ARIFURETA: Cooking to be the Strongest?

The bright light faded, and Shin opened his eyes. He surveyed the entire area.

They stood on a wide pedestal. A giant mural was drawn on it, displaying an androgynous figure with long golden hair, smiling serenely.

Below, priestly figures in white robes, woven with shimmering gold thread, knelt in prayer, surrounding the pedestal. Beside Shin were Hajime, Kaori, and the rest of the class. Shin prioritized checking Hajime, Kaori, Kouki, and Shizuku, relieved to see they were all fine.

Shin also noticed Hajime doing the same—surveying, observing, and checking on others, prioritizing Shin and Kaori. Unlike the rest of the bewildered class, Shin and Hajime were calm. For Shin, it was his nature to observe; for Hajime, it was due to his extensive knowledge of Isekai novels.

The place they were at seemed to be inside a huge hall, resembling a grand, fantastically designed cathedral. Their class was positioned in its deepest part. Except for Shin, who focused mainly on secretly surveying, the entire class wore a similar dumbfounded expression, still adjusting to the sudden events.

Shing, Shing, Shing.

Footsteps and the sound of metal rings echoed, getting closer. An old man with a wrinkled face, wearing the most luxurious robe and a large, wizard-like hat, walked towards them. With a domineering aura, the old man approached the summoned class.

"Welcome to Tortus, Hero-sama and your esteemed companions. We have been expecting your arrival. I am Ishtar Lombard, the current Pope of the Saint's Church. Let's forgo conventional greetings and simply strive for good relations from this moment on."

After his introduction, the old man, Ishtar, offered a gentle, kind elderly smile.

________

The class was escorted and relocated to a wide dining hall. Ornate, intricately crafted sculptures adorned the surroundings, and beautiful paintings lined the walls. In general, it mirrored the cathedral's grand, fantastical design.

The class seemed to have calmed down a bit. No one caused too much commotion while they were guided to their current location, though it was likely most simply couldn't keep up with the overwhelming cascade of events.

Old Ishtar began to explain the situation, and perhaps it was due to the charismatic Kouki that everyone was able to remain relatively calm. Surrounded by students who looked more like the teacher's charges, Aiko-sensei was getting teary-eyed.

At the dining table, the class was arranged with Aiko-sensei and the self-proclaimed "hero party" seated near her. Shin and Hajime, however, gravitated towards the edge of the table. Kouki, Shizuku, and Kaori tried to invite the two to join their central group, but Shin and Hajime simply settled themselves at the very end.

Shin likely chose this spot because he felt sitting with Kouki and the others would draw too much unwanted attention, and it also made his covert surveying much easier. Hajime, ever the creature of habit, sat at the edge due to the usual class arrangement he was accustomed to.

Then, the doors swung open, revealing maids pushing carts laden with food. The first ones to cause a commotion, of course, were the boys. Their eyes gleamed with undisguised desire, fixed on these otherworldly, beautiful maids. The class girls, in response, sent cold, warning gazes their way. Hajime, for his part, couldn't help but feel a pang of curiosity, but as he tried to subtly ogle them like the other boys, he felt a sudden cold air on his spine. The chilling gaze, he knew, came from Kaori. Shin, on the other hand, paid no mind to the maids. The one he was truly oogling was not the staff, but the carts themselves, specifically the wondrous otherworldly food they contained. Seeing this, Shizuku sighed, a small, almost imperceptible smile touching her lips. For the first time, she felt a little reassured by Shin's peculiar antics.

After they had eaten and had their drinks, Pope Ishtar began explaining the situation to them in earnest.

__

The old man, Ishtar, launched into a long, drawn-out speech about the war, the will of their god Ehit, and the fate of Tortus. While the rest of the class leaned in, captivated or horrified by the unfolding fantasy, Shin remained mainly focused on eating. He continued to order more, finding some of the meat's taste and texture to be entirely new and quite delicious, compelling him to explore further.

A maid, looking tired and slightly annoyed, approached Shin's end of the table. Shin's eyes, mostly hidden by his long hair, showed no attention to the Pope's undeniably important speech, an act considered quite rude. Yet, unlike the other boys who leered at them, Shin simply looked at them as convenient servants for bringing food. Due to their still-unknown, possibly heroic, status, the maid could not deny his requests and quietly complied.

Though it may have looked like Shin wasn't listening, under his focus on eating and ordering, he was indeed processing what the Pope was saying. And unlike the others, he could sense there was something more to it.

The Pope talked about how this world is called Tortus.

There are three major races: Humans, Demons, and Demi-humans.

Humans are losing a centuries-long war because the Demons are suddenly taming powerful Magic Beasts that were previously uncontrollable.

They were summoned by the will of their god, Ehit-sama, to be 'saviors.'

Apparently, coming from a 'higher-ranked world,' they are supposed to have immense power here.

Shin simply took another bite of a particularly succulent, unknown meat, processing the information with his usual placid demeanor. The entire idea of being a 'savior' summoned by the will of their god reeked of bias to him.

Shin also glanced at Hajime, who seemed happy at first for this Isekai thing, but a grim realization spread across his face when the Pope mentioned the 'will of their god' part.

___

Just as Ishtar finished explaining, Aiko-sensei, her small frame trembling, suddenly stood up, her voice sharp with outrage.

"This is ridiculous!" she shrieked, her usual gentle demeanor completely gone.

"You just expect these children to fight in a war? That's utterly out of the question! As their teacher, I absolutely forbid it! Send us back immediately! Their families must be frantic! What you've done is nothing but kidnapping!"

The cute and petite Aiko-sensei was tired and panting in anger.

"Ahh~ Ai-chan is trying her best again…" some students thought, looking at her bravely confronting Ishtar with a fuzzy feeling.

However, Pope Ishtar's next words froze them all and caught Shin's attention, making him pause from eating.

"I understand your feelings," the Pope said, his voice a calm, chilling counterpoint to her fury. "However… it is impossible for you to return now."

Silence filled the hall, heavy as an ice-cold pressure. Every gaze was fixed on Ishtar, demanding an explanation.

"Impossible…?" Aiko-sensei stammered, her voice cracking. "What do you mean, impossible? If you can summon us, you should be able to send us back!"

"As I stated earlier, it was Ehit-sama who performed the summoning," Ishtar explained, his tone unwavering. "We humans of Tortus do not possess the magic capable of interfering with another world. Therefore, whether or not you can return rests solely on Ehit-sama's divine will."

"B-but that's…" Aiko-sensei's strength drained, and she slumped back into her chair, utterly defeated. The students around her also began to murmur, quickly escalating into shouts.

"No way!? We really can't go back!?"

"No! Anything but this! Let me return!"

"Don't joke about war! What the hell is going on?!"

"Why, why, why…?"

The students plunged into panic. Hajime and Shin, on the other hand, were calmer. Hajime, being an otaku, had already read similar patterns and anticipated this scenario, while also glad it wasn't the worst case—being summoned as a slave. Shin, on the other hand, was as usual aloof, carefully processing what the Pope said and confirming the bias of their god.

Ishtar, on the other hand, watched the panicked, confused students with a detached expression, probably unable to fathom why they'd be unhappy to be chosen by Ehit-sama.

Hajime noticed this and added the old man to his mental list of people to be wary of in this place. And Shin, from behind his silver-white hair, his red ruby eyes observed the Pope with suspicion, marking him as a deranged and dangerous person.

With the chaotic situation continuing among Shin's classmates, someone suddenly stood up and slammed a hand onto the table, creating a loud bang. The sound startled the students, creating a brief silence that drew all eyes to that person.

Shin's eyes were also drawn to the figure. As he saw who it was, he let out a silent sigh and rubbed his forehead, already feeling a faint headache. He knew exactly who it was—none other than his justice and hero-obsessed friend, Kouki Amanogawa.