I don't own Shokugeki no Soma
(All of this belongs to the one and only: Shun Saeki)
One Shot BB: Opened Eyes, A Stunning View
Realization
First Match of the Autumn Elections...
Alice stood proudly in the spotlight, flashing a look that would make the coldest of people, melt with a smile. She was current waiting for her opponent, one that had bested her cousin in a certain trial in a training regime. The theme for today's match was Bento, and Alice had an idea what she was going to make. She can still recall that time like it was yesterday, as she remembers that very man's smile, one that rivals a million dollars, big in amount, and worth a lot to many. This man went and used techniques that were dated, and somewhat crude, though it did get the job done, Alice couldn't deny that, even if she didn't show it at the beginning to him. The fact that this man even admitted that he failed at the beginning, spoke volumes of how humble he was, and that he wasn't a man that would take such a failure so lightly. That man, was now plaguing Alice's mind for months now, for no reason at all…
From what Alice could remember, that man went by the name "Yukihara Soma", if Alice could remember correctly, and him saying that he would learn from failure disarmed her completely from that day forward. No one, Alice has known, has admitted to failing, and then saying that they'll do the best they can do, to do better on the next go around.
"Yukihara… truly a man of mystery." Thought Alice, waiting for the man on her mind to show up to the event, only to be answered with a lone stranger walking down the entrance of the arena.
The stranger held a knife rack, dangling from his back with his right arm, while his left was at his side, with an all too familiar white band wrapped around it. The stranger was obviously male, due to his body type, and his height made him look a bit mature for his age. His hair resembled that of finely darken embers, dancing in a fire pit, and the shine that came from his golden eyes was like that of hidden treasure that's just been discovered. The thing that made this stranger different from the rest was the smile he carried, one that flashed like a million dollars, big in amount, and worth a lot to many. There's only one person Alice new that had a smile as nice as that, that man being…
"Yukihara Soma…" Alice said out loud, watching as Soma made his way towards his cooking station.
"Yo, what's up Nakiri #2!" Soma called out to Alice, waving a carefree hand.
Alice blushed as his innocent friendliness, almost like they weren't in a tournament setting, but in a dorm, about to compare dishes with one another. How he was able to talk to her like an equal, made no sense. Not that Alice didn't enjoy it, on the contrary, it was nice to be treated like a normal girl once in awhile, to remind you that you're just as much as a girl as any other ones in the world. So to have Yukihira treat like a friend almost, well, she kind of liked it.
"N-Not much, Yukihira… But don't you know that we're in a tournament right now?" Alice pointed out, stretching her arms towards the hundreds of students in the match.
"Um, yea? It's just that I was so pumped that I get to have you as my opponent! Sure, we're here to pit our skills against each other, but there is no need not to be nice about it, right?" Soma said happily, his million dollar smile showing again.
"I-I see, w-well, I wish you the luck to go against me, for I don't intend to lose to a man that relies on such bygone tactics to further himself." Alice said in a haughty attitude, arms crossed, pouting heavily in Yukihira's direction.
"I use all the skills that I have to further myself, whether that be me putting on a show, or me locking myself in a room to figure out the right combinations of flavors, I will use whatever I have to achieve my goal… And right now, my goal is to beat you with everything I got!" Soma yelled out passionately to Alice, golden fire blazing in his eyes.
Soma then began to prepare his cooking station, placing his knifes in intricate places, and laying out his ingredients. His movements were fast and thorough, making sure that all needed components for his match were all at an arms reach, and once he was done with the prep work, he eyed Alice with a competitive flare.
"You see, Nakiri #2, this is a regular thing for me, to have customers with high expectations, knifes that gleam when under kitchen lights, and a vast amount of ingrediants, all laid out on the table. The only difference I have today is that I have a formidable opponent before me, who I know can blow me out of the water if I don't put my all in it! I will beat you here and now, and gain all that I will experience from the match will have!" Soma said with finality, giving Alice a wink in the process.
Alice blushed, but was then riled up soon after, seeing as her opponent had not shown bit of cowardice during that whole spiel. Yukihira just openly challenged her right on the arena floor, and that excited Alice like no other. Never, in her life, did anyone challenge her besides her aid Ryo, and never like Yukihira just did. Alice was ready and willing to fight this man with all the skills she was able to gain, and thoroughly trounce Yukihira with them. Alice then brought her equipment out, in the hopes that Yukihira would be blown away from how new, and cutting edge they were.
"Huh, cool stuff, Nakiri #2. Does it make ice cream or something?" Soma asked innocently, his carefree face showing.
Alice was on the verge of doing one of 2 things in her head. One, being that she was going to slap Yukihira silly for being so naive, or laugh so hard, that she was going to pee herself. She managed to stop herself from doing the two, barely, and simply told Yukihira what they were for.
"This is a machine that is used in Molecular Gastronomy, where it uses a centrifuge to separate the components of certai-" Was all Alice was about to say, when Soma raised a hand in the air.
"That's cool and all, Nakiri #2, but I don't really care how you make the food, just so long it tastes good, right?" Soma said easily, as he started to go for his knife, in anticipation for the start of the match.
Alice just started at him with wide, ruby red eyes.
"Did he just 'shush' me?! Oh, you're gonna get it now, Yukihira!" Alice thought to himself, playfully getting mad at Yukihira's direction.
"Yukihira, you will lose this match, and learn where you stand in this academy! It's also 'Alice' by the way, how rude of you to call me Nakiri #2!" Alice said, fuming at Yukihira.
"Ok, Alice, then I'm Soma to you, from now on, alright!" Soma said, flashing his million dollar smile, only to receive a flushed Alice, looking mad at him.
"Hmph, took you long enough, Soma-kun!" Alice said playfully, ready for the match to start.
Everyone in the audience watched the whole scene go down, as Soma was easily taking to a relative to THE "God's Tongue". Some guys in the crowd were pissed off to hell, seeing as he was able to talk to someone as beautiful as Nakiri Alice, while some girls were jealous of Nakiri Alice, for being able to see Soma's million dollar smile so closely. Whatever the case is, many people wished they could be in the spot where Alice and Soma where in right now.
With the sound of a mighty yell from the director of the school, the match started off with fire in the air. If one could describe how the match went, people would mostly say that the match was heated, so much so, that one would be able to roast a marshmallow from how hot it became in that match. Vegetables diced and stacked, fish simmered and fried, soups being made and seasoned, all of this and much more were happening all in the span of 2 hours, which flew by like 2 minutes.
Alice was the first to finish, presenting here dish in a mysterious cloud of mist, to the judges before her, one of them being her grandfather, Nakiri Senzaemon, the school director of Totsuki.
"I hope that this bento is to your liking, Grandfather!" Alice said, cheery and bright.
"Knowing your ways, I believe it will, Alice." Senzaemon said lovingly, his grandchildren an obvious weakness to the people watching.
Alice then opened up the veil of mist, to reveal a beautifully organized assortment of food in little compartments. All the judges were very intrigued at how each compartment of the bento before them was laid out, and how it had its own dish within. They started to try each dish, each one taking them on a flavor paradise. Each bite from the previous compartment had elevated the taste of the next, almost like it was a pyramid, each part building up on itself, until it reached to the top, where the best flavor was still yet to come.
"This bento is amazing!" One judge said, as he was lost in his own world from the flavors of the dish.
"It's like a new dimension of flavor, nothing that I've experienced before." Another judge stated, tears streaming down his face.
"But gentlemen, look at the last part of this dish." Senzaemon said to all the judges, who then looked towards the very end of the dish, which rested a little peach pearl, that shined when looked upon.
"This is my finishing move of this bento, the Sea bream chazuke! Its Sea bream on a lotus flower with coagulated dashi & tea topped with kinome leaf. Watch as your taste buds be taken to a world of flavor!" Alice said with confidence, giving a devilish smile.
Each judge was itching to put that pearl into their mouths, and as they did so, they were assaulted by torrents of flavor. Like the rushing sea into a cliffside, or a raging river flowing down a jungle stream, the flavors flooded their mouths with such intensity. Some judges were on the verge of fainting, from how overloaded their mouths were feeling, and each one of them was left speechless, except Nakiri Senazaemon, who put down the dish onto the table.
"Such flavors, with precision that a marksman would envy, and with power that no cannon can produce, this bento… It Shows… Such culinary… WISDOM!" Senzaemon yelled, flexing, his shirt exploding into little bits of cloth.
The audience were amazed, to see such praise to be given to Alice, and with a signature strip to boot, there was no way that Soma could cope with that, not at all… Was what all of the audience members were thinking to themselves.
"A shame, such genius tends to cast a shadow, making others feel so little about themselves, like they haven't a chance to beat someone like Alice, over there; her presence, makes that so." One of the judges said, watching Alice, as she smiling towards the crowd.
"This is Totsuki, I have no need for anyone who is easily deterred by such presence, no matter who that person may be…" Senzaemon said, wistfully looking towards the crowd of cowering students, all to be jarred out of his thought process by the sound of a metal ladle hitting a bowl.
"5 Bentos, ready to serve!" Soma said easily, as he was ready to present his dish. Alice just eyed Soma with curious eyes, as to see what he was going to present. Senzaemon then found himself grinning from ear to ear, hearing Soma's voice, filled with confidence.
"As you can see, gentlemen, there is still one chef that isn't deterred, not one bit. Yukihira Soma, what is your dish!" Senzaemon yelled proudly to Soma, pointing a finger at his direction, eager to see what this transfer student had to offer.
"Its Nori Bento!" Soma yelled back, back straightened, and smiles flashing.
Everyone in the audience went white, as they just didn't hear what Yukihira just said.
"N-Nori bento?!" A girl screamed out, thinking that Soma was hot, but obviously stupid.
Senzaemon could only laugh heartily, as Soma simply walked over to him and the other judges, and presented his bento.
"This kid, he has balls, alright. He reminds of someone, but who?" Senzaemon thought to himself, as he was given a metal container.
"I would like to present to you, judges, my Evolved Nori Bento! All packed and prepared in these specialized containers called 'Lunch Jars'!" Soma said, while handing each judge a lunch jar.
"Um, Soma-kun, What's Nori bento?" Alice asked Soma, tugging at his shirt to get his attention.
"Oh, it's a bento that is sold everywhere, from convenience stores, to supermarkets. It's a bento that is like a meal-on-the-go, kind of deal, you know Alice?" Soma said smiling, placing a hand on Alice's, in turn making her blush a whole shade of red.
"W-Well, that's g-good to k-know, I g-guess…" Alice stuttered, her face burning up as Soma kept holding her hand.
Most of the girls in the audience were now hell bent on ripping off Alice's hair, for they were jealous of her, holding hands with Yukihira.
When the judges opened up the lunch jars, they we're blessed with a beautiful sight of fried cod, and a delicious looking sauce that covered the top of it. The judges couldn't help themselves, and ate the fish, smiles on their faces. After tasting the cod, the judges found themselves in a green-grassed field, a warm breeze blowing past them. They held hands, and sang songs like there was no worry in the world.
"This is amazing! Such light flavors coming from something fried! I want to see what else that this bento has in store!" One of the judges said, excited for what is to come.
Another layer was opened, and from it was a very fragrant soup made of bacon, green onion, miso, and garlic. The judges drank it up fast, and felt a warm carpet, or a dog's embrace. Soma's dish was filled with fun and whimsy, and the judges were eager to what else Soma's bento had in store.
"What are you trying to say, Soma-kun, with this bento?" Alice asked, still being seen holding hands with Soma.
"That you should be able to convey your very being into a bento, and allow the person eating it, to feel what you want them to experience." Soma said, somberly, still holding Alice's hand, which gripped tighter when Soma stopped talking.
"W-What's this!" The judges cried out, as they opened up the last of Soma's bento, to be surprised by dark, green orbs that covered the rice below it. Many in the audience were stunned to see such objects, and could only guess what it was.
Alice was speechless, as looked over to Soma's bento, considering she knew what those orbs were. They were her final bento's finishing move, only this time, there was a ton more of them, and took a dark green color.
"T-That's a M-Molecular Gastronomy technique! Soma-kun, where did you learn it?!" Alice asked, panicked, gripping Soma's hand tighter.
"Oh that? That's an idea that I got from a form of candy, special to japan! It's a candy that allows you to turn anything into those little orbs you see there!" Soma said jokingly, as he gripped Alice's hand all the while.
The people in the audience were dumbfounded, as the transfer student had just implemented a molecular gastronomy technique, in the form of a child's candy product…
"As a judge, I must taste this without fail! Knock on wood!" One of the judges said, thrusting a mouthful of the green orbs, along with the rice, into his mouth. He was rocked, as oceans of flavor coated each grain of rice, and his head, sweating from how intense it was.
The other judges followed suit, as they too, found themselves dying from how good the bento tasted. Each grain was coated in nori flavored juices, and it only heightened their expectations of the bento before them. Each judge looked like they were having fun, as they kept eating the bento, even Senzaemon was laughing as he kept eating.
"At least my dish has a finishing move that trumps your wimpy bent-" Was Alice got out, both Soma raised his hands towards the judges.
"Could you please leave some rice left, for their is still one more level of my bento. At the bottom of my first layer, there should be a compartment with Kudzu Sauce. That sauce has 3 times more flavor than the original, and pour it on the rice." Soma said, smiling towards the judges, and smirking at a pouting Alice, who was mad at him for "shushing" her again.
The judges did as they were told, and poured the sauce onto the remaining rice they had, and ate it with a passion. All of the judges thought the had died, for it was all black in the beginning, and then a flash of gold blasted towards them, enveloping them each, in a warm, secure embrace, almost like a mother hugging you.
"What are you trying to say to me, Soma-kun? That a bento should have heart or something? Because I know that all that matters is how it tastes, and how it ta-" Alice was caught off, by a bare-chest Senzaemon, who was holding a lunch jar with a grin.
"Alice, Yukihira isn't trying to teach you something about bentos, he's simply trying to show you what his way means. Tell me Alice, if the dish choice of today's match were to be, let's say, sushi, would you be able to make a dish that resembled that of what you presented earlier?" Senzaemon asked, only to get a silent Alice in return.
"Yukihira wasn't restricted to what a bento should be, rather, he went the much more creativity route, and infused aspects of a bento that shine with warmth. He made his bento with sole purpose of conveying his heart on what his bento would be, as opposed to you, who simply tried to make a bento that tasted good, albeit, it did." Senzaemon went on, looking at Soma with a proud smirk. This kid, he truly was like the man he had observed many years ago…
"That maybe true, but I want you, to see what I mean when I made this bento, Alice…" Soma said, handing Alice a completed nori bomb infused rice layer, of his bento.
Alice took the food, and ate, feeling the sudden rush of warmth spreading throughout her. Like Soma, himself, was embracing her, to warm her up from her cold, harsh life. Alice kept eating, tears streaming down her face, as she started to remember her past life. How she was in Erina's shadow for a long time, and how she decided to move to Denmark, to do something that Erina couldn't do. Alice ate until she was out of bento, looking up at a smiling Soma, who stretched out a hand towards, which Alice took.
"The winner of today's match is… YUKIHIRA SOMA!" Senzaemon yelled out, brushing his name on a massive piece of parchment.
"I-I lost…" Alice called out, holding onto to Soma's hand.
"Yup, but don't worry, I'll be there to help ya along the way! How's that sound?" Soma said, smiling at a red faced Alice, who simply hugged Soma as an answer, hoping to never let go from his embrace.
"I'll take that as yeah, haha!" Soma said, laughing from Alice's tickles, as she soon started to feel extremely embarrassed for hugging him.
"Yukihira Soma, what a strange man indeed… But i'm ok with that, since he said he was willing to be there, along the way…" Alice said to herself, as took a hold of Soma's hand again, loving the warmth it gave.
It was then Alice realized, that Soma was that special person that gave her the warmth she needed, and no longer was a stranger in her eyes, but someone close and personal to her, and only her. Alice smiled, clutching Soma's arm, and hugging him death, feeling like the happiest girl in the world.
All the while, a pissed off looking Erina was emitting a death aura, seeing as how her cousin was getting chummy with Yukihira.
"You better step away from him Alice, otherwise, you're going to have a bad time…" Thought Erina, thinking of ways to pry off Alice for her Soma-kun… Wait, what?!
Yo, It's ChickenMC, and you people told to make aonther epsidoe "what if" story, so I did... Thanks to all who read my stuff, and please review, I like it when you guys talk to me... See yalls in the next story!