Chapter 52: Request
Evening at Kyokusei was tense. Not because of anything that the residents had done to annoy Mistress Fumio but instead from the really bad feeling that they had all received when watching the new director upon the stage and 'humbly' accept the directorship of Tōtsuki.
"Isshiki!" Yuki yelled, beginning another day of confronting him with questions pf his loyalty to kyokusei and Tōtsuki independence in general. "What the hell! Why is the paper saying that you, the Ten, elected a new director?"
"They say that it was a majority decision from the Ten?" Ryōko chipped in, frowning as she fiddled with the hem of her skirt.
The gathered Kyokusei dorm mates, whom were all gathered around the television, stared up at the loincloth clad seventh seat. All of them expecting a very good explanation for this current predicament. However, all they got was a shrug and a laugh. "You're right but I'm just as surprised as you", Isshiki sighed throwing up his arms. "I mean I wasn't aware that the Ten had this scheme going. Or that someone would actually show up to be the new director".
Seeing that the second year dorm mate was genuinely surprised and regretful about this course of action, Sōma asked the question that they all wanted to have answered but were too polite to ask. "Soo Isshiki... how'd ya vote? Were you team Senzaemon or team Azami?" Immediately, Yuki grabbed Sōma and placed a hand over his mouth stopping him from further insinuating any potential betrayal on Ishiki's part.
"For the love of god Sōma, haven't you ever heard of tact!"
Bowing his head in apology, the boy felt a hand in his shoulder as Isshiki smiled at him. "It's fine Sōma... I think it's kind of reassuring that you are thinking like this. And anyway, myself and Kuga voted against the motion to oust Senzaemon... Erina abstained".
Getting even more flustered and annoyed, Yuki all but screamed her objections of the sped of this appointment. "But don't you think it's messed up that the Ten can just do something like this?" Again, sighing deeply, Isshiki placed his hands on his hips and stared up at the clouds. "Not really, in terms of the process the appointment was by the book. The choice was made and the votes were cast according to procedure".
"Hey..." Ryōko interjected, resulting in eight sets of eyes landing once more upon her. "I heard that that Tōtsuki's directorship was always passed down through the Nakiri family. If that's true then this kind of makes sense..."
The redness in Yuki's cheeks flared up, not from admiration but from annoyance. "Is that so.. well I still think it was too freakishly sudden". With a cute innocent smile replacing her annoyance, the orange haired wild game chef shook away the suddenness as 'maybe not going to affect students lives'.
"We don't have to worry about this right? It's got nothing or do with us students?" Yuki's innocence made Ryōko and Megumi smile, whilst at the same time holding back their frowns. The silence of the room was broken by the ever quiet Shun abruptly stepping forwards with a query. "And yet..." the boy stated, brushing his hair out of his eyes, "there's talk going around campus of 'aligning' with the new director. Wouldn't it have reached you before anyone else, Isshiki?"
Looking away for the television and back towards the paper, currently being read by Daigo and Shōji, Sōma was reminded of the moment when he and Megumi had walked into Erina's restaurant and seen the tail-end of the conversation between Azami and those in the room. 'Erina... why-why are you shaking?' His question to his female rival and new friend made him nervous about tomorrow.
"Ugh..." Ryōko sighed, "I need a 'relaxing bath' to get over this suddenness". Turning around the purple haired girl marched out of the dining room and was heard stomping upstairs, muttering to herself. "I'll go after her..." Yuki began, but she found herself stopped by Isshiki. "I don't think that's a good idea right now. Whenever Ryōko says she needs a relaxing bath it's usually code for something else".
Blushing bright red at realising what Isshiki was inferring, Yuki bolted from the room making her way outside to her menagerie of animals. She was followed moments later by Shun and the two muscle heads, who agreed to assist the 'Prince of Smoke' with the cutting of logs and preparing of smoking chips. This left Sōma, Megumi, Zenji and Isshiki all in the dining room watching the television
Just as Sōma was about to ask Isshiki about Kensuke, Fumio's voice was heard from the entrance hall. "Sōma! You have a visitor to see you!" Flinching, the redhead once again imagined that his father was here to rub the defeat to one of the Ten in his son's face. Preparing himself for seeing his father, Sōma; and the others who followed him, were shocked to see the huge muscled figure of Senzaemon Nakiri framed by the doors.
"Sir! I mean Mister Nakiri... I mean master Senzaemon", Sōma fumbled his words in shock. "What are you don't here?" The former director looked around the entranceway of Kyokusei dorm and smiled before landing his eyes back upon the redhead boy, and the blue haired girl beside him.
"Sōma Yukihira, please forgive me for this sudden intrusion but I had to see you, for it was I who suggested to Jōichirō that he send you to Tōtsuki. I believe this is the first time we have spoken outside of competitions and food wars". Dressed in sweat pants and a tank top, with his long pony tail of grey hair swaying behind his head and his beard trimmed, the former director looked as if he was enjoying a holiday rather than having been just ousted as headmaster of Tōtsuki.
"When your father was here he was the number two seat on the Council of Ten, a position he held proudly. Things didn't always go smoothly but he truly was a splendid chef". Smiling as he he spoke, reminiscing, Senzaemon gestured outside. "How about you join me outside, I have something I wish to ask of you". Nodding his head in acceptance of the former directors ask, Sōma gave a quick kiss to Megumi; promising to assist her with her cooking when he returned, before stepping outside.
As it turned out stepping outside was Senzaemon's way of describing his very rigorous exercise routine, and whilst Sōma was by no means out of shape after about forty five minutes he was struggling to keep up with the old man. "I apologise for having you join me in my daily routine, oddly being relieved of my duties as director has been a somewhat surprising weight off my shoulders".
Upon reaching an outdoor training yard, complete with pull up bars, the ex-Director showed off his vitality and endurance before launching himself up into the air and performing a perfect backflip landing before the gawking Sōma.
"Tell me Sōma..." Senzaemon spoke forlornly. "What kind of chef would you say Erina is?"
Surprised by the question but not balking at the fear of saying something untowardly offensive to the god tongue's grandfather, the boy replied as bets he could. Scrunching up his face in thought, the director couldn't help but see the resemblance between Jōichirō and Sōma. "Well... if I had or say", the boy mused replied, "Erina is super picky about taste and always on edge about something but recently I've noticed that she isn't as abrasive as she used or be".
Standing up and turning around from his perfect backflipped landing, the ex-director looked rueful as he explained about Erina's childhood. "When she was a child, Erina was full of laughter, Alice used to cook so many different cakes for her cousin to try and whilst Erina would often state their difference in taste it was clear to me that Botha girls were thankful for each other's presence".
Running a hand through his grey hair, Senzaemon continued. "When Alice decided to accompany her parents to Europe, on their trip to discover new culinary practices, both girls promised to wrote to one another. But... no such letters ever reached Erina".
"Wah! I can't believe Alice would cut off her own cousin like that..." Sōma irked, just as Senzaemon raised his hand. "It wasn't her fault. Alice did write letters, they just never reached Erina. Because her father, Azami, destroyed them. All to keep her isolated and under his purview". With clenched fists, the greying old man bowed his head in silent fury at his own naivety.
"Ten years ago, I found out that Azami was indoctrinating his daughter with an ideology of the extreme perfection of the culinary arts. 'Let go of sentiment. Taste is all that matters' those were his words to her then. I drove Azami away from Tōtsuki and forbade him from ever using the Nakiri name again".
With widened eyes, Sōma sat crosslegged on the grass opposite the former director taking in the story of horrors. "I guess Erina is hurting more than she knows how to admit..." he mused quietly. "What happened to Azami once he was exiled, Master Senzaemon?" A loud but remorseful sigh was elicited from the old man as he closed his eyes and frowned.
"I heard that he created a community abroad, a closed off and tight knit group for his elitist followers and rich gourmands who sided with his view of the culinary world. I never imagined that he would worm his way into the Ten and instigate a rebellion. He is without shame. Erina, though brainwashed, slowly began to return to her old self once he was gone and it was thanks to Hisako and Alice were of Greta help to her... but Erina's heart is still trapped inside a cage of fear. This man, his tactics are the same as they were ten years ago, he will restrict her movements and make it so he is the sole person who Erina can talk to".
Bowing his head ice more, and placing his hands on the ground before him, Senzaemon all but prostrated himself to Sōma. "Mr Yukihira... I only have one thing to ask of you. Please save my granddaughter, Erina!"
Blinking at the unbelievable sincerity of the request, Sōma looked up at the darkening sky full of big black clouds and the deluge that was slowly beginning. "Wow... it's really gonna be raining hard soon, so I'd better start heading back to the dorm". Pushing himself to his feet, the redhead boy felt a hand on his shoulder. "Sōma Yukihira..." Senzaemon began before he was cut off by the boy.
"Look, I know Erina is having a hard time at home and everything but that doesn't rally involve me. What I have to do was decided on my entrance to Tōtsuki, back when Erina told me my food was disgusting. I won't rest until I've made her say that my food is delicious! Also, regarding Kensuke, I'm probably right in thinking that you're gonna want me to ask Megumi to try and save her brother as well, right? Master Senzaemon."
'Hmmm'. The nasally sound, combined with the slight smirk on the old man's face was all Sōma needed to know that he was right in his assumptions. "Well I'll see you around campus", Sōma replied beginning his jog back to his dorm. Chuckling as he watched the redhead jog away, the former director recollected Jōichirō's words to him. 'If Erina can be helped at all, surely it would be by my son and his generation of classmates'.
Upon returning to Kyokusei dorm, and shaking the rain off his clothes, Sōma was met by the extremely wet visages of Hisako, Alice, Ryo and Erina towelling their hair down; Megumi and Isshiki were standing at the foot of the stairway handing cups of hot chocolate to the cold, wet and red faced guests. "Hey guys, why are you here?" The redhead boy blinked in surprise at the sight of Erina and Hisako before turning his attention towards Alice and Ryo.
Slightly red faced, Erina hid herself behind the towel in her hands as Hisako explained all. "Mistress Erina will be living here now. This way she'll be away from her father, so we can all help her as much as possible", the ever faithful aid announced. "Ohh so you-like ran away", Sōma mused, "I dig it. Congrats girl!"
"Don't make fun of me!" The god tongue retorted, her visage all scarlet from embarrassment. Before the boy could speak, Alice moved forwards and wrapped her cousin in her arms. "Remember what I told you on the way here, you need to show your father that he can't 'push you around anymore'".
Returning the embrace, albeit with unease, Erina allowed herself to enjoy a moment of familial love. The first since her parents became estranged. "Thank you... Alice", she whispered before catching Hisako's sweet smile, and blushing face, in the corner of her eye resulting in an unexplained warmth bubbling up in her chest.
R.I.P: Director and Actor - Norman Lloyd