When the invigilators saw the red-haired boy approaching their table, all of their heads turned towards Hisako Arato. Hisako Arato automatically took out the student's information pamphlet and placed it on the table.
Erina read the name on the paper and looked up at the boy… for whatever reason the information pamphlet didn't have any space for the names of the parents. Nakiri Erina would have reacted spectacularly if the red-haired boy's father's name was mentioned.
"Yukihira Soma, tell us what have you prepared for us" Koda spoke up when he noticed that neither Nakiri Erina nor his colleague Okamoto wanted to interact with the boy.
It was pretty obvious that they didn't think that the boy could cook anything worthwhile. It was clearly mentioned on the student's information pamphlet that his family owned a normal diner, so none of the invigilators had any hopes for the boy.
"This is Yukihira Style, Transforming Furikake Gohan" the boy known as Yukihira Soma placed four plates on the table with an excited look on his face.
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"Hoh…" Okamoto mused as he saw the unimpressive dish in front of him but he was slightly curious about the yellow cubes on top of the rice.
Nakiri Erina didn't bother to comment on anything and simply picked up the chopsticks to try the dish… she simply wanted to get over this farce. If Hisako Arato was surprised, she didn't show it on her face… she wasn't expecting a plate for her own testing, after all, she wasn't an invigilator.
'Are the cubes melting?' Erina thought when she noticed the yellow cubes were slowly melting due to the heat of the rice. This wasn't the first time she had seen something like that though… her own cousin kept making things like these.
Erina picked up a small portion of the dish with the chopsticks and put it inside her mouth. She didn't want to hurt her delicate taste buds with some atrocious dish. Erina's eyes grew wide in surprise as soon as the flavors started to melt inside her mouth.
"Uhmmnnn" a small moan escaped Okamoto's lips when he felt how delicious the food was. The dish was simply marvelous.
"Hmmm" Koda moaned while chewing. The flavors and the dish was simply fantastic.
Hisako Arato didn't show any outward reaction but her face was slightly flushed and she kept eating Yukihira Soma's dish with a slightly pleased look on her face.
Nakiri Erina kept eating the dish silently… It only took her a few seconds to completely unravel the secrets of the dish. It mentally noted down the ingredients and the process involved to make the dish… it wasn't something hard for someone like her to decipher.
While the invigilators were quite pleased with the dish. Yukihira Soma had a small frown on his face. Transforming Furikake Gohan was the Yukihira Restaurant's 8th dish on the secret menu… he expected a little bit more from their reactions.
"Much better than what I was expecting" Koda said when he finally finished eating the dish.
"Yes… yes… pretty good for a diner" Okamoto said and put down his plate.
Hisako Arato simply wiped off her mouth with a napkin after she finished eating. Since she wasn't an invigilator, her opinion didn't matter and she didn't bother to express her opinion. Both Koda and Okamoto turned their heads towards Nakiri Erina, she had yet to make any comments on the dish and her opinion played a huge role in the result.
Nakiri Erina finally put down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth with a napkin. She was yet to show any expression on her face. "Adequate… I hope you learn more in Totsuki" Erina said and only after that Koda and Okamoto turned their heads towards Yukihira Soma.
"The dish was pretty good… I hope that you grow more in Totsuki" Okamoto said in a cheerful tone.
"Yes… I am also looking forward to your improvements" Koda said in a neutral tone.
"Yukihira Soma, you have passed the entrance exam, you may return now. We will post your acceptance letter" Hisako Arato said in a neutral tone without any change of expression. Yukihira Soma didn't even know if he should laugh or cry… he expected much from the dish but their reactions were pretty bland.
"Next" Nakiri Erina called out without bothering about Yukihira Soma's expression. The red-haired boy finally came out of his trance and backed away… he decided to wait to see what the group of girls had prepared and how the invigilators would react to their dishes.
Luna skipped towards the invigilator's table and placed down the tray. "Please enjoy the Luna style, Tomatoes Stuffed with Pesto Rice" Luna said with a beaming smile on her face. Surprisingly, everyone gave her a sweet smile including the stoic-looking Nakiri Erina and Hisako Arato.
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All four of them picked up a plate and started to cut the tomatoes with a fork and knife. All of them ate a small portion at the same time and immediately a smile appeared on their faces except for Nakiri Erina but she wasn't able to hide a small smile forming on her face.
None of the invigilators said anything and continued eating the dish with a smile on their faces. Yukihira Soma was quite surprised to see their reactions… they didn't react in such a manner when they tasted his dish. He clenched fists in determination… he was going to work harder from now on.
When his father had told about this school, he had scoffed off at the beginning but when his father has told him that he had failed to graduate from this school, he had decided to graduate from Totsuki to surpass his father and now, he was assured that he was going to face a lot of challenges in this school.
He eyed the rest of the girls, all of them were relaxed and none of them were bothered… It meant that they were quite confident about their dishes.
"Your dish was lovely" Okamoto said with a beaming smile on his face.
"Yes, I am already looking forward to your future" Koda said with a smile… he looked really satisfied.
"It is quite clear that this isn't your specialty but your dish was still able to impress me… I will be looking forward to your dishes" Erina said while wiping her lips. Hisako Arato's eyes grew wide in shock, such a compliment from Nakiri Erina meant a lot.
"Luna Lovegood, you have passed the entrance exam, you may return now. We will post your acceptance letter" Hisako Arato said and Luna beamed at them.
"Glad you liked it" Luna chirped cheerfully and everyone smiled. It was a happy atmosphere. Luna returned to her initial position and Jean started to approach the invigilator's table with her dish.
Jean placed down her try on the table with a polite smile on her face. "I have made Stir-Fried Egg Noodles, please enjoy" Jean said politely and the invigilators quickly picked up their own plates. Hisako Arato also picked up her own plate.
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The invigilators slowly put some noodles in their mouths and immediately their eyes grew wide… but Hisako Arato was the one who was the most surprised.
"So hot!!" Okamoto exclaimed loudly but didn't stop eating, instead, his speed increased.
"So spicy! But I can't stop!" Koda exclaimed and continued to slurp the noodles.
If Luna's dish was lovely then Jean's dish was impactful. Luna's dish was sweet and sour while Jean's dish was spicy… it was a punch of spiciness but that wasn't all.
"Your dish is really spicy but at the same time, your dish is also soothing… I am impressed with how you have used the Medicinal Herbs" Erina said when she finally finished her food. Jean's smile widened after hearing her words.
"Jean Grey, you have passed the entrance exam, you may return now. We will post your acceptance letter" Hisako Arato said with slight uneasiness in her voice. Jean simply smiled but she very well knew why the pink-haired woman felt uneasy. Jean simply nodded her head and returned to her station.
Just as Jean started to return Fleur started to head towards the invigilator's table. She placed the tray on the table. Her tray contained four white cups filled with some kind of tomato soup.
"I have prepared Orzo and Tomato Soup, please enjoy" Fleur said regally and started to place the cups in front of the invigilators. All of her actions were completely regal… All of her actions were very lady-like.
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The invigilators picked up a spoon from their unending cutlery and started to eat the soup. Koda and Okamoto started to slurp the soup with a gleeful look on their faces while Nakiri Erina continued to sip the soup normally… even if she was surprised, she didn't show it on her face.
Hisako Arato continued eating the soup with a small frown on her face. 'This is the second dish where I have tasted Medicinal Herbs, both of them have used the Herbs quite brilliantly too' Hisako Arato thought with an uneasy smile on her face.
Hisako Arato was a much better cook when Medicinal Herbs were involved but for whatever reason, she felt uneasy and she knew that these girls didn't go all out… They noticed this when they tried Luna Lovegood's dish. All of these girls were holding back significantly and that scared her.
"Marvellous!!" Okamoto exclaimed loudly and put down the cup but Fleur's expression didn't change… it seemed like she was assured of this kind of reaction.
"Fabulous!! There is nothing I can say about this dish" Koda proclaimed loudly and happily nodded his head.
"The texture of your soup was smooth but not too smooth… quite perfect. It wasn't too thick or thin… it was right there in the middle… perfect for a soup like this, impressive" Nakiri Erina said in an impressed tone but inside her mind, she was also frowning.
None of these girls had any kind of experience in a kitchen… and such perfection wasn't possible if you haven't worked in a professional kitchen. It looked like these girls were working together for years… their coordination was simply absurd.
"Fleur Delacour, you have passed the entrance exam, you may return now. We will post your acceptance letter" Hisako Arato's voice brought Nakiri Erina out of her deep thoughts.
Fleur returned to her station with a small smile on her face and Ororo was already making her way towards the invigilator's table with a tray in her hands. Ororo politely placed the tray on the table and started to place the plates in front of the invigilators and lastly, she placed a plate in front of Hisako Arato.
"Veggie-filled Bread, please enjoy" Ororo said with a polite smile on her face and took back a step, not wanting to get into their faces.
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The invigilators slowly started to cut the bread, then they dipped the bread in the sauce and finally they placed the bread in their mouths… a pleased look on their faces as they started to chew. The flavors of the vegetables started to spread through their mouths and they couldn't stop themselves from smiling, including Nakiri Erina.
"So soft… all of the vegetables are perfectly cooked" Koda said with a smile on his face.
"Yes, the bread isn't too thick and the vegetables are perfectly sliced" Okamoto said while breathing heavily and continued eating Ororo's dish.
"You have used various types of vegetables but none of them have an overbearing flavor… all of them are perfectly complementing each other" Erina said when she finally finished eating the dish. She wasn't going to admit it but she was quite satisfied with the dish.
"Ororo Munroe, you have passed the entrance exam, you may return now. We will post your acceptance letter" Hisako Arato and Ororo returned to her station with a cheerful smile on her face.
When Ororo finally returned to her station, Nat started to head towards the invigilator's table with a tray in her hand. Hisako Arato removed all the trays on their table as it was getting obstructive. Nat arrived in front of their table and placed the tray.
"I have made Courgette Lasagne, please enjoy" Nat said with a smile and stood beside the table. The invigilators picked up the plates, ready to try the dish.
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Their eyes grew wide as soon as they placed the dishes in their mouths. Nakiri Erina nodded her head with a satisfied look on her face.
"So tangy" Okamoto moaned while chewing and Koda nodded his head with a satisfied look on his face.
"I agree… the balance between everything couldn't be any more perfect" Koda nodded his head like a sage.
After a minute the invigilators finally finished eating the dish and gave Nat a satisfied nod. "The lasagne was perfectly cooked" Erina said after she finished wiping off her mouth.
"Natasha Romanoff, you have passed the entrance exam, you may return now. We will post your acceptance letter" Hisako Arato said and Nat nodded her head with a smile and started to return to her station.
When Nat was heading back to her station, Momo was already heading towards the invigilator's table with a tray in her hands. Momo placed the tray on the invigilator's table.
"I have made Charred Spring Onion Tofu, please enjoy" Momo said and placed the bowls in front of the invigilators and Hisako Arato.
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The invigilators were already expecting a nice dish as none of the girls were yet to disappoint them so their expectations were higher and as soon as they placed the food in their mouths, they knew that they weren't disappointed.
"Brilliant" Koda muttered under his breath and continued to munch down Momo's dish.
Okamoto didn't even bother to say anything and continued to eat Momo's dish with a pleased and gleeful look on his face.
"You have only used onions in your dish and yet the flavor of the onions is not overbearing… the onions are perfectly caramelized" Nakiri Erina gave a satisfied nod.
Hisako Arato was also impressed with the dish but she didn't say anything but she vowed to work harder inside her mind. "Momo Yaoyorozu, you have passed the entrance exam, you may return now. We will post your acceptance letter" Hisako Arato said and Momo beamed at them with a huge smile on her face.
"Glad you liked it" Momo beamed at the invigilators and returned to her station.
"Congratulations!! Please be present for the opening ceremony and I hope that all of you keep improving" Nakiri Erina said with a stoic look on her face.
The group of girls cheered happily but the red-haired boy was clenching his fists tightly… he already knew where he stood and he wasn't happy but he couldn't stop himself from smiling…