A Story About a Blonde Gal Angel Who Excessively Praises My Cooking. After Asking Me to Teach Her How to Cook, Feelings of Mutual Love Began to Grow - Chapter 54-55

Chapter 54: Time to Try It!!

“Now then, who will win?”

With full confidence, Tomitsugu-senpai puffed out her chest and crossed her arms. She placed her finished dish in front of us as if to show it off.

“Italian cuisine, huh.”

“That’s right.”

“It looks delicious…”

Even Amatsuka-san was staring at Tomitsugu-senpai’s dish with a face that seemed ready to drool.

To create an Italian-inspired dish as a starter, soup, and main course within 30 minutes requires an incredible amount of creativity and adaptability. To pull it off at this level… she’s a monster.

“What do you think, Takeru Motobu? If you surrender right now, I might let only you join the club.”

Before the battle, she was recruiting Amatsuka-san as well, but now it seemed like she was only after me if I gave up.

Can you please stop rewriting memories? Amatsuka-san has nothing to do with this, right? …Well, technically, Amatsuka-san was the one who accepted the challenge, though.

“I’m not surrendering. Besides, in the end, it’s up to the teachers to decide who wins.”

“True, but the result is already clear.”

“We won’t know until it’s over.”

Amatsuka-san, who had been mesmerized by Tomitsugu-senpai’s dish, quickly turned to glare at her in an attempt to compete. Her furrowed brows didn’t make her look particularly angry—if anything, it was kind of cute.

“I brought some teachers who weren’t too busy!”

The gallery kindly brought some teachers from the staff room. Since it was before dinner, more teachers gathered than I expected. Luckily, there were an odd number of them, so there would be a definitive winner.

“This looks delicious.”

“I can’t believe students made this level of food…”

“They’re better cooks than I am…”

From young teachers to the head of the grade, seven teachers of various ages and genders stood before us.

“We’d like you teachers to taste each of these dishes and judge which one was better overall.”

“Understood.”

We served the dishes to the eager teachers. The gallery, meanwhile, was complaining about how hungry they were. This food battle at dinnertime must be torturous for the growing students.

“This marinated dish is so tasty.”

“The tuna carpaccio is impressive too.”

The octopus and cucumber marinade Tomitsugu-senpai made looked so vibrant that I felt tempted to try it myself.

If this battle had allowed for pre-preparation, Tomitsugu-senpai might have even served a terrine as an appetizer. The thought alone sent chills down my spine. If we weren’t in a quick contest, I probably wouldn’t have stood a chance. So, I was relieved I’d managed to turn it into a short-term fight.

“What’s this?”

“That’s chicken breast piccata.”

“Never heard of it.”

“Mmm! This is delicious. I can’t believe chicken breast can be this tender!”

“The consommé mixed into the beaten eggs really brings out the flavor. It’d make a great snack with drinks… Ah, now I want a beer.”

“You’re still on the job!”

Piccata, or piccata in Italian, is a dish where meat is seasoned with salt and pepper, coated in flour, dipped in beaten eggs with grated cheese, and then sautéed. In Japan, pork piccata is also popular.

By coating the chicken breast in flour before sautéing, it locks in the meat’s moisture and flavor. This prevents the breast meat from becoming dry. Her cooking skills and knowledge are no joke.

“This omelet looks amazing too. I’ve only ever seen such a perfect yellow omelet in restaurants.”

“Is this a food replica?”

“Whoa! The inside is so gooey!”

“Wait! I haven’t taken a picture yet! It had such a cute heart too…”

“Don’t try to upload it to Instagram during the students’ contest!”

Amatsuka-san was probably nervous inside as well. Although the teachers didn’t know who made which dish, maintaining a poker face would be impossible.

“This Italian soup has a nice garlic kick.”

“The vegetables in this minestrone are so flavorful and soothing.”

I was worried about the minestrone I made. Tomitsugu-senpai’s garlic-rich soup might overpower mine. While garlic is sometimes used in minestrone, I decided not to include it after seeing what she made.

“Both are hard to give up.”

“Why can’t we just say everything was delicious?”

“Come on, Teacher, this is a contest—you have to decide.”

The gallery began to stir as the teachers pondered their decision. Students from the gallery couldn’t hold back any longer and started to dig into the dishes themselves. They had clearly reached their limit.

“Teachers, I set the cooking time to 30 minutes because I want to make it to the supermarket before it closes, so please decide quickly.”

“Wait, all of this was made in just 30 minutes?!”

“Yes,” we both answered.

The second-year members of the cooking club were impressive enough, but the teachers were particularly surprised by me and Amatsuka-san, who were first-years.

No, stop being surprised and decide already… I might still make it in time!

“I’ve made my decision.”

“Me too.”

“I’ve decided as well.”

The teachers looked at each other and pointed simultaneously. Everyone in the gallery, along with those present, held their breath to see what would happen next.

“And the winner is…”

—

Chapter 55: The Result

“The result is… the Amatsuka-Motobu team!”

“W-why…?”

“We did it, Motobu-kun!”

Tomitsugu-senpai dropped to her knees in disbelief. Meanwhile, Amatsuka-san jumped up and down with joy. She was so happy that she intertwined her fingers with mine as she jumped, which made me feel really embarrassed.

“Why…?”

With a voting result of 5 to 2, Tomitsugu-senpai seemed unsatisfied with the outcome.

Her skills and knowledge in creating three Italian dishes on the spot for the sudden cooking contest were impressive. The plating and the high quality of her dishes were well beyond the level of a typical high school student.

Yet, the result was our victory.

“May I ask why you voted the way you did?”

Of the seven teachers, the five who voted for our dishes were all men. The two remaining votes from the female teachers went to Tomitsugu-senpai’s dishes.

“The omelet was delicious.”

“I agree.”

“…The heart mark…”

“The Italian dishes were tasty, but it felt like a waste to serve them in a tracksuit.”

“I thought I’d only ever see a beautiful omelet like that in a restaurant, so it left a big impression.”

One of the teachers who mumbled about the heart mark had a dead look in his eyes. Is it just my imagination, or did the shine on his wedding ring look dull?

Two of the male teachers were young, and it seemed their lack of knowledge about food worked in our favor. Though making a perfectly colored omelet is easy to learn if you watch some videos, it’s not impossible to do. But most people don’t go to that much trouble for an omelet.

“What about the teachers who voted for Tomitsugu-senpai?”

“It was Instagram-worthy.”

“The piccata was shockingly delicious.”

I had tasted the chicken breast piccata myself, and it was indeed good. Chicken breast is low in fat, high in protein, and popular among people who are dieting or working out.

The way she prepared that chicken breast so deliciously made sense. It made me want to try making it myself.

“That’s what they said, Senpai.”

“…”

She looked completely defeated.

Well, now I can head to the supermarket without any regrets. Since we declared the challenge in front of a crowd, it would be too embarrassing and forceful to make me join the cooking club against my will. Tomitsugu-senpai’s pride wouldn’t allow it either.

“So, thank you all for your cooperation in this cooking contest. And thank you, teachers, for taking the time out of your busy schedules.”

“Thank you for the meal.”

Before this turned into any more trouble, I, being just a mob character, took control of the situation and dismissed the teachers and onlookers.

I wanted to go home quickly. I didn’t want to be involved with Tomitsugu-senpai, who was sulking after her defeat. I acknowledged her skill, but she lost—to Amatsuka-san.

“Senpai, the contest is over. Can I go home now?”

“…Yes, I suppose so…”

It’s strange to feel this way after winning, but I couldn’t help feeling a little sorry for her. After all, we had only just met. There was no lead-up, no backstory—just a sudden cooking contest. That’s all there was to our connection.

“…I’m sorry, you two. This cooking club will probably be disbanded soon.”

“…Yes.” “Yeah…”

Amatsuka-san and I found ourselves caught up in the gloomy atmosphere. Even though she had been full of determination before the contest, Amatsuka-san now looked dejected.

It’s understandable. After all, there wasn’t some deep grudge like having a family member killed or anything.

“I…”

“Senpai.”

Amatsuka-san started to say something, but I cut her off. I had a feeling I knew what she was about to say.

“I wouldn’t mind joining the cooking club.”

“…”

Tomitsugu-senpai seemed to feel anger, thinking I was offering out of pity.

“But I have conditions. I’m a full-time homemaker, so I’d only be a ghost member. I might consider showing up if needed, but with that, you’d meet the required number of members. In exchange…”

Tomitsugu-senpai looked suspicious, wondering what I was going to demand.

I didn’t know why she was so attached to this cooking club, and I didn’t care.

“In exchange, I’d like your help when I go grocery shopping. Things like the limit on how many eggs you can buy are quite troublesome. As someone who likes to shop smart, I could use the extra hands at times.”

“…Huh?”

Please stop looking at me like I’m crazy; it’s scary. But seriously, there are times when you’re limited to one pack of eggs per person.

“I’m not saying anything strange, am I? It’s just homemaking wisdom. Knowing how to buy things cheaply is part of being a good cook. I’d appreciate it if the three members of the cooking club could help with that. That’s all.”

It was just an excuse. I probably wouldn’t call on them for something like that. How greedy would I have to be to do that?

Still, just having my name on the club’s roster would count as club participation, which could help with my school evaluations. As long as I remain a ghost member, I won’t lose anything.

“How about it? The cooking club gets to continue, and I get some help with my household budget. It’s a mutually beneficial deal, don’t you think?”

“…Ruaiko, I’m fine with that.”

“Me too.”

The two other members agreed with my proposal. Somehow, this made me feel like the bad guy.

“…I’ll repay this debt one day.”

Tomitsugu-senpai’s words sent chills down my spine. It felt like she might actually try to kill me.

“So, we have a deal, then.”

I extended my hand to the still-kneeling Tomitsugu-senpai. She grabbed it firmly, stood up, and glared at me as if she wanted to kill me with her eyes.

“Don’t forget this!!”

“Ruaiko!”

Tomitsugu-senpai yelled pitifully and ran off, with one of her club members chasing after her.

…Oddly enough, she looked cute when she ran. The whole loser act really suited her.

“Well, shall we go, Amatsuka-san? I got a message from Miake-san saying she reserved some lettuce for us, so we should head to the supermarket.”

“Oh, uh, yeah.”

“Then, excuse us. We’ll be leaving now. I’ll fill out the membership form tomorrow.”

With the contest over, I felt relieved.

That was all.