The next day was sunny. Yuzu Arisugawa was awakened by the crowing of roosters from Polar Star Dormitory’s chicken coop.

Because Souma Yukihira had gotten lost in Yuzu Arisugawa’s repeated calls of “Senpai Souma” last night, the two of them toiled in the kitchen until very late, finally collapsing from exhaustion in the Polar Star Dormitory kitchen.

Wrapped in a blanket kindly provided by Grandma Nitobe, Yuzu Arisugawa, lying on the counter, stretched languidly.

Her back and waist ached.

And she smelled a little.

Yuzu Arisugawa, a failure as a beautiful girl.

To make it to her morning cooking class, she used Polar Star Dormitory’s bathroom, scrubbing away the various smells and sticky traces of sweat from the kitchen.

Thankfully, Totsuki students often have many outings and exams, and the girls always keep disposable underwear on hand to help Yuzu Arisugawa out.

Totsuki didn’t seem to be very strict about what students wore under their uniform jackets, so Yuzu Arisugawa, without following any rules, simply borrowed a white shirt from Megumi Tadokoro to wear underneath.

The uniforms were custom-made at a tailor shop affiliated with the school, so they weren’t always perfectly fitting. The borrowed white shirt was a little small, and since it didn’t have a collar, she unbuttoned the top two buttons.

She had taken off her jacket before the cooking practice, so it was still clean. Yuzu Arisugawa put it on without hesitation.

While she was in front of the mirror, agonizing over whether she looked a little delinquent, the three-girl group knocked and entered.

Yuki Yoshikawa cupped her face. “Morning attack!”

Megumi Tadokoro’s face was flushed. “Sweet and strong, exactly like my dream cat.”

Ryoko Sakaki started rummaging through drawers. “Wait, wait, wait. Your neck looks a little bare. I remember I have a perfect choker…”

It’s hard to imagine the combination of attack and sweetness, two almost opposite words, but Yuzu Arisugawa, wearing the choker, was both sweet and aggressive.

If reality were a battle manga, they could already imagine Yuzu Arisugawa, with her cute sweet-girl face, slaughtering everyone.

Ryoko Sakaki also took the initiative to braid Yuzu Arisugawa’s hair, tying it all up in a high ponytail.

Yuki Yoshikawa enthusiastically styled her youthful and vibrant side bangs.

Ryoko Sakaki was really good at describing things. “Yuzu would be really suitable for those domineering roles in TV dramas where they slap someone.”

Yuki Yoshikawa agreed. “Very suitable, very suitable!”

Megumi Tadokoro added, “And it’s the kind where you know at a glance that it’s the other person’s fault.”

This contradictory harmony of sweetness and strength might be due to Yuzu Arisugawa’s eyes, slightly upturned but round and full, a refreshing bright green, incredibly lively, always overflowing with the arrogance of “I’m the best.”

That’s the cat-type personality: she can be a sweet girl who charms countless men and women, or she can use her cat-like paws to slap any pet owner.

In short, Yuzu Arisugawa successfully completed her main mission for the day—getting through cooking class—and then moved on to her side mission: finding the culprit who spread that strange, chuunibyou nickname.

She looked at the orange-haired girl in front of her. “So, ‘Ragdoll Cat Princess’ is too embarrassing.”

Orange-haired girl: “No problem. I have a dozen more options here. Arisugawa-sama, please choose freely!”

Yuzu Arisugawa felt she had been looking at strange things lately, or perhaps the students of this academy were all too individualistic. She sighed. “Call me Yuzu. What’s your name?”

“Okay, Yuzu-sama.” The orange-haired girl put a gold badge on her chest, engraved with “Yuzu-sama Fan Club President No.1.”

So this girl had already prepared this stuff and spread the “Ragdoll Cat” nickname.

“My name is Meimi Akutagawa. It’s an honor to serve as the president of Yuzu-sama’s fan club.” Yuzu Arisugawa stared at her somewhat familiar orange hair. “Excuse me, do you have a brother?”

Meimi Akutagawa nodded like a chick pecking at rice. “Yes, yes. I have a twin brother named Jiro Akutagawa. Does Yuzu-sama know him?”

Yuzu Arisugawa’s eyes curved. “I was in the same class as Jiro in middle school at Ice Emperor Academy.”

Meimi Akutagawa’s pupils shook: Yuzu-sama hadn’t even called her by her name yet! Why did her brother get to?!

Yuzu Arisugawa’s smile widened. “You have a very cute brother, Meimi.”

Hehe, Yuzu-sama called me by my name. I can’t hear things like “Sleepyhead Brother is cute”!

But when Yuzu Arisugawa invited her to lunch, Meimi Akutagawa decided to thank her connection-holding brother.

After lunch, Yuzu Arisugawa planned to go back to her apartment to get her dirty clothes and put them in the washing machine.

When she arrived for class in the afternoon, she heard that Souma Yukihira had a food battle scheduled with someone called the “Meat Invader.”

Seeing that everyone had such chuunibyou nicknames, Yuzu Arisagawa felt balanced.

“Don’t get balanced. We’re going to the donburi (rice bowl) activity room for today’s practice. You’re also going to be my taste tester.”

Souma Yukihira called out to Yuzu Arisugawa.

“Coming, coming.”

After arriving at the donburi research room, Yuzu Arisugawa found the room’s past research recipes and looked them over, listening to Souma Yukihira, Megumi, and the lone member of the research club formulate their strategy.

Lone member: “That Meat Demon family runs a large-scale meat wholesaler, using the highest-grade A5 beef!”

Souma Yukihira: “A… A what beef is that?”

The lone member petrified.

Yuzu Arisugawa raised her hand. “I think I have some A5 beef in my apartment.”

The lone member brightened again. “As expected of Yuzu-sama~”

Souma Yukihira: “I think it’s better to use regular beef.”

Lone member: ?

Because Souma Yukihira believed that donburi emphasized convenience, deliciousness, and affordability, and affordability was also an important feature, the biggest problem now was how to use ordinary beef to create a taste that surpassed A5 beef through skill.

Yuzu Arisugawa’s praise: What an idealistic, ambitious, and principled young man.

The idealistic, ambitious, and principled young man, after seeing the donburi research club’s financial situation and his own jingling pocket money, accepted Yuzu Arisugawa’s black card.

Even ordinary beef wasn’t something you could buy with coins.

There was no fixed upper limit on the amount of beef needed for practice.

The lone member moved, wiping away tears. “Yuzu-sama, rest assured. After the Donburi Research Institute overcomes this crisis, I will repay you when the next budget comes in!”

Souma Yukihira showed a big, bright smile. “Hey, if we go to the supermarket after nine o’clock at night, we can buy discounted beef. We might not even need to use Yuzu’s money. Speaking of which, Yuzu, are you that rich?”

Yuzu Arisugawa stared at him for a moment. “My deceased parents and the brothers who raised me are all very good at making money.”

Souma Yukihira felt a pang of guilt and never mentioned Yuzu Arisugawa’s wealth again.

Megumi Tadokoro, a little worried, wanted to comfort Yuzu Arisugawa, but Yuzu Arisugawa quietly told her, “I have four brothers who spoil me like I’m their daughter and son. I’m not lacking in love at all.”

After helping organize the Donburi Research Institute’s recipes, she saw Souma Yukihira already enthusiastically experimenting with dishes.

Yuzu Arisugawa quietly sat aside, openly absorbing knowledge.

“Ah, Yuzu, you can join in too. You don’t have to be as fast as me, just start by following the steps.”

Yuzu Arisugawa: “Okay.”

The sun was setting, and the sky gradually turned a brilliant orange-red.

Dish after dish was brought out. Yuzu Arisugawa ate while cooking to digest, but only managed two more bowls than Megumi Tadokoro. She felt like she never wanted to eat beef again in her life.

Supporting her stomach, she walked back to her apartment as it was getting dark.

Late summer nights don’t get dark early, so she was quite surprised to see Senpai Ryotan and Senpai Shi just returning.

She commented, “Do third-year classes end that late?”

Ryotan Kobayashi waved her hand. “It’s because the Elite Ten have to deal with a lot of miscellaneous school affairs.”

Speaking of which, Eisuke Shi was like a deflated balloon, completely slumped over, showing how much he was suffering from paperwork.

“Oh, I see.”

The elevator “dinged,” then was replaced by Yuzu Arisugawa’s exclamation.

“What! The Elite Ten! Senpai Ryotan is one of the Elite Ten?!”

There was an even more terrifying possibility: Eisuke Shi was too, judging by his worn-out expression. He couldn’t really be, could he?!

Ryotan Kobayashi “eh”-ed. “Did I forget to mention? I’m the second seat of the Elite Ten, and Eisuke is the first seat.”

Eisuke is the first seat.

Is the first seat.

The first seat.

…

Who! Who is the first seat?

Eisuke Shi is the top of the Elite Ten?!

Thinking of her declaration to Eisuke Shi that she would replace him and surpass him, Yuzu Arisugawa felt a rush of heat to her face.

This was awkward.

Ryotan Kobayashi, unable to bear it, hugged Yuzu Arisugawa tightly, and said with reason, “Yuzu, do you know that red-hearted yuzu is sweeter than white-hearted yuzu? Red-hearted Yuzu is really super sweet! I want to eat it!”

Yuzu Arisugawa replied seriously, “It’s not yuzu season yet, senpai.”

Ryotan Kobayashi looked forward to it. “Then can we eat yuzu when it’s in season?”

Eisuke Shi’s eyes widened. He felt a little superfluous.

Eisuke Shi, a failure as a male lead.

Yuzu Arisugawa forcibly pushed the lily petals from her hometown back together. “If senpai likes, I can make a yuzu cake for senpai.”

Ryotan Kobayashi cheered. “Okay!”

“Yuzu, are you coming to my place for dinner? I’m having beef today.”

Yuzu Arisugawa clutched her stomach, her legs wobbling slightly.

Actually, she was standing very steadily and wouldn’t fall, she just wobbled a little to show her fear of beef.

While wobbling, she expressed her feeling of fullness after eating various beef dishes all afternoon. “Because Souma-kun has a food battle, I helped him taste-test beef donburi all afternoon. I don’t want to eat beef for the rest of my life.”

Suddenly, she felt support at her elbow. Yuzu Arisugawa turned to look into Eisuke Shi’s innocent eyes. “Are you alright?”

She stood straight and waved her hand. “Thank you, senpai.”

Why did she fall towards Eisuke Shi?

Yuzu didn’t know.

This transfer student, who appeared and immediately surpassed everyone, was no less famous than Yuzu Arisugawa. Even the top and second seats of the Elite Ten had heard of this food battle.

Eisuke Shi showed his aloof and superior face. “Whether it’s a jade or a stone, it still needs a food battle to tell.”

Whether it was jade or stone, he naturally held a condescending attitude, sitting high on his throne.

This is the current first seat of Totsuki Academy—Eisuke Shi.