Chapter 176
Haruto’s peaceful routine did not last long after the Stagiaire celebration.
Since he had ignored every Food War challenge sent to him, some students began showing up at Polar Star to confront him in person.
Haruto originally had no intention of indulging them, but after being pestered over and over again, he finally lost patience and accepted ten challenges at once.
He scheduled every match for the same day.
The outcome was never in doubt.
With his current culinary skill, Haruto still emerged victorious even when competing against ten opponents in succession.
Unfortunately, the more he won, the more fanatical the challengers became.
His days gradually grew busier.
Still, the matches were not entirely without value.
Most of his opponents were not particularly formidable overall, but each possessed a field in which they excelled—French cuisine, Japanese cooking, desserts, molecular gastronomy, and many others.
Haruto deliberately studied their different techniques and approaches, absorbing what he found useful and incorporating it into his own cooking.
Without realizing it, his culinary ability steadily improved.
That was the real reason he remained patient enough to accept any of those challenges.
Yukihira Soma, Hayama Akira, and Kurokiba Ryo found themselves in similar situations.
Haruto, Hayama, and Kurokiba rejected the challenges that offered nothing interesting.
Soma, however, turned down no one.
It did not matter who the opponent was or what they wanted to wager. Every day, he was either competing in a Food War or experimenting with new dishes in the kitchen.
After they had spent some time living through that chaos, the date of Totsuki’s annual Maple Viewing Meet finally arrived.
Despite its elaborate name, the event was simply a gathering between the eight students who had reached the main bracket of the Autumn Elections and the current Elite Ten.
In other words, it was a meeting between the present Elite Ten and their most likely future replacements.
Once the third-year members graduated, the next generation of Elite Ten would most likely be selected from among the Autumn Elections’ top eight.
Haruto found the whole arrangement rather dull.
The only thing that interested him was the opportunity to taste dishes prepared by the Elite Ten.
Soma was the complete opposite.
Ever since hearing about the gathering, he had been unable to contain his excitement.
He clearly intended to use this opportunity to challenge one of the current Elite Ten to a Food War.
Following the address written on their invitations, Haruto, Soma, and Tadokoro Megumi arrived at a maple forest within the grounds of Totsuki Academy.
The hills were blanketed in maple trees whose leaves had turned a brilliant crimson, resembling clusters of blazing flames. Whenever the wind blew, red leaves drifted gently through the air.
"I’ve never been to this part of the academy before. The scenery’s pretty nice."
Haruto smiled as he looked across the fiery-red forest.
"When we have some free time, why don’t we bring everyone from Polar Star here for a picnic?"
"We could bring a grill, cook some skewers, and eat while enjoying the view. That sounds pretty good."
Megumi’s eyes immediately lit up.
"That’s a wonderful idea! I’ll ask Yuki and the others when we get back. I’m sure they’d love to come!"
Soma nodded repeatedly.
"Yeah, that sounds great."
The three became increasingly enthusiastic as they discussed what ingredients to grill, which cookware to bring, and even what drinks would pair best with the meal.
While they were talking, hurried footsteps approached, followed by an angry shout.
"Yukihira Soma! Haruto! Both of you, stop right there!"
The three turned and saw Takumi Aldini running toward them.
After drawing a deep breath, Takumi straightened and spoke with great solemnity.
"Have a Food War with me! I’ll defeat both of you."
"Sure."
Soma accepted immediately, already looking eager for the match.
Once Soma agreed, Takumi turned expectantly toward Haruto.
Haruto, however, had no intention of accepting so easily.
He was already quite familiar with Takumi’s style of cooking. A Food War against him would offer little that Haruto had not encountered before.
After considering it briefly, he said,
"Beat Soma first, and then I’ll accept your challenge."
"Soma has already lost to me. If you can’t even defeat him, you aren’t qualified to challenge me."
Soma wanted to object, but no words came out.
Whether in the Autumn Elections or their later Food War, he had undeniably lost to Haruto.
That was an indisputable fact.
"Fine. I accept that condition."
Takumi agreed without the slightest hesitation.
"I’ll defeat Yukihira, then come after you."
He had already intended to beat Soma and reclaim his knife, so Haruto’s condition changed nothing.
Soma, however, was far less pleased by Takumi’s confidence.
"That’s not happening. I’m not losing to you."
"There’s nothing impossible about it. This time, I will defeat you."
Takumi stared at Soma with fighting spirit burning in his eyes.
He now had yet another reason why he absolutely had to win.
As they continued arguing, Hayama, Kurokiba, and the others arrived and joined the discussion.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
The deep sound of drums suddenly echoed through the forest at a slow, steady pace.
Everyone fell silent and turned toward the entrance.
With every beat, nine figures advanced beneath the falling red leaves.
Autumn sunlight filtered through the canopy and fell across them.
They were the nine members of the Elite Ten other than Nakiri Erina.
The group reached the tables opposite Haruto and the others before taking their seats one after another.
The atmosphere across the venue seemed to grow heavier. Even the whisper of leaves scraping across the ground became clearly audible.
Haruto tapped his fingers idly against the table as his calm gaze moved across the nine students.
The First Seat, Tsukasa Eishi.
His neatly trimmed white hair framed a mild, gentle expression.
Haruto knew, however, that Tsukasa possessed an extraordinary talent for communicating with ingredients and drawing out their fullest potential.
In Haruto’s opinion, it was not quite the same as truly hearing the voice of ingredients, but Tsukasa had already reached the threshold of that realm.
Were he allowed to enter the Toriko world and continue developing, he would most likely become one of the world’s top one hundred chefs.
He might even possess the potential to climb far higher.
Sitting beside Tsukasa was the Second Seat, Kobayashi Rindō.
Her blood-red hair fell freely across her shoulders, and two sharp canine teeth appeared whenever she smiled. Her entire presence radiated wild, vibrant energy.
Haruto had a highly favorable impression of her.
Rindō specialized in preparing rare and unusual ingredients.
More than cooking itself, however, what she truly loved was traveling across the world, discovering ingredients she had never encountered before, and tasting new delicacies.
She frequently used the authority granted by her Elite Ten seat to travel in search of food.
Haruto wholeheartedly approved.
After all, he had enrolled at Totsuki for much the same reason—to experience more delicious cuisine.
The Third Seat was Megishima Tōsuke.
He was a large, powerfully built man wearing a soft knitted cap.
Megishima specialized in ramen. Beneath his rugged appearance lay an astonishingly delicate touch, capable of refining every element of a bowl—the broth, noodles, and toppings—down to the smallest detail.
The Fourth Seat, Akakubo Momo, sat hugging a stuffed bear.
She was so small and adorable that she looked like an exquisitely made doll.
Her innocent eyes made her appear completely harmless, but her skill with desserts was extraordinary.
Haruto also knew that although Momo adored her teddy bear, she pulled off its paws and used them as oven mitts whenever she cooked.
The Fifth Seat was Saitō Sōmei, a sushi specialist.
He resembled a long blade resting inside its sheath, yet his sharpness remained impossible to conceal.
Tall and imposing, he had a horizontal scar across the bridge of his nose that added a cold severity to his appearance. A long sword remained at his side.
Even while it was sheathed, Haruto could sense the sharp presence it had gained through years of cutting and preparing ingredients.
The Sixth Seat was Kinokuni Nene, who specialized in traditional Japanese cuisine.
She wore round glasses, while her blue-green twin tails hung neatly in front of her shoulders. Her bearing was cool, dignified, and proper.
Her posture was flawless, and even the simple movement of lifting her teacup followed strict, practiced etiquette.
The Seventh Seat was Isshiki Satoshi.
He lounged lazily against the back of his chair with his usual gentle smile.
Haruto was naturally quite familiar with him.
In private, Isshiki was an exhibitionist who constantly wandered around Polar Star wearing nothing but an apron or fundoshi.
He rarely seemed reliable, but his true culinary ability undoubtedly exceeded that of an ordinary Seventh Seat.
If Isshiki ever became completely serious, he could easily compete for a position among the top five.
The Eighth Seat was Kuga Terunori.
He leaned forward with his arms resting against the table. His brown-and-gold hair was styled into a flamboyant, fluffy mass that almost stood straight up, giving him a rebellious appearance.
Unfortunately, his perspective remained rather narrow.
Kuga specialized in Sichuan cuisine—or, more accurately, in the numbing heat and intense spice associated with one particular aspect of Sichuan cooking.
As Haruto looked at his towering hairstyle, he could not help suspecting that Kuga wore it that way simply to appear taller.
At the far end sat the Ninth Seat, Eizan Etsuya.
Known as the Alchemist, Eizan excelled more at business operations than cooking itself. His influence could be found throughout numerous corners of the food industry.
Of course, Haruto respected Eizan’s position as Totsuki’s undisputed master of ridiculous facial expressions far more than his culinary rank.
His range of expressions was truly unparalleled.
From the moment Eizan sat down, his gaze had repeatedly drifted toward Haruto.
Haruto knew perfectly well that Eizan had to be plotting something.