The next day...

Countless students gathered up in the big dorm where the Shokugeki always took place. Many murmurs spread all around the students. At the VIP stand, Nakiri Erina accompanied by her secretary stayed there to watch the Shokugeki. While both competitors already stand by at the backstage. On the trolley, box filled with the raw ingredients stayed on top of it.

"Yukihira, I somehow gathered the ingredients and tools needed for the match. There was everything you asked for." Konishi told the red haired boy as he showed the said things.

"Oh, thanks Konishi senpai."

"Anyway, Yukihira. Have you take a sleep? You're working in the sauce till morning, aren't you?" Konishi asked worriedly. He himself looked dead pale.

"I'm okay, Konishi senpai."

While the only girl in their team, Megumi, looked panic than the one who will take the battle himself.

"So... Souma-kun, there is so much people here... a-a-a-anyway, don't be panic." Megumi said it in her trembled voice. "Y-y-you have to write down the kanji of 'people' on your palm." Megumi did it herself. Souma who looked at her panic state can't stopped grinning at the girl's action which opposite with the thing she said.

"Yeah, then you swallowed it, right?" Souma replied back, which then made Megumi looked at him.

"Aren't you nervous, Souma-kun? You're going to cook in front of so many people. Just by thinking what would happen if it was me..."

"Not at all." Souma answered back straight to the point. "I mean, compared to standing in front of the customers while carrying your shop's name, it's not scary at all." He added.

Right after that, the podium got dimmed down then the spotlight focused on the girl in the middle of the podium. She was the MC for the Shokugeki that day. "Thank you for waiting." That girl greeted with her energetic voice which caught all the attention in that dorm. "The Shokugeki Administration Bureau has recognized this match as an official Shokugeki. Soon, it will start!" That girl continued then ended her introducing speech with a wink. "We have three judges. The theme is Don. The main ingredient is meat." She announced the main point of the Shokugeki. "Well then, from each corner, both contestants will enter!" The MC girl announced then the spotlight moved to the right side of the podium. "From the red corner, please welcome Meat Master, Mito Ikumiii!" Loud cheers filled the dorm as the said girl entered the battlefield. She dressed so appealing, like always.

"From the blue corner, we have the transfer student Yukihira Soumaaa!"

More frantic cheers welcomed Yukihira Souma's group as they entered there. Even some of the spectators thrown out their things as angry cheers got heard here and there. Konishi who got surprised by the situation was went silent as for his own experience in the Shokugeki, he never experienced the one like that. "Oi, Yukihira. You're barely new here. Just what kind of deed you've done that made them angry to you?" Konishi asked the freshmen but got an ambiguous answer in return.

"Ahahaha... I don't know either, Senpai."

Both Souma and Ikumi had face to face on the podium. The MC girl kept on her speech about the conditions which had been agreed by the both side. Soon after that, the match got started. The loud cheers from the audiences got crazier as Ikumi brought put her meat and showed her skillful act.

"What a show off." Karen commented once she arrived at the dorm. She decided to have a look on the match for a while. Since the first place, she wasn't fond of Erina's subordinate as they are a bunch of arrogant and selfish chefs. So Karen chose to look at Souma who busily chopped countless onions on his workstation. He hasn't touched his meat yet, as he was focused in other ingredients. When he has finished the preparation, he took out his meat. Another mocking screams rang all around the dorm. The 'cheap priced' beef meat, which is like a mock to the super high quality 'A5' beef meat brought by Ikumi earlier. Souma with his usual grin didn't pay attention at the scream as he began working in his meat.

"He is an interesting human being, isn't he?" Haruki who barely got there spoke his opinion out.

"Kind of."

Karen shifted her attention towards Ikumi who already put her meat into the oven after she cooked the meat with melted butter. Several minutes later, she took the meat out of the oven, checked its temperature then sliced it into pieces. "Tsk! That sensibility of hers. No wonder Erina took her under her wings." Karen smirked just when her eyes caught the finely sensibility owned by Ikumi once the latter touched the meat.

"Nah... As a meat master, she won't get that name for nothing, Ren. She even still has a free talk with her opponent." Haruki added. It was true. Ikumi seems tried to insult Souma about his cooking but the red haired boy didn't get disturbed by it. He even looked calm and tried to intimidate back. If it wasn't the MC girl who interrupted the two about the time limit, maybe the two competitors won't stopped their quarrel. The bell rang, indicated the time for cooking already finished and it was the time to judge the dish.

"You're leaving?" Haruki asked when the younger one turned around and was about to leave that place.

"Yes. I've promised a meeting with Shirasu-san from Haiba Manufactory." Karen answered matter-of-factly. Also, she hasn't had an interest about the judging scene. Without additional words, she left.

Erina smiled proudly once Ikumi's dish got praised by the judges. It's obvious, as the short blonde haired girl already served a bowl filled with garlic rice and flower shaped beef meat stayed on top of it. But, the smile on Erina's face didn't last long as she saw the judges got more addicted when they ate Souma's dish. The unexpected result was out, and Erina's wish the day before got scattered completely.

"Let's go, Hisako." Erina got up from her chair, she looked at the podium, precisely on Ikumi who already bent down to the floor after tasting Souma's dish herself. "The kitchen I gave her, vacate it." Erina commanded before she decided to leave that place.

"Ye-yes."


"It seems that you've managed it greatly, Yukihira-kun." A familiar voice greeted the three - Souma, Megumi, and Konishi, once they reached the backstage. Haruki, looked calm as always, gave his congratulation speech to the younger boy.

"Oh, Kimura senpai. Arigato gozaimasu. If it isn't for your dish you've sent yesterday, maybe I won't win this match." Souma replied back with his grin all around on his face.

"Heh~ I don't know what will be her reaction if she heard it herself." Haruki started spilling the little secret. Both Souma and Megumi have their questioning look on their face as they waited for further explanation. While Konishi who has already known too well about Haruki and Karen's strange behavior looked unperturbed, but can't stopped himself to ask another question.

"What you two have given to Yukihira, Haruki?!"

"Nothing in particular. Just a failed dish which Ren has experimented since she wanted to serve a new dish for our monthly party."

The three ones in front of Haruki sent an unbelief look as they heard Haruki's short explanation. For Souma and Megumi who have tasted the said 'failed dish by Nakiri Karen' can't figure out if the sophomore student in front of them was said the truth or just wanted to throw a prank to them. The dish itself, despite its simple appearance but it's rich of delicious taste. Seeing his kouhai's unbelief look, Konishi only sighed. He knew, what kind of confusion which built up inside his kouhai's head. Because he has experienced it, Karen's failed dish. He even can't called it as a failed dish. But, when Konishi remembered what Souma has said before, he can't helped but wondered about what kind of inspiration Souma got from Karen's failed dish.

"Am I saying something wrong?" Haruki asked the most ridiculous thing which actually has had its answer beforehand. It was when Souma's about to talk back, Haruki already cut him off. "But, it's true, isn't it Yukihira-kun? As for the result, you modified the sauce and added the pickled plum into the rice. In other word, you've perfected the failed dish, in your own way. Good job, Yukihira-kun."

Souma can't say a word to reply it. He wanted to deny Haruki's words, but he can't say it. At first, Souma wanted to create something which can surpassed the dish Karen has given to him, even it made him forgot about the real opponent he should face in the Shokugeki. Yet, at the end he just can came out with that pickled plum as the solution.

"I said honestly about your dish, Yukihira-kun." Haruki got Souma's attention again. "Beside, the dish itself was in different purpose since the first place."

"What do you mean, Kimura senpai?" Souma asked back.

"The dish Ren has made is solely a meat dish, so she focused on bringing out the meat deliciousness. It's not a Don like yours, when you should also think about other ingredients in the Don bowl, Yukihira-kun. So, when you perfected your own failed dish using Ren's failed dish, I found it as a miracle." Haruki finished up his speech. Then he shifted his attention to Konishi whom looked blank as the latter listened to every word since the beginning until the end. "Better you get more confident after this Shokugeki, Konishi. Or I will ask Ren to quit from Don RS."

"Yeah, I know it."


In one of so many places in the Toutsuki Academy, important people gathered in the one secluded room. The room itself was dark, yet it didn't stop the discussion between those people.

"This season of the year has come again." The man in his fifty years old spoke as he put his chin on his hands.

"Have all the students been notified?" Another one, younger than the first one replied.

"That should be completed today." A female voice talked back, and after that no more questioning followed.

The one who became the oldest of the group walked toward the closed window of that room. He took a small opening through the curtain. "Some will stand out, some will drop out. This is the first crossroad."


The next day...

At Nakiri Mansion

Haruki walked slowly as he yawned once in a while. When he reached the front door, he saw Karen was busy with her road bike. Precisely in something she was tying on the road bike itself. "Are you a postman? Have been busy in the early morning." Haruki intended to insult Karen as the younger one will got mad when she got insulted, moreover if it was Haruki who did it.

"Stop your lame joke, Ruki-nii." Karen looked up at Haruki when she has finished tying the thing wrapped in black cloth to her road bike. Then she put on her helmet.

"Where are you going?" Haruki asked again. It was unusual of Karen if she was about to have a tour by bringing out that mysterious package.

"It's a day off. So, I planned into enjoying sweets all day long. Of course with several friends of mine." Karen answered as she mount to her road bike. But, she hasn't answer the point of Haruki's question and made the older one asked for the second time.

"Where to?"

"Uhm... Polar Star Dorm."

In the end, Haruki decided to join Karen went to Polar Star Dorm, the only one student dormitory in Toutsuki Academy. Since in middle school, Karen has dreamt about living in that dorm. Even she has taken the entrance test and succeed in one tryout. But Karen has to give up on that wish as her mother opposed the idea, though both her grandfather and her father already given their approval.

"It seems that you've planned in spending the whole day there, Ren." Haruki asked the already answered question to the younger girl.

"You've known it yet you still ask it, Ruki-nii." Karen replied without looking back at Haruki who rode behind her. Then Haruki fastened his pace so he was side by side with the jet-black haired girl.

"Haiba Manufactory give that to you?" Haruki asked again, this time with another question.

"Yes. They intended in producing a new product so they have made a sample of it then asked me to take a try."

"In other word, you didn't get for free." Haruki commented at Karen's short explanation.

"It's me who get the problem, you're not need to be irritated, right?"

"Hey, I just... wait, what kind of sample you've got from them?"

This time, Karen spared her attention from the road in front of her to the guy who rode the bike next to her. It still early in the morning, and the sophomore student named Kimura Haruki was unusually bombarded her with one question to another like an interview. When she saw him at the Nakiri mansion before, he looked like didn't have a plan of leaving the mansion in his day off. But once she mentioned her plan of the day, without a word he took his own road bike then joined her.

"Who knows? I haven't looked at it myself. Since I have planned to share it with my friends..." Karen paused as she changed the gear of her bike. Haruki who saw the change looked a bit cautious. "I'm not planning in sharing it with you, Ruki-nii. Not yet. So, if you really curious about what I've got from Haiba Manufactory, how about we have a short race?"

Haruki smirked as he heard Karen's request. He changed his bike's gear too, ready to dash at any time. "I take it. If I won, you've to give half of that thing to me."

"Sure. But I never planned to be defeated by you this time, Ruki-nii."

So, their short race as the Polar Star Dorm as their goal started.


- 10 minutes later –

At Polar Star Dormitory

Yuki and Souma who barely got out from the dorm building looked blankly at the two figures who panted for fresh air. The girl laid on the ground, her bike has long forgotten as it laid carelessly on the ground too, not far from her current position. While the boy still on his bike, his upper body leaned on the black colored road bike.

"Ren-chi, Haruki senpai, you two have a race?" Yuki asked as she approached the two, followed by Souma behind her. But none of the two answered as they still struggling to get more oxygen to their lungs. It was Haruki who regained his soul back.

"It's my victory. You should fulfill your promise, Ren." Haruki reminded the girl who still laid on the ground with closed eyes. He was ignored the other two human being there.

"How you can claim it is your win? It's mine, as my bike got into the dorm yard first than yours, Ruki-nii!" Karen talked back as she opened her eyes and shoot a dead glare to the older boy.

"They really ignore us, Yoshino." Souma whispered to Yuki who also got surprised by their uninvited guest's quarrel.

"Keh, I never recall such a thing happened, Ren. It's me who got here first. Not to mention that I still stood right, unlike you who stumble to the ground." Haruki didn't want to give in to Karen. Sometimes, he was a stubborn too when it came to a match with the younger girl.

Karen with her sulking face got up from her position, sat on the ground while pouted her lips. If it was not for his fatigue, Haruki would pinched her cheeks. Karen was looked so damn cute in that state, which made Haruki blushed a bit just thinking about it.

"Wakatta. You can have half of it." Karen said finally, surrendered for her defeat.

"Mou~ how long you two want to ignore us, huh?" Yuki shouted out loud which is succeed in making both Karen and Haruki looked at her as well as her partner for the morning work that day, Souma.

"Yoshi-chan, hisashiburi~" Karen greeted the petite girl in amber-colored hair with her innocent smile like nothing had happened before. "You have a morning chores today?"

"Kind of. Why are you two here? In this early morning."

"Have a visit to my former dorm mates to be, of course!"

Souma who heard that strange term can't hide his confused look on his face. Haruki who also heard it just let out a sigh. "Just ignore her word just now, will you Yukihira-kun?"

Souma looked at Haruki who asked him just now. He just nodded. "So, you two has a regular schedule to visit this place too?" Souma asked the two guests who looked back at him immediately.

"Not in the particular. We will come here whenever we like to." Haruki answered.

"Ne, Ren-chi. Do you want to go to the field? Today, we will take many vegetable crops. You will like it, right?"

Karen stood up immediately when Yuki mentioned about the field farming thing. She even pulled the petite girl and left the yard as fast as the light, left Souma and Haruki as well as the mess there.
"You should go too, Yukihira-kun. If not, that bastard Isshiki will tortured you with no end." Haruki placed his own bike on the bicycle post which placed next to the dorm gate. Then he collected the helmet and bike owned by the jet-black haired Nakiri girl.

"Then, excuse me, Kimura senpai."

"Oooh! It seems that I won't regret losing that thing to Ruki-nii as long as I'm here." Karen muttered a random thing as soon as her rose gold eyes caught the various vegetable plantation spread in front of her. Only one thing that she thought was out of the place. The figure of a young man hoeing with nothing except his inner garment.

"It's an unusual visit of yours, Ren-kun." Isshiki greeted Karen with his trade mark grin as he wiped away his sweat on his forehead.

"Yeah... and it was unsightly look in the early morning, Sato senpai."

Isshiki faked a cry look on his face when he heard Karen's words just now. "How rude of you, Ren-kun."

"That strange taste of fashion, I still can't stand either how many time I saw it myself." Haruki who joined to the field with Souma commented.

"Oh, Ki-kun! Hisashiburi~" Isshiki immediately left the field he was worked with earlier and walked to his friend's place. Haruki who heard Isshiki's stupid greeting had his annoyed look on his handsome face.

"Stop being stupid, Isshiki."

"Eh, minna..." The upcoming quarrel between Isshiki and Haruki already stopped before started by Megumi's surprised voice. On her hands she brought a basket full of the freshly cut crops.

"Oh, Tadokoro. You're here too." It was Souma who greeted back the blue haired girl. "This time, how I should say it? It suits her in a relieving way." Souma commented at Megumi's appearance - a field clothing completed with a straw hat and long boots, not to forget the basket with fresh crops in it.

"Megumi is the Polar Star's refreshment." Yuki added as she nodding in agreement. While Megumi looked a bit confuse with the topic.

"Now my friends, come here!" Isshiki cried out as to gain the other's attention back to him. He proudly showed the field filled with various plantation. "Knowing how ingredients ripen is part of studying cooking. This is the Polar Star field - you also can call it Isshiki field if you want!"

"I still wondered, where he get that over confident act? He never tired of it, isn't he?" Karen whispered to Haruki who already stood beside her.

"Here, have a bite." Isshiki offered a red, ripe, fresh tomato to Souma.

"Ah, thanks..." Souma thanked before took a bite on the tomato. He drowned into the fresh, sweet taste of the tomato. It even fresher than usual tomato he used back in his diner. "I'm amazed you could get this quality."

Isshiki smiled sheepishly at the appraisal. "Ahahaa... actually I'm devoted to this. Thanks to it I haven't gone to my classes at all lately."

"Aho Isshiki." Haruki muttered, feeling stupid just heard Isshiki's ridiculous reason of his skipping classes. Just then he sent another look at the jet-black haired girl next to him. The latter also did the same thing sometimes. But then, he questioned himself why the two of them haven't civil at each other.

"I know what kind of thought inside your head, Ruki-nii. So stop it already."

Later after that small chatting, all of them begun working at the field with Ibusaki and Ryouko helped them. They split into groups. Karen, Megumi, Yuki, and Ryouko worked in harvesting the tomato and carrot. Souma and Ibusaki worked in harvesting the eggplant and cabbage. While unfortunately, Haruki ended up in with Isshiki, worked for radish and potato harvesting.

"My hips are hurt..."

"I'm hungry."

Both Souma and Yuki whined at the same time once they have collected the crops.

"Minna! Lunch is ready!" Megumi announced as she got back to the field with another basket filled with different thing. Ryouko who followed her from behind brought two bottles of hot tea as well as the glasses. So, the rest of the field group members gathered at the small cottage placed there. The foods basket got opened, and revealed the three kinds onigiri made by Megumi. Each of them took an onigiri for themselves.

"To call it lunch even we haven't had our breakfast to begin with." Haruki mumbled as he eyed the onigiri in his hand.

"It's not bad either." Karen who sat beside him replied, then took a bite on her onigiri.

The happy, lightened mood as well as the cheerful comments about the onigiri got thrown here and there. Souma's comment about Megumi's different cooking when the blue haired girl in the school and in the dorm added spice in their chat after the field chores. Karen looked at their happy interaction in silent. She has fell in love with them since the first time she met the current residents of Polar Star Dormitory, of course the half-naked sophomore Isshiki was an exception. Unable being the part of them, it gave her a jealous feeling.

"You can visit them as much as you want, you know it already Ren." Haruki who observed the younger one since the beginning can't help spoken out his mind.

"Yeah, and you don't need to remind me about that."

Then, the tea drinking ended their lunch as well as their field chores that day. All of them got back to the dorm with baskets full of vegetables.

"Oh, that's reminded me about earlier, Ren-chi." Yuki snapped out suddenly, then tried to gain Karen's attention about something she wanted to ask.

"What?"

"What kind of thing you and Haruki senpai debated about this morning?"

"Ah... that is... should we see it together? Actually, I don't know either."

Karen run to her road bike as soon as she said that absurd thing. She took the black clothed package then headed to the dorm. As the rest of the dorm's residents had stored the freshly crops in the storage room, they gathered in the dining room to see the said package brought by Nakiri Karen. Haruki who has claimed the half of that package took a vacant chair and sat on it. A box with Haiba Manufactory's logo appeared behind the black cloth as it got opened up.

"It's... came from that Haiba Manufactory?" Yuki asked in disbelief, shocked voice. Karen nodded, as if it's not a big deal for her. "How?" Yuki asked again.

"How? They intended to try something new and give me the sample." Karen answered as she tore the sticky tape on the box.

"She is doing the advisory thing with Haiba Manufactory, it's not the first time she got something like that." Haruki explained to all the residents who gathered in that room.

"Sugoiiii." They sang together.

Isshiki who has been known about it just smiled as he took a chair and placed it next to Haruki. "To think that she got their trust so early like that. It seems that she is more talented than Eizan-kun in advisory field." Isshiki said then took a sip of Megumi's barley tea.

"Is that so? She agreed to take that factory because she interested in using their product to her own dessert research. Nothing else." Haruki talked back, looked uninterested with the topic brought by Isshiki.

"You think so?"

Haruki looked at Isshiki who still had his eyes on him. But then their stare contest came to the end as Karen called Haruki suddenly.

"You can have all of it." She said as she placed the box in front of Haruki. A set of matcha11, yuzu orange, and rosella bars. A kind of dairy product which suited Haruki's specialty dessert.

"Are you sure? You can't give them a good review if you gave it all to me." Haruki talked back. Actually, he will accepted it wholeheartedly as he was about looking for the unique ingredient in his new recipe, but he didn't want to take advantage of Karen's gift.

"I can ask you about it." Karen still in her intention of giving all of the 'gift' to Haruki.

An annoyed cross on Haruki's forehead as he heard that absurd solution came from the younger girl. "You can compare it than you tried it yourself, Ren."

Isshiki as well as Souma and friends looked at the two bickering of that simple thing in awe. They didn't want to interrupt as that scene was kind of entertaining in their eyes. Their spectacle should be ended as the doorbell got rung. Ibusaki being the one who went to the front door got back with a pack of books.

"Oh finally it came." Isshiki being the one who talked first as Ibusaki unpacked the books and distributed it to his friends. A handbook about the upcoming training camp for the freshmen of Toutsuki's high school division. Haruki who sat beside Isshiki didn't look interested with the said thing.

"You've gone through it too last year, aren't you, Ruki-nii?" Karen asked without looking at Haruki but her attention was on the handbook itself.

Haruki eyed the handbook for a second, then got his attention back to the forgotten 'gift' in front of him. He took the matcha bar and examined it. "They still made it lame as always." He paused as he put back the matcha bar inside the box. But, out of his concern, all the eyes was set on him. When he took the yuzu orange bar, he looked back at the curious looks of the freshmen in that room. "That training camp is no other than the first hell you all should do. Friendship and rapport training camp. That is what they say but in reality it's a cruel elimination training camp." Haruki got back to his own activity. He smelled the yuzu orange bar then drowned into his own world.

"This is Toutsuki's competitive education, as the headmaster himself would say, the 'jewel' selection has genuinely begun." Isshiki continued Haruki's words then he sipped his tea. "Just like Ki-kun has said, it's truly a hell training, even in my generation there were so many of them who got dropped out every day."

"How many of you who got back finally?" Karen asked uninterested as she took the rosella bar when Haruki was about to take it.

"Uhm... about half of the previous sum."

The room turned into chaos as Megumi got trembled then collapse once she heard the number of them who survived the previous year. Daigo and Shouji was shouting out like crazy, Ryouko looked a bit anxious while Ibusaki looked plain as usual. Marui seemed deep in thought, and Souma looked unperturbed at all. He mumbled some unnecessary things about the schedule, etc.

"Half will survive, right? Then we just have to be in that half." Souma said out of the blue, but strangely it lighted up the fire of spirit in his friends. Isshiki smiled when he heard that confident speech came from the newest member of the dorm.

"I'm confident too. That's all the students in the Polar Star Dorm will come back here smiling and complete. Leave the housesitting to Fumio-san and me."

Some loud cheers filled up that room but both Haruki and Karen whom actually the outsider can't helped but smiling back. Haruki brought the box and whispered something to Karen, and then the two headed to the kitchen to make something.

Both Karen and Haruki left the Polar Star Dormitory when the sun is about to set at the west. Along the way back to Nakiri Mansion, not a word got spoken between them as they rode their bike in silent.

"Are you alright? You know, I can't help you in that training camp." Haruki started melting the silence between the two.

"Ah... all the things I should do is just cooking, right? All I need to do is build up my stamina so I won't collapse in the middle of class."

=================== Dish. 05 – The Upcoming Storm [part.02] ==================