"See? He noticed, big bro. I told you your plan wasn't going to work!"
Takumi was still frozen in shock when his little brother, Isami, delivered the perfect finishing blow. Honestly, that kid was ruthless—always ready to twist the knife a little deeper.
"Shut it, Isami!"
Takumi finally snapped back to reality, glaring at his brother in embarrassment.
"Takumi, we barely even know each other. Why did you come all the way over here just to provoke Kael?"
It only took that brief exchange for everyone nearby to realize exactly what the Takumi brothers were plotting.
It was clear Takumi had approached Kael intentionally. Unfortunately for him, Kael had seen through it immediately, leaving Takumi stuck in an awkward mess of his own making.
Except for Soma Yukihira, most students here knew Takumi well. After all, there were only so many Three-Star Chefs in the first-year class. Takumi and Isami were pretty well known.
"I…"
Takumi completely blanked. He had been nervous even before this. If everything had gone according to plan, he could've just recited the speech he'd rehearsed.
But now that Kael had flipped the situation on him and even questioned him directly, his mind went completely empty.
"I'll explain for you. Takumi probably saw how I became famous after stepping over Kuga-senpai, so he wanted to copy the same move and use me as his stepping stone, right?" Kael spoke calmly.
In the original story, Takumi only targeted Soma because of Soma's habit of acting like everyone was his rival.
But here, Kael had never wronged Takumi. The only reason Takumi would do this was to imitate Kael's rise—to step on Kael in hopes of climbing up himself.
"Big bro, he figured out your plan!"
Before Takumi could defend himself, Isami exposed everything again. Everyone stared at Isami with strange expressions.
He was Takumi's brother, but he acted like he had a personal grudge. First the jab, now the complete betrayal.
"Since Isami admitted it, there's no point hiding it anymore. Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking. But only because you did it first."
Takumi sighed. He couldn't cover it up now, so he simply admitted it—but made sure to stress that Kael was the one who set this "precedent."
"That's where you're wrong, Takumi. You need to understand something. Me stepping over Kuga-senpai and you trying to step over me are two completely different things."
Kael shook his head.
"How is it different?" Takumi refused to accept that.
"It's simple. What happened to me was entirely passive. What you're doing is deliberate."
Kael raised a finger.
"I only clashed with Kuga-senpai because I received an extremely high evaluation during the cooking assessment. That evaluation went viral on the school forums, which is why he noticed me."
"He was the one who approached me for a Shokugeki—I didn't go looking for him. Even joining the Chinese Cuisine Research Society as the main chef was his suggestion."
"So from start to finish, I was reacting to things that happened to me. You, on the other hand, came here on purpose to pick a fight."
Kael lowered his hand.
"Anyway, I've said what I needed to say. You can leave now. If something happens next, I won't be responsible."
He lifted his foot slightly.
"Something happens…?" Takumi blinked, confused.
"Big bro, we need to leave. Now. Otherwise… we might get ripped apart."
Isami tugged on his sleeve urgently.
Takumi turned—and froze.
Dozens of members from the Chinese Cuisine Research Society were glaring at the two brothers with an intensity that made Takumi's heart spike. Their eyes looked like they wanted to devour someone alive.
Kael had only been their main chef for a short time, but everything he brought them was very real, very tangible.
Anyone who messed with Kael was messing with them.
And in this hall, the Chinese Cuisine Research Society made up more than a tenth of the student crowd. Over a hundred members total—and even if only a few dozen were staring, that alone was terrifying enough.
"I—I'm sorry! I didn't think it through!"
Takumi finally cracked under the pressure. He bowed hurriedly, grabbed Isami, and bolted all the way to the other side of the hall.
Kael watched the brothers flee, then turned and gave a small smile and nod to the students of the Chinese Cuisine Research Society.
Instantly, the murderous tension vanished. The dozens of glaring students broke into friendly smiles and stopped paying attention to Kael's side.
"Wow, their eyes were so scary just now. If Kael gave the signal, they would've charged in for sure!"
The residents of the Polar Star Dormitory were stunned.
"It's not that extreme," Kael laughed, "but yeah—anyone who tries to mess with me is basically provoking the entire Chinese Cuisine Research Society."
And he wasn't exaggerating. His status in the society now completely overshadowed Terunori Kuga. Kael could elevate members' cooking ceilings, that alone made him invaluable.
"I can't believe you've already earned that level of loyalty after joining the Chinese Cuisine Research Society for such a short time. That's amazing, Kael."
Alice sighed in genuine admiration.
It wasn't sarcasm—she was honestly impressed. But considering Kael's Divine Hearing and what he could do with it, it wasn't strange at all.
If Kael wanted to, he could raise almost anyone's upper limit. Not infinitely, of course, but still enough to make students go crazy.
That was exactly why God's Tongue had always been revered.
Not long after Takumi's little incident wrapped up, Gin Dojima stepped onto the platform at the front of the hall.
The moment he appeared, the entire room buzzed with excitement.
To these students, Gin Dojima was practically a legend.