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Caught between his wife and mother-in-law's sulking, Renz felt quite uncomfortable. This was much harder to handle than a spat between his wife and their child. Both his wife and child could be appeased, but his mother-in-law couldn't. Being a generation older meant she held absolute authority; you could only try to make her understand your position.

However, if forced to choose between his wife and mother-in-law, Renz's preference was obvious. His mother-in-law wouldn't be with him for life, so his wife's emotions would always take priority.

"Erina and I just discussed it, and my choice is..." Renz playfully paused here. Renz knew that most people understood the relationship between Erina and Mana Nakiri.

As Erina's boyfriend, choosing Mana Nakiri would be understandable. But with Erina sulking, and Renz's consideration that joining Mana Nakiri's team would inevitably lead to accusations of favoritism, not choosing Mana Nakiri was the right move.

"I choose to receive a bye and join the Fourth Team," Renz revealed his answer.

This announcement left all the chefs in the venue stunned for a few seconds. Yoshino Ono asked in surprise, "Do you mean you're giving up on the teams of us three judges and directly joining the Fourth Team?" He continued, "That team doesn't have a judge leading it; the four members will elect a captain to lead them." It was somewhat incredible. Choosing a team with a judge would increase the chances of winning the championship.

The Fourth Team seemed destined to be a runner-up, as its members were those who passed the preliminary review but were not chosen by the three judges in the secondary review. In such a scenario, the Fourth Team's overall ability would naturally be weaker than the other teams.

"Ah, yes," Renz nodded.

"This is my opinion," Erina said, standing beside Renz and taking ownership, not wanting Renz to be labeled as 'arrogant'.

"It's not just Erina's opinion; it's an idea we discussed together," Renz immediately chimed in, not wanting all the pressure to fall on Erina's shoulders. "Because, Erina is my girlfriend, and Auntie Mana is Erina's mother. If I joined Auntie Mana's team, it would feel a bit strange," Renz explained with a smile, subtly pointing out the idea of avoiding impropriety. "But, if I were to join the other two judges' teams, I'd also be going against Auntie Mana, and I just thought, forget it." Renz chuckled, "Joining a team without a judge leading it also gives me more freedom to perform."

Renz's reasoning was clear. Yoshino Ono and Tsuru Kanemoto could understand Renz's mindset, though they felt a little regret. Renz's current demonstrated abilities were too comprehensive and outstanding; having him on their team would be an ace in the hole.

"If you were willing to join my team, I would definitely give you a captain position," Kanemoto lamented. "May I ask, if it's not too much trouble, what school did you learn your craft from?"

Cuisine has factions, and in the culinary world, master-apprentice relationships are common. This is especially true for Chinese culinary schools, which are very distinct and have clear chains of succession. Renz was Chinese, so Kanemoto was curious about which faction Renz belonged to. This question was difficult for Renz to answer. His master was Erina, and his skills were entirely "stolen" from her, but in this timeline, it was illogical for him to have learned cooking from Erina. In just a few months, he reached this level? That's too exaggerated. He remained silent.

Kanemoto, being self-aware, smoothly interjected, "If it's inconvenient to say, then never mind. However, Judge Nakiri, your son-in-law is truly remarkable." His gaze shifted to Mana Nakiri beside him.

Mana Nakiri and Erina seemed to be engaged in a silent staredown, like electricity sparking and colliding between their eyes.

"There's still much room for improvement; he hasn't reached the point where he satisfies me," Mana Nakiri said faintly. "Avoid arrogance and impatience. Take it slowly."

"So, can I leave now?" Renz finally said what he had long wanted to. Since he passed the review, it was time to clock out.

"You can leave; the production team didn't say that those who completed the assessment weren't allowed to leave, but are you really not going to consider staying and watching?" Shinji Takahashi, the show's fill-in host, said with a wry smile.

"It's too long; it's taken this long just to judge the eighth table. What time will it be when everyone else is done?" Renz replied. "I didn't sleep well last night; I'm going back to catch up on sleep." Sleeping on the floor every night, being disturbed by Erina a few times, occasionally sneaking a look at his phone, and waking up at 5 AM every day to prepare breakfast his sleep quality was declining day by day. This was a good time to catch up on some sleep.

As his words fell, Senzaemon Nakiri and Mana Nakiri's expressions simultaneously changed. As parents, they were sensitive. Why didn't he say "the night before last" or "recently," but specifically "last night"? Last night was when Hisako Arato was on watch. Senzaemon Nakiri and Mana Nakiri were both wondering if Hisako Arato 's supervisory abilities were strong enough. This child was relatively soft and cute; if Erina insisted, Hisako Arato would be powerless to stop her. So, the phrase "didn't sleep well last night" put immense pressure on both of them. It raised many things worth scrutinizing and doubting.

Mana Nakiri watched Renz's retreating figure, while Senzaemon Nakiri couldn't hold back.

"Chairman Nakiri, where are you going?" A staff member beside him asked, seeing Senzaemon Nakiri suddenly stand up from his seat. Senzaemon Nakiri's role in this program was that of a special guest, and he was still scheduled to make a few remarks later. If he left now, it would be troublesome to find him later.

"To see my lovely granddaughter," Senzaemon Nakiri simply left this remark and subtly followed behind Renz.

Their distance was relatively close. Finding an opportunity, Senzaemon Nakiri patted Renz on the

shoulder.

"How was your rest last night?" the Old Man asked abruptly.

"I didn't sleep well at all. I was sleeping on the floor, and in the middle of the night, Erina would get out of bed to get things and step on me with her foot," Renz initially didn't react, but then hearing the familiar voice, cold sweat broke out. However, thinking that his words weren't wrong, he began to complain about the unlucky events of the night.

Erina and Hisako Arato slept on the bed, while he slept on the floor beside it. Whenever Erina got out of bed, whether to go to the bathroom or get water from the table, she had to pass through where Renz was sleeping. In the dead of night, it was pitch black, and Erina would always accidentally step on Renz. The consequence of waking Renz like that was severe. Renz would immediately pull Erina into the covers and give her a good rub. But, unfortunately, for his safety, such a thing was absolutely impossible to say.

"Is... that so?" Senzaemon Nakiri, hearing this situation, imagined it and it seemed plausible. And being woken up so frequently, not sleeping well, also seemed quite reasonable. Perhaps he had been too aggressive?

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