Hisako Arato's breathing grew slightly ragged, the shyness in her eyes practically overflowing.
This beautiful yet ambiguous scene fell perfectly into Ray's line of sight from a short distance away.
Without drawing attention, Ray pulled his phone from his pocket and quietly snapped a picture.
"N-No, um..."
Hisako's voice was barely a whisper, her fingers curling up from sheer nervousness.
Erina Nakiri looked at Hisako's flushed cheeks, the smile on her lips deepening.
"What's wrong, Hisako? You're making such a needy expression."
Her fingertips gently stroked the girl's chin, her tone carrying a hint of allure.
"Do you want to earn the right to taste my cooking?"
"I-I want to!"
Hisako blurted out the words almost instantly, her voice filled with urgency.
Seeing Hisako's eagerness, Erina couldn't help but chuckle, lightly flicking her forehead.
"Alright, you gluttonous child."
Hisako immediately broke into a joyful smile, her cheeks as red as a ripe apple, looking so cute that even Erina was tempted to take a bite.
Off to the side, Ray wore a knowing, indulgent smile. 'Is this the untold story of the tsundere young lady and her loyal canine secretary?'
"But before that, I need to report that no one passed this transfer student exam."
Erina hadn't forgotten her duties as the head examiner.
Furthermore, this was her first official assignment since joining the Elite Ten; she had to see it through properly.
"Yes!"
Hisako agreed crisply.
She was already impatient to taste Erina's cooking.
Standing next to Ray, Soma Yukihira clearly lacked any appreciation for the picturesque scene unfolding before them.
Seeing the two chatting happily on stage and even preparing to declare that no one had passed, Soma couldn't help but clear his throat.
"Um..."
The moment Soma spoke up, Ray swiftly pocketed his phone and casually pretended to count the lights on the ceiling.
Hearing Soma's voice, both Erina and Hisako turned their heads, their gazes landing on him.
Then, they noticed Ray, who was staring at nothing in particular but gave off a distinct aura of guilt.
Erina and Hisako fell silent.
Erina's current mood was incredibly complex. It seemed her entire exchange with Hisako had been witnessed by these two.
At the thought of this, a wave of embarrassment spread from the tips of Erina's ears, crawling down her neck and up her cheeks, making her feel flustered and hot.
But in the very next second, that trace of embarrassment was entirely replaced by indignation.
Someone actually dared to stay!
She had explicitly stated that only a dish capable of satisfying her palate could pass the Totsuki Academy transfer exam.
Did these two really think their cooking could satisfy her tongue?
What absolute arrogance!
Erina's eyes grew colder, and the aura around her suddenly sharpened.
Beside her, Hisako composed her expression, folding her hands in front of her and breathing as lightly as possible.
Soma, however, seemed completely oblivious to the shift in Erina's demeanor.
Flashing a confident grin, he asked loudly, "Excuse me, can we make absolutely any dish?"
To have her hastily declare that everyone failed without even tasting his food—that was something Soma Yukihira absolutely refused to accept.
Standing to the side, Ray watched Soma's fighting spirit with a playful glint in his eyes.
Sweeping her gaze over the confident Soma and the relaxed Ray, Erina spoke with icy detachment.
"As long as the dish uses eggs, you are free to make whatever you want."
But then, she suddenly changed her tone.
"However, do you really intend to take this exam? If you want to back out, it's not too late."
Erina's voice carried a rare hint of sincerity.
Truthfully, while Ray and Soma's arrogance displeased her, she didn't want to ruin the futures of two potentially capable chefs.
At the very least, compared to the examinees who had fled in terror, these two had some guts.
But if they insisted on trying, she absolutely would not show any mercy.
Hearing this, a look of relief washed over Soma's face.
"Man, you scared me to death! I was just thinking that failing without even getting the chance to cook would be way too frustrating!"
"..."
Soma opened his mouth to say more, but Ray suddenly reached out and pulled him back.
With Ray here, he naturally wasn't going to watch Soma do something stupid.
Erina was a textbook tsundere; if they angered her now, the rest of the exam would become unnecessarily difficult.
He had prepared for this test for far too long to let it all go down the drain because of Soma's recklessness.
"Alright, Soma, let's not waste time."
"Let the food do the talking," Ray said calmly.
Hearing this, Soma paused for a moment before catching on. He chuckled and didn't argue.
Indeed, a chef's greatest confidence always lay in their cooking.
The two walked over to the cooking stations together and got to work.
Soma was still preparing to make his Transforming Furikake Gohan.
It was one of his signature dishes.
As for Ray, he gathered butter, sugar, oranges, milk... and several fresh eggs.
He was going to make an Orange Puff Pastry Lava Egg Tart.
The first step, naturally, was the tart crust. He took a block of butter, placed it into a glass bowl, and added caster sugar and finely ground Salt Orange in a precise fifteen-to-one ratio.
Although the Salt Orange was a seasoning he had brought himself, Erina hadn't explicitly forbidden outside ingredients.
Since she didn't say no, it was fair game.
Taking a pair of chopsticks, he flicked his wrist and began whipping the mixture rapidly.
The pale yellow butter gradually became fluffy, its color lightening until it took on an inviting milky white hue.
Two egg whites were cracked into the bowl and mixed with the butter paste. His chopsticks didn't slow down until the two ingredients were perfectly emulsified.
Next, he folded in milk powder and almond flour until evenly distributed, and finally added cake flour, kneading it all into a smooth dough.
He placed the dough into a ziplock bag, squeezed out the air, and put it in the refrigerator to rest and chill.
While the crust was chilling, Ray began preparing the filling.
The cream cheese had already softened at room temperature. He whipped it with sugar until it was smooth and grain-free.
Then, he sequentially poured in heavy cream, beaten egg wash, freshly squeezed orange juice, and warm milk.
With every new ingredient added, he mixed it on low speed, ensuring everything blended perfectly until the filling was as delicate as silk.
By this time, the tart crust in the fridge had rested just enough.
Ray took out the dough, folded it repeatedly, and used a rolling pin to flatten it into a three-millimeter-thick sheet.
Using a round mold, he pressed down, forming perfectly uniform pastry circles.
He then transferred the pastry into egg tart molds, gently pressing with his fingers to make the dough adhere tightly to the inner walls, neatening the edges until they were perfectly round.
Now it was ready for the oven. He set the time and temperature.
Fifteen minutes later, the oven let out a soft ding, and the golden, crispy tart crusts were done.
Once the crusts cooled, Ray slowly poured in the prepared filling, filling them exactly to eighty percent capacity—no more, no less.
He then placed the egg tarts into the blast freezer, waiting for the filling to set.
About seven minutes later, he took out the slightly solidified tarts, brushed an even layer of egg yolk over the surface, and sent them back into the oven.
Another ten minutes passed.
The moment the oven door was pulled open, a rich, mellow butter aroma surged out, carrying a light milky scent and a fresh, sweet orange fragrance that permeated the air, instantly making one's mouth water.
The golden tart crust was flaky and layered, its edges slightly curled and gleaming with an appetizing luster.
The center filling looked just like a pool of flowing orange syrup.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]