Erina treated every Shokugeki seriously.
If not to an extreme degree, then at least with absolute sincerity.
Even when facing opponents she instinctively looked down on, she would still prepare a refined, high-class dish to defeat them. Refusing to cook-or even acknowledge-so-called commoner cuisine was a principle carved into her by her father's education.
So when she arrived for today's Shokugeki, she came fully prepared.
High-grade ingredients. Carefully selected cuts. Numerous bottles and jars, each one polished and elegant.
As she cooked, she almost seemed to glow.
She was taking this Shokugeki seriously.
Then she saw Jaden.
Specifically, she saw the ingredients in his hands.
They were all bought from the convenience store downstairs.
Her brows knit together before she even realized it.
Because-
"Baby Star?"
Even though Erina despised commoner cuisine under her father's influence, there were still things she recognized at a glance.
Baby Star Crispy Noodles were one of them.
Not just because of the commercials.
But because of a dish.
Baby Star Monjayaki.
So-
"Are you planning to make Monjayaki? No... with the equipment in your house, are you making a Monjayaki Sandwich?"
Whether it was Monjayaki or a Monjayaki Sandwich, according to everything her father had drilled into her, these were all firmly categorized as commoner food.
After making that brief deduction, Erina scoffed.
She had never believed she would lose from the start.
But now, she felt there was even less reason to fail.
Jaden set down a plate, tore open the packet of Baby Star Crispy Noodles, and poured the contents directly onto it.
Then he looked up at her.
"Nakiri, you already went back to the Nakiri family earlier. If you wanted help, you could probably gather as many people as you wanted. So why are you still so obsessed with this Shokugeki today?"
Hearing his words, Erina finished prepping her own ingredients.
Then she frowned and looked down at him.
"I believe that even if I ignored you, you would eventually be expelled."
Her voice was calm. Controlled.
"But during the assessment, I was the one who insisted that the dish would be entirely up to me. I lost. And because of that, you were expelled with me."
She paused briefly.
"So isn't it logical that I should pull you along when proving my own abilities?"
Jaden froze for a moment.
He hadn't expected that answer.
His original intention had already begun to shift, but her next words made him slowly close his eyes.
"-After all, I was the one who took control of the assessment. If you were still expelled after that, it would be a humiliation for me."
Her gaze sharpened.
"I absolutely cannot accept such a thing. I must prove that even with someone like you dragging me down, I can still pass the assessment easily."
Ah.
I see.
Hearing that Erina-despite clearly being hurt by him-believed she had hurt him instead, and was now determined to drag him along to prove her worth...
Jaden had briefly considered going easy on her.
Briefly.
But-
Since we're both this kind of person...
Then my apologies.
No matter what happened next, he needed to deal with that attitude first.
So-
Jaden pushed the plate of crispy noodles across the table toward Erina.
She stared at it.
Utter disbelief written plainly across her face.
"This is the dish I'm presenting for our Shokugeki," he said casually. "You can be the judge later. After all, even if I don't trust your character, when it comes to flavor comparison, you're the God's Tongue. You wouldn't lie against your own conscience, right~?"
Her frown deepened immediately.
"And you call this a dish!?"
Her reaction was immediate.
Sharp.
Almost bristling.
Like a cat whose fur had been rubbed the wrong way.
Jaden smiled.
It was a simple, honest-looking smile.
-He was born with that face. There was nothing he could do about it.
"Well," he said, "since I'm having a Shokugeki with you, whatever I make is the same. And since that's the case, I might as well present something like this."
Hmph.
Erina's brows drew together even tighter.
But she had no interest in wasting more words on him.
She had long known that Jaden lacked all dignity as a chef.
She just hadn't expected him to go this far.
Still.
Even if her opponent was trash, she would complete her dish seriously.
That was non-negotiable.
So for a while, the kitchen belonged solely to Erina.
Her movements were smooth.
Precise.
Noble and elegant.
Each step flowed into the next without hesitation.
Time passed quietly.
Then, as noon slipped by and warm afternoon sunlight filtered into the room, Erina placed her finished dish on the table.
It sat beside Jaden's so-called 'dish.'
"This is my dish," she said, her lips curling slightly upward. "Norwegian Langoustine Dumplings."
She wore a confident smile.
Jaden looked at it.
Then, without comment, casually added a Curse buff to her dish.
"Well then," he said, "Nakiri. You should taste them now. With your God's Tongue, tell me honestly who won."
Hmph!
Erina scoffed.
She reached for Jaden's side first.
Baby Star Crispy Noodles.
A familiar snack.
She ate one.
Her expression remained neutral.
She said nothing.
Then, almost symbolically, she picked up one of her own dumplings.
She was certain.
Absolutely certain.
That she had already won.
Until-
She put the dumpling into her mouth.
Ugh-
The moment her teeth bit down, a surge of juice burst out.
Her cheeks puffed slightly.
But she couldn't swallow.
She absolutely couldn't.
If she had to describe the taste-
It was indescribable.
Completely.
If the Nine Vegetable Terrine she had served to Kojiro Shinomiya before had manifested in her mind as a pool of stinking, rotten mud under the God's Tongue...
Then this time-
It was like someone urinating inside a filthy public toilet.
Her expression twisted instantly.
A clear Pain Mask.
She gagged.
Then, with visible effort, she spat the dumpling out.
Her body dropped to the floor.
She knelt there, breathing heavily, disbelief flooding her senses.
At that moment, Jaden crouched beside her.
His voice was soft.
Gentle.
And unbearably infuriating.
"Nakiri," he said quietly, "tell me. Who made the better-tasting dish?"
"I...!"
Her teeth ground together.
Before she could finish speaking, Jaden picked up another dumpling from her plate and brought it toward her mouth.
"If you say yours tastes better," he said, "then don't spit it out. Be responsible and eat the entire plate."
This-
Just recalling the previous taste made her bow her head.
Even though she absolutely could not accept that she had lost a Shokugeki-
Lost to a torn-open packet of Baby Star Crispy Noodles.
"You won," she said, her voice strained. "You won!"
Jaden placed the plate back on the table.
Heh.
That's why he always said-
The winner of a Shokugeki wasn't necessarily determined by whose skill was superior.
Sometimes, it was decided by whose skill was worse.
He looked at Erina.
She sat there on the floor.
Shell-shocked.
Silent.
The path she would walk and the path he would walk were clearly different.
Just as Jaden would never choose to be a chef.
With her God's Tongue.
With her background as part of the Nakiri family.
It was only natural for Erina to become one.
Helping her prove herself.
Helping her return to Totsuki someday.
That was fine.
But before that-
He didn't like being around someone with such a nasty temper.
So.
"My meals are in your hands, Nakiri~"
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