Chapter 26: No Reservations
A week has passed since Ayako and I officially passed the Stagiaire event of the academy. Worried with the thought of our friends' trials, we didn't rest much with our free time. I continued to review all of the things I learned so far and worked to refine my dishes to pass the time. Ayako did the same seeng that she had free time on her hands. Yamamori, the dormitory's caretaker, was nonchalantly sipping his cup of coffee.
"You two. Looking at the both of you reminds me of my old family." He said.
"F-F-Family?! I admit that we became close but please don't joke around like that." Ayako nervously answered.
"It's really been a quiet week without Yuzu and William bickering around. I really wish that they come back soon." I sighed. "That reminds me, they should all be arriving today."
As I tried focusing back on cooking, I noticed Yamamori organizing a lot of letters. It looked like fan mail with all the heart stickers decorated on the envelope. He caught my gaze and answered the unasked question in my mind.
"If you are wondering about these, I have no idea where these came from. They just started coming last week and the volume is rising by the day."
"I'm heading to town later to buy more ingredients Yamamori-san. If you want, I could ask around the post office if they sent those letters by mistake."
"That would be a great help."
"Oh man, I just wish Yuzu was here. Things would go smoother if he would do all the talking for me."
My remark was met with silence as expected. Ayako was still thinking about them and Yamamori might have been already immune to the feeling of students not returning after certain events of the academy.
The sound of the sliding door shuffling made Ayako run faster than I could react. By the time I realized the meaning of the sound, she was already halfway to the door. William was the first to return.
"It looks like you guys are having fun in this house. I smell something delicious."
"I expected you to be the first to come back." I greeted.
"Of course, I would be back! Now tell me how your test went."
We headed into the dining area and exchanged stories. It seems that he was partnered with Yoshino Yuki from Polar Star dorm for the first part of the test and was reassigned to a ramen restaurant afterwards. It took no time for us to start laughing at each other's experiences.
"We love you Mao-chan!"
"Mao-chan is the best!"
"Nobody can be better at cooking than Mao-chan"
The quiet lifestyle of North Lake dorm was suddenly bombarded with chants and cheers. I rushed outside to find a big group of men standing in the front with pink colored shirts and banners with Mao-chan written on it. Some were crying and others were frantically waving their arms. For a second, I was almost too overwhelmed at the sight until I saw a figure of a long haired little girl wearing extravagant clothes of an idol beside me.
"Everyone! I must bid you goodbye for now. Please don't hesitate to show your support for me in the future. I love all of you!"
"We love you Mao-chan!"
The crowd was uncontrollable at this point and I could see that it was bothering the little girl. She looked at me with heart wrenching eyes. Those eyes that were so familiar pleaded for help. Without waiting for my consent, she took my left arm and hugged it tight.
"Don't tell us that he is your boyfriend?"
Their uproar grew louder. Their piercing stares were directed towards me. I could feel them inching closer every second and as if it was not enough, she did a peace sign gesture on the side of her eye partnered with an innocent smile.
"Men! Is your love for Mao-chan so superficial that you would lose hope with seeing her in the arms of another? She is our goddess who saved us through her innocent smile and wonderful cooking. They will definitely breakup sooner or later and then we can show our love once again! We will not lose ho- GYAAAAAAHHH!"
"WHY DON'T YOU SHUT UP ALREADY?!" Ayako delivered a perfect uppercut punch that sent the fan group leader flying. "Don't disrupt the people who are living here or you'll experience something harsher than that, do you understand?"
"Yes Ma'am!"
The crowd dispersed immediately as they rushed the leader to the nearest hospital. The girl gave out a deep sigh as she still clung tightly.
"Ummmm excuse me Mao-san. For somebody young like you, please consider having your own guards for events like this or it might turn into a riot. Lucky for you, that onee-san over there was here to help you. Should onii-san contact your manager or guardian for you?"
She looked up again and glared angrily at me with those familiar cold eyes. Her hand that held mine gripped tighter and pulled me towards her while the other hand connected to my stomach with a devastating palm thrust. My body crumpled upon the impact as I hugged myself gasping for air.
How could I not see it?
"Welcome back Ling…"
"Huh?"
I was down in my bed with an aching stomach, both from pain and hunger. The sky outside the window was already dark and I wondered how long I was sleeping.
'How many times have I taken a beating and woke up in my room with no memory?'
It didn't really matter. My body has been battered a lot of times since arriving in Japan but the feeling in my heart was always warm. I didn't feel the least bit homesick with my friends around me. The door opened slowly after someone knocked.
"Oi Alex! You just missed dinner." Takeuchi entered the room with a tray.
"So you came back after all. You look like you are in high spirits."
"That is rude, you know? How could I not come back?"
He set down the tray and looked at me with eyes filled with pity. I opened the earthen pot and saw some rice gruel topped with shredded chicken and chives.
"I just got knocked out, not sick."
"Just be thankful that I brought you food and stop complaining already."
Takeuchi took out a spoon and shoved it in my hand. My stomach grumbled with the smell of the gruel so I took a spoonful and ate it. I was jolted awake by the warm sensation that coursed through my body filled with renewed energy.
"Yuzu! What is this?"
"Behold my new skills! Mwahahahaha!"
"I thought that the rice would be soggy but it is fluffy and every bite brings out more of the flavor of the chicken. The strong taste of the ginger gives a beautiful complementing taste to the overall flavor and the chives give it a refreshing taste."
I was deeply amazed with his improvement. I always took him as someone who would be particularly fond of eating meat but the gruel showed finesse in his cooking.
"Anyway, I heard the whole story from Ayako during dinner. You guys had it pretty rough." He said. "To think that you thought of reviving the restaurant with that risky plan of yours makes me doubt that you were the same newcomer who was late during the opening ceremony."
"Time sure moves fast. How about yours, mind telling me what happened?"
"The first week went well but the second was hard. I'll just leave it at that for now."
There was a certain seriousness in his face when he said it. I knew better that to push the topic further. It was to be pursued for another day.
"Don't look too serious Yuzu. Why don't we check my club's area this Monday for the Moon Banquet Festival?"
"Oh right, you were talking about it before. Why not?"
Morning came and I, the leader and sole member of the 'Breakfast Cooking Club', woke up early to prepare the ingredients for my dorm mates. Classes were immediately resuming after the weekend so we had to get back to our usual routine soon. While thinking of the things that I need to finish before school starts once again, I prepared all of my ingredients like a reflex.
"Wow, working in a restaurant really does have an effect on your body."
Yamamori came in after chopping some wood and found the simple breakfast he always wanted. A mug of warm milk with toast, butter and jam at the side. Our dormitory manager with the body of a lumberjack surprisingly has a small appetite.
Next came in Ling who was dressed neatly. Her normal face looked so nostalgic. The image of the idol I witnessed yesterday was a complete reversal from her usual self. I wonder what happened to force her to act in such a way.
"Yamamori-san, today is especially cold. Do you mind if I start the fireplace?" Ling asked.
"I've chopped some wood outside. Just get some."
"There is no need for that. I already have my enough to keep me warm."
Ling stood by the fireplace with a match in her hand. Looking at her from my direction made her appear as a child, curious at her first sight of a fireplace. She arranged a few log and held a paper in her hand. The paper lit up immediately, slowly spreading through the whole thing. She gazed at the paper with a glint in her eyes then proceeded to throw it in the middle of the log.
The fire grew bigger until the room was warm enough. She continued to throw papers until I recognized what she was burning. The paper she held was an envelope decorated with hearts all over. It was the fan mail that was sent to her.
'Is she burning the letters that were sent to her by her fans?'
She held out her hand to feel the warmth of the fire and then threw the envelope without any thought. As the letter burned to crisp, I could literally hear the screams of the unrequited feelings of men who pooled their courage in expressing their feelings in a letter.
"I have a sack full of letters addressed to Mao-chan. Do you know anything about it?" Yamamori asked.
"I don't know any Mao-chan but please have it all delivered to my room."
"Okay then."
'Why do I feel like crying?'
I placed a plateful of Cocida Madrileno in front of Ling for breakfast. Without thinking once again, I cooked a dish that I learned from Taki Amarillo. A few months ago, I was unwilling to cook anything but Filipino dishes but now, I have been more open to cook different styles of cuisine.
"How was your Stagiaire, Ling?" I opened the conversation.
There was no answer.
"Mine was really hard. I thought that we weren't going to make it through. We were actually expelled for a moment there."
Still Ling was not responding, filling the dining room with awkwardness. Yamamori stood up and left the room at that point.
"Ling?"
"…"
"Are you still mad about what I said yesterday? You got your revenge already didn't you?"
"…"
She was purposefully ignoring me. It tears my fragile heart to be treated in such a way. Only a man with weird taste could get pleasure from being treated in such a cold manner. Since she wasn't responding to me calling her name, I thought of a different way to be noticed.
"Good morning Mao-chan!"
Scarlet red immediately colored her cheeks as she looked at me.
"You can hug onii-san's arm if you want to."
"Why you?!"
Irritated, she stood up and delivered palm thrust at my stomach once again but she stopped midway and sat down instead. She took her spoon and wolfed down the entire plate. There were only a few instances where Ling showed emotion but I felt the she changed somehow.
Takeuchi walked in and saw the whole thing.
"Alex, are you forming your own harem? You already got Ayako and now you are also going after Mao-chan?"
The sleeping tenants of North Lake dormitory were awakened by a pain-filled scream.
"So we are going ahead without Yuzu-kun? You were the one who told me last night that he would accompany us to the site." William asked.
"His body still hurts so let him rest. He took a hard beating from Ling so he'll eventually catch up with us later on."
By the time we arrived in the area, the tents were already being set up by the festival committee. We were surveying the place for a while chatting excitedly about improving our menu and our potential profits. It was explained to us that the festival might be fun but there was an underlying concept beneath.
The Moon Banquet Festival is more attuned to making a profitable business. An annual school event that lasts five days. At the end of every day, revenues of each stall are tallied and those who earned the top profits would be announced. It is another story if the incomes becomes a loss because it would be tantamount to a failure that could lead to the students being expelled.
"Hey! What are you people doing?!" William called out to the committee.
I was surprised with his reaction but when I saw people placing a sign of another club in our spot, my blood welled up as well. They were putting the sign of the Spanish Cuisine Club in our tent.
"This spot was reserved a month ago for our club." William debated.
"Sorry lad, we are just following orders. If you have any problem with the stalls then it would be better for you to talk to the head office. I'm sure that if this spot is really yours then they would tell us and we would have no problem putting your signage in here."
"William, I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding. Let's head to the committee office and have this cleared up, shall we?
We dashed from the main street towards the office to resolve the problem. The same girl who talked to us was organizing some papers when we entered.
"Miss, we came here a month ago and reserved a spot in the main street area and you gave us the green light. Why is the Spanish Cuisine club taking our place?"
"That can't be right?" she said.
She checked her computer and the map layout at the side of her desk and we knew something was not right. Her face grew wearier by the second.
"Kawahara-san, this area D23 seems to be double booked. What happened?"
A petite girl walked towards us and looked at the layout map.
"Oh! Usami-san, I was the one who approved that area for the Spanish Cuisine members."
"But I've already listed it down as occupied."
"Ummm… They came here two weeks ago requesting for D20 up to D23 for their stall with all the paperworks done. I saw that the Filipino Cuisine club still doesn't have their menu listed and so I told them that if the paperwork wasn't completed by the week then they could take it up."
Usami, the girl who was assisting us clenched her fist. It was evident that these two committee members had a rift between them, a problem that William and I didn't want to get involved into.
"Even so, I and the club should have been notified."
"Oops! I forgot. Nothing can be done anyway, it was already awarded to the other club. Usami-san, we both know that a no name club would be likely to fail and that might get them expelled. I'm actually doing them a favor."
"I'm bringing this up to the chief." Usami was holding her temper and directed her attention to us. "Alex Ramos-san and William Navarro-san, please wait until this issue is resolved. I shall give you a call when a decision has been made. I am truly sorry for this and make sure that you get the stall you clearly reserved first."
As the doors closed behind us, William and I were caught in a daze.
A week has passed by and there was still no news about the resolution of our predicament. William and I were getting pretty worried about it so much that we couldn't decide on our menu. We didn't even know how they would contact us so a leisurely walk around the school took off the stress.
"For a culinary school, the cafeteria food is quite ordinary." I said.
"Most of the students here cook their own food so cafeteria is something like a first aid to just take away your hunger." William replied.
At a distance, there were a group of students who were walking together. People stayed away from their general direction and murmurs filled the area. Among the students was Terunori Kuga and Satoshi Isshiki. I ran ahead to greet them but what startled me was William running along. Isshiki waved his hands with a smile while Kuga broke off the group and pat me hardly on the shoulder.
"Kuga-senpai! Isshiki-senpai!"
"Ohhhhhh Alex-chin! How have you been doing lately?" Kuga greeted. "I heard this rumor that you impressed an alumni and now she is starting a new restaurant using your concept."
"That sounds like an exaggeration. It was actually really hard." I paused. "I just came to thank you for helping me start the Filipino Cuisine Research Society."
Kuga placed his finger in his chin, trying to remember what I was talking about.
"Oh you are talking about the certificate that mysteriously vanished from my drawer! I hope it was worth it, some people were heavily punished for that." He said with an innocent smile. "It's such a shame to have you not working for me this festival but in any case, you already did your part and my restaurant will surely come up on top. Hahahahaha!"
Getting caught up in the conversation, I didn't notice the people looking at me with scowls in their faces. I can just imagine that they didn't like the idea that I was being too friendly with a member of the Elite Ten.
'Wait, Elite Ten? One, Two, Three and Isshiki-senpai… Are they the Elite Ten?'
"Judging by your face, I can already answer your question. Just be wary of some of them," Kuga raised his voice with the intent of letting the others hear. "…especially that old hag over there!"
"For someone so short, you are really fond of running that big mouth of yours!" a woman with pigtails and wearing glasses retorted.
"Shut up! I'm talking to my cute little kouhai over here!" Kuga faced me once again. "Don't mind her. Anyway, have you noticed any change with Ling? I feel that she is slowly taking the place of 'most adorable' person from me in the club. Alex-chin, won't you do something about it?"
I shook my head as I remembered the possible repercussions of revealing her new life as an idol. A red haired member of the Elite Ten called out to him as they moved along.
"That's that, I guess. I'll be heading off now. We are supposed to meet some bratty first years."
"Thank you again, Kuga-senpai and good luck with your meeting." I bowed.
William was still talking to a member of the Elite Ten so I ran closer to his side. I couldn't believe that there was a student who had the body built of an adult. Not only was he tall but he looked extremely muscular.
"Thank you for the help Megishima-san. Fuuma-san and his wife wanted to extend their gratitude to you for everything you did for their restaurant."
"Tell them that I'll be visiting when I have free time. Take care of the knowledge and skill you gained from them." Megishima said.
"I will!"
Megishima headed towards the group and they proceeded to their meeting. Getting to see and talk to them felt like greeting a celebrity. I didn't know that William also had a connection to the Elite Ten. Our spirits that just lit up after getting worried were easily dampened once again.
"Ramos-san! Navarro-san!"
"Usami-san" both of us said in the same time.
"Quick! Come with me!"
The three of us entered a room different to the festival committee office. Inside was a large wooden table with a set of leather seats facing each other. There were already four students filling up the right side with one of them I recognized as Kawahara.
"Gentlemen, Usami-san. Please take your seats." A third year student with long black hair said. "Now that all parties are present, we can move on with the problem. I take it that all of you are aware of the situation."
Everybody nodded.
"Good! Then there is no need for explaining. Now Filipino Cuisine club, what do you have to say?"
"We really don't have anything to say other than that we reserved the spot first." I calmly explained.
"Regardless if they reserved it first, failing to complete the requirements in the given time makes their reservation invalid." A girl from the Spanish Cuisine club stood and pointed at us accusingly.
The chief made her sit down again and urged us to continue defending our claim.
"If you might want to reconsider, we did not get any notice about it. We, first years, were also participating in the Stagiaire when this happened."
"Kawahara-san, Usami-san. Is this true?"
They nodded without uttering a single word.
"I would like to have a word with both of you later. In any case, my impartial decision is to award stall D23 to the Filipino Cuisine club. Spanish Cuisine club can take stalls D20 to D22."
"Yes!"
William and I bumped our fists to the favorable decision. Or so we thought…
"I don't mean to disrespect your authority senpai. I, Goto Marina vice president of the Spanish Cuisine Research Society along with my club members, refuse to give up the stall. It is a corner stall that is exposed to two different area of the streets and thus plays an integral part of our booth's exposure. We both know that in cases where two clubs or more are interested in a certain spot, we must battle through a Shokugeki to determine the rightful winner."
"Usami-san, what are Ramos-san and Navarro-san's Shokugeki records?"
"According to my data, Ramos-san just entered this year and Navarro-san just transferred through special connections. So far, they haven't participated in any official Shokugeki match."
"Then I guess, we can't solve this matter through mediation." The chief sighed.
The other club seemed to rejoice at this fact. Smiles were growing on their faces as their confidence rose. William was staying calm and so did I, but keeping my temper in check was one of the hardest thing to endure at the moment.
"For the Spanish Cuisine club, who is representing?"
"Of course, that would be me!" Goto exclaimed.
"Good, and which of you two would fight against Goto-san?" the chief asked.
"That would be me!" William and I answered in synchrony.
We looked at each other, our eyes telling the other to give way. Both of us wanted to defend the club but neither of us backed down.
"Chief, if I may add." Usami raised her hand. "This happened because of an internal problem between Kawahara-san and me. I know that as committee members, we should always remain impartial but I would like to take responsibility for the inconvenience I brought to Ramos and Navarro-san's clubs."
"Then what do you propose?"
"Yes Usami-san. Please do tell us how you plan to take responsibility for our mistake." Kawahara urged.
The whole room was silent. Everyone was anticipating her next words.
"I would like to give my assistance to the Filipino Cuisine club!" Usami shouted with passion in her voice.
"This might turn out to be interesting. Since I can see the fire in the eyes of you three, why not have a three on three match?"
"Senpai! You don't mean to tell us…" Kawahara stood up.
For the first time, I could see an irritation in the face of Goto and Kawahara.
"That's right! The only way to settle this is through a three on three Regiment de Cuisine!"
A/N:
After so many chapters... Finally! Alex is going to have his first Shokugeki and especially in a Regiment de Cuisine style of battle. For those who do not know about this, I shall explain next chapter. Your voices have been heard and some of your food suggestions would be used for the next battle. Keep on suggesting.
Special thanks to GalacticBun for helping me out the past few chapters and of course to the people who gave their reviews and suggestions.
I hope you enjoyed the story so far.
Cheers!
