"Isn't that Sui?"
"Wasn't he near the bottom of the rankings last semester?"
"With the standards this strict, he's bound to fail."
As Sui made his way to the front, few of the students paid him any attention. In their minds, he was simply another inevitable failure.
"What dish are you presenting?"
Just then, Yuzuki approached Sui, her expression unreadable.
"Huh? The class president seems to be paying a lot of attention to him."
"Yeah, it's odd."
The surrounding students were surprised to see this interaction. Yuzuki was their idol—why was she suddenly interested in someone like Sui, who was barely noticeable in class? It didn't make any sense to them.
"Sinangag fried rice with pork," Sui answered plainly.
Yuzuki gave a slight nod before walking away.
"The class president seems to care about you," Luna commented, a curious tone in her voice.
Sui shrugged. He found Yuzuki's attention towards him equally puzzling, but he didn't dwell on it. It wasn't worth thinking about.
Meanwhile, Manager Mita, having tasted several mediocre dishes, was in a better mood. He had just sampled a few decent meals that finally broke the streak of disappointments. Yuzuki, who he had known since junior high, had consistently shown promise, and it was clear her skills had advanced even further. In a few short days, Mita felt confident that she could transition into a full-fledged chef.
Her talent was well-known. Signing a contract with Kagura Sakaya—a prestigious restaurant—while still in school was a rare honor. Luna also displayed significant potential; Mita suspected that she, too, might receive an internship offer upon graduation.
At that moment, Sui stepped up and placed his dish in front of Manager Mita.
"Sinangag fried rice with pork. Please give it a taste."
"Alright," Mita responded, coming back to his senses as he picked up his chopsticks, preparing to evaluate Sui's offering.
Sui was nervous. This Sinangag fried rice was his best dish, refined through practice, but would it meet the high standards set by the manager? The system had given it a passing grade, but Mita was known to be far more critical.
As soon as Sui lifted the bowl covering the plate, a cloud of steam rose, carrying with it the enticing aroma of freshly fried rice. The golden grains of rice gleamed, dotted with vibrant green peas, tender yellow corn, and bright red ham. And with the eye catching sizzling pork adorn on top of if, the sight alone was enough to whet anyone's appetite.
"This dish...," Mita thought, taken aback. The presentation was leagues ahead of the other dishes he had judged today.
Without hesitation, he took a small bite, scooping up a mix of rice, diced pork, corn, and other ingredients. The moment it hit his tongue, a burst of flavor followed.
The rice was perfectly cooked, with just the right amount of moisture and a pleasant fried fragrance. The diced pork was tender, the corn added a subtle sweetness, and the ham brought a savory depth.
Mita had never expected such richness from a simple plate of fried rice!
Unable to resist, he took several more bites in quick succession. Stopping himself reluctantly, he glanced at the remaining fried rice, visibly impressed. If it weren't for the fact that he needed to save room for the rest of the students' dishes, he might have devoured the entire plate.
"Manager Mita, could you provide a score?"
The head teacher, who had been watching silently, was equally astonished. Throughout the day, Mita had only sampled the other students' dishes with minimal interest. But now, with Sui's dish, he had clearly been captivated.
Mita fell silent, contemplating the score. He was at a loss—how could he grade this dish appropriately?
"The greatest strength of your fried rice is that it has no weaknesses!" Manager Mita said slowly. "Whether it's the rice, pork, or corn, the ingredients blend seamlessly together without a single flaw."
"No flaws?" Sui was taken aback. Just last night, when he had tasted it himself, he found several obvious shortcomings. Yet here, it was considered flawless?
But then he remembered the "Tongue of God" he possessed, and felt reassured. What he could taste didn't necessarily mean that ordinary people could pick up on those subtleties.
"Indeed," Manager Mita nodded. "What's the name of this fried rice?"
"Sinangag Fried Rice with pork, a very common fried rice from my home country," Sui replied.
Manager Mita's expression shifted to one of understanding. "This is the best fried rice I've ever tasted. I'll give it... a score of ninety-three!"
The moment the score was announced, the classroom fell silent—then, chaos erupted.
"What did Sui score?"
"Ninety-three! That's four points higher than the class leader!"
"No way! When did he get this good?"
Even Yuzuki, the class leader, had a fleeting look of shock in her usually composed eyes. Though confident in her abilities, she never expected Sui to surpass her, especially in a test like this.
Luna's eyes widened in disbelief, staring at Sui in amazement.
The head teacher, responsible for recording the scores, hesitated. His hands shook as he asked, "Manager, are you certain?"
"Yes, are you really sure?" Sui also questioned, still in disbelief. His fried rice had barely passed the system's criteria, and yet he received such a high score here?
The already stunned students nearly choked upon hearing Sui's doubt.
"What are you so surprised about? We're the ones who should be shocked!" they thought.
Manager Mita, also a bit speechless, composed himself before replying firmly, "Yes, I'm sure. Your dish is flawless in every way, but it lacks a standout feature. If it had an eye-catching highlight, the score could've been even higher."
Suddenly recalling something, Mita pulled out a business card and handed it to Sui. "By the way, Sui, right? Would you be interested in joining Kagura Sakaya as a trainee chef?" Mita said, with a serious yet excited tone. "Honestly, I didn't expect to meet another student with such potential."
The surrounding students watched the exchange with envy in their eyes. Wasn't the whole reason they were studying here to land a good job after graduation?
"Well…" Sui hesitated. "I might not have much free time."
Mita chuckled. "No need to worry. We have an agreement with your school, and we offer special arrangements for student interns. You can come whenever you're free. And the pay is 5,000 yen per hour."
When Sui heard the salary—a significant five times more than a typical part-time job—he thought it over and decided to take the business card.