Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

Nakiri Senzaemon swept his gaze across the assembled students one last time.

"Devote yourselves to your craft!"

With that, he turned and strode down from the stage.

The students in the plaza were still caught up in the excitement of his speech, standing tall with determination burning in their eyes.

"And finally, let us welcome our two newly admitted transfer students with a warm round of applause!"

The announcer’s voice drew everyone’s attention back to the stage.

Haruto tilted his chin toward Yukihira Soma.

"Come on. It’s our turn."

Soma immediately perked up and rubbed his hands together, looking eager to get started.

The two left the waiting room one after the other and stepped onto the stage beneath hundreds of curious, critical, and openly dismissive gazes.

Haruto approached the microphone first.

He and Soma had already agreed that Haruto would speak before him.

Haruto knew exactly what Soma intended to say, after all. Speaking afterward would only risk getting dragged into the trouble Soma was about to cause.

Haruto was not afraid of trouble, but his main reason for attending Totsuki was to improve his cooking.

"My name is Suzuki Haruto."

His voice carried clearly across the plaza through the microphone.

"I love good food, and I’d say my cooking is fairly decent."

"I’m glad to have the opportunity to study here at Totsuki."

"I hope we can all work hard together."

He paused, then added with a mild smile, "I also hope I’ll still see all of you three years from now."

"The chances may not be great, but don’t give up!"

With that, Haruto handed the microphone to the visibly eager Soma and walked off the stage.

The plaza remained silent for a full three seconds.

Then countless stunned gazes snapped toward Haruto’s retreating back.

What exactly had he meant by hoping to see them again in three years, even though the chances were not great?

Wasn’t he basically saying that he was certain to graduate while most of them probably would not last that long?

How arrogant could he possibly be?

Several students’ expressions darkened, anger already creeping into their eyes as they glared after him.

Only Haruto knew that he had actually been rather restrained.

At the very least, he had been far more subtle than Yukihira Soma was about to be!

...

Haruto entered the lounge behind the stage and immediately spotted Nakiri Erina sitting in a chair.

At the sound of the door opening, Erina raised her head and looked at him.

"Long time no see, Nakiri-san."

Haruto greeted her with a slight nod.

"Mm."

Erina responded with a cool nod of her own.

As she looked at him, however, her lips parted slightly, as though she wanted to say something, only for her to hold it back.

Ever since the transfer examination, she had continued thinking about Haruto’s orange molten-center custard tart.

No matter how many times she recalled its flavor, she still could not determine how he had infused such a clean, refreshing orange note into the pastry shell.

Her curiosity had only grown stronger.

Now that Haruto was standing in front of her again, she almost asked him without thinking.

Still, something held her back.

Haruto did not notice her conflicted expression. He was watching the stage with keen interest, an amused smile tugging at his lips.

This was about to be Yukihira Soma’s moment to shine.

His attention naturally caught Erina’s notice.

She followed his gaze and saw Soma standing in the center of the stage, holding the microphone in one hand while scratching his hair with the other.

"Uh, well... I’ll keep this to a few words too."

"My name is Yukihira Soma."

"To be honest, this school is nothing more than a stepping stone for me."

"I never expected to end up here, but there’s no way I’m losing to a bunch of people who’ve never even cooked for real customers!"

"As for what I want to say... Basically, now that I’m here, I’m going to rise above every last one of you!"

Soma calmly faced the students below.

Then, as though he had said nothing remotely provocative, he gave them a perfectly respectful bow.

"I look forward to spending the next three years with you."

After finishing, Soma put down the microphone and strode backstage, paying no attention to the crowd that was already on the verge of exploding.

The furious shouts behind him went in one ear and straight out the other.

...

"Whew! Finally done!"

Soma entered the lounge and released a long breath, patting his chest in relief.

"Seriously, Haruto, you could’ve waited for me! I was really nervous up there!"

"I’ve never had anything to do with awards, speeches, or stuff like that."

He leaned closer to Haruto, his expression turning slightly worried.

"So, how did I do? Did anything seem weird? I thought I handled it pretty well!"

"You were... nervous?"

Haruto looked at him and laughed.

"I thought you did great! You certainly made an impression."

At that moment, Soma finally noticed Erina sitting nearby.

He blinked, then awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"Ah, you’re... Nakiri-san, right?"

The fact that Soma did not even seem sure of her name immediately irritated Erina.

"You intend to rise above everyone here?" she said mockingly. "What a ridiculous thing to say."

"Every student who advanced here from the Middle School Division has received an elite culinary education of the highest standard."

"You’re not even qualified to look up at them."

"An amateur like you could never defeat any of them."

The smile faded from Soma’s face.

The casual look in his eyes sharpened in an instant.

"Three years of middle school..."

"I first picked up a kitchen knife when I was three."

"I’ve spent the twelve years since then working in a kitchen."

For twelve years, he had served every kind of customer imaginable—picky office workers, hungry students, and elderly regulars with stubbornly particular tastes.

How could he possibly lose to a group of students?

A hint of surprise flashed through Erina’s eyes, and some of the mockery faded from her expression.

Only some of it.

In her view, the experience Soma had gained inside one small family restaurant was still far too limited.

Totsuki’s stage was much broader than he could possibly imagine.

Erina was about to argue when an exaggeratedly dejected voice suddenly cut between them.

"Wow, you two are amazing!"

Haruto scratched his head, wearing just the right amount of helpless embarrassment.

"I only started learning how to cook properly two months ago. I can’t even compare to either of you!"

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