Minami no Hanashi : Yume - Prelude
Minami woke up to find her mother staring at her without saying a word.
She rubbed her eyes and saw her mother pointing to the time. Feeling her mother's irritation all the way down her spine, she jumped out of bed.
Minami only managed to say "Oops" as she hurried to get ready.
Azumi left the room, sighing, "Seven times I've had to wake you up, Minami."
-(Minami) Sorry, Mom! And thanks! Seven times?!
Later, at school
-(Minami) Well, I couldn't see Sanae on the way because I was late. Did I dream?... Oh well, never mind.
In front of the classroom
Minami, out of breath, knocked on the door.
-(Teacher) Come in.
-(Minami) Good morning, sorry for being late. I had a little problem at home, she said as she entered.
-(Teacher) Did you walk here?
-(Minami) Yes!
-(Teacher) How far do you live from here?
-(Minami) Hmm, about 27 minutes if we go by the GPS.
-(Teacher) How long did it take you today?
-(Minami) It took me... around 10-11 minutes, she said, looking at her phone.
-(Teacher) Really? That's impressive!
-(Asayoshi) She's on the track team! Best in all categories!
-(Minami) Shut up, you over there!
-(Teacher) Well, it's accepted this time. But next time, and this applies to everyone who might want to take advantage, any lateness over 5 minutes will not be excused. Now, go take your seat.
-(Minami) Thank you!
Minami looked around the class and noticed Sanae's absence.
-(Minami) Sanae's not here? That means...
In the cooking club room
Sanae, placing her things down, was motivating herself before the test began. "Come on, you can do this, Sanae."
The principal looked very serious: "Are you ready, Sanae? How do you feel?"
-(Sanae) I feel great, Mr. Principal. And yes, I'm ready!
-(Principal) Good. So just before we start, let me introduce Tanaka Sora. He's the former head of the cooking club. Sora, this is Mizuno Sanae, the sole candidate for the position of head of Unmei's cooking club.
-(Sora) Hello, pleased to meet you, he said, smiling.
Sanae responded with a small smile: "Likewise."
-(Principal) The cooking test will be conducted in several stages to evaluate your skills and your ability to lead the cooking club. Here's how it will go: First, menu planning.
You'll have 30 minutes to design a complete menu including a starter, a main course, and a dessert. It's important to consider the season, the variety of flavors, and the nutritional balance.
Next, ingredient selection. Once your menu is planned, you'll need to select the necessary ingredients. You'll have 30 minutes for this stage as well. The next step is, of course, preparing the dishes.
Once the ingredients are gathered, you'll move on to preparation. You'll have 2 hours. Make sure to use appropriate culinary techniques, respect cooking times, and be precise in cutting, seasoning, and presentation. Oh, and I didn't tell you, but you won't be alone for this test.
-(Sanae) What do you mean?
-(Principal) You'll be evaluated not only on your individual cooking skills but also on your ability to work as a team. If other people are available, you can ask them to help you prepare the dishes, but you'll also need to be able to lead and delegate tasks. For this, an acquaintance of mine found two people who will soon be here to assist you. They are two boys only a year older than you. This difference shouldn't bother you.
-(Sanae) Indeed. Luckily, Mrs. Azumi helped me with this!!
During her short week of preparation and learning at the Katayama house, Azumi taught Sanae this aspect of the culinary evaluation. It's an aspect meant to surprise and catch off guard candidates who are poorly prepared and self-centered. Thus, Sanae spent several hours cooking with Azumi as her assistant. Mizuno Sanae has nothing to fear.
-(Principal) Next, we'll move on to the presentation of the dishes. Once the dishes are prepared, you'll need to present them attractively and neatly. Visual presentation is important, so make sure to use appropriate plating and garnishing techniques to highlight your creations.
And we'll obviously finish with the tasting and evaluation. The dishes will be tasted and evaluated by Sora and myself. We'll consider several criteria such as flavor, texture, presentation, and originality. Be ready to answer questions about your culinary approach and to receive positive or negative feedback. Do you have any questions?
-(Sanae) No, no questions.
-(Principal) Good. Your two teammates should be here soon. They're in a locker room changing. Someone will come and bring you your uniform shortly. You can then change in the locker room next door.
A moment later
Two young boys entered the room. One had chestnut hair and a bright gaze, exuding an extroverted energy; the other had deep black hair and an expressionless face.
-(Principal) Finally, here they are. Eiji, Dai, let me introduce you to Mizuno Sanae. Sanae, this is Tada Eiji and Sato Dai. Eiji, is that Sanae's uniform you're holding?
-(Eiji) Yes! A lady told me to give it to her.
Eiji handed the uniform to Sanae.
-(Sanae) Thanks! So, I put this on and then we start?
-(Principal) That's right.
-(Sanae) Okay!
After Sanae changed
Sanae entered the room.
The principal looked at his watch and announced the time: "It is 8:29. You will start at exactly 8:30."
Eiji was taking deep breaths, exhaling calmly, appearing determined.
-(Eiji) Alright! I'm going to give it my all!
Sanae began analyzing her two partners to understand them as quickly as possible. She looked at Eiji and thought, "Eiji seems very comfortable speaking up. That could be very useful. He could easily put Dai at ease, who…"
She looked towards Dai and continued, "...doesn't seem to want to talk. But he will have to! I sense he's talented!"
-(Dai) ...
-(Principal) Begin!
The group moved to a table equipped with paper and a pen to determine the menu they would prepare.
-(Sanae) Alright! So, do you have any menu suggestions?
-(Eiji) We could go for a spring-themed menu. What do you think?
-(Sanae) Oh! I see! That's a good idea since it's the season; the pantry products will surely be of better quality, and we can incorporate fresh, light ingredients.
Sanae was delighted to see Eiji's involvement, a smile forming on her face.
-(Sanae) Great!
Wanting to see the same level of involvement from Dai, Sanae turned to him to ask his opinion: "And what do you think?"
-(Dai) I agree. I'll check what's in the pantry to see what's in season.
Despite his nonchalant and disinterested demeanor, Dai seemed willing to cooperate, which was more than enough for Sanae.
-(Sanae) Okay! That should do it! Don't hesitate to propose ideas if you have any!
-(Eiji) Hm…
In the distance, Dai entered the pantry.
-(Sanae) Hmm… We could make a spring vegetable salad as a starter. To capture the freshness and lightness of the season. It would make an excellent starter!
-(Sanae) Oh, and for the main course, we'll make a green vegetable risotto. That way, we stay on theme. And making a balanced meal would definitely work to our advantage.
-(Eiji) Good idea! Okay!
-(Sanae) And... for dessert... hmm... I'm stuck.
Eiji, his face beaming, spoke up: "Strawberries!!" Mmm~ it's going to be delicious!
-(Sanae) Oh, of course! A strawberry tart! Good idea! It's the season, so it's perfect.
-(Sanae) To summarize…
Eiji grabbed a pen and paper to take notes, further surprising Sanae with his eagerness.
-(Sanae) Good initiative! A spring vegetable salad as a starter, a green vegetable risotto as the main course, and finally, a strawberry tart for dessert!
Eiji wrote down everything Sanae said.
-(Sanae) Sir, we've finished the first phase. Can we move directly to selecting the ingredients?
-(Principal) Yes, of course.
-(Sanae) Alright! We're way ahead of schedule. Let's go see Dai now.
-(Eiji) Got it.
In the Pantry
Sanae and Eiji entered the pantry and saw Dai charging his phone.
-(Sanae) What are you doing? Was he playing on his phone??
-(Dai) I'm charging my phone. I'll need it after the test.
-(Sanae) Ah... And? Did you find anything interesting?
-(Dai) ... Yes. There are strawberries. Very fresh strawberries. Lots of them.
-(Eiji) Ohh! Awesome!
-(Sanae) Just what we need. Did you notice any ingredients that aren't good quality?
-(Dai) Yes, yes. But nothing related to spring, so we're good.
-(Sanae) Okay! Oh, Eiji, give him the paper so he knows what we're making.
Eiji handed the paper to Dai, while Sanae pondered as Dai read.
-(Sanae) Are you done reading, Dai?
-(Dai) Yes, yes.
-(Sanae) Can I have the paper?
-(Dai) Sure.
Dai handed her the paper, and Sanae sat down, appearing to search for something. She asked, "Eiji? The pen?"
-(Eiji) Oops, I left it! I'll go get it!
Eiji hurried off to get the pen, leaving Sanae briefly alone with Dai. Despite her demeanor, which might make her seem like someone without authority, Sanae was fully in charge of the team, and neither of the boys had any objections.
During this brief moment, Dai looked around, avoiding eye contact with the team leader, as if trying to shirk responsibility. Sanae had already noticed this, but she simply smiled, waiting for Eiji's return.
-(Eiji) Here! He said, handing her the pen.
-(Sanae) Thank you! So, I'll write down the ingredients we need under each dish. Do you guys know how to properly differentiate good ingredients from bad ones?
-(Dai) I'd rather not do it.
-(Eiji) It's not really my strong suit, He said, scratching his head.
-(Sanae) No problem! In that case, I'll pass you the paper, and you'll get a handful of each ingredient. I'll do the sorting myself! Does that work for you?
-(Dai, Eiji) Yes!
10 minutes later
-(Sanae) I'm done. Here. Don't bring me too much, or there won't be enough space, and we'll end up running out of time. She said, handing over the list.
-(Eiji) Got it! He said, taking the paper.
-(Eiji) Alright, let's go.
Eiji went off to choose the ingredients with Dai. Over about 20 minutes, our culinary trio worked to select the best ingredients in the pantry. This step went smoothly, thanks to the expertise Sanae had acquired from Azumi. Then, the cooks returned to the main room.
Preparation Phase
In the Main Room
-(Sanae) So, we'll start with the appetizer, then the dessert, and finally the main course.
-(Sanae) Eiji, peel the cucumber and mince it. Do the same for the onions. Got it?
-(Eiji) Got it.
Dai seemed annoyed, sighing in his corner. Sanae noticed and turned to him abruptly with a big smile, as if catching him red-handed, and continued, "We'll handle the peppers, okay?"
-(Dai) Okay.
-(Sanae) Let's head over there.
The two moved to their workstation.
-(Sanae) So, we're not going to use all of them. We'll just cut the peppers in half and use only half. We'll see if we need more later.
-(Dai) Okay.
-(Sanae) You take the red one, and I'll take the green one.
Sanae closely watched Dai as he followed her instructions to the letter.
-(Sanae) He doesn't seem bad... But unlike Eiji, he's not talkative at all! He must be shy. His shyness prevents him from taking initiative and giving his best...
That's what Sanae thought.
-(Sanae) Next, we just need to remove the seeds and membranes from the peppers.
Dai suddenly put down his knife and stared into space.
-(Sanae) Hm? Are you okay?
-(Dai) I'm already tired of this... He said, yawning.
-(Sanae) Huh? So... he's not shy at all???
-(Dai) I'll do something else.
-(Sanae) He just doesn't want to do anything!? What should I do in this situation?? I'm being evaluated as a head chef... Okay. Fine. Better not let him handle this. I'd rather he do nothing than do a half-hearted job.
-(Eiji) All done!
-(Sanae) Thank goodness for Eiji!
Sanae turned to Eiji, full of enthusiasm, but immediately froze.
-(Sanae) Uh... What?
-(Eiji) Is something wrong? I'm sure I didn't mess up...
Sanae looked at Eiji, then at the cucumbers and onions. She thought: They're peeled... but not minced at all?
-(Sanae) I think he misunderstood. You forgot to mince them, Eiji.
Eiji, puzzled, picked up an onion: "Don't worry, I didn't forget."
-(Sanae) Huh?
Eiji, beaming, exclaimed carelessly: "I rinsed them super well!"
-(Eiji) Look! It's all wet! Perfect cleanliness!
Sanae, embarrassed, replied: "Uh, n-no... You misunderstood. I asked you to mince them, M-I-N-C-E."
Eiji looked utterly confused and continued: "Min-what? Never heard of that!"
Now it was Sanae's turn to be the most confused: "H-How can you not have heard that word?"
-(Eiji) Well, I've been thinking, but I don't remember ever hearing that word. He said, shrugging.
-(Sanae) What??? But it's basic in cooking! How can he be an amateur cook without knowing how to mince an onion?? *Thinks* An amateur...?
Sanae, shocked, turned abruptly towards the jury. The principal had a bright smile, and Sora was taking notes. Sanae began to panic internally.
-(Sanae) Don't tell me he n-
-(Eiji) Haha! Actually, this is my first time cooking, so it's not really obvious to me! So, what does mince mean? He said, scratching his head.
Sanae's world crumbled.
END OF CHAPTER