Training gradually returned to normal intensity, and Lucian's practical class officially started.
"Oguri Cap, Tamamo Cross, Rice-chan, Doto, Matikanetannhauser, Nice Nature, Twin Turbo, Grass Wonder, Mejiro McQueen, Ines Fujin..."
Lucian basically recognized all the horse girls below, so he skipped the name-calling step and checked them himself.
"Very good, all here. Since you all showed up for the first class and signed in, you pass. Even if your final grades fail, I'll still let you through."
This class was positioned as an elective anyway.
Mandatory classes you skip, electives you must attend... No one skipped his first class, so of course he had to give some rewards.
Tamamo Cross: "So good!!!"
Doto: "Call for Trainer! (´∀｀)"
Twin Turbo: "Then I won't come after the next class."
...
"Hm?" Lucian heard a dissonant voice. "Twin Turbo, if you don't come, it's a retake."
"Why?! Didn't Trainer say signing in for this class means passing?"
"I said that, and you just do it?" Lucian really wanted to go down and knock on Twin Turbo's little head. "Also, call me Sensei in class."
"Trai... Sensei just said that clearly." Twin Turbo said.
"Who told Sensei I know you? And since you have this idea, I'll pay attention to you first every class from now on."
"Alright, class is starting." Lucian said while copying the class files onto the computer, officially beginning the lecture.
Since it was a practical class, Lucian skipped all historical background and went straight to the meat.
Considering some horse girls, like Mejiro McQueen, and Oguri Cap in the front row staring at him the whole time...
Hiss, her eyes were like two black round little beans, paired with her dazed expression, really so cute.
"Cough cough, considering some students are complete beginners, I'll use the most hand-holding tutorial to teach everyone."
Lucian spent a few minutes explaining the gas stove and safety precautions.
Since this class wasn't making rice, he simply showed the steps to cook raw rice into cooked rice on the slides.
Finally, he began teaching today's dish.
"Today we're teaching everyone sweet and sour potato eggs." Lucian looked at the group of stunned horse girls sitting blankly. "What are you all frozen for? Get up."
"I've placed all the ingredients here, come up and get them in a bit."
Lucian gave a simple explanation, then let the horse girls start hands-on practice. Practice makes perfect.
He himself walked down from the podium to patrol.
...
He first stood behind Rice Shower for a while, watching her increasingly skilled technique. Lucian felt very gratified. "Rice-chan, after you finish, you can go guide the other students."
"Okay, Onii-sama." Receiving Lucian's approval, Rice Shower was also very happy inside.
Leaving Rice Shower with peace of mind, Lucian came to Doto's side. "Doto, what are you waiting for?"
"Trainer-san, will this pot suddenly shoot fire? So scary. Σ( ° △ °|||)︴"
"I don't know if it'll shoot fire, but if you don't start, I'm going to shoot fire first." Lucian made a scissors gesture.
Doto immediately protected the ahoge on her head. "So scary!"
...
Mejiro McQueen's side also hadn't started for a long time.
This was also a key focus for Lucian.
"McQueen, what are you waiting for? Waiting for Teio?"
"Eh, Se-Sensei... why can't I turn on the fire?"
"Uh, did you turn on the switch?"
"Right, need to turn on the switch."
"Did you wash the pot?"
"Yes! Need to wash the pot too."
On this matter, Mejiro McQueen felt more like a klutz than Doto.
...
Just after teaching McQueen, Lucian heard a "thump thump thump" vibration.
He found the source of the sound; Oguri Cap was vigorously chopping... ham sausage.
"Oguri, can we be a bit gentler?"
"Gentler?"
"Yes." Lucian took her knife, elegantly demonstrating his exquisite knife skills. "The cutting boards are all newly bought, be gentle like this."
"Oh. =="
...
After patrolling a circle, Lucian knew his ingredient choice was very correct; even if wasted, it wouldn't consume too much budget.
Not long after, the horse girls' works were freshly out of the oven, and some freshly out of the toilet.
A normal finished product fried to a thick state should be golden and bright red; how did Oguri Cap make something like a lump of coal.
"Normally I'd taste your works and score them... but now I've changed my mind. You taste what you made first; if you think it's edible, I'll eat."
As soon as he finished speaking, Grass Wonder already raised her hand. "Lu-sensei, I think mine should be fine."
"Then Grass starts first, bring it up~"
After Grass Wonder brought it up, Lucian took a shallow bite, but after one bite the pain mask came out. "The name of this dish is sweet and sour potato eggs; yours is high-concentration acetic acid potato eggs..."
Grass Wonder curtsied ladylike. "Lu-sensei, sorry, I accidentally knocked over the vinegar earlier."
"What did I say before tasting?"
"Lu-sensei, I already tasted it, think it's still edible."
The sourness in Lucian's mouth hadn't fully dissipated, his face still wrinkled; looking up he saw the smile hanging on Grass Wonder's mouth. "Grass, why do I feel you did it on purpose?"
Grass Wonder didn't answer, but said: "Lu-sensei, how many points."
"59 points, one more point and I'd be afraid you'd get proud, Grass."
"Such a shame~" Although she said that, she looked happy.
This guy really did it on purpose... coming to avenge the "Jue Juice"? Interesting.
"Grass, wait a second." Lucian stopped Grass Wonder who was about to leave with her plate.
"Lu-sensei, what is it?"
"I think your evaluation ability is very good, specially invite you to sit beside Sensei together."
"Sensei, I think no, I should go down and reflect on where I can improve." Grass Wonder wasn't so easy to handle, turning away gracefully.
"Wait, if you don't go..."
Lucian's threatening intent forced Grass Wonder to stop, waiting for his next words.
"I won't share the delicious food I make later with you."
Hit the snake at its vital point.
Grass Wonder was nailed in place, slowly turning around, obediently sitting beside Lucian. "Trainer Lucian really knows how to grab people's weak spots."
"That's right, you wait and taste first, give an objective description, then I'll eat."
"Then what's the benefit? Is Trainer Lucian the teacher, or am I the teacher?"
"I'm the teacher." Lucian pointed at Grass Wonder. "You, are the taster."
"Isn't 'poison taster' a more fitting title?" Grass Wonder tilted her head "kindly" at Lucian.
"Don't worry, benefits won't be lacking. When I become emperor, I'll make you crown prince."
"Crown prince?" Grass Wonder looked puzzled. "What's the relationship between emperor and crown prince?"
"This isn't important." Lucian waved his hand. "I'll make a finished product later, allow you to taste first."
Grass Wonder swallowed. "That's more like it."
If that's the case, then crown prince it is.
She thought it should be the kind of position above ten thousand, below one.
...
"Next prepared student, can bring it up."
Next was Rice Shower.
Grass Wonder tasted first: "Very good, feels like eating a rich sweet and sour donut."
Lucian gave a high score of "80". "First time making it like this is already very good, Rice-chan go back and refine it more, the flavor will get better and better."
"Mm!"
When walking down the podium, Rice Shower's steps were much lighter.
Some students also gathered around Rice Shower, competing to taste her work.
Rice Shower, being paid attention to by so many people for the first time, blushed greatly, but still carefully answered classmates' questions.
...
Tamamo Cross also brought her work to the podium.
"Tama's here."
Lucian sized up Tamamo Cross, feeling she was even smaller than Urara, completely like a middle schooler.
But she perfectly embodied "concentrated is the essence."
"Sensei, try tama's skills."
Still Grass Wonder ate first, chewing for a while, her expression gradually changed. "Feels like various flavors suddenly exploding, not very coordinated, will be very greasy."
"Eh? Is that so?"
Although Grass Wonder already gave evaluation, Lucian still had to taste personally. "Mm, too much salt and vinegar... and, I ate eggshell."
"Th-th-th-this..." Tamamo Cross was a bit embarrassed. "Slipped."
"Tamamo had zero experience before?" Lucian said.
"Mm, this is tama's first time cooking, feels cooking is quite fun."
"Then very good, I can give 68 points, already nearly 10 points higher than Grass's concentrated acetic acid."
"Really?" Tamamo Cross was excited.
Only Grass Wonder was hurt world achieved. "Sensei, I slipped too."
...
Doto brought her work up, before eating, she even introduced her plating to Lucian.
"Sensei, look at my plating, does it look like a meowku? (*^^*)"
"No." Lucian really didn't see it. "Grass, did you see it?"
"Saw it." Grass Wonder nodded, gesturing at the dish. "This is the ear, this is the mouth, this is the nose."
"Sugoi!" Doto looked at Grass Wonder in surprise. "Grass-chan, you actually saw it! (ノω＜.)ノ)"
Lucian followed her meaning to imagine, at first glance it really had some resemblance. "No wonder you came up so slow, busy plating?"
"Trainer, taste quickly." Although Lucian emphasized, Doto still didn't easily change the address.
"Doto, which part of the plating do you like most?" Lucian suddenly asked, the plan to bully Doto instantly formed.
"The ears." Doto blinked, not yet realizing why Lucian asked.
"Good." One spoonful down, Lucian put the "ears" in his mouth.
"Meowku~~/(ㄒoㄒ)/"
"Hia~ hiahia" Lucian let out an evil laugh. "Doto, quickly ask me if it's good."
Doto wiped nonexistent tears from her eyes, looking expectantly. "Trainer, good?"
"Fun."
"Fun?"
"Cough cough... wrong, it's good, give you 77 points, Doto should have some foundation originally?" Lucian wiped the sauce from his mouth.
Doto nodded. "Yes."
"Still pretty good." Lucian said. "Alright, step down, don't let the ones behind wait too long."
After Doto walked down the podium, Grass Wonder indeed laughed at Lucian. "Trainer Lucian, no wonder I heard rumors before of you bullying team members."
Thinking about it, she seemed to have been bullied by Lucian once just now.
"I didn't, can't spread rumors, this is me deepening bonds with team members."
...
Later, horse girls came up one after another, Lucian scored them one by one.
"For Tannhauser, 75 points, you cook at home a lot normally?"
Matikanetannhauser: "Guessed by Trainer~ but still far from Trainer."
Very good at talking, Lucian added one more point. "76 points!"
...
"Nature 70 points, keep it up."
"Seventy points?"
Nice Nature made a pondering gesture, currently ranked behind Rice Shower, Doto, and Tannhauser.
Recently often getting "third" this term, thought it was some curse, now it seems she overthought.
"Nature, what's wrong? Not satisfied with this score?"
"No, very satisfied."
Fourth place, also counts as breaking the third place curse.
Who had the second place curse? Don't know, probably hasn't broken yet.
...
"Twin Turbo, 65 points."
"Eh!? Only this much, clearly edible."
"You yourself know it's only just edible level?"
"Doesn't matter! Trainer definitely targeting me!"
...
Excluding some very self-aware horse girls who didn't bring up for scoring, most horse girls were scored.
Lucian prepared to let everyone clean up, then watch him show off, when the last one Oguri Cap came up.
"Please use."
"Oguri, you really tasted it?"
"Mm." Oguri Cap nodded, in a corner no one noticed, she downed it in one bite.
Lucian nodded, then looking at that dark lump, pulled Grass Wonder beside him. "Grass eat first."
Grass Wonder swallowed, looking pitifully at Lucian. "Trainer Lucian, must eat?"
"Never mind, I'll taste." Lucian pulled Grass Wonder away, mentally prepared, tasted a bite.
Chew——swallow.
Grass Wonder waited for Lucian to make a fool of himself, she found she seemed to really like seeing Lucian show a completely different expression from his usual serious look.
Unexplainably excited...
"Sensei, how is it?" Oguri Cap asked.
Lucian paused for a while. "Know Da Vinci?"
"Mm, that very talented person."
"Your current level already has two-thirds of his."
"Really?" Oguri Cap slightly opened her mouth, her calm expression finally showed a trace of emotion.
"Fake." Lucian shook his head. "Since you came up, I still have to point out your shortcomings..."
Lucian patiently explained a bunch, not knowing if Oguri Cap listened.
"Oh, learned."
...