Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

Once the Food War had been agreed upon, Yukihira Soma and Mimasaka Subaru completed the formal registration with Totsuki’s Food War Administration the following day.

Unexpectedly, Mimasaka was the one who proposed banning special ingredients from the match.

Soma accepted without hesitation.

When Haruto heard the news, he thought about it briefly and quickly understood Mimasaka’s reasoning.

No one at Totsuki possessed more unusual ingredients than Haruto.

If both competitors were allowed to use them, Soma would have an overwhelming advantage with Haruto supporting him.

Naturally, Mimasaka had no intention of allowing special ingredients into their match.

News of Soma and Mimasaka’s Food War spread through Totsuki Academy as though it had grown wings. Within half a day, nearly the entire school knew about it, and the announcement caused a considerable uproar.

Soma was already one of the finalists in the Autumn Elections. Combined with the bold declaration he had made during the entrance ceremony, he had become one of Totsuki’s most famous first-years.

Mimasaka, meanwhile, was infamous for his underhanded tracking methods. Countless students despised him after falling victim to his schemes.

A direct clash between two students surrounded by that much controversy was bound to attract attention.

On the day of the Food War, every seat around the arena was occupied. Students packed the surrounding walkways three and four rows deep until the venue was almost impossible to enter.

The atmosphere was no less intense than it had been during the Autumn Elections.

"Did all these people come here hoping to watch Soma get expelled?"

Yoshino Yuki looked uneasily over the enormous crowd.

If Soma lost, he would be forced to abandon cooking forever.

In practice, that would also mean leaving Totsuki.

"A lot of them are probably supporting him," Haruto said calmly.

Soma had offended plenty of students when he first enrolled, but his performance throughout the Autumn Elections had changed many opinions.

More importantly, Mimasaka’s behavior was simply too repulsive.

Every student whose knife he had taken was now wholeheartedly rooting for Soma.

Under the gaze of the entire audience, the Food War officially began.

The theme was rice.

Both Soma and Mimasaka chose to prepare teriyaki chicken rice bowls.

Mimasaka cooked his rice in stock and refined the teriyaki sauce to make its flavor richer and more intense.

Soma, however, improvised by grilling the chicken after coating it in teriyaki sauce, adding a fragrant layer of caramelized char.

In the end, Soma defeated Mimasaka by a clear margin.

He reclaimed every knife Mimasaka had won and returned them one by one to their original owners.

Takumi Aldini refused to accept his, however.

He intended to win it back from Soma personally.

Mimasaka had already prepared himself to withdraw from Totsuki after his defeat.

Yet after Soma spoke to him, he rediscovered the pure love of cooking he had long since buried.

Watching Mimasaka in the arena, Eizan Etsuya was furious.

A Food War could only be approved when both sides offered wagers of comparable value.

Mimasaka’s failure meant Eizan had gained none of the valuable bargaining chips he needed.

If he still wanted the special ingredients in Haruto’s possession, he would have to find another method.

That was easier said than done.

Haruto clearly had no shortage of money, and his personality was notoriously laid-back.

Based on everything Eizan had investigated, finding something valuable enough to tempt him would be extremely difficult.

That was precisely why he had ordered Mimasaka to challenge Soma first.

Unfortunately, Mimasaka had failed.

Eizan cast one final look at him before turning and leaving the arena.

Inside the venue, Soma suddenly spun toward Haruto, his eyes burning with excitement.

"Haruto—have a Food War with me!"

His battle against Mimasaka had allowed him to clearly feel how much he had grown.

With his competitive spirit now blazing, he could hardly wait to test himself against a stronger opponent.

Haruto raised an eyebrow at Soma’s eager expression and accepted immediately.

"Fine. Let’s do it."

One victory had already gone to Soma’s head.

Haruto did not mind teaching him another lesson.

The sudden challenge sent another wave of excitement through the arena.

Haruto and Soma quickly settled the terms.

The theme would be noodles, and the match would take place the following day.

The wager was a week’s worth of breakfasts.

A day passed quickly.

Haruto and Soma arrived at the Food War arena and immediately began cooking.

Soma prepared a rich-broth ramen.

He used pork and beef bones to create an intensely concentrated soup, pairing it with handmade noodles that had been kneaded using the same broth.

The result possessed a powerful, almost overwhelming flavor.

He also put considerable thought into the toppings.

Haruto prepared a special fragrant zhajiangmian.

The sauce was made with finely diced smoked pork, while the handmade noodles had been kneaded with tremendous force until they were firm, elastic, and pleasantly chewy.

What appeared to be a simple bowl of noodles possessed a depth and complexity far beyond anyone’s expectations.

The judges were conquered from the very first bite.

The result was never in doubt.

Haruto won by a landslide.

After tasting Haruto’s special zhajiangmian, Soma looked thoroughly frustrated.

He had to admit that its flavor was slightly better than his rich-broth ramen.

Even so, defeat only made his competitive spirit burn more fiercely.

After Soma, Hayama Akira and Kurokiba Ryo challenged Haruto in succession.

Neither of them had fully accepted the results of the Autumn Elections.

Haruto considered their challenges briefly before agreeing.

He even chose themes that played directly into their respective specialties.

Against Hayama, he competed over the ultimate use of spices and aroma.

Against Kurokiba, he battled over the fresh, powerful flavor of seafood.

One intense Food War followed another.

In the end, Haruto won a week’s worth of lunches and dinners as well.

For him, such a demanding series of matches was a rare opportunity to sharpen his skills.

They tested both his adaptability under pressure and the strength of his culinary fundamentals.

Haruto could clearly feel his cooking improving.

Soma, Hayama, and Kurokiba were all eager to continue challenging him, but their plans were interrupted by news of the upcoming Stagiaire program.

"What exactly is a Stagiaire?"

Sitting in Polar Star’s dining room, Soma looked curiously around at the others.

"It isn’t going to be like the Training Camp again, is it?"

Tadokoro Megumi hugged her knees and shrank into herself, worry filling her face.

Even thinking about the Training Camp still made her nervous.

The others knew little more than she did, so every gaze turned toward Isshiki Satoshi.

As a second-year student, he had naturally experienced the program before.

Isshiki explained without hesitation.

"The Stagiaire is a course in which first-year students are dispatched to outside businesses and institutions connected to the food industry. During that period, you’ll effectively be working as interns."

"The placements vary enormously. You might be sent to a prestigious restaurant, a major food manufacturer, a public institution, or even an administrative department connected to the culinary industry."

"Put simply, Totsuki sends you beyond the academy so you can experience the real front lines of professional food service."

After hearing his explanation, no one thought it sounded especially difficult.

"So we’re just going outside to learn?"

Yuki looked toward Soma and Megumi.

"That should be easy for you two."

Of everyone present, Soma and Megumi were undoubtedly the most accustomed to professional kitchens after spending their childhoods helping in their family restaurants.

"Working in another kitchen, huh?"

Soma looked excited.

"That sounds interesting. I wonder what kind of place they’ll send me to."

He planned to inherit Restaurant Yukihira one day. Experience gained from other businesses would undoubtedly help him run it.

"I just hope I get assigned somewhere easy," Haruto muttered casually.

Unfortunately, the Stagiaire assignments were not organized according to their usual classroom groups.

Otherwise, being paired with someone calm and dependable like Ryoko would have saved him a great deal of trouble.

At that moment, Isshiki’s smile slowly faded, and his expression became serious.

"There’s one thing all of you need to understand."

"Every location that accepts Totsuki students does so because it trusts the academy’s reputation."

"If you cause any incident, dispute, or problem during your placement that damages Totsuki’s name..."

"You will be expelled."

Everyone immediately wore expressions that said they should have expected as much.

That was simply how Totsuki operated.

Haruto lazily yawned.

Compared to this sort of program—going out, dealing with strangers, and following endless workplace rules—he much preferred his relaxed routine of attending classes and cooking whatever interested him.

Unfortunately, anyone who wanted to remain at Totsuki had no choice but to complete every stage the academy placed before them.

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