Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

While Haruto shut out everything around him and focused entirely on developing his dish, a surprising Food War came to an end elsewhere in the academy.

One evening, as the Polar Star residents gathered in the dining hall for dinner, Yoshino Yuki checked a message on her phone and suddenly shouted,

"Something terrible happened to Takumi!"

Haruto looked up at her in confusion.

"What happened to him?"

He had spent the past several days completely absorbed in planning his dish and had paid almost no attention to anything else.

Soma looked equally lost. He scratched his head and shook it openly.

"I haven’t heard a thing. What happened to Takumi?"

Seeing that neither of them knew, Yuki drew a deep breath and hurriedly blurted out everything she had just read.

"Takumi lost a Food War against Mimasaka Subaru!"

"And—and Mimasaka took his knife as the wager!"

The atmosphere in the dining hall immediately grew heavy.

Takumi had become quite close to the Polar Star residents.

He could be prideful and was always challenging Haruto and Soma, but he was not a bad person, and no one could deny his skill as a chef.

Ryoko froze in the middle of what she was doing, concern appearing on her face.

"Takumi must be devastated..."

Haruto frowned.

Why would Mimasaka suddenly challenge Takumi to a Food War for no reason?

After considering it for a moment, Haruto suspected Eizan Etsuya had most likely arranged it.

The true target was probably either Haruto or Soma.

Takumi’s friendship with Polar Star was hardly a secret.

If Eizan was targeting Haruto, it was most likely because of the special ingredients in his possession.

If Soma was the target, then it was probably simple revenge.

Of course, Eizan might have been aiming at both of them from the beginning.

The Autumn Elections were currently at a critical stage, however, and Eizan was one of the organizers.

For the moment, he likely would not allow Mimasaka to challenge either finalist directly.

Takumi, who had already lost his place in the main tournament, was a much safer target.

Mimasaka could then use what happened to Takumi as bait to provoke Haruto or Soma into accepting another Food War.

Marui adjusted his glasses, wariness entering his expression.

"Mimasaka Subaru is the student who scored ninety-one points in the preliminaries, right?"

"I have to admit, his cooking ability is impressive."

After a brief pause, Marui shared everything he knew about him.

"Mimasaka has an absolutely rotten personality. Once he chooses a target, he investigates everything about them and uncovers all their weaknesses."

"Then he uses provocation, threats, or whatever other underhanded methods he can think of to force them into accepting a Food War."

"And the wager is always the cooking utensil they value most."

"Before this, he had already won ninety-nine Food Wars that way. With his victory over Takumi, that makes exactly one hundred."

The number made the atmosphere in the dining hall even more oppressive.

Soma’s brow tightened, and clear displeasure appeared in his eyes.

What Mimasaka was doing went beyond defeating other chefs.

He was trampling on the pride and convictions they had poured into their cooking.

Seeing everyone fall silent, Yuki grew worried and hesitantly made a suggestion.

"Should we all go check on Takumi?"

"He must feel awful right now."

Ryoko immediately nodded in agreement.

Haruto, however, shook his head.

"Don’t worry. Takumi isn’t someone who can be broken that easily."

"What Mimasaka did will only make his fighting spirit burn even hotter."

"He’s not weak enough to give up after a single loss."

Soma nodded firmly.

"Exactly!"

"Takumi isn’t the kind of guy who needs everyone gathering around to comfort him."

"One defeat will only make him stronger. There’s no way he’ll accept this and stay down."

Seeing how certain Haruto and Soma were, the other Polar Star residents remained somewhat uneasy, but they eventually abandoned the idea of visiting Takumi for the moment.

They had to admit the two of them were probably right.

Takumi would never let a single setback crush him.

...

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

At last, the long-awaited day of the Autumn Elections final arrived.

The Moon Banquet Hall was packed to capacity.

An atmosphere of tension and excitement filled the air as students whispered among themselves about the unprecedented tournament format, which had eliminated the semifinals entirely.

Most students knew only that the schedule had been changed at the last minute.

They had no idea why.

That mystery made the final feel even more extraordinary.

The lights at the center of the arena suddenly flared to life, drawing every gaze toward a single figure.

Isshiki Satoshi stood beneath the spotlight in a perfectly pressed Totsuki uniform, holding a microphone.

His expression was solemn, and the composed presence surrounding him made him seem like an entirely different person from usual.

"Isshiki-senpai?"

In the Polar Star section of the audience, Yuki’s eyes widened.

She rubbed them and stared at the figure onstage in disbelief.

"Is that really Isshiki-senpai? I almost didn’t recognize him!"

"He certainly looks unfamiliar when he’s dressed properly," Ryoko whispered.

Ibusaki and the others nodded in agreement.

The residents of Polar Star had become so accustomed to Isshiki’s carefree behavior around the dormitory that seeing him act serious and professional felt strangely unnatural.

Completely unaware of their comments, Isshiki cleared his throat.

His voice carried throughout the venue through the sound system.

"I will now introduce the judging panel for this year’s Autumn Elections final!"

The entire arena immediately fell silent as every gaze turned toward the judges’ platform.

"First, serving as the head judge of the final—the Director of Totsuki Academy, Nakiri Senzaemon-dono!"

A spotlight illuminated the imposing figure of Senzaemon.

His mere presence caused many students to hold their breath.

"Our second judge is a member of Totsuki’s Board of Directors and the head chef of Totsuki Resort—Dojima Gin-senpai!"

The tall, powerfully built Dojima rose and acknowledged the audience.

"Our third judge is the supreme director of Nakiri International, Totsuki’s premier research institution specializing in molecular gastronomy and advanced culinary technology—Nakiri Leonora-dono!"

The elegant Leonora smiled and waved toward the audience.

"Our fourth and fifth judges come from the WGO, the world’s foremost culinary authority: First-Class Bookmaster Anne-dono and Second-Class Bookmaster Charme-dono!"

The moment Alice saw Leonora seated at the judging table, her eyes widened in complete surprise.

No one had told her anything in advance.

She had no idea her mother was coming to Totsuki, much less that she would be judging the final.

Most of the students, meanwhile, were unfamiliar with Leonora’s name and began murmuring in confusion.

After all, she was clearly another member of the Nakiri family.

They were equally curious about Anne and Charme, the two WGO representatives.

Isshiki immediately noticed the stir in the audience and offered a further explanation.

"Leonora-dono is the leading authority behind Totsuki’s technological culinary research."

"All molecular gastronomy projects and breakthroughs in food science conducted by Nakiri International fall under her direction."

"She is internationally recognized as one of the foremost authorities on culinary technology!"

Isshiki respectfully handed Leonora the microphone.

The gentle, elegant woman accepted it and began speaking in somewhat awkward Japanese.

"H-hello, everyone... I-I am Nakiri Leonora. I was born in Denmark... Judging will probably be very difficult, but I-I will do my best."

Her clumsy introduction brought a wave of good-natured laughter from the audience.

By then, Alice had already hurried to the edge of the judging platform.

She planted her hands on her hips and looked at Leonora with an aggrieved pout.

"Honestly, Mother! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to Totsuki?"

"Alice, this area is reserved for judges!" Erina said helplessly from nearby. "No one except members of the organizing committee is permitted to approach!"

Alice completely ignored her warning and walked straight over to Leonora.

"Good day, Alice!"

Leonora smiled warmly and waved to her daughter.

Then she looked toward Erina and greeted her just as cheerfully.

"Good day to you too, Erina. You’re still the same as always—getting so angry that you tremble at the slightest thing."

Several dark lines appeared across Erina’s forehead.

’The only reason I get angry is because Alice is always doing whatever she pleases!’

Once the brief interruption ended, the two WGO Bookmasters, Charme and Anne, introduced themselves in turn.

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