Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

While Haruto was silently sizing up the members of the Elite Ten, Yukihira Soma suddenly leaned forward and raised his voice.

"I want to become one of the Elite Ten right now!"

"Any of you Senpai willing to have a Food War with me?"

Everyone immediately turned toward him.

Tsukasa Eishi and the others, however, did not look particularly surprised.

At the previous year’s Maple Viewing Meet, Kuga Terunori had done almost exactly the same thing, boldly demanding a Food War from the previous generation of Elite Ten and declaring that he would take one of their seats.

Kobayashi Rindō secretly jabbed Kuga in the side with her elbow and shot him a teasing look.

Kuga’s face immediately flushed as he glared at her.

"Now, now. There’s no need to rush."

Tsukasa smiled gently.

"We prepared some food for today’s Maple Viewing Meet so we could properly welcome all of you."

"Why don’t we talk about Food Wars after everyone has eaten?"

As soon as he finished speaking, uniformed servers approached with trays and placed exquisite cakes before the students, each looking more like a work of art than a dessert.

They were autumn-themed cakes personally prepared by Akakubo Momo.

Each cake resembled a glossy red apple, with maple syrup draped delicately over the surface like a translucent veil.

The moment they were served, a clean sweetness spread through the air. Simply breathing in the aroma made it feel as though they had been transported deeper into the crimson maple forest.

Haruto picked up his fork and took a bite.

His eyes immediately brightened.

The cream melted almost instantly on his tongue, carrying just the right amount of sweetness. Hidden within the soft, delicate sponge was the natural sweetness of persimmon, perfectly balanced by the faint bitterness of maple leaves.

Layer after layer of flavor unfolded across his palate, each bite somehow evoking the sensation of autumn sunlight and a cool seasonal breeze.

It was almost as though the essence of autumn itself had been kneaded into the cake.

Momo’s dessert was practically flawless.

She had captured the mood of the season inside a tiny piece of cake, balancing every flavor so precisely that there was not even a hint of excessive sweetness.

It was genuinely delicious.

There was only one problem.

The portion was far too small.

Haruto put down his fork and looked toward Momo.

"Can I have another one?"

The entire terrace fell silent.

Everyone stared at him, momentarily speechless.

This was a dessert personally made by Akakubo Momo, the Fourth Seat of the Elite Ten.

And Haruto had finished his portion only to casually ask for seconds as though he were ordering another slice at an ordinary neighborhood café.

Momo blinked.

Her arms tightened slightly around the stuffed bear in her lap, and she puffed out her cheeks as she stared at him with inexplicable irritation.

Then she noticed Haruto’s completely straightforward expression.

There was no mockery or hidden insult.

He simply thought the cake was delicious and wanted more.

In the end, Momo could only wave helplessly toward one of the servers and have another portion brought over.

Fortunately, she had prepared extras.

"Thanks."

Haruto nodded toward her, accepted the second plate, and calmly resumed eating.

"Now you understand, don’t you?"

Tsukasa looked toward Soma and spoke seriously.

"There’s an absolute difference in ability between the Elite Ten and ordinary students."

For some reason, Kuga chose that moment to walk directly in front of Soma.

"Basically, that’s how it is. I’m sure even you can understand the gap now."

"We really, really, really don’t consider you guys a threat."

Several members of the Elite Ten gave him strange looks.

After all, the person who had shouted declarations at the Elite Ten and aggressively demanded Food Wars during last year’s gathering had been Kuga himself.

If anything, he had been even more obnoxious than Soma.

Kuga apparently noticed no contradiction whatsoever and continued staring arrogantly at him.

"Still, since you’re so motivated, I suppose I could give you a chance."

He rubbed his chin and pretended to think.

"Let’s see... If there’s even one aspect of cooking where you can beat me, then maybe I’ll agree to a Food War."

Without even lifting her head, Kinokuni Nene calmly raised her teacup.

"Height."

Silence lasted for two full seconds.

Then muffled laughter erupted from every direction.

A vein immediately bulged on Kuga’s forehead as he whipped around toward her.

"I said something related to cooking, you damn woman!"

Nene remained utterly composed despite Kuga practically bouncing with rage.

She adjusted her grip on her teacup, took a quiet sip, and did not even bother looking at him.

Haruto continued eating his second cake while watching the argument unfold.

Somehow, the entertainment made it taste even better.

After finishing the final bite, Haruto raised his head and looked toward Eizan Etsuya, who had been watching him for quite some time.

Haruto could clearly see the greed in his eyes.

When Eizan realized Haruto had noticed, he did not avert his gaze.

Instead, he gave him a deliberate smile, the determination in his expression only growing stronger.

From the moment Haruto first revealed his special ingredients, Eizan had set his sights on him.

Those ingredients had never appeared anywhere before, yet their flavor and quality were absurdly superior to anything available on the normal market.

Of course, Eizan was not interested in merely acquiring the small amount Haruto happened to possess.

What he truly wanted was the supply channel behind them.

Eizan understood perfectly well just how terrifying the commercial value of such unique ingredients could become.

If he could seize control of their supply, he could package them as the ultimate luxury ingredients, monopolize Japan’s high-end culinary market, and eventually expand internationally.

His carefully constructed business empire would explode in size.

At that point, a mere seat on the Elite Ten would hardly matter.

Unfortunately, obtaining that supply route had proven far more difficult than expected.

From the very beginning, Eizan had deployed every subordinate at his disposal and called in every connection and resource he possessed.

He investigated Haruto’s background.

He checked import and export records.

He examined transportation channels.

He even went through Haruto’s travel history and spending records in obsessive detail.

The result was nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Haruto’s special ingredients seemed to materialize out of thin air.

There were no purchase records.

No shipping records.

No trace of any supplier whatsoever.

That only made Eizan more frustrated—and more greedy.

The more mysterious the source was, the more valuable it had to be.

His original plan had been to use Mimasaka Subaru and a Food War to pry information about those ingredients out of Haruto.

Unfortunately, Mimasaka, whom he had expected to succeed, lost to Yukihira Soma.

The entire plan collapsed before it could even begin.

Eizan could no longer afford to wait.

He knew that Nakiri Azami would soon take control of Totsuki Academy.

Once that happened, every resource and business connection associated with Totsuki would fall firmly under Azami’s control.

If Eizan failed to secure Haruto’s supply channel before then, he might never have another opportunity.

So he had to obtain it first.

When the Maple Viewing Meet eventually came to an end, Haruto prepared to return to Polar Star Dormitory.

"Haruto-kun, could you wait a moment?"

Haruto stopped and turned toward the person who had called out to him.

Eizan Etsuya approached with what he clearly considered a sincere smile, though the calculation hidden in his eyes remained impossible to miss.

He stopped in front of Haruto and spoke solemnly.

"Join my team, Haruto-kun. Let’s work together."

"With my business ability, connections, and resources combined with your unique ingredients, there would be nothing we couldn’t accomplish."

"I can help you introduce those special ingredients throughout Japan—and eventually the entire world."

"Together, we could build a culinary empire of our own."

Naturally, every pleasant word coming out of his mouth was a lie.

Eizan had already planned everything.

He would use the excuse of cooperation to learn the source of Haruto’s ingredients and gradually take control of the entire supply network.

Once he possessed every resource he needed, Haruto would become nothing more than a useless pawn that could be discarded at any time.

Then all the profits, influence, and achievements would belong to Eizan alone.

Haruto looked at him without the slightest change in expression.

"Not interested."

Without giving Eizan another glance, Haruto turned around and continued walking.

The smile on Eizan’s face immediately froze.

He had never expected Haruto to reject him so decisively, without even taking a moment to consider the offer.

His expression darkened, and a vicious glint flashed through his eyes.

Still, Eizan forcibly suppressed his anger and pulled his lips into a strained imitation of calm.

"If that’s your answer, then forget it."

He had never truly expected his first attempt at persuasion to succeed.

Even so, he would have regretted not trying.

Now that the friendly approach had failed, however, there was only one option left.

If Haruto refused to cooperate willingly, then Eizan would simply force the issue.

Haruto easily sensed the malicious gaze burning into his back.

He simply did not care.

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