Chapter 63: Soul Pocus
"What the hell is he thinking!" Hisako growled, clenching her fists. "I thought he'd shed some of his recklessness and grown up a bit since getting together with you", the rose haired girl spoke turning towards Megumi. "He has... In a manner of speaking" the bluenette responded, feeling like she had to defend her impetuous boyfriend. "Yeah well... it looks like he's just as impulsive as before" Hisako replied, blushing slightly as she shook her head and looked over at Erina. "Mistress Erina? Are you alight?"
Blinking back her astonishment as well as remembering what Alice had told her, the god tongue felt a hand gently squeezing hers. Comfortingly. "I-I'm fine..." she whispered as she sat upright and continued to watch the two chefs in the classroom accept their challenge.
"Well then", Tsukasa's voice grabbed the girls attention again. "That decides it. So about the theme ingredient how about venison" he gestured to the floor to ceiling fridges around the room, "apparently it was originally going to be the used in today's class so numerous cuts were already laid out in preparation".
Smiling as he listened, unable to restrain his excitement, Sōma agreed before interjecting with the decision of cooking style. "The style of cooking shall be French".
"I see..." the first seat replied. "Okay then, let's get cooking".
Making his way over to one of the large fridges, Tsukasa opened the door and began apprising each cut of venison. "Hmm..." he mused tapping a finger to his chin, noticing that Sōma was still standing right where they'd been talking. Not appearing to make any move towards the fridges. Turning his attention back on the venison cuts the first seat reached up and removed a large of back meat.
"I'm going to get started now Sōma".
Jolted out of his internal recipe decisions the red head boy watched in awe as his opponent effortlessly carved the back meat down from the bones to give himself a good portion of meat to cook with. Thusly, the prepared meat was seasoned with salt and pepper and left whilst Tsukasa diced fat and proceeded to used than as a way of not having the meat touch the frying pan directly. Oohing as the meat was then placed in a Salamander grill, Sōma didn't even realise that he was standing right next to the first seat.
"Don't you need to start cooking Sōma..."
Tsukasa opined. "As a member of Central I can't afford to loose to a rebel first year, so I've got no intention of going easy on you". Remembering the words of Azami Nakiri inside and outside Erina's restaurant, and his own questions about why Central was created, Sōma folded his arms and asked directly.
"Hey, chef Tsukasa, what exactly does Central want to accomplish here anyway? Is the goal really just to control how Tōtsuki teaches student chefs? I mean you're already an incredible chef placed at an incredible high roster, even without Central you'd be massively successful in my opinion". Frowning the boy tried to show his dissatisfaction with Central but also a willingness to hear them out.
Flabbergasted by Sōma's praise, the first seat blushed as he removed the meat from the salamander. "No no, you're giving me too much credit Sōma..." he exclaimed with red faced embarrassed before returning to his calm exterior. "But your right about one thing, Centrals true goal is yet to be realised. And that is to annihilate all of Japan's restaurants, forthwith".
"W-W-What?" All colour drained from Sōma's face as he took in those words.
"Oh don't misunderstand me..." Tsukasa added smiling. "Any restaurant that serves true cuisine will be left untouched. Director Azami put it like this: 'We must eliminate any restaurant which serves horrid sludge which cannot be considered food. It is an absolute necessity if we wish for japans cuisine to truly reach the next level'. Therefore we must begin training our soldiers; the purge going through the school right now as well as the new classes are designed to rid Japan of inferior restaurants".
Standing stock still watching the first seat cook, Sōma clenched his fists together. "Inferior restaurants eh?" He responded, his words a full throated growl. "Sure" Tsukasa added, "by weeding out all the plebeian eateries that plague the area, it means that only those that offer true gourmet cuisine can flourish. This is what Central is aspiring towards".
"All the plebeian eateries, huh" Sōma murmured, his eyes flickering over towards the window. "And by that you mean places like Mitamura Western Cuisine or better yet my own Yukihira family eatery?"
"You are correct, that is exactly what we mean" Tsukasa confirmed, nonchalantly continuing on with his venison dish. "You would do that, even if it meant tearing down a place where many people may care deeply about?" The exasperation and growing irascibleness within the boy's voice was picked up by the listening girls outside.
"I would absolutely. I think that that would be unavoidable" the white haired boy responded unmoved by Sōma's plea. "How? How can Kensuke agree with this?" Sōma yelled, "his mother runs a Ryokan in Hachinohe! If Ken is truly on board with you, then it means he's willing to see his own families restaurant close..."
Instantaneously and before Sōma could react, Tsukasa spun around his eyes narrowed into slits and grabbing the redhead boy by his shirt. "You know nothing about how hard it's been on me and Kensuke here at Tōtsuki! About how we've had to harden ourselves to being able to pass every test that has been expected of us". Releasing the first year boy from his grasp, Tsukasa schooled his expression into one of sadness, yet retaining some fury in his eyes.
"Everything that we do now is to undo all of the inept and dangerous ideas of the previous director, so that none after us have to mentally and physically suffer from being at Tōtsuki!"
Sighing, as he brushed down his ruffled chefs attire, Sōma moved back towards his the fridge and picked out a wrapped portion of venison before returning to his workstation. "Whilst I can certainly see why people, like you and Ken, find some of the tasks that Tōtsuki asks of chefs here. I simply refuse to accept the systematic dissolution of all Japanese restaurants in the 'reformation' of Tōtsuki".
Placing his chosen venison cut down on the wooden board before him, on the work surface, and scowling at the first seat, the redhead boy proceeded to take out his trusty kitchen knife and begin to cut down the venison cut into useable steaks. "I see..." Sōma replied tersely, "then I can say that with absolute certainty that I am unfit to be your sous chef. I will win this food war today, and take the first seat".
"I will never join the likes of Central!"
From out in the corridor from crouched positions and peering in through the wind Megumi, Erina and Hisako all stared with rapt attention at the unofficial food war taking place before them. "What the hell is he doing!" Hisako angrily stated. "If he looses then Sōma will be forced to join Central..."
"How did it turn into this?" Megumi stammered, clasping her good luck token in her hands and sending a small prayer for her boyfriend.
"Regardless of how this started..." Erina interjected, a determined expression on her face as she spoke, "now that they have come to a cook off we must stay and see how Sōma fares against Tsukasa!"
"Yeah... you're right Erina" Hisako replied smiling as she nodded at the blue haired girl.
Suddenly the girls nostrils were accosted by the bursting aroma of pepper infused roast venison, which the first seat was currently cooking under the salamander grill. "No way..." Hisako mused watching the first seat. "His attention to detail is nearly flawless... by periodically removing the meat and basting it with melted fat so it doesn't dry out".
"It's as if he's tenderly communing with the ingredient" Megumi added before she and Hisako dropped to their knees, struck down by the venison's powerful aroma.
"That's leg meat..." Erina announced pointing at Sōma's chosen venison cut. Grinning slightly, as her trust in Sōma was reaffirmed, Megumi then directed the god tongue and Hisako's eyes at how the redhead was preparing the meat. "He's covered it in minced onion and garlic, and then letting it sit; which will tenderise and add extra flavour".
"Yeah but... he's up against the number one seat of the Ten" the rose haired girl replied. "There's no way he can win by just using conventional means".
As the three girls were murmuring to one another about this unofficial food war, none of them noticed that Sōma smirked as he glanced over his shoulder.
"Oh that's right..." Sōma remembered, moving away from the stove towards his rucksack on the nearby table. "I have to get them prepared". Looking over at the redheaded boy, Tsukasa blinked at his unorthodox kitchen style, "you got a secret up you're sleeve Sōma?" He asked inquisitively. "And it's in you're bag?"
Grinning as he stood back up and clutching a packet in his hands, Sōma held his secret ingredient up for inspection. "Shelled sweet chestnuts" he uttered as he cut open the bag and emptied the contents into a simmering saucepan. "You're an odd chef", Tsukasa responded. "I don't understand your game plan here, experimental ingredients don't always work out but what do I know I'm just the first seat".
Biting back a retort about him being conceited, Sōma simply grinned. "Well then, in that case I guess I'll just have to apologise to you now. Because I think I'm gonna surprise you again". Immediately the redhead boy brought out a charcoal grill and then proceeded to place his venison steaks directly onto the grill. "Oh yeah, the temperature is about right! Now to finish everything else off at once", he announced smiling. Not realising that Hisako was extremely exasperated with his seeming playing loose with the cook off theme, and Erina was staring with wide eyed fascination.
"Cooking with charcoal definitely has its merits..." Erina mused. "Grilling the venison over carefully fanned flames will result in a soft and juicy interior and a crunchy exterior the grill, yet the bitterness will be difficult to incorporate into French cooking". Realising where the god tongue was going with this Hisako returned to watching Sōma cook. "This... this potential dish, we may be about to witness, in all likelihoods, the birth of a plate of food that only Sōma Yukihira would ever be able to pull off".
"Okay, chef Tsukasa", Sōma announced as he finished plating up. "How about we finish this duel. Bon appetite!"
R.I.P - Dame Elizabeth Blackadder