Zombies in the Culinary Arts Department

So Shizuka Hiratsuka and Shirou carried the timber outside together, their steps light and quick. After several trips back and forth, they had moved all the timber.

After that, on the school's muddy open ground, heavy timbers were stacked into square towers with wooden frames more than three meters high, and then oil was poured on them and they were set on fire.

A red bonfire burned brightly under the night sky, illuminating the entire open space of the academy.

First, students from the Chiba campus led the dance, with boys and girls forming pairs, holding hands, and walking to the bonfire to dance a folk dance. Some lively male and female students from the Paris Branch School also joined in, walking into the center of the bonfire dance floor and imitating them.

However, not everyone has the courage to go on stage and try this exotic dance.

"Hey, let's go dance together," a boy from the Paris Branch School suggested to a girl wearing glasses next to him.

"No way, I can't dance like that," the girl with glasses said, shaking her head.

On the other side, seeing the dance unfolding, which was different from what she had imagined, Jeanne d'Arc, who had excitedly pulled Shirou to join in, seemed disappointed and said, "Eh? So this is what dancing means?"

"So, Jeanne d'Arc, you still want to dance that same dance as last time?" Shirou asked.

"It's not a matter of thinking!" Jeanne d'Arc glared at the boy, muttering under her breath, "Like this... didn't I look like an idiot for being so expectant before...?"

"Then let's dance! It's all about dancing, so any kind of dance around the campfire is fine. I'll stay with you as long as you like it. Let's go!" Shirou said with a light laugh, then took the silver-haired girl's hand and walked towards the campfire dance floor.

"Hmph, fine. Since you're going to be silly with me, Shirou, don't blame me if we get laughed at." Jeanne d'Arc let the boy pull her along, pouting but then secretly curving her lips into a smile as she accepted his invitation.

"If you're always concerned about what others think, you'll lose sight of what you should be doing," Shirou said.

So the two of them, oblivious to everyone else, began to dance around the campfire, performing a dance completely different from the ones around them.

"Hahaha~! Look at those two." Several Chiba school students who didn't go on stage to dance burst into laughter.

"Oh, Shirou, you're quite skilled." The team leader rested his chin on his hand, looking smug, just like I was back in my day.

"Let's go dance too!" At this moment, a boy invited the shy girl next to him again.

"Huh? But I don't know how to do anything," the girl said hesitantly.

"It's okay! Let's just do it the way we like." The boy smiled, took the girl's hand, and pulled her into the ranks of those around the campfire.

"Hahaha, another group has arrived, this is really enough. Are you trying to turn this place into a circus?"

"It looks fun, let's go jump around!"

So, in front of the bonfire of revelry, seven or eight different dances suddenly appeared. Some people danced lightly like butterflies, some spun around with their skirts billowing in a fan shape, some tap danced, some tossed their hair, and we even saw a pair of black brothers performing a ritualistic shamanistic dance.

Everywhere was a scene of wild, unbridled dancing, quite a spectacle.

On the last night, the campfire burned out amidst the noise and was finally extinguished by cold water.

The amazing dream adventure, the fun activities, the new competitions and encounters—in short, the lively day at the Paris Branch School of France was drawing to a close. After that, Jeanne d'Arc was asked to stay in Shizuka Hiratsuka's room.

The next morning, a magical scene appeared on television.

What happened at the academy yesterday not only made the news, but also spawned a special interview program.

The interviewee was Shizuka Hiratsuka, a beautiful woman with long, elegant black hair, dressed in a dignified and graceful manner. She sat elegantly on the sofa, accepting the reporter's interview.

"So, Teacher Hiratsuka, what do you usually do during your holidays?" the reporter asked.

"Ahaha, when I get up in the morning, I make myself a cup of coffee and then read for a while," Shizuka Hiratsuka a smile, sitting elegantly.

"I see." The reporter nodded repeatedly.

In people's minds, an image comes to mind: a beautiful, dark-haired woman in a luxurious room with oriental flair, grinding coffee beans with her fair hands in the morning, brewing herself a cup of coffee, then taking out a literary book and leisurely flipping through its pages. The morning sunlight shines through her silhouette, making her long, cascading black hair Gil like a goddess.

In reality, Shizuka Hiratsuka, unkempt and scratching her head with messy hair, takes out a can of instant coffee, pours it into a cup, then pours in boiling water, stirs it a couple of times with a spoon, and throws it into the sink.

Then, carrying the coffee, he placed it on the table, leaped up, and flopped onto the sofa. He pulled out a copy of Weekly Shonen Jump, rested one leg on his knee, crossed his legs, and began to read it with great interest.

As a result of the television broadcast, Shizuka Hiratsuka's overly idealized image, along with her healing songs, entered the hearts of Parisians, and the number of elderly fans is rapidly increasing.

After performing the archery demonstration, Shirou was dragged to the Culinary Department classroom by the students there, where he received instruction from the teacher alongside Erina.

Work alongside these genius chefs, experimenting with all sorts of new dishes, developing signature dishes, and critiquing each other's cooking.

Chapter 200 The Zombies of the Culinary Department

During this time, Jeanne d'Arc lived with Shizuka Hiratsuka, and because the headmistress liked her very much, she was given special permission to participate in some school activities, provided it did not interfere with the studies of other students.

Taking this opportunity, Shirou took Jeanne d'Arc to sample the cuisine of nearby Michelin restaurants, such as Le Bristol, a five-star hotel on the Champs-Élysées with state banquet-level facilities, and to enjoy the kind of food that celebrities would eat.

Enjoy the pastoral scenery in the Bois de Boulogne, a western suburb of Paris, while savoring the creative cuisine of renowned chefs, such as cod salad and two-tone grouse with chestnuts and pears.

There's also molecular gastronomy, which blends the flavors of various vegetables and fruits into caviar-like foam.

Roasted pigeon coated in cocoa powder and curry monkfish are also very delicious.

In this busy and fulfilling life, where every day is full of new experiences, time always flies by. Before they knew it, the visitors to the Chiba Branch School were facing the day to leave France and return to Japan.

At the Paris Branch School, a final farewell party was held, featuring a buffet-style meal.

"Oh, Shirou, I really don't want you to leave." The headmistress opened her arms to Shirou.

"Haha, me too." Shirou laughed and stepped forward, giving the enthusiastic French lady a cheek kiss.

Over the course of the week, he had grown somewhat accustomed to the principal's enthusiasm.

At that moment, Jeanne d'Arc also walked over from outside the school gate, looked at Shirou, and remained silent.

"Isn't it a bit inappropriate to ignore her like this?" Shirou looked at the silver-haired girl with some hesitation.

"Huh? What?" Jeanne d'Arc noticed the boy's gaze and tilted her head.

Leaning forward is a signal that you can bow; it would seem very impolite not to go forward at this moment.

So Shirou hugged her and pressed his face against Jeanne d'Arc's cheeks, making two soft kissing sounds.

"Wh... what... Shirou... what are you doing?!" Jeanne d'Arc froze, the plate in her hand nearly tipping over and falling to the ground.

"Huh? A cheek kiss? Wasn't that common in Jeanne d'Arc's time?" Shirou quickly reached out and took the plate, preventing the cake with sliced strawberries embedded in cream from falling to the ground.

"Waaah, waaah, you idiot, don't ask me!" Even if Jeanne d'Arc wanted to remain calm this time, she couldn't keep up the act, and her face turned bright red.

This is something you only do with close friends and family. Even her real-life counterpart only did this with her family when she was a rural girl helping with farm work in the village. After joining the army, she was busy fighting, and it can be said that she hadn't engaged in such behavior since she turned sixteen, let alone with boys!

"I wish I could blow a hole and bury myself!" Jeanne d'Arc thought regretfully, burying her head lower and lower.

"Um... did I do something you hate? Jeanne d'Arc... I'm sorry." Shirou tried to apologize to the girl.

"Don't apologize! I didn't say I hated you! You bastard! Don't try to deny it!" Jeanne d'Arc raised her head and shouted.

"Then why are you keeping your head down and not saying anything?" Shirou asked curiously.

"Who told you to suddenly get so close! If you do that again, I'll burn you!" Jeanne d'Arc shouted fiercely.

"I know, since you're so annoying, I apologize," Shirou surrendered.

"Ugh! I already said I don't hate it!! You idiot Shirou!" Jeanne d'Arc seemed even angrier.

"So what exactly do you want?" Shirou asked helplessly.

Fortunately, their savior, Shizuka Hiratsuka, arrived at that moment, and the two finally stopped their endless conversation.

"Alright, alright. This child is with me. Shirou, you should make the arrangements. We're heading back to Chiba tomorrow morning, so after saying goodbye to your classmates, you need to get a good rest tonight," Shizuka Hiratsuka said.

"Understood," the students at the Chiba Branch School replied in unison.

Some girls reluctantly shook hands with the girls from the Paris Branch School.

Unlike Shirou, they didn't have any other missions to travel around, and after solving a problem in one place, they would immediately go to another country, so they didn't have much attachment to any particular people or region.

The students here truly stayed for twenty days; three weeks was enough time for them to develop feelings for this place and feel reluctant to leave the friends they made here.

"Shirou ~!" At that moment, the ten students from the Culinary Department ran over.

After spending these past few days together, the students in the Culinary Department all felt very reluctant to Shirou leave.

Besides Shirou being a good person, the students also found that communicating with Shirou made them progress much faster. With Erina, who already possessed a sharp tongue, present, they benefited immensely.

Unexpectedly, their progress accelerated even more after Shirou joined.

At first, they thought that since they were all classmates, their cooking skills should be equal. But later, these classmates stopped thinking that way.

Although Shirou was still learning at first because his knowledge of French cuisine was not as good as theirs, as he gradually became familiar with it, his culinary skills were almost magical.

With Shirou and Erina around, they felt their cooking skills improving exponentially. At this rate, after graduation, even if they didn't start as assistants in a restaurant, they could consider finding sponsors and opening their own. Paris wouldn't be a place for them.

However, they understood that the reason they had made such progress was thanks to Erina, after tasting their dishes, would offer very accurate evaluations, even if they were harsh and critical. Shirou, on the other hand, would give them specific suggestions for further improvement.

With these two around, it would be strange if their cooking skills didn't improve. So now that they've heard Shirou and Erina are going back to Wa, it would be a lie to say they don't feel a little regretful.

In particular, the girl with curly black hair, who was the manager of the Culinary Department exchange club, invited Shirou in to exchange culinary skills.

Every day, a teacher would come and assign a different topic, and then the ten chefs would work together, each using their best skills to create exquisite dishes. Afterwards, they would taste and evaluate each other's dishes, giving their feedback in turn.

She also served as a judge, offering her opinions. Of course, with Erina has a sensitive palate, and Shirou is experienced, present, she mainly focused on eating.

A naive and innocent girl with curly black hair, a cute round face, and a petite figure, but with an astonishing appetite. She can eat all the food prepared by ten people, making her a true glutton.

Looking into Shirou and Erina's eyes, there was an overwhelming sense of resentment, as if they had abandoned her. And you couldn't comfort her, because if you did, tears would well up in her eyes.

"We were clearly together, we even did those kinds of things, and now you're just going to abandon me and go back to your hometown?!"

The black-haired girl looked at the boy with a pained expression and cried out. She lowered her head and stretched out her hands, one hand grabbing Erina's clothes and the other grabbing the boy's pants. They were locked in a stalemate. Despite her small size, her strength was not lacking at all. Shirou and Erina were held in this position and could not break free without great effort.

"Alright, alright, if you keep doing this, everyone will be even more reluctant to part ways," the blonde girl with the ponytail said, pulling her friend down.

The girl with curly black hair excitedly looked up at her classmates and shouted loudly:

"But... but... Erina's bread! Shirou's meat! I... I! Am going to miss out on eating them!!!"

"Okay, okay! That's too much! I'll come here to make breakfast tomorrow morning. I'm used to getting up early here in Paris anyway!" Erina said, pouting. Well, it was a friend's request, so there was nothing she could do.

"Thank you!!! Erina ~!" The black-haired girl was overjoyed to hear there was food and rushed towards the blonde girl with a big smile.

"Wow, drool! It's almost getting on my clothes!" Erina exclaimed in surprise, pushing away the girl's chubby face with her curly black hair.

The girl with black curly hair then fixed her gaze on the boy to the side, giving him an expression that seemed to Shirou, you're a decent person.

Shirou looked at the black-haired curly-haired girl who always managed to cause misunderstandings and said helplessly.

"Knowing you're a gluttonous girl with a strong appetite, I've prepared barbecue for everyone in the fridge for tonight's midnight snack and tomorrow's breakfast."

"That's great! Thank you, Shirou!" The black-haired girl said, opening her arms and mimicking the gesture, slightly bending her knees to gather strength, ready to pounce on the boy like a hungry tiger.

It's like a silly cat jumping straight down from the top of the cabinet, trying to pounce on your face.

If I dodge, I'm afraid she'll fall and get hurt; if I don't dodge, I'll be the one who gets hurt.

Shirou was hesitating whether to dodge.

At that moment Erina reached out and grabbed the girl by the back of her collar, lifting her up and placing her in front of the blonde ponytail.

"Behave yourself." The blonde ponytail instinctively pulled the black-haired girl into her arms, using their significant size difference to hold her tightly, preventing her from moving an inch.

"Let me go! Let me go! I want to talk to Shirou properly!" The gluttonous girl, wrapped up like Zongzi, let out a weak and feeble cry, which was ignored by everyone.

"That's enough! I fully understand how you feel!" Shirou stopped the girl who always got the social distance between people wrong.

"Is that so? That's good." The girl wrapped in Zongzi smiled with satisfaction upon hearing the girl's words, but because she was wrapped up like Zongzi and her mouth was covered, she could only make muffled sounds.

"If you like my cooking so much, then you should realize your dream sooner and come to my restaurant in Tokyo to find me," Erina said to the girl.

"I'll do my best, I'll definitely become a Michelin food critic!" The black-haired girl looked up at Erina, who was a head taller than her, Shirou next to her, and everyone around her, and vowed.

"Yes, we're looking forward to it," the young male and female chefs around them replied with smiles.

If young girls aspire to become top-tier gourmets, then they must create those top-tier dishes.

The story revolves around the youth of food critics and chefs. As the manager of the Culinary Department exchange, a black-haired girl whose only hobby is eating aspires to become a food critic.

The goal of the students who study together and spend every day with each other is to own their own Michelin -rated restaurant, or to become the head chef in a famous hotel or restaurant.

They support and encourage each other, their hometown urging them forward.

'I feel like this kind of friendship is pretty good,' Shirou thought to himself.

"Waaah, everyone, I'm so touched! I really love you all the most. I will absolutely, positively achieve my dream," the girl with curly black hair said, wiping her eyes.

"Don't cry, you idiot," the blonde ponytail said with amusement.

"Thank you everyone... Waaah, ha... Achoo!!!" the girl said emotionally, then suddenly sneezed. She tried to suck the snot that was spraying out of her nose, but couldn't, and ended up hanging in mid-air, floating around.

The girl, with snot still running down her face, turned to face the crowd, opened her arms, and was about to hug them. "Everyone~! Give me a hug~!"

"Ugh! So dirty! Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer!" Upon seeing this, everyone stepped back and distanced themselves from the girl.

"Waaah, everyone... why are you avoiding me? I just want a hug!" The girl opened her arms and quickened her pace to catch up.