Everyone took turns trying, but even Megumi Tadokoro—who had the strongest motherly aura of them all—couldn't get anywhere with her.
If even Megumi couldn't do it, the rest had no chance. At this point, they were all just staring helplessly at the little girl named Kanon.
"Kael, think of something, please! this girl's beyond us."
Alice Nakiri sighed as she watched Kael easily pacify the other students.
"It's actually not that hard. There are plenty of ways. She's only refusing to become a chef because she has no interest in it. So, the goal is simple—give her something to be interested in." Kael smiled.
"And don't forget, we chefs are the only ones in this world who can awaken Special Abilities."
Maybe that alone would spark Kanon's curiosity.
"And honestly, she does want to be part of the group. She's just too mature for her age and thinks she's supposed to act differently from the rest." Kael continued, "She's been sneaking glances at the other kids the whole time. She's just a little tsundere."
He glanced at Erina Nakiri as he said that—the greatest example of a tsundere in existence. Catching his look, Alice turned to Erina too, barely holding back laughter. She knew exactly what Erina was like, but laughing now would definitely get her cousin fuming.
Meanwhile, Erina and the others finally realized they were completely out of their depth. They had no idea how to handle small children. The kids' chaotic energy was enough to make even Erina feel lost.
"I get it now—so the way to deal with a kid like Kanon is to challenge her pride!" Megumi said suddenly.
A tsundere's greatest weakness was provocation. So Megumi walked straight toward Kanon.
Her voice was still as gentle as always, but the moment she implied Kanon was just like the other kids—and maybe even scared of messing up her dumplings—Kanon snapped.
Being compared to the others was the last thing she wanted, so she instantly followed Megumi to learn how to wrap dumplings.
"…Okay, I admit it. When it comes to this kind of thing, you guys are definitely better than me." Alice exhaled, genuinely impressed.
"Now you all can join in. You may not be great with kids, but teaching them to wrap dumplings should be easy enough," Kael said.
That, at least, they could do. Everyone jumped in immediately. They had no clue how to wrangle children, but dumplings? That was nothing.
While everyone got busy, Kael finally had some time to think.
He'd mentioned earlier—chefs in this world were unique. Only chefs could awaken Special Abilities. So he had been wondering… would he awaken one someday?
He already had the Divine Senses, but those came from Character Inheritance, not from himself. Special Abilities weren't guaranteed—plenty of chefs never awakened anything. Even someone like Joichiro Saiba didn't have one.
Still… Kael might awaken something eventually.
The rule behind these powers was simple:
A Special Ability is the manifestation of a chef's inner nature.
God's Tongue came from Erina's flawless precision.
Eishi Tsukasa's ability to communicate with ingredients came from his pure heart and hatred of interacting with scheming people.
Asahi Saiba's Cross Knives were born from his desire to replace Soma entirely, to steal every bit of Soma's talent and claim Joichiro's affection for himself.
Megumi Tadokoro's gentle wish for people everywhere to enjoy unfamiliar food equally became her "Friendly Hospitality."
Every ability was a window into someone's true self.
So… what was Kael's true nature?
He thought back to his Cooking Heart—Domineering Chef's Heart. If his Special Ability matched his Cooking Heart, then…
"An dominating Special Ability? That sounds… weirdly abstract," he muttered.
He still had no idea what form it might take. Awakening could happen in two ways: sudden enlightenment, or endless training.
Sudden enlightenment couldn't be forced.
Training, though… that he could do.
And no one trained harder than he did—not after the hellish regimen of the Dark Cooking Society's First Territory. Even with the Second Territory unlocked, the First still existed, and he continued training there every day.
If he awakened a Special Ability someday, great.
If not, that was just fate.
Once Kael and the others truly focused, the kids were completely won over. Their usual teachers had never served them food this delicious. After tasting such incredible dishes, their enthusiasm shot through the roof.
The class ended quickly, and the children were reluctant to see them go. Unfortunately, substitute lessons like this could only happen once in a while.
"How was your first class?" Kael asked.
"I've taught people before, but teaching children is an entirely different thing. We just copied Megumi," Erina admitted.
Teaching professionals was one thing. Teaching kids required patience, a soft tone—unless they were being particularly naughty. At first, they were completely lost and had to learn by watching Megumi, who might as well have been born for this.
When everything wrapped up, they each returned to their own tasks.
But Alice noticed something.
Erina had changed today.
At first, she thought Erina wouldn't be able to do anything with those kids—that she would freeze up, awkward and unsure. And that was exactly how it started. But as time passed, Erina gradually relaxed and blended into the group.
Alice didn't understand why… until she thought about Erina's past.
Erina's true nature wasn't cruel. It was Azami Nakiri who had twisted her views. Around children, she didn't need to pretend. And seeing those kids reminded her of being taught by her mother, Mana Nakiri, long before things fell apart.
Mana had been proud and strict with everyone else—but with her daughter, she had always been gentle.
She had desperately wanted to cure the curse of God's Tongue, partly for herself… and partly for Erina. She didn't want her daughter to suffer the same fate.
But in the end, the price of God's Tongue had broken her.
Back at the Polar Star Dormitory, everyone continued honing their skills while waiting for the next match.
Soon, it was time for the first round's drawing of themes. Soma Yukihira, Erina Nakiri, and Hisako Arato drew the theme for one match. Ryoko Sakaki, Shun Ibusaki, and Megumi drew the second.
"The theme is… bento? That's kind of rough for Alice and Hisako. Soma, you totally lucked out!" Yuki Yoshino said.
"…Why is that?" Erina asked, confused.
"Because Soma grew up in a diner," Kael explained. "Bento is basically boxed meals. He's made them countless times. You've seen them and eaten them, sure, but you haven't made many. So in terms of experience? You can't compare."
No matter the dish, familiarity mattered.
Erina came from a noble family—she only ate bento when she felt like trying something new. Hisako also came from a well-off family and had always stayed by Erina's side.
"Ah… I see," Alice nodded. If Kael said so, she'd believe him.
"But you don't have to stress too much." Kael smiled. "Even if this is Soma's specialty, just remember the core principles of a bento."
"Core principles?" Everyone turned to him.
"Yes. First—It has to fill you up. Bento exists for people who work physical jobs or don't have time to eat properly. Being filling is the foundation. Only after that can you add the next layer—making it taste good, balancing nutrition, and elevating ingredients."
Kael remembered the original match well.
Alice's bento had been visually gorgeous—rows of delicate sushi arranged neatly across three boxes. Beautiful, refined… but too refined. Compared to Soma's rustic, hearty meal, hers felt distant. Bento needed heartiness and comfort, not luxury.
A tray with a little rice and a few side dishes wasn't a bento.
A tightly packed lunch box, full of food and warmth—that was the real spirit of a bento.