Next, Sui went into the kitchen and prepared Erina's favorite cabbage salad, which they enjoyed together.
Afterward, Sui began practicing a steamed fish recipe.
For the next five days, he spent half the day attending classes at Tōtsuki and the other half at his original school. Since he hadn't officially withdrawn yet, he felt it would be improper to keep taking leaves of absence.
However, Sui started to realize that continuing his studies there didn't seem particularly useful anymore.
One day, after finishing his classes at Tōtsuki, he returned to Erina's mansion alone.
"The host has accumulated five daily gift packs. Would you like to open them all at once?"
The system's voice rang in his head.
During the past five days, despite only attending half-day classes at Tōtsuki, Sui consistently earned an A in each course, receiving a daily gift pack as a reward.
"Open them," he instructed.
"Host opens the daily gift pack. Cooking level increases by 1."
"Host opens the daily gift pack. Cooking level increases by 2."
"Host opens the daily gift pack. Cooking level increases by 1."
"Host opens the daily gift pack. You've received a unique item: Dream Catfish (Dry Form)."
"Host opens the daily gift pack. Cooking level increases by 1."
"Huh?" Sui blinked, slightly taken aback. It seemed he had unlocked something unusual.
Curious, he quickly checked the details.
Item: Dream Catfish (Dry Form)
Grade: B-Class Fantasy Ingredient
Origin: Inuyasha
Description: A low-level monster, edible in both its dried and boiled forms. It is incredibly delicious.
"A... monster?" Sui was stunned, looking at the small, palm-sized dried fish that had appeared in his hand.
"How exactly do I eat this?" he asked.
"This is a type of dried monster. It remains in its dry form until boiled, at which point it changes. It's recommended to cook it by boiling for the best flavor," the system explained.
Nodding, Sui decided to give it a try and headed to Erina's private kitchen.
"But wait, since this is a monster... it won't cause any harm, will it?" Sui hesitated.
"No need to worry. It's a low-level monster with minimal attack power," the system reassured him.
Relieved, Sui sighed. He'd been momentarily worried that the ingredients might be dangerous.
Once in the kitchen, he filled a pot with water and placed the dried fish in to boil.
Halfway through, since it was still early, Sui stepped out to use the bathroom.
When he returned, he was shocked to find the kitchen in complete chaos. A massive catfish, about the size of two or three people, was flailing wildly on the floor.
Sui stood frozen. "...What the hell?"
The once tiny dried fish had transformed into an enormous creature!
The kitchen was now a disaster, utensils scattered everywhere. Sui hurried to store the catfish back in the system space, deciding to deal with it later.
Just as he was about to leave, the kitchen door swung open, and Erina walked in.
Seeing the mess, her eyes widened in shock. "What happened here?"
"Uh... I just, uh, tripped," Sui quickly replied, trying to cover up the situation.
"Tripped?" Erina looked at him skeptically. "Did you fall like a giant? How did you manage to turn the kitchen upside down just by falling?"
However, she didn't press the matter and figured she could ask the staff to clean up later.
"The application has been approved. Tomorrow, the Elite Ten Council will formally assess you," she said, changing the subject. "The test involves cooking with rare ingredients, so you'll need to bring your own. Also, don't forget the agreed-upon ingredients afterward."
"Got it," Sui nodded. But internally, he felt a bit uneasy.
Rare ingredients... and I have to bring my own?
The problem was, Sui didn't have any fantasy ingredients left! The creamy matsutake mushrooms were long gone, and the almond cabbage had been eaten five days ago.
Should I use the Dream Catfish...?
---
The next day, during his French cooking class, Chef Chapelle put down his knife and fork, nodding with approval. "Congratulations, your evaluation is an A."
"Wow, that transfer student is amazing!"
"Yeah, he's gotten A's in all his classes since he arrived!"
"Maybe he'll become one of the Elite Ten!"
The students around him were buzzing with excitement.
"Sui-kun, you're incredible!" Megumi''s cheeks flushed, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
Sōma clapped Sui on the shoulder, grinning. "Man, you're seriously good!"
"Haha, it's nothing special," Sui laughed modestly.
At that moment, his phone buzzed with a text message:
"Sui, please report to Venue A in thirty minutes for your Rare Ingredients Research Association assessment."
"Eh? Sui-kun, are you starting a research group?" Sōma asked, surprised.
"Yeah. Didn't Megumi tell you?" Sui replied, a bit surprised himself. As his regular cooking partner, Megumi had known about it for a while.
"Nope! Can I come watch?" Sōma asked eagerly. "I've always wanted to see how the Elite Ten conducts these reviews."
"Sure," Sui nodded.
"Huh? Is something exciting happening?" Yoshino Yuuki and Sakaki Ryoko also joined in. Ever since the last incident, Sui had gotten along well with them.
"Why not? I could use a little help," Sui said with a grin.
And so, the group headed to Venue A together.
"Sui, what's in the tank? Is that tuna?" Sōma asked as they struggled to push a large seafood tank.
"Tuna isn't that big," Ryoko chimed in, glancing at the massive size of the tank.
"This is my ingredient," Sui replied, pointing to the Dream Catfish inside.
The tank had been borrowed from Erina. Since he had run out of other fantasy ingredients. The Dream Catfish was his only option now.
As they entered the venue, they saw three members of the Elite Ten already waiting:
The second seat, Kobayashi Rindō, the ninth seat, Eizan Etsuya, and the tenth seat, Nakiri Erina.