Taking a sip of juice, Soma Yukihira seemed to suddenly remember something.
He turned to the group and asked curiously, "Um... say, what exactly is the Elite Ten?"
Hearing the question, everyone fell silent for a moment.
Ryoko Sakaki snapped back to reality, looking at Soma weirdly. "Eh! Do you really want to know?"
"I swear! You really came to Totsuki without knowing a single thing, didn't you," Yuki Yoshino couldn't help but interject.
Now she finally understood why Soma had the audacity to declare that he would 'stand at the top of Totsuki.'
Yuki turned to Zenji Marui and instructed, "Marui, you'd better explain it to him."
"Why does it have to be me!" Marui frowned, his face full of reluctance. Did such common knowledge really need an explanation?
"Stop complaining and just treat it as looking after the new guy," Ryoko coaxed gently.
Glancing helplessly at the group, Marui pushed up his glasses and sighed in resignation. "I really can't do anything with you guys..."
Clearing his throat, he slowly began to speak.
"Listen closely. The Totsuki Elite Ten Council is a committee made up of the top ten ranking students in the entire academy."
"Many of Totsuki's affairs are left to student self-governance..."
"You could say it's the highest decision-making body in Totsuki Academy..."
Listening to Marui's explanation, a fierce fighting spirit suddenly surged within Soma's heart.
In other words, if he wanted to stand above everyone at Totsuki, he had to take the first seat of the Elite Ten?
As they chatted, the sound of footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the door.
Soon, Satoshi Isshiki pushed the door open and walked in, wearing his signature gentle smile. Shoji Sato and Daigo Aoki followed closely behind him.
"Ray, Soma." Isshiki stepped forward and offered his hand to the two of them, his smile as warm as the spring sun. "Welcome to the Polar Star Dormitory. I am a second-year student, Satoshi Isshiki. Just calling me Isshiki-senpai is fine."
"Then please take care of us from now on, Isshiki-senpai." Ray reached out and shook Isshiki's hand.
Soma followed suit and shook his hand as well.
Isshiki withdrew his hand, his gaze sweeping over the crowd with genuine joy in his eyes.
"Ah, I am just so happy!"
"We have gained two more companions to share the prime of our youth with."
"There is nothing more worth celebrating than this."
"Everyone, young people living under the same roof, eating from the same pot—this is youth, this is what it means to be a student."
"I moved into this dormitory precisely because I yearned for this kind of life."
Saying this, Isshiki opened his arms wide.
"Come! Let us sing the praises of our glorious and radiant dorm life from here on out!"
Listening to Isshiki's passionate speech, Ray couldn't help but mock him relentlessly in his mind.
*What yearning for youth? Isshiki clearly just wants a place to let his freak flag fly!*
Other than the Polar Star Dormitory, there was probably no other place on earth that would tolerate a student scurrying around the ceiling all day, or walking around wearing nothing but a loincloth or a naked apron.
"Putting that aside for a moment," Shoji rubbed his temples, unable to hold back his complaints. "Senpai, could you please stop calling out to us from the ceiling from now on?"
He still remembered the first time Isshiki had suddenly popped out of the ceiling to talk to him; it had nearly scared the living daylights out of him.
Ray nodded silently from the sidelines, expressing his strong agreement.
Although his senses were sharp, that didn't mean he wanted to see a person popping out from above his head!
But getting Isshiki to kick this habit was basically impossible.
"Eh? Is that no good?" Isshiki tilted his head, his gaze falling thoughtfully on the speaking tube in the corner of the room. "Then how about I use this for the guys from now on too?"
"If you use that, Tadokoro will come running every single time." Hearing Isshiki's suggestion, Megumi Tadokoro explained with a dejected look on her face.
"B-Because..."
"If I don't hurry over to check, Senpai will call me through that speaking tube every few minutes..."
Hearing Megumi's explanation, Daigo was left speechless.
Just imagining that scenario made his scalp tingle with dread.
"Being constantly talked to like that would definitely be annoying!" Shoji weighed his options and decisively surrendered. "I guess it's better if you just call us from the ceiling."
At least they were used to it by now; it was far better than being relentlessly bombarded by the speaking tube.
Soma looked at the others, then at the calm and collected Ray, and couldn't help but sigh.
"Why do I get the feeling... this dorm is full of weirdos?"
Ray had seemed perfectly normal before. At this moment, Soma suddenly started to worry a little about his future dorm life.
"Knowing you, Soma, you'll probably fit right in with everyone in no time," Megumi retorted, looking at him.
In her eyes, Soma was just as much of a weirdo as the rest of them.
"Alright, alright, does everyone have a drink?" Isshiki clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back.
He then raised his cup, smiling brightly.
"Then, to welcome Ray and Soma Yukihira to the Polar Star Dormitory,"
"And for the glory of the Polar Star Dormitory—cheers!"
"Cheers!" the crowd echoed in unison.
The atmosphere began to liven up, and even the initially reluctant Zenji Marui completely blended into the festivities.
"Hahaha! Ryoko's fermented juice is really good! Pour me another glass!" Ray held up his cup, his eyes brimming with a smile.
This kind of atmosphere was truly wonderful.
Young, vibrant, and full of energy...
"Food! We don't have enough food! Hahaha!" Soma slapped the floor, having completely immersed himself in the lively celebration.
"I'll go get the stuff I smoked today," Shun Ibusaki, who had been quietly sipping his drink, stood up and said calmly.
He quickly left the room and returned shortly after, carrying an exquisite wooden tray in his hands.
"Smoked cheese, and three flavors of beef jerky."
Ray picked up a piece of beef jerky and popped it into his mouth. A rich, smoky aroma instantly spread across his tongue. The meat was firm and chewy, growing more flavorful with every bite.
The savory taste of the cheese paired with the smoky scent was also exceptionally good.
"This flavor is really something."
Ray felt that he could learn a thing or two about smoking from Shun later on.
When the time came, he could try making some smoked Jewel Meat.
Not to be outdone, Daigo quickly brought over some mixed vegetable tempura and placed it in front of everyone.
"Eat up! This is mixed vegetable tempura made from fresh veggies I just picked from the field out back. I guarantee it's delicious!"
"It's definitely delicious!" Soma was the first to grab a large piece, stuffing it into his mouth and eating heartily.
"Hahaha! It's good, right? Right!" Daigo puffed out his chest proudly.
"Even though the fried shrimp I made last week was way better than this," Shoji calmly retorted while chewing on the vegetable tempura.
"Huh?" Daigo instantly glared at Shoji, sparks flying between their eyes...
The room immediately grew even more boisterous.