Tokyo School's Top Chef?

"Phone?" Lin Ran froze for a moment, then said strangely, "I didn't receive any calls from you. There weren't even any notifications."

So he had missed something?

"Obviously. How could anyone get through when your phone bill was overdue?" Nobara Kugisaki removed her hand from Lin Ran's ear and crossed her arms over her chest, her tone softening somewhat. "Check your phone balance before you go out next time. The school will worry if you suddenly go out of contact."

Lin Ran immediately took out his phone and checked. Sure enough, his bill was overdue, though he had no idea when it had happened.

He had been busy with part-time work these days and really hadn't paid attention to his phone.

"Did I miss anything? What have you all been doing these past few days?" Lin Ran smiled awkwardly. He would have Fushiguro top up his phone later.

"Nothing much. We went out to handle some things earlier. Now that you're back, we can get started." Nobara Kugisaki clapped her hands as Fushiguro Megumi walked over.

"Start what?" Lin Ran asked, then looked at Fushiguro Megumi with a smile. "Fushiguro, help me top up my phone. I'll give you cash."

"The Kyoto Sister School Exchange. It's an exchange event with the other Jujutsu High in Kyoto. The principals of Tokyo School and Kyoto School each propose a format for the competition. It lasts two days, one day for the Team Battle and one for the Individual Battle. Other than not being allowed to kill, it's an unrestricted battle between Jujutsu Sorcerers."

After explaining, Fushiguro Megumi took out his phone. Without another word, he began topping up Lin Ran's balance.

Both Fushiguro Megumi and Nobara Kugisaki had Lin Ran's number. Fushiguro Megumi didn't even ask how much he wanted to top up and simply did it.

"You don't need to pay me back. Consider it repayment for the meals you treated me to before." Fushiguro Megumi wasn't stingy. He didn't care about the small amount it cost to top up a phone.

"Haha, I can't just accept that..." Lin Ran wasn't the sort to take advantage of others for free. Besides, he didn't even know how much Fushiguro had topped up.

"Ahem..." Fushiguro Megumi suddenly looked a little uncomfortable. "It's fine. Just treat me to a meal next time."

Lin Ran paused, then burst out laughing. "Hahaha, Fushiguro, I never thought I'd hear you say something like that. I thought you'd stay cool forever."

Fushiguro Megumi immediately turned around and left. Nobara Kugisaki glanced at his comical retreating figure and said, "Good food is always tempting."

"Anyway, training starts tomorrow, so don't screw up." Nobara Kugisaki stretched lazily, got up, and returned to her room.

After returning to his room, Lin Ran took out the snacks he had brought back. He had prepared them for Fushiguro and the others, and there was some for the second-year seniors as well.

Although he had returned in a hurry, he had still bought some delicious things around the Tokyo area. Lin Ran knew how to handle relationships well. They were all his own people, after all. Getting along was more enjoyable when everyone was closer.

A while later, night had fallen. After shutting off his computer, Lin Ran brought the snacks he had bought to the kitchen. Then he went to the cafeteria to get ingredients and began cooking.

The second-years were around for once, so he could show off his skills. It wasn't enough to win over the stomachs of the first-years and Teacher Gojo. At the very least, he needed to win over the stomachs of all the Jujutsu High students.

"Fushiguro, have the second-year seniors come to the kitchen for dinner later. Don't go to the school cafeteria. You guys come too."

Lin Ran sent Fushiguro Megumi a message in advance. While he was at it, he checked his balance and found that it was enough to last three months. Fushiguro was surprisingly generous.

After receiving Fushiguro Megumi's reply, Lin Ran happily began cooking.

"I heard Jujutsu High had gotten a top chef. I didn't expect it to be you." Maki Zenin led the way in, with Panda and Toge Inumaki behind her, smiling as they raised their hands in greeting.

"Welcome, welcome. But I wouldn't call myself a top chef, Maki." Lin Ran laughed. They really knew how to flatter him, though he was quite happy about it.

"You cooked all of this?" Maki pushed up her glasses and asked in disbelief.

The table was filled with colorful dishes—more than a dozen in total. Not only were they richly fragrant enough to make mouths water, but they also looked incredible.

Panda and Toge Inumaki gathered around, unconsciously swallowing.

Nobara Kugisaki and Fushiguro Megumi arrived as well. Although they had eaten Lin Ran's cooking before, they were still somewhat surprised by the more than ten dishes on the table.

The five of them had eaten quite a few dishes last time. With three more people this time, there naturally had to be more food—especially with Panda, whose appetite couldn't be measured by ordinary standards.

It was just that two people were missing this time. Satoru Gojo and Yuji Itadori couldn't make it.

"That's right. Everyone, have a seat. Dinner will be ready soon." Lin Ran set down his spatula and pointed at the large wooden tub nearby. "There should be enough rice in there for everyone."

That was actually directed at Panda-senpai. His appetite was probably the largest here.

Everyone immediately turned to look at Panda. Embarrassed, he shook his head. "Actually, I don't eat that much in this form. Don't worry, everyone..."

Only then did everyone look away and turn their attention back to the dishes in front of them.

Lin Ran didn't make them wait long. Once the final dish was served, he smiled and said, "Today is my second time meeting the seniors, though it also feels like the first. So please try my cooking. I hope I won't disappoint you."

"Let's eat!"

"Let's eat!"

Everyone had been waiting impatiently. They picked up their chopsticks and began eating. There were a full fifteen dishes on the table. Lin Ran cooked quickly, so it hadn't taken long to make all fifteen dishes by himself.

With that kind of speed and skill, it was no wonder those restaurant bosses had wanted to keep him, even willing to pay any price to make him stay.

"So good!"

"This is delicious~"

"Mhm, mhm."

"Salmon!"

Everyone wore expressions of enjoyment. Some were more exaggerated, some more reserved, but without exception, they were all praising Lin Ran's cooking.

"The title of top chef belongs to you. There's no need to argue with anyone over it." Maki turned to Lin Ran. "If anyone questions it, send them to me."

"Exactly, exactly. It's so rare for a Jujutsu Sorcerer to have cooking skills this good." Panda was eating with great delight. Even as he spoke, he kept chewing and shoveling food into his mouth.

Compared to the others, Toge Inumaki and Fushiguro Megumi were the truly refined ones. They were eating enthusiastically too, but nowhere near as extravagantly as the others.

Nobara Kugisaki directly pulled a plate of food over, poured the sauce over her rice, mixed it together, then opened her mouth wide and gulped it down without any concern for her image.

"Thanks for everyone's support. Leave the meals to me from now on." Lin Ran smiled in satisfaction. He had won over these seniors' stomachs too, so he needed to hurry up and eat before everything was snatched away.

There were more than a dozen dishes, half meat and half vegetables. The cafeteria had been generous; otherwise, there was no way they would have provided so many ingredients. Lin Ran figured Teacher Gojo must have put in a word.

But even with all those dishes, they didn't last long among the six people and were quickly wiped out.

Panda-senpai finished most of the food by himself. Nobara Kugisaki and Maki ate the next most, while Lin Ran and the other two came last, making them seem quite refined by comparison.