Chapter 65
After hearing Isshiki and Shun describe the horrors of the training camp, Megumi’s knees gave way beneath her, and she collapsed to the floor with a trembling voice.
"H-Half...?"
She had received an A in every practical lesson lately, but in her mind, that was entirely thanks to Soma.
If half the students were going to be eliminated, she would surely be among them.
"Megumi!"
Yuki immediately threw herself forward and gathered Megumi into her arms, her face filled with exaggerated grief.
Nestled against Yuki’s chest, Megumi closed her eyes and spoke as solemnly as though she were delivering her final words.
"Thank you all... for everything you’ve done for me..."
Only one thought remained in her mind.
’Farewell, Polar Star. Farewell, Totsuki...’
"Megumiii!"
Yuki threw back her head and released a mournful wail, making the scene look like a tragic final parting.
Haruto crouched beside them and nodded with a perfectly serious expression.
"You two are surprisingly good actresses. The comedy is flawless! Have you considered going into acting? I think you’d both have promising careers."
"Hey! Megumi is saying her final goodbyes, and you’re standing there enjoying the show!" Yuki snapped, dropping her grief-stricken act to glare at him.
"You’re awful!"
There was a time and place for teasing, and this was apparently neither.
Haruto’s comment also left Megumi too embarrassed to remain sprawled in Yuki’s arms.
She hurriedly sat up, her cheeks flushed.
Haruto rose and looked at her seriously.
"Don’t worry. As long as everyone gives it their best, we’ll all make it through the training camp."
"Polar Star doesn’t have many residents to begin with. We can’t afford to lose anyone."
Haruto had complete faith in everyone’s abilities.
Even Aoki Daigo and Sato Shoji ranked among the better cooks in their year.
If anything, Haruto was more concerned about himself.
He had only been studying cooking for a short time, and an assignment involving something he had never encountered before could easily put him in trouble.
Then again, that also made the camp a perfect opportunity to test his current ability.
"I believe the same thing."
Isshiki looked around at everyone, conviction filling his eyes.
"Every member of Polar Star will return here smiling when the camp is over."
Between Haruto’s teasing and Isshiki’s encouragement, even Megumi managed to recover a little of her confidence.
Still, everyone at Polar Star threw themselves into their culinary studies to improve their chances of surviving.
Even their usual joking and fooling around became less frequent.
Marui quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Now that everyone was busy sharpening their skills, they finally stopped barging into his room every few days and demanding another feast.
...
Time passed quickly, and the day of the residential training camp soon arrived.
The sky had only just begun to brighten, and the morning mist still lingered when Haruto and the others left Polar Star.
They reached the meeting point right on time.
Dozens of brand-new coaches stood arranged in neat rows across the grounds.
Soma looked over them and sighed.
"I think I’m actually starting to get used to this."
He clenched one fist, puffed out his chest, and declared with absolute confidence, "All right, let’s go! I don’t care what kind of friendship-building hell camp this is. No matter what happens next, nothing is going to surprise me!"
"You shouldn’t say things like that too soon, Soma," Haruto warned, glancing at him.
They were heading to Totsuki Resort.
That place was guaranteed to open Soma’s eyes.
Haruto was already looking forward to seeing his reaction.
"We’ll see about that!"
Soma lifted his chin.
He had at least that much confidence. He absolutely would not be surprised.
Haruto exchanged a glance with Shun and Marui beside him.
The three instantly reached an unspoken agreement.
The convoy sped along the road and soon arrived at its destination.
An enormous luxury hotel of breathtaking grandeur appeared before them, drawing sharp gasps from students in every direction.
Soma’s pupils contracted.
A storm of disbelief had already erupted inside him, but he forced his expression to remain stiff and calm.
He had just said he would not be surprised.
There was no way he could let Haruto laugh at him now!
Standing beside him, Shun calmly explained, "All the hotels and inns in this area belong to Totsuki."
Soma stiffened his neck and forced out a dry chuckle.
"Heh. Something like this isn’t enough to surprise me."
Marui adjusted his glasses and casually delivered the next blow.
"These dozen or so buildings are collectively known as Totsuki Resort. Many Totsuki graduates work in their culinary departments. I heard a single night here costs eighty thousand yen."
"Eighty thousand?!"
Soma’s expression nearly broke.
That was more than his entire monthly allowance!
"And that’s only the room," Haruto added leisurely, amusement in his voice. "Once you include the food, spending several hundred thousand yen in a single day probably wouldn’t be difficult."
"I told you, I’m not surprised!"
Soma’s eyes were practically bloodshot, and even his voice cracked, but he stubbornly refused to admit defeat.
Haruto, Shun, and Marui exchanged looks before bursting into laughter.
They decided not to tease him any further.
...
After placing their luggage in their assigned rooms, the students gathered in the main hall.
A solemn atmosphere greeted them the moment they entered.
Crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, casting warm golden light across the hall, yet even that could not dispel the tension filling the air.
Nearly a thousand students stood inside, but the room was almost completely silent.
Most wore grave expressions, their brows slightly furrowed.
Some stared down at the floor, while others clasped their hands so tightly that their fingertips had turned pale.
They all understood what awaited them.
This was a brutal elimination trial.
One mistake could mean immediate expulsion, leaving no one in the mood for idle conversation.
Soma, however, seemed completely oblivious to the atmosphere.
The moment he entered, he spotted a familiar face and raised his hand.
"Hey, isn’t that Nikumi?!"
His voice rang out with painful clarity through the silent hall.
Haruto glanced at him.
Soma’s resilience really was impressive. He had recovered from the shock of the resort remarkably quickly.
Unfortunately, he was drawing far too much attention.
Students throughout the hall turned toward them with irritation and suspicion.
The moment they realized Soma had been the one shouting, their expressions shifted to open hostility and disgust.
If looks could kill, Soma would already have been riddled with holes.
Hearing the familiar voice, Mito Ikumi stiffened and hurriedly turned around.
She instinctively smoothed her hair, her voice carrying a hint of panic.
"Y-Yukihira!"
"Long time no see, Nikumi!"
Soma strode over to her without noticing the increasingly hostile stares surrounding him.
Everyone from Polar Star could only watch in helpless exasperation.