Author's Note:
Good Day everyone and thanks for checking by!
This story has been on tumblr for a little while now and today I decided it might be the right time to post two of the already existing chapters on here.
In case you don't know, I'm the author of a fanfiction called "Shokugeki no Kimiko". The story you're about to read here is meant as a spin-off to said fanfiction, following the first year of Kimiko's older brother Hiraku on Totsuki.
It's not essential to read in order to understand the main fanfiction, but it may give you a better understanding of Hiraku's motives in "Shokugeki no Kimiko". While I suppose this story here can more or less still be read without reading the main story, I'd strongly advice against it being real. It's a spin-off in the end.
This story will be written in more simple manner than the main counterpart, meaning that I will skip over most of the culinary aspects in this one as they're the greatest chore and obstacle to me in "Shokugeki no Kimiko".
Well, with that out of the way...I'd be happy if some of you would give it a read and I hope the first two chapters will leave you curious for more.
Sit down children, I am going to tell you the story of a prince and how he entered the castle that rightfully belonged to him dressed as a peasant.
Heaven's First Serving - "Arrival at the Culinary Castle"
One thing that Hiraku Yukihira had always enjoyed were the visits of aunt Alice.
Not only was aunt Alice generally a fun person who knew how to give people a good time, but alongside her visits always came the most excessive and luxuriant gifts that any kid in his class could only dream off.
And Hiraku truly loved these gifts that almost seemed to be out of another world.
Aunt Alice's world to be exact. The world were everything was big, grand and golden.
It fascinated him and he'd often ask his mother why it was always Aunt Alice and her family visiting them and not the other way around. He was dying to see the places that they were around. To take in the grand pomp and circumstance that surrounded them. But his mother had always changed the topic or said the classic phrase. "I'll tell you when you're older."
However at the age of 15, Aunt Alice gifted him something truly special. Possibly the greatest gift he ever received from her.
The keys to the gates of Aunt Alice's world that would finally make him experience just how it was over there.
Alice invited him to transfer to her workplace, Totsuki Saryo Academy.
The transfer exam that he had to complete in his holidays had not been troubling to Hiraku at all. Personally he thought it was surprisingly easy.
But to his astonishment he was in fact the only one who had passed it.
Not that it bothered him all that much.
He practically jumped out of bed, uncommonly ecstatic, when his first school day finally arrived.
As soon as he stepped out the door of his room, he was already greeted by the more than familiar, homely fragrance of food from downstairs.
"Mornin'" He announced when he arrived in the kitchen.
This put a hold to his father's humming as he looked over his shoulder to greet his son with a grin while continuing to roast golden rice. "Nice uniform you got there, Hiraku."
Hiraku looked down on himself and inspected the blue blazer, the white shirt and the blue trousers as if he had not stared at himself in the mirror for 5 minutes upstairs already before giving a simple, confirming nod.
But of course Hiraku's mother was one to always find a knack in everything. And so the first words she said to her son this morning were: "Where's your tie, Hiraku?"
Upstairs. In his room. Carelessly thrown into the wardrobe.
"I must have forgot about it." Hiraku answered.
Erina Yukihira shook her head before sighing. "Oh well, go into school as you like."
After a few moments, in which Hiraku reached for the dried squid laying near to his father, Erina put her kitchen knife down and took a little box into her hand.
She turned to Hiraku, who had just cut off the squid's arm and placed it in-between his teeth to chew on it, and gave him said box with a warm smile. "Here's your Bento for today." She winked at him. "I included the honey-pork dumplings you always enjoyed so much as child."
"Oh than-" "And I included my famous onigirazu." Exclaimed Soma before Hiraku could finish.
When his wife turned away again to look at the clock, Soma leaned towards his son's ear. "One of them has a rather….special filling, if you know what I mean."
Hiraku gave a knowing, sinister grin back before his mother spoke up again. "Alice will be here soon….You got everything you need, right Hiraku?"
Hiraku nodded but just while he was doing that, a female voice suddenly interjected. "No he does not."
Hiraku swung around and faced the golden eyes of Kimiko Yukihira, his little sister.
She was still in her pyjamas and her wild, blond hair hung loose. But despite the tired image she gave off, she still wore a grin on her face. In her hand there was a brown, little case that looked eerily familiar to Hiraku.
"You forgot your wallet. As usual." And with that she just threw it at him, positive he would manage to catch it before it could land in the frying pan and burn to ashes. And she was right. With little to no problem he reached for it and got it into his hand before it was even near the deadly flames.
"Thanks, Kimi." He said while doing so.
Kimiko just shook her head and giggled. "Typical Hiraku. I am kind off worried about you going on this super high class school. I can already see you forgetting your chef uniform on the first day of class, airhead." Hiraku pouted and grumbled. "I'll manage. You always have to assume the worst of me."
"Your sister has a point." His mother mercilessly interfered. His father began to laugh. "Sometimes I am in awe that you actually haven't gone into school in your sleepwear yet."
Erina eyed him sharply. "You're one to talk. Who do you think he's got that chaotic mindset from?"
"Don't know what you're getting at, Erina."
The regular banter of their parents started and for a few moments Kimiko and Hiraku just watched. Finally, Kimiko turned to her big brother. "He, Hiraku!" "Yah?"
She approached him and excitedly instructed. "Close your eyes and open your hand!" He tilted his head. "Is this supposed to be some child's game or-?" "Just do it!"
Reluctantly he gave in and did what she had asked for. A few moments later he felt something warm and soft slide into his hands. And a second later, Kimiko's voice beamed. "Open them!"
In Hiraku's Hand there laid a small embroidery, clearly very carefully done, that showed the red motif of a flower he was more than familiar with.
"I asked aunt Mayumi to do that for you." Kimiko joyfully explained. Hiraku lifted his head to look at her, unsure what to say about this cute gesture.
Luckily, Kimiko continued to chatter. "Considering that it's the school that Auntie Alice runs it surely must be quite extravagant. I just want you to never forget where your roots are and that you can be proud of them. Ya always got Sumiredori behind ya, don't forget that Hiraku." Her grin became a little wider.
A small smile played itself on Hiraku's lips as well. "Thank you, Kimiko."
But before the bonding moment could went on, they already heard Erina exclaim. "Ah, Alice is here." And they just exchanged one look and rushed to the door afterwards.
A few hours later, after a few last reminders and a few last jokes about his forgetfulness and after a few goodbye hugs and kisses, Hiraku found himself walking on the impressive campus of Totsuki.
He had been in his aunt's office the entire time, until a staff member had picked him up to get him to the entrance ceremony of the freshly turned highschool first years. His new classmates. The 114th Generation of Totsuki.
Since he had took his first step on the school ground, Hiraku had been in awe. Everything was so big and grand and big. You could tell immediately that this was not your every-day Highschool.
It was unlike anything he had seen so far and he often stopped in his walk to appreciate the fascinating architectures and the pompous buildings.
And even now he could not stop himself but to put a halt to his walk here and there to inspect his surroundings a little bit closer, much to the frustration of the staff member.
Almost all of the entrance exam was over as they had finally reached their destination. Only the valedictorian-badge and Hiraku's announcement was left.
And just as they arrived backstage where another stressed staff member greeted them rather unfriendly, the host on the stage announced. "And now let's get the valedictorian on stage, please welcome….Hayama Akio!"
One of the two staff members sighed when hearing that and turned to Hiraku. "Alright, you're next. I hope you're ready."
His stress went up to a five as Hiraku gave him a shrug as an answer.
On stage the valedictorian, a pink-haired, dark skinned boy with leaf-green eyes, had receive his honour-badge and was making his way backstage already.
Proud and content with himself he arrived there, confident he had done everything right in his life so far.
And then his eyes fell on Hiraku, who stared back.
Akio tilted his head, wondering who this person might be. But just the very next moment, he heard.
"…Please give a warm welcome to: The new transfer student Yukihira Hiraku!" Was heard on stage.
"Oh." Hiraku acknowledged before setting himself into movement.
He passed Akio Hayama, who could not help but to look over his shoulder when Hiraku was going on the stage.
In front of him, Hiraku saw a massive line up of teens in his age. Thanks to the blue uniform they wore it quite literally was like a sea of people that Hiraku was having in front of him.
Not that he bothered.
He moved to the pedestal and took he microphone in his hands.
"Greetings." He said with a straight face. "My name is Yukihira Hiraku, one of the best chefs of Tokyo."
This alone and the murmuring began. Most of them were about the disdain for this outrageous claim but some of them also acknowledged to never have heard the name "Yukihira".
In between the students there was one blonde one with purple eyes, tipping her chin with a red fan.
"Bold claim. Looks like he got guts." She murmured for herself, before letting out a little chuckle. "The question is….Is that enough?"
"I'm happy to be here." Hiraku informed stoically making this a not very convincing claim.
"And I look forward to cook with you all as well to all the luxuries that come with his school. Thank you."
He bowed and left the stage without any change of expression.
His classmates were just silent and stared, trying to figure out if that had been a speech or his entry for the comedy contest.
And even though they all began to realise that it had been in fact a speech, most of them broke into laughter anyway.
They looked at each other and knew this was something they would joke about for weeks.
Still laughing they turned around and started to scatter into different directions.
Among them was a green-haired boy who was accompanied by two rather bulky boys his age that followed him with a respecting distance between them.
The green-haired one was not laughing, but he carried an amused, cold smirk.
"Umino." He stated in an imperative tone. One of the bulky men looked up. "Boss?"
"Put this Yukihira-kid under observation." He simply ordered without turning around. The two behind him exchanged confused looks, but none or less Umino replied. "Aye, Boss."
The boy's smirk grew a little. "I wonder if he's as naive as he comes across."
Hiraku of course did not hear any of that. Neither did he hear the other's jokes or giggles around him.
All he did was carelessly walking to the destination that had been marked on the map that was handed to him.
In his mind, everything was going perfect so far and he was more than sure that in a few months he would hold the title of best student in his hands.