Erina couldn't be said to take every Shokugeki very seriously, but she was always serious about them.
Even when her opponents were people she looked down upon, she would prepare high-class cuisine to defeat them—because not making or even acknowledging commoner cuisine was Miss Erina's creed after receiving her father's education.
So when she came to this Shokugeki appointment today, she similarly prepared many high-class ingredients and numerous elegant-looking bottles and dishes. When cooking, she seemed to glow all over.
She was taking this Shokugeki seriously.
Then when she saw Mutou Judai with ingredients bought from the convenience store downstairs, she instinctively frowned.
Because...
"Baby Star?"
Although Erina looked down on commoner cuisine under her father's education, she still recognized some things.
For example—Baby Star crispy noodles.
Of course, recognizing this kind of snack food was due to Baby Star's advertisements, as well as a certain dish—Baby Star monjayaki.
So...
"Are you making monjayaki? No... with your home's equipment, are you making monjayaki pancakes?"
Whether monjayaki or monjayaki pancakes—according to the concepts her father had instilled in Erina, these were all so-called commoner cuisine.
So after Erina speculated a bit, she snorted lightly.
Although she never thought she would lose from the beginning, now she felt she had even less reason to fail.
Meanwhile, Mutou Judai took a plate, then tore open the Baby Star crispy noodles and poured them into the plate.
After doing this, he looked toward Erina.
"Nakiri, you went back to the Nakiri family earlier. If you wanted to find people to help after going back, you should be able to find as many as you want, right—so why are you still obsessing over today's Shokugeki?"
Hearing Mutou Judai say this, Nakiri Erina finished processing the ingredients she brought, then frowned and looked down at him condescendingly.
"Although I think someone like you would be expelled sooner or later even if left alone."
"But during the exam, I said I would handle all the exam cuisine content, then I brought you along and we lost together, got expelled together—so when proving my abilities, bringing you along is natural, isn't it?"
Hearing Erina say this, Mutou Judai was stunned for a moment.
Originally his thoughts had somewhat changed, but Erina's next words made him slowly close his eyes.
"—After all, I was the one who pulled the exam over to my side. If you still get expelled then, it would be nothing short of humiliation for me!"
"I absolutely cannot accept such a thing. I want to prove that even bringing along someone like you, I can easily pass the exam!"
Ah... I see, then never mind...
Originally, after hearing that he had harmed Erina, yet she still thought she had harmed him and planned to prove their abilities together, Mutou Judai was thinking maybe he shouldn't be so harsh this time.
But—
Since we're both this kind of person toward each other, then sorry~
Whatever we're going to do next, before that, you absolutely must fix that foul temper of yours!
So...
Mutou Judai put the crispy noodles on the plate, then under Erina's completely incredulous gaze, pushed it toward her.
"This is the dish I'm presenting for our Shokugeki... You can do the tasting afterward. After all, although I still can't trust your character, when it comes to comparing flavors, as God's Tongue, you shouldn't say anything against your conscience, right~"
Hearing Mutou Judai say this, Erina frowned.
"So you're calling this thing cuisine!?"
Seeing Erina's reaction like an angry cat, Mutou Judai's face showed what looked like a very honest and simple smile.
—He was naturally born looking this way, and there was nothing he could do about it.
"Well, anyway, in a Shokugeki with you, whatever I make would be the same—so since that's the case, I might as well just present something like this."
Hmph.
Hearing Mutou Judai say this, although Erina's frown deepened, she had no interest in saying anything more to Mutou Judai.
Although she had long known that Mutou Judai didn't even have a shred of dignity as a chef, she never imagined he could go to this extent!
But even if her opponent was the most trashy person, she would still seriously complete her dish.
So the kitchen was left to Erina alone for what followed.
She elegantly, gracefully, and very smoothly completed her cuisine.
Around when noon passed and the house was enveloped by the warm afternoon sunlight, Erina placed a plate next to Mutou Judai's "cuisine."
"This is my dish—Norwegian lobster dumplings."
Looking at Erina's proud appearance with a smile, Mutou Judai casually added a curse buff to her dish.
"Then next, Nakiri, please try them and tell us honestly with your God's Tongue who won~"
Hmph!
Erina snorted lightly, then started with Mutou Judai's side.
Baby Star crispy noodles...
This was just typical junk food. After Erina ate it, she slowly frowned, made no comment, then symbolically picked up one of her own shrimp dumplings.
—She felt she was sure to win.
Until...
She put the shrimp dumpling she made into her mouth.
Ugh~!
When her teeth bit down, the juices bursting out made her cheeks puff up, but she couldn't swallow at all!
If she had to describe it, this was a completely indescribable taste!
If the nine-treasure vegetable French terrine she had served to Shinomiya Kojiro before was visualized by God's Tongue in her mind as a pool of stinking mud.
Then this time it was like someone urinating in a dirty toilet!
Instinctively, Erina's expression became a mask of pain.
Then with dry heaving, she spent some effort spitting out the shrimp dumpling from her mouth.
Then she knelt on the ground in disbelief, breathing heavily.
At this time, Mutou Judai crouched beside her and spoke to her in a very light, very gentle, but particularly infuriating voice.
"Nakiri, please tell us whose dish tastes better?"
"I...!"
Erina was somewhat gritting her teeth.
Then before she could speak, Mutou Judai took one of the shrimp dumplings she made, picked up a new one, and brought it to her mouth.
"If you say yours tastes better, then don't spit it out—you need to responsibly eat this entire plate!"
This...
Just thinking about that previous taste, although Erina absolutely couldn't accept that the other party had defeated her in a Shokugeki by just tearing open a package of Baby Star crispy noodles, at this moment she could only lower her head.
"You won... you won!"
Seeing Erina like this, Mutou Judai finally put the plate back on the table.
Sigh.
So that's why...
Shokugeki wasn't necessarily decided by whose level was better from the beginning—it was equally viable to decide the loser by whose level was worse!
Mutou Judai looked at Erina sitting on the ground somewhat questioning life. The path she would take and the path he would take were definitely different.
Just as Mutou Judai wouldn't choose to become a chef, with God's Tongue talent and the Nakiri family background, it was normal for Erina to become a chef.
So helping her prove herself afterward and letting her return to Totsuki wouldn't be a problem.
But before that...
—He didn't like dealing with someone whose temper was as bad as his own personality~
So.
"I'll be counting on you for my meals from now on, Nakiri~"