Chapter 174
Once the WGO inspectors departed, Haruto’s Stagiaire, which had lasted more than half a month, officially came to an end.
Kikuchi Sonoka personally accompanied him outside Shunkatei.
Then she bowed deeply.
"Thank you so much, Haruto-kun."
"Shunkatei only passed the WGO inspection so smoothly because of your help. You’re welcome to come back anytime."
The Bookmasters’ sudden arrival had completely disrupted Shunkatei’s preparations.
Without the Almond Cabbage Haruto provided, the inspection could very well have ended in failure.
Instead, Shunkatei had not only passed but also received exceptionally high praise. Once the official results were announced, the restaurant would finally receive its coveted star rating.
Haruto quickly waved his hands.
"You’re being far too formal, Senpai. You taught me a great deal during my time here. I should be the one thanking you."
Haruto knew perfectly well that the WGO’s unexpected arrival had most likely been connected to him in the first place.
Helping Sonoka deal with the consequences had only been reasonable. He certainly did not deserve such solemn gratitude.
Unfortunately, that was not something he could easily explain to her.
After chatting for a little longer, Haruto left Shunkatei and returned to Totsuki Academy.
He pushed open the partially closed doors of Polar Star Dormitory. The hinges gave a faint creak as he called into the building,
"I’m back."
Inside the main hall, Daimidō Fumio was sweeping the floor.
She immediately stopped and looked toward the entrance, a broad smile appearing on her face.
"Fumio-san, it’s been a while."
Haruto smiled and waved.
"Welcome home!"
Fumio propped the broom against the wall and looked him over from head to toe before nodding in satisfaction.
"Looks like the Stagiaire was pretty easy for you."
"It wasn’t bad. There were a couple of unexpected incidents, but nothing serious. Overall, it was fairly relaxing."
Haruto stretched his arms above his head, producing several faint cracks from his shoulders and neck.
For some reason, simply stepping back inside Polar Star made his whole body feel lighter.
Fumio nodded and was about to ask him something when light footsteps sounded from the stairs.
Isshiki Satoshi soon descended in his usual alarmingly casual attire. A smile appeared on his face when he saw Haruto.
"Congratulations on successfully completing your Stagiaire, Haruto."
Isshiki walked over, though worry soon entered his expression.
"I wonder how Yuki, Tadokoro, Marui, and the others are doing. There’s no telling when they’ll make it back."
He had never been especially concerned about Haruto.
As the Autumn Elections champion, Haruto’s culinary ability already far surpassed most students in his year and was strong enough to compete with the very best upperclassmen.
The Stagiaire was unlikely to pose much trouble for him.
The other members of Polar Star were the ones Isshiki genuinely worried about.
Totsuki’s Stagiaire was far from easy. Every year, a considerable number of students failed at this stage and were expelled from the academy.
It was impossible for him not to be concerned.
Haruto smiled at the troubled look on his face.
"Don’t worry, Isshiki-senpai. Everyone will be fine."
"Marui has an incredible amount of theoretical knowledge. Yuki’s understanding of wild game is completely unique, and Ryoko has developed techniques with kōji that belong entirely to her."
"The people of Polar Star aren’t that easy to defeat."
Isshiki could not help smiling at Haruto’s confidence.
"You’re right. I suppose I’m worrying too much."
Once he had relaxed, the two began discussing their experiences with the Stagiaire.
Haruto briefly told him about the Fresh Meadow Cake he had created at Shunkatei and the WGO’s unannounced inspection.
After finishing the story, he prepared to return to his room and clean up. It had been unoccupied for more than half a month, so some dust had inevitably accumulated.
"Wait a moment. There are some things here for you."
Fumio suddenly called him back.
Haruto stopped and watched as she carried over a cardboard box.
He hurried forward to take it from her and asked curiously,
"What’s all this?"
"They’re Food War challenges sent by upperclassmen while you were away on your Stagiaire. Now that you’re back, you can deal with them yourself."
Fumio explained casually, looking rather amused by the situation.
Under Totsuki’s rules, first-year students who successfully completed their Stagiaire were considered ready to stand on the same competitive stage as the upperclassmen.
That meant older students could now issue them formal Food War challenges.
As the champion of the Autumn Elections, it was only natural for Haruto to receive a few.
The sheer number filling the box, however, still surprised him.
He opened it and stared at the mountain of challenge letters threatening to spill over the sides.
"There are this many?"
Haruto had won the Autumn Elections and then defeated Hayama Akira, Kurokiba Ryo, and Yukihira Soma in successive Food Wars.
At this point, most people already considered him a future member of the Elite Ten.
Where had these upperclassmen found the confidence to believe they could beat him?
Fumio burst out laughing at his confusion.
"Most of them are hoping to become famous overnight."
"If one of them defeats the Autumn Elections champion, their name will spread throughout Totsuki immediately."
"And even if they lose, they aren’t risking anything particularly painful."
Haruto raised an eyebrow and casually opened several of the letters.
The first was from a second-year student offering to prepare his breakfast for one week if they lost.
The second came from another second-year who promised to purchase Haruto’s cooking ingredients for a week.
He opened another five or six and found much the same thing in every one.
The challengers offered to cook his meals, work as his assistant, run errands, or buy ingredients.
Haruto shook his head helplessly and tossed the envelopes back into the box.
These students were merely trying their luck.
A victory would allow them to use Haruto’s reputation as a stepping stone and become famous overnight.
If they lost, they would only need to cook a few meals or run several errands. They would suffer almost no meaningful loss at all.
Naturally, everyone wanted to take such a risk-free gamble.
"So that’s what this is about. How boring."
Haruto had no interest in challenges offered with so little sincerity.
Fumio pointed toward a corner of the hall.
"Incidentally, you aren’t the only one. Soma received about the same number of challenges. His box is sitting over there."
Haruto followed her gesture.
Sure enough, an identical cardboard box rested in the corner, stuffed to the brim with letters.
"Looks like Soma’s going to be very busy."
Haruto laughed.
He had no interest in accepting such pointless matches, but Yukihira Soma would almost certainly agree to them.
Hayama and Kurokiba had probably received boxes of their own as well.
The four semifinalists from the Autumn Elections were obvious targets for anyone hoping to build a reputation overnight.
Haruto carried the box back to his room and tossed it behind the door.
He then began cleaning.
There was not much dust, so it did not take long to finish.
Afterward, Haruto rolled his shoulders and headed toward Polar Star’s kitchen with practiced ease.
The kitchen had always been the most vibrant place in the entire dormitory.
Every counter had been polished until spotless. Shelves along the walls held neatly arranged containers of seasonings, ranging from basic salt and flour to obscure spices imported from all over the world.
Pots and pans hung against the wall in order of size.
Fumio was standing before the stove, stirring a large bubbling pot of beef and potato stew with a long-handled ladle.
The reddish-brown broth rolled steadily as the rich fragrance of beef and potatoes spread through the kitchen.
Hearing his footsteps, Fumio did not even turn around. She merely glanced at him from the corner of her eye.
"Finished putting your things away? Don’t just stand there. Dice those onions evenly, then cut the carrots into thin strips."
"Got it."
Haruto walked to the counter, picked up a kitchen knife, and began working.
He held the onion steady with his fingertips as the blade fell in a rhythm as precise as a metronome.
Within moments, the entire onion had been reduced to cubes of almost perfectly identical size.
Haruto then picked up a carrot and sliced it into fine, even strips.