A minute before the class started, Lecturer Chapelle finally appeared at the door of the cooking room.
Walking up to the podium, he glanced around the students, only to spot an unusually conspicuous yellow-and-black head among the group of first-year students.
"Yo, Lecturer Chapelle, I've come to see you~"
Waving his hand casually from the audience, I called out. Upon seeing him, Lecturer Chapelle was momentarily stunned but quickly ignored Kuga Terunori. Though it was unusual for a second-year Elite Ten member to show up in a first-year classroom, it was something the school tolerated. Senior students attending lower-grade classes were tacitly approved, though rare due to their busy schedules. Particularly for an Elite Ten, with their extensive privileges, such occurrences weren't surprising. Lecturer Chapelle didn't seem to care.
"Today's class is to make French cauliflower bisque. The time limit is one hour. Once you're done, bring your dish to me for evaluation."
Lecturer Chapelle repeated his usual instructions before beginning to write a detailed recipe on the whiteboard. Most students were already familiar with the dish and went to the back to gather ingredients while he wrote.
"Okay, leave it to me," Kuga said, stretching with a relaxed demeanor.
Meanwhile, Shiraki had found a stool, settled into it, and started sipping tea with complete ease. His leisurely attitude, like an old man in a Beijing hutong, stood out starkly among the busy students. This surreal scene left the other students dumbfounded. Was Kuga Terunori really doing all the work by himself while Shiraki just lounged around?
Was Shiraki here to attend class or to relax?
Why was Kuga, a second-year Elite Ten, humbly making dishes like a servant? The dynamic between the two was baffling—almost like a bizarre master-and-follower relationship.
It's no wonder the students were perplexed. Shiraki wasn't just refusing to help; he had the audacity to sit and drink tea while Kuga even poured him some between tasks. The scene looked more like Kuga was the follower.
Fortunately, Lecturer Chapelle didn't care about the students' behavior, as long as the final product met the A-grade standard. He barely glanced at Shiraki's group and instead observed the other groups with his usual stern expression.
Given Kuga's status as an Elite Ten, it was unthinkable that he would fail at such a basic recipe. If a top Elite Ten struggled with this dish, Totsuki Culinary Academy wouldn't deserve its reputation.
In the front row, Soma Yukihira and Takumi Aldini worked on their dish. Upon seeing Kuga cooking, Soma's competitive fire ignited. He thought this might be an opportunity to have Lecturer Chapelle compare their dishes against those of an Elite Ten.
However, the reality was harsh.
Fifteen minutes later, Shiraki and Kuga received an A-grade evaluation and left the classroom without giving Soma the chance to challenge them. Even though Kuga's face remained indifferent, his dish was clearly above A-grade standard. Lecturer Chapelle didn't even need to taste it to give the grade—it was the most unsurprising A in history.
As Shiraki and Kuga stepped out of the classroom, rumors began spreading like wildfire.
"Hey, did you hear? A second-year student joined our class this morning!"
"Really? Was it for an announcement? Isn't that usually Erina-sama's job?"
"No, I heard an Elite Ten is following a first-year as a subordinate!"
"You're dreaming! There's no way an Elite Ten would become a sidekick to a first-year. If that's true, I'll eat this cooking table!"
"I'm serious! I was in the third cooking room, and I saw the eighth seat leave with my own eyes!"
"What? Are you sure?"
Despite the rampant rumors, most people dismissed them as absurd. Some even speculated it was a plot to tarnish the transfer student's reputation. After all, the Elite Ten Council wouldn't allow such rumors to spread unchecked.
Meanwhile, Shiraki, now outside the teaching area, suddenly received a system notification:
> Temporary Quest Triggered: Club Expansion Tour
Description: Become the leader of any club and double the size of its research society room.
Rewards: 600 points, 1 random lottery ticket, 1 B-level kitchen knife.
Shiraki, initially heading back to the Polar Star Dorm, paused. Without context, he suddenly turned to Kuga Terunori.
"By the way, the Chinese Cuisine Research Association belongs to me now, right?"
"Huh?" Kuga blinked in surprise but nodded after a moment. "Of course. Want to check out the research society building?"