chef?!
Seeing something different from what she expected, Erina only showed a meaningful smile.
A few seconds later, the hall went silent. Compared to the earlier commotion, the quiet felt heavy.
Hisako: "Are you sure you want to take Lady Erina's test? Don't say I didn't warn you. The girl in front of you is the holder of the legendary 'God Tongue,' Nakiri Erina."
Sticking to the idea of asking when he didn't understand, Hachiman didn't think too much:
"God Tongue? What's that?"
Hisako looked at him in disbelief, then spoke calmly: "You don't even know what the God Tongue is? Babies usually start talking at one or two years old, but Lady Erina said her first word at three months old, and at that time, she was still drinking breast milk—because she thought it tasted too..."
For some reason, saying that out loud made Erina feel a little embarrassed. And honestly, since this guy didn't know anything, there was no need to waste words.
Erina: "Hisako..."
At Erina's reminder, Hisako coughed lightly and looked back at Hikigaya.
"Are you sure you want to take the test? If Lady Erina rejects you, your career as a chef ends here."
So that's why... No wonder so many chefs from around the world ran away as soon as they heard who the judge was.
Having your life's work denied forever—maybe no one could accept that.
But... Hachiman simply tied on his apron.
Erina: "Looks like you're ready! Come on, show me what you've got!"
At this point, there was no turning back for Hachiman. His whole life had been walking on thin ice. One more person rejecting him didn't matter.
He refused to use loss as an excuse, so he gathered himself more than usual and acted as calmly as ever.
At the same time, once it was confirmed that Hikigaya in front of them was going to take the test, Hisako immediately pulled up his personal file.
"What?!"
Erina, who had just been calm and composed, suddenly felt like she had been played after seeing Hikigaya's profile. A wave of anger she couldn't put into words rose in her.
Bang!
She slammed the table hard and said unhappily, "Are you kidding me? Hikigaya, when did you start learning how to cook?!"
Hachiman didn't know where they got his info from, but since she asked like that—and most importantly… she didn't even get his name wrong—
"Yesterday."
Erina: "Yesterday?!"
"You just started cooking yesterday, and today you're here at Totsuki Academy? Are you messing with me?"
Hisako: "Lady Erina, that's what the record says."
Erina crossed her arms sharply, looking like she was about to storm out: "I don't want to waste my time here. He's not even second-rate. Talk about a clueless rookie thinking he can take on the world."
Hisako: "But as a judge…"
As if remembering something, Erina arrogantly walked back, though compared to before, there was now a clear trace of irritation. No doubt this would affect Hachiman's score later…
Erina gave a condescending smile: "I'll give you one minute… Since you're so confident, I'll taste what you make. No—what you make probably doesn't even count as cooking."
Hachiman: "In that case, I'll begin."
No fancy moves. The moment Erina said "one minute," Hachiman recalled the countless egg dishes his dad once made in front of him. Out of those thousands of egg dishes, which one could be done the fastest? He quickly had the answer.
Heat the pan, add oil—basic steps, all in one go. But in Erina's eyes, none of this even looked skilled. Well, that's normal. If he only started yesterday, forget taste and speed—whether he can even hold a knife right is already questionable.
Sure enough, when Hachiman picked up the knife to chop green onions, his movement looked turtle-slow to Hisako and Erina, who were both pros.
Hisako: "This guy… he's not joking, is he…"
Erina felt more and more irritated. In her eyes, letting someone like this into Totsuki was a huge disgrace.
"I will never, ever accept you!"
Whether it's Western cuisine, Japanese food, Chinese dishes, or recipes from all over the world, eggs are always essential. And yet, Hachiman still hadn't cracked a single egg, and one-third of the time was gone. To them, there was no way he could finish.
Hachiman's cooking had no flashy tricks—just steady, careful moves, all while recalling the mindset Joichiro had when cooking.
Timing, heat, repetitions, quantities—every step had to be perfect. If he wanted to make something close to his dad's dish, there could be no mistakes, even in such a short process.
Hisako: "What kind of dish is he even trying to make? Lady Erina eats all sorts of fancy egg dishes every day, and he…"
Erina: "Hisako, don't tell me you're expecting this guy to pull off something amazing. To me, this is just a waste of time. If it weren't for me being a judge…" She clenched her fists in frustration.
Erina: "There are only 20 seconds left, and you still haven't cracked an egg. Looks like it's over."
"Hikigaya Hachiman, what exactly are you trying to make?"
Hachiman looked completely focused, putting his whole mind into the dish and not even hearing Erina's words.
If it were any other time, Erina might have been impressed by that focus. But now…
She was already annoyed, and now she felt even worse. In her eyes, this guy was clearly ignoring her on purpose. No… maybe from the very start, he never even took her seriously.
Between the two stoves, Hachiman kept moving back and forth. After tasting a sip of the broth he had quickly simmered, he went back to his frying pan to check the temperature.
Hisako: "Final ten seconds… nine… eight… seven…"
"Ssshh—"
Thick smoke instantly filled the whole kitchen, choking Erina just as she tried to step closer.
"Hey, you! Cough… cough…"