Spatial Trap

Four people with lifeless eyes emerged from the assessment hall together, feeling as though the withered straw before them, swept by an autumn wind, looked exceptionally bleak.

Man proposes, heaven disposes. They had calculated every angle and maximized their advantages, yet they still could not withstand the destructive power of that straight-shooting fool, Yukihira Soma!

The advantage they had painstakingly built up had been destroyed in an instant by him.

It made Xu Yue decide that if he really turned this space into a place for enjoyment, Yukihira Soma would be the first person he fucked!

He would find his psychological defenses and break through them, toy cruelly with his feelings, then heartlessly cast him aside, torturing him both mentally and physically…

Ahem. That had just been angry words. Xu Yue’s orientation was perfectly normal.

(Yukihira Soma, standing nearby, inexplicably shivered.)

After that rare flash of emotion passed, Xu Yue naturally returned to working out the plan for what came next.

He had considered the possibility of failing the assessment and had several ways to deal with it.

Even in the worst-case scenario, if there really was no way to get in, he could go join Erina Nakiri’s villainous father. Once he took over Totsuki Academy, getting into the Elite Ten Council should not be difficult. But that would mean missing a whole series of point-farming activities within Totsuki Academy. The meager rewards from merely completing the mission were rather useless to him. This world revolved around Totsuki Academy, and that would make the losses outweigh the gains. He would be unable to maximize the benefits of his foreknowledge…

There were several ways to stay. The simplest and most direct one was undoubtedly…

Ding~ Mercy of the Punishment mission: Considering the Reincarnators’ lack of foundation, submitting 1,000 Reincarnation Points will exempt you from the entrance examination.

As the prompt appeared in Xu Yue’s mind, the other two Reincarnators, whose faces had been pale, seemed to find their motivation again and grew excited.

Heh. First, they were casually allowed to meet one of the Elite Ten Council members, then this "mercy" was offered at the right moment, making them feel that completing the mission was within easy reach and willingly pay a fee that did not seem all that expensive.

This was digging a pit step by step and waiting for people to jump in!

Xu Yue finally understood why ninety percent of people ended up with deducted points. It was not that they had given up on themselves; every single one of them had fallen into the space’s traps!

Seeing the relieved expressions on those two faces, Xu Yue knew their choice. Congratulations, they had successfully passed the entrance and entered the academy.

Unfortunately, the gap between them and the woman they considered so close at hand was far greater than they imagined.

Thinking of the evaluations in every Totsuki Academy class and the series of activities that would follow, Xu Yue observed a three-second silence for the Plot Points and Reincarnation Points of those two.

Anyone could guess that the space would surely guide them into spending bit by bit. Today, a thousand points to learn a dish; tomorrow, a C-rank mission; and when they ultimately failed the Elite Ten Council challenge, all their skills would be taken back.

That way of eating…

Was a little too ugly…

Paying to enter Totsuki Academy was a safety-net policy. Though to Xu Yue, one thousand Reincarnation Points meant nothing at all.

Still, the space could not be indulged like that…

Xu Yue felt there was another way to salvage this!

As one of the Elite Ten Council, Erina Nakiri was very busy. Once the evaluations were over, she immediately left the hall, and someone would naturally clean up the rest.

At that moment, however, a burly figure appeared from the shadows behind the curtains at the rear of the hall.

He went straight to the cooking station, found Yukihira Soma’s special egg over rice used for the assessment, and began tasting it.

After drawing Erina Nakiri’s displeasure, Yukihira Soma had not cared much. He remained full of confidence in his cooking and had made this egg over rice, using chicken stock jelly and egg to complement each other.

Its flavor truly was outstanding.

Unfortunately, the person he faced was the young lady Erina Nakiri. Once her temper flared, even if she did think it was delicious, she had still swept Xu Yue into the list of failures along with him. Yukihira Soma’s current dish was still not enough to conquer the God Tongue.

Yet this figure was now voraciously eating Yukihira Soma’s dish, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Wouldn’t you like to try my dish beside it as well, Commander-in-Chief? That seems a little unfair to me."

At that moment, a calm voice came from the side. A figure was leaning against the wall beneath the window, watching him.

"Hmm?"

The supreme Commander-in-Chief of Totsuki Academy, Erina Nakiri’s grandfather, Senzaemon Nakiri, could not help turning toward the newcomer.

(Note: By blood, he should be Erina Nakiri’s maternal grandfather. However, because Erina Nakiri’s father married into the family, the surname did not change, so let’s still call him her grandfather.)

He had not noticed anyone else in the dining hall at all?

Did this fellow not make a sound when he walked? He was acting like a ninja.

Even after having his identity and his actions exposed, Senzaemon Nakiri did not seem bothered.

"I am very particular about food, young man."

He had come to observe the venue because Yukihira Soma’s arrival had practically been arranged by him personally. Naturally, he would not let Yukihira Soma be eliminated.

But the others who were merely incidental did not matter.

Still, since he had been caught red-handed, he did not mind tasting another dish. It was not as if it would be poisoned.

"I just had a fine dish, so my standards will be even harsher now."

As he spoke, he picked up the extra portion of tempura Xu Yue had deliberately left behind and put it into his mouth.

This was…

In an instant, Senzaemon Nakiri’s clothes automatically burst open, revealing the granite-like, burly body beneath.

This was not Erina Nakiri’s mental stripping. This was genuine, real-life stripping.

This was also one of Senzaemon Nakiri’s innate abilities. Whenever he tasted food above a certain standard, his "Garments Burst Open" would activate.

Though Xu Yue did not know the principle behind it, judging from the other man’s reaction, there was no doubt he had passed this time…

"I tasted Seichiro’s flavor. Your imitation is too deliberate. If you keep this up, you will lose your own path."

After gradually savoring the aftertaste, Senzaemon Nakiri spoke in a somewhat solemn voice.

There was no doubt that, at this age, being able to make such a dish placed him among the very best of his peers. Yet the other party’s method was very dangerous.

A truly outstanding chef had to possess his own path and soul. That was why Totsuki Academy employed such brutal elimination methods!

It did not matter if you failed to graduate. As long as you had come here and received a layer of gilding, you were already considered outstanding.

As for those who could truly graduate, they were all culinary masters with their own souls and chef’s hearts!

Xu Yue’s backup option, the future villainous BOSS, Senzaemon Nakiri’s son-in-law, and Erina Nakiri’s father, Nakiri Azami, was planning to militarize chef training, branding everyone with his own mark according to standardized methods. That was why he was opposed by the protagonist’s group.

Xu Yue’s current performance resembled the "army" trained by Nakiri Azami later on. The food he made was delicious, but it also worried Senzaemon Nakiri.

"That is precisely why I need to enroll and learn, isn’t it…"

However, Xu Yue’s following words also led Senzaemon Nakiri to quickly make his decision.

"You have successfully used your dish to convince me. In the name of the Commander-in-Chief of Totsuki Academy, I declare that you have passed. I hope it truly is as you say…"

Yes, someone so young who could make a dish like this needed to be properly guided by Totsuki Academy!

"…Young man, experience the true essence of being a chef at this academy!"

After saying that, Senzaemon Nakiri left the hall without looking back.

Watching his departing figure, Xu Yue could not help smiling. To save those 1,000 Reincarnation Points, he had really put in some effort.

However, aside from saving the Reincarnation Points, his actions would surely earn him a bonus to his final evaluation!

Though he had no evidence, given the space’s nature, if someone really paid it to handle things, there was an eighty percent chance it would also lower their final clearance evaluation.

I will not give you that chance…

Two updates today. The next chapter will be posted once proofreading is finished.

Also, the protagonist still could not completely match the imitator’s taste for now, mainly because of his culinary fundamentals. The chefs in this world were absurdly skilled. They could continuously make minute adjustments according to the ever-changing heat, so every movement was tailored to the dish’s actual condition at that moment. Xu Yue’s ingredients could not possibly be exactly the same as theirs, and there would always be slight differences. That was where the current gap lay.

It was like Sasuke, as a genin, imitating Zabuza’s Waterfall Technique against A