In the end, the Hisako Arato succeeded in recruiting a small attendant, and now she could finally relax.
Not only would Erina Nakiri no longer be bothered, Hisako herself didn't have to be on guard against Nao Sadatsuka anymore.
Of course, it would've been even better without those awkward admiring looks, but she knew this was as good as it got.
"Who would've thought all the high-scoring members from this autumn selection would end up gathered at the Polar Star Dormitory!"
Watching the scene, Jun Shiomi couldn't help but sigh.
"Doesn't it feel familiar? Kind of like the old Golden Age, right?" Fumio Daimido said with a smile.
"It does. If the Golden Age had gone on without Joichiro-senpai, it might've been even more perfect," Jun added, glancing at Soma Yukihira. For some reason, seeing Soma made her right hand twitch like she wanted to sock him in the face.
"That punk really is something else. But today isn't the day to talk about him. Jun, you've kept yourself so well—honestly, you look about the same as when you first came to this academy," Fumio said, envy in her voice.
"About the same as when she first enrolled? When did Professor Shiomi come to Totsuki?" Everyone perked up at Fumio's remark. Jun did look like a middle schooler.
"Like most of you—she joined during middle school. Back then she was about twelve. Now she's in her thirties, and after twenty-something years, she barely looks a day older," Fumio continued, and the group's eyes lit up.
"Huh? Why are you all staring at me like that?" Jun felt awkward under the hungry looks and quickly hid behind Akira.
Akira was the child she'd taken in—more or less a childhood husband in all but name—but from the way everyone was looking, they might as well be an actual brother and sister.
"Come on out, Jun. They're just curious about how you've kept your youth. They're not going to hurt you," Akira said with a helpless chuckle. Jun was his ward, but she was so airheaded she needed help with everything.
"Keep my youth? That's all it takes?" Jun froze.
"All? Professor Shiomi, do you know how many people would obsess over this if your method got out?" The others couldn't fathom Jun calling it 'just' that.
"Obsess? No way. I just use certain spices for long-term upkeep, that's all," Jun said, suddenly confident when she mentioned spices.
"Professor Shiomi—and you live like that?" Soma stared at Jun in shock.
"What do you mean 'like that'? We spend practically all our money on equipment and spices. Where would we get funds to build a fancy house?" Akira's rolled his eyes.
"You can really change when you stay around certain people long enough," Fumio mused with a laugh.
"Fumio-oba-san, what are you even saying?" Jun and Akira both asked.
"She means you two are sitting on a treasure and have no idea how valuable it is. A formula that can preserve youth? If you sold it, you'd probably end up among the richest people in the world." Alice Nakiri's eyes gleamed; the moment she realized Jun's secret revolved around spices, she understood its worth.
"W-world's richest? You're joking, right?" Jun and Akira were stunned. The others were surprised too—sure, the concoction was valuable, but not that valuable...?
"Not exaggerating. Don't underestimate how much girls will spend chasing beauty," Kael said with a smile.
"So all those years we pinched pennies to buy equipment and rare spices were basically pointless?" Akira said, wryly thinking of all the times he and Jun had eaten rough to save up for a single device. Now it felt almost comical.
"But who should we sell this formula to?" Jun, suddenly restless at the thought of acquiring expensive equipment and spices, asked. For her, trading the recipe for gear made perfect sense.
"The curry twin judges from before seemed like big shots. Didn't one of those women go to Kael at the end? Kael, why don't you contact them?" Soma asked. He didn't remember the Swendwara sisters very well—the host's intro had been long—but he knew they were experts in spices.
"Sendwara Natsume did give me her contact after the competition, but we don't need to go to them. Have you forgotten who's right here?" Kael said, looking at Alice and Erina Nakiri. Everyone remembered then—the two Nakiri ladies basically represented the whole family now.
Between the two of them, they could act on behalf of the Nakiri household. The Nakiri holdings in Japan were countless; handing the formula to the Nakiri family was the best move. Jun was still a Totsuki teacher on the Nakiri payroll, so working directly with the family beat dealing with the Sendawara sisters.
"True. In the Nakiri household's hands this would be far more useful. Professor Shiomi, meet my grandfather tomorrow—he'd be delighted to cooperate," Erina said. She'd already recognized the formula's commercial worth and wanted it under her control.
Jun and Akira had no objections. Money was the point, and partnering with the Nakiri clan promised both wealth and a powerful patron
"Since the business is settled, everyone—raise your glasses!" Yuki Yoshino urged. With the guests present, it was time to celebrate. For those eliminated from the selection, it was a little cold, but the dorm's atmosphere soon made everyone forget.
Especially when Satoshi Isshiki appeared in his battle persona.
""Am I seeing things? Why does this look like—" People outside Polar Star gaped at Isshiki's apron outfit. The dorm residents acted totally unfazed, making the outsiders doubt their own sanity.
"This is... mortifying. Why would anyone do this?" Erina said. Her shojo manga had been conservative in comparison—real life could be even crazier.
"Isami, pinch me. I feel like I'm dreaming!" Takumi twitched as he watched. His older brother Isami didn't miss the setup—he couldn't pass up the chance to pinch, and the next second Takumi let out an earth-shattering scream.
"If only Hisako-nee-sama would—" Nao Sadatsuka fantasized, and Hisako felt a chill run down her spine.
"Don't panic. This is Isshiki-senpai's signature outfit. He only dresses like this when he's extremely relaxed and happy. Weird as it is, you'll get used to it," Yuki said, trying to normalize it.
"Already used to it? How many times have you seen this?" Ikumi Mito was speechless. Her own attire was eye-catching, but next to Isshiki she was nothing. When it came to shamelessness, Isshiki was second to none at Totsuki.
"Erina-sama, please don't look. This is too—too shameless!" Hisako blocked Erina's view, but Erina kept sneaking glances behind Hisako's shoulder. She wasn't exactly innocent herself.
"...Kael, can I try your knives?" Isami piped up. Since the dining hall sat beside the kitchen, after the commotion he'd noticed Kael's Seven-Star Knives.
Though they weren't in Kael's match, everyone knew of the set and were curious. Their own knives weren't ordinary either—the half-moon cleavers they used looked more like instruments of torture than kitchen tools.
"Fine, but my knives are heavy and extremely sharp. Don't point the blade at yourself or others. If you end up missing a bit of an appendage, don't blame me," Kael agreed without reluctance, warning Isami of the danger.
Isami thanked him and went to the kitchen; the rest of the Polar Star's visitors followed, curious. During competition Kael had wielded the set like a knife dance—people couldn't take their eyes off it.
"It's so heavy—heavier than a half-moon cleaver. What's it made of?" Isami was stunned.
Even the tiny knife felt heavier than the massive half-moon cleaver he usually used, and those cleavers even required two hands because of their size and weight. Yet this small knife outweighed them.
"How can something so small be this heavy?" Takumi, hearing his brother, came over, skeptical at first, but when he held it he discovered his brother wasn't exaggerating—the weight was shocking. And the edge was razor-sharp: it sank deep into the wooden board with a light jab. If that had struck a person, they would've lost more than a couple of limbs.
"How does Kael make such a heavy knife dance so easily?" Hisako couldn't fathom it. When Kael used the knives, they seemed weightless, but now that they'd held them, the absurdity hit home—like watching someone juggle dumbbells.
"Kael's strength isn't ordinary. He can easily draw a two-stone bow," Alice praised him.
"A two-stonebow? What's that?" Erina asked.
"I know: 'stone' is a weight unit. One stone is about sixty kilograms, so a two-stone bow needs over a hundred kilograms of force to fully draw," Ikumi, who came from a farming family and knew about hunting, explained.
"Over a hundred kilos? That's like two of me!" Erina was astonished—Kael could single-handedly lift the weight of more than two of her.
A chef's strength could exceed a normal person's, but Kael's physique was absurdly beyond that. Those unfamiliar with him looked at Kael as if he were a monster—his culinary skill alone was beyond human, and his physicality pushed him into another category altogether.