A week had passed since Shogo Santo began his life at Totsuki Academy.
By now, he had grown accustomed to his new routine, settling into the rhythm of student life.
As in the original timeline, Soma Yukihira had also enrolled, though this posed no real issues for Shogo. If anything, the only minor annoyance was that Soma had stolen the spotlight during the entrance ceremony.
While Shogo—standing nearby as the freshman representative—was engrossed in conversation with Erina Nakiri, Soma had suddenly taken the stage without warning.
And then, he dropped the bomb.
"I don't see this academy as anything more than a stepping stone. Now that I'm here, I'm gonna take the top for myself."
The venue erupted in boos.
Erina, who was supposed to introduce Shogo next, shot him a look of pity.
Fortunately, Shogo's excessively humble demeanor, combined with the crowd realizing he was from the prestigious Santo family, eventually calmed the uproar. It was an unpleasant way to stand out, but the damage was minimal.
"…Well, at least I got a little closer to Erina because of it."
Being dragged into Soma's chaos had fostered a sense of camaraderie between them. Not that the reason mattered.
'In the end, she will be mine.'
"Alright, time to get ready…"
Gathering his supplies, Shogo left his room. Today, a crucial battle awaited him.
A Shokugeki—against Arato Hisako.
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"—And now, this Shokugeki reaches its climax! It seems both competitors have finished their dishes!"
The announcer's voice boomed across the vast arena, and in response, the audience's excitement surged to a fever pitch.
The fact that a mere cooking competition warranted such a massive venue only reinforced how absurdly grand Totsuki's scale was when it came to culinary battles.
"First to serve her dish is Contestant Arato! She serves as secretary to none other than the illustrious Nakiri Erina! Just how formidable are her skills?!"
The lively host was none other than Urara Kawashima, a female student whose cutesy gestures and calculatedly sweet voice had earned her idol-like popularity among the male students.
Sure, she was cute, but her figure was… appropriately average for her age. She lacked the kind of "I-want-to-hold-her" allure that would make her truly enticing.
Then again, given how ridiculously attractive the other girls around her were, she was probably still plenty popular.
'…Quite the crowd for a first-year Shokugeki.'
Even though he was surrounded by a large crowd, Shogo remained unfazed. He had been trained since childhood to withstand such pressure.
Besides, though he had only been enrolled for a week, this was already his second Shokugeki.
The reason? His living arrangements.
When considering where to stay, Shogo had immediately ruled out moving into Polaris Dormitory like Soma. Being too close to the original MC would be troublesome—and more importantly, that dorm offered zero privacy.
For someone who planned to bring girls back to his room regularly, it was utterly unsuitable.
So, what did he do?
Simple—Shogo challenged a third-year to a Shokugeki and took their room.
A Shokugeki required equal stakes, but as the eldest son of the Santo family, Shogo had leverage.
By offering his family's influence as collateral, the upperclassman had eagerly accepted. From Shogo's perspective, all he wanted was the room—for the third-year, it must have seemed like a profitable deal.
Thanks to that, Shogo now enjoyed a spacious, well-furnished room from the moment he enrolled. It came with a kitchen, a shower, and even a bathtub.
Most importantly, he had brought in a king-sized bed of his own. The room was flawless—exactly what one would expect from a third-year's quarters.
"—Presenting: 'Herb-Roasted Salmon with Medicinal Infusion.'"
While Shogo was busy reveling in his own cunning, his opponent—Hisako—presented her dish. The main ingredient was salmon, expertly paired with her signature medicinal cuisine.
But more than the dish itself—
Hisako's chef coat was a goddamn crime.
The way it clung to her, outlining every curve of her chest and hips, the way it jiggled with every movement—'Was this some kind of sexual harassment against me?' Shogo thought.
'…The judges seem impressed. It does look delicious~!'
One after another, the judges showered her with praise. Hisako herself seemed satisfied, a confident smile playing on her lips.
"…Sorry, but I don't plan on losing." Of course, Shogo had no intention of losing.
He was the one who had challenged her to this Shokugeki. To claim Arato Hisako as his prize, victory was non-negotiable.
Getting her to accept had been easy. He'd dangled the one thing she couldn't resist—the omelet he'd made during Erina's entrance exam, the one Hisako had been denied.
Just as expected, she bit. Her condition? If she won, he'd make it for her. Everything was going exactly as planned. It was almost laughable how smoothly things were progressing.
The dish he'd prepared wasn't even his best. He'd deliberately held back—just enough to barely surpass Hisako's level. With so many eyes on him now, there was no need to stand out unnecessarily.
What he served was a simple "Salmon en Papillote."
More than enough to win.
And then—
"The judges have reached a verdict! With a score of 2-1, the winner is—Santo Shogo!"
—Flawless victory.
Shogo had defeated Arato Hisako.
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"Here we are. This is my room."
"…O-oh excuse me for the intruding, then."
The day after the Shokugeki, on a rare day off from classes, Arato Hisako cautiously stepped into Shogo Santo's dorm room at the early hour of 10 AM.
Raised in a strict household, she had likely never set foot in a boy's room before. The way her eyes darted around, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings, was undeniably adorable.
"You don't have to be so nervous. I'll make some tea."
"I-I'm not nervous!"
An obvious lie—but a man who knew how to handle women wouldn't call her out on it.
The condition Shogo had set for their Shokugeki was simple: if he won, Hisako would teach him everything she knew about medicinal cuisine.
Of course, that was just the excuse. He couldn't care less about herbal remedies. The only thing that interested him was Arato Hisako's voluptuous body.
"Y-Your room is… big. …And your bed is huge."
"You know why, right? I won it in a Shokugeki."
"…I never thought I'd lose, especially not to a third-year. I didn't let my guard down, and yet…"
"Nah, it was a close call. Your herb-roasted dish was incredible."
Hisako's cheeks flushed—not so much from the compliment, but from the way he casually used her first name.
"Wha—! D-Don't get so familiar, Santo Shogo!"
"Haha, full name, huh? Just call me Shogo. And I'll call you Hisako. Maybe I should've added that to my victory conditions."
Hisako pursed her lips, clearly annoyed but unable to protest. Her perfectionist nature meant she couldn't argue against the terms of her defeat.
"Alright, say it."
"Sh… Sh…ogo."
"Good girl, Hisako."
"D-Don't treat me like a child!"
Her outburst seemed to ease some of her tension, and she finally settled onto a cushion, kneeling in perfect seiza, as expected of a proper young lady. The way her skirt barely concealed her smooth, pale thighs was impossible to ignore.
"Now, as promised, you'll be teaching me your medicinal cuisine knowledge. Two days, starting today. And don't worry—Erina already gave you time off."
"I-I know… Pathetic as it is, I received her permission. I'll teach you everything I can."
Thanks to the omelet he'd served during the transfer exam, Erina held Shogo in high regard. In this world, culinary skill was everything, so his rising reputation was only natural. That's why even borrowing Hisako hadn't been an issue.
As for Hisako herself, she seemed to respect his skills enough that losing didn't weigh too heavily on her.
The fact that it had been a 2-1 victory rather than a 3-0 shutout probably helped.
'…Good thing I didn't hold back.'
And so, their "study session" began…