"Heh, those two are doomed for sure."
"Hahaha! Twenty minutes left? Not even a miracle could save them now."
"Chef, here's our dish. Please enjoy!" Megumi stammered nervously, but those familiar words made the two troublemakers from earlier suddenly widen their eyes.
"No way…"
"Are you sure you ruined their dish?!"
"Of course. What do you think I was doing just now?"
"Ha… Those two must've brought up the ruined dish. Hahaha, I can't wait to hear Chef Chapelle tear into them." The two wore sinister smiles as they fixed their eyes on Megumi and Hikigaya.
Hachiman gently lifted the lid, revealing a stunning plate of beef stew in red wine.
Of course, the credit for such beautiful plating went to Megumi. Hachiman was completely hopeless when it came to presentation.
The rich aroma instantly filled the entire room, drawing the attention of everyone still cooking.
Hayama: "Hikigaya…"
"What's going on? How can it smell this good?"
"I thought beef stew in red wine didn't smell like this."
"What's the deal with this transfer student…"
"Tch, all show and no substance."
Just like before, Chef Chapelle picked up a fork, gently cut into the tender beef, and brought a piece to his mouth under everyone's watchful eyes.
The soft and sticky texture burst in his mouth instantly, and the timing brought out the fragrance of the red wine perfectly. Just one simple bite… and it instantly drew out the rich flavor hidden inside the beef.
At that moment, it felt like eating a proper Western dish. Even though this was just a simple French home-cooked meal, the cheap red wine and bulk beef somehow created such an amazing taste.
"Is this... bay leaf?"
"And passion fruit too..."
Compared to the shock from the pineapple juice earlier, the mix of bay leaf and passion fruit worked even better. The sweet juice felt like it was pouring over him like a warm bath.
For a moment, the whole classroom went completely silent. Everyone was waiting for Hachiman's team's result.
And Chef Chapelle was completely stunned, as if his soul had left his body and gone on a spiritual journey.
Hachiman: "Why don't you give it a try too?"
Tadokoro pointed at herself in disbelief: "Eh? Me?"
When she saw Hachiman nod, Tadokoro picked up a fork, speared a piece of beef, and put it in her mouth.
In that moment, she felt like her whole body was being washed by something deep in her soul, turning soft and weak all over. She kept squirming, but just couldn't shake it off.
"One bite... then another bite..."
"Tadokoro, Tadokoro... Tadokoro." Only when Hachiman reached out and gently shook the completely dazed Tadokoro did she finally snap back to reality.
Realizing how out of control she had been, she lowered her head, pressing her hands between her thighs, unable to say a single word. The blush on her face, though, gave the answer for her.
The classmates below the stage stared at them in shock.
"No way! That guy's just a dead-last loser, and a transfer student too..."
"They cheated... They must have cheated."
"But... it smells so good... I really want to taste it."
"Me too..."
"Look! Chef Chapelle... he's smiling."
"Hey hey, are you kidding me? Someone take a picture!"
*Snap...*
After what felt like a soul-stirring trip, Chef Chapelle finally put down his knife and fork.
The smile slowly faded from his face, though he didn't look strict. Instead, he had a serious yet calm expression as he looked at the two standing before him.
"Tadokoro, Hikigaya... I'll give your team an A."
"But..." He showed a smile of regret.
"I'm sorry that as your teacher I can't give you a grade higher than A. I really regret that."
....
"!!!!"
"Did Chef Chapelle really just say that?!"
"No way... Impossible, that's insane! He was supposed to be the bottom of the class!"
"Haven't you noticed? The key isn't that loser at all... It's that transfer student!"
"No way! Why are all the transfer students lately so insane? Could this guy really be Yukinoshita the genius's future rival?"
After confirming they got an A, Hachiman nodded slightly to Chef Chapelle.
"Thanks for the meal." With that, he gently placed his hands behind his back, ready to take off his scarf, when suddenly...
"Pa..."
The blue-haired girl couldn't hold back her joy and ran straight into Hachiman's arms, giving him a big hug. Her eyes were still full of tears, but her hands were trembling from excitement.
"This is great, this is really great, Hikigaya, I don't have to drop out..."
"This is so great... really great..."
"Um... Tadokoro..." Hikigaya raised both hands high, looking like he didn't dare to touch her. Realizing she had lost control, Tadokoro Megumi quickly hopped back like a startled rabbit, pulling a safe distance between them. This time, though, her face was burning red.
"I-I didn't mean to... sorry."
"Mm, it's fine."
"But Hikigaya, how did you know that passion fruit and bay leaves could bring out this dish?"
Like recalling some kind of nightmare, Hachiman gave a bitter smile and said:
"Well, my little sister's really into science experiments, so when she was cooking, I gave her some tips. The result actually turned out pretty good."
"I see... So, Hikigaya, you're a siscon?"
"Of course not."
Seeing Hikigaya's group finish safely and even get a very high score, the two troublemakers from earlier were completely stunned. Their own dish had been left cooking too long, and the beef had already fallen apart without them noticing.
"We're doomed, doomed, doomed..."
"Hey, did we mess with the wrong guy?"
"Who cares, it's just an E. He doesn't even know it was us."
"True... Still, I didn't expect that guy to actually have some skill..."
"Tch, just luck."