Before everyone arrived, Terunori Kuga took Kael around for a tour of the Chinese Cuisine Research Society.
"How is it? Pretty impressive, right?"
Kuga grinned after they finished. The society had always been large, but once he joined the Elite Ten , he used his authority to renovate and expand it.
Now, "luxurious" was the only word that fit.
And they weren't just burning money for show. Under Kuga's lead, they'd produced plenty of strong chefs. Sure, some students picked up Kuga's more extreme ideas, but many stayed grounded—training their fundamentals every day, exchanging cooking knowledge, pushing each other to grow.
In an environment like this, with the right attitude and decent talent, rapid improvement was inevitable.
No wonder Totsuki poured so much funding into the place.
"Much better than I expected," Kael admitted.
Originally, he only wanted the president position for the cash. But now he saw the society had a ton of resources he could use. And with an Elite Ten like Kuga around, he could throw him a few tasks when needed.
As for owing favors? Kael wasn't worried. A few lessons from him would be more than enough to pay them back.
In fact, at this rate, he might really turn Kuga into his subordinate someday.
Soon, the members arrived—hundreds of students filling the hall. That was the Chinese Cuisine Research Society for you. The scale was overwhelming.
There were barely a thousand students in first-year high school, and a third of them would be expelled after the dorm boot camp.
The society also accepted middle school students, but that didn't change the fact that Totsuki had tons of research societies—and many students didn't join any.
So gathering hundreds of members was downright impressive.
And what's crazier? They were still recruiting. Their numbers were only going to grow.
Kuga stepped forward with a mic.
"Alright, everyone. I've got two announcements."
"First, we're about to start recruiting new members. Same process as always—handle your assigned roles."
"Second, I will be stepping down as President. Kailei will serve as our the new President."
The first announcement wasn't surprising.
The second was a bombshell.
Their massive growth came from two things—heritage, and more importantly, the Elite Ten's resources and influence. If Kuga stepped down… that could very well be the end of their glory.
The crowd immediately stirred with unease.
"Everyone quiet down, I'm not finished," Kuga said."I may be stepping down, but I'm not leaving the society. So no need to panic."
"And you've all seen Kael's cooking in his Shokugeki with me. I'm no match to him. He's not Elite Ten yet, but once the third-years graduate and seats open up, he'll absolutely become one. No doubt about it."
"So with him as president, it's nothing but good news for the society."
The moment he said that, tension melted away. Everyone had worried that without an Elite Ten at the helm, their privileges might shrink.
But with Kuga staying—and Kael practically guaranteed to join the Elite Ten later—they'd actually have two top chefs in the society.
Most students were immediately won over.
But of course… not everyone.
A tiny fraction of upper-level members were definitely unhappy. The president position came with huge perks—not just money, but connections. Losing the chance to climb up wasn't easy to swallow.
Kuga expected as much. His smile didn't fade, but his voice turned razor-sharp.
"One more thing. I may no longer be president, but I'm the one who recommended Kael. If any of you want the position, challenge him openly."
"Compete fairly and I won't interfere. But if I find anyone using dirty tricks…"
His smile turned chilling.
"Don't blame me for what happens."
That was the Elite Ten for you. They were students, yes—but also part of Totsuki's leadership. And Kuga had been president of this society for a long time. He had authority here.
Maybe he couldn't control the whole school.
But here?His word was absolute.
That was exactly why he could confidently hand the president's position to Kael—he knew Kael could keep the troublemakers in line.
"Alright, I'm done. The rest is up to you."
Kuga passed the mic to Kael.
Kael didn't hesitate. The stage had already been prepared for him; stumbling now would be unforgivable.
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