The smell of melted butter mingles with that of freshly washed rice, while in the dormitory's communal kitchen, the buzz of the other residents grows. Some are preparing their dishes for the welcome test, others are already seated, watching the competition that's about to unfold.
Soma and I are facing each other, with the cutting boards between us as if they were a boxing ring.
Soma adjusts his bandana and points his knife in my direction.
"Good, Rin!" he says with a half-smile. "If we're going to cook for this welcome test, we might as well make it big, right?"
I cross my arms. "And in fact, I challenged you."
"Then listen carefully." Soma leans forward, his eyes shining. "We'll use the same ingredients. I don't care what you come up with... but I'll win."
"We'll see."
The kitchen erupts in murmurs. Some are already giggling, others are watching with excitement.
I start choosing the ingredients.
Butter. Eggs. Milk. Broth. Herbs.
Simple, refined, balanced: just what I am.
Soma looks at me and replies:
"Oh? An elegant breakfast, huh? You remind me of Nakiri."
He begins preparing a variation of what seemed a soft omelette. Symple and fast. Typical of him.
I, on the other hand, make a pancake omelet soufflé: soft, light, yet incredibly precise in technique. The sugary aroma wafts through as I whisk the egg whites and pour the mixture into the perfectly hot pan.
Soma presents first.
It's good. Very good. It has character, style, 100% Yukihira.
Then it's my turn.
The surfacemy of my soufflé bounces slightly... then melts into a perfect bite.
Silence.
After a careful discussion about the food, that I didn't follow, the verdict comes in. It was a draw.
Soma blinks. Then he bursts into laughter.
"Hah! That's how it should be! Not bad, Rin! Next time I'll turn it all around!"
[Mission failed: Beat Yukihira Soma
Penalty: your penis will be removed.]
"Wait. WHAT?" I screamed in my mind.
[I'm kidding. Don't be so dramatic.]
"When I have enough power I'll show you."
The campus is buzzing with activity.
Students are sorted for the start of practical classes, each one assigned to their predominant cooking style.
Soma joins me in the hallway, still full of enthusiasm after our challenge.
"Oh, Rin! Today we're goi—"
"Yukihira Soma."
A female voice interrupts him.
A woman with tightly cropped brown hair, thin glasses, and a strangely calm, almost… medical aura.
It's Shoko Ieiri.
Soma stiffens. "Um... sensei?"
Ieiri scans the register.
"You'll be in the standard creative cooking class."
Then she looks up at me.
"Rin Takamine."
I raise my hand.
She observes me for a few seconds... and nods approvingly.
"Not you.
Because of your declared style: experimental cooking.
Your group is elsewhere."
Soma's eyes widen. "Wait, what?! He's doing experimental cooking?!"
"Follow me," says the teacher to me.
She leads me down a side corridor, much less crowded. The windows overlook a small garden, and the noise of the other students fades away.
As I follow her, my thoughts are elsewhere... 'What is THE Jujutsu Kaisen healer doing here? And shit, even Jujustu Kaisen is in this world...'
Finally, we arrive at a door with a golden sign:
"Epsilon Classroom – Advanced Experimental Gastronomy."
Ieiri opens it.
And that's where I see them.
Five girls any normal guy in the real world would never see all together in the same place...
and whom I recognize immediately.
Seated with perfect posture, hands clasped:
Kaguya Shinomiya.
Next to her, with a composed look and icy dignity:
Yukino Yukinoshita.
On a desk to the side, legs crossed and a disdainfully elegant air:
Alisa Mikhailovna Kujō.
At the back, jumping up from her chair with genuine enthusiasm:
Marin Kitagawa.
And... sitting stiff as a post, shaking with shyness, the girl who speaks to living signs:
Komi Shouko.
'Okay, what the fuck? How many anime are there in this world?'
Their attentions converge on me in unison.
Marin raises her hand. "Hey! Someone new has arrived!"
Kaguya analyzes me as if I were a diplomatic threat.
Yukino sighs softly: "Looks like the class is growing."
Alisa gives me a detached look.
Komi tries to greet me... and then freezes in a static expression like a marble statue.
Ieiri closes the door behind me.
"This is your class, Rin Takamine.
Everyone here is a high-potential student, but with very... unique approaches."
I look around the room.
I look at the five girls.
I look at the teacher, half-traumatized by life.
And a single certainty invades me
'This class will be a madhouse.'