Chapter 23: Fate (Patreon)

In Ramsay's eyes, making beef balls as springy and bouncy as a coiled spring was nothing special.

Perspective shapes the way a person thinks. Perhaps it was because he had witnessed the God of Cookery, Stephen Chow, and above all that miraculous molten-yolk fried egg, that nothing strange could stir him anymore!

Besides, Stephen Chow's cooking wasn't even top-tier when set against the vast myriad worlds. In Cooking Master Boy, for instance, the chef nicknamed Leopard Head, Yakan, ignited the entire Yangtze River just to prepare a single dish, tempering his ingredients with the fire of heaven and earth!

Compared to that, the scale of the Food Wars! world really was confined to a corner, and from a multiversal perspective it was crude and narrow!

Still, Ramsay never dared say any of this aloud. Such pointless comparisons and explanations would only be a waste of breath. In the end, he simply let Joichiro and Gin Dojima marvel in private, and played the part of a hidden master who had shown his edge by accident!

…

Once the assessment ended, the warm and boisterous Joichiro bounded right over.

"Hey, classmate. Wanna join our Polar Star Dorm? Let me tell you, Polar Star is hands down the best dorm at Totsuki! It's full of talented people, and there are plenty of excellent upperclasswomen and underclasswomen too. Even the living conditions are first-rate by Totsuki standards!"

He was still eager to rattle off more selling points when Gin, exasperated but decisive, hauled him aside by the arm and hissed, "Quit talking nonsense and keep quiet!"

Joichiro looked baffled. He shook off Gin's hand and grumbled, "Gin, what did you pull me for? I was just recruiting a first-year with huge potential!"

"Shut up!"

Gin gave him a light smack to cut off his rambling. Then he solemnly handed Ramsay the finished score sheet, his expression serious.

"Hm… this is your result for the entrance exam. I had the honor of tasting your cooking today, and it left a deep impression on me. I look forward to even better performances from you on Totsuki's stage."

Ramsay took the certificate of passing and walked straight out of the classroom, completely ignoring Joichiro, who was still nattering away behind him!

…

He had to admit that being among such lively young people always brought out a certain youthful spirit. Gin was steady and reserved, with a commanding presence, and easily stood out among his peers. Joichiro, by contrast, was impulsive, hot-blooded and reckless, and a real riot to be around!

After leaving the examination classroom, Ramsay headed to the academy's admissions office. Everything went smoothly, and he completed all the enrollment procedures without a hitch.

When he finished, the teacher handling his case looked up and asked about his housing needs.

"Student, would you like to apply for on-campus housing? The academy provides dedicated apartments for students in three tiers: Deluxe, Standard and Basic, each with a different fee. Deluxe apartments are 100,000 yen per month, Standard ones are 60,000 yen per month, and Basic ones are only 30,000 yen per month."

Ramsay grumbled inwardly. Totsuki really did live up to its reputation as a gathering place for the children of wealthy families. A single Deluxe apartment cost 100,000 yen a month, over 6,000 yuan, far beyond anything an ordinary culinary academy would charge!

Still, he had plenty of money on hand now and didn't want to shortchange himself, so he answered without hesitation.

"Just arrange the best housing the academy has."

He had meant the top-tier Deluxe paid apartment. The teacher, however, misunderstood. Surprise flickered across his face, and he asked again.

"You're sure? You want the academy's best accommodation?"

"That's right. I want the best."

Ramsay nodded, his tone firm.

The teacher said no more. He issued a residency certificate and handed it over.

"Take this to the Polar Star Dorm to register. But I have to warn you in advance: no one can guarantee you'll actually get in!"

"Hm? Polar Star Dorm?"

Ramsay froze, puzzled. All he'd wanted was a high-end paid apartment. How had he ended up sent to the legendary run-down Polar Star Dorm?

Seeing his bewilderment, the admissions teacher explained. "Student, didn't you ask for the best place in the academy? The one Totsuki universally recognizes as its top residence is the Polar Star Dorm! And it doesn't charge any rent at all. Pass the dorm manager's assessment, and you can live there for free."

…

Those words jogged Ramsay's memory. The dilapidated, weed-choked Polar Star Dorm of the original story was only its later, fallen state.

At this point in the timeline, the dorm's reputation stood tall among the gleaming skyscrapers of Totsuki. This was exactly the golden age of Polar Star! Among the Elite Ten, the top-ranked students in the academy, First Seat Gin Dojima, Second Seat Joichiro and Third Seat Azami Nakamura all came from Polar Star!

He remembered what Miss Fumio had told Soma Yukihira and the others in the original: "The former glory of Polar Star is something later generations could never imagine!"

And now, through repeated shokugeki duels and fights over resources, and with Joichiro, Gin Dojima and Azami Nakamura joining forces, Polar Star had won an enormous share of the academy's resources and land!

…

By now, the Polar Star Dorm was a detached, luxurious villa. Every guest room was exquisitely furnished and full of style.

The facilities were lavish to the extreme: a private pesticide-free vegetable garden, fermentation rooms, animal-rearing rooms, professional cooking classrooms and more, everything one could want. There was even a gym, a tennis court and a soccer field…

In short, it had every kind of recreational and practical facility imaginable. Its standard was far beyond any paid apartment in the academy.

Of course, the bar for entry was extremely high. This year, over four hundred freshmen had challenged the Polar Star admission assessment, and only one had passed.

Holding the residency certificate, Ramsay knew exactly what had happened. Without meaning to, he had picked the finest housing at Totsuki!