"This match… is a draw."
Putting down her fork, Erina Nakiri stubbornly made her declaration.
The moment the dish entered her mouth, she felt a wave of heat rush through her body, surging wildly within her. She reflexively squeezed her legs together and had to support herself on the kitchen counter with her arms.
Yes… this was undeniably her cooking.
"Miss Nakiri, are you planning to go back on your word? In a match like this, there's no such thing as a draw. I replicated your dish perfectly. It wasn't even that hard."
"Even if you win, I'll work for you for a month. All you did was copy a dish I made for practice, one that's not even worthy of being served at a proper event. Nothing to be proud of."
"So in that case… let's hear it. Call me 'Master' like you promised."
Hearing the heavy emphasis Erina put on the words "one month," Sora didn't push her too far.
It wasn't realistic to expect someone to become a full-time maid forever over a single match. That would be going too far—even others might speak out against it.
Sora understood that she had people backing her, and that Shokugeki duels had their limits. He was smart enough to know when to advance and when to retreat.
But right now, teasing her like this was just too much fun.
"M-Ma…"
The word caught in her throat. Even as she tried with all her strength to push it out, she couldn't bring herself to say the last syllable. Her cheeks were flushed an impossibly deep red. The embarrassment she felt now surpassed all the shameful moments she'd ever experienced in her life—combined.
"What? I didn't hear you. Can you say it louder?"
Sora leaned in dramatically, pretending not to hear. He wanted to savor this—he wanted to hear the proud, high-and-mighty princess finally fall.
That moment of collapse… was exhilarating.
"M-Master… you just wait!"
"I'll remember this, Erina-sama! Wait for me!"
"Don't forget to show up at 7 a.m. tomorrow!"
Finally forcing the word out, Erina broke into tears. Then, overwhelmed and flustered, she turned and fled the kitchen, sprinting out of the restaurant. Hisako shot Sora a furious glare before quickly chasing after her.
[Hidden Mission Completed]: Teach Erina Nakiri a Lesson
[Mission Description]: The arrogant and bratty Erina Nakiri has appeared. She's rude and insolent. Please use legal means to teach her a lesson and show her the cruelty of the real world.
[Mission Reward]: Universal Food Spirit
[Grade]: Black Iron
[Item Description]: Can absorb "food energy" from any dish of Black Iron grade or higher tier dishes to enhance both itself and its host. Normally resides in the host's right hand. Slightly enhances the taste of food. Has the potential to evolve.
As the system prompt sounded, Sora suddenly felt something strange in his right hand. Before he could explore it further, a crisp voice echoed beside him.
"Wow, you actually made a girl cry."
"Sora, you're terrible! If you wanted to play master-and-maid games, you could've just asked us! Why make someone else do it?"
Riko and Ako immediately came over to scold him, though their tone lacked any real blame.
Sure, Erina was completely out of line in many ways, but Sora making her cry was still a little much. As his older sisters, they had to say something.
"Exactly! I think we still have a maid costume somewhere in the store. Master, please wait right here!"
As Ako spoke, she was about to go to the staff lounge to retrieve the hidden-away maid outfit. But before she could leave, her hand was caught by Sora—and so was Riko's.
"That's enough. It's getting late. Time to go home."
Watching his two sisters suddenly go off on a weird tangent and start rummaging for maid costumes, Sora could only show a helpless expression. What on earth were these two always thinking about?
"Alright, Master~ Let's head home then~"
"Ako-nee, don't call me Master. That sounds way too weird."
Just hearing Ako say it gave Sora goosebumps all over. It wasn't that it was completely unbearable… but the problem was—she was his sister. That crossed into ethically terrifying territory.
"Why does it sound weird? Doesn't little Sora like being called Master?"
"Is it because I'm your sister? That's not allowed?"
"Enough already! Ako-nee, Riko-nee—just don't call me that. Anything else is fine!"
"Then… sweetheart?"
"Husband?"
"Stop it! You're getting more and more ridiculous! Just call me Sora, alright? If you start calling me weird names, I'm seriously going to ignore you!"
———
The next day at 7 a.m., Sora arrived early at the restaurant—only to find Erina already waiting outside. Who knew how long she'd been there, but her expression didn't look great.
"Well, well. Didn't think you'd actually show up."
"A bet is a bet. I, Erina Nakiri, always honor my word. But I'm only here to work as a waitress. Don't even think about making me cook."
"Oh, don't worry. I have no intention of letting you handle any food."
Sora waved his hand casually, smiling. He never planned to let Erina cook—her culinary skills were leagues above his own. Letting her in the kitchen would mean the restaurant would fall apart the moment she left.
If anyone was going to be in charge of cooking, it had to be him. And if he needed help, it'd have to be someone at his own level.
As he spoke, Sora opened the restaurant door and gestured to the staff lounge on the right.
"There's a maid outfit in there. Per the terms of our bet, you'll need to put it on to serve customers. The job is simple—deliver plates, pour drinks, and listen to the customers when needed. If you have any questions, just ask Ako-nee or Riko-nee."
He pointed to the staff lounge and then turned to Hisako Arato.
"You can help me in the kitchen. Honestly, I could use a hand. You should be fine with basic kitchen work, right?"
"Are you looking down on me?"
Hisako, provoked by Sora's casual tone, immediately took the bait. Clenching her fists, she puffed up with anger. She didn't like this man at all—especially after Erina had cleared her entire schedule yesterday just to come fulfill this bet.
Ah! Erina-sama is so responsible and honorable!
"Alright, the restaurant opens in ten minutes. Let's all get moving. You, come with me."
Sora headed straight for the kitchen. What happened inside was far more important than what was happening outside—he had to prep the soy milk, fried dough sticks, and fried flatbreads.
"Your restaurant sells breakfast too?"
"There's demand for it, so I opened a breakfast window to meet that need."
As Sora taught her how to fry dough sticks, Hisako couldn't help but be curious. In her mind, breakfast shops were rare in Japan. There just wasn't much of a market.
But now it seemed that wasn't entirely true.
Watching the growing number of customers as the shop opened, Hisako's expression turned thoughtful. There was a market for breakfast, so long as the food was popular enough.
But just these simple fried dough sticks? They were just seasoned dough deep-fried until they puffed up. Were they really that good?
Hearing the frequent praise from outside, Hisako stared at the dough in her hands. Was this kind of food really so beloved now?