Once they had seen Erina and Hisako off in a special car provided by Totsuki, the Kasumigaoka couple returned to the kitchen. Chef Kasumigaoka and the assisting chefs exchanged glances, and for a mont, the atmosphere in the kitchen was filled with silence.
Especially Chef Hiroki Kasumigaoka, he had believed that this star rating evaluation would be a failure. However, unexpectedly, things took a positive turn, and they passed the evaluation. This left him sowhat incredulous. "Did we... really succeed?" he muttered, still sowhat disbelieving.
The rest of the team slowly started to realize what had happened and erupted in excitent. "Yes, we did it!" "Yahoo!" "Hahaha, we're officially a star-rated restaurant!" "Let's take a day off tomorrow and start accepting reservations again next week."
Hiroki also approached Hachiman and expressed his gratitude. "This is... Hikigaya-kun, I'm really grateful to you for what you did today."
Chef Kasumigaoka noticed that Hachiman had a good relationship with Erina. Otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed to help so readily just because of a few words from him.
Seeing her father thank Hachiman, Utaha, standing nearby, inwardly rolled her eyes. Oh, Dad, you should really be thanking more. Do you have any idea how much effort I've put into this? But, of course, she couldn't say that out loud. That would be utterly impossible.
"Yes, Hikigaya-kun, you played a significant role this ti," Mrs. Kasumigaoka remarked.
Hachiman modestly replied, "It's my pleasure, Uncle and Aunt. After all, I'm Utaha's boyfriend, so helping out when I can is only natural."
Utaha added, "That's right, Mom, Dad. It's the least he can do."
Unbeknownst to them, she playfully pinched Hachiman's soft waist as she said this.
Hachiman, accustod to her antics, didn't flinch and continued to smile.
"Yes, it's the least I could do."
Sensing that the conversation had reached an impasse, Hachiman changed the subject.
"By the way, would you like to try the dish I prepared? There's still so left in the pot."
He proceeded to divide the remaining Beef Bourguignon into several portions.
One of the assisting chefs quickly found forks and distributed servings to everyone present.
Everyone picked up a piece of beef and savored it.
"This is... so tender, and the flavors are exquisite."
"Indeed, despite being slow-cooked, the at's texture is extraordinary. With each bite, the juices burst forth, creating an incredible sensation."
Gulp.
As they savored the succulent at, smiles of satisfaction graced their faces. Mrs. Kasumigaoka even had a charming blush on her cheeks.
The warmth that enveloped their bodies made them feel as if they were in the midst of a culinary euphoria.
The small bite they took overwheld them with happiness.
*Cough, cough.*
At this mont, Hachiman heard two coughs and saw Utaha standing with her arms crossed, sending him a aningful glance.
Hachiman understood her intention and smiled. He speared a piece of beef and fed it to her with the fork.
"Ah... Mmm..."
As she took a bite, Utaha's face revealed an expression of satisfaction.
Seeing this, the Kasumigaoka couple also smiled. In their eyes, Hachiman's relationship with their daughter was quite good.
"I didn't expect Hikigaya-kun's culinary skills to be this impressive," Mrs. Kasumigaoka praised.
"Yeah, isn't Hikigaya-kun a student at Totsuki Culinary Academy?" Chef Kasumigaoka also spoke with a smile.
In his opinion, with Hachiman's exceptional cooking skills and his close relationship with Erina, there was a good chance he was a Totsuki student.
"I'm not a student at Totsuki, and cooking is just a hobby," Hachiman replied with a shake of his head.
"To be this skilled just as a hobby..."
Hearing this, Chef Kasumigaoka's face showed a tinge of regret.
"Just a hobby, and yet so talented... What does that make my own skills?"
He recalled what his daughter had said before, how Hachiman had also excelled in kendo.
Is this what they call a genius?
With a slight sigh, Chef Kasumigaoka's face showed a wry smile.
Seeing the expression on his face, Hachiman changed the subject.
"Uncle, your culinary skills are impressive as well. After all, you can apply for star-level evaluations. It's just that our approaches are different."
"In fact, the thods are quite simple. You only need to..."
Hachiman explained his cooking thods to Chef Kasumigaoka and his assisting chefs. Building a good relationship with his future father-in-law was essential.
Mrs. Kasumigaoka approached her daughter during this conversation.
"Utaha, how did you et this Hikigaya-kun?"
"About Hachiman... we t when..."
Utaha paused for a mont and then began to recount her and Hachiman's eting to her mother.
Hearing about Hachiman's achievents in light novels, Mrs. Kasumigaoka couldn't help but sigh in amazent, much like her husband had.
Utaha naturally didn't reveal the whole situation, especially regarding Hachiman's complicated relationships with the other girls, which she chose to keep secret. While they had already passed the final hurdle in their relationship, based on Hachiman's previous attitude, he wouldn't give up easily on the other girls. Until those issues were resolved, ntioning them might not sit well with her parents.
After all, no father would want their daughter's boyfriend to be a womanizer.
However, as soone with more life experience, Mrs. Kasumigaoka was able to sense sothing from her daughter's fragnted words.
Exceptional individuals were often more attractive to the opposite sex.
Given Hachiman's abilities, Mrs. Kasumigaoka could easily imagine how many female admirers he had, much to her daughter's chagrin.
Utaha, this girl, must be dealing with a lot in her daily life.
As she watched her smiling daughter, Mrs. Kasumigaoka couldn't help but think.
Ti flew by, and it was already past 9 o'clock. During his conversation with Chef Kasumigaoka, Hachiman also learned sothing new.
It turned out that he had been a student at Totsuki as well, but he didn't manage to graduate successfully. He was expelled in his second year due to a defeat in a Shokugeki with the Elite Ten.
However, he hadn't given up on his culinary dreams and had been persistently pursuing his passion. Compared to others who were expelled from Totsuki and never touched cooking again, Mr. Kasumigaoka dedication was truly admirable.
Talent and ability were important for a chef, no doubt, but effort and perseverance were the essential qualities that allowed a chef to keep progressing.
It was his perseverance that had impressed the young Mrs. Kasumigaoka back then. Now, he not only had a happy family but had also beco the head chef of a star-level restaurant.
In a way, his life and career had achieved great success.
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