Chapter 284

Nakiri Erina glanced at the still-lounging Haruto, then at Yukihira Soma, whose eyes were practically shining, and took a deep breath.

"Everyone, quiet down for a moment."

The conversations around the room stopped, and all eyes turned toward her.

"First, I need to make one thing clear. A Régiment de Cuisine is very different from an ordinary Shokugeki."

"The competitors are divided into two opposing teams, and every round is fought as a group battle."

"Multiple chefs from the same side take the field at once. During the cooking process, teammates are free to assist one another without restriction. They can coordinate their work, divide tasks, or even collaborate on the same dish."

"So a Régiment de Cuisine doesn’t test individual cooking ability alone. Teamwork and coordination are just as important."

"On the battlefield, you’re both the head chef responsible for your own dish and an assistant to your teammates."

"If the situation demands it, you may even have to abandon your own cooking to help someone else. That’s what makes it fundamentally different from a normal Shokugeki."

"And the Régiment de Cuisine doesn’t end after a single round. It continues until every chef on one side has been defeated and eliminated."

"The side with chefs still standing at the end wins the entire match."

"And the victors will claim all ten seats on the Elite Ten Council."

The meeting room fell briefly silent.

A moment later, Soma’s face lit up with excitement.

"That sounds awesome! So if I just keep winning, I could end up facing several members of the Elite Ten one after another?!"

"And I could become one of the Elite Ten too."

Soma looked so excited that he seemed ready to start cooking immediately.

If he wanted to reach the top of Totsuki, becoming First Seat was inevitable.

Takumi glanced at Haruto, then at Soma.

This time, he would prove himself.

"A Régiment de Cuisine... Yeah, that does sound interesting."

Hayama Akira lifted a cinnamon stick and held it beneath his nose, breathing in the distinctive fragrance.

The familiar scent settled his emotions somewhat, though the way his fingers tightened around the stick betrayed how stirred up he really was.

Hayama had never imagined an opportunity to claim an Elite Ten seat would arrive this quickly.

He wanted to climb higher.

He wanted more people to see what his spice cuisine could accomplish.

And more importantly, if he became one of the Elite Ten, the Shiomi Seminar would gain access to far greater research funding.

Jun would definitely be happy about that.

The thought sent a fierce light burning through Hayama’s eyes, his breathing growing slightly heavier.

Beside him, Kurokiba Ryo’s expression sharpened into something almost feral.

To him, the Elite Ten standing at the summit of Totsuki were exactly the kind of opponents worth fighting.

"My molecular gastronomy is going to blow everyone away."

Nakiri Alice gave a confident little snort.

If Erina could be one of the Elite Ten, then she was going to become one too.

Arato Hisako stood beside Erina with a determined expression.

This time, she would do everything she could to help Erina-sama win.

Tadokoro Megumi, on the other hand, was beginning to look pale as she watched everyone else burn with fighting spirit.

Their side did have five current Elite Ten members—Haruto, Erina, Isshiki, Kuga, and Megishima.

But their opponents were Tsukasa Eishi, Kobayashi Rindō, Saitō Sōmei, Akakubo Momo, and Kinokuni Nene.

Overall, their side was clearly at a disadvantage.

Could they really win?

And if they lost...

Would all of them be expelled?

Isshiki did not seem particularly concerned with everyone else’s thoughts, but there was still one important issue to settle.

"Only ten people can participate, but there are twelve of us here."

He looked toward Erina.

"Erina, how are you planning to choose?"

Both sides had agreed to field ten chefs each.

But counting Isshiki, Haruto, Erina, Kuga, and Megishima already made five.

Then there were Soma, Hayama, Kurokiba, Takumi, Alice, Hisako, and Megumi.

Twelve people in total.

Which two were supposed to be left out?

The question immediately dampened the excitement in the room.

Soma’s grin faded.

Hayama’s fingers tightened around the cinnamon stick.

Kurokiba’s gaze darkened.

The atmosphere grew noticeably heavier as everyone looked toward Erina.

"Well..."

A troubled expression appeared on her face.

Her gaze moved back and forth across Soma and the others, lips pressed together as she struggled to decide.

The five current Elite Ten members, including herself, obviously had to participate.

That already used half the available slots.

Among the remaining seven, the three finalists from the Autumn Elections—Soma, Hayama, and Kurokiba—were clearly the strongest. Their inclusion was practically unquestionable.

That left only two places.

And those two would have to be chosen from Takumi, Alice, Megumi, and Hisako.

That was where Erina found herself stuck.

Each of the four had their own strengths.

She did not want to leave any of them out.

But there simply weren’t enough places.

Just as Erina was agonizing over the decision, Haruto set down his now-empty teacup.

"I’m actually not that interested in participating."

For Haruto, if he genuinely wanted to win, then he could win.

The only real question was how much he would need to reveal in order to do it.

That meant the Régiment de Cuisine held relatively little appeal for him.

Everyone in the room turned toward him at once, disbelief written across their faces.

No one had expected Haruto to withdraw at a moment like this.

"I’ll sit this one out too."

Megishima Tōsuke spoke up immediately afterward.

He disagreed with Azami’s philosophy, but he genuinely had no desire to get dragged into this mess.

Haruto smiled and spread his hands casually.

"See? Take the two of us out, and you’re down to exactly ten."

"No one has to choose anything."

"No!"

Erina rejected the idea instantly.

There was absolutely no way she could agree to that.

Everyone knew how skilled Haruto was.

And Megishima was the Third Seat of the Elite Ten.

If the two of them withdrew, their side’s overall strength would fall dramatically.

Against Tsukasa, Rindō, and the others, their chances of victory would become even worse.

Unfortunately, both Haruto and Megishima looked completely firm in their decisions.

Neither seemed likely to change his mind because of a few persuasive words.

Erina could only sigh in frustration.

For now, she moved on and began arranging the other details.

As for Haruto and Megishima, she intended to speak with them privately after the meeting.

Fortunately, there was still plenty of time before the Régiment de Cuisine actually began.

Erina was confident she could convince them eventually.

After the meeting ended, Haruto headed back toward Polar Star Dormitory with Soma and Megumi.

"Seriously, Haruto, why don’t you want to join the Régiment de Cuisine?"

Soma walked with both hands behind his head and glanced curiously toward Haruto.

"Well..."

Haruto yawned.

"Mostly because it doesn’t sound all that challenging."

Soma stopped dead.

His mouth twitched as he stared at Haruto in disbelief.

He admitted Haruto was definitely a better chef than he was.

But even then, surely the gap could not be that ridiculous.

During the Moon Festival, thanks to Rindō-senpai, Soma had gotten the chance to taste Tsukasa Eishi’s cooking.

His understanding of ingredients and ability to bring out their absolute best were on another level.

No matter how unwilling Soma was to admit it, he currently had no confidence whatsoever that he could beat Tsukasa.

And this Régiment de Cuisine would pit them against a team led by Tsukasa himself.

Yet Haruto was calling it unchallenging?

"Actually... Haruto-kun really is incredibly good."

Megumi spoke quietly from beside them.

Although Haruto had become increasingly laid-back lately, she knew his cooking had never stopped improving.

At this point, even Megumi had no idea how strong he had become.

"All right, enough about that."

Haruto casually changed the subject.

"Let’s worry about something more important."

"What are we having for lunch?"

Soma and Megumi immediately began discussing the possibilities as though nothing unusual had happened.