When Clara followed Okada Dharma into the dining room, feeling as if she were marching to the gallows, the four members of the Sigma Series were already dressed in chef uniforms of matching colors.
They each wore tall hats and struck poses in front of the cameras, their faces adorned with confident and composed businesslike smiles.
Good looks make anything look pleasing; the four handsome guys could probably just stand there and serve as eye candy.
Clara glanced at the tablet in Okada Dharma’s hand, where an endless barrage of densely packed comments kept scrolling, but the content was pretty much all the same.
[Ahhhhh! (screaming) The brothers are so handsome!]
[So good-looking! The food must taste great too! I want to be their little sister!]
…Huh? What does appearance have to do with cooking skills, even remotely?
Clara wore the expression of an old man staring at his phone on the subway. If she didn’t know these four brothers had never cooked before, she might’ve been fooled.
As long as it doesn’t kill me, it’s fine.
Because it was for work, she set her expectations for food extremely low.
But when she saw that Sista couldn’t even tell the difference between salt and sugar, and even had to dip a finger in to taste, she began to suspect that maybe her standards were still too high.
D
Even so, Sista still waved confidently at her from the stage.
“Miss Clara, please look forward to it! I’m making breakfast!”
The drone turned to film Clara’s reaction as well.
“Mmm~ Clara will definitely look forward to it!”
Little did they know, Clara was screaming for help inside.
Under the watchful eyes of several drones, the four “chefs” began showing off their skills. All the ingredients and kitchen utensils in the restaurant’s kitchen were at their disposal. This total lack of restriction or boundaries only made Clara more confused about how she might meet her end.
“…Miss Dharma, how about letting me cook for them instead?”
Her overflowing will to survive made Clara suggest this, but Okada Dharma refused.
“No, we can’t easily change the process that’s already been decided. However… after they finish breakfast, you can show off your skills too, if you like?”
Will I even still be able to stand by then!?
In the end, it was all for the sake of the show. Since Clara looked quite virtuous, having her cook something normal wouldn’t stir up any discussion.
“I’m the one who has to eat all that, you know?”
“They’re prepared. As far as I know, each of them looked up recipes.”
=
“If all it took to cook was following a recipe, being a chef would be way too easy.”
As it turned out, Clara’s imagination had still been too tame.
What happened next in the kitchen truly boggled her mind.
D
Why was the stove on Crimson Star shooting out a jet of metal that punched through the ceiling?
Why were there metallic banging sounds coming from Viridian Echo’s side?
Why was there blue lightning flickering in Azure Cavalier’s bowl?
Why did Sista’s pot never seem to fill up, no matter how many unrelated ingredients he dumped in?
Were these guys making breakfast or playing pranks?
She had no answers to this barrage of questions, but Nyx said:
[They’re trying some very new cooking methods.]
You mean execution methods, right?!
During the cooking phase, there weren’t really any cameras pointed at her, plus she wore a gas mask, so no one could see how twisted her expression was.
However, in the end, the thing she had to face was set before her.
“Execution time.”
Clara muttered to herself, and as the team leader of the Sigma Series, Crimson Star stepped forward first, holding his confidently prepared breakfast for Clara to judge.
After seeing that explosive jet earlier, Clara suspected the food might already be charred. But when the dish was placed in front of her, it was surprisingly normal looking. At least, she could tell what was in the bowl…
….
A well-cooked steak, and golden yellow pasta.
Though the presentation wasn’t exactly exquisite, it certainly looked edible…
After all, as an android who had already been out of the factory for a few years, the captain was much more sensible than Sista, so making a meal shouldn’t be a problem, right?
“Please try it! This is my Big Bang Steak.”
Crimson Star introduced it confidently, but seriously—how did you even make steak explode?
“Isn’t it a bit much to eat something as greasy as steak for breakfast? I am a girl, you know, I do care about calories!”
Crimson Star put his hands on his hips, and his chest muscles flexed along with the motion.
“Today’s going to be exhausting! Clara, little sister, you need a full breakfast to stay energized!”
Under everyone’s expectant gazes, Clara removed her gas mask.
With an uneasy heart, she picked up the knife and fork. The fork easily pierced the steak, and with a swipe of the knife, she cut off a piece. The meat was firm and juicy; up to this point, nothing seemed amiss.
But for food, taste is everything.
Clara put the steak in her mouth, and immediately, as if electrocuted, she threw away her knife and fork.
It didn’t taste like food at all.
It was downright awful, and impossible to describe with simple words like “sour,” “sweet,” “bitter,” or “spicy.” She thought she could even taste a whiff of gunpowder.
It was just like that lingering smell in the air after setting off firecrackers in the countryside.
Clara’s limited vocabulary couldn’t capture just how bad this steak tasted, and besides, she couldn’t even speak right now—she was desperately reaching for the tissue box, trying to spit out the poison in her mouth.
Only after rinsing her mouth thoroughly with water did she answer:
“Sorry, this thing… it doesn’t taste like steak at all anymore.”
Before, Clara had been curious about how you could make steak explode.
Now, she didn’t want to know anything about this steak’s past life.
“Crimson Star is eliminated! Next!”
Next up was Azure Cavalier, the second eldest.
This bespectacled handsome guy was known for his intelligence and rationality, and among the four, Clara had the highest hopes for him.
If he’s so smart, then even if he can’t cook, surely after reading the recipe he’d be able to follow it? At the very least, it shouldn’t be inedible…
But when the food was brought out, Clara was bewildered and repulsed.
Unlike Crimson Star’s dish, Azure Cavalier’s breakfast didn’t even look like food. The color was bizarre, a lumpy substance floating in a bowl, with occasional electric sparks flickering on the surface, as if some electronic device had been hit by a solar storm.
…What’s with the electricity?
Azure Cavalier pushed up his glasses.
“Don’t mind it. I just added some personal flavor to the porridge.”
Compared to steak, porridge is certainly a traditional breakfast, but…
“You call this porridge?!”
Clara picked up a spoon and tried stirring the “porridge.”
When the metal spoon touched the electrified mush, there was a crackling sound, and the spoon shot out of her hand, leaving her arm tingling from the shock—she’d been electrocuted.
“Azure Cavalier, have you ever considered switching to making liquid batteries?”
Sigma Corporation’s philosophy was all about risking your life for show effect and dramatic development. Clara hadn’t understood that before, but now, it seemed like the ones risking their lives weren’t themselves.
A life-loving Clara obviously refused to try it, so next up was Viridian Echo’s dish.
Unexpectedly, the sandwich brought out by Viridian Echo was perfectly normal. It looked exactly as breakfast should, or maybe even better—something that could be sold in a store.
“Oh! This one looks great!”
“Clara-chan~”
However, when Clara reached out to take it, she felt a cold, smooth sensation.
What exactly was this made of?
Something wasn’t right.
Clara! Don’t be fooled by appearances!
The sandwich that couldn’t be squeezed at all, the metallic feel completely different from its looks, the sound of hammering during preparation, and then there’s Viridian Echo’s abilities and selling points…
Clara couldn’t even bother to play her part anymore. With a dark expression, she shouted:
“You green-haired brat! Take away this holographic projection right now!”
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That’s impressively bsd.