Chapter 19: The Cost of the Outcome
"…I can't… believe it."
In the VIP room reserved exclusively for tournament staff, Nakiri Erina whispered the words.
Out of habit she crossed her arms, but the tremor running through them only intensified her agitation.
The four qualifiers from Block A were as follows:
1st place: [94] Hayama Akira
2nd place: [93] Yukihira Soma
2nd place: [93] Kurokiba Ryo
3rd place: [90] Takumi Aldini
The four qualifiers from Block B were as follows:
1st place: [96] Santoku Shogo
2nd place: [95] Nakiri Alice
3rd place: [92] Arato Hisako
4th place: [88] Tadokoro Megumi
The point gaps were small—only eight points separated the top from the bottom. Even by Erina's standards, every dish had been exceptionally well executed. It had been a fiercely competitive round.
Yet there had been one chef whose talent stood head and shoulders above the rest. The difference wasn't visible in the numbers alone. Almost no one present could truly grasp the depth of that chef's ability—except Nakiri Erina.
The moment she saw the dish that closed out Block B—Santoku Shogo's dish—Erina had been unable to stop shaking. She hadn't needed to smell it or taste it; the overwhelming deliciousness had hit her like a physical blow. Even the unshakable pride she had built with her God's Tongue felt as though it might crumble before that single plate.
It ached.
Over and over, she reconstructed the imagined flavor in her mind, then rejected her own prediction. It couldn't possibly be only this good. The very act of trying to predict its taste felt like an insult.
It ached.
She remembered every ingredient, every seasoning, every spice. From the instant the Block B cooking began, Erina's eyes had been glued to Shogo's station. She hadn't looked away once, devoting the entire time limit solely to watching him cook.
He had been the first boy her own age she had ever gotten close to. She had known he was skilled. She had known he was talented. She had believed—mistakenly—that he was a chef worthy of her recognition.
"…So far away."
To think she had once believed she could surpass him was the height of arrogance. If anyone needed to be recognized, it was her.
Even with the God's Tongue, she could not recreate that dish. Erina could declare that with absolute certainty. It was a power separate from ingredient quality or technical skill. She felt the wall of true ability like a burning pain in her chest.
The dimension was different. The very ground they stood on was different.
It was almost—no, it was exactly—like the chef she had admired as a child.
It ached. It ached. It ached.
The stronger the trembling became, the deeper the ache pulsed inside her. It felt as if a second heart had formed in her body, beating violently. Her temperature rose, her breathing grew ragged, and she unconsciously hugged herself.
The shaking reached her legs. Before she collapsed, she fell backward onto the sofa behind her. The cool touch of the expensive leather felt soothing against her flushed skin.
In a most unladylike position, she tried to steady her breathing and lifted her gaze. On the huge monitor she saw the name *Santoku Shogo*.
"…Santoku-kun. I… I…"
She would surpass him.
The words never left Erina's lips.
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The Autumn Elections preliminaries had ended, and the academy was given a two-day break.
The participating students were to rest, while those who had watched used the time to analyze the dishes and turn the experience into fuel for their own growth.
While most students spent the break productively, one person could not.
She had competed in the Block B preliminaries, finishing tied for fifth out of thirty. Although she had failed to qualify for the main tournament, she had shown an overwhelmingly strong presence among the first-years—Hojo Miyoko.
She felt neither regret for losing nor satisfaction at having given it her all. All she felt was a seething hatred for the boy standing before her—Santoku Shogo—that she could barely contain.
She had been summoned by him that morning and brought to the designated hotel. Since there was no need to wear her uniform, she was dressed in the plain tracksuit she used for training.
"Welcome to the pride of our hotel—the suite room. Pretty classy, right? Just one night here costs close to a million."
"…Even a nice room like this feels like the worst place in the world with your face in it."
The deep-red carpet and pure-white walls were striking. The centerpiece was the king-size bed. Every piece of furniture—the desk, the chairs—was of the highest grade. The total value of what she could see alone could buy several cars.
"Hah, yeah, that's right. A feisty little loser is kinda cute. Keep that attitude today, all right?"
"You're the one whose mask just slipped. That fake gentleman act was way worse than this."
"I'll take that as a compliment. I don't need to put on airs for my own property. This is the real me. After you got cocky and picked a fight only to get crushed, I guess it must've been rough for a pitiful little girl like you."
"—! …What do you want from me?"
She had already called her family and declared she would not take over the restaurant, so she was now truly on her own. She had cut off her dream of becoming the successor with her own hands. There was nothing left for her to fear.
She had no idea what kind of man Santoku Shogo truly was. That was precisely why she felt no fear.
The price of losing the match had been herself. When Shogo had said he wanted a skilled chef familiar with Chinese cuisine, Miyoko had taken his words at face value.
There was humiliation in being treated as a woman, but the Santoku family's global influence was undeniable. Becoming a chef who carried the Santoku name would surely allow her to grow. Since she had already abandoned her dream, there was no point in regretting it now. She didn't like obeying a man she hated, but the fault lay entirely with the loser. Any protest would just sound like sour grapes. Glaring at him was pointless. All she could do was choose the path that would let her grow even a little.
Hojo Miyoko had accepted that she would obey Santoku Shogo.
Without understanding what that truly meant.
"Good attitude. Then let's get started… Strip."
"...Huh?"
She hadn't misheard him at such close range. She had simply been unable to process the meaning, which was why the dumbfounded sound had left her mouth.
She had expected him to talk about her future conduct at the academy, or what she would do after graduation or expulsion, or how she would contribute to the Santoku family as a chef. She had assumed he would discuss how he intended to use the chef named Hojo Miyoko.
But the "man" in front of her had clearly said it.
He had told her—a woman—to strip.
"—! You—!!!"
Unable to contain her rage, Miyoko grabbed Shogo by the collar. This time he didn't dodge. She caught him easily.
A tearing sound came from the expensive black dress shirt.
"Strip?! What the hell do you think I—?"
"You're a woman, aren't you?"
Miyoko's movements froze instantly. The anger, the hatred, the fury—all of it was silenced by those words.
The eyes looking at her were far too calm for someone whose collar was being grabbed. They regarded Miyoko as no threat at all—as something he could do whatever he wanted with if he felt like it.
"—! L-Let me go! I refuse such a ridiculous demand!!"
She released his collar and stormed toward the door. There was no way she would accept being treated as a woman after losing. That crossed the line from defeat into human dignity. She could never agree to such an order.
"…What the—?!"
The moment she opened the door, three women in maid uniforms were standing there. They stood at attention like proper maids, but it was clear they had no intention of letting her leave.
"Who said you could run away, Miyoko?"
"R-Run?! You've got to be kidding me! You piece of shit!!"
With her escape route blocked and cornered, Miyoko finally resorted to violence. She swung her fist with all the strength a girl could muster straight at Shogo's smirking face.
The punch should have connected perfectly, but Shogo moved with minimal effort, caught her wrist, twisted it, and slammed her face-down onto the bed.
"Ow…! Y-You—!!"
"Stop struggling. You can't move in this position."
With her arm locked and his weight on top of her, escape was impossible. She kicked her legs wildly, but the position was too disadvantageous.
"Hey, handcuffs."
At Shogo's command, one of the maids moved. She produced the item he had requested and, while he held Miyoko down, effortlessly cuffed both of her wrists. The restraints were real; her hands were completely immobilized.
"Wha—! What are you doing?! Doing something like this… you won't get away with it!!"
"Yeah, yeah. Let's get you on the bed~"
Ignoring her protests, Shogo grabbed the cuffed hands and dragged her onto the bed.
He threw her down roughly, so she landed face-first.
"Come on, stop squirming."
"Hey! Stop! Stop it!!"
He sat on her waist to restrict her movement, then grabbed her ankles to stop her kicking legs.
"You two, hold her legs."
At the next order, the other two maids moved. Each took one ankle and pinned it to the bed, completely neutralizing Miyoko's resistance.
She tried desperately to sit up, but with her waist and legs immobilized there was nothing she could do. She was like a fish on a cutting board.
"Haha, what a plain pair of panties. You're my property now, so from today on I'll make you wear something cuter."
"You—!!"
Shogo hooked his fingers into her waistband and yanked her tracksuit pants down without mercy. Her plain gray underwear was exposed, along with her bare thighs.
"Scissors."
He took the scissors from a nearby maid and began cutting the lowered pants in a steady rhythm. He showed zero hesitation, as if the clothes didn't belong to someone else, and cut them all the way off.
With her legs still pinned, the pants were removed. The only thing left protecting Miyoko's lower body was a single pair of panties. Overwhelmed by a shame so intense it felt like her blood was boiling, she screamed.
"Shogo! You—! This is a crime! Doing this to a woman who can't resist—!!"
"Yeah, yeah. You kept saying you didn't want to be treated like a woman, but now you're suddenly playing the 'woman' card? How convenient."
"Wha—!"
Struck where it hurt, Miyoko fell silent.
Shogo smiled at her reaction, then continued his preparations with the maids' help. He took out his painfully erect cock, applied lotion, and cut away the final barrier—her panties—with the scissors, leaving her lower body completely exposed.
"Stop! Stop it! This… this can't be allowed!! …Kh!"
"Ah, sorry. This might feel a little cold."
Her ankles were held by two maids while the third pinned her head and neck. Shogo, having finished preparing his cock, began applying lotion to Miyoko's pussy.
"Nngh… Stop… please…!!"
The lotion was spread around her entrance and shallowly inside. A scream-like cry escaped Miyoko's lips. She was a high-school girl, not a child. She understood exactly what was about to happen to her—and that it was an act she absolutely had to refuse.
"Stop! I don't want this! Let me go! Let me go!!"
"Come on, don't fight it."
With her waist pinned and her legs held, there was nothing she could do. Miyoko was given no chance to resist as her pussy was violated by his cock.
"—Khahhh!! Nnnnnngh!!!"
Her hymen was torn in an instant. The pain was so sharp it brought tears to her eyes.
There had been no foreplay. He had relied entirely on the lotion. The insertion had nothing to do with pleasure.
The sensation of a foreign object inside her for the first time. It felt like a thick rod had been forcibly shoved into her body. Even Miyoko, who had never once shown weakness, could not endure it.
"No! Not this! It hurts!! Take it… out!!"
"Ahh~ Feels so good~ Forcing it is the best. Especially with a wild mare like you. It's been a while since I did a proper rape. I'm so fucking turned on~!"
The maids' surprising strength kept her pinned to the bed. Miyoko could not move at all. She was reduced to nothing more than a convenient hole, used as an outlet for his lust.
"Nnaah! Ngh! Aah! Guuh!"
Relentless pistoning continued. Her pussy stretched further with every thrust. The more he moved in and out, the better the fit became, and the pleasure from the friction grew stronger.
For a virgin who had never even masturbated, it was a hell of pleasure she could not resist. She was simply a convenient "hole," used for his sexual release.
"Damn, you're tight. Relax a little."
"I can't—! Obviously!! You idiot!!"
"Spreading your asshole wide open while spitting filthy words is pretty pathetic."
"Hey! What are you—… Hiiin!!"
He pulled her ass cheeks apart with his thumbs, fully exposing her anus. The humiliation was something no high-school girl should ever have to experience. Miyoko's face burned red all the way to her ears.
"Shit! Let me go…! Nnn! Let… me… go…!!"
Even as she screamed desperately, there was no escape. Her body no longer obeyed her. All she could do was voice her defiance.
"Come on, I'll crush your deepest spot too~"
"Aguh! It hurts…! Stop… that!!"
Not only did he grind against her inner walls, the swollen head of his cock mercilessly crushed her cervix. Electric pleasure shot through her entire body, and against her will her pussy produced even more love juices.
"…Oh, I'm about to cum. Gonna cum."
"—!? W-Wait! You can't be—!"
After about ten minutes of relentless use, Miyoko felt the cock inside her gradually swell. The already overstretched walls of her pussy grew even tighter, making the change impossible to miss. When the word "gonna cum" left Shogo's mouth, Miyoko's face went pale. Even while enduring the unstoppable pleasure, she tried desperately to pull away—but it was, of course, futile.
"—…Nnaaaaaahhh!!!"
"…Fuuu, there it is. A virgin pussy really is something else."
The climax—the finishing line for a man during sex.
Burning-hot white semen was pumped into her body, making the area around her womb suddenly heavy. What should have been a sacred act meant to create life became nothing more than rape without mutual consent. It was simply the act of forcing his lust onto her.
The fact that he had ejaculated inside her without protection carved a deep wound into Miyoko's heart. If she became pregnant, she would have no choice but to leave the academy. She had already voluntarily given up her position as the family successor, but this was not by her own will.
"You…! You're insane…!"
"Oh, nice. You're still full of energy. You really are a great woman. I'll cherish you for the rest of your life, so don't worry."
"Laugh all you want…! I will never… forgive you!!"
Even while her mind grew hazy, Miyoko used what little strength she had left to glare at Shogo. She wasn't thinking she could attack him or turn the situation around. She understood perfectly that she had no hope left.
Even so, she could not stop glaring. As a human being, such a monstrous act could not be allowed. She refused to submit to him. She had to show him that.
"…You really are perfect. The two days until the first round of the main tournament won't be boring at all."
Seeing her show her pride as a woman, Shogo gave a vulgar smile.
A rebellious female with a strong spirit and body. Just the thought of training her and making her his own made his cock swell viciously once again.
But he did not insert it. He had decided that simply raping Miyoko would be a waste of such fine material. She deserved proper training.
"Wipe her body. Then put her on all fours and restrain her. We'll use the 'AC' method for training. Get ready."
At Shogo's command, the three maids began to move. Miyoko's body was freed, but she no longer had the strength to struggle and remained collapsed on the bed. If there had been any chance of escape, it would have been in that brief moment.
"I'm going to train you thoroughly. Let's enjoy these two days to the fullest, Miyoko."
To those words—which sounded like a death sentence—Miyoko finally understood her fate.
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