Chapter 65: Bested
Four sets of wide eyes stared down at the still prostrating first seat whom showed no intention of getting back on his feet to continue the informal food war, until Sōma acknowledged his apology and reasons for why the top three seats had joined Central. Walking over and kneeling down, Sōma pulled Tsukasa to his feet before immediately slapping the white haired older boy across the face, and growling a threat at him.
"If you ever touch Megumi again I'll make your life a living hell..." his voice almost inaudible due to his rage. "However", he continued, still terse but at least not murderous, "I think I now understand why you, Rindō and Ken feel that Central is the only path forwards for you. To change the schools teaching style and protect Ken from descending into further social despair".
With a look of surprise, mixed with apprehension on his face, Tsukasa got to feet and fumbled with his shirt as Megumi levelled him with a steely but curious gaze. "You and Rindō... you really do care about Ken... you're not simply using him" she spoke. Approaching Tsukasa whilst ignoring the reddish mark and its sting on her face, the bluenette narrowed a thinly veiled threat at the first seat. "But... if you betray him I'll make you really beg forgiveness".
"Enough!"
Sōma, Megumi and Tsukasa all jumped at the abruptness of Erina's shout. "Have you all forgotten that there is judging to continue with?"
Turning back to face the god tongue, the three chefs all had the decency to look embarrassed and ashamed by their temporary side tracking of the unofficial food war. Affixing Erina with his undivided attention, which inadvertently made the blonde girl blush, Sōma asked how she liked his take on venison with chestnut sauce.
"For a dish that you managed to put out, I suppose you could say that it meets the standards of being French cuisine... I guess". Grinning as he smiled back at the god tongue Sōma mused about the progress Erina had made insofar as slowly changing her indoctrinated views concerning the culinary arts.
'I guess starting at small praise is what Erina is capable of right now'.
"Thanks Erina", he replied patting her on the shoulder just as Hisako barrelled past him and wrapped her arms tightly around the god tongue's waist. "That's an incredible thing for you to say miss Erina", the rose haired girl gushed. "I-erm..." Erina stammered reciprocating the embrace as well as trying to claw back her control of the situation, whilst failing to keep her lovey-dovey thoughts to herself. "What are you doing tonight... I mean, what's your move Tsukasa?"
Immediately all eyes moved over to the first seat, whom stood by his stovetop checking a simmering saucepan as he held a hand to his chin, clearly thinking about the food he had just eaten. As if a penny had dropped, Tsukasa suddenly remembered where he was and what he was doing. "Ohh yeah right, I have to present my dish too..." he flustered, "can you wait just a little while longer okay?"
As it turned out 'a little while longer' translated to precisely three minutes; meaning Sōma and the three girls just stood in abject silence at Tsukasa's speed and dexterity of final plating. 'He's so fast...' the redhead boy mused to himself almost disbelievingly. 'His knife work is better but I think Ken has a keener eye for subtly'.
"I hope its to you're liking..." the first seat exclaimed gesturing to three plates of food he gingerly placed before the girls. "I call this dish: Two Expressions of Roast Venison". Turning around smiling, before picking up a forth plate, the white haired chef handed the extra plate over to Sōma. Whom grinned in response.
"The surface of both cutlets is a perfect rose red... it's like the meat is glistening". The way Megumi spoke giddily with a slight blush on her cheeks made Sōma momentarily envy the first seat's culinary ability to make people experience such heights of deliciousness. However, the feeling vanished as he mentally slapped himself for daring to wish for shortcuts to his culinary career.
"The knife cuts so smoothly through the meat it's like slicing through butter..." Hisako added, breaking Sōma out of his musings. "If I had to describe this dish in one word... I'd have to say, harmony!"
"The depth flavour is so light... but these two sources are amazing!" Megumi blushed as she pretended to not see Hisako and Erina share a small kiss, as they briefly lost themselves to the deliciousness of the venison. "What the heck is going on?" Sōma excitedly grinned. "These sauces... how are they so delicious?"
From behind his workstation, with small smile on his face, Tsukasa humbly bowed his head in gratitude for the nice words being used to describe his food. As he straightened himself up to full height, the first seat gestured to the first of the two saucers. "This is called a poivrade. A sauce made from the venison stock and green peppercorns, the flavour lingers on the tongue. Whereas the second, is a fruity-sweet poivrade. This uses blueberries, blackberries, red currents, raspberry jam and crême de cassis".
"Now then..." Tsukasa spoke plainly. "In your opinion, which dish did you think was better".
Immediately, both the temperature and air pressure in the room felt as if they had just dropped into minus numbers. "Sōma..." Megumi whispered, cautiously as she slowly raised the fork to her lips. 'Oh god... it's not that easy to choose'. Glancing over at Hisako and Erina, Megumi realised that they too were finding it quite hard to judge both plates of food. "Very well..." Erina spoke plainly although the look on her face was one of extreme discomfort. "The plate that best showcases the venison and the winner of this battle, goes to... Eishi Tsukasa".
Sighing, Sōma uncrossed his arms and removed his headband before suddenly feeling a warm body pressed up against him. A pair of golden eyes peered up at him whilst arms snaked around him. As much as he knew Megumi wanted to scold him for being reckless, Sōma knew that she was showing her supportiveness even in the face of this defeat. Which only made him love her even more.
'The trust between them... it's like they're reading each others minds'. Erina shook her head freeing herself of embarrassing herself by proxy comparing them to herself and Hisako.
"Well Sōma... you are way too much of wild card to be of any use to me. I knew it the moment I tasted your food". The firm way Tsukasa spoke slightly unnerved Sōma, cold and blunt, but then the façade broke and the first seat showed his über-perfectionist shy side. "If I brought you to Central any support you'd give me would be no help at all. I think I'd collapse from you causing me so much anxiety, I feel that you wouldn't take instruction from me and just make whatever you wanted".
With a slight pout on his face, Sōma couldn't help but notice that Erina, Hisako and even Megumi were all nodding their heads at Tsukasa's words. "Yeah..." they all agreed facepalming, "we can understand that".
"Don't take it the wrong way though..." the first seat continued taking off his apron and redoing his school tie around his shirt collar. "I just don't think I'm able to control you... and so with that being the case I'm willing to let you remain outside of Central".
"You're actually okay with that!" Megumi exclaimed, joyful that her boyfriend wasn't going to be forcefully conscripted into Central. "Sure thing. Since this wasn't an actual food war I don't mind if we simply call this a draw or even say this never occurred", Tsukasa recited. Turning towards Sōma, the white haired chef threw the end of his tie over his shoulder before beginning to leave the room whilst addressing the redhead. "Anyway, this was fun. See you guys..."
"No. Way!"
Spinning around the first seat gawked at the stubborn petulance shining in Sōma's eyes. 'He acknowledges he's lost but refuses to wipe the slate clean'. As confused by the redheads actions as he was, Tsukasa couldn't help but chuckle. Which only made Sōma glare more petulantly.
"A loss is a loss, and the difference in our skills is crystal clear. I lost fair and square".
Bolting forwards and smacking the redhead across the face, Hisako frustratingly yelled at him. "If you willingly concede this food war then you'll have to join Central!" Crossing his arms and running his hands through his hair, Sōma stood his ground and refused to retract his concession whist also steadfastly refusing to accept that he would join Central as a result. "You make so fricking sense at all!" Hisako exasperatedly bemoaned.
"Please Sōma..." Megumi silently spoke, her hands shaking with anxiety. "Could you for once reign yourself in a little?"
Seeing the emotional pain in those golden eyes, framed by blue hair, Sōma let out a exhalation before wrapping his arms around the blue haired girl and preceded to place a kiss to her forehead. "Megs..." Yet before he could speak another word he felt a sting across his cheek before having his shirt held onto by Megumi. "Don't you dare. You promised me that we, and all of our friends would become second years together. If Tsukasa had been serious you would have broken that promise".
As boyfriend and girlfriend hugged each other and a red faced Hisako turned away to give them a modicum of privacy, she realised that Erina and Tsukasa were out in the corridor talking. Instantly concerned that her girlfriend was being proffered at returning to Central, Hisako made to interrupts the two. However, she stopped herself when she could see the look of reservation on Erina's face as she entered the room. Sighing.
"Dammit I lost again".
Hugging Sōma tightly, Megumi patted him on the back before 'booping' his nose. "Yeah well... you may have lost but I still believe in you Sōma. Someday your cooking will stand at the summit of Tōtsuki". Smiling, the redhead boy grinned back. "Thanks Megs. I may have lost but I can see now that he ain't no godly chef that cannot be beaten, he's human just like me".
After departing the empty room, the four first year students returned to Kyokusei dorm, making sure that Erina wasn't spotted, for dinner. And it was during dinner that Sōma told his fellow dorm mates about his loss to Tsukasa, and about what he'd learned from him. Added in to the latter part of dinner, and their conversation, was the sudden campus broadcast of three more 'strangler hunts'.
"This is horseshit!" Both Shōji and Yuki yelled. "These food wars are at an ungodly hour..." Frowning as she replied scornfully, Ryōko pointed out 'that's probably the point'. "They [Central] obviously don't want us to be properly prepared but, thanks to Isshiki, they have to come up with a way that disadvantages any rebels".
"Who are appealing against foreclosure?" Shun asked just as the screen image changed from the announcer to three names upon culinary club banners. Immediately on their feet and bolting out of the room were Zenji and Megumi, plus Sōma whom followed Megumi but was also going to see Ikumi. Needing no further encouragement, nor reason, to follow their friends, the other members of Kyokusei raced out as well to cheer for the three rebellious school clubs fighting dissolution.
And after a gruelling five hours of intense cooking, the three food war challenges being decking the fate of three Tōtsuki culinary clubs ended in three unanimous central defeats announced by a bitterly resentful Urara Kawashima and cheered by the section of the auditorium whom were aghast by, and against, Central's new rules.
"Regional Cuisine Research Society vs Central... Megumi Tadokoro vs Shigemichi, and the result is two judges to zero for the third seat's dark horse sister!"
"Donburi Bowl Society vs Central, Ikumi Mito Vs Mea Yanai... and the result is, two judges to Zerofor Miss Mito!"
"Miyazato Seminar vs Central... Zenji Marui vs Rui Kofuru, and the result is two judges against one for Mister Marui!"
However, as Sōma and the others celebrated defeating Central thrice times over, the redhead noticed up in one of the VIP boxes the visages of Director Azami and Eishi Tsukasa staring down at him, the former glaring at him whilst the latter looked half dead.
R.I.P - Sergei Kovalev (scientist and dissent against the USSR, Yeltsin and Putin)