Clubs

Chapter 300: Clubs

"Come on, Lord Yue, try this."

"Get out of the way. It’s my turn this time."

Aoki Daigo and Sato Shoji desperately competed for Xu Yue’s attention, but Xu Yue had already taken Tadokoro Megumi’s dish and stuffed it into his mouth.

He then pointed out several issues with her cooking.

Everyone at Polar Star Dormitory wholeheartedly prepared all kinds of dishes and fed them to him, greatly expanding Xu Yue’s flavor profile far faster than Yukihira Soma could alone.

Once he understood all the different flavors in their dishes, it would be much easier to wring every last bit of ability out of them.

Among these people, however, there was one particularly special individual.

Satoshi Isshiki!

Xu Yue did not know how to describe the several dishes he had made.

It was not that he could not taste the difference, but that his current level limited him. He did not know what methods he could use to improve them further!

Sure enough, compared with Erina Nakiri’s genuine God Tongue, his imitation version was still lacking. He needed to gather enough data to fill in the gaps.

Over the following days, Xu Yue lived a luxurious life where clothes were brought to him and meals were served to him.

News that he possessed the "God Tongue" also began to spread a little…

Club activities at Totsuki Academy were an extremely important part of education, second only to regular classes!

Every student could choose a different club based on their interests, discussing, competing with, and improving alongside members who shared the same hobbies.

However, although Totsuki Academy possessed vast grounds and ample funding, it could not allow every strange club to expand without limit.

For the Elite Ten Council, properly organizing the clubs was also one of their responsibilities and duties.

And now, Erina Nakiri, the Tenth Seat of the Elite Ten Council, was fulfilling that duty by downsizing or even abolishing clubs that she considered worthless and incapable of helping students improve themselves.

Without question, it was a thankless job that offended people.

But given her personality, which already made her prone to offending others, she had no trouble handling it.

The Sumo Hot Pot Club was one such club in Erina Nakiri’s eyes.

Of course, abolishing such a club required sufficient justification. After all, it must have helped students when it was first established, or it would never have been approved.

But Erina Nakiri disliked all those twists and turns. Once she had assessed the situation and made her decision, she chose the most direct method.

Food Wars!

Her actions now were quite similar to many of the measures her father would take after assuming control of Totsuki Academy. Having lived under her father’s shadow since childhood, she had developed this unlikable personality.

"Three to zero. Erina Nakiri wins the Food War against the Sumo Hot Pot Club! The Sumo Hot Pot Club must surrender its current activity space for Erina Nakiri’s unified planning."

After the result was announced at the Food War venue, Erina Nakiri showed neither joy nor surprise, as if the outcome had been only natural. Amid a chorus of cheers, she stepped down from the stage with a calm expression.

She then asked her little secretary, Hisako Arato,

"Then which club is next?"

"The Donburi Research Society."

Hisako Arato flipped through her notebook as she gave the answer, then seemed to recall something else.

"Oh, Lady Erina, I recently heard a rumor that concerns me. It seems that that transfer student from before…"

The moment the words "transfer student" left her mouth, the little secretary sensed the killing intent in Lady Erina’s eyes and the displeasure on her face. She immediately added,

"…No, not Yukihira Soma. The other transfer student, Xu Yue."

Only then did Erina Nakiri relax slightly. She did have an impression of Xu Yue, and she even felt somewhat guilty toward him. Back then, Yukihira Soma had nearly enraged her to death, causing her to take her anger out on someone she had initially viewed rather favorably.

Although Erina Nakiri had a terrible temper and personality due to her father’s upbringing, her nature was not bad. Since her secretary had specifically brought up news about him, she was somewhat curious.

"Him? I remember him. He’s quite capable, but his cooking methods are a little too violent and lack refinement in the details."

"Uh, it’s him. A rumor has been circulating lately from who knows where, saying that he also possesses the ‘God Tongue’…"

The little secretary spoke uncertainly. When she had first heard the rumor, she had not taken it seriously either. But it seemed to be spreading, so she felt Lady Erina should know.

"The God Tongue? Him? No way. It must be another rumor from somewhere."

Erina Nakiri laughed and shook her head, tapping her secretary on the forehead.

This was not the first time she had heard similar rumors.

People who could taste others’ dishes and offer useful, insightful critiques were often misunderstood.

But making judgments directly through her God Tongue was fundamentally different from relying on accumulated experience.

Before long, such rumors would collapse on their own.

"But…"

The little secretary seemed to want to say more.

"No buts. I’ve tasted his dishes. If he truly possessed the God Tongue, his handling of details could not possibly be so crude. That is the defining characteristic of this tongue of mine."

As she spoke, Erina Nakiri lightly licked her lips, lending her a touch of seductive charm.

"I really would like to meet another owner of the God Tongue and have a proper exchange. Enough of this pointless matter. Tell me about the next club…"

Just then, another beautiful figure with healthy wheat-colored skin and a fiery body walked over from the side. She respectfully approached and said,

"Lady Erina, please leave this sort of club to me, Mito Ikumi. There’s no need for you to handle every matter personally."

Mito Ikumi’s family ran the leading conglomerate in the beef industry. She herself was an expert in meat-based cooking, skilled in all kinds of meat dishes, and her ability was outstanding even among the first-years.

Erina Nakiri glanced at her before nodding.

"Very well, I’ll leave it to you. I trust in your abilities."

Though she had explained it away verbally, the rumor Hisako had mentioned about the God Tongue had still left Erina Nakiri somewhat concerned and distracted. She should look into it a little.

As for a weak club like the Donburi Research Society, leaving it entirely to Mito would be enough…

Meanwhile, the soft and adorable country girl Tadokoro Megumi was leading Xu Yue and Yukihira Soma around in search of suitable clubs to join.

At the same time, she introduced them to the advantages and characteristics of various club activities.

Since Tadokoro Megumi had attended classes here since middle school, she had naturally joined a club long ago.

The Local Cuisine Research Society was the club Tadokoro Megumi belonged to, and it suited her perfectly.

"Mm, I’ve actually already decided which club to join. You should focus on helping Soma instead."

Tadokoro Megumi had introduced the pros and cons of various clubs along the way. Xu Yue listened as he followed her, and when they arrived before the club that would trigger the plot, he spoke up.

If possible, Xu Yue naturally wanted to join every club and take all their abilities for himself.

But that was obviously unrealistic. Therefore, he needed to choose the club best suited to him, the one that could help him the most…

"Huh? You’ve already chosen? Is it one of the clubs we introduced before?"

Tadokoro Megumi asked curiously. After all, Xu Yue was also a transfer student and new to the academy.

"No, it’s a society that researches spices. I don’t even know whether it counts as a club. I’m planning to go look for it later…"

As Xu Yue said this, he entered the next club’s doors together with Tadokoro Megumi and Yukihira Soma.

The club they planned to check out next was the Donburi Research Society.

Totsuki Academy’s biggest slacker among the second-years was currently sitting inside the empty clubroom.

With a pompadour and a thoroughly listless expression, he was practically dried out in his chair.

"Sorry, everyone, please go back. The Donburi Research Society is about to be disbanded…"

The voice, salty with resignation, left Tadokoro Megumi and Yukihira Soma utterly baffled. They had seen quite a few clubs along the way.

But this was the first time they had encountered a club this salty.

Was this… really a research society?