Chapter 69
Mizuhara Fuyumi lifted her gaze from the plate and looked at Haruto and Ryoko with a puzzled expression.
"I don’t recall providing any meat for this assignment."
"Why don’t you taste it first, Mizuhara-sensei?"
Haruto deliberately avoided explaining.
Revealing the trick now would ruin the surprise, and he was also curious whether Fuyumi could identify what they had done.
Fuyumi frowned slightly but asked no further questions.
She picked up her fork, twirled a small bundle of spaghetti around it, and took a bite.
The bright sweetness and acidity of the tomato sauce burst across her tongue first, fresh and appetizing.
The onion’s natural sweetness softened the sharper notes, adding greater depth to the sauce.
The spaghetti had been cooked perfectly, smooth and springy with a firm bite and no trace of mushiness.
Then there was the "minced meat."
Its surface gave a delicate crunch beneath her teeth, followed by a rich, surprisingly meaty flavor.
Fuyumi chewed slowly, the surprise in her eyes deepening. After a moment, she looked up at Haruto.
"This isn’t meat. It’s a meat substitute, isn’t it? What did you use?"
The resemblance was remarkable, but careful tasting revealed several subtle differences.
Its flavor and texture were nearly identical to ground pork, yet it lacked the greasiness of real meat and possessed a cleaner finish.
Of course, Fuyumi had only noticed because she already knew they could not possibly have used actual meat.
Otherwise, she might have mistaken it for ground pork entirely.
Even after recognizing the difference, however, she still could not identify the ingredient.
"You’re right. The ’mince’ is completely plant-based," Haruto explained with a smile. "I made it from soybeans."
Even Fuyumi had failed to identify them.
Apparently, his imitation meat had turned out quite well.
"Soybeans?"
Fuyumi immediately began considering how soybeans could possibly be transformed into something so convincingly similar to ground meat.
Haruto spared her the trouble and explained the method.
"I boiled the soybeans until tender, crushed them with the flat of a knife, then seasoned and colored them with soy sauce. After that, I fried them briefly at high heat to set the exterior and lock in the moisture."
"That creates a texture and flavor surprisingly close to real minced meat."
After a short pause, he added, "The idea came from a dish I once heard about."
Fuyumi thought through the process and realized that it could indeed produce the result before her.
Executing it successfully, however, was far from easy.
"The concept was bold, and the execution was remarkably precise."
"The balance between sweetness and acidity in the tomato sauce is excellent. More impressively, the soybean mince recreates both the flavor and texture of meat extremely well."
Her voice remained cool and restrained, but a faint note of praise had entered it.
Fuyumi looked between Haruto and Ryoko.
"You pass."
Haruto was not surprised.
If a dish like this failed, most of the remaining students might as well pack their bags and say goodbye to Totsuki immediately.
Unfortunately for them, Haruto and Ryoko’s pasta had raised Fuyumi’s expectations considerably.
A number of dishes presented afterward were rejected without mercy.
Neither Haruto nor Ryoko paid much attention to that.
Instead, the two returned to their station and began cooking again.
Haruto knew there would be another assignment waiting for them after they returned to the hotel, and they would also have to prepare their own dinner.
Since they still had time, they might as well make a few more portions of the spaghetti and eat now.
Ryoko did not entirely understand his reasoning, but she trusted him enough not to question it.
...
By the time Haruto and Ryoko finished their meal, the assignment had also come to an end.
The students who passed boarded the coach and returned to the hotel where they had first checked in.
Yuki had already arrived.
The moment she saw Haruto and Ryoko return, she greeted them excitedly.
After chatting for a while, the three decided to wait for the other Polar Star residents.
Shun and Marui arrived soon afterward.
Shun looked as calm and unreadable as ever.
Marui, however, appeared as though every last drop of energy had been drained from his body. His face was pale, and he could barely walk in a straight line.
A little later, Soma and Megumi also returned to the hotel.
Shun confirmed over the phone that Daigo and Shoji had passed as well and were already on their way back.
Once Yuki knew that everyone from Polar Star had survived the first assignment, the tension finally left her body.
She immediately began fantasizing aloud.
"So now we finally get to enjoy Totsuki Resort’s luxurious dinner and stay in those rooms with private observation decks, right?"
"I wonder what kind of food they’ll serve..."
Her dreams were shattered when a crowd of enormous, heavily muscled men suddenly poured into the lobby.
"Once you finish preparing dinner for these guests, you may use the rest of the evening as free time."
Sekimori Hitoshi stood before the group and made the announcement with a calm expression.
Yuki stared wide-eyed at a man flexing his biceps in front of her.
"Who exactly are these people...?"
"They’re members of the bodybuilding club from nearby Uwade University," Sekimori replied evenly.
"The rugby and wrestling clubs will be arriving shortly as well."
After that brief introduction, he revealed their next assignment.
"Tonight’s meal will be a steak set."
"Each of you must prepare fifty servings."
The students immediately erupted.
"Fifty servings each?!"
"You expect us to start now?"
"That’s completely unreasonable!"
"..."
They had already exhausted themselves trying to pass the first assignment.
Now, while physically and mentally drained, they were expected to prepare fifty complete steak sets.
"Sekimori-senpai, what about our dinner?" Yuki asked, clinging to the last of her hope.
"You may prepare your own meal after completing all fifty servings," Sekimori answered calmly.
"Prepare it ourselves? What happened to the luxurious dinner?"
A terrible suspicion began forming in Yuki’s mind.
"There is no luxurious dinner!"
Sekimori crushed her hopes without hesitation.
"Incidentally, throughout the training camp, you will be responsible for preparing both your own breakfasts and dinners."
Yuki felt her heart shatter.
Her luxurious meal...
"Stop dreaming."
Haruto patted her shoulder.
"This is a hellish training camp. Why would they reward us with a luxury dinner?"
In reality, they would receive one—but only on the final day.
Yuki turned and glared at him for pouring salt into the wound, but eventually her shoulders drooped in defeat.
Reality truly was cruel.
"One final warning."
Sekimori’s expression became severe.
"Anyone who fails to complete the assignment within sixty minutes will be expelled immediately."
He pressed the button on the timer.
"Your time starts now."
The students froze for a heartbeat.
Then panic spread across their faces, and the entire cooking area descended into chaos.
No matter how exhausted they were, everyone forced themselves into motion, terrified that even a moment’s delay might cost them their place at Totsuki.