Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

After learning about Isami’s condition, everyone could only marvel at how incredible the transformation was.

"All right, you know it’s Isami now. That’s enough!"

Takumi finally cut them off, then turned toward Haruto and Yukihira Soma with fire in his eyes.

"Now, back to what I was saying. In these preliminaries—"

Before Takumi could finish, the lights above the hall suddenly went dark.

Only the stage at the front remained illuminated, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.

"Whoa, what’s going on?" Soma asked curiously.

Only then did he remember that Takumi had been saying something.

"Sorry, Takumi. What were you talking about?"

"Hey! You—!"

Takumi looked utterly frustrated, but he knew this was not the time to argue and reluctantly fell silent.

Haruto merely glanced at him without saying anything.

Once everyone’s attention had gathered on the stage, the host, Kawashima Urara, raised her microphone.

"Thank you all for waiting! Please direct your attention toward the stage!"

"Now, please welcome the Director of Totsuki Academy, Nakiri Senzaemon-sama, who will deliver the opening address for the Autumn Elections preliminaries!"

Under the students’ watchful gazes, Nakiri Senzaemon stepped onto the stage.

Haruto stood quietly among the crowd, calmly watching as the curry dish he had prepared flashed through his mind.

The Autumn Elections had officially begun.

And he was ready!

Senzaemon swept his solemn gaze across the students below.

Among those young faces were the future stars of the culinary world—as well as those who would soon suffer the bitter disappointment of elimination.

Under his imposing stare, the atmosphere inside the Moon Banquet Hall grew increasingly heavy.

After a brief pause, Senzaemon took a deep breath—And immediately choked.

"Cough! Cough, cough!"

His coughing echoed throughout the hall through the microphone.

Urara panicked and quickly stepped closer.

"Director, are you all right?"

The expressions of the students below became rather strange.

Much of the tension that had filled the room vanished in an instant, and several people struggled to hold back their laughter, their shoulders trembling.

"I am fine. I merely inhaled incorrectly."

Senzaemon placed one steady hand on the podium and spoke in his usual thunderous voice, showing not the slightest embarrassment.

After composing himself, he continued.

"The moment I breathe in the air of this place, I can feel power surging throughout my body—"

"But he literally just coughed," Yuki whispered.

"Maybe there was so much power that he choked on it," Haruto replied, barely suppressing a laugh.

"Shh. Haruto, Yuki, keep your voices down," Ryoko murmured helplessly.

She looked torn between amusement and exasperation, though a faint smile lingered in her eyes.

The quiet commotion below did nothing to disturb Senzaemon.

"This venue is known as the Moon Banquet Hall."

"Traditionally, it is reserved for Food Wars between members of the Elite Ten, and it stands as a monument to those who have held the First Seat throughout Totsuki’s history."

Several warm golden spotlights suddenly illuminated the walls on either side of the hall.

Rows of beautifully framed portraits hung there, each depicting a former First Seat of Totsuki Academy.

"Countless renowned battles have taken place here, giving birth to equally renowned dishes."

"For that reason, the air within this hall carries the accumulated history of generations of culinary conflict."

Senzaemon’s voice rose with increasing passion.

"The main tournament of this year’s Autumn Elections will also take place here. You will be the ones to write the next Chapter of its history!"

He spread both arms wide.

"Let us meet again in this hall, chefs of Totsuki’s Ninety-Second Generation!"

Excited shouts erupted throughout the venue.

A fierce light burned in the students’ eyes.

Many of them looked ready to seize their cooking utensils that very moment and prove themselves inside the Moon Banquet Hall.

Senzaemon nodded in satisfaction before turning and leaving the stage.

Once he had departed, Urara returned to the center of the platform.

"I will now explain the rules of the Autumn Elections preliminaries!"

"As all of you already know, the assigned theme is curry cuisine."

"You will have three hours to complete your dish. Of the sixty students participating in the preliminaries, only eight will advance to the main tournament."

"That means only four competitors from Group A and four from Group B will qualify!"

The announcement immediately changed many students’ expressions.

Only eight out of sixty would survive.

Fifty-two contestants would be eliminated in a single round.

The excitement they had felt moments earlier was quickly replaced by nervous tension.

"Competitors, please proceed immediately to your assigned Group A or Group B venue! The preliminaries will officially begin at eleven o’clock!"

As Urara finished speaking, the students began moving toward their respective competition areas.

Takumi pulled Isami along and quickly caught up with Haruto and Soma, determination blazing in his eyes.

"Suzuki! Yukihira! I will definitely pass the preliminaries! We’ll meet again in the Moon Banquet Hall for the final!"

"Sure. See you in the final," Haruto replied with a small nod.

With Takumi’s ability, passing the preliminaries should not be a problem.

However, Haruto’s presence had already altered events, so this Autumn Election would likely unfold very differently from the original course.

"Obviously!" Soma answered, equally fired up.

He and Haruto then headed toward the Group A venue.

...

At exactly eleven o’clock, Nakiri Senzaemon’s voice thundered through both competition halls.

"Cooking—begin!"

All sixty students immediately sprang into action.

The sounds of chopping knives, igniting stoves, and clashing cookware blended together into an intense culinary symphony.

Four of the five judges had already taken their seats before the competition began.

The final judge, Natsume Sendawara, arrived several minutes after the starting signal.

"Welcome, Sendawara-san," Eizan Etsuya said, adjusting his glasses. "I believe it was made perfectly clear that cooking would begin at eleven sharp."

"Eizan-kun, surely you don’t believe everyone has as much free time as you do?"

Natsume gave him an indifferent glance before taking the empty seat and surveying the busy students below.

"You persuaded me to come with only a few words. I hope these Totsuki students produce something capable of holding my interest."

"Otherwise, this will have been a complete waste of my time."

Despite her dismissive tone, a faint trace of anticipation remained hidden in her eyes.

This was Totsuki Academy, after all.

The students in the audience soon recognized her, and cries of surprise immediately spread through the stands.

"That’s Natsume Sendawara!"

"She’s the absolute ruler of Japan’s curry industry—the woman known as the Curry Queen!"

"Eizan-senpai actually managed to invite someone on her level? That’s incredible!"

The commotion distracted several competitors, who instinctively looked toward the judging panel.

Once they recognized Natsume, some immediately grew flustered and began making mistakes.

Many others remained completely unaffected.

Haruto was among them.

He calmly continued preparing his curry dish—Bouncy Soft-Shelled Turtle Curry Soup.

He took out a ten-year-old wild soft-shelled turtle that he had purchased specifically for the competition.

With practiced efficiency, Haruto drained its blood, opened the abdominal cavity, removed the organs, and rinsed the body repeatedly with clean water.

He then cut the meat into evenly sized pieces and placed them into a hot pan.

Without adding a single seasoning, Haruto relied entirely on his control of the heat to sear the turtle meat perfectly before removing it from the pan and setting it aside.

Next came the spices.

Turmeric, chili peppers, cinnamon, fennel, nutmeg, coriander seeds, white pepper, and more than ten other varieties were arranged across his station.

Haruto ground each one personally.

The rhythmic sound of stone against spice rang from the mortar as every ingredient was reduced to precisely the right texture.

He then combined them according to proportions he had refined through repeated experimentation.

The resulting powder looked somewhat dark and unassuming.

Yet the moment the spices came together, a rich and forceful aroma spread outward.

It was complex without becoming muddled, every layer distinct despite its intensity.

Haruto heated oil in a pan.

Once it reached the proper temperature, he added finely chopped onions and slowly sautéed them over low heat until they turned translucent and caramel brown.

Then he poured in the freshly ground spice blend.

The heat gradually awakened an even stronger fragrance, which rapidly spread throughout the entire Group A venue.

Not far away, Hayama Akira’s nose twitched.

He abruptly turned toward Haruto’s station.

More than ten spices had been combined and toasted together, yet none overwhelmed or clashed with the others.

The unique fragrance of every ingredient remained clearly distinguishable, arranged in distinct layers that lingered richly in the air.

That level of balance was far beyond what an ordinary student could achieve.

Hayama’s brow furrowed slightly.

The dismissiveness he had previously felt toward Haruto quietly faded.

Haruto clearly possessed considerable skill with curry.

Perhaps he had not spent much time practicing because he had simply been that confident.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!