Everyday Life Starting with Food Wars

The words "Great Bath" are written in calligraphy above, and below it in smaller characters: "Natural hot spring water source, fourth floor of the Totsuki Imperial Palace, bathing time until 1 a.m.

"Before we go to Marui's place, how about we take a bath first?"

Chen Yuxing looked at Yukihira Soma and asked.

As Yukihira turned his head in the direction he was pointing, his initial fatigue vanished instantly when he saw the sign.

"Let's go! We have to go! Go go go!"

The two first went back to their respective rooms to get their yukatas and towels. Chen Yuxing took out the unopened hotel yukata from his luggage bag, and also put his phone, room key and a bottle of water into the towel roll and secured it. Then he pushed open the door and met up with Xingping in the corridor, who was also carrying a bundle of towels.

The two, wearing slippers, walked up the stairs towards the large public bath.

Just as they turned the corner of the stairs from the third to the fourth floor, a series of light footsteps suddenly came from the corridor ahead, and they could even sense the joy of the person making the footsteps.

Before Chen Yuxing had even fully rounded the corner, the shadow of the light golden hair was already right in front of him. Hesitating because the distance was too close, he subconsciously wanted to stop and step aside, but the other person obviously did not expect that there was someone behind the corner.

Erina Nakiri looks like she just came out of a hot spring.

Her long, golden hair was wet and clung to her cheeks, her snow-white skin was flushed from the steam of the hot spring, and she was only wrapped in a bath towel, holding another small towel in her hand as she dried her hair.

Because the corner was too sharp and the distance was too close, the two people collided head-on.

"ah!"

Erina screamed and stumbled backward, slipping and stepping on the edge of her own towel.

As she lost her balance and fell backward, she instinctively reached out to grab anything she could hold onto.

As a result, she grabbed the front of Chen Yuxing's coat and pulled him down with her.

If it were a normal person, they would probably have been pulled down and rolled on the ground together by now, but Chen Yuxing reacted quickly. He bent his left knee and knelt on the ground, and braced his right hand against the wall next to him, forcefully stopping the two of them from falling.

Erina half-squatted and half-fell kneeling on the corridor floor, her right hand still tightly clutching Chen Yuxing's clothes, while her left hand frantically clenched the bath towel in front of her chest that was almost torn apart by the pulling.

"You didn't fall, did you?" Chen Yuxing looked down at her, showing no panic or intention to take advantage of her, and asked with concern.

As he spoke, he stretched out his other hand.

Erina looked up at the black-haired boy in front of her.

Chen Yuxing's eyes were clear as he bent down and offered his hand. Erina bit her lip and glared at him fiercely, but still blushed and put her hand in his palm. With Chen Yuxing's help, she stood up and quickly tucked the towel back into her arms.

Soma Yukihira, who was standing to the side, finally realized what was happening. He scratched the back of his head, looked at Erina's bath towel and slippers, and suddenly grinned: "Hey, Nakiri, you're in such a hurry to go for a bath, going to hot springs and staying in a luxury hotel. You say you're not interested, but you're actually pretty excited, aren't you?"

Erina had just tucked her towel in when she heard this, and her hand suddenly stopped. Then she raised her chin high, the blush on her face quickly faded, and her voice returned to its usual arrogant tone: "Although it is called a hellish training camp, it is just an extremely boring routine for me. I have already received individual training of a much higher intensity in junior high school. Coming to the dormitory training is just a formality."

Her purple eyes coldly shifted to Soma Yukihira, her tone full of sarcasm: "As for you, a guy who got in by passing the transfer exam, I'd like to see how many days it will take you to be kicked out."

However, when she said these words, her gaze only briefly swept over Chen Yuxing, and her purple eyes quickly looked away after she finished speaking, as she lowered her head to tidy up the edges of her bath towel.

She didn't mock Chen Yuxing, perhaps because of the bowl of dragon beard noodles she had personally tasted during the food battle that day, a dish that had made her lose face but left her speechless, and because she had witnessed firsthand his overwhelming strength in winning five consecutive matches.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from the other end of the corridor.

Hisako Shinoto ran quickly from the other end of the corner, carrying a spare dry towel and a bottle of lotion.

"Lady Erina! Are you alright?!"

She jogged over, quickly unfolded the dry towel in her hand, and draped it tightly over Erina's shoulders. Then she glared warily at Chen Yuxing and Yukihira Soma.

"We're about to take a bath."

Before Hisako could ask any questions, Chen Yuxing pointed to the bathroom sign in the corridor ahead and said, "Nothing else, I just accidentally bumped into it at this corner."

When Hisako heard this, although she was still a little suspicious, she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the clothes and towels in the hands of the two of them.

She stepped aside to shield Erina, and out of courtesy, nodded to Chen Yuxing: "Thank you."

She paused for a moment, then looked at Soma Yukihira: "Yukihira-kun."

Yukihira scratched his head and chuckled in response.

Chen Yuxing patted Xingping on the shoulder to signal them to leave. The two continued forward, pushed open the wooden door of the large bath, and found the changing room filled with the faint sulfur smell and humid heat unique to hot springs.

The two had just taken off their clothes and opened the sliding door to the bathing area.

"Splash—"

A loud splash came from the bathtub. Chen Yuxing and Xingping exchanged a glance and simultaneously peered inside.

In the spacious natural hot spring pool, Dojima Gin was soaking in the hot spring with his upper body naked.

Two thick arms were draped over the edge of the pool, and his whole body was steaming with heat.

The head chef of the Far Moon Resort was actually doing all sorts of squats and shoulder and back stretches in the hot spring water that looked incredibly powerful.

With each movement he made, the pool water flowed slowly between the bulging, still-present muscles on his body, the splashing water echoing in the empty bathroom like a pile of stones hitting the hot water pool.

"Oh?"

Hearing the door open, Dojima Gin stopped what he was doing, turned around and looked at the doorway, a hint of a smile in his sharp eyes. "You two are pretty quick, aren't you? What time is it? There should still be a little while before the sixty-minute time limit. This year's five-time champion and Rice Bowl Boy, I didn't expect you to be so fast at taking a bath too."

"Fifty regular steaks, not a lot."

Chen Yuxing tied the bath towel above his head and tested the water temperature in the pool with his foot.

Then I slowly slid into the pool. The water was a bit warm, but the moment I got in, all the muscles in my body relaxed.

The lactic acid and tension accumulated from cooking intensely today seemed to melt away the moment I entered the hot spring.

"Dojima-senpai, are you doing squats and stretches in the hot spring?"

Soma Yukihira then slid into the hot spring pool with a "plop." The hot water reached above his shoulders. He let out a long breath and leaned his head back against the edge of the pool.

"Haha, what's so strange about that?"

Dojima Gin laughed heartily and slapped the water with his hand. "Doing a few sets of stretches and squats while taking a bath every day helps relax your muscles quickly. In the chef's line of work, legs are more important than arms. If you stand in the kitchen for twelve hours, people with weak legs will start to feel weak in their arms halfway through, and then they won't even be able to lift the pot."

He looked at the two first-year students before him and said like a veteran imparting experience, "You need to remember this. Physical strength! It's the foundation that allows a chef to climb to the pinnacle of culinary arts!"

Upon hearing this, Soma Yukihira's eyes lit up, his face full of eagerness. He slapped his thigh and struck a pose in the pool: "Oh! I see! As expected of Dojima-senpai, I'll give it a try too!"

As he spoke, Soma Yukihira took a deep breath and started doing squats in the pool. However, the buoyancy and resistance of the hot spring were quite strong. He had only squatted down a few times when his foot slipped and he fell into the pool with a "plop." He swallowed two mouthfuls of bathwater before awkwardly standing up.

"Pfft...cough cough cough! This bottom is so slippery!" Soma Yukihira wiped the water off his face and complained with a distressed expression.

Chen Yuxing leaned against the pool wall, and couldn't help but laugh at Yukihira Soma's comical appearance, his body completely relaxing.

Chapter 24 Intensive Study, A Short Break

Dojima Gin laughed as he watched Yukihira Soma thrashing around in the water, but his expression changed slightly when his gaze swept over Chen Yuxing.

As the former first seat of the Elite Ten of Totsuki, Gin Dojima possessed exceptionally keen observation skills. He could clearly see that although Chen Yuxing was simply leaning there lazily, his breathing rhythm was very long and his chest rose and fell very steadily, without the slightest disorder.

"This kid..." Dojima Gin thought to himself, "After a day of cooking lessons, and then making fifty steak sets... an ordinary first-year student should be exhausted by now, but his muscles don't seem to have reached their limit at all. Is this no wonder he's the five-time champion who's already famous since he entered school?"

As soon as Yukihira finished wiping the water droplets from his face, he suddenly asked, "By the way, Dojima-senpai, Hoshino and I ran into Nakiri Erina on our way here. Did she finish making fifty steak sets faster than us?"

“Erina Nakiri… the granddaughter of the academy’s headmaster, I’ve heard of her.”

Dojima Gin thought for a moment and replied, "I'm not sure if she finished faster than you, but as the youngest of the Elite Ten, her culinary skills are beyond doubt. In fact, if all goes well, she will become the strongest monster in the history of Totsuki Academy."

"However, at the moment, he is just a promising talent."

Dojima Gin stood up from the water, water droplets running down his muscles, which looked like rocks washed by water. He wiped the back of his neck with a towel and waved to Chen Yuxing and Yukihira Soma.

"Alright, I've soaked for a while now. Keep practicing, young men. Go back and rest early; there will be even tougher challenges ahead."

After finishing speaking, Dojima Gin put on his bathrobe, pushed open the bathroom door, and went out.

As soon as he stepped into the locker room, Dojima Gin pulled out his phone from his locker. The moment the screen lit up, his brows furrowed—the screen displayed twelve missed calls, all from Professor Roland Chappell.

Dojima Gin draped the towel over his shoulder and flicked it back as he walked out.

"Professor Chappell, you wanted to see me?"

The call was answered almost instantly, and Chappell's usual serious and deep voice came from the other end: "Dojima-kun, please come to my room immediately. There's something important I need to tell you. Chef Donato is also here."

Dojima Gin paused for a moment.

Donato Wutongtian—the Italian chef who was publicly humiliated by Chen Yuxing at the opening ceremony.

He was standing on the stage and could see it clearly. The moment Donato reached out, Chen Yuxing took a step forward and used himself to separate Tadokoro and Donato.

Afterwards, Inui Hinako told him, "That kid blocked it really fast, I didn't even catch up." He just smiled and shook his head, not taking it seriously. After all, the graduates of Totsuki Academy are all prominent figures, and they shouldn't be so petty as to argue with a student.

But now it seems that some people have taken this to heart.

Five minutes later, Dojima Gin changed his clothes and pushed open Chappelle's door.

As soon as he entered, he saw Donato Wutongtian sitting casually on the sofa, with a printed proposal spread out on the coffee table in front of him. The cover was printed with the title "Proposal Related to Special Enhancement Projects" in gold lettering.

Donato wasn't wearing his flamboyant Italian chef's white robe anymore; he was in a dark gray suit, his hair neatly combed, looking like a businessman coming to discuss business.

When he saw Dojima Gin enter, he stood up and gave a standard Italian hand-to-chest salute, his smile exactly the same as the one he showed at the opening ceremony, except that there was no hint of a smile in his eyes.

"Good evening, Dojima-senpai."

Dojima Gin ignored his polite words and went straight to the coffee table. He picked up the proposal and quickly read a few pages before glancing at Chappelle, who was sitting on the other side.

Chappelle rested her hands on her knees, her face expressionless.

“Chef Donato has already reported this proposal to the headmaster,” Chappelle said. “The headmaster’s intention is to agree in principle to add this project. But the premise is that it must not disrupt the established schedule of the entire residential training program. Therefore, the headmaster’s requirement is to select fifty trainees separately for a one-day intensive project, with Chef Donato serving as the assessment and supervisor for this project.”

Dojima Gin frowned as he quickly flipped through the specific clauses in the proposal.

The more he looked, the more his brows furrowed.

This is a solo project; teams are not allowed. Each participant must complete the project individually. Within a six-hour time limit, participants must independently design and prepare a complete combination of appetizer, main course, and dessert. The dishes must be prepared according to the recipes provided by the examiners, and no pre-made semi-finished products are allowed. All sauces and broths must be made from scratch.

Even more stringent is that the dish must undergo multiple reviews—first by Donato Wutongtian himself, then by at least two other graduate lecturers for cross-review. If any reviewer is dissatisfied and rejects the dish, the student will be immediately expelled.

Even the "hellish training" prepared for first-year students gradually increases in difficulty, but Donato, the so-called intensive course, raises the difficulty level by leaps and bounds.

"Fifty people." Dojima Gin put the proposal back on the coffee table. "Where do you want to draw these fifty people from?"

“Random selection,” Donato replied. “The list will be announced tomorrow morning.”

Dojima Gin was silent for a moment, then turned his head and stared intently at Donato Gotoda.

"Chef Donato, I have no objection to the professionalism of this project. But I would like to ask—what is your motivation for suddenly raising this topic at this critical juncture?"

Donato picked up the coffee cup on the coffee table, took a sip, put the cup down, and looked at Dojima Gin with his affectionate eyes, his smile gentle and harmless.

"Dojima-senpai asked this question to ask if I have anything to do with that Chinese transfer student, right?"

Donato chuckled and spread his hands. "I admit, that transfer student did make me a little angry. But that's not why I proposed this project. Rather, it's because I realized that some of the new students have reached the stage where they can create independently without relying on conventional projects. Conventional projects are designed for students who need to train their basic skills, but for those who have already passed the basic skills stage, doing the same thing every day according to a recipe will only dull their edge. The essence of this project is to raise their ceiling."

Donato stood up and straightened the hem of his clothes: "As for the threshold—luck is also part of strength. In previous years' training camps, there have been many projects that eliminated a large number of students at once. This experimental project will only last for one day. If the selected people have the strength, they can naturally pass this project. Those who are selected but fail can only blame their bad luck or that they were not prepared. After all, this is Totsuki, isn't it?"

Dojima Gin did not respond immediately. To be fair, in a dog-eat-dog world like Totsuki, Donato's words did make some sense.

But he hated the way the person said it; it made him feel very uncomfortable.

"Chef Donato".

Chappelle finally stood up from her chair, walked to the window, and turned her back to the two people in the room.

“There’s something you need to remember clearly. Although this plan is in your name, the authority to execute it comes from the Commander-in-Chief, not from your personal discretion. The evaluation results for each of these fifty trainees must be fully documented in writing. If someone is eliminated, I need to see the exact reason for elimination, not just reasons like ‘I’m not satisfied’ or ‘poor performance.’ Do you understand?”

The last sentence is not a question, but a warning to Donato Sycamore Field.

Donato's smile faded, and he stood up and bowed. "Of course, Professor Shaper. I will strictly adhere to Totsuki's standards, ensuring absolute fairness and impartiality."

After saying that, he walked past Dojima Gin and left the room.

After the door closed and the footsteps in the corridor completely disappeared, Dojima Gin turned to look at Chappelle.

"Donato is still holding a grudge. With his network of connections within Far Moon, it shouldn't be too difficult for him to manipulate the system a little and randomly select that transfer student."

“I know.” Chappell turned around, took off his glasses, and wiped the lenses with a handkerchief. “But the reasons he used to persuade the Commander-in-Chief were sound. What the Commander-in-Chief values ​​is precisely this kind of high pressure that can bring out the potential of geniuses. As for his own little schemes…”

Chappell put her glasses back on, the lenses reflecting the cool light of the room. "Donjima-kun, don't worry. He doesn't have the guts to tamper with the final judging. If he dares to cheat in this stage, I guarantee that the name Donato Gotoda will be permanently removed from the list of partners of all Totsuki's branches and star-rated restaurants."

Dojima Gin leaned back on the sofa armrest, crossed his arms, and looked at the gold-embossed cover of the proposal on the coffee table, letting out a slow breath.

"I just hope that the little ones who have been caught up in this storm can hold on."

……

Meanwhile, the accommodation area of ​​Totsuki Palace

Marui's room was once again forcibly requisitioned as the meeting point for tonight, for the same reason as always: "Marui's room is the cleanest."

"Why...why is it always me..."