Chapter 219: Residence Training
"Amazing."
"Is this... the place for residence training?"
"No wonder it's a prestigious school; they even operate such a luxurious hotel."
After getting off the bus, a few individuals, resembling a dormitory group, gathered together. One of them, a male student with red, hedgehog-like hair, was none other than the original protagonist of "Food Wars," Soma Yukihira.
As for this group, they were naturally the residents of Polar Star Dormitory.
"All the hotels and inns around here are under the management of Totsuki," said Ibusaki Shun, whose expression was unclear.
"I wouldn't be surprised." Soma shouted in confusion.
"There are over ten hotels here, all operating under the brand of Totsuki Resort. Many academy graduates also work in the resort's culinary department," Marui Zenji, pushing his glasses, added.
"I heard that just staying for one night here costs 80,000 yen." Ibusaki supplemented.
"That's equivalent to a month's rent." Yuki Yoshino exclaimed in surprise.
"I told you I wouldn't be surprised." Soma also shouted, but with the expression on his face, he was not convincing at all.
After some playful banter, everyone left their luggage and headed to the assembly hall.
When the group from Polar Star Dormitory pushed open the doors of the hall, many people had already gathered inside. Despite the crowd, the entire hall was quiet, without making the slightest noise.
Many new students wore expressions of concern because, in their hearts, passing this assessment was still an unknown variable.
However, at this moment, Soma seemed to have spotted someone familiar and greeted them cheerfully.
"Oh, hey... isn't this Nikumi?"
His voice, in the extremely quiet hall, sounded very distinct. Many students turned to look, and upon seeing Soma, their expressions varied. Quite a few began to whisper.
The person Soma called out to was a girl.
With short yellow hair and a long, straight strand sticking up, she had a wheatish complexion. Her figure and dressing style were quite provocative, with the shirt tied just below her chest, leaving the buttons on the upper part unfastened, revealing a large expanse of skin and a deep cleavage.
It was Ikumi Mito, who had lost to Soma not long ago.
Although she had lost to Soma before, Ikumi didn't seem angry at this moment. Upon hearing him call her name, she played with the tips of her hair with a shy expression.
However, looking at the gazes of the students around, the girl quickly came to his side and reminded him, "Be careful, Yukihira!"
Unfortunately, Soma completely didn't understand what was going on.
"Hmm? Be careful of what?"
At this moment, Roland Chapelle, well-known among the students, stepped onto the platform in the hall.
As the teacher rumored to never smile at Totsuki, Roland Chapelle was always strict. Therefore, when he ascended the platform to speak, the students in the hall dared not even breathe loudly.
"Next, I will explain the specific content of this training camp."
Standing at the podium, Chapelle spoke into the microphone.
"This training camp will last for a total of six days and five nights. You will be divided into various groups, and over the consecutive days, you'll be working on culinary-related topics. Students with lower evaluations from the instructors will lose their qualification for the training camp. They will be forcibly sent back by the academy and face expulsion!"
Hearing this, the students below became even more nervous, engaging in hushed whispers.
"Silence!"
Hearing the noisy chatter below, Chapelle frowned.
"Regarding the review of the topics, we've specially invited some guest lecturers."
"Now, let's welcome the graduates from Totsuki Academy, who took time out of their busy schedules to join us for this training camp."
As soon as the words were spoken, exclamations erupted from the students below.
"Graduates!"
"In other words, these are the geniuses who stood out from the single-digit graduation rates at Totsuki."
Amidst the students' astonishment, the sound of footsteps echoed, and about twenty to thirty men and women, dressed in chef uniforms with an air of precision, walked onto the stage from behind.
"Ah, the woman wearing an apron is Hinako Inui, the head chef of the Kirinoya."
"That person should be Hitoshi Sekimori, the head chef of Ginza Hinowa Sushi."
"And there's Donato Gotoda and Mizuhara Fuyumi. They are all top chefs at the forefront of the Japan culinary world."
"To be able to meet so many celebrity chefs, it's truly touching."
Watching the graduates standing in an array on the stage, Marui, next to Soma, spoke with excitement.
Not only him, but the other students were also extremely excited and thrilled. These graduates were considered the pinnacle of the culinary profession, their idols.
Besides excitement and thrill, they also felt a wave of pressure. After all, these were the geniuses who emerged from the single-digit graduation rates, and nobody knew what kind of challenges they would present.
However, two individuals stood out among the chefs in their uniforms—one in a suit with a crew cut, Dojima Gin, and the other in casual attire with a youthful face, Hachiman.
Dojima Gin was relatively well-known, being the highest-scoring graduate in the history of Totsuki, and many could recognize his name.
As for Hachiman, he belonged to the category of individuals with no notable reputation in the culinary world, even within Totsuki.
However, there were still a few who knew him, such as Erina and Alice, Hisako, and Kurokiba.
Seeing Hachiman, they were somewhat surprised, but considering his culinary skills, it didn't seem strange for him to become a guest lecturer.
Hachiman also noticed them, nodded in acknowledgment, and greeted them.
Besides those few, there was someone else familiar with Hachiman.
"Oh, isn't he the guy who visited my restaurant before?" Soma, among the Polar Star Dorm residents, was a bit puzzled.
"Soma-kun, do you know him?" Megumi asked beside him.
"Yeah, Hikigaya-san visited my family's restaurant several times before." Soma nodded.
While everyone was filled with excitement and nervousness, Shinomiya being in the middle of the graduates, Shinomiya suddenly spoke, "Hey, you, the boy in the ninth row with a scar on his eyebrow!"
He even pointed in Soma's direction.
"Me?" Soma pointed to himself in confusion.
However, Shinomiya hesitated for a moment and then spoke again, "Sorry, my mistake. I meant the person next to you."
The boy next to Soma also looked puzzled and pointed to himself.
"Yes, it's you. Drop out, you can go back now."
Chapter 220: Hachiman's Test
"You can go back and complete the withdrawal procedures."
With these casual words, Shinomiya pronounced the "death sentence" for the student.
"Why..." the confused student muttered to himself.
Shinomiya descended the stairs, step by step, approaching the student.
"Your hair gel carries the scent of citrus, which can mask the aroma of the dishes."
"While grooming is necessary, as a chef, appearing too outdated can overshadow the brilliance of the cuisine. But remember to choose unscented hair gel in the future. If you still intend to be a chef..."
After saying these words, Shinomiya was about to turn and leave.
"What kind of joke is this? Just because of this small thing, you want me to drop out?" the student said incredulously.
"Small thing?"
Hearing this, Shinomiya stopped in his tracks.
"Do you know that what you call a small thing might lead to a decrease in customers?"
Turning around, his sharp gaze became even more intense.
"Do you intend to ruin my restaurant, you punk?"
Under Shinomiya's pressure, the student dared not speak any further.
Not only him, even the other students within Shinomiya's line of sight involuntarily took a step back.
Seeing that the student no longer questioned anything, Shinomiya turned back and waved his hand.
"Your hard work has been wasted."
After saying this, he returned to the main podium.
"Who was that?" Soma asked with some confusion.
Although he had just stood next to the student, he didn't feel any impact, perhaps because of his carefree nature.
Marui, excited, explained, "He's Chef Shinomiya! He was the first Japanese to be awarded the Pluspol Award and earned three stars in France!"
"Ah, is he very famous?" Soma still looked puzzled.
"Very famous! Soma-kun, in fact, not only Chef Shinomiya, but you can often see others in food magazines as well," explained Megumi beside him.
Just then, a blonde, blue-eyed chef with a double chin arrived in front of the Polar Star Dorm group, took hold of Megumi's hands, and spoke.
"Oh, the simple beauty like a white caraway. Perhaps I was born into this world just to meet you. How about spending the night talking at the accommodation restaurant?"
It was Donato Gotoda.
"Chef Gotoda, let her go!"
Before Megumi could respond, another female chef arrived and intervened.
"Hinako!"
The newcomer was Hinako Inui, and with her appearance, Donato actually released Megumi's hands. It seems the title "Empress of Mist" wasn't earned without reason.
"Sorry for startling you."
Hinako not only held Megumi's hands but also stroked her face while saying some peculiar words.
"Ah! You look so cute! You seem like you'd taste really good..."
"Uh... uh..." Megumi was completely bewildered.
However, at this moment, Donato reminded from the side, "Hinako, we should go back; Chapelle-sensei is watching."
Hearing this, Hinako also released her hands, and together with Donato, returned to the podium. Before leaving, she even extended an invitation to Megumi.
"Remember to come to my restaurant, okay?"
Leaving the girl unsure whether to refuse or agree.
Once the two returned to the podium, the most important figure made his entrance.
A robust, crew-cut man in a suit stood at the forefront.
"That person is! The highest-scoring graduate in history, the number one of the Elite Ten in Totsuki 69th Generation, now serving as the Head Chef of the resort and a member of the board, Dojima Gin!" Marui exclaimed once again, filled with excitement.
At this moment, acting as a semi-host, Dojima spoke.
"First of all, welcome everyone to Totsuki Resort. The graduates gathered here today are all head chefs with their own establishments."
"So, during these six days of training, we will treat you as our own staff. If you can't satisfy us, you will be dismissed, which means expulsion!"
"As you saw earlier, some were eliminated based on individual assessments by the instructors."
"The grouping information will be sent to your phones. Now, let each group start moving!"
With Dojima's words, the students in the hall took out their phones, starting to search for the location of their assigned groups.
Before long, the students in the hall dispersed, and Dojima nodded as he watched the graduates.
"Alright, now head to the classrooms assigned to each of you."
"Understood!"
The graduates also started to move.
Before long, Hachiman found the classroom assigned to him, A5.
As he walked into the classroom, he noticed that many people were already there.
Moreover, Hachiman also spotted a familiar face in this classroom.
Golden long hair, violet eyes, and a well-proportioned figure accentuated by the chef's uniform – who else but Erina.
"Hey... Erina."
Seeing the girl, Hachiman walked over and greeted her.
Seeing his familiar face, Erina raised an eyebrow.
"How come you're here, and why did you become a guest lecturer?"
"Do you remember when Chief Nakiri asked me to go to the study the other day?" Hachiman smiled as he explained. "We discussed this matter in the study that day. Because my culinary skills are top-notch, Chief Nakiri asked me to be a guest lecturer for the accommodation training camp."
"That simple?" the girl questioned.
"That simple!" Hachiman nodded nonchalantly.
However, Erina still had some skepticism. If it was just this, why would they need to go to the study?
"I always feel like you're hiding something from me."
Surprised by the girl's keen intuition, Hachiman naturally wouldn't reveal the other matter. On one hand, it was because of her fear of her father, and disclosing it might bring back unpleasant memories. On the other hand, the task of "training" was not something to be openly spoken about.
"You're overthinking it. Why would I hide something from you?" Hachiman replied.
Hearing his affirmative words, Erina had to suppress her doubts with a light snort.
"Hmph, it's better be that way. If I find out you lied to me, you'll regret it."
Hachiman just smiled slightly at her warning, checked the time, and realized it was time for the assessment to begin.
Amidst the astonished gazes of the students in the classroom, he walked to the position representing the instructor.
"Hello, everyone. I am the instructor for your assessment, Hikigaya Hachiman."
"My assessment is individual and group-based. As for the topic, it's quite simple."
Hachiman wrote a character on the blackboard behind him.
"Noodles!"
But it didn't end there; he continued to write two more characters.
"Not noodles!"
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