The classmates who had suddenly been called over all wore gloomy expressions. Hachiman just kept his hands in his pockets, glancing at them from the corner of his eye as they sighed nonstop.
'I get it! Totally!'
'It's just like when your boss suddenly tells you to work overtime after a long day—it's like being a complete corporate drone.'
He once swore he'd never live the life of a worn-out office slave, but dreams are just dreams. In the end, even as a chef, he couldn't seem to escape that fate.
While he was thinking about this, another group of people started gathering around him. Unlike the tired faces everywhere else, they didn't seem affected at all.
Except for one boy with round glasses—Marui.
Yoshino: "Hey Marui, you okay or not?"
Ryoko: "Told you to train with us back then, but you didn't listen."
Tadokoro: "Um, Marui, just hang in there a little longer, it'll be over soon!"
Marui looked drained, almost like his spirit had been sucked out, his body light and hollow. Watching him, Hachiman couldn't help but feel sympathetic.
'Marui, you have my utmost respect.'
Everyone gathered again. After so many days of selection, the once crowded hall had thinned out. A hall that once held thousands was now nearly empty.
Takumi, Hayama Hayato, Yukinoshita, Erina—they all stood out immediately. Of course, that was because of their fame. Hachiman wasn't that type of person, but ever since that day, he had been carrying a burden of unwanted attention.
Though they were all in the same hall, aside from Hayama giving him a friendly greeting, Yukinoshita and Erina didn't seem interested in talking to Hikigaya.
Naturally, thanks to all the rumors, no matter if Hachiman tried to approach Yukinoshita or not, the outcome would still spiral into something he couldn't fix.
While Hachiman was lost in thought, Tadokoro Megumi seemed to notice something unusual:
"Why would Senior Dojima Gin call us here at a time like this? What's the reason?"
Ibusaki: "No need to guess—it must be another test..."
Marui: "No way, isn't this supposed to be our break? Even if it's hell-level hard, at least let us rest a little."
'Agreed! Totally agreed!'
Inside, Hachiman was already raising both hands in full support of Marui's words.
While the group was still talking, Dojima Gin finally stepped out from behind the scenes. His body was still as powerful as ever, and just by looking at his calm and imposing presence, everyone could instantly feel the overwhelming aura he carried.
Dojima Gin:
"Good evening, everyone."
"I gathered you here at this time not because of anything serious, but to let you know about tomorrow's assignment."
Marui: "Tomorrow's? Why explain it the night before?"
Ibusaki: "This feels a little strange."
Ryoko: "I have a bad feeling about this."
To be honest, when Hachiman heard Dojima Gin-senpai say that, a phrase from company bosses immediately popped into his head:
"Our company never asks employees to work overtime!"
But even if they say that, they'll find all kinds of ridiculous ways to stretch your working hours. Right now… Hachiman already felt something was off.
Dojima Gin: "The task is to create a new breakfast dish for the guests of Totsuki Resort. Breakfast is the face of the hotel, the most important meal for our guests starting their day. I want you to make a dish that lifts their mood, something fresh and full of surprises."
"The main ingredient is eggs. It doesn't matter if it's Japanese, Chinese, or Western cuisine, but it must be in a buffet style. Judging will begin at six o'clock tomorrow morning. Be ready for the judges to taste your dishes by then."
As soon as his voice faded, the entire hall went silent, as if all sound had been cut off.
But Hachiman noticed another kind of look in the room. When he turned to check, of course it was Nakiri Erina staring at him with that proud face, as if to say:
"Watch carefully. Tomorrow I'll show you my real strength!"
Hachiman planned to just pretend he didn't see her, but that only seemed to make Erina angrier. In her eyes, Hikigaya Hachiman was completely looking down on her—on her, the one called Totsuki's most promising student and the youngest member of the Elite Ten.
Meanwhile, Yoshino asked with some hope:
"Did I mishear? It's six in the afternoon tomorrow, right?"
Hachiman: "No, he definitely said six in the morning…"
It was like stabbing Yoshino in her weak spot. The girl who hadn't reacted at first suddenly grabbed her head and let out a cry of pain:
"So that means… they're not even letting us sleep!"
Marui: "Exactly! Do they even have a shred of humanity left?!"
Hachiman: "Well, it's not like you can't sleep. If you go to bed now and wake up at six, it's fine."
Marui: "Hikigaya, are you serious?"
Yoshino: "You're kidding, right? You have to be!"
Not just the Polar Star Dorm group—even other students nearby who overheard him looked at Hachiman in disbelief.
Ryoko: "Ahaha, Hikigaya's just joking, right?"
Realizing Ryoko was trying to cover for him, Hachiman quickly nodded along:
"Yeah, yeah, I'm just messing around."
'Honestly, I really do want to just go back and sleep. Don't you all feel the same?!'
But he kept that thought to himself. On stage, Dojima Gin's voice filled the hall again.
"From now until morning, your time is free. You can go to the kitchens to practice, or you can head back to your rooms to rest. Either way is fine. See you tomorrow morning! Dismissed!"
That booming voice covered the entire hall like the whisper of a demon, robbing everyone of the calm they needed to sleep. With Dojima Gin's announcement, students clutched their heads in regret:
"There's no way I can sleep now!"
"Great, another all-nighter!"
"I'm going to… die from exhaustion!"
Watching the scene in front of him, Hachiman felt more thankful than ever that he had trained his stamina with Ryoko earlier. Otherwise, he'd probably be in the same sorry state as Marui.
For most people, this assignment would be extremely tough. But for Hachiman, the moment he heard "egg dish," he already had something in mind. Maybe that was why he stayed so calm.
Takumi, on the other hand, looked completely unfazed, crossing his arms with a confident smile:
"Finally, a decent challenge. Just wait, Hikigaya—I'll show you a true Italian egg dish!"
"Yeah, yeah…"
"You're so boring."
"Uh, if there's nothing else, I'll head back."
"Head back? Back where?!"
Hachiman had already suffered once just now, so of course he wouldn't let himself get caught off guard again. He leaned toward Takumi and said casually:
"Actually, I was planning to go rest now. After all…"
"What! You're going back to sleep?! Are you insane?!"
Before Hachiman could even finish, Takumi's loud voice echoed through the entire hall. His uncontrolled expression made it clear he couldn't understand Hikigaya at all. When he finally realized how out of line he looked…
Hachiman: "….."
Now, everyone's eyes were on him. Even Yukinoshita and Erina were shocked by his choice.
Tomorrow's trial was the hardest and most important part of this training camp. At a time like this, almost no one could sleep calmly—unless they were people like Yukinoshita or Erina, who had full confidence in their cooking. Otherwise…
Tadokoro: "Um… H-Hikigaya, are you really going to rest now?!"
Mito: "Hikigaya, isn't it too early? You're not going to practice at all?"
Marui: "Rest… I wish I could rest too."
Ryoko: "It's over. Hikigaya's lost it completely…"
With everyone whispering, Hachiman didn't know where to start. Outnumbered, he ended up just following the group into the kitchen.
...
Even though the number of people had already dropped a lot, the kitchen quickly filled again because of the challenge Dojima Gin had just announced. Most of the cooking stations were taken, and Tadokoro Hayato had already started testing things out.
And just his luck…
Right next to Hachiman stood Erina. If this was luck, it felt more like bad luck. The moment he saw her, he thought about pretending not to notice and walking away. But…
He had already ignored her once earlier. Getting ignored again, Erina couldn't hold back her temper and stopped him.
"Doesn't matter where I cook, I'll just treat it like an early exam."
Hachiman casually picked up an egg. Ever since he came to this academy, he had made a lot of egg dishes. Noticing that, he had been practicing them for a while, which was why he now looked so confident.
"Come to think of it, Nakiri, the test you gave me before was an egg too. What a coincidence."
Hearing Hikigaya's words, Erina's face flushed red, and she quickly shot back:
"Don't just talk to me so casually!"
Faced with her reaction, Hachiman could only mutter helplessly:
"You're the one who stopped me…"
His voice was quiet, but since they were standing so close, she heard it clearly. A moment later, her already red cheeks grew even brighter.
"Idiot!"
"Why are you suddenly insulting me…"
"Idiot, idiot! Don't bother me, I'm trying to focus on my cooking."
"How did this even get pinned on me…"
In her head, Erina had countless ways of cooking eggs. She was so skilled that she could even make them with her eyes closed. But… while talking with Hikigaya, she ended up cooking the worst dish of her life.
In that moment, her mind went blank. The steps she had practiced countless times vanished, leaving only Hikigaya's words echoing in her head.
Meanwhile, Hachiman once again realized just how troublesome Nakiri could be. She was unreasonable and always twisting things around. Against someone like her, he had no defense at all.
So, he decided to just focus on his cooking. Since he was already at this station, he might as well start running through tomorrow's scene in advance.
First of all, for breakfast, Hachiman felt it shouldn't be too greasy. Even though the rules said it could be Chinese, Western, or Japanese cuisine, nobody would want to eat something heavy first thing in the morning. That would only kill their appetite.
Second, since it was a buffet style, knowing his own strengths would make things much easier.
A buffet is meant to attract guests with convenience, simplicity, and speed. Because the guests pick the food themselves, the taste and presentation both become very important. A dish only counts as a dish when it actually goes into someone's mouth—if it can't catch their attention, no matter how good it tastes, it's useless.
From the very start, if no one notices it, the dish may as well not exist.
But presentation wasn't Hachiman's strong point. Compared to that, taste was something he could control better. According to what Dojima Gin-senpai said, in tomorrow's open kitchen, as long as the fragrance of his breakfast spread while cooking, it could attract some guests.
Even so, it still wasn't enough.
Because that trick could be used by anyone, Hachiman was already at a big disadvantage.
Since he wasn't faster and his presentation wasn't better, he had to grab the guests' attention ahead of time to pass this test. As for how exactly to do that, it would have to depend on how things played out.
Finally... when it came to the dish itself, Hachiman had two choices.
One, panini.
Two, eggs benedict.
That's right. Even though his only knowledge of eggs benedict came from what Nakiri once made, both in terms of time and portion size, eggs benedict was actually a very good option.
Instead of overthinking it, better to try and see for himself.
He ignored Erina's stare from the side. After making his choice, he took a deep breath.
Then everything flowed as if he had practiced it countless times in his head. Even though this was his first attempt, his movements were smoother than expected.
Heat the pan, add oil, crack the egg.
Every step came from the memory of Nakiri's cooking. With her God Tongue and natural talent, she had long mastered eggs benedict to perfection. All he had to do was recall her actions and adapt them in his own way, and then...
...
Right beside him, Erina failed three times in a row. That had never happened in her life. As the true prodigy blessed with the God Tongue since birth, she had never once made food that tasted bad. But now... three dishes in a row. She couldn't believe it herself.
And the cause of all this was the boy standing next to her—Hikigaya.
At first, she could still pretend to ignore him and keep cooking her own dish. But once she saw his movements, her hands froze. Her lips trembled as if she couldn't believe what she was witnessing.
"Impossible..."
She, Nakiri Erina, the legendary God Tongue, a true genius.
Compared to most people her age, she had been creating top-class dishes since childhood. But still... along this path, she had failed, stumbled, and suffered too. No one is born perfect. Even she needed endless practice, constant trials, and repeated challenges.
Every dish she had mastered was the result of hundreds, even thousands of failures, refined into perfection. She believed that not even someone more skilled than her could replicate her flavors.
But then... in this moment...
She knew very well: her every movement was being copied on this stove.
She had only shown Hikigaya that dish once, and during that one time, he even questioned her.
She hated this guy. His skills weren't strong, even his way of holding a knife was clumsy. Everything about him screamed "rookie chef." To someone like her, who prided herself on the nobility of cooking, he didn't even seem capable of appreciating it.
Everyone else liked to call her a genius and dismiss her effort, but only she knew the truth—that it had been a hard, step-by-step climb. How could she accept anyone denying that?
So she refused to accept it. She couldn't agree.
But life sometimes forces you to face things you thought you had already overcome. Watching Hikigaya perfectly copy her every move—even down to the seconds—made her proud body tremble.
Under Erina's gaze, Hachiman finished making the eggs benedict. As expected, it didn't take long. Just a little over a minute for one serving.
Without looking at Erina, he took a small bite to test his dish. Once he was sure it was fine, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Looks like tomorrow's dish is decided."
"It's time to rest now."
No matter what, even if the world was ending, sleep time could not be disturbed. That was Hachiman's personal rule.
Noticing Hikigaya already packing up, Erina showed panic on her face for the first time. It was the loss of confidence in her own skills. She shook her head hard, refusing to look in Hikigaya's direction, and kept working on her dish.
If she hadn't just made those three unbelievably awful failures—so bad she couldn't even believe they were her own—she probably would have chosen to rest soon too. But right now… she had to make sure nothing went wrong. She couldn't accept failing again in front of this man.
Hachiman: "Miss Nakiri, are you still practicing?"
Erina: "Idiot, can't you see?! I'm learning a new dish! I'm not worried at all about tomorrow's exam!"
Hachiman: "Alright then, I'll go rest first. You should rest early too."
After saying that, Hachiman left without looking back. Waiting for him was a soft bed in a large room, a heaven compared to the smoke-filled kitchen.
Watching Hachiman leave, Erina's movements grew even more hurried, and she failed again.
Four dishes in a row had ended in failure, each far below her usual standard. For the first time, she felt fear. What was this feeling? Maybe it was doubt about her own ability.
Looking at the Benedict egg still left on Hikigaya's table, Erina's cheeks flushed faintly again.
She was very curious. What kind of flavor did that guy's Benedict egg have? Compared to the one she had made before, what was different?
The moment the thought crossed her mind, she shook her head hard.
"Erina, calm down! It's just a dish made by a nobody. It must be the worst-tasting thing in the world!"
She kept trying to hypnotize herself, but in the end, Erina still snuck over to his station.
"Just one bite. This isn't stealing!"
With that excuse in mind, Erina quickly grabbed a fork when no one was looking.
As she carefully tried to avoid the part Hikigaya had eaten from and took a small bite…
"Lady Erina!"
Hisako's voice suddenly rang out behind her, scaring Erina who was sneaking around.
By accident, she ended up swallowing the entire Benedict egg.
'Indirect… indirect kiss!'
That thought exploded in her mind instantly.
Her cheeks flushed uncontrollably, her vision even going blurry as she looked at Hisako.
At that moment, the only thing she could clearly feel was her heart pounding wildly.
Hisako looked puzzled:
"Lady Erina, what's wrong? Why is your face so red…"
"N-nothing…"
"Really nothing?"
"Really nothing!"
Not wanting to stay on this topic, Erina hurriedly blurted out:
"I need to go to the bathroom!"
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