"Don't touch Lady Erina!"
The newcomer's touch seemed to trigger a defensive reflex in Hisako Arato. Like a protective lioness guarding her cub, she swiftly swatted her hand to brush away the hand that dared to touch the noble Lady Erina.
But just as Hisako's fierce palm strike was about to connect...
The other person's hand retracted with unbelievable speed.
"Slap!"
A sharp, loud sound suddenly rang out.
Hisako's palm struck Erina Nakiri's shoulder with full force.
"Ouch!" Erina Nakiri cried out in pain.
"Lady Erina!" Hisako gasped in shock.
"..." Lexon watched as Hisako frantically apologized to Erina while glaring at him with teary, indignant eyes. He was at a loss for words.
He stared at the floating notification that read [GOD'S TONGUE (PROFICIENT)], his mind racing.
'I'm just a little bee doing my daily check-ins...'
'I didn't even do anything.'
"Lady Erina, I'm so sorry, so incredibly sorry..."
"It's fine, Hisako." Erina Nakiri, usually so arrogant in front of others, showed a remarkably gentle side toward her guilt-stricken secretary. She spoke soothingly and lightly wiped away the tears pooling in Hisako's eyes.
"I'm so sorry... Lady Erina..."
"There's no need to apologize anymore, Hisako. I know you were only trying to protect me," Erina comforted her again.
"It's all his fault... it's all because of him..." Hisako directed her angry gaze at the calm-faced Lexon.
"He's my cousin... Hisako." Since Lexon was technically a relative of the Nakiri family, Erina felt the need to clarify.
"Huh? Lady Erina's cousin?" Hisako's anger turned to bewilderment. She quickly bowed slightly toward Lexon and apologized, "Please excuse my rudeness..."
"You don't need to be so polite to him. He's just a cousin Grandpa suddenly found while looking at the family tree a few days ago. The blood relation is so thin it's practically non-existent," Erina Nakiri explained.
She then turned her attention to Lexon and asked, "What are you doing here anyway? Weren't you given enough money?"
"I'm here for the Totsuki Academy entrance exam," Lexon replied flatly.
"What?" Erina's face filled with astonishment. "You haven't even studied the culinary arts... what kind of entrance exam do you think you're taking?"
"I've learned a little bit over the past two months," Lexon said, gesturing a tiny amount with his fingers.
"Are you joking?" Erina couldn't wrap her head around it. Thinking he could pass the Totsuki Academy entrance exam with only two months of study...
Wasn't that just asking for humiliation?
Was he delusional?
Even Hisako Arato had a look of sheer disbelief on her face.
"You won't succeed... You wouldn't even pass a standard entrance exam," Erina told Lexon. "Let alone one where I am the examiner."
"It's always worth a try," Lexon responded with a smile.
"Hmph... suit yourself." Erina turned her head away. "I don't know how you managed to pass the document screening, but all your efforts are destined to be in vain."
"Whether it's in vain or not, you'll just have to wait and see," Lexon said in his usual indifferent tone.
"Hisako, let's go." Erina called to her secretary and walked forward.
"Yes, Lady Erina." Hisako gave Lexon a quick nod before rushing to catch up.
Watching them leave, Lexon felt no particular emotion.
Because he knew the story, he understood these characters and their personalities perfectly.
He knew Erina Nakiri was simply a tsundere young lady with a bit of a mean streak, but not a bad person at heart.
He didn't really harbor any ill will toward her.
After all, he was technically her cousin... How could he have a problem with a cousin who was the Tenth Seat of Totsuki, possessed superb culinary skills, and held the highly trained God's Tongue?
...
"That guy really ticked me off! Seriously!" Inside the hall where the candidates had gathered, Soma Yukihira grumbled to Lexon in frustration.
Lexon remained silent, clearly uninterested in listening.
"Lexon, aren't you curious why I'm so mad? Don't you want to know what he did?" Soma felt frustrated that he couldn't vent properly without a response.
"Let me guess: some rich kid heard your place is just a small diner, suddenly acted all high and mighty, belittled your restaurant, and called you a commoner?" Lexon said casually.
"Huh? How did you know?" Soma's angry expression froze. He stared at Lexon, who described the scene as if he had been there in person.
"Take a guess," Lexon said mysteriously.
"I have no idea!" Soma admitted bluntly. "How on earth did you—"
Before Soma could finish, a sudden commotion among the surrounding candidates interrupted him and caught his attention.
"Wait... is that..."
"No way... Tell me we aren't that unlucky..."
"This is bad..."
Whispers erupted instantly.
Amidst the noise, a beautiful girl with orange hair and another with short pinkish-purple hair walked to the front of the hall together.
As they came to a halt, the murmurs gradually died down.
"Attention, candidates. I am your examiner for today, Erina Nakiri," the orange-haired girl announced, crossing her arms.
"So the examiner is just a young girl... Looks like I've got a decent shot," Soma whispered to Lexon with a grin.
Although he tried to keep his voice down, it was still quite audible in the now-silent hall.
Consequently, Erina Nakiri frowned slightly and glanced in Lexon's direction.
The moment her eyes landed on Lexon, her frown deepened.
She didn't waste any words, simply turning to Hisako. "The notice from the admissions department?"
"Reading it now!" Hisako began to read from the document in her hand.
"First, based on the applications, candidates will undergo group interviews in batches of ten. This will be followed by a technical test involving approximately three dishes. Those who pass will then..."
"Boring." Erina seemed to find the official testing method tedious. She cut Hisako off and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Let's do this instead... Bring the cooking station over."
"Yes!" Hisako Arato replied immediately and quickly rolled the cooking station forward.
Erina Nakiri stepped up to the station, picked up an egg, and held it up for all the candidates to see. "The main ingredient for this exam is the egg. Only those who can produce a dish that satisfies my palate... will be permitted to enter Totsuki Academy."
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]