Hey Everyone, I'm back from the dead. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and an awesome new year. What was the best gift you got this year? I got a new bed which I was in desperate need of. In this chapter, we will see how central copes with the blowout from last chapter. Enjoy
Chapter 10: Regiment de Cuisine Pt 3
The team was flying high after taking out the first 6 members of the Elite 10 with relative ease. The group knew that today wouldn't be easy. The top 4 members of the Elite 10 were all legendary. Tsukasa Eishi and Kobayashi Rindo especially, being the 1st and 2nd seats. As everyone returned to the stadium, they went over today's plan one more time.
"Alright everyone, it's us 10 vs the 4 of them. We have a massive advantage., but I'm not so confident that we can escape today without casualties. Do your best to win, but it's Ok if you don't. If you can't win, your job is to exhaust them so the rest of us have a better chance. The first 3 up today will be Megumi-chan, Ryo-kun, and Kuga-kun. " Erina explained
"I'll kick all their asses!" Ryo shouted, already dawning his signature headband.
"You can count on me." Kuga said
"I'm not ready for this." Megumi shuddered.
The group waited inside their area in the arena for their group to be called. It only took a few minutes until they heard the oh so familiar announcer.
"Welcome back ladies and gentlemen for another day of the Regiment de Cuisine! Centra's top 4 chefs are here to squash the rebels! I'm your host Kawashima Urara! Introducing the rebel scum, Mito Ikumi, Takumi Aldini, Terunori Kuga, Nakiri Alice, Arato Hisako, Kurokiba Ryo, Tadokoro Megumi, Isshiki Satoshi, Yukihira Soma, and Nakiri Erina. Now, on YOUR central Team, Saito Somei! Akanegakubo Momo! Kobayashi Rindo! And Tsukasa Eishi! First round competitors take the stage!"
For the rebels, the previously mentioned trio of Ryo, Megumi, and Kuga took the stage. For central, Somei, Momo, and Tsukasa tok the stage. Kuga was the first to speak up.
"Tsukasa-senpai, I want to face you. It's about time I got a rematch."
"That's fine with me then." Tsukasa replied flatly.
"You, you're not cute. I want to crush you." Momo said, pointing to Megumi.
"O-o-ok." Megumi stuttered.
"That leaves you with me samurai bastard! I'll crush you!" Ryo shouted
"I look forward to it, worthy opponent." Somei responded
Kuga was the first to go and get a theme. He pulled on the lever and after a minute of flashing ingredients, the final item that flashed across the screen was pork. Both Kuga and the first seat knew what to make.
Megumi was next to pick a theme. Up to the machine she went to pull on the lever of fate, shaking nervously as she did so. The lever was pulled and themes flashed until landing on one. And everyone on the rebel side was shocked. Theme: Dessert
Last but not least was Ryo, he went up and pulled the lever angrily, as Ryo tends to do. Themes and themes went by before it landed on one both chefs could get excited about. Salmon. Ryo had his idea and Somei to the shock of absolutely no one was making sushi.
"The matches and themes have been chosen! Participants have 2 hours to cook! Ingredients are in the back storage area. Begin!"
Tsukasa vs Kuga: Pork
As soon as it was time to get started, Kuga bolted to the storage area to pick up some ingredients. He picked up a couple different kinds of soy sauce, some nice fatty pork belly, and some chinese cooking wine among other things. Tsukasa for his part, picked up some pork sausage, bacon, chicken thoughts, and some other things he would need.
Back at his station, Kuga got to work. He started by cutting the pork belly into large, roughly equal pieces. Once that was done he thinly sliced some fresh ginger and trimmed down a bunch of green onions, both chosen for him by Megumi, the team's resident vegetable expert. He then dropped the pork into boiling water for a few seconds to wash any scum away. After this, he drained the water and put the ginger and onions in a layer at the bottom of the pot. He gently placed the pork skin-side down on the vegetable bed. He finished up his concoction by pouring in both light and dark soy sauce and some of the cooking wine before finishing with a little bit of sugar on the pork. He then let in simmer for 50 minutes before flipping the pork and simmering it for another 50 minutes. He was done
Over on Tsukasa's side of things, he started by preparing his chicken thighs with some salt and pepper. After this his cooked the bacon he got in a pan as his oven was preheating. Once the bacon was done, into the same pan, he threw his saigeses along with onions and garlic. Once those were done cooking, he added the chicken to the pan along with chicken broth and some fresh herbs. After transferring the cooked ingredients to a dutch oven and topping them with breadcrumbs, he baked the dish for an hour and a half. Tsukasa was finished.
Momo vs Megumi: Desserts
Megumi nervously starts to gather her ingredients. Shr grabs apples, flour, sugar, and various spices for her dish, along with some surprise ingredients. Momo follows suit by grabbing her tons of flour, sugar, milk, eggs, and a bunch of other common baking ingredients. Megumi helps Kuga pick out some fresh ginger and green onions. She also helped a reluctant Ryo pick out lemons for his dish.
At her station, Megumi got to work. She started by putting heavy cream into a stand mixer and whipping it into whipped cream. She then added sweetened condensed milk and some butter into a spertate bowl before adding a whole lot of pure vanilla extract. She then folded the whipped cream into the mixture and set it into the freezer. Next, she would go on to put flour and butter into a food processor and blend them together. Once they were nicely together, she added ice water a little at a time until a crumbly dough started to form. She let it rest in the fridge for a bit while she prepared her apples. She cored, then sliced them into nice thin slices and tossed them in a bowl with some lemon juice and a few different spices. She frigid her apples and got out the dough and rolled it into a pie crust before par-baking it. Once that was done, she loaded the apples into the crust and made a lattice top crust. She then baked the whole affair. She put it in the fridge once it was dne to speed up the cooling process as she only had 30 minutes left. For the most part, she was done. During periods of downtime in her cooking, she was preparing a vegetable medley
On the flip side, Momo had gotten her ingredients together and mixed a hell of a lot of sponge cake batter.
"Somei-nyan, I'll need your oven as well." The young pastry chef deadpanned
"Very well." the samurai replied.
Momo begann to bake large, square sheets of cake. While they were baking, she made a ton of icing of various colors and flavors. Once her cakes were out, she stacked them up into a tower about a foot and half tall. She trimmed the sides of her cake so that they were all nice and clean before continuing to card the block of cake into an odd shape. She then iced the cake in intricate patterns. She was finished.
Somei vs Ryo: Salmon
Ryo bolted into the storage area and gathered his ingredients. First his fillets, various spices and a couple herbs, flour, lemons that he begrudgingly let Megumi help him pick out. Somie picked out his usual suspects, rice, salmon, seaweed sheets and a few other things.
When Ryo began, he started by seasoning his salmon fillets and dredging them in flour. Next, he prepared a pan with oil and butter and put his fillets on to cook. Once they were done, he took them out of the pan and kept them warm in the oven. He put some more butter into the pan and melted it before deglazing the pan with white wine. After letting the sauce reduce for a few minutes, he added some chicken broth and lemon juice. He brought the mixture to a boil and added some cornstarch to thicken the sauce a bit. Finally, he added capers to the sauce. He cooked for another couple minutes. By that time, Megumi had run a container of perfectly cooked vegetables over to Ryo. Ryo accepted them and plated up his salmon and sauce over the veggies. He was done.
Flashback to ingredients gathering…
Megumi was gathering her ingredients when she noticed Ryo picking up some Vegetables.
"Umm, Kurokiba-kun… those aren't the freshest there" Megumi said meekly
"WHAT WAS THAT PIPSQUEAK!?" Ryo shouted back angrily
"T-those vegetables, take these ones instead, they're fresher." Megumi said while taking out some from the box and handing them to Ryo.
"Fine, whatever." Ryo said
"What are you making Kurokiba-kun?"
"If you must know, Salmon piccata served over a fresh vegetable medley."
Megumi, adopting a much more determined persona out of seemingly nowhere demands,
"Let me cook the vegetables for you!"
Ryo was taken aback by this
"Huh? Why would I do that?"
"Because, we're a team. I'll have a good bit of downtime with my recipe, so I'll have anty of time to make sure all of your vegetables get cooked to perfection. Remember that vegetables are my specialty."
"Fine! But if I lose I'm blaming you!"
Present time…
Somei started his dish by making a batch of sushi rice. He then reconstituted his seaweed sheets before perfectly proportioning a salmon for all of his sushi rolls. He first wrapped rice balls in seaweed and topped them with Salmon Roe. He then hand rolled cylinders of rice and topped them with a perfectly cut piece of salmon. Next up, he made a kind of cone shape out of seaweed into which he deposited rice and thin strips of salmon. Lastly, he pressed the rice into triangles that he topped with triangular cuts of salmon before wrapping it up in bamboo leaves. And then, he was done.
Judging: Tsukasa vs Kuga
Kuga presented the judges with his Dong Po Pork. The judges loved its depth of flavor and how tender the pork was. The slight sweetness of the sugar glaze contrasted perfectly with the saltiness of the soy sauce creating a wonderful eating experience. Tsukasa presented the judges with his Apple Sausage Cassoulet and they were stunned. The sheer amount of flavor brought them into another world. Flavors that they never dreamed of, the judges were in a state of euphoria.
Tsukasa- 5
Kuga- 0
Kuga was crushed to have lost again. He couldn't even secure a single vote against that monster. Could anyone beat Tsukasa Eishi?
Judging: Momo vs Megumi
Megumi gave her dish to the judges. Each one of them was presented with a slice of apple pie topped with homemade vanilla ice cream. The judges took a bite of the bake and were instantly warmed. They thought of home and their families. The dish had taken them all back to childhood. Momo presented her cake and the judges were stunned. She had made a scale model of Totsuki's administration building. The detail on it was incredible. It was almost a shame to have to cut into to try. After the bite, the judges were not only astounded by the presentation, but also the flavors. The sweetness was perfectly balanced, and the crumb was light and airy.
Momo- 4
Megumi- 1
Everyone was stunned that one judge had voted for Megumi, none more than Momo. Her, lose a vote on a desert theme? Unheard of! Momo won, but she was still fuming walking off the stage. Some say they could hear her muttering as she walked down.
"Not cute! Not cute! Not cute!"
Judging: Somei vs Ryo
Ryo presented his Salmon Piccata to the judges. They were blown away by the depth of the sauce's flavor. It has a perfect tanginess combined with slight richness. The salmon, the star of the dish was seasoned to absolute perfection. It enhanced the flavor of the dish without overpowering the Salmon's natural flavors. Lastly, the vegetable medley that it was atop, was cooked very well. All the parts had a delightful crunch, none were too soggy or undercooked. Next was Somei's Sushi. First he gave them all a salmon roe Gukan Maki. Then a salmon Nigiri, next a salmon Tamaki, and finally a salmon Sasazushi. None of the judges could believe that sushi could reach these flavor heights. They were amazed to say the least. It was definitely the best sushi they had ever eaten,
Somei- 2
Ryo- 3
"Well done. You are truly the better chef." Somei said holding out his hand
Ryo just growled and walked was promptly boo'd for his dishonorable behavior. He didn't care though.
"That's it for now! We will be back for more cooking after a 1 hour break!" Kawashi said
In the back waiting area, Megumi and Kuga were both devastated. Megumi felt like a failure. She had put everything she had into her cooking, but still lost to momo. Kuga was similarly crushed by his loss to Tsukasa. How could he get shut out after all of his improvements this month? Tsukasa really was a monster. The group addressed them both.
"I'm really proud of you two. You did great." Erina told them
"Yeah, even though you didn't win, you started to exhaust them. There are only 3 of them left compared to the 8 of us. If we continue to give our all to cooking, we can win, whether by beating them early, or tiring them out to beat later." Soma encouraged them.
The two still felt bad for losing, but they felt a little better about it now. The next hour was spent strategizing for the next round. The next three up would be, Ikumi, Takumi, and Hisako.
"Alright ladies and gentlemen of central, it's time for more wins for us!" Kawasima yelled
The three left from central and the three selected from the rebels took the stage. It was decided that Hisako would face Rindo, Ikumi would face momo, and Takumi would face Tsukasa. The 2 hours were up in no time, and it wasn't even close.
Tsukasa vs Takumi, Theme: Garlic
Tsukasa- 5
Takimi- 0
Rindo vs Hisako, Theme: Chilli Peppers
Rindo- 5
Hisako- 0
Momo vs Ikumi, Theme: Lemons
Momo- 5
Ikumi- 0
The 2nd day ended and the rebels, down 5 members on the day, were feeling dejected. Soma never lost his hope though. They were close to the endgame. Five vs three. They still had 2 great chefs and 3 excellent ones. They could still win this thing.
Back at Polar Star, they hardly had a reason to celebrate. They had lost 5 out of 6 matches today. The mood in the usually lively dorm was quite somber. Despite Soma's reassurance, they didn't have it in themselves to party that night.
In Soma;s room, our favorite love birds continued to cuddle and talk as they did every night.
"Soma?"
"Yeah Erina?"
"What will happen if we lose?"
"First of all, we won't. We got this. My father is risking everything to help us. We won't- we CAN'T fail. Even if we did. We could…. Travel the world like my dad did! We could spend some time improving our cooking, and then come back to defeat him."
"Hmmm, I don't know…"
"Doesn't matter anyway because we got this."
"I love you Soma."
"I love you too Erina."
The couple falls asleep in each other's embrace as has become a habit for them over the past couple months.
The next morning, the rebels gathered in the backstage area of the arena. Their glameplan to start the day was to send out Ryo, Alice, and Isshiki.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to day 3 of the team shokugeki! The remaining members of each team are, Nakiri Alice, Kurokiba Ryo, Isshaki Satoshi, Yukihira Soma, and Nakiri Erina for the rebel scum and Akanegakubo Momo, Kabayashi Rindo, and Tsukasa Eishi for glorious central. Lets see what happens in round one of the day!
The 3 members of central went up, followed shortly after by the 3 selected rebels. Ryo Demanded to face Tsukasa, Rindo wanted to face "the cute little Nakiri" so that left Isshiki to fight momo. These are the results.
Tsukasa vs Ryo, Theme: Chicken
Tsukasa- 5
Ryo-0
Rindo vs Alice, Theme: Puff Pastry
Rindo- 4
Alice- 1
Momo vs Isshiki, Theme: Mexican Cuisine
Momo- 2
Isshiki- 3
After those 3 matches, it was now 3 vs 2, in favor of the rebels. They had one hour to decide how to proceed.
"I want to get a chance to go out there." Erina said
"Then I'm going too." Soma said confidently
"I'm sorry Soma-kun, but I'm going to have to request you refrain this time." Isshiki interjected
"But why? I want my chance to beat Tsukasa-senpai." Soma protested
"Because, Nene-chan was right. I don't really ever try my hardest. Now i'm curious just to see how far I can go if I do."
"But if you both win, I won't have my chance!" Soma whined
"I just want to try, I'm not sure if I can win. Grant me this Soma-kun?"
"Ok, fine. You can go." Soma relented
And like that it was decided that Erina and Isshiki would face Rindo and Tsukasa. Out in the Arena, the 5 remaining chefs came out to wage a battle. It was coming down to the wire for both sides. Erina and Ishiki made their way up to face Tsukasa and Rindo.
"Oooh, looks like I will crush 2 Nakiris today." Rindo said with a wicked grin.
"I don't think so Kobayashi-senpai. You can't beat me." Erina retorted just as calm and confident as always.
Isshiki looked determined more than goofy this time. He wanted to see what he could really do, and the first seat would be his test. Rindo started by pulling the theme lever for her match with Erina. The theme that they landed on Raman. Isshiki was next to pull the theme liver for his match with his famed upperclassman. It landed on Vegetables.
Rindo vs Erina: Raman
Erian went back to the storage area to grab what she needed. She ended up picking some pork bones, flour, some aromatic vegetables and other things. Kobayashi grabbed some rare herbs and spices as well as a mystery ingredient she had sent in.
Back at her station, Erina wastes no time in putting her pork bones into water along with her vegetables, and various herbs and spices. She set that to simmer while she formed dough for noodles. Erina let the broth simmer for an hour and half, and left it cool for the last half hour. In the interim, after her noodles were formed, she roasted some pork shoulder for about an hour. During the last half hour, while the broth whas cooling, she cut up her pork and cooked her noodles. She was finished.
For Rindo's part, she pulled some large bones out of an unmarked box and through them into a large stock pot. She put in some spices that most people didn't recognize, but Hayama noticed.
'She's using Native Ginger, Brush Pepper, River Mint, and other spices native to Australia. Interesting..' He thought to himself
Back in the action, Rindo lft her broth to simmer while she pulled a chunk of meat out of the same box that the bones came from. This one couldn't be identified by anyone, not even Ikumi could place it. She seasoned it with more exotic spices and set it to roast while she formed noodles. She also simmered her broth for an hour and half. She was finished by the time the round ended.
Tsukasa vs Isshiki: Vegetables
Isshiki went into the storage area and picked up a variety of vegetables, rice vienegar and other ingredients. Isshiki felt good about this battle, not only because he was giving his all for the sake of himself and his precios Kohai, but also because vegetables were almost as much a specialty for him as they were for Megumi given how much time he spends in Polar Star's garden. Tsakasa, for his dish, picked up a large amount of various vegetables, as well as some butter and oil.
Isshiki started by chopping and slicing all his produce and setting them aside. The speed at which he did this amazed people. He was like a human food processor. He then heated some oil in a large wok. Once the oil was heated, he added his myriad of veggies. He let them sit for a minute to brown. While the veggies were cooking, he combined Mirin, Rice wine vinegar, and tamari. He put this mixture over the cooking vegetables before stir frying them for a couple minutes before finishing the dish by sprinkling salt and sesame seeds over his dish. He was finished
Tsukasa on the other hand was the exact opposite of Isshiki. Isshiki was like a human food processor, while Tsukasa had a very calm and measured approach. He was very precise and deliberate in every move he made. He started by setting the oven to preheat. He cut up some bell peppers and set them to bake in his preheated oven. In short order he continued to prepare other veggies in a couple different ways, from pan frying to grilling. He then Lined a cake pan with cling wrap and put his veggies into it in layers and set the whol;e thing in the fridge. He was done.
Judging: Rindo vs Erina
The judges tried Erina's first. They were astounded by the harmonious balance of flavors that were in her raman. The pork was greatly enhanced by her choice of spices and was roasted to perfection. It was just as they would expect from the wielder of the God's Tongue. Absolutely divine.
When Rindo presented her raman, everyone was surprised to say the least. She called it "Outback Raman". All of the herbs and spices she used were native to Australia, and her meat was kangaroo meat. The judges were surprised by the delightful gameyness of the meat and how well it played with the Australian herbs and spices. Leave it to the master of exotic ingredients to pull something so unexpected off.
Rindo- 2
Erina- 3
"Well damn. Looks like you win this one princess. Congrats." Rindo says while walking away
Judging: Tsukasa vs Isshiki
Isshiki was first to present his Vegetable Teppanyaki. It was an incredibly simple dish, just lightly fried vegetables that were also lightly seasoned. When the judges took a bite, they couldn't believe it. The simplicity of the dish could not possibly betry just how perfectly it was executed. The flavors mingled perfectly na d the vegetables remained delightfully crisp leading to a satisfying crunch.
Tsukasa presented the judges with a 6 vegetable terrine of Eggplant, mushroom, peppers, zucchini , and spinach. The judges were taken to another world by the dish's perfection. This was the man called Der Weisse Ritter der Tafel, The White knight of the Table. His mastery of french cooking second to few, Each of the different vegetables were cooked to their individual perfection, then lovingly out together for the dish.
Tsukasa- 4
Isshiki- 1
'Wow" Soma thought. 'Isshiki-senpai's best and he could only secure 1 vote against him?'
"Alright everyone. That's it for today! Tomorrow is when Central achieves ultimate victory over the rebels!"
As Kawashima finishes up her spiel, Azami comes up and takes the mic.
"I am hereby announcing that for tomorrow's matches, there will be two new judges." Azami began.
"Hey! We didn't agree to that!" Soma yells
"Oh, but you did." Azami counters
Soma looks confused before Joichiro speaks up.
"It's alright Son, I approved it."
"The two new Judges will be yours truly and the former headmaster Nakiri Senzaemon." Azami continues as the elder patriarch of the Nakiri clan comes out.
The return of the old headmaster came with a roar of applause. After all, most of the students still jeld a great respect for their former leader.
Tsukasa also entered the picture, but he addressed Soma and Erina Directly.
"If it's not too much trouble. I'd like to take you both on at once. With the advancement exams starting in 3 days, i'd like the extra time to get work done for it." Tsukasa explained
Erina looked at Soma and he nodded.
"We accept, but it's up to the organizers here. ' Erina answered
"I'm ok with it if you are." Senzaemon said to Azami,
Azami took Tsukasa aside and whispered.
"Are you absolutely sure you can beat them both at once?"
"If I'm being honest, no, I'm not. But I Know I can't beat them sperpeptly. These last matches have been really taxing. If I have to take on two more matches, especially against chefs of their caliber, I won't be able to beat them both. My only chance is to battle them both at once." Tsukasa explained
"If that's how you feel, fine. But you'd better win."
Azami came back up to announce his decision.
"I agree to the terms. One match, one dish per team. Now, Tsukasa-kun, the theme if you'd please."
Tsukasa obeyed and went over the theme machine and pulled the lever. The crowd watched with anticipation as themes flashed one by one. Things like Duck, Tuna, and Italian, before settling on one. French cuisine
Erina's heart sank. They would need to face the renowned first seat with his specialty. Soam was definitely nervous, if a ;little excited as well. He would get to cook alongside Erina against the current first seat and 3rd best chef at Totsuki, behind him and Erina, Soma reasoned.
"And with that, the defeat of the rebels is sealed. Tsukasa couldn't possibly be beaten at French cuisine! Tomorrow at 10am, the showdown starts!" Kawashima said.
Back at Polar Star, Soma and Erina were in Soma's room at his kitchenette. They needed to decide what to make, then test recipes to find the perfect dish.
"Soma, do you think we can beat him?"
"I know we can! We're the two best chefs in our year and we're working together. We should be able to beat anyone like this. If our time working at Yukihira's together has taught us anything, it was teamwork."
Erina smiled softly, thinking back to the times they had back at the diner. That was the first that she could remember actually having fun cooking. Soma was right, when they were in the kitchen together, they were a force to be reckoned with.
"True enough I suppose. But I can't help being worried. This is his specialty after all."
"I know, but hey, we are the God's Tongue and the future first seat. We got this."
"Nice try Yukihira, but I think you mean the future first seat and a 2nd rate diner chef."
"We'll see about that. Now, we have to decide what to make."
"We could try to improve one of the french dishes that we made in training?" Erina suggested
"We could… or, do you remember that movie we watched a cou;e weeks ago?"
"Do you mean that dish?"
"Yes. I think it's perfect, and i have coupe ideas…"
So with that, the two would spend the next 5 hours testing different cook times and seasonings on each ingredient to bring out the best in them all. Once they had cook times down to the second and seasoning down to the grain, they went to bed in anticipation for the next day's match..
The next morning all of Totsuki was hyped to see the match. The God's Tongue and Transfer Students vs the First Seat. It was a match for the ages. And the way Kawashima introduced it reflected that.
"Helloooo Totsuki! Welcome to the final match of the Team Shokugeki! First seat and last remaining member of glorious Central, Tsukasa Eishi vs Rebel scum Yukihira Soma and Nakriri Erina! The theme is French Cuisine, Tsukaasa-senpai's specialty! In just 2 hours, we will see Central's final victory!"
Final Match, Tsukasa vs Soma and Erina: French
When cooking began, Erina started behind to make her preparations at their station while Soma went to get ingredients. In the back, Soma got Tomatoes, eggplant, squash, bell peppers and other ingredients together and headed back out to a waiting Erina. Tsukasa picked up some venison, eggs, shallots, and a few other things and went to start.
Erina began my blanching tomatoes and setting rice to cook and blanching some tomatoes while Soma fire roasted some red peppers on his portable grill. Once they were done with that, Erina combined some roma tomatoes with the roasted peppers with the blackened skin peeled off, a couple herbs, and chicken broth in a blender. Once the mixture was properly blended, Erina set it in a pot to simmer. While she was doing that, SOma was cutting the blackened tomatoes, some eggplant, and a couple other kinds of vegetables into this slices with a mandolin.
Watching the two first years work together was a sight to behold. If one needed something, the other gave it before they could ask. The two were working in perfect harmony. Never in each other's way, deftly moving about the kitchen in graceful silence, almost like they were dancing to a tune only they could hear. Senzeamon couldn't help but notice the small, soft smile on his granddaughter's face. He gave a silent 'thank you' to the chef that was currently saving Erina from her past.
After some time, the pepper blend has finished simmering and Erina laid it into a baking pan. Afterward, Soma shingled the sliced vegetables into a repeating pattern over top the sauce before placing it in the oven to bake a bit. After a while, the pair plated up their dish. They had finished.
On Tsukasa's side, He started by mixing 3 pounds of coarse ground salt with a little bit of water to make a kind of salt paste. Once that was done, he seaside his venison roast and covered it in the salt so that the roast was encased in the salt mixture. He set the roast tin the oven and began to make his sauce.
His movements were very graceful and deliberate. If his opponents looked like they were dancing to an unheard tune, he looked like he was cooking in solemn reflection. There could be no denying the skill of the first seat. He has been undefeated in shokugeki up to this point for a reason.
He started by finely chopping up a shallot. Next, he mixed up a basic marinade. Next, he put some butter,the shallots, some red wine, beef broth and some seasonings into a pan and made a brown sauce. He then mixed the brown sauce with the marinade and then simmered the mixture. Before too long, his roast came out of the oven. He cracked off the salt crust and plated up with his sauce. He was finished and it was time for judging.
Judging: Tsukasa vs Soma and Erina
"This is the best dish I can make right now." Tsukasa explained. "This is the White Armor Plate: Sauce Chevreuil."
The judges took a bite and… silence. The judges were speechless. None of them could think of words to describe just how good the dish they were eating was. It was sheer culinary perfection. Azami was the first to speak up.
"This was magnificent. True gourmet perfection. You have outdone yourself Tsukasa-kun."
"The venison was baked perfectly, it's very moist and flavorful." Senzaemon added.
Some of the rebels were getting very nervous now. To get such high praise from both the current and former director was a very rare sight indeed. But little did they realize that it was worse than they thought.
"Ahh! Where are my clothes!" a girl yelled from the crowd.
Then another, then another.
"Ahh, it appears my gifting wave has leaked out. A true testament to how good the dish was." Azami explained
"True I have some more restraint than that, but the dish was indeed splendid." Senzaemon confirmed.
Next was Soma and Erina. They walked up to the judges table with 5 bowls of rice with a small tower of sauced up vegetables on top. The pair spoke in Unison
"We would like to present to you, Nakiri-Yukihira Style Confit Byaldi Don."
Senzeamon looked intrigued, while Azami looked disgusted.
"What is this?" He asked coldly
"This, father, is our newest creation. A fusion of French gourmet and Japanese diner. A perfect blend of our styles."
"To think that you've let your cooking fall so far. You need to be retrained. This competition is over. You're a disgrace." Azami went to get up but was stopped by Soma's voice.
"What's the matter? Afraid to taste it?"
"Please, you're pathetic cooking isn't worth my time."
"Azami, you can't refuse the judge the dish. If you're so confident that Tsukasa's is better, just try it to confirm." Senzaemon said.
Azmai reluctantly complied and all the judges took a bite of dish… thren another… than another, until they were all eating the whole thing ravenously, even Azami. When they were done, Azami was shocked at how quickly he had scarfed it down without regard for how he looked while doing it.
"How…" Azami muttered
"The secret is in the rice. We used raw fruit pastes in the rice to give it a mellow sweetness to cut through the acidity of the pepper sauce." Soma explained.
Just then, clothes started disappearing from people all over the stadium.
'Oh no, I can't contain the gifting wave.' Azami thought
"Well well, it seems you've even gotten my gifting wave going" Senzaemon said "good one"
Tsukasa- 2
Soma and Erina- 3
When Erina looked up at the scoreboard showing that they'd won, she was so happy, that she didn't even think about what she did next. She enveloped Soma in a tight hug and captured his lips like she'd done a thousand times in private. Some accepted this of course. Those who already knew of the relationship smiled softly as Erina's sudden boldness. Those who didn't were staring in astonishment. The God's Tongue kissing the Transfer? What?
Erina released the kiss and smiled at the man she had grown to love over the last year. Until she realized just what she did and immediately related him. By then, Azami had left without a word, his plan crumbled, and him exiled once again. The Rebel team soon flooded the stage to congratulate the unlikely duo.
"Well, we'd better select a new headmaster then." Senzaemon said, walking up to the group.
"Aren't you going to take your position back grandfather?" Erina asked.
"Haha, no. I don't think I will. I rather like being retired. Besides, I've failed this school by letting Azami take it over. I think It's time to pass Totsuki on to the next generation."
"Oh, then is dad taking over?" Alice asked
"No sweetie, I won't be." Nakiri Soe said, walking up.
"The who?" Erina asked
"It's you Erina. I think it's time you've taken your rightful place at the head of Totsuki." Senzaemon explained
"What? Me? I'm not ready for that!" Erina protested
"Oh, but you are. You've grown into a fine young chef. With Hisako and young Soma by your side, I know you can do it." Senzaemon continued
"Then I guess I accept...on one condition."
"And what would that be dear?"
"I won't take the position unless Soma agrees to take the first seat." Erina said with a blush
"Do you really have to ask? Of course I'm taking the first seat." Soma said with his trademark grin.
"It's settled then." Senzaemon grabs the mic. "Attention students! Introducing your new headmaster, Nakiri Erina, and your new Elite 10 First Seat, Yukihira Soma!"
The crowd had a mixed reaction. Some were giving claps and low cheers, others were silently wondering what would happen to them for supporting Central. Erina could sense this and took the mic from the former headmaster.
"First off, I would like to say that nobody will be expelled. What my father did was none of your faults. Totsuki will continue to breed excellence just like it has in the past. Tomorrow afternoon, I will have more information for you all going forward. Until then, continue to do your best and bring out the best in your cooking."
This appeared to work as there were much more applauding students now. Soma walked up to Erina. After she was done and spoke to her.
"Great speech."
"I know, I'm good at everything." Erina said haughtily
"Yeah yeah. Anyway, I'll meet you back at polar star, I'm going with my dad to pick up some ingredients for a special victory dinner he's making."
"Oh, ok."
"See you soon. Love you/"
"Sh-shut up i-idiot. Not in public.'
"You're one to talk after a few minutes ago."
Erina just smacked him on the arm. "Just go.'
Later that night at Polar Star, the gang partied harder than they ever had before. Ryoko's rice juice was flowing, cards were being played, and impromptu Shokugekis were happening. Erina on the other hand was out on Polar Stars balcony. She needed to reflect on the past year. Her meeting Soma for the first time, their kiss in the car, their first date, working at the diner with him, and everything he's done for her. Erina wanted to be a better girlfriend for Soma. He had done so much for her, and yet she hasn't really done anything for him. She was starting the question whether or not she really deserved him. Just then, her thoughts were interrupted by the man in question.
"I thought I'd find you here. Why aren't you at the party? This is partially for you after all."
"Oh, hey. I just needed some fresh air. What about you? Shouldn't you be enjoying the party too?"
"I was actually looking for you. I wanted to talk to you about something."
"Oh? What did you need?"
"I wanted to give you something actually."
"What is it?"
"Erina, you know I love you, and after what happened with your father and the threat of losing you, I wanted to give you this." Soma says as he pulls out a small box.
"You're not.."
"No, I'm not proposing, at least not yet. This is a promise ring. It's a symbol of my promise to always be there for you if you need me. I love you Erina." As some said this, he opened the box revealing a simple gold band with a small ruby adorming it. The colors represent both of their hair colors.
Erina trapped Soma into a bear hug and once against captured his lips.
"I love you too Soma."
Whelp, this seems like a good spot to wrap up this chapter. A couple things to end off on. Sorry I skipped out on a few matches this chapter. It was getting very tedious for me to write cooking battle after cooking battle, so I took some shortcuts on the less important ones. Second, Sorry this took so long to get done. I had a lot of internal debates about what direction I wanted this chapter to go and what the rest of the Regiment De Cuisine should look like. I hope you all enjoyed it. Initially, I was planning to write a lemon at the end of this chapter, but decided against it. If there is enough interest, I might write the "aftermath" of that last scene in a separate one shot.
Lastly, I'd like to shout out a story I've been reading and Enjoying. Go read "Distraught, Purpose, Relationship" by YuugoRyou
See you all next time.