"Alright."
Sui nodded, thinking for a moment before instructing, "Season the sea cucumber with the broth, then add ginger and garlic. Let it stew for ten minutes."
"Got it, no problem," Miyoko responded, nodding. As someone skilled in Chinese cuisine, she immediately went to work, following his instructions obediently.
Miyoko had a notoriously strong personality, and getting her to cooperate so willingly was a rare sight.
"Sui-kun, I'll help too," Megumi said as she stepped into the kitchen.
"Please soak the scallops in warm water and tear them into thin strips," Sui instructed her.
"Okay," Megumi nodded, quickly getting to work.
This time, Sui was preparing 'Four Happy Dumplings', a delicate dish. While it didn't use any fantastical ingredients, it was certainly enough to impress two ordinary customers.
With the help of Megumi and Moyoko, the dumplings were prepared quickly and steamed within thirty minutes.
"Here are the steamed dumplings you asked for."
Sui handed the steaming 'Four Happy Dumplings' to the two guests who had been trying to scam them, his tone cold and firm.
"What a beautiful dish!" one guest exclaimed.
"Yeah, what kind of dumplings are these? They look incredible," murmured another.
Around them, other guests whispered in admiration of the colorful and intricately shaped dumplings. Even Mizuhara, who had been watching the events unfold while squatting on a chair, showed a rare flicker of surprise.
"'Four Happy Dumplings'?" Mizuhara muttered quietly to herself.
"They might look good, but who knows if you interns can actually make them taste decent," one of the scammer guests scoffed.
The two men were both tall, their exposed arms covered in tattoos, making it clear they weren't the kind of people who played by the rules.
"Go ahead and try them," Sui said expressionlessly, his voice as cold as ice. "If you're satisfied, remember to pay for the meal."
"Hah! Don't worry. If you can truly satisfy us, of course, we'll pay," one of them laughed, though there was a mocking edge to his tone. It was clear they had already decided to complain, no matter how the food tasted.
The two men picked up their chopsticks and began to taste the dumplings.
"How naïve. These two will definitely say it tastes awful," one student whispered, barely able to contain their glee.
"Yeah, that transfer student is overconfident. He'll definitely regret this."
"I'd love to see him get expelled!" others sneered, eager to witness Sui's downfall.
Miyoko and Megumi, on the other hand, were anxious. They knew the two guests were deliberately causing trouble, but they still placed their trust in Sui's skills.
As the guests bit into the dumplings, the tender skin burst open, releasing a flood of rich gravy. The intense seafood flavors hit their palates like a wave—sea cucumbers, eggs, shrimp, scallops, and carrots all combining into an explosion of taste, overwhelming their senses.
"This dish..."
The mocking smiles froze on their faces. Their expressions flushed as they tried desperately to hold back the flood of deliciousness overwhelming their taste buds. For a moment, they were speechless.
"How is it? How do the dumplings taste?" Sui asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he stared at their flushed faces.
"They... they look nice, but the taste... is terrible! Yes, terrible!" one of the guests finally blurted out, barely holding himself together. Their faces, however, told a different story, flushed and sweating from the effort of holding back their true feelings.
"This is even worse than the last dish!" another guest said, his face drenched in sweat, clearly struggling to maintain the lie.
Megumi's face turned pale, her body trembling. She had feared this would happen—the two scammers were deliberately slandering the dish.
Miyoko gritted her teeth, glaring at them in frustration. From their expressions alone, she could tell how delicious the dumplings were. Yet they shamelessly continued to lie.
The nearby students were already laughing to themselves, watching the drama unfold with glee.
"But judging by your expressions, you seem rather satisfied," Sui said coolly, not missing a beat.
"What a joke!" one of the guests snapped, their face turning dark with guilt.
"In that case, let the other guests try the dumplings and see for themselves," Sui said suddenly, catching everyone by surprise.
"We'd be happy to taste them!" A middle-aged couple sitting nearby stood up and approached. "There's no way an intern this skilled could have made something so bad."
"No!" The scammers' faces changed instantly, one of them even attempting to throw the plate of dumplings to the ground to prevent anyone else from tasting them.
But Sui swiftly caught his wrist, his grip firm.
"You?!" The guest's face contorted in shock. Despite Sui's slim frame, his strength was undeniable. The muscular man found himself in pain from Sui's iron grip.
By now, the middle-aged couple had already sampled the dumplings, and their expressions were quickly taken over by bliss.
"This is incredible! I've never had dumplings this delicious!" the wife exclaimed.
"Really? Let me try too!" The other guests couldn't resist any longer, and soon, many of them were tasting the dumplings.
The moment they did, they were equally conquered by the dish, their faces lighting up with delight.
Soon after, they all turned to the two scammer guests, anger in their eyes.
"How could you call something this delicious unpalatable?" one guest asked, voice filled with disbelief.
"Are you two scammers?" another demanded angrily.
"Should we report them to the police?" someone suggested.
Panic washed over the faces of the two scammers, their complexions turning deathly pale. They turned to Sui, their voices trembling as they begged for forgiveness.
"We're sorry! We were wrong! We'll pay for the meal!" they pleaded desperately.
Sui looked at them coldly. "Alright then, the meal costs 100,000 yen per person," he said without a hint of mercy.
"One hundred thousand per person? You must be joking?!"
The two guests' expressions changed drastically, and they shouted in disbelief.
Sure, the restaurants at Tōtsuki are expensive, but not 'this' expensive, right?
"We ordered two servings of shrimp dumplings, two servings of tempura, and two servings of soba. According to the menu, that's 40,000 yen, so where's the extra 60,000 yen coming from?" one of the guests demanded loudly.
"That's the price of the 'Four Happy Dumplings'," Sui replied calmly.
"Are you kidding? You're just an intern at Tōtsuki, and you think your food should be priced higher than that of graduates?" The guest continued to protest loudly. "I don't agree with this price!"
"I do."
At that moment, Mizuhara finally stood up from her seat, walked over to the guest, and said, expressionless, "If this dish were served at my restaurant, I'd charge the same price."
"It's Mizuhara Fuyumi! She was the second-seat graduate of Tōtsuki that year!"
"Yeah, I've seen her featured in food magazines!"
The surrounding guests began whispering among themselves, gazing at Mizuhara with a mix of respect and admiration.
"So, will you pay? Or do you intend to dine and dash?" Mizuhara added, her tone cold.
The two guests hesitated, clearly caught off guard. With no other options, they sheepishly paid the bill and left in shame.
Before this, Mizuhara had purposely refrained from intervening, allowing the students to handle the situation themselves.
Sui, observing the scene, couldn't help but feel surprised. Could it be that Mizuhara knew these two guests? Or was this all orchestrated by the instructor?
"Amazing! That transfer student actually handled it!"
"Yeah, I thought he was in trouble for sure."
The students around him were astonished by what had unfolded.
"As expected from a Tōtsuki student! What an incredible performance."
"They really handled those troublemakers with their cooking skills."
The hall erupted into applause. Several guests stood up, clapping and praising Sui's quick thinking.
To be honest, when the two customers initially criticized Miyoko's cooking, many believed them, assuming there must have been some fault with the Tōtsuki intern. But Sui's cooking had cleared Tōtsuki's name.
"Thank you, everyone," Sui said humbly, bowing to the applause.
Soon after, the class ended, and everyone returned to the kitchen.
"Sui, your performance today was outstanding. Your group has passed the exam, and Hojo Miyoko's group is also qualified," Mizuhara said, squatting on a chair and giving rare praise. The two guests had indeed been arranged by the school, and she had initially thought the students wouldn't be able to handle them. But Sui had resolved the situation flawlessly, far beyond her expectations.
"It's just unfortunate that I don't have the authority to give a rating higher than 'pass,'" Mizuhara added with a hint of regret.
"You don't, but I do."
At that moment, Dojima Gin entered the room, smiling calmly. "In fact, the entire situation was orchestrated by me. I informed the guest lecturer in advance."
"What? The head chef planned this?"
"Why?"
The students were shocked as the truth came to light.
Sui, on the other hand, wasn't surprised. His expression said it all: 'I had a feeling.'
"Sui, did you already know this?" Megumi asked in astonishment, noticing his calm reaction.
"No, I only just figured it out," Sui replied.
Dojima Gin nodded, addressing the students. "When you graduate and work as professional chefs, you will inevitably encounter situations like this. As chefs, you must be able to handle unexpected challenges."
"I noticed that when the incident occurred, most students chose to stay out of it, and some even considered calling the police. While involving the police can resolve the issue, it wastes time and damages the restaurant's reputation. It's not always the best option. Customers in the restaurant are watching, and they'll judge your actions."
Dojima turned to Sui with a smile. "Sui, you did an excellent job handling this situation. Therefore, I've decided to give you the highest possible rating—an 'excellent' evaluation. You're the first student in this program to ever receive such a rating."
"What? An 'excellent' evaluation?"
The kitchen erupted in shock.
"Isn't the training program graded as either pass or fail? What's this 'excellent' rating?"
"I've never heard of it!"
Dojima Gin explained, "While standard evaluations are indeed pass or fail, the school sometimes arranges special scenarios like this to test students in unique situations. Those who perform exceptionally well receive an 'excellent' evaluation."
"Wow, Sui, you've set a new record for the Rapport Training Camp program!" Megumi said, astonished.
Sui, pleased but humble, smiled. "Thank you, Chef Dojima."
A thought crossed his mind, and he asked, "What would've happened to Miyoko's group if I hadn't stepped in?"
"This was an additional test unrelated to the main course evaluation. Regardless of the situation, each group's performance would've been assessed fairly based on their work during the class," Dojima Gin assured.
"I see," Sui nodded, satisfied.
The other students looked at him with a mix of envy and admiration.
Dojima Gin then turned to the room and announced, "Additionally, Kitano Jiro, Sanada Yae's group, Okura Tani, and Murashita Ken's group—you six are expelled."
"What? We passed the exam! Why are we being expelled?"
"Yeah, that's not fair!"
The named students were shocked, their faces filled with disbelief.
Dojima Gin's face darkened, his tone serious. "During this class, you were considered employees of the restaurant. Your fellow students were your colleagues. When you saw them being unfairly treated, instead of helping, you chose to mock them. That's not the behavior of an excellent chef."
Hearing this, Sui recognized the six students as those who had made the most sarcastic remarks earlier. Their expulsion now seemed fitting.
After the class, everyone boarded the bus, preparing to return to the Tōtsuki Resort.
"Sui."
Just as he reached the bus, Miyoko called out to him.
"What is it?" Sui asked.
"I just wanted to thank you for what you did earlier," Miyoko said, a bit embarrassed. She had once seen him as a rival, yet he ended up saving her from humiliation.
"Haha, it's no big deal. You're a strong chef, and it would've been unfair for you to be expelled over something like that," Sui replied casually.
Miyoko looked at him thoughtfully before speaking again, "From now on, I'll be part of the Rare Foods Research Society. Whatever issues you face, count me in!"
"I welcome you," Sui smiled, accepting her offer of friendship.
Upon returning to the hotel, the rest of the Polaris Dormitory students also arrived.
[A-Note: Sorry for not uploading. I was amassing chapters, so I can accommodate all your power stones.]
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