Chapter 23 - Sana’s Shokugeki – Part 2 (1/2)
Sana’s Shokugeki – Part 2
The day of the cooking competition.
The ingredients seemed to have been bought by Hiiragi-chan and they were placed within the refrigerator in the cooking room. Lunch break was in the state of a complete three-way deadlock, with the sparks of tension going between them. Especially between Sana and Hiiragi-chan.
“I’ll tell you now the categories for which each of the dishes will be judged.”
“Aah, do you mean stuff like the originality and the taste?”
“If it’s like that, it’s way too normal and it’ll be boring, right? It won’t be judged on that, but there are a total of 4 other categories. Friendship, effort, cooking—”
Isn’t it friendship, effort, and victory! [1]
Where did cooking come from?! Rather, isn’t this supposed to be an evaluation of cooking?? Is it really okay for cooking to be a category of judgement!? Friendship and effort? What is that? How should I judge something like that…
“What is this cooking competition for anyways…? And, what’s the fourth category?”
“Sibling love.”
Doesn’t that mean that Sana completely wins that one? This girl, is it that the ends justify the means for her?
“… Only Sa-chan having an advantage, isn’t that unfair.”
“That’s right, Sana-chan. It should be Love, instead.”
Put some thought into the first three categories as well!
“When you say love… it means that you would have to like Nii-san so that’s a no!”
Sana, your face is completely red.
“That’s not true.”
“… It’s not?”
“Yeah, it isn’t.”
“… I-if that’s the case, then it’s fine I guess?”
As such, after school, the irregular cooking competition began.
Since we were cooking, today, we gathered in the cooking room where fire could be used instead of the home economics room.
“Nii-san, can you make some rice and a light salad. You can do that much right?”
“I can…”
No matter how you look at it, she’s definitely making karaage.
“Ah, it’s okay if you don’t do it Sanada-kun. I can do it quickly.”
If I end up being pampered by her, even if it’s Hiiragi-chan, I don’t think the others would tolerate it.
“Everyone’s making something. If I’m the only one not making anything I will feel bad, so I can do it.”
“Then, make it together with Sensei ♡.”
Sana and Kanata raised their eyebrows.
“It’s probably tiring for Sensei who works so hard, so Nii-san can make it with Sana.”
“… Rather than Sana, I can make a better salad.”
As the silence inside the cooking room, a heavy air set upon them making it hard to breathe. W-what is this? This feeling…!?
“I’ll do it myself, so the rest of you can concentrate on your own cooking, okay?”
Since I said that, the three people reluctantly began their work. Before I time leaped, I was living alone, so making a salad isn’t something that is too hard for me. Moreover, when it comes to rice, any adult can make it. I made the salad with any toppings that went with it, and put it in the fridge. After that, all that was left was to wait for the rice to cook. At around that time, the smell of oil filled the air of the room, while the sound of something being fried could be heard.
“…. Why is everyone frying up karaage!?!? Sana thought that only Sana would be doing it!”
“… Making something that Seiji-kun likes. That’s what it means to be strategic.”
“Sana-chan’s thinking was definitely naïve. Why would you think that you were special?”
“Ugugugu… Sana thought that she was a step ahead of everyone…”
Having nothing else left for me to do, I watched over the three of them from a short distance away. Heeeeh, Hiiragi-chan purposely took a look at what Sana was cooking.
“Sana-chan, you’re making karaage, right?”
“T-that’s right, what is it?”
“Are you using a store-bought breading?”
“W-what, is something weird…?”
“Nope, nothing. It’s just that if it’s like that, no matter who makes it, it’ll taste the same. Is there a meaning in making something like that for a cooking competition?”
Hiiragi-chan, that’s mean! More importantly, that’s so immature! It isn’t wrong, but don’t say that to someone who is new at cooking!!
“Ugigi… I-I mean! My moth—advisor told me that using something like this is quick, easy, and delicious…”
“”Fuun…””, two people snorted.
((… I won.))
It felt like I could hear both Hiiragi-chan and Kanata saying something like that within their minds.
“N-nii-saaan! The two of them are making fun of Sanada family’s karaage!”
“Aren’t they making fun of the fact that you’re making karaage that has nothing special to it for a cooking competition?”
“Moouuuuu, why are you saying that!? Sana really tried hard and practiced a lot, too.”
I know. Before today, karaage kept on showing up on the dining table after all! In the morning, and even at night. At our house, it was at the level where it would have felt like we were having a karaage party every day.
“My advisor is stupid!”
“Also! Stop calling our mother an advisor! It somehow embarrassing!”
Sana-chan is so cute, Hiiragi-chan said as she treated her like a child. Ufufu, Hiiragi-chan laughed as her hands continued to move and fry more and more things.
“… Anyone can make it, anyone would say it tastes good… in other words, it’s like a hamburger from a family restaurant… There’s no way it would take first place…”
Kanata was merciless.
“That’s such a huge insult to Sana. Sana, Sana will believe in her karaage!”
Cutting the chicken, breading it, and frying it. Doing just that, what is there to believe in, little sister.
“It’s done!”
“… I’m also done.”