Hisako didn't know what had just happened, but watching Lady Erina suddenly run off so fast felt strange.
Hisako: "Yeah! As expected of Lady Erina, so confident in her own cooking. Tomorrow's test definitely won't stop her!"
Encouraging herself with those thoughts, Hisako also prepared to stay up all night. Even though Dojima Gin had mentioned tomorrow's test, no one knew exactly what it would be.
But since it involved egg dishes, as long as she made one with her own style, passing shouldn't be too hard.
Just as she walked over to Lady Erina's station, Hachiman returned at that moment.
"Uh, Hisako, did you see my late-night snack?"
"Late-night snack? What are you talking about..."
"It was eggs benedict. I just left it here a moment ago, then went to the bathroom, and now it's gone."
She didn't know why this guy of all people would also be making Lady Erina's signature eggs benedict, but she didn't think much of it. She simply shook her head naturally:
"I just got here myself, so I'm not sure. You can ask Lady Erina when she comes back. She probably knows."
Just thinking of Erina's habit of getting angry so easily made Hachiman's skin crawl. He decided it was better to skip one late-night meal than risk upsetting her...
"Forget it, thanks. I'll just go rest."
"Oh, okay..." Hisako answered without much thought, but the moment she realized what he had said, her hands froze in place.
"Wait—what did you just say?!" Her face showed open shock, her pupils trembling slightly.
"No matter what happens tomorrow, I still need to get some good sleep." Saying that, Hachiman walked off without looking back. The longer he stayed, the higher the chance of running into Erina—and that was the last thing he wanted.
Hisako just watched him leave. Only watched. But inside, the impact of what she had heard shook her deeply once again.
Having tasted Hikigaya's cooking before, she knew this transfer student really did have powerful cooking skills. Everything else about him was a mess and hardly like a chef at all, but judged by cooking alone, there was no problem.
But...
The training camp wasn't only about cooking. Could he really handle it?
Five minutes later, Erina finally returned to her station. Though her face still carried a faint blush, she had clearly calmed down a lot.
Hisako: "Oh right, Lady Erina, Hikigaya came by earlier. He asked me if I'd seen his eggs benedict."
The moment the name "Hikigaya" came up, Erina's expression changed. She kept her head down to avoid being noticed, but even so...
"Eggs... eggs benedict? No, I haven't seen it. Anyway, didn't he already go back to rest?"
Her stumbling words gave her away.
Luckily, she was talking to Hisako. Although Hisako noticed something was off, her heart was still on Erina's side. Sensing there was more to it, she chose not to press further.
"Oh, okay then."
For the next few hours, Nakiri Erina still made delicious dishes, but not a single one left her truly satisfied.
...
It was the last day of the training camp. Because the group had to assemble at six, Hachiman woke up fairly early.
As long as he passed today's test, he would finally survive this hellish camp. That thought lingered in his head as he wandered sleepily down the hallway toward the hall.
Since most people had stayed up all night working on their dishes, the corridor—usually crowded—was wide open. He had already walked for several minutes without seeing a single person. It just showed how seriously Totsuki Academy's students took this test. After all, anyone who had lasted this long was already excellent, and none of them would want to quit halfway.
"You're Hikigaya Hachiman, right?"
"?"
When someone suddenly called his name, Hachiman froze for a moment, instantly snapping awake.
He could accept people who were just as much of a slacker as him, but if they actually knew him...
It finally hit him that he had somehow become more popular than Hayama. Hachiman still wasn't used to the idea, but since the other person had asked him directly...
He couldn't possibly say again that he was Hayama Hayato.
After all, Hayama was in the same school, and ever since one of his lies got exposed before, Hachiman had a bit of a trauma about it.
"You've got the wrong guy, I'm Zaimokuza."
"Zaimokuza, I know you're an otaku. Please, don't show yourself in the sunlight."
Thrown off by his sudden denial, the white-haired, well-endowed girl standing in front of him turned angrily toward the boy behind her.
The boy had cold red eyes that looked like they didn't care about anything. With a bright bandana tied around his hand, he gave off a threatening aura.
He stared again, locking his eyes directly on Hachiman.
"No, I'm not mistaken. That's Hikigaya."
"Wow, you actually dared to trick me. Tell me, are you Hikigaya Hachiman or not?!"
'Come on, big sis, big bro, spare me already. Are you two from the mafia or something?'
Seeing he couldn't hide it anymore, Hachiman could only nod helplessly.
"So, who are you supposed to be?"
"My name's Nakiri Alice. The one behind me is Kurokiba Ryo."
"Nakiri?"
"I've got nothing to do with my cousin. I came looking for you just for myself."
The moment her family name was mentioned, Alice seemed to grow sensitive, her tone sharper and more forceful than before.
"I heard you beat Chef Shinomiya. I'm really curious—just what kind of potential do you have? The exam's about to start, so don't go getting eliminated too early."
She turned to leave after saying that, but Kurokiba didn't budge at all, bumping straight into her.
'Uh, is this guy an idiot?'
Hachiman reflexively bent down, reached out his hand, and said:
"You okay?"
In that awkward moment, Alice didn't blush like Erina would have. She simply took Hachiman's hand, stood up, and then scolded Kurokiba with clear irritation.
"How many times have I told you? When I walk ahead, you need to make way first. That's how you keep the aura strong!"
"And stop just standing there like a block of wood. Where's the kendama I gave you?"
Kurokiba replied lazily:
"Seems like I lost it, miss…"
Hearing that, Alice could only sigh and pat him on the head.
"You really are a blockhead."
Sighing again, Alice gave Hachiman a faint smile.
"Thanks for helping just now. And remember what I said—I want to see your cooking with my own eyes."
After that brief thank-you, Alice and Kurokiba returned to the hall first. Hachiman, meanwhile, kept thinking about her family name.
"So she's the younger cousin, huh? She's completely different from that other one…"
'Still, it looks like things aren't going to be simple.'
Following behind the two, Hachiman left the hall. The exam was split into three venues, and he was assigned to Hall A. Even though it wasn't quite six yet, many students were already preparing their tools and checking their ingredients.
Luckily, Hachiman had taken care of all that yesterday. So when he arrived at his station according to the signs, there was nothing left for him to do.
Looking around the hall again, he couldn't help but be struck by how huge it was—several times bigger than their normal classrooms.
There were also quite a few familiar faces. Takumi and Tadokoro Megumi came over to greet him with their usual energy.
Hachiman: "You guys alright? How was your rest yesterday?"
Tadokoro Megumi: "Ahaha, I don't think anyone but you could sleep soundly after all that. But I'm doing okay. Maybe I'm just too nervous to feel tired."
Takumi: "Not at all. I did sleep a little yesterday, but it felt worse than not sleeping. I'm half out of it now, and the drowsiness just won't go away."
'Yeah, that's true. Normally Takumi would've already jumped up in excitement the moment he saw me.'
Tadokoro: "Anyway, let's all do our best. This is the last day."
On the other side, Hayama noticed Hikigaya and gave him a cheerful nod, while Yukinoshita was her usual self—occasionally glancing over but pretending she hadn't seen anything.
Hikigaya had thought Hayama and Yukinoshita were on good terms—after all, back at Yuigahama's place, it was Hayama who had invited her. But now, it seemed the two of them didn't even exchange a word.
As the clock neared six, everyone went back to their stations. Erina rushed in late, and by coincidence...
She ended up right next to Hikigaya again.
'Talk about lucky.'
Maybe because she was flustered, Erina didn't even notice Hikigaya by her side. She was too busy checking her utensils and seasonings.
"Oh no, oh no! I actually forgot the most important thing—soy sauce!"
Her desperate words weren't loud, but since Hikigaya was standing right next to her, there was no way he could miss them.
Since his own dish didn't need soy sauce, Hachiman simply picked it up and handed it over:
"Miss Nakiri, do you need this?"
"Hikigaya... Hikigaya Hachiman!"
She finally noticed him. Her face turned faintly red, and in her panic she grew even more flustered.
'Hey, hey, do I look like some kind of monster? Why's she acting so scared of me...'
"Didn't you just say you were out of soy sauce? I've got some right here."
"Thanks..."
With her head down, Erina reluctantly took it. She couldn't bring herself to meet Hikigaya's eyes. But...
Hachiman noticed the heavy dark circles under her eyes.
"Hey, are you okay? Those circles under your eyes are huge. Didn't you rest last night?"
"W-w-w-why do you care! I just didn't sleep well... It's definitely not because I spent all night redoing dishes I wasn't happy with."
'She's lying for sure... definitely.'
Hachiman didn't bother to call her out, only said quietly:
"Anyway, it'll all be over after today. You'll finally get some real rest then."
Erina: "Idiot! I told you it's not because of my cooking. I just couldn't sleep. And why do I keep running into you everywhere... One of these days you're going to give me a heart attack. But actually, this works out—didn't you say before my cooking wasn't good enough? Let's have a proper match this time! We'll see whose dish is better."
'I don't remember ever saying her cooking wasn't good...'
Looking at Erina's smug smile, Hachiman just shook his head:
"I'm not interested in competitions. As long as I pass the test, that's enough."
Maybe because Hikigaya turned her down, Erina's expression instantly soured. She spread her hands and declared:
"Fine, then I'll show you my true strength!"
"Sure, sure... If that's really the case, then why not just taste each other's food? That'd be quicker."
"No! That's not what I mean!"
It was clear Hikigaya couldn't reason with her anymore. He simply set the soy sauce on her station and slowly walked back to his own.
"Anyway, let's all do our best."
"By the way, what dish are you making?" Erina asked, curious because she hadn't seen any ingredients at his station.
"Since it's a buffet-style setup, the most important thing is to attract guests with flavor. And I don't know many egg dishes, so I'll just make eggs Benedict. By the way, didn't you sneak a bite of my dish yesterday?"
The moment she heard the words 'sneak a bite,' Erina, who had just calmed down, instantly flared up even more than usual. But beneath the fiery outburst, there was also a faint trace of embarrassment.
"Who... who snuck a bite! I didn't!"
"Sure, sure..."
Because of yesterday's accident, Erina hadn't tasted anything even after eating the whole dish. Even so, she still had one question on her mind:
"When did you learn this?"
She couldn't believe it. She had gone through countless trials, failed countless times, before she finally had the confidence to present a dish. And now…
This was the one question she had to figure out.
Hachiman: "Before I came to this school, I couldn't cook. But after watching you do it once, I thought I'd give it a try."
Erina was so shaken by Hikigaya's words that her lips trembled.
"So, you mean… you only started practicing from that day?"
"You could say that…"
"Then how did you learn it?"
"I just watched you do it once, and remembered it."
For Hachiman, the question itself felt strange. But for Erina, it was something she couldn't accept as humanly possible.
A refined dish required constant trials—understanding each ingredient, calculating cooking times, even managing temperature, humidity, and every measurable detail, over and over until it became second nature.
But…
She couldn't believe it. Just by looking? Impossible.
Erina pushed aside her shaken look, her face turning cold and sharp. The corner of her mouth lifted in a faint, mocking smile.
"Hikigaya Hachiman, you really are full of yourself."
"Full of myself, huh… that's the word I hate the most."
"I really want to see you get expelled. As I thought, I still can't acknowledge you. Someone who can't even handle a knife properly, saying things like that… it's insulting to chefs. It's insulting to the traditions of the culinary world."
"Next, I'll prove it with my own new dish—what it means to be a chef, and what it means to be Totsuki Academy's Tenth Seat."
Faced with Erina's overwhelming spirit, Hachiman noticed her movements were no longer shaky. The panic from earlier was gone, and instead her eyes showed a strong determination—she looked even sharper than usual.
Right now, she would definitely be able to cook something more refined than she ever had before.
Neither of them spoke again. After their final preparations, they heard the broadcast slowly come from the hall:
"Is everyone ready to serve? Next, we'll explain the passing conditions."
"First, let me introduce the judges."
As the doors opened, a group of cheerful children rushed in first. Seeing the crowd pouring in, the students who had prepared themselves suddenly weren't sure what was going on.
Not just kids—people of all ages kept coming in. Just in Hall A, the numbers had already gone over a thousand.
Dojima Gin's voice came again over the speakers:
"They are the ingredient producers who work with Totsuki Resort, along with their families. Every year, they serve as the judges for this training camp."
"The test topic, 'egg dishes full of surprises,' has already been told to them. The judges will be very strict, so don't expect anyone to eat a dish that fails."
'I see. No wonder it's set up like a buffet. If one dish doesn't meet the standard, it'll directly hurt that stall's reputation and scare off later customers. It's just like running a real restaurant. And next… they'll probably announce the required amount.'
Hachiman had already guessed the outline of the test. Among this massive crowd, most people definitely weren't ordinary, and their standards for food wouldn't be simple to meet.
And if they also added a required number of dishes on top of that, it would be pure hell.
Dojima Gin: "Of course, don't panic. Here at Totsuki Resort, staff from both the cooking and service departments will also be part of the judges. The passing standard has two parts: first, earning approval from both the ingredient experts and the service experts; second, serving over 200 dishes within the next two hours."
As expected, it was just as Hachiman had guessed—quantity, time, and variety of customers from children to adults all at once. Passing this test wouldn't be easy.
The situation was already like a real-life restaurant battle. This had to be the final showdown of the whole training trip.
Dojima Gin: "Meet those two conditions, and you pass. Now then, to all the judges in every hall, please enjoy this moment! Begin the judging!"
With Dojima Gin's words, the whole hall burst into excitement. Students rushed out with the dishes they had prepared, and the aroma spread instantly. The children, unable to resist, immediately dove into their breakfast journey.
Even though kids were easier to please, their stomachs were small. So just relying on them was impossible.
'If we need 200 servings, that means almost one per minute. The physical strain from that…'
Hachiman dismissed the idea in an instant.
He couldn't repeat what he did on the first day, cutting one dish into fifty portions to dodge the challenge. Today's customers weren't the same, and the standards were absolute.
If he made them one by one, his pace would only slow down more and more. So…
There was only one choice: draw the experts in with sheer numbers. That way, he could finish this test before everyone else.
With that thought, Hachiman didn't hesitate at all and immediately started cooking.
Unlike the others, his eggs benedict had to be made fresh on the spot. Because of that, the fragrance kept rising along with the heat from the pan.
Erina glanced over, but…
Though it hadn't been long since she last saw him, she noticed that Hikigaya's cooking skills had clearly made a huge leap compared to before.
Ever since his match against Mito, she hadn't seen him cook again. But this time…
He was already reaching the level of Totsuki's elite.
Maybe it was his speed of improvement that shook her, but her movements slowed, and the focus she had kept until now slipped away for a moment.
In just a short while, Hachiman finished his eggs benedict.
As the scent of honey spread, guests swarmed to his booth in the buffet area.
"It smells amazing..."
"This sweetness… it's honey."
"So comforting… I thought I couldn't eat anything this early, but now my appetite's awake."
"I can't wait any longer."
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