"Orange sherbert ice cream."
Alice wrote the word down on the whiteboard and turned to her loyal aid, Ryō-kun. As usual he didn't appear phased by what she had written, nor did he seem the slightest bit interested. That didn't trouble Alice though, she knew he was listening.
"Orange sherbert?" Ryō said, tilting his head as if he wasn't seeing the words properly. "That's her weakness?"
"Yep!" Alice spun back to the whiteboard, her white lab coat fluttering as she twirled. "Erina's God Tongue is one the most sensitive taste buds on Earth, but even it has favorites. For Erina, this comes in the delicious sweetness of Orange Sherbert."
Ryōu refocused his gaze back onto Alice, staring at her with gloomy indifference. "How do you know that, Mistress?"
Alice clapped her hands together. "Good question, Ryō-kun!" Alice began making notes and formulas across the whiteboard, quickly filling the school-sized panel with enough knowledge to run an entire research program for a month.
"I've known since we were little that Erina's had a sweet tooth. I've also known that her pallet has a very specific preference for the mild acidity of fruit, especially oranges. Whenever she would try a dish with orange in it she would always be especially critical of it, an experience that was later known by chefs around the world as gambling on 'Orange Roulette'."
Alice turned to Ryō-kun and tapped a large circle on the board labeled "Ice Cream" with her marker.
"If we could create a dish that properly utilizes the acidity of the orange and meshes it with the soft taste of ice cream," she said, "then it would without a doubt move her beyond words, more than anything else in the world. It's exactly the dish we need for this plan to work!"
Ryōu considered the idea. "You said it was called 'Orange Roulette'. What happens if the orange is used wrong?"
Alice put her marker to her chin, thinking. "Well, only nineteen cooks have ever attempted to use orange in a dish they're presenting to Erina. Of them...I don't think a single one of them has cooked since."
Ryōu had been expecting this. Alice was a genius, but a reckless one. "Mistress, that means that if we don't make the sherbert properly then we'll both be never able to cook again."
And yet...
Alice shook her head, smiling. "Don't worry, we aren't going to be making it. We'll just be providing assistance to the man who is."
There it was. Ryōu had been expecting this too, the fact that Alice always had a plan. Always.
"Then who will be making the orange sherbert dish, Mistress?"
Alice's eyes twinkled with mischief and she lifted a finger, pointing to a cartoonish drawing of who she had in mind. "Yukihira Soma."
...
Alice couldn't be more happy with how her plan was going.
The goal of the night was simple enough: Push Erina and Soma closer together so her cousin would be ever closer to finally breaking out of her shell. Alice had always wanted Erina to find a good man in her life, especially one who could cook. And with how Soma was Alice couldn't have asked for a better match, his unconventional yet caring nature was just the right mix to bring Erina back to who she had truly been before her father had taken that away. If anyone could bring back the young, joyful Erina it would be Soma.
"Do you have the oranges, Ryō-kun?" Alice whispered, poking her head out from the tree she was hiding behind to look for her assistant.
"Hai." Ryōu responded, sending Alice jumping up into the air in fright. He's right behind me!
"Geez..." Alice whispered, pouting. "Ryō-kun, how many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that?"
Ryōu seemed puzzled, lazily raising an eyebrow. "Well, I thought you were the one who told me to be by you all the time."
"I did, but...nevermind." Alice could deal with him later, now wasn't the time. "You said you got the oranges?"
"Hai." Ryōu revealed a duffel bag from under his gray coat and opened it so Alice could see the contents.
"Perfect." Alice smiled, taking the duffel bag and pulling out her own contribution to the night: a light blue, microwave-sized ice cream maker.
"This ice cream maker is one of the best in the world." Alice said, "And my best device to date. If Soma-kun uses both this and the oranges I asked you to get then his chances of success should be off the charts, especially if he adds his own unique touch like he usually does."
"He will." Ryōu agreed, looking over Alice's shoulder as he said it. They were in the forested area just outside of Polar Star Dormitory, the current residence of both Soma and Erina. Once they revealed themselves and knocked on the front door the plan would start, leaving Ryōu no time to question Alice either about the plan or anything else, not that he needed to. But then again, there was one thing on his mind...
"Mistress."
"Yes?" Alice gave him a confused look. "Is something wrong, Ryō-kun?"
"No Mistress." Ryōu replied, considering his words carefully. "I was just wondering, do you think Erina has the same hopes for you as you do for her? About finding a boyfriend?"
Alice blushed, surprised. It took a moment before she recovered, putting her hands on her hips and giving Ryōu a confident look.
"Of course!" She replied. "Why wouldn't she? Erina can be pretty bottled up at times but she's still my cousin at heart, I bet she'd be really happy if I found a guy for myself."
"Ah." Ryōu responded, satisfied.
"Alright." Alice said, glancing up at the dormitory's windows. "We can't afford to wait any longer. Let's go, Ryō-kun!"
"Kay."
The two quietly moved there way out of the forest and towards the main entrance of the Polar Star Dormitory, trying to avoid being seen on the way. As they made their way to the front door Alice ran over her plan one more time, wondering if it would work out as well as she'd hope.
It's up to Soma. Alice decided. Anything I do from here will only be to give him the chance, it's his decision to use it.
Before long the pair had arrived at the front of the dormitory, the giant oak doors of the main entrance looming over them. Without a moment of hesitation Alice walked up, knocked on the door and smiled at Ryōu as she walked back to him.
I trust you, Soma-kun. Make Erina happy again, for everyone's sake.
The doors before them opened, revealing Megumi Tadokoro gazing at them in surprise.
"Oh, hello." Megumi said, blinking. "What are you two doing here?"
"Good evening, Tadokoro-chan." Alice said, putting her hands behind her back. "We're here to pay a little visit to the dormitory, if that's alright."
If it was anyone else Alice was sure that they would be questioned, no doubt about it. Finding Tadokoro-chan however was an immense stroke of luck: Not only was she too trusting and polite to question why they had come but she also had a canny knack to know wherever Soma was, something that would speed things along quite well. While Alice didn't like using Megumi for her plans she was the perfect tool, and a particularly cute one at that.
Megumi nodded, putting her confusion aside. "Yeah, sure. Everyone's still awake anyways so it shouldn't be a problem. Follow me."
The three Tōtsuki students made their way into the lobby and up the stairs, straight towards the dorms themselves. Alice had to admit that the dorm was much nicer than she had expected, especially when she had visited it for the first time. It was always clean, organized and smelling of at least one delicious aroma at some point in the day.
No wonder they're so keen on protecting it. Alice thought. This place is one of a kind.
"Megumi," Alice said, stopping in the middle of the hallway they were walking in. "Pardon me for asking but where's Soma-kun? I have something I want to talk to him about."
Once more Megumi looked puzzled and for a moment hesitation crossed her face before she nodded again, pointing towards a door.
"Right in there," she said, "He should definitely be awake, just be careful. He may be experimenting with his nasty recipes again."
"Don't worry, we'll be fine." Alice said, opening the door. Sure enough Soma was resting on his bed, staring at the ceiling while he appeared to be lost in thought. Upon hearing the door open Soma broke out of his trance and noticed his visitors.
"Oh, yo." Soma said, raising his hand in greeting. "What brings you two here?"
...
"A new dessert, huh." Soma pondered the idea Alice had just given him, sitting cross-legged on the floor with his three guests.
"That's right." Alice said, sipping her hot chocolate. Usually treating guests called for tea, but with the holiday spirit in the air the choice instead had been hot chocolate, much to Alice's approval. "I was thinking that you'd give it a try tonight, given how you seem to love a challenge."
"Hmm..." Soma thought, considering it. "I don't know, something feels off. If you really want me to try I can, I just don't know if it'll work." He turned to Ryōu. "What do you think?"
Ryōu stared into his cup, remembering the recipe for himself. "I don't see anything wrong with it," Ryōu said, "and I doubt Lady Alice would leave room for flaws. I would try it."
"I agree with him too!" Megumi added, drawing the attention of the group. "The sweetness of the ice cream should perfectly balance out with mild acidity of the orange."
In a cartoonish chibi art style Megumi pointed to a balance scale, one side with an orange and the other with an ice cream carton.
"Besides," Megumi said, "if you want to be extra careful you can add in some lemon juice to make sure the two are equal. That way there's no doubt that you'll have an equilibrium of sweet and sour!"
The scale above the group shifted as a lemon joined the orange, evening out the scale until it was a perfect balance.
"Oh, that's true." Soma said, grinning. "Good idea, Megumi!"
"Well," Alice patted the ice cream maker at her side. "I think you have everything you need to succeed, Soma-kun. Would you like to give it a shot?"
Soma replied by pulling his headband off his wrist, tying it on his head in a flash. "Of course." He replied. "I'll whip up the best orange sherbet you've ever tasted in your life!"
The group finished their hot chocolate and prepared to head down to the dormitory's kitchen, save Alice. Getting Soma to cook her dish was one thing, telling Erina about it and watching her react was another.
"Tadokoro-chan," Alice tapped on the blue haired girl's shoulder, pulling her aside from the boys. "Where can I find Erina's room?"
Megumi put a finger to her lip, thinking. "I don't know if she's in there right now, but she's in 301, the room right next to Soma-kun's."
Alice smiled, loving the gossip that Megumi had just indirectly gave her. Erina had just so happened to choose the one room right next door to Soma's. Erina could be so cute sometimes.
"Really now?" she mused, eyeing the door in question. "I see. I'll be paying her a quick visit too if you don't mind, I want to catch up on some things with her."
Megumi opened her mouth to say something but changed her mind. "That's fine." she said, turning to go join Soma & Ryōu in the kitchen. "I'll see you downstairs!"
Alice watched her go, a feeling of guilt rising up for the second time that night. The poor girl's love for Soma-kun was as clear as day and here Alice was, using her to support Soma finding someone else. She would have to pay Megumi back somehow, even if it would never justify her actions.
Maybe I should set her up on a date with Ryō-kun. Alice thought. The two are pretty similar and if anyone could keep him under control it'd definitely be her. Thinking about the two of them together Alice blushed and shook off the thought. No, that's silly. I'll pair her up with someone else, Ryō-kun isn't her type.
Alice walked up to Erina's door and knocked. "Erina-chan," she said, "It's me! I have something you'll be interested in."
In response a large thump echoed off the door, like someone had thrown a pillow the moment they had recognized her voice.
"Erina-sama has no time for your games, Alice!" A voice emanated from the door. "Come back when you aren't putting her at risk for once!"
Ah, Hishoko-chan's with her. Alice thought, smirking. I should've known.
"Hishoko-chan," Alice replied, leaning her body so that her face was closer to the door. "I have no intentions of putting Erina-chan through anything tonight. Except well, you know...a small game of Orange Roulette."
Silence emanated from the other side of the door, confirming Alice of her suspicions. Erina could never resist a game of Orange Roulette, especially if it gave her a chance to shut Alice up. The challenge was just as effective as questioning Erina's God Tongue, possibly better.
After a few seconds, the door unlocked. Alice gave her cousin a loving smile as Erina's eyes bored into her, ice cold with irritation.
"Hello Erina!" Alice said, her voice bubbling with happiness. "As always I see you can't resist my calls."
Erina gritted her teeth in annoyance, a trademark look that Alice couldn't help but adore.
"I'm only coming for the Roulette!" Erina snapped, "Don't expect me to listen to anything else!"
"Of course." Alice replied, clasping her hands behind her back. "It is the holidays after all, I just wanted to do this as a gift."
Erina scowled, trying to read Alice's mind with no avail. She didn't trust her, for good reason.
"Fine." Erina made her way out of her room, glaring at Alice when Hisako had exited and closed the door behind them. "I assume it's being made downstairs, right?"
"Mhm!" Alice drew out her hand toward the staircase in an inviting gesture. "After you, Erina."
The three girls began making their way toward the domitory's kitchen, Alice smiling all along as she imagined Soma getting prepared to cook the sherbert of a lifetime.
Just you wait, Erina. I've gone all out this time.
"I can't believe this, you know." Erina said.
"Hm?" Alice turned to Erina, puzzled. "Why's that?"
"You're making me do an Orange Roulette after seeing plenty for yourself." Erina replied, sighing. "That's cruel, not just to me but to the chef who's willing to try it in the first place. Did you even tell them about what could happen?"
"No," Alice admitted, "but I doubt they'd care either way."
"About potentially losing their entire career?" Erina shook her head in disbelief. "That's impossible. No one could possibly be that stupid and reckless…" She froze. "Oh no."
"What?" Alice smiled, watching as Erina's expression turned from doubt to pure horror. "Don't tell me you're doubting who I chose. He is one of the best, after all."
"Alice…" Erina was mad now, more than Alice had expected. Balled fists, dark expression, shaking all over...she wasn't just mad, no...she was livid. "How could you be so inconsiderate?"
"I'm not being inconsiderate." Alice maintained her calm and made it to the staircase, each step shining more with moonlight than the last. "Quite the opposite, actually. Come on though Erina, do you think I'd do this without knowing what could happen? I personally think he can do it, and if I'm correct you do as well."
"That's enough." Hisako put herself in front of Erina and outstretched her arms, blocking Alice from getting close. Her eyes were filled with disgust, though at whom Alice couldn't tell. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Alice. It's one thing to drag Erina-sama out for Orange Roulette, it's another to have the chef be someone as caring and honest as Soma-kun. How could you do this knowing how much he's done for everyone, including you?"
"Hisako, I already told you." Alice replied, "I have no wish to put Soma at risk tonight. I believe that he can do what previous chefs have failed to and provide Erina with a dish that she can enjoy, even if it does include orange. Are you telling me that you believe that Yukihira Soma cannot successfully make a dish like this, after everything you've seen him do?"
"I…" Hisako's voice faltered. "I'm not. I just feel like it's unfair, for his sake."
"Well if Erina truly thinks that then she can refuse to taste whatever Soma makes." Alice turned and put her hand on the staircase's railing. "I can't force her to do this, you're right about that. I just believe that she should let him try, especially after all he's done for everyone."
There was a pause, time slowing down as Alice's grip on the railing tightened. If Erina didn't believe in Soma now then she probably never would. If she refused now Alice's one hope of bringing Erina's old side back would be gone...how would she live with that? She couldn't, Erina had to say yes. For everyone's sake, she had to believe in Soma.
"Erina-sama?" Hisako asked, out of Alice's view. "What would you like to do?"
Another long, agonizing pause.
"Fine." Erina said, her tone returning to normal. "I'll go through with this, whether Soma is expelled from the cooking world or not. Not like I care either way, after all."
Go to hell, Uncle Azami. Alice thought. She's still my cousin, somewhere in that shell.
"Alright!" Alice bolted back from the staircase and hugged Erina, not noticing as Hisako almost fell to the floor as she bashed her aside in the process. "Thank you, Erina! I owe you big time!"
"Oh be quiet." Erina struggled out of Alice's grip, brushing herself off. "I'm not doing this for you, Alice. I'm just doing this because I've never refused a challenge, especially Orange Roulette. Whatever happens to Yukihira Soma will be my decision and my decision only."
"And I think it'll be a good one." Alice laughed, relieved beyond belief. "Now let's go watch the impossible become possible, shall we?"
…
"Oh, both Nakiri sisters are here." Soma said, noticing as the three girls entered the kitchen. "And Hisako-chan, too. I guess I better make this sherbert pretty good, huh?"
"You're an idiot, Soma-kun…" Erina muttered, her eyes downcast.
"Eh?" Soma tilted his head, oblivious to Erina's tone. "What'd I do?"
Erina ignored him, sighing in defeat.
"Sherbert?" Hisako asked, turning to Alice. "That's what he's making?"
"Correct." Alice could hardly contain her excitement: This was it, the moment to finally bring back Erina from her father's grip. "Soma will be making Orange Sherbet Ice Cream, through and through."
"And it'll be some good sherbert for sure!" Soma boasted, knife in hand at the ready. "Are you guys ready, Alice?"
Alice turned to look at Erina, only to see she had lost herself in concentration. She was ready for this, without a doubt.
"We are!" Alice chimed, motioning to Megumi. "Will you do the honors, Tadokoro-chan?"
Megumi jolted slightly, her own thoughts in the clouds. "Y-yeah, sure!"
The tension in the room braced itself, each individual focusing themselves on the intense game that was about to begin. The Nakiris and Hisako on one end, Megumi and Soma in the middle and Ryōu on the other end of the kitchen, watching with mild anticipation.
"Alright!" Megumi raised her hands. "You may start cooking on my mark!"
"In 3…2...1...begin!"
With a flash of movement Soma began his work, sprinting forward to collect all of his ingredients from across the kitchen. With blurring speed he picked up everything he needed before he began on his first task: Juicing the oranges.
"Orange Sherbet is made quite easily." Alice noted, looking over the ingredients Soma had picked up as he juiced oranges one by one. "You basically mix together all of the ingredients in one bowl, whisk them with milk in another and then process them in an ice cream maker until it's ready to be served. The simplicity of the dish means that it's both a practical and highly modifiable dish, one that both families and restaurants alike can enjoy to great lengths."
"But that also means that Erina will be especially critical of Soma's decision making though, doesn't it?" Hisako asked. "Because the dish is so simple she'll almost certainly be expecting him to come up with not only a perfect usage of each ingredient but also a twist that would bring the sherbet to its full potential. What could Soma add to bring that?"
"For one, those oranges." Megumi noted, joining the girls as they looked on. "Those are cara cara navel oranges, aren't they?"
"They are." Erina replied, not shifting her focus off Soma for a moment. "Cara cara navel oranges are especially sweet and have a complex flavor consisting of orange, rose petal, blackberry and cherry. They're a good type of orange for mixing the flavors of various tastes. However…"
"Why would Soma be using orange juice from an orange that's main flavor isn't even orange?" Hisako continued. "The point of Orange Sherbet is to bring out the best of the orange flavor, not exaggerate a bunch of conflicting flavors. All this will do is shift away the dishes focus from Erina's expectations."
"This is a very special Orange Sherbet." Alice said, watching as Soma began to stir together the orange juice in with sugar, salt and grated orange zest. "One that with any luck will do exactly what you don't expect it to."
The group looked on as Soma continued, adding in vanilla extract and lemon juice to the mixture. When he was done he poured the mixture from one bowl into another and began to add in milk, whisking furiously in the process.
"He's doing everything normally…" Hisako commented, watching carefully. "Wait, no...what's in that bag?"
"Huh?" Megumi and Alice blinked. "What bag?"
"That one!" Hisako pointed to a small plastic bag that Soma had just grabbed while whisking, emptying the contents onto a cutting board. Before long the distinct shape of what was coming out made itself clear and the girls looked on in shock, unable to comprehend what they were seeing.
"Gummi bears." Ryōu read, looking carefully at the label on what now revealed itself to be a package of gummi bears. "Now with 15 new flavors. Oh, and there's a buy one get one free deal too."
He's dead. Hisako & Megumi thought, nearly passing out. Alice looked on in amusement as Erina put a hand to her chin, thinking.
"Gummi bears are certainly a nice twist to ice cream." Alice said, watching curiously as Soma began to cut up gummi bears into small chunks one by one. "Like the cara cara they also cover a wide range of flavor as well, with each little bear packing its own unique flavor. And since that's the case…"
Upon cutting up the entire bag worth of gummi bears Soma slid the contents into the now milky sherbet mixture, whisking once more to distribute the small pieces of candy before placing the entire bowl inside the ice cream maker Alice had given him beforehand. After setting the timer for three minutes Soma put his hands on his hips in approval, nodding his head.
"Yo, Ryōu." Ryōu tilted his head as Soma addressed him. "Could you get some Hot Chocolate ready when the ice cream is done? I have one more thing I need to do."
Ryōu looked at Alice and she smiled at him. Hot chocolate was perfect for the occasion.
"Kay." Ryōu walked over to another area of the kitchen to prepare some hot chocolate while Hisako and Megumi began to recover from their shock.
"What is he even making now…" Hisako muttered… "He can't seriously think adding all of those flavors together is a good idea."
"I don't know." Megumi said. "On one hand it'll make it impossible to tell the orange apart, but on the other…"
"It'll be more representative of what fruits taste like, right?" Alice finished. "Maybe that's what Soma-kun is going for."
"But that makes no sense!" Hisako blurted, reeling back in shame as Erina flinched from the noise. "It's just, this is Orange Roulette we're talking about. Even if Soma has a goal in mind that incorporates every flavor of fruit, how is that using the orange to its greatest extent? Unless…"
"Unless the answer is in what Soma hasn't done yet!"
Sure enough Soma moved on from the ice cream maker, taking out a small bowl and bringing back the empty package of gummi bears from its place on the workstation. He shook the bag, not stopping until five additional gummi bears materialized onto a paper towel.
He didn't cut them all? Hisako thought. And look…
They're all orange! Megumi realized. Soma must have made sure they didn't escape the bag when all the others were being cut!
Soma took great care in separating the gummi bears, one by one. When he was done he shifted through a variety of kitchen tools until he found what he was looking for, sending another wave of confusion and surprise through his spectators.
"Syringes…?" Alice looked at Soma's remaining ingredients curiously before snapping her fingers. "Oh, I get it! That's genius, Soma-kun!"
Hisako opened her mouth to say something but stopped when with a blurred movement Soma began mixing together the sugar, orange zest and orange juice he had left, proceeding to then use the syringe to gather up the mixture and directly inject it into the remaining gummi bears one by one, filling them with a dark orange liquid that clashed against their lighter colored texture. When he was done he gathered up five plates, delicately placed a single gummi bear onto each one and finished just as the timer on the ice cream maker went off, signaling that the sherbert was ready.
"I assume that ice cream maker is yours, Alice?" Erina asked, relaxing her concentration as Soma finished his dish by scooping a serving of sherbet onto each plate and adding a spoon.
"Yup!" Alice stood tall, reminiscing in the glory of her contraption. "This ice cream maker is the latest of its kind. It can process even the hottest of mixtures into soft, smooth ice cream in under five minutes. In this case the ice cream maker finished the sherbet in three minutes where it would've otherwise taken three hours, about sixty times faster!"
"That's incredible." Megumi said, watching as Soma smiled as he finished the last serving. "And just look at the ice cream - it looks perfect, like it was delicately crafted over a hundred years. To think it was made so quickly…"
"That's the power of molecular gastronomy for you." Alice said, grinning. "Now we just have to see how well Soma-kun took advantage of the ingredients."
"Alright!" Soma turned to his to-be judges, nodding approvingly as Ryōu added a mug of hot chocolate to each plate. "Dessert is served!"
…
The four girls and Ryōu looked down expectantly at their plates, eyeing the ice cream detail for detail.
"It's so colorful." Megumi noted, looking at the ice cream serving in awe. "The pieces of gummi bear are randomly distributed across the serving, making it look like one of those Rainbow M&M Cookies they make in the west."
"Except this is more fine than that," Hisako said. "In those cookies the M&M pieces are usually large and the coloring is more concentrated around those big pieces. Here though it's like one big white globe that's dashed with slivers of color, none too large or dominant than the rest. To do this Soma must have made sure to cut the gummi bears in almost the exact way, down to the nearest precision. It's a perfect demonstration of his consideration for the customer's thoughts."
"What's this lone gummi bear doing here, though." Ryōu asked, nudging it with the back of his spoon. "It seems sort of out of place, directly in front of the ice cream serving yet not a part of it directly."
"That's meant to be eaten last, if you don't mind. "Soma said. "I planned something special for the end."
"Alright, it's time to taste it." Erina said, carefully spooning up a bite-sized amount of serving. "It cuts extremely well, just the right mixture of temperature and softness"
"That's my machine for you." Alice scooped up her own serving and placed it into her own mouth, continuing "It always does things to the exact finest, although a lot of the work is done by the ch-MMPH!"
Alice froze, the other judges quickly turning to face her. "Lady Alice, is everything alright?" Ryōu demanded. "If you're hurt-"
Alice raised her hand to silence him, her eyes wide.
It's perfect. Alice thought. The bitter-sweetness of the cara cara orange mixes together perfectly with the mild acidity of the lemon juice and the smooth taste of the ice cream. It's pure harmony, each one of the flavors synergizes together without overwhelming the other!
Curious beyond belief now the rest of the judges tried the ice cream, each one recoiling from the overwhelming taste that responded to them.
The orange is vividly present in the dish. Hisako realized. I thought the gummi bears would overwhelm it but the bittersweet feeling is still here and if anything is complimented by the conflicting flavors! Since the core was orange it's still the center of the dish, pounding through the senses amongst a set of dashing sours and sweets that are the flavors Soma must have added in by mixing in the gummi bears.
Each gummi bear has its own unique taste, Megumi noted in shock. Some taste as sweet as berries, some as sour as lemons and even more so in between! And yet, despite all the conflicting flavors I can tell that each one is different from the one before it. They all ride on the same orange base but still hold together their individuality!
While Yukihira did perfect the ice cream's texture and temperature with Lady Alice's machine, the flavors and taste of the ice cream can only be attributed to Soma himself.
Ryōu noted, feeling himself pushed back as each flavor threw itself at him. The ice cream is sweet, sour and manages to convey a mixture of every fruit in creation while still maintaining its roots in the orange and the orange alone. This is like…
This like skating across a golden-orange ice rink... Erina imagined, picturing her and everyone she knew and had become friends with skating across it with her. The overlying base is clear and smooth, but along the way you encounter new flavors of all different types. It's the process of experiencing every unique fruit and seeing how each one differs, especially compared to the orange. It's a message, one that despite all of the flavors in the fruit kingdom that the orange holds itself on top in this dish, and it will not be ignored…! And when someone realizes that…
Erina looked down at the lone gummi bear in front of her, then at Soma and then back at the gummi bear.
Once someone realizes that, they're to experience the power of the orange itself.
All at the same time each judge picked up the lone gummi bear and popped it into their mouths, biting down. From there, it was pure nirvana.
AHHHHH! Megumi & Hisako screamed, overwhelmed by the deep orange flavor blasting through their senses. Their clothing in their imagination was no match for the overpowering orangeness which cut through them with ease, just as it did for the rest of the judges. IT'S SO GOOD!
This is AMAZING! Ryōu yelled to himself, at some point having donned his bandana and gone berserk mode. The violent destruction of this one gummi bear unleashes a giant burst of both artificial and natural sweetness that attacks your tongue, burning it of all other flavors but orange. It's like the orange didn't think the ice cream was enough proof of its dominance so it chose to overwhelm the user even further, beyond their comprehension!
The orange juice mixture is perfectly distributed inside the gummi bear, something which should be impossible. Alice thought, holding herself together by a thread. After all, he only injected the mixture into them, he didn't hollow them out! Unless…
"Soma-kun!" Alice managed, looking up at the confident cook desperately. The flavor was getting to her, she wouldn't last much longer. "When did you hollow these out?"
"When I was first chopping up the other gummi bears." He replied, pulling out a small bottle that none of the judges had noticed before. "I chopped them in half, cut the insides out and then sealed them back together using this."
Liquified Sugar. Alice realized. Now I get it. He cut them up with the rest of the gummi bears but handled them differently. The liquified sugar is sticky enough to seal the gummi bear back together without a problem and still meshes together perfectly with the flavor. Combine that with the serving and the overpowering flavors...it's way too much to handle! It feels like the ground from underneath me is going to explode in a giant blast of orange flavor!
Alice sighed in ecstasy as orangey sweetness blasted through her mind, whitening her thoughts with nothing but bliss as her own clothing was vaporized.
I can't believe it. Erina managed, shaking vigorously as the flavors battling her tongue made it through every possible critique, every imaginable flaw. It's perfect, there's nothing I can say against this dish. Not only has the orange proved itself superior to all other flavors by comparing itself to them, it goes the mile further and reinforces into the mind what exactly an orange tastes like, burning itself into the memory as the only taste that matters. This was Soma's plan all along: To demonstrate the power of the orange not just through its own amazing potential, but also through denying the seemingly lesser potentials of every other fruit in existence! And it makes you believe that no matter what fruit he chooses, no matter what he places as the core of the dish that he can make it feel superior, no matter what it is. And yet here, it feels like nothing but the dominance of orange. Orange, orange, orange...the last time I felt this was…
Was from a dish Saiba-sama made me!
…
"Saiba-sama, how do you make these amazing dishes?" Four year old Erina asked her favorite cook before munching into the dish he had made her today. It was her personal favorite: Ice cream with chocolate and orange swirls. Nothing could beat the taste of the orange and if anything the chocolate proved that, even though it was some of the best tasting chocolate Erina had ever tasted.
"I've had a lot of practice." Saiba admitted, laughing. "But to be honest with you, the reason this dish tastes so well to you isn't just because I made it."
Erina pouted, well aware of Saiba's tricks. "Oh yeah? Then what makes it so good, then?"
Saiba laughed again, well aware of the scorn coming from Erina. "It's nothing nasty, I promise. But the answer is a secret and one you can never tell your father. A secret, just between us. Is that alright?"
Erina nodded furiously. "It is. Now please, tell me the secret Saiba-sama."
Saiba smiled and leaned down, looking Erina in the eye. "Well, alright. The secret is…"
...
Erina stood up, her plate done. She eyed Soma for what seemed like forever, gazing into his confidence as if it defined his very being.
"You pass, Yukihira Soma." She declared, her tone daring anyone to challenge her so she could sentence them to death. "The orange in this dish is acceptable enough that I can safely say that you have passed Orange Roulette and gained my approval. Congratulations, Soma."
"Glad you enjoyed it!" Soma declared, taking off his bandana victoriously. "Wait...Orange Roulette? What's that?"
"Don't worry about it." Erina sighed, nudging Hisako to bring her back from heaven. "Finish up, Hisako. We're done here, he passed."
"He...passed?" Hisako managed, shaking the stars out of her eyes. "He actually passed? Good job, Soma!"
"I told you he would." Alice said, shaking off the last vestiges of her brief transcendence. "If anyone can do it, it'd be him."
"It was still a stupid risk." Erina scolded. "Do you have any idea how close that was? If he got one thing, one MINISCULE thing wrong I would've killed him for it. This is quite possibly the most reckless idea-"
"Erina-sama, don't get too fired up." Hisako said, putting a shoulder on her friend. "She's not worth it. Besides, if it wasn't for her you wouldn't have had the dish in the first place."
Erina pouted, blushing slightly as she turned her head away from everyone else. "Thank you...Alice. And Soma."
"No problem." Alice said, dashing over to an invigorated and possibly murderous Ryō-kun. "Now if you'll excuse me and Ryō-kun we need to be heading back, it's getting pretty late." And with that she sprinted out of the room and the dormitory, dragging Ryōu along with her like a ticking time bomb. About fifteen seconds later the residents of both Polar Star and nearby dormitories were then able to hear: "I'LL KILL ANYONE WHO MISUSES ORANGE AGAIN!" in Ryōu's violent tone.
"Well," Soma said, "I guess that's that!" He turned to put away the leftover ingredients before he realized that Megumi still hadn't given her opinion of the dish. "Oh, Megumi-"
He and the remaining girls froze as they noticed Megumi's current condition. At some point during the events of the past few minutes she had collapsed onto the floor and was gazing up at the roof with an empty, blissful look. For all intents and purposes if someone else had walked into the room and looked at her she was as good as dead.
"Thanks for the sherbet, Soma." she called, her voice light and faint of life. "I think I'll take a small rest now."
Soma put his hand on his neck uneasily as Hisako became the first one to react.
"MEGUMMMMMMMMMMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"
…
Alice sighed and relaxed on her bed, finally relieving herself of the stress she had endured over the night.
"It's all over." she called, knowing Ryō-kun was somewhere nearby. "We did it, Ryō-kun. There's no way Erina won't have a higher appreciation for Soma now. A romantic relationship is guaranteed, even if it doesn't appear immediately."
"Ah." Ryōu replied, somewhere in the distance. In reality Ryōu was preoccupying himself by experimenting on gummi bears, trying out new violent methods of destroying them to see if he could successfully incorporate them into one of his dishes. "Then I assume you're happy, Lady Alice?"
"Very." Alice yawned, spreading her arms and legs wide as she did snow angels in her bed. "And what a time to be filled with joy too. It's the holidays! Now you and I can have plenty of fun without me being worried about Erina. I'll have to fly us somewhere, maybe Italy or France…Paris must be lovely right now."
"Ah." Ryōu answered again, uninterested. For his concerns he was simply happy Alice was as well. It wouldn't always be this way but now Ryōu was satisfied with how it was. Besides, she had needed this. Badly.
"But you know, Ryō-kun." Alice said, staring up at her bedroom ceiling in wonder. "I wonder what really brought Erina to pass Soma-kun. I saw something flash through her eyes when she was deciding, something important. I just wish I knew what I was…"
"He passed. That's all that matters." Ryōu pointed out.
"Yeah, yeah." Alice admitted, "I have to stop thinking about it. Alright! Tomorrow you and I are going to Paris, whether you like it or not. We're going to go to the Eiffel Tower, see the Louvre, toy with some American tourists…"
She continued on like this until she finally fell asleep. Not wanting to disturb her further Ryōu silently made his way into her room, tucked her in bed and turned off the lights.
Yukihira. Ryōu thought, gazing through Alice's bedside window at the stars beyond. You really are something else.
And with that, he closed the door on a successful day.
...
Later that night everyone involved in the 20th instance of Orange Roulette was asleep. And for Erina Nakiri, amidst her mixture of older twisted dreams and newer ones of hope and friendship she remembered the one time she had learned that secret, learned the truth behind a dishes potential. For the only thing that mattered in reality, the secret of it all...
The secret is the heart's love. The dish that truly resonates with your soul and brings you happiness.
Was when you could enjoy a dish simply because you love it.
I wanted to make sure people had something festive to read on the holidays and since the SnS Anime just finished Season 3 (or at least the first cour) I thought I'd celebrate with some nice SnS action. This is my first story for Shokugeki no Souma but I plan to have a lot more in the future, especially pertaining to Alice. But that's all from me, hope you enjoyed it.
Happy Holidays everyone!
-Kefla