"Mm."
Erina Nakiri nodded, mused for a moment, and said, "This exam should assess how students can maximize the value of their dishes by utilizing their talents within limited ingredients. Since value is presented in the form of price, it means that each student's strength will be very directly displayed before everyone."
"So, each student's talent will be priced? How interesting."
Ryo laughed, clearly finding it very interesting. "Alright, then let's see how much each of our talents is worth!"
"I... I'm going to be priced too?"
Megumi's face turned pale, and she trembled with fear.
"We don't need to compete with others; just successfully complete the exam."
Erina Nakiri said calmly, clearly reminding Ryo, Alice, and Yukihira Soma not to be too aggressive and compete for rankings. The main purpose of this exam was to pass.
"Miss Erina is right, everyone just needs to calmly take the exam."
Isshiki Satoshi said with a smile.
"That's right."
Eishi Tsukasa also said with a smile.
"Tch."
Eizan Etsuya scoffed, "I just can't stand these arrogant kids."
"That's right, we need to teach them to respect their seniors."
Saito Soumei also said indifferently.
"See? Even Senior Saito agrees with me."
Eizan Etsuya said.
Seeing that their team also had belligerent members, Isshiki Satoshi and Eishi Tsukasa were quite helpless.
Erina Nakiri also felt a bit of a headache, but she was too lazy to bother.
By this time, the other students had already entered the Convenience Store for their exam.
"Then let's go too."
Satou said.
Erina Nakiri nodded.
"This is a rare opportunity to directly compete with the Elite Ten. Don't drag us down, got it?"
Ryo said to the others.
"I should be the one saying that."
Hayama Akira said indifferently.
Megumi, however, was greatly frightened and quickly said, "I will definitely do my best!"
"The quality of these vegetables and meats is very ordinary, but they are all very fresh."
Erina Nakiri began to look at the ingredients available inside.
Besides some basic ingredients, there were also seasonings, many canned goods, snacks, and so on, all of which could be used as materials.
"These pots and bowls can be used too, right?"
Yukihira Soma said, holding a pot. Cooking utensils also needed to be obtained from the Convenience Store, of course.
"They're all so crude."
Alice Nakiri frowned. The kitchenware in a Convenience Store certainly wouldn't be fully equipped; there were only basic types.
Her molecular cuisine required the use of cutting-edge equipment imported from abroad.
"So, Alice, now you know the limitations of molecular cuisine, right? The demands on equipment are too high."
Erina Nakiri didn't forget to seize the opportunity to educate Alice Nakiri.
"What do you mean, Erina? Don't look down on people!"
Alice Nakiri puffed out her cheeks and yelled angrily.
Because other students had entered the exam first, some students had already finished their dishes and asked the evaluators to taste them.
The one responsible for the evaluation was the General Chef, Gin Dojima. With many years of hotel work experience, he naturally had sufficient qualifications to price the dishes.
After tasting the fried chicken made by this student, Gin Dojima was silent for a moment and asked, "Do you think your fried chicken can sell for 3,000 Yen?"
"No... it can't."
The student's face turned pale. Ordinary fried chicken usually sold for only a few hundred to a thousand Yen.
"Your fried chicken tastes decent, but unfortunately, it cannot be served in a high-end restaurant. At most, it can only be sold at a roadside fast-food stand."
Gin Dojima said, "So your price is minus 1,000."
"Minus... minus 1,000?"
The student asked in disbelief.
The other students were also very shocked. Could there really be a negative value?
"W-why is it negative?"
The student stammered.
"Don't those ingredients you used need to be paid for?"
Gin Dojima smiled and said mercilessly, "Not only did you fail to create a valuable dish, but you also wasted resources, so your price is minus 1,000."
His companions all looked grim. If it was just not reaching 3,000 Yen, they could grit their teeth and make up the difference, but he not only failed to increase assets but instead created negative assets, making their difficulty instantly skyrocket.
"You still have one hour left. You still have a chance to make another one."
Gin Dojima said, "But be careful not to create negative assets again."
Hearing this, that student and his companions hesitated, unsure whether to continue cooking.
"Is the biggest enemy actually your own teammate?"
One student whispered when he saw this scene.
The others also felt a chill, because their teammates could either become an asset to the team or a negative asset. In that situation, whether to trust a teammate became a very crucial question.
"Hey, I say you might as well not make any more dishes. Let the four of us handle the rest."
One of the students suddenly said to his companion.
"Why?"
The companion asked, his face pale.
"Because your skill isn't good enough. I originally thought you could at least add a few hundred or a thousand in assets, but what if you create negative assets?"
The student said with an unfriendly expression.
"That's right, leave the rest to us."
The other few also said with unfriendly tones.
Seeing this scene, all the other students felt a chill in their hearts.
Ryo and Alice looked at each other, but they didn't say anything.
"It's okay, Megumi. Just confidently present your dish; don't mind anyone else."
Satou said calmly, deliberately raising his voice.
"Thank you, Satou."
Megumi said with a touched expression, "I will definitely do my best!"
Time passed quickly, and many students presented their dishes for the evaluators to taste.
"2,500 Yen."
"4,000 Yen."
"1,000 Yen."
"Minus 500 Yen."
Each person's price was different, cruelly exposing everyone's talents to all.
"Alright."
Yukihira Soma pulled off his bandana, being the first in the Elite Ten team to complete his dish.
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