A simple cooking competition.
Because a comparison was needed, both sides chose dishes that could be completed quickly.
So... "Ramen?" Looking at the bowl of ramen Tokai Shizen placed in front of her, with a broth so rich it could almost be considered a soup base, and another classic dish of braised beef with carrots placed next to it.
Mejiro Ardan seemed to have a slight lack of appetite.
This was not unexpected.
Because Mejiro Ardan's body, like Tokai's, was plagued by illness for most of the time.
So, most of the time, Mejiro Ardan's diet was mainly light-flavored.
But... looking at these two main dishes in front of her, Mejiro Ardan was a bit at a loss for words.
Tokai Shizen being unaware of her physical condition might still be understandable, but... looking at her own chef, Mejiro Ardan's eyes clearly conveyed a "what's wrong with you, little brother?" expression.
But Mejiro Ardan was, after all, a judge, so she could only first taste the braised beef prepared by her own chef, which was already intended to lose.
"Hmm, overall, it's basically the usual flavor. No outstanding performance, and no particularly disqualifying aspects."
Hearing this, the chef simply bowed slightly: "Thank you for the compliment."
And after shifting her gaze away from the braised beef, the bowl of ramen Tokai Shizen placed in front of Mejiro Ardan became somewhat ambiguous.
After all, judging by the broth, it should be a ramen with an extremely rich flavor.
But... Al Dan looked up at Tokai Shizen, then picked up her chopsticks.
"Eh? What's going on? The flavor is so light."
"That day, when I saw you sampling, you didn't seem very interested in the dishes with a lot of oil, so I slightly adjusted the flavor and tried making a vegetarian broth."
"Vegetarian broth?"
"Simply put, it's a flavor made with kelp and mushrooms. Overall, it's very rich but also very light."
"I see. Then what is this piece?"
Al Dan, holding a piece of topping, looked at Tokai Shizen.
"That's made from crushed soybeans mixed with some flour."
This answer made Mejiro Al Dan silent for a moment: "So, this dish doesn't use any meat at all?"
"Yes, that's right."
After Tokai Shizen said this, Mejiro Al Dan was only silent for a moment, then put down the ramen in her hand.
She looked at Tokai Shizen: "Let's hire her then."
"Regarding the salary..."
Mejiro Al Dan thought for a moment before speaking: "How about 300,000 yen per session?"
"Eh?"
"Is that too little?"
"No, it's not that!"
"That's good. In fact, 300,000 yen per session is a bit low. If Grandma agrees..."
Mejiro Al Dan paused briefly, then spoke again: "Oh, by the way, Miss Tokai, you're still planning to open the store, right?"
"Yes, that's right. But the menu is already decided; I basically won't be making other dishes."
Saying this, Tokai Shizen's gaze shifted slightly.
Her gaze finally settled on the chef's team. Looking at the team, Tokai Shizen thought for a few seconds, then spoke again: "Um, I made two extra portions. If you want to try some, they're over there."
After saying this, Tokai Shizen looked at Mejiro Al Dan.
Facing Tokai Shizen's gaze, Mejiro Al Dan didn't say much. She just turned around: "Alright, it's time to go. Will Miss Tokai be staying for a while?"
"This..."
Recalling the time she saw on the bus earlier, Tokai Shizen shook her head: "I have to go back, so..."
"Then give her a ride, Afu."
"Yes, Miss Al Dan."
The butler said this and walked up to Tokai Shizen, starting to lead Tokai Shizen out of the Mejiro Family's residence.
Watching Tokai Shizen leave, Mejiro Al Dan just looked at the bowl of ramen in front of her, thought for a few seconds, and then spoke: "A subtle bitterness, is it my imagination?"
By the time Tokai Shizen was sent back to the Maruzen Family's residence, about twenty minutes had passed.
The sounds inside the Maruzen Family's residence were as usual, and Tokai Shizen didn't hesitate much. She just walked to the door and pushed it open.
The people sitting in the room were still the same two.
Representative Chiaki and Maruzensky.
Looking at the two of them, Tokai Shizen thought for a moment, then responded: "I'm home."
With these words, Representative Chiaki and Maruzensky both looked over.
"Welcome back."
"How are things at the Mejiro Family's residence?"
The words between the two were completely different.
This was natural, as their personalities were completely different.
"Yes, I'm back."
First, she responded to Maruzensky's words, then Tokai Shizen looked at Representative Chiaki: "The test at the Mejiro Family's residence went well. I basically passed... right?"
"What kind of statement is that?"
Looking at Tokai Shizen, Representative Chiaki was full of doubt.
"It's just that the head chef and a few people from the Mejiro Family's residence approved, but the head chef's team is relatively..." At this point, Tokai Shizen just gave a rather helpless smile: "For them, having a parachuted executive is probably quite difficult to accept."
"I see."
After Tokai Shizen's explanation, Representative Chiaki finally understood the situation over there: "And then?"
"We had a cooking competition, and the result..."
Recalling how the chefs all went to taste the food when she left, Tokai Shizen just came to a small conclusion: "It should be, not bad, right?"
Hearing Tokai Shizen say this, Representative Chiaki just let out a slight gasp of admiration: "Oh, in that case, the job there is basically stable, then what about the salary?"
"As for the salary, it seems like I get about 300,000 yen for each visit?" Saying this, Tokai Shizen's gaze shifted slightly: "It feels like it's a bit too much."
"If you go three times a month, you basically don't have to worry about living expenses for a month, and then we can also be more at ease with you living alone outside." It was Maruzensky who said this. Clearly, her concern for Tokai Shizen was no less than Representative Chiaki's, but compared to Representative Chiaki, she wasn't as anxious.
Maruzensky's concern made Tokai Shizen nod: "Hmm, if that's the case, living alone outside won't be a problem, it's just..."
"Hmm?"
"I'm more worried about the two of you. After all, you two aren't very good at cooking, are you?"
"That's right!"
Representative Chiaki responded without hesitation.
And Maruzensky just looked at Representative Chiaki, then nodded: "Hmm, although we know the basics, but..."
"Then when the store opens, come over for dinner. It's also quite close to Tracen Academy, right?" Saying this, Tokai Shizen looked at Representative Chiaki and Maruzensky.
Facing the slight anticipation in Tokai Shizen's eyes.
Maruzensky just nodded: "We'll come later."
"Me too!"