Download App
30.87% Life As Hikigaya Hachiman / Chapter 182: [182] An Unsuccessful Evaluation

Chapter 182: [182] An Unsuccessful Evaluation

Chapter 182: An Unsuccessful Evaluation

"Hello, Hikigaya-kun, I'm Utaha's mother, Rika Kasumigaoka," said Mrs. Kasumigaoka.

"Hello, Aunt Rika. I'm Utaha's boyfriend, Hachiman Hikigaya," Hachiman replied, and they exchanged formal introductions.

"Mom, how is Dad's preparation for today's evaluation?" Utaha asked, noticing the tension between them, and she affectionately took her mother's hand.

"Your dad is well-prepared. But, Utaha, why did you come here today?" Mrs. Kasumigaoka asked calmly, looking at her daughter.

"Hachiman and I felt a bit hungry after playing, so we thought of coming here to have dinner with Dad," Utaha explained. "In addition, today is the star rating evaluation, and Hachiman is quite skilled in cooking, so I thought maybe he could lend a hand."

"Oh, does Hikigaya-kun know how to cook as well?" Mrs. Kasumigaoka appeared surprised.

Given the traditional backdrop of Japanese society, it was uncommon for men to have culinary skills beyond professional chefs. Most Japanese men, after work, typically relaxed by watching TV and sipping tea while waiting for their meals.

"I do have some cooking knowledge," Hachiman modestly replied.

Hearing his words, Utaha discreetly rolled her eyes.

If Hachiman's culinary expertise amounted to just "some knowledge," then most chefs worldwide must be novices in the kitchen.

"Well, in that case, you don't need to help. Utaha, why don't you both take a seat, and I'll have your dad prepare something for you," Mrs. Kasumigaoka suggested, taking Hachiman's modesty at face value. She called a waiter to escort the two to their seats and then headed toward the kitchen herself.

Seeing his own mother leave, Utaha subtly twisted her waist against Hachiman, clearly not pleased with his earlier modesty. Hachiman merely shrugged in response.

The same waitress named Misa came over and escorted them to a dining table next to the floor-to-ceiling window. Separated by only a layer of transparent glass, outside was a bustling shopping street. The location was quite good, with a view of the splendid city lights right outside.

Soon, Mrs. Kasumigaoka herself wheeled a dining cart over. She placed two covered dishes in front of them, followed by a few Western-style side dishes.

"You may start eating."

"Thank you, Aunt Rika," Hachiman expressed his gratitude and then lifted the covers on the dishes. He was greeted by a faint aroma of wine.

Inside, there was beef, carrots, and potatoes in a reddish-brown broth.

"Oh? Beef Bourguignon."

Seeing this dish, Hachiman's lips curled into a smile. He was quite familiar with this dish and had even prepared it at home for Komachi a few times.

Although it looked similar to curry, Beef Bourguignon was a classic French home-cooked dish. In the original plot of Food Wars, the first dish the main character, Soma Yukihira, made when he entered in the class of Chapel-sensei and met Megumi Tadokoro.

"Hikigaya-kun, you also know this dish?" Mrs. Kasumigaoka looked at him in surprise. After all, this was a French dish, and very few outside of professional chefs could distinguish it from curry.

"Yeah, I made it for my sister at home before," Hachiman smiled and nodded.

"I see. Please go ahead and eat. I have some other matters to attend to," Mrs. Kasumigaoka nodded and then turned to leave the table.

At this point, Hachiman shifted his focus to the dish in front of him.

The dark brown pieces of meat, orange carrots, and white potatoes floated in the reddish-brown broth. Judging by appearance alone, it looked quite good.

Now, it was time to taste it. He scooped up a small piece of beef and placed it in his mouth. As he bit down, the juices from the meat flowed out, and the savory flavor filled his mouth.

Well, it's not as good as my own cooking, but it's quite decent. In terms of Totsuki standards, this would be at the level of the third-year Totsuki student made.

"How is it, Hachiman?" Utaha asked nervously.

"Good. The taste is quite satisfying. Normally, a dish of this level should pass the assessment at a regular star-rating restaurant without any issues," Hachiman replied calmly.

"That's a relief."

Hearing his response, Utaha breathed a sigh of relief, and she began to savor her own dish. She had a lot of confidence in Hachiman's culinary skills.

As Hachiman relished his meal, he believed that there would be no need for him to intervene this time.

Unbeknownst to him, Erina was en route to the restaurant.

While the couple indulged in their delicious dishes, a sleek black car arrived outside.

The car's door swung open, revealing two young and strikingly beautiful women, both wearing glasses.

The girl with golden hair shimmered in the sunlight, her violet eyes sparkled with an otherworldly allure. A strand of her hair even hinted at elf-like pointed ears. Her regal demeanor left no doubt—this was Erina.

The other girl was none other than their devoted secretary, Hisako.

"Romantic Starlight, this is the place, Erina-sama," Hisako confirmed, glancing at the restaurant sign.

"Alright, let's begin the evaluation."

Flipping her golden locks, Erina took the lead, striding confidently into the establishment.

Upon their entrance, Misa, positioned at the restaurant's threshold, naturally extended a warm greeting.

"I'm sorry, but..."

"We are the judges for today."

Erina's words cut through any further explanation from Misa.

"Huh?" Misa couldn't help but be surprised by the interruption.

Under Erina's guidance, Hisako produced their official judge identification.

Once the documents were confirmed to be in order, Misa promptly escorted them to the restaurant's second-floor dining hall.

Erina inspected the interior of the second-floor restaurant and nodded to herself.

Yes, the environment here is quite lovely and suitable for star-rated restaurant evaluations.

The two of them took their seats, and Erina, with a serious expression, initiated the discussion.

"Alright, we will now commence the culinary assessment."

"Yes," Misa replied and swiftly returned to the kitchen.

Not long after, several signature dishes were brought to their table.

French onion soup, escargot à la bourguignonne, orange foie gras, beef bourguignon, and finally, a dessert - Mont Blanc chestnut cake.

After tasting each of the five dishes, Erina set down her utensils.

"Please summon your head chef."

"Understood."

Upon hearing her words, Misa hurried back into the kitchen.

Before long, a middle-aged chef with a dignified countenance, dressed in a white chef's uniform, approached their table. He appeared to be the head chef of the restaurant and also happened to be Utaha Kasumigaoka's father.

As he reached the table, the middle-aged chef offered a slight bow.

"I am the head chef of this restaurant, Hiroki Kasumigaoka."

Observing the chef, Erina remained composed and began to speak calmly.

"Head Chef Kasumigaoka, I will now declare the evaluation results."

"Today's evaluation result is—"

"Unqualified!"


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Leonzky Leonzky

If you want to read 15 chapters ahead..

Visit my patreon: patrèon/Flaptzy

Chapter 183: [183] The Temptation of a New Position

Chapter 183: The Temptation of a New Position

"Unqualified!"

The frigid words emanated from the girl, and Hiroki Kasumigaoka, who had been brimming with confidence just moments ago, found himself frozen in disbelief.

"May I inquire, Erina-sama, in which aspect did we fall short of your standards?"

As the renowned "God's Tongue" of the culinary world, Erina's name was well-known. Hiroki Kasumigaoka, a star-rating-eligible restaurant chef, was naturally familiar with her reputation.

Upon hearing his question, Erina furrowed her brow slightly. Despite her displeasure, she fulfilled her duty as a judge.

"In terms of ambiance and service, there are no issues. The main problem lies in the taste of the dishes."

"The French onion soup, escargot à la bourguignonne, orange foie gras, and the Mont Blanc chestnut cake, while all having some minor flaws, would likely pass the star rating evaluation."

"The main issue lies with the beef bourguignon."

Erina paused for a moment, as if savoring the memory of the taste, and continued her assessment.

"The first problem is the cooking time. The beef was seared too dry, failing to absorb the juices fully, and it was stewed for too long in the later stage, rendering the meat excessively tender with no texture."

"The second issue is the low quality of the red wine used, resulting in an excessively acidic taste."

"The third issue is the flavor being too mild, failing to leave a strong impression upon the first bite."

Erina proceeded to calmly enumerate four or five errors, causing Hiroki to break into a cold sweat.

The title "God's Tongue" signified her dominion over the realm of taste assessment.

When he caught sight of Erina's face earlier as she emerged from the kitchen, Hiroki's heart had skipped a beat. Her reputation for discernment was widely acknowledged.

However, Hiroki had been quite confident about his performance today and had believed there wouldn't be any issues with the assessment. But, who could have foreseen...

After Erina concluded her critique, Hiroki swiftly spoke up.

"I'm terribly sorry, Erina-sama. Please grant me another opportunity. I will prepare a new beef bourguignon for you."

However, Erina outright declined his request.

"It's unnecessary. Crafting that dish anew would demand at least 2-3 hours, and I don't have that much time."

"Please, grant me one more chance."

Hiroki refused to give up and resorted to a full 90-degree bow. He had dedicated considerable time and effort to prepare for this star rating evaluation, and relinquishing now would severely dampen his culinary spirits.

Nonetheless, if he were to reapply for the star rating evaluation, he'd have to wait at least another year.

Upon seeing Hiroki's earnest demeanor, Erina furrowed her brow slightly.

"I genuinely wish I could offer you another opportunity, but rectifying the issues I mentioned earlier would necessitate restarting the entire cooking process, and waiting 2-3 hours is simply too lengthy."

Despite Hiroki's sincerity, she couldn't spare that much time.

However, as soon as Erina finished speaking, a familiar voice reached their ears.

"You don't actually need to wait that long."

They turned their heads to find Hachiman and Utaha approaching their table.

"Utaha, and you must be..."

Seeing Hachiman, Hiroki also recollected that his wife had mentioned their daughter bringing her boyfriend here. It appeared that this young man was indeed the one.

Before he could finish his sentence, Erina's voice was filled with surprise.

"How did you end up here?"

"Because this is the restaurant of Utaha's father, and we coincidentally came here for dinner. We didn't anticipate running into you, Erina."

Hachiman's tone remained remarkably composed, in contrast to the astonishment on Erina's face.

"I see."

Erina nodded after glancing at Utaha, who stood beside Hachiman.

"Kasumigaoka-senpai, good evening."

"Miss Nakiri, good evening."

Their recent partnership in a beach volleyball match had acquainted them, so while they weren't exceptionally close, they recognized each other.

Observing that her daughter and Erina had some familiarity, Hiroki felt a spark of hope.

Yet, in a matter of moments, Erina extinguished his hope with a frigid statement.

"Even if you're Utaha-senpai's father, a 2-3 hour wait is far too lengthy," Erina stated coldly.

"That's precisely why I said you won't need to wait that long," Hachiman responded with a smile.

Initially, he had no intention of intervening. However, when Utaha whispered a few alluring new positions into his ear, he shamefully surrendered.

Ah, the allure of experimenting with new positions.

"Well, then, tell me how long you need," Erina responded with a touch of annoyance.

Hachiman wore a faint smile as he calmly stated, "Only an hour is enough."

Erina's exasperation became palpable upon hearing this.

"Are you genuinely suggesting that? If you're starting from scratch, crafting this dish would require a minimum of two hours, and given your culinary skills, you shouldn't be ignorant of this."

Erina found it hard to believe that Hachiman was unaware of something even novice French cuisine enthusiasts understood. She suspected he might be trying to deceive her, all in the hopes of securing another chance for Hiroki.

This only fueled Erina's irritation, which had already been simmering due to Yukihira Soma.

"I don't trust a word you're saying. I'm leaving."

She rose from her seat, fully prepared to depart with Hisako.

However, Hachiman wasn't about to let her slip away so easily. After all, he needed someone to unlock new positions.

He reached out and gently held Erina's arm, his smile intact as he proposed, "Don't be so hasty. How about we make a wager? If I can create a new beef bourguignon within one hour, you agree to grant Hiroki's star rating assessment. If I fail, I promise to do something for you."

"It's merely an additional hour of waiting. You won't lose much."

Erina contemplated for a moment and eventually conceded, "Alright, I agree. I want to see how you can prepare this dish within an hour."

Upon hearing her words, Hachiman's lips curled into a smile.

"Then the bet is settled. If you're concerned, Erina, you're welcome to oversee the entire process in the kitchen."

She responded with a huff and a stern gaze, retorting, "Hmph, I'm not afraid of you."

As he witnessed this scene, Hachiman couldn't help but feel a touch of curiosity.

Hachiman sensed that the girl's emotions had been rather tumultuous today, but he didn't dwell on it.

"Well, then, please guide us to the kitchen, Chef Kasumigaoka," he addressed Hiroki.

With a brief glance at his daughter, followed by a more confident Hachiman, Hiroki let out a sigh and then turned to lead the group toward the kitchen.


Load failed, please RETRY

Weekly Power Status

Batch unlock chapters

Table of Contents

Display Options

Background

Font

Size

Chapter comments

Write a review Reading Status: C182
Fail to post. Please try again
  • Writing Quality
  • Stability of Updates
  • Story Development
  • Character Design
  • World Background

The total score 0.0

Review posted successfully! Read more reviews
Vote with Power Stone
Rank 200+ Power Ranking
Stone 61 Power Stone
Report inappropriate content
error Tip

Report abuse

Paragraph comments

Login

tip Paragraph comment

Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.

Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.

GOT IT