I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

In those solemn and earnest eyes burned a flame of thirst for victory.

In contrast, Yuu Tenkuji confidently and happily stirs the sauce, completely focused on creating the delicious formula, ignoring the reactions around him.

The fierce competition gradually drew to a close as both sides silently prepared their dishes.

……

To be fair, Yukino Yukinoshita has lived for seventeen years and has never experienced such an agonizing time as this.

First of all, Yui Yuigahama is a complete culinary idiot—

If you ask her to add even a tiny bit of sugar, she'll add a lethal amount of salt;

I asked her to add the right amount of soy sauce, and she added so much that half the bottle was gone.

If you ask her to make a tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet), not only will the egg be half-burnt and half-cooked, but she will also add all sorts of ingredients that have nothing to do with tamagoyaki in order to make the flavor richer.

Yukino Yukinoshita almost exhausted all her energy and explained until her throat was dry before she finally managed to get Yui Yuigahama to make a barely edible, but not deadly, tamagoyaki according to the standard recipe.

Then, a normal bento box will contain at least three dishes...

In other words, she needs to teach Yuihama at least two more dishes to complete this request.

Thinking of this, Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but feel despair, her face pale as she held her forehead.

"Yuigahama, please do not cook without someone else's guidance... for your own sake, and for the safety of those who might eat this dish."

Yui Yuigahama gave a slightly embarrassed, silly smile, hiding the little disappointment in her eyes, and scratched her cheek.

"As expected, I have no talent for cooking."

Ka!

Before she finished speaking, her slender knuckles tapped on the table, producing a crisp, clear sound like ice.

Yukino Yukinoshita stared at her, her voice calm yet filled with intense sharpness and coldness.

"It has nothing to do with talent, Yuihama-kun."

"It is because you were neither focused nor careful, and you had no intention of curbing your clumsiness, allowing yourself to go further and further down the wrong path, that led to the various failures you have now."

Before attributing all problems to "talent" or "fate" and then feigning helplessness in the face of failure, why not first examine what mistakes you made and how you should strive to correct them?

"..."

Yui Yuigahama was speechless, clutching the hem of her clothes, and silently lowered her head.

Yukino Yukinoshita, however, did not let her off the hook. Instead, she continued to speak sharply and aggressively:

"It's your own business if you want to be lax, but now that you've entrusted me with guiding you, it's really unpleasant that you're treating my work so carelessly."

"As your mentor, I feel it's necessary to tell you—immediately correct this foolish and useless idea, and obediently follow the steps to work hard, otherwise you'll always be a terrible cook!"

After saying that, Yukino Yukinoshita exhaled and slowly withdrew her prickly aura.

She calmly turned her head away, tidied up the kitchen utensils she had used, and stopped looking at Yui Yuigahama's expression.

"If you want to continue this commission, then get your mindset in order. I will do my best to teach you a few more bento recipes."

As soon as she finished speaking, the air around her, as she expected, froze and became heavy.

After being lectured so bluntly, a normal person would either turn away in anger and embarrassment, or stand there awkwardly and helplessly, continuing to respond with that annoying, bitter smile.

Yukino Yukinoshita didn't care; she acted solely for her own sense of justice, and what others thought or how they reacted was none of her concern.

In other words, even if Yuihama voluntarily canceled the commission, it was because she lacked the psychological capacity to handle it; she had already fulfilled her obligations and there was nothing to be blamed for.

The cold water flowed through my fingers, rinsing away the remaining foam.

After cleaning the kitchen utensils, Yukino Yukinoshita turned around, preparing to confirm with Yuihama, who had fallen silent.

Just then, two voices that had been quiet for a long time suddenly rang out in the culinary research club's classroom.

"My dish is ready!"

Chapter 77 My Sister Should Like It (Revised)

"Is it finally done...?"

Upon hearing this, Yukino Yukinoshita breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

During the instruction just now, Yui Yuigahama was distracted several times by the two people who were having a cooking competition.

Although she still felt unhappy, Yukino Yukinoshita was somewhat able to understand the other person—if she didn't have strong self-control, even she herself would probably have been unable to help but look over there frequently.

After all, that person's cooking skills were so superb that they were pleasing to the eye. Whether it was adding ingredients, stir-frying, or thickening sauce, every move he made exuded his unique confidence and charisma.

That undisguised charisma of a powerful figure is arguably more appealing than the aroma of the dishes themselves.

This is also the second main reason why Yukino Yukinoshita found this period of time extremely agonizing:

Not only did she have to ignore the strong flavor of Mapo Tofu, but she also had to force herself to ignore the noise he made while cooking, and bring Yui Yuigahama, who was always staring blankly, back to focus on the tamagoyaki in front of her.

...Since the establishment of the Service Department, we have never encountered such a difficult request.

After wiping her hands, Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"Come and try my Magical Mapo Tofu."

After plating the finished dish, Tenkuji Yu turned around and looked at the two people who were supposed to be giving a cooking lesson.

However, they found that the atmosphere between them seemed somewhat subtle and awkward.

Yui Yuigahama looked guilty as if she was reflecting on something, while Yukino Yukinoshita remained unchanged, as calm and composed as ever.

That slight discomfort of hurting others had long been skillfully hidden deep in her eyes.

After only a few glances, Yuu Tenkuji pouted helplessly, "Well, I can probably guess what happened."

Thanks to his keen senses, even while he was focused on cooking, he could still hear the two of them talking like a strict older sister disciplining her useless younger sister.

I guess in the end, Yuihama was scolded by Yukinoshita until she couldn't speak anymore.

“Magical Mapo Tofu?” Ignoring his expression, Yukino Yukinoshita looked at the bright red dish on the plate with a puzzled expression. “Why is it prefixed with ‘magical’?”

It looks no different from regular Mapo Tofu, except that each tofu block is more angular, perfectly intact, and shimmers with a crystal-clear white light.

The green of the garlic sprouts, the red of the chili peppers, and the white of the tofu complement each other perfectly, making one's mouth water—the colors are indeed beautifully matched, but they have absolutely nothing to do with the word 'magical'.

Without immediately answering her question, Yuu Tenkuji walked towards the front desk and, together with Department Head Yukima, placed the plate on the lectern.

While helping to get the dishes, he began to explain in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Six elements in one, that's what makes it different from ordinary Mapo Tofu, it's almost magical."

"You wouldn't understand even if I explained it in detail, so let's just have a taste... and by the way, let's give a critique of which plate of Mapo Tofu is the best."

After saying that, he glanced at Yui Yuigahama, who was standing there with a rather unpleasant expression, and suddenly sighed: "Idiot Yui, you can reflect on your actions later. Come and try the food first."

Like a well-trained house dog, Yui Yuigahama reflexively raised her head and blinked her bright eyes at him.

"Yes! I understand!"

Raising an eyebrow slightly, Yukino Yukinoshita walked to Yuu Tenkuji's side and casually asked, "You two seem to have a pretty good relationship."

He replied with a smile, "Yes, I get along quite well with all humans except you."

"..."

Yukino took a deep breath, deciding not to argue with him for the sake of her mental health.

She glanced at the two plates of Mapo Tofu on the table, paused in surprise, and then couldn't help but stealthily look at Tenkuji Yu.

Even before tasting them, just by looking at them, the superiority or inferiority of the two is obvious to the naked eye.

In terms of color, aroma, and taste, Minister Yukima was completely defeated.

"Ugh~ How did you manage to make the colors so harmonious?!" Department Head Yukima scratched his head, letting out a frustrated sound as if admitting defeat. "It doesn't even look like it was deliberately plated... Damn it, the mapo tofu at the set meal shop can't be this refined!"

"Just keep doing it, and you'll be able to do it sooner or later." Saying this casually, Tenkuji Yu picked up a spoon and scooped into Minister Yukima's Mapo Tofu.

Everyone else, however, reached out for his plate of Mapo Tofu without prior arrangement, even the members of the Culinary Research Club did so.

The crisp sound of porcelain clashing rang out one after another.

The moment the spoon dipped into the thick, cornstarch-stuffed sauce, and the tofu, garlic sprouts, and chili peppers were scooped out—

The strong aroma, which was thought to have been blown away by the wind, exploded into everyone's noses and taste buds again, and was even richer and more intense than during the previous cooking stage!

Everyone held spoons, their breathing gradually becoming heavy, as if they suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

The pungent aroma was like a red dragon breaking free of its chains, spiraling upwards and dominating the space, its sharp claws gripping everyone's sense of taste and smell.

Hot breath brushed against his cheeks, sweat poured uncontrollably from his forehead, and saliva kept flowing from his mouth.

The mere scent was enough to make one's heart pound, as if facing a severe trial—

"...glug."

With a slight twitch of her snow-white neck, Yukino swallowed quietly, mustered her courage, opened her small mouth, and put the spoonful of Mapo Tofu into her mouth.

Before she even chewed the 'tofu,' or rather, the dish didn't require chewing at all, the tofu chunks and thick sauce spread overwhelmingly to every corner of her mouth, taking over her taste buds and consciousness.

Her eyes widened suddenly, her pupils expanding and contracting as if they were breathing—to the point that she couldn't speak.

First, it was scalding hot; the burning temperature felt like it was scorching her nerves, yet she couldn't bear to spit it out of her mouth.

The second is numbness. Even though the tongue is numb to the point of being completely numb, one can still appreciate the deliciousness of food more clearly than usual.

Thirdly, it was spicy. The intense pain caused sweat to constantly bead on her forehead. While she covered her mouth and breathed softly, a strange pleasure rose from the bottom of her heart, making her want to have another bite.

It felt as if my mouth was tightly wrapped in a hot, sticky gelatinous layer, along with my throat leading to my nasal cavity and esophagus, creating an intense feeling of suffocation without any chewing.

Suppressing the pain, Yukino Yukinoshita swallowed the Mapo Tofu in her mouth.

"Ha ha……"

Her flat chest heaved violently, and her lips were as red and full as if they had just been attacked.

Her face was flushed as she gasped for breath, unconsciously tilting her head back and closing her eyes, savoring the pure, delicious sensation that warmed her entire stomach.

Then, Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly woke up and quickly suppressed her somewhat embarrassing and strange reaction. Seemingly afraid that someone would discover her lapse in composure, she quietly looked around.

Fortunately, the others weren't much better off; nobody was concerned about anyone else...

"Is it tasty?"