Chapter 225: The Girl Who Begins to Change
"Erina, you didn't participate in the evening assessment, did you?"
After careful consideration, Hachiman could only come up with the possibility that the girl had skipped the assessment.
"Yeah, I didn't join the dinner assessment tonight." Erina admitted without hesitation.
"Those guys with muscles like gorillas, I really didn't feel like cooking for them. So, I simply used the authority of the Elite Ten to exempt myself from the assessment."
Hmm.
Hearing her words, Hachiman gave a wry smile.
"While those people do look quite robust, it's not very nice to describe them like that."
"And besides, using the authority of the Elite Ten to do this is not quite in line with the rules, you know. Be careful; I might have to report you to Chief Nakiri."
"Tch."
Erina rolled her eyes dismissively, paying no heed to his words.
Observing her reaction, Hachiman couldn't help but shake his head.
"By the way, what about Hisako? Didn't you also exempt her from the evening assessment?"
Upon hearing this question, Erina looked a bit helpless.
"Originally, I wanted to exempt Hisako from the assessment as well, but she insisted on participating, so I had no choice but to let her be."
"I don't understand. What's there to care about in such an assessment?"
Nevertheless, Hachiman didn't quite agree, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Although those assessments may seem trivial, they have their own significance since the academy arranged them. Besides, Hisako's culinary skills are not as good as yours, so it might be a good opportunity for her to improve."
"Oh, by the way, I ran into you. Want to grab a meal together?"
He was originally planning to call her after taking a bath, but since they crossed paths, he decided to extend the invitation.
"Um... sure," Erina hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed. At the moment, Hisako was still in the middle of the assessment, and Hachiman was the only one available to accompany her.
"I'll go back to change first."
She was currently wearing a yukata and needed to change into regular clothes.
"Mhm."
Hachiman nodded in agreement. After all, eating in yukatas wasn't the most suitable choice.
Shortly after, the two changed into their regular clothes and walked towards the restaurant. However, as they walked, Hachiman found it a bit strange because, in his memory, the restaurant wasn't in this direction.
"I remember the restaurant isn't in this direction, right?"
"Hmph, why bother about that? Just follow me..." Erina huffed.
"Tsk tsk, that way seems quite secluded. Is Erina planning to do something inappropriate to me?" Observing that they were heading towards a more isolated area, Hachiman couldn't resist teasing.
"Well, yes. I do plan to do something unspeakable to you. How about it? Dare to come over?" Erina shot him a disdainful glance.
Hearing her words, Hachiman showed no fear, shrugged his shoulders, and continued to follow her. If the girl really had some sinister plan, that could be interesting. With his current physique, resisting her would be a piece of cake.
However, Hachiman decided to play along for now and then counterattack later. Even if things got out of hand, he could justify it as self-defense.
But, it was just a wild thought. It was impossible for such a thing to happen. With Erina's tsundere personality, there was no way she would do something like that.
Yet, the recent scene did surprise Hachiman. He realized that the girl had learned to crack a joke, and that was quite astonishing.
It seems that the "training mission" assigned by Chief Nakiri is progressing smoothly.
Guided by Erina, the two turned around a corner, and Hachiman found himself in front of a luxurious restaurant. Moreover, in this restaurant, he spotted many familiar faces.
Several graduates who served as mentors for the residential training were dining here. Hachiman quickly scanned the area and realized that, except for Dojima still bathing and Hitoshi overseeing the dinner assessment, most others were present.
Approaching an available table, they sat facing each other. Many graduates, curious about the newcomers, glanced over, but Erina, the granddaughter of the headmaster and renowned as the "God Tongue," is naturally quite familiar to them.
As for Hachiman, being only sixteen and invited by the headmaster to act as a guest lecturer for the residential training, he had surpassed them not only in culinary skills but also in swordsmanship.
Seeing the two entering together, some graduates couldn't help but entertain a certain idea.
**Could it be that the headmaster wants Hikigaya-kun to become Erina's future husband?**
In this case, they hit the nail on the head. Senzaemon indeed had such thoughts.
Letting Hachiman correct Erina's character was also a way for the two to build a connection.
As for the girls around Hachiman, Senzaemon was well aware of it.
Although his old friend's granddaughter was among them, it was just a minor matter. Every successful person had beautiful women around them. Senzaemon understood this very well from his own experiences.
Back in his youth, he also had several confidantes, and in the end, he married Erina's grandmother.
Hachiman's talents were highly regarded by Senzaemon.
If building a connection with Erina could tie him to the Nakiri family's big ship, Senzaemon would be delighted.
However, even if it didn't work out in the end, he wouldn't forcibly interfere with Erina's choices.
After all, as one of the Japan's Top Four Conglomerates, Senzaemon didn't need to sacrifice his granddaughter's happiness for anything.
Of course, if the two of them could develop genuine feelings for each other, that would be the best outcome.
However, the graduates couldn't fathom all these considerations.
Seeing Erina Nakiri, who had never stirred up any rumors, sitting with a guy for dinner, they immediately assumed that Senzaemon intended for Hachiman to be Erina's future husband.
With these thoughts in mind, many people started to stir, as gossip was one of humanity's instincts.
"Oh! Hikigaya-kun, Miss Erina, good evening!"
Suddenly, a voice with a not-so-pure Japanese accent rang out.
A graduate with blond hair, blue eyes, and a prominent double chin approached their table, holding a glass of red wine. It was Donato Gotoda, a graduate from the 80th generation of Totsuki.
Swaying his glass of red wine and looking at the two facing each other, Donato smiled and spoke.
"Are you two on a date? Oh! This is indeed romantic."
Chapter 226: Ongoing Training
"What a romantic date," Donato chuckled.
From his appearance with blond hair and blue eyes, it was evident that he wasn't Japanese. In fact, Donato Gotoda was French, and in the eyes of the French, anything could be associated with a romantic date.
Yet, it wasn't entirely his fault; the restaurant's dim lighting and a lit candle on the table perfectly resembled a romantic dinner setting.
"I didn't expect Hikigaya-kun and Miss Erina to be a couple. It's quite surprising," Donato swirled the red wine in his hand, gaze shifting between Hachiman and Erina.
Upon hearing his words, Hachiman didn't seem bothered, but Erina immediately flared up. Blushing, she retorted, "Hah, Chef Donato, don't talk nonsense. How could I be in a relationship with this guy?"
After saying this, Erina glared at Hachiman with a mix of embarrassment and anger.
This left Hachiman, who was caught off guard, feeling very innocent. It was clear that he said it, so why was Erina glaring at him?
However, facing the situation, Hachiman raised both hands, offering a French-style salute.
"Chef Donato, you misunderstood. Erina and I are just friends, not a couple."
"Oh! That's truly unfortunate." Donato sighed, covering his forehead as if genuinely lamenting, "In my eyes, you two seem quite compatible."
"Haha, how could I be with someone like him..." Erina started to refute but stopped abruptly. After a moment, a faint blush appeared on her face.
"Anyway, I'm not a couple with this guy."
"Alright, since that's the case, I won't disturb your meal any longer," Donato nodded, wearing a regretful expression, and then turned to leave.
As Donato departed, a playful smile lingered on his lips. Uncertain about Erina, he understood Hachiman's unspoken words—perhaps not now, but who knows about the future.
Erina's flushed face gradually subsided as she looked at Hachiman, emitting a soft hum, and then got up to choose dishes.
Hachiman shrugged. The restaurant operated on a self-service basis, so he also rose to select his dishes.
Returning with their meals, Hachiman had gathered four or five dishes, while Erina chose some pre-dinner desserts and returned to her seat.
Seeing Erina's modest selection, Hachiman teased, "Erina, is this all you're eating? Your figure is already great; there's no need to diet."
Erina shot him a glare and signaled a waiter, ordering additional dishes that required on-the-spot preparation.
Observing this, Hachiman understood. The restaurant not only offered a self-service buffet but also allowed à la carte orders at an extra cost. However, considering the Nakiri family's heiress was dining here, the added expense was negligible.
Now that Hachiman had made his selections, he wasn't planning to waste anything; he would eat first.
Despite being a buffet restaurant, the chefs involved held at least a third-level culinary skill, with head chefs typically at the fourth level. The executive chef, overseeing Totsuki Resort, Gin Dojima, had reached a fifth-level proficiency.
Of course, apart from these chefs in charge, there were many assistant cooks in the kitchen, most of whom had first or second-level skills. This might be acceptable elsewhere, but not at the Totsuki Resort. With a skill level below three, there would be no chance to handle the ladle. Though cruel, it was the reality.
Being ranked among the best in the world, Totsuki Resort would never allow subpar dishes to appear on the table.
Just as Erina was enjoying her pre-dinner desserts and waiting for the dishes to arrive, she heard Hachiman's familiar voice.
"Erina, I want to ask you a question."
"Go ahead."
Setting down her fork, Erina nodded, slightly puzzled but open to the inquiry.
"For you, what is the 'God Tongue'?" Hachiman posed an unusual question.
Erina furrowed her attractive eyebrows at his question.
"What's there to ask? The 'God Tongue' is used to identify flaws in the dishes."
Hachiman sighed at her response. Azami Nakiri's teachings had deeply influenced her, and it seemed he needed to put more effort into "training" her, not to disappoint Senzaemon's trust.
"It does have that function, but that's not the entirety of the 'God Tongue.'"
"Not the entirety? But that's what I've always done." Erina's tone carried a hint of pride.
"Do you know how many culinary masters want me to help them find flaws in their dishes so that they can improve further?"
Azami Nakiri's influence had confined Erina in a small dark room since childhood, constantly tasting dishes. Plates of seemingly decent dishes were forced upon her to discard, labeled as "worthless" and lacking tasting value.
This intense memory had deeply ingrained in Erina's mind, shaping her current belief that all "commoner" dishes lacked tasting value.
This was precisely why Senzaemon sought Hachiman to change Erina.
In the world of cuisine, there was no distinction between commoner and non-commoner; there was only a difference between delicious and not delicious.
"While the 'God Tongue' can indeed identify flaws in a dish, its true purpose should be to help you discover more delicious flavors," Hachiman said, waving a finger at the girl, smiling.
Hearing these words, Erina was momentarily stunned.
Discover... more delicious flavors...
Seeing her reaction, Hachiman shrugged and continued, "That's right. Think about it. When you taste a dish, what gets magnified isn't just the flaws but also the inherent deliciousness of the dish, right?"
"But you deliberately overlooked this point before, focusing only on finding the flaws in the dish."
"If all you can taste in a dish are its shortcomings, then isn't the act of tasting dishes too cruel for you?"
As Erina processed his words, a perplexed expression appeared on her face.
"But..."
Before she could continue, Hachiman seemed to anticipate what she was going to say.
"The 'God Tongue' can indeed magnify the flaws in a dish, but isn't our purpose in tasting dishes to enjoy their deliciousness?"
"As I mentioned before, while my sense of taste may not match up to the 'God Tongue,' it has still allowed me to experience flavors beyond the ordinary."
"If I can achieve that, then your 'God Tongue' can undoubtedly do it even better."
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A/N:
Guys, let me tell you that 'God Tongue' is at level 6 (max) in the module system. And it's my birthday today, so come on, give me a stone!
If you want to read 15 chapters ahead..
Visit my patreon: patrèon/Flaptzy
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