I.

"Still no sign of Kyou?" Yukihira Soma asked as he and his fellow Polar Star Dormitory resident – Isshiki Satoshi – stood at the threshold of Yukihira Kyou's still-empty dorm room.

"That's right, Soma," Isshiki replied, an uncommonly worried look on his face. "I tried getting some of the other Elite Ten members to help me look for him… but none of them had the time or motivation to help me…"

"What the heck?!" Soma yelled, clenching his fists in righteous anger and fury. "This is my brother we're talking about! And don't they care if a student just suddenly disappears?!"

Isshiki smiled ruefully and said, "A lot of students left to return home for summer vacation so to them, it's not unusual for a student to leave the campus."

"But still…!"

"… If it's any consolation, Soma, I do know that Kyou-chan hasn't left Tootsuki as there are no records of him turning in any paper work or the sort."

"But that doesn't mean that he hasn't stayed either!" Soma retorted, golden eyes shining with worry and fear. "Besides! What if he had just left without saying anything or turning in papers to anyone?!"

"That's highly improbable, Soma," Isshiki said, placing a hand on the younger teen's shoulder, "all students have to turn in a request off form if they want to leave the academy for a certain amount of time. That paper work helps the administrative staff keep track of the students on and off campus. Since Kyou-chan hasn't turned in that form recently, it means that he's still somewhere on Tootsuki property."

The red-haired teen turned away from the brunet and stared into Kyou's empty room, a frown marring his normally happy-go-lucky features.

"…So," Soma began after a lengthy pause, "what do we know, Isshiki-sempai?"

The second-year student crossed his arms and answered, "Well, we know that Kyou-chan hasn't left the academy which means that he is somewhere on school property."

"And?"

"We know that all of his things are still here which means that he hasn't taken anything with him, that leads me to believe that he's staying with someone he knows or is close too."

"But," Soma tore his gaze away from his brother's room and turned to look at Isshiki, "Kyou's said it himself, he's 'not here to make any friends' and he isn't staying in any of the other's rooms."

Isshiki hummed thoughtfully and asked, "Did you talk to Ikumi-chan and Takumi-kun?"

"Yeah," Soma nodded. "They haven't seen Kyou either."

The Seventh Seat of the Elite Ten uncrossed his arms with a pensive expression. "… What about… do you know who he was rooming with during the training camp, Soma?"

"Ah…," Soma looked away and admitted, "no… I never bothered to ask him who his roommates are… but," here the red-haired teen looked up with a hopeful gleam in his eyes, "do you think he's staying with them?"

"It's a possibility," Isshiki said with a nod. "I mean, I can't picture Kyou-chan camping out in the wilderness these past three weeks, can you?"

Soma let out a snort of laughter at the mental image of his prim and proper older brother covered in dirt and mud and huddled underneath a lean-to, with his usual displeased expression, sitting next to a roaring campfire.

"No… Kyou's definitely not the type to do something like that…"

The brunet let out a chuckle and smiled down at his junior. "Right? …Anyway, I'll see if I can find out who Kyou-chan's roommate was and see if they have any idea where he is."

"Thanks, Isshiki-sempai," Soma said with a grateful smile. "And I'll ask our teachers if they've seen Kyou!"

"Great idea, Soma," Isshiki praised, "in the meantime, Fumio-san will stay here just in case Kyou-chan does come back before we do."

"That brother of mine…," the youngest Yukihira brother murmured to himself, "… the next time I see him, I'm going to give him a stern talking to!"

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II.

No one knew where Yukihira Kyou was.

And so the day of the Autumn Elections arrived.

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III.

'Woah… what a huge building!' Yukihira Soma thought, golden-eyes shining with awe as he stared up at the rather enormous building which would house the main part of the Autumn Elections.

A sudden realization shook the redhead from his stupor and he began looking around at the surrounding students in an attempt to locate his still-missing brother. Not spotting the Kyou among the students lingering outside, the red haired teen took his search inside the building.

As Soma entered the massive structure – still scanning the throngs of students for that mop of familiar auburn-colored hair – he was temporarily blinded by that flash of light that assaulted his eyes upon him entering the main hall of the building.

Once his eyes had adjusted to the bright lights, Soma couldn't help but look around in awe once more.

'The venue's sheer size, the number of spectator seats, even the atmosphere is a lot different from when Nikumi and I had our Shokugeki…'

"Ah! Soma-kun!" A familiar voice called out, causing the teen in question to whirl around.

"Oh! Tadokoro!" Soma greeted with a wave. "It's been a while, huh? How was your summer break?"

"We-Well… I think I'm prepared for this," Tadokoro Megumi said with a shaky smile. "I've been practicing a lot back home so I hope I'm ready… by the way," the dark-haired teen began looking around, "where's Yukihira-kun? I thought he'd be with you, Soma-kun."

Soma's expression darkened enough for Megumi to feel a pang of worry and fear race through her body.

"… Kyou's… disappeared," Soma revealed softly.

"Wh-WHAAT?!" Megumi cried out, unable to hide her shock at the other teen's words. "Wh-What do you mean that Yukihira-kun's 'disappeared'?!"

"Huh?! That idiot brother of yours is gone, Soma?!" Yoshino Yuuki demanded a few people over, shoving a few students out of her way in order to reach the golden-eyed teen.

"I-Is that true, Soma-kun?" Sakaki Ryoko asked as she also approached Soma.

The youngest Yukihira brother nodded solemnly. "Yeah… no one's seen him since our old man left…"

"T-That was over a month ago!"

Megumi hesitated before asking, "D-Do you think that Yukihira-kun joined your Father on a quick trip, Soma-kun?"

"I don't know," Soma revealed with a shrug, "I tried getting in contact with Pops but wasn't able too…"

"… Geez! The next time I see that brother of yours, Soma, I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind!" Yuuki fumed, crossing her arms with a huff. "It's not cool how he just upped and vanished without a word to you or anyone! Doesn't he know that he's making you worried?!"

A nervous chuckle escaped Soma's lips as he shrugged helplessly. "Even when we were younger, Kyou's always been the independent type…"

"But still!"

"W-We'll help you look for Yukihira-kun, Soma-kun!" Megumi declared. "I'm sure that he wouldn't skip the Autumn Election so he must be here somewhere…!"

Yuuki let out a cheer at Megumi's suggestion. "Yeah! And when we find that jerk, we'll make him apologize for making you worry so much, Soma!"

"You guys…," breathed Soma, "thanks…!"

"No problem! Now let's hurry up and look for that Idiot!"

Unfortunately, just as the Polar Star residents were going to begin their search, the auditorium lights went off as a single spotlight appeared on the podium situated at the end of the hall.

"We'd like to thank all of the participants to coming today," an announcer spoke, his voice echoing throughout the hall, "please direct your attention to the stage area where the Director of Tootsuki will say a few opening words!"

The crowd of students immediately hushed as the infamous Nakiri Senzaemon strode out into the spotlight, his imposing gaze sweeping over the gathered first-years.

The Director of Tootsuki took a deep breath… before coughing violently.

"D-Director?!"

"Are you okay, Sir?!"

Senzaemon waved off his attendants. "I-I'm fine… I choked on my own spit that's all…"

"P-Please don't overexert your-self, Sir!"

Once he had caught his breath, Senzaemon straightened and began addressing the students assembled before him.

"When I breathe in the air of this place," the Director began, "I can feel the vitality and passion imbedded within these walls filling up my body and soul. This building is also called Chandra's Room and is typically only used for Shokugeki between the Elite Ten!"

A loud murmur rippled through the crowd at that statement.

"We at Tootsuki like to commemorate the innumerable accomplishments and undertakings of our best students and you will notice that photographs of each generation's First Seat are hanging prominently within this hall. Many great matches and many great specialties were born here and the energy and memories of each battle fought here lingers long after the contenders have left the academy."

Senzaemon paused before continuing, "This very hall will be where the main tournament of the Autumn Election is held. In other words, only students that are able to pass the preliminaries will be able to stand on this stage! Ladies and gentlemen, let us meet once more in this place! You will all make history here, Chefs of the Ninety-Second Generation!"

The assembled first-years let out a unanimous cheer at the Director's words.

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IV.

"Thank you for those kind words, Director," announcer said, after Senzaemon had left the stage. "I will now explain the rules of the preliminaries. The basic rules and regulations were explained in the letters sent to you, as well as this year's theme: Curry Dishes. You may use the ingredients here in the hall or whatever ingredients you have brought with you. The time limit is three hours and regarding the number of passing students… out of the sixty-five selected participants, the number of advancing students that will take part in the main tournament is… ten."

The students began chattering and muttering amongst themselves at the announcer's declaration.

"That means," continued the announcer, "that only five participants from each Block will pass. We humble ask that each contestant please make their way to their respective Halls now as the preliminaries for the Autumn Election will begin in one hour, at eleven o'clock."

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V.

As Soma began following the other students in his block heading to Hall A, a flash of auburn caught his attention and he whipped his head to try and follow that familiar hue as it moved deeper into the crowd heading in the opposite direction.

"K-Kyou…!" Soma called out, his golden-eyes scouring the sea of students around him for that pop of color. "Kyou!"

But there were too many students crowding around him, and Soma was pushed and pulled further away from his brother.

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"Attention participants, the time is now eleven o'clock… the preliminaries for the Autumn Elections begins now!"

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VI.

B Block Hall

"Hey, hey… Isshiki-kun…," a blonde beauty cooed with a pouty expression, "just when are you going to become one of my possessions already…?"

Isshiki Satoshi smiled serenely in response. "Fufufu… Unfortunately, Sendawara Orie-san, I'm still a student so…"

"That's fine if you drop out right now, I'll support you for the rest of my life, Isshiki-kun~ So you should just hurry and become mine~"

"Thank you for you kind words, Orie-san, I'll think about your offer after today's tasting is completed."

The blonde beauty's pout deepened as her amber-colored eyes roamed over the frantic students before her. "Eeeeeeh? It looks like there's a lot of boring kids out there this year… especially that one," Orie said, her gaze landing on the nervous form of one Tadokoro Megumi.

VII.

"It's okay," Megumi murmured to herself as she ground up some herbs in a stone mortar. "I practiced a lot back home so I should be able to- AH!"

As she spoke, she accidentally knocked the mortar over and it fell to the floor with a loud clatter!

The crowd began chattering amongst themselves at Megumi's blunder.

"… Tch... what on Earth is that girl doing…?"

"She's so dumb."

"How on Earth was a dunce like her chosen to be in the Autumn Elections?"

VIII.

"… Oh? These two share the same family name… are they twins as well?" Orie mused aloud as she looked up from booklet containing all of the candidate's information and towards two infamous first-years.

IX.

'Alright…! The chicken bones have finished roasting in the oven so now I'll let those deglaze and cook down in some water and white wine…,' Takumi Aldini thought as he turned and began to mix other ingredients in a large bowl. 'While the curry stock is cooking, I'll start preparing the dough!'

As the Italian first-year mixed the ingredients, the audience began speculating amongst themselves.

"What do you think he's doing?"

"Looks like he's making some kind of pasta dough…"

"Not surprising since he's Italian and from Italy."

"But why's the dough so yellow?"

"I think he must have added turmeric or something to give it that bright color."

"Holy crap! What's up with that freaky knife?!"

Takumi – once he had finished rolling out the dough – had brought out a large curved, two-handed blade and deftly sliced the dough in thin portions in the blink-of-an-eye.

"What the heck?!"

"H-He cut that dough in an instant!"

X.

"Heh~ To think a student his age could wield such a large piece with such finesse and ease," Orie mused with an impressed look on her face.

She then turned her attentions towards the other first-year with the same surname, "I wonder how the younger brother is doing?"

The blonde watched as Isami Aldini began filling a large pot with… tomatoes?

"… I see!" Isshiki said with a nod. "So he's making something like that, huh?"

"Tomatoes are a vital ingredient in Italian cuisine, although it looks like the Younger Brother is quite aware of the tomatoes special traits…"

"Oh? It looks like Isami-kun brought out some kind of dough as well."

Orie smiled as she continued to watch Isami work at his station. "Just what kind of dish will he serve me, I wonder…?"

XI.

"W-Woah! Wh-What's that smell coming off that girl's station?!"

Yoshino Yuuki grinned as she began to liberally season a cut of meat which was sizzling away in a hot pan.

"I-Isn't that… duck?!"

"No way! She's making a duck curry?!"

"H-How's that gonna taste?!"

"You think that girl's amazing?! Check out those two!"

XII.

At her assigned station, Nakiri Alice was calmly kneading coriander into a dough mixture. As she continued to knead, she tilted her head to her station mate and asked, "How are you doing, Hisako?"

Arato Hisako – more commonly known as 'Erina's secretary' – turned to glare at the white-haired teen working beside her. "Please don't talk to me so familiarly, Nakiri-san. It's unbecoming of those with the Nakiri name."

"Eh~ So cold, Hisako!" Alice cried with faux-disappointment. "Still, I see that you're using your signature technique… are you that frightened by me, Hisako~?"

"Don't be absurd," the rosette retorted with narrowed eyes, "I just thought that I should showcase my very best since I am representing Erina-sama in this competition."

XIII.

"Hihihihi~ Your time of trying to appear smart will soon end, Arato Hisako!" Sadatsuka Nao laughed maniacally as she stirred a large cauldron – yes, cauldron – at her station.

The onlookers felt a shudder race down their spines at the sight of Nao 'cooking' at her station.

"U-Ugh… that Sadatsuka is so creepy…!"

"Yeah! I-It doesn't look like she's cooking at all!"

"Y-Yeah… more like she's trying to cast some kind of curse on someone…"

"And the way she's laughing like that… sh-she didn't put anything weird in that pot, did she?"

XIV.

"Holy crap! L-Look at that girl whipping that huge-ass wok like it's nothing!"

Houjou Miyoko stood proudly at her cooking station, dressed in a fiery-red cheongsam, skillfully maneuvering a large, iron-cast wok with practiced ease.

"The Chinese wok as been around for centuries because of its simple design!"

"And the way the food is cooked solely depends on the chef's arm strength and physique!"

"Damn! I would not want to get in a fight with that girl!"

XV.

"… I've decided. Give me every student that was just mentioned earlier," Orie declared. "They are now all mine."

Isshiki laughed good-naturedly and replied, "Unfortunately, they are all still students, Orie-san."

"I don't care. I want them." The blonde paused before adding on, "… Except for that down-trodden girl, I don't want her. She lacks beauty and grace and shows no promise to me."

The Seventh Seat of the Elite Ten chuckled softly. "I wonder about that…"

Suddenly, a flash of auburn caught his attention, and the brunet tilted his head to stare pensively at Yukihira Kyou, who was cooking silently at his station.

'Kyou-chan…'

For once, the brunet was more than happy fulfill his duties as a member of the Elite Ten as it meant he was now able to keep an eye on the wayward Yukihira brother for Soma who was placed in the other hall.

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XVI.

Yukihira Kyou stared blankly at the cutting board sitting before him, his hands reflexively dicing up the onion and other various ingredients sitting on his station.

Why did things have to turn out like this?

Why did he have to sort through these feelings again?

Why did his father have to ask that questi-

Kyou closed his eyes as his mind began to wander.

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XVII.

Alain du Tronc considered himself to be an ordinary man.

He appeared younger than his actual age – often thought to be in his early twenties instead of thirty-five – with soft, sandy-blond and large blue-colored eyes; he enjoyed a nice cup of coffee on cold winter days. He liked reading books while curled up on his favorite chair. He loved sharing his knowledge and expertise on things with the students he taught – loved seeing that he had some part, no matter how small, in shaping the next generation's perception of the world.

He also had a sulking teenager – no matter how much the teen in question would vehemently deny that he wasn't 'sulking'!, Alain had been a teacher long enough to realize just when one of this students was indeed sulking – sitting at one of many unused desks in the blonds' currently empty classroom.

"… Kyou-kun," Alain began, looking up from the papers he was currently going over and towards the brooding teen, "while I greatly enjoy my student's presence outside of class, don't you think it's time you headed back to your dormitory? It's getting late and I would hate for you to lose your way or get in trouble on your way back…"

Yukihira Kyou lifted a shoulder in response, golden eyes never once leaving the open book in his hand – the same book that had not had a single page turned since the teen had taken a seat at that desk.

Alain shook his head and returned his attention towards the papers littering his desk.

When the teen was ready, he would speak.

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XVIII.

"Kyou-kun, I'm leaving now. Shall I walk you back to your dormitory?"

Kyou didn't respond – didn't even so as much as twitch from his seat.

Worry creased the blond teacher's brow and he stood from his desk and made his way towards the auburn-haired teen. "Kyou-kun?" Alain asked once he had gotten closer to the first-year. "Is everything alright?"

Silence.

"Did something happen to you?"

Silence.

"Is it something I should report to the Board of Directors?"

A small headshake, well, at least he got a response this time.

"Does it have something to do with cooking?"

Blue-colored eyes watched at the teen stiffened slightly in unspoken confirmation.

Alain carefully leaned against the desk adjacent to the one Kyou was sitting at. "Would you like to talk about whatever's bothering you?"

For a long while, neither teacher nor student said a word.

"… Do you enjoy being a teacher, Professor du Tronc?" Kyou rasped quietly, eyes still glued to the book in his hand.

"I enjoy it very much, Kyou-kun," Alain responded with a nod.

"What about cooking?"

At that question, the blond let out a quiet chuckle. "Haha… well, I think that I'm a much better teacher than a chef if that's what you're asking."

"Even though you graduated as the First Seat of your generation?"

"Ha! Even after all these years, people still bring that up against me," Alain murmured with a shake of his head. "Is it so hard to believe that a so-called 'talented' chef like me decided to leave the kitchen and enter the classroom?"

"It is when you aren't even teaching anything even remotely related to cooking."

Alain shook his head once more and looked away for a moment. "… People seem to forget," the blond began, "that students need more than just cooking and culinary skills if they want to be able to succeed – much less – function in life. In my opinion, learning classical literature and history is just as important as what you learn and practice in the culinary classes."

"Were you happy when you cooked, Professor?"

"… I was," Alain admitted after a momentary pause. "Though I enjoy being able to shape and mold the next generation with my own hands through teaching a tad bit more! Hahaha!"

Silence fell between the two.

"… Do you enjoy cooking, Kyou-kun?" Alain asked gently.

"I…," the auburn-haired teen began quietly, head bent low, "… I enjoy seeing my brother happy…"

"… Your brother is Soma-kun, right?"

"Yeah."

"It's admirable that you like making your family happy, Kyou-kun," Alain said with a smile, "however, do you enjoy cooking?"

When Kyou didn't respond, Alain pushed off the desk he was leaning against and placed a hand on the teen's shoulder.

"If you want me to tell you to continue cooking, I'm not the best person to ask that, Kyou-kun. I mean, I left the cooking world because I enjoy teaching others much more than I do actually cooking. If you came to me looking for reassurances that you are a good chef, I can tell you that I think you are the greatest chef since Paul Bocuse and that you have the talent and skills to be the best the First Seat in Tootsuki history… but, you aren't the type to accept such empty praises like that, are you, Kyou-kun?"

The bespectacled teen's lips twitched for a moment.

"If you came here because you want to know if you should continue on the path of cooking… I can only ask you one thing in response, Kyou-kun: What do you want to do? Do you want to be a chef? If that answer is 'No', then let me ask you this: Why are you at Tootsuki Academy?"

Silence settled on Alain and Kyou once more.

"… Professor du Tronc," Kyou began, finally – finally – looking up from his book with a furrowed brow, "if you enjoy cooking and teaching so much… Why didn't you become a teacher for one of the culinary classes?"

Alan withdrew his hand from Kyou's shoulder with a smile and turned around.

"… It's getting late, Kyou-kun and it seems like you don't want to return to your dormitory for whatever reason, so I'll let you stay in my office for the time being. If you get hungry, feel free to raid the teacher's lounge for a midnight snack. I'll leave my keys to the building on my desk, please don't lose them. Have a good night, Kyou-kun."

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XIX.

Kyou kept his eyes closed.

What did he want to do?

"The Autumn Election is the first step in making a name for yourself at Tootsuki; however, if you don't perform well, it can also be the end of you as well. Are both of you still prepared to take the top spot?"

"I apologize for my brother's words, but he won't be the number one student in the academy, I will. To be honest, I already have my life planned out, true, attending Tootsuki Academy might be a bit of a… diversion for someone like me, but, I don't do anything haphazardly. I'll be number one at this school, Soma will be number two, and the rest of you will have to settle for the bronze. Thank you."

"I have a feeling Tootsuki will change your mind."

Kyou took a deep breath before exhaling loudly.

He did this once more.

What did he want to do?

How foolish of him to forget.

'There's only one thing that I want right now,' Kyou thought, opening his eyes. 'And that's to be the best student at this goddamn school!'

He reached into his pocket, withdrew a hair tie, and began to brush his long, wavy hair back and out of his face. Once his hair had been pulled back, Kyou promptly threw out everything that had been haphazardly diced and placed on his station.

XX.

"Wh… What the heck?!" The crowd roared. "That Transfer Student just threw away everything he had prepared!"

"What's he thinking?!"

"D-Don't tell me… that Kid's going to start from scratch?!"

"Th-That's impossible! There's not enough time for him to start all over!"

"Ha! I bet the pressure's got to that jerk!"

"That idiot's gonna fail so badly! Ahaha!"

XXI.

'I have a little over an hour-and-a-half remaining… typically not enough time to make a proper curry and since I just spent the last four weeks locked away in Professor Alain's office, I haven't had the time to come up with a recipe to actually use in this round, however… I'm not about to lose now!'

XXII.

"A-Apples…?"

"Chocolate?!"

"I-Is that… coffee and steak?!"

"WHAT KIND OF CURRY IS THE TRANSFER KID MAKING?!"

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XXIII.

"Time is up! Please begin plating your dishes for the judges!"

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XXIV.

"Hellooo everyoneee~ My name is Kawashima Urara and I'll be your MC for today~! With the cooking portion over, it's now time for the judging! As you all may know, the Autumn Election selects five prestigious and knowledgeable figureheads from the cooking industry and asks them to judge and score each participant's dish! Each judge can award up to twenty points which means that a perfect dish will be one that receives one-hundred points! The five students with the top scores will move onto the main tournament of the Elections~ Now… let's bring up the first dish!"

The first student – an unremarkable teen with dark hair and rather large lips – approached the judges and presented his dish to them. "Please enjoy, Judges!"

As the judges sampled the student's offered dish, one of them – a heavy-set man with slicked back hair and a goatee – exclaimed, "Mmm… Delicious! This dish is heavily based off a north Indian dish called achari murgh! The splendid sourness of the chaat masala that you used in this dish really elevates the overall flavor and depth of the sauce! Plus, instead of using tandoori chicken, you decided to go with chicken tikka which doesn't have any bones in it! You've really put a lot of thought into this dish and towards the people who would be eating it, haven't you? Hahaha! Just what I'd expect from a Tootsuki pupil!"

A proud smile crossed the student's features. "Th-Thank you!"

"Wow~ Such praise for our first tasting~!" Urara chirped, spinning on her heel. "Now then, please enter your scores, Judges~!"

Yamamoto Ichigo: 33 points

The B Block hall fell silent as the score flashed on the large screen situated behind the judges.

"Th-Thirty-three points…?" Urara moved closer to the judging panel with a strained smiled. "U-Umm… Judges? Y-you know you can give a dish up to twenty points, not ten…"

"We know that, of course," the heavy-set judge replied.

The student took a step forward and held out his hands. "I-If you know that, then why did my curry only get thirty-three points?! Y-You were just saying how delicious and wonderful it was!"

The large judge shook his head with a smirk before glaring harshly at the Tootsuki student. "… Just who do you think we are? The five of us eat dishes crafted by far more experienced chefs than you on a daily basis. Even if we say it's delicious, we're still factoring in the fact that you are all students…," the judge paused before adding on, "Well, you in particular weren't that bad considering you got us to award you points at all… if the rest of the students are at the same level as you, I'd say… fifty points will probably be the highest score? Ahaha!"

As a nervous energy engulfed a majority of the remaining participants, Kyou merely peered up at the panel of judges sitting on the elevated stage.

'Kita Osaji; the sponsor of the Kita Gastronomy Club which caters to the rich and famous. He's a man renowned for filling his palette with only the most elegant and refined dishes.

Andou Shingo; a well-known food critic whose reviews have been rumored to make or break restaurants.

Fuji Toshirou; a young and upcoming chef who has recently graduated Tootsuki with some of the highest marks in the school's history. He has also received numerous awards and grants for his innovations in Mediterranean cuisine.

Claude Phillips; a man considered to be one of the founding fathers of the current seafood industries. His business operations span the entire globe and his company is the number importer and exporter of all things seafood.

Sendawara Orie; one of the Queens of Curry, she and her older twin sister have inherited the Habui Food Corporation and have turned it into the international giant that it is today. She and her sister are considered to be the foremost experts on curry.'

A light smirk flitted across the auburn-haired teen's features as he continued to peer up at the gathered judges.

"My, my… what a formidable panel of judges we have before us today…"

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XXV.

Yamauchi Takashi: 28 points

Luca Laurent: 31 points

Terukina Mizuki: 6 points

"I-Incredible!" Urara cried out, after the latest dish scored yet another extremely low score. "The l-low scores just keep on coming…! N-Now for the next dish… HURK?!"

A rancid smell with the lingering scents of death and despair began spreading throughout the hall as everyone – from the audience members to the judges to the other participants – began gagging and dry heaving from the sheer stink and smell of the next student's dish.

"WH-WHAT'S WITH THIS STENCH?!"

"Hihihihi~… it looks like my dish is next," Sadatsuka Nao giggled darkly as she placed her covered curry dish before the judges. "I would like to present my dish… Sadatsuka Nao's special Jet Black Curry Laksa!" The long-haired teen whipped the cover off her dish and chaos ensured as the full effect of her dishes' smell permeated the building.

"I-IT STINKS!" Everyone cried out at once.

"It's like she just scooped up sewer water and dumped it into a bowl!"

"I-I think I'm gonna f-faint from the horrible smell…"

"… I see a white light…"

"P-Pandemonium! It's pandemonium in the hall!" Urara yelled, pinching her nose shut in a futile attempt to block out the vile odor of Nao's dish. "Y-You wouldn't think that this is a hall where a gourmet food competition is being held!"

Andou Shingo peered down at the dish before him with an expression akin to constipation on his face. "L-Laksa… is a noodle dish originating from Southeast Asia and is most commonly known for their slippery texture… and it seems that the curry's unique black color comes from squid ink…"

Kita Osaji let out a gasp – and promptly regretted that action when he inhaled a large amount of the noxious odor surrounding Nao's curry dish. "Th-This overwhelming horrid stench… it can't be… kusaya?!"

Nao let out a soft giggle and nodded. "Hihihi~… That's exactly right… Kusaya is a type of dried dish that comes from the Izu Islands… it's typically made by pickling sardines or other similar breeds of fish in a liquid called kusaya juice and then it's left to dry in the sun… The kusaya I used in my dish was specially created by me and was made with both mahi-mahi and flying fish… I also used my own secret blend of kusaya juice for the pickling agent…"

"Z-Zero points! I give zero points to this travesty of a curry dish!" Osaji exclaimed with a disgusted face. "T-This is supposed to be a refined and elegant competition…! I refuse to eat something like this that isn't meant for human consumption!"

"… S-Silence yourself, Kita-san," Orie spoke as she slowly picked up her chopsticks and dipped them into the black laksa.

"L-Lady Orie?! Y-You're actually going to eat this monstrosity?!"

"… I'm… I'm just doing my duty as a judge th-that's all," the blonde replied, gathering a few of the dark noodles with her trembling chopsticks.

Enraptured, the remaining judges, participants, and audience members watched with bated breath as one of the Queen of Curry slowly ate the rank-smelling dish.

After swallowing, Orie blinked in surprise. "Huh… it's… delicious…? It stinks but… it's delicious! I-I can't stop eating it! Even though it stinks!"

As the blonde beauty continued to eat the laksa with fervor, her fellow judges hesitantly took a bite of the questionable dish.

"Th-The idea is using kusaya in a curry… I never would have thought of something like that!" Fuji Toshirou cried out. "B-But it actually makes sense seeing at kusaya is made with fish and laksa has a traditionally seafood stock!"

"Using seafood upon seafood upon seafood…it's like an explosion of seafood in my mouth!" Osaji exclaimed.

"Plus!" Andou Shingo added, "By adding in coconut milk and lemongrass, the flavor of the kusaya spreads throughout the dish in a wonderful way that makes the overall flavor even better!"

Nao grinned victoriously at the judges' comments and said, "Hihihi~… cooking that puts on airs by looking pretty doesn't hold true beauty… to me, the true meaning of beauty lies in gourmet foods that transcend repulsiveness!"

'Ahhhn~ We're becoming enslaved to this stench~…!'

.

.

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XXVI.

"N-Now that the judges have finished t-tasting… if they would please input their scores!"

Sadatsuka Nao: 84 points

"WOAAAH!"

"Sh-She got an eighty-four?!"

"That's the highest score so far!"

"She's currently in first place!"

Nao sighed dreamily at the sight of her score. "Ah~ Someday I want Erina-sama to try this dish of mine…!"

"W-Well, while we ventilate the hall, we'll continue with the judging!" Urara said, gesturing for the next participant. "The next student! Please present your dish to the judges!"

Nao turned and grinned maliciously at the approaching student. "… Oh how I've waited for this day… the day I finally get to crush you in public, Arato Hisako! Once I prove to Erina-sama just how much better I am than you, she'll definitely have a change of heart and allow me to be her aide instead!"

Hisako scoffed lightly as she moved past the dark-haired teen with nary a glance. "Don't be ridiculous. I am the only one worthy of being Erina-sama's aide."

"Hmmmm…?" Orie stared at the dish Hisako made with a confused expression. "The curry itself doesn't look like a traditional curry… is this more of a curry 'soup'?"

"Among the ingredients I see," Osaji began, "I see: carrots, leeks, onions, cabbage, and… mutton meat!"

Shingo nodded his head in understanding. "While mutton meat tends to have a stronger flavor than say, beef or lamb, it appears that she was able to eliminate the unsavory smell of mutton by using herbs and spices!"

"… Bad smell…" Orie muttered with a look of longing on her face.

"A-Anyway, let us sample this next dish, shall we?"

Shingo took a bite of the dish… and promptly let out a loud roar and 'grew' ten times in size.

Osaji did a double-take at the sight of his colleague suddenly 'expanding' so dramatically. "WH-WHAAAAT?! A-Andou-sensei who is always so thin and frail and speaks so softly has somehow transformed into a kung-fu movie actor like Bruce Lee?!"

"THIS DISH," Andou yelled into a booming voice, "DONG DANG GUI, SENKYUU, JIOU, SHAKYU-YAKU… THIS DISH IS BASED OFF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE BY MIXING TOGETHER THOSE FOUR PLANTS… THIS DISH IS SHIMOTSU-TO CURRY!"

"Y-You mean to say," Osaji gasped with wide eyes, "that this curry is based off that fantastical dish?! The one that it said to be able to revive even those that are on death's door?!"

Hisako nodded. "That's correct," she said. "I also add three other natural plants in my spice mixture… kyouou or wild turmeric, daiuikyou or star anise, shouuikyou or fennel. I let those spices stew in a pot for an hour in order to extract all of the medicinal properties and then I added the vegetables and mutton and cooked them down until everything had a mellow flavor. Then I finished the cooking process by adding shaoxing jiu – or Chinese rice wine – and coriander to heighten the aroma."

"I-Incredible! T-To think that such medicinal herbs could be used in a curry dish!"

Orie took another bite of Hisako's curry and closed her eyes in utter bliss. "Delicious….! The mutton has a strong body which absorbs the spices flavors and the sweetness of the vegetables gives the curry such a mild flavor! This dish warms my body up as soon as I eat it!"

"It's like this dish is cleansing my body and mind!"

"After trying this dish… it makes me think that the previous one was all about impact!"

Nao gaped as the judges continued to praise and compliment Hisako's dish.

'N-No way! My Jet Black Laksa was supposed to have enslaved them to my foul odor! How on Earth could Hisako's dish have been better than mine?!'

"Here," Hisako said, offering a small bowl of her curry to Nao. "Try my dish and finally see the difference of worth between you and me."

The dark-haired teen took the offered bowl and hesitantly took a bite. A shocked gasp escaped Nao's throat as the soothing and mellow flavor of Hisako's dish entered her body.

'Chaos… Stagnation… Disorder… those were my sources of cooking for all this time but… but… that's all getting washed away by the warmth and comforting flavor of this dish…! No…! Stop… stop… stop!'

"STOOOOOOP!"

Sadatsuka Nao crumpled to the floor as her body and mind were cleansed.

Sadatsuka Nao (White ver.) was born…

… and ended as Sadatsuka Nao (Black ver.) came back from the dead.

"The Arato family," Hisako began, standing above the downed and trembling figure of the dark-haired teen, "is an old lineage that specializes in Chinese medicine. I redirected all the knowledge and information at my disposal into cooking for Erina-sama. I want to provide for her the absolute best in nutritional and delicious cuisine. In ancient Chinese times, the Emperor would have a special dietician who provided him with medicinal cooking… for me, Erina-sama is that 'Emperor'. The reason why I am Erina-sama's aide and not you, Sadatsuka Nao, is because your style of cooking is too self-centered; thus, you are not suited to standing by Erina-sama's side."

"Judges~! What are you scores for Arato Hisako's dish?"

Arato Hisako: 92 points

Hisako glared down at Nao and said, "… You are an eyesore. Get out of my way," before gracfully leaving the stage to the cheers and exclamations of the crowd.

"UWOOOH!"

"Sh-She got a ninety-two so easily!"

"Just what you'd expect from someone approved by Erina-sama!"

"Things are really heating up, aren't they~?!" Urara question brightly, before turning to address the remaining participants. "Would the next student please present their dish to the judges~!"

.

.

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XXVII.

"This is my dish, Judges," Houjou Miyoko said, placing a plate heaped with fried rice in front of the judges.

"Oh my… what a wonderful aroma…," Orie sighed blissfully.

"The way you decided to plate this dish is also magnificent," Toshirou praised, eyeing the pineapple-esque color and design with appreciation.

"But how does it taste? That's the most important factor." Shingo and his fellow judges all took a bite of the fried rice.

"Delicious!" Claude exclaimed. "The pineapple's sweetness combined with the saltiness of the rice is a classic combination of flavors!"

"However, you elevated his flavor combination by baking the fried rice in the shell of a pineapple, correct?" Shingo asked.

Miyoko nodded her head. "That is correct. Before placing the rice in the pineapple itself, I salted the insides of both halves in order to extract as much flavor and moisture from the pineapple as possible."

Orie nodded as well. "I see, by doing that, you ensured that the rice would not dry out while in the oven and infused the pineapple's sweetness and aroma into the rice itself… I believe your dish has written a new chapter in of Chinese cuisine!"

"Thank you for your kind words, Judges!"

"Now then~ What is your verdict on Houjou Miyoko's dish, Judges~?"

Houjou Miyoko: 87 points

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.

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XXVIII.

"If you liked that last dish, prepare to get blown away by my dish, Judges!" Yoshino Yuuki yelled loudly as she presented her curry dish to the judges.

Osaji peered down at the dish before him and said, "Oh my… this is a duck curry!"

"Duck is certainly an unusual protein to use in a curry," Toshirou mused as he picked up his spoon, "however, I am eager to taste this and to see just how you incorporated such a unique meat!"

"Mmmm… I see!" Orie said after taking a bite of Yuuki's curry. "You added oranges to the curry and seasoned the duck with it along with turmeric and coriander!"

Yuuki beamed brightly and nodded her head. "Yep! Since duck is traditionally finished with oranges in French cooking, I decided to add the flesh and rinds of the orange to my dish to give it that extra pizzazz! Pretty cool, huh?!"

"Yes, quite 'cool' indeed," Toshirou said in approval.

"What marvelous praise from the Judges~" Urara cried, spinning to face the audience. "Now what will her score be…!"

Yoshino Yuuki: 86 points

.

.

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XXIX.

"So it looks like B Group's first and second place have been pretty much decided, huh…?"

"Looks like it. First place is Hisako and second is Houjou."

"Doesn't look like there are that many left to judge either."

"Oh look! It's one of the Aldini brother's turn!"

"I wonder what he's gonna show us?!"

XXX.

"Good afternoon, Judges… I would like to present my dish – an Italian-style Curry Bread!"

The panel of judges let out a gasp of surprise at the originality of Isami Aldini's curry dish.

"How different from the other dishes!" Osaji exclaimed in delight.

"It looks like the breading you went with is similar to that of a calzone," Toshirou said with interest shining in his eyes, "interesting!"

The judges took a bite of Isami's dish… and were promptly washed away by a flood of tomatoes.

"Th-This is…?! Tomatoes?! There's such an overwhelming taste of tomatoes in this dish!"

"To achieve that level of tomato flavor," Isami began, "I only used the water from tomatoes in my dish!"

"What?!" Shingo gasped. "Y-You mean to tell us that you didn't use any water in this dish?!"

"That's right," Isami nodded. "I filled up a large pot with tomatoes and heated it slowly so that all the water from the tomatoes was released. Then I used that water and added spices and meat that go well with the slight sourness from the tomatoes. The sweetness from the breading comes from a homemade grape yeast that pairs nicely with the bitterness of the tomato curry!"

"This dish is ingenious! You've created a completely new Italian curry!"

"I wonder what the Judges will score~?"

Isami Aldini: 87 points

The crowd let out a roar at the Italian's score.

"WOOOOOW!"

"That guy's currently in second place with Houjou!"

"B-But wait a minute! Isn't the next chef Isami's twin brother?!"

"I wanna see who's gonna get the higher score!"

XXXI.

"Oh…?" Osaji blinked as Takumi Aldini placed a dish before him. "It looks like the next dish is… pasta, huh?"

"We're getting two consecutive Italian dishes in a row… what a lucky day!" Claude said with a laugh.

Orie hummed thoughtfully as she observed Takumi's dish. "Let's see… bacon, peppers, and mushrooms… it looks like a naporitan which is a Japanese-style pasta dish, however, it looks like there's a curry sauce instead of a ketchup sauce and the shape of the pasta is similar to that of fettuccine…"

Osaji let out a forlorn sigh. "Hah… compared to the last dish, this dish doesn't seem too unique… to be honest; I don't have a lot of expectations for this dish… H-HUH?!" The heavy-set man let out a yell as a burst of strong flavor assaulted his tongue. "Wh-What's with this rich body and flavor?!"

Shingo eagerly took another bite of the pasta curry. "This flavor…! The curry is made with beef and chicken bones and was seasoned with green cardamom and fennel! Plus it's not as thick as a traditional curry which means it goes well with the size of the pasta!"

"That's because I added tamari soy sauce in my curry," Takumi revealed. "Tamari soy sauce has a more condensed flavor profile that regular soy sauce and gives the curry a more mellow flavor!"

"B-But," Osaji began, "I-I can also taste cheese in this curry but… I don't see any cheese in this dish?!"

Takumi smirked and held out a hand. "That… please take a closer look at the pasta…"

"W-What is this?! T-The pasta… there's three layers in it?!"

"The outer layers of the pasta were kneaded with turmeric while the middle layer was kneaded with parmesan cheese. By enclosing the cheese layer within the turmeric layers, I was able to give my dish more body and depth without having the parmesan cheese overpower the light flavor of the tamari soy sauce!"

'To think that tamari soy sauce and parmesan cheese would make such a great flavor combination! In this vessel called a 'curry dish'… there is a whole new melding of Italian and Japanese cuisine! Takumi Aldini is… one who cuts open the horizon of flavor!'

Takumi Aldini: 90 points

"Grazie!"

"Ninety points? Th-That means…!"

"Sadatsuka Nao is out!"

"Amazing~ There is another score in the nineties!" Urara cried out. "Now then~ Will the next participant please-"

"-Here you go Judges~" Nakiri Alice cooed, setting her dish before the judges with a smile.

'Don't you dare ignore the me, the MC, Urara-chan!' Urara fumed, glaring harshly at the back of the white-haired teen.

"WH-WHAT… WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!"

If Isami's curry dish had been an unusual sight, then Alice's dish was even more outrageous and different than that.

"T-This doesn't even look like food!" Osaji yelled, staring down at Alice's creating with wide eyes.

Indeed, what Alice had created looked more like a piece of fine art than a curry dish.

"Oho~ Please don't be fooled by my wonderful sense of design, Judges~" Alice said with a smirk. "My dish is undeniably a curry dish…"

"W-Well then," Orie said, "l-let's have a taste…"

Silence.

"H-Huh…? What's going on with the Judges…?"

"They've all been super talkative this whole time but now there're… silent?!"

"W-Was her dish that good?!"

"W-Well she is a Nakiri…"

Urara cleared her throat and moved closer towards the frozen judges. "U-Um judges…? Is it any good…?"

"O-Of course it's 'good'!" Shingo yelled, before adjusting his glasses nervously. "B-But how should I e-explain this…? Th-There's something… warm and cold about this dish and um…"

"This curry sauce… it was made into a foam and its slightly warm and…," Osaji placed his chin in his hand and he tried to think of words that could describe this dish. "A-And the tomato mousse… its cold and…"

"The mousse was hardened with sodium alginate after spices were added to it," Alice began, "I also added frozen foie gras and turmeric to the mousse to give it that bright yellow color. The white mixture in the center of the plate is made from a puree of six different types of potatoes and cheeses which I flash froze so that it melts gently on your tongue when eaten. If your tongue gets too cold, I recommend eating the crispy pie batter which was mixed with green cardamom and pepper."

"H-How did you get so many hot and cold elements on the same plate?" Toshirou asked in unabashed wonder and awe.

"I used a philosophy that's well-known within in the molecular gastronomy field: thermal sense. By utilizing thermal sense in my dish, I'm able to prepare a deconstructed dish that showcases foods with varying level of temperature and textures!"

'This dish is an innovation in cooking as a whole!'

Alice Nakiri: 95 points

"WOAAH!"

"S-She took first place so easily!"

"Just what you'd expect from a member of the Nakiri family!"

"How many people are left for the judges to judge?"

"Looks like there's only two… that Transfer Kid and the Dunce…"

"You mean that guy who messed up his dish earlier and had to restart half-way through the cooking time and the girl who's dead last in every class?! Ha! There's no way they'd score high enough to make it into the Top Five!"

XXXII.

"Y-Yukihira-kun…," Tadokoro Megumi said hesitantly, averting her eyes from the taller form of the bespectacled teen, "D-Do you want to go first…?"

Yukihira Kyou crossed his arms and shook his head. "No, I'd rather go last – if that's fine with you, Tadokoro."

"Th-That's f-fine with me, Y-Yukihira-kun…!" The dark-haired teen squeaked out as she grabbed a tray and began heading towards the judges. She stopped after a few steps and turned back towards Kyou. "… Everyone – especially Soma-kun – was worried about you, you know…"

This time, it was Kyou who averted his gaze as shame and guilt colored his features. "… Yeah… I know…"

"… You can make it up to Soma-kun by making it pass the preliminaries, Yukihira-kun!"

Kyou huffed out a laugh and tilted his head back towards Megumi. "But of course, Tadokoro, I wouldn't have it any other way. Now go on and show everyone what you are capable of."

"Right!"

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.

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XXXIII.

Tadokoro Megumi: 88 points

"N-N-NO WAAAAY?!"

"That Dunce scored high enough to beat Houjou Miyoko and Isami Aldini's scores?!"

"How is that possible?!"

"Th-That means that fifth place is either gonna be Miyoko-chan or Isami-kun!"

"W-Wait a moment… wh-what if that Transfer Kid scores higher than them…"

"There's no way in hell something like that would happen! That Transfer Kid redid his curry more than half-way through the Elections! There's no way he'd be able to make something that'd pass Houjou's or that Aldini's!

XXXIV.

"Now then, will the final student please present their dish to the judges~"

Yukihira Kyou moved forward and stopped just short of the judging panel. For a moment, he caught the eye of Isshiki Satoshi and Kyou dipped his head slightly towards the Elite Ten member.

Isshiki's ever present smile brightened at the bespectacled teen's gesture and Kyou turned his attention towards the judges.

"Judges," he murmured softly, placing a plate of his curry before each of the judges. "I present to you my curry."

"Eeehhh? Compared to all the beautifully crafted curry dishes from earlier, this is seems utterly plain and boring…," Orie said with a pout. "This isn't a good way to end the preliminaries…"

"… I agree that the plating and design of my dish could have been done better," Kyou acquiesced with a nod, "however, scores are given out by how the dish tastes and not how the dish appears."

"Unfortunately," Toshirou said, "he is right; we must put aside the looks of this dish and judge it solely on its taste and flavor."

"Still~," Orie's pout deepened as she brought a spoonful of Kyou's curry to her lips, "I want to eat dishes that are both delicious and beautif-"

Amber-colored eyes widened in shock as a burst of flavor erupted in her mouth.

"Wh-What?! Despite its lackluster appearance… this curry is actually delicious!" Osaji exclaimed.

"I-I would go so far as to say that… this curry has – by far – the most complex flavor profile out of all the dishes we've tasted today!" Shingo added, looking down at the dish in surprise.

Toshirou nodded vehemently. "I completely agree with you, Andou-sensei! The complexity and depth of this curry is incredible! There are so many flavors in here that the other dishes don't have!"

"The meat is cooked so tenderly that it seems to melt in my mouth with every bite!" Orie said in ecstasy.

"What's this," Claude began with a thoughtful expression, "I can taste… apples, turmeric, mustard, chocolate, and… coffee?!"

"That's correct," Kyou said with a nod as he adjusted his glasses. "First I seasoned chunks of steak with ground coffee and cacao powder then seared the outside of the steak to give it a caramelized color and texture. Then I slowly cooked it in water seasoned with salt, pepper, sweet onions, and honey to help further soften the meat and give it and the curry more sweetness. Then I drained out the water and onions and simmered the meat even further in beef stock. I also added the vegetables and spices at that time which included: potatoes, carrots, celery, ground mustard, green cardamom, turmeric, coriander, cumin, and cayenne. I also added grated Granny Smith apples to thicken the curry."

"It's absolutely delicious! The curry is rich with notes of bitterness, sweetness, and spiciness that don't overpower one another!"

"And this rice," Osaji said, "There's something special about it as well!"

Kyou nodded once more. "Yes, to counterbalance the richness of my curry, I decided to cook basmati rice with some coconut milk, saffron, and kaffir lime leaves. The coconut milk helps tie the rice to the steak which was seared in coconut oil while the aromatic notes of the saffron give the dish another layer of flavor and the kaffir lime leaves helps cut through the richness of the curry."

"It's like there's a symphonic orchestra playing Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in my mouth!"

"Ahaha! Color me impressed!" Osaji bellowed with laugh. "To craft such a well balanced curry… it must have taken you days – if not weeks – to figure out such a complex flavor profile!"

The auburn-haired teen blinked once. "Ah, I actually didn't practice this dish at all during our summer vacation."

"WH-WHAT?!"

"I was… indisposed the past four weeks and created this dish within the second half of the preliminaries," Kyou revealed after a momentary pause.

Everyone had one unifying thought at that moment: 'I-If he had properly used the allotted three hours from the very beginning… just what kind of dish would he had been able to make?!'

"J-Judges~ Th-The score please!"

Everyone's eyes were glued to the giant screen hanging behind the judges as they input their scores.

The screen flashed once.

Twice.

Yukihira Kyou: 95 points

The hall exploded in a cacophony of yelling and screaming.

"WHAAAAAAAT?!"

"THAT TRANSFER KID GOT THE SAME SCORE AS NAKIRI ALICE?!"

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

"W-Wait! Doesn't this mean… Houjou Miyoko and Isami Aldini are out of the competition?!"

"I don't believe this!"

"Hang on! L-Look at the judge's scores…!"

"T-Two of them gave that Transfer Kid a perfect score?!"

XXXV.

"What is wrong with you three?!" Kita Osaji yelled, turning in his seat to face Sendawara Orie, Fuji Toshirou, and Andou Shingo. "This dish is clearly deserving of a perfect score!"

"I must agree with Mr. Osaji on this one," Claude Phillips added. "This young man's curry was by far the most mouth watering dish we've eaten all day."

"A-And," Osaji continued, pointing at the remaining judges that hadn't given a perfect score, "you all said it yourselves! This curry dish is the most complex and flavorful curry out of the dozens of curry we've seen today!"

"… While that is true, Osaji-san," Toshirou said contemplative look in his eyes, "don't you think that this dish may be too complex and flavorful?"

"I must agree with Toshirou-kun," Shingo said, "while this dish is certainly delicious, I feel as if this dish is, in a sense, trying too hard with all the flavors and ingredients."

The lone female on the panel nodded her head in agreement. "I agree with Toshirou and Shingo. Curry is supposed to be a pure and relatively simple dish yet if you take into consideration the other far less complex dishes from today, I feel that this young man's dish may be too strong in complexity and flavor."

"If you three truly feel that way," Claude began, "then what about Miss Nakiri's dish from earlier? Would you say that her dish was 'trying too hard' as well?"

"In terms of appearance, perhaps," Orie said with a nod, "however, the flavors of her dish were presented in a much more straightforward and honest manner when compared to this dish. I," here she raised her head high and looked every inch of her moniker as one of the 'Queens of Curry', "believe that curry should be an honest and simple dish."

"Then what about Miss Megumi's dish?" Claude countered. "If we are judging the dishes based on their 'honesty' and 'straightforwardness', then wouldn't you have given her a higher score since her dish is the very embodiment of everything 'honest' and 'pure'?"

"While her dish certainly had those traits in spades," Orie spoke, "her flavors could have been refined and showcased in a much more elegant manner."

Osaji slammed a hand on the table. "Then, Lady Orie, if we are supposed to judge the dishes based on 'taste' and 'flavor', it's abundantly clear that this dish is the most delicious, bar none!"

"Please don't make me repeat myself, Osaji…," Orie said with a toss of her blonde hair. "As I said earlier, I-"

"-But we, as judges must-"

"-Don't you two think that-"

"-In my opinion, this dish clearly needs less-"

XXXVI.

"W-Wow…!" Megumi breathed in awe, as she watched the judges dissolve into arguing amongst themselves over the validity and taste of Kyou's dish. "The judges are fighting over your curry, Yukihira-kun!"

"Hmm… a 'ninety-five'…," Kyou mused, eyes glued to the screen still showcasing his score. "That is higher than I thought I would get…"

"E-Eh?" The dark-haired teen turned and faced Kyou in shock. "C-Could it be that… you were actually nervous about your dish, Yukihira-kun?!"

The bespectacled teen shrugged lightly in response. "Compared to the previous dishes I made and the previous times I've cooked, I didn't prepare or practice anything prior to stepping into this assembly hall."

"Really?! I-I thought you were kidding when you said that you hadn't practiced anything before today…"

"It's true – unfortunately," Kyou said, muttering the last word to himself, "I literally threw this dish together in the last hour or so of the allotted time."

"Oh my~" A new voice said, drawing the attention of both Kyou and Megumi, "are you that arrogant and full of yourself that you just spent the last month lazing about, Yukihira Kyou-kun~?"

"N-Nakiri Alice-san!" Megumi squeaked out, watching with wide eyes as Alice sidled up to the auburn-haired teen.

"Heh? I don't have to explain my choices or myself to the likes of you, Alice."

Alice smirked and leaned closer towards the taller teen. "Using only my first name with no honorifics? How forward of you, Ky~ou~"

"Unfortunately for you," Kyou drawled, crossing his arms, "there's only one student whom I'll call 'Nakiri' or use honorifics with and that student is the wonderful Tenth Seat of the Elite Ten, Nakiri Erina-sama."

Alice's ruby-colored eyes narrowed slightly at Kyou's tone. "Careful now, Kyou~ That is my dear cousin that you're referring to…"

"… The Nakiri family is certainly full of people with big egos, aren't they, Alice-san?"

"Eh~ I wouldn't know, after all, I spent most of my childhood in northern Europe you know~"

"A-Ah! Y-Yukihira-kun! N-Nakiri-san!" Megumi interjected suddenly, dissipating the growing tension between the auburn and white-haired teens. "I-It looks like the judges have f-finished d-debating and are m-making an announcement!"

Graciously, Kyou and Alice dropped their conversation and moved their attention to the stage where Orie was standing – a microphone in hand.

"First of all, I would like to thank Tootsuki Academy for hosting such a wonderful event and for inviting my sister and I to be judges at this year's preliminaries for the Autumn Elections," the blonde beauty began with a smile, "it has been an honor and privilege for us."

Scattered applause sounded throughout the hall at Orie's words.

"Secondly," the blonde continued, "I would like to offer my apologies for showing a disgraceful side to me today. As judges, we need to be as unbiased and neutral as possible in order to properly judge and score every dish presented to us." Here, she paused to bow shortly to the assembled students and audience members.

After straightening from her bow, Orie added, "Now, I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to the five students that have received the highest scores and will be moving onto the next stage of the Autumn Elections. Nakiri Alice with a score of ninety-five points. Yukihira Kyou, also with a score of ninety-five points. Arato Hisako with a score of ninety-two points. Takumi Aldini with a score of ninety points. And Tadokoro Megumi with a score of eight-eight points… you five have been chosen to move onto the main event of the Autumn Elections! Once again, congratulations!"

The audience burst into loud applause and cheering that blonde's words.

"And personally," Orie continued, now speaking directly to five students moving on, "I cannot wait until the five of you become mine~ I'll be anxiously waiting for that day, okay~?"

Before any of the passing students could respond, Isshiki Satoshi swooped in and said, "Fufufu… that was a wonderful speech, Orie-san! Thank you for those kind words! Now then," the brunet turned to address the assembled students and audience, "unfortunately, this concludes the preliminaries of the Autumn Election! We at Tootsuki would like to extend our most humblest of thanks to those that joined us for this marvelous occasion and we will see you all at the main event which will take place two weeks from now! See you all then!"

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XXXVII.

"Ahem… to commemorate the closing of the Autumn Election preliminaries and to celebrate the people moving onto the main event… we're gonna have a party!" Yoshino Yuuki declared holding up a cup of Sakaki Ryoko's homebrewed rice juice.

"CHEERS!" The residents of the Polar Stat Dormitory – sans two brothers – and some other invited guests yelled brightly – everyone also holding cups of various – legal and non-alcoholic – beverages.

"Woah! This duck is a high-grade one!" Mito Ikumi exclaimed, peering down at the dish Yuuki had handed her.

"Oho? Not surprised you noticed something like that, Nikumi!" Yuuki grinned at her fellow blonde.

"I see," Takumi Aldini said as he and Ryoko conversed about the usage of koji in Japanese cooking. "I didn't know that you could use koji like that…"

"Did you see Marui's cheer group?" Sato Shouji asked loudly.

"Yeah I did!" Daigo Aoki replied with a grin. "I totally see Marui in a new light now!"

"Eat up everyone!" Isshiki Satoshi called out, walking around the room – everyone once again gather in Marui Zenji's room as it was the biggest one – carrying plates and dishes full of freshly cooked food and dressed in only his bear apron. "Here, Isami-kun! Have some more food!"

"A-Ah… th-thanks…" Isami Aldini murmured as he and the two other non-residents – meaning his brother and Ikumi – watched Isshiki make his rounds around the room with matching disturbed expressions.

'W-Why is no one saying a thing about Isshiki-sempai's attire…? Are we the weird ones by being so disturbed by it…?'

"Hm? Where's Ibusaki?" Ryoko asked, looking around the room and not spotting her fellow Polar Star student.

"Oh, I think he's holed himself up in his room," Yuuki commented. "It's hard to tell with him but he's actually really bitter and depressed that he didn't make it pass the preliminary round, you know…"

A somber mood descended upon the room as everyone realized that only two students of the gathered ten would be moving onto the next round of the Autumn Elections: Takumi and Megumi.

"… The main part of the Elections will be held in two weeks," Isshiki revealed, breaking the solemn mood of the party. "This will prove without a doubt whom the strongest first-year is, excluding Nakiri Erina, of course."

"Good luck, Brother," Isami said, turning to face his twin.

"Yeah… I'll definitely win this!" Takumi declared with a determined expression.

"S-Speaking of brothers," Tadokoro Megumi hedged hesitantly, "a-are Soma-kun and Yukihira-kun still talking…?"

"Yeah…," Isshiki tilted his head upwards to where the third-story veranda was located. "The two of them have a lot to talk about."

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XXXVIII.

Yukihira Soma and Yukihira Kyou stood silently in the cool nighttime air, just looking at one another.

Seconds turned to minutes.

Minutes to-

Kyou broke eye contact first, looking away from the intense gaze of his younger brother in order to stare out at the sea of trees that surrounded the Polar Star Dormitory.

"Soma…," Kyou began quietly, "I'm-"

The auburn-haired teen was quickly interrupted by a fist making contact with his face and he stumbled backwards, backing hitting the stone railing lining the edge of the veranda.

For a while, the only sound permeating the air was the wind blowing gently around the two brothers.

"… Heh… I deserved that, huh…?" Kyou muttered with a rueful chuckle.

"Do…!" Soma lowered his outstretched fist and took several deep breaths in an attempt to quell his anger and ire. "Do… Do you know how worried I was, Kyou?!"

Kyou flinched at Soma's words and slumped against the railing. "I… The only thing I can say right now is 'sorry', Soma…"

"I-… I don't want your apologies, Kyou!" The red-haired teen screamed. "I just want to know why you disappeared so suddenly like that! I-… I thought…," Soma clenched his eyes shut and tried to control his cracking voice, "I-I didn't… what if you had ended up like M-Mom…?"

Kyou winced once more. "Soma… I'm… I'm sorry," he repeated quietly.

"I…! That's not…!" Soma let out a deep sigh and shook his head.

Silence fell between the brothers.

After a long while, Soma moved forward until he was leaning forward on the railing and standing next to his older brother.

"… I'm sorry for worrying you, Soma," Kyou repeated for a third time, golden-eyes trained on the floor.

The red-haired teen let out another sigh – this one softer and resigned. "… What happened, Kyou?"

"What… what do you want to know exactly?"

"… I want to know why you ended up vanishing so suddenly after Pops came here…," Soma began, "I… I know it has something to do with America and what he asked you before he left…"

This time it was Kyou who let out a deep sigh. "Soma I…," he trailed off and didn't say anything for a few minutes. "I… I will not cook anything for anyone willingly ever again," he whispered so softly that had Soma not had been standing so close to him, the red-head wouldn't have heard what Kyou had just said.

"Is that because of what happened in America?"

"I…," Kyou took a stuttering inhale, "I don't want to talk about that, Soma…"

"But why, Kyou?" Soma demanded, turning his head to stare pleadingly at his older brother. "I know those mind books of yours always mention that talking about your problems and fears makes it easier to move on, so talk to me and maybe then you can-"

"-Soma, please…," the sheer fragility and uncommon weakness in Kyou's voice had the younger Yukihira brother freezing in place, "I-I can't, not yet… not yet…" Here, the bespectacled teen let out a laugh that was tinged with disbelief and slight hysteria. "Hahaha…! Even after all these years I still can't…! It's been nine goddamn years and I still fucking can't-"

"-Kyou…!" Soma cried out, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder and turning the older teen towards him. "Kyou! Talk to me! What happened? Why can't you-"

"-One day, Soma," Kyou whispered suddenly, closing his eyes. "One day, I'll tell you what happened in America just… when I can finally move on, I'll tell you, okay? So please… I don't want to talk about it right now…"

"Kyou…" Soma held his brother's gaze for a moment before nodding slowly. "… Alright… one day, right…?"

The eldest Yukihira brother lowered his head. "… Yeah, one day. I promise, Soma."

"… Good," Soma said with a nod as he removed his hands from Kyou's shoulders.

Silence.

Seconds turned to minutes.

Silence.

"… Feeling calmer, Kyou?"

"… A bit, yeah," the eldest Yukihira brother replied softly.

"Then… let's go to the party so that way you can apologize to everyone for making them worry too!"

Soma quickly latched onto his brother's arm and began dragging the older teen back into the Polar Star Dormitory.

"Wa-Wait, Soma!" The bespectacled teen protested, uncharacteristically flustered. "L-Let me take a moment more to compose myself and-"

"-Too late, we're here!" Soma exclaimed, opening the door to Marui's room and shoving Kyou forward with a cry of, "Everyone! My brother has something to say to you all!"

Kyou managed to regain his balance and straightened his clothes out as he stood. He willed his burning cheeks to cool and cleared his throat a couple of times before saying, "I… wanted to apologize for my uncouth behavior and for making all of you worry this past month…"

"Heck yeah you'd better apologize!" Yuuki cried out, indignantly. "You may be a jerk but you're still Soma's brother and a member of the Polar Star Dormitory and even though you're a jerk of course we'd be worried about you when you disappear so suddenly like that!"

"… Hmph… I do believe that none of you actually realized I was gone until earlier today…"

Yuuki felt her face flush at Kyou's retort and snapped, "Y-Yeah well… e-even if we only realized you were gone for so long t-today… that still doesn't change the fact that Soma, Isshiki-sempai, and Fumio-san were all probably worried about you and looking for your jerk-face this past month!"

The auburn-haired teen flinched slightly at the truth of the blonde's words and turned to face Isshiki. "Unfortunately, she's right," Kyou admitted, "even if the rest of them didn't know about my disappearance until today that still doesn't change the fact that both you and Fumio-san were helping Soma look for me until today… For causing you all the trouble, I'm truly sorry, Isshiki-sempai…"

Kyou bowed lowly before the brunet who just let out a soft chuckle in response.

"At least you're unharmed and back with us now, Kyou-chan," Isshiki said with a warm smile. "That's all I wanted this past month, to see you safe and sound and reunited with the rest of us! … However~ that still doesn't excuse your actions, Kyou-chan~ So as punishment, I hereby declare that you must socialize and help out everyone with their projects for the rest of the school year!"

The bespectacled teen drew back as if burnt and stammered out, "Th-That's…! That's… acceptable, but!" Here Kyou turned his head and held up a finger, "my schoolwork and grades come first! When I have the time to help the others out, I will."

"That's fine," Isshiki nodded, "it wouldn't do well for any of us if you spent all your time helping everyone out at the expense of your grades, Kyou-chan~"

"Good."

"And!" The Seventh Seat of the Elite Ten clapped his hands merrily. "I have your first assignment lined up, Kyou-chan! Tomorrow – since classes are canceled due to the Autumn Elections – you will accompany me, Tadokoro-chan, and Soma-kun on some business of mine!"

"Oh?" Soma perked up after hearing his name. "What kind of business are we talking about, Isshiki-sempai?"

"It's nothing big," the brunet replied with a wave of his hand. "I just started a small business of selling some of the crops and herbs that I grow here and my business partners want to consult with me on some matters."

Megumi nodded her head in realization. "I see! So that's what happens to some of the things we harvested!"

"Exactly, Tadokoro-chan!"

"Well," Kyou said with a slight sigh, "I guess it can't be helped so I'd better get some sleep now that way I'm all rested for tomorrow and-"

"Hahaha! Nice try, Kyou!" Soma laughed from his spot by Marui's door. "You're not getting out of this party so easily, you know!"

The eldest Yukihira brother clicked his tongue in annoyance and frowned. "Tsk… and here I thought you'd be distracted by now, Soma…"

"C'mon everyone!" Soma cheered, pushing Kyou further into Marui's room. "Let's get this party started, again!"

Yuuki surged to her feet with a cry of, "Hold on! Lemme go get that Ibusaki here too!" and quickly darted out the room and down the hall.

"I made some plum-flavored rice juice, would anyone like a sip?" Ryoko asked, pulling out a large bottle from underneath Marui's bed.

"W-Why were you storing that under my bed?!" Marui screeched in despair at the thought of his room becoming nothing more than a storage area for his fellow students.

"I-I brought some wagyu steak i-if you want some, Yukihira…" Ikumi muttered, holding out a plate to the red-haired teen.

"Oh? Thanks, Nikumi!"

"Y-Yukihira!" Takumi yelled, pointing a finger at Soma. "Just you wait! The main event will be where I finally defeat you and show you just which one of us is the better chef!"

"Ha! I can't wait, Takumi!"

"Y-Yukihira!"

"Just ignore him," Isami said blithely to Kyou, "he's gets like this all the time."

"I know the feeling," Kyou replied as both teens watched their respective brothers launch into an impromptu 'cooking' match using the beef that Ikumi brought, Ryoko's rice juice, and some toppings brought up by Isshiki.

"The night is still young," Isshiki murmured quietly before whipping off his apron with a flourish. "Let's liven up this party, shall we?!"

"Alright!" Shouji cheered loudly. "It's here! Isshiki-sempai's third form… competitive swimwear!"

"G-GYAAH! P-PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!" Ikumi screamed, covering her eyes at the sight of Isshiki wearing nothing but a speedo with a bear printed on the front.

"You're one to talk when your chef's 'uniform' consists of nothing but a bra and denim shorts," Kyou muttered from his seat by the wall.

"Hurry up, Ibusaki! You're missing everything!" Yuuki cried out as she burst back into Marui's room.

"Yeah, yeah…," Ibusaki replied softly, following at a much more sedate pace. "I brought some smoked salmon chops if anyone wants any…"

"Ooh!" Soma's eyes twinkled brightly as he leaned forward. "I wanna try some!"

"Hey, Kids!" Daimidou Fumio's voice filtered through one of the many pipes threaded throughout the building. "I have some spicy edamame for you all to enjoy! Send someone down to pick it up!"

"I-I'll go!" Megumi said as she got up from her spot.

"Hey, Marui! You got any music in here?!" Daigo asked as he began rummaging through the dark-haired teen's various bookshelves.

"B-Be careful, Daigo! I don't want you messing up my complex organization system!"

"Oh? You have quite a selection of books in here," Kyou mused as he began scanning the nearest bookshelf. "Ah. I've been meaning on checking out this book from the library… do you mind if I borrow it? I'll lend you one of my books in return."

"W-Wait a minute!"

"That technique you used to fry your duck cutlet was incredible, Yoshino," Isami praised the blonde, "would you mind sharing the recipe for that with me?"

"Hehehe… No problem, Isami! So what I did first was clean and season the duck with salt and pepper and then I…"

"Ahahaha!"

"Wooooh! Go, go, Isshiki-sempai!"

"Found it!"

"I-I'm back!"

"Hey, listen…!"

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The impromptu party lasted well into the night and for the first time in years, Yukihira Kyou found himself truly relaxing and having fun.

Alright! Finally found a good spot to end this chapter and boy is it one heck of a doozy!

Clocking in at over 12.7k words long, this chapter is by far the most I've ever written for any of my stories! Amazing!

This chapter covers the first part of the Autumn Elections and the second part will be coming out soon! Alice and Kyou finally have their first meeting and ended up getting the same score?! (Originally, I was planning on having Kyou score an 89 but as I was word-vomiting this chapter that number slowly went up to 95 though I tried to justify that high score through the judges' comments and arguments. What are everyone's thoughts on his score?)

And another OC – Professor Alain du Tronc – makes an appearance in this chapter as well.

Fun Fact: Alain was originally supposed to be the third roommate that was assigned to Kyou's room during the Training Camp arc – the second was Koanui Kai – and Alain was originally supposed to be of Japanese descent with a personality similar to Megumi's but I ended up changing him to be a mentor-like figure to Kyou instead. And, as it was revealed during their conversation, Alain was the First Seat of his generation however he left the kitchen and decided to become a general education teacher instead. Why did Alain do this, you might be asking, well, that may or may not be revealed in future chapters~!

Another Fun Fact: I was going to have Soma get angry at Kyou for getting 'help' from someone outside the family (eg: Alain) but I felt that Soma would have been too OOC and scrapped that idea.

It's also my belief that while Tootsuki is primarily a school that focuses and prepares students for the culinary world, that it would also have classes geared towards a more general education such as math, English (or in this case, Japanese), and potentially science and other such classes. 'Cause we all know that you can't be a proper chef without knowing simple addition and chemical reactions!

More of Kyou's character is also showcased in this chapter as it's revealed that he's not this ice-block of a character that he makes himself out to be – he does have his own fears and insecurities that he tries to hide from the rest of the world.

Kyou's curry dish was partly inspired by the curry from Persona 5 and from a curry-apple sandwich I tried once at a restaurant. (It was delicious!)

Please let me know that you all thought of this chapter through PM or review and if you would try Kyou's curry dish!