"Don't worry! I can afford a meal. These past few years, competing abroad, I've won a considerable amount of prize money each time I placed, and I've saved quite a bit of money so far."
Hearing Hoshino Sora's words, Mo Lang didn't take it seriously. How much could a dozen or so mouths eat? Moreover, most of those present were girls, so their appetites probably wouldn't be too large.
"Exactly! Don't be shy at all; this guy's wallet is bulging! And "East Pearl" offers a discount to students of our Oriental Academy main campus, so just eat your fill!"
Mo Huang's voice came from beside Mo Lang, with a hint of teasing. She had finally caught an opportunity to fleece her brother, and she wasn't willing to let it go!
Moreover, she didn't think Hoshino Sora and the others could eat too much. She knew this by looking at Eri Nai Nakiri and the others' figures; with their curvaceous, slender waists, it was impossible for them to be big eaters!
Unfortunately, this time, they were wrong.
Hoshino Sora and Alice Nakiri exchanged glances, both seeing schadenfreude in each other's eyes. It seemed they would be able to enjoy some top-tier Chinese cuisine tonight!
An hour later, the bus drove into an ancient and solemn academy. The air was filled with wafts of delicious food, drifting from the teaching building to the school gate, truly a formidable aroma.
Opening the window and taking a deep breath, the scents of various dishes drifted in, making one's stomach rumble uncontrollably, tempting people to eat them.
"Welcome to Oriental Academy. On behalf of all the faculty and students, I welcome your arrival."
The bus stopped in the open space in front of the academy gate. Dragon BuFan, Mo Lang, and the others got off first, followed closely by Hoshino Sora. However, no sooner had they stepped off than a man came to greet them.
His attire was simple yet exquisite, a dark blue suit shimmering faintly in the sunlight, contrasting sharply with his graying hair, making him highly recognizable.
On his feet were a pair of polished leather shoes, his steps solid and steady. In a few strides, he arrived in front of Hoshino Sora, a kind and gentle smile on his face.
"This is Director Lin Xuan. Teacher Lin Xuan is a very skilled chef. When he was young, he won the BLUE competition and also ranked among the top fifty on the Oriental Cuisine List."
Seeing this, Mo Lang also walked over and stood beside Hoshino Sora, introducing Lin Xuan with a smile. As the Director of Oriental Academy, almost all new students were under his charge.
"Oh, no, no. The BLUE competition I participated in wasn't as competitive as your current one. You must be Hoshino Sora, right? Since you've just arrived, I'll take you to your assigned accommodation first. The day after tomorrow, you can report with the other students who pass the entrance examination."
His gaze fell on Hoshino Sora. The notice stated that he was directly admitted, while the others needed to participate in the entrance examination the next day. Only by passing the examination would they become members of Oriental Academy, so he didn't need to pay too much attention to them. It would be quite good if one or two of these people were selected.
"Excuse me, where will we be staying tonight? Are there any hotels nearby? Or does the academy arrange accommodation for the participants?"
Yukihira Soma raised his hand to ask. Although Oriental Academy was located in the city center, he hadn't seen many hotels when they arrived. In that case, their accommodation would become a problem.
"Don't worry about that. The school has prepared temporary apartments for students participating in the entrance examination. As long as your information is registered, you can receive a temporary apartment as your residence.
The apartments are four people to a room. If you came together, you can apply to stay together. If you're not used to shared rooms, you can also choose to pay a high rent for a single room."
Turning to look at Yukihira Soma, who had asked the question from behind Hoshino Sora, Lin Xuan nodded politely, then methodically answered his question.
"Alright, students participating in the entrance examination, look this way. This person next to me is Bai Tao, who will take you to the temporary apartments.
As for you, Hoshino Sora, you've been exceptionally admitted. Although you haven't officially enrolled yet, an apartment has been assigned to you. I'll take you to where the regular students live; you can bring family members, and that place is quite spacious."
Lin Xuan said, patting the shoulder of the young man next to him, instructing him to take Yukihira Soma and the others to the temporary apartments. There were over a dozen examination candidates in total, and he wondered how many would remain in the end.
Shaking his head, Lin Xuan turned his gaze back to Hoshino Sora. Taking the contestants to the temporary apartments was originally his job, but because Hoshino Sora appeared, taking him to his residence became the highest priority.
"Okay.
Oh, Miyoko, why don't you stay with us until the enrollment? That way, we can look out for each other."
Nodding, Hoshino Sora looked towards Hojo Miyoko, who was at the back of the crowd with a somewhat unnatural expression. After all, she was his disciple, and leaving her alone in the temporary apartment would be a bit cruel.
Yukihira Soma and the others were all boys, so it would be somewhat inconvenient for her to stay with them. Considering this, Hoshino Sora invited her.
If she stayed with Eri Nai Nakiri and the others, they could also look out for each other.
"Is that alright, Master?! Won't that be inconvenient…?"
Hearing Hoshino Sora's words, Hojo Miyoko's expression was somewhat surprised. She clearly hadn't expected him to invite her, but she also hesitated, worried that she might disturb her Master.
"It's no inconvenience at all. It's not like you're staying long-term, and even if you were, it wouldn't matter to me. You're all girls; you should have plenty of common topics."
Hoshino Sora smiled nonchalantly, then proactively stepped forward and took Hojo Miyoko's wrist. Seeing that she couldn't argue with him, she stopped speaking and obediently followed him.
As she left, Eri Nai Nakiri and the others also quickened their pace and followed. This scene utterly stunned Bai Tao, who had come to pick up the examination candidates. His mouth hung wide open, unable to speak.
He had originally thought he could use this opportunity to flirt with some junior students, but he never expected Hoshino Sora to monopolize all the girls. This was simply too terrifying!
Nine girls with one guy, and each one an absolute beauty, almost celebrity-level figures in the entertainment industry, and all with excellent figures. No, why does this guy get all of them!?
He looked enviously at Hoshino Sora, who had already walked away with most of the girls. Only Yukihira Soma, Feng Xuanya, Dragon BuFan, and others remained at the scene.
"Then you all go to the temporary apartments first. I'll come find you at dinner time. If you're free this afternoon, you can visit Oriental Academy and experience the school's atmosphere."
After bidding farewell to Yukihira Soma, Dragon BuFan, and the others, they left the scene and dispersed. Yukihira Soma and the others were led by Bai Tao to the temporary dormitory building.
"This is your dormitory, Room 401. Here's the key. Be careful not to damage anything in the dormitory. Other than that, there's nothing much. The curfew is 11 PM. Before then, you can do whatever you want outside, as long as it's not illegal."
Bai Tao handed the key to Yukihira Soma, then said playfully, and left the temporary dormitory building.
"Got it.
I want to go see the academy's kitchens first. Do you want to come along?"
Nodding to Bai Tao, Yukihira Soma turned to look at Kurokiba Ryo and the others behind him. No sooner had he finished speaking than Takumi's voice rang out: "Is that even a question! Let's go quickly. I remember there's a school map posted downstairs in the dorm."
A large billboard stood downstairs at the dormitory building, clearly displaying an aerial view of Oriental Academy. Takumi quickly went downstairs. The area downstairs was now crowded with people, all looking at the map.
He immediately spotted the central teaching building area. By this time, Yukihira Soma and the others had also come down, pushing through the crowd to find a spot where they could see the entire map.
"This is where we will be taking the assessment tomorrow. The initial screening will take place in this large hall during the day, and the top five hundred qualified contestants will proceed to the re-examination.
After passing the preliminary round, there will be another assessment in the outdoor open-air plaza in the evening. This time, only the top two hundred contestants who complete their dishes and whose dishes meet the quality standards will be selected.
Therefore, the entrance examination not only tests the quality of the cuisine but also the speed of cooking!"
Looking at the aerial view in front of him, Hayama Akira pointed to one of the buildings on the map and said, "The difficulty of this competition lies here: it tests both quality and speed, and also requires a good mindset."
For example, if there are already one hundred ninety-nine students who have passed the assessment, and your dish still needs some time to finish cooking, wouldn't you panic?
"Not only that, but I heard that the number of examinees for this entrance examination is as high as seven thousand. To be precise, almost every entrance examination has between five thousand and ten thousand participants. This year is actually quite good."
Takumi took over the conversation. Oriental Academy recruits around two hundred students each year, which is a fixed number. The fewer the people, the less the competition, and in other words, the greater their chances.
"Although the number of people is small, those who come are all elites among elites from various places. Huaxia is vast and rich in resources, and its population is ten times ours. The inheritance of its food culture is also more profound than ours."
Holding a spice to his nose and sniffing it, Hayama Akira said slowly, "Facing elites from all over the world, underestimating them and being careless will become the fuse of failure."
"Indeed, we should pay close attention." Takumi nodded in agreement.
"Stop nagging endlessly! What if they are strong? Will I be afraid of them!? If you are afraid, just stand aside and watch me defeat them one by one!"
"I just told you to be careful and cautious, I didn't say I was afraid."
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"