Chapter Summaries

Seiya shared a dinner of beef stew made with rare ingredients with the residents of Polar Star Dormitory, who learned that he was Soma Yukihira’s childhood friend and a wealthy Totsuki special student. The group was stunned by his access to premium ingredients, while Soma wondered why the residents were so surprised.

• Yuki Yoshino began eating Seiya’s beef stew before Grandma Wenxu could introduce him.
• Soma Yukihira and the other Polar Star Dormitory residents returned, shared dinner, and introduced themselves to Seiya.
• Seiya introduced himself as Wenren Seiya and met the shy Megumi Tadokoro.
• Soma learned that Seiya had used rare beef in the stew and worried that he had used up the meat meant for his Shokugeki preparations.
• Seiya assured Soma that better beef was available for his cooking and that Minezaki could send more if needed.
• The residents reacted with shock to Seiya’s supply of rare ingredients, and Megumi asked Soma whether he knew what rare ingredients were.

Seiya revealed that he had access to abundant rare ingredients and shared them with the Polar Star Dormitory residents. After moving into Room 114, he joined their lively welcome banquet and teased Soma Yukihira about his upcoming Shokugeki against Nikumi.

• Satoshi Isshiki and Yuki Yoshino explained how scarce and exclusive rare ingredients were, prompting Soma Yukihira to wonder how Seiya had obtained them.
• Soma Yukihira accused Seiya of getting rare ingredients through Minezaki, but Seiya denied selling himself and kicked Soma away when he tried to hug him.
• Ryoko Sakaki and Yuki Yoshino asked Seiya for rare ingredients, and Seiya brought out a large bundle for the residents to use.
• The Polar Star Dormitory residents eagerly welcomed Seiya as their new source of rare ingredients and held a banquet in Marui Zenji's Room 205 because Seiya's Room 114 was not ready.
• After the residents drank Ryoko Sakaki's homemade alcohol, Seiya asked Soma Yukihira whether he was confident about his Shokugeki against Nikumi and teased him about wagering his chastity.

Seiya tasted Soma Yukihira’s Chaliapin Steak Don and explained that Soma had focused so much on the beef that he had neglected the rice and the meaning of donburi. Soma realized his dish let the steak overshadow its rice, leaving him to reconsider how to make it a complete donburi.

• Seiya teased Soma Yukihira about his feelings toward Nikumi and Erina, while Soma denied having any strange intentions toward Nikumi.
• Soma invited Seiya to taste his Chaliapin Steak Don, which he prepared in thirty minutes.
• Seiya praised the steak’s crisp exterior, tenderness, and onion-based flavor before pointing out a problem with the dish.
• Seiya reminded Soma that the Shokugeki’s theme was a meat donburi, not a steak dish, and that the rice needed to matter too.
• Soma recognized that his focus on beating Nikumi with beef had made the steak overpower the rice.

Seiya explained how Soma Yukihira’s cooking had mishandled the rare Roast Beef, but Soma quickly recovered and began working on an improved rice bowl. Later, the Polar Star Dormitory residents attended Soma’s Shokugeki against Nikumi, where the crowd overwhelmingly supported her.

• Seiya told Soma Yukihira that the rice and his onion-marinated Roast Beef both had flaws, and Soma realized the steak’s flavors clashed.
• Seiya told the worried Megumi Tadokoro that Soma would recover quickly, and Soma soon resumed researching an improved rice bowl.
• Seiya and the Polar Star Dormitory residents arrived early for Soma Yukihira’s Shokugeki against Nikumi.
• The crowd booed Soma and cheered for Nikumi, while the Polar Star Dormitory members hesitated to support him.
• Someone beside the Polar Star Dormitory members shouted for Nikumi to defeat the transfer student.

Seiya surprised the Polar Star Dormitory members by loudly cheering for Nikumi, explaining that he wanted to avoid the crowd’s hostility and liked her more than Soma. The Shokugeki began with Nikumi unveiling a rare Iron Horse Bull, and Satoshi Isshiki suspected Erina had arranged the ingredient to help ensure Soma’s defeat.

• Seiya told the Polar Star Dormitory members he was cheering for Nikumi to avoid being targeted by the crowd and because he preferred her looks.
• Seiya reassured Ryoko that he would support her in a match, then awkwardly told Yuki he preferred the Big Sister type before promising to find her rare chicken ingredients.
• Kawashima announced the start of the Shokugeki as Nikumi presented an Iron Horse Bull, astonishing the audience and judges.
• Kawashima explained that the Iron Horse Bull was a rare, powerful beast whose meat combined the qualities of horse meat and beef.
• Satoshi Isshiki concluded that Erina had likely used her influence to secure the rare ingredient and give Nikumi an advantage over Soma.

Nikumi and Soma Yukihira brought rare, high-grade meat to their Shokugeki, with Erina backing Nikumi and Soma relying on help from Seiya. Soma revealed Frozen Bison meat, leaving Erina stunned and suspecting someone powerful had helped him.

• Satoshi Isshiki and the other Polar Star Dormitory residents suspected Erina had supplied Nikumi with Iron Horse Bull meat.
• Nikumi prepared the Iron Horse Bull and declared she would defeat Soma Yukihira with Erina's support.
• Soma Yukihira revealed a frosty cut of meat, which Kawashima identified as Frozen Bison from the Gourmet World's Ice Hell.
• Erina and the spectators were shocked by Soma's rare ingredient, and Erina wondered whether her grandfather had helped him.

Erina was shocked to find Seiya at Totsuki after believing he had vanished in the Gourmet World, and she realized he had brought the Frozen Bison Soma used in his Shokugeki. After Soma defeated Nikumi, Erina identified the rice as the key to the result, and Soma explained that Nikumi had made the same mistake he once had.

• Erina recognized Seiya among the Polar Star Dormitory residents and recalled secretly tracking him, including learning that he had entered the Gourmet World with Minezaki.
• Erina realized Seiya must have brought the Frozen Bison that Soma had used in the Shokugeki.
• The judges awarded Soma victory over Nikumi, who objected that her Iron Horse Bull dish tasted just as good.
• Erina tasted both dishes and concluded that the difference came from the rice.
• Soma agreed and told Nikumi she had made the same mistake he had made before.

Soma Yukihira explained how his stock-and-preserved-plum rice complemented the Frozen Bison in his rice bowl, and Nikumi accepted her defeat. Erina Nakiri accused Wenren Seiya of helping Soma and declared that she would prove herself Totsuki's top student during the upcoming lodging training camp, drawing the school's attention to Seiya.

• Soma Yukihira explained that he cooked rice in a wooden tub with chicken stock and Frozen Bison tallow, then added preserved plums to improve its flavor and stimulate the appetite.
• Nikumi realized she had neglected the rice in her dish and apologized to Erina Nakiri for losing the Shokugeki.
• Erina Nakiri confronted Wenren Seiya and accused him of giving Soma rare ingredients and cooking advice, but Seiya denied helping him.
• Erina declared that she would prove she was Totsuki's number one student during the lodging training camp, then left with Sekiko.
• Totsuki students crowded around Seiya after Erina's declaration, while Soma Yukihira lamented that the attention had shifted away from his Shokugeki.

After Erina Nakiri’s declaration made Seiya the center of Totsuki gossip, he learned that students were targeting him for Shokugeki and offering rewards for information about his background. Seiya was left frustrated by the attention as the residential training approached.

• Totsuki’s newspaper buried the report about Soma Yukihira’s victory over Nikumi and instead focused on Erina Nakiri and Seiya.
• At the Polar Star Dormitory celebration, Seiya complained that Erina’s actions had made him Totsuki’s biggest topic of conversation and attracted challengers.
• Satoshi Isshiki explained that some students hoped to use Seiya as a stepping stone before the residential training risked expelling them.
• Yuki Yoshino told Seiya that people were offering rewards, including rare ingredients, for information about his identity, background, and relationship with Erina.

Seiya explained his family background and revealed that his Gourmet Merchants Guild membership let him order rare ingredients at a discount, prompting his friends to request ingredients for the upcoming training camp. As the training camp began, Polar Star Dormitory’s students learned they could not bring personal belongings, including the ingredients Seiya had prepared for Megumi.

• Satoshi Isshiki explained that students might seek Seiya’s favor because of his apparent status, while Seiya clarified that his family ran an ordinary diner.
• Seiya showed the group his silver Gourmet Merchants Guild membership card and explained that it gave him a ten-percent discount on rare ingredients.
• Ryoko Sakaki, Yuki Yoshino, Megumi Tadokoro, and Nikumi asked Seiya to order rare ingredients for them, while Soma Yukihira realized he still could not afford them.
• Several days later, the first-year students of Totsuki’s ninety-second class set off for their training camp, and Seiya had arranged rare ingredients to help Megumi perform well.
• A Totsuki teacher told the Polar Star Dormitory students that personal belongings were forbidden at the training camp.

At Totsuki’s training camp, Shinomiya Kojiro eliminated a student for wearing citrus-scented hair gel and then tried to eliminate Wenren Seiya for standing near him. Seiya challenged Shinomiya’s reasoning, and Gin Dojima stepped in before inviting Seiya to prove his skill during the camp.

• The instructors announced that students could bring only the clothes they wore, leaving Megumi Tadokoro and other first-years anxious about the demanding training camp.
• At the camp’s opening, the students learned that former Elite Ten Council graduates would serve as instructors and judges.
• Shinomiya Kojiro eliminated a student for wearing citrus-scented hair gel, then declared Wenren Seiya eliminated because he stood near the student.
• Seiya argued that an excellent chef should adapt to different environments and questioned Shinomiya’s assumption that he had failed to notice the scent.
• Gin Dojima ended the dispute, identified himself as a Totsuki Resort executive chef and board member, and told Seiya he would judge his performance at the camp.

After Gin Dojima suspended Seiya’s expulsion, Seiya joined group F’s Japanese-cuisine assessment, where his clash with Shinomiya Kojiro left classmates wary of partnering with him. Ryoko Sakaki teamed up with him, and her explanation for being partnerless concealed that many students had wanted to work with her.

• Gin Dojima put Seiya’s expulsion on hold, while the two students who sprayed citrus hair gel were expelled.
• Seiya and Soma Yukihira were assigned to group F, where Hinako Inui instructed students to pair up and cook Japanese cuisine using ingredients from the mountain.
• Seiya planned to partner with Soma, but Megumi Tadokoro had already paired with him, and Soma was confronting Takumi.
• Other students avoided partnering with Seiya because they feared Shinomiya Kojiro might make trouble for him and his partner.
• Ryoko Sakaki offered to team up with Seiya, saying she believed the graduates would judge their cooking fairly and explaining that her specialty, fermented cuisine, was difficult to prepare in the mountains.

Ryoko Sakaki teamed up with Seiya for Lecturer Hinako Inui’s assessment, and they joined Soma Yukihira and Megumi Tadokoro at the stream to catch fish. Seiya’s extraordinary technique filled a bucket in minutes, leaving the nearby students stunned.

• Ryoko Sakaki chose Seiya as her partner after Megumi Tadokoro went to work with Soma Yukihira.
• Seiya, Ryoko, Soma, and Megumi tried to catch creek fish by hand, but the fish repeatedly evaded them.
• Seiya demonstrated how to watch the fish and restrain one’s presence, then caught fish with startling speed and force.
• Seiya filled a bucket with creek fish, shocking Soma, Ryoko, Megumi, and the watching students.
• Seiya recalled that he had developed his technique catching Puffer Whales in the Gourmet World, where a successful catch required lightning-fast precision.

Seiya and Ryoko gathered wild ingredients for Hinako Inui’s cooking assessment, and Seiya chose soft-shell freshwater crabs instead of fish. Back in the cooking classroom, he astonished the onlookers by swiftly extracting the crab meat and roe as he prepared his dish.

• Seiya caught enough stream fish for Soma and Megumi, then told them he had found a better ingredient and would not use fish as his main dish.
• Seiya showed Ryoko the small, wrinkled freshwater crabs he had caught and explained that they had recently molted and suited the dish he wanted to make.
• Seiya and Ryoko gathered crabs, wild vegetables, and mushrooms while nearby students discarded the soft-shell crabs they had caught.
• Seiya asked Ryoko to prepare the dipping sauce and miso soup when they returned to the cooking classroom, where Soma and Takumi had begun cooking for their Shokugeki.
• Soma and Hinako Inui watched Seiya as he rapidly dismantled a crab and removed its meat and roe, leaving them dumbfounded.

Seiya stunned the Totsuki students with his precise crab preparation and spectacular flame-assisted cooking as he made crab gratin. He finished plating the dish, leaving Soma Yukihira feeling pressured but determined to compete.

• Seiya separated the meat from the tiny river crabs with extraordinary speed and precision, astonishing Ryoko, Hinako Inui, and the other students.
• Seiya stir-fried the crab meat with controlled flames, making the students mistake his cooking technique for magic.
• Soma Yukihira felt more pressure after seeing Seiya's flame technique but remained determined to win.
• Seiya stuffed the seasoned crab meat into the shells, coated them in breadcrumbs, and fried them into golden crab balls.
• Seiya and Ryoko finished plating the crab gratin with miso soup and crab-roe dipping sauce as the aroma drew everyone's attention.

Seiya, Soma Yukihira, and Kutami presented their dishes to Hinako Inui, who praised their skill and decided the Shokugeki result would wait until she tasted Seiya's Crab Gratin. Seiya explained that the dish came from a recipe passed down in his family, and Hinako began tasting it.

• Seiya's group, the Aldini Brothers, and Soma Yukihira's group finished their dishes, and Hinako Inui tasted the Aldini Brothers' roast duck and Soma's fried fish.
• Hinako Inui judged the first two dishes evenly matched and said she would decide the result after tasting Seiya's dish.
• Soma Yukihira and Kutami agreed to let Hinako's judgment determine which of their dishes ranked higher, while both remained eager to compete with Seiya.
• Hinako Inui asked Seiya about his dish, and he named it Crab Gratin and said it was a family recipe from Magic City in Chinese Cuisine.
• Hinako Inui tasted the Crab Gratin and experienced its crisp coating, rich crab flavor, and fragrant filling.

Hinako Inui tasted Seiya’s Crab Gratin and named him the clear winner of the classroom assessment. Back at Polar Star Dormitory, the residents celebrated that none of them had been expelled, while Ryoko excitedly told Yuki Yoshino about Seiya’s skills.

• Hinako Inui devoured Seiya’s Crab Gratin and praised its ingredients, crisp coating, cheese, and careful use of the crab.
• Hinako Inui declared all three groups had passed and made clear that Seiya had come first.
• Kutami vowed to beat Seiya next time, while Soma Yukihira asked whether Seiya had secretly improved again.
• The Polar Star Dormitory residents confirmed that none of them had been expelled and held a party in Marui Zenji’s room.
• Ryoko enthusiastically described Seiya’s knife skills and heat control to Yuki Yoshino.

Polar Star Dormitory learned more about Seiya’s exceptional cooking, while Seiya explained that his special-student status prevented him from joining the Elite Ten Council. At Totsuki Resort, Hinako Inui told the graduates that Seiya’s cooking had disrupted her assessment group and contributed to its unusually high number of failures.

• Yuki Yoshino and the others discussed Seiya’s skills and realized he might be capable of competing for an Elite Ten Council seat.
• Seiya told Ryoko that his special-student privileges restricted him from becoming an Elite Ten Council member, and said he was not interested in a seat anyway.
• The Totsuki graduates compared their assessments of the new students, and Gin Dojima revealed that Hinako Inui’s group had the most failures.
• Hinako Inui explained that she had eaten Seiya’s entire dish during the assessment and that his dramatic cooking had unsettled nearby students, causing some to perform abnormally.

Hinako Inui defended Seiya’s exceptional cooking, and Gin Dojima explained that Seiya’s classroom performance had demonstrated how chefs should withstand distractions. The next day, Seiya was assigned to Shinomiya Kojiro’s group for a French jelly assessment, where he and Soma secured quality vegetables while Megumi struggled.

• Hinako Inui told the Totsuki graduates that Seiya’s knife skills, heat control, and Crab Gratin surpassed even Erina Nakiri’s abilities.
• Gin Dojima argued that Seiya had used his performance to show that capable chefs should not be thrown off by their surroundings, angering Shinomiya Kojiro.
• Gin Dojima arranged for Seiya to join Shinomiya Kojiro’s group, which also included Soma Yukihira and Megumi Tadokoro.
• Shinomiya Kojiro gave the students a recipe for Nine Treasure Vegetable French Jelly and began the assessment.
• Seiya used his God’s Eye to quickly collect the best vegetables, while Megumi struggled to secure ingredients.

During Shinomiya Kojiro’s assessment, Seiya exchanged ingredients with Megumi Tadokoro and adapted his own dish to use oxidized cauliflower, but Shinomiya failed it for departing from the assigned recipe. Gin Dojima proposed a Shokugeki to resolve the dispute, but Seiya refused to serve as a tool for helping Shinomiya.

• Seiya swapped his good cauliflower for Megumi Tadokoro’s defective cauliflower, and Megumi and Soma Yukihira passed Shinomiya Kojiro’s assessment.
• Shinomiya Kojiro failed Seiya’s French jelly because lemon gave it a sourness that changed the required dish, despite praising Seiya’s skill.
• Seiya challenged Shinomiya Kojiro’s reluctance to change and asked whether he could adapt after reaching his original goals.
• Gin Dojima arrived with other Totsuki graduates and proposed a Shokugeki, offering to revoke Seiya’s expulsion if Seiya won.
• Seiya rejected Gin Dojima’s proposal, saying he did not care about expulsion or want to help Shinomiya break through his stagnation.