Hinako Inui / Taste Testing ...

She involuntarily looked at her young lady with concern.

Hinako Inui

"Lady Erina!" Hisako Arato said to Erina, who stood before her. "That person who just passed by was Young Master Luo, wasn't he?"

"It was him. I didn't expect him to come here." Erina withdrew her gaze from Luo Yu. "Hisako, find out where he's staying when you have time."

"Yes, Lady Erina!"

Luo Yu did not notice Erina's gaze. After all, most of the first-year Tootsuki students were looking at his group, and he had no intention of figuring out whose eyes belonged to whom. Let them look. It wasn't like he would lose a piece of flesh. With that mindset, the group simply ignored everyone else's stares.

Before long, they arrived at the restaurant Tsumugi Kotobuki had mentioned. To Luo Yu's surprise, the restaurant specialized in mainland cuisine.

So what Tsumugi meant by delicious was mainland cuisine?

Though he did not quite understand it, Luo Yu still trusted Tsumugi's taste. Besides, any restaurant capable of operating in a place like Tootsuki Resort had to be among the best in Sakura Province.

Led by a waiter, everyone took their seats at the table. They casually ordered a few dishes, and once the food arrived, they began eating.

After lunch, they began exploring the luxurious resort. Though calling it exploring was a bit of a stretch—they were really just wandering around.

It had been Ritsu Tainaka's suggestion. Since they had nothing else to do, she said, they might as well check out the Tootsuki students' assessments.

The girls all supported Ritsu's proposal. Seeing how enthusiastic they were, Luo Yu did not object and simply let them have their way.

As they approached the assessment area, the girls were shocked from afar. They had never imagined that people around their age could be so skilled.

They knew those students attended a culinary academy, but the Tootsuki students still shattered their understanding of cooking. Though they had eaten Luo Yu's food before, they had simply thought it tasted good.

A few of them could not even cook rice yet.

"I want to eat!" Yui Hirasawa drooled as she sniffed the fragrant aromas in the air and watched the students cooking.

The others could not help twitching at the corners of their mouths. If they remembered correctly, they had just finished lunch, hadn't they? Why did Yui already want to eat again?

"Oh my~ Are you guests?"

At that moment, a gentle female voice sounded beside them.

Luo Yu and the others followed the voice and saw a beautiful woman with a brownish housewife hairstyle, dressed in a chef's uniform, standing beside them at some point.

Still, that hairstyle really was dangerous.

Looking at the newcomer's hairstyle, Luo Yu instinctively complained in his heart.

"Yes! We're terribly sorry! Did we interrupt your assessment?" Tsumugi Kotobuki pulled back Yui Hirasawa, whose eyes were shining as she stared at the students' cooking, and quickly apologized.

"It's fine. She's such a cute child, after all. Judging by the way you look, would you like to come inside and watch?"

Hinako Inui invited the group before her. She had noticed Luo Yu's group from inside earlier. At first, she had thought they were Tootsuki students too, but when she saw that they were not wearing uniforms, she realized they were probably guests here for fun.

However, Yui Hirasawa's expression had struck her as adorable, so she came out to greet them. Hinako liked cute things, after all.

"Oh! I nearly forgot to introduce myself! My name is Hinako Inui, and I'm currently the examiner for these people."

So it was Hinako. No wonder she had seemed a little familiar.

Luo Yu could not be blamed for failing to recognize her. Anime and real people were different, after all. Unless someone had especially distinctive features, who could guarantee they would recognize them at a glance?

"Huh? You're Hinako Inui? The owner and head chef of the restaurant Mist House, an 80th-generation graduate of Tootsuki Academy, the former second seat of the Totsuki Elite Ten, the Empress of Mist?" Tsumugi Kotobuki exclaimed upon hearing Hinako's introduction.

After all, Tootsuki's Elite Ten graduates were fairly well-known in Sakura Province's culinary world. They might not have been as famous internationally as the outstanding graduates of the mainland's New Oriental, but within Sakura Province, they were still quite impressive.

But that could not be helped. The mainland's New Oriental was East Asia's number one culinary academy.

Tsumugi had eaten at Hinako Inui's restaurant before, but she had never actually met her.

"What's with that whole string of titles?"

Ritsu Tainaka instinctively complained. That ridiculously long list of titles left her speechless.

"Looks like you know me." Hinako Inui looked at Tsumugi in surprise. "Have you been a guest at my restaurant before?"

"Yes, I've been to Mist House a few times. This time, our club came to Tootsuki Resort for a trip. My name is Tsumugi Kotobuki."

Once Tsumugi began introducing herself, the others followed suit.

"My name is Mio Akiyama."

"My name is Ritsu Tainaka."

"Um, my name is Yui Hirasawa."

"Luo Yu. And she's Mashiro Shiina."

Luo Yu did not really want to introduce Mashiro for her, but she had suddenly entered sketching mode and did not look as though she would introduce herself.

"Mm-hm, it looks like we have a very focused child here. So, would you still like to come in and take a look?" Hinako Inui did not mind Mashiro's reaction and continued inviting Luo Yu and the others.

"Can we really? We won't affect you, will we?" Tsumugi Kotobuki asked hesitantly. This was clearly an exam, after all. Going in like this would definitely disturb others, wouldn't it?

The other girls thought the same. They were all kind-hearted girls, and if their actions affected others and caused someone to fail, that would be terrible. Even Yui Hirasawa only wanted to go in and mooch some food, but she was also afraid of disturbing people.

"It's fine. If they fail just because you disturb them, then it means they aren't cut out for this. Once they become chefs, even more unexpected situations will be waiting for them. Besides..."

Hinako Inui let out a helpless sigh.

"If you come in, I'll be thanking you, not the other way around. Tasting dishes is exhausting, you know. There are so many students. Even if I only take one bite from each student's dish, I might still end up too full to move."

Hinako Inui was helpless about it too, but it was her job. And since she only took a small bite from each dish, most of the rest would be thrown away. That was far too wasteful.

Now that she had the chance, she might as well invite these cute girls in to help taste the food. It would reduce waste and lighten her burden a little. Mm, perfect!

Tasting Dishes

After hearing Hinako Inui out, everyone stopped hesitating and agreed. The Light Music Club girls then followed Hinako inside.

Luo Yu, however, had a headache. Mashiro was still sketching, and he could not leave her outside alone.

But Luo Yu immediately felt someone take his hand. When he looked up, Mashiro had already left her sketching state.

"Mashiro, are you done drawing?"

"No. Yu was leaving, so I stopped drawing."

So she could leave that state on her own, huh?

Without saying anything further, Luo Yu took Mashiro's hand and caught up with the girls ahead.

The Tootsuki students were a little bewildered when several strangers suddenly entered, but Hinako Inui's voice immediately snapped them back to their senses.

"Stop standing around and get back to work! Do you want to fail? Also, these are guests I invited, and they are the guests you need to satisfy next. They'll serve as judges alongside me and continue evaluating your dishes."

Everyone present was startled upon hearing that. The more judges there were, the more variables there would be. No one knew whether this was good or bad.

As the Tootsuki students steadily continued preparing their dishes, Hinako invited the group to sit down, and they began chatting together.

"Big Sister Hinako, can we really be judges?" Tsumugi Kotobuki asked uncertainly. Hinako Inui had strongly insisted that Luo Yu and the others call her that. The girls also turned questioning looks toward Hinako.

Hinako knew what the girls were worried about and said, "You don't need to worry. Just tell me how you honestly feel. Whether it tastes good, for example. Besides, I'll be the one deciding whether they pass."

Hearing that, the girls finally put aside their last concerns. They happily began chatting with Hinako about other things.

Through their conversation, Hinako Inui also learned about Luo Yu's group.

The girls beside her had been brought here for fun by the boy next to them. They all belonged to the same club at the same school and seemed to be very close friends. But they were not dating him. According to the girls, the boy's girlfriend was probably the girl beside him, though they were not entirely sure either.

After learning about them, Hinako was rather surprised. She had not expected this boy to be so wealthy that he could bring an entire club to Tootsuki Resort.

Also, Hinako found the club's makeup rather absurd. Why were all its members girls aside from that one boy?

Though she was curious, Hinako would not ask such questions.

Time gradually passed as everyone chatted. Before long, someone came forward carrying a dish. It seemed to be a chubby boy and a blond-haired youth.

"Grilled crossbred duck with green sauce. Please enjoy." The blond youth spoke to Hinako Inui in an extremely confident tone.

Hearing that, everyone looked over curiously and found that the dish's color and aroma were both quite good.

Hinako Inui brought over several clean pairs of chopsticks and handed them to Luo Yu and the others. Luo Yu sniffed the scent in the air, then set his chopsticks down. He had no intention of tasting it. He had just eaten lunch, and this dish was not worth going out of his way to try.

The girls, on the other hand, eagerly prepared to taste it. They did not have Luo Yu's skill and only thought that the dish before them looked delicious.

"Then, let's eat."

Hinako Inui was the first to pick up a piece of duck, coating it with the green sauce before putting it into her mouth.

"The crossbred duck is brimming with wild fragrance, and that cool sensation surging straight into the nasal cavity greatly elevates the flavor's refinement. Ah~"

As Hinako chewed the food in her mouth, she made some sounds that would not exactly pass review easily.

The Light Music Club girls were frightened stiff by Hinako's reaction. Even the hands holding their chopsticks froze in midair.

The girls looked at the dish before them in fear. They seriously suspected that it had been laced with some unspeakable drug.

After hesitating again and again, Yui Hirasawa still could not resist the temptation of delicious food. She picked up a piece of duck and put it in her mouth.

"Ah~ Delicious!" After a moan, Yui's eyes shone as she reached out with her chopsticks, ready to grab another piece.

The other girls exchanged looks, swallowed, then seemed to make up their minds. They reached out with their chopsticks, picked up pieces of duck, and began chewing.

Several more inexplicable sounds followed.

Luo Yu watched the entire process with a blank expression.

Honestly, Luo Yu did not understand why some people acted as if they had been drugged just from eating a meal. When he ate delicious food, he would only say that it tasted good.

When he competed against Erina, Luo Yu had noticed that the judges ate Erina's food as if they had been drugged, while his own food only drew ordinary praise.

It seemed everyone thought Erina's food was better, yet he won every time. But Luo Yu always felt that although he had won, he had somehow lost in another sense.

After thinking it over for a night, Luo Yu understood. Where was this? Food Wars! What kind of chef was one who could not drug people?

After that, Luo Yu worked hard. As his cooking improved, he constantly studied how to drug people. Finally, through relentless effort, Luo Yu learned the skill of drugging food. And it was controllable. Now, Luo Yu could drug a dish whenever he wanted.

After mastering that craft, Luo Yu was not satisfied. He began researching glowing cuisine. Though he ultimately failed, he still gained something. For example, he could now add special effects to dishes.

According to Luo Yu's own estimate, glowing cuisine would only become possible once he reached LV6.

The surrounding students did not care about the girls' loss of composure. Instead, they looked at the blond youth's dish and began whispering among themselves.

"Hey! That green sauce—isn't it salsa verde?"

"The one made by chopping Italian parsley and anchovies? The essential Italian sauce?"

"What are you thinking? The theme is Sakura cuisine, isn't it? This has already gone off-topic. You'll definitely be disqualified for this."

But those remarks did not shake the two at all. Instead, they looked confidently at Hinako Inui, waiting for her evaluation.

Hinako Inui also broke free from the food-induced illusion, set down her chopsticks, and said, "No... This sauce wasn't made with anchovies. It used salted sweetfish, with salted sweetfish roe as the main ingredient."

The surrounding students exclaimed in surprise at Hinako's explanation. The girls, who were complete outsiders, merely stared at them in confusion.

Next, Hinako had the two explain how they had made their dish.

After explaining, the two waited confidently for Hinako's evaluation.

Satisfying Customers Is a Chef's Responsibility

"Takumi Aldini and Isami Aldini, right? You've passed."

Hinako Inui finally gave them a passing evaluation.

"Thank you!"

The brothers bumped fists, their expressions as confident as ever. But they soon noticed that Luo Yu beside them had not touched his chopsticks.

Takumi frowned slightly at the sight, but he did not say anything. Whether a guest wanted to eat was their freedom, and perhaps this guest had not come to taste the food at all. Maybe he was simply here to watch.

After the Aldini brothers served their dish, the other students gradually came forward with their own dishes.

The girls tasted every serving, but they did not know how to score them, so they were simply responsible for eating.