Genius and Fool
As the Tavern closed for the night, the dinner exam at Totsuki Resort was also reaching its final stage!
Returning to her room from the kitchen, Yuuki had been utterly exhausted by the day's training. She lay flat on the bed, too tired to even move a finger.
"I'm so tired. I won't make it to the end of this training camp; it's terrifying," Yuuki murmured weakly.
"We were actually better off than most. At least we finished 15 minutes early," Ryoko said, equally fatigued. "I heard Marui barely completed his 50 steak dinners in the last few seconds. After finishing, he collapsed in the kitchen, causing quite a stir. I doubt he'll be able to handle tomorrow."
"Really?" Yuuki said, shocked. "I hope he'll be okay."
Using the last of her strength, Yuuki sat up and looked at Megumi. "Megumi, you were a surprise tonight!"
"You finished the 50 steak dinners faster than Ryoko and me by nearly half a minute."
"Well, I guess I was just lucky," Megumi said, scratching her head with a shy smile.
"Lucky? I don't think it's that simple," Yuuki said, raising an eyebrow. "Honestly, I've felt like your cooking skills have improved a lot lately."
"Really? It must be your imagination," Megumi replied, blushing.
"Well, it doesn't matter. We're all safe tonight," Yuuki yawned, stretching. "I'm so tired my bones feel like they're falling apart. We have to get ready for more training tomorrow, so let's get some sleep."
With that, she pulled the blanket over herself and quickly fell asleep.
"Goodnight," Megumi and Ryoko said, following suit.
...
The next morning, in the first cooking room, the freshmen gathered were filled with fear and anxiety. This training camp lasted six days and five nights, and it was only the second day. They knew they would eventually face every examiner.
But facing Kojiro, they were clearly unprepared.
"What's going on? Why him?"
"Oh no, I heard he failed nearly half the students in yesterday's lunch test."
"An average failure rate of 20% is already scary, but his rate is 50%?"
"That's terrifying!"
"Thinking about the student who was expelled for using hair gel, I'm scared!"
"I want to go home, Mom!"
Listening to the students' chatter, Kojiro's face remained grim. As a former Totsuki graduate, his presence was suffocating and intimidating.
"Quiet. Anyone who talks will be expelled," he said coldly.
The room instantly fell silent. All the students obediently shut their mouths, not daring to make a sound.
"Today's breakfast task is to make a French vegetable terrine," Shinomiya announced. "I've written the recipe on the whiteboard. You must use the provided ingredients to make the dish alone. No teamwork. You have two hours. Anyone who doesn't finish on time or whose dish doesn't satisfy me will fail. No talking or helping each other during the exam."
With that, the students began working. They grabbed their ingredients and started making the French vegetable terrine as quickly as possible.
...
"What...?" Megumi gasped, her face pale as she looked at the ingredients she had. Initially, she was delighted when she heard the breakfast task was a vegetable terrine because Zane had made it at the Tavern. She thought she could replicate it easily.
However, there was a problem with the ingredients. The lettuce on her cutting board was wilted. Using poor-quality lettuce would ruin the terrine's taste, and Shinomiya would surely fail her for it.
"Oh? The unlucky student with the wilted lettuce is her?" Shinomiya observed, noticing Megumi's panic.
He had purposely placed wilted lettuce among the ingredients. Lettuce oxidizes easily and is difficult to cook, and poor-quality lettuce would affect the terrine's taste. This was a way to further weed out students and increase the failure rate.
...
"What should I do?" Megumi trembled, feeling lost and desperate. She had done well in all the tests the day before, even finishing the 50 steak dinners faster than Yuuki and Ryoko. But now, her luck had run out. She hadn't even started cooking and already faced a major setback.
"Wait, for wilted vegetables... I remember Zane said..." Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind. She recalled Zane teaching her how to handle wilted vegetables.
Slap!
She slapped her cheeks hard, catching everyone's attention, including Shinomiya's.
"Thank you, Zane. I finally understand how important experience is!" Feeling the stinging pain on her cheeks, Megumi's eyes became determined. She took a deep breath to calm herself.
Following Zane's advice, she added some salt and vinegar to water and stirred. She soaked the wilted lettuce in the solution. As time passed, the lettuce miraculously turned fresh and green again.
From initial panic to final confidence, from being lost to using the vinegar solution to revive the lettuce... In such a short time, Megumi had transformed, making Shinomiya's expression more serious.
...
Two hours flew by.
Megumi, the last to finish, nearly collapsed with relief when she realized she hadn't run out of time. She nervously presented her colorful vegetable terrine to Shinomiya.
"Examiner, this... this is my dish. Please evaluate it," Megumi stammered.
Shinomiya glanced at her coldly without a word. He cut a small piece and tasted it slowly.
"Tasty, right, Mom?"
"If you like it, I'll make it for you every day when I grow up and become a great French chef."
"Silly child, I just want you to be safe and sound. But I believe you'll become a great chef someday!"
"Mom, I will. I'll definitely become a chef."
As the cool, soft terrine entered his mouth, Shinomiya chewed slowly. The familiar taste brought back memories of his childhood. His family was very poor, often struggling to make ends meet. After successfully enrolling in school, his mother saved money to take him to an expensive French restaurant. Seeing her smile as she tasted the terrine, Shinomiya vowed to become a great French chef.
He eventually succeeded, enrolling in Totsuki Academy, graduating as the first seat of the Elite Ten, then training in France for six years. He established SHINO'S, a French restaurant in Paris. The restaurant earned a two-star rating from the WGO, and he became the first Japanese chef to receive the prestigious Proust Medal.
...
"Mother, why am I thinking of you now?" A tear rolled down Shinomiya's cheek as he closed his eyes.
After a long pause, he opened his eyes, looking at Megumi with a complex expression. "Saltwater density is greater than water density. It can penetrate the vegetables, promoting cell growth and water absorption. Vinegar has a bleaching effect and blocks air, preventing further oxidation of wilted vegetables. The slight acidity of the vinegar combines with the vegetables' sweetness, enriching the flavor and texture."
Listening to his analysis, Megumi nodded in agreement.
"Yes. Wilted vegetables can't compare to fresh ones, but with limited ingredients, I had no choice but to use the salt and vinegar method."
"Who taught you this?"
"A Tavern owner!" Megumi stammered.
"Don't you know my recipes are unique? Using salt and vinegar to revive lettuce may seem clever, but it's breaking my rules and undermining the exam."
"I... I'm sorry..."
Megumi was on the verge of tears.
She couldn't understand why her method was wrong in the examiner's eyes.
"Fine. Your dish has no major flaws. I'll give you a passing grade."
Glancing at Megumi, Shinomiya pushed up his glasses.
Perhaps influenced by his childhood, he was often overly critical and particular about cooking, becoming increasingly difficult to please.
This rigidity led to his stagnation, and his strictness with his staff eventually cost him a chance at a third star for SHINO'S.
"Thank you, examiner. I'll be more careful next time."
Learning she had passed, Megumi felt like she had just woken from a dream, suddenly lifted from hell to heaven.
Shinomiya said nothing more, writing "Pass" on her report card.
"Megumi, congratulations on passing the second day's breakfast exam."
Hearing this, Megumi's joy was evident.
She didn't know why Shinomiya changed his mind but was grateful for the outcome.
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