Gumption
Nothing is more frustrating for Shinomiya than having his messages ignored for the nth time. There should be a good reason why Megumi never answered any of his calls or messages last night.
He even tried calling the dorm this morning but her friends blocked him off saying "Sorry, Senpai. Why don't you find out for yourself?"
I guess the important thing is she's safe...
As much as he wants to ambush her at the dorm, Shino's Tokyo for some reason is short of hands, and on a day when there are supposed to be more important guests too.
With that he had to cut his trip short so he can at least make it to the latter part of the restaurant shift.
After a quick drop-off at his place, he zoomed to Shino's Tokyo expecting a bit of chaos in the kitchen, but...
"S-senpai... You're here!" Megumi almost dropped an empty plate, then shielded herself with it.
"Chef, I thought you won't be coming back anymore." said Abel.
"I thought we don't have enough staff for today." Shinomiya answered back.
"Luckily those who had their day-off agreed to come in today, and Megumi was available too." Abel explained. "Also-"
"So you were able to answer to Abel but not to me." Shinomiya chided as he crossed his arms at Megumi paying no attention to any of the other people around him now.
His staff paused for a second, then strided off to continue their duties on their designated stations. It's an automatic reflex whenever they sense that their Executive Chef is about to scold or criticize someone.
"S-sorry!" Megumi bowed not knowing any other way to apologize. "I really am sorry..."
There was a thin line between Shinomiya's anger over his calls being ignored, and his relief seeing it himself that she's unharmed, but as she simply stood there right infront of him, alive and well, the latter feeling crept up flattening out his temper.
It bothers him now though that amidst the busy pace in the kitchen, there's a sound of emptiness where she's quite distant from him even though they're only a few feet away from each other. Shinomiya couldn't comprehend the awkwardness when it's supposed to go the other way once her memories returned.
"Chef." Wei interrupted. "Tendo-san is here."
"She's not on my schedule." Shinomiya still staring down at Megumi.
"Actually she got through since a reservation was cancelled at the last minute." Wei still pursued to take the matter seriously.
The main kitchen door opened and Amy strutted in bringing in that air of confidence she always donned on herself along with her fitted midi dress.
What an annoying distraction. Shinomiya thought as he hated people other than his staff coming into his kitchen.
"Chef Kojirou..." Amy's tone was endearing but as fake as ever.
He didn't even give her permission to call him that, and yet he's walking on hot coal where if he screws up his connection with her, it might ruin the current untainted record of Shino's Tokyo.
Being professionally involved with her may have been a mistake. It was a bad business move despite the claimed probable rewards.
"My, my, the pretty little chef is here!" Amy trudged her heels towards Megumi.
"You know her?" Shinomiya now wondering how they met.
"Only last night at a ryokan. Her food was exceptionally comforting." She slowly stroke Megumi's hair from the bangs all the way down to her braid. "I didn't know she's involved here in your restaurant, Kojirou."
Last night at a ryokan... Since Amy was there, they most likely missed each other, which is a good thing. That would have destroyed the overall good mood of his birthday.
Megumi stepped back before Amy's fingers reached the tip of her side braid, almost cringing. "Excuse me. Duty calls."
She nimbly took off back to her own station, by which Shinomiya found atypical. Megumi's hospitality is second nature to her, so she has always been the one to put on the most welcoming and honest smile in the crowd.
"She can cook, but she sure needs to be more sociable." Amy complained.
"She's not like that on a normal day." said Shinomiya more concerned of Megumi. "Still, what brings you here?"
"Brought a few friends. If the food and the service satisfies them, and of course I assured them it will, then it shouldn't take too long before this restaurant earns its prestige."
Shinomiya sighed being dragged into someone else's impulsive decisions. "Fine. Just stop going in and out of my kitchen whenever you like."
Nobody expected Shinomiya to be here today, and that's fine, but Amy's follow-up appearance twisted Megumi's veins.
Amy calling him by his first name nettled her composure that she almost cut herself when she julienned the carrots.
It's nothing... Think of it as nothing...
She multi-tasked so she could focus more on the food preparations instead. She can't revert back to the miserable Megumi last night or it would affect the result of the course Abel assigned to her.
Megumi gingerly plated the vegetable dish, and at her last touch of embellishment on the last plate, a ring of recipe cards dropped beside it.
Unto her right is Shinomiya, now all changed into his chef's uniform, towering over her. His aura ratifying his authority as it always would.
"Go through the fifth recipe card." he instructed as he signaled one of his staff to serve the courses Megumi prepared. "You're helping me with that right now. We'll serve it to Tendo and her friends."
His Chef mode switched on, and Megumi was tagged along to do the same as she tried to set aside her personal affairs with him on the way to the pantry.
As Shinomiya pulled out some produce from the stock, Megumi flipped over to the fifth recipe card as he directed, and she knew very well what it is. Only, it had a few changes.
When she trained in Paris under his supervision, he used this experimental dish to let her practice on a few cooking techniques. While it's supposed to be a good recipe, he said he will never cook this at Shino's unless he deems necessary. At that time, it felt like it was a little secret between them since nobody knows of this recipe's existence.
So why now..? Is it because of Tendo..?
"Senpai... Why did you choose this?" Her curiosity echoed in the pantry. Is there any special meaning to it?
"It's practical since it goes with what's readily available." Shinomiya handed her a small container of the same produce. "Also I think it's the right time to cook this..."
"I see..." Megumi said a little sullen. He cooks for her now... "Tendo-san must be special for you to be served with something that you've been working on for a while now..."
"I hardly care who I'm serving this to. I'm doing this out of my own pleasure, not for anyone." He extended his hand at a high shelf for a couple of spices.
Megumi observed him as he picked the ingredients with urgency. He has that look again when he's driven with his overpowering passion for French Cuisine.
Despite her internal chaos from last night, her heart thumped for him again, as it would always have whenever she sees him this way.
It will take a long time again before they could spend another day in the same kitchen, and nothing will ever get resolved if she stays quiet. This may be the only time too where they can be alone together. If they're going to cook, they should at least be civil with one another.
"Sorry... for running away last night..." Her guilt spoke for her now sympathizing that she might have left him clueless last night.
"We can talk about it later." Shinomiya had his own ingredients at hand. "For now, indulge me with your company. Let me do this with you before I leave tomorrow."
Those sweet words easily slid out of him, and as always, she falls into it, and the heavy burden from last night feathered out until a little smile lit up. "I'll do my best."
Never mind Amy Tendo for now. Never mind all these memory struggles; because before her feelings for him bloomed, before all these complications, she first enjoyed cooking with him, during that time in that little kitchen, where she trained with him along with the other rebels for the Regiment de Cuisine.
After getting everything on the list, Megumi cleared their stations in a blink, and they breezed through the recipe one step at a time.
She regularly practices a few team shokugeki with Souma and the other Elite Ten members, sometimes even with Doujima and Erina's grandfather. She mentally prayed with her lucky charm hoping it would pay off today with her senpai.
In the middle of the process, Shinomiya could already smell the dish, and its imperfection peeved him like he shouldn't have made any mistake since he revised the recipe.
It's missing something...
Before he could ask, Megumi passed on some vegetables she just chopped. It was out of the recipe, but it was exactly what he thought he would need.
They faintly smiled at each other. Shinomiya now couldn't help but admire that her skills accelerated to a point that he no longer had to compromise his speed for her, far from the first time they cooked together.
Megumi speeded through prepping the other elements of the dish for the next steps.
After a while, the last plating for Amy's guests was served out of the kitchen.
"Good job." Shinomiya ruffled Megumi's head.
"T-thank you..." she blushed. Not once did he complain throughout the process, which is a first, but now everything shifts back to reality. Maybe it's okay to talk to him now. "Senpai, about last night-"
"Chef, Tendo-san is asking for you." Wei called.
Shinomiya nodded at Wei then turned back to Megumi. "Hold that thought. Let's settle this after closing..." He patted her head again. "Don't run away."
"I won't... I promise." she held unto his recipe cards.
She checked on the clock. It's only almost two hours before closing.
It won't be too long...
Shinomiya hasn't been back in the kitchen for some time now, and they're only waiting for the last customers to finish their dessert. The staff have begun to clean their own stations.
Did he leave early..? She peeked through the round glass on the kitchen door. Shinomiya seems to be having a very serious discussion with Tendo.
"Megumi-chan, help me clear the utensils please." said Abel carrying pots and pans that just dried.
Megumi quickly responded to Abel's request, and while nothing tugged her suspicion, it was still uncomfortable to see Amy being physically close with her senpai.
Let's settle this after closing...
She shook her head, then decided to trust that all these demons in her head will go away when they meet again later.
After the clean-up, Megumi changed back to her dress and freshened up all ready to go, or more like, ready to talk to her senpai again. As she put on her backpack, she checked on the gift bag one last time.
She originally brought it so she can leave it to Abel to pass it on to Shinomiya, but she was probably destined to give it herself.
I hope he likes it...
She stared at herself in the mirror reflecting her outfit. Perhaps she could have chosen a better outfit today, or perhaps it she should now try to look a little nicer now so she won't appear too plain beside him.
Beside him... like we're going out on a date...
Holding hands, watching a movie, and...
Her head went on high temp as she fantasized further.
No, no, Megumi... We have to go through this first...
She slapped her cheeks then psyched herself up as if she's about to go for the battle of her life.
When she walked back into the kitchen, Abel and Lucie were on the corner consoling Wei who's almost about to cry.
Shinomiya finally returned leaving the door to swing behind him even though Amy was following him.
"Kojirou! What was that?" Amy shouted at Shinomiya who now faced her as if she's a nuisance.
"Let's discuss this inside the office." he said firmly.
"No!" Amy's voice now attracted some of the staff who are still in the kitchen. "What you just did is unforgivable! If you apologize now, I might be able to bring them back."
"Get out." commanded Shinomiya.
"What?"
"I said get out! You're fired." Shinomiya yelled then plodded off to his office.
Amy wouldn't allow it and she followed him, slamming the door to seal them in the room.
The other remaining staff in the kitchen were now either concerned, or confused. Abel clapped his hands twice to get everyone's attention.
"Calm down. It's just another day with a bad customer." he explained. "Go home safely, and we'll deal with this tomorrow."
"Yes, Chef!" The staff went off.
Megumi approached Wei. Now that she's closer, it appears as if the latter is more frustrated, wanting to punch someone on the spot. "What happened?"
"Wei almost got sexually harassed by one of Amy's friends." said Lucie. "They were inviting her to the table like some sort of bimbo in a host club."
"Lucie! Megumi might not want to come here anymore..." said Wei.
"I... understand Wei-san... It happens in our family ryokan too." Megumi joined in to console Wei. "Although rare, my mom also has to deal with these problems between the staff and the guests... but... how do you feel right now though?"
Her mom always checks on her staff after these kinds of situations.
"Like I want to poison someone..." Wei is now on the verge of sobbing.
Lucie rubbed her friend's back. "Well I'd feel the same too if I were insulted like that, saying that you're just a restaurant slave. It's a much more dignified job than what they're doing."
"I almost made the whole situation worse if Chef didn't get himself involved." shared Wei clenching her fist. "I'm just mad right now... I got us into this trouble... The whole restaurant might get a bad reputation just because Chef stood up for me. It would have been fine if it wasn't someone as influential as Tendo, and..."
Wei weeped on Lucie who now hugged her.
"Don't be silly." Lucie let Wei cry on her shoulder. "Chef Shinomiya would never allow anyone to hurt us that way. That's why he did that, and don't worry. We know he has been through worse. If you ask him now, he should know how to deal with this already."
"Agreed." Abel took out a handkerchief for Wei. "Chef never makes a business decision without us coming up with a fail-safe plan. Shino's France was in much deeper trouble before, and yet it still succeeded."
Both Abel and Lucie reminded Wei of why she should stay strong, and why it was the right thing to defend herself at the time. Otherwise, Shinomiya wouldn't have done what he did.
Shino's really has been through a lot...
...but it continues to flourish. Megumi and Shinomiya do share each other's struggles sometimes. On his end, the burden would be too much at a business point of view, that when she asks how his day was, he can only reply with...
It's been rough. I want to hear about your day instead...
The confidence and trust they all have on their Executive Chef impressed Megumi once again. At first she thought it was because of his capabilities as a chef, but it is also due to circumstances like this where he chooses to stand on his ground showing his concern in his own unique way.
Still, doesn't this make him feel lonely?
"How about Shinomiya-senpai and Tendo-san? Will they be okay?" asked Megumi now being aware of how much these failed deals could hurt the restaurant.
"Come to think of it, the yelling stopped for a minute now." Abel said skeptically.
"I'll check on Shinomiya-senpai." Megumi ran to the office now worried.
Her theatrical mind imagined a homicide waiting to happen with Amy as the killer. She shook her head hoping that was not the case... and true enough, it wasn't.
After running through the end of the short hall, and barging into his office without warning, there was no murder.
Instead, her senpai was sitting on the edge of his desk, a hand helping him balance himself from behind, with Amy leaning forward on his body.
"Megumi..." Shinomiya pushed Amy away.
"S-sorry..." Megumi stammered, unable to process what she just witnessed. She robotically laid the gift bag she's been carrying on top of something behind the door. "Please continue."
She waved then sprinted off through the hall, passed Abel, Lucie, and Wei, then out of the restaurant.
The farther her steps took her away, the more she understood what happened, and it all validated everything she cried for last night.
Shinomiya had a level of threshold when it comes to adjustments for his restaurants' growth. One thing he knows is that he would never cheapen Shino's by sacrificing his moral compass, which is why when Amy allowed one of her friends to cross that line, he never hesitated to drop their partnership on the spot.
"Kojirou, stop being so stubborn." Amy now in a grudge. "Tokyo now holds the title of the city with the most number of Michelin stars in the world. You think you'll survive without me?"
"Stop convincing me with an insult." It was almost the same as saying he's not good enough to earn a star without her. "My mind's made up the moment you allowed anyone to easily disrespect my staff."
"Is that your final decision?"
"Abel will prepare the paperwork involved." he said firmly.
What a tool, this woman.
"Fine." Amy gave up. She already drew out all her cards to scare him off, but nothing worked. "At least let me wait here until my ride comes to pick me up."
"Yeah whatever." Shinomiya said annoyed. The faster he can get rid of her, the sooner he can move forward to be with Megumi.
Amy now snooped unto the frames on the wall. They were all familiar already. Pictures of Shinomiya with his mom, his friends, his core staff both in Paris and here in Tokyo, but what caught her eye was a picture of high school kids from Tootsuki Academy... Erina Nakiri who is gifted with the god tongue, Jouichirou Saiba's son, the eldest son of the famed Isshiki clan, and a few more familiar faces. "I see you're close with the jewel generation. There is a rumor that Senzaemon-san deliberately chose them to be in the same year as his granddaughter, Erina Nakiri."
"I've been called too many times to be their judge in some events. I don't know anything beyond that." Of course, he knows more than that, not to mention training some of them as needed.
"I see the little pretty chef is here too..." Her finger traced Megumi's face on a picture with him and Shino's staff in France. Out of the five pictures displayed, Megumi was in all the other three. "Interesting..." She might have another card to play.
"You're quite close with the little chef, right? Megumi Tadokoro, is it?" Amy almost scratched a frame with a fingernail. "I like her, and when I see something I like, I dig into a few things about them."
Shinomiya's brows furrowed sensing she's up to something. He's fully aware of how cunning Amy can be, and so he took out his phone, and tried not to react only to find out where this is going. "What about her?"
"Well... She's equipped with the looks and the potential to be a star chef... It would be bad if something happened to her career before it takes off, not to mention if their small family business gets dragged down with it." Amy now spun around to throw a devious smile.
"Tendo, don't you dare." Shinomiya gritted his teeth.
"Oh. Did I push a button?" She approached him pompously. "You could be ruining someone's life with your stubborness."
"Still have enough guts to negotiate?" Shinomiya's blood boiled.
"It's just business... Take it all back, and for this little trouble, add more to what we agreed upon." she flipped her hair already assuming her win.
Seriously, what a headache. "It's probably not your first time slandering someone like this."
"Fear does the trick. You think it's all honest work? I didn't build an empire without leeching off profits from the restaurants I've partnered with." Amy regained her confidence again and took a step forward. "So what if one of your staff got harassed? I'm telling you now, Kojirou, you'll have bigger problems if you go against me... and I'll make sure your little chef will fall too."
Amy felt the victory. Another restaurant under her control.
Shinomiya grinned. "You couldn't be more wrong. That girl has plenty of time. She'll succeed no matter what you throw at her."
His mind wandered in a second to replay a scene of Megumi when she's in the zone while cooking.
"You on the other hand, how sad would it be if your so-called empire falls now?" Shinomiya faced his phone towards her with an ongoing recording.
"Why you..." Amy charged on him that it made him lean back against his desk.
Shinomiya pressed on the save button swiftly hiding it behind him. It was like hiding a candy from a persistent kid.
"Wouldn't it be harder to start from scratch at this time?" It was Shinomiya's turn to mock her. "Your sorry old ass won't be able to do much."
More provoked, Amy grabbed unto his collar, her weight almost on him, and her thumbs close to poking his throat. "Delete it."
Shinomiya viciously glared at her. After threatening his girl's future? "Why the fuck would I?"
Just then his office door opened in a haste, and as he straightened his glasses, he had a clear view of Megumi standing there with a blank face. Shinomiya now realized the disgustingly embarrassing position he has with Amy.
"Megumi..." he said pushing Amy away before Megumi could misunderstand anything, or she might have already.
"S-sorry..." Megumi now marched like a toy soldier placing a gift bag on his file cabinet. "Please continue." she said then dashed out of the room.
What the hell.
"Stupid teenagers." grunted Amy as she settled down on a chair infront of his desk.
He glowered at her like an angry demon. "Say one more thing about her and I'll bite your head off."
"Oh my god. Is that how you treat a woman? No wonder you can't have a girlfriend." Amy said taken aback afraid to say anything else.
Shinomiya didn't argue anymore and rushed out. Coincidentally Abel was on the hallway.
"Abel, take care of Tendo. We're going for the second contingency plan." Shinomiya directed then ran off in double speed to catch up with Megumi.
After their recent table tennis match, he's keeping his fingers crossed that she doesn't have the talent of a professional runner.
Three blocks away from Shino's and Megumi badly trips on the sidewalk almost falling on her face, with both her knees absorbing the impact.
She had too many questions to ask her senpai, and she was supposed to claim her answers earlier, but that lewd sight of him and Tendo did it all for her.
People pass by, and offered to help but she only sobbed like a lost little girl. She was a wreck in the middle of it all, not being able to get up. It was one after another, and now all the physical pain from her injured knees paralleled with another wave of heartache streaming from her eyes.
"Megumi!"
She turned her head from where the voice is coming from, and even with her tears unclearing her vision, she can recognize the form of her senpai running towards her.
She sniffed intending to run again, but the scrapes on her knees have begun to bleed a little. She was in physical distress that her mind dissociated a bit. With no one to help, her unconscious made her wave a white flag, surrendering everything to Shinomiya.
He carried her up by the arms, and he might have asked her if she could walk, then the next thing she knows, he was already leading her by the hand on their way back to Shino's.
She first resisted by pulling back a bit, but Shinomiya only stopped then turned to her and said. "You promised not to run away."
"Please let me go..." Megumi begged as a few tears dropped. "I don't want to get hurt anymore..."
"And you think I don't feel a thing?!" Shinomiya gripped on her wrist. "I almost lost you once. Why are you making me lose you again?"
The agony from his voice jolted Megumi as he wore a kind of desperation that she has never seen before. It's the kind that stripped him off of his strength to unsheath all his vulnerability, and she immensely felt it all through her bones like a bolt of thunder.
It all made her bite her lip from bawling, unable to answer back. Shinomiya took advantage of her speechless docile state.
"Let's treat those wounds first. We should have a first aid kit." he spoke softly having their fingers lace together in one hand.
They resumed their walk back to the restaurant with the noise of the hustles and bustles of Tokyo's district being wielded to fill in their silence.