Haruto watched the exchange with a faint smile and wisely kept his thoughts to himself.
He knew Erina and Hisako were far more than a mistress and her secretary.
They genuinely cared about each other as friends; Erina was simply too tsundere to express it properly, while Hisako was so conscious of the difference in their status that she never dared overstep.
Haruto understood their relationship well enough, but it was hardly his place to interfere.
They would figure out how they truly felt about each other eventually.
Once everyone had eaten most of the orange molten-center custard tarts, Haruto reached over and caught Soma by the wrist.
Soma was still chewing the last bite as he spoke through a full mouth.
"Haruto-san, these tarts are seriously amazing!"
"Especially that orange flavor in the pastry. How did you get it in there?"
Rather than answer immediately, Haruto simply dragged him toward the exit.
The judging was over, and they had passed the transfer examination without incident. He had no intention of letting Soma create one last problem before they left.
Before going, however, Haruto placed the final orange tart beside Soma’s Transforming Furikake Rice.
There was still one person who had not tasted either of their dishes.
Haruto continued pulling Soma through the hallway until they rounded a corner and the examination hall disappeared from sight.
Only then did he release him.
He dusted off his sleeve and was about to say goodbye when Soma spoke again.
"Seriously, Haruto-san, I still want to know. How did you make the flavors of the pastry and filling blend together so perfectly?"
"I kept tasting it, but I couldn’t figure out where the orange flavor in the crust came from."
...
The question had been bothering Soma ever since his first bite.
That citrus note was unlike anything he had tasted before, and it was precisely what tied every part of the tart together.
Haruto was not surprised by Soma’s curiosity.
He reached into his pocket and took out a small glass bottle. Inside was a fine powder with a faint orange tint.
Haruto handed it to Soma.
"It came from this—orange salt."
"You can think of it as a special kind of salt extracted from oranges."
Soma accepted the bottle and frowned at it in confusion.
Salt extracted from oranges?
That sounded completely impossible!
"You can keep it if you’re curious," Haruto said with a casual wave.
There was only a small pinch left inside anyway. He could consider it a gift to celebrate Soma passing the exam.
"Seriously? Thanks, Haruto-san!"
Soma’s eyes immediately lit up.
He twisted off the cap, poured a little orange salt onto his fingertip, and tasted it.
A gentle citrus fragrance accompanied the saltiness, the two flavors blending so naturally that they seemed to have always belonged together.
The orange note was clean and refreshing, unmistakably the same flavor woven through the tart shell.
"Whoa!"
Soma stared at the bottle in amazement.
"This is incredible! Salt can actually taste like this?"
His mind immediately began racing through all the dishes he could use it in.
Grilled meat? Soup? Desserts?
Just imagining the possibilities made his blood start pumping!
...
Haruto could only smile helplessly at Soma’s excitement.
After chatting about cooking for a little longer, he waved goodbye and headed home.
The days that followed settled into a busy but comfortable routine.
Haruto spent most of his time either in the study reading old culinary texts or in the kitchen, repeatedly testing new recipes with piles of ingredients.
Every so often, he ventured out to restaurants scattered across the city, sampling local specialties and searching for fresh inspiration.
The days passed quickly, and before he knew it, two weeks had gone by.
Haruto once again stood outside the gates of Totsuki Culinary Academy.
This time, he was there to officially enroll.
His acceptance letter had arrived the day after the transfer examination.
Totsuki’s efficiency in that regard was honestly impressive.
...
Cherry blossoms were in full bloom across Totsuki’s main plaza.
Pale pink petals drifted on the breeze, falling over the students like a gentle spring shower.
The square was packed with uniformed students who had successfully advanced from Totsuki’s Middle School Division into its High School Division.
Excitement and nervousness showed on every face.
Totsuki’s High School Division was several times more ruthless than the Middle School Division.
One mistake could easily lead to expulsion.
Haruto made his way through the crowd and headed for the waiting room beside the main stage.
As the only two transfer students admitted that year, he and Soma were expected to appear onstage and briefly introduce themselves to their new classmates.
When Haruto opened the door, he immediately spotted Soma sitting inside.
...
Soma had been staring into space in obvious boredom, but his eyes brightened the moment Haruto entered.
"Hey, Haruto-san! Long time no see!"
"Long time no see, Yukihira-san."
Haruto smiled and took the chair beside him.
The moment he sat down, Soma leaned over excitedly.
"Haruto-san, that orange salt you gave me is incredible!"
"I tried it in a bunch of dishes—salt-grilled Pacific saury, fried rice, and a few others."
"They were all recipes I’d made plenty of times before, but adding just a little orange salt completely changed them!"
"It took away the saury’s fishiness and left this light citrus fragrance behind. The fried rice smelled even better too..."
The more Soma spoke, the more animated he became, happily sharing every detail of his experiments.
He went on and on about ingredient combinations, heat control, and everything else he had discovered.
Haruto leaned back in his chair and listened with a resigned smile.
Soma truly love cooking.
They were still talking when the announcer’s powerful voice rang out from the plaza.
"Next, we will begin the school-year badge presentation ceremony!"
"Please welcome the representative of the first-year students—Nakiri Erina!"
The conversation in the waiting room stopped at once.
Outside, thunderous applause erupted across the plaza.
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