Entrance Exam Part 3

In a dramatic display, the young male undid the white cloth on his forearm as he held each end in his palms. As if offering it a silent air of respect, he tied the cloth around his forehead and with a tight pull, raised his head. Only now did Erina notice the amber colored eyes of his he looks familiar... little did she know a blush creeping up in her cheeks as she mesmerized by his doing, the force of nature as he rose his knife. It all happened in a blur to Erina, as her eyes couldn't keep up with the male's motions. Plastic and casings went everywhere, as the male sliced the packaged beef and ungracefully dumped it onto the cutting board table. Taking quick cuts with ungodly amounts of precision, he chopped the beef into strips before throwing it into a pan that was already buttered and on a flame. Throwing the grains of rice into a claypot, the young chef added water and brought it to a flame as well. With lightning speed, he broke into the green onions and chopped it into even sized pieces as well and threw it onto the rice, having absorbed some water at this point. In a stance, the chef positioned himself in between both burners as one hand grasped the handle of the pan and the other onto the handle of the clay pot. Moving both in clockwise motions, the young chef counted down in his head as the rice was being tossed about in the claypot, and the beef was simultaneously being flipped to even out the cooking process. In a matter of a few minutes, the rice was withdrawn from the burner, as was the beef.

Popping the lid open, the chef poured the rice into a bowl, specks of green onion popping out, before the beef was laid on top of it, the juices of the meat being drizzled over the dish. Erina stared, stunned at the speed of the chef presented before her as she looked at the dish. It was… a bowl of rice and beef with finely chopped green onions. She could only gape at the sheer simplicity of the dish before her. You could buy that for 99 cents at a convenience store! It came in the dozens, as was it cheap! She judged the dish with narrow eyes as she stepped down the stage to look at it.

If anything, it looked unimpressive. The dish was largely unassuming and looked like the food bowls one would also find at a gas station. Her mind started to prod her as she looked at it again, before chuckling.

"Impressive as that may be, I don't see the key ingredient here… you fail!" As she was reaching in her pocket for her spare, smaller "fail" stamp, the chef came into her view before her eyes widened in shock. A glint came from the side of his body as it was coming at her in alarming speeds. Her eyes caught the object and she braced for impact and almost let out a bloodcurdling scream… before the knife embedded itself onto the table near the bowl. Regardless, Erina let out a shriek of fright as her aide Hisako already jumped down to intervene. Before she could do so, the chef laughed boisterously at Erina's reaction.

"Oh! You should've seen your face, ojou-chan! Bwahahahah!" The chef clutched his sides as he almost fell, missing the flustered and furious look that adorned her face.

"How dare you try to threaten me with a-" She stopped, her nose picking up on the scent of something being cooked on the stove. Turning her head, she saw the young chef handle a pan as he made his way back to the bowl of rice. Two, sunny yellow yolks stared at her as the chef placed it on top of the rice, covering the grains from view in tandem with the strips of beef. As an added measure, the chef grasped something behind him and in a flash, added something to the eggs. When the chef withdrew his hand, Erina came face to face with… a smiley face.

The egg whites became the skin tone as the yolks became the eyes. A curvature of ketchup became the mouth and the beef became the hair. Effectively, it was a happy food bowl that stared at her with permanent delight.

"...you're a joke." Erina said, disbelieving as she stared at the happy face below her. Hisako stood to the side, but was just as appalled that someone would serve a simple dish to a proctor in an effort to be admitted into Totsuki Culinary Academy, the pinnacle of any budding chef's career. And to Nakiri Erina, God's Palette nonetheless! Hisako could only stare blankly as Erina regained her bearings.

"Tell me why I shouldn't be already tossing this… pedestrian dish!" She pointed a finger towards the exit. "And you with it, out of this academy!?" Erina bellowed at the young man. The chef looked at her oddly, raising an eyebrow to show confusion.

"I put lots of love into it, just for you!" The chef said cheekily, earning her ire as she grit her teeth, before sighing.