Among the Elite Ten Candidate team, Sōma was the first to complete his dish.
"Please enjoy it: Yukihira's Egg Roll!" he announced confidently.
He had carefully wrapped a meat filling inside an egg crepe, rolled it into a neat egg roll, cut it into slices, and steamed it to perfection. The aroma was enticing, and the dish appeared appetizing.
"That's the transfer student, isn't it?"
"Yeah, hard to believe he's part of the Elite Ten candidate team and in the same group as Miss Erina. What kind of luck is that?"
The students nearby exchanged envious whispers as they cast glances at Yukihira.
Dojima, the head examiner, began to sample the dish. Even a young girl watching the scene through a camera seemed intrigued.
"It's quite good," Gin remarked mildly. "The egg crepe is soft and delicate, carrying the light flavor of eggs, while the meat filling is tender and juicy."
"Hehe," Soma chuckled, feeling confident. "So, how much would this sell for? Around 6,000 to 7,000 yen, right?"
Their task was to meet a standard price of 45,000 yen, which meant each student should aim for about 6,000 to 7,000 yen per dish.
"Negative 1,500," Gin said flatly.
Soma's eyes widened in disbelief.
The students around him burst into laughter.
"Hmph, so this is the extent of that cocky transfer student," Eizan scoffed with disdain.
"This is the best a first-year can manage?" Nene remarked indifferently, her expression unimpressed.
"What? Negative? How is that possible?" Soma was baffled. He was sure his dish tasted good.
"You completely misunderstood the assignment. You can't just combine ingredients mindlessly," Gin explained.
"Why not?" Soma asked, confused. "What's wrong with that?"
"Tch, rookie mistake. Step aside," Eizan sneered. He pushed Soma away and confidently presented his own dish. "Steamed Lemon Sea Bass."
*
On his plate was a beautifully presented whole sea bass, steamed to perfection. Vibrant red chili peppers adorned the top, while slices of yellow lemon and sprigs of green coriander added color and freshness to the dish.
"Wait, is this really made with convenience store ingredients? It looks like something straight out of a high-end restaurant kitchen!" one student exclaimed in awe.
"As expected of Eizan-senpai," another added, equally impressed.
Dojima took a bite of the sea bass.
"Thirty thousand yen," he declared.
The surrounding students gasped in astonishment. Eizan had single-handedly surpassed the third-grade standard of 20,000 yen by a large margin.
Gin explained, "The sea bass is frozen, so it's not as fresh as it could be, and the texture isn't ideal. But by using chili to mask the shortcomings of the fish with spice, and adding lemon to enhance the freshness, he has elevated the dish. Lemon, chili, and frozen fish—common ingredients—are transformed into a high-end experience through skillful combination. Soma, you simply mixed ingredients, but this dish multiplies their impact."
Soma fell into deep thought, reflecting on Dojima's critique.
"If you sold that egg roll at your family's teishoku restaurant, how much would it be?" Dojima asked.
"Maybe 1,000 yen? We couldn't charge more than that, or it wouldn't fit the concept of a set-meal restaurant," Soma answered, scratching his head. "But even then, it shouldn't be worth negative fifteen thousand, right?"
Gin chuckled, "This is a meal set cuisine. While your dish tastes good, just based on its appearance, would customers pay 7,000 yen for it?"
"No," Soma admitted, shaking his head.
"Exactly. Since it can't sell, its value here is zero," Gin explained.
"See that, kid?" Eizan smirked, glancing between Soma, Akira, and the others before locking eyes briefly with Sui.
"Damn it!" Soma muttered under his breath, frustration gnawing at him.
"It looks like we need to step up our game," Akira said coolly, determined to improve.
Soma scratched the back of his head, laughing sheepishly. "Haha, yeah, I guess I misunderstood the assignment."
"It's fine, Yukihira," Erina said calmly. "You've got time. You can make another dish."
"Thank you, Miss Erina," Soma replied, grateful.
"Yukihira, you're great at meal set cuisine, but that puts you at a disadvantage in this kind of test," Sui added. "Just be sure not to make the same mistake next time."
"I get it," Soma nodded. He sat down, cross-legged, deep in thought, planning his next move.
Meanwhile, Sui was diligently working on his own dish. After careful consideration, he decided on bean curd, a common ingredient found in convenience stores. He was preparing 'Miso-Marinated Tofu,' featuring bean curd paired with lobster and enhanced by white miso, sake, mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, rice vinegar, green onions, and sesame seeds—all ingredients readily available at the store. The exquisite blend of flavors and textures made it a strong contender for meeting the exam's requirements.
As Sui worked, the other members of the Elite Ten were also finishing their dishes and receiving their evaluations.
"Kuga, 30,000 yen."
"Nene, 30,000 yen."
"Sōmei, 35,000 yen."
The audience was left in awe.
The students had rarely witnessed the true power of the Elite Ten up close, but now they could feel the vast gap in skill. The Elite Ten were effortlessly achieving the third-year standard, and some were even surpassing it by a wide margin.
"Damn, my dish is worth less than a tenth of theirs!" one student muttered, feeling dejected.
Just then, Eishi Tsukasa presented his dish.
"Chicken and Beef in Domingo Sauce."
The presentation of the dish was stunning, and the aroma was intoxicating.
"That looks incredible! Can you believe this was made with convenience store ingredients?"
"It feels like something you'd find at a luxury restaurant!"
Dojima took a bite and then gave his assessment.
"Fifty thousand yen."
The audience gasped in shock.
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