Upon hearing the figure, Ann and the others were stunned.
Even Sui's group was a bit taken aback. They initially estimated it would be just over 15 million yen, but they hadn't expected such a large sum.
"Are you sure there's no mistake?"
Ann turned and eyed the statisticians skeptically.
The statisticians, sweating nervously, held up their laptops and nodded. "Yes, we've triple-checked it."
"Damn it!"
Ann gritted her teeth, clearly unwilling to accept it.
"So? What do you think?"
Sui smiled faintly. "Looks like you've already lost in terms of sales."
Though reluctant, Ann could only glare at Sui with frustration. "I get it. We'll drop this plan... for now."
The five chefs standing behind her also wore dark expressions. None of them had expected to be bested by a bunch of rookie students, and the humiliation stung.
"Wait a minute."
Something came to Ann's mind. "What kind of ingredients were you using? Are they secret ingredients grown at Totsuki?"
"No comment. That's all I can say."
Sui replied with a calm smile.
"Tch!"
An scoffed, but she was now certain that they must have used ingredients cultivated in secret by Totsuki. In that case, losing wasn't quite so hard to swallow.
After the confrontation, Sui and the others left the restaurant to share the good news with the ramen artisans waiting outside.
"Really? That's amazing! We owe it all to you, young master!"
"We'll never forget the kindness and generosity of you students from Totsuki!"
"Thank you, truly. We're so grateful."
Some of the ramen artisans were so moved that tears welled up in their eyes. A few even knelt to express their deep gratitude.
"Please, there's no need for that," Sui quickly reassured them, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Miyoko, Megumi, and the others felt similarly uncomfortable with the display of gratitude.
Soon after, the group returned to the ramen shop. With a turnover of 18 million yen, and after subtracting 16 million for the cost of the high-end ingredients, they had a net profit of 2 million yen.
In the next two days, Sui and Tōsuke introduced new ramen dishes. This time, they didn't use any fantasy ingredients, relying instead on rich fish bone and pork bone broth. Though not as overwhelmingly popular as the catfish or mushroom ramen, these dishes were still well received by many customers.
If they had only served two types of ramen, they wouldn't have achieved such high sales.
As for the flour and other basic ingredients, those were provided by the ramen artisans. Sui wanted to give the remaining 2 million yen to them as thanks, but they refused to accept it.
"In that case, why don't you divide the money among yourselves?" Tōsuke suggested casually, having no desire to take the money either.
"Alright," Sui nodded and proceeded to divide the money equally among the seven members of the team, including Sōma. Each person received around 300,000 yen.
"Wait, Sui, what about you and Miss Erina?" Megumi asked, surprised.
Logically speaking, Sui and Erina should have gotten a share too.
"There's no need for either of us," Sui said with a smile. Erina wouldn't care for such a small sum, and as for him, completing the task was enough. The others, like Megumi and the rest, had worked tirelessly without complaint and deserved the money more.
"Wow, that's so much money! I'm rich, I'm rich!" Yoshino exclaimed, practically drooling. Three hundred thousand yen was roughly a full month's salary for a regular worker. Her three days of hard work suddenly felt very rewarding.
"Great, now I can finally buy that motorcycle," Sōma added, grinning. He'd wanted one for a while since the school commute was long.
Megumi was also quietly pleased. Now, she could afford to buy a new bicycle.
"By the way, Sōma, do you even know how to ride a motorcycle?" Subaru asked out of the blue.
"Nope," Sōma admitted with a shrug.
"How about I teach you?" Subaru smirked confidently. "My bike's right outside."
"Really?!" Sōma's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Yeah, it's my pride and joy," Subaru said as he led everyone outside, unlocking three separate locks on his bike.
Seeing this, the others fell silent. Clearly, this guy's motorcycle had been stolen more than once.
"This time, I owe you a huge favor," Tōsuke said to Sui, turning serious. "I'll personally teach this girl how to make ramen."
"Really?! Thank you so much!" Megumi bowed deeply, overwhelmed with gratitude.
The others looked on, a bit envious. After all, it wasn't every day you got a personal lesson from one of Totsuki's Elite Ten.
"No worries. Actually, I've been observing you these past few days, and I think you're a perfect fit," Tōsuke said. "Come on, let's get started right away."
"Wait... right now?" Megumi asked, startled by his urgency. As expected of a top-tier chef, he didn't waste any time.
Tōsuke nodded, walking to the door of the shop and wheeling out his ramen cart. "Let's go. From now on, I'll teach you everything I know about ramen."
"Uh..." Megumi hesitated. She was excited to be personally trained by the third seat, but something about pushing a ramen cart through the streets with him felt... off.
Everyone who had been jealous of her a moment ago suddenly no longer envied her.
"Why does this feel so... down-and-out?" Yoshino muttered, echoing the sentiment.
Nodding in agreement, an image formed in their minds—Megumi and Tōsuke pushing their ramen cart through snowy streets, battered by icy winds, struggling to sell bowls of ramen, only to freeze to death in the cold.
"The tragic tale of the fallen ramen lady and her loyal worker?" Ryoko suggested.
"Ryoko, you've been watching too many historical dramas," Sui quipped.
Ryoko stuck out her tongue playfully and smiled.
"Anyway, I'll do my best!" Megumi clenched her fists in determination.
Even though the next few days would be tough, this was an opportunity Sui had worked hard to secure for her, and she wasn't about to let him down.
Sui nodded, and with that, the group disbanded.