Food Wars: Conquering the Mountain
Chapter 2: Arriving and some New Friends.
Luke was awoken by the sudden shaking of the plane he was on. He had fallen asleep shortly after his plan had left the airport in Arizona, he always did get tired whenever he was in a moving vehicle which let him fall asleep rather easily. After accepting Chef Soma's offer to attend Totsuki, Luke and his family got to work on all the different paperwork that he was going to need to attend the school such as where he would stay, the different fees, and tuition of course. Once all that was take care of, Luke packed up all the clothes, tools, and supplies that he was going to need to start at Totsuki, of course he wasn't technically in yet.
Chef Soma was only able to get him a recommendation for the school's transfer student exam, so for Luke to attend the school he needed to pass the exam and impress the examiner with his food. It was a bittersweet moment for the Anders family as Luke said goodbye to his friends and family, but everyone knew that this was the best way for Luke to get a real head start on his dream to becoming a professional chef. As he was being sent off, Luke's mother gave him a small memento of their family. It was a stylized metal 'A' pendant that he hooked on to the metal chain necklace he wore around his neck, this would be with him always so that he would never forget where he came from. Luke gave his goodbyes to his family and friends and headed onto his plane bound for Japan.
As the plane touched down and boarded into the terminal of the airport, Luke quickly got hold of the bags he brought onto the plane and exited as quickly as he could. He didn't want to get caught stuck in the middle of the aisles. As he exited the plane and entered the terminal of the airport, as he did, he took in a large breath of air. Enjoying the feeling of being in a new country.
"Okay, now if Sonoka is right, her friend should be around here waiting for me." He said as he looked around the terminal through the see of people, trying to find someone that could be the person that he was waiting for. Sonoka didn't say who her friend was only that she would be waiting for him at the airport. Since he arrived a day early for his exam, Sonoka told him that an old friend of hers would be willing to put him for the day until his test. Luke was grateful that he had a place to stay but it was kind of a pain since he didn't know who he was looking for. After searching for a few minutes, Luke's eyes fell on a woman who looked a few years older than Sonoka but still held a youthful look about her. She had long dark brown hair that was secured into a ponytail over her shoulder with a pair of dark purple eyes, a curvaceous figure, an ample bust, and a set of bangs that covered her forehead. She wore a dress that had thin hemlines, with the chest covered by a cloth that has ruffles on the edges and is fastened by a ribbon on the left side. Adorned on her left wrist was a bracelet and a pair of okobo on her feet. The reason that Luke's eyes were drawn to her was because she was holding a giant white sign that said Luke's name, but it was written in kanji with a sort of childish look to it.
Luke raised an eyebrow at this and made his way over towards the woman once he reached her, he gave the woman a bow, "Hello, I'm Luke Anders." He said in perfect Japanese, thanking Sonoka for giving him extra lessons in the language before he left.
The woman gave Luke a kind smile, "Oh hello Luke, it's nice to finally meet you. My name is Inui Hinako." She said giving Luke a bow. When he heard her name, Luke finally realized who she was. He had heard Sonoka talk about all the different seniors that she had met during her time at Totsuki and one of them was Inui Hinako, a specialist in Japanese cuisine with an emphasis on using natural and raw ingredients. Sonoka told him that Hinako was an incredible chef but she could be very childish at times but she was a great person all around.
Luke smiled, "It's a pleasure to meet you Chef Inui, my sister-in-law has spoken very highly of you."
Hinako giggled, "Well I hope that she said good things, but we can talk about that later. Let's get you settled in so you can get ready for the exam tomorrow." Luke nodded to the older chef and followed her out of the terminal. Once they exited the building, Luke was amazed at the images of the city he saw. He had seen pictures and videos of Tokyo before but seeing it in person was a different experience altogether. The towering buildings, the different temples, and the greenery and flowers that littered the streets gave the whole city a serene feel to it. Luke took a deep breath in once more as he followed Hinako towards a black car that she had waiting. They both got in and Hinako began driving them towards a more residential area where there were several Japanese style homes where there were a few families out and about with some kids playing in the yards. The car pulled up to a modern styled Japanese home that was two stories, a decent sized yard in front, and a triangular shaped roof.
Hinako let Luke get out, but she kept the car running, "Wow, nice house Chef." Luke said as he pulled his bags out of the car.
"Thank you, Luke," she said as she handed him a key, "This will get you into the house and my restaurant is only a few blocks away from here." Hinako told Luke.
"You aren't staying Chef?" Luke asked.
"No, I'm sorry. I have to go and check on a few things at my restaurant because I have a very big party coming in tonight." Hinako said with a slightly sad look.
Luke gave the older woman a smile, "No worries, I'm sure I can manage." He said.
Hinako smiled at the younger boy, "Thank you Luke. Take care and make yourself at home. I'll be back later tonight." She said getting back into her car. Luke gave her a wave as she drove off and headed towards the house. He opened the front door and walked into the modern styled house. It was rather nice, hardwood floors, high end appliances, a very large kitchen area, and a few different pictures were littered around the house.
"Nice place looks like Chef Hinako is single though. Shame, she seems like a very nice woman." Luke said as he walked up a flight of stairs where he assumed the bedrooms were. Once he got up to the top level, he passed a door that had a cartoon image of Hinako on it.
"That must be her room." He said passing it and headed towards another door. He opened it and found a decent sized bedroom with a bed, dresser, and a bedside table.
"This'll be perfect." He said as he set his bags down near the bed and laid down. He had slept a lot on the plane, so he wasn't tired. He then decided to go out and stretch his legs and do a little bit of sightseeing. After, doing a quick search online he found that there was a fun shopping district nearby that he felt like checking out. Luke got up and made sure that he looked okay in his dark blue jeans, black t-shirt with a long sleeve grey shirt over it, black boots, and of course his necklace, rings, and his fedora for a bit of style. Happy with how he looked, Luke headed out of Chef Hinako's house started walking. The weather was amazing with a cool breeze flowing through the air, the sun was bright but wasn't giving off any extra heat, and the smell of fresh air permeated Luke's nostrils giving him a literal breath of fresh air. He was not in Arizona anymore.
"Stop it please!" a feminine voice yelled out catching Luke's attention. He turned his head towards one of the nearby side streets and saw a young woman around his age being cornered by three rather, lanky looking guys. But the main thing that caught his eyes was that the girl was in front of a small child, protecting her from the three men.
"Oh, come one sweetheart. We're just asking you to come and join us for some fun." One of the guys with a set of thick mutton chops on the side of his head.
"Do you honestly think that I am going to agree to that? And why are you even coming onto me when there is a child here?" the girl shouted.
One guy with a large mohawk just shrugged, "Just leave the kid here and let's go have some fun. She can take care of herself."
The girl gaped, "How dare you?"
Now Luke had had enough. He made his way over to the group of four, he really didn't like it when guys took advantage of women but the fact that they would say such a thing like leaving a child alone in the middle of a street was something that Luke couldn't ignore.
He made his way over to the group and tapped the guy with mutton chops on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Luke and gave him a glare.
"What the hell do you want?" he yelled at Luke.
Luke gave him a deadpan glare, "I want you to leave those two ladies alone." He said like it was obvious.
The third guy, this guy had pierced ears, gave off a loud laugh, "Well look at this here. We got a guy who thinks he's a hero."
Luke chuckled as he shrugged, "Oh, I ain't no hero. I just hate seeing a couple of innocent girls getting messed with by a couple of jackasses," he said before he looked over to the girl, "Pardon my language."
Mohawk's face twisted into a snarl, "Who the hell are you calling a jackass you son of a…" he started as he threw a punch, but Luke easily avoided it.
Luke laughed, "Wow, you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn huh?" he taunted. Mohawk soon became agitated and started throwing more and more wild punches at Luke, but the young man was able to dodge and move out of the way. Soon enough, Mohawk became exhausted and tired, but he threw one more last ditch punch, but Luke was one step ahead of him. Luke moved into the punch and gripped Mohawk's outstretched wrist and hooked his other arm under Mohawk's shoulder. Using his own strength and the leverage of the punch, Luke threw Mohawk over his shoulder and slammed him onto his back knocking the air out of him.
Luke stood back up to his full height and smirked, "Yeah, you are really lame."
"You son of a…!" another one of the guy trio said as he tried to the same method that Mohawk did. Luke leaned into the oncoming punch and struck the attackers solar plexus with a strong elbow before landing a hammer fist to the man's groin and finished up by throwing the man over Luke's shoulder. Luke turned to the final member of the trio looked over at Luke with his mouth open and a look on his face like he was about to pass out.
"Well?" Luke asked the final member but instead of attacking Luke he went over to his friends and helped them up before they all ran away.
Once they were gone, Luke let out a deep sigh, "Jeez, that was annoying. I can't believe that there are guys like that even across the ocean." He said before he turned back towards the girl. Now that she wasn't surrounded, Luke was able to get a better look at her and he was amazed at what he saw. The girl had flawless ivory skin with long hair that fell to the center of the back and was a lovely shade of strawberry blonde with her eyes being a bright gold. She had a very curvaceous figure and a large bust. She was dressed in a simple dark blue shirt with black stockings, flat shoes, a white shirt, and a red button over it all. She was a very lovely girl which is why Luke as stunned when he saw her.
He then noticed the small child who was hiding behind the older girl's leg. It was a young girl probably around 6 or 7 with long blue hair that she kept in a pair of twin tails with bright blue eyes that looked up at Luke with a curiosity. She was dressed in a simple yellow dress with white stockings, pink shoes, and a blue long-sleeved shirt. She finished off her look with a simple sunflower hair clip.
Luke went over to the two girls, "Are you ladies, okay?" he asked.
The older girl looked at Luke with a shocked look on her face before she righted herself, "Yes, yes we are thanks to you. I wasn't sure what was going to happen if you didn't come along." She said.
Luke smiled, "Well it's a good thing that I came when I did," he said before he crouched down to the smaller girl who came out from her hiding spot, "And how are you doing little lady?" he asked.
The child smiled at Luke, "I'm okay. Thank you very much sir." She said with a bow.
"You very welcome." Luke said as he tipped his hat to the girl getting a small laugh of out of her.
Luke stood back up and looked at the older girl, "So what exactly are you both doing out here?"
The girl scoffed, "We were on our way to meet my aunt at the restaurant where she works at sometimes and we got cornered by those fools. I mean honestly, I cannot believe they had the nerve to hit on me with Himawari by my side." She said crossing her arms.
Luke shrugged, "Some guys just don't care." He said.
"Indeed, but I am very grateful for your help. I'm not much of a fighter and I would hate it if something happened to Himawari." She said as she rubbed the younger girl's head.
"You really care about her huh?" Luke asked.
The girl nodded, "She's practically family."
Luke smiled as he remembered his friends back home, "I can understand that" he said as he looked around the street they were on, "Listen, why don't I walk with you guys the rest of the way? Just to make sure that no other pervs get any ideas."
The girl looked shocked, "I don't know, I really don't want to be a bother to you."
Luke shook his head, "It's no problem at all. I would feel really bad if I left two lovely ladies alone on the street." He said with a smile.
The girl's face seemed to turn red at the compliment, but Himawari just seemed to giggle, "D-don't think that some pretty words will get to me like some other girls!" she practically shouted with her face still being red.
She then coughed into her hand to get herself back together, "But I do feel like having you with us would be helpful."
Luke smiled and held his hand out, "Luke, Luke Anders."
The girl put her hand out and shook Luke's, "Marina, Yukihira Marina. And as you could probably tell, this young lady is Himawari Aldini." She said as Himawari bowed deeply.
Luke inclined his head to the two women before they started walking, "So Yukihira, are you by any chance related to Chef Yukihira?" he asked as Himawari walked in between the two young people who each held her hand.
Marina nodded, "That's right Yukihira Soma is my father while Yukihira Erina is my mother." She said with an obvious source of pride in her voice which Luke understood. Being related to Yukihira Soma is incredible in in of itself but also having the blood of the famous Nakiri family as well made Marina a person who would be incredible in the kitchen if she chose to go that route. Luke knew well about the famous Nakiri family who had their hands in nearly every single food service industry that was in Japan and the interesting love story that occurred between Nakiri Erina and Yukihira Soma which led to their marriage so needless to say, Luke was impressed by Marina's family.
"I'm going to assume that you are in the involved in the culinary industry as well?" he asked.
Marina smirked before she flicked her hair with her free hand, "I happen to be the current 9th seat of the Totsuki Elite Ten." She said. That took Luke by surprise. His sister-in-law had told him all about Totsuki and of course about the Elite Ten Council. The ten best students in the entire academy who had as much authority as the academy director did. To find out that Marina was a member told Luke pretty much everything he needed to know about her skills in the kitchen.
Luke chuckled, "Dang, beautiful and great at cooking. You are one incredible woman Marina," he said causing the girl to become flustered once more with her face turning red, "And hey, if tomorrow goes well it looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of each other." He said getting a curious look from Marina.
"Oh, are you planning on going to Totsuki too Luke?" Himawari asked as she looked up at him.
Luke smiled and nodded, "That's right. I came all the way from my hometown in Arizona to take on the entrance exam the school has so I can get into Totsuki." He said.
Himawari then turned to Marina, "Marina, you are going to pass him, right? He did help us after all." She asked.
Marina shook her head, "As grateful as I am to him Himawari, I cannot make it easy for him to pass. Totsuki only accepts the best after all." She said.
Luke raised an eyebrow, "What is Himawari talking about?"
"Oh well, myself and another member of the Elite Ten will be conducting the exam. If you can impress myself, the other examiner, or both of us then you pass." Marina said.
Luke nodded, "So in order for me to get into Totsuki, I need to impress you with my cooking."
Marina nodded with a smirk, "Indeed but know this. I wont go easy on you or pull any of my punches when it comes to critiquing your food, so you better put your best skills to the test." She said as they stopped in front of a Japanese style restaurant.
Luke chuckled, "Don't you worry, Mari-chan. I plan on giving it my all, so be ready to taste something incredible."
"Well, it's not like I'll be expecting mu…" Marina started saying before her face turned bright red once more, "Wait, why are you calling me by that name?!" she practically shouted.
Luke blinked, "You don't like it? I thought it sounded cute so I figured it would suit you well since you're cute as well but if you don't like it then I wont call you that."
"I think it suits you very well Marina." Himawari said with a smile.
Marina's face turned bright red as she tried to find the right words, sure she had people tell her she was very pretty and such and sure she knew about how good she looked but when the young man in front of her said that it made her body feel warm and she didn't know how to react.
Marina shook her head, "For now you should focus on making sure that you're ready for the test tomorrow," she said as she lightly pulled Himawari towards the restaurant they were in front of, "This is our destination. Thank you for escorting us here but I can take things from here." She finished saying before she gave Luke a bow.
Luke looked at the sign and raised an eyebrow at the name, "Actually since I'm here I might as well join you." He said following the girls.
"What?!" Marina shouted with her face still red.
"The woman who I'm staying with owns this place, since I don't really have any other plans today other than prepare for the test tomorrow, I may as well join you guys and get a taste of some real Japanese cuisine." Luke said.
Marina sputtered as she tried to form words, "Well I don't really think that will be necessary…"
"Ah, that sounds like a wonderful idea." Hinako said as she seemingly popped out of nowhere. The restaurant that they all stopped in front of was Kirinoya, Hinako's place.
"Gah, Chef Hinako!" Marina said surprised.
"Hi, Aunty Hinako!" Himawari said with a wave.
Hinako waved back, "Hello girls and Luke, I'm happy you were able to find your way around from my place," she said with Luke giving her a nod, "Now then, how about we all head inside and get settled in. I'm sure that Megumi and Nene would be happy to see you both." She said as she walked inside her restaurant with Himawari running after her.
Luke walked up till he was next to Marina, "Well, shall we head in Mari-chan?" he asked with a smirk as he started walking.
"Don't call me by that name!" Marina shouted as her face reddened even more but followed Luke into the restaurant all the same. She didn't know why but when Luke called her by that name it made her feel good for some reason. She didn't know why but it was a pleasant feeling.
Food Wars
The inside of Kirinoya was not what Luke was expecting but he was impressed, nonetheless. The place itself had a very homey yet elegant feel to it with wooden floors, several tables littered all around the floor, elegant lighting fixtures hung from above, and there was a large bar area set against one of the far sides of the restaurant. All in all, the place was very nice. Luke, Marina, and Himawari sat down at a table after they met with Himawari's mother and chef Nene.
Luke had met Isshiki Nene at the Plate around the World festival after his Shokugeki and was rather surprised by how she acted. She was very serious but otherwise rather kind. The woman had lovely porcelain skin with long green hair that she kept in a stylish ponytail. Her pink eyes were framed behind a pair of large, circular glasses and she wore a similar outfit to Chef Inui but looked like it was more tailored to her own style. Then there was Tadokoro Megumi, or Megumi Aldini as she was now known as, was a lovely woman with long blue hair that she kept in a stylish braid over her shoulder with flawless white skin and bright amber eyes and she was dressed in a similar outfit to Hinako as well.
Luke could tell that Himawari got most of her mother's looks, but she probably got her eyes from her dad. Luke saw that these three women probably had more knowledge on Japanese than others did and that in it of itself is incredibly impressive.
Luke whistled out loud, "Man, this place is swanky." He said looking around.
"Is this your first time in traditional Japanese restaurant Luke?" Himawari asked him.
Luke nodded, "Yeah, there aren't a lot of traditional Japanese places like this back in my hometown. In fact, I didn't really have a lot of introductions into Japanese culture until I met my sister in law when she started dating my brother."
Marina raised an eyebrow, "Your sister in law in Japanese?"
"Yep, and she's also the one who told me about Totsuki and taught me different Japanese culinary techniques, she was also a member of the Totsuki Elite Ten back in her day." Luke said with pride.
Marina gasped, "One of my predecessors? Who is she?"
"Nowadays she goes by Sonoka Anders but before that she was Kikuchi Sonoka."
Marina was shocked, she had heard of the renowned Chef Sonoka who was an authority on Western Style cuisine and a former Second Seat, but never would she have thought that she was related to the young man she met today. Just who was this, Luke Anders?
Himawari began jumping up and down, "Ooh, ooh, I know! Luke, why don't you cook something for us?" she asked excitedly.
Luke raised an eyebrow, "Me?"
"Well, I think that sounds like a wonderful idea!" Hinako said as she approached the table they were at along with Megumi and Nene.
"Indeed, I would like to see just how skilled you are if you were able to impress both Soma and Ryo. Not to mention having the guts to serve Megumi's husband a pasta dish." Nene said as she adjusted her glasses.
"Mmhmm, Takumi was really impressed by the ingenuity you had to combine so many different flavors into a pasta dish so I would love to see some more of your food." Megumi said with a smile.
Luke blinked for a minute before he smiled, "Sure that sounds like fun," he said before he turned to Marina, "Looks like you'll get to see how I can cook before the test even begins." He said with a smirk.
Marina crossed her arms, "Just do what you can to not disappoint." She said.
Luke chuckled before he headed into the Kirinoya kitchen. He was happy to see that it was set up like how any other kitchen would be so that was nice to see. He checked over the ingredients that were in the kitchen and found several different foods that he knew he could work with.
Luke nodded, "Okay, looks like I can work with this," he said as he grabbed a spare apron and tied it on himself, "Just you wait ladies. I am going to whip up something amazing!" he said.
The first thing he did was turn on the rice cooker and add some water and rice to get that going. Once the rice was on, Luke grabbed some shrimp, onions, garlic, celery, bell peppers, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, some chicken stock, salt, pepper, and a combination of spices that included some garlic powder, onion powder, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, thyme, oregano, basil, and just a little bit of cayenne. Luke was surprised to see that a Japanese kitchen had such spices, but he was happy altogether. Since this was only the first part of his dish, he wanted to make sure that everything was prepped and ready for when he combined everything together. Luke diced up the onions, bell peppers, and chopped up the garlic and tomatoes. He then combined the spices together in equal proportions to create his own blend of Cajun seasoning before he added some to the shrimp and worked the seasoning into it.
Luke then took a large saucepan and added some oil to it and let that get hot, once it did, he added his peppers, onions, and celery to the pan let those sauté for about 3 minutes.
"Hmm, onions, bell peppers, and celery. Those are the typical base ingredients in any kind of Cajun and Creole cooking. They are known as the Trinity." Megumi said as she watched Luke cook.
"Combine that with the rice he put on, it looks like he is going to make Jambalaya." Nene added.
Himawari tilted her head in confusion, "What's Jambalaya? It sounds kind of funny."
Marina giggled, "Jambalaya is a spiced, rice dish that is made in southern portions of the United States. It can be made with seafood, chicken, beef, and even completely vegetarian. But from the ingredients that Luke has, it seems he is going to make a seafood version," she said as she looked back at Luke, "While it isn't something that most people see in Japan, it isn't very original in any way."
Luke stirred his vegetables as he overheard what Marina said, "Oh just you wait, I have more coming to my dish that will surprise you." He said quietly. Luke then went over to the rice cooker and checked on his rice and saw that it was fully cooked and fluffy, just the way he needed it. He went back over to his vegetables and added the garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, and just a little bit of hot sauce for a bit of heat on the back end. After that, he added in the rice and mixed everything together before he slowly added in the stock. This was a quicker version of Jambalaya so it wouldn't take long to finish, so Luke reduced the heat and allowed the ingredients to meld together and the rice to absorb the liquid.
Once that was taken care of, Luke went over to a large basin filled with water and several serpentine creatures swimming around.
Luke smiled at them, "Man, these are some good looking eels." He said. Before he grabbed his phone and scrolled through the music on his playlist.
Hinako was curious about what he was doing, "Luke, what are you on your phone for?" she asked.
Luke smiled at her, "I'm about to show you all, how I really cook." He said. That statement made everyone in the restaurant give Luke looks like they didn't know what he was talking about but then they heard the music playing and Luke started to sway along with heavy, base pounding hip hop beats.
"Why is he playing music?" Nene asked. Everyone else was wondering the same thing and they questioned his actions even more when he started singling and dancing along with the music that was playing.
(Insert Song: Viva La Evolution by Ballistik Boyz from Exile Tribe)
Luke smiled as the Japanese song echoed throughout the kitchen, making his body move to the heavy beats that were playing.
"He's singing?" Megumi said shocked.
"And dancing as well." Nene added.
"My, how interesting." Hinako said as she bobbed her head along with the music.
"That looks like fun!" Himawari exclaimed as she started dancing as well.
Marina couldn't believe what she was seeing, what started out as simple cooking now turned into something she had never seen before. Not even the live cooking events that she had attended used music when they cooked. She had no idea what Luke was doing and a part of her wanted to tell the young man off but another part of her was somehow entranced by the actions that he did and she was even more surprised when he started cooking along with his dancing and singing.
'What is this? I have never seen anyone cook like this before, but it seems like he isn't just in his element, but he also looks like he's having a lot of fun.' Marina thought as she watched Luke in the kitchen.
Now that music was playing, Luke felt more in control. As he sang and moved to the beat of the music, Luke took a pot and added some bonito stock that he found that was already made along with sugar, mirin, soy sauce, and just a pinch of red pepper flakes to add a kick at the end. He let that reduce until it became a nice consistency that he could use for his sauce. Luke then glided on his feet over to the basin where all the eels were. He threw on a pair of gloves and reached into the basin. Even through the wool gloves he wore, he could feel the slimy, slippery bodies of the eels. Once his hand was around a good sized eel, he grabbed the slippery creature and pulled it out of the basin.
He continued to move along with the music, but he also said a quiet prayer to the eel in his hands. His brother taught him that as a hunter, when you take a life, you need to honor that life. Hunters were people who took the lives of animals to feed themselves and their families, but they were also people who honored every single life they took which is why, as soon as Luke was old enough to go hunting, his brother taught him a prayer that he did when he hunted killed animals. Luke followed every lesson that his brother taught and even though he was in a new country, he would still honor the lessons he learned.
After he said the prayer, Luke quickly placed the eel on a cutting board and quickly and cleanly, he took his knife and sliced into the eel's head. He ended the eel's life before it had any chance to suffer. Luke then proceeded to cut the eel up into decent sized fillets after he sliced it open from the belly and removed the bones and skin. After cleaning the eel, Luke heated up the oven, but he put it on broil. He then grabbed a sheet tray and laid foil over it before placing his fillets on the tray and put them in the oven to broil.
After about 5-7 minutes, he brought the eels out of the oven and basted them with the sauce that he made earlier before he placed them back in the oven to broil again for another minute. After the did that, he checked on his Jambalaya and found that the rice was perfect and had soaked up the right amount liquid. He quickly cooked off his shrimp with some butter and spices and a special ingredient that the girls didn't see. After his eel was done he pulled it out and let it cool down on a nearby counter, letting the sweet and spicy scents from the sauce mix with the eel fat to create a mouthwatering aroma that wafted through the restaurant. That combined with the spicy, seafood scents that came from the Jambalaya created a unique, savory smell that awakened the hunger inside of everyone.
"Ahh, what a pleasant aroma!" Hinako said with a smile.
Megumi sniffed the air, "There is a pleasant spiciness that is followed by a wonderfully sweet backdrop."
"It's as if the two aspects of his dish were perfectly made for each other." Nene said.
"Still though, what kind of dish has he actually prepared? Combining eel and Jambalaya, I cannot even fathom what the dish will be in the end." Marina said.
Luke plated up his dish with a bed of rice on the bottom and one eel fillet on top, he topped off his dish with some sesame seeds and a little bit of furikake seasoning. He finished plating his dish just as the song ended. He had a large smile on his face as he looked down at his finished dish and he was very happy with the result. He just hoped that the girls would enjoy it as well.
(End Song)
Luke loaded up his arms and brought out his dish before placing a plate in front of each girl who was now sitting at the table, "Thank you all for waiting, I present to you my Cajun Style Hitsumabushi."
That was when Marina put the pieces together, "Of course, the combination of the rice along with the pieces of eel. Hitsumabushi is a classic Japanese dish that has been around for hundreds of years, but this is a different take on the dish altogether." She said.
Luke nodded, "That's right. This was one of the first dishes that Sonoka ever taught me. Although it did take me a long time to figure out to properly butcher an eel but thanks to some help from my brother, I was able to eventually master it. Dozo, Oagari yo." He said with a flourish, but his catchphrase shocked everybody.
"Wow, I don't think I have heard anyone say Soma's catchphrase since I was still in school." Megumi said.
"Sounds like Luke here is a fan." Nene added.
Luke blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah I guess you could say that. I have been a very big fan of Chef Soma since I was young, and I started using his catchphrase when I first started cooking. It's become something of a habit now."
Marina scoffed, "Don't think that I'll give you extra points just because you are a fan of my father."
Luke laughed, "I wouldn't have it any other way." He said as he crossed his arms. Everyone took a pair of chopsticks and used them to cut into the eel fillet but Megumi had to help her daughter and pre cut them for her.
"The eel has been cooked perfectly. It's so tender that I can cut through it with my chopsticks." Nene said.
"The minute you cut into it, more steam comes out and it whets the tastebuds." Hinako said.
"Well, let's get to it." Marina said as all the girls grabbed a piece of eel along with some of the Jambalaya. The minute they put the food in their mouth, their taste buds were set off.
'It's a festival, a festival of flavor!' They all thought together as they tasted Luke's food.
"This is yummy!" Himawari squealed in joy as she ate the food.
"The rice has been cooked perfectly and it has soaked up all the different flavors that was mixed into it." Megumi said.
"The mix of the Cajun Trinity add the right amount of freshness and sweetness plus the small amounts of hot sauce that was added gives you just enough heat on the backend but not enough to make it overbearing which lets people like Himawari who aren't used to heat can eat." Nene said.
"And then you get to the eel," Hinako said as she put a piece of the eel on her mouth which made her swoon at the flavor, "It's been broiled perfectly to the point that it has the perfect mouthfeel to it and that it can just flake apart once it touches my tongue." She commented as she ate more.
"But what sets everything off is that sauce." Marina said as she savored the flavor of the eel as it touched her tongue.
"Oh yeah, it's a sauce that I use for a lot of things back home, but I found that it works best on seafood," Luke said as he smiled, "The sweet combination of the bonito stock, sugar, and mirin complements a lot of Asian dishes that I make especially Japanese dishes. The extra touch of the red pepper flakes gives it just a little bit more punch."
"But still, there is something interesting and rather odd about the Jambalaya," Hinako said as she bit into the rice dish again, "I can get the flavor of the shrimp that he added but there is another layer of savory flavor and an element of smokiness.
Marina's eyes widened, "Of course, it's Arabiki sausage!" she said getting the attention of everyone else at the table except for Himawari.
Luke snapped his fingers, "That's right Mari-chan! Sonoka brought some over once when I was still young and I loved the flavor that it came had, so I knew that the flavor of the would compliment the Jambalaya perfectly. I only added a small amount of the meat itself and the rest come from the fat that came off the sausage as it was cooked."
Marina nodded, "I see, by adding the Arabiki sausage you not only add in the meatiness that you would typically find in a jambalaya, but you used it in a way that would just add to the overall flavor but not completely overtake the dish itself. When you combine that with the sweet, plump flavor of the shrimp, the savoriness of the eel, the incredible flavor of the sauce, and the wonderful texture and taste of the Jambalaya itself makes for a complete dish." She said with as much elegance and grace as she ate but the look on her face told Luke that all she wanted to do was eat more of it.
"Well, that's high praise coming from a woman such as yourself," Luke said as Marina's cheeks were painted a light pink, "So is it delicious?" he asked.
"I would definitely say it is," Megumi said as she turned to her daughter, "What about you Himawari? Do think it's delicious?"
Himawari nodded her head rapidly, "It's super delicious!" she said with a smile.
Nene nodded, "I have to agree, this is quite a delicious dish and so innovative as well. I have never seen anyone create a classic Japanese dish with Cajun ingredients."
"In a traditional restaurant, anyone who is so steeped in tradition would never even think of plating this, but you didn't comply by those rules." Hinako said.
Luke glowed under the praise of the three successful women chefs before he turned back to Marina, "So Mari-chan, what do you think?" he said.
Marina closed her eyes in thought as she tapped her chin, Luke's food was good. Really good. She had eaten food from some incredible chefs, most of them were members of her own family, but never had she ever seen someone combine a classic Japanese dish with flavors from an entirely different country. The flavor Luke was able to create from jumping into a kitchen he had never set foot in and the outcome was a dish that she wanted to eat more of just blew her mind.
Marina could feel her face getting warm and her body shiver as she remembered the taste of the dish Luke made. It made her body feel incredible from just the memory of it and all she wanted to do was jump right back in and finish the entire thing off.
"Hey, are you feeling, okay?"
Marina opened her eyes to see Luke in front of her, squatting in front of her and looking straight into her eyes. The close contact from the boy in front of her made her face heat up even more, especially with the concern that he showed in his eyes.
"You look a little flushed? Was the food too spicy?" Luke asked concerned as he placed his hand on Marina's forehead to check for a fever.
The strawberry blonde girl was incredibly shocked at the boy's closeness but even more so at the care he seemed to show her and when he placed his hand on her forehead made her heart flutter. Never before had she felt so strange around a boy before and there was a small part of her that was really enjoying it but she quickly shoved that feeling aside to pull herself back together.
Marina stood up and cleared her throat, "I am just fine, no need to worry about me. Your food is quite good, but I would say that you have a long way to go before you're food is in the realm of deliciousness." She said shocking everyone else at the table.
"No Marina-chan, be reasonable. I know you are the God Tongue's daughter but that was a bit harsh." Megumi said as she worried about Marina's words hurting Luke's feelings but that thought was quickly dashed when she heard Luke chuckle.
"Please, don't worry Chef Megumi," Luke said as he rode to his full height, "Given her standing I am not all that surprised that her critique is a bit harsh. I'm just glad she didn't straight up call my food disgusting." He said as the woman around the table remembered the days in the past when Erina would always call Soma's food disgusting.
Luke then fixed the hat on his head before he looked towards Marina, "You may not have said it today, but I promise you right here and right now Yukihira Marina. One of these days, I will make you a dish that will make you say delicious." He said with a smirk. While he knew that his statement would shock the women around him but for them, it was a different reason. That was the same vow that Soma made to Erina when they first met and look at where they were now.
Marina flicked her hair, "Do you what you want but I promise you this it will not be an easy road if that's your goal. I may not have the God Tongue like my mother and grandmother, but my sense of taste is considered one of the best in Japan so don't expect anything less that the truth from me."
Luke laughed, "I wouldn't have it any other way," he said as he held his hand out, "Despite that, I would like us to still be friends. If you're okay with that."
Marina raised an eyebrow at that but smiled nonetheless, "I would like that." She said as she shook Luke's hand.
The rest of his time at Kirinoya was rather pleasant for Luke. He helped clean up the kitchen and swapped some stories from the older chefs about their times at Totsuki and just talked with Marina. The girl was a bit haughty for someone her age, but she was down to earth and very pleasant to be around. Luke has glad to have met her. After that, Luke said his goodbyes to the woman and headed on his way. He knew it was still early, so he still had some time to check out the surrounding area before he headed back to Hinako's home.
As he walked down some more of the streets, he came across a charming little shopping area that seemed to be bustling. There were several small shops and stores selling a variety of foods, snacks, everyday necessities, even some cute clothing stores that he knew his mother would love. As he walked through the shopping, he heard his stomach start to rumble.
"Huh, I guess I was so focused on cooking for the girls that I forgot to feed myself." He said chuckling. He decided to head to a simple family style restaurant and was about to enter when a high-pitched voice stopped him.
"What the?! What the?! What the?! This is so unfair! I have been dancing so well and I still cannot beat this game! I say that this is entire thing is rigged!"
Luke looked towards the source of the voice and saw a small crowd around an arcade across from the restaurant he was about to go into. While he was hungry, his curiosity got the better of him and he headed over to where the crowd was. The arcade was rather nice and high tech, reminding Luke of the kind that he saw back in the states. Currently stomping on one of the dancing stage video games was a girl around his age with pale skin, long silver hair that was currently up in a ponytail with a few strands framing the side of her face which was very lovely from what Luke could see. Her eyes were an interesting shade of red and she had a very curvaceous body and a large bust. She was dressed in a pair of blue jean shorts that stopped just above her knees with a long-sleeved white shirt and a pink sweater vest over it with a pair of boots on her feet.
The girl continued to stomp and curse the machine she was on while Luke just raised an eyebrow at the interesting scene in front of him.
"Why is that girl stomping on the dance game?" he asked aloud.
"Onee-chan got mad because she couldn't pass the level and now, she's taking out her aggression on the machine itself." A rather tired voice said beside him. Luke looked over to see a boy with brownish-black hair that was styled into spikes with some silver streaks running through it. His eyes were red like the silver-haired girl's, but he had some noticeable bangs under them and fair skin. He looked like he was around 13 but was rather well built and dressed in a black t-shirt with a long-sleeved crimson shirt over it and black jeans with black boots. Hanging on his wrist was a black and red flame patterned headband.
Luke looked back at the girl the to the boy, "If she's your sister then shouldn't you stop her before she gets into trouble?" he asked.
The boy shrugged his shoulders, "If I could, I would but when Onee-chan gets like this hardly anyone can stop her." He said. Luke was rather surprised at this, but I guess if anyone knew how someone was going to act it would be their family. Although he did wonder why none of the arcade's employees hadn't come over to stop her but maybe it was a regular sight. Luke looked over at the game itself and chuckled to himself as he saw why the girl was upset and why she wasn't winning.
He went over to the girl who was still fuming at the game, "Excuse me miss?" he said trying to get her attention, but she didn't even notice him. Not wanting to waste any time, Luke placed his right thumb and middle finger in his mouth and let out a loud, shrill whistle that made the girl jump.
She turned back to Luke and gave him an annoyed look with her hands on her hips, "What is your problem? You almost made me go deaf!" she yelled at Luke.
Luke chuckled, "Highly unlikely but it got you to stop stomping on the machine didn't it." He said getting her attention, "And second, the reason why you aren't winning the level you are on is because you have the game set to expert." He said pointing at the game screen. The girl turned back to the screen and her face reddened at the obvious appearance of the game setting that she should have seen before she even started the game.
She then turned back to Luke with red face, "I know that, obviously! I have very skilled at dancing and I have no problem with the setting it's at now!" she said crossing her arms as the crowd around her dissipated with laughs spread out around them.
"Onee-chan, you don't dance at all." The boy from before said to his sister.
"Shut up Ryuji!" the girl shouted at her brother before she puffed out her cheeks.
Luke laughed at the way the siblings acted before he jumped onto the stage himself, "Tell you what, why don't I show you how someone dances when a game like this is one expert?" he said as he gently moved the silver haired girl off the platform.
"I would love to see you dance better than me!" She said she pouted with her arms crossed.
"He will be better than you." Ryuji said.
"Shut up Ryuji!" the girl shouted at her brother before she looked over at Luke.
Luke chuckled before he entered his settings into the game but kept it at expert so he could show the girl just how it was to dance on the high settings. The song he decided to play was Freeze by T-Pain featuring Chris Brown, one of his go to songs when he was in the kitchen. Soon enough the music started playing and Luke felt the familiar beat move through his body, and he started dancing. His movements were so smooth and clean and were in perfect sync with the music that everyone that was still around was so entranced by what he was doing they stopped what they were doing and watched him dance.
Even the girl and her brother were shocked at the impressive display that they saw in front of them, "He-he's good." The girl said as she watched Luke dance.
Ryuji nodded, "Yeah, he is. I told you so."
"Shut up Ryuji." She said quietly as she watched Luke move. The way he danced it seemed so effortless and the smile that he had on his face told her that he was having so much fun. When the music changed to a smoother beat, Luke began gliding all over the stage and moving his body like it was water. The entire thing was an impressive sight to see and even more so when Luke did a full backflip that ended with him landing in a split before he stood back up.
The music soon ended, and Luke let out a sigh, "Man, now that was fun." He said getting off the stage.
Luke turned his attention back to the brother and sister who were looking at him with different looks. Ryuji had a look of indifference, but the girl seemed like she was generally impressed by what Luke did.
"Well, that is how I do things. Hope you enjoyed the show," he said as he gave the siblings a wave before heading to the restaurant he saw earlier, "have a good day."
"Wait!"
Luke turned back towards the girl who was now very close to his face with a rather adorable smile on her face, "How can you move like that?" she asked.
Luke blinked, "Well it's mainly because…?" he started saying before his stomach growled again and he realized just how hungry he was.
"Um, how about I tell you over a meal? I haven't really eaten anything all day and that restaurant looks pretty good." He said as he pointed to the restaurant.
"Oh, sure I'm in." Ryuji said as he came up to Luke and his sister.
The girl rapidly nodded her head, "Uh, uh yeah sure just please tell me how you can move like that?" she asked.
Luke chuckled at her excitement before he led the two siblings to the restaurant.
Once they were inside, they were led to a table where a young woman served them some tea and water. Ryuji went ahead and ordered some seafood curry while the girl ordered some tempura ramen.
Luke looked over the menu, "Hmm, well I think I will have 5 orders of gyoza, 3 orders of karaage, some of these stir fried vegetables, and 2 orders of katsu-don." He said to the waitress.
The waitress looked shocked at the amount of food Luke ordered, "Um, are there more people joining you?" she asked.
Luke shook his head and smiled, "Nope that's all for me." He said. The waitress blinked in shock before she nodded and gave the table a bow.
"You eat a lot." Ryuji said.
Luke nodded, "Yeah, I have a very big appetite. My mother used to say it's the Viking blood in me."
"Cool." Ryuji said.
The girl then smiled, "Oh, right. We never properly introduced ourselves," she said placing a dainty hand over her heart, "My name is Kurokiba Karin, and this dark looking boy is my younger brother Ryuji."
"Osu." Ryuji said with a nod.
"Osu," Luke responded back, "It's nice to meet you both. You wouldn't by any chance be related to Chef Kurokiba Ryo would you?" he asked.
Karin nodded her head, "That's right, the Mad Dog of the Kitchen Kurokiba Ryo is our father and the wonderful Kurokiba Alice is our mother."
"Damn, that is some impressive culinary lineage you come from." Luke said.
"That's right," Karin said proudly, "Ryuji here is considered a prodigy in the Totsuki middle school division while I myself am the current 10th seat of the Totsuki Elite Ten." She said.
Luke blinked, "Damn, that is incredible. You guys must be some incredible chefs." He said getting a blush out of Karin and a nod from Ryuji. As their food arrived, Ryuji and Karin said the traditional Itadakimasu before they ate while Luke did a small prayer himself. They then dug into their food. Luke made quick work of two plates of karaage and already knocked out one of the Katsu-don.
"Wow you do eat a lot," Karin said as Luke nodded while he ate, "I happen to like a man who has a hearty appetite." She said as she eyed Luke.
Luke raised an eyebrow at that statement but didn't really pay any mind to it. The trio finished up their food with some small talk between them with Luke telling Karin how he got so good at dancing. Luke then paid for their meal, and they all left. They walked around the shopping area for a bit and picked up some interesting souvenirs that Luke was planning on sending back to his friends and family back in the states. As they walked out of the shopping area, they caught sight of a crepe truck selling to some people around it. Luke always did have a sweet tooth and from the look in Karin's eyes he could tell she wanted one too. Luke smiled and headed over to the crepe truck.
"Excuse me, could I get one chocolate and banana, one mixed berry, and strawberry lemon please?" he ordered.
The crepe salesmen smiled, "Coming right up." He said. Luke waited a few minutes until his order was called and he picked up the three crepes. He went back over to Karin and Ryuji and handed them the crepes he ordered for them.
"Here you go guys, chocolate and banana for Ryuji and a strawberry lemon for Karin. I took a shot and guessed at what flavors you guys would like, hope you like them." He said with a smile. The Kurokiba siblings were taken aback by Luke's generosity but accepted the crepes anyway.
"Osu, thanks. I love chocolate." Ryuji said as he bit into the crepe.
"And strawberry and lemon are my favorite fruit combo. Thanks Luke!" Karin exclaimed before she dug into the crepe herself. Luke smiled and ate his crepe as well; it was quite delicious. A flaky dough that had just a bit of chew to it and a tangy, sweet filling from the berries that was balanced with the whipped cream on top.
The day was rounding off to be a pretty good one in Luke's opinion but he knew it was getting later on in the day so he needed to get back to Hinako's place before it got too dark and he got lost.
"Well, I have to say that it was really fun hanging out with you guys but I need to start heading back." Luke said as he bid his goodbyes to the siblings.
"Wait, will I see you again?" Karin asked him.
Luke raised an eyebrow at that, and Karin found herself stuttering to try and find the words to explain what she meant.
"Well, if I pass the transfer exam at Totsuki tomorrow then I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of each other." Luke said with a smile.
That took Karin by surprise, "You are planning on going to Totsuki?"
Luke nodded, "That's right and I plan on making a big splash so look out for what I plan on creating." He said as he continued his way.
Karin smiled as she watched Luke leave and a faint blush on her face, "Now that is some man." She said.
Luke walked back down the streets that brought him to where he was, and he smiled as he remembered the day he just had. He had gotten to experience some delicious Japanese food, saw some cool sights, met some incredible chefs, and made some cool friends along the way. Not a bad day at all.
But now he had to get his head in the game, tomorrow was his exam, and he could only imagine what he was going to have to do to get into Totsuki, but he knew that whatever was going to be thrown at him he would tackle it all to become the best chef he can be.