"What are you planning next? Now that you've revealed your Special Ability, that hands-off, carefree lifestyle of yours might be over."
Terunori Kuga looked at Kael seriously. With his ability exposed, hundreds of students would be watching him. They couldn't force him to help, sure—but constantly getting approached would annoy anyone.
"This part's easy. Split the Chinese Cuisine Research Society into four groups. Each week, I'll guide one group—same format as today. Four sessions a month."
Kael had already worked it out. Once a week didn't affect his own routine. He could still be the same laid-back President. And for the students, getting guidance once a month was more than enough.
After every session, they would need weeks to fix their habits and adjust their techniques. A month between sessions was perfect.
When Kael announced his plan, the entire society erupted.
To them, Kael's Divine Hearing was on the same level as Erina Nakiri's God's Tongue. Getting feedback from someone like that even once a month… that was like having Erina herself coach them every four weeks.
Before today, none of them would've even dared to imagine such a thing.
The one who reacted the most intensely was the society's only third-year student.
Totsuki's student numbers plummeted with each year—first-years numbered in the thousands, second-years were under a hundred, and that number kept shrinking.
As for third-years, you could count them on one hand. In the entire society, only one remained.
His excitement came from fear. He wasn't sure he could even survive third year. Students had been expelled during third year before—Elite Ten members included. He wasn't Elite Ten, and making it this far had been a mix of strength and luck.
Every day he lived with the fear of being kicked out after a single failed assessment.
But now, with Kael's help, he finally saw hope. With guidance from Divine Hearing, he could grow fast—maybe fast enough to graduate.
Still, excitement came with frustration. As a third-year, he didn't have much time left. Students had two long vacation breaks, and third-years didn't stay on campus long. His chances for guidance were limited.
Second-year students were just as envious—especially of the first-years and middle-school division students, whose time at Totsuki had barely begun. They would be the ones to receive Kael's guidance the most.
No one complained about Kael's arrangement. He was only one person facing hundreds of them. He had his own cooking to improve, his own life to live. No one expected him to hover over them every day.
They were already grateful beyond words. Just as Kuga had said, these students had become Kael's die-hard loyalists. Anyone who dared target Kael now wouldn't get away with it.
As for the scheduling—whether they were in the first batch or the last—everyone received the same number of sessions. The one-month gap didn't bother anyone.
They wouldn't dream of asking Kael to guide hundreds of students in a single day. What if overloading him weakened his ability?
Splitting into groups was the only logical option.
And just like that, in barely over an hour, Kael's position in the Chinese Cuisine Research Society became unshakeable.
Even if Kuga wanted his President position back, it was already impossible.
After wrapping things up, Kael headed back to the Polar Star Dormitory. But the moment he stepped inside, the residents gathered around him again.
This time, the reason was simple—news had exploded online. Members of the Chinese Cuisine Research Society had already posted everything on the campus network.
The Polar Star students were more familiar with Kael's talent than others. They all lived in the same dorm, and Kael never hid anything from them. He often helped them identify issues in their cooking and offered advice.
"Kael, you're trending again. The whole campus network feels like it's become your personal fan page. Everything is about you!"
Yuki Yoshino grinned. Ever since Kael's very first assessment class, the forums had never stopped talking about him.
"This time it won't stay on campus. An ability on the level of the God's Tongue doesn't stay quiet. People know how powerful God's Tongue is.
Give it a few days—this'll spread through the entire culinary world." Satoshi Isshiki added calmly.
In their eyes, Kael's ability was equal to the God's Tongue.
In truth, comparing the Four Divine Senses to the God's Tongue wasn't fair—if anything, it made the Four Divine Senses look weaker. Its ceiling was much higher, and it had no inherent weaknesses. The two weren't even in the same league.
But Kael wasn't about to correct them. Letting them think his ability rivaled the God's Tongue was simple and harmless.
"Kael, you're guaranteed to be a huge figure in the culinary world someday! You have to protect us in the future!"
Yoshino immediately latched on to him again. How could she not? The last person with the God's Tongue was the WGO's sole Special Executive Officer—one of the most powerful people in the culinary world.
Kael might not reach that exact height, but with an ability like his, he would definitely surpass most chefs in their generation.
"Alright, Yuki, don't exaggerate so much."
Ryoko Sakaki laughed helplessly. Yoshino really was the dorm's resident mood-maker. Even with so few people in Polar Star, the atmosphere always felt lively because of her.
While the Polar Star students chatted, the rest of Totsuki had already exploded.
One person posted on the forums—then another, then another.
Hundreds of students from the Chinese Cuisine Research Society weren't all posting, but most were. With that many people confirming the same story, no one doubted a word of it.
And just like that, Kael's name spread across Totsuki like wildfire.