Chapter-15: Dormitory

Chapter-15: Dormitory

On the same day, after the opening ceremony, the first lesson began. All the freshmen went to their assigned class. They were dressed in cooking uniforms.

After the performance of Hiro and Soma at the ceremony, most students do not have a positive opinion about Soma, as for Hiro, everyone has a different opinion on this matter, someone thinks it's cool, and someone treats the same as for Soma. They were all looking down at them, whispering and muttering among themselves.

Hiro didn't pay any attention to them since he had warned them about it, now he just stood there and waited for the teacher to arrive. Finally, the teacher arrived. It was an old man who was dressed in traditional Chinese clothes.

- Sorry I'm late. This school is too big for an old man like me. Today you are faced with the task of preparing a Chinese dish. - Gradually, his voice became sharper and stronger. The students hugged themselves, they were all at Totsuki High School, and they were all warned about the harsh nature of the teachers here.

- ...Hmm, I'll let you decide what to cook, but this dish must be Chinese! - He did. – But for those who do not know more than one dish from Chinese cuisine, I have prepared a recipe for one of the most common.

The room went quiet for a moment before all kinds of reactions erupted. Some were released. Some made fun of the dish. Although some boasted of their ability to make such a simple dish.

Hiro started to cook without saying anything, he didn't want to be different from the others, so he prepared everything according to the recipe written on the board, with only a small change, but the cooking process still drew attention to him.

After half an hour of cooking, Hiro is almost done with his dish, all that's left is the finishing touches. There's plenty of time before the deadline for him to take his time. Some of the students were quick as they served the dish to the teacher. After trying a little, he immediately said in a monotone voice.

- You get an F... - With that, he tossed the dish into the trash.

- WHAT!! How is it F? Please reconsider. - Said the student whose work was thrown out.

- To your regret, some of the ingredients of your dish were brought to the desired consistency, so the taste of the dish does not match for the highest rating. - the teacher commented after drinking a cup of green tea.

- You'd better go back and try again. There's still plenty of time. If you hurry, you'll make it. - He grinned at the student, making him shudder with fear. Refusal is not allowed in Totsuki.

Another 5 students presented their dish. 4 got F, and 1 got C. He somehow managed to do it. But even then, the teacher's bitter tongue did not let him rest. Finally, it was Hiro's turn, and he had an iron plate with a platter in his hand. It was brilliant because of the lemon flavor that was added to it.

The teacher's eyes opened at the sight of Hiro's work. Everyone had used the standard recipe so much over the past few years that he was tired of this simple taste. He was looking for originality. And now, it seems, he will finally try what he was looking for.

- Here. You are welcome... - Hiro served his dish with a smile.

Seeing the dish, a strong lemon fragrance assaulted his nose, and he revealed a huge field of yellow lemon, the smell of which assaulted his nose, making him shiver with pleasure. The sun warmed his body as he exploded in joy.

The students looked at the teacher's reaction with awe, never had he shown this reaction before.

- ...It seems you're more than just a chatterbox. - The teacher was there when Hiro made his speech. He was impressed by his honesty. Now he understands, and knows that Hiro has the strength to stand up for himself in the academy.

- You got A. If I could give more, I would do it with pleasure. - The teacher wiped his mouth with a napkin and smiled at Hiro before giving him permission to leave.

- The food was served! - Hiro said before leaving the classroom, and all the jealous looks of the students followed him.

…

Outside of the class area. Hiro pulled out a piece of paper and looked at the information on it. There is information about the schedule of classes and the location of his dorm.

- The Polar Star? - Hiro didn't understand what caused it, but it seems that he will also be part of this crazy company. All Hiro knew about this dorm was that in the past, the North Star had been the home of many professional chefs. He also knew that almost every year, one of his members was a member of Totsuki's elite ten. But now it is in decline.

This dorm had the best of the elite vying for the top. They alone were recognized as a self-governing territory.

Hiro walked for about an hour on the road in an unknown direction, surrounded by forests, creating an eerie feeling.

- No matter how many times I've been here, I always get lost! - Hiro said, still wandering through the forest.

So, finding no other way out, he decided to call Alice, even though he knew how it might end.

- Hello Hiro! How was your first day? - Alice asked.

- Well, how are you doing? - Hiro asked, not knowing how to ask her.

- Hiro, I'm fine. - Alice said, but as a friend realized something, she asked, - Hey, are you lost?

When he realized he couldn't get away with it, he said. - Yes.…

- Hihihi!

- Ahem... well, since you can't help me, I think I'll spend the night outside. - Hiro said with a smile.

- ...Wait, I'll be right there! - Alice said, stopping laughing. - describe where you are!

After describing his place of residence, he ended the conversation and began to wait for his guardian angel…

"I have to buy a motorcycle" - he made a mental note to himself.

A couple of minutes later, a car pulled up to him, from which the girl's snide smile peeked out. Which prompted a few thoughts from Hiro: "I knew it, I shouldn't have called her..." - Sitting in the car and listening to a million jokes in his direction.

…

It only took them ten minutes to get to the dorm. In those ten minutes, the scene began to change, the eerie feeling on the road began to fade, and more civilized scenery appeared.

- Thank you so much for coming. - Hiro said, trying to change the subject.

- Nothing special! - Alice replied with a smile. - but still, why are you going to the dorm? Why not rent an apartment? - Alice asked.

- There is no special reason, I just wanted to! - Hiro replied, glad that he had changed the subject after all.

- Really? - Alice asked, and the boy nodded.

- Alice-sama, we've reached our destination. - the driver informed them. They looked outside and saw that they had arrived at the so-called Polar Star Dormitory. It was a gigantic building, covered with weeds, moss, and all sorts of things.

- Are you sure we're in the right place? - Hiro hesitated, even though he had seen the building in the anime, what he was seeing now didn't look like a dorm. - It looks more like a haunted house than a place to live.

- That's what the paper says. - Nakiri said, noticing that the address matched.

- But it doesn't look like the picture at all. - the young man spoke before leaving. - Well, thanks for the ride. - Hiro said with a smile. - I'll come back tomorrow.

- You'd better come in, - Alice replied with a smile before her car pulled away.

…

Hiro looked at the creepy-looking building before shrugging his shoulders and heading for the front door, when he entered, the entire dorm looked like some kind of haunted house, the inside was in chaos. Wild animals ran around, footsteps came from the ceiling, smoke filled the air. It was hell on earth.

Hiro wasted no time and called out to the first passer-by.

- My name is Hiroto Ichijou, and you can call me Hiro. - he knew who she really was, she's Sakaki Ryoko. Ryoko has long fuchsia hair that falls to her waist with a split bang that reaches her chest and orange eyes. She has a slim figure.

- Nice to meet you, my name is Sakaki Ryoko! - Ryoko said with a smile.

- Tell me, where can I find Fumio-san? - Hiro asked, looking around.

- She's in the kitchen, and I'll show her out. - I said and went presumably in the direction of the kitchen.

When he entered the kitchen, he saw someone cooking, an elderly woman with pointed gray hair combed back and wrinkles around her mouth and forehead. She was wearing a yellow T-shirt and an orange floor-length skirt with a brown apron.

- Ryoko, who is this boy? – she asked curiously.

- Hello Fumio-san, my name is Hiroto Ichijo! I'm here to check into the dorm. - Hiro said with a calm face.

- Then I see you've prepared yourself! - she looked at the bag in my hand and continued. - Then let's start cooking!

- Good luck Hiro-san, see you later! - Ryoko said and ran to the second floor.

- Yeah!

...

Hiro immediately got to work. He had already thought about what to cook for him, and today's lesson inspired him to this dish. It also refers to Chinese cuisine-these are fortune cookies.

Hiro decided that he would make a strawberry-flavored cookie instead of the standard one. The ingredients for cooking are all here.

After mixing the necessary ingredients, he slowly began to bake cookies. He also added a piece of paper with a prediction. Hiro managed to get the cookies out of the oven at the perfect moment. All that's left is the finishing touches.

- Fortune cookies? I wonder ... - Seeing what he was about to cook, she was curious about what he tasted like.

Fumio took the cookie, tried to break it, and the little note fell to the ground. Instead of breaking it, she split it. It opened without any resistance, as some of the strawberry fillings that Hiro had put between the layers leaked out. All this she realized when the strong aroma of raw strawberries assaulted her, making her shiver with pleasure.

- Credited! - Fumio exclaimed.

- Glad to try! - Hiro exclaimed, smiling.

- This is your key to room 326, - Fumio said, handing him the key to his own room. (I don't know if this room is occupied in the canon…)

- Thank you! - Hiro took the key, and he left the kitchen and went upstairs.

It was still light outside, but it was actually evening. After Hiro finished preparing his meal for the dorm room.

Seeing how the new resident of the hostel went to check in, she thought a little, but her attention was attracted by a note that fell out of the cookie.

- It looks like the golden age is coming again... - Fumio whispered with a smile, looking out the window, where she noticed another teenager. - No, it won't be him, because the generation must outgrow its predecessors… This will be the Diamond Age!