64. Shiraki’s Strategic Plan

"You are..."

Soma Yukihira, who walked into the room and saw a scene of people staggering, asked a little suspiciously.

"Ahem, you may not believe it, but in fact, we are here to hold a welcome party for you."

Shiraki, standing to the side, hurriedly stood up and played along. Megumi Tadokoro, next to him, also nodded desperately like a chicken pecking rice. If it weren't for the few people behind them still maintaining a 'philosophical wrestling' posture on the ground, their statement would have been even more convincing.

"That's right... Forget it. Speaking of which, Shiraki, come and compete with me!"

Soma Yukihira put down the burden behind him. It looked like he didn't even have time to go back to his room before rushing over. "The trick you used in class today was super cool. Although it's a pity you didn't actually taste the finished product in the end, it's the same here anyway. Come and compare with me!"

"Huh... So, that... Soma-kun, now isn't the time to talk about that, is it?"

Megumi Tadokoro interrupted him, a bead of sweat on her forehead. If Soma was allowed to continue, it would get even more chaotic.

Shiraki shrugged. "Although I'd like to accept your challenge... I can't spare the time lately. So here's the deal, Soma. There's a guy named Takumi Aldini among the people in our class. If you can beat him, I'll agree to fight with you. What do you think of that?"

Of course, Shiraki didn't want to deal with Soma Yukihira's challenge. Whether he won or lost, it didn't benefit him at all. If he won, Soma would probably harass him endlessly, and if he lost, it would be a waste of time. He quickly thought of Takumi, who also gave him a headache. These two were very similar in some ways—both were the type of people who absolutely refused to lose. In Shiraki's view, the chances of Soma and Takumi being evenly matched were fifty-fifty. If one won, the other would definitely challenge him again, which meant neither Soma nor Takumi would have time to waste. It was the perfect plan.

So, Shiraki suggested that Soma challenge Takumi instead.

"Is it on the same level as us?... Well, since you haven't been free lately, I guess there's no way. Alright, it's decided! I'll definitely find that guy named Takumi tomorrow and defeat him. Shiraki, just wait for my challenge!"

Soma thought for a moment. Although he couldn't start the competition right now, it made no difference whether he directly challenged Shiraki or defeated a few people first. He didn't think he'd lose to a group of students who had no experience in facing guests directly, so he agreed without hesitation.

"In that case, you can celebrate joining Polar Star Dorm today, but it's not too late. After all, there's still class tomorrow."

With a wave of his hand, Shiraki sent Soma Yukihira off.

Under his reminder, everyone in the dorm who had been staggering around either recovered from the delicious food or got up from the ground. They began taking out their own dishes and started a new round of cooking battles.

Shiraki also took this opportunity to eat some food. Although he had eaten many S-class dishes at Totsuki Resort in the past month, most of the dishes in the dorm were B-grade or C-grade.

After dinner, it was almost ten o'clock, and Soma was having a good time. It didn't take long before he was calling everyone "brother" and "sister," possibly having drunk too much 'wheat juice'.

The next morning, Shiraki got up from his bed, went downstairs to the cafeteria for breakfast, and then arrived at the teaching area early. While eating, he had caught a glimpse of Soma sharpening his knives in the kitchen and sat in his seat with an air of antiquity.

He understood that Soma had probably heard Yoshino and talk about Isshiki last night, so he deliberately waited for Isshiki. Shiraki wasn't interested in watching this challenge that would clearly lead to no result. Even if Isshiki Satoshi did accept Soma Yukihira's halberd, he would likely abuse the other party. Although Shiraki didn't know Isshiki's exact level, he thought it was definitely stronger than Soma's. Isshiki was currently ranked sixth, the real strongest among the second-year students, no doubt. But Shiraki was curious how Isshiki compared to the third-year students.

When he arrived at the teaching area, the cooking room hadn't opened yet.

If he wasn't mistaken, today's class would be taught by a lecturer named 'Noriko Maki,' who specialized in pastry-related dishes. He also wanted to try out the cooking skills card he had just obtained last night.

After a short wait, the door to the cooking room finally opened, and the rest of the students rushed in.

The curriculum at Totsuki Culinary Academy wasn't like at other schools. It was very tight from morning to afternoon. To be exact, the schedule here was quite relaxed. The school gave students a lot of time to study cooking. As a result, most students focused on research meetings or the halberds. Of course, academic performance was still very important. If students earned too many 'E' grades, they would face the risk of dropping out. This was also why the cooking training room where Shiraki had been yesterday became so famous all of a sudden.

Today, he was assigned to Room 1. After everyone came in, Shiraki looked around and noticed that Megumi and Soma weren't in this room with him. His luck seemed a bit off, but there was an unexpected person who was also in the classroom.

"Yo, Erina, you're in this classroom too?"

As soon as Shiraki greeted Erina, all eyes around him converged toward them. As the strongest first-year student, Erina drew attention wherever she went, let alone with Shiraki, who was a human-sized spotlight.

"Y-Why are you behind me?!"

Erina, startled by him, was caught off guard. Especially after fainting at yesterday's opening ceremony, she now blushed even more when she saw Shiraki.

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