"How about we have a showdown today? What do you think?"
Sōma grinned broadly, his fighting spirit ignited.
At his suggestion, Erina was suddenly reminded of the humiliating poker game she'd lost at Polaris group a few nights ago. The memory made her stomach churn, and she gritted her teeth. "Not interested!" she snapped.
"Haha, I really didn't see this coming. Back when I took the transfer exam, I never would've guessed that you'd end up as my good friend's girlfriend," Soma said, laughing.
He was unaware that, with every word, he was quickly rising up Erina's list of least-liked people—soon to surpass even Yoshino.
"I told you, I'm 'not' his girlfriend!" Erina retorted, teeth clenched in annoyance.
"Okay, okay, I get it," Soma said, still smiling as he turned to start preparing his dish.
Erina, noticing what he was doing, couldn't help but ask, "Wait, are you making an omelette?"
"Yeah, why?" Soma asked.
"Nothing," Erina said with a smirk, turning her head away.
At that moment, a large group of guests entered the venue. These were suppliers and their families who worked with Tōtsuki Resort, along with employees from both the culinary and service departments. Even the assistant chef to head chef Dojima was present.
"Starting now, each of you will prepare breakfast for 200 people to serve these guests. If you meet the quota, you will pass," announced Dojima Gin, his voice firm. "Now, auditors, please enjoy your breakfast! The evaluation has officially begun!"
With Dojima's signal, the students immediately got to work.
"It's okay, Sui approved my dish. I'm sure I can do this!" Megumi reassured herself, taking a deep breath. But just as she readied her dish, three elderly men with intimidating auras approached her station.
"Would you like to try some of my oden?" she asked nervously, presenting a small bowl of the steaming dish. Unlike the usual large skewers, each portion was a single bite.
"Ah, quail eggs? Interesting, they're still eggs, after all," one of the old men remarked before taking a bite. Instantly, an expression of bliss washed over his face. "The juicy quail eggs paired with the vibrant vegetables... absolutely delicious!"
The other two men also seemed pleasantly surprised by the dish.
Seeing their reactions, Megumi let out a relieved sigh. But suddenly, the oldest man, his expression serious, grasped her hand and said, "Please, marry my grandson."
"Eh? I-I think I'll pass..." Megumi trembled in shock, Thoroughly flustered.
...
Meanwhile, Erina was busy plating her freshly made Eggs Benedict.
"This color... it's as radiant as a jewel!" one guest exclaimed in awe.
"What a beautiful dish," another added as they gathered around.
As the guests took their first bites, the rich egg yolk oozed from the center, blending harmoniously with the crispy bacon and soft muffin. The touch of mullet roe atop the muffin elevated the dish even further.
"It's simply divine!" the director of Tōtsuki Resort's service department said, his expression one of pure euphoria, utterly captivated by Erina's cooking.
"She's the queen of breakfast!" a guest declared.
Before long, a line had formed at Erina's station, with dozens of her dishes being taken away in rapid succession.
Erina, feeling the success, narrowed her eyes and glanced at Sui from across the room, a small smile tugging at her lips. 'I hope you don't disappoint me,' she thought.
Even though their bet was a little silly, Erina secretly wanted to surpass Sui. She had always been the top of her class, but now Sui was a rising star, and that made her feel competitive.
"As expected of the God Tongue," Shinomiya remarked from the doorway, his eyes glinting behind his glasses as he watched the scene unfold.
"Surprised? I bet you didn't expect someone this exceptional from the younger generation," Dojima Gin said with a light smile. "Someone with that much talent is destined to become the most formidable presence in the academy."
"Well, she 'is' the granddaughter of the Marshal. It's no surprise that his granddaughter would inherit such skill and strength..." Shinomiya said, his voice cold.
"Indeed. But there is one other person who might rival her—a second God Tongue," Dojima added calmly.
"A second God Tongue?" Shinomiya asked, surprised.
"Yes, they've both tied for first place in this training camp. Perhaps this time, we'll see who truly stands on top," Dojima mused. "At first, we were worried they wouldn't get along. But it turns out, their relationship is surprisingly harmonious. Haha, who knows? Maybe there'll even be a third God Tongue in the future."
"A third?" Shinomiya looked puzzled.
Dojima smiled mysteriously, offering no further explanation. He knew Senzaemon, the Grand Marshal, had been eagerly anticipating the possibility of future offspring from these two prodigies.
If Erina ever found out what her grandfather was hoping for, she'd probably be furious enough to cough up blood.
"By the way, who is this second God Tongue?" Shinomiya asked, curious.
"Oh, you've seen him," Dojima said, pointing toward Sui. "It's him."
"It's really him, huh?" Shinomiya nodded, recalling how impressed he had been by Sui's talent during the training sessions.
But when they looked over at Sui's station, both Shinomiya and Dojima were surprised to see that there were no customers lining up in front of him.
"What's happening?" Dojima wondered aloud. Has something gone wrong?
As they got closer, they realized what was happening. Sui was casually frying dough sticks.
"Wait... dough sticks? Isn't the theme supposed to be eggs?" the two men asked in disbelief.
"Sui, what are you doing?" Alice called out from nearby, shaking her head. "At this rate, you're going to lose!"
Alice, whose dish combined three types of eggs, was attracting a lot of attention and had already built a strong following.
Sui, however, just smiled and said, "Don't worry. You better get ready for your punishment."
With that, he carefully picked up his freshly fried dough sticks and began to prepare his next dish.
Now, it was time to make the pancakes.