First thing first... thank you for reading this story of mine, also follow and made this one as one of your favorite stories. I hope to get more review from you... readers... as for the closing of this chapter, I got that idea from the latest review given to the previous chapter. Hope you all enjoy this chapter as well as the upcoming next chapter(s)...^o^

-rionnaru-


"Ah... I'm almost forget it." Karen's movement got into halt as she remembered something, then sent her sight over the most-front line workstation where she placed the cool box earlier. "Minna-san, I've got more meat earlier. So, if you're not satisfied enough with your main ingredient, feel free to use that rabbit meat. Don't worry, I've got it cleaned and skinned." Karen's cheerful voice rang all around the room. But, none replied that announcement with the same excitement. As they already knew what kind of meat Karen had got. A wild rabbit meat. Even before they thought about the kind of dish they will created with that ingredient, they have to deal with the stink of the meat itself.

"Oh... such a generous student." Hinako commented. She casted a short look at the jet-black haired Nakiri whom got back into her work. Hinako has heard about the 'uncommon Nakiri girl' whom enrolled in Toutsuki. She also has known that the said girl's specialty is in dessert things. The nickname of 'uncommon Nakiri girl' was really suited the girl in common sense, that was what Hinako thought. As the rose gold eyed girl was the last one whom headed out to look for the main ingredient of her dish. Not to forget that she came back with the most outstanding ingredient among the students. Hinako wanted to watch over Nakiri Karen and her partner's work, but another pair already caught her attention. It came from the one whom asked her to be the judge between his little match with his friend.

More outstanding skill show from Aldini brothers got displayed as they showed their ability of using the unique Italian knife known as mezzaluna. The students, Chef Inui Hinako, as well as Souma-Megumi pair got drowned into the show. While Karen-Hayama pair still busy with their cooking preparation, but then both of them stopped their activity as the two wanted to see their instructor's reaction about Takumi-Isami's dish. Just like in a blink of eye, the dish created by Aldini brothers already got served in front of Chef Inui Hinako. Hinako's eyes gleamed in anticipation as her right hand gripped the chopsticks eagerly.

"So, both of you whom become the first one."

"Serve a dish in short time is the special characteristic of Italian cuisine." Takumi replied with a proud look emerged from his blue eyes as he brought the finished dish on his right hand.

"He's so fast!"

"Even though they have to prepare the aigamo too!"

"They make it in less than an hour!"

Takumi placed the plate on the small table in front of Hinako. "Grilled aigamo with green sauces. Buon appetito!"

Chef Inui Hinako took one slice of the meat with her chopsticks. Its fragrance immediately filled the room, made every one whom smelled it have a hard time to stay calm. Hinako took a bite of that meat, munched it in silent, as all the attention in that room focused on her. Several students even looked like they hold their breath as they waited for Hinako's comment about that dish. All the student can saw how Hinako's face grew redder the time she took bite of the meat. She looked like had got spelled under unspoken mantra which got hidden behind that dish. At the end, there was a satisfied cry came out from her lips.

"Hey! That green-colored paste sauce!" One of the spectators spoke out. "Isn't that... salsa verde?!"

"Salsa verde, it's a sauce made by mincing and mixing salted anchovy, Italian parsley, and other ingredients. It's one of the standard sauces of Italian cuisine." Karen narrated the explanation of the said green-colored paste sauce which got mentioned before.

"What are you thinking?!" Another angry shout showed up. "The theme is Japanese cuisine, you know?!"

'"If you do that, you're disqualified of cour-"

"No."

Hinako's simple word cut off the student's protest before it got completed, which made other students paid attention to their instructor. "For this sauce, they didn't use salted anchovy. They use salted sweet-fish entrails... 'uruka' as the main ingredient." The students faces gone blank as if they have heard foreign language for the first time. "Uruka usually takes more than one week to prepare, but you improvised this?" Hinako asked the one whom served that dish.

"Yes." Takumi answered shortly but full of confident.

"Grilled aigamo meat with Japanese styled Italian sauce, huh? Takumi is really a brilliant one as he succeed in making those improvised dish in the short time." Hayama commented even though he didn't see the said dish directly, as he chose to stay at his workstation rather than came forward just like other students.

"At least, he's not just a big talk." Karen talked back, turned her body as well as her attention to her own workstation where she laid her precious ingredients on it. Even though she has her face looked so calm, almost expressionless, but inside her head she tried to figure out what kind of improvisation was made by that half Italian brothers. Hayama whom already too well-known with Karen's expression, can't help but drew a small smile over his lips.

"They washed the sweet-fish entrails with water then boiled it in sake for two minutes. Adding mirin, soy sauce, and salt, their moderate bitterness finished up an irresistibly rich improvised uruka." Hayama explained slowly, as if gave Karen the time to understand it step by step.

"Improvised uruka, you say?!" Another shocked question got shouted out. "To think that they can do that..."

"I think not only that." Karen stated another thing. "Tak-kun also change the ingredients of salsa verde itself to give it Japanese styled flavor, right?" Karen asked her partner as if to make sure about her deduction.

Hayama smirked as he casts a look with Karen. "You're sharp as usual, Ren." He paused for a while as his hand started grabbing the green pak-choi he has got earlier. "Instead of using parsley, they minced and mixed perilla and spring onion which made the sauce has vivid green color and refreshing flavor. They turned the garlic which isn't much used in Japanese cuisine into yuzukoshou to give it a Japanese styled flavor."

With a strong swing, Karen cut off the rabbit meat. "So, in conclusion... it's a Japanese styled salsa verde."

While the other students growled in anger and envy about the Aldini brothers ability of using the various mountain ingredients, Souma stayed still in his place. It wasn't Takumi's or Isami's talent which made him froze like a statue. He has predicted that the half-Italian boy has the ability more than average teen chef in that group. The ones whom made Souma surprised were the pair whom commented about Takumi-Isami's dish since the beginning till the end. They commented it in detail even though since in the first place they didn't take a close look when Takumi and Isami cooked the dish. Not only in detail. Along their long talk, not once Chef Inui Hinako corrected their words.

"What are they, really? A food detective?" Souma muttered as his golden eyes shoot a brief look at the pair whom already focused on their own work. Takumi really wanted to challenge that pair? Souma asked himself.

"Takumi Aldini and Isami Aldini pair, both of you passed!"

Hinako's announcement brought back Souma's attention to the front. He saw the brothers smiled proudly as they shouted out 'Grazie' in the same time.

"Now, Yukihira. Unlike Nakiri whom has started her cooking..." Takumi paused as he gave a short look on Karen-Hayama pair then looked at Souma. "It's seemed that you haven't started working. But, just what will you make, Yukihira?" Takumi asked the red haired boy in front of him.

"Ah... that's right. You two are having a match, right?" Hinako interrupted which made the two boys looked back at the female chef.

"It would be correct if 'the three' of us, Chef Inui." Takumi corrected as he pointed Karen-Hayama pair whom didn't pay attention at Takumi at all.

"Ara... it would be interesting. Then, if I can get a dish which tastier than the one made by Takumi-Isami pair, I will make an exception and value which one is better!"

Takumi's face gleamed in excitement as he heard that statement. Souma whom stood beside Takumi got the same effect as well, while Karen just let it passed. All her attention already poured on the rabbit meat in front of her.

"For the loser... they have to kneel in front of the winner, and said 'I lose' three times." Hinako said it with an innocent look as if she just told a rule of small game. But, that innocent look was so opposite with the look on both Souma's and Takumi's face which looked so shocked. "Ah, but you have not to do it, Tadokoro Megumi-san. You're too cute to do it." Hinako took one of Megumi's hands, caressed it, which made the blue haired girl trembled.

"Ha... hai."

"If you can make a dish which tastier than mine, then make it!" Takumi challenged Souma with the spirit which bigger than the previous one.


"They are really so noisy."

Hayama whom barely finished washing the green beans took a brief look over Takumi-Isami pair as well as Souma-Megumi pair. Then he took another ingredient to be processed. He cut the pak-choi and threw the unnecessary part of it, washed it then drained it next to the wash basin. While Karen, she already finished preparing the rabbit meat, then she placed two pans on the stove and filled it with the improvised miso soup, didn't forget about the grated ginger got added into it. At the first pan, Karen put the rabbit meat into it, added the chili rounds, and simmered the meat very gently. Meanwhile, Hayama cooked the green beans in the other pan. While waiting for the meat to get soften, Karen looked up from the pan to the source of the students' attention as sudden gasps filled that room. With a confident look on his face, Souma grabbed Hinako's tea snack and gave that snack to Takumi as he abruptly dashed out of the room followed by his partner, Megumi.

"Deep fry dish, huh?" Karen muttered then got her attention back to her cooking.

"In this kind of situation?" Hayama asked as he took the already cleaned pak-choi then added it into the pan with the green beans in it and simmered it.

Karen didn't reply immediately as she didn't expect that Hayama will hear her words just now. "Nah... he has fish as his main ingredient, and just now... he got the ingredient which will be used to substitute the flour, so he just needed the ingredient to glue the coating with the fish. As for Megu-chan..." Karen took a pause as she placed the serving bowl on their workstation. "Maybe she got asked to get the supplementary ingredients to make their dish got merrier."

Just at the same time, both Karen and Hayama turned off the stove where the pans stayed on top of it then lifted the ingredients inside the soup. Karen placed the well-cooked rabbit meat inside the serving bowl, then Hayama placed and arranged the vegetable over the meat. The next thing did by Karen was scattering the chopped coriander leaves and some chili rounds over the dish, then spooned some of the miso soup into the bowl. For the final touch of their dish, Karen squeezed the lime juice over the dish.

"It's really looked simple and ordinary." Hayama commented flatly as he took a look at their finished dish.

"That's right. But, certainly it will make her stop saying that sentences." Karen replied back while her hands arrange the bowl filled with the dish, soup spoon, and chopsticks on the tray she has prepared.

"It's tasted bad."

"Do it again."

In front of Karen and Hayama, almost all the students inside that room already gave up for finishing the assignment as their dish hasn't got approved by their instructor. Many of them laid on the floor, cried, frustrated even didn't have the strength to get up. It wasn't the only thing both Karen and Hayama saw. Hinako's bored face as she has ate countless roasted fish dishes. Also, Takumi's worried face as he grabbed tightly the tea snack which Souma gave to him earlier. He looked at the snack as well as to the clock continuously. The remained time was only twenty minutes and Souma together with his partner haven't got back to the training kitchen. Just when Karen stepped out from her workstation, the red haired boy and the blue haired girl appeared. In their hands, each brought a basket filled with eggs and mountain vegetables.

"Ah... the main star has back. Should we wait for them to finish their dish and let our dish got judged after them, Kira-kun?" Karen asked without looked back at Hayama as her eyes already caught the funny show between Takumi and Souma.

Hayama sighed as he heard that question. "Do what you want, Ren."

Karen got taken aback by Hayama's reply then looked back at him. "Hontou?!"

"They won't take long time to finish theirs, right?"


15 minutes later...

"Please enjoy it!"

"Just like what you've predicted, Ren." Hayama commented.

Crush!

The crunchy sound came from the bite taken by Hinako got rang all around the room. Even when Hinako munched the fried fish, they still could hear its sound.

"It's amazing! The outer part is crunchy but the inner part is so soft. The fish's delicacy got enveloped finely by the coating and it didn't change the compactness of the flesh." Unlike when she tasted Takumi's dish, Hinako looked so cheerful when she ate Souma's dish. Surely, that dish has brought something different in it.

"I thought it's not only that."

Karen interrupted suddenly, joined the group of Chef Inui Hinako, Takumi-Isami pair, and Souma-Megumi pair which made they surprised, as well as Hayama whom only could stay clueless behind his workstation.

"Because of the kaki seed being used as the coat, you can taste the delicacy of its coat too. As for the additional, the soft sauce which made of tamago no moto, salt, and pepper. That sauce, will add the refreshing flavor so the oily flavor from the fish will vanish and create an elegant flavor." Karen explained in detail just like what Hayama did when Hinako tasted Takumi's dish.

"Woah... you've known till there, Kuro Nakiri?!" Souma asked immediately once Karen finished up her explanation.

"You've had a good use of your partner's skill too, Sou-kun." Karen talked back as she pointed at the wild mountain vegetables which got fried and arranged beautifully next to the fried fish."Ah... to get that idea, you got it from 'Okakiage', right?"

"How?" Souma even couldn't continue his question as he already got surprised that Karen knew about his inspiration. He even thought that Karen was someone beyond normal high school girl.

"Don't be surprised like that, Sou-kun. I just... read too much things about cooking when I was little." Karen talked back with her innocent-typical smile which she usually showed.

She's frightening. That was Hinako's thought about Nakiri Karen as she watched the jet-black haired girl in silent. She just watched the process of cooking, the kind of ingredients used in the cooking, and didn't take a taste of the food itself. But, she can judged the dish's delicacy so precisely. Hinako has gave numerous assignments in Toutsuki's training camp, but it was her first time experiencing something like that. Takumi-Isami pair whom used their vast knowledge and experiences in cooking mountain type ingredient, while Souma-Megumi pair whom used their creativity to make a dish which haven't been thought by others. The last but not the least, it was about Karen-Hayama pair's dish which hasn't showed.

"Yukihira Souma, Tadokoro Megumi, you two passed!" Hinako announced which made the two clapped their hands in excitement.

"It's not much!"

"As expected. Then... I hope you didn't mind to have our dish as the closing dish in this assignment, Chef Inui."

Karen took a step forward then placed the tray full of the closed bowl completed with the soup spoon and chopsticks lied next to it. Hinako, Takumi, Isami, Souma, and Megumi looked at the closed bowl curiously as they already knew what kind of main ingredient used by Karen.

"If you all that curious about that dish, feel free to take it."

Hayama's sudden appearance made the two pairs looked back at him. On his hands, Hayama brought two tray full of the same closed bowl like the one presented to Chef Inui. Takumi, Isami, Souma, and Megumi, each of them got one bowl and at the same time they opened up the bowl. The fragrance of miso, ginger, and rabbit meat filled all around the room once the bowl got opened. Hinako stayed still while her eyes looked at the simple miso soup got served in front of her.

"Please dig in, while it's still warm."

They spooned the liquid just at the same time. Once they took a sip of it, they got transported into the open hot spring. They seemed relaxed as they submerged under the hot spring water.

"I only take a sip of the soup and the impact was so strong." Souma commented once he got back his consciousness. His golden eyes still got captivated by the miso soup which emerged the hot mist from it continuously. From the presentation of the dish, unlike Takumi's which looked elegant or his own dish which looked eye-catching, Souma found that Karen's dish was too simple. It was just like usual miso soup they usually have in the morning.

"How she combined the miso soup, rabbit meat broth, ginger, and chili flavor in this dish is really mysterious." Takumi mumbled while had his serious look over his blue eyes.

Inside her mind, Hinako agreed with Takumi's words just now. At first, making a dish from the wild rabbit meat was truly a hard task. The chef should found the suitable method to remove the stink of the meat itself, which is needed so much time and energy. Once Hinako tasted the liquid of the miso soup and didn't taste it stinky because of the meat, she concluded that Nakiri Karen has been familiar with that ingredient. Even that girl succeeded in taking out the meat's delicacy into the soup. Move on from the liquid, Hinako then took a look on the green vegetables which being used in the soup. Pak-choi and green beans. Not to mention about the rabbit meat which felt unfamiliar used in miso soup, even Hinako hasn't experienced about having both pak-choi and green beans got used in miso soup as well. Being curious about its taste, Hinako took one of so many green beans and ate it. Another unique taste filled her palate. The fresh, a bit sweet flavor of the bean blended well with the warm, a bit spicy flavor owned by the ginger. Then Hinako folded the pak-choi leaf with her chopsticks, simmered it in the miso soup and ate it. The sensation each time she munched the vegetable was alike when she ate Yukihira's dish. Each time she munched the said vegetable, she could taste the crunchy, juicy, fresh, and a bit sweet flavor from it.

"I taste something I can't explain from the pak-choi." Megumi commented for the first time once she swallowed a small portion of the pak-choi.

"Ah... that's... maybe because of Ren's preference of choosing the leaf of pak-choi used in this dish." Hayama talked back to Megumi's statement, but it was only got question looks from the group as the respond. "Choose the plant which got planted near the water sprayer and only use the first three leaves from the shoot. It was the short notification she has written on the note." Hayama explained further which made the group changed their attention from Hayama to Karen.

"I will explain later... after you taste all of the ingredients in our dish." Karen reasoned as she felt it was only wasted her energy to explain every little thing about her dish.

Just like Karen's advice, the group chose to take a taste of the rabbit meat which became the main star of the dish. The meat itself already got soften as their chopsticks can cut it easily. At the same time, they put the meat inside their mouth. Their eyes shot open once their tongue flooded by the strong umami flavor from the meat, the elegant-smooth flavor of miso and warm-spicy flavor from the ginger. Takumi grabbed his chopsticks tightly as if he would break it. While Souma can't give any comment about that dish.

Both Nakiri Karen and her partner aren't only made the rabbit meat as the star of this dish. They cooked every single ingredient with precise, well-calculated method which made them could take out their ingredient's delicacy. Even they seemed like highlighted each ingredient, but they can balanced it perfectly.

"Mind if I explained our dish, Chef Inui?" Karen asked, which made the group got their attention back at her. None of them replied to Karen's request, so she concluded that they didn't mind with her upcoming explanation. "First of all, I didn't have a real reason why I choose to make those dish itself."

"Huuuuuh?!"

Even Hayama whom became her partner didn't belief what he has heard just now.

"The rabbit meat, green beans, and pak-choi, I got it because of Kira-kun... I mean Hayama Akira's answer about my question earlier. He suggested me to get another ingredient which is anti-mainstream. Even for the green beans and pak-choi weren't mountain... I mean wild type vegetable which live in mountains, as in this place those vegetable got cultivated. But, as long as still in the place inside the fence, it didn't matter what kind of ingredient you used, right?"

"But, to choose those vegetables between many choices..." Souma interrupted.

"Because I'm curious about those combination." Karen replied immediately with her innocent look as well as cheerful voice. Another shocking truth about that dish which made the group's faces went blank. Chef Inui Hinako, Souma, Megumi, Hayama, Takumi, and Isami immediately concluded that Karen was making an experiment through that dish, in that assignment. "Nah... It was not like it was my first time making this dish. I've made it but with another ingredient, also... I'm really curious about how rabbit meat's taste once I put it into miso soup. There are also..."

The rest of Karen's self-talking got ignored by the group as they already drown into their own world behind her back. Souma, the one whom always curious about Nakiri Karen's knowledge already being eager when that jet-black haired girl said that she will explained about her dish. He already got blown up by her dish and wanted to hear her long-detailed explanation just like when she commented about his dish. But those wish got crushed immediately once he heard that simple, yet unexpected reason came out from her mouth. She did that experimental dish in the first time and succeed in making a delicious dish. At other hand, Megumi felt like a déjavu. She has experienced something like that, when she and her friends in Local Cuisine RS improved some old recipes. That Nakiri Karen always butted in and recommended something which previously looked impossible to make that recipe got better, but once it got tested... the result they got was a true, improved delicacy. While Takumi, he got angry for himself. Both of them were in the same age, but once he tasted Karen's dish, all his pride got crushed. The delicious taste of Karen's dish was so far away from his, just like the sky and earth. He got angry, as in his current state, he already got cocky, egotistic. Even their instructor hasn't announced the result of their little match, but Takumi already felt that he has defeated completely.

"Huhuhu... are you sure about your talking earlier, Nakiri Karen-san?" Hinako asked, which made that girl stopped her self-talking and looked at her with questioned look in her rose gold eyes. "In my opinion, you chose those ingredients aren't mere of your curiosity. You've seen all the things happened in your surroundings, right? You saw, analyze, calculated, then pulled a conclusion which made you chose those ingredients."

"You are... talking too high about me, Chef Inui." Karen replied back. Actually she got a bit surprised when she heard her instructor will said those words.

"You chose the rabbit meat because you wanted me tasted another kind of flesh texture and flavor as you've predicted that I will ate so much fish flesh in this assignment. You also have predicted that many of your group mate will serve roasted or grilled fish dish, so you chose the green beans and pak-choi to give a refreshing taste as both of it had fresh, a bit sweet flavor in it. You added it with the warm-spicy ginger to create a unique taste. Not only that. You used ginger in it..." Hinako was unable to continue her comment as suddenly her phone rang. "Moshi-moshi Shinomiya senpai." Hinako made a long distance between her ears and her phone once she heard the man whom called her shouted in the other line. "Hai, hai, I know." The phone call ended as fast as the call started. Hinako looked at the students in that room then announced that her assignment in that day already finished and commanded the students whom passed the assignment to go back to their bus as they will go back to the hotel.

"Ano, Chef Inui." Hayama interrupted as he got his hand up.

"Yes, Hayama-kun?"

"You haven't announced our result." He reminded the older one.

"Oh, is that so? I'm sorry. Nakiri Karen and Hayama Akira, of course you two passed."

"Arigato gozaimasu!" Karen and Hayama said in the same time as both of them bowed their head to their instructor.


Inside the bus, Souma got seated just beside Hayama Akira, the one whom became Karen's partner. Both of them didn't exchange any kind of word. It was Souma whom became the one broke the silence between the two.

"A... ano, Hayama-kun, right?"

"What, Yukihira?" Hayama asked back but didn't look at Souma as he chose to close his eyes once he got into the bus.

"You seemed... has known Nakiri Karen for so long."

Hayama opened his eyes when he heard that statement. He looked at Souma from the edge of his eye. "You're really so curious about her?"

"Huh?! No, uhm... yes. Many things did by her made me got more curious about her."

"If you thought that she's a genius, then stop it."

Souma gave Hayama a questioned look, asking for the white haired boy to continue his words. But Souma's wish never got blissed as Hayama got his eyes closed again as he leaned on the seat, really ignored Souma whom seated next to him. Souma sighed then followed suit as he felt all of his muscles cried out and asked for a rest.


It won't be called as a hell training for nothing. Once all the students whom passed the first assignment gathered in one hall, they already got another instruction for another assignment. 50 portions of dinner set each student, finished in one hour time limit, served to the hungry looked university athletes whom 'unfortunately' passing by that place. The freshmen of Toutsuki Academy High School Division moved like robot, moved from here to there, spooned the rice and soup, grilled the meat, then served the beef steak dinner set in front of the countless food seeker which looked like a hungry giant monster.

Karen got out from the kitchen once her name got announced. She walked slowly as fatigue already fell after her fragile body. That day's assignment really tore down her energy till the last drop. Her sight began blurry each time she blinked her eyes. Making the nearby wall as her support, she stopped her step. In that long corridor she was alone. She was sure of it. But she began hearing some frightening whispers in her ears.

"What are you doing, Karen?!"

"Why are you stop moving your hands?! Don't you want to be as good as Erina?"

"Keep cooking! You won't make any progress if you laid on the floor like this!"

"S... stop... stop it... please..."

============== Dish. 08 – That Simple Dish Spoke Many Things ===============