The 10 finalists

Two days later on March 25th, the top 10 finalists for the headmaster selection were announced. Of the people Rika was familiar with, Benihime, Helga, Rebelle, Mahi, Azuki, and Masaru had all made it through to the top 10. The other 4 were a mix of gourmet elites and those that opposed them. However, Helga, Masaru, and two others were the sole finalists that completely opposed Ookuma.

"A 50% chance of gaining control of Tabemono. I'd prefer a 100% chance. The men are easy to deal with. Helga Hepburn? A bit more work, but luckily, I've been building a skeleton closet for you, quite literally. Though first, I'll need to take out Ryono today. Then I can launch my plan to become prime minister in a few weeks" Ookuma sneered.

...

"And why are you here? You are not a finalist," Mahi glared at Rika.

"I'm here to cheer on Masaru. Is there some rule that says there can't be spectators?" Rika glared.

"No..."

"Then there shouldn't be a problem. I too will vouch for my female knight's right to spectate. She deserves to witness her queen become headmaster live," Benihime proclaimed.

"Today isn't the final round. All we're doing today is eliminating two of the other finalists. Next week will be the quarter and semi finals, then on April 9th, the finals," Azuki stated as she arrived.

"I'm quite shocked Helga has gotten so far. Though I believe this will be where her Cinderella run meets it's end," Rebelle sneered.

"I've been working my ass to get here. I won't let trash like you become headmaster," Helga glared.

Rika then gazed at the other 4 finalists. One of them was Subaru, a former classmate. The second one was a girl in a baseball cap, whom Rika did not recognize. The third person, however, Rika immediately recognized as Virgil van Gaal, a top-tier chef from the Netherlands. While Virgil was not a gourmet elitist, he had publicly criticized Masaru for awarding Rika the win over Makihara. The final person was a woman with short crimson hair.

Masaru immediately went pale as the crimson-haired woman turned to face him. "Rize?" he uttered.

Azuki suddenly twitched as a surge of anger overcame her. Rika, however, was completely clueless. "Uh, who?"

"Why don't I introduce meself. Name's Rize. Imma cute gal roamin' da globe for funsies," the woman stated.

"Uh, that didn't answer anything," Rika glared.

"Why the hell are you here you piece of shit!?" Azuki fumed.

"Mother, please do not hurt Rize. She is invaluable to the culinary-"

"BULLSHIT! This bitch is just some gallivanting lunatic!"

"My, guess you really still hate me, Step-mommy," Rize sneered.

"Step-mother? Wait, are you Masaru's sister!?" Rika gasped.

"Half-sister. We got different mommys."

"HALF!? YOU'RE ILLEGITIMATE THAT'S WHAT!" Azuki fumed.

"Ah, so that's why you're so angry, Masaru's father cheated on you," Rika nodded.

"Pin Pon! Correct! I'm also the greatest chef in the world," Rize sneered.

"Like hell you are! You were expelled," Azuki seethed.

"Nah, I never lost that cook-off to Masaru."

"Cook-off? What-"

Before Rika could get an answer, Asahi took the mike. "Finalists, we will now commence the first of the three final elimination rounds for the headmaster selection exam. All 10 of you will be asked to cook a specific dish. You are NOT allowed to deviate from the specified recipe you will be given. No adding extra spices, no adding any extra measurements, no cooking for even a second longer than specified. Breaking those rules will result in immediate disqualification. Should more than 8 of you succeed, the judges will then disqualify the lowest quality meals until there are only 8 candidates left."

"And if we all fail?" Rize smirked.

"Rize... In that UNLIKELY event, the judges will simply eliminate the two meals of the lowest quality. Now, before we begin, let me introduce the two guest judges. First, the minister of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, Mr. Yamada Ashisaki. Second, the Vice speaker of the house of representatives, Miss Ruchi Ookuma."

"MADAM Ookuma to you," Ookuma glared as she stepped forward.

Rika's heart begun to beat faster as rage quickly began to creep through her body. "That bitch! Why the hell is she here!?" Rika thought.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a hand clamping down on her shoulder.

"Remain seated, Rika Korosekai," a robotic voice ordered.

Rika went pale and slowly turned to face the person the hand belonged to. It was a man with long dark gray dreadlocks clad in shades and a dark gray labcoat.

"T. Phon Laqutte," Rika shuddered.

Dr. T. Phon Laqutte was the head of the Roboborg union, one of I.L.U.'s most notorious agencies. The Roboborg union was an organization comprised entirely of cyborgs, all of whom were assimilated into a hivemind controlled by Laqutte himself.

"Objective is to keep Rika Korosekai from interfering. Use of force is authorized if deemed necessary," Laqutte sated as he sat down.

Rika began to sweat buckets as Ookuma shot her a malicious look. "Shit. I'm trapped. No way I can beat Laqutte. Shit, shit, SHIT!" she thought.

"And now, we shall begin," Asahi stated.

Masaru gazed up at Rika and noticed her distressed demeanor. "She must be on edge because Ookuma is here. Fear not, Rika. If she brings up the incident, I will explain to everyone what really happened," he thought.

Seeing Masaru's confidant face only made Rika more agitated. As she attempted to open her mouth, she heard a hissing sound and noticed that her mouth was sealed shut with metallic moving threads.

"Speech is not permitted. Communication is forbidden," Laqutte stated.

Rika then noticed that the threads were coming from Laqutte and were proceeding to bind her to the chair. Worse, they also forced her eyes open and emitted a horrible hissing sound. Now, Rika was truly trapped and unable to escape or even look away from the hell Ookuma was about to plunge her into.