Bonus Item

Chapter 291: Bonus Item

"You know me?"

When Erina Nakiri saw that someone had stayed behind, she had assumed they did not know who she was. But judging by the attitude of the first person to step forward, he seemed to know her reputation.

"Of course. The top student of the middle school division, the youngest Elite Ten Council member in Totsuki’s history, and the owner of the ‘God Tongue.’ Major renowned restaurants line up for you to sample their dishes, and the titans of the culinary world have all been your former employers."

Xu Yue recited Erina Nakiri’s accomplishments as if they were family treasures.

Yukihira Soma, who was a little dumbfounded, and the two Reincarnators were all greatly shocked.

The two Reincarnators in particular began trembling with excitement when they heard that she was a member of the Elite Ten Council, their ultimate objective.

This was their ultimate target. They only needed to surpass her in cooking.

With their physical abilities and reflexes, if they started learning now, it should not take long to exceed her.

It was just cooking. How hard could it be?

The great chefs in the real world were all men.

"You seem fairly knowledgeable. Then you should also understand the consequences of being judged talentless by me."

Erina Nakiri took the student information from her secretary and read Xu Yue’s profile.

"A real estate developer? Hehe~ Then it seems you really do not need to worry about being judged talentless."

As though she had understood something, Erina Nakiri gave a soft laugh.

Still, she did not feel much dislike toward him.

When Xu Yue introduced her, he had first mentioned the titles she had earned through hard work and ability, only afterward bringing up the God Tongue talent that was not a pleasant memory for her.

Given his grasp of her personality, winning her over at once was naturally impossible. Still, with a few adjustments in wording, he could leave behind a decent first impression.

This girl was currently in charge of his first entrance examination, so it was not worth risking the sort of reversal tactic he had used on Yukihira Soma.

If he messed up and failed to even get admitted, then even if he trained until he had the best cooking skills in the world, it would be meaningless without earning the title of Elite Ten Council member.

If that happened, would he really have to throw caution to the wind, give up on himself, and turn this place into an enjoyment space?

He would never sink that low. Even if he really did anything, it would have to be like with his capable assistant—mutual consent, with no money deducted. He did not do business at a loss…

"Then let me see whether a real estate developer has enough culinary talent!"

Erina Nakiri wore a smile that carried an indescribable meaning.

Xu Yue did not lose his nerve and immediately got to work.

Since he knew the test ingredient was eggs, Xu Yue had specifically pestered Yukihira Seiichiro into spending an entire night teaching him egg-focused cooking.

With the movements copied from a chef standing at the peak of culinary skill, along with his own overnight practice using different cookware and seasonings, Xu Yue was now able to roughly reproduce what he had learned that day.

Freezing the eggs!

Preparing the starch slurry!

Mixing the sauce!

Deep-frying~

"This is…"

Erina Nakiri and Hisako Arato were both quite surprised by Xu Yue’s movements. Egg Tempura?

As a traditional Japanese dish, tempura differed somewhat from Chinese deep-frying. In theory, any ingredient could be made into tempura.

Any ingredient could be coated in a starch slurry and then deep-fried.

But that was only in theory. A shapeless ingredient like a raw egg was difficult to deep-fry unless it was first cooked, making a dish similar to Money Egg.

"He seemed to choose freezing just now, rather than heating."

Erina Nakiri frowned slightly as she spoke. At the side, Yukihira Soma was also staring intently at Xu Yue’s cooking technique.

His movements were still somewhat stiff, and his overall proficiency was inferior to Soma’s, but…

This time, he was fully using his father’s Cooking Technique. His starting level was far higher than when he had learned Soma’s techniques last time!

And…

Unlike the others, who did not know Xu Yue’s background, Yukihira Soma knew that this guy had truly only started cooking a few days ago. He was a complete greenhorn.

Yet this newcomer was already standing on the culinary stage and beginning his performance.

Though no one had tasted it yet, once the prepared sauce was poured over the crisp, golden, glistening crust, its tempting aroma and color were already enough to prove the dish’s success.

After Xu Yue served the dish, Erina Nakiri did not refuse it. She picked up her chopsticks and gently split open a layer of golden crust. The puffed-up exterior broke apart, and the thick egg yolk immediately flowed out, mixing with the sauce and releasing a rich aroma.

"How was this done? The egg yolk actually remained so perfectly half-cooked at such a high temperature?"

Hisako Arato, the little secretary, widened her eyes as well.

"It is a property of freezing. For a real estate developer to achieve this much is already quite good."

As she spoke, Erina Nakiri picked up a piece of tempura mixed with egg yolk and sauce and put it into her mouth.

The explosive impact brought by the semi-liquid food made her feel as though a new life had been born. The direct impact of the sauce mixed with partially coagulated egg yolk flooded her entire mouth.

Then it slid smoothly down her esophagus into her stomach, releasing waves of heartwarming heat.

At the instant that slippery liquid slid down her throat, she even had the urge to press her legs together.

The warmth spreading from her stomach made it feel as though she were floating in a sea of thick egg yolk.

Such a violent assault of flavor, such domineering Cooking Technique, yet it had created such delicious food.

It was utterly unimaginable that such a dish had come from the hands of a real estate developer!

After savoring it carefully for a long while, Erina Nakiri finally suppressed the agitation in her heart and spoke calmly.

"A highly creative dish. However, your technique is too rough. You lack the delicacy a chef should possess, and your ability to adjust on the spot is too poor. Yet you also possess remarkably excellent technique. You look like some kind of culinary robot, without a soul of your own."

The God Tongue was not called divine for nothing. After tasting Xu Yue’s dish, she acknowledged its merits while effortlessly identifying its shortcomings.

"Still, Totsuki Academy recruits students. Reaching this level is already sufficient for a student."

Because of Xu Yue’s tactful attitude at the beginning, along with that perfectly timed bit of flattery earlier, Erina Nakiri did not make things difficult for him and directly approved his dish.

The level of cooking he had displayed was quite high, as if a giant standing at the peak of culinary skill had forcefully poured his own dishes and techniques into a novice.

Regardless of the reason, a chef capable of preparing food of this level should not be buried.

Even for students specializing in culinary studies, reaching this level at his age was exceptionally difficult!

It was impossible without sufficient talent!

And given his identity as a real estate developer, the time he had spent learning to cook was likely shorter than that of traditional culinary students. Some of the flaws detected through the God Tongue fully demonstrated this.

He might have been exposed to cooking for even less time than expected…

That made his ability to produce a dish of this level all the more rare.

This approval even surprised Hisako Arato, the little secretary. Lady Erina was very picky. Even if this was merely what she called student-level cooking, it probably had to be an exceptionally outstanding work among peers of the same grade.

He should have great potential.

A real estate businessman had come to cook, and he was quite good at it too. It truly made her feel surprised and curious. Was he a real estate businessman preparing to enter the restaurant industry…

After receiving a positive answer, even Xu Yue let out a slight sigh of relief.

Although he had only studied for half a day, he had learned under Yukihira Seiichiro. He had also borrowed inspiration from one of the future Yukihira Soma’s dishes, and under Yukihira Seiichiro’s hands-on guidance, he had barely managed to fully digest this dish.

In terms of quality, this specially drilled dish was definitely enough to meet the admission requirements. The only variable had been this examiner. Fortunately, some of his verbal maneuvering had successfully earned him this chance!

"Ah? It looks delicious. Let me try some too."

However, at that moment, the carefree Yukihira Soma somehow found a pair of chopsticks and directly took a piece of tempura from the plate in front of Erina Nakiri, stuffing it into his mouth.

"It really is delicious. Xu Yue, you’re amazing."

Erina Nakiri and Hisako Arato were completely petrified by Yukihira Soma’s sudden appearance.

Even Xu Yue had something to say at this moment.

He had planned to cling to the protagonist’s father’s thick thigh, but the leg hair he had grabbed along the way was an absolutely hopeless pig teammate!

Would this tsundere young lady change her mind about his exam results because of this guy’s influence?

She had agreed verbally, but the pass stamp had not been placed yet…