It is a long wait, that I know. But! Part 4 of Hell's Training Camp is finally up! And here, Nikola is called by her great-grandmother to meet her in a basement kitchen. Whatever could be the reason for her being there? Read it and find out!
Disclaimer: I do not own Restaurant to Another World or Shokugeki no Soma. I own my OC.
*OPENING*
Meeting you here
(A train arrived at a station)
In this wide world
(Doors opened and many people got off)
Is nothing short of a miracle.
(Nikola was one of them as she walked out of the station. She stopped and stood in place.)
A fanfare resounds
(The scene changed to Polar Star Academy, where all the residents were hanging out by their own greenhouse)
Something's about to start
(Scene changed to Totsuki Academy, where Erina and Hisako were passing by some cherry blossom trees, with Alice and Ryo leaning against some nearby)
So let us seize it
(Nikola looked up at the sky with a hand over her head, blocking out the sun)
A delicious life: One in a Billion!
(Camera zooms out and looks up to the sky, where the title appears)
We can still encounter
(Nikola walks around Totsuki grounds with a sad look on her face)
Others who can change our fate!
(She looks up and saw her cousin and their friends of Polar Star up ahead, some waving at her)
Things might seem normal to me
(They all gathered in Zenji's room, partying like there was no tomorrow)
Might be a huge surprise to you!
(Scene changed to them cooking their own meals in the kitchen)
So let's have fun with the difference!
(A devilish aura emanated from Soma, sending chills to everyone else)
Fusion! Mixture!
(Scene changed from Soma feeding some pork roast to Yuki, Ryoko, Shun and Isshiki to him forcing some peanut butter-covered tentacles with the other dorm mates lying pale and unconscious.)
So wonderful!
(Nikola hit Soma hard in the head and scolded him for possibly killing off some of their dorm mates.)
At the moment many timelines
Converge as one...
If we miss it, we'll never get another chance! (One in a Billion)
(Scene continuously changed from several other Totsuki students to several others, each demonstrating their skills in the kitchen)
I'll meet a side of you
I'd never known before
(Nikola as a child was seen in Nekoya, having a cook-off with her father with their Saturday customers watching.)
The door to a new world will open!
(Both presented their version of terrine to the customers)
A fanfare resounds
(The steam covered the screen and changed the scene to Nikola napping by a cherry blossom tree as a shadow blocked the sunlight on her)
Something's about to start!
(She was awoken by the shadow and rubbed her eyes)
So let us seize it
(Standing before her were her friends)
A delicious life: One in a Billion!
(Fully awake, she joined them on their venture, as song ended with the group and several other students on a large plate, looking at the camera)
Last time, Nikola, separated from her friends, had to work with a chef she didn't know of to pass her next test in the Hell's Camp, a fellow heiress of a famous restaurant named Hojo Miyoko. It was a rocky start at first, but the two managed to get along and passed their test with flying colors. And just when Nikola thought she'd have the chance to relax even a bit with her friends, as it turns out, Megumi and Soma weren't amongst them. As she was about to question what happened, Nikola got a call from her great-grandma and was told to come to the basement kitchen.
Making her way down to her destination, Nikola couldn't help but wonder why her elderly relative would call her over. But more importantly...
"Soma must've done something," she muttered to herself. "I mean, Chef Shinomiya may be strict, judging from what we saw on our first day here during that orientation, but he couldn't have set up an unreasonable test, could he? I don't think I see Soma or Megumi as the kind of people who would fail in cooking. Then again, Megumi did say that she gets nervous easily the other day when we were having her rice balls, but I doubt it's that bad. It's possible that it's like that transfer exam we took; Soma did something that upsetted the chef and risked getting expelled and got Megumi involved. And the fact that I'm heading to a kitchen that doesn't look like it will be used any time during this camp means they're having a Shokugeki of sort." Once Nikola reached the door, she reached out to the handle to open it. "No. I'm sure I'm just overthinking it. There's no way a Shokugeki is being held right now."
Once she opened those doors, she saw, standing in the kitchen, were Soma, Megumi, Kojiro, Dojima, Hinako, Donato, Fumiya, Hitoshi, and her great-grandma... all looking her way.
'I was right, wasn't I?!' Nikola thought, looking specifically at her cousin, friend, and Kojiro, all three who seemed to be in the middle of cooking something.
"What is a student doing down here?" Kojiro questioned. Looking to Soma's direction, he then said, "Don't tell me you think that having an extra hand on your side is going to change things for you. If that is what you think, then you're only putting her at risk as well."
"What are you saying? I didn't call her down here," Soma corrected.
"No. I did," Koyomi announced.
"Gr- Chef Koyomi!" Nikola squeaked out, hoping her great-grandma wasn't going to do what she thought she would.
"Hm? And why would you do that, Koyomi-sensei?" Dojima asked.
"Now, now. There's already so many of us here. What's the trouble in adding one more person? And my great-granddaughter, to be exact," the elderly chef said.
"Why would you say the last part?!" Nikola questioned out loud.
Silence filled the room, and the young heiress of Nekoya realized what she said out loud and covered her mouth.
"WHAAAAAAAAT?!" everyone else in the room gasped out in shock.
"Wait a second! Koyomi-sensei! You two are relatives?!" Hinako asked, tied up to a chair for some reason.
"Yes, of course," the elderly chef answered. "I never told anyone but, my full name is Yamagata Koyomi."
"Huh?!"
"C-C-Chef Koyomi... Please let's not play this joke any longer," Nikola said.
'No, more like what happened to keeping our relationship under a low profile!' she mentally added.
"It's okay, Nikola," Koyomi said. "We can trust these people."
'You're as easy-going in this as Soma is with Nekoya's secret here!' Nikola thought.
"Hang on. She's really your great-grandkid?!" Fuyumi asked.
"That's right."
"Lies! If that were true, you should be more older-looking!" Kojiro said.
In response to that claim, Koyomi went and flipped him on his front again, sitting on top of the poor chef like a queen on her throne.
"I may be old, but I still have some tricks up my sleeve. You of all people should know that, should you not?" Koyomi said with a dark aura around her.
Kojiro was sweating profusely, knowing how true that was.
"So wait! If you're my cousin's great-grandma, then doesn't that make you my great-grandma?!" Soma asked.
"Oh? So you're the Yukihira Soma my grandson and great-granddaughter spoke of from time to time. A pleasure to finally meet you," Koyomi greeted.
"No, no. The pleasure is mine."
"Huh. No wonder why you were able to pass my test with flying colors," Donato said in understanding. "To think I had tested Koyomi-sensei's great-granddaughter. What a wonderful surprise."
"Thanks for the compliment," Nikola thanked.
"Ahem!" Dojima cleared his throat quite loudly, catching everyone's attention. "Not to be rude or anything, Chef Koyomi, but we are on a tight schedule ourselves, as this is still an unofficial Shokugeki in the middle of camp."
"Oh my. That's right. Do forgive me," Koyomi said, getting up from her 'seat'.
"Hang on. 'Unofficial Shokugeki'?" her great-granddaughter repeated in a questioned tone. Instantly looking to her cousin, she demanded, "Soma, what did you do?!"
"Hey! It's Chef Shinomiya's fault!" he defended. "He went and almost got Tadokoro expelled just because she didn't follow the recipe exactly, even though she made an amazing terrine!"
"He's right!" Hinako supported, somehow out of her binds. "Kojiro-kun is so stingy for not letting Megumi-chan pass the test for something so small! Your cousin is doing this for her sake!"
Nikola widened her eyes in shock at the explanation and looked over to her great-grandma and Dojima, both who nodded at the explanation, confirming that it was true. Not bothering to question the matter any further, as she was already feeling a slight headache coming on, the girl then said, "I'm just... going to leave the matter be. So, great-grandma, why did you call me here, exactly?"
"Well, considering that this seems to be the only time that I am by myself and you have no other tests to be taking of any kind, I was thinking we should use this time to catch up. And while we're at it, you can watch one of my students at work as well as wish your cousin and friend luck."
The elderly chef wasn't wrong. The two may have talked a bit back on the first day of camp, but it was mostly to congratulate Nikola and how big Koyomi really was in the culinary world. Plus, now that she knew what the Shokugeki was for, how can she not want to cheer for Soma and Megumi?
"Well, you're not wrong," she admitted. "Soma! Megumi-chan! Good luck!"
The two nodded and returned their attention to their dish. Thankfully, they weren't at any cooking process at the moment and were still in the middle of preparations.
As they watched the two young chefs make their dish, with Megumi being the head chef of the two, Nikola and Koyomi had their little chat. Well, if one can call it that.
"You say, 'catch up', but haven't we already caught up on everything the last time we spoke?" the young chef asked the elder.
"Hm? Did we?" she asked back.
Her question made Nikola raise a brow. She was positive she had told her great-grandmother everything that happened to her since the last time they met. And she knew for sure that her grandmother wasn't one to forget anything. So why claim that she didn't remember their conversation?
Nikola's eyes widened in realization as to what the elderly chef really referred to and smiled. 'I see. Sometimes, great-grandma, I can't help but question what you were like before you met great-grandpa,' she thought.
Back to the Megumi and Soma team, the judges were amazed to see the teamwork being done between them. Specifically, they were in awe at how fast Soma was making preparations for Megumi to make her dish. Meanwhile, all Kojiro was doing was... practically nothing, as he had a stove going and a pot boiling something. Seeing this did not suit well for Nikola for some reason.
"Both contestants should begin finishing up!" Dojima called. At his words, the two teams started to plate their dish. Soon enough, time was up.
"Now then, we shall begin judging," Koyomi spoke. "Let's start with Kojiro-kun's dish. Please, serve your plate."
Seeing that this was a dish from a Totsuki alumni, Nikola and Megumi wondered what sort of amazing dish he made.
"Well, I can't help but feel anticipation," Donato said.
"Indeed," Hitoshi agreed.
However, what Kojiro served them didn't really meet any of their expectations. The reason? The dish he made was-
"Chou farci! This is rather unexpected!" Donato stated.
"It's regional cooking from the Aubergne region," Hitoshi spoke. "It's a dish where a filling of finely chopped meat and vegetables are wrapped in cabbage leaves and then steamed."
"So it's similar to a cabbage roll in Western Cuisine," Nikola summed up.
"Yes. Except this is a dish often made in French homes," Fumiya said.
"I'm taken aback," Hinako spoke, somehow out of her binds again. "Shinomiya-senpai tens to only make fancy dishes-" Kojiro went and gave her a harsh karate chop before she could finish her sentence. "Wait... Where's my share...?" she painfully asked, for their fellow colleagues were the only ones with the dish.
"There aren't any. Have Mizuhara share some of hers," Kojiro told her.
"Well then..." Donato cut open his portion of the chou farci, allowing the scent within to steam out. "Ah. The aroma of herbs whets the appetite."
The trio of judges took a bite out of the dish and, so to say, they were head-over-heels for it!
"Th-this stuffing is different from the typical pork and onion stuffing used in chou farci!" Hitoshi exclaimed. "It's a farce of jidori chicken breast meat!"
"He butter fried the chicken breasts. They were stuffed with morels, asparagus, and fois gras sauteed in beef fat, along with a smooth mousse-like paste made from chicken breast meat, butter, eggs, and heavy cream," Donato analyzed. "The chou farci was then steamed."
Kojiro approached Koyomi with another plate of his dish. "Please try it, sensei," he said.
Hinako noticed this and whined, "Hey! Why do you have a plate for sensei and not for me?!"
"I told you to share with Mizuhara!"
Accepting the dish, the elderly chef split half of it with her great-granddaughter. "Would you like to try it with me?"
"Well, I am curious as to how good a Totsuki alumni's cooking is. When I got here, all I saw was him sitting on a stool," Nikola said.
Kojiro was a bit annoyed when he heard her say that, while Hinako laughed at the statement.
Nikola took a bite of the chou farci and couldn't believe how good it tasted. 'What kind of magic is this?! The mousse is coating the tongue with each bite, and instantly dissolves in a rich burst of flavor in my mouth!'
"And the most fearsome ingredient of all, is the cabbage that envelopes the filling," Dojima spoke, also taking a bite of the chou farci.
"The Savoy Cabbage," Koyomi identified. "In Japanese, it's called the crepe cabbage. When raw, it has a strong grassy smell. But once it's cooked, it develops a delicate sweet flavor. He blanched and steamed it, heating the dish to its optimal temperature."
"So that's how he got that delicate sweetness that elevated the flavor of this entire dish," Nikola said, understanding the whole process of how this meal was made.
Koyomi glanced at Kojiro's direction. 'Immediately after he graduated from Totsuki, he went alone to France and opened up a restaurant in Paris after several years of training and is the owner-chef of that restaurant. When there are issues with meat products in France, Kojiro-kun shone fresh spotlights on the vegetables, shocking the many gourmands across the nation. Eventually, he gained the respect of the residents of the city of gourmet and was honored, by name, the Magician of Legumes.'
'I hate to say this, but this is delicious!' Nikola thought. 'Assuming chou farci is a common dish like cabbage roll, he interpreted it with his own senses and elevated this dish into one that can be served in high-class restaurants. The light stuffing and fresh sweetness of the cabbage envelops both the mouth and the body! It's like real magic!'
The next thing Nikola saw in her mind, Hinako, Fuyumi, and Dojima changed into what seemed like cabbage superheroes, magical girl-style, with Donato in a tuxedo with a mask on his face and Hitoshi being a bird. Seeing such a vision made her spit out the chou farci that was in her mouth.
"What the hell?! Why the hell did I get that kind of image from eating that dish?! Especially the one of Gin-senpai!" she shouted, while her senpais all looked at her in shock.
'She spat out Shinomiya-senpai's dish?!' Hinako mentally questioned.
'No one has ever done that before, not even when he was studying at Totsuki,' Fuyumi thought.
"Still, this is an unexpected of you, Kojiro-kun," Koyomi said, not at all affected by the dish in any way. "Truthfully, I was hoping to try out a special of your restaurant, Shino. You did promise, after all."
Kojiro, recovered from Nikola's action, chuckled at her words. "That's a joke in a poor taste, sensei," he said. "My opponent's only a student. Would I be so cruel to serve my signature dish?"
"That expression says you would," Nikola said,
"She's right; you would," Hitoshi agreed.
"You would crush them, so that they'd never be able to cook again," Donato added on.
"Hey!" Kojiro shouted, not believing that his former colleagues had to go and agree with, not only a student, but one who spat out a dish he made. A dish he made. Not even the pickiest eater he served in his restaurant has ever done that!
With narrowed eyes at the pink-haired alumni, Koyomi thought to herself, 'Kojiro-kun may have opened up a restaurant in a prime location in Paris, the battleground of gourmet food, and made more delicious meals than I can ever hope to teach him. But, at the same time, it sullied his mind. He truly thinks he can beat a Totsuki student without having to go at his best, an arrogance that will undoubtedly be justified.'
'And the one who will deliver Achilles's heel will be...' Dojima thought, thinking along the same line as the elderly chef, as he looked over to Megumi and Soma's direction.
"All right, Tadokoro, Yukihira. Serve your dish," he said to them.
"'Kay!" Soma replied.
"O-Okay," Megumi stuttered. The pigtailed girl went to grab her dish and present it to the judges. However, as she picked it up, she mentally panicked, wondering how they will react to it.
Soma noticed this and gave her a pat on the back. "It'll be okay," he assured.
That action, those words, and even the look he had on his face, brought back Megumi's confidence, as she presented her dish to the judges.
"This is..." Hitoshi spoke.
"... A terrine!" Hinako identified.
"This is a Rainbow Terrine, featuring seven vegetables," Megumi explained.
"Hmm... Seven pates, each of different color," Hitoshi observed. "They created stripes of color like a rainbow."
"Wait, didn't Shinomiya also assign a terrine in his lesson?" Fuyumi recalled.
Hearing that question either intrigued or annoyed the said chef. "How interesting. You're trying to find fault in my recette for the Terrine of Nine Vegetables?" he challenged.
Megumi panicked at the tone he used. "No, um... I-I-I just wanted people to try my own recette-" She was cut off by Koyomi karate-chopping Kojiro in the head... hard.
"Owner-chef of a restaurant or not, I know I didn't teach you to think of yourself as the one head chef above all others in general," she said.
"How can you still deliver these hard chops, you old hag...?" Kojiro muttered.
"Well, let's see how it turned out, for starters," Donato said, easing up the conflict that was being formed between chefs.
The others agreed to the idea and tried out the dish.
Megumi clenched her eyes shut as they took a bite, worried that they'll say the dish was terrible like many others had. As soon as they swallowed, their responses were...
"Delicious!"
"Indeed!"
"Yeah!"
"Mmm!"
Megumi widened her eyes in shock at the responses.
"She made pates from potatoes, carrots, zucchinis, and other vegetables to create layers of seven different colors," Hitoshi commented. "Each layer was prepared to maximize each vegetables flavor. I'm impressed she managed to pull off something so labor-intense in such a short amount of time."
"There are two kinds of sauce," Donato said. "One is sweet and sour sudachi gelee. The other is an astringment green herb sauce made from a paste of several different herbs, with perilla as the main component. Pairing a terrine with sudachi and perilla. Now that's innovation."
"Mmm! The pairing of sauteed zucchini with herb sauce is so refreshing. Fantastic!" Hinako exclaimed in delight.
"The sudachi goes well with the lingering sweetness of tomatoes, too," Fuyumi added.
"May I try this dish as well?" Koyomi asked Megumi.
"Huh?! Uh, of course!" the girl answered, shocked to hear that the great and legendary chef was asking for her permission to taste her dish.
After tasting the terrine with the two sauce from Hinako's plate, the elderly stated, "I see. By combining seven pates and two kinds of sauce, you can enjoy a total of fourteen flavors, thus making it fun for people to each."
"Indeed," Hitoshi agreed. "These vibrant 'stripes' are not only contributing to the visual appeal, but also to the overall taste to the dish."
"Tadokoro, you used sun-dried tomatoes, didn't you?" Dojima asked, noticing how dry the tomatoes looked in the red stripe.
"Um, yes!" she answered. "Back home, we dry tomatoes we harvest during the summer in the sun so that we can eat them in the winter. I learned how to use the oven to dry them out from Mo- my mother while helping out. When you sprinkle rock salt on halved cherry tomatoes, and slow-roast them at low temperatures in an oven at 120 degrees Celsius, the become sweeter, and their flavor is greatly enhanced. I thought they'd be a nice flavor accent in a terrine."
"Indeed. Tomatoes contain glutamic acid, an umami compound. The glutamic acid is concentrated when the tomatoes are dried, greatly increasing the degree of sweetness felt by the tongue."
"Kojiro-kun's Terrine of Nine Vegetables is a dish that is meant to savor the flavors of fresh vegetables. This recette, on the other hand, focuses on the flavor unique to vegetables prepared for preservation," Koyomi analyzed. "Both may be vegetable terrines, but one showcase a flavor of freshness, and the other is umami born of maturation. They approach vegetables as an ingredient from completely different angles."
"The taste just sinks into your heart. This dish is full of Megumi-chan's kindness," Hinako said.
"Yes. If Shinomiya-san is the Magicial of Legumes, Megumi-chan would be someone that subtly provides us with nature's bounty. A Koro-pok-guru of Legumes," Donato said.
Hinako whole-heartedly disagree with him. "No, that's wrong! Megumi-chan is someone who brings me happiness! She's the Household God of Legumes!"
"Isn't the word 'Goddess'?" Nikola asked.
"No, but perhaps..." Hitoshi spoke, disagreeing with Hinako's title. "She is someone who has come from the snow country to deliver the bounty of vegetables to us. A Snow Child of Legumes."
"It's not winter right now! I don't think that fits!" Hinako disagreed again.
A small debate between the alumnis had begun about what to call Megumi after being given such a nice dish like so, with Fuyumi wondering why they were using yokai references.
As they argued, Megumi was looking at them in shock. 'It can't be...' she thought. 'After all of my failures, I had no confidence. I was the failure of the Academy. But the alumni... my long-time role models... said my cooking was delicious!' She was so happy she could just cry right then and there.
Noticing the expression and hearing about how bad of grades she had gotten since she enrolled in Totsuki, Nikola couldn't help but smile for her friend. 'I'm glad for you, Megumi,' she thought.
"All right, let's move on to judging," Dojima said, interrupting the little quarrel. He held up a coin. "This coin represents one vote. Each judge has one coin. Shinomiya or Tadokoro-kun." He gestured to two plates on the table. Red plate representing Kojiro, and blue plate representing Megumi. "Cast your vote for the dish that you felt tasted the best."
"In that case, I'll start," Fuyumi said, walking up to the table.
Megumi closed her eyes and prayed, hoping that at least two of them placed their coins on her plate. Soma was calm, thinking that they got this in the bag, especially after hearing the judges compliment Megumi's dish so. Nikola watched, hoping that two of the judges at the very least will place their coin on Megumi's plate.
Unfortunately... Some things aren't meant to be.
The three judges casted their votes... for Kojiro.
"My condolences," he scoffed.
"The gap between your and Shinomiya's abilities was obvious," Dojima said. "The result is as it is."
Nikola widened her eyes in shock, not believing that this was the final outcome, especially not after the compliments Megumi was given! Now because of this... both she and Soma are...
"Well, no need to be so down about it. It was inevitable," Kojiro mocked. "Anyway, I have an early start tomorrow-"
Before he could say another word, Nikola stepped up to the table... and placed a 100-yen coin on Megumi's plate. This action shocked many in the room.
"... What do you think you're doing?" the pink-haired chef demanded rather than asked.
"I... I know I'm not a judge... I know I tasted your dish, and how good it is... But... But! At the very least-"
"If you're trying to save your friend, the outcome has already been decided. Not like your one measly vote can change anything."
"Even so! At least as a chef, I can tell which dish has more heart! I'm not saying this as Megumi-chan's friend or as Soma's cousin! I'm saying this as an honest-to-god chef! Your dish may be delicious, but it didn't have any heart at all!"
Kojiro turned to her with a scary glare on his face. "What?"
"Now, now, Nikola," Koyomi told her, placing a hand on the young chef's shoulder.
"But it's not fair!" Nikola said, tears forming in her eyes.
"Don't be like that. Especially... when you used the wrong coin for this." Hearing those words brought more confusion to the chefs in the room. That is... until Dojima placed another coin on Megumi's plate.
"What is the meaning of this, Dojima-san?" Kojiro questioned.
"As Yamagata-san said. I simply wished to acknowledge this dish and cast my vote," he answered. Everyone else was getting more confused by the second, especially when Koyomi also placed a coin on Megumi's plate, and swapped Nikola's money coin with another voting coin.
"Hey, hey. You three are not even judges. What exactly are you guys trying to pull? Especially you, Koyomi-sensei. Are you really telling me that you're taking your great-granddaughter's side and cast your vote for the sake of family?"
"You're right about one thing, Kojiro-kun. I am taking my great-grandchild's side of the matter. Like her, I feel this dish has more heart than yours. It may not be as delicious, but the preparation and the feeling radiating from it is far out of your league," the elderly chef said.
The alumnis couldn't believe what they heard from their former teacher's mouth, none as shocked as Kojiro.
"Also... I believe Dojima-kun's words about our 'three judges' were that he asked them to serve as such. He never said they are the only judges. Hinako's may be biased, but that didn't mean she couldn't place her vote regardless. You were the one who put that 'Just a spectator' tag on her."
Kojiro couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not only was an older alumni going with the dish of a student over his, but even his own teacher was preferring it. But even so...
"If what you say is true, then what about your great-granddaughter?! Surely her vote-!"
"This is an unofficial Shokugeki," Koyomi said. "As such it would make sense that our judges can be unofficial as well. If she placed her vote on Tadokoro-chan's plate because she was a friend, that'd be a different matter. However, she didn't put it as a friend, but as a 100% chef."
"That being said, why don't you try it out?" Dojima asked Shinomiya, holding up a plate of the half-eaten Rainbow Terrine. "The dish Tadokoro-kun made... That's where the answer to your question can be found."
"Kojiro-kun... It's been on my mind since we met up after so long, but you're stagnating right now, aren't you?" Koyomi asked.
The alumni chef flinched at the accusation.
"Don't think that I haven't visited it. Shino in Paris. I had heard many things about the restaurant and the head chef there. Not just from the customers, but also from the people who work and used to work there. Especially after you've earned the Pluspol Award. Seeing you face-to-face, as well as witnessing your own cooking before me, there's no doubt in my mind that you have lost your path forward. If anything, you're at a standstill of the pinnacle, without any idea as to where you should go. For us chefs, stagnation is akin to regression. It is not that you won't make your specialty in this match, but rather... you can't."
"Shut up!" Kojiro snapped. "And just what do you know about any of this?! You're the Legendary Wanderer Chef! Every restaurant on the verge of breaking down always ask for your assistance! Just what do you know?!"
"Then try it," Dojima told him, holding up Megumi's Rainbow Terrine. "Try Tadokoro-kun's dish."
"And just why would I-?"
"Try it. And maybe you will see, just exactly what is the true difference between you two. Unless, of course, if you're scared," Koyomi told him.
Taking that as a challenge, Kojiro took the dish and tasted it. "Heh. The heating's insufficient. The plating and the pate's texture are subpar, as well. You've both lost your touch," he said.
"We never said it tasted as good as yours. Tell us about your heart."
Kojiro was silent right then and there, as he took another bite of the Rainbow Terrine, and slumped in what seemed like defeat, as he shed a tear.
Wiping away the tear, he called, "Hey, halfwit."
"Y-Yes?!" Megumi responded, knowing he was referring to her.
"The spice you used in the pate... It's allspice, isn't it?"
"Um... Yes."
"I guess she used it to remove the strong odor of the chicken liver," Fuyumi assumed. "Allspice possesses hints of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg in its flavor profile."
"But that wasn't the only reason, was it?" Kojiro asked.
"Um, well... Y-Yes," Megumi answered. "You all have been eating a lot of food from all the judging you've been doing since yesterday. That's why, well... Allspice aids in digestion, so..." Everyone widened their eyes in shock, seeing the girl's reason for using the spice. "I... I just wanted to serve a dish that'd be gentle on your stomach."
Hinako was touched at the young chef's kindness. "I knew Megumi-chan was great!"
"Yes, it seems we have a good eye for people," Donato agreed.
"You just like her type," Fuyumi corrected.
"That's not true, Misuhara-senpai!" Hinako disagreed.
"It may be clumsy, but this dish speaks to you," Dojima said to Kojiro. "That's the kind of dish it is. Even in a competition, Tadokoro-kun tried to be considerate towards the people who'll be eating her dish."
"That's the difference between you and her, Kojiro-kun," Koyomi said. "Perhaps if you learn from her, you may be able to move on from your pinnacle."
Kojiro clicked his tongue, not wanting to admit how right they were. He looked down at his hands, realizing that all this time, he had actually been turning a blind eye to his customers and his employees, only cooking by himself, rather than with others beside him.
"So that being said... Ha!" Hinako practically slammed a fourth coin on Megumi's plate. "With this, the unofficial Shokugeki is officially closed."
The current students widened their eyes in shock at those words.
"So then... With the votes of four to three... Does that mean...?" Nikola spoke.
Koyomi nodded in confirmation. "That's right. Tadokoro-chan's four votes to Kojiro-kun's three. The clear winner of this match is truly and undoubtedly Team Tadokoro Megumi and Yukihira Soma."
If Megumi was in shock that she had lost the Shokugeki, she was even more shocked to see and hear that she actually won the match. Soma and Nikola were both glad at the reverse outcome.
Kojiro couldn't believe what that this was Dojima and Koyomi's plan this whole entire time and sighed. "This has all been irregular. What a farce." He then looked to Megumi, causing the girl to flinch at the glare he had on his face. "Well, since you've beaten me, you better do your best to survive as long as you can, day by day. I suppose even halfwits have their ways." As he walked, he glanced over at Soma and Nikola.
'Yukihira Soma... And Yamagata Nikola...' A small smile formed on his face. 'It's a shame I can't test out her abilities myself during this camp.'
Before he could walk past the doors, Hinako suddenly got in his way. "You're such a poor sport!" she said.
Already annoyed that he lost an unofficial Shokugeki and was given a lesson to boot, Kojiro grabbed her head and was on the verge of crushing her skull... literally.
"S-S-S-Sorry!"
Megumi was still speechless at what had happened. Did she really win? Is she hallucinating?
"Tadokoro-chan," Koyomi called, getting her attention. "Your cooking reflects your stance towards providing a warm welcome to your guests. In other words, your hospitality. Rather than following the footsteps of everyone else, it is more important for you to hone what you specialize in. I have taught many students back when I was teaching in Totsuki, but none has ever shown the kindness and consideration that you have put into your dish." She took the four coins from Megumi's plate and placed them in her hands. "These four coins... I'd like you to consider them as investments towards your future. Can you do that for me?"
"Y-Yes!" she answered.
"I'm so glad! You guys get to stay!" Nikola said, hugging her.
"Yeah. I guess we somehow made it out alive," Soma agreed. "Congrats, Tadokoro!"
Megumi was tearing up. Not only did she have really good friends in Soma and Nikola, but she was also given another chance to stay at Totsuki, as well as got helpful advise, for the first time of her life, from a teacher. Well, former teacher, but regardless. She hugged Nikola back and cried on her shoulder in joy.
After everyone dispersed, Nikola, Koyomi, Megumi, and Soma walked out of the basement and back to the outside world and saw that it was night time.
"Hey, it's totally dark out," Soma said.
It was then Nikola realized something. "By the way... why didn't either of you two answer to anyone's calls?"
Megumi gasped in shock at the question and checked her phone. True to the heiress of Nekoya's words, she missed a lot of calls from the Polar Star group. "I have so many missed calls from Yuki-chan and the others!"
"There wasn't any signal in the basement," Soma pointed out.
"Well then, you kids should hurry on back and show them you're all okay," Koyomi advised.
"I'll take my sweet time. You girls can go on ahead."
Without another word, Nikola and Megumi both rushed back to the hotel. Before they actually left, though, Megumi stopped in her tracks and turned to Soma. "Um, Soma-kun! Thank you so much! I'll never forget this!" she said, bowing to him in gratitude.
"Everyone's worried about you. Just go," Soma told her.
She nodded, but before she took her leave, she then turned to Koyomi. "Um, Chef Yama-!" The elderly chef covered the girl's mouth.
"It's Chef Koyomi. Or if you like, just Koyomi-sensei," she told her. Placing a finger on her mouth in a shush, she added, "Nikola and I both don't want anyone to know about our secret after all."
Nodding, Koyomi removed her hand from Megumi's mouth, in which the girl then bowed and said, "Um... Thank you for today!"
A soft smile formed on Koyomi's face at her kindness, as the elder placed a hand on her head. "You got through today through your own skill." Megumi looked up at her. "I heard about your history in Totsuki. And I want you to know, no matter what anyone says, you're a chef with potential. Hone your true skills your way, and you'll make it through."
"Right!" A smile formed on Megumi's face, as she nodded at those words, now feeling more confident in herself.
"Megumi-chan! Hurry!" Nikola called.
"Okay! Well then, excuse me!" With another bow, she followed Nikola back to the hotel.
This left Koyomi with Soma. "... Are you really feeling okay?" she asked him.
"What are you talking about? Of course I am," he answered half-heartedly.
"You can never fool me, Soma-kun. I was a teacher at Totsuki. And as such, I know when a student is hiding something. Whether it was a secret, or something they're really ashamed of. It's fine." She covered her ears and completely turned away from him. "You can scream or punch your frustrations out all you want."
Seconds later, Soma raised a fist... and slammed it at a wall. He slammed it hard enough, steam came out from his hand. "I lost... I lost... I lost. Damn it!"
Koyomi and Dojima, the latter who is watching from the window above them, knew that Soma was the only one who really and truly intended to win that Shokugeki. Of course, that intention to win was another quality that a chef needed, like Kojiro had back when he graduated.