Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

Erina and Soma turned toward Haruto at the same time, identical looks of disbelief on their faces.

After a brief silence, Soma’s voice shot up.

"What?! Haruto, you’ve only been studying cooking seriously for two months?"

For a moment, Soma wondered whether he had misheard him.

He had tasted Haruto’s cooking himself.

There was no way someone with only two months of experience could make food like that!

"That’s right."

Haruto nodded with a perfectly serious expression.

"I wanted to study at Totsuki, so I spent a month cramming before the transfer exam. Even counting the time since then... yeah, it hasn’t quite been two months yet."

"That’s impossible," Erina said before she could stop herself.

Even setting aside the mysterious orange fragrance in the pastry of Haruto’s molten-center custard tart, the precision of his ingredient preparation and his control over the oven had been practically flawless.

Even professional chefs with years of experience needed endless practice to reach that level.

There was no way someone could achieve it after a single month of intensive study.

"I don’t know what else to tell you. That’s the truth."

Haruto spread his hands, wearing just the right amount of helplessness, though inside, he was enjoying himself immensely.

He had worked hard for the past two months.

What was the point of improving so quickly if he could not show off a little?

Now that he had made his point, however, Haruto smoothly changed the subject without offering any further explanation.

He could hardly tell them that the special abilities granted by his Gourmet Cells were the real reason his cooking had improved so rapidly.

Besides, the entrance ceremony was over.

They still needed to check their class assignments and attend their first lessons.

There was no time to stand around arguing.

...

Haruto soon found his assigned classroom on the notice board.

He leaned through the doorway and scanned the room. When he did not see Soma anywhere, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

’Great. That should save me a lot of trouble.’

Most of Totsuki’s practical cooking classes were completed in pairs, and the assigned teams had already been posted outside the classroom.

Haruto quickly located his own name, then checked the student listed beside it.

Sakaki Ryoko.

That was a pleasant surprise.

He looked into the classroom again and soon spotted her.

Long, straight, dark-red hair fell over her shoulders, framing a mature figure and a calm, dependable presence.

Ryoko was one of the more capable students in their year, especially when it came to dishes involving kōji and fermentation.

Being paired with her should make future cooking classes much easier.

After all, Haruto had only been studying seriously for two months. There were still plenty of gaps in his knowledge.

He walked over and offered her his hand with a polite smile.

"I’m Suzuki Haruto. I look forward to working with you in our cooking classes."

Ryoko looked up at him, recognition flashing through her eyes.

She accepted his hand and gave it a light shake.

"You already introduced yourself at the entrance ceremony."

A warm smile appeared on her face.

"I’m Sakaki Ryoko. Fermentation and kōji-based cooking are my specialties."

"If you ever have any questions about kōji, feel free to ask me."

As she spoke, Ryoko recalled Haruto’s speech from the ceremony.

He had not been as openly provocative as the transfer student named Yukihira Soma, but beneath his polite words was an extraordinary amount of confidence.

Fortunately, he did not seem difficult to get along with.

...

After greeting Ryoko, Haruto glanced around the rest of the classroom.

Two boys were speaking quietly beside the window.

The blond one had sharp features and a focused expression, his eyes shining with confidence.

The dark-haired boy beside him was much rounder and seemed considerably gentler, nodding along with a friendly smile.

They were the Aldini brothers—Aldini Takumi and Aldini Isami, heirs to an Italian restaurant family.

Takumi would eventually become a member of the Elite Ten after the Régiment de Cuisine.

Their Italian cooking was supposed to be excellent. Haruto hoped he would have an opportunity to taste it someday.

In the farthest corner of the classroom sat someone who looked completely out of place.

Messy black hair covered most of the girl’s face, leaving only one red eye visible.

Her gloomy presence gave off such an unsettling air that none of the other students dared come within three meters of her.

Sadatsuka Nao.

Haruto’s expression shifted slightly when he recognized her.

As he recalled, Nao was currently obsessed with Nakiri Erina to an almost frightening degree.

After losing a Shokugeki to Hisako, she had been forbidden from coming within fifty meters of Erina.

Even that had not stopped her.

She secretly watched Erina through binoculars and sent her thirty letters every single day without fail.

She was less an admirer and more an intensely devoted stalker.

What Haruto remembered most clearly, however, was her style of cooking.

Nao specialized in stews and simmered dishes, with a particular fondness for ingredients that gave off overwhelmingly foul odors.

Her food often carried such a sinister, oppressive presence that she had already become infamous throughout Totsuki.

They called her the Witch of the Boiling Pot.

As for the other students, Haruto did not recognize most of them.

...

He withdrew his gaze and took the empty seat beside Ryoko just as the classroom door opened.

A thin, middle-aged man entered wearing a black suit and gold-rimmed glasses. His expression was mild, and an assistant carrying a folder followed behind him.

The assistant quickly moved to the whiteboard, set down the folder, and began writing.

The instructor stepped behind the lectern and slowly surveyed the room, a pleasant smile on his face.

"Good morning, young chefs."

"Good morning, Instructor!"

The students replied in unison, their voices filled with youthful energy.

The man nodded, and the warmth gradually faded from his smile.

"The moment you enter this classroom and take your place at a cooking station, you accept responsibility for the food you prepare."

"I expect every one of you to give this lesson your full effort and produce a dish you can be proud of."

The atmosphere in the classroom immediately grew more serious. Even the students who had been sitting casually straightened their backs.

Haruto studied the instructor with mild confusion.

The man was clearly teaching the class, but wasn’t he supposed to introduce himself first?

Ryoko seemed to notice his uncertainty.

She leaned slightly closer and lowered her voice.

"That’s Instructor Russell Archer, one of Totsuki’s senior lecturers in French cuisine."

"He also taught French cooking classes in the Middle School Division."

Haruto nodded in understanding.

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