The morning passed quickly. When the lunch break bell rang, Kawakami Sadayo, who taught the last class of the morning, didn't even formally dismiss the class and fled the classroom without looking back.
Makoto commented, "This school isn't as fun as I imagined. The whole morning was as dull as a funeral."
"Makoto-kun, whose fault do you think that is?"
Kato Megumi retorted, her expression blank.
Grumble~
Just then, Ran's stomach growled inopportunely. She blushed when everyone looked at her.
She had always had a decent appetite, and after becoming a Reincarnation Player specializing in Taijutsu, her daily consumption and appetite had only grown.
"Um, everyone, shall we go to the cafeteria together?"
Ran suggested, her face red.
She usually brought her own lunch to save money, but with everything that happened yesterday, she hadn't had time to prepare one.
"Totsuki doesn't have a cafeteria."
Alice, finally finding an opportunity to join the conversation, immediately spoke. "This is a culinary school. If students want to eat, they have to cook for themselves. It's part of the training. How could there be a cafeteria?"
Under the gaze of Makoto and the others, Alice waved playfully, striking a pose reminiscent of a certain rival's cat-like expression.
"Hellooo~ I'm Nakiri Alice. Nice to meet you."
With that, Alice winked her right eye, brimming with charm.
Even the girls had to admit this girl was adorable.
"Tch… Who's she trying to seduce?"
Yumiko muttered, feeling inexplicably annoyed.
"No cafeteria, so what do we eat?" Makoto asked.
"Yeah, what do we eat?" Airi immediately followed up.
Before Alice could answer, Erina suddenly stood up.
Just then, a commotion came from the hallway outside the classroom. Soon, several people entered, carrying various cooking utensils and ingredients.
"They are... those people standing at the entrance before..."
Sekai recognized them instantly.
They were the students who had greeted Makoto at the school gate alongside Totsuki Academy's Director, Senzaemon.
"Ni, Nishikawa-sama..."
Unlike her cousin's composure, Erina stammered.
"G-grandfather said that from now on, your meals at Totsuki Academy will be handled by us, the Elite Ten Council. P-please take care of us..."
Having said that, Erina didn't dare look at Makoto's expression. She immediately lowered her head, lit the stove, and began preparing the food.
"The Elite Ten Council... I remember they're the top ten culinary students at Totsuki Academy. I've seen news about them online before," Hina said quietly.
"It's more than that," Hayato added. "Once they graduate, they immediately become the focus of the global culinary world. Even before graduation, they get to interact with many high-profile figures. So, each of them holds considerable power. Through their votes, they can even dismiss school staff, including the principal."
Yui, Yumiko, and the others were stunned.
'Students could dismiss the principal? That was too extreme!'
Kobayashi Rindo, the Second Seat of the Elite Ten Council, flashed a brilliant smile. Amidst everyone's bewildered stares, she had someone wheel over a large iron cage containing a crocodile.
With that, Rindo picked up a large cleaver and walked towards the cage, leaving Ito Makotou, Saionji Sekai, and others who weren't players utterly dumbfounded.
'Was this necessary, just for cooking?'
Ito Makotou and his group had initially considered transferring classes. Staying in the same room as a monster like Makoto, who knew what could happen?
But seeing Kotonoha had been transferred here, and recalling the disdainful looks he received that morning when he claimed to be her boyfriend, Ito Makotou gritted his teeth and decided to stay.
Moments later, Rindo returned with a piece of crocodile meat, her hands covered in blood. "Please wait a moment, Nishikawa-sama. When cooking for you, we must give it our all. If we fail to satisfy you, that would be terrible."
"And what would happen if you don't satisfy me?"
Makoto asked with interest.
At this, all members of the Elite Ten Council paused.
"Ouch!"
Kuga Terunori, the shortest and the Eighth Seat, accidentally cut his hand. Just as he was about to cry out, the Seventh Seat, Isshiki Satoshi, clamped his hand over his mouth.
Even Rindo, known for her sociability, was rendered speechless by Makoto's question.
'Well, wasn't this the moment where you were supposed to politely say 'I'm sure it'll be fine'?'
Seeing the atmosphere turn silent again, Makoto laughed. "Just kidding, just kidding. Just make whatever."
It wasn't like Makoto had Erina's discerning [God's Tongue] palate. He wasn't that picky.
Hearing this, the members of the Elite Ten Council began working again.
While waiting for the meal, Makoto and the group chatted.
Megumi, scrolling through her phone, suddenly saw a news headline: "Superhuman Appears Again in Ginza. Citizens Urged to Exercise Caution."
Curious, she clicked on it. A few minutes later, she looked at Ran. "Ran, did you defeat a superhuman who can turn into a crab?"
Hearing this, the conversation immediately turned to the crab-man from this morning.
"Huh? Didn't Makoto-nii defeat that monster?"
Kokoro, sitting on Makoto's lap, tilted her head curiously.
Although Kotonoha tried her best to stop her, Kokoro had wriggled free and climbed onto Makoto's lap. Fortunately, Makoto didn't mind.
"What crab-man?" Utaha asked.
Marina then recounted the whole incident to the group.
Ran added, "Shinichi called me, said someone was causing trouble at the Ginza mall, so I rushed over. I didn't know you had already encountered him, Sensei."
Ran told a small lie here. She knew the full story from Shinichi, but recalling her childhood friend's complaints about Makoto that morning, she thought it best to say as little as possible.
Daring to criticize Makoto's morals... He really must be tired of living.
Honestly, Ran used to not mind Shinichi's frequent lack of emotional intelligence. She even found it a bit endearing.
But now, she thought he really needed to change.
Ran decided that after school, she would buy a book titled [Don't Lose Because You Can't Express Yourself] for Shinichi to study.
Hearing about another new superhuman, the members of the Elite Ten Council pricked up their ears as they cooked.
"Did he... also gain his power from that place?"
Sonoko guessed. "Is there a Ninjutsu that turns you into a crab?"
'That place? Ninjutsu?'
Hearing these terms, the non-player members of the Elite Ten Council, Ito Makotou, and the others grew more curious.
"I've seen someone turn into a dog."
Hachiman added quietly.
"Who knows," Makoto smiled. "Maybe besides us, there are other chosen ones. Or maybe the world itself is changing. Anyway, just focus on getting stronger."
The girls nodded, finding his words sensible.
Ito Makotou bit his lip, wanting to ask how Makoto and the others had obtained their power.
He looked at the group of uniquely beautiful, top-tier girls surrounding Makoto.
'If I had that kind of power, would I be the one surrounded by them now?'
The members of the Elite Ten Council also showed varying degrees of disappointment.
'They hadn't gotten to the important part at all.'
"Excuse me, is Nishikawa-senpai here?"
Everyone instinctively turned towards the classroom door.
A blue-haired boy stood there, looking a bit nervous.
"...?"
The girls were all full of question marks.
"Come in and sit down, Ishigami."
Makoto said.
A bit flattered, Yu entered the classroom. Instead of sitting, he walked up to Makoto and bowed deeply.
"Thank you so much for your help, Senpai. The police told me they won't pursue it any further."
This morning, investigators from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department had come to see him, asking why he had killed someone in public.
Not wanting Otomo Kyoko's situation to be exposed, Yu refused to talk.
Finally, when they were about to get rough, Yu said, "Makoto-senpai supported me doing this", and they immediately backed off.
Release him, release him. That guy was someone they couldn't afford to mess with.
Seeing Yu like this, the surrounding girls grew more puzzled.
"Sensei-kun, who is he? Why is he thanking you?"
Utaha couldn't help asking.
"Wait, are you Ishigami Yu? The one from the middle school division..."
Airi recalled some rumors she had heard.
Makoto raised his hand to stop Airi from continuing and looked at Yu. "Glad to hear it's settled. Want to join us for a meal?"
Hearing this, the students in the classroom, and even those watching from the hallway, stirred.
'Wow, what did that kid do to deserve that!?'
However, Yu bowed deeply again.
"Nishikawa-senpai, please teach me! I want to have power like yours... no, like theirs!"
Although the issue with Ogino Ko was temporarily resolved, Yu's heart remained unsettled.
The words Makoto had said to him before the battle yesterday kept circling in his mind.
He wanted to become a man like that.
He wanted to kill all the scum like Ogino Ko.
Hearing this, the students inside and outside the classroom stirred with excitement.
They didn't dare hope for power on Makoto's level. Being as strong as the Aizono sisters or Utaha would be more than enough.
But the question was… how did these people awaken their superpowers?
Yu also noticed the expectant looks from the others and realized his mistake.
This was their livelihood. How could he ask such a thing in public?
Makoto suddenly spoke. "Start by training your body. Use the same methods as ordinary athletes."
"Huh? Th-that's how you get superpowers?"
Yu asked, bewildered.
The others listening were also dumbfounded.
If that's how you awakened superpowers, wouldn't the Olympics be full of superhumans?
"Train first, then wait for the opportunity."
Makoto said calmly.
Currently, Makoto and the others' evolutionary system was based on the power system from the Naruto World. But without being chosen as a player, one wouldn't have their body modified by the Reincarnation System, nor could they generate Chakra.
So at this stage, Yu had no choice but to train his body.
"Yes, I understand!"
Yu nodded vigorously.
He had absolute trust in Makoto.
Everyone looked disappointed.
'What kind of training method was that?'
'Was that blue-haired kid stupid? He believed that?'
Suddenly, Megumi pointed at Eizan Etsuya, one of the Elite Ten Council members at the stoves. "Makoto, he said you're just playing with Ishigami-kun. You don't want to reveal the secret to superpowers because you're afraid someone will surpass you."
Instantly, everyone's eyes turned to Eizan.
The other members of the Elite Ten Council looked at their Ninth Seat in disbelief.
"He, he said that?"
Kuga, standing at the stove next to Eizan, his fingers already wrapped in bandages, stared with wide eyes.
'I was standing so close. How did I not hear anything?'
Eizan was so terrified he looked like his eyes were about to pop through his glasses.
"W-what? How did you hear that?"
He had spoken barely louder than a mosquito!
None of the players doubted Megumi's words.
After all, she was the ultimate specialist in perception and stealth.
"You son of a—"
Just as Airi was about to unleash a torrent of abuse, Yu strode forward.
Before anyone could react, he had already pulled out a kunai.
Stab!
It plunged into Eizan's chest.
Plunge, pull out, plunge, pull out...
Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!
Yu, his back to the others, said coldly:
"Just cook. Enough with the rambling."