A/N:
@CAD270895: Tsuna's dish isn't as grand as Soma's. I assure you. Haha. And I hope so too, that Tsuna informs Senzaemon. Cause, this is gonna be messy.
@Tenma Kirin: Here is the update.
@qiaraz97: Hahaha! And they both have a lot in common too. Perfect villain match.
Just another filler, I guess. And the chapter too as well, but not gonna drop it here tonight. That's for Wednesday. Hahaha. Gotta love and hate my schedule sometimes.
Source:
Chicken Fricassee - http s: / /ww w.deli sh. co m/co okin g/r ec ipe- idea s/a 231 0576 7/ ea sy-c hic ken -fric ass ee -reci pe/
Porridge oats topped with a
poached egg, miso and tamari - htt ps: / /w ww.eg gin fo. co .u k /rec ipe s/sa vour y-mis o-p orr idg e-po ach ed-e gg-a nd-m ushro oms
Anyway, go on.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Tsuna clicked his phone off and dropped himself on the small foam that can accommodate his size. He stared at the ceiling as he waited for Soma to get off from the shower.
Other than the fact that he has to problem who is Azami Nakiri and what is his relation to the director, Erina and Alice, he also has Soma to be worried about.
The first problem is already being taken cared off. Reborn assured him that they will take every information they could get about the man and tell him what his relation with Iemitsu. It was worrying since the tech group has to be discreet. They were under surveillance of the Vongola and CEDEF. His tutor had agreed to him. They need to clean up, and it will take awhile. He just hopes it won't be too late though.
And the second problem...
Tsuna craned his neck to see Soma walk in with a towel on his head. Yellow met tawny. The redhead took a step back with a comical expression on his face.
"Tsuna? Are you okay? Are you being exorcised or something?" Yukihira asked, worried.
"What are you talking about?" He asked as he went for his stomach to see the other.
"Don't crane your head like that." Soma chided as he sat on the couch. "You look like a ghost or something with how you made your head look."
Tsuna felt a cold shudder rock his body as he looked around in hast. "Don't you think..."
The ranga face palmed then caressed his forehead with a wince, as if what he did was an automatic response. "No. I don't think so, Tsuna."
He glared at the redhead who raised his hands. "That's your fault."
"Yes yes." The other responded before grinning and fell on the couch. "Thanks for saving my ass awhile ago, Tsuna."
"I told you, didn't I? Let's save each other from mistakes." He hummed as he eyed the other who was staring at the ceiling with his hands on his stomach. His friend looks somber. "You owe me though. You have to make it up for me."
Soma chuckled, looking alive for a moment before he went back to being dejected. "I did poorly today."
"I know."
"I want to do more."
"I know." Tsuna hummed and laid on his back with his eyes closed.
"Can you wait for me for ten minutes before we go down to the kitchen?" The redhead asked. "I'm gonna lament on my mistakes first before I learn anything new."
"Do you want me to teach you?" He softly offered.
Silence.
"Nah. I won't learn if you spoon feed me. Besides," Tsuna opened an eye to see the other beaming with mischief. "I want to bug Blondin-san. He seems to dislike me."
He laughed before he closed his eyes again. He did see the sous chef eyeing Soma with contemplation and thoughtfulness awhile ago. "Okay."
Tsuna blinked several times and stared at the menu of the last day. Nope. He is not getting delirious with all the early rising and late night sleeps with Soma. He is seeing his Cheesy Croissant Casserole's recipe pasted on the wall.
"See something you like?" He looked back to see Shinomiya gazing at him with amusement and a slight smirk. "Thought I won't use it?"
"N-No." He uttered before turning his attention to the recipe. He extremely feels flattered. "I'm just surprised to see it hanging here, Sempai. You know how we almost argued about it."
"I remember." The chef hummed. "You'll be in charge of that. You did prepare the croissants, right?"
He nodded before blinking twice. "Huh. I didn't realize that it was for the casserole."
"You're being out of the world, Sawada." Shinomiya pointed out while patting the brunet's shoulder. "Go to your post already."
"Wait, Sempai." He said and jabbed a thumb on the recipe when the upperclassman turned back to him. "Why didn't you make any adjustments?"
"Why would I? It's good as it is." The alumnus remarked before going out.
A little confused, Tsuna did what was told to him. He stifled a yawn and rolled his shoulders. It's not the tension again. It's the lack of sleep. He could only take naps these past days. Not that he's complaining, he likes watching Soma go all visual in the night with the things he learns from Blondin and Hugo whenever he bugs them every afternoon. Tsuna usually uses the time for the questioning and teaching to take a nap upstairs, before going down whenever Shinomiya gets in. It was a rule.
He feels proud for Soma though. The redhead is seriously having fun with all the things he's learning. He has been talking about it whenever they're alone. He's also adjusting nicely in the kitchen unlike the first day.
And like the first day of pre-opening, once Shinomiya came in, they started to move. Tsuna kept up with their pace in his own sedate movements, since he feels unusually sluggish. It wasn't as hectic since he's getting used to it. He couldn't make any minor mistakes with his intuition guiding him and his reflex kicking in.
When Wei told them that most of the guests have gone, he was able to sigh in relief. He took a stool and sat there, leaning in unusual tiredness.
"You okay, Tsuna?" Hugo asked when she noticed him. "You look pale and exhausted."
Tsuna smiled reassuringly. "Just sleepy, Hugo-san. No need to worry. I'll be fine."
"Tsuna!" Soma shouted as he barged in the kitchen and stalked towards him with an excited smile. "Some alumni and Chapelle-sensei are here!"
"Oh. Okay. Wait up." He said as he got off and stretched before doing a shooing motion to the redhead. "Okay. Lead the way."
"I suddenly sympathize with Tsuna." Hugo smiled nervously to Wei, who nodded, as they watched the two go to the dining area.
"Tsuna has been awake with Yukihira since day one." Wei commented, remembering the brunet who was doing the last cleaning and peeling, while the redhead started to bombard Hugo and Blondin. "He's always on the side, you know. Supporting us from the back."
"Didn't see him make mistakes." Blondin notices while crossing his arms. "He had saved us from a lot of delays and covered for Yukihira until he got a good grasp in the kitchen."
Wei giggled. "I heard him counting Yukihira's debts on him and teasing Yukihira about it."
"I'll make him a chocolate drink later." Blondin coughed before moving on as Tsuna, Soma and Shinomiya went in.
"Here." Tsuna blinked and accepted the mug that was given to him by Blondin. "Drink it up."
"Thank you." He mumbled before he took a sip. The tension in his body lowered a bit at the homey feeling of the milk. "Ah. This feels nice."
"Just a typical chocolate milk, Sawada." The sous chef waved off.
He smiled to the chef. "Still. I like it, Blondin-san."
"Shinomiya-sempai," Tsuna looked up to Soma who called out to their head chef. "Tonight you're doing the new dish competition right? I want to turn in a dish for it too!"
"Eh?!" Wei, who has plates in her hands, blurted in shock.
"Turn in for the competition?" Hugo repeated in surprise. "But didn't you have your hands full with supporting us everyday?!"
Soma looked back to the two and nodded. "Well, I planned to turn a dish from the very first day." He fumbled with his towel on his wrist while giving them an excited serious glint. "This image I have created in my mind, I want to give it a form as soon as possible."
"Can you even make a decent dish?" Shinomiya questioned, challenging.
Tsuna glanced at Blondin, who was silent through out, as he took a sip and Soma answered a 'yes'. He can feel the tension building up again.
"Come to think of it, this'll be the first time I taste one of your recipes." Then the chef smirked. "Fine. But don't blame me if the confidence you build up gets smashed to pieces, ok?"
"Yes." The redhead nodded.
"I'll let Yukihira participate in the new dish competition." Shinomiya eyed Wei. "After you serve the coffee, prepare your ingredients."
Tsuna sipped more of his chocolate milk as he basked himself with the tension. Good thing he's not assertive.
"You too, Sawada."
He jerked up, almost spilling the good drink. "E-Eh?"
"I know you can make a decent dish even in your tired state. If Yukihira can participate, you have to do it too." Shinomiya stated like it's a rule.
Uncertain tawny eyes went to Soma who nodded and grinned with challenge. "O-Okay. But I am not competing with you, Soma."
"Oh, you will." The redhead promised deviously.
Shinomiya left them after that. Tsuna handed the mug to his friend and waited for Soma to gulp the remaining half of the milk down. The redhead, like any other, stilled from the simple taste before he drank it out and gave it back to him. The brunet washed the mug first before he went for the pantry to prepare his ingredients. He doesn't have an image for his dish, but he'll just have to think of ways to make it eight stars so if ever it gets chosen, Reborn will know that it's his recipe once he gets a taste of it.
He was preparing the pans and pots he may need when he noticed Wei walking in, wearing a chef's white coat. He blinked and made an 'o' with his mouth in shock.
"Wei-san, you're participating too?" Soma asked when he noticed the lady too.
Wei turned back to the redhead and nodded. "Yes."
"I thought you're a service manager, Wei-san." Tsuna chimed in.
Soma nodded. "We never saw you cook too."
"Well, Wei was the one in charge of the meat dishes in the Shino's main restaurant until half a year ago." Hugo explained from her perch on the stoll, an arm hugging her knees to her chest while the other is formed in a fist and station on top of the caps.
"Oh." The two uttered.
"So that's how it was! Why did you change to customer service though, Wei-san?" Soma asked directly to the lady who smiled.
"We also hold this competition many times a month in France. But my dish has only been chosen once in two years." Wei replied before going serious as she took her knife. "I thought I couldn't continue like this. The reason why I became a service manager was because I thought something would become apparent to me while having direct contact with the customers. But, I haven't stopped training as a cook for a single day, either."
Yellow and tawny looked at each other. Only once in two years... Harsh.
"Me too." Hugo seconded from her spot on the chair. "I didn't just pick up Wei's leftovers as the one in charge of the meat dishes. I need to prove it."
"That's just how serious we are about this new dish competition." Blondin stated and gazed at the two of them. "Do you have such resolve?"
"Either way, I won't be able to pass this stagiaire period if my dish isn't chosen. Besides, my resolve and all those things, I'll put them all in my dish." Soma answered with determination.
"How about you, Sawada?" Hugo questioned, blue eyes staring at him. "You seem relaxed with this."
He gave a tight smile. "I'm exhausted, but it doesn't mean I won't do my best. I have my own agenda for this. And like what Soma said, if my dish doesn't get chosen too, who knows what will be my grade."
They all looked at the door when it opened. There, Shinomiya stood at the threshold and surveyed them. "It's time. Begin cooking."
As he heard the others start chopping ingredients and put some skillets on their own stoves, Tsuna hummed to himself as he cooked with step by step procedure. Knowing them, Soma and him will be the last ones to be called.
It was nearing an hour when Hugo went out with her dish. Next was Wei then Blondin. Tsuna did some finishing touches when Soma got called. The redhead gave him a small cheeky salute before he went out. He stayed there, letting his meal simmer for a little while under a very low heat. When his intuition tickled him, he took a plate and put some of the food there, before he went for the door just as he got called.
It was like training camp all over again, except he's establishing a name to the shop against Soma and other professional chefs. So he envisioned everything like in the training camp as he walked to their head chef who has his arms crossed. The upperclassman looked a little satisfied with Soma's dish though, not that he'll worry. With careful movement, he placed his dish in front of the chef and took a step back.
"And this is?" Shinomiya asked, a brow raised.
"Chicken fricassee." He simply answered.
"Woah." Soma interjected before standing beside him. "You did cook one for me, right?"
"It's the reason why I took a long time." He sighed and nodded to the kitchen. "It's in the pan. I put a lid on it so it won't get cold."
"Still doing it, I see." Sekimori smiled. "You never fail to share something, Sawada."
"It's probably in my blood to do so, Sekimori-sempai. Heedless, feel free to judge it, Shinomiya-sempai." He offered easily.
Tsuna watched their judge cut the chicken and put some sauce on it. He waited in bathed breath when the other put it on his mouth and chewed. The brunet can't help smiling a little when Shinomiya froze and looked down to his dish. It reminded him again of the training camp as their chef started to eat his meal regardless of how full he is. Like the first time Shinomiya took a taste of his casserole.
Damn. The sense of fulfillment feels nice in his heart.
"Waah! You didn't give me some!" Inui chastised Shinomiya in indignation.
"I can make you one, Inui-sempai." Tsuna offered.
"Can I have some too?" Hugo asked, curious of what he did to make their head chef continuously eat without saying anything.
"Sure." He promised.
"You sure know quality, Sawada." Shinomiya sighed after he took a drink from his water. "You amazed me once more."
"Well, it's just the sauce, Sempai." He grinned. "Although I won't want to do it if you didn't ask me to cook too."
"True. You didn't really need to since you already have your name on the menu." The chef agreed, causing an uproar.
"Wait, what?!" Soma exclaimed as he stared at the brunet who looked away to feign innocence. "Tsuna!" The redhead drawled.
"What?! How?!" Mizuhara questioned as she took the menu and flipped through it.
"It's the Cheezy Croissant Casserole, the world's greatest style." Shinomiya listed off with a smirk. "I took it from him during the training camp. The guests seem to like it too."
"That was the dish you were bragging about on the last day of the training camp." Donato pointed out. "So this is the dish Sawada made that you wanted."
"Amazing." Chapelle-sensei praised causing him to blush. Damn. Teachers never see him in this kind of light.
"I-It's really nothing, Sensei." He waved off shyly.
"But really? The world's greatest?" Soma questioned, wiggling his brows at him with his arms crossed. "I didn't know it was dedicated to him."
"Of course it is." He huffed, blush subsiding as the uproar simmered down. "I do not make my dish just for the satisfaction of other people. It's mainly for my family, and for him. I won't get settled if I don't receive a perfect score from him. Besides," He nodded at the empty plate. "I want that to be on the menu so when he suddenly gets hungry and decided to eat here, he'll know that's my dish because he has his title on it."
"The world's greatest?" Donato questioned, a little uncertain.
"Yup." He, then, smirked. "Not a self-proclaimed title. I assure you. He is the greatest."
He didn't notice how Shinomiya and Inui shared a look with what he said.
"Well, we're done with the testing." Shinomiya announced as he stood up. "Yukihira, come. I will teach you some things about your dish. And Sawada,"
He perked up. "Yes?"
"Go upstairs and rest. You deserve that after being slave driven by Yukihira." The chef ordered.
Soma spluttered as Tsuna blinked before making a sheepish face. "Can I watch a little though? I want to get tips from you too."
Shinomiya stared at him, gauging, before nodding. "Sure."
Shinomiya peered at the direction where Sawada, who is helping Yukihira with the things he taught them, was standing. The noiret looks extremely exhausted, but too stubborn to leave his best friend alone. And even if Yukihira knows, he still let the other tag along for unknown reason. Amber eyes went to the pan that got washed by the same cook. The Chicken Fricassee got wiped out without any single ado. Even Chapelle-sensei ate some to have a taste of it.
The world's greatest.
When he saw that codename, he just knew who was the inspiration of that codename. He can vividly remember how this certain baby requested his presence, after eating his food when he was still the old Shinomiya. He was praised for how magical his food was and given four 'n a half stars. It was something he didn't really expect. But who knew that, that was Reborn, the world's greatest man? He wonders if the man still remembers him, and if the food he cooks still have the same number of stars.
He watched the noiret laugh when Yukihira said something with a silly face. When the kid asked him tips of how to choose wine for the dishes he will make, Shinomiya doesn't know what to say. The same thing when the kid asked him if he could stay and watch to learn from him. He had to force himself to speak to remove himself from the shock. Shinomiya prided himself as one of the top chefs; his achievements and restaurant are the evidences to that. But to be asked by the student of the greatest for cooking tips, he feels flattered. Because he knew that the teen will take up his lessons and will make something with the use of those knowledge to impress Reborn.
"You know what, you should really go upstairs." Yukihira chimed with a worried frown. "You look ready to fall. I don't want to see you again like that one time when you visited Takumi and Izami."
Sawada was about to say something when a yawn went out of his mouth.
"See! Go!" Yukihira exclaimed. "Wait up, Master! I'll just push Tsuna to the stairs!"
"I'm going. I'm going. No need to help me." The noiret placated as he went out of the chair and trudged for the stairs. "Don't bother Shinomiya-sempai that much, Soma."
"I'm not." The redhead pouted and followed Sawada.
"They seem closer." Sekimori observed as the two trainees who are bantering. "It's like they didn't fight in the training camp."
"Sawada had been helping Yukihira around my kitchen." He informed as he leaned on the counter. "He's more knowledgeable in French than he let on. Perks of having to speak the language."
"His tutor sure is sadistic." Donato related. "To cram as many language as possible on Sawada for a year and teach him how to cook. That must be a lot of pressure."
"The world's greatest." Fuyumi mumbled, in deep thoughts. "Who might that be?"
"I think I know who it is." Their teacher reckoned, causing Shinomiya and Inui to glance at each other. "He was known to be a legend by time since he had been gone for years. I'm not sure if he had died since I was in my prime when I met him and I never heard of him fore then."
"Who is it?" Sekimori asked, intrigued.
"His name is Reborn." Chapelle-sensei revealed, eyes surveying them. "He is known to be the world's greatest and that's his pride. A jack of all trades and master of all. A mathematician too. His palate can never be satisfied with mere seasoned food. He has standards too and classifies them with stars. The most he gave in my years was five. I heard he gave six, but that's of it."
"Then you think Sawada's tutor is that Reborn, Sensei?" Donato speculated. "But he should be old by now. Or like what you've said, died."
Silence.
"Don't tell me..." Fuyumi gasped, eyed wide. "He likes black, doesn't he? Black suit, black fedora and has this green lizard on his hat?"
"Yes." Their teacher nodded.
"Then he's that guy!" She confirmed with a snap of her fingers. "Some years ago, a baby called out for me from my kitchen and praised me for the dish I made. He looked like a baby but, he's so well versed and he doesn't have this baby lisps. He's very respected by the locals in Italy. When he said he rates me four stars, a lot of them clapped and congratulated me. But I didn't know he was that Reborn."
"Oh. Are you talking about Reborn?" They all looked at Yukihira, who was curiously surveying them whilst walking for his previous spot. "According to Tsuna, he's growing nicely."
"So he did become a baby?" Shinomiya frowned.
"Yeah. Something about conned to drink this medicine some years ago. It has no antidote so he stayed like that for a long time. But a year and a month ago, Tsuna was able to give them an idea of how to cure him, so he has been growing since then. And fast too. Estimated age of twelve to thirteen by now." The redhead relied with a fond look on his face.
"Have you met him?" Donato asked, fascinated of how such man still exists.
"Not personally. He's pretty cool. If given time, he'll visit Tsuna in Tootsuki. He once told me that he doesn't like being away from Tsuna cause he's the tutor and he has a lot to teach his student." Yukihira took the handle of the pan he was using for practice. "He didn't let on, but he'll be expecting a lot to our school once he comes."
"Then the students should be ready by then." Chapelle-sensei nodded with conviction, causing the alumni to sweat drop.
"Anyways, let's go back to what I was correcting." Shinomiya motioned as he pushed himself away from the counter. The others backed away once more.
"Yosh!" The redhead saluted and was about to watch again when Shinomiya saw him blink and turn back to him. "Na, Master."
He cleared his throat, not used with the title, before raising a brow. "What?"
"Did Tsuna's dish tonight get on the menu?" Yellow eyes gazed intensely at him. "I want to know."
"And if it didn't?" He questioned back.
The redhead's brow furrowed a little. "Don't you think his dish is worth it? I mean it has this essence of French and it's pretty smooth too."
"What would you feel if I pick his and not yours?"
"I'll be dumped." He rose his brows to Yukihira, who answered without a beat with an ironic proud smile. "But believe it or not, before I lost to Hayama, I already accepted the fact that Tsuna's a better chef than me. Although he's always calm and collected and sometimes too laid back, I know he always has this one goal. He always wants to impress Reborn. Despite saying it's for his family, it's always Reborn." He watched as the redhead clench his hands with a determined look. Something Shinomiya admired because it was that look that challenged him into a Shokugeki. "I lack this something he has. Until I know what it is, we won't be able to have a showdown. By that time too, Tsuna would have refined his skills. And we'll be equal at some sort and the battle will be fair."
"Then you should remember all the things I will tell you." He chimed as he turned the fire on. "Sawada has some skills you don't have. It might be a cheat, but it will even you two a little."
Yukihira's beam was as bright as Sawada's. Shinomiya opted not to dwell on it. He will never understand how the two's friendship works.