Author's Note:
Hello again! I'll make this quick but thank you to everyone who has supported me thus far! It really helps to keep me motivated!
Hope you enjoy this next chapter!
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A woman was seated at a desk looking over some papers. She was well-developed, with flowing, blonde hair and violet eyes. The office she was in was quiet, with nothing more than the slow ticking of a clock filling the silence. That is, until suddenly there was a knock on the door.
"You may enter." She stated.
The door opened to reveal Hibiki, who held a sheet of paper in his hand. "Greetings, Nakiri- Sama, the transfer exams have just concluded, and I have received the results from everyone."
Without looking up from her desk, the woman responded, "Any who passed?"
"Yes, there is one, I have her information right here. She had taken my exam, she was an interesting one." Hibiki handed her the sheet of paper and quickly exited the office.
The woman placed the paper over top of the current stack and took a look at it. While the face and hair color of the girl seemed familiar it was the name that truly shocked her.
"Nana Yukihira."
"Yuki… hira…" The woman's eyes widened at the sight of the name she knew all too well. Her lips formed a smile and she thought, Ah, so they've finally let their daughter enroll here, hmm? Well, I mustn't break my promise to them regardless. But it seems as if the final piece is in place…
She rose from her seat, "The jewels have finally returned."
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Chapter Three – Tropical Storm
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As cherry blossoms flowed in the wind, children dressed in royal blue uniforms entered the Totsuki gates, ready for the first day of their high school lives to begin. Everyone made their way to the place in which the opening ceremony would be held. They stood in rows where they faced a stage with a boy stepping up to it.
He was of average height and stature, with navy-blue hair and dark gray eyes. The tie that the boys would normally wear was tied like a bow tie. In his hand, he held a microphone.
"Good day my fellow students and welcome back to Totsuki! You all know me already I'm sure, but for those of you living under a rock, my name is Daiki Sato!" He spoke confidently and clearly, as if his true career path was to be a gameshow host rather than a chef. Several of the girls in the crowd swooned at his name, while the boys glared at him with hostility.
Daiki then made a long speech celebrating everyone for making it to their first year of high school. Additionally, he gave some instructions and allowed for others to make speeches.
After what seemed like hours, he announced, "It is now time for our representative to take the stage. Please welcome our valedictorian, Soren Nakiri…" Daiki said the name with what was clearly a tone of envy.
As the boy made his way to the center stage, whispers could be heard all around.
"Ahh, it's Soren-kun!"
"He's so dreamy isn't he?"
"The son of the queen of Molecular Gastronomy and the master of Seafood! Not to mention the nephew of the headmistress and brother of Ria-sama!"
"You'd be crazy to not want to have a date with him…"
"His looks combined with his talent truly makes him worthy of the title "Lovestruck Prince"!"
These whispers continued and almost every girl in the area (and even some of the boys) squealed with just one glance, far exceeding their actions towards Daiki. And who could blame them?
Soren is what some would refer to as the vision of perfection. His spiky, white hair flared out in the back, with one long strand in the front and a longer bang on his left. He was quite pale, with bright-red eyes that looked calm and collected. Instead of the usual royal-blue uniform, he wore a yellow sweater with the blouse and tie underneath.
He bowed and was presented the class badge, then walked off the stage, leaving both girls and boys swooning.
"And now, please welcome…" Daiki paused for dramatic effect. "Our beloved headmistress, Erina Nakiri-sama!"
Everyone in the crowd gasped, "That's her… the God Tongue…" one student muttered.
"She's the most Elite chef around! She's practically dominating the culinary world with her skill…"
"Having her even taste a dish would be a huge honor!"
Like Soren, Erina did not seem fazed by the children's whispers and began speaking, "Hello everyone, I'd like to welcome all of you to the high school division." She spoke with a sophisticated tone and every word that came from her mouth sent shivers down everyone's spines. "There are a few things to know before you all take on these next three years."
Her expression darkened, "The chances of you making it to your third year is highly unlikely and more than half of you will be expelled. Middle school may have been all fun and games but now, you are on the battlefield where only the strong survive."
Many students gulped at this declaration.
"Remember what you have learned, all of the skills you've been honing will be put to the test. For those of you strong enough to survive, fame and glory await you. You will truly be Elite chefs and your future in the culinary world will be set. But as I've stated, it will not be easy for you. Competition is key." Erina smiled, "Finally, do remember to enjoy yourselves. After all, why are you here if cooking isn't your passion?"
With a flourish, Erina turned and walked away, leaving the crowd silent, but with motivation burning in their hearts. In their minds, they would be one of the few to make it to the end.
"There is still one more announcement!" Daiki exclaimed, causing everyone to look at him quizzically. "We have a new transfer student! Please welcome… Nana Yukihira!"
At first, no one walked up to the stage, leaving everyone confused. After a few awkward moments of silence, a girl slowly made her way to the stage, visibly shaking. Everyone stared at her with bated breath, while Soren watched her with interest.
"U-Um… H-Hi, m-my name is, N-Nana Y-Yukihira and I…" Nana stuttered as she spoke. Speaking in front of crowds was always a great fear of hers. Even with the microphone, her speech was quiet, so much in fact that several students in the back had to lean in to hear.
"I a-am looking f-forward to, um, b-being here and, um, p-perfecting my c-cooking…" Her face was red, and she looked down at her feet. People quickly began to lose interest and just pegged her as another cannon fodder.
Suddenly, the girl took a deep breath and took off her floral hairclip, pressing it close to her chest. She closed her eyes for a moment, then reopened them.
"I may be just a commoner to you all, but I can assure you that I've been cooking for years and my skills can easily compare with yours, whether I'm from a diner or not!" Although her voice was still shaky, she gained a sudden boost of confidence that surprised everyone.
"So, just… don't underestimate me!"
Everyone's jaw dropped the second they heard it. So, she was someone from a diner? And she claims that her cooking can rival everyone else's? This, combined with the sudden shift in speech had everybody at a loss for words. Although, there were some in the crowd who saw her speech as a challenge.
"Hehehe, did you hear that? That girl is from a diner like us~" One girl said to another.
"Yeah, I heard it alright. I'm definitely gonna challenge her." The other girl replied.
"Um, that's all!" Nana stated quickly and zoomed off the stage in an instant. As she walked behind the screens anxiously, she couldn't help but exchange a glance with the so-called "prince" of the school.
Soren watched her sit down, face still red. Not wanting to bother her in her current state, he simply smiled to himself.
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Once the ceremony concluded, the children all made their way to their first class of the new year. According to Nana's schedule, she would be with Kanichi Konichi.
"Good morning class." Kanichi greeted once everyone was in the room. He was quite a tall man, with a pompadour that gave him the look of a Bosozoku. He also sported a mustache and a goatee. It is said that he was a part of the 91st generation, just one year away from the famous jewel-generation. The most notable accomplishment of his, aside from graduating by the skin of his teeth, was his role as the president of the Don RS. Upon graduation, he decided to become a teacher of the academy.
"Thank goodness we're with Chef Konichi, he's without a doubt the easiest to please." One student whispered to another.
"Yeah, this'll be an easy class for sure." The other kid whispered back.
Unfortunately for them, Kanichi had overheard the whispers and stared at the ground dejectedly, his pompadour drooping downward. "Do you all really think I'm that pathetic?" He asked, tracing the floor dust with a finger.
Despite the fact that practically everyone was thinking it, the kid raised both of his hands and assured, "No of course not! You're one of our favorite teachers!"
In the blink of an eye, Kanichi was back to his usual self, "Well, of course you'd all think that! Now, onto the lesson plan…"
This might not be so bad! Chef Konichi seems like a nice person, although a little strange… Nana thought to herself.
"As you are all now in the High School division, you will be cooking in these assigned pairs."
As Kanichi began listing off the groups, Nana looked around at the potential partners she could get. I sure hope I don't get paired up with one of those snobby rich kids. I'm sure this place is filled with them…
After what seemed like hours, Kanichi called, "And lastly… Nana Yukihira and Soren Nakiri."
The whole class went quiet and Nana was in a state of shock, "H-Hah?!" She was to be paired up with the most popular boy in her year? She thought back to some of the kids she knew back in Middle School that were considered popular and they were all the same rich braggarts she saw at the entrance exams.
Oh god, this can't be good…
Nana felt a light tap on her shoulder and she turned to see Soren grinning brightly. "Ah, you're the transfer, right? How lucky that I'm the one that gets to meet you first!"
The girl felt a blush form on her face as Soren took her hand in his own and kissed it gently, just as a prince would do. "I assume you know me already but let me introduce myself. My name is Soren Nakiri and it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Nana Yukihira, the pleasure's all mine…" She responded, her voice a little shaky due to all the people surrounding her giving her hostile glares, the girls in particular hissing at her. "Umm, does everyone normally…?"
"Ah, my apologies. This happens a lot actually… It's best to try ignoring them." Soren responded a little nervously. He quickly said to Kanichi, "Can you continue the lesson, please?"
"Of course! Now, today you are all going to work with your assigned partner to make a salmon dish." Kanichi explained as he wrote down the assignment on a chalkboard. "You are free to take creative liberties with your dishes as long as salmon is the main ingredient."
Nana overheard most of the other pairs talking about making a salmon rice bowl since it would be the easiest to receive a high grade with, but she had different plans. Before she could explain her plan to Soren, however, he quickly turned to her.
"Nana-chan, I have a great idea of what we could make! My father taught me about cooking salmon when I was younger."
That's right, people were saying his dad was the "Master of Seafood".
"Oh, okay, then what do you have in mind?"
"We'll marinade the salmon in miso and put it on a bed of rice!"
"That sounds like a great idea but could I suggest-"
"If you don't mind, Nana-chan, could you make the rice for our dish? I just want to make sure your first day is as easygoing as possible."
"Oh…" Nana trailed off dejectedly. She had another idea for the salmon, but she understood Soren's point of view, nonetheless. Besides, the main ingredient would be better in his hands anyway considering she knew less about seafood than him. She smiled, "Yeah, I can do that!"
"Perfect! You and I will make a fantastic team, I'm sure of it! I'll go get the ingredients." Soren ran off to retrieve the salmon he is to cook while Nana started preparations on the rice.
Meanwhile, Kanichi watched the two of them diligently. He had recognized Nana's last name instantly when first looking through the names of the students who were to be in his class. And what's more, the fact that she was paired up with a Nakiri? That had brought back memories from his days at Totsuki.
So she's their daughter, eh? I wonder how they'll work together.
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Since Soren never mentioned a specific type of rice, Nana figured it would be okay for her to choose herself. Plain old steamed rice would be much too bland for a dish like this, so she had chosen to cook ginger rice. It has a sweet, sharp aroma and provides many health benefits, not to mention it suits the miso-marinated salmon better than garlic rice for example.
As Nana worked on her part, Soren prepared the miso for his marinade. Normally, a miso-marinade would take around three days to prepare but Soren had a method that only took 50 minutes, just enough time to marinate the salmon. Once his marinade was mixed, he placed the salmon on a baking sheet and coated it with the mixture by pouring it overtop and turning it over. Finally he placed the salmon in the oven and turned on the timer.
I wonder how Nana-chan is doing… Soren thought to himself as his nose was suddenly hit with a sweet aroma. He turned to the direction of the scent to see Nana working on her rice. "Ah, that smells wonderful!" Soren commented, grabbing Nana's attention.
She turned around, "Thank you, Soren-kun! How is the salmon going?"
"I've just finished marinating it and it's cooking in the oven now."
"Wait… what did you say?"
"Hmm? It's cooking in the oven right now… is there a problem?"
"Well… from my experience, miso burns easily which is why you refrigerate it before cooking…"
Soren's eyes suddenly shot open, "Did I forget!?" He quickly turned and opened the oven and (without oven mitts) he retrieved the salmon and…
It was burnt.
Soren was at a loss for words. He just completely ruined their dish, something that never happened before. His whole body was shaking, and other pairs turned to him with horrified looks.
"Soren-kun… are you okay?" Nana asked with concern.
"I-I'm so sorry Nana-chan… This was supposed to be an easy first day for you… but now I..." The boy hung his head low so that his bangs shadowed his eyes. Now, what will she think of me… What will mom and dad think, or Aunt Erina, or Ria…
"Why are you freaking out so much? We still have 40 minutes." Nana said, snapping Soren back to reality.
"Huh? But I won't have enough time to remake the miso-marinade."
Nana put her hand on his shoulder, "Sure, we don't have enough time to make that but there's always other options! As my dad would tell me, 'No matter what, a good chef will always provide for their customers'".
"I understand but…"
"Relax, you can't cook when you're so tense. Besides, what kind of chefs are we if we can't complete one simple dish?"
Soren hesitated for a moment then sighed and smiled, "You're right…"
"I have an idea on what we can do! And we have plenty of time to make it work!"
"Alright then, I'll follow your lead."
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By the time Nana and Soren were nearly completed with their dish, the rest of the class had finished theirs and received their grades from Kanichi, most being As and Bs.
"Wow, I can't believe Soren-kun hasn't finished his dish yet. He's usually the first."
"Yeah… Apparently it was ruined somehow. Probably that Yukihira's fault, typical for a commoner…"
"I'm worried they might not even be able to finish…"
Everyone's gossip was soon silenced by the remaining pair, who walked up to the front of the classroom where Kanichi sat at his desk, holding a plate.
"Chef Kanichi, we are pleased to present our dish, Tropical Salmon!" Soren stated with a flourish.
"It's a pleasure to serve you." Nana added with a bow.
"Tropical salmon… Can't say I've seen something quite like it before." Kanichi said, gazing at the meal placed before him.
It was a visually appealing fish, with a pinkish exterior that had a glazed finish. Garnished with an assortment of herbs and spices, as well as a few lemon slices, the plating was clearly done carefully and with grace. Finally, the salmon laid upon a bed of steamy, ginger rice.
"It looks delicious. Very impressive considering the major setback you two had if I remember correctly."
Soren nervously averted his gaze, "Ahaha, well, I suppose it worked out well in the end…"
"We'll see about that, time for the tasting…" Kanichi dug into the tender fish with his chopsticks and was shocked to see how easily it cut through. With a gulp, he ate the delicacy and in an instant, he was whisked away from reality. The man found himself sitting on a beach chair, looking out at the clear, blue sea with salmon jumping in and out. Sunlight poured onto his bare chest and he found himself taking a sip from a glass of…
"Pineapple juice! There's no mistaking that tangy flavor!" Kanichi exclaimed.
Nana nodded, "That's right! Pineapple juice contains enzymes that break down the salmon's proteins, allowing it to fully bake in a shorter amount of time. It also provides a tangier flavor that better accents the various spices we used to season it. We tried our best to make it as close to Soren-kun's original idea as possible." Nana explained.
"What a brilliant idea! Not only does the pineapple juice allow for you to make up for lost time but it even makes the fish more tender and flavorful!" Kanichi continued eating happily, his pompadour shooting upwards.
"The ginger rice also creates a sweet aroma that, paired with the main dish itself, will certainly grab the consumer's attention." Soren added.
Kanichi drew in a long breath and he smiled brightly, "Ahh, it is wonderful! Even though I've enjoyed nearly every dish today, I feel as though this one is truly special, and I have to congratulate you two for that." Nana and Soren looked at each other excitedly, then back at Kanichi. "What you two have cooked is not just a good meal but an experience. Like, a tropical paradise! For that, you get an A!"
"We did it, Soren-kun!" Nana exclaimed.
"I couldn't have done it without you, Nana-chan. Thank you." Soren replied, and the two gave each other a high-five.
"Congratulations, but, Soren-kun, you don't need to be so modest with her." One of the other students said, causing the duo to turn and look towards the rest of the class.
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Soren questioned.
"Come on, you've always been the top student in our year and the first to complete all of your assignments. There is no way your dish could have been ruined if she didn't get paired up with you." The student pointed a finger straight at Nana, who flinched in response.
"A lowly diner girl like you has no right to be cooking alongside such a talented chef!"
Everyone else murmured in agreement and Nana felt the hairs on her neck bristle as her anger began to rise. She had went through this already during the entrance exams! Can't people just give her a break? Before she could speak, however, Soren faced the class.
"That's enough. I am responsible for burning the salmon. Not Nana-chan, me." The room immediately fell silent and even Nana looked at the boy in shock. Soren placed a hand on Nana's shoulder, "If it wasn't for her, we would've failed the assignment. Just because she is from a different background does not mean she should be treated differently from anyone else! Each and every one of us are chefs and that means that we are defined by our skills in the kitchen, not where we come from or who we are related to. So, please treat her with more respect."
"Soren-kun…" Nana murmured.
"Well… if that's what you wish Soren-kun… then I apologize." The student said after a moment of hesitation. The boy merely sighed in response and although Nana knew the apology wasn't genuine she still smiled and turned to Soren.
"Thank you for that."
"Of course, I only spoke the truth."
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By the end of the day, Nana and Soren were the only two remaining in the classroom, putting away the ingredients they had used.
"Hey, Nana-chan… sorry again for what happened today, I didn't mean to act so selfish…" Soren spoke, cutting the silence.
The girl laughed in response, "I already said it's fine, these sorts of things happen all the time. Besides, it worked out in the end, didn't it?"
"Yes, you're right. I really enjoyed working with you."
"Same here! Your knowledge of seafood is really something, the salmon wouldn't have been cooked nearly as well without your abilities!"
Soren blushed, "Thank you, I'm glad I was able to be of some help! Oh, and um, also…"
Nana looked back at him with a head tilt, "Hmm?"
The boy hesitated, then simply sighed and smiled, "Never mind, it isn't important…" Nana turned back to the shelf and continued sorting the ingredients while Soren watched her.
This might be the first time in a while… that someone treated me like an equal.