Prologue:

"It's Bad!"

"Huh?!"

Rang two voices out in the room filled with cooking instruments and the smell of two vibrant dishes made in a matter of minutes.

Yukihira Souma couldn't believe his luck.

A hefty meal of a transforming Furikake Gohan made just to please the mouth of one, Nakiri Erina, the examiner for the entrance test to the prestigious Tōtsuki Tea Ceremony and Culinary Academy.

Tōtsuki Culinary Academy, for short, was one of the most prestigious academies that Japan had to offer in the field of gourmet cooking teaching. The academy's alumni were all well-known throughout the entire world and were one of the most sought-after chefs.

The academy produced excellent results but with the reputation of having less than 10% of students graduate in its entire course of the education system, many were expelled until the end of the run due to even the slightest mistakes. That was how high the standard was for the entrants of this academy.

Tōtsuki was merciless.

But even so, Yukihira Souma could have never thought of himself to have been that deficient in quality or skills at cooking.

Cooking for twelve years straight in the kitchen and in front of customers had to have its merits, didn't it?! But it was for naught.

The instant he heard the word bad was the decisive point driven to his very heart that it was not good enough.

He turned to look at the culprit but she had turned towards the other dish in front of her. Looking at it her face showed disgust. Apparent from the scrunching of her nose and squinting of her eyes.

Nakiri Erina wasn't impressed the least with the dish in front of her eyes.

"So this is your dish?" she asked.

"Yes.", comes the reply.

"An ordinary dish of Onsen Tamago? Is that it?" she asked again in irritation as to what she was witnessing.

"Yes." Again, comes the reply.

"Uzumaki Naruto, are you fooling around with me?! Me! Nakiri Erina!"

"If you would please taste the dish."

"No! I won't! You fail!"

"Hey…!" was the shout from the other end but Naruto lifted his hand. Souma shut up that very moment.

Naruto looked at Erina and said, "I guess, you wouldn't taste it then?"

"I won't. This dish isn't worth a taste on my tongue. We all know what boiled eggs taste like. Here, in this academy, the students have a standard to maintain and they cook for the best of the best when they graduate. If you think a plebian commoner dish like an Onsen Tamago is enough for you to pass then you are daydreaming."

Naruto just closed his eyes, sighed, and nodded. "As you wish then."

He turned around, untied his headband from his forehead, shook his blonde hair quite a bit, and then took off his orange apron. Looking at the watch in his left hand, he nodded again and said,

"Well, I guess it is time to go. I'm late for work."

The eyes of the other occupants of the room widened. Souma spoke, "But nii-san, tou-san said we needed to get admitted here."

"Well…", Naruto turned towards the occupants and continued. "… since someone is all high and mighty to not wanting to taste my dish and also rejecting yours, it is safe to say that we don't belong here."

"But tou-san…." Continued Souma going after Naruto.

"I'll talk to him Souma."

Catching up to Naruto he took off his head wrap and apron and said solemnly, "It's not that nii-san."

Naruto looked at him and sighed. He raised his hands and patted Souma on the back. "There are many other chefs out there for you to compete. And your nii-san is one of them. Try to defeat me first before taking on the old man."

As he spoke that Souma grinned and said, "You're on!" and both of them walked out of the kitchen cum exam hall leaving two dumbfounded occupants all alone.

Erina was the first to get her wits back and she just huffed and swiped one of her bangs to the side and said, "Tch, no matter. Plebeians like them weren't needed in this academy anyway. Hisako."

The aforementioned girl quickly broke out of her shell-shocked form and replied with a 'Hai, Erina-sama.'

"Connect me with the director of the academy. The number of passing applicants in today's entrance examination was zero."

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