Chapter 1004: Which Side Will You Choose?

One week later, the first-year students of Totsuki Academy all received a training camp booklet, printed with promotional phrases like "Friendship and Exchange," "Lodging Training," "Training Guide," "Creating More Beautiful Memories Together," and even a cartoon drawing of a little figure in a chef's uniform and a dog, cartoonish and cute —

But in reality, this was the admission ticket to a cruel, competitive elimination hell exam, and moreover one that could not be refused; after receiving the booklet, with three days of preparation time before the training camp began, the Polar Star Dormitory members handed over their part-time jobs at the night market stalls.

"Everyone, I hope you return having passed."

Isshiki Satoshi, stripped down to only his underwear, saw everyone off at the Polar Star Dormitory entrance on the day of the training camp.

"Rest assured, Isshiki-senpai, we will definitely return having passed."

Yoshino Yuuki replied with a sentence.

"Also don't put too much pressure on yourselves; even if you fail, you can still become the proprietors of the Polar Star Dormitory night market stall in the future."

The blonde girl with twin buns stumbled, nearly falling over.

"Oh right, I can still be the proprietor of the night market stall."

"Komekko, calm down, don't just default to assuming you'll end in failure and elimination before the exam even starts!"

The group walked noisily toward the academy training camp assembly point, carrying their personal luggage.

At the assembly point, dozens of luxury buses were already waiting.

"Broly, here."

Mito Ikumi looked around at the entrance, and upon seeing Broly, waved at him.

"Ikumi, why are you here?"

Broly walked over, asking in puzzlement.

"That's because I was waiting for you, of course. Come, Erina-sama arranged a bus seat for you, right next to me; I'll take you there now."

Mito Ikumi was very enthusiastic; ever since that night she was gifted a teddy bear and heard Broly say she also had the right to choose what she liked, she took this tall, burly Saiyan boy to heart, and these days she ran to the Sixth Cooking Building very frequently.

During this time, she would also occasionally go in after Erina finished instructing Broly on cooking, to instruct Broly on some meat-handling knowledge o

Through this back-and-forth, Mito Ikumi became, after Tadokoro Megumi, the second most intimate capture target Broly had in this world.

"Uh————"

However, faced with her enthusiasm, Broly hesitated a bit.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing Broly not following, Mito Ikumi turned back to look at him in puzzlement.

"I already agreed earlier to sit together with her."

Broly glanced at the twisted-braid girl beside him, then answered Mito Ikumi's question.

Mito Ikumi narrowed her eyes; Tadokoro Megumi, whose mental state was worried, also came back to her senses, and facing Mito Ikumi's scrutinizing gaze, subconsciously shrank behind Broly, her hand also subconsciously grabbing the boy's clothes, peeking out carefully to look back at her.

【A timid little girl's shy reaction, unexpectedly has a kind of hamster-like cuteness, a guy who makes one feel protective ————】

Mito Ikumi was alert in her heart, but considering she and Broly had no extra relationship beyond friends, she thought for a moment, then probed: "Who is this?"

"Tadokoro Megumi, my dormitory building roommate."

Broly introduced the girl beside him.

"Mito-san, hello."

Tadokoro Megumi greeted carefully.

"Oh, you know me?"

"Mm, your grades were always at the top during the Middle School Division, and as long as it was a dish related to meat, the grades you obtained never fell below A; you're a celebrity. Plus you came to our Polar Star Dormitory night market stall to eat before, so I know you."

Tadokoro Megumi nodded.

"So you were there that time too————"

The meat-cooking genius who was always at the top, Tadokoro Megumi could remember, but conversely, Mito Ikumi couldn't recall a single meeting with the twisted-braid country girl who was the bottom rank.

"Sorry, I'm not too good at remembering people who do vegetables."

Mito Ikumi obviously remembered.

"Right, you shouldn't mind me borrowing your seatmate, right?"

She walked over, hooked Broly's arm, pulled him into her chest, and asked.

That appearance was just like a carnivorous beast intimidating a little lamb.

【No way, how is there still this kind of snatching-someone-right-in-front-of-you scene?】

Yoshino Yuuki and Sakaki Ryouko looked at each other; as good friends from the same dormitory building, they couldn't stand seeing Tadokoro Megumi bullied like this, and immediately stepped up.

"Sorry, we already agreed to sit together."

Sakaki Ryouko grabbed Broly's other hand.

"That's right, Miss Mito, you should just go back where you came from."

Yoshino Yuuki was even more direct, starting to pull the person.

Of course, she was pulling Broly's hand, trying to pull him out of the gyaru delinquent girl's hands.

"Who are you two?"

Mito Ikumi raised an eyebrow, her arm around Broly tightening even more.

"Polar Star Dormitory, Yoshino Yuuki, Broly-sensei's number one knife-work senior disciple."

"Also Polar Star Dormitory, Sakaki Ryouko, Tadokoro Megumi's good friend, good female friend."

"Komekko, don't just stand watching on the side, help us pull Broly out of this gyaru's hands together, don't let him get entangled by a delinquent girl."

"Hey, you guy, who are you calling a delinquent?!"

"You, of course; school uniform lining binding chest exposing navel, wearing a pretty flag bikini top exposing breast meat, first thing you do is try to take away our Polar Star Dormitory person, borrow my family's Komekko's seatmate, bully my family's Komekko for being introverted and not speaking, if that's not a delinquent girl then what is?"

"That's right, anyway, as Komekko's good friends, we won't sit by and watch this kind of thing happen."

"Damn it, this is my personal style outfit, not some delinquent; besides, Broly may be your Polar Star Dormitory person, but isn't he also our Sixth Cooking Building person? Me taking him is perfectly justified————"

"Don't think about taking him away."

"I'm taking him away."

"Wuu————"

Mito Ikumi on the left, Yoshino Yuuki and the others on the right, these people each held one of Broly's arms, glaring at each other across the Saiyan boy, looking exactly like cats in a standoff over territory.

"What the hell is Mito doing?"

Not far away, Nakiri Erina, seeing the situation unfolding here, couldn't help but press a hand to her forehead.

【Looks like a Shura Field————】

Arato Hisako thought to herself.

"Mito, I told you to bring people over, what are you dawdling here for?"

The bus started boarding, and Nakiri Erina walked over and asked.

"Erina-sama, I wanted to take Broly, but this bunch from Polar Star Dormitory refuses to let him go."

"Bullshit, clearly you're the one trying to steal him."

"That's right, Broly himself said he already had an agreement."

"I asked her, not you lot, what are you getting worked up for?"

Mito Ikumi glared at Yoshino Yuuki and Sakaki Ryouko.

"I————didn't agree."

Although Tadokoro Megumi was somewhat introverted, with her good friends all helping her, at this critical moment she didn't drop the ball.

Looking at the girl shrinking behind the boy, exuding a sense of frailty, Nakiri Erina felt a bit irritated, raised an eyebrow, and said to Mito Ikumi: "Why ask others? Ask Broly directly. As long as he's willing, what business is it of others?"

"Uh————"

Mito Ikumi, scolded, shrank her neck back.

"So, Broly, what's your intention?"

Nakiri Erina glared at the Saiyan boy.

"My meaning is, everyone sit together."

Just now, pulled from both sides, though they couldn't budge him, it made it a bit hard for Broly to speak; now that Erina had come, it gave him a chance to open his mouth.

"Sit together, you dare think. The seats on the bus were arranged in advance; being able to call you over to sit together was still Erina-sama using Elite Ten privileges."

Arato Hisako said.

"But there was no notice beforehand, I already agreed to sit with them."

Broly was a bit troubled; during the three days of preparation after the training camp manual was distributed, seats could be reported to teachers.

And during this time, when he went to the Sixth Cooking Building to learn new cooking, no one told him about this; Broly thought Nakiri Erina and the others didn't want him to sit with them, and considering Tadokoro Megumi's lack of confidence and need for company, he didn't pay much mind, never expecting it would turn into this.

"Now you're notified, just say who you want to sit with."

Nakiri Erina said with arms crossed; when arranging bus seating earlier, she forgot to arrange Broly over, until today Mito Ikumi spoke up asking where Broly would sit, reminding her, and then she arranged it temporarily.

Originally a fairly casual matter, arranging one's own people onto the same bus, but now————

Nakiri Erina actually wanted to see which side Broly would ultimately choose, the Sixth Cooking Building's her side, or Polar Star Dormitory's other side.

In a certain sense, this counted as making Broly declare his stance; only neither side was easy to pick. Picking Nakiri Erina's side would likely disappoint and sadden Tadokoro Megumi, while picking Tadokoro Megumi's side would likely anger this tsundere girl Nakiri Erina who also didn't have a very broad mind.

Reasonably speaking, choosing the lesser of two evils, both causing Happiness Value loss, losing Tadokoro Megumi's Happiness Value alone seemed more cost-effective than losing three people's Happiness Value.

However, letting the honest person among the capture targets suffer a loss wasn't Broly's way; facing this problem where one cannot have it both ways, he chose the option of failing neither Buddha nor his beloved.

"What's difficult about the seat issue? I'll go find the classmates on the bus Erina-sensei you're on and discuss it."

Broly pulled his hands free from both sides' grips, boarded the bus Erina was on, and conducted a friendly negotiation with the students in the seats around Erina.

Unsurprisingly, faced with Broly, over two meters twenty-three, like a bear, these people very understandingly indicated they could switch buses or seats.

"Thanks, these drinks are for you."

And Broly also kindly helped them move their luggage, and gave each a bottle of drink as thanks.

Of course, since the bus had two rows of seats, regarding which side Broly would sit on and with whom, a dispute seemed about to erupt again.

Fortunately, there were still two empty seats on the bus; Broly decisively chose to sit alone, using his large build needing two seats as the reason.

And Nakiri Erina, to avoid conflict, arranged Arato Hisako and Mito Ikumi to sit together, while she herself sat with Tadokoro Megumi.

Originally wanting to ask about the other party's specific relationship with Broly, but Nakiri Erina discovered Tadokoro Megumi had been very nervous, so she asked: "What are you nervous about?"

"Ah, sitting with a big shot of the Elite Ten like you, a small fry like me is of course nervous."

Tadokoro Megumi answered honestly.

"Don't be nervous, I won't eat you."

Seeing Tadokoro Megumi's attitude like this, Nakiri Erina actually felt relieved.

How to put it, someone who is excessively respectful to oneself probably won't become one's opponent.

Without competition, naturally there is no conflict.

"Yes."

Hearing Nakiri Erina say this, Tadokoro Megumi likewise felt relieved.

"Erina-sensei, Tadokoro actually cooks very well, it's just her confidence is always somewhat lacking; because of the training camp, she's been very nervous lately. Do you have any way to relieve her nervousness?"

Broly, sitting to the side, seeing this situation, suddenly spoke to Nakiri Erina.

"Cooks well, yet nervous about the training camp?"

Nakiri Erina raised an eyebrow and asked.

"Mm."

Tadokoro Megumi nodded.

"Do you have some problem?"

"Ah, no————"

"Then why are you nervous?"

"Uh, I heard the training camp has a very high elimination rate; even in the past few years, not even half the students passed. I'm worried I'll be eliminated too."

"Hah? Only those without strength get eliminated; those with strength absolutely cannot be eliminated. If you have strength, how could you possibly be eliminated — unless, you, this guy, have no strength."

"Takumi has strength. Her Qie Pu Ying Hot Pot is delicious, and it's not inferior to those dishes you've had me taste. I can guarantee that."

Broly said from the side.

"In that case, there's no need for you to be nervous."

"But I have no confidence————"

"Shut up. I've eaten Broly's cooking. If your cooking can match the level of the dishes he made for me to taste, then at least, under normal performance, you most likely won't be eliminated. That's what I'm saying."

"Is that so?!"

"You don't believe me?"

"No, I believe you."

Tadokoro Megumi hurriedly waved her hands and nodded, her nervousness visibly fading.

【As expected, an authority figure's words are more useful than mine.】

Seeing this, Broly thought darkly.

"Erina-sama————"

"Hm?"

Nakiri Erina looked at Tadokoro Megumi in puzzlement.

"You seem more approachable than the rumors say."

Tadokoro Megumi subconsciously spoke her inner thoughts.

"What you mean is, in the rumors I'm a person who's hard to approach?"

Nakiri Erina raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, no, what I mean is————"

Having reacted, Tadokoro Megumi flusteredly tried to explain, but because of nervousness her words were slurred.

"Well, in the rumors you're indeed terrifying. The Food King's granddaughter, the God Tongue — with a word you can sever a professional chef's or a restaurant's future.

Any chef or restaurant you give a bad review to usually can't last long in this industry before withdrawing or going bankrupt; it's practically professional death."

Yoshino Yuuki poked her head out from behind to explain the outside world's impression of Nakiri Erina for Tadokoro Megumi.

"Hmph. I'm just stricter about the Way of Cooking. The one who makes those professional chefs unable to carry on or those restaurants go under isn't me.

It's those guys' own lack of capability. I merely speak the truth and state the facts. I don't consider this my problem."

"Speaking the truth is fine, but the Nakiri Family's influence in the high-end culinary world is considerable. Once a bad review from you appears at those high-end restaurants, it can make many upper-class people no longer choose to patronize them————"

Strictly speaking, Nakiri Erina's evaluation can only affect the mid-to-high-end culinary stratum, but most chefs want to do mid-to-high-end restaurant business.

"So you're trying to accuse me of being excessively harsh on those guys or shops that can't cook well?"

"That's not it. I'm just voicing the outside world's impression of you for Komekko's sake."

Yoshino Yuuki sat back down.

"Cooking is cooking, people are people. I feel I'm still very easy to get along with normally."

Nakiri Erina declared shamelessly.

"I can vouch for that."

Broly, having no clue either, raised his hand to testify for her.

【Until now, besides me, Erina-sama has had no other friends. Does that count as easy to get along with?】

Hisako Arato frowned in thought.