"Oh?" Rindou Kobayashi's playful expression vanished. "Lexon... you shouldn't joke about things like that."
"I am perfectly serious. And not just you... Senior Megishima, the Third Seat; Senior Akanegakubo, the Fourth Seat; and Senior Saito, the Fifth Seat. I plan to challenge all of you to a Shokugeki. The themes can be your specialties—ramen, desserts, or sushi." Lexon's gaze moved across each person mentioned.
"Tch... why am I being dragged into this?" Megishima grumbled, clearly annoyed.
"Are you underestimating Momo?" Momo Akanegakubo squeezed her plushie so hard it began to deform.
"You should show more restraint in your speech," Somei Saito said, his eyes narrowing as he glared at Lexon.
"So, will you all accept? Everyone?" Lexon asked with a smile, completely disregarding their reactions.
The other members of the Autumn Elections were too tense to even breathe.
What was supposed to be a standard gathering for the top eight to meet their Elite Ten seniors had suddenly turned into a challenge session.
Even more shocking, a first-year member of the Elite Ten was challenging all the high-ranking members...
It was truly explosive news.
"Your seat is lower than ours, you know. Eishi might have agreed for some reason, but we have no reason to accept. You don't have enough to wager," Rindou Kobayashi said nonchalantly.
She had no intention of agreeing to the Shokugeki.
Arrogant as this junior was, she wouldn't just—
"I will wager the First Seat in advance, along with exotic game meat you've never seen before. I'll also help you elevate your culinary skills to the next level. If I lose, I withdraw from the academy. That's what you'll get. If you win, you lose nothing."
She immediately discarded her previous thought. She was definitely going to agree because this junior was just that infuriatingly arrogant.
He was simply too cocky!
Wager the First Seat in advance? Did he really think he'd beat Eishi for sure? Rare game meat she'd never seen? She was an expert on wild game—how could he know more than her? Elevate her skills? *Only someone whose strength completely dwarfs another's can offer guidance like that!*
"Fine, I accept."
Rindou Kobayashi's cheek twitched.
She couldn't remember the last time she had been this angry.
Never before had she been so looked down upon!
As a confident chef, she couldn't allow herself to decline.
"And the rest of you? The conditions are the same as for Senior Kobayashi." Lexon looked toward the other Elite Ten members.
"Heh... I really don't want to agree, but I feel like if I don't, you'll never let it go," Megishima said heavily. "Besides... being disrespected like this, refusing would be the same as running away. So... I accept as well."
"Momo will knock you down!" Momo Akanegakubo waved her plushie, expressing her intent clearly.
"A warrior's will does not permit retreat," Somei Saito added.
They all agreed...
The Sixth Seat was going to face the Fifth through First Seats in consecutive Shokugeki over the next few days.
Looking at the calm, smiling figure, the others from the Autumn Elections suddenly felt a massive gap between them and him.
And they had considered themselves geniuses...
After the Maple Viewing Seminar, news of the new Sixth Seat transfer student Lexon challenging the top five seats spread like wildfire.
The entire Totsuki Academy was in an uproar, the air thick with gossip.
The previous big news about Soma Yukihira challenging the Ninth and Eighth Seats became insignificant; almost no one was paying attention to it anymore.
...
The day after the Maple Viewing Seminar.
"Go, go, go! Hurry to Moon Heaven Hall to see the Shokugeki between the Sixth and Fifth Seats!"
Two students chatted as they sprinted through the Totsuki campus.
"I don't even know when that transfer student took the Sixth Seat... and now he's making headlines like this."
"He's just a freakish genius. Seriously, he's handsome, talented... he even has a fan club in the school. It's enough to make you jealous."
The student with glasses spoke with a hint of bitterness.
"Who do you think will win?"
The other student with the buzz cut asked.
"I think the Fifth Seat will win. The higher the seat, the bigger the gap in strength. Even if this Sixth Seat is a genius who took a seat as a first-year, I don't think he's a match for Senior Saito."
"Otherwise, he wouldn't have just taken the Sixth Seat. He probably felt he couldn't beat the higher-ups, so he chose to challenge Senior Kinokuni."
"True, I agree. Besides, the theme is sushi, Senior Saito's specialty. He definitely won't lose."
The two students, who had risen from the middle school, had absolute trust in Somei Saito.
While they spoke, they reached the entrance of Moon Heaven Hall.
They pushed open the doors.
They walked inside.
But the moment they entered, their spirits were jolted.
A fragrance so thick it practically scrambled their brains filled their nostrils, and in an instant, they were submerged in a mental ocean conjured by the scent.
When they finally snapped out of it, they saw the final score on the screen.
5-0.
And the name next to the number 5 was written in bold letters.
Lexon.
"No way... Senior Saito lost..." The glasses student was stunned.
"It was a total landslide..." the buzz-cut student whispered.
"Maybe the Sixth Seat improved during this time... or maybe sushi just happens to be a specialty of his too, which is why he beat Senior Saito."
"He's good, but tomorrow is his match against Senior Akanegakubo, the Fourth Seat."
"The theme is desserts, her absolute best field!"
"You have to realize, she's the supreme genius of the dessert world, unrivaled in her domain. She's the literal incarnation of cuteness and flavor. The chance of her winning is one hundred percent!"
The glasses student analyzed confidently.
"True, I agree," the buzz-cut student nodded.
...
The third day after the Maple Viewing Seminar.
"Hurry, hurry! Don't be late again today... This is a battle between the Elite Ten. Missing it is a crime!" the buzz-cut student shouted, banging on a toilet door.
"Wait! Just fifteen more minutes! Being fifteen minutes late is fine! The Shokugeki will have only just started!" the glasses student shouted back during his emergency.
"Fine, just hurry up!" the buzz-cut student said.
Fifteen minutes later, they rushed into Moon Heaven Hall.
Just as the doors opened, another wave of fragrance sent their minds into a trance.
When they recovered, the score on the screen was already 5-0.
And there was the loli senior, curled up on the stage, questioning her entire existence...
"What?! No way! Senior Akanegakubo, the Princess of Desserts, actually lost!?" The glasses student looked dazed again.
"It's your fault for making us late! We missed the entire showdown!" the buzz-cut student complained.
"Who would've thought the Shokugeki would end so fast!" the glasses student retorted. "But don't worry... tomorrow is Senior Megishima, the Third Seat. The theme is his specialty, ramen... Wait, why did I say 'again'... Never mind, Senior Megishima is a powerhouse who took the Third Seat by crushing every challenger!"
"He's at the absolute peak of Totsuki Academy! It's impossible for him to lose a ramen-themed Shokugeki! The chance of him losing is zero percent!"
*Why does that sound so familiar?*
*Don't think I don't recognize yesterday's speech just because you changed the wording.*
The buzz-cut student looked at his friend with a flat expression, grumbling internally.
*Still, it makes sense. I also don't think Senior Megishima will lose...*
He thought to himself.
...
The fourth day.
This time, the two students arrived early to secure good seats.
They watched the intense Shokugeki from beginning to end.
5-0.
It was a complete blowout. Truly intense.
"Senior Megishima lost..." the buzz-cut student said to his now-silent friend. "Tomorrow, the transfer student Lexon faces Senior Kobayashi, the Second Seat..."
"Who's Lexon?" The silent glasses student suddenly looked at him with sharp eyes. He pulled open his jacket to reveal a shirt with 'Lord Lexon's Fan Club' on it and shouted, "It's Lord Lexon! Tomorrow will be Lord Lexon's victory! And the day after! The Second Seat, the First Seat... they'll all fall before Lord Lexon! Ahahahaha!"
"Wait, what..." The buzz-cut student looked at his friend, who had already switched sides, with total bewilderment.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]