Liu Ming couldn't help but roll his eyes at her. There were quite a few people in the hall; wasn't she afraid of others misunderstanding by shouting like that?
"How was the taste of those dishes?" He suddenly asked this question.
"Very delicious," Erina hadn't expected him to ask that suddenly and instinctively spoke her mind.
When she realized what she'd said, her pretty face immediately flushed, and she nervously explained, "Those dishes should have been a perfect ten, but because you made them, they're only worth six points now, barely passing."
"In that case, you'd better not come again in the future. A young lady like you certainly won't be used to these commoner dishes." Liu Ming not only didn't refute but even nodded in agreement.
"Can't you have some gentlemanly manners? You're so petty about a small matter. I'm a girl, can't you give me some face?"
Erina was stunned. She hadn't expected Liu Ming to say that. That tone, that expression, was he looking down on her? She immediately became mortified and angry.
"Hehe~" Liu Ming smiled blandly, his meaning obvious.
"You~" Erina stamped her foot, infuriated.
Watching the two bickering, Senzaemon felt a headache coming on.
What on earth was going on? Why did these two always clash like Mars hitting Earth the moment they met? He had been so naive to hope they could get along well.
Helplessly, he had no choice but to interrupt the bickering pair.
"Ahem, actually, I still very much hope you can teach at Totsuki, but given your situation here, it seems impossible."
Liu Ming nodded, "You're right, I'm quite busy."
Behind him, Sora and the other girls looked at him strangely, wondering how he had the nerve to say he was busy.
Liu Ming felt a chill down his spine and quickly turned to look, but Sora and the others had already withdrawn their gazes, and he saw nothing.
"In that case, I won't force it," Senzaemon said helplessly. Suddenly, he changed his tone and continued, "Totsuki Academy will have a lodging training session soon, less than a week long. I wonder if Mr. Liu would be interested in serving as a temporary examiner? I imagine you'd also want to see your apprentice's growth with your own eyes."
"The lodging training will be held at Totsuki Resort.
This time, Erina didn't object. Having tasted Liu Ming's cooking, no matter how proud she was, she had to admit Liu Ming's extraordinariness, and she even developed great interest in Tadokoro.
Just over a month ago, Tadokoro Megumi was nothing more than the last-ranked student in Totsuki's elementary division, so what about now?
If she couldn't bully Liu Ming, then bullying his apprentice seemed quite nice too.
Liu Ming originally wanted to continue refusing, but after thinking about the scene in the plot where Tadokoro Megumi was expelled, he hesitated a little.
With Tadokoro Megumi's current cooking skills, the possibility of being expelled was almost zero.
However, Kojiro Shinomiya's challenge had nothing to do with skill. Given Tadokoro Megumi's gentle personality, she might genuinely not compete with other students for ingredients.
It's even possible she'd deliberately choose less ideal ingredients due to a lack of confidence in her own cooking.
That would certainly be troublesome.
But then he thought about being away for a week, and he felt a little uneasy about leaving this place.
Liu Ming was silent for a moment before saying, "This happened too suddenly. Give me some time; I need to think about it carefully."
"Of course!" Senzaemon's face lit up. No refusal meant there was still hope. As long as there was a first time, there would always be a second, and then it would be very possible to draw him to Tootsuki. Even if he couldn't be a long-term teacher, he could be a short-term one.
He took out a business card and handed it to Liu Ming, saying, "This is my contact information. You can call me anytime once you've made up your mind."
Liu Ming took it, and after a few more pleasantries, Senzaemon left with the others.
"Hmph," Erina glared fiercely at Liu Ming before leaving.
Liu Ming was somewhat bewildered by the glare. When had he offended this young miss again?
"Big Brother Xiao Ming, are you planning to go on vacation?" Miyu, seeing that Liu Ming's conversation was over, quickly ran over.
"I haven't decided yet. Huh, how did you know? Were you eavesdropping?" Liu Ming was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted.
"You were talking right here, and you weren't even keeping your voices down, so there was no need to eavesdrop," Miyu explained.
"To be honest, I am a bit worried about Megumi. But leaving you all here for a week also makes me uneasy."
"Then why don't all of us take time off and go together?" Miyu said excitedly.
Liu Ming gave her a chop to the head, annoyed. "You really dare to say that! How long have you been in school, and you're already thinking about taking time off?"
"Can't you learn from Yuta? He even moved back into his university dorm specifically for his studies. Unlike you, who just thinks about playing all day."
"Ugh~" Miyu immediately covered her head and squatted down.
"Hehe~" Sora and the others couldn't help but laugh when they saw Miyu's miserable state.
Miyu heard them, immediately jumped up, and pounced on them.
Looking at the playful girls, Liu Ming let out a helpless bitter laugh. "We're still open for business right now."
After dinner.
Liu Ming stood at the restaurant entrance, watching the departing crowd. He scratched his head, feeling as if the current situation was somewhat familiar.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. This scene, hadn't it happened at noon? At the time, he thought that when Xiaoyu came to freeload meals in the future, she would bring her good friends.
Now it seemed there was no need to wait for the future; this situation happened that very night.
"Big Brother Xiao Ming, thank you for your hospitality." Xiaolu and Xiao Nai politely bid farewell to Liu Ming.