"What an interesting class" Monty thought as he watched his new students prep ingredients and get ready to cook the dish he assigned them.
He was used to working with small groups, due to his job as an auxiliary teacher. But 2 students could barely even be considered a class. To make matters worse this was the first time he had to teach a class first thing in the morning, he usually didn't have to teach any classes until at least noon if not later, allowing him to sleep in.
Although, it wasn't like this class was all bad, for one a smaller class meant less people for him to keep track of. On top of that both members of this class had participated in the fall selection tournament, having both shown incredible promise in seafood(Monty's area of expertise).
The only worry he had was that there would be some tension between the two since they competed against each other during the tournament. Luckily, it seemed like this fear had been unwarranted, in fact the pair seemed to have incredible chemistry when working together. It was clear that they had a tremendous amount of respect for each other's cooking, but there also seemed to be a mutual admiration between them.
"I wonder if they've worked together before." He thought to himself.
He didn't have long to think before noticing Ryo remove the red bandanna from his arm and tie it around his forehead. All of a sudden The boy's demeanor changed entirely, he went from quiet and stoic, to loud and rambunctious. To be fair this wasn't a surprise, Monty had seen Ryo cook during the selection, but seeing this "berserk mode" up close was quite different from watching in the stands of the arena. However, the sudden shift in the boy's intensity didn't even phase his partner. Megumi just continued prepping ingredients as if she were entirely unaware of the monster who had awoken on the other side of the work station.
Finally the pair presented him with their paella. Unsurprisingly, it looked very appetizing, and smelled fantastic as well.
"Looks and smells pretty good" The chef remarked, "But looks and scent can only get you so far, a dish's success is determined entirely by how it tastes" Picking up a fork
As he took a bite of the traditional Spanish dish, he was blown away by the flavor, it was as though he'd been hit by a semi truck made of umami. It was clear that Ryo's skill at picking seafood had helped him choose only the best specimen from the pile's of seafood he had provided. However, there was more to the dish than just the burst of flavor, there was a certain delicacy to the dish, clearly a result of Megumi's influence on the dish.
"Dios mío, los sabores son increíbles y la textura es simplemente divina." Monty exclaimed, not even bothering to translate his thoughts out of spanish.
After a few more bites of the expertly crafted dish, Monty stood up, picked up the plate and announced.
"Congratulations, you have completed the challenge to my satisfaction. The rest of this period is yours to do what you want with, just please don't leave the classroom otherwise I get in trouble"
With that the great Spanish chef walked to the door with the plate and left the room.