In this nation where social classes were rigidly entrenched, there were quite a few people who wanted to become chefs. After all, compared to most corporate drones, chefs already counted among the high-income earners. Not to mention that, under Totsuki's enormous influence, ordinary people simply did not dare underestimate the upper limit this profession could reach...
That was precisely why, for the general public, becoming a chef was a path that could potentially elevate their family's social standing. However, while many wanted to become chefs, how many could actually get into Totsuki? Getting admitted to Totsuki alone was an enormous hurdle for some people, let alone standing out there and becoming one of the Elite Ten.
The question was, were those people unsure they could even get into Totsuki because they did not work hard enough?
Of course not—perhaps some really had been eliminated by Totsuki because they had not worked hard enough, but others had put in the effort. They had simply encountered a bottleneck too early...
Incidentally, the reason they could not break through that bottleneck was not because they lacked talent. It was more like... how should one put it?
Take Megumi Tadokoro as an example. Before Sogo Doma picked her up, she could not even pass the dorm admission assessment, and she had received countless E grades in practical classes. If Totsuki's middle school division had not been relatively gentler than its high school division, she might already have returned to her hometown in tears, luggage on her back.
The question arose again: did Megumi Tadokoro lack the talent to become a chef? Did she not work hard enough?
Neither!
Whether it was her talent for becoming a chef or the amount of effort she put in, Megumi Tadokoro was no inferior to any member of