It turned out that Yumemi hadn't not tasted wasabi, but had been enduring it after tasting it. Finally, she couldn't hold it in anymore and started sneezing...
Seeing Yumemi endure her discomfort, with that red-faced, endearing appearance, some boys who were originally indifferent to Yumemi suddenly discovered her charm.
This kind of stubborn, childish temper was truly endearing.
"You really can endure it…" Ayanokouji Kiyohira was somewhat surprised.
It should be known that wasabi does not make people cry due to its spiciness, but rather due to its pungent, irritating odor.
This odor irritates the nasal mucous membranes, and since the eyes are connected to the nasal cavity on either side of the bridge of the nose, the odor travels to the eyes and irritates them, causing people to have runny noses and tears.
This intense stimulation is very difficult for ordinary people to endure. He hadn't expected that Yumemi, even though she had eaten wasabi, could still endure it and finish all the cakes before coughing and tearing up.
To be honest, Ayanokoji was somewhat impressed by her endurance.
Yumemi picked up the cola handed to her by the girl next to her and took two big gulps before she recovered. Her eyes were still red, as if she had been crying, but Yumemi's face was now smiling.
With red eyes, she said happily, "If I can't even endure wasabi, how can I be an idol?"
Unlike Ayanokouji Kiyohira's lack of preparation, Yumemi had already made preparations before eating the cake.
In fact, for a week before today, her every meal included wasabi.
No matter what she ate, she would first squeeze half a tube of wasabi onto a spoon and swallow it directly.
She had been challenging herself to build up a tolerance to wasabi.
It's like drinking traditional Chinese medicine; at first, it tastes bitter and is hard to swallow, but if you drink it every day, you gradually find that the bitterness is not unbearable, and you even feel uncomfortable if you miss a dose.
Yumemi had even gained experience in eating wasabi these days. When eating wasabi, she made sure to try her best not to breathe through her nose, which could alleviate the burning sensation in her nasal cavity.
After eating wasabi, you can use carbonated drinks to neutralize the taste of wasabi… Yumemi wanted to cry when she thought of her previous hardships.
However, her training finally showed results at this moment.
Throughout the entire tasting process, she did not show any reaction to eating wasabi until all the procedures were finished, when she finally exhibited symptoms like coughing and tearing up.
She was quite satisfied with her actions. She believed that if it were her, she would definitely not be able to distinguish which cake contained wasabi.
Yumemi knew the "exam questions" in advance, so she could prepare beforehand, which could be seen as cheating.
But... cheating was common in this school. How could she challenge Ayanokouji Kiyohira based solely on acting skills?
You have to know that the stimulation of wasabi is a physiological reaction. Even an actor with the best acting skills cannot control their facial expressions well.
Yumemi was very confident that she had reached this level of composure only after much preparation. Ayanokouji Kiyohira would definitely not be able to do it.
She was already looking forward to seeing Ayanokouji Kiyohira make a fool of himself!
"I've finished my taste test. It's your turn."
Yumemi suppressed a smile and deliberately provoked him, saying, "If you're scared, you can surrender now…"
"What's there to be scared of?"
Ayanokouji Kiyohira smiled, covered his mouth with his right hand, and made a thoughtful gesture. From an angle Yumemi couldn't see, he casually dropped a candy from his palm into his mouth.
"What do you have in your hand?" Yumemi keenly noticed Ayanokouji Kiyohira's small movement.
"Nothing at all." Ayanokouji Kiyohira spread his hands, allowing Yumemi to see them openly.
Indeed, there was nothing, but she seemed to have seen Ayanokouji Kiyohira put something into his mouth…
However, Ayanokouji Kiyohira's hands had always been on the table, so he couldn't have been holding anything.
Forget it, it might have been an illusion.
"Alright, stop dawdling, it's your turn!"
Yumemi didn't think much of it, urging Ayanokoji while subtly signaling the photographer below the stage to focus the camera on Ayanokoji.
She was ready to take embarrassing photos of Ayanokoji.
"Then I'll start."
Ayanokouji Kiyohira, following the order, first picked up the cake from plate A in front of him. The cake was small, perfectly bite-sized.
He put the cake into his mouth, took a bite, and instantly a rich cream flavor filled his entire brain, giving him a sweet and rich sensation.
If it were a girl, she would probably really like this taste…
"The taste is good, the cream flavor is very rich." Ayanokouji Kiyohira nodded calmly, praising the cake's taste.
"Of course! These cakes were all made by me personally!"
Yumemi secretly chuckled to herself, thinking, "You think the taste is good now, but it might not be the same when you eat the next one."
In regular cakes, the cream flavor is abundant, but in the "wasabi" cakes with added ingredients, the wasabi flavor is equally strong.
She stared at Ayanokoji without blinking, afraid that she would miss his grimacing expression.
After a ten-second interval, Ayanokouji Kiyohira reached for the second cake. He put the cake into his mouth, chewing slowly and deliberately, as if savoring some delicious treat. His expression remained calm.
It seems… the wasabi cake isn't in this one either?
Not in the first, not in the second, then it must be the third!
Yumemi was ready. She was now sitting face-to-face with Ayanokoji, and she was prepared to lift the tablecloth at any moment to block any potential sneezes from Ayanokouji Kiyohira.
She stared at Ayanokoji without blinking, but the result surprised her.
When Ayanokouji Kiyohira ate the third cake, his expression remained as calm as before, with the same facial demeanor, not even a frown. It seemed as if he had eaten the same flavor three times in a row, without tasting anything unusual.
Yumemi stared at Ayanokouji Kiyohira's face for more than ten seconds, and when she saw that his expression still hadn't changed, she was stunned.
"Hey, Ayanokoji, did the cake you ate really have wasabi?"
Yumemi even started to doubt herself. Could it be that her portion really didn't have any wasabi cake?
She looked at her teammates standing beside her, and they quickly raised their hands, confidently saying, "Yumemi, trust me, both of your plates have a wasabi cake! I definitely didn't make a mistake, everyone backstage can testify!"
Since she said so, Yumemi naturally believed her. After all, they had been friends working together for several years, and she wouldn't lie about this.
"It's not the cake's problem. I did eat wasabi… It's just that I really like wasabi, and this wasabi isn't spicy enough."
Ayanokouji Kiyohira took a sip of water and said unhurriedly.
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