Tsukasa slowly lifted the cover. A rich, savory aroma filled the air. Unfortunately, the food didn't glow.
"It smells so good!"
Yui sighed softly, a look of bliss on her face.
"Still have the heart to compliment others?"
Yumiko lightly tapped her friend's back from behind. "When are you going to give him your lunch?"
Even as she said this, she couldn't help but swallow hard.
Hearing this, Yui instinctively glanced at the lunchbox in her desk.
She had made it last night with her mother's help. For over four years in the Naruto World, she had been responsible for cooking at home, and often prepared lunches for Makoto when he went on missions.
Out of habit, she had made one yesterday, but she never expected...
"I, I'd better not. It's not even close."
Yui said quietly.
Yumiko looked at her with a mix of frustration and pity.
Just then, Makoto had already forked a large piece of meat into his mouth.
Tsukasa, usually shy in personality but possessing absolute confidence in his cooking, was now so nervous he held his breath.
This had never happened to him before.
He was always confident in his dishes. No one ever said no to his cooking.
But the person before him was on a completely different level from any previous judges or diners.
The tension among the other members of the Elite Ten Council behind him, well, now the Elite Nine, was no less intense.
If even the First Seat's dish couldn't satisfy Makoto, weren't they all doomed?
"This meat is extremely tender. How was it made?"
Fortunately, Makoto's evaluation let everyone breathe a sigh of relief.
Tsukasa, visibly relieved, quickly replied respectfully:
"Nishikawa-sama, this is the French dish Sauce Chevreuil..."
"Huh?"
Makoto raised an eyebrow.
Tsukasa paused, then quickly translated, "It means venison in sauce. I used half-year-old venison, slow-cooked with nine types of seasoning."
Makoto nodded. "Is there more?"
"Yes, sir, there is!"
Tsukasa quickly pointed to his cooking station.
Makoto waved his hand. "Share it with everyone. Oh, and send a serving to Ishigami. Tell him, this is half-year-old venison, extremely tender, a must-try."
"Yes!"
Tsukasa returned to his station, portioned out the venison, and immediately called an assistant to deliver it.
As if suddenly remembering something, Makoto added, "Oh, and send the pot too. Don't let it get cold on the way."
"Ye-yes, sir!"
Tsukasa nodded repeatedly.
At this moment, the onlookers inside and outside the classroom were all stunned.
"Oh my, he's that considerate to his subordinates?"
Haruno murmured in amazement.
She had no doubt that after hearing this, Yu would be ready to kill another person on the spot to show his loyalty.
The most brutal death for enemies, and warm care for his own people, right?
Haruno thought back and realized Makoto wasn't just like this with Yu… he was even more so with the girls around him.
Not to mention anything else, Utaha and the other two had academic records at school that were comparable to, or even slightly below, hers and Yukino's.
But during the Chunin Exams, they had utterly surpassed them.
Who deserved the credit was obvious.
The eyes of the other students began to gleam.
Several students from the middle school division who had come to watch whispered among themselves.
Hikigaya Komachi's eyes widened as she whispered to Moeha and Kei beside her, "That Makoto-senpai... he doesn't seem as scary as the rumors say."
Kei nodded vigorously, swallowing hard as she stared at the lavish dishes the Elite Ten Council brought out one after another for Makoto.
Coming from an ordinary, even poor, family, she had never seen such exquisite, high-class food.
Moeha's eyes sparkled. She looked at Makoto with growing interest.
Her preference in men was precisely those with a strong contrast in personality.
Makoto's style, gentle with his own, decisive and ruthless with outsiders, perfectly matched her taste.
He was the complete opposite of, say, the Konoha Elder Council, who were indecisive with outsiders but heavy-handed with their own.
The other students around were thoroughly shocked.
'This was allowed?'
Ryuju Momo, a Shuchi'in Academy's student who had come to watch, couldn't help but marvel.
Coming from a family with Yakuza ties, she was no stranger to violence.
Seeing how Yu had gained such favor from Makoto by killing someone, an idea immediately formed in her mind.
'Maybe... I should kill someone as a show of loyalty too?'
"B-B-B..."
At that moment, Arato Hisako, Erina's secretary who was helping serve the dishes, showed a troubled expression as she cautiously asked Makoto, "Nishikawa-sama, whom should I serve these to?"
There were too many people in the classroom. Besides Makoto, she didn't know who else was qualified to dine.
More accurately, she simply couldn't tell who had the right to stand by Makoto's side.
Hearing this, Makoto raised his hand and pointed to the Aizono sisters, Utaha, Megumi, Sonoko, and the others.
When he pointed to Kotonoha, he paused slightly.
Kotonoha's heart began pounding violently.
The next second, she saw Makoto's finger gently point towards her.
Instantly, Kotonoha felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction wash over her, though she couldn't explain why.
Yui and the others felt similarly.
After returning to the real world, they were no longer Makoto's servants. They couldn't attend to him like they did in the Naruto World. Even if Makoto didn't look out for them, it would be perfectly understandable.
Yet he still treated them as his own. This almost moved the popular trio to tears.
"Oh, I'm included too?"
Seeing Makoto point to her, Alice looked flattered.
When Makoto nodded, Alice couldn't help but clench her small fist under the table in a silent cheer.
'Oh yeah! As expected, this young lady's charm is irresistible. Even someone like him is helpless against it!'
As for the remaining students, like Hayato, Ito Makotou, Sekai, Tomoya, and others… they naturally didn't even qualify to sit at the table.
Airi: "Wow, this is so good!"
Sonoko: "Getting the Elite Ten Council to cook for us usually requires reservations, even for us. We really have to thank Makoto, don't we, Ran?"
With that, Sonoko nudged Ran with her shoulder.
"Mm, mm-hmm~"
Mouri Ran smiled awkwardly.
Because she had just noticed Shinichi in the crowd outside the classroom, his face as dark as a storm cloud.
"Yui!"
Yumiko, enjoying the Eggs Benedict made by Erina, lightly kicked Yui under the table, signaling her to seize the opportunity.
Yui bit her lip, recalling how Makoto had pointed to her earlier. Summoning her courage, she took the lunchbox from her desk and gently offered it to Makoto.
The Fourth Seat, Akanegakubo Momo, who was about to present the dessert, was momentarily stunned.
Yui said quietly,
"U-um, Makoto-kun... th-this is a lunchbox I made. B-because I'm used to making them, s-so..."
Instantly, the atmosphere in the room became a bit strange.
Compared to the exquisite, luxurious dishes the Elite Ten Council had been presenting one after another, the simple lunchbox in Yui's hands seemed rather humble, even shabby.
However, Utaha and the others' expressions shifted slightly.
'Whoa, this pink-haired girl, who usually blended into the background, had some game.'