Chapter 67
Having a student expelled before the camp had even begun sent a brutal warning to everyone in the hall.
It made them realize that the residential training camp was far more merciless than they had imagined.
Every student immediately tensed.
Unfortunately, the display only made the already terrified Megumi even more anxious.
Before she had a chance to calm herself, Donato Gotoda suddenly appeared beside her.
"That simple, refreshing air of yours... It reminds me of a clover blooming in the countryside."
"Perhaps the very reason I came here was so that I could meet you."
"Would you care to join me at my auberge and spend the night talking until dawn?"
Donato enthusiastically extended an invitation to Megumi.
"U-Um..."
Megumi stared blankly at the man before her, unable to understand what was happening.
At least her fear of the training camp had vanished completely.
Haruto raised an eyebrow.
He knew Donato had only approached because he recognized Megumi’s potential, but the way he phrased the invitation sounded wildly inappropriate.
Before Donato could continue, Inui Hinako walked over and gave him a displeased look.
She had taken an interest in Megumi as well. Donato had merely beaten her to the girl by a few seconds.
"Chef Gotoda, please let her go."
Hinako pushed Donato aside and took Megumi by the hand.
Her gaze immediately softened, and her voice became much gentler.
"I’m terribly sorry. He must have frightened you."
"By the way, you really are adorable!"
Unable to resist, Hinako gently stroked Megumi’s cheek and smiled.
"You look like you’d have such a lovely texture!"
"H-Huh...?"
Megumi’s mind went completely blank.
She had no idea why Hinako and Donato were being so unusually "friendly" toward her.
...
"Hinako!"
Donato gave her a helpless reminder.
"Chapelle-sensei is glaring at us. We should go back."
At his warning, Hinako turned toward the stage.
Sure enough, Roland Chapelle was frowning at them with a look of profound displeasure.
Hinako reluctantly released Megumi’s hand, and the two graduates returned to the podium.
Even as she left, Hinako looked back and waved.
"Make sure you visit my restaurant someday!"
Megumi could only respond with the same bewildered stare.
Haruto, however, understood exactly what their behavior meant.
Repaying Totsuki for their education was only one reason the graduates sacrificed their valuable time to serve as guest instructors.
More importantly, the training camp gave them a chance to discover promising students hidden among the first-years and recruit them into their own kitchens, bringing fresh talent into their restaurants.
It was a competition for future chefs—one silently encouraged by Totsuki itself.
Hinako and Donato had clearly sensed Megumi’s exceptional potential and considered her worth recruiting.
Most of the surrounding students did not understand the reason, but they could still tell that both famous chefs had taken a keen interest in her.
Many of them knew Megumi had once ranked near the very bottom of their year.
Seeing someone like her attract the attention of two renowned chefs naturally stirred plenty of jealousy.
...
"Congratulations, Megumi. You’ve already received invitations from two head chefs."
Haruto walked over and smiled at her as she continued staring blankly into space.
Among the enormous crowd of students, Megumi alone had caught the attention of two chefs immediately and received personal invitations from both.
In that respect, she had already surpassed everyone else present.
Perhaps the realization would give her a little more confidence.
The Totsuki graduates certainly had sharp eyes as well. In only a few moments, they had recognized the immense culinary potential hidden beneath Megumi’s timid exterior.
Come to think of it, she did give off a rather distinctive impression compared with the other students.
The best way to describe it was an innocent warmth mixed with the freshness of the countryside.
"Haruto, do you understand what just happened?" Ryoko asked curiously.
The other Polar Star residents gathered around as well, their eyes filled with questions.
Everything had happened so suddenly that none of them understood why Donato and Hinako had invited Megumi to their restaurants.
"Well, I do know a little. The graduates are actually—"
Haruto was about to explain Totsuki’s unspoken competition for talent when his gaze drifted toward the stage.
Dojima Gin had already picked up the microphone.
Haruto pointed toward the podium.
"I’ll explain the details after today’s tests. It looks like they’re about to begin."
Everyone from Polar Star followed his gesture and noticed Dojima as well.
"That’s..."
Marui’s eyes widened, excitement spreading across his face.
"The man who graduated at the top of Totsuki’s final examination and shattered the school’s all-time scoring record!"
"He received offers from more than eight hundred elite restaurants across the world, yet rejected all of them to accept his current position..."
"The head chef and a member of the board of directors of Totsuki Resort—Dojima Gin!"
"Seeing so many famous chefs gathered in one place is incredible! This is practically a dream lineup!"
"..."
Onstage, Dojima raised the microphone, and his voice echoed through the entire hall.
"Welcome to Totsuki Resort."
"The graduates gathered here today are all head chefs who have established their own territory within the culinary world."
"During the six days of this training camp, we will treat every one of you as though you were an employee in our own restaurants."
He paused, and his gaze became razor-sharp.
"Do you understand what that means?"
"If your work fails to satisfy us, you will be dismissed—in other words, expelled."
"As you have just witnessed, an instructor may remove you from Totsuki with a single sentence based solely on their judgment."
"With that said, I wish you all the best of luck."
Without giving the students any time to process his words, Dojima immediately announced,
"All groups will now proceed to their assigned locations."
The moment he gave the order, the students throughout the hall sprang into action.
Following the groups assigned beforehand, they separated and headed in different directions.
The guest instructors on the stage also began making their way toward the groups they would be overseeing.
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