"Arrogant!"
"Since you both think it's impossible, how about we make a bet? A dignified young lady from Far Moon Academy shouldn't be afraid of a challenge from a commoner cook like me, right?"
Hoshino Sora said provocatively, pitying these two young girls who had no idea what was about to happen.
For Hoshino Sora, free labor delivered to his doorstep was a timely solution to his urgent needs.
"Since you're talking about a bet, what do you have to use as collateral? Behind me is Far Moon Academy, and I personally own over a dozen restaurants, with accumulated wealth in the billions."
Looking at the arrogant and brazen Hoshino Sora, Erina Nakiri was trembling with anger. She immediately decided to teach him a lesson. Replicate her cooking? Don't be ridiculous!
"Wealth? I'm not short on money. What I want is you, and your little assistant."
"Pervert!"
Hearing Hoshino Sora's words, Erina Nakiri's face visibly flushed. Before she could speak, Hisako Arato on the other side immediately looked at him warily and rebuked him angrily.
"Don't misunderstand, I meant for you to work for me. After all, my restaurant is quite short-staffed. Why are you blushing just for work? So strange."
Hoshino Sora said, feigning confusion, taking a few steps forward as he spoke. He could clearly feel the blush on both their faces deepen, evidently due to being shy about their initial thoughts.
"Then you should have made it clear!"
Erina Nakiri stomped her foot, saying, extremely annoyed. Her delicate pink fists were clenched tightly. If it weren't for the fact that the other party was full of muscle, and she worried she couldn't beat him, she would have punched him already.
"I said it very clearly, that I want your people to work for me. What else could there be besides that?
I still have a few pork hocks and some side dishes left in my kitchen. If these aren't enough for Eri Nai Nakiri to showcase her cooking skills, I can call someone to help buy ingredients, so that if you lose later, you won't be able to say it was due to limited materials."
"No need. If you lose, you'll come back with me, lie on the ground, chained like a dog in my living room. When guests come, you'll 'woof woof woof' like a dog. That's fitting for your status as a stray dog."
A brilliant idea popped into her mind. Erina Nakiri glared fiercely at Hoshino Sora's face. This rustic guy, covered in vulgarity, actually dared to challenge her. If so, she would definitely make him remember this lesson!
"My pleasure. Then I also hope Eri Nai Nakiri won't go back on her word later. And as an added condition, when receiving guests, you must wear a maid outfit and call me 'Master' in front of them."
Hearing Erina Nakiri's insulting wager, Hoshino Sora didn't get angry. Instead, he readily accepted, only adding his own requirements. The game is more interesting when the stakes are equal.
"Alright, because there's no way I'll lose!"
"Erina-sama, this is a bit..."
"Silence! Hisako, do you think I will lose?!"
Hearing Hisako Arato's words of dissuasion, Erina Nakiri glared angrily. At this moment, her dissatisfaction had reached its peak.
Hoshino Sora, this guy was the first person who dared to speak to her like that! Very good, very good!
"Then let's sign the gambling agreement. Luckily, my kitchen has paper."
Worried that Erina Nakiri would renege, Hoshino Sora cautiously took out paper and pen from the kitchen. He drafted two copies of the gambling agreement in front of them and then signed his name at the bottom.
"Then let's begin. What kind of high-class cuisine does Eri Nai Nakiri intend to make? Being too simple might lead to a loss, you know."
"Hmph, simple doesn't necessarily mean easy to imitate. Does Hoshino-kun not even know this basic common sense?"
Looking at the remaining ingredients in the refrigerator, Erina Nakiri already had an answer in her mind. Then she heard Hoshino Sora's words from beside her and couldn't help but mock him.
"Whether it's easy to imitate or not, we'll see the truth of it later. First, let me see your skill."
Looking at Erina Nakiri, who was standing in the kitchen seemingly deep in thought, Hoshino Sora said with a smile, a mental image already forming of her in a maid outfit, calling him 'Master' with a face full of shame.
The outcome of this wager was actually very clear.
Hoshino Sora silently opened the purple crystal phantom in his backpack and then watched Erina Nakiri's operations intently.
First, she elegantly cut the front pork leg with a knife, cutting the skin portion into small square pieces of the same size. Then, she pierced the pork hock meat with a knife, inserting garlic into it and sprinkling black pepper on the surface for seasoning.
"Watch closely. This is Erina-sama's personal culinary demonstration. This graceful posture, this sharp knife work, it's a miracle for a commoner like you to witness it."
Hisako Arato looked at Erina Nakiri, who was shining brightly at the cooking station, with admiration in her eyes. She couldn't help but show off to Hoshino Sora. At this moment, she had completely forgotten about the wager.
The main reason was that it was too outrageous. There were precedents for imitating dishes, but wanting to make it exactly the same, the difficulty index was much, much higher than simple imitation.
She cut celery, carrots, and onions into one-centimeter-thick pieces and placed them in a baking pan. Then, after adjusting the position of the hock, she poured beer from the edge and put it into the oven to slow roast at 160 degrees for 1 hour. Erina Nakiri then turned her gaze towards Hoshino Sora, who was talking to Hisako.
"You might as well watch and learn step by step, lest you forget the steps in the end and make something unrecognizable. I won't eat such a tongue-wasting dish."
"No need at all. After all, if I could forget such a simple production process, then my brain would be too stupid. You just cook. I'm very curious, what's the difference between high-class cuisine and commoner cuisine?"
"I hope you can still be so stubborn later!"
Hoshino Sora said mockingly with a slight smile. He had figured out what the other party wanted to make: crispy pork hock. This should be the most suitable choice in a kitchen with limited ingredients.
Not requiring extra raw materials, that must be Eri Nai Nakiri's unique pride, right? What a pity, what a pity. This pride will soon cease to exist, replaced by a docile and obedient maid.
Time passed. Hoshino Sora watched Erina Nakiri calmly. During the waiting period, she was talking quietly with Hisako. Not long after, Yaxiang Lixiang returned with the freshly bought flour.
"Who are these two?"
Looking at Erina Nakiri with a hint of hostility, Ya Xiang couldn't forget the scene where she mocked Hoshino Sora at their house. She was a very unlikable girl!
"They're challengers, I suppose. They're cooking now. You can try her cooking later and see if she's as amazing as she brags."
Hearing this, Erina Nakiri said nothing more. She would use her own cooking to let this pervert know that there are always people better than you, and how vast the gap between the upper class and commoners truly is!
Just wait!
Erina Nakiri thought, fuming. At this moment, she was seething with anger. She was already displeased about being asked by her grandfather to come here, and now she was being mocked by the other party.
Just wait! When you become a yapping puppy, kept as a pet in her house, let's see if you can still be as arrogant as you are now!