"As long as one of you three makes a dish that's recognized by others as more delicious than mine, you win."
The three girls immediately nodded excitedly, very much agreeing with this proposal.
However, at this time, Hayashi changed his tone:
"But since it's a challenge, there should be rules and rewards, right?"
"We can't just end the competition and only get the title of victory - that would be too boring."
"And for me, this is a guaranteed win, so I don't want to waste time playing with you for nothing."
Hayashi's words were like sharp swords piercing the hearts of the three girls.
It stimulated all three girls until their pretty faces turned slightly red, filled with indignation.
They could see that from beginning to end, Hayashi didn't consider them opponents at all - it was completely like he was playing house with them.
However, the three girls felt a bit uncertain in their hearts.
After all, Hayashi's cooking level had been unanimously recognized by everyone, and even they themselves felt inferior.
Otherwise, they wouldn't admire Hayashi so much.
They had tried countless methods, even using scales to precisely measure seasonings to the gram, hoping to control the taste to perfection.
But even so, compared to Hayashi's cooking, there was still a huge gap, as if there was an insurmountable chasm.
They immediately felt very uncertain.
But words once spoken couldn't be taken back.
Moreover, they originally wanted to learn cooking from Hayashi anyway.
And after this conversation, all three girls felt their relationship with Hayashi had become much closer.
No matter what, they seemed to have gained something.
Besides, it was just a cooking competition - even if they lost, what did it matter? After all, Hayashi wouldn't bully them.
For this reason, the three girls, as if victory was already in hand, were immediately full of confidence.
Nakiri Erina immediately said:
"Hayashi-kun, don't worry. Since we dare to compete, we're willing to accept the consequences of winning or losing. Besides, who knows who will win?"
Arato Hisako nodded in agreement:
"Right, Hayashi-kun, what reward do you want?"
Hayashi touched his chin, falling into thought. He really couldn't think of any good rewards for a moment.
Then, looking at the three girls in front of him, Hayashi suddenly had a flash of inspiration. The corner of his mouth curved into a mischievous smile as his gaze constantly examined the three of them.
Hayashi's aggressive gaze made the three girls blush with shy expressions.
But they were extremely happy in their hearts.
Takanashi Touka even puffed out her chest, showing off her proud assets to the fullest.
Nakiri Erina and Arato Hisako weren't to be outdone either, competing to show off their proud figures.
Hayashi smiled mischievously:
"How about this - if I lose, I can fulfill one condition for each of you three, and it's fulfilling any request."
Hearing this, the three girls immediately gasped in disbelief. Hayashi was playing too big!
And they needed to offer equivalent rewards to meet the rules.
For a moment, all three girls looked at each other somewhat shyly.
But in the blink of an eye, they had already made up their minds.
This was a great opportunity! If they could advance their relationship with Hayashi through this, it would be a heaven-sent chance - wasn't this exactly the result they'd been hoping for?
The three girls who understood this had already determined the outcome.
Then Nakiri Erina stepped forward and said:
"Hayashi-kun, we've already discussed it. If you win, we can each agree to one of your requests too, unconditionally."
Hearing this, Hayashi smiled:
"Good, then it's settled."
However, Hayashi didn't plan to make any excessive requests - he was just teasing them for fun.
But just as Hayashi was thinking, the system's voice rang in his mind.
[Ding, random task triggered: Win this cooking competition.]
[Reward: One Ten Thousand Worlds Food Lottery Card.]
Hayashi's eyes lit up!
Ha! He didn't expect this could also trigger a system task, and it was another Ten Thousand Worlds Food Lottery Card.
He had been looking forward to this reward for a long time.
However, this also made Hayashi both laugh and cry.
Now he couldn't go easy on them even if he wanted to.
Looking at the three girls, Hayashi was full of fighting spirit.
Since it was a competition and he was determined to get the system reward, he naturally had to give it his all.
So Hayashi directly made the decision:
"Since it's a competition, there's no time like the present - let's start now."
Hearing this, the three girls were stunned.
Nakiri Erina said in surprise:
"Hayashi-kun, but it's late at night, and don't you still need to open for business?"
Takanashi Touka and Arato Hisako also looked at Hayashi puzzledly.
To this, Hayashi smiled calmly and waved his hand:
"Don't you know what business is usually like at my late-night diner?"
"At this time, there probably won't be any more customers."
"And since it's a competition, naturally we need to be prepared for any unexpected situations."
"Are you scared?"
The three girls were left speechless for a moment, their mouths slightly open, wanting to speak but stopping.
Looking at the dark night outside, they really wanted to complain.
Please, what competition is held late at night?
And they all had normal sleep schedules. They had just agreed to come eat together tonight and were already a bit sleepy. They couldn't concentrate on a competition now.
The three girls looked at Hayashi with resentful eyes, pouting with dissatisfaction.
Hayashi smiled slightly, directly ignoring their reactions.
He had slept well before getting up.
Besides, with Hayashi's current energy, he could stay awake for many days and still be energetic - completely incomparable to these three girls.
Moreover, even if he gave them enough time to prepare, Hayashi would still win without doubt.
Hayashi was now eager for the system reward and didn't want to delay any longer.
To this, Hayashi directly said:
"Tohru, Kanna, close up - we're closing early today."
Tohru, who had been wiping tables nearby while listening to Hayashi's conversation with the three girls, immediately raised her hand excitedly:
"Hayashi-kun! Roger!"
Then Tohru quickly closed all the doors and windows.
After returning to the bar counter, she said excitedly:
"Hayashi-kun, everything is ready. The competition can start anytime."
Looking at the enthusiastic Tohru, Hayashi smiled and responded:
"Good, then let Tohru, Kanna, and Takanashi Rikka be the three judges."
"They'll be responsible for supervising us and calling start and stop."
The three girls nodded, having no objections to this.
Tohru's eyes lit up with excitement, sparkling with stars.
Of course she loved such fun activities.
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