"I don't want to take a plane!" Momo cried out, squatting on the ground. Her peers watched helplessly as she was dragged away by Somei, looking like a child being pulled along.
"Hey, Sui! Fancy meeting you here again. You're looking even more handsome than the last time I saw you! Why haven't you come by my research club with Miss Erina recently? Speaking of which, have you given any thought to joining? I asked you about it last time, remember?" Kuga, upon spotting Sui, immediately began chatting away like an old lady.
"Hi there!" Rindō came over, greeting him energetically. She then leaned in, eyes twinkling with excitement, and asked, "Hey, little bro, did you bring any new ingredients this time? I'm hungry!"
Her sharp canine teeth gleamed as she mentioned food.
Sui sighed. "Sorry, not this time."
"By the way, where are you senpais headed?" Erina asked, directing the conversation elsewhere.
The second- and third-year students also had final exams, though their content and locations were different from those of the first-year students.
"Our destination is Hokkaido," replied Rindō with a smile.
"What a coincidence. We're headed to Hokkaido, too," Kuga added.
"Wait, what?" Erina was taken aback. They hadn't known their exam location beforehand, but now that they were at the airport, it seemed that Hokkaido was also the first-year destination.
"Are the exams for all three grades being held in the same location?" Erina wondered aloud.
"Well, see you all next semester," Rindō waved goodbye before leading the pale and trembling Momo away.
"Sui, don't forget to visit me!" Kuga called out as he waved and departed.
"How could the senpais' destination be the same as ours?" Megumi looked worried, her intuition as a long-time underperformer telling her that something bad was going to happen. She paled slightly and instinctively moved closer to Sui.
"Maybe it's just a coincidence," Sui suggested.
"Don't overthink it," Erina added, nodding.
Shortly after, the plane arrived, and everyone boarded, heading to Hokkaido.
By the time they landed, Hokkaido was enveloped in freezing cold. A heavy snow had recently fallen, covering everything in a blanket of white.
Fortunately, the group had come prepared and quickly changed into the down jackets they had brought.
Erina wore a slim, light pink down jacket. Her long golden hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her cheeks were slightly flushed from the cold, making her look even more adorable. She blew into her hands, trying to warm them.
"Erina, you're still so delicate," Alice teased with a grin. She was wearing a white down jacket, looking full of energy as she patted Erina on the back.
Erina blushed and glared at Alice, clearly not amused.
However, Alice didn't stay smug for long. As the wind picked up, she immediately squatted down, shivering uncontrollably.
"Even though Miss Alice grew up in Northern Europe, she still can't handle the cold," remarked Ryo.
"Shut up, Ryo! Stop spouting nonsense!" Alice snapped, her true nature exposed.
Sui shook his head in disbelief. Despite the cold, Erina was still managing, while Rindō had already squatted down in a corner, her entire body stiff.
"As expected from a cold-blooded reptile," Sui thought to himself, though he wasn't feeling cold at all. His shoulder was already warm—a sign that Tohru was thinking about him.
Sui walked over to a vending machine, bought several cans of hot drinks, and handed them to Erina and the others.
"Thanks," Erina smiled gratefully as she accepted the drink, using it to warm her hands.
"Thank you, Sui," Megumi said sweetly as she took one.
"Phew, I feel much better now!" Alice sighed in relief after sipping her hot drink.
"By the way, isn't your hometown in Hokkaido, Megumi?" Sui asked.
"No, my hometown is in a small seaside town in northeastern Honshu. But it's close to Hokkaido—just across the sea," Megumi explained with a gentle smile, gazing off into the distance. "My home is just beyond the water... I wonder how my mother is doing?"
Not long after, Totsuki's bus arrived to take the students to their exam location.
The exam was to be held at Totsuki's resort in Hokkaido. As the most prestigious culinary school in Japan, Totsuki had resorts and even a train system across the country. The resort in Hokkaido was nestled in the mountains, surrounded by snow-capped peaks, dense forests, and stunning scenery.
It took considerable effort for the group to reach the resort.
When they arrived at the hotel lobby, Sui was surprised to see second-year students like Kuga and third-year students like Rindō also present.
"It seems like their exam location is the same as ours," Erina observed with a frown.
Just then, the resort's head chef, Gin Dojima, stepped onto the stage, microphone in hand, smiling broadly.
"For this final exam, students from all three grades will be tested together," he announced.
A wave of murmurs spread through the hall.
"As expected," Erina murmured, her suspicions confirmed.
"Now, students assigned to the forest phase, please head to the nearby forest. Those in the fire phase, proceed to the hot spring hotel at the foot of the mountain. Students in the snow phase, please remain here," Dojima Gin instructed.
After a few moments, only about 100 students were left in the hall.
Over the course of the semester, the number of first-year students had been whittled down to just 200. The second-year group had around 100 students remaining, while the third-year students fared the worst—some classes only had single-digit survivors.
"Next, everyone except those whose names I call will form groups of five, and the staff will begin the first part of the exam," Gin continued, before reading out the names.
By the end, only about a dozen students were left, including the members of the Elite Ten. To Sui's surprise, his name, along with Megumi, Sōma, and others, was called.
The other students formed groups and left for their exams.
"As expected, the Elite Ten will face higher difficulty tasks, but why are we included in this?" Megumi trembled with fear, clutching Sui's arm.
----
If you want more chapters, you can read 30+ advance chapters on my patre0n [patreon.com/Fanfic69]!
----