"A somewhat unusual set of kitchen knives—picked up by chance on my last trip." Kael already had his excuse ready.
He couldn't say the knives were custom-made—after all, with the craftsmanship of the Seven-Star Knives, no one in the World of Food Wars could reproduce them. The only plausible explanation was that he'd stumbled across them and bought them.
"A set of knives? And you needed a box that huge? How many knives are even in there?" Everyone stared at the case, which was nearly as tall as a person, and asked in surprise.
"Not that many. Seven in total. The case looks huge because one of them is excessively large." Kael said that as he opened the case, revealing what the knives looked like.
"That's a massive blade—this really counts as a kitchen knife?" They were stunned when they saw the largest knife.
That single blade took up one side of the case; the other side held six knives of differing shapes.
"It's big, sure, but it is still a kitchen knife. The problem is, it's not easy to use—the weight of the set is astonishing." Kael nodded.
The biggest knife didn't look like a typical cleaver at all, though compared to the Melk knives from the World of Food Wars it was practically delicate.
"Kael, can we try them?" Alice Nakiri couldn't help asking.
After months together, she and Kael had grown close enough to call each other by their names. (Megumi Tadokoro was the exception—Even though she and Kael were close, she still couldn't change the way she addressed him.)
"You can, but be careful. These knives are extremely sharp—if you use too much force they could even split a cutting board."
Kael warned them. The sharpness of the Seven-Star Knives was no joke: slicing ingredients was one thing, slicing flesh was quite another.
"So sharp?!"
Alice and the others gasped, but curiosity won out. They drew the knives.
"Wow, they're heavy. Even the smallest one must weigh over two kilograms—how would you even use this?"
Even the smallest knife weighed more than two kilograms; the rest ranged from around two to five kilos. The largest—blade number 623—tipped the scales at an astonishing twenty kilos, roughly the weight of a sledgehammer."
For comparison, ordinary cleavers weigh only one hundred to five hundred grams. Kael's knives were several times heavier than standard kitchen tools.
No one knew what material Luo Xie had used when making the set, but Kael's physique made the weight no problem—his body was in that frame of strength now.
"I told you—the weight is remarkable." Kael repeated, explaining that aside from the largest blade the knives looked slim and elegent, but the mass was very real.
Curiosity led them to the kitchen, with Kael's permission. The result made everyone's eyes go wide. No matter the ingredient, the knives sliced through like water—there was no noticeable resistance.
Even Yuki Yoshino's frozen chicken, bones included, was cut cleanly in one stroke. Because the knives were hard to control, one cutting board was ruined in the process.
"These are unusable—too heavy and too sharp. I'm scared I'll cut my hand if I'm not careful." Yuki returned the knives to Kael with trembling hands.
"They really are terrifyingly sharp, and far heavier than normal. We can't adapt to them—our wrists would ache after just a few uses."
Alice, still shaken, added she was glad Kael had warned them so many times before trying the blades; otherwise they could have been seriously injured. With knives of this edge, any wound would be severe. In her entire life as the Nakiri family's heiress, she'd never seen knives this sharp.
"This set is called the Seven-Star Knives. Strictly speaking, they're even harder to use than the Hundred-Hole Knife. It's said that if used in combination, the seven knives can handle any ingredient."
Kael gave a brief explanation of the Seven-Star Knives.
"To be able to use knives like that... Kael, you never cease to amaze." Megumi said, then added, "By the way, you've been away a couple of days— the autumn selection list has been posted."
"Right, right—the autumn selection list is out. Kael, guess who made it?" Yuki asked excitedly.
"Apart from Aoki and Sato, I think everyone else made it."
Kael answered. In the original timeline, after the second supplementary list, everyone from Polar Star Dormitory made the cut except Daigo Aoki and Shoji Sato.
Satoshi Isshiki, being in his second year, wasn't counted. During Kael's stay at Polar Star, he'd used his Divine Senses to help everyone improve; even Aoki and Sato saw significant gains.
Those two still couldn't match the others, but at Totsuki their skills landed in the upper-middle tier. With Kael's help they passed the Three-Star assessment at different times.
Kael wasn't sure about Aoki and Sato because the autumn selection list weighed heavily on the boarding training performance, more so than routine course assessments.
Their kitchen progress during the short boarding training had improved but not dramatically, so Kael couldn't be certain they'd entered the list.
"You're right—Aoki and Sato appeared on the second batch. According to Isshiki-senpai, they couldn't originally make the list, but they passed the Three-Star assessment last month, so they were included in the second wave. The rest of us are all in the first batch."
Alice said with a smile.
"To be honest, Kael entering the autumn selection would be like cheating. During the boarding training he was already at Five-Star level."
Zenji Marui complained. The Elite Ten's highest chefs were Five-Star masters; the rest were Four-Star. Having a Five-Star student in the Elite Ten seed selection was absurd.
For months Kael had been busy improving his skills and had avoided assessments, so no one truly knew his level. Who would've imagined that in a few months Kael's abilities would rival Kojiro Shino's?
"True. A Five-Star chef in the Elite Ten seed selection practically guarantees the rest of us will only be fighting for second place." Everyone agreed with Zenji.
"Well, it's unavoidable—Kael is still a first-year and not officially Elite Ten."
"And the autumn selection is for the public—it's Totsuki's face to the world. The stronger the students who participate, the better for Totsuki."
Satoshi Isshiki explained. This autumn selection wasn't just about picking Elite Ten seeds; it was meant to prove to the outside world that Totsuki's students were elite chefs. So even though Kael was already Five-Star, when the Elite Ten voted they all agreed he should participate in the autumn selection.
"Also, the judges they've invited this time follow international standards—I still remember how dismal the scores were in previous years."
Yuki couldn't help but grumble.
"Were the scores that low?"
Soma Yukihira, who hadn't always been at the academy and didn't follow the school's history closely, asked. He knew little about past autumn selections unless someone told him.
"Well... some good, some bad. The autumn selection scores are out of 100, but the best score in past years was Eishi Tsukasa's—now the First Seat of the Elite Ten. I recall his score was eighty-eight."
Ryoko Sakaki remembered, and Kael wasn't surprised. Even though the Jewel Generation had many scores above ninety, previous judges said the top scores in past years had only been in the seventies and eighties; no nineties had appeared.
That meant neither Eishi's year nor Isshiki's year were as strong as the Jewel Generation. They'd been one year ahead—if the Jewel Generation had time to mature, surpassing them was inevitable.
"Eighty-eight was the highest? What score did Isshiki get back then?"
Soma asked, curious. After spending time around Isshiki he suspected the opening match between Eishi and himself had been held back.
"Eighty-one. My score was eighty-one."
Isshiki answered before anyone else could.
"Yeah, I remember—eighty-one. In older batches the top scores were mostly in the seventies. Only the current second- and third-years went over eighty."
Everyone nodded; they had watched Isshiki compete in the audience that year.
"So what's the lowest score?" Soma pressed on.
"The lowest scores were single digits. Sixty students compete and fewer than ten reached sixty points or more. Most were in the twenties or thirties."
Zenji's words shocked Soma. Totsuki's students weren't weak; Soma had seen the level in recent months. Yet most competitors clustered in the twenties and thirties—on a hundred-point scale, that was unbelievable.
"The autumn selection uses international standards so students get exposure to the outside world, not just to live in their own bubble." Isshiki explained simply.
Students would have to leave school for a bigger stage; early exposure to the outside would make future adaptation easier. Not all students graduate—those who do can be counted on one hand. The rest drop out.
Even though Totsuki's system trains for excellence, it didn't mean the school abandoned those who left. Some dropouts later outshone graduates—such examples weren't rare.
"The list is out and the theme will be released soon. After the holidays the autumn selection begins—this is your chance to show yourselves."
Isshiki smiled. He had high expectations for the Polar Star Dormitory; aside from Aoki and Sato, everyone there had already surpassed his first-year performance. His own cooking had improved quickly with Kael's help, but his growth still lagged a bit behind others.
"Looks like a lot of people will suffer through the holidays like the boarding training."
After the list and theme were released, there was about a month to prepare—enough to cause serious mental pressure. Autumn selection might not force expulsion, but a disastrous performance in public could be tantamount to it.
With that, everyone returned to their routines. Kael put his things away and began training with the Seven-Star Knives.
Once mastered, switching the knives in sequence produced a blade dance—hence the technique was also called the Seven-Star Instant-Cut Blade Dance.
Days flew by, and before long the holiday arrived and the autumn selection theme finally landed in Polar Star Dormitory's mailbox.