After Gin Dojima finished speaking, the lodging training officially began.
The students in the hall dispersed, forming several groups and heading to their respective examination rooms, and Liu Ming did the same, walking towards his designated area.
Soon, he arrived at his destination.
This was an open-plan examination room, where there were no ingredients at all, except for some simple seasonings.
To cook, one had to go outside and personally catch the ingredients.
Simply put, he had taken over Inui Hinako's examination room.
However, calling it 'taking over' wasn't entirely accurate, as these examination rooms were assigned by drawing lots, though the content of the exam was decided by the examiner in charge.
"It's Master, how lucky!" Tadokoro Megumi happily looked at Liu Ming, who was at the very front of the crowd. She was truly delighted to encounter Liu Ming in her first assessment.
"It's Mr. Liu! I wonder what theme he'll come up with. I'm burning with excitement!"
Yukihira Soma's heart immediately stirred with excitement, and he secretly vowed to create a dish that would earn Mr. Liu's highest praise.
Takumi Aldini, a half-Italian exchange student, a person with inexplicable feelings for Yukihira Soma.
He walked straight up to Yukihira Soma, "You're that arrogant transfer student, Yukihira Soma, right?"
Yukihira Soma scratched his head. Ever since Liu Ming teased him last time, he didn't care for that nickname. He asked, displeased, "And who are you?"
"Who I am isn't important. Let's have a showdown and see who's more skilled, your Yukihira Diner or my 'Trattoria Aldini'."
Takumi revealed his restaurant's logo, staring at Yukihira Soma with full battle intent.
Yukihira Soma looked at Takumi, then at the restaurant name on his uniform, and immediately became interested.
Normally, Yukihira Soma might not have paid him much attention, but now his fighting spirit was high. Faced with Takumi's challenge, he accepted it without a second thought.
He pointed to the Yukihira Diner emblem on his chest and said, "Alright, then let's have a match. But I want to add one more person."
After Yukihira Soma finished speaking, he walked towards Tadokoro Megumi.
"Megumi, let's have another match. This time, I'll beat you in front of your Master, and then I'll challenge him!" Yukihira Soma's eyes were sharp, gleaming with astonishing fighting spirit.
"Alright, but I will never lose!" Tadokoro Megumi agreed. She never lost before, and now, in front of Liu Ming, she would be even more determined not to.
"Hey, are you serious? She's someone who's beaten an Elite Ten member. Do you think we can win against her?" Takumi asked, frowning.
Tadokoro Megumi's story was widely spread throughout Totsuki Academy; there was no way he hadn't heard of it.
Although he hadn't tasted the dishes she made, from the culinary skills she displayed in her two Shokugeki, Aldini currently had no confidence in winning against her.
Of course, he wasn't afraid; he just didn't want to fight in too small a battle.
"If you don't dare, then forget it," Yukihira Soma glanced at him, speaking mockingly.
"What did you say? Who doesn't dare? A match is a match. It's just an Elite Ten member; I'll get there one day too!" Takumi was immediately provoked and agreed.
His younger brother chuckled to the side.
Liu Ming was about to announce the content of this assessment when he saw the three, Tadokoro Megumi, approaching.
"Mr. Liu, the three of us would like to use this assessment to compete. We hope you will allow it and serve as the judge for this match," Takumi said politely.
Liu Ming looked at Takumi, then at Yukihira Soma, and then at Tadokoro Megumi.
He stroked his chin, considered it for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, but I haven't even given out the topic yet, and you've already decided to compete. Isn't that a bit too reckless?"
Takumi and Yukihira Soma exchanged glances, and finally, Yukihira Soma spoke.
He said, "No matter what theme Mr. Liu gives, aren't we still going to cook? Since all three of us will be cooking, we can compare our dishes. We just need to trouble Mr. Liu to help with the judgment."
"Since you've thought it through, then have it your way. I will judge seriously. Now, please return to the crowd; I need to announce the assessment content to everyone."
Liu Ming waved his hand, signaling the three to return to the crowd.
Liu Ming clapped his hands. Seeing that everyone was looking at him, he slowly said, "Is everyone here? The content of this exam is actually quite simple, just one word: 'Noodle'."
As soon as Liu Ming finished speaking, the scene immediately became lively.
Students began to chatter.
"Noodle, huh? That's really quite simple."
"Yeah, this examiner we don't know is too easygoing. To give such an easy question, we're definitely going to pass this time."
....
Takumi couldn't help but frown. Was this theme too simple?
He was different from the others; he came to Totsuki Academy to improve his culinary skills, not to just get by.
"Heh heh, is that all you've got?" Yukihira Soma looked disdainfully at Takumi, who had just been provoking him.
"What do you mean by that?" Takumi asked, displeased.
"Heh heh, Megumi, you must have noticed it too, right?" Yukihira Soma didn't explain immediately but looked at Tadokoro Megumi beside him.
He also wanted to hear Tadokoro Megumi's opinion, considering it a subtle clash.
The innocent Tadokoro Megumi didn't overthink it and directly spoke her thoughts.
"First, look at your surroundings. Besides the simple seasonings on the counter, there are no ingredients at all."
"In this situation, even the simplest flour, we don't have, let alone making a dish that would satisfy Master."
"Master?" Takumi asked, puzzled.
"Haha, you didn't know, did you? This examiner in front of us is Megumi's Master! He's an incredibly skilled chef!" Yukihira Soma stared at Liu Ming with fervent eyes.
Takumi truly didn't know this. The fact that the other party could serve as an examiner indicated that his culinary skills wouldn't be bad, but was Yukihira Soma's praise for him a bit excessive?
Tadokoro Megumi nodded, but she didn't say much more, continuing their previous topic, "I don't know if you heard clearly what Master said earlier."
"Master said it could be summarized in three words, but until now, he has only said one word, 'Noodle'. The remaining two words have not been spoken yet."
"So, what's your point?" Takumi couldn't help but ask.
"The next two words should be the restrictive conditions, and they might be very strict," Tadokoro Megumi's tone became serious.
Yukihira Soma and the Aldini brothers' expressions involuntarily stiffened. Tadokoro Megumi's guess was very likely to be true.