Chapter 38: The Moon Festival

Day One

"Tsuksa..."

Kuga's voice was quiet but full of resolve, as he upturned his head towards the first seat of the Council of Ten. "Promise me", he spoke. "Promise me, that if I beat Sōma Yukihira, and equal your record for five straight days as number one top seller, in the moon festival that you will accept another food war challenge from me?"

Eishi Tsukasa sighed as stared at the blonde spiky haired eighth seat, it wasn't that he was adverse to accepting another of Kuga's challenges, they tended to be quite fun to do. It was simply every time this happened it was usually on the tail end of something happening that had involuntarily involved Kensuke. And it irked Tsukasa greatly to know that some of the other members of the Ten were envious of or misunderstood the quiet third seat.

"Sure", Tsukasa responded solemnly. "I'll face you again". Half turning his head towards Kensuke, who was standing next to Rindō, the first seat noticed a glum expression on his friendly rivals face. "Okay then", he heard Kuga excitedly proclaim. "I'd better get ready then". Bobbing his head in faux understanding, Tsukasa watched as the spiky blonde hurried out of the packed meeting point.

The first seat then proceeded to move towards Rindō and Kensuke but as he did, he caught sight of the red headed boy, as well as a group of other first years, staring at him and the spot where Kuga had just been standing.

Keeping his expression neutral as he walked over to his own group, Tsukasa didn't turn his head to look at his underclassmen; those who mattered to him were in front of him, and whilst the others of the Ten were definitely skilled and deserved to be there, in terms of the level of trust between them only the top three were truly understanding of each other.

'Kindred Spirits'.

—-

As he approached the second and third seats, Rindō pounced on him grinning like a cheshire cat. "Hey, Tsukasa what was little Kuga wanting?" The red haired girl spoke singingly. "Was he asking for a rematch?" Kensuke added. Chuckling, the first seat nodded his head. "It's must be kinda boring now, seeing as you always win", Rindō stated placing her arms around the two boys shoulders.

"Hmm, a bit but its really more like an indulgence for me", Tsukasa inferred. "Whenever Kuga used to ask for a food war, I would accept him because I was curious about how he would grow as a chef. But now I find his resolve aggravating, and no matter how many times I beat him, showing him how far apart we are, he never succumbs to defeat. It's bloody infuriating".

"That sounds like Sōma Yukihira, eh Ken", the girl nuzzled against the bespectacled black haired boy. "His perseverance is astounding", Kenosuke opined, blushing slightly at having Rindō so close to him. "And Megumi says that he is fastidious when it comes to designing recipes". Grinning as she spoke, the girl looked over towards the goup of first years. "Well if there was anyone who would know the most about that boy it would be his girlfriend".

Kensuke frowned as a sudden unexplained urge to throttle Sōma entered his minds eye. Noting his confounded expression, Rindō led him and Tsukasa away from the area all Tōtsuki students had gathered to hear Director Senzaemon officially opening the Moon Festival. "Come on!" She grinned dragging them along after her. "You two have restaurants in the mountains, and I've got a tight schedule to keep to if I want to eat at every food booth in five days".

"You really are a glutton you know that", Kensuke murmured. "Hey!" Rindō mused turning around to face her friend. "Just because I let you get away with that at the Meet and Greet, doesn't mean I'll let it go twice but... seeing as you're cooking in your first moon festival, I demand food every day, as recompense" she grinned.

"Glutton", Tsukasa chuckled under his breath. "You'll get fat if you eat too much".

Glaring at the other boy, Rindō tried to keep her frown strong but she knew that as hard as she could, she just couldn't remain so around her two best friends. Especially Kensuke, he needed all the happiness the world could afford him. And so with a grin stretched all the way across her face, she grabbed the two boys again and raced out of the festival opening ceremony.

"You both owe me so much food now to pay me back for that comment now". Smiling, the three top seats of the Ten departed to the mountain area.

—-

From her place, off to one side of her group of friends, Megumi was animatedly taking into a mobile phone. "I wish you could see this mum! Ken looks so happy! He's with... maybe some friends but he seems really comfortable amongst them!"

With a wide joyful expression plastered across her face the blue haired girl suddenly winced, and pulled the phone away from her ears as the loud "ieeeee" of her mother's excited squeal was instantly heard. Blushing in embarrassment, knowing full well that her friends would have heard that and would be probably staring at her curiously, she nodded her head and smiled back at her friends.

"Me, Sōma and Ikumi, are about to go and start cooking for our festival stall tonight, and then for the following four nights, so I have to go now", she began to wind down the conversation. "I'll call you back when..." She was cut off by her mother, Emiko Tadokoro.

"You better email or text me some photo's of Ken's food when you all go an visit him! Otherwise I'll come down there and embarrass you all. And tell him how proud I am of him for me!"

"I promise", Megumi replied, chuckling at her mother's childishness antics. "Good, I await the photo of happy smiles on my son's face", Emiko stated. "Oh and good luck cooking, even though I know you, Sōma and this Ikumi girl don't need it. You'll win easily!"

"Bye mom", as the blue haired girl placed the phone back in her jeans pocket and rejoined her friends she saw Sōma and Ikumi both trying very hard not to roll their eyes at Alice's obliviousness at Ryo and Akira's slumped forms on the ground.

"It looks to me that those two are suffering from rather extreme fatigue", Erina's blunt voice interrupted her cousin and the redhead boy. Alice slowly turned around and threw her arms around her cousin, making her go bright red, not being used to this level of affection. "Oh don't worry about them, cuz. I'll whip them into shape in no time at all". Releasing her cousin from her embrace, Alice moved towards Ryo and knelt down by his ear and whispered something to him.

And sure enough, miraculously the dark haired danish boy was up on his feet and looking like he was ready to slay any challenge given to him. "Hey Akira!" Ryo yelled, turning around and shaking the spice master awake. "Wake up, dammit! We didn't work ourselves to death planning all this time only to drop out of the festival now".

—-

Sitting bolt upright, and retying his hair into its signature pony tail, Akira schooled his facial expression into one of extreme dissatisfaction at having been yelled at, and manhandled, by Ryo. "Shut up already, I hear you. And besides I refuse to let the Shinomi Seminar be taken over by you and Alice!"

Moving in before a fight could break out, Alice grabbed their hands and began running towards their main avenue food stall. Yanked along after her, Ryo and Akira could hardly do anything to stop her and so they resolved to redirect their rivalry towards Sōma. "You better not fall short Sōma! We're all rivals you know!" They both yelled over their shoulders as they disappeared into the mass of people leaving to go start expiring or cooking.

Smiling, the redhead boy turned back towards Megumi and Ikumi. "You guys ready?" Immediately going bright red at her unintentionally induced suggestive connotations that she now inadvertently associated with that phrase, the meat master bolted forwards running as fast as her feet would take her. "Shut up! You need to beat Kuga, and keep your word to Takumi!"

Perplexed by Ikumi's actions, but also fired up by her reminder of his goals and promises, Sōma took his girlfriends hand and headed after their booth partner. "Yeah! With the team we have, Kuga doesn't stand a chance".

Upon reaching their stall, or more appropriately two stone ovens placed into a wooden trolly beneath a canopy, the three first years found themselves confronted by the realisation that they were so far dwarfed by 'Restaurant Kuga' that it would be a miracle if anyone so much as glanced at them. Still undaunted and unperturbed, Sōma tied his head band around his head and put on an apron.

"Okay guys, lets do the best we can!"

Ikumi and Megumi both grinned as they donned aprons and began to assist Sōma in the preparation of their first day festival food. "Ooh..." a voice cooed. Looking up from prepping the dough, Ikumi scowled at the blonde spiky boy before her. "I'm glad your here Sōma-chin", Kuga announced slapping the redhead in the back happily. "I really am looking forwards to competing against you, but at the same time I really hope you don't come to regret the choices you've made".

Grinning, as he raised his hand and fist bumped the eighth seat, Sōma then removed a ball of dough from the bowl before him and sprinkled on a few sesame seeds. "Oh Kuga", he laughed joyfully. "You should know I always play to win. And I will beat you". He then reached into the stone oven and placed the dough under and around the lipped edge of the hot stone oven.

"You may be the eighth seat but with my friends help, and with Kensuke's advice, I shall show everyone here, you included, at the moon festival, my cooking!"