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"Ryūga-san, wait a moment!"
As Ryūga was leaving the teaching building and preparing to return to Polaris Dormitory, he heard a clear and pleasant female voice from behind him.
Ryūga stopped and turned around.
There she was, wearing the Totsuki Academy uniform, looking pure and playful, standing behind him with a smile.
Ryūga looked at Nakiri Mana and asked calmly:
"Nakiri-san? Do you need something?"
"Huh? Does Ryūga-san know my name?"
Ryūga smiled lightly and said:
"Nakiri-san is quite a famous person in the school. It would be strange if I didn't know your name..."
Upon hearing Ryūga's words, Nakiri Mana smiled gently.
"I was just surprised that Ryūga-san, who always isolates himself and doesn't interact with his classmates, would be interested in school gossip..."
"Oh, then what exactly did Nakiri-san want to see me about? Is it because of what I said in class earlier?"
"Well, I suppose so, but now I'm more interested in you, Ryūga-san. What do you think about walking together for a bit? I'd like to talk to you for a while!"
Ryūga looked at Nakiri Mana, then nodded slightly.
It was natural not to refuse Nakiri Mana's invitation, but Ryūga knew well that Nakiri Mana's invitation to walk together was actually just out of curiosity about him... As for thinking she would be impressed by his classroom display of skill, that was pure imagination.
Ryūga also wanted to get closer to Nakiri Mana, to see what kind of person she really was!
To avoid drawing attention, Ryūga and Nakiri Mana walked along a quiet and deserted path.
And as the falling cherry blossoms fluttered by, Nakiri Mana's mood began to improve.
"Ryūga-san, this place is really beautiful!"
"It is beautiful indeed, but I think Nakiri-san invited me for more than just enjoying the view!"
"Of course not! I'm just curious about a few things, and that's why I came to find Ryūga-san!"
Nakiri Mana stopped and turned to face Ryūga.
"I think Ryūga-san isn't very honest!"
"You think I'm not honest? Why does Nakiri-san say that?"
Nakiri Mana tilted her cute little head and smiled:
"Why does Ryūga-san hide his true strength? The thoughts you shared in class were enough to prove your abilities!"
"You could have achieved better grades, yet you're content with being a poor student... I wonder, what's your motivation behind that? You know that at Totsuki Academy, only the strongest get more resources..."
Ryūga was slightly surprised when he heard what Nakiri Mana said.
He never expected that this would be what truly piqued Nakiri Mana's interest.
Ryūga touched his nose and smiled wryly:
"So, Nakiri-san really misunderstood me!"
"I'm not pretending on purpose; my abilities are truly as everyone has seen before!"
"Although I don't wish to be one of the poor students, in reality, my abilities don't exceed that level!"
"I didn't deliberately hide myself to deceive anyone."
Nakiri Mana was stunned by Ryūga's answer.
Nakiri Mana covered her mouth in surprise and exclaimed:
"Impossible! Ryūga-san knows all these dishes and obscure knowledge—how could he be a poor student?"
"That explanation doesn't make any sense at all."
Ryūga looked at the astonished Nakiri Mana and smiled faintly:
"No, it makes perfect sense, because everyone has their own philosophy and understanding of cooking. Although I'm not good at it now, I firmly believe that if I continue down the path I've chosen, one day I'll become better than everyone else... My low grades are temporary... Maybe one day I'll take Nakiri-san's place as the top student in class!"
If Ryūga couldn't get first place from Nakiri Mana even with the help of the system space and the teachers provided by the system, then it would be better for him to die.
"Oh, so Ryūga-san intends to snatch first place from me?"
"Yes ~"
Nakiri Mana said with a smile:
"Ryūga-san is very confident!"
"So, what is Ryūga-san's philosophy in cooking? I'm very curious, can you tell me about it?"
Ryūga thought for a moment, then pointed to a school building in the distance and said:
"Does Nakiri-san know how to build a skyscraper?"
"Build a skyscraper? I don't. I'm a chef, not an architect. Why would I need to know that?"
"I was just using it as an example."
Ryūga looked at Nakiri Mana and said slowly:
"In my opinion, no matter what field you work in, if you want to achieve something, you must start from the basics and build your foundation!"
"The development of chefs is like building a skyscraper!"
"Before we start constructing any building, the first thing we have to do is lay a solid foundation!"
"A stronger foundation allows for higher and more disaster-resistant construction..."
"So the path I've taken is different from the one Nakiri-san and the others have taken!"
"You're already in the process of constructing the building, while I'm still laying the foundation!"
"I think what I need right now isn't to grow quickly, but to make the foundation I stand on more solid!"
"Theoretical knowledge is the foundation of cooking. I must absorb all the knowledge I can before I start building!"
"In this way, when I officially start constructing the building, my path in the culinary world will be much smoother!"
"The process of building any structure is exactly like the process of a chef preparing a dish!"
"With enough foundation support, we can rise to higher levels. Likewise, our level of knowledge determines the extent of our insight!"
"So, Nakiri-san, you'd better watch out! The moment I decide to officially begin my culinary studies, I'll carve my way toward you and surpass you!"
(Author's note: Apart from anime, novels, and everything else — in real life, the foundation process is truly very important in any profession you start. There are people who don't care about the foundations of the knowledge they learn and ignore or don't delve deeply into it, and when they work in this profession and want to improve their skills further, they literally have to go back to learning the basics and strengthen the foundations of what they once ignored. So when you learn something, try to keep developing your foundation in it, no matter how simple those things are.)