051. Opening Ceremony(Event release part 1 of 6)
The next morning, after eating the breakfast prepared by Mrs. Fumido in the cafeteria, Shiraki and the people in Polar Star Dorm went to the teaching area together.
The end of a month's holiday life—today is the official opening day of Totsuki Culinary School.
For Shiraki, this is the first time he's seen all the students in this school and his grade. And for Megumi and the others, today is the day they were successfully promoted from junior high school to high school. The promotion rate of Totsuki Culinary School is very impressive, but because the student body is relatively large, the number of people present adds up to about a thousand. There are only two transfer students: Shiraki and Soma Yukihira, who arrived late.
The school uniforms of Totsuki Culinary School are not the typical uniforms sold by other schools. Everyone's school uniforms and chef uniforms need to be customized. However, the clothing department didn't open until after the start of school. Shiraki and Soma Yukihira's school uniforms are naturally not ready. Although Kohei Soma, this guy, was still wearing his maverick clothes until the second grade in the original story, I don't know if he didn't take it to heart or simply didn't realize that the school uniform was customized.
In any case, the two of them, not wearing school uniforms, were very conspicuous in the crowd. Since only these two were successfully admitted to Totsuki this year, the selection of transfer student representatives in previous years was canceled. The school directly decided to have both of them give a speech to inspire the students promoted from junior high school. Shiraki guessed that Soma Yukihira, being a guy with big nerves, likely didn't care about this matter and may still be unaware of it.
"Everyone, congratulations on your promotion to high school!"
The head of Totsuki Culinary School, Senzaemon, stood on stage at this time, glancing at the straight rows of students standing below. There was a look of satisfaction in his eyes.
"In the three years of junior high school, you have gained an in-depth understanding of the basic skills of cooking and the handling of ingredients, and you have also undergone various practical exercises such as nutrition, culinary theory, public health, business management, and introduction to cultivation. Everyone here passed the tests perfectly and is qualified to stand here."
Nakiri Senzaemon briefly summarized the junior high school curriculum. These subjects form the foundation of cooking, the cornerstone of a chef's development of their own domain. Although a truly top-tier chef might break away from these basics, there's no doubt that these are essential skills for a chef before they truly become strong.
At this point, Nakiri Senzaemon changed his tone.
"However, the test you will face in the future is not just about these skills and knowledge, but about the courage to survive as a chef!"
Nakiri Senzaemon stretched out his hand and spoke boldly, while the students in the audience looked on in confusion.
"Ninety-nine percent of you are like stones, discarded after searching for jade!"
Nakiri Senzaemon's words fell, and the entire student body suddenly became silent. Although everyone knew about the strictness of Totsuki Culinary School, hearing Nakiri Senzaemon put it so bluntly still made some students, especially those with little confidence in their cooking, feel uneasy.
"Of the 812 students who entered the first year of high school last year, only 79 made it to the second year. The incompetent and the ordinary will be discarded without hesitation! Among the nearly 1,000 first-year students, fewer than 100 will make it to the second grade, and among them, only a handful will successfully graduate. You who are present today may become one of those few, the elite of the elite!"
"So, study hard!"
After his speech, Nakiri Senzaemon turned around and left the stage without hesitation. His confidence in this cohort is extremely high, after all, there are several students in it that he personally invited, including Soma Yukihira. This class of students is called the "Jade Era" by Nakiri Senzaemon. These students are expected to be the greatest masterpieces since the establishment of Totsuki Culinary School.
As the head of Totsuki Culinary School, Nakiri Senzaemon's authority is nearly unmatched. After his words, the students below either looked invigorated or appeared desperate. Shiraki and the others in Polar Star Dorm stood together, and at this moment, Megumi Tadokoro next to him was visibly frightened, trembling as she scribbled on her notebook. Her mouth was still muttering broken thoughts.
"The rate of promotion and further education is less than 1%... It doesn't matter... Even if I work hard, I... Wooooooooooooo..."
"Speaking of Shiraki, it's about to be the transfer students' turn to speak," Sakaki Ryoko whispered to Shiraki, trying to comfort the frightened Megumi Tadokoro.
"Yes, I'll go first. See you later."