Shinrai
A Shokugeki no Soma fanfic.
Disclaimer: Shokugeki no Soma and all its characters are owned by Yūto Tsukuda-san. I only own the plot of this fanfic and gain no monetary benefit from publishing of the same.
Chapter 3
Kaishi [ 開始 ]:Commence (verb) - perform or undergo the first part of (an action or activity).
"Alright, I'm finally here… now what?"
Soma found his ability to stay in one place for more than 10 seconds fading away more so than usual as he took in everything his surroundings had to offer. From the relatively minimal yet somehow charismatic grandeur of the building he found himself in, to the uncharacteristic lack of a large crowd as one might have expected at such an important airport, everything seemed so unusual and so new. The glee on his face was akin to a child who had gotten a taste of his first ice cream, and if not for the much more well defined physique and a severe lack of baby fat on his face, Soma was sure one couldn't actually tell the difference between the two.
As he 'Ooh'd' and 'Ah'd' his way towards the exit, causing a few eyebrows to be raised at his childlike behaviour, he found himself being chilled to the bone by a sudden gust of wind that entered the building upon the main door leading out being opened. It was then that his mind decided to take a break from admiring this foreign land he suddenly found himself in and actually reminded him of what exactly he had done. He was out here, in an unknown country, on a different continent, countless miles away from every other soul he knew, with no idea of what to do now. All hope he had was a contact number and an address written on a piece of paper that his dad had given him before his departure. Suddenly the place didn't seem so alluring and inviting, it was almost as if he found himself in the midst of a test he had willingly chosen to be in. A test to survive… all alone.
'Didn't come all the way out here to chicken out… I've got to do this somehow. After all, pops did something like this back in the day too… can't be that bad' he steeled his resolve. With a newfound understanding of the situation, he tightened his hold on his luggage, and with one large step, he was out of the magnificent airport. A cold breeze was blowing, signalling the inevitable arrival of winter that was to follow in the coming months. However, what caught his eye, was the visible lack of people on the roads, the streets, and anywhere else he could lay his eyes on.
"Huh, that's weird… isn't this supposed to be like a big city? Why is no one around? Why is it so dark right now?" he muttered to himself as he took his phone out of his pocket to check the time. 11:35 am it read. His brows furrowed, and he had a finger on his chin. Now, many may not consider him capable of this particular feat, but as of this moment, Yukihira Soma was indeed in deep, critical thought, trying to decipher the situation currently unfolding. Then, after a solid minute of trying to come up with possible explanations… "It's 11 and the sun still isn't up? That's why no one is out? So it's still the night? At 11 am? Man… London's weird" he declared that last part out loud into the air.
Now with that perfectly logical explanation out of the way, Soma decided that the most urgent matter had been taken care of, and he proceeded to the next order of business… figuring out where to go and what to do. The piece of paper his father had given him came to his mind, and as he was about to reach into his pocket to take it out, he noticed a dark figure running towards him.
"Hey! Hey you! Red hair!" the figure's voice cut through the comfortable silence filling up the air.
Soma immediately found himself at the crossroads of what he considered would be his first major decision since arriving here, should he grab everything he had with him and try to run away from this stranger approaching him at full speed, or should he wait and actually listen to what the man had to say. As the figure got close enough to where he could actually see the man who had called out for him, Soma wasn't sure what to do. One of his hands held an ironclad grip on his luggage, ready to dash away as fast as he could, while his curiosity all but begged him to let the situation play out. Ultimately he didn't have enough time to completely make up his mind as the stranger stopped right in front of him, breathing heavily from his little sprint to get here.
With one last exhale, he steadied his breathing and Soma instinctively took a step back and gulped down a lump that he didn't know had formed in his throat. His apprehensiveness must have been clear on his face, since the man raised both his hands as if trying to convey he meant no harm.
"Wait wait wait! Don't run away. I'm sorry that might have scared you" the stranger said in an apologetic tone. Now that he was close enough, Soma could see the features of the stranger who had approached him. He was quite a tall guy, with platinum blonde hair and bright, green eyes. The streetlight illuminated his sheepish smile as he ran a hand through his hair. Soma found the demeanor of this person to be quite inviting, urging him to listen to what he had to say. Still a bit unnerved, Soma only nodded in response, signalling him to carry on with whatever business he had with him.
However, his nod received a response Soma was not expecting as the man slapped his forehead and voiced out a loud "I'm such an idiot" before continuing with a much quieter tone. "...probably ...English" was all Soma could understand from the whisper his voice had turned into. He lowered his hand from his forehead and pointed it towards Soma before speaking animatedly "Japan!" and then proceeded to move his hands as if he were holding a knife and chopping something on a cutting board and voiced out "Food!". His hands again found their original position of pointing at Soma as he spoke up another word "Cook!".
Confused was too light a word to describe what Soma felt as the man awaited some sort of an answer with raised eyebrows and a parted mouth. The strange man had just managed to become even stranger and Soma could do nothing but mirror his expression. Upon seeing this, the man's expression twisted as if he was about to cry at the situation he found himself in. He might have actually proceeded with that had Soma not spoken up.
"Okay I seriously don't know what's going on but yeah I'm from Japan, and yeah I cook food as a chef. That helps? I guess?" Soma responded in the most unsure tone he had ever used. That was the best that Soma's brain could make of the situation and he hoped that what he had just said was the answer the man wanted. The Gods of fate must have been benevolent on both of them as the person in front of him visibly relaxed while still being pleasantly shocked.
"Wait, you can speak English?" he asked.
"Yeah, my dad used to teach me when he came home from foriegn trips… would be useful someday or something like that" Soma replied.
"Oh thank heavens! I thought I was supposed to bring you over when we don't even speak the same language! Man, that would have been tough" the man sighed.
"Uhh… okay? But why do you think I'm going with you?"
"You're here to intern at a restaurant, right?"
"Huh? I'm not sure honestly. Dad just told me he had called a friend and made some arrangements… so maybe? I don't know honestly..." Soma trailed off. To say that he received a shocked expression from the stranger in front of him would be quite the understatement.
"Woah woah woah, hold on a second there..." the man began "So what you're telling me, is you came out all the way here, thousands of kilometers away to another continent… and you don't even know what you'll be doing here?" he spoke, the utter ridiculousness of the situation evident from his voice.
"Huh?… Uhm, not exactly… I mean I have this, I guess" Soma replied as he took out the piece of paper from his pocket he had originally intended to read prior to the arrival of the stranger in front of him. Needless to say, a mere piece of paper wasn't going to convince anyone that it would somehow make the situation any better because Soma had, indeed, come to a foriegn land without the slightest idea of what he was supposed to do. When the look of pure disbelief didn't falter from the face of his current companion, Soma just sighed, followed by a shrug of his shoulders, and proceeded to read what was written on the said paper.
'That number oon the back is my international cellphone, use that to reach me when you need to. And I called an old friend, you'll intern at his place till you figure out what to do. He's pretty well known so just ask anyone for the place and you'll know where to go. Just tell him you're my son, he'll know what to do. The place is called… '
"Restaurant… Go.. Gordon.. Ramsay?" Soma voiced out the last part. He then turned to face the stranger in front of him whose look had now changed from incredulous to something that screamed a mix of 'It's too late in the day to deal with all this' and 'What have I gotten myself into'. Not being able to figure out what was happening right now, Soma decided to break the silence once again. "Hey, look at that! I am here to intern at a restaurant! So I guess you were right" he paused for a bit, then proceeded "Uhh, how exactly did you know that?"
"Because I work at this 'Restaurant Gordon Ramsay' and the owner of the place ordered me to pick up a 'japanese kid with red hair who would be looking as lost as a deer stuck in headlights if he's anything like his father'." was the answer he received along with a deadpan face that would have made even Hayama proud. The stranger sighed for the umpteenth time, before continuing "The name's Ben, by the way. You said your father called a friend? Just who exactly is your old man that he has THE Gordon Ramsay as a friend?" he asked as he extended a hand.
Soma had visibly relaxed after hearing the explanation from Ben. Things had seemingly worked out just fine and it could even be argued that things had worked out almost too fine to be real. Not only did he now have a person to guide him through the night and figure out a place to stay till he reached the restaurant he was apparently supposed to intern at, the said person also happened to work at the very same restaurant. 'Well, ain't gonna complain about having good luck' he snickered in his mind. Only then did he register the hand extended towards him and the question that followed with it. Deciding to act like a well mannered human for once, he shook the man's hand with a slight bow and started "Ah luck might be on my side today! You are a lifesaver! You said your name was Ben, right ?"
"Yep."
"I'm Yukihira Soma, nice to meet you! I look forward to-"
"Wait you're Soma Yuki-"
"-working with you at the restaurant! Oh and I don't exactly know who this Chef Ramsay dude is, but he sounds like a big deal so I guess dad really does have awesome friends and he was not just fooling around-"
"Y-You don't know who Chef Ra-"
"-and I don't know if you've heard of dad or not but he travelled around a lot too from what he told me, so maybe you know about him? His name is Yukihira Joichiro and-"
"Wait Joichiro, you can't mean-"
"-Oh wait! Maybe you know him as Saiba Joichiro. Oh and-"
"HOLD ON A DAMN SECOND THERE! Breathe, damnit!" Ben all but screamed at Soma while grabbing both his shoulders and shaking him quite aggressively. Soma was about to ask what was wrong but when he noticed the stunned look on his face, he found himself unable to voice out coherent syllables. As for Ben himself, he figured that his expression right now wouldn't be much different than the one he would sport if he had seen a ghost. Why, you ask? Because the information this loud redhead had just dumped on him all at once was too much for his brain to process. He could almost feel the wires within his mind beginning to short-circuit from the sheer absurdity of what he was listening to. Not only had the redhead introduced himself as the Soma Yukihira, the runner up at the world famous BLUE, he had also just claimed to:
1. Not know who Gordon Ramsay was, while being a chef himself, and
2. Be the son of Joichiro Saiba, the infamously elusive man who was known as the 'Asura'.
In some weird part of Ben's brain, it all somehow made sense. Of course Chef Ramsay wouldn't just let anyone intern at his flagship restaurant. Of course someone as revered in the food world as Joichiro 'Asura' Saiba would be friends with Chef Ramsay. And yes, as crazy as it sounds, the redhead in front of him might actually not know who Chef Ramsay is in the first place, considering that the kid did not even know what he himself was supposed to do here until a few moments ago. But in the much more prevelant, reasonable part of his brain… the situation was too absurd to be true. Deciding it was too late for his poor little brain to handle all this, he decided to simply ask and get one last confirmation. "Okay, just say yes or no'' he began "You are saying, you are Soma Yukihira, the runner up from BLUE?"
'Uh, yes. Wait you know about BLUE?'
"Yes. Or. No." Ben spoke and upon recieving a simple nod, he continued, "And your dad is Joichiro Saiba, the Asura?"
"Heh, do people actually call him that? Man, I want a cool nickname like that..." Soma rambled on, but upon looking at the expression of the man in front of him, he quickly rerouted his answer "U-Uh I mean yes. Yes!" while furiously nodding.
"And you don't know who Chef Ramsay is? Like, you really don't know who he is?"
"Nope. Not a clue."
Ben just heaved the heaviest sigh of his life, taking it all in. After a few seconds, he finally spoke up again. "Alright, I think my brain isn't short circuiting anymore but holy… I didn't think I'd be going to pick up someone like you, you're somewhat of a celebrity yourself, you know?"
Okay he had successfully confused as well as intrigued Soma at the same time. Why was he famous and how did he know about him? Coming here to pick him up was understandable. Knowing his dad was surprising, but not that wild of a reality. 'Dad was quite famous so it kinda makes sense' he reasoned to himself. But he just couldn't understand how this Ben guy knew who he was. "Uh, I'm a celebrity? What do you mean?"
"You really are a slow one, aren't ya? BLUE is world famous, dude! Most chefs spend their entire careers without ever even being able to compete there. And you, a 17 yr old kid, just finished as the runner up! Of course you are famous!" was the answer he received along with some very exaggerated hand motions from Ben, as if he was visually trying to drill the point home to Soma.
"Woah, I didn't know it was that big of a deal..." Soma muttered to himself, although apparently it was not quiet enough that Ben couldn't hear him, since he heard an immediate "How did they let someone like you travel alone all the way out here. Not to ride up my own horse here, but I may have saved a life today" in response. Soma's head immediately shot up towards Ben upon hearing this, confusion evident in his eyes.
Ben was already feeling exhausted from all he had just gone through, and he didn't even find it in himself to even sigh again. "Come on, you're staying over at my place for the night. We have to wake up early tomorrow, can't miss your first day of internship now, can we?" he said. He was about to turn around and start walking towards the direction of his home with Soma, but a loud "Huh?" stopped him mid-way. As he turned back to face Soma, he heard something that left him unsure of whether he should slap his forehead in utter disbelief, or laugh at the absurdity of what Soma had just said.
Soma was holding up a phone, pointing a finger towards the big '11 am' displayed on its lock screen and had just asked "What do you mean by night? Look! it's 11 in the morning!"
Deciding to go with the latter of his two options, Ben let out the loudest, heartiest laugh he had laughed in forever. "AHAHAHA…. Y-you're something else, kid! Hahaha." As Ben continued his fit of laughter, Soma didn't know what to do. What had he said to recieve such a reaction? He didn't even have a clue! Thankfully, it was not long before Ben calmed down, and proceeded to say something. "Come on, let me help you with your stuff. As a reward for providing me with the biggest laugh I've had in a while, I'll tell you a story along the way back home" he said.
And if Soma had expected an answer to ease his curiosity, he was sorely mistaken since now he stood there, even more confused than before. "Huh? A story? About what?"
"Time zones" Ben said as he shook his head while sporting a teasing grin that could even rival Soma's own. As they picked up the luggage, and started making their way over to Ben's place, he began the process of educating Soma about how clocks worked.
9:00 am
Totsuki Culinary Tea Academy
Japan
To anyone looking from the outside, it was a normal, beautiful day at the most prestigious culinary school in Japan, and quite possibly the world. The trees had begun abandoning their vibrant green of the summers for unmistakably gentle gold and yellow of autumn, as if warning about the unavoidable arrival of a freezing winter in the months to follow. The crisp crackling of the fallen, dried up leaves beneath the feet of the students on their way to attend the classes for the day cut through the serene echoes of the songs that the birds had been singing since the dawn of the day. Truly a magnificent sight, the academy was like a small bustling town in itself. The roar of the occasional car engine going down the road towards the classrooms, the constant chatter of the students, and their intermittent laughter… The academy was truly a sight to behold.
Paying a little more attention, however, was enough to let anyone know that something was amiss. A certain set of students stood out today, even more than they usually did. This little group belonged to the most famous residential building of the institute, the Polar Star Dorms. Known for their loud, boisterous walks to the classrooms every morning; the group not only attracted attention, but was also quite easily the most respected collection of students within the academy. But today, it seemed as if the autumn chill had taken away their smiles just as it had taken away the leaves from the branches of the trees surrounding them. Their smiles were not the only thing missing, though. Yukihira Soma was such a big personality, that he was usually the center of attention even within such a revered group of elite students. He was also the so-called 'general' of their group, leading the way in not only their unusual endeavors within the academy, but also their daily walks to their classes and all the clowning around that usually entailed the said walks. But today, that loud, 'in your face' bundle of energy was nowhere to be seen and it didn't take a genius to figure out that something was wrong considering the expressions everyone of them had been wearing.
Soon enough, the speculations and rumors that emerged, were giving wildfires a run for their money at the speeds by which they spread.
'Did something happen?'
'I think I saw Yukihira-kun fighting with someone yesterday!'
'I heard they had a fight last night with him'
'You think something bad happened to him? Is he sick?'
'You think Nakiri-sama finally expelled him?'
'That's possible, I heard they were not speaking for the last few days.'
By the time everyone had reached their classes, the rumors had not only grown in number, but in their absurdity as well.
As everyone from the Polar Star Dorms were beginning to split up to go towards their separate classes, the voice of a watery eyed Yoshino Yuki cut through the heavy silence surrounding them. "Someone tell me that we all had the same, horrible dream last night. I know you won't lie to us Isshiki-senpai… but I don't want to accept it. How could he just.." she trailed off, unable to finish off her sentence. There was no missing the waiver within her voice as she had spoken these few, simple sentences. Sentences which had caused everyone around her to lower their heads and look at the ground as they remembered the events of last night.
After the group consisting of Erina, Alice, Isshiki, Ryo, and Hisako had returned back to the Dorms, missing a certain redhead everyone had entrusted them to bring back with them, the atmosphere within the ever jubilant Polar Star Dorms could be described as gloomy, at best, and straight up dark, at worst.
"I don't think there's any way to ease into it so I'll be blunt, Soma-kun isn't coming back… not anytime soon at least." Isshiki had said, after the initial barrage of questions had died down. A collective gasp, a dropped plate, and a dozen 'what do you mean?'s later, he began explaining the entire situation as Joichiro had told them and soon enough, everyone had come to understand the weight behind the words he had initially spoken.
Right now, no one remembered who had cried last night, but looking at the dark circles beneath the eyes of some of the residents, anyone could have made an educated guess. "As much as I hate to say it, last night happened. We have to do our best here while Soma-kun does what he needs to do out there. He wouldn't want us transforming into a sobby mess anyways." Isshiki replied to her in the most reassuring and comforting tone he could muster. Everyone knew their senpai had a way with words, and that's why everyone turned to him when they needed someone to set their minds straight. Judging by the solemn, longing smiles that graced everyone's faces at hearing his words, however, it was clear as day that his words had failed to conjure up the miracle that they usually did. He knew that as of right now, everyone was thinking the same thing which he had been constantly thinking as well since last night. 'What if..' followed by all the things they could have done to prevent the fates from taking the path that they did.
They weren't allowed to mope around and get lost in their own thoughts for long since the school bell rang, signalling the start of their classes. As they shuffled around and went their separate ways, Megumi couldn't help but peek inside one of the classrooms she crossed along the way, out of habit. This particular class was usually a rare one that Soma didn't have with any other member of the dorms, and considering his dubious track record with punctuality, it wasn't exactly a rare sight to see his seat empty at the start of the classes. However, unlike any other day, she knew no one would be occupying the said seat today. There would be no laughing his way out of the teacher's scolding, or sleeping away through the boring lectures. She would have broken down on the spot had her train of thought not been broken by a firm grip on her shoulder and a strong scent of spices trailing around in the air not too far away.
"Tadokoro-san, are you alright?" the owner of the said hand had asked, and it was upon this that she turned around and noticed the pair of Takumi Aldini and Hayama Akira standing behind her. The former had a concerned look in his eyes while the latter maintained an aloof, albeit curious gaze upon her.
"U-Uh yes… I just got lost in some thoughts" she said. She didn't want to sound as weak as she did when she had spoken those words, with her voice being barely audible by the end of her sentence. But she found herself to be helpless in this situation. She was always the most emotional one within their group of misfits, and the fact that the one friend who had done nothing but help and support her was now gone, and she couldn't do anything about it; forced her emotional distress to come through in her voice.
"Are you sure? I'm pretty sure you were shaking just now..." Takumi said as he released his hold from her shoulder, not believing a single word she had said. Concern evident in his voice and only further added to by his expression, Megumi found herself feeling a bit reassured as the last words Isshiki-senpai had spoken reappearded within her mind. ' He wouldn't want us transforming into a sobby mess anyways' seemed to work as if it were some prayer asking for strength. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself as much as she could and replied "U-Uh, yeah. I'm actually a lot better now. Thanks!" with the best smile she could conjure up right now.
"Well then let's get going. I don't really care about this stuff but if 3 of the Elite Ten members were simultaneously late to the same class I'm sure our dear headmistress wouldn't let us hear the end of it." Hayama spoke up as he began walking over to their class. Takumi looked over at Megumi, looking for some sort of affirmation that she truly was alright right now, still somewhat unconvinced. Upon receiving a polite nod and a smile though, he found himself relaxing a bit as he nodded in return and the two started walking as well to catch up to their silver haired batchmate.
A group of three Elite Ten members gathering outside a random classroom was more than enough to focus everyone's attention outside. However, when the headmistress of the academy happened to attend the said class; needless to say, not a single soul dared take their eyes away from the teacher. Not only would this be one of those rare classes that Soma would be split up from his dorm mates, it was also just about the only class Erina and Soma shared. She didn't exactly remember how they started sitting side by side during this class, but all she could remember was dreading this class and all the annoying shenanigans that were sure to ensue upon being in the vicinity of a certain redhead for the longest time. However, for some reason, she never bothered changing her seat and by some miracle, Soma always found a vacant seat beside her despite never once having come to the class on time. Was it because he didn't feel intimidated or scared of her like everyone else did? Should she have been annoyed or relieved at that? She never found herself able to answer these questions and today was no different in that regard.
However, this was not like any other day and she knew exactly why. For the first time in forever, an annoying, non punctual goofball wasn't going to come bursting through the doors and take his seat besides her as if he owned the rights to the seat. For the first time in an eternity, she found herself sitting alone. Dare she say so herself, a part of her even hoped that she was wrong. But wishful thinking wasn't going to change the reality, and Erina knew it well. That didn't mean however, that the reality didn't leave her with her stomach dropping as low as the ground itself. Some part of her still blamed herself for everything, even after everything Saiba-san had told her. As she found herself beginning to enter into the abyss of thoughts sure to torment her from within, she remembered the words she had said to Alice. 'I'll make Totsuki a place he will be proud to return to'. That specific collection of words had been ringing over and over in her head since last night. Almost as if it were some secret mantra that gave her some much needed strength, she found some semblance of composure within herself. Blaming herself and getting beat up over it would have to wait, she decided as she forced herself away from the pondering over the million 'If only's her mind had conjured up. In an ideal world, she would refrain from having any thoughts of that obnoxiously loud redhead in a public setting such as a classroom. But just like he had never cared about her pushing him away in real life, he somehow wiggled his way inside her mind no matter how much she tried to stop it.
As if that weren't enough, she found her eyes betraying her as they kept stealing small, quick glances at the seat beside her, only to be followed by random memories of him doing something unmeasurably absurd every time. 'It's too early for all this' she thought as she closed her eyes and heaved a heavy sigh. Now Erina didn't want to sound like a stereotypical, arrogant, stuck-up kid when she said this; but she usually didn't pay attention to these classes or the students attending the same because for one, she almost always knew more than what the instructor was going to teach; and for the other, she had no interest in gossips and conversations of chefs who were leagues below her. 'What happened to not wanting to sound like a stereotypical, arrogant, stuck-up kid?' she thought as she lightly scoffed at herself and decided to actually listen around to her surroundings for a change. A decision she realised she should not have made as all the conversations revolved around the First Seat of the Elite Ten, or his absence thereof. She tried, she really did, to focus on what was being taught in the class, but the combination of the instructor's monotone voice and a topic that she had studied about around half a decade ago all but ensured that she would not be able to prevent herself from sleeping if she listened for more than 5 minutes.
Ultimately, she found solace in the world outside the window of the classroom, staring off into the distance. She didn't know how long she stared outside for, but considering the fact that it was Alice's voice which broke her out of her trance meant that the class had ended and hence it couldn't have been less than an hour.
"Keep stressing out like that and you're going to get wrinkles in your 20s, dear cousin" Alice's voice had echoed out loud in an empty classroom and caused Erina to jolt up in surprise. Erina had been so absorbed at staring outside the window that she never even noticed the students or the teachers leaving.
Her stupor now broken, she regained her composure before answering "I am not stressing out, I was merely bored and started gazing outside". She realised her answer must have been either completely expected or something she shouldn't have said in front her white haired cousin as Alice's face was now adorned with a devilish smile.
Feigning ignorance with a finger on her chin and a faux serious expression, Alice proceeded to tease her cousin "Hmm... so without a certain someone being present, classes suddenly become boring now?". Alice had expected many things, but a sigh followed by a soft "Nothing of the sort" which, in turn, was followed by Erina's pearlescent orbs leaving her mirthful ones once again to focus on the world outside the window was a reply she, admittedly, had overlooked as a possibility. Unexpected as it were, it also reflected the mental gymnastics her cousin, much like everyone else had been doing in order to somehow accept and deal with the situation. 'Probably not the best time to be going around teasing people… just come back already, everyone else is going to stress themselves into oblivion and bore me to death at this rate. Wait wha-' she shook her head and paused her inner monologue before releasing a sigh of her own and chuckling a little at herself. Upon sensing a pair of beautiful purple eyes directed at herself, she looked up at Erina again, who had not yet even tried to move away from her chair; and sure enough she was looking at her with a lone, fine eyebrow raised in confusion.
"Mou~ don't look at me like that. I'm not having fun teasing you. I was laughing at myself." she explained as she raised her hand and began waving it around in front of her face.
"Not that there is a lack of past stupidity for you to laugh at yourself, but I'm still not sure why you are laughing right now." came the reply from Erina in such a monotone as if she had been stating something obvious such as what day it was. The deadpan and irritated expression on Alice's face only served to add a haughty smirk to her features. 'So not being alone means I don't have to spend all my time thinking about him… who would've known' she thought as her smirk slowly morphed into a gentle smile. Seeing this, Alice's expression softened as well.
"How is everyone holding up?" Alice asked, effectively changing the topic. After they had told the news to everyone who had gone to Soma's home on their way back to the dorms, it was clear to see how this situation had affected everyone. Even the inhumanly inexpressive Ryo had a shade of concern tinting his features, and that was saying something. When Isshiki-senpai, in turn, had explained everything to the people waiting back at the dorms, all hell had broken loose. The evergreen joy on everyone's faces had contorted into an expression that was equal parts dejected and distressed. However, it had already gotten pretty late into the night and hence, even though they wanted to stay there and help their upperclassman calm everyone down a bit, the two of them accompanied by Ryo and Hisako had to leave. And now, Alice wanted to know how bad the situation was.
"You're the first person I have talked to since this morning. So I can't really say. Won't exactly be too hard to guess, though… speaking from experience" Erina replied with a dry smile as she got up and started picking up her stuff to walk towards Alice. As much as she wanted to remain lost inside this mysterious world outside the window, she had the duties of both, a student as well as a headmistress. As such, time was a luxury that she simply did not have right now. She had already wasted too much of it, she figured. She was about to ask Alice about where Hisako was, but Alice never even gave her a chance to voice her thoughts out.
"Yeah, we'll have to fix you first, I guess. Staring out the window won't be any help in making Totsuki better anyways. Come on, let's go to your office. We have to plan some stuff out" she spoke.
"Huh?" asked Erina, confused. She had also stopped Alice in her tracks who was about to turn around and dash out the classroom with her.
"Don't worry, Hishoko-chan is already there. I also called Grandpa in advance, he'll also be coming in a few minutes. I texted him before coming to see you. So now them, and me, the 'oh-so great' Alice-sama, are going to personally assist you with planning some stuff out." she replied…. Although if she had hoped to clear up her cousin's doubts, then the persistence of the puzzled look she received let her know she had failed.
"What are you going on about, Alice? Why did you call Grandfather and Hisako? I don't understand."
Yep. Failed. Sighing, she continued, "You really need explanations like a 5 year old when it comes to anything besides cooking, dear cousin". Erina had just opened her mouth to retort, but Alice yet again didn't give her the chance. "Your First Seat of the Elite Ten, the most prestigious student group, with the most power and responsibility, has just gone MIA. Not only is it a media nightmare for the institute to handle, it is also a PR nightmare for Yukihira-kun himself. Which I'm sure is the last thing he'll ever care about, but we can't let the reputation of a First Seat of the Totsuki academy be ruined by stupid little rumors..." she paused a bit, then added a bit somberly "Who am I kidding, let's be real here... It's because we don't want those stupid rumors about him to continue. He's the last person who deserves to be painted as a villain here." Almost as if a switch was constantly flipping within her, her voice regained it's regular jubilant tone, and she continued "So I, the clearly smarter cousin-"
"I clearly am the sma-"
"-AND Hishoko-chan, to help create the optimal schedule, and Grandpa, someone who has first hand experience of handling such a situation; are going to help you, the inexperienced newbie, get through this nightmare and let everyone know. Oh, and even though a majority of us know, not everyone does, so we inform the Elite Ten first. The student council will also have to get ready for handling everything. Can't leave our dear director alone, now can we?" she finished with a proud, satisfied look gracing her features.
Being left speechless was not a situation Erina actively found herself in. If anything, it was one of the rarest experiences for her. Although a surprise, this one sure was a welcome one. She found herself simply smiling to herself as she finally reached the entrance of the classroom, where Alice had been standing all this time. "You're right, Alice. Let's go and figure out how to deal with this mess our idiot od a First Seat has left behind." she said with an unmistakably Nakiri-esque conviction within her voice and an unsaid 'Thank you' lingering in the air. As she and Alice left towards her office, they both knew things wouldn't be easy to handle, especially hadnling the media in this situation, but never even in their wildest dreams would they have guessed the utter shit-storm about to greet them.
6:00 am
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay
London
Framed by a large glass window lay a scenery so pristine, one might mistake it for a cinematic movie set. Every inch of the area accounted for, every nook and cranny clean as if it were built yesterday. The feeling within the air screamed of a place so serene, that one wouldn't even dare say a word to disturb the peace inside. Adorning it's facade stood three stars, mighty and proud, announcing to any and all the standing this place held within the culinary world: the very apex. Inside, the dining area looked and felt as if it were stolen from inside the Buckingham Palace itself. However, beyond a single, large double door, existed a world that not many dared enter. A world whose inhabitants were among the finest in their craft, yet found themselves unable to speak more than mere single sentences or affirmations. To the unskilled, this area of the restaurant invoked terror; to those skilled enough, it provided a challenge beyond their wildest dreams. However, to the ordinary eye, this was known as the kitchen at whose throne sat the world-renown, Gordon Ramsay.
His first restaurant, and also his favourite, was a place revered by chefs and the public alike, albeit for different reasons. While on one hand, it was the place where you went to have some of the best food in the world; on the other, it was a means to test your skills in a hell only a few could survive. Even when Chef Ramsay himself wasn't around to run the kitchen in person, the fact that Chef Matt Abé was the one taking over the reigns was not something that would let one breathe a sigh of relief. While one was terror incarnate in a kitchen, the other was a dictator who would be pleased by nothing but perfection. Needless to say, many famous rising stars had been put into their place when they had dared to envision themselves as being worthy of standing in the kitchen where perfection was expected as if it were a habit.
Not a needless word was ever spoken within the kitchen itself. The clicks of the stove, the chopping of the knives, and the clanks of the utensils were the norm at this hour; signalling the prep work being done for the meals to be served throughout the day. But what is life if not a constant set of changes, and for the first time in an eternity, a voice cut through the seemingly sacred rhythm of the kitchen.
"Woah! That's crazy, you know. I still can't believe time works differently in different countries like that. I feel like I'll get a headache just from thinking about it." it said in a tone as merry as the songs of the birds themselves before continuing "And this place is so HUGE! I'll get a headache from looking around too! And it's fancy on top of that! I feel like I'll die of headaches!" As the footsteps, seemingly belonging to the owner of this voice drew closer and closer to the huge doors separating the kitchen from the dining area, another, much quieter voice made itself known.
"SHHH! Keep it down, will ya? We both are going to die at this rate!" the other voice could be barely heard saying. From the tone of this one, one wouldn't be amiss to assume that the speaker was afraid…. Terrified would be a better word if one was being really observant.
Meanwhile inside the kitchen itself, the entire staff had stopped working out of pure shock of hearing someone not only speak unnecessarily in here, but hold an entire conversation! And the fact that they weren't being chastised and scolded into oblivion for it only served to compound their astonishment. Most of them had prepared themselves to be thrown out the kitchen as soon as their hands had stopped working, so the fact that not only were they still standing inside, but they were most likely not going to be even scolded since the two head chefs present had all their attention drawn towards the doors as well was nothing short of a miracle to them. Everyone, even the feared Gordon Ramsay himself, wanted to know who had dared to sully the sanctity of this sanctorum.
So when the doors swung open to reveal a bright mop of red hair atop an unknown face, accompanied by someone, everyone in the kitchen all too well; seemingly the entire range of human emotions could be seen across the faces of those inside. From terror of what was going to happen next to their coworker, to the curiousness of wanting to know who this bold and unknown presence was, to the excitement from the anticipation of the oncoming onslaught, to irritation in its purest form; one look on anyone's faces was enough to let anyone know what they were thinking. Something that Ben wished he could not do at the moment as what he interpreted those faces as was doing nothing more other than exponentially increasing the feeling of dread from the sheer rage that was sure to follow his companion's brazen vandalism of the sacred silence in the air. 'Stupid, idiot, me! Why couldn't I have spent half the time I wasted explaining time zones to explain the rules instead! Oh I am so dead, so dead, so dead, so dead, so dea-' his thinking was cut off by the loud clearing of Chef Abé's throat and he straightened up in attention almost instinctively.
"I don't remember telling you it's the 'bring your kids to work' day, Williams. Now tell, has my memory gone hazy or have you gone crazy and just brought a kid into the kitchen?" he roared.
"N-No Chef! H-He is the one Chef Ramsay told me t-"
"And you didn't bother telling him the do's and don'ts around here?" he continued, cutting Ben off, before continuing even louder "I don't care if he received a special invite or if he's the fuc-" only to be cut off by the sound of a whistle himself.
"You weren't kidding about Chef Ramsay being scary..." spoke the most unknown entity within the kitchen, and also, the source of all the ruckus taking place. Now Soma was genuinely scared of the man who looked as if he was in his mid thirties and who Soma presumed was this celebrity Chef Ramsay he had been constantly hearing about from Ben. Short temper? Check. Scary? Check. Tall and intimidating? Check. Soma was pretty sure he had identified the right person since he felt pretty intimidated by the roaring man in front of him. He had been so intimidated, in fact, that he didn't notice that he had voiced out his whistle and the last sentence of his thoughts out loud, and not contained them in his mind like he had originally planned to. When the realization hit him, it hit like a hard slap to the face on a cold winter morning as his hands flew to cover his mouth before he could utter anymore words that were sure to get him into trouble. 'Not the ideal first meeting, now is it?' he thought to himself as his eyes scanned the room to try and judge just how much of a blunder he had made from the reactions of those around.
Not a single jaw in sight was left in its original place, all of them hanging in the air. Seemingly everyone's eyes had doubled in size, even those of the 'Chef Ramsay' who was scolding them. And as for Ben? He had taken a few steps away from Soma and if his face had been full of terror before, now it had contorted into a look of pure horror.
"Uhh, something I said?" he asked, looking towards everyone in front of him in hopes of an answer. It was just now that he noticed that even the man he had assumed to be Chef Ramsay had a look of complete shock on his face, much like everyone else. Well… almost everyone else. Right in the middle of everyone, stood a man presumably in his early fifties with pale skin and blonde hair. As if being the oldest person around here was not enough to make him stand out from the rest, the man not only had a different aura about him than the rest, he also was the only person standing in that immaculate kitchen who didn't only not have a look of utter horror or shock on his face, but instead he sported an amused smile, one that was making his eyes crinkle.
Now Soma wasn't the most perceptive person around, but even he knew what danger meant. That smile was nothing more than a simple, yet effective deception; as if it were the calm before a raging storm sure to arrive. However, that smile did not fade in the slightest as the man began walking towards him. Stopping just in front of Soma, he started speaking "You're a funny kid, you know? Something tells me you don't know who this Chef Ramsay is…" he paused as he waited for an answer. Upon receiving a hesitant nod from Soma, he continued "So you come into a kitchen in another continent and don't even know who you will be working under? I don't know if I should laugh or be amazed at just how much of a moron you are." he paused before continuing again "But you know what? It's okay, everyone makes mistakes and as long as Chef Ramsay doesn't get to know what happened here everything will be fine. Can't be mad at something he doesn't know… and no one 'round here is going to tell him a word about this morning. Right, guys?" he asked the other chefs as he turned around. All Soma could see, and hear, were hesitant nods and audible gulps…. And a devilish smile on the face of Chef Abé? 'Wait what... ?'
Soma couldn't understand a thing going on. Neither being the man in front of him being as helpful and kind as he was being, nor the fact that everyone seemed somewhat… scared? Neither Ben's face losing all it's colour as if he had seen a ghost, nor Chef Abé sporting an ever-growing, menacing grin. Okay, totally not what Soma had expected. Quite the opposite, actually. He had expected the serious looking man to scold him into oblivion, not be polite and help him out, and Soma didn't know how to process this information. 'Not gonna complain about good luck, though hehehe' he ultimately thought as he found his hand reaching for his nape again and a sheepish smile found its way on to his face. "Really? Thanks a lot, wouldn't wanna upset the boss on the first day..." Soma paused as he contemplated asking what he had in mind. On one hand, he felt as if the man in front of him was already being more than helpful enough; while on the other, he felt as if he should take advantage of this situation and actually ask the one question that had started to bug him ever since he had heard of this elusive, intimidating aura surrounding this Gordon Ramsay person. Should he wait a bit and ask Ben later, or should he just ask the strange man in front of him, Soma just couldn't find himself reaching anywhere near a decision. One last look at the unfaltering, cryptic smile on the tall man's face, however, somehow gave him the confidence to go for the latter and he asked, "And uh, could you tell me who Chef Ramsay is. Everyone not telling him won't make a difference if I mess up in front of him anyway." As he followed his question with a nervous laugh, he couldn't help but notice a few gasps that had rung out within the space they were all confined in. He got no time to ponder upon this, though.
"Hmm, you're not exactly wrong. Maybe you're smarter than I gave you credit for. Alright, just hold on a second." was the answer he received as the man in front of him pulled out a phone and started looking for something on it. Soon enough, a picture stared directly at Soma as a phone screen was thrust right into his face. All the while, the man's smile had not faded for a single bit. 'Dude, don't your cheeks hurt? Weird...' were his thoughts as he felt being simultaneously scared and creeped out by simply being in the presence of the man with every passing second. Not paying his mind much heed, he proceeded to look at the picture being held out to him. 'Huh?! Wait… wha-?' he found himself unable to even form complete, coherent thoughts purely due to the utter shock and confusion the picture presented to him.
In the picture, stood two men, looking directly at the camera. One smiling at the camera with a smile bright enough to blind him, and the other had this haughty air about him, digging holes into his eyes. This usually would not have been a problem. What stuck out right now, was that he knew one man in that frame very, very well. And this only further confused him to the point he felt that his brain would melt any moment now. Had he not known one of the men in that picture, the oncoming realization might not have hit him…. And right now Soma wished with every fiber of his being that it hadn't. Because one of the men in the picture was the person showing him this picture, currently standing in front of him… and the other? Well, that was a man known to the world as Yukihira Joichiro, and to him as his father. Had he not known the beaming person with the messy, long, auburn hair, the realization that the man in front of him had been the very person who he had been hearing terrifying tales about all night might have escaped him. Or rather, if he had come to this realization just a second earlier in stead, he might have actually witnessed that creepy, forced smile leave the face of the man in front of him only to be replaced by an intense stare that made him feel a chill run down his spine, those bright blue orbs digging daggers into his honey gold ones... or the collective gulps from everyone... or the step back everyone took, even Chef Abé; seemingly to get away from the man in front of them who had seemingly turned into a demon and scared everyone away from him. Soma had taken a second too long to understand what that picture had implied and thus, he had missed all of these events.
So now, Yukihira Soma found himself standing in front of a man who now held the expression of a general ready for war, with no one within 10 feet of them to save him from whatever was to follow. And inside his mind the single line of thought, 'Wait, that's pops… but then that means… wait WHAT?! What did I just do...' was repeating like a mantra. He gulped down a lump in his throat, when that had formed he didn't even bother to figure out. He was pretty sure his eyebrows should physically not be allowed to be as high on his forehead as they were right now. He didn't even know what was about to happen, but for the first time in his life the mere presence of a man had intimidated him. "You're…." was all he found himself able to mumble out loud, not even sure if he should continue speaking anymore. He didn't need to though, as the man in front of him spoke up.
"Yep. Gordon. Fucking. Ramsay." The lack of that faux-jolly tone that had been present in his voice till a few moments ago didn't go unnoticed by anyone. 4 words were all that were said and they were all that needed to be said too, for Soma realised just what had happened. 'Alright, guess now I know what everyone meant by scary...' was the only thought Soma's brain was apparently allowed to have right now. However, even that right was stripped from him as his mind went blank and his body involuntarily tensed up as the man in fro-... ahem, the actual Gordon Ramsay clapped his hands loudly and began speaking once again.
"Right. Listen here, young man. You have stalled the clock of this kitchen by a full 15 minutes, and have successfully delayed the preparation on the very first day. So as of right now, you are nothing more than deadweight to this kitchen. Understand?" he paused, awaiting an answer. Upon just receiving a hesitant nod from the redhead in front of him, he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed audibly before leaning forward so that he was at eye level with Soma, with the smile from earlier was no longer to be found. In a very tense and strained whisper, he spoke again.
"Got a voice?"
Nod.
"Then FUCKING USE IT!"
Before Soma could even react to being screamed at right in his face, his back had somehow straightened up even more than it already was and the words "Yes Chef!" had left his lips. He had no time to ponder at what had just happened, since Chef Ramsay straightened up once more and had continued speaking once again. "Now then, tell me. What are you to this kitchen right now?"
"Deadweight, Chef!" And Soma had officially lost any and all control of the words that were leaving his mouth. Something told him that right now, there was only one response to give: Whatever Chef Ramsay wanted to hear. He wanted to say something, anything else really, but his lips just wouldn't move. Never had Soma felt something of this sort. Never had he met someone, who didn't simply demand his respect… no, he took that respect from him by force. The cycle repeated once again, as Soma was not given the time to ponder upon his thoughts.
"Good. And you will stay deadweight to this kitchen till you prove otherwise. You've already wasted enough of our time today so you're not allowed to step a single foot inside my kitchen till service finishes today." He then turned to look at Ben, who feared the worst that now his time had come to be at the receiving end of whatever his share was going to be. Instead, "Williams! Tell the cleaning staff they have a paid leave today. Go change and take the deadweight with you. Give him the uniform of the cleaning staff."
Once again, he turned towards Soma, who had just understood the meaning behind his words and his expression reflected that he knew what was being told to him indirectly. However, even Gordon hadn't expected there to be not a single sign of dejection or desperation in the face that looked straight into his eyes. As a look of pure, unfiltered excitement greeted him, he found his thoughts reaching the pits of his vocabulary to find the words he had not said in a long, long while. 'Good, I like that look in your eyes, boy. Maybe you'll survive this hell after all'. His expression gave nothing away, but within his mind, even he found himself smiling with excitement. Not everyday would a young aspiring chef come in and effectively turn his kitchen upside down. Even rarer was for a chef to look him in the eye and basically scream to him that he was going to face whatever came his way simply by the look in their eyes. And now that both of these had happened within a single day, and by the same person at that… Gordon concluded that he liked this boy, after all. However, no one was going to stop his kitchen's clock and not pay for it. And so, he spoke for what would be the final time to the redhead in front of him before the end of the day's service.
"You're on cleaning staff for the day. At the end of tonight's service, you get a chance to prove yourself worthy of standing in here. Pass, you get to wear the chef's whites in here. Fail, you get thrown back to Japan. I'll even pay for the tickets. Consider it a courtesy to a good friend, your old man. Before that, you don't get to set a single foot inside this kitchen. Do that, and you get sent home anyways. Those are your instructions. Now fuck off out of here. Got it?"
Unlike before, this time Soma had full authority over the words that were about to leave his mouth. Anyone else in that situation would have crumbled under the weight of the aura that was Gordon Ramsay, and even Soma acknowledged within his mind that it was stressful even being in his presence. However, Yukihira Soma was no 'anybody else'. To him, he was being offered a fair shot at proving himself worthy enough to stand here, and get rid of the title of 'deadweight' that he had been, admittedly, rightfully given for the commotion he had caused this morning. To Yukihira Soma, this once chance to prove himself was the challenge that he had always lived for. All the passion he had for cooking, and all the determination to prove the man inf front of him whom everyone feared, who had deemed him unworthy of being able to cook in his kitchen wrong was clearly conveyed to every soul who heard the next words he said.
"Yes Chef!" he exclaimed out loud with conviction.
As Ben signalled for him to follow him, the two began making their way towards the large doors leading outside the kitchen. Inside however, a sudden shift in the mood could be felt as if a switch were flipped. "Alright, hope everyone ate their popcorn and enjoyed the show. Now get back to work" roared Chef Abé, and soon enough, everyone was back to their stations continuing where they had, quite uncharacteristically, stopped working. However, something was different this time around. Every single one of the cooks in this kitchen were more than simply 'skilled', and as such their bodies always worked as if they were on auto-pilot when cooking. But usually, their minds were clear, thinking ahead about what new challenge the day was to bring. Right now though, that zen state of mind towards cooking had been broken by the constant lingering of a certain redhead within their minds. While it had taken everyone a while to recognize who the newcomer had been, once that mystery resolved itself no longer were they contemplating what the service would entail today. Right now, everyone found their minds held captive by the fact that no other than Soma Yukihira, the runner up at this year's BLUE, the most famous culinary event in the world; had just been thrown out from the kitchen by Gordon Ramsay, and was supposed to stand in for the entire cleaning staff till the end of the day's service.
Aspiring younglings and hardened veterans alike, everyone knew about the prestige that the BLUE carried with it. Even well established chefs would fight over the chance to even participate in this competition. Most of the people present here had live streamed the entire event, for this year had been an anomaly. The competition, historically dominated by famous and prestigious names of the cooking world, had just witnessed a finale featuring two high school students. If one disregarded the fact that she was just a high schooler, the Nakiri heiress winning the competition was not as surprising as it seemed at first, considering she possessed the superhuman ability known as the God Tongue and belonged to one of the most well respected families in the culinary world. What was surprising, to the point of blasphemy to the conservationists, was the other contender, the eventual runner up. An unknown teenager, seemingly of an unknown heritage; had beaten any and all obstacles on his way to reach the very top. Not only had he beat everyone, he had also been praised by the WGO's bookmaster herself! As if it were not enough, he seemed to be on the path to victory for most of the grand finals as well. The Nakiri princess seemingly was having a breakdown, and if it were not for him helping her snap out of it, everyone knew that he would have won since his opponent would not have presented a dish to compete with. Not only had he shocked the entire world by reaching here, he had also just added to that shock by helping his opponent, leading to his eventual loss at the last stage. Even if Soma didn't know it himself, his face had become known to pretty much the entire cooking world overnight.
Needless to say, everyone in this kitchen right now knew who he was ever since the images from the BLUE had appeared in their thoughts. And considering what they knew about him, they were pretty sure that he was more than capable enough to work here. If anything, they might have had a chance to see what the hype surrounding this mysterious kid was up close and personal. So when Chef Ramsay threw him out of the kitchen, the action was not only shocking to them, it was straight up bugging them. Everyone wanted to ask why he did what he did… but good luck finding someone who was going to walk up to Gordon Ramsay and ask the why behind his actions. The constant nagging at the back of their mind was eventually put to ease as Chef Abé found himself giving in to the temptation of wanting to get some answers. He walked up to Gordon and asked, in a hushed tone. "So that is…?" he trailed off.
"The kid I told you about yesterday. Jo's son. Yeah." was the reply he received as Gordon turned around to properly face him. His query must have been written all over his face as he didn't even have to ask the question on his, and everyone else's, mind. "Yeah, I know who he is. Jo, that stupid little prick, didn't tell me, though. But without a doubt he is Jo's son."
"Gordon, you do know about the BLUE, right?"
"I don't live under a rock, Matt. I know who the kid is. The fact that he is the mystery kid from BLUE didn't tell me that he's the son of Joichiro Saiba. The fact that he had the same look in his eyes as Jo had when presented with a challenge did. And the kid's brain is filled up with rocks... just as his old man."
"But I don't understand. If you know who he is, then surely you know he can cook in here, I don't see the point in testing him."
"Reason number one, not even the prime minister would disrespect the rules of this kitchen by delaying the work being done and get to walk away without facing the consequences. Reason number two, if the reason behind him being here is anything like why Jo left his home, then he'll thank me for keeping him away from a flame for just one more day."
"Huh? I don't understand. What do you mean?"
"You'll see."
And at that, everyone knew that was all the explanation they were going to receive today. However, when one great mystery decided to somewhat resolve itself, another decided to greet everyone with a punch to their faces.
'Wait what, Joichiro Saiba?'
'Does he mean the Asura?'
'THE Asura?'
'I remember reading that he once interned at the same place as Chef Ramsay… no way that can't be true.'
'Is this real? Soma Yukihira is the son of Joichiro Saiba? The Asura?'
If anyone thought they were being subtle with their murmurings, a loud "Rule number 1 of this kitchen: You do not speak unless spoken to. Rule number 2: No one utters a single unnecessary word. Is there a change of rules I don't know about within my own kitchen or do you all have a sudden, collective death-wish?" quickly ended their misconception and effectively shut them up. Sweats dripping down their brows despite the slight chill of the morning, not even a moment was allowed to pass before everyone started working at breakneck speeds once again.
Outside the kitchen, Soma and Ben found themselves within the staff room. Ben had been going on non-stop about how scared he was for Soma over what had happened this morning while simultaneously apologizing for not showing him a picture of Chef Ramsay. Soma on the other hand, had spent the entire way trying to convince him that it was not his fault and he should calm down. Now, after both of them had finally changed into their respective work clothes: Ben in the chef's whites, and Soma in an uncharacteristic, baggy, grey overalls; Ben finally decided to ask the one question he had been itching to ask Soma ever since it was revealed what Soma would be doing for the entire day.
"Are you sure you're okay with this?" he asked and a clueless expression followed by a tilting of Soma's head was all he received in response, clearly signalling that although his words were heard, they weren't understood. 'Right. Explain like he's five.' he thought to himself. "This" he continued as he waved his hands around "working in place of the cleaning staff for the entire day. Don't you want to be in the kitchen? I mean, you didn't seem too bothered for having to do this..." he trailed off.
Soma never intentionally tried to surprise people with his responses, if anything he always tried to be as honest as he could. However, it was the same honesty that often caught people off guard… and Soma, being the person he was, could never understand why everyone reacted so surprisingly to hearing the truth. Same was the situation right now, as his simple response "Huh? Why should I ? He had a point, I did delay the kitchen and this is just what I get for doing that. If anything, I'm glad I didn't get thrown out of the kitchen going by the stories you told me. Besides, he's giving me a chance to prove myself. I don't really see anything bad here" had effectively shocked Ben by just how unaffected he was by the 'punishment' he had received. Contemplating a bit more, he figured out that while Soma was not exactly wrong with anything he had said, it took a great deal of mental fortitude to see things the way he did. As he looked towards Soma, he found a confused pair of eyes staring at him in an intense stare, demanding to know what he was thinking about. In response, he just sighed before speaking up "Nothing. Your optimism just amazes me."
"Oh? Happy to help!" with a thumbs up and a grin as bright as the sun was what the answer he received before Soma turned around and began walking out of the staff room. All Ben could manage was a mere "That's not what I mea-" before the redhead came to an abrupt stop and turned back towards him with a sheepish smile on his face. As Soma raised a hand towards his nape and bowed his head a little, Ben already knew what was coming.
"Uh… what exactly am I supposed to do again? I have never been on the cleaning staff in a place like this..."
Sighing an exasperated sigh, with a deadpan look on his face all the while begging the heavens to grant him patience, Ben figured out there was no getting out of another explanation and accepted his fate. "You know what, scratch that. It's not just your optimism that amazes me." he said. Heaving another long, drawn out sigh, he began what seemed to be his 50th explanation about how things worked in England to Soma. "I am not going to repeat this 15 times like everything else I explained last night, so listen up..."
The two began walking outside with Ben continuing on with the explanation, readying themselves for what was sure to be an interesting day ahead.
9:00 pm
Restaurant Gordon Ramsay
London
The day was done and the kitchen cleaned up and closed, save for a lone cooking station. The service was officially over, and everyone would already be on their way home if not for an event that everyone had been anticipating since early morning. As the redhead, who had finally shunned the grey uniform that he had worn all day entered the kitchen for the first time since the morning, effectively all eyes were drawn to him. He made his way on to the station, set his knife case down and opened it, revealing his personal set of knives that were begging him to be taken out and used since the morning. Everyone present inside carefully watched his every move as he finally turned around to face them… to face the man sitting in front of everyone else to be precise. His nerves were on full alert and his excitement was almost ready to pour out of his body as he itched for an explanation of what his challenge was going to be. He wasn't alone, since everyone wanted to see what his challenge was going to be, and moreso, if it was a challenge he could face at all. Nobody had to wait for long, as the voice everyone wanted to hear spoke up.
"Well, looks like you survived the day and didn't burn this place to the ground. Not bad for some deadweight. Not bad at all". Gordon paused, stood up, and walked up to Soma till he was mere inches away from him, looking down at the redhead before continuing. "Now then, ready to be thrown aboard the flight back home?"
Closing his eyes, Soma inhaled a deep breath only to release it as a short, quick sigh to calm down his nerves as his right hand reached for the piece of cloth tied to his left arm. Untying it and then tying it on his forehead in a superhumanly fast and swift motion, he steeked his expression and finally matched the gaze of Chef Ramsay with the flame of excitement burning deep within his amber eyes that elicited a devilish smirk from the feared veteran. And then,
"No Chef!"
Guide:
Flashback
"Talking"
'Thinking'
Location/Time/Event
Author Notes:
Hey everyone!
This is going to be a long one, so bear with me.
First things first, I want to apologise for this long wait between chapters. For anyone wanting to know why, I will have an explanation at the end, and for those who don't want to bother reading about my personal life, all I can say is I had some reasons. I hope you all can understand and not hold this one against me. Regardless, I can assure you that this was the longest you have had to wait for a chapter and I'll be back to quick updates like I had originally planned. This chapter was a tad bit shorter than I had originally planned, simply because I wanted to update as soon as possible. Personally, I feel like this chapter really needed the two last scenes that I have ultimately decided to not include, but at the same time, I just couldn't find it in me to keep everyone waiting for longer than you all already have.
On to some things about this chapter, including the two scenes I didn't include. I did not discard them, don't worry. They will be included into the next chapter. They are just scenes in which one can see the original conflict inside Soma's mind come to surface again. Due to them not being included in this one, however, I can understand if Soma comes off as having forgotten about his conflict at all. To that, I can say that just think of it as just being overwhelmed by being in a foreign land for the first time in his life so his mind has just not had the time to adjust and is still processing all the information being provided to his brain right now. Add to that, being inside a literal million dollar kitchen has his mind overtaken by excitement and he hasn't, as of the ending of this chapter, had the time to be alone with his thoughts. But no matter what I say, this chapter would have been a lot more complete and Soma's character would have had a lot more depth if I had decided to delay this update by a few more days. Ultimately I chose speed over length, and I hope it didn't affect the quality too much. Just know that I am aware of this one particular aspect of this story and will fix it ASAP. Nevertheless, everything will be back to normal by the next upload :)
I am thinking of changing the rating to M simply because of the language that I'm sure is going to be used in future chapters. So if anyone can help me out with this that'll be a great help since I don't fully understand how the ratings work on this site depending on the language.
There were some great suggestions for chefs you wanted to see in the reviews. Thanks a ton for that. I'll try to include them as best as I can.
There was someone asking if there will ever be romance in this story and the answer is yes, eventually there will be, and I guess I'll change the tags for this story at that point for convenience. However, I don't want to give false hopes that it will happen quickly since the characters have a lot to go through, and so it will take time. But yeah, it will happen sometime in the future.
And to everyone who noticed that the name of the chapter signifies the general theme of the chapter: Haha, you guys noticed it! I put some work into that so I'm glad you actually notice :)
Let me know your thoughts about the chapter. Can't wait to hear from you all again :)
A massive thank you to everyone who read/followed/favorited/reviewed this story.
Now for anyone interested, here is why I was away for so long:
The summary of the situation is that I was not in the right mental place to write. As for why that happened, I don't really want to write about it too much, but I lost some loved ones in my family in quick succession, and that took a toll on our entire extended family. Everyone was stressed and feeling low, but in the end I think we got a bit closer in the end. While all this was happening, my college decided to conduct exams. Everything just kept adding up and mentally I was exhausted for the last 2.5 months. I tried writing in between, but when you write 5 lines in an hour, it's easy to know that you really shouldn't be doing it right now. So I decided to take a break till I felt better. Right now, I am in a much better state and can actually be productive while writing. To everyone who checked up on my in the reviews, you have my heart. Thank you 3
Rest assured, I never once forgot about this story or thought about quitting it. I just needed to take some time off because life happened.
P.S. - A massive shoutout to every writer on this site. Even if I couldn't review your works, reading your fics (across different fandoms aswell) really helped me bounce back into the groove of things after going through everything I did. Thanks a ton for that!
Well anyways! Thanks for sitting through the thousand word author's note. (No seriously, I checked.)
That's all from my side this time.
Stay safe everyone!
Thank you for giving this story a chance :)
Ja ne!
夢