Kael had no intention of approaching Erina Nakiri. At this point in time, she wasn't exactly the easiest person to get along with.
Still, several other students came up to greet him. After all, anyone personally acknowledged by Senzaemon Nakiri—the Director himself—was worth remembering. Even if they couldn't become friends, leaving a good impression couldn't hurt.
The opening ceremony soon began. Names were called one after another—some went up to accept awards, others to give speeches. Kael, as the transfer student representative, was scheduled last.
When it was finally his turn, everything went smoothly. He'd already memorized his speech, his photographic memory allowing him to recall it perfectly with a single glance.
Without Soma Yukihira stirring chaos with one of his infamous "school-wide challenges," the transfer students' reputation remained pristine. When Kael finished speaking, the audience responded with polite applause—genuine, if not thunderous.
During the ceremony, Kael also spotted Soma in the crowd. Finding him among a thousand students wasn't difficult; like Kael, Soma was one of the few not wearing a uniform.
Once the event ended, everyone split off to their assigned classes. Kael found his and walked in, scanning the room for familiar faces—only to stop short when he saw one.
Alice Nakiri.
The other Nakiri heiress.
A crowd had already gathered around her, as expected. If it had been Erina, the atmosphere would've been frozen solid; with Alice, the room buzzed with easy energy instead.
Despite sharing the Nakiri name, Alice was her cousin's complete opposite—bright, playful, and unpredictable. Where Erina was an ice queen, Alice was a mischievous spirit.
That didn't mean she lacked pride. She was still a Nakiri, through and through—just one who preferred to smile while holding the upper hand.
"Wait—he's the transfer student representative!" someone whispered.
In an instant, the attention shifted from Alice to Kael.
Becoming a transfer student at Totsuki was already rare enough; being named the representative among them, rarer still. Even if there were only two transfer students this year, the title carried weight—and the students knew it.
As murmurs filled the room, the teacher entered, prompting everyone to return to their seats.
"Alright, everyone," the instructor said briskly, clapping his hands. "You all know what today's class is, so I'll skip the formalities. Pair up—preferably with someone you already know. Anyone left over, I'll assign a partner."
The moment he finished speaking, students began forming pairs.
It was obvious this would be a practical test—no one was surprised. They'd been through countless cooking assessments before.
If the teacher had been Roland Chapelle, though, half the class would've panicked. Chapelle only had two grades: perfection or failure. Nothing in between. His lessons were legendary—and terrifying.
Luckily, today's instructor wasn't that kind of sadist.
Kael stayed where he was, arms crossed. He didn't know anyone here besides Alice, and they'd never actually spoken before. Sure, he knew plenty about her from the "original story," but that didn't count.
Just as he was wondering who he'd end up with, Alice turned and walked straight toward him.
"Kael-kun," she said brightly, eyes glittering with curiosity. "Care to team up with me?"
Gasps rippled through the class as she brushed past two boys who'd been hovering around her, eager to be her partner. Alice ignored them completely, stopping right in front of Kael with an expectant smile.
"Of course," Kael replied without hesitation. There was no reason to refuse. If he had to partner with someone, teaming up with Alice Nakiri was hardly a bad deal.
Not only was she gorgeous, but those snow-white locks and ruby-red eyes hit every one of his aesthetic preferences dead on.
"By the way, Kael-kun," Alice asked, tilting her head. "What's your current rank with the WGO? Two-Star? Three-Star?"
Even though she was a Nakiri, she didn't go around memorizing every new student's credentials—and obviously, she wasn't about to pull out her phone in class to check the WGO registry.
Her cousin Erina had only learned about Kael's credentials because of the Elite Ten's meeting regarding the transfer student representatives.
"Three-Star," Kael said simply. "Same as you, Nakiri-san."
Alice's lips curved into an amused grin. "Three-Star, huh? Impressive. Well then, I'll leave the cooking test to you, Kael-kun. I'm not exactly great at this type of assignment—I'll just assist from the sidelines."
Kael chuckled lightly. "Sounds good."
He wasn't fooled, though. Alice wasn't being modest; she was curious. She wanted to see how his skills measured up. After all, even within the same rank, the gap between chefs could be enormous.
Alice excelled in Molecular Gastronomy, not traditional cooking. Her precision and creativity were unmatched in that field—but that didn't necessarily translate to a simple recipe-based test like this.
Still, she was a Three-Star Chef. Even outside her specialty, her fundamentals far surpassed the average student.
Kael's gaze flicked toward the blackboard, where the day's recipe had been written in neat characters.
"Looks like today's about Chinese cuisine," he murmured.
The assignment? Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork.
His brows lifted slightly in amusement. Of all dishes, they'd picked one he'd eaten countless times before. Back home, it was a classic comfort food—a perfect balance of savory, spicy, and aromatic.
It wasn't a difficult dish, at least not for someone like him. As long as a student followed the recipe properly, they could produce something passable.
But if they couldn't even handle this? They'd never survive the Training Camp, where the difficulty spiked a hundredfold.
With that thought, Kael rolled up his sleeves and reached for his knife bag.
When he pulled out a broad, gleaming Chinese chef's knife, the entire room went silent.
The massive blade caught the light, cold steel reflecting across the countertops.
For a moment, even Alice blinked in surprise—then her grin widened.
"Now this," she said, amused, "looks interesting."