Chapter 219: Residence Training
"Amazing."
"Is this... the place for residence training?"
"No wonder it's a prestigious school; they even operate such a luxurious hotel."
After getting off the bus, a few individuals, resembling a dormitory group, gathered together. One of them, a male student with red, hedgehog-like hair, was none other than the original protagonist of "Food Wars," Soma Yukihira.
As for this group, they were naturally the residents of Polar Star Dormitory.
"All the hotels and inns around here are under the management of Totsuki," said Ibusaki Shun, whose expression was unclear.
"I wouldn't be surprised." Soma shouted in confusion.
"There are over ten hotels here, all operating under the brand of Totsuki Resort. Many academy graduates also work in the resort's culinary department," Marui Zenji, pushing his glasses, added.
"I heard that just staying for one night here costs 80,000 yen." Ibusaki supplemented.
"That's equivalent to a month's rent." Yuki Yoshino exclaimed in surprise.
"I told you I wouldn't be surprised." Soma also shouted, but with the expression on his face, he was not convincing at all.
After some playful banter, everyone left their luggage and headed to the assembly hall.
When the group from Polar Star Dormitory pushed open the doors of the hall, many people had already gathered inside. Despite the crowd, the entire hall was quiet, without making the slightest noise.
Many new students wore expressions of concern because, in their hearts, passing this assessment was still an unknown variable.
However, at this moment, Soma seemed to have spotted someone familiar and greeted them cheerfully.
"Oh, hey... isn't this Nikumi?"
His voice, in the extremely quiet hall, sounded very distinct. Many students turned to look, and upon seeing Soma, their expressions varied. Quite a few began to whisper.
The person Soma called out to was a girl.
With short yellow hair and a long, straight strand sticking up, she had a wheatish complexion. Her figure and dressing style were quite provocative, with the shirt tied just below her chest, leaving the buttons on the upper part unfastened, revealing a large expanse of skin and a deep cleavage.
It was Ikumi Mito, who had lost to Soma not long ago.
Although she had lost to Soma before, Ikumi didn't seem angry at this moment. Upon hearing him call her name, she played with the tips of her hair with a shy expression.
However, looking at the gazes of the students around, the girl quickly came to his side and reminded him, "Be careful, Yukihira!"
Unfortunately, Soma completely didn't understand what was going on.
"Hmm? Be careful of what?"
At this moment, Roland Chapelle, well-known among the students, stepped onto the platform in the hall.
As the teacher rumored to never smile at Totsuki, Roland Chapelle was always strict. Therefore, when he ascended the platform to speak, the students in the hall dared not even breathe loudly.
"Next, I will explain the specific content of this training camp."
Standing at the podium, Chapelle spoke into the microphone.
"This training camp will last for a total of six days and five nights. You will be divided into various groups, and over the consecutive days, you'll be working on culinary-related topics. Students with lower evaluations from the instructors will lose their qualification for the training camp. They will be forcibly sent back by the academy and face expulsion!"
Hearing this, the students below became even more nervous, engaging in hushed whispers.
"Silence!"
Hearing the noisy chatter below, Chapelle frowned.
"Regarding the review of the topics, we've specially invited some guest lecturers."
"Now, let's welcome the graduates from Totsuki Academy, who took time out of their busy schedules to join us for this training camp."
As soon as the words were spoken, exclamations erupted from the students below.
"Graduates!"
"In other words, these are the geniuses who stood out from the single-digit graduation rates at Totsuki."
Amidst the students' astonishment, the sound of footsteps echoed, and about twenty to thirty men and women, dressed in chef uniforms with an air of precision, walked onto the stage from behind.
"Ah, the woman wearing an apron is Hinako Inui, the head chef of the Kirinoya."
"That person should be Hitoshi Sekimori, the head chef of Ginza Hinowa Sushi."
"And there's Donato Gotoda and Mizuhara Fuyumi. They are all top chefs at the forefront of the Japan culinary world."
"To be able to meet so many celebrity chefs, it's truly touching."
Watching the graduates standing in an array on the stage, Marui, next to Soma, spoke with excitement.
Not only him, but the other students were also extremely excited and thrilled. These graduates were considered the pinnacle of the culinary profession, their idols.
Besides excitement and thrill, they also felt a wave of pressure. After all, these were the geniuses who emerged from the single-digit graduation rates, and nobody knew what kind of challenges they would present.
However, two individuals stood out among the chefs in their uniforms—one in a suit with a crew cut, Dojima Gin, and the other in casual attire with a youthful face, Hachiman.
Dojima Gin was relatively well-known, being the highest-scoring graduate in the history of Totsuki, and many could recognize his name.
As for Hachiman, he belonged to the category of individuals with no notable reputation in the culinary world, even within Totsuki.
However, there were still a few who knew him, such as Erina and Alice, Hisako, and Kurokiba.
Seeing Hachiman, they were somewhat surprised, but considering his culinary skills, it didn't seem strange for him to become a guest lecturer.
Hachiman also noticed them, nodded in acknowledgment, and greeted them.
Besides those few, there was someone else familiar with Hachiman.
"Oh, isn't he the guy who visited my restaurant before?" Soma, among the Polar Star Dorm residents, was a bit puzzled.
"Soma-kun, do you know him?" Megumi asked beside him.
"Yeah, Hikigaya-san visited my family's restaurant several times before." Soma nodded.
While everyone was filled with excitement and nervousness, Shinomiya being in the middle of the graduates, Shinomiya suddenly spoke, "Hey, you, the boy in the ninth row with a scar on his eyebrow!"
He even pointed in Soma's direction.
"Me?" Soma pointed to himself in confusion.
However, Shinomiya hesitated for a moment and then spoke again, "Sorry, my mistake. I meant the person next to you."
The boy next to Soma also looked puzzled and pointed to himself.
"Yes, it's you. Drop out, you can go back now."