"I've awakened a special ability, so I was hoping to train at the Totsuki Resort for a while before school starts."
Yuuki stated his purpose directly. He had no intention of hiding his ability. After all, in the world of Food Wars, special abilities were basically public knowledge.
Moreover, these abilities were primarily used in cooking, and only chefs could awaken them, so there was no need to hide them.
Although Yuuki's sense of touch could continuously grow, he also needed a vast knowledge base. And for that, he needed the backing of a major power. Without a doubt, Totsuki—the de facto culinary emperor of Japan—was the best choice.
As long as he revealed his ability and let them see its power, the Nakiri family would spare no effort to help him grow.
The reason was simple: the Jewel Generation Project. The God's Tongue's flaws needed a solution. Senzaemon Nakiri and the others had worked on it for so many years; once Yuuki displayed sufficient talent, he was bound to be highly valued.
Besides, he was already part of the Jewel Generation Project. Yuuki using the Nakiri family to help perfect his Evolving Touch, and the Nakiri family needing Yuuki's help to solve the God's Tongue problem—it was a win-win situation.
That's why Yuuki decided to reveal his ability directly. After all, it was the fastest way to improve.
Conveniently, Yuuki knew Gin Dojima, and their relationship was excellent. He didn't even need to find an opportunity to reveal it; a single phone call would suffice.
As for training at the Totsuki Resort for a while, that was also genuine. With his current Senior Chef level skills, it was more than enough.
The Totsuki Resort housed many powerful chefs, and Yuuki's Evolving Touch could grow rapidly in such an environment.
Although his current culinary skills already placed him at the Elite Ten level within Totsuki Academy, Yuuki wouldn't be content with the status quo. Improving himself was key; his goal was never just the so-called Elite Ten.
"So, you awakened a spec—WAIT, YOU SAID YOU AWAKENED A SPECIAL ABILITY?!"
The initially calm voice suddenly jumped several octaves. Yuuki wasn't surprised by this.
Don't be fooled by how many people seemed to have special abilities later in the story; that was on a global scale. Although THE BLUE competition had an age limit and attracted the younger generation—
—out of so many people worldwide, only a small handful had special abilities. This showed just how low the awakening probability was.
Moreover, awakening a special ability wasn't something that became easier the stronger your cooking skills were. It was highly random. Take Megumi Tadokoro, for instance; she awakened her ability while still in school.
Conversely, top chefs like Joichiro Yukihira hadn't awakened any special abilities, and neither had Gin Dojima.
That's why Gin Dojima was reacting strongly.
"That's right. I awakened a special ability, a very unique one."
Yuuki planned to reveal both his Evolving Touch and Inferno abilities. Publicly, he would say he awakened the Inferno ability, and it concurrently enhanced his sense of touch.
After all, there had never been a case of dual abilities in this world. Even Asahi Saiba—his "Cross Knives" allowed him to use others' abilities, but ultimately, it was still just one ability.
Special abilities came in all shapes and sizes; Yuuki wasn't worried about others being suspicious. It just meant his ability was rather overpowered.
Yuuki had thought through revealing these two abilities. He was revealing the Evolving Touch because he needed Totsuki's help to provide various ingredients to perfect it, similar to how Erina Nakiri's God's Tongue developed.
As for Inferno, he was bound to use this ability in his future cooking, so there was no need to keep it hidden.
"A unique special ability? What kind is it?" Gin Dojima quickly asked.
Yuuki didn't hide anything and briefly explained the information about his Evolving Touch and Inferno to Dojima.
"Your body releases high-temperature steam? It can even ignite flammable objects nearby? Just how high is that temperature? And this ability also enhanced your sense of touch!"
"Where are you now? I'll have someone pick you up!"
Dojima didn't waste words. The effects of the ability Yuuki described shocked him, so he now intended to bring Yuuki over for testing.
If it was as Yuuki said, then the Jewel Generation Project might actually have a chance of success.
Truthfully, Gin Dojima and the others felt that the chances for the Jewel Generation Project were slim. After all, among the current students of this generation, Erina Nakiri was still the strongest.
And most crucially, Erina Nakiri's growth was actually being suppressed.
In the Nakiri family, there was a rule: those who awakened the God's Tongue were not allowed to attend Totsuki or other academies. The reason was simple: attending school would completely restrict their development and waste their time.
Chefs with the God's Tongue only needed to focus on fundamental training and knowledge accumulation; they didn't need to learn anything else.
Because food itself was their best teacher. When others learned to make a dish, they needed recipes, teacher explanations, and constant experimentation.
But someone with the God's Tongue, provided they had sufficient knowledge and solid fundamentals, could perfectly replicate and even optimize another person's dish after just one taste.
Therefore, attending school was a complete developmental restriction for those with the God's Tongue. That's precisely why Senzaemon Nakiri broke the rules and sent Erina Nakiri to Totsuki.
One reason was for the Jewel Generation Project, and another was to limit the growth of the God's Tongue as much as possible.
It could be said that Senzaemon Nakiri had exhausted his mind over the God's Tongue issue.
Yet, even so, no one in the Jewel Generation could compare to Erina Nakiri. Soma Yukihira's addition in the original story was probably a last-ditch effort.
Realizing that Yuuki's special ability could be key to the Jewel Generation Project, Gin Dojima naturally couldn't sit still.
Moreover, given Yuuki's relationship with him, he was happy to see his junior have a better future.
Of course, all this still required testing. Only after getting the results could Dojima approach Senzaemon Nakiri.
After Yuuki told Dojima his location, he began to pack his things. It seemed he would be staying at the Totsuki Resort for a while, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
It had to be said, the Nakiri family was a powerhouse in Japan, with businesses all over the country. Dojima directly dispatched a car from a nearby Nakiri enterprise to pick Yuuki up.
After picking up Yuuki, the car sped quickly towards the Totsuki Resort.
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~# Keep the chapters coming — Support with Power Stones!
~# Every 100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter