was a child, and some of the most respected figures in the culinary world rely on her judgment!"
"Her evaluations spread throughout the entire industry. If she decides you have no talent, your career as a chef is finished!"
After getting everything out in one breath, the applicant tore himself free from Soma’s grip and sprinted toward the exit without looking back.
Soma remained where he was, blinking.
The God Tongue?
It sounded impressive, at least.
Still, all he had to do was cook something delicious, right?
He scratched his head and turned toward Haruto in confusion, only to find him watching the stage with open interest.
...
Once the applicants began fleeing, Erina stopped paying attention to them.
She had never expected anyone to remain and challenge her in the first place.
"Hmph! Just as I thought, they’re all useless. Why should I waste my time on people like that?"
She turned to Hisako, her tone becoming noticeably lighter.
"That means the rest of my schedule is clear today, doesn’t it?"
"Yes."
Hisako nodded helplessly.
An examination that should have taken most of the day had been brought to an end by a single sentence from Erina.
The only problem was figuring out how she was supposed to explain this in the official report.
Just thinking about it was already giving her a headache.
Satisfied, Erina stretched lazily.
"In that case, let’s go back to my room and test some new recipes."
"...!"
Whatever image entered Hisako’s mind made her cheeks flush bright red, the color quickly spreading to her ears.
She looked up at Erina with undisguised anticipation.
’Erina-sama’s cooking...’
Seeing Hisako’s shy expression reminded Erina of a scene from a manga she had read recently, and a playful impulse took hold of her.
She stepped closer, lifted Hisako’s chin with one slender finger, and let her thumb brush lightly across the girl’s soft lips.
Their eyes met, and for a moment, the air between them seemed to fall completely still.