Food Wars: Taste Reversal

When Shiraki returned to Totsuki Academy, it was already afternoon.

Today, the academy didn't hold another 50-person cooking assessment to block the students and announced an early dismissal. Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed that everyone could finally take a breather.

However, Shiraki knew this was just a prelude to tomorrow's "sleepless night."

This was probably a rare and quiet evening that the candidates could enjoy.

Naturally, everyone at Polar star Dormitory gathered in Marui Zenji's room and started playing games.

...

When Megumi Tadokoro woke up from her coma, the world seemed to have changed.

Not only had she inexplicably passed the assessment and avoided expulsion, but everyone had brought her directly to Marui Zenji's room to celebrate her success together.

"Huh... Wait a minute... What the hell is going on?"

The confused Tadokoro hadn't yet processed why Kojiro Shinomiya had sentenced her to "expulsion" one moment, and she woke up in the hotel the next. Soma Yukihira, the only one who knew what had happened, remained silent in the face of her barrage of questions. After all, the whole sequence of events was so unbelievable that even he didn't know how to explain it.

He couldn't very well say, "Just as Shinomiya was about to expel you, Shiraki suddenly appeared and stuffed a mysterious dish into his mouth. Shinomiya was immediately swayed, and he forgot all about expelling you." That explanation would sound far too ridiculous.

"What's going on here? Megumi, you're finally awake! Let me tell you, there are no assessments today. Now's the time to relax and enjoy ourselves!"

Yoshino Yuki jumped up from the bed, threw her arm around Tadokoro's shoulders, and grinned. "Hot springs, massage parlors, entertainment facilities—everything is at our disposal until tonight... Isn't it amazing?"

"Ah... uh..."

Tadokoro was stunned, still disoriented by Yoshino's excitement. But seeing that no one else seemed concerned, she hesitantly accepted the situation.

Still... this was all too inexplicable, wasn't it?

She had just been dreaming of Shinomiya sternly saying "expulsion" to her, and now she was suddenly celebrating? What exactly happened?

Before Tadokoro could regain her composure, a knock came at Marui's door. Those playing ghost card solitaire exchanged curious looks. Soma glanced around the room; everyone was present.

"I'll get it," Ryoko Sakaki said, rising from the bed. She walked to the door, assuming it was a hotel staff member or a teacher delivering news about tomorrow's exam. Instead, it was Alice Nakiri and her classmate Ryo Kurokiba.

"Shiraki-kun, I heard you were here, so I came to join the fun!"

Alice waved inside and turned to Ryoko. "Can we come in?"

"Ah... uh... yes, sure." Ryoko hesitated but stepped aside to let Alice and Kurokiba in.

It was clear Alice was here for Shiraki, but refusing her outright didn't seem appropriate.

"Hm... are you playing ghost card solitaire?" Alice asked, watching Shoji Sato and Daigo Aoki playing with Shiraki and Marui.

"Can I join?"

Without waiting for a response, Alice smiled and leaned toward Shiraki. "Mind if I play?"

"Why did you show up uninvited?" Shiraki, who had just drawn the ghost card, turned to her with mild annoyance.

Sato and Daigo, however, intervened immediately.

"Come on, Shiraki. It's fine. Since a beautiful girl wants to join, we have no objections," Sato said with a grin.

"I agree!" Daigo chimed in.

"Then don't mind if I do!" Alice sat down on an empty cushion, and Kurokiba followed suit with a resigned look, clearly uninterested in arguing.

The ghost card game quickly resumed, now with Alice and Kurokiba participating. Soma and Yoshino even joined a few rounds, taking turns bringing snacks from the kitchen. The lively atmosphere soon filled the room.

"Haha, I didn't expect you to be so gloomy, yet your food is amazing!" Sato exclaimed, clapping Kurokiba on the shoulder after tasting his dish.

"..."

Kurokiba, now without his signature bandana, gave him a cold glance, clearly uninterested in responding.

Alice smiled and chimed in. "Ryo's skills are top-notch. By the way, just drinking juice and playing ghost card solitaire feels a bit dull. Why don't we spice things up?"

"What do you have in mind?" Kohei asked, putting his cards down.

"Well..." Alice set her cards aside, then looked at Shiraki, chatting with Ryoko and the others. A mischievous grin spread across her face. "Why not decide the winner with a cooking battle?"

"A cooking battle?" Soma's interest piqued immediately. "How do we decide who wins?"

"Simple. One person from your side and one from ours will cook a dish. The rest will act as judges. Whoever gets the most votes wins. And the losing side... has to fulfill the winning side's request."

Alice's proposal intrigued everyone. Soma, eager to compete, agreed without hesitation, and the rest were game since it was just for fun.

"But Alice, isn't this unfair? You and Kurokiba are a team, and there are way more of us," Ryoko pointed out.

Alice smirked. "Don't worry. As long as Shiraki-kun doesn't compete, I'm confident Ryo can handle anyone."

She added with a sly smile, "Oh, and if we win... my request is for Shiraki-kun to kiss me."

"What?!"

The room erupted. Yoshino and Ryoko shot upright, while the boys exchanged stunned glances.

"W-what? Is that supposed to be a punishment?" Daigo nearly fell off his chair.

"Miss Alice, I'm available too! How about making it me instead?" Sato offered eagerly.

Ryoko looked at Shiraki, her expression a mix of surprise and concern. But before anyone could respond, Yoshino leaped to her feet.

"That's so arrogant! Soma, you have to win this! If you lose, we'll make sure their team takes the hit!"

Marui, still sprawled on the floor, groaned in protest. "Why me?! Yoshino, what do you have against me?!"