"Hehe, this is one of the simpler recipes in my collection. Or would you prefer something more challenging?" Shinomiya asked with a faint smile. "Well then, let's begin. You have three hours. There is no grouping in my class, so I suggest you treat all your companions as competitors."
Upon hearing this, the students quickly sprang into action, each trying to get ahead of the others.
Megumi was no exception. Even though there were no teams this time, she remained determined.
"Sui, even without you, I can still push through on my own!" she told herself, steeling her resolve.
The dish required nine types of vegetables, and after a long battle for ingredients, Megumi finally managed to gather almost everything she needed. However, when she reached the cauliflower section...
"All gone? They're all oxidized and spoiled!" Megumi frowned as she stared at the subpar cauliflowers in the food section.
"Megumi," a familiar voice called softly. Sui stood nearby, discreetly handing her a fresh, unspoiled cauliflower when no one was looking.
"This... this is!" Megumi was stunned.
"I may have grabbed an extra one earlier," Sui said with a smile. "Keep it!"
If not for Sui's intervention, Megumi might have ended up with the defective produce, and her results could have been very different.
"Thank you so much, Sui!" Megumi's face flushed with gratitude, her heart swelling with determination. "I'll work even harder!"
Two and a half hours passed swiftly.
"You've passed," Shinomiya Kojiro said after tasting Sui's vegetable jelly dish. "Your name is Sui, correct? I've heard that you've been placing first in the recent exams. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your skills."
"Thank you, chef," Sui replied with a respectful bow.
About fifteen minutes later, Megumi successfully completed her dish and passed the class as well.
"Chef Shinomiya didn't make things too difficult for you, did he?" Sui teased.
"Not at all," Megumi replied, her face flushed with happiness. For the first time, she had earned the instructor's approval through her own skills and hard work.
Soon, the day came to an end.
After dinner, Sui turned to Erina and asked, "Want to play poker tonight?"
"Poker is boring!" Erina sulked as she sipped her milk, clearly frustrated. After losing two nights in a row and becoming the subject of everyone's playful teasing, it was understandable that she wasn't too eager to join in.
Just then, a hotel announcement came over the speakers.
"All students, please change into your uniforms and gather in the banquet hall in one hour."
"Huh? Is there more training tonight?" Sui asked.
"You'll find out soon enough," Erina replied coolly.
"Alright..." Sui sighed, loosening the tie of his bathrobe.
Erina's eyes widened in exasperation. "What are you doing?"
"Changing into my uniform," Sui said nonchalantly.
"Can't you do that in another room?" Erina's face turned red with irritation.
"You've seen this before. Is there really a need to be so flustered?" Sui said, perplexed.
Erina's face turned even redder, and she looked as though she might explode.
After they both changed into their uniforms, they headed to the banquet hall together.
There were noticeably fewer students in the room compared to the first day—many had been eliminated from the program.
"Hey, look! It's Miss Erina!"
"And the transfer student! They're together again."
"Yeah, I heard both of them have been taking first place in every challenge."
"Not only that, but rumor has it they're dating!"
As Erina and Sui entered the hall, whispers spread among the students.
"These people and their rumors... Dating, again," Erina muttered, clearly annoyed.
"But we are dating, aren't we?" Sui teased, causing Erina to choke on her words.
"Hey! You couple made it!" Yoshino greeted them loudly from across the hall.
Aside from Megumi, everyone from the Polar Star Dormitory had already started to consider Sui and Erina as a couple, convinced that they must be dating.
Erina, flustered, rushed over to cover Yoshino's big mouth. "Stop spouting nonsense!" she said, both embarrassed and anxious. At that moment, she wished she could silence Yoshino forever—her big mouth was a constant source of trouble.
"Did you hear that?" one student whispered.
"Yeah, I did. Seems that the transfer student is dating Miss Erina! Some people are even calling them husband and wife!"
"How outrageous!"
Many students nearby grumbled in discontent after hearing this.
Erina: "Q…Q"
Just then, Dojima Gin stepped onto the stage.
"I've gathered you all here to announce tomorrow's assignment. At six o'clock in the morning, you will be tasked with preparing a breakfast dish using eggs, served buffet-style. You can either go back to sleep or head to the kitchen to practice."
"Six in the morning? That doesn't leave much time for sleep!" some students exclaimed.
Back at the Polar Star group, two students collapsed on the spot, groaning about their impending lack of rest.
"I say, shall we play poker tonight?" Erina, blushing, walked over and asked Megumi and the others awkwardly.
"We've got to practice making food. Where do you find all this extra time? Do you think everyone is like you and your 'husband'?" Yoshino teased.
"What? Who said we're married?!" Erina yelled, her face turning a deep shade of red.
"Let's go practice cooking first," Sui suggested.
"Oh, alright," Erina replied, brushing her long hair behind her ear. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. "Hey, Sui, didn't we score about the same in the previous challenges?"
"Yeah, why?" Sui asked. Both of them had consistently taken first place in every exam so far.
"Why don't we use this opportunity to settle who's better?" Erina narrowed her eyes, flashing a playful but determined smile.
As the bearer of the "God's Tongue," Erina was naturally proud. Seeing Sui continuously matching her performance had sparked her competitive spirit, and now she wanted to prove her superiority.
Sui blinked, sensing the intensity behind her words. Was she serious?
However, in the next moment, Erina's sharp edge seemed to soften as she added, "If you lose, you have to teach me how to play poker."
Her head lowered in embarrassment, and her face turned a delicate shade of pink.