"Totsuki's strongest Chinese cuisine chef, huh? Interesting. Sounds like he's really something. Otherwise, a Six-Star instructor wouldn't have said that about him."
Terunori Kuga didn't dismiss Kael as some overhyped rookie the way his followers did. A compliment like that, coming from a Six-Star Chef, wasn't something you could just brush off.
Confident as he was in his own skill, Kuga knew what that meant—it wasn't empty praise. Kael was an opponent worth taking seriously.
And if there was one thing Kuga loved, it was a strong opponent.
Back when he became a member of the Elite Ten, the first thing he'd done was challenge Eishi Tsukasa, the First Seat. The result had been a brutal, one-sided defeat.
After all, Tsukasa's cooking had already reached Five-Star Chef level—a standard that even many graduates couldn't achieve. On top of that, Tsukasa possessed a Special Ability: the power to "speak" to ingredients themselves. Against that kind of monster, Kuga hadn't stood a chance.
But he never regretted it.
Even knowing he'd lose, he challenged Tsukasa again during the Moon Festival. Because that was who Kuga was—someone who refused to back down, no matter how impossible the odds looked.
So now, with this transfer student being hailed as Totsuki's top Chinese cuisine chef, it was obvious what came next.
Kael was his new target.
"Captain, this really isn't the time to be giving the enemy credit!" one of the Chinese Cuisine Research Society members protested. "We're about to start recruiting new members! If this keeps up, people might hesitate to join us!"
They were anxious.
A research society could only survive if it kept attracting new blood. Once the upperclassmen graduated, it'd collapse without fresh recruits.
Not that the Chinese Cuisine Research Society had ever struggled for attention. Thanks to Sakura's long history with Chinese cuisine, the style was wildly popular at Totsuki. But still, if this online drama scared potential members off, their numbers could take a hit.
They feared it could trigger a slow decline—a cycle of shrinking influence and fading reputation.
Kuga just smirked. "Alright, alright, enough worrying. Instead of wasting breath on this, why don't you just deliver a challenge letter?"
"Challenge letter?" one of the members echoed. "Wait—you mean… you're going to challenge that transfer student yourself?"
They exchanged uneasy looks. The idea had crossed their minds, sure—but Kael was already rumored to be a Three-Star Chef, one who'd earned praise from a Six-Star instructor. That was a scary résumé.
"I'm not telling you to challenge him," Kuga said, waving a hand dismissively. "Just deliver the letter. I'll face him myself in a Shokugeki."
That shut them up instantly.
Kuga knew his subordinates' limits—sending them to fight Kael would just be throwing them to the wolves. Judging from what he'd heard, Kael's cooking was far beyond anything his club members could handle.
This was something Kuga had to do himself.
That was the curse of being on top—if you didn't respond, people would assume you were afraid. He couldn't just ignore it.
Honestly, this whole mess had only blown up because that teacher got involved. One careless sentence from a Six-Star Chef had forced his hand.
If Kael had been the one to start all this, hardly anyone would've supported him.
The Elite Ten held enormous power. Their seats were coveted, and everyone knew how hard they were to challenge. In a Shokugeki, both sides had to agree on equal stakes—that rule alone made the Ten practically untouchable.
Students tried all kinds of tricks to dethrone them, but unless a seat holder accepted the match, their positions were safe.
That's why, without the teacher's public endorsement, Kael never would've had this kind of backing.
"But, Captain... you're an Elite Ten member," one of them said hesitantly. "Challenging a first-year transfer student like him... isn't that kind of—"
"Bullying?" Kuga finished for him, raising an eyebrow. "Under normal circumstances, yeah. But did you forget what the instructor said about him? If not for that comment, sure, it'd look bad. But now, most people see him as being on my level. So there's nothing wrong with challenging him."
The others exchanged looks. He wasn't wrong—the current online narrative actually painted Kael as the favorite.
For once, the Elite Ten's own member looked like the underdog.
"Alright," Kuga said finally, his expression sharpening. "We'll make the theme Sichuan Cuisine. You can let him pick the time and place."
It was a strategic move. Both he and Kael specialized in Chinese cuisine, and Kael's famous dish—Yu Xiang Rou Si—was a Sichuan classic. Choosing that narrowed the playing field to something they both excelled in.
He didn't want to risk Kael choosing an obscure regional style he wasn't familiar with.
"And the stakes?" someone asked.
Kuga smiled faintly. "Simple. If I win, he joins the Chinese Cuisine Research Society. As for what he wants if he wins—ask him when you deliver the challenge."
He had no problem offering that much. Recruiting a Three-Star Chef like Kael would be a huge boost for the club.
And if by some miracle Kael beat him?
As long as the guy didn't demand his Elite Ten seat, Kuga could live with it. No sane student would ever ask for something that outrageous—it'd just turn public opinion against them immediately.
With the plan decided, the Research Society members dispersed to handle recruitment prep.
Back at the Polar Star Dormitory, things were much more relaxed.
Everyone had whipped up their own specialties for dinner. Kael, meanwhile, had prepared a dish of Medicinal Cuisine—a lotus seed and lily bulb pork soup.
He'd chosen it with care. The Polar Star residents were all night owls, and after these big dinner parties, they rarely went to bed right away. Usually, they'd migrate straight to Zenji Marui's room for a "second round."
Fumio Daimido didn't even bother stopping them anymore, as long as there wasn't an exam or event coming up.
Kael's dish was designed specifically for them—something that would soothe the body and help recover from fatigue after a long night.
If only they weren't all so terrified of Poison Cuisine, he could've made something even better.
After all, nothing revitalized the body quite like the right poison.
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Every 60 Powerstones = 1 Bonus Chapter