Chapter 97: The Truth Behind the Recipe

"Exactly," Sui nodded, pointing at the menu. "For example, in this French country-style beef stew, the timing of adding the red wine is wrong. It should be added along with the thyme, tomatoes, and carrots, but this recipe says to add it last. This would result in the beef lacking flavor."

He continued, "And with this French omelette, it should be rested for five minutes after cooking, but here it says to rest it for only two minutes—far too short."

Sui systematically highlighted the flaws in the recipe one by one.

"These aren't improvements; they're clear mistakes. The taste would suffer if we followed these instructions exactly."

Megumi pondered his words, finding them reasonable, but she still hesitated. "But this is the recipe the lecturer gave us. How could it be wrong? It's hard to believe he'd make such mistakes."

"That's true, but what if he gave us the wrong recipe on purpose?" Sui suggested.

"Huh...?" Megumi was taken aback. "You mean, the lecturer's real intent is for us to find the mistakes?"

"Yes, that's what I suspect," Sui confirmed.

"The recipe for these French cream mussels seems off too. I don't remember making it this way," someone nearby muttered.

"It's the recipe the instructor gave us. It can't be wrong, right?" another student questioned.

"I'm not sure, but something doesn't feel right."

"Maybe it's a new version the lecturer has modified. Let's just follow it and see."

Many students had similar doubts but hesitated to act. After all, Tōtsuki Academy graduates were practically revered. How could someone of such high status make such blatant errors? Changing a recipe without permission could risk expulsion.

"Sui-kun, what should we do?" Megumi asked, her voice tinged with worry. Time was running out. There was no opportunity to test the recipe and see if it tasted right. They had to decide quickly—should they follow the recipe or adjust it based on their own instincts?

Though it seemed likely that the lecturer, Donato Gotōda, had deliberately inserted errors into the recipe, there was still a chance the instructions were correct. If they were caught altering the chef's recipe without approval, they'd be expelled. The risk was enormous.

Facing such a dilemma, Megumi felt the pressure mounting, her face growing pale.

"Do you trust me, Megumi?" Sui asked suddenly.

"Of course I trust you, Sui!" Megumi replied with conviction. If it weren't for Sui, she might not have survived the training camp so far. His guidance had been her lifeline.

"Then let's modify the recipe," Sui said with a confident smile.

He was now certain—the true purpose of this class was to test the students' ability to spot errors and correct them.

"Okay!" Megumi, reassured by Sui's calm demeanor, nodded firmly.

Without further delay, the two set to work, adjusting the recipe.

At that moment, Miyoko approached. "Sui, thanks again for your help yesterday."

"It was nothing," Sui replied with a smile. Then, after a brief pause, he asked, "By the way, have you noticed anything about today's recipe?"

"What do you mean?" Miyoko asked, curious.

"Well, the instructor gave us flawed recipes," Sui explained.

"You mean this recipe is wrong?" Miyoko's eyes widened in surprise. She had a vague feeling something was off but hadn't been sure.

"Yes. If you trust me," Sui answered with a knowing smile.

"Hey, communication between groups is prohibited!" Donato interrupted, sternly reminding the students. "If I catch you talking again, you'll be expelled."

Miyoko returned to her station, torn with indecision. After some contemplation, she chose to trust Sui. "If the worst happens, I'll just have to drop out," she muttered to herself, steeling her resolve.

Time flew by, and soon an hour and a half had passed. The students began presenting their completed dishes to the lecturer for tasting.

"You two have failed. You can go back," Donato declared to one pair of students after tasting their dish.

"What? But why? We followed the recipe exactly!" one of them protested.

"That's because the recipe I gave you was incorrect," Donato replied with a sly grin, wagging his finger.

"Wait, what? You gave us the wrong recipe on purpose?" the students exclaimed in disbelief.

"That's unfair! We were just following your instructions!"

The revelation sent shockwaves through the students. Many had been following the recipe to the letter. Panic set in.

However, Sui, Miyoko, and a few others remained composed. They had already anticipated this outcome.

"Some mistakes are so obvious that you can't miss them. But you were too afraid to make changes," Donato said calmly. "No chef is perfect, and if you don't have the courage to spot errors and fix them, if you only follow instructions blindly, you're destined to remain a kitchen assistant forever."

"People like that don't belong at Tōtsuki!" he declared with finality.

The students' faces were grim. Even those who now understood the true nature of the test realized it was too late to make corrections.

"Is there anyone else who wants me to taste their dish?" Donato asked.

Miyoko and her partner stepped forward.

After tasting their dish, the instructor nodded approvingly. "Very good. You've passed."

Miyoko breathed a sigh of relief, glancing gratefully at Sui. If it hadn't been for his warning, she wasn't sure she would've had the courage to alter the recipe.

Next, it was Sui and Megumi's turn. They presented their dishes confidently to the instructor.

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[A-Note]: Don't worry, the story will continue as usual! However, since competing with a 'bot' in the rankings is tough, I've decided to shift my focus away from aiming for top ranks.

Here are the new update plans:

Daily Updates: Expect 3-5 chapters uploaded daily at 12:00 AM (my local time), coinciding with the Power Stone reset.

Bonus Chapters: For every 300 Power Stones received, 2 additional chapters will be released.

I've also launched a Patreon for this book! If you'd like to support me financially and get access to more chapters ahead of time at the same time, feel free to join. Your support means a lot!

Of course, webnovel readers Power Stones also mean a lot to me, as they help increase the book's visibility to new readers. More readers mean more Power Stones, and with more Power Stones, there will be bonus chapters for you guys to read!

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