[Eon's POV: ]
"Seems like not everyone has gathered yet. Hmmm... we will wait for a little more before starting the test."
We were on the ground floor large kitchen area where most of the food that most of the students eat from the cafeteria or from the other places come from.
Some of the special individuals affiliated with the academy cooks for certain people specifically while there are some certain sections of this place that prepares food for the students that live in the dorms of the academy.
'It's our first time here...'
Students weren't allowed in this place and there was no need to come here until now since we made our food in the dorm ourselves.
This place wasn't that special anyway, just that the area was vast enough to accommodate all the students of today's cooking test, as well as the spectators and judges.
"I'm nervous... I'm so nervous..."
I was sitting among the students that will be giving the test today and Lizzy was with me, shivering with uncertainty and anxiety.
"You have done well until now, Liz. This will be fine as well."
Since Zoe or the others weren't here, I had to be with her and comfort her until she gets in her own kitchen and starts showing off her magic.
She was in no way a bad chef since she loved making food for the others, and I had taught her over the last few weeks about many things that she might need for this test so, there really was no way for her to be like that.
But, well, she was still uncertain of what was going to happen in this test like most other students present around us.
"It's easy for you to say..." she gave me an upset look with puffed cheeks and, I couldn't help but look back at her with a helpless expression.
'It was the cooking exam...'
The teacher that took this class was no easy person to please since after lady Mendelian the one well known as the second coming Pochimi- the god of cooking- she was the most famous person in the culinary industry.
'Lady Cleo- the golden tongue of pochimi.'
She was very sensitive to the taste and emotions. And, as a creature of nature that had been around almost ever since the headmaster was a student of the academy, she was someone old enough to have taught even our class teacher.
'She was not someone that gave compliments often.'
Not many people had ever received a compliment in her classes however... things were different when it came to me.
"Oh~. Lucifer~. I hope you're not getting bored just sitting there~. We will start soon so please just bear with it a little longer." A voice as natural as the breeze of the morning birds.
She was a unique creature but she looked exactly like humans, specifically, she looked like a Middle aged woman with an attractive face, an attractive body, long green hair that were so long that even after twisting them within themselves a few times, they still touched the ground as she walked.
She perhaps had the longest hair within the academy, and these light green hair resembled fresh grass so much that if she was in a grass field, it would become difficult distinguishing between her and the actual grass.
"It is no problem, Teacher. Everyone's waiting so it's natural that I'd wait as well."
She was looking at me with a bright proud and excited smile while my friend Lizzy beside me was glaring daggers at me.
'Haaa...'
The students were almost here and the judges, including the headmasters, the teachers, and some of the people that will give us marks later, were already present in their places on the eastern balcony.
The individual kitchens were prepared, the inventories were full as well, and Miss Cleo was almost ready to announce the rules of this test.
"You won't ask me why I just said that?"
Lizzy was now even more upset since I ignored her last comment.
But, at least she wasn't sad or anxious anymore, so this much was much better.
"I know what you would have said already. But just like you, everyone else could see the fifty one counters that have been prepared as well.
We aren't going to be in teams, and even if we do, the chances that you or anyone else would be in my team are unpredictable.
So, Miss Lizzy my dear pretty friend, please focus on what you might be making on that kitchen aisle."
Smiling at her and patting her head just the way she didn't like, I returned my attention to the front.
"Uriel was right. You're never to be trusted in things like this. Hump!"
She was a house captain herself so the two of us being on the same team had even lower chances than Miss Ezra being in my team.
'But there's not going to be any team play anyway.'
I can tell from how the judges were checking out every individual present here, that the tests that we are going to face would most likely be something simple but difficult.
'The time limit for this paper was the same, so everyone will have to work faster.'
We might just have to make multiple dishes, and depending on the theme of this test as well as the volume that we have to prepare, everyone here might have to give their all just to meet the basic requirements.
'And, the performance will be judged by the judges that will look at everyone the same way they have for the other subjects.'
We don't know who they are now and we will never know their identities since those were the rules. However, we could see their shadows on the balcony behind the headmasters and the teachers.
We knew they were there, so the pressure was going to be present all the time.
"Alright then. Looks like everyone is here."
The kitchen was filled out soon and some of the students had also taken their places on the balcony.
[{ "Good luck, darling~. I came running as soon as finished so make sure some of that good stuff reaches up here as well~." }]
[{ "I'll try my best." }]
She was here along with Tia, Quin, and Eula right after they finished their Spirit bonding paper.
And, they weren't the only ones present here.
Many other students were here already.
And, soon... this place was going to become even more livelier.