Confrontation

"I'm Asahi," he replied, offering a friendly smile. "Just a fellow student who appreciates the art of cooking, and I'm also a friend of Maria."

Maria looked surprised by Asahi's sudden intervention. She knew that her uncle's patience was at its limit when being interrupted while speaking. She shot Asahi a worried glance.

Maria's uncle regarded Asahi for a moment, then narrowed his critical eyes at him. "Maria," he turned to her, "Is this true?"

Maria's eyes trembled at her uncle's words, and she couldn't help but avoid his gaze.

Asahi continued, "I'm sorry for my unexpected interruption, but I couldn't agree with the mindset you proposed." He moved closer to the table and picked up a dish made by Maria's team. "If you look closely, this might seem very average, but we cannot ignore the heart that she has put into it. I believe that food made with love tastes the best."

Maria's uncle huffed in annoyance, clearly not used to receiving such challenges to his authority. "Passion alone won't earn her success in the culinary world," he retorted.

Asahi nodded, acknowledging the truth in those words. "You're right. But success should be defined by more than just accolades and fame. It should also be about finding joy in what you create and sharing it with others."

The room was filled with tense silence as the two individuals locked eyes, each holding their ground.

---MARIA UNCLE's POV---

This kid is interesting; he seems to speak from experience, but he is only a child. What does he know about cooking?

That's where the problem is, he doesn't. That's the reason why you shouldn't listen to anyone else; they will pollute your thoughts with idiotic beliefs, and then you become an idiot yourself.

*Haa*. Maria has a serious problem when it comes to making friends. I will teach her after this incident.

"If you are in doubt, Chef, then how about Maria make a dish for you? I think that's the only way for you to evaluate her abilities," said the kid.

Would you look at this child... "You really think that she can make a decent dish for me?" That's laughable.

"She will not be cooking alone."

Hmm? "What do you mean, young man?"

"We will be helping her make a dish for you. If you don't like our dish, then we will stop being friends with Maria," he said, narrowing his eyes. "But if we win, you will have to acknowledge us."

Pfffft. This will be easier to solve than I thought. "Alright, young man, I don't know where your confidence comes from, but don't resent me if you lose. After this whole event ends, meet me in the director's room; I will be waiting."

I started preparing to leave this place. "Prepare yourself, Maria."

---MC's POV---

I noticed that Maria, who had been quietly observing our exchange, trembled for a few seconds after hearing her uncle's words. She probably had never seen anyone stand up to her uncle in such a way.

Breaking the silence, Maria finally spoke, her voice trembling in agitation. "Asahi... look at what you've done."

"You needed to challenge him; otherwise, you would have been just an extension of himself," I told her clearly.

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" She looked confused.

Then I clarified, moving closer to her. "You are Maria, not your uncle nor your family. You don't owe them anything; they are trying to shape your own future. You need to demand respect. That's why I challenged him in cooking, because that was the only way for you to be free."

Maria looked at me as if she understood, but her eyes told me that she was a little skeptical. "I don't know... you made such a bizarre suggestion. I get it that you can prepare some kind of food for breakfast, but we are talking about preparing a proper dish for a superstar chef! Why did you intervene?! I did not ask for your help!" She burst out in anger, her eyes getting teary.

As I was about to say something, I heard a scream from behind. "Maria!"

We turned to see who it was, and I noticed my whole crew coming our way.

Olivia was the first one to speak. "Are you okay? We saw everything from afar, so we wanted to help, but..."

Alex then spoke. "What would you have done? Being quiet was the best choice." Then he turned to me. "I was actually surprised that you spoke up."

"Well, I couldn't bear it any longer, so I had to do it." Not really, but this was my only chance to meet him, so I had to cause a scene.

"You are truly a nice guy, Asahi." Miguel's eyes lit up when looking at me.

"I am not okay..." Maria said weakly while tears burst already flowing from her eyes.

Everyone looked stunned at her sudden behavior. I looked at her and said, "Look, Maria, you have to calm down. I have a plan for this, and I know how to cook well. You just need to trust us." I tried to convince her.

She started sobbing. "B-but, what are we supposed to do?"

Alex then gave her a cookie. "I also was paying attention to what you have been saying. If you think Asahi can't cook, then you should try this."

"Huh?" She cleaned her face and then looked at the cookie in Alex's hands, confused. "Asahi did this?"

Olivia then butted in. "We all made it. This is our collective hard work. You'll understand when you eat it."

Maria looked suspicious at the cake, but she gave in and took a bite.

---GENERAL POV---

As she closed her eyes and savored the flavors, her expression transformed. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

The room seemed to hold its breath as Maria experienced the full spectrum of tastes within that single cookie. She went through a roller coaster of emotions, from astonishment to euphoria. It was as if the cookie had ignited a firework of flavors in her mouth.

As she chewed, Maria couldn't help but let out a delighted moan. The cookie was a perfect balance of sweet and savory, with a hint of a secret ingredient that tantalized her taste buds. It was a taste she had never encountered before, and it left her craving for more.

When she finally swallowed, her eyes opened wide, shimmering with newfound excitement. "This... this is incredible!" she exclaimed. "I've never tasted anything like it! What are the ingredients you used for this?"

Alex grinned mischievously. "Ah, that's a trade secret! But it just goes to show that Asahi and the rest of us can cook."

Olivia chimed in. "We may not have any experience in cooking, but I believe that with Asahi guiding us we can make it."

Miguel, who had been observing Maria's reaction with bated breath, couldn't contain his enthusiasm any longer. "And we here to support you Maria, all the way!"

Asahi then spoke his thoughts. "Have some trust in us, we will make sure to win this challenge for you," he said with a friendly smile on his face. "So , don't try to take all the stress on alone, you have us here right now."

Maria started to cry again and said, "...Thank you."

---ALEX'S POV---

"Alright, folks, now we just need to head back and finish our work," I exclaimed. "I know it's a bit of a sensitive moment, but we've got a lot of work to do, so let's get going."

Just as we were about to make our move, Olivia had a sudden realization, and her face turned to mild horror. "Oh no! I almost forgot! The other cakes are still in the oven!"

"""What?!"""

"You imbeciles!" I dashed towards the kitchen to check on the cakes.

"Hey, Maria, see you soon!" I shouted back at her before disappearing into the kitchen.

Maria couldn't help but let out a little laugh. "Pfft... you're so silly, Alex..."

A stern voice interrupted my sprint as the houseparent assisting in the event yelled, "Hey, don't run in the cafeteria!"

"I know!" I responded without looking back at the houseparent.

Arriving in the kitchen, I quickly scanned the area and was relieved to find James still inside, holding a plate full of cookies.

I couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed about my earlier panic. "Hahahahaha, I completely forgot about the cookies."

Asahi's voice cut through the room, questioning my sudden rush. "Why are you scaring everyone out of nowhere? James has always been vigilant about the cookies."

"Yeah, I know," I replied, trying to regain my composure.

"Don't worry too much, besides, you are right, we should start selling them, you already know what to do, Alex." Asahi said to me in a serious tone at the end of his speech.

" Don't worry man, I haven't forgotten about it." I said.

I need to get all my friends to try our cookies, we have spoken about this the day before the event, and I have talked with everyone I know in this school to make our sales go up.

"I will be right back guys." I leave them behind at the kitchen while waving at them, I will make sure to complete this task.

---MC's POV---

Alright, Alex's case is settled, now we just need to attract everyone to our table. "Olivia, tell your butler to bring the decorations and the custom outfits."

Miguel pondered what I had said. "Custom outfits?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you? You will be our mascot."

"Meee??" Miguel then realized something, and his eyes trembled for a moment before saying, "I-I think I have a stomachache; I will have to go see the nurse—"

I put pressure on his shoulders while I said in a sinister voice, "Where do you think you are going?"

Miguel looked at me, scared as if I was some kind of monster. "N-no..."

"You don't have a choice now." I dragged him with me to the bathroom to change clothes.

"I-I don't wanna do this, n-noooooooo..." Miguel screamed as he was being dragged all the way out of the kitchen.