"Fifty thousand yen!"
Hearing this number, the Convenience Store fell silent for a moment, then erupted completely.
"Are you kidding me?"
"This is too exaggerated, isn't it? Just by using cheap ingredients from a Convenience Store, he made a dish worth fifty thousand yen?"
"So amazing!"
Eishi Tsukasa's group's standard was three times that of the third-years, which was sixty thousand yen, but Eishi Tsukasa alone was almost reaching it.
"So impressive!"
Tadokoro Megumi also looked amazed.
Ryo and Hayama Akira were equally stunned, feeling a huge gap.
Yukihira Soma was even more dejected; he was at minus one thousand five hundred, while the other person was at fifty thousand. The difference was not just ordinary large.
Satou and Erina Nakiri exchanged glances, also feeling the immense pressure brought by Eishi Tsukasa.
The second-year Elite Ten members also had somewhat serious expressions.
"Tsukasa-senpai is really strong."
Isshiki Satoshi said with a smile.
"Ah, it's alright."
Eishi Tsukasa laughed somewhat awkwardly, "I added egg whites to the chicken mousse to enhance the texture, and for the mushrooms, I used canned mushrooms, which don't have a good texture, so I stir-fried them first to remove the moisture. As for the red wine, since there aren't any high-end red wines here, only ordinary ones, I just boiled the wine dry and utilized its flavor..."
"So amazing, he used canned mushrooms, cheap red wine, and frozen chicken, all very inexpensive ingredients, but even so, he created an incredibly high-class taste. As expected of the First Seat."
"Yeah, he's too strong."
The surrounding students all looked shocked.
"I... I'm fully recovered!"
Just then, Kobayashi Rindo, who had been squatting in the corner, jumped up, revealing two sharp canine teeth.
When she first arrived at the Convenience Store, Kobayashi Rindo was like a frozen snake, curled up in the corner, not moving at all.
However, after being warmed by the Convenience Store's heating, Kobayashi Rindo was like a waking snake, coming back to life.
"Rindo, are you recovered?"
Eishi Tsukasa asked with a smile, knowing that Kobayashi Rindo was very sensitive to cold.
"If you're still cold, keep resting. We'll handle the exam."
Nagi-no-ki Touko said indifferently, as they could easily pass the exam even without Kobayashi Rindo.
"It's fine. I want to warm up."
Kobayashi Rindo smiled.
Time passed quickly, and most of the students who entered the exam earlier had already finished, with quite a few being eliminated.
However, the students who passed did not leave immediately, as they also wanted to see how much the Elite Ten's dishes would sell for.
But everyone believed that Eishi Tsukasa's price was already the highest, and no one could surpass him.
Soon after, many people successively asked Gin Dojima to taste their dishes.
"Ryo, 25,000 yen."
"Hayama Akira, 25,000 yen."
"Tadokoro Megumi, 20,000 yen."
"Nagi-no-ki Touko, 35,000 yen."
"Akikubo Momo, 40,000 yen."
…
"Damn it, only a difference of 5,000!"
Ryo, who directly felt the gap between himself and the Elite Ten, was quite frustrated.
Hayama Akira also frowned, a bit dissatisfied with the 5,000 difference.
Kuga Terunori and Eizan Etsuya only got 30,000 yen.
However, Tadokoro Megumi breathed a sigh of relief; in her opinion, as long as it wasn't a loss, it was fine.
"Do you think you're only 5,000 yen behind the Elite Ten? You're too naive; they didn't even go all out."
Erina Nakiri said indifferently.
"What?"
Ryo and Hayama Akira looked at her in unison.
"After all, it's just an exam, not a Shokugeki. How could they use their full power?"
Erina Nakiri struck them down mercilessly.
"Damn it."
Hayama Akira and Ryo instantly felt a bit dejected, looking at the calm Kuga and others.
They had put all their effort into making this dish, and it seemed the gap was still significant.
Next, Erina Nakiri brought up her dish and asked Gin Dojima to taste it.
"Lemon Tender Beef."
The method for this dish was very simple: briefly blanch beef slices in boiling water, then mix with shredded onions and cucumbers, add sugar, salt, a little chicken broth, stir, and finally drizzle a few drops of lemon juice…
Gin Dojima began to taste it. The beef was incredibly tender, melting in the mouth. It was a simple dish, yet in Erina Nakiri's hands, it seemed to have been magic, crisp, refreshing, and incredibly flavorful.
"How is your beef so tender?"
He couldn't help but ask.
The most crucial aspect of this dish was undoubtedly the texture of the beef, but frozen beef from a Convenience Store wouldn't have a great texture.
However, Erina Nakiri's beef was incredibly fresh and tender, not inferior to 5A-grade beef from high-end restaurants.
"Because I pre-marinated it with mashed papaya. Papaya contains papain, which can tenderize the beef, and lemon juice has a similar effect. Also, after blanching in boiling water, I quickly immersed it in cold water to cool it down."
Erina Nakiri explained, "Similarly, I also iced the shredded cucumbers and onions in cold water, which is why they are so crisp."
"I see."
Gin Dojima nodded, "Whether it's papaya, lemon, or ice, they are all common items found in a Convenience Store. It's excellent that you can make these ordinary ingredients taste high-end. 45,000 yen."
"45,000!"
Everyone was instantly astonished upon hearing this.
This was the highest price after Eishi Tsukasa; even Akikubo Momo only got 40,000 yen before.
"So amazing, Erina!"
Tadokoro Megumi looked at her with adoration.
"Erina, when did you become so strong?"
Eishi Tsukasa, Isshiki Satoshi, and others also looked over in surprise.
Erina Nakiri was the Tenth Seat and a first-year student. They originally thought her strength was inferior to theirs, but they didn't expect her to become so strong!
Although they didn't use their full power in this exam, 45,000 yen was not something that could be achieved casually.
At least, Eizan Etsuya, upon reflection, admitted that he couldn't create such a dish using only these ingredients.
"You're truly amazing, Erina."
Satou praised Erina Nakiri as she walked down.
Erina Nakiri, who had been indifferent to everyone else's praise earlier, suddenly blushed, feeling a little sweet inside.
-------------------------------
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