"So, that's how you've reached the sky..."
Shinomiya murmured before letting out a long sigh and adjusting his glasses. His anger dissipated, replaced by a new determination shining in his eyes.
"Um, Shinomiya-senpai, you don't actually believe what that jerk said, do you?"
Alice approached him, a wry smile on her face, hoping to steer Shinomiya away from the wrong path.
"She's right, Shinomiya. You might want to reconsider..."
"Mhmm, Mhmm!"
Mizuhara interjected while Inui nodded in agreement from her chair with muffled sounds.
"..."
Gotoda and Sekimori exchanged uncertain glances, unsure of how to respond, while Dojima simply nodded at Shinomiya.
"Well, at least he's in a better state of mind now than before..."
When a talented cook like Shinomiya hit a wall, he had nowhere else to turn as hardly anyone could offer him guidance.
"Either he needed to realize it on his own..." He thought silently as his gaze drifted to Tsuna, who approached his own countertop, "...Or have someone even more talented to guide him..."
Still, Dojima felt relieved to see that Shinomiya seemed to have an idea of where to go next, which achieved what he had been attempting to do all along.
"This might be for the better," Dojima thought as he observed Shinomiya suddenly bow his head.
"I apologize for doubting your judgment and qualifications earlier..."
He then glanced at each of his friends and sighed, "I was too proud and angered by the fact that I lost to a student. It infuriated me to display such an unsightly sight of myself..."
"But I suppose Ito is right; there is a sky beyond the sky. I should humble myself a bit and admit my defeat..."
Shinomiya looked at Tsuna's Happy Terrine before turning to the jar of white powder in his hand.
Silently, he thought, "With this, I shall also break through my barrier!"
"He's fallen," Mizuhara murmured, disbelief written all over her face, while Alice nodded in shock and concurred, "There's no turning back now..."
"Mhmm..."
Inui's muffled sound also carried a tinge of sadness.
Sekimori swallowed his speechlessness, sighed, and patted Shinomiya's shoulder, "That's fine, Shinomiya. We all make mistakes, and that's normal. It's great that you realized that. I'm looking forward to your improvement..."
"Thank you, Sekimori-san."
"I agree with Sekimori-senpai. It's fine to make mistakes, and I'm also glad to see you finally back on track. Bravo, Shinomiya!"
Gotoda gave him a thumbs-up, and Shinomiya nodded with a small smile.
Ssss... ssss...
However, a sizzling sound filled the air, and a distinct aroma of meat slowly permeated the room, catching everyone off guard.
They turned to Tsuna, who was searing a piece of meat.
"...Ito-kun, what are you doing?"
Sekimori was hardly surprised by anything, but this time, he found himself speechless.
"Hmm? Cooking steak, I'm hungry..." Tsuna replied casually, as if it was something normal, which plunged the room into silence once again.
After a few minutes, he flipped the steaks over, ensuring each side got that perfect sear, golden brown and full of flavor.
"..."
Seeing he was still at it, Alice couldn't take it anymore.
She pointed her finger at him and shouted, "Mou! What's wrong with you? Don't you still have your terrine? Just eat that!"
"You told me to eat vegetables?"
Tsuna's face contorted in disgust as he glanced at the Happy Terrine on the judges' table and scoffed, "Hah, I'd rather eat meat. Vegetables taste like sad..."
"...You hate vegetables?"
Mizuhara murmured in surprise, looking at the Happy Terrine, and continued, "And yet you were able to come up with something that defeated an alumnus?"
And it's not just any random alumnus...
It's Shinomiya!
He's the former holder of the First Seat of the Elite Ten Councils of the 79th Generation!
It was just a bit difficult to chew.
Who would believe that someone who seemed to hate vegetables could actually create a vegetable-based dish that could surpass even someone who specialized in it?
She wouldn't believe that either, but seeing what was happening in front of her eyes, Mizuhara felt like she should upgrade her common sense a little bit.
"Why not? Vegetables are good for your body!"
"I don't need it, all I need is protein..."
Alice went up to Tsuna and kept berating him, but he seemed unfazed and continued to cook.
He tossed in a knob of butter, letting it melt and bubble in the pan.
"Hahaha! I see, I see!"
Dojima laughed at Tsuna's peculiarity and nodded with a smile, "I guess common sense doesn't work on you, huh?"
How arrogant was he to try and give someone like this a lesson?
Dojima shook his head with a wry smile as he approached, "Could you cook more for me too, Ito?"
"Give me a piece as well..."
Shinomiya also joined in with a small shake of his head. He looked at Tsuna with a complicated expression, as if he were a frog at the bottom of a well.
He couldn't help but think, "I guess he's just better, and that's it."
Shinomiya was utterly convinced now that Tsuna had reached a level higher than him!
The rest of the alumni joined in, resembling customers waiting for their food to be served.
"Sure, pay me 10,000 yen for each steak..." Tsuna replied while basting the steaks with melted butter, ensuring they were coated in all that savory goodness.
"Ito-baka! Why are you charging us money? It's Totsuki's meat in the first place!"
"...Why are you always shouting like your cousin?"
Tsuna sighed as he added, "Who said it was for the steak..."
"Huh?"
"It's for my service..."
His expression turned stony, leaving everyone speechless as they silently cursed, "Shameless!"
Still, Tsuna remained unfazed by their gaze, fully aware of what they thought of him.
He just chuckled to himself, silently thinking, "The world is harsh. Don't blame this broke guy for monetizing everything kekeke..."
Once the steaks were cooked to juicy perfection, Tsuna transferred them to a plate to rest for a bit.
Slowly, he then served everyone one plate each, and they began to devour it, including himself.
"Mamma mia... So good!"
Gotodo exclaimed, his face flushed red as he kept taking one bite after another.
The meat literally melted in his mouth like butter, and the strong flavor, along with the sprinkle of MSG, dominated his entire palate.
Mizuhara sighed as she looked at Tsuna, who started giving her friends his bank account information.
She muttered, "His character might be a bit questionable, but his cooking is..."
"...undoubtedly one of the best I've ever tasted!"
Sekimori spoke in agreement. Both of them looked at the empty plate in front of them with a complicated expression.
"Please send the money by tonight..."
"...Sigh..."
Mizuhara and Sekimori sighed in unison upon hearing those words.
Dojima checked the time on his wrist as he spoke, "It's time for us to go; the students still have another assignment this evening..."
"Oh, right, almost forgot about that..."
"...I guess it's time to go."
"Let's go..."
The alumni agreed as they all stood up.
Dojima turned to look at Tsuna, Alice, and Ryo as he spoke, "I was originally going to warn you to be cautious about the next assignment for tomorrow, but I guess I shouldn't even be worried at all..."
"I guess so..."
Tsuna shrugged his shoulders as they slowly left the basement.
As they finally made their way to the lobby, Alice suddenly asked, "Ah, Senpais, what about Inui-senpai?"
"...!!"
Alice's question made everyone stop in their tracks as they finally realized something important.
They had forgotten to free Inui from the chair!
"Mhmmm...."
A loud muffled sound of someone crying was heard inside the basement kitchen, causing the cleaner who was doing his job to suddenly feel scared and run away.
---
If you want to read 15 chapters in advance, ahead of the WebNovel Updates schedules, here's where you can find them:
p@treon.com/mythoast