"I really want to know what Kael's shumai taste like!"
The graduating students were just as curious. Gin Dojima smiled at the remark—he, too, wanted to taste Kael's cooking, so he had already arranged for someone to wait there.
Not only Kael: he'd sent people to stand by for several other students he had his eye on.
Soon, more than twenty portions of shumai were delivered to the surveillance room where everyone had gathered.
"Gin, you had people waiting already!"
Roland Chapelle saw what had happened and, of course, guessed it was Gin's doing.
"Well, I'm curious about his dish, and I've never seen shumai shaped like that before."
Gin smiled and handed the shumai out—one apiece—and, like the other guests, everyone eagerly tried them.
"This overwhelming will… has he already found the direction of his chef's heart? That fast?"
To these people, taste was secondary. What really mattered was whether Kael had discovered his chef's heart. If he'd found it and already had solid fundamentals, Kael could be considered a Five-Star Chef.
"I didn't expect he'd find the direction so soon after becoming a Four-Star. Honestly, he's a super genius. Among Totsuki's Elite Ten right now, only one person has a confirmed direction—everyone else is still missing something."
Gin was genuinely surprised. He had only come to sample a tasty dish, but Kael had apparently discovered the direction of his chef's heart and was, without question, a Five-Star Chef.
"Do you think he'll be a Seven-Star by graduation?"
At that moment, Hinako's remark drew everyone's attention.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that? We've all seen how good his cooking is—he's already reached Five-Star. That means becoming a Six-Star before graduation is almost certain. Seven-Star might be possible too." Hinako Inui said matter-of-factly.
At Kael's age, already at Five-Star, his growth at Totsuki wouldn't be slow. so she wouldn't be surprised if he was seven-star by graduation.
"Nothing—it's just that you might be right. He might actually reach that level."
The graduates shook their heads; Miyoko's prediction suddenly seemed plausible.
While they were tasting, the shumai Kael made in the main hall had already been snatched up. Plenty of people had missed out, but the cook who made the dishes had disappeared, so there was nothing they could do.
And everyone knew Totsuki wouldn't let Kael keep making food indefinitely, that would unfairly raise the difficulty for other students.
"Not bad. You've made some improvements on the earlier issue, but long-formed muscle memory isn't easy to erase. You'll still have to work at it." After leaving his station, Kael went over to Miyoko Hojo.
The dishes she'd made before and after showed noticeable differences, she'd clearly remembered his advice and was already changing.
"Thanks to your guidance, Captain. But are you sure not watching over your station at all is okay?" Miyoko looked at Kael's crowded station and worried. She knew Kael had absolute confidence, but one mistake in this assessment could mean expulsion.
Before she finished speaking, a broadcast announced Kael had passed the assessment—and the amount he'd completed wasn't two hundred portions but a full five hundred.
"Five hundred? Really five hundred?"
Hearing the broadcast and seeing Kael's smiling face, Miyoko was stunned. Her once firm belief now wavered.
The Hojo family ran a small Chinese restaurant—traditional and strict. Because she was a girl, Miyoko had long been undervalued at home; they still clung to outdated ideas. Her talent was undeniable and she even had frightening strength, but her gender kept her from getting the respect she deserved.
Miyoko wasn't the kind to let the family arrange everything for her, she'd stood up to them and proved her abilities, and now no one dared belittle her in front of her cooking.
Miyoko had always believed women were stronger than men, and Kael's existence was shaking that conviction.
"The results are in. It looks like the shumai in the hall have been wiped out. Hojo, remember to report to the Chinese Cuisine Research Society after the training camp."
With that, Kael left. He didn't read minds, so he had no idea what Miyoko was thinking.
After leaving, Kael wandered the halls. Once he circled the venue and found nothing left to eat there, he headed to other locations. He knew what many people had made in the original story, but he hadn't tasted them, so he wanted to try.
Nobody yet knew the shocked expressions that froze on everyone's faces when they learned Kael had finished the assessment with five hundred portions. Both those familiar with him and those who weren't were astonished.
They'd assumed that even if Kael passed, it would likely be with two hundred portions; the broadcast saying five hundred was a bombshell.
"Five hundred exactly—how did he even do that? I haven't even reached a hundred yet!"
A student muttered in disbelief. Kael's achievement put pressure on the others—once someone sets the bar, others feel they must catch up.
"Good thing I was warned earlier, or I'd probably have managed at most ten portions by now."
Soma Yukihira was busy, he'd chosen live cooking and used his showmanship to draw customers.
It worked: in half an hour, on top of all the prep time, he'd almost reached two hundred. He was likely to be among the fastest to finish.
Sure enough, before Kael had finished wandering, announcements came of other students passing.
The fastest was Erina Nakiri—her reputation drew guests immediately; as soon as people spotted her, they flooded over. Even Soma, who'd gone all out, couldn't catch up with Erina. Alice Nakiri followed closely—her dishes kept perfectly even after being left out, so she made a large batch and, with her fame, quickly passed as well. After them came Soma.
But when Soma heard his result, he slowed down—using multiple woks and concentrating so intensely drained him quickly. He had to pace himself.
Soma's eyes burned with competitiveness. After hearing Kael hit five hundred portions, he was determined to beat him in quantity. So even though he'd already passed, he didn't stop.
It wasn't just Soma—Megumi and others kept going after qualifying.
"Megumi, you've already passed. Stop cooking!"
Kael stood by Megumi's station after tasting her oden and called out.
"Huh? Why?" Megumi looked puzzled.
"Simple. Look around—your station's passed, but others haven't. If you keep going, guests will stay at your table and those students will never get customers. They'll be finished."
Kael's words made Megumi glance around. She froze, the students nearby were giving her plaintive looks.
"Pack up. I'll take you to try other students' dishes."
Megumi immediately cleared her stove and belongings and followed Kael to sample food.
The students nearby breathed easier. With Megumi gone, guests might finally move on and give them a chance to finish their assessments.
Kael and Megumi wandered the venue like shoppers, sampling various breakfasts. Megumi soon couldn't eat more, but Kael had a big appetite. As his physical strength grew, so did his hunger—he wasn't built like that for nothing. He could probably compete in a competitive eating contest now.
Time quickly reached the end of the assessment. Those who passed were relaxed; those who didn't wore different expressions—disappointed, frustrated.
Some students ended with just over one hundred and ninety portions. Close to the pass mark, but failing is failing. Like any exam, there are cutoffs: reach them, you pass; fall short, no matter how close, and you're expelled. Even one hundred ninety-nine portions meant nothing.
"Attention, students who passed: the next assessment starts in four hours."
Just when the passed students relaxed,the broadcast made their nerves spike again. Many of them had stayed up all night; now they had only four hours—not all of it for sleeping. They still had to clean up their stations before they could rest. Those who had slept the night before felt much better.
On the other side, the graduates left to prepare for the next classes. Gin Dojima called Senzaemon Nakiri.
"Gin here—there's something about today's assessment…"
Gin told Senzaemon about the day's events and about their speculation that Kael might have dual special abilities.
"I see. Send me the surveillance footage."
Senzaemon asked, and Gin complied.
"Also—Kael seems to have found the direction of his chef's heart. He could be considered a Five-Star Chef now." Gin mentioned that detail, too.
"Found his chef's heart already? How long has it even been? What a monster."
Senzaemon paused, then muttered that Kael truly was a monster—no normal person improved that fast.
They spoke briefly more, then Senzaemon hung up, waiting for Gin's video. A few minutes later, the footage was sent and Senzaemon watched Kael's unbelievable technique. He'd long suspected Kael might have a hand-related special ability, those knife skills were too eerie otherwise. The video confirmed his suspicion.
After sending the footage to his daughter, a call came back.
"What do you think, Mana? Does this kid have a hand-based ability?"
"There's no doubt—he must have some hand ability. This is beyond normal."
"And he's already found his chef's heart. How long has it been?"
The more Mana Nakiri spoke, the happier she sounded—Kael's outrageous talent increased the chance of solving the God's Tongue problem in the future. She wanted Kael to grow even more extraordinary.
"Father, don't let this spread. We can't hide hand-based abilities forever, but we shouldn't be the ones to start the rumor.
Also, I'll have someone send over a Five-Star certificate. He won't need to be tested, please give him a word when the time comes." Mana made arrangements for the follow-up.
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From now on Every 100 Powerstones = 1 bonus Chapter ;)