"I've seen that kind of move before. Another member of the Elite Ten—Etsuya Eizan—did the same thing. What, you planning to build your own business empire too?"
Kuga folded his arms as he spoke. To him, Eizan's methods were a textbook example of misplaced priorities.
As the saying went, "The onlooker sees clearly; the participant is lost." Kuga himself was guilty of it with his obsession over spice, and Eizan had fallen into the same trap in his pursuit of profit.
Kuga refused to admit his own fixation with heat and spice was wrong. To prove himself right, he'd spent years doubling down on his beliefs.
Eizan, on the other hand, had poured all his focus into creating a personal corporate empire. But he'd forgotten one simple fact—his power and influence existed only because of Totsuki.
His authority came from his seat in the Elite Ten. Once he graduated—less than two years from now—that title would vanish, and with it, the prestige that drew his business partners to him in the first place.
Sure, Eizan was talented, but at the end of the day, he was still just a Four-Star Chef. Most of his collaborations were with small diners and fast-food chains.
If he really wanted to take the next step, he should've been improving his culinary skill while he still had access to Totsuki's resources—not wasting time managing petty ventures.
If he spent half that energy honing his craft, his achievements would've been far greater. Instead, he'd traded long-term growth for short-term profit—a classic case of grabbing the sesame seeds and dropping the watermelon.
Once a chef's skill reached a certain level, opportunities would naturally come flooding in. He wouldn't have to chase them.
"Business empire? Nah," Kael said, shaking his head. "I don't have the patience for that kind of thing."
"Then why bother asking me to promote you?" Kuga raised an eyebrow. "If you're not into all that, what's the point?"
"Because of money, obviously. I don't have an income right now, and there's no one supporting me at home. My savings are running out. I need a way to earn something."
Kael's tone was casual, but the reality behind it was blunt—crafting custom knives, buying rare ingredients, and experimenting with toxins for Poison Cuisine all cost serious money.
"I see… I didn't know about your situation. Sorry to hear that." Kuga paused, then smiled slightly. "But if it's just money you need, there's an easier way. No need for all that extra hassle."
"Oh?" Kael tilted his head. "What kind of way?"
"It's simple. Join the Chinese Cuisine Research Society. I'll hand over the captain position to you. The funding you'd get from the school alone would be way more than what you'd earn from some side partnership."
Kael blinked, clearly surprised. "Wait a second—the school's research society funding is meant for the group, right? Even as captain, I can't just use it however I want. And how much funding are we even talking about?"
Kuga chuckled. "Sounds like you don't really know how Totsuki operates. Let me explain."
"Totsuki is one of the Nakiri family's core enterprises. The amount of money they pour into it is astronomical. Sure, only a fraction of that funding goes to research societies, but even that fraction is enough to make most societies rich."
"The amount of funding a society gets depends on its scale and influence. The bigger the society—and the more useful it is to students—the more money it receives."
"And under my management, the Chinese Cuisine Research Society is currently the largest one on campus. The budget we get is massive, and the captain naturally controls a significant portion of it."
He grinned confidently. "If you take over as captain, you'll be earning way more every month than you ever could through private deals."
"Eizan makes a lot because he's got dozens of partners. You, on the other hand, are only looking to work with one or two people. So why not take the easier route and run the research society instead?"
Kael fell silent. He had to admit, he'd underestimated how filthy rich these Totsuki elites were.
Then again, it wasn't exactly his fault. Before and after crossing into this world, he'd never had much money. It just didn't occur to him that these people treated cash like pocket change.
"I've got a couple questions," he said after a pause. "Doesn't the school worry about that funding going to waste? And if I take over, what exactly would I have to do?"
Kuga waved a hand dismissively. "Totsuki isn't stupid. The school knows perfectly well which research societies deserve support and which don't."
"You've heard of Erina Nakiri, right? Even before she joined the high school division, she was already cracking down on fraudulent societies—those fakes that pocketed funding without doing any actual research."
"The only reason she was allowed to do that was because the school approved of it. Even as the Nakiri heiress, she wouldn't have been able to act freely without the director's permission."
"After a full review, the school only continues funding societies that prove their worth. So no, you don't have to worry about that."
"As for what you'd do as captain? Honestly—not much."
Kuga smirked. "Look at me. I'm in the Elite Ten and the captain of the society, but I barely handle the day-to-day stuff. My main job is keeping everyone motivated and showing up for big events."
"In other words, I'm the Chinese Cuisine Research Society's trump card. The students handle the regular operations. The captain only steps in when they can't handle something—or when it's time to represent the group in public."
He leaned back with a sigh. "I'm too busy with my Elite Ten duties to run the place properly anyway. Rindo can dump her work on others, but I'm not that lucky."
"Now that you've beaten me, it actually makes perfect sense for you to take my spot. The society wouldn't suffer—in fact, its reputation would skyrocket."
"More students would join, and honestly, I wouldn't lose anything. The perks of being in the Elite Ten are worth far more than the society's budget."
"In short, if you take the position, everyone wins. You, the society, and me."
He smiled faintly. "So? What do you say, Kael? Want to join the Chinese Cuisine Research Society?"
Kael looked thoughtful, his expression betraying just the slightest hint of interest. Kuga could see the gears turning—and decided to push once more.
"Well?" he asked. "Are you in?"
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Every 60 Powerstones = 1 Bonus Chapter