Chapter 208: Dark Cuisine
As Gabriel prepared to depart, an unexpected figure, Isshiki, the special guest lecturer for the home economics class, approached him.
"Hey there, aren't you going to lend a hand?" inquired Isshiki.
With a faint smile at Isshiki's presence, Hachiman responded, "The ingredients are ready. I'll leave the rest to Vigne; her culinary skills are impressive, and I trust she can manage."
"Well then, but I have a feeling your cooking skills must be noteworthy too," Isshiki remarked, revealing a sunny smile.
Hachiman narrowed his eyes at the comment, "Oh? How did you come to the conclusion that my cooking skills are impressive?"
"Knife skills!" Isshiki exclaimed, his emerald green gaze serious.
Those with such knife skills are not to be underestimated. I know someone with impressive knife skills too. Though I can't determine who's stronger between you two, I am certain your cooking skills are far from weak,"
The person he referred to with exceptional knife skills was Somei Saito, the current fifth seat of the Elite Ten. He was the one who always carried a large knife and dressed like a samurai, a fact that Hachiman was well aware of.
Nevertheless, he merely smiled in response to Isshiki's compliment. "You're too kind. Cooking is just a hobby for me, but I have an odd question for you."
"What is it?"
"As the seventh seat of the Elite Ten, are you genuinely this free? Coming to another school to be a cooking lecturer?" Hachiman straightforwardly unveiled Isshiki's position.
Surprised that Hachiman was aware of his seat, Isshiki asked, "Do you know me?"
"Well, I have a good relationship with Erina, so I've heard her discuss the current Elite Ten," Hachiman nonchalantly revealed, subtly implicating Erina.
"I see," Isshiki accepted the explanation, believing that familiarity with Erina would naturally entail knowledge of Totsuki's internal affairs.
"Apologies for that. I still don't know your name."
Isshiki acknowledged his oversight in not learning Hachiman's name, recognizing it as somewhat impolite.
"It's my fault for not introducing myself. I'm Hikigaya Hachiman. I look forward to working with you, Isshiki-kun," Hachiman offered a concise self-introduction.
"Nice to meet you, Hikigaya-kun," Isshiki nodded.
"But it's quite surprising that Hikigaya-kun can be friends with Miss Erina."
After all, considering Erina's personality, besides Hisako who was always by her side, Isshiki hadn't seen her with any other friends in school. So, hearing that Hachiman claimed to be friends with Erina was a bit unexpected.
"Oh, that? It's actually a coincidence," Hachiman shrugged, offering a brief explanation of how he and Erina had become friends.
"I happened to win against Erina once by chance, and she was determined to win back. So, in the course of that, we ended up becoming friends."
"Oh? I didn't expect Hikigaya-kun to beat Miss Erina. It seems I didn't make a mistake; your cooking skills are indeed quite impressive," Isshiki remarked, squinting his eyes at the revelation of Hachiman's victory against Erina.
Hachiman modestly smiled, "It's just good luck."
"Good luck?" Isshiki nodded faintly but remained skeptical.
While winning once might be attributed to luck, the consistent victories against Erina suggested undeniable skill.
Isshiki had learned from their conversation that Hachiman and Erina engaged in monthly cooking battles, a streak that persisted.
Has Erina never won?
Can it still be labeled as luck?
Though recognizing Hachiman's culinary prowess, Isshiki had no intention of challenging him.
Their meeting was happenstance, and it would be impolite to hastily issue a challenge.
Moreover, their shared aversion to unnecessary competition mirrored each other's personalities.
Whether seen positively as humility or negatively as a penchant for coy behavior, they both preferred downplaying their abilities..
"Exactly, just good luck," Hachiman said, patting Isshiki's shoulder with a smile.
"But, Isshiki-kun, I have to warn you. Be careful of Erina; she might just pull you down from the seventh seat of the Elite Ten."
Despite his eccentricities, Hachiman considered Isshiki a worthwhile friend, offering a kind reminder.
Because this is indeed a possibility. Although Isshiki is a person who likes to downplay his skills, Erina's current capabilities, after his "training," are no longer at the bottom of the Elite Ten, as depicted in the original work.
After each cooking duel, Hachiman teaches the young lady new recipes and small techniques. The girl, turning her frustration into motivation, rapidly absorbs knowledge, continuously improving her culinary skills.
So, Erina's current strength is at least in the mid-tier among the Elite Ten.
"Thanks for the reminder, Hikigaya-kun. But I also look forward to that day."
In response to Hachiman's warning, Isshiki just smiled faintly.
On one hand, he was confident in his culinary skills, and on the other hand, he didn't place too much importance on his position in the Elite Ten. This was evident from the original work.
"Well, I won't say much more. Good luck, Isshiki-kun." Since he has already given a warning, Hachiman doesn't insist on anything and walks towards the location of his own group.
At this moment, Vignette's cooking is already done. However, the girl's mood is not too good because she has prepared a pot of peculiar-looking dish emitting an eerie black mist. How could anyone feel happy about that?
"Hey, hey, can humans even eat something like this?" Gabriel, standing beside them, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"After putting in so much effort, let's just taste it for now," Vignette, feeling a bit exhausted, separated the concoction into bowls and handed them to the others.
After taking a few bites, everyone fell silent.
"Next time, let's stick to the recipes in the textbooks," Gabriel was the first to speak up.
However, the red-haired idiot was relishing the dish.
"Huh, I think it's pretty tasty."
"Because you have no taste buds. This taste is comparable to... no, it's just complete dark cuisine. Didn't you see Vigne looking like she's questioning life?" Hachiman couldn't help but mock internally, observing Satania enjoying herself.
Having taken a bite earlier, his mouth had already gone numb, and the taste was indescribable.
However, a bold thought suddenly crossed Hachiman's mind.
If Erina's "God Tongue" were to taste this, she would probably pass out from the shock. Maybe he could take advantage of the situation.
Ahem...
Of course, it was just wishful thinking. In reality, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
In any case, despite the challenging process, the home economics cooking class came to a smooth end.