Chapter 31: Ramsay, This Person Is Very Impressive (Patreon)

Next, Gin Dojima pointed to the man and woman on the other side of the dining hall to finish the last of the introductions.

"These two are Chusaku Oshima and Mika Hashizuki."

"Oshima is a third-year in the High School Division, same as Joichiro and me, and he's the lead of the Oden Research Society. Mika is a second-year and hasn't joined any club, but she's exceptionally good at Western-style cold dishes, and she has deep knowledge and her own distinctive insights into French cuisine."

And with that, every member of Polar Star Dorm had made an appearance.

Thanks to Gin Dojima's introductions, it didn't take Ramsay long to blend into the dorm's atmosphere.

After a little while together, the perceptive Gin Dojima keenly noticed that something between Ramsay and Azami Nakamura felt faintly off. The two seemed to be getting along calmly enough, but there was a trace of distance and a wall between them.

Of course, he was tactful enough never to bring it up.

Before long, Joichiro carried out the dishes he had cooked himself and set them neatly on the table.

Warmth bloomed in Kazuko Minami's eyes as she looked over the beautifully colored dishes. "Whenever Senior Joichiro cooks proper food, it heals me from the inside out. If only you didn't always mess around with those strange dark cuisines… Ahem! …then it would be perfect."

The moment she finished, Jun Shiomi, who had been sitting quietly nearby, shuddered all over. Clearly, some painful memory had been branded deep into her, and fear had become a reflex.

Joichiro showed not a shred of guilt. He just grinned and shot back, "What do you mean, 'strange stuff'? Those dishes may look unconventional, but they hide unique culinary ideas and have enormous research value. How can you dismiss them so easily?"

Then, as if he'd suddenly remembered something, his eyes lit up and he turned to everyone with enthusiasm. "Oh, right! I just cured a batch of aged bacon with my special fish marinade mixed with fresh ginger paste. The flavor's really unique… Everyone, you've got to try it. And give me some tips on how to improve it while you're at it!"

"Shut your mouth!"

Gin Dojima's expression darkened at once. He glared fiercely at Joichiro, his face stern. "Joichiro, this is my last warning. Nobody's going to stop you from tinkering and messing around in the kitchen. But if you dare carry those bizarre, outrageous dark cuisines into the dining hall, or leave them in the corridors or any common area of Polar Star Dorm, I'll throw you out of the dorm on the spot."

His tone grew even harsher. "And if I ever catch you forcing Jun to eat that disgusting stuff again, I'll break your legs."

Hearing this, Jun Shiomi's tense body relaxed. Her eyes turned slightly red, and she was so moved she nearly cried. She thanked Gin over and over. "Thank you, Senior…"

Scolded in front of everyone, Joichiro looked a little wronged.

"I just wanted everyone to try a new dish. Is that really worth getting this angry over? Gin, you're just too hard-headed, and that's why you can never find a girlfriend."

Having finished complaining, he immediately turned to Ramsay beside him. A teasing, mischievous grin spread across his face, and he lowered his voice. "Ramsay, let me tell you something. Don't let this First Seat of the Elite Ten act fool you! Gin looks like he's got a huge presence, but at Totsuki he's all alone. He doesn't even have a girlfriend."

Without waiting for Ramsay to answer, he carried on by himself. "Know why? He's too stuffy and stubborn. Every other word is some lecture, and he's rigid and boring! What girl these days would fall for a personality like that? If you ask me, he'll most likely stay single his whole life. A total bachelor!"

This blunt ribbing instantly livened up the dining hall, and everyone burst out laughing.

Gin Dojima, humiliated in front of everyone, had black lines running down his forehead and a drop in pressure around him. Without a word, he strode toward Joichiro. He clearly had no intention of wasting more breath and meant to settle this with his fists.

Seeing that Gin was serious, Joichiro panicked and threw up his hands. "Wait, wait, wait… I'm sorry! I was just joking to liven up the mood. Don't take it seriously!"

While Joichiro was being chased down for his "lesson," a lively and ridiculous scene, Kazuko Minami, sitting across from Ramsay, blinked her bright eyes and smiled at him. "Don't be scared, Ramsay. Those two seniors always bicker like this."

Right. They looked like they were fighting, but the two were actually extremely close. They had been partners side by side for years, and nobody could match their tacit understanding. In the kitchen, both were top-tier chefs whom everyone could trust.

So, watching the scene before him with a mix of laughter and exasperation, Ramsay gave a helpless little shake of his head. "I'm fine, Senior. I'm not uncomfortable at all. Thank you for worrying about me."

"You're welcome." Kazuko Minami's eyes curved into crescents, her smile radiant. "Looking after a handsome, gentle little junior is my favorite thing to do."

Then, full of curiosity, Kazuko Minami continued, "Ramsay, Senior Dojima has introduced all of us to you, but we don't know anything about you yet. Why don't you introduce yourself briefly and tell us what style of cuisine you're good at?"

The question instantly piqued everyone's interest.

Joichiro, who had still been scuffling with Gin, stopped at once and hurried back to the table, excitement written all over his face.

"Ahem! Let me tell everyone about this!"

Joichiro jumped in, sounding thrilled and envious at once. "You can't even imagine how good our new classmate's cooking is. He's a truly gifted, top-class chef!"

He paused deliberately for a moment to stoke everyone's curiosity, then went on, vividly. "You all know beef, right? The fascia and muscle fibers are always tough and dense. Even if you chop it with a knife over and over, it's hard to cut all the way through."

"But Ramsay's different. He just throws punches. Bare-handed! With nothing but the force of his fists, he pounds a whole slab of beef into fine, silky mince! Even knives struggle with those stubborn tendons and fibers, but he smashed them apart with punch after punch! Then he used that ultra-fine mince to make beef meatballs… Tsk tsk tsk! The texture was absolutely sublime!"