Chapter 66
Just as the atmosphere in the hall grew even more tense, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Good morning, everyone."
The students turned toward the sound.
Instructor Roland Chapelle, better known as "The Chef Who Never Smiles," had stepped up to the podium.
Chapelle slowly swept his gaze across the assembled students before continuing.
"I will begin with a brief explanation of how this training camp will proceed."
"The schedule will span six days and five nights. During that time, you will be divided into several groups."
"For the next few days, you will be given a series of culinary assignments."
"Each assignment will be judged by an instructor. Students whose performances fall below the required standard will lose the right to continue participating in the camp."
Chapelle paused, his gaze becoming even more severe.
"Those students will be sent home immediately—and expelled from Totsuki."
Many students instinctively held their breath, their bodies trembling faintly.
They had all known before coming here how merciless the residential training camp could be, yet hearing the rules stated so plainly still filled them with dread.
The air inside the hall seemed to freeze, becoming so heavy that it was difficult to breathe.
Megumi’s face had gone pale. Anxiety filled her eyes, and tiny beads of cold sweat appeared across her forehead.
Haruto noticed her distress and felt somewhat helpless, but he chose not to say anything.
This training camp would certainly be a turbulent experience for Megumi.
At the same time, however, it would also offer her an invaluable opportunity to grow.
The upcoming Food War against Shinomiya Kojiro, in particular, would completely transform her as a chef.
For that reason, Haruto had no intention of interfering.
...
Chapelle continued from the podium.
"We have invited several guest instructors to judge your assignments."
He stepped aside and gestured toward the right side of the stage.
"They are graduates of Totsuki Culinary Academy who have taken time out of their extremely busy schedules to attend this training camp."
The students could no longer contain their surprise, and hushed conversations immediately spread throughout the hall.
"Totsuki graduates?"
"They actually managed to bring them here as guest instructors?"
"..."
Only a handful of students successfully graduated from Totsuki each year.
Nearly every graduate went on to carve out a place in the culinary world and become a renowned professional chef.
As Chapelle finished speaking, several Totsuki alumni walked onto the stage.
"That’s Shinomiya Kojiro, the head chef of SHINO’S!"
"And Chef Mizuhara Fuyumi from Ristorante F!"
"There’s Chef Sekimori Hitoshi from Ginza Hinowa, Chef Donato Gotoda from Auberge Tesoro, and Chef Inui Hinako from Kiri No Ya... My God, they’re all chefs who constantly appear on the covers of gourmet magazines!"
"..."
Astonishment covered the students’ faces, but their anxiety only deepened.
If chefs this famous had been brought in as guest instructors, the difficulty of the camp could only be imagined.
Haruto’s attention settled mainly on Shinomiya Kojiro.
Shinomiya wore a cold expression, his gaze sharp and unwelcoming.
An unmistakable aura surrounded him that warned everyone to keep their distance.
Despite his arrogant and self-centered personality, however, Shinomiya was actually patient and thorough when teaching someone he acknowledged.
’So he’s basically a tsundere.’
Shinomiya had no idea what Haruto was thinking.
Standing near the edge of the stage, his nostrils suddenly flared slightly.
A faint citrus scent drifted through the crowd, barely noticeable beneath the mixture of everyone else’s smells.
Shinomiya frowned.
After carefully identifying its source, he raised a hand and pointed into the audience.
"You there. Ninth row from the front—the boy with the scar between his eyebrows."
Soma looked around in confusion before pointing at himself.
"Sorry. Not you. The person beside you."
Shinomiya shifted his finger slightly.
Everyone’s gaze moved toward the student standing to Soma’s left.
The boy looked equally confused.
As Shinomiya spoke, Haruto estimated the distance between him and the student.
It had to be more than ten meters.
The boy was also standing in the middle of a densely packed crowd, surrounded by dozens of other students.
Detecting a faint citrus scent from that distance could perhaps be explained by an exceptionally sensitive nose.
Accurately locating its source through a crowd, however, was another matter entirely.
Haruto suspected Shinomiya possessed an extraordinary sense of smell similar to the "God’s Nose."
At the very least, Haruto himself could not yet pinpoint a scent from that far away.
Then again, perhaps it was not so strange.
Shinomiya had once held the First Seat of the Elite Ten.
It was only natural for him to possess something exceptional.
Come to think of it, quite a few people in the Food Wars world had abilities that bordered on the supernatural.
"Yes, you."
Shinomiya confirmed that he meant the student beside Soma.
Then, in a perfectly calm voice, he said, "You’re expelled. Go home."
"W-What?"
The student stared at him in disbelief.
"Why...?"
"Your hair gel contains a citrus fragrance," Shinomiya interrupted as he stepped down from the stage and approached him.
"That scent can interfere with the aroma of a dish and negatively affect a guest’s dining experience."
"Presentation is important. A filthy, unkempt chef can make even good food seem less appealing."
"But as a chef, the dish must always come first. Any detail that could possibly compromise its quality must be eliminated."
"From now on, use unscented hair gel."
With that, Shinomiya waved dismissively and turned to return to the stage.
The student clearly could not accept the decision.
"Please wait! Expulsion over something so minor? That’s completely unreasonable—"
To him, it was a trivial mistake, nowhere near serious enough to justify being expelled.
Shinomiya stopped walking, and his voice dropped into a low growl.
"That ’minor mistake’ could cost a restaurant its customers."
He slowly turned around, his gaze suddenly becoming vicious.
"You trying to ruin my restaurant, kid?"
Since Shinomiya had agreed to serve as a guest instructor, he intended to treat every student here as though they were an employee in his own establishment.
The student froze beneath his glare as though a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head.
Whatever else he had intended to say died in his throat.
Once the boy fell silent, Shinomiya withdrew his intimidating presence and waved calmly.
"Thank you for your efforts. You may leave."
As he turned away, however, Shinomiya noticed Haruto standing nearby, visibly lost in thought.
A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
After a brief pause, he said nothing and continued toward the podium.