She had surrendered.
Specifically, she had surrendered to Lexon's culinary prowess.
She now considered herself inferior to him.
Her pride as a genius was completely shattered.
"It wasn't much," Lexon said with a smile, using the catchphrase Soma Yukihira often used in the original story.
He had won.
He had secured the condition promised by the Academy Director to challenge the First Seat.
'Once I claim the First Seat and use that position to defeat all the other seats, I can take this world for myself...'
Lexon contemplated his next steps in the natural progression of events.
"I will find time to discuss this with Eishi Tsukasa. The Shokugeki will likely be scheduled after your Stagiaire period," Senzaemon Nakiri told Lexon.
The Stagiaire, huh...
Looks like it'll still be a while...
But it didn't matter. There was still plenty of time before the main quest's deadline expired.
Besides, the Stagiaire period would allow him to further refine his culinary skills.
"Understood," Lexon replied.
Soon after, the judges departed one by one. Lexon and the members of the Polar Star Dormitory, who were slowly snapping out of their culinary-induced stupor, walked back to the dormitory.
And so, the days passed.
They were quiet and ordinary.
During this time, Satoshi Isshiki urged Lexon to show his face at the Elite Ten Council meetings.
However, Lexon never followed through.
This forced the other members to pick up the slack, making some of the Elite Ten quite disgruntled with Lexon's irresponsible and indifferent behavior.
But making them unhappy was exactly what Lexon wanted.
By fueling their resentment, he could offer a more enticing stake when he eventually challenged the higher-ranking seats—something beyond just the seat itself, like "If I lose, I'll drop out."
It certainly wasn't because he was too lazy to work...
The Stagiaire began shortly after the conclusion of the Autumn Elections.
The program was set to last about two weeks.
Students who performed well during the training camp received specific invitations, while those who didn't impress had to rely on the school's assignments.
Every resident of the Polar Star Dormitory received an invitation.
This alone spoke volumes about the talent of Yuki Yoshino and the others.
None of them were simple students.
They all had some serious skills.
Though compared to Lexon...
"Lexon! I heard you were invited by a ton of Totsuki graduates! Is that true?" Early that morning, Yuki Yoshino cornered Lexon as soon as he opened his door.
"Yuki... Lexon just woke up... It's not polite to bother him like this," Ryoko Sakaki scolded, tapping Yuki on the head.
"But I'm just so curious!" Yuki said, looking aggrieved.
"It's fine," Lexon said with a smile.
"Is it true? Is it really true?" Hearing that Lexon didn't mind, Yuki leaned in, her eyes wide and sparkling with curiosity.
"It's true. Senior Shinomiya... Senior Inui... Senior Sekimori... There were about a dozen invitations in total," Lexon replied calmly.
"What?!" Yuki's eyes bulged in disbelief.
She had only received an invitation from a single small restaurant.
Over a dozen Totsuki graduates... She was so jealous!
"So, where do you plan on going?" Soma Yukihira asked, walking over after hearing the commotion.
"Yeah, yeah! Lexon, where are you going?" Yuki forgot her shock and joined in the gossip.
Lexon shook his head. "I don't plan on going to any of them."
"None of them?" Ryoko asked, puzzled.
"Mr. Gin Dojima from Totsuki Resort called me," Lexon said.
"Chef Dojima?!"
"You were invited by Chef Dojima himself?"
Yuki and Ryoko gasped in succession.
"Yeah," Lexon nodded.
"Then congratulations, Lexon," Soma said. As a transfer student, his understanding of the prestige of Totsuki Resort and Gin Dojima wasn't as deep as Yuki or Ryoko's. He simply remembered it being a good place from the training camp, so he offered his congratulations.
"You're going to Senior Shinomiya's place, right?" Lexon asked.
"Yeah. He's amazing. I'm going to learn everything I can from him," Soma replied. He then clenched his fist and lightly bumped Lexon's chest, grinning. "I'll catch up to you by the time I get back. Don't forget, we're both aiming for the top of Totsuki!"
'As harsh as it sounds, that's impossible,' Lexon thought silently while looking at Soma.
"Good luck."
He simply offered a smile and a word of encouragement.
The conversation ended there.
On the third day, the students officially set out for their Stagiaire placements.
The two-week internship passed faster than expected, gone in the blink of an eye.
...
"Lexon, in my opinion... you no longer have any flaws." Gin Dojima set down his knife and fork, staring at Lexon with a serious expression.
"It's all thanks to your guidance over these past two weeks, Mr. Dojima," Lexon replied with his usual polite formality.
"In your cooking... besides the influence of myself and other chefs, I can taste Joichiro's essence... It seems you've met him and gained much from him... To the point where the flaws I once saw in your cooking have become your greatest weapons," Dojima said with a sigh of admiration.
"Mr. Joichiro was indeed a big help."
Compared to Dojima, who Lexon had basically milked for information, Joichiro had at least provided a few words of "inspiring advice."
"That guy is like a ghost. Being able to meet him and get some help is lucky enough," Dojima said before changing the subject. "By the way... I've heard... you're going to have a Shokugeki with the First Seat of Totsuki Academy?"
"Yes," Lexon nodded.
"You're really something. Challenging the First Seat of the Elite Ten so soon after the start of the second semester," Dojima teased with a laugh.
Back in his day, even he couldn't have achieved such a feat in his first year.
And the current First Seat was Eishi Tsukasa, the "White Knight of the Table," whose fame in the culinary world was immense.
The difficulty of the challenge was off the charts.
But... given Lexon's current strength...
Dojima looked at Lexon and said, "As long as you perform as you are now, you won't lose."
His words were filled with absolute confidence in Lexon's abilities.
Because in Dojima's eyes...
This boy's cooking... was no longer just his own...
Facing him was like facing a culinary army led and manipulated by him, composed of himself, Joichiro, and the collective culinary will and traits of numerous other chefs.
Even if the current First Seat was that White Knight... even if that White Knight performed beyond his limits during the Shokugeki...
He wouldn't stand a ghost of a chance!
That was Dojima's firm belief.
A belief without a shred of doubt.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]