Chapter 54: Rigged and Flipped
"You're mine Eizan! I won't let you disband Skewer society! The theme is large head hair tail..."
All over Tōtsuki, students and professors were glued to the food war on their television screens, watching in rapt anticipation and hope for a future where their culinary freedom wasn't under the yolk of Central. Currently underway, was Tetsuji Kabutoyama head of the Skewer research society facing up against the ninth seat of ten council of ten.
And the outcome that most of Tōtsuki were hoping for was to see if the skewer chef could manage a victory over the ten. Preventing dissolution of their culinary societies could be successfully appealed by way of the food war.
"Yes... okay I get it", the voice of Etsuya Eizan droned bored by his opponents resolve. "I will be sure to involve a skewering technique during preparation. Now then, if your loose you'll leave the academy. I take it you have no complaints?"
"Yeah, whatever..." Kabutoyama angrily retorted spinning around and making his way over to his own work surfaces. "You will learn the full weight of the skills I've honed day in and day out..." He was abruptly interrupted by Eizan brushing past him towards the three arriving judges. "Okay, geez, enough with the blabbering already. I'm going to take your best dish and destroy it, so you better give me everything you've got!"
It was then that an announcer, a suited man appeared and raised his arm above his head and then dropped it quickly. "Let the food war begin!"
Watching on television, at bowl club, Ikumi, Takumi and Kenichi as well as all their new recruits were fixated on the screen. "If Kabutoyama can win this, then there is a chance that we too can save our society", Ikumi stated. Reaching forwards, the blonde 'meat general' clasped her hands tightly tighter and shut her eyes on silent prayer. 'Please... please win skewer soc'.
Simultaneously, inside another room of the academy, Zenji stood next to Professor Miazato as the rest of their seminar anxiously stared at the television. "If we can win... the we can totally save this place", the glasses wearing first year stated. "We can beat them in a food war! That is our lifeline!"
Meanwhile, back in Kyokusei dorm; Sōma, Megumi, Ryōko, Yuki, Shun, Daigo, Shōji and Erina were staring at their own small television. Yet it was Sōma who pointed out a curiously alarming fact about Eizan's behaviour in the food war. "What is he doing? It doesn't look like he's concentrating on his dish at all... something is off, no matter how much he goes out there and crushes Kabutoyama, I don't think that it'll be enough to stop anyone else from challenging the dissolution order".
Looking around at his friends, who were now all sporting the same curious expressions that he was, Sōma felt a hand reach out and take his. "I get it..." he heard Megumi suddenly spoke, finishing his thought. "So... what did chef Eizan mean by this being a warning?"
"Hey guys..." Erina meekly exclaimed. "It looks like time is up", pointing at the tv screen, the god tongue showed that both Kabutoyama and Eizan had finished cooking and were making their way towards the judges.
"It is now time for judgment!" The black suited Central aid announced. "Chef Eizan has presented first, so no skewer society please step up".
As soon as the plates of food were placed down on the table before the three judges, and as Kabutoyama bowed, a three to zero score instantly appeared on the scoreboard.
"Huh... what's going on?" Ryōko asked dumbfounded by what she was seeing. "Thai is weird..." Shōji added. "The scores are very placed first". As it turned out, their dumbfounded ness was shown by Kabutoyama as well. "Huh, I think the scoreboard is broken or something? It's showing a score even though no one has tried anything yet..."
"Huh ahaha". Malicious smirks bloomed onto the faces of the three judges as they all simultaneously swished the skewer chefs play of food onto the floor. "Eizan... don't tell me? You got to the judges!" Slowly turning around, the ninth seat stuck out his tongue and held his thumb downwards, smirking all the while.
"Too bad skewer-boy!"
"We have a winner! Skewer society of henceforth dissolved!" The aid announced, gleefully. "Hold on!" Kabutoyama yelled. "Cut the crap, I can't believe you'd cook for bought judges, this kind of food war means nothing! This is outrageous!"
"Well now Kabutoyama", Eizan continued, "say goodbye! Looks like you are out, this is a whole new, totally different, Tōtsuki you're dealing with now!"
"This is evil", Yuki cried, throwing herself into Ryōko's arms. "If we can't even get a fair judging then..." the girl would have continued had she not completely broken into tears. "Then..." Shun piped up, "whether or not we challenge him to a food war or not, the outcome will be the same..." "No matter what we do, Kyokusei is finished" Ryōko wept.
"What should we do? Our home is going to be torn down!" Daigo punched his fist angrily against the wall, as Shōji let out a string of four letter expletives, resulting in Megumi and Erina both flinching. Abruptly looking up, the blue haired girl looked towards her boyfriend, and the towards the god tongue. "What do we do? If we loose the dorm then Erina will loose her hiding spot!"
Clenching his fists as he stared at the television screen, Sōma watched as Eizan pushed his glasses up his nose before looking deep into the camera shot. Shrugging his shoulder and smirking, the look he gave off was of cold indifference mixed with compete and utter joy at having been able to kill off any hope that remained on campus. And for Sōma, that was the final straw. His decision was been made.
The next day the number of food war challenges that had been submitted to the food war chief, were all summarily rescinded. Leaving, the chief and his staff demoralised. And over the next few day, students began to be given brand new lessons with Central amended recipes and skills, and any teacher who refused to go along with the new curriculum was sacked. And yet, late one evening, in the halls of the lecture building Sōma confronted Eizan and jabbed his food war request straight at the ninth seat's chest.
"Huh? Don't do something stupid Sōma Yukihira, do you still not understand the situation you're in?" Eizan's stupefied expressions glared at the redhead boy. "The judges are all on my side! This isn't about wining or loosing, they won't even taste your food. The moment you set foot into that ring you're done for!"
Unable to restrain himself anymore, Sōma walked forwards and grabbed Eizan by the scruff of his shirt and thrust the challenge into his hand. "This a for myself and my friends! Kyokusei is my castle, and it's where I will continue to perfect my cooking. So you won't knock down my home, got it! Accept my challenge right now! Or are you a coward?"
Gritting his teeth in annoyed frustration at having failed to fell Sōma's spirit and resolve, Eizan reached forwards and grabbed the piece of paper. "Fine. Have it your way, Sōma Yukihira but don't say I don't warn you". Walking away, the ninth seat vowed that he'd find a way to break the red heads spirit, through whatever means necessary.
Six hours later, during late afternoon early evening, the residents of Kyokusei discovered a handwritten letter, by Sōma, blue-tacked to the notice board in the dining room. They had very nearly burst into tears of happiness as well as also screaming the boys recklessness, yet it was Megumi who talked them all down. Despite her own efforts to not do the exact same thing.
"Wha the hell is that boy doing?" Yuki cried, no longer managing to hold back her anguish. "Doesn't he realise that he's a member of Kyokusei too? So why is he acting like he's alone in this?"
"He's probably trying to protect us..." Shun theorised, "in his own reckless way".
"But he's insane..." Erina mumbled, taking everyone's attention away from Yuki. "He-he can't win..."
However, before anyone could reply there was an almighty crash and thud as the sound of wood collided against wood, and then the out of breath and running form or Hisako came barrelling towards them. "Miss Erina! Turn of the tv you have to see what's going round the campus right now! It's Sōma!"
Immediately, Shōji grabbed the remote control and switched back on the television and flicked to the channel Hisako mentioned. And there on screen was one of the former journalism clubs new Central spokespeople.
"Attention all students of Tōtsuki. A food war has been declared and accepted, Etsuya Eizan will face Sōma Yukihira! The competition will begin any moment!"
Inside a small pagoda building, in a back room, Sōma was perusing the ingredients given to him. Mumbling to himself about the main theme ingredient, 'local Satsuma chicken from Kagoshima', the redhead completely ignored Eizan who had been trying to get him to be thrown off his stride. Unfortunately for the ninth seat, Sōma's obliviousness or rather him being fixated on the task at hand, saving his dorm, was infuriating him.
"What the hell! Are you even listening to me! What are you doing you idiot!" Eizan yelled, veins throbbing in his head. Without even turning around, the redhead boy continued to observe and check all the other ingredients around. "I'm just checking the ingredients man. This is you after all, I never know when you're gonna pull a fast one".
Just then, the door behind the two participants was thrown wide open revealing an irate Rindō and a slightly pale looking Kensuke. "What the hell are you doing Eizan!" Rindō yelled, bolting forwards and grabbing the ninth seat in a headlock, whilst the third seat wandered over to where Sōma was standing, flabbergasted by the redhead girls ability to 'pacify' her fellow council mate.
"Hey... Sōma", Kensuke stuttered only for the the boy in question to turn towards him and frown. "Megumi is worried about you; me and Isshiki as well. We all want to know why you're backing this 'new direction' for Tōtsuki?"
"Hey there Sōma", looking over at Rindō, the boy flinched at seeing Eizan laying on the floor coughing, whilst the second seat walked towards them. "I see your running around half cocked as usual. We members of the Ten are super busy right now; making documents relating to Azami Nakiri's Revolution". Unashamedly grinning, Rindō explained how she had 'put all that' on Tsukasa, whilst Kensuke looked at the ground and looked despondently indifferent.
Sighing at having had his chance of taking to Ken interrupted, Sōma picked up his box of chosen ingredients and made his way towards the door, stating, "I'm gonna start prepping, so I'll take the interior kitchen".
Silently fuming as he watched the redhead boy walk away, Eizan clenched his hands and kicked at a box of vegetables next to him resulting in potatoes rolling over the floor. Recomposing himself he straightened his chefs whites and headed out or the kitchen too, leaving both Rindō and Kensuke to follow him. "It's a pity that your little warning, as you called it, failed to break Sōma's spirits. But don't let it get to you, it's not entirely your fault, that's just whom this boy has grown up to be. A bratty punk..."
Rindō stopped when they all entered the main interior kitchen, and saw the ninth seat pull a buzzing phone from his jacket pocket and mutter some thing to whomever was on the other end. "Is it ready? Good. Then proceed, call me when it's complete". Standing up, Eizan made his way over towards his workstation as another Central aid announced 'participants to your stations!'
"By the way, Sōma", the ninth seat strode forwards into the redheads workspace, chuckling. "I forgot to mention, my men are heading right now to Kyokusei dorm to pay their respects". Narrowing his eyes, Sōma slowly looked up. "Huh, they got some business there or something?" He mused, baiting his opponent.
"Oh you know... it's the thing about vacating Central property. The timeframe has been expedited, suffice to say that your fiends are about it become forcibly evicted".
Biting back his fury, Sōma clenched his fist around the handle of the knife he was holding. Forcing himself to believe in this friends ability to by time and protect themselves under this barrage of cruelty. "I'm sure the eviction will occur with the upmost reverence regarding my men. Now all that matters is the food war, you have three hours, and when you get back to your dorm all you'll find are the looks of despair on your friends faces when they realise you let them down!"
"Now food war, start!"