Hachiman: "If I have to point something out, the only flaw in this dish is with the heat. It's not that it wasn't controlled, but flour and pork aren't like beef. Too much heat only makes them lose water."
"So when you eat it, even though the flavor is really rich, it feels like something is missing afterward."
Hachiman explained in an orderly way, and Isshiki, standing next to him, clapped in agreement.
At the same time, Tadokoro Megumi, after finishing her work, quietly walked into the kitchen holding the vegetable jelly she had just made.
"Hikigaya, Isshiki-senpai, I just finished making this dish. Do you want to try it?"
Isshiki: "Oh! Tadokoro's dish, huh? I'll dig in!"
Hachiman: "Oh… thanks."
Using toothpicks they had prepared in advance, they picked up the soft and bouncy jelly. Soon, both of them were absorbed in Tadokoro Megumi's cooking.
Isshiki quickly showed a satisfied smile. "So relaxing… this is the charm of Megumi's cooking."
Hachiman: "Yeah, it's really comforting to eat… Tadokoro is amazing too."
Hearing this, Tadokoro Megumi suddenly seemed to remember something. She showed a helpless smile, then lowered her head and rubbed her hands together.
"I've always gotten really nervous in front of people. Once I get nervous, my mind goes blank and I can't move properly."
"Well, that's not too hard to understand."
"Huh?"
In Hachiman's mind, he recalled when Komachi was little. Back then, her hands weren't that skilled, and whenever the restaurant got too many customers, she couldn't handle it at all. Sometimes she even collapsed and cried on the spot.
But… assuming you understand someone else's feelings is arrogance. Hachiman wouldn't, and didn't allow himself to do that.
Everyone has their own troubles. The only thing he could do was simply offer some advice.
"The more it's like that, the more you need to be clear about what you should do. If you can understand that, things get a lot easier. At least, that's what my damn old man always said."
"Ahaha… Hikigaya, you make things sound so deep… I don't quite get it, but I'll try my best."
She remembered that in Chapelle-sensei's class, just a few of Hikigaya's words helped her break free from her nervousness. Back then, she felt her body fill with a power she had never had before.
Even so, it wasn't enough… A true chef builds experience through countless hours in the kitchen. And the current Tadokoro Megumi clearly hadn't gone through all of that yet.
Looking at the vegetable jelly in Tadokoro Megumi's hands, its gentle, soothing taste seemed to spark something in Hachiman's brain, giving him an idea.
"I know what I'm going to make."
So that's it…
He had already noticed the kindness around him. Isshiki's dish seemed to be telling him the best way to combine vegetables and meat.
He had even purposely shown the flaw in his own dish, using it as a way to help Hachiman.
On the other hand, Tadokoro Megumi, holding her dish, looked completely lost. It was clear she really didn't know.
Tadokoro Megumi: "What are you going to make, Hikigaya?"
Hachiman: "It's a kind of meat jelly made with lots of vegetables and a little bit of meat. It's similar to regular jelly. The key is to control the loss of water, so that the final dish has a rich, layered taste."
Listening to Hikigaya's words, Isshiki let out another hearty laugh.
"Hikigaya-kun, I really am looking forward to your cooking. From here on, I'll be counting on you—our Polar Star Dorm's pride."
"Sorry to trouble you, Isshiki-senpai."
Waving his hand in a stylish way, Isshiki left the kitchen without another word. Feeling that kindness once again, Hachiman couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
'Isshiki-senpai really is a good person...'
Everyone knows that when you want to talk to someone who prefers being alone, you should do it in private. Even though nobody in Polar Star Dorm would make fun of Hachiman, Isshiki still chose a quiet, considerate way to help him out.
Not only was Isshiki amazing at cooking, but he also had a high standing in the culinary world. He cared for his juniors and had surprisingly high emotional awareness. In Hachiman's heart, he truly had become a real senior figure.
Tadokoro Megumi, who always seemed a bit slow to react, suddenly grew flustered when she realized that only she and Hikigaya were left in the kitchen.
"Th-th-then... um, I'll also—"
"Tadokoro-san, could I trouble you to taste my cooking? It's just an idea that popped into my head, so I honestly don't have any confidence in how it turned out."
How could Tadokoro ever refuse such a request? A bright, soothing smile quickly bloomed on her face.
"Of course!"
An hour later...
"Tadokoro-san, could you try it now?"
Even though the dish in front of her didn't give off any aroma, Megumi found herself feeling a strange sense of anticipation.
From the outside, it was nothing more than a simple meat jelly mixed with vegetables. But...
The moment her fork touched it, the entire jelly bounced back from the pressure and wouldn't stay pierced.
"Eh..."
Even her own vegetable jellies never had that kind of springiness, and now, this one with meat in it was unbelievably bouncy.
Seeing that the fork wasn't working at all, Hachiman quickly handed her a spoon.
After fumbling for a moment, Megumi finally managed to get a piece into her mouth.
And then...
All the fragrance burst out at once. That earlier springiness was gone, melting into a rich broth that slid down her throat and warmed her stomach, leaving her craving more.
"It's delicious...! With cooking like this, you might even have a real chance against Mito!"
To think that in just one hour, he came up with a dish like this—Megumi couldn't help but admire Hikigaya even more.
He had never received any formal training, never worked in a kitchen, yet just by remembering every dish he had ever eaten, he could recreate and even combine them so perfectly.
This... this was a level of immersion and knowledge in cooking that seemed almost impossible to reach.
Hachiman then took another spoon and tasted the meat jelly himself.
Half a minute later, his eyes went blank.
It wasn't that the dish tasted bad. It was just... something still felt missing. If he wanted to defeat Mito with this, he needed one more decisive element.
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