"I know you might not agree with what I'm saying, but you should at least acknowledge Soma Yukihira's skill, right?"
Putting aside his annoying personality, Erina did recognize Soma Yukihira's ability.
Especially after tasting his 'Egg Rice,' Erina had tried to recreate it afterward. However, despite it being a simple dish, Erina couldn't replicate the taste her God Tongue had experienced.
So, although she disliked Soma Yukihira's personality, Erina had to admit that his culinary skills were superior to most at Totsuki Academy.
"Now, what if I told you that Soma Yukihira had always lost to someone else before coming to Totsuki Academy?
And what if that person also came to Totsuki Academy this time and was in the same year as you? What would you think?"
Nekomiya Senzaemon's words genuinely surprised Erina this time, and she looked at her grandfather with a surprised expression, saying, "Is that person much better than that annoying guy on stage?"
Her grandfather had just said that her level was only slightly better than Soma Yukihira's, and if another person who beat Soma Yukihira was much better than him, wouldn't that mean Erina Nakiri couldn't beat that person!
"According to my old friend's letter, the difference isn't small, and the dish that person used to beat Soma Yukihira wasn't even their specialty."
Nekomiya Senzaemon was also extremely curious about the other young man, Wenren Seiya, mentioned in Saiba Joichiro's letter.
Because he understood Saiba Joichiro's personality and rarely saw him praise a young man so highly.
Having run a shop together on the same street for so many years, Saiba Joichiro naturally knew that the Wenren family's culinary tradition was strongest in their incredibly precise knife skills.
In other words, the type of cuisine that would allow the Wenren family to maximize their culinary skills should be sashimi-like dishes.
He had previously tasted the 'Seafood Fried Rice' made by Seiya, which was not his full strength.
It was also out of curiosity about Saiba Joichiro's son and the young genius he mentioned in his letter that Nekomiya Senzaemon secretly went to the entrance exam site and, after it was over, tasted Soma Yukihira's 'Egg Rice.'
Just one bite of the already cold 'Egg Rice' was enough to make the Totsuki Academy Director "burst his clothes."
Saiba Joichiro didn't mention how excellent his son was in the letter, only calling him slightly talented.
But this "slightly talented" evaluation, the dishes he made were already enough to make him "burst his clothes," which also led Nekomiya Senzaemon to be extremely curious about the other culinary genius in Saiba Joichiro's letter.
It was a pity that the other young man Saiba Joichiro mentioned in his letter didn't come to Totsuki Academy with Soma Yukihira this time.
However, Soma Yukihira's strength and Saiba Joichiro's evaluation of him made Nekomiya Senzaemon unwilling to give up.
"Erina, would you like to see the person who, if they came to Totsuki this time, would likely take your first place?"
That's right, although Wenren Seiya didn't come to Totsuki Academy, that didn't mean Nekomiya Senzaemon couldn't go to him.
Although it would be a bit demeaning for him, the dignified Totsuki Academy Director, the number one in the Japanese culinary world, to condescend to find a fifteen-year-old boy, Nekomiya Senzaemon felt it was worth it if that boy was truly the culinary genius Saiba Joichiro spoke of.
As for why Nekomiya Senzaemon would bring Erina with him to see Seiya, there were two reasons.
The first reason was that Erina possessed the 'God Tongue,' and perhaps no one was more talented than her when it came to tasting food.
The other reason was that Nekomiya Senzaemon believed his granddaughter was arrogant, and if Wenren Seiya was truly as excellent as Saiba Joichiro said, then curbing her arrogance this time might not be a bad thing for her.
The next morning, at the entrance of Totsuki Academy, a pair of young boys and girls started bickering as soon as they met.
"Why are you here?"
Erina was extremely unconvinced by the culinary genius of the same age that her grandfather Nekomiya Senzaemon had mentioned yesterday, so she gladly accepted her grandfather's invitation and planned to use her 'God Tongue' to test whether the other party was genuine.
However, what Erina didn't expect was that she had been waiting for her grandfather here early in the morning with her secretary, Hisako Arato, but before she even saw Nekomiya Senzaemon, she encountered someone she disliked.
"I want to ask you, you annoying guy, why are you here too!
Didn't that old man say before that he wanted to try Seiya's family's cooking? But he didn't say he would bring other people along.
If I had known you were here, I wouldn't have bothered leading the way, even if it meant missing a chance to go back for a while!"
"Do you think I care about eating food from your small restaurant? Do you know how many famous restaurants have invited me to taste their food? I don't even bother!"
"Is that so? If you're so great, then don't follow us!"
Looking at Soma Yukihira and Erina Nakiri, who started bickering as soon as they met, Hisako Arato, standing behind Erina, couldn't help but sigh.
Although Erina is confident and proud, she is also well-mannered. Although she can be a bit harsh when she tastes bad food because of her 'God Tongue,' she rarely loses her temper.
But since meeting this boy named Soma Yukihira, Hisako, as his secretary, has lost count of how many times she has seen Erina lose her composure.
Even though they haven't known each other for long, every time they meet, they can argue like enemies.
Hisako Arato knew that persuasion was useless, so she acted as a transparent person. The arguing situation was only alleviated when the main character, Nekomiya Senzaemon, appeared.
After getting into a high-end car, Nekomiya Senzaemon didn't act like the Totsuki Academy Director at all. Instead, he chatted with Soma Yukihira and asked him how he felt about Totsuki Academy.
Facing Nekomiya Senzaemon's inquiry, Soma Yukihira glanced at Erina, who was sitting across from him with her arms crossed, and said, "Just like I said on stage yesterday, Totsuki Academy is just a stepping stone for me.
No matter who my opponent is, I will eventually rise above everyone."
The extremely chuuni statement made Nekomiya Senzaemon laugh heartily and said that young people should have such fighting spirit.
However, Erina and Hisako frowned when they heard Soma Yukihira's bold words, and Erina even said directly, "You transfer students who suddenly appear cannot surpass those internal students who have been studying at Totsuki Academy for three years of junior high school."
