Chapter 60: Suddenly Anxious Students
At this moment, the sun was just beginning to kiss the manicured lawns of Tootsuki Culinary Academy. Most of the students were still sound asleep in their dorms, recovering from the grueling daily regimen of cooking battles and academic pressure. For chefs, rest was a currency as valuable as saffron, so Tootsuki, despite its strictness, was also very humane about giving students ample sleep time before the morning rush.
But not everyone was sleeping. The elite were already awake.
In a private kitchen within the Nakiri Mansion, Erina Nakiri had already washed up, styled her honey-blonde hair, and changed into her pristine school uniform. She was currently standing over a marble countertop, meticulously preparing a dish, her expression one of absolute focus.
"Miss Erina, your phone."
"Phone? Who's calling at this hour?" Erina asked without looking up, her knife moving rhythmically against a daikon radish.
Hisako Arato, her loyal secretary and friend, glanced at the screen. Her eyes widened. "Miss Erina, it's the Director calling. And looking at the history... it seems he's called several times a few hours ago, starting from 4 AM."
Erina was stunned. Her grandfather was not one to panic or call incessantly without reason. "Grandpa? That's unusual. Hisako, please answer it. I'm busy with the garnish. Please call Grandpa back for me, and put it on speaker."
Hisako nodded and tapped the screen. As soon as the call connected, the phone was answered instantly on the other end, startling Hisako.
Before Erina could even greet him, she heard Senzaemon Nakiri's voice boom through the speaker, deep and unusually urgent.
"Erina! Do you have anything to do today? Anything at all?"
Erina was momentarily stunned by his tone. She continued slicing, not letting her rhythm falter, and said calmly, "Hisako, please tell Grandpa my schedule for today."
Hisako nodded, pulling out a tablet. "Director, today Miss Erina will depart at eight in the morning to attend a nine o'clock tasting event for a three-star restaurant's new signature dish in Ginza. After that, she has a meeting with the budget committee, and then…"
"Alright, enough! Cancel it!"
Hisako was taken aback, nearly dropping the tablet. Erina's knife finally stopped mid-air. She frowned, wiping her hands on a towel.
"Grandpa, what's wrong? Why are you suddenly so agitated? That tasting event was scheduled months ago."
Senzaemon Nakiri said sternly, his voice brooking no argument, "Erina, listen to me. No matter what your schedule is for today, it must be suspended! You must go to class today, no matter what! Specifically, the third period Practical Cooking class in Building C. I will send today's revised class schedule to Hisako shortly. Do not be late!"
Click.
After speaking, he hung up the phone abruptly.
Erina stared at the device, completely baffled. "Eh? Eh?! Grandpa! Why did he hang up… Why do I have to go to class? I already mastered that curriculum years ago!"
At the same time, Hisako's tablet pinged. She received the class schedule from Senzaemon Nakiri. After a quick glance, her jaw dropped.
"Eh?! Miss Erina... why is the class schedule like this?!"
Erina walked over, leaning over Hisako's shoulder. She scanned the document.
"This is... Roland Chapelle-sensei's class schedule? Advanced French Cuisine? Why does Grandpa want me to audit a third-year class? Even if it's Chapelle, I don't need to sit in a classroom."
Erina narrowed her eyes, her mind racing. She suddenly thought of something. "Hisako, check if Chapelle-sensei has something going on today. Is he sick?"
Hisako nodded and quickly tapped away, accessing the faculty database. In a moment, she found the leave request. "Yes, Miss Erina. You're right. Chapelle-sensei's cousin got married in Paris, and he had to fly out last night. Someone will be substitute teaching today."
Erina nodded slowly, pacing the kitchen. "Anyone who can substitute for the 'Magician of Legumes' must be extraordinary. But even then... they can't be that amazing to warrant Grandpa cancelling my entire day. Why does he insist I go?"
Hisako speculated, "The school teachers' schedules are all full due to the upcoming exams. So it should be an outside teacher. Probably a famous alumni or someone the Director knows personally who is quite skilled in cooking."
Erina nodded. "Hmm! Very likely. In that case, it might be someone of a similar caliber to Chapelle-sensei. Grandpa is probably having me go to class out of courtesy to the guest, to show respect from the Nakiri family."
Hisako hesitated, then whispered a thought that had been nagging her. "Could it... could it be Shopkeeper Ren…?"
After she said that name, the kitchen fell silent. The only sound was the humming of the refrigerator.
After a long while, Erina waved her hand dismissively, laughing it off. "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! If Shopkeeper Ren's level were here, Grandpa would definitely announce it with great fanfare, probably organizing a Shokugeki or a grand assembly. What's more, Shopkeeper Ren explicitly said he hates trouble and would never be a teacher."
(Meanwhile, in his office, Senzaemon Nakiri sneezed. "This granddaughter... she underestimates my persuasive powers.")
Hisako nodded, though a small part of her still wondered. "That makes sense. Then what should we do?"
Erina sighed, picking up her knife again. "We can only go to class. After all, Grandpa's words cannot be refused. But if this substitute turns out to be incompetent... don't blame me for asking difficult questions and not giving Grandpa face~."
Hisako covered her small mouth, looking incredulous. She had a sinking feeling her young lady might crash and burn today, but she had no evidence.
Elsewhere on campus, in the Elite Ten dormitory.
"Tsk… Ugh!!! So annoying! Why can't I suddenly sleep?!"
A loud, frustrated shout echoed through the hallway.
Momo Akanegakubo, the 4th Seat, rubbed her sleepy eyes and walked out of her room, hugging her giant plush toy. She knocked on the door next to hers.
"Rindou-senpai… you can't sleep either?" Momo yawned. "I don't know why, but I keep feeling like something is going to happen today… My stomach feels weird."
The door opened, revealing Kobayashi Rindou, the 2nd Seat. She looked unusually restless, her cat-like eyes wide awake. She threw off her sleep cap.
"Hmm! Exactly! I woke up at 4 AM with goosebumps!" Rindou paced her room. "And I don't know why, but my instincts—my gourmet hunter instincts—are screaming at me. They tell me not to skip Chapelle-sensei's class today. I just feel like something's off… something big."
Momo didn't have the same wild instincts, but she trusted Rindou. She scratched her head. "I don't know. Forget it, Rindou-senpai, let's go to class then. Maybe Chapelle-senpai brought back souvenirs. Are we going to Shopkeeper Ren's place tonight?"
Rindou thought for a moment, her grin returning. "Hmm! Let's go to class first. If it's boring, we can sneak out. As for Ren's place, that's fine too, I'm free tomorrow anyway~. Momo-chan, do you have any research today?"
Momo shook her head. "No. I finished my new cake recipe."
It wasn't just them. Everyone who had Chapelle's class today felt a strange sensation, a premonition like a little monster scratching in their heart. The air on campus felt heavy with anticipation.
Unlike the Totsuki Academy, which was starting to stir with anxious energy, the small shop on the other side of the city was calm.
At this moment, Ren, Lucifer, and Cerberus had finished their breakfast. Ren wiped the table, flipped the sign to 'Closed', and locked the door.
They stood on the sidewalk. Ren stretched his arms, enjoying the morning sun. "I never thought I'd be a teacher one day~. Life is full of surprises."
Lucifer, adjusting her trench coat, asked, puzzled, "I just realized, what are we going to do there exactly? Just stand and watch you lecture brats?"
"Tasting~," Ren replied with a smile.
Hearing that word, before Lucifer could speak, Cerberus looked at Ren excitedly, her tail waging. "Food?! We get to eat?!"
Ren smiled and patted her head. "The old man said that Totsuki's teaching is mostly hands-on. It's a practical class. So they should all be making dishes as homework for me to grade. Which means... we eat their homework."
At this, Cerberus was stunned. Her ears drooped. "So Master… it's not your cooking? It's... student food?"
Ren nodded, and Cerberus's enthusiasm was instantly doused like a campfire in a storm.
Ren laughed. "Don't be so disheartened. Totsuki is the best culinary school in Japan. Their cooking shouldn't be bad either. And you'll even have a chance to eat Erina and Rindou's cooking~. You like Rindou, don't you?"
Cerberus nodded slowly, but she still wasn't very interested. To her, Ren's cooking was God-tier, and everything else was just... sustenance. However, Kobayashi Rindou had given her snacks before, so Cerberus didn't say anything rude, only hoping their cooking would be at least edible.
"Aren't we walking?" Lucifer asked, looking at her high heels.
"It's far~. It's in the mountains," Ren explained.
"Oh~."
Although Ren wasn't short on money—he had a literal gold coin in his drawer—he didn't choose to take a taxi. Instead, he led them to the bus stop.
"Why the bus?" Lucifer asked, eyeing the public transport suspiciously.
"It's part of the experience. And I like looking out the window."
Ren swiped his card, and they boarded. Cerberus and Lucifer were curious about the bus mechanism but didn't show much emotion, trying to act cool.
The bus drove away, carrying the Demon Chef and his entourage toward the academy.
At this moment, the students of Totsuki still didn't know how they would spend this unforgettable day… or the trauma that awaited them.
[Author's Note: Next up, the Totsuki Arc! Bringing Alice into the mix soon. This teaching stint will be short and sweet, just to shake things up. Can't forget about Leonora either~]
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