After the punishment, Alice Nakiri refused to leave Dylan's room, lying on the bed and hugging his arm to seek comfort.
"Dylan-nii, it hurts."
"The punishment is over, let's turn the page on this. Now I need Dylan-nii's cuddles to feel better."
Alice Nakiri pressed her face against Dylan's arm, acting weak and coquettish. This was also what she had thought of after being spanked earlier.
The punishment had been administered, and Dylan's anger should have mostly dissipated. If she snuggled up to him now, she should be able to receive some affection. Also, just now...
Thinking about Dylan's somewhat mischievous hand at the end of the punishment, Alice Nakiri's face flushed, and her eyes, as she looked at him, seemed a little more watery.
Having spent so much time together, there was at least one thing she was sure of: Dylan was definitely interested in her; he was absolutely not a monk!
He just still had some reservations, which was why he was reluctant to take the final step.
What she needed to do now was to test the waters in various ways, constantly pushing Dylan's boundaries, making his limits retreat further and further.
Once they had retreated to a certain extent, she could start enjoying a happy life!
"Then just stay close."
Seeing this, Dylan naturally couldn't refuse. He let her cling to him and, at the same time, turned off the room lights, clearly having resigned himself to the situation.
There were always rebellious disciples trying to make a move on their master.
What could he do? This was the disciple he had raised since she was little—cute, fragrant, and soft. He couldn't resist, so he could only accept it.
"Dylan-nii, my chest feels a little tight. Can you help me see what's wrong?"
In the darkness, Alice Nakiri suddenly shook Dylan's arm, her face flushed as she spoke.
Clearly, those few swats from Dylan earlier hadn't really hurt her; instead, they had excited her.
"Is that chest tightness? I'm too embarrassed to even call you out on it!"
Hearing Alice Nakiri's words, Dylan couldn't help but retort.
"It is chest tightness!"
Hearing Dylan's retort, Alice Nakiri's face couldn't help but blush, but she still said stubbornly, grabbing his hand as she spoke.
"Dylan-nii, come help me see what exactly is wrong!"
"2:1, the winner is Megumi Tadokoro."
"3:0, the winner is Yuki Yoshino."
"1:2, the winner is Mitsui San."
"1:1, 1 abstention. In this round, Ueno San and Sawano Mei are tied. Both rankings remain unchanged."
"0:3, the winner is..."
Four days, thousands of battle messages. A random search for a name on the central display board would show more than ten battle records.
And after such a number of Shokugekis, the student count, originally around a thousand, was now less than two hundred.
The rest had all been expelled due to losing challenges.
In a small kitchen on the hotel rooftop, Dylan stood before several girls with a ferule in hand, commenting on their techniques.
He wouldn't comment during the cooking process but would point out their mistakes when they brought their dishes to him for tasting after cooking. Then, based on the number of mistakes, he would use the ferule to tap them.
Because it was private special training, and Dylan had explained the situation beforehand.
All the girls present understood what kind of punishment they would receive for culinary mistakes.
Therefore, none of them had any objections to Dylan's taps, not even Erina Nakiri, who would just blush and remain silent.
This also made Dylan's actions increasingly bold; the ferule often struck places that would make one feel ashamed.
And with each strike, the young women would emit indistinct sounds.
This also brought Dylan some amusement.
The so-called pursuit of pleasure was nothing more than this.
And these mentored girls, because they all had varying degrees of affection for him, did not object to such actions.
Dylan's force wasn't heavy; strictly speaking, it wasn't even punishment, just an intense sense of shame that made them unwilling to be punished in front of others.
Of course, even without this segment, they still firmly remembered Dylan's words.
After all, he was a Seven-Star Special Grade Chef; his guidance was priceless!
Moreover, they had learned from Dylan that after this midterm assessment ended, he would no longer conduct group classes but would only give private lessons to their small group.
And once they had truly grown and passed his tests, he would take them away from Tōtsuki.
As for where they would ultimately go, they didn't know. Alice had curiously asked Dylan, but he had only given two words: "It's a secret."
Of course, whether to go or not was entirely voluntary.
However...
Such a rare opportunity, even if they were offered the first seat of the Elite Ten in exchange, they might not necessarily be willing.
Even if they could only be obscure little attendants by Dylan's side, that was still a chance to defy heaven and change their fate!
"Dylan Sensei, I have a match in half an hour. I need to go in and prepare now. I'll be back in two hours."
After cleaning the cooking station in front of her, Ikumi Mito trotted over to Dylan.
"Go on. Today is the last day. It's do or die, everyone is giving it their all. You absolutely cannot lose to someone due to carelessness."
Seated in a grand preceptor chair, with Lia fanning him from the side, Dylan looked at Ikumi Mito before him, his voice carrying a hint of warning.
"Don't worry! I won't be careless. The loss last time was a strong warning for me. I can't possibly lose again this time!"
Flames of anger burned in Ikumi Mito's eyes. Some clueless bastard had disturbed her, causing her to lose such precious guidance time!
"I've also received a notification for a match in an hour. Once I finish this dish, I should go down and face the challenge."
Looking at the message on her phone, Ryoko Sakaki couldn't help but sigh. If possible, she didn't want to accept the challenge either.
Compared to dueling those people, she would rather stay here and receive Dylan's guidance.
Although the punishment was a bit embarrassing, after a few times, it became acceptable. It was a mix of pain and pleasure, but most importantly, it was very fulfilling!
"Me too. Luckily, I only have one match today. Unlike the past few days, where there were at least three matches a day. Thankfully, we could rest for four hours after each match."
"I'm relatively relaxed. No one clueless has challenged me."
Alice Nakiri shrugged, speaking nonchalantly.
Ever since her duel with Erina Nakiri, apart from Ryo Kurokiba challenging her once and being easily defeated, no one else had dared to challenge her.
"I've already fought with those at the top. No one is challenging me now either. Otherwise, losing would not only waste an opportunity but also be embarrassing in public."
Looking at Ikumi Mito, who had turned and gone downstairs, the people present couldn't help but discuss.
During this period, they had accepted quite a few challenges.
They were very motivated at the beginning, but later on, they became a bit weary because the skill levels of the challengers were uneven, and even competing rarely helped them grow.
Rather than wasting time competing with them, it was better to cook more by Dylan's side, receive his personal guidance, and gain more.
"Quiet. Continue cooking. Those with matches, report here half an hour beforehand. Those without matches, continue cooking. Your rest time is after five in the afternoon."
Seeing the chattering girls, Dylan frowned slightly, then picked up the ferule and tapped the tabletop, making them calm down and continue cooking.
"Yes!"
The girls didn't pay too much mind to Dylan's urging. Hearing his voice, they all nodded in agreement, lest he get up and give them a rap with the ferule.
Although they didn't dislike it, they didn't want to be hit for no reason either; that was quite embarrassing...
Especially when others were around. If they accidentally made strange sounds, the sense of shame would reach its peak!
"Add sugar here first, then add salt after stirring evenly."
"Your wrapping technique is incorrect. I'll only teach you once, watch carefully."
"This dish you made is not bad, but the ingredient proportions need adjustment. With a couple more practices, it should reach the standard of a first-grade dish."
Seeing the girls re-enter their focused state, Dylan stood up from his chair, looked them over from beginning to end, correcting errors as he observed.
Time ticked by. When it was their turn for a match, the girls would go downstairs, and after the match, they would come back upstairs, all wearing the smiles of victors.
Compared to the bottom thirty of the top fifty, the rankings from first to twentieth didn't change much, as everyone had already challenged each other, making it difficult for a dark horse to emerge.
As for the bottom thirty of the top fifty, facing those Tōtsuki students who were desperately fighting to stay, they would inevitably suffer a very strong impact.
And because their points were at the bottom of the top fifty, if two people ranked around one-hundredth dueled each other, their combined points would be enough to surpass them.
Therefore, apart from passively defending in their assigned matches, they often needed to take the initiative to challenge, because only then could they secure their position in the top fifty.
And in this process, a major reshuffle was inevitable, but there was no way around it; this was the cruelty of the final day!
However, the essence of this assessment was a "Gu-pot" trial; only those who excelled in all aspects were qualified to remain.
As for the others?
According to Tōtsuki's training methods, even if they weren't eliminated now, they would be expelled for various reasons in the future.
After all, the number of students who ultimately graduated from Tōtsuki over the years...
Could be counted on two hands.
Time flowed, and soon it was evening. As the clock struck five in the afternoon, more than a dozen simultaneous matches came to an end.
The girls he had been focusing on training all passed without a single one failing.
Among them, Alice Nakiri firmly held first place, and Erina Nakiri was second.
In between, Erina Nakiri had been defeated once by Ryo Kurokiba, then challenged him back and won. She was subsequently challenged by him several more times, each match ending in her victory, finally securing her seat as second.
And although Ryo Kurokiba couldn't defeat Erina Nakiri, he was more than capable of dealing with others, placing third. Akira Hayama was fourth, and Megumi Tadokoro was fifth.
As for the others, they were mostly distributed between sixth and twentieth place, with little difference between them, their rankings changing almost daily.
And from the losers' camp, a total of eight people ultimately advanced into the top fifty. One entered the top thirty, while the others were mostly stuck between one-hundredth and two-hundredth place.
Clearly, the gap between honors students and underdogs couldn't be completely erased by a month of hellish special training.
Achieving such results had already exceeded Dylan's expectations.
"Are we really leaving after all?"
"In the end, we still failed to live up to Dylan Sensei's expectations."
"After a month of special training, almost everyone in the top fifty has the strength of a second-grade chef. We're simply no match for them."
"Don't be discouraged! Dylan Sensei never taught you that. Even if we failed this time and are expelled, it doesn't mean our culinary journey ends here. As long as we continue to work hard, one day in the future, we will definitely have the chance to make Dylan Sensei proud of us!"
Looking up at the sky, although the young woman said this, the confusion in her eyes couldn't be faked.
Expelled from Tōtsuki at the age of 14, what could she do? Help out at her family's restaurant? But her family's restaurant had already closed down two years ago.
"What a cruel reality..."
"If only there were a few more spots."
The defeated students gathered together. After twenty-five days of hellish training camp, their relationships had improved considerably; they could at least be called "friends."
"I'm going back to pack my things. Let's leave today."
"Kenji, carrying our share, you must persevere until graduation and become a Special Grade Chef!"
"I'm going back too. Let's leave tonight under the cover of darkness. Leaving tomorrow would be somewhat embarrassing."
"In that case, let's go together."
It's unknown who started it, but as they talked, everyone returned to their own lodgings. After a short while, they gathered downstairs with their bags.
However, just as they were preparing to leave...
"Where did you hear that from? I was just about to tell you to go pack your luggage, but I didn't expect you to have already prepared."
Dylan's figure appeared downstairs at the hotel. Looking at the young men and women emerging with their bags, his expression showed a hint of surprise.
Had he revealed this information to anyone? It seemed not... How did everyone prepare before he even notified them?
"Dylan Sensei."
"Dylan Sensei! We've let you down."
Seeing Dylan standing at the hotel entrance, the underdogs who were preparing to leave felt their composure crumble.
Several of the more emotional girls even dropped their luggage and ran over, hugging his waist tightly, tears streaming uncontrollably.
"What's all this about..."
Pleasant scents wafted towards him. Dylan reached out to steady the girls' bodies. What was wrong with these people? Suddenly becoming so melodramatic.
Wait, melodramatic? Luggage?
A flash of understanding sparked in his mind. Dylan seemed to suddenly realize something. He reached out and grasped the shoulders of the girl in front of him, looking at her slightly fragile, tear-streaked face.
"Hold them back."
Dylan spoke coldly to the girl before him, then looked up at the other underdogs.
"All of you, pull yourselves together. Don't think about unnecessary things. You've cost me a lot of effort; how could I give up on you so easily."
Looking at the young men and women before him, Dylan said with some exasperation.
Having spent so much effort laying their foundation, he naturally couldn't just use them as disposable resources.
"Hmm?"
"What does 'won't give up easily' mean..."
Dylan's words instantly set the scene ablaze. The young men and women looked at each other, suddenly feeling a sense of "Mountains multiply, streams double back—I doubt there's a road; Willows darken, flowers brighten—another village appears!"
"You all... will become preparatory members of the Dark Cooking Society! You will depart for Shanghai, China, immediately. I have already made arrangements with the people there."
Night fell, the evening breeze slightly cool.
After sending off the legion of underdogs, Dylan headed towards his hotel room, planning to get a good night's sleep to recover the energy he had expended during this period.
This month-long midterm assessment had truly exhausted him, and it was time to rest.
"Dylan Sensei."
Taking out his room card from his pocket, just as he was about to open the door, he found Kikuchi Sonoka standing at the entrance, so he raised his hand in greeting.
"Haven't you already gone back? Also, since you came, you should have called me. There's no need to stand foolishly at the door alone. What if I hadn't come back?"
Looking at the young woman in a coat before him, Dylan's expression showed some surprise. Clearly, he hadn't expected Kikuchi Sonoka to appear here.
"I did go back for a bit. I came over this afternoon because there was something about cooking I didn't understand, so I wanted to ask you."
Watching Dylan open the door and go inside, Kikuchi Sonoka very naturally sat down on the bed, her small face flushed as she stated her purpose.
"Is that so? It's quite sudden; the hotel probably hasn't prepared a room for you. So, are you planning to spend the night here?"
Looking at the young woman's shy appearance, Dylan suddenly said out of the blue.
"Ah?!"
Hearing Dylan's words, Kikuchi Sonoka cried out in surprise, her eyes filled with shame, not understanding why he would suddenly say such a thing.
"Dylan Sensei, please don't joke about such things. I might take it seriously."
Thinking Dylan was teasing her, Kikuchi Sonoka stomped her foot petulantly, then turned her head away, feigning an angry and dissatisfied expression.
"I'm not joking. I'm a bit tired right now and want to go to bed immediately, but you came all this way, so I can't just ignore you."
Dylan said while taking off his jacket, soon revealing the pajamas underneath.
As he spoke, he looked at Kikuchi Sonoka and said, "Anyway, we talked all night last time. Today, it's just changing from two places to one bed; the difference isn't actually that big."
Stretching luxuriously, Dylan got into bed, then pulled up the blanket beside him, making an inviting gesture towards Kikuchi Sonoka.
He really hadn't thought much about it; he was simply tired and thought that after discussing cooking-related topics at night, he could just close his eyes and go straight to sleep.
If they chatted with the lights on, he really couldn't cultivate any sleepiness.
"I see..."
Hearing Dylan's explanation, Kikuchi Sonoka's expression was somewhat complicated, her eyes flickering, unsure whether to believe him or not.
"Then I shall respectfully comply."
After a moment, Kikuchi Sonoka still agreed. Sleeping in the same bed as Dylan, even if nothing happened, was enough to make her happy for a long time.
After all, coming to find Dylan late at night, she herself harbored improper thoughts, hoping he might do something to her, even though she knew the possibility was very low.
And now, Dylan seemed to genuinely have such intentions. She only felt very happy in her heart and certainly couldn't bring herself to refuse.
Thinking of this, Kikuchi Sonoka took off her down jacket, revealing the khaki-colored sweater underneath. And the place tightly bound by the sweater, Dylan found it hard to look away for a moment.
Or rather, any man would absolutely not look away at this moment!
_____
🔥 PATREON FLASH SALE: 30% OFF! 🔥
Yoo-hoo! ✨ Director Walnut here with a killer deal for you!
For a limited time only, get 30% OFF on Patreon and secure your early access to all content!
What's more, by joining now you'll help us smash our community goal! We're just 15 members away from unlocking 10 BONUS CHAPTERS for everybody!
Be the hero who gets us there! Subscribe with 30% off today!
👻 Join the fun at: patreon.com/Walnutchan