After chatting a bit more, Kael and Alice parted ways, and he headed straight back to the Polar Star Dormitory.
What he didn't know was that the events of his class had already exploded across Totsuki's campus network.
His classmates hadn't wasted a second spreading the news online. The story of the "transfer student who outcooked Kuga-senpai" was way too juicy to keep quiet.
At first, most students thought it was nonsense—some rumor made up for attention. But once over half the class came forward to confirm it, and someone even went to verify it with the instructor himself, the post's credibility skyrocketed.
By afternoon, the entire school was talking about it.
Everyone knew that before Kael's arrival, Terunori Kuga—one of the Elite Ten—was the undisputed "number one in Chinese cuisine" at Totsuki.
And now?
A Six-Star instructor had praised Kael's Yu Xiang Rou Si ("Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork") as "unmatched within the academy."
Which could only mean one thing: Kael had surpassed Kuga.
The forum was chaos.
Most students believed the story—if a teacher said it, especially one of Totsuki's elite chefs, it had to be true.
Others weren't having it. Kuga's diehard fans flooded the comments section, insisting no transfer student could ever outshine their idol.
Within hours, the thread had become a full-blown war zone of insults and arguments.
Kael, blissfully unaware of all this, arrived back at Polar Star long before anyone else.
Satoshi Isshiki, as a member of the Elite Ten, didn't have to attend minor assessments like today's. The rest of the dorm's residents weren't nearly as fast as Kael, so he ended up being the first one home.
"Back already?" Fumio Daimido looked up from sweeping the hallway, blinking in surprise. "Guess your test went smoothly, huh? Not that I'm shocked. With your skills, those entry-level exams are probably no different from your daily cooking."
Kael smiled faintly. "For anyone in Polar Star, that kind of test shouldn't be an issue. The only difference is how long it takes."
He stepped into the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves. Tonight, everyone had planned to celebrate the start of the semester with a group dinner. Since he'd finished early, he decided to get a head start prepping the ingredients.
By the time he'd finished chopping, cleaning, and setting up, the others began trickling in—chattering excitedly about their own tests.
"Kael-kun! We saw the post on the campus forum! You're incredible!" Megumi Tadokoro exclaimed as soon as she spotted him.
Her eyes sparkled with admiration. She'd already looked up to him before, but after seeing a Six-Star instructor claim his Chinese cuisine surpassed Kuga's... her admiration had turned into full-blown hero worship.
"Campus forum?" Kael blinked. "Wait, what forum?"
"Ah, right—you're new here." Yuki Yoshino laughed. "It's basically the student hub. Everyone posts stuff there—class stories, food experiments, gossip... mostly gossip."
"But today, it's all about you," she added gleefully. "The whole place is on fire. There's even a comment war going on right now!"
She whipped out her phone and pulled up the thread, handing it to him.
Kael scrolled for a moment before letting out a low whistle. "Already a few thousand comments? Wow. Guess gossip spreads fast no matter what world you're in."
The debate threads were packed with students arguing about who was stronger—Kael or Kuga.
Those siding with Kael pointed to the instructor's statement as proof.
Those defending Kuga... had a lot more to say:
Kuga was a member of the Elite Ten.
Kuga held a Four-Star Chef certification.
Kuga was practically a celebrity at Totsuki.
And Kael? Just a transfer student.
"Looks like you even got Yoshino involved," Ryoko Sakaki said with a grin.
"Of course!" Yuki puffed out her chest proudly. "Kael's one of us—Polar Star family! No way I'm letting random fans trash-talk him online."
Her words made Kael chuckle. "Thanks, Yoshino. But you don't need to worry about that. Give it some time—once the hype dies down, they'll move on to the next rumor."
"I'm not so sure about that," came a calm voice from the doorway.
Everyone turned as Satoshi Isshiki stepped inside, smiling as usual—but there was a glint of amusement in his eyes.
"Knowing Kuga, this won't just blow over. You've definitely caught his attention now. Don't be surprised if you find yourself facing an Elite Ten member head-on soon."
The dorm went quiet. Even Megumi's expression turned nervous.
"A Shokugeki with an Elite Ten member..." Ryoko murmured. "That sounds... intense."
Kael just shrugged lightly. "It's not a problem. If it were one of the third-years, maybe I'd be cautious—but Kuga? Chinese cuisine happens to be my specialty. He's not someone I'm afraid of."
His tone was calm, confident—not boastful, just matter-of-fact.
Isshiki's smile widened slightly. "So the rumors were true after all—you've already reached Four-Star Chef level, haven't you? And you're taking the upcoming Star Rating Assessment, correct?"
Kael nodded. "Exactly. I plan to pass that exam—and if Kuga wants to challenge me before then, he's only making it easier to build my name."
"Fair enough," Isshiki chuckled. "That kind of confidence is rare. Just make sure you back it up."
Kael waved it off and turned toward Megumi. "Anyway, enough about me. How'd your assessment go, Megumi?"
"Ah—" She brightened instantly. "Thanks to you, Kael-kun, everything went great! I wasn't nervous at all this time..."
As she spoke, the rest of the dorm gathered around, listening with interest while she recounted her experience.
Apparently, Soma Yukihira had ended up in the same class as her—just like in the original story.
Only this time, things had played out differently.