Chapter 53: The Tyrant's Game
The remote island located at the northernmost edge of the Sea of Japan—Rebun Island.
It was the final destination of the Advancement Exam and the venue for the ultimate test.
Totsuki Academy had already constructed a special arena on the island, and the stage for the Regimental Shokugeki was complete. The lives and deaths of us rebel members would be decided by the outcome of the battles fought here.
Inside the venue, along with the students who had cleared the final exam and the instructors, several hundred spectators were eagerly awaiting the start of the matches. Even from the waiting corridor before our entrance, we could feel the heat of the crowd.
This was, in essence, a public execution. The rebels who had dared to oppose the Central Gastronomy Agency were about to be eradicated. To most people, this was nothing more than a warm-up act for realizing Nakiri Azami's vision of the world.
"…What a truly infuriating bastard."
As I gazed at the beautifully lit cooking stations gleaming under the lights, I let my irritation toward Azami build. I had to win this match no matter what—to beat some sense into that twisted personality and rotten humanity of his.
No matter how despicable he was, he was still Erina's real father. If I married Erina, he would become my father-in-law on paper. It would be a huge nuisance if he kept acting like a child forever.
"Everyone~! The one who will be serving as the emcee for today's event is~! The idol of the 92nd generation! It's Kawashima Rei-chaaan!!"
The emcee's voice rang through the venue. The girl who had once pretended to be a pure, innocent idol now bore no trace of that former image. Her outfit was so wild she looked ready to start a heavy metal band. The obvious "fall to darkness" starting from her appearance made me chuckle a little.
"Now then, in hopes of a victory for our beloved Azami regime! Let's welcome the appearance of our Council of Ten members with a big round of applause!!"
Amid deafening cheers, the current Council of Ten appeared.
The five original members—Tsukasa Eishi, Kobayashi Rindou, Akanegakubo Momo, Saito Somei, and Eizan Etsuya—along with three newly appointed members formed a team of eight in total.
"All right then! Next up are the foolish, worthless rebels who dared to oppose the noble Azami regime! The hated traitors are making their entrance! —Come on in!!"
Thanks to an extremely biased call, we also entered the arena. Just as the other side had eight members, so did we.
In addition to the four of us who had been there from the start—me, Erina, Soma, and Tadokoro—we had four new members join the fight.
The naked-apron senior from Polar Star Dorm. Former 7th Seat of the Council of Ten, Isshiki Satoshi.
The short-statured Chinese boy for whom "shorty" was a forbidden word. Former 8th Seat, Kuga Terunori.
The silent ramen master. Former 3rd Seat, Megishima Tosuke.
The biggest cheat character in the original story. The useful man, Mimasaka Subaru.
These four, added to our original group, formed the eight-member team of the Rebel Alliance.
I had gathered what I believed to be the strongest possible lineup available at the moment. Three of the four new members were former Council of Ten, and thanks to the training I had given him, Mimasaka was even stronger than in the original story. Honestly, the team was so strong that I thought we could win even without me.
"Sh-Shogo! Is Erina-sama safe?!"
"Shogo-kun! I'm so glad to see you!"
"I'm relieved you're okay…!"
"Hmph, I told you worrying was pointless."
Ignoring the storm of boos rising from the spectator seats, I walked over to the beloved women who had been expelled. For some reason they were all locked inside heavy cages, so our reunion had to take place through iron bars, which was a shame.
"Yeah, you all look well. That's a relief."
"…I'm sorry. Not only did we lose, but now you have to see us in such a pathetic state."
"Come on, Hisako-chan, you're being too stubborn~! Hurry up and switch gears so you can cheer for Shogo-kun and the others!"
"Y-Yes, Hisako-san. Alice is right."
"There's no point dwelling on what's already happened. The only thing we can do is believe in you and watch the results."
Surprisingly, everyone seemed energetic, so I felt relieved.
I had remembered that the expelled rebel members were allowed to watch the matches instead of being immediately sent back to the academy, so I had been certain we would meet here. Even though not that much time had passed, I felt a slight nostalgia.
"It's fine. I'll finish this quickly."
"D-Do your best…!"
"Bring us back to life!"
"I-I believe in you."
"…Don't lose."
As always, trust from women felt good. It stirred something primal in a man and filled me with motivation. Men really are simple creatures.
"All right, the chefs for the 1st Bout have been decided! From the Central Gastronomy Agency, these three!!"
It seemed the fallen characters hadn't fully settled into their new roles yet, because the matchups were announced in Kawashima's old cutesy style.
The names displayed on the screen were—Kaburagi Shoko, Shiratsu Jurio, and Kamimase Minuki.
Thanks to me crushing Nene, someone who hadn't even appeared in the original story had made it into the Council of Ten. This level of change shouldn't be a problem.
I stood near Erina and asked her to tie the yellow bandana—the proof of team membership—around my arm. She looked a little embarrassed but accepted, tying it for me. The sight of her tying her husband's "tie" boosted my motivation.
"Well then, I'm off."
"Yes… Take care."
"Hehe, go smash them! Shogo!"
"D-Do your best! Santoku-kun!"
After calling out to Erina and the others and giving Mimasaka and the seniors a quick glance, I stepped onto the cooking station alone. No one followed me. Just me.
The moment I stood at the station, jeers flew in from all directions—"Lose already!" "Traitor scum!" Mixed in among them were shouts of "Womanizing scumbag!" and "Four-timing bastard!" I silently vowed to identify whoever said those and make them cry. I would use every surveillance camera in the venue and everything else at my disposal to find them. Don't underestimate the power of the Santoku family.
Anyway, setting that aside—I assessed the opponents in front of me.
All three were new Council of Ten members who had filled the vacant seats.
The only woman among them, 5th Seat Kaburagi Shoko, wearing a deep hat. Shiratsu Jurio, whose movements somehow gave off a narcissistic vibe. And… Kamimase Minuki, who had taken the 6th Seat that Nene had held in the original story. As expected, I didn't remember any of them. They were nothing more than filler characters, so that was only natural.
"Santoku Shogo!!"
"…Whoa, you startled me."
The one who suddenly approached me was Kamimase Minuki. Judging from the attitudes of the second-years Kaburagi and Shiratsu, he was probably a third-year. In other words, he was in the same year as Tsukasa and Rindou. He was one of the elite upperclassmen who had survived Totsuki's brutal competition.
He seemed quite worked up, so I decided to respond while trying not to provoke him further.
"Hello, Kamimase-senpai. Nice to meet you."
"…Nice… to meet you? …Have you forgotten me?!"
Oops. The moment I decided not to provoke him, I seemed to have stepped on a landmine. Seriously? So he was one of those "we've met before" types. I don't bother remembering random guys' faces. The fact that he was this furious meant I must have done something to him, and saying the wrong thing might make him even angrier.
"…I'm sorry. Actually—"
"I've been waiting for this day! The day I could have a rematch with you!"
"I was so desperate to survive at the academy that my memories of opponents are a bit fuzzy—"
"I'll never forget it! That humiliating defeat I suffered against you! The shock that was carved into my body!"
"I apologize if this is rude, but please forgive me—"
"You, the chef who drove me completely mad! Who changed everything! It was… the happiest day of my life!!!"
The pressure was intense. Also, his face was way too close.
I have no interest in getting face-to-face with another man at this distance, so I took a step back to create some space.
What the hell is with this intensity?
He started off sounding full of hatred and rage, but then ended by saying it was the happiest day of his life. I genuinely don't understand. I don't remember his face, and I don't remember what I did to him. Don't get worked up on your own—explain it properly.
"Even within the academy, I was called a genius and said to be on the verge of entering the Council of Ten… and then you appeared before me!"
He seemed willing to explain, so maybe my silent prayer had reached him.
"A Shokugeki challenged by a lowerclassman! I couldn't refuse, so I accepted gladly! What I bet was my own room! You offered the right to use the power of the Santoku family!"
"…?"
Did something like that happen? Betting his own room, meaning a private room… Ah, I remember now.
"…So you were the first senior I had a Shokugeki with after enrolling at Totsuki Academy."
"—! Yes! You remembered! Santoku Shogo! That's right! I was the man who took your first!!"
"That wording is unpleasant, so could you please stop?"
"I was ravaged without any resistance and had something precious stolen from me…"
"Your room? The room."
"The heat from that time still remains in my body… I could never forget it. Such an incredible flavor—only you could have made it."
"All right, I understand. It's creepy, so please stop talking."
"…Nnn, those eyes. You truly are the best! That bearing wrapped in killing intent…! That is exactly the man who reborn me!!"
This guy is hopeless. He's invincible in his own world.
Well, I roughly understood what I had done to him. He was the senior whose fuck-pad room I had taken in a Shokugeki right after enrolling because I wanted a private space to bring girls. It was almost a year ago, so I had completely forgotten. Since it was a guy, I never bothered to remember anyway.
"The me who was reborn trained even harder! So I could get closer to your cooking! So you would notice me! With the help of Headmaster Azami, I became stronger!!"
"…I-I see."
Kaburagi and Shiratsu, who were watching from behind, looked slightly creeped out. I get it—I'm creeped out too. Honestly, I'd rather be on their side. Someone please stop this monster.
"I won't disappoint you! I won't bore you! I've been waiting for this day when I could fight you again!! The weak me from back then couldn't even be a stepping stone! I won't let you feel that way again! —Now! Let's dance together!! Santoku Shogo!!"
"Since time is precious, I'll draw all the theme ingredient lots myself. Kaburagi-senpai, Shiratsu-senpai."
Since facing him head-on would be impossible to handle, I smoothly ignored him. From the relieved expressions on Kaburagi and Shiratsu's faces, they probably hadn't known how to proceed either. I felt a bit of sympathy for the enemy here.
"Fufufu, that attitude has its own charm too. Of course! Your opponent is me! Kamimase Minuki!!"
"Sigh, I see."
"Kaburagi! Shiratsu! I'll leave the other two to you! Do your best so you don't lose to our battle!"
"Yeah, sure~"
"For the 1st Bout, we of the Central Gastronomy Agency will achieve a complete victory… Wait, Santoku Shogo."
"Yes?"
"…Why aren't the other two coming out? You're the only one standing at the cooking station."
His overheated brain seemed to have cooled down on its own. At this point, he might actually listen.
"There's no problem with this."
"…What? What do you mean by that?"
Not only Kamimase, but Kaburagi and Shiratsu also looked puzzled. Unlike their earlier exasperated expressions, they now wore the faces of chefs whose pride had been wounded.
There was no need to sugarcoat it, so I told them my intention straight.
"For the 1st Bout, the chef representing the rebel side will be—me alone."
At that moment, the entire venue froze.
I had expected a flood of fierce criticism, so I was rather taken aback by the silence. The three in front of me, the spectators about to watch the match, and even Azami sitting in the elevated seats—all of them seemed unable to process the situation.
During the special training on the train, I had realized something. My cheat was completely unsuited for teamwork.
When I thought about it, it was obvious. The cheat moved my body automatically, so there was no way it could cooperate with others. Trying to support each other was a mistake from the start. I had clearly understood that I could only exert my power through my own cooking.
In terms of discovering this unexpected weakness, the training had been fruitful. Even the pathetic sight of me peeling vegetables in front of Erina had meaning.
"D-Don't mess with me! Your opponent is me! It has to be one-on-one! Look only at me! Only at me…!"
As always, his statements were dangerous. I don't remember him being like this the first time we met. If it's because of my cooking, I feel a little sorry.
But I had no intention of overturning this decision. I would fight the 1st Bout alone. This was a strategy the entire team had agreed upon—the best move to advance the match in our favor. …Or at least, that was the official reason I had pushed through.
"Facing us… alone? How insulting."
"You've got quite the spirit, but you'll regret this!"
"…O-Only me… Only with me…!"
Their reactions were exactly as expected, except for one. It was only natural for proud chefs to react this way when someone challenged three of them at once.
"Whether I'm underestimating you or whether you'll regret it… you'll find out soon enough."
I opened the three lots I had drawn and announced the matchup themes.
The battle against Kaburagi Shoko—beef.
The battle against Shiratsu Jurio—eel.
The battle against Kamimase Minuki—pizza.
With the themes decided, each side finished gathering the necessary ingredients from the storage. Transporting ingredients for three dishes at once was quite exhausting.
Then the three judges who would oversee every match of this Regimental Shokugeki arrived—the WGO (World Gourmet Organization) executives known as the Bookmen. The lone woman among them, Anne, was my type, but she wasn't my target. There were other women in the WGO I wanted more, so I had removed her from consideration.
With that, the preparations for the Shokugeki were complete.
The venue was still in an uproar, so it must have been an unbelievable sight to them. Personally, I thought Saiba Joichiro's one-versus-fifty was way crazier. Compared to that, this was cute. The rules of this Shokugeki allowed one-versus-many anyway, so there was no problem.
There was, of course, a reason why I had decided to fight the 1st Bout alone.
If one person could take down three opponents, it would give us an advantage. If one person got taken down by three, it could unsettle the enemy. Simple harassment, and so on. I could come up with any number of superficial reasons, but the real answer was much simpler.
Until arriving at this place, I had been living on the train.
The people around me had been Erina, Soma, Tadokoro, Saiba Joichiro, Chef Dojima, and the former Totsuki headmaster Nakiri Senzemon. There wasn't a single woman I could lay a hand on. In other words, I had been forced into sexual abstinence. It was hell—a period of torment for which I could find no other word.
Since I couldn't participate in the teamwork training, I had little time to be close to Erina, and my stress and sexual frustration had only kept building.
So I thought: I'd take the 1st Bout where the jobber opponents appeared. I'd turn it into a sandbag to vent all the stress I had accumulated. That was the entire reason I wanted to fight alone.
"…All right, let's begin."
I picked up my favorite knife and focused my mind.
I activated the cheat and surrendered myself to the surging impulse.
***
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