[89] - The Stagiaire, Senzaemon's Suggestion

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Because there were so many people, and so many dishes were made, the tables weren't enough to hold everything.

They even had to bring in two more tables from the storage to fit all the dishes.

At this moment, almost everyone's gazes were fixed on the dishes Yuuki had made.

It couldn't be helped—Yuuki's cooking was truly stunning. Tasting them once, the flavor lingered—and those who hadn't tried them yet were filled with curiosity.

With Yuuki's invitation, everyone dug in.

Undoubtedly, this deliciousness was completely satisfying.

Especially Leonora Nakiri. After eating, the way she looked at Yuuki became more and more like a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law.

She pulled Alice Nakiri aside, whispering something—

Megumi, at this moment, sensed something was amiss. She now felt an intense threat from Alice.

....

After they finished Yuuki's food, although no one was really in the mood to eat anything else, since they had been made, not eating any of it would be somewhat disrespectful.

So, in the end, they all still ate a bit. It had to be said, the Culinary skills of Polar Star residents were truly top-notch. Everyone was at least an Intermediate Chef, with even Megumi Tadokoro and Soma Yukihira reaching the Senior level, though they hadn't gone to the WGO for certification yet.

In Yuuki's opinion, the others would probably reach the Senior Chef level during this upcoming Stagiaire.

Of course, Daigo Aoki and Shōji Satō were exceptions; those two were still quite a ways off. But these two didn't have to worry about expulsion anymore.

Even without Yuuki's direct guidance, as long as they worked hard, they could maintain their current edge. If nothing else, graduating wasn't a problem for them.

While in the past only a few Elite Ten members graduated from Tōtsuki, that was because the standards weren't as high as they were now. In previous years, scores in the eighties during the Autumn Elections were already the highest.

In the current cohort, a score in the eighties would barely be enough to even make it into the top sixteen. So, as long as they were serious and worked hard, Daigo and Shōji could graduate without a hitch.

"Yuuki, your cooking has really improved! It looks like I'll soon be looking up to you!" Gin Dojima, after tasting these dishes, could now confirm: Yuuki's Peony Fish earlier wasn't a fluke.

His other dishes were also incredibly outstanding.

This meant that Yuuki's performance was consistently excellent, not just a one-time wonder.

Even without taking his Culinary Heart into account, these dishes would rank at the top among First Class Chefs.

Although Yuuki was currently still a Second Class Chef, that was The System's rating.

In Gin Dojima's view, even if Yuuki became Special Class tomorrow, it wouldn't be surprising. Surpassing Gin Dojima himself was just a matter of time, and not long either.

This felt a bit surreal to Dojima.

After all, just one semester earlier, Yuuki had only been an Intermediate Chef. It was all thanks to his special ability awakening that Yuuki had skyrocketed to such heights.

Of course, they wouldn't attribute Yuuki's success entirely to his special ability. After all, his special ability couldn't account for all of Yuuki's creativity. It could only be said that Yuuki's cheats were too good, shattering their worldviews countless times.

Yuuki didn't respond to Dojima's praise.

After all, it was just the truth.

"By the way, Yuuki-kun, I have a suggestion for your Stagiaire."

At this moment, Senzaemon Nakiri's words caught everyone's attention—

They naturally all knew about the Stagiaire. The Stagiaire training was just a few days away.

This so-called Stagiaire was essentially a restaurant management simulation, except the difficulty was incredibly high.

It wasn't simply having students run an established restaurant—just getting by without losing money.

Students participating in the Stagiaire were placed in restaurants that were about to go under, facing various problems that had crippled their operations—

—The rules were simple: students had to use their skills to fix these problems and achieve tangible results, revitalizing the restaurant.

And they had to ensure the restaurant could thrive even after they left; simply getting it to function normally for a short period wouldn't cut it.

This assessment was undoubtedly very difficult—the previous Training Camp, as long as one was reasonably careful and had sufficient Culinary skills, they could pass.

But this time, it tested much more than just cooking—it also tested the students' business sense and management abilities.

Compared to this, the earlier breakfast assessment was merely an appetizer.

After this, the number of first-year students would decrease again.

However, this had nothing to do with Polar Star. Even in the original story, the Polar Star residents had all passed easily—

—Not to mention, now, with this enhanced group of Polar Star residents.

For Yuuki, this Stagiaire was essentially just a vacation, a change of pace, and a new experience.

After all, if Yuuki wanted to save a failing restaurant, it would be ridiculously easy—

Just leaving behind one of his recipes, acquiring the restaurant under his banner, and done.

There were several reasons why Senzaemon Nakiri brought this up now, and one was likely this one—of course, there were other factors at play.

"Director, please speak." Yuuki also didn't waste words.

The Stagiaire was, for him, quite boring. So, he wanted to hear what Senzaemon Nakiri had in mind.

"I do have some connections in the WGO. So, I already talked to them. If you're willing, you can temporarily become a Third Class Officer. Taking on this position will be equivalent to your Stagiaire assessment. What do you say?" Senzaemon said with a smile.

He made this decision after tasting Yuuki's series of dishes—

One reason was that a normal Stagiaire would indeed be useless for Yuuki, a complete waste of his time.

The other reason was to see if Yuuki's cooking could handle Mana Nakiri's God's Tongue.

Although the chance of success wasn't high, as long as there was a possibility, he wanted to try.

"A Third Class Officer? Isn't that, like, mid-to-upper management in the WGO?!"

Hearing this, not only were the Polar Star students shocked, but so were the Elite Ten members—

THIS WAS A WGO THIRD CLASS OFFICER!!

Its weight was incomparable to that of some Elite Ten seat. And for a Third Class Officer, as long as they didn't screw up or commit any major blunders, they could keep this position for life!

Their Elite Ten title, however, only lasted a few years.

Moreover, now a Third Class Officer, there was also the chance of promotion in the future. With Yuuki's Culinary skills, becoming a Special Class Officer was only a matter of time.

So now, besides being shocked, they were incredibly envious of Yuuki—

A Third Class Officer was a member of WGO's mid-to-upper management, holding considerable power and authority.

With their current qualifications and Culinary skills, wanting to reach the level of Third Class Officer would take them years, maybe even decades!

Yuuki was only a first-year in high school, and through connections, he was able to directly reach the level of a Third Class Officer.

Even if Senzaemon said this was only temporary, with Yuuki's skills, turning it permanent wouldn't be difficult.

....

Yuuki naturally knew what Senzaemon was planning. However, he also knew that becoming a Third Class Officer would definitely be beneficial for his growth—it would be a good opportunity to meet many exceptional Chefs.

Although there weren't many Chefs currently who could beat him, Yuuki wouldn't let it get to his head.

As they say, "You can learn something from everyone."

There was always something worth learning from others.

Yuuki always cautioned himself not to get arrogant.

He had seen way too many examples of people tripping over their own egos.

"I accept. Thank you, Director." Yuuki directly agreed after some thought.

Hearing this, Senzaemon smiled. He understood Yuuki well enough and knew that Yuuki probably could already guess his motives.

Yuuki agreeing now meant he was willing to help them. So, naturally, Senzaemon was happy.

....

After the party, everyone left and returned to their own places. The next morning, Senzaemon directly called his daughter.

He had already discussed it with Mana Nakiri before, and Mana had agreed to give Yuuki the position of a temporary Third Class Officer.

That's why he had brought it up.

"Father, calling this early... Did Yuuki reply?"

Mana Nakiri, seeing her father call so early in the morning, and since the Autumn Elections had ended yesterday, could guess the reason for his call.

"He accepted! Now it's up to you! Once the Stagiaire starts, I'll send him over!" Senzaemon confirmed.

"GREAT! Then, Father, you don't need to worry about my end. What I'm most interested in is his cooking. LET ME SEE if his cooking can satisfy the God's Tongue!" Mana Nakiri said with some anticipation.

"You shouldn't expect too much just yet. While his Culinary skills can already be considered top-notch internationally, he's still very young. He still needs time to grow."

Senzaemon cautioned her—he was afraid Mana Nakiri couldn't wait.

Although Yuuki was strong, there was still a lot of room for improvement.

He didn't want his daughter to get fixated on this single possibility.

"Don't worry, Father. I've waited so many years; I understand rushing these things doesn't work." Mana said that she knew better than to be impatient—although previously, she HAD been losing patience.

That was because there was no hope in sight.

Now that there was hope, and hope within reach, she naturally also had more patience.

"By the way, Father, if possible, bring Erina along as well," Mana Nakiri said.

This request surprised Senzaemon—Mana hadn't wanted to meet Erina in all these years.

Although Mana Nakiri always acted very strong and assertive in front of Erina, truthfully, she had been afraid, afraid of her daughter blaming her. After all, it was a fact that she abandoned her child and left.

Even if it was caused by the God's Tongue, she had still done it.

"Bring Erina here? Are you sure you've thought this through? Can you face Erina now?" Senzaemon had an inkling as to Mana Nakiri's motives.

Originally, both he and Mana had the idea of somehow having Yuuki and Erina Nakiri become closer.

However, due to Erina's personality, her interaction with Yuuki wasn't frequent.

While Alice Nakiri was also working on it, wanting to truly guarantee a solution to the God's Tongue's problems, it would be best if Yuuki and Erina became a thing...

So Mana Nakiri's current actions were clearly meant to create an opportunity for Yuuki and Erina to interact.

As for Alice—they had already come to terms with it.

Yuuki was destined to become a culinary legend. For such a figure, having a few women by his side was normal.

Even Mana Nakiri thought that if she had encountered such a man, perhaps she would have been willing to share him with others as well.

After all, Yuuki was simply too exceptional. She even suspected Yuuki could, with his own power, single-handedly elevate the level of the entire international culinary world by several tiers.

At that point, Yuuki would become a pioneer for the entire Culinary scene! With such status, if the Nakiri family could be associated with him, it would be a boost to their standing.

"What 'I' want is irrelevant now. Even if Erina blames me, as long as the God's Tongue's curse can be broken, as long as she doesn't suffer the same fate as I did, it's worth it." Mana Nakiri had thought this through.

Having experienced the torment of the God's Tongue herself, she knew what choices were the most important.

"In that case, I'll arrange for Erina to come along as well. But how do you plan on having Erina and Yuuki interact?" Senzaemon Nakiri asked again.

"As a Third Class Officer, having a secretary isn't unusual, right?" Mana Nakiri said with a smile.

Hearing this, Senzaemon's expression turned a bit strange.

To make Erina Nakiri someone's secretary—probably only Mana would come up with such an idea.

But thinking about it, it wasn't a bad idea—although Erina Nakiri's status wasn't low, compared to Yuuki, she was indeed incomparable.

And being Yuuki's secretary, Erina's relationship with him could naturally also become closer.

As for whether Erina could be a good secretary, she did have an excellent secretary of her own.

Senzaemon Nakiri planned to also send Hisako Arato along—Hisako could do the actual secretarial work, freeing up Erina Nakiri's time to interact more with Yuuki.

"Then let's do that! After all, an assessment like the Stagiaire is just a formality for Erina."

Senzaemon Nakiri was naturally very clear about his granddaughter's skill level. With Erina Nakiri's Culinary skill and status, in Japan, going to any restaurant, she'd be treated like a VIP guest chef.

The Stagiaire assessment, for her, was just going through the motions. With her God's Tongue, just making a few slight adjustments to the dishes there would be enough to revive any failing restaurant.

At this moment, Erina Nakiri still had no idea her mother and grandfather were scheming to make her someone's secretary.

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