Hi reader(s)... thanks for your attention, as you read this story. For this chapter, I introduced a new character into the story as the clue related to our lovely Nakiri Karen. I'm sorry if I made you all confused by the OC(s) in this story, but one by one I'll revealed their relation to make the story completed.

I'm waiting for your review as it gave me idea(s) to be put into this story. Lastly, happy reading ^_^


Dish. 13 – An Invitation to Other Kingdom

That man has stood in front of the tomb stone with Okazaki Family's Grave name engraved on it – for thirteen minutes. In those thirteen minutes, he was silent. Even the bouquet of white lily still stayed safe in his right hand.

"You're such... a cruel man, Otou-san." That man spoke for the first time, with a voice like a whisper. "You shouldn't asked something like that when you..." His tone ascended then stopped midway. His grip on the bouquet got tightened, trembled. His emerald eyes looked edgy, the lines under his eyes got more appealing than usual. For some reasons, he got angry just to see the name on the tomb stone. It was taking him about fifteen seconds that he calmed down. He looked at the tomb stone again.

"You never acknowledge him since he chose Toutsuki twenty five years ago. You didn't give your bless on his marriage. You even didn't shed a single tears on his and his wife's funeral day fifteen years ago. So why? Why in your death-bed you..." For the second times, he didn't finish his words. His grip on the white lily bouquet was too tight even it almost crushed the beautifully arranged flowers behind the wrapped paper. He looked down to the paved ground beneath him. It was when he's about to toss the bouquet to the ground, he heard someone approached his place.

"Ten-sama, I have found her."

The man with the white lily bouquet – Okazaki Ten – looked at his right-hand-man who has spilled the most wanted info he has waited for since his father's sick days. Okazaki Ten straightened his posture, already turned his anger – frustrated look he had before his father's tomb into his cold – emotionless face. His emerald eyes had changed like the sharpest spear – so piercing.

"You have heard it, Otou-san. Your long forgotten... dear granddaughter, have been found." He placed the crushed bouquet in front of the tomb stone, then turned to his aide. "Should we go to the orphanage where she's lived in now... Tohsaka?"

Okazaki Ten's aide – Tohsaka Tohru – lowered his sight, precisely looked at the paved ground. He already knew that his boss was in foul mood right now, and adding the fuel into his boss's anger is the last thing he ever wished for.

"I'm sorry, Ten-sama. But, since in the beginning... she's not living in the orphanage." Tohsaka answered carefully. Slowly, he looked up at his boss – whom miraculously didn't has his angry face but a rare, questioning look. It was as if the clear clue for him to continue. "She's under Nakiri family's care since she was born."

"Nakiri?"


Back to the Toutsuki's Hotel – Hall A

"Then... what is 'the best dish' in your dictionary, Nakiri Karen?"

Karen didn't know how their conversation could bring out that question. Moreover, came from someone such as Shinomiya Koujirou. She didn't answer that question immediately. The best dish, Shinomiya asked. How nostalgic, as that question also had been got asked by herself to her father. In the past, years ago... but she still remembered it clearly when it was. It was when she and her father had their evening routine – cooking lesson and training. She asked that question when the little version of her had been bored by her father's same comment of her dish. So different with her mother's detailed and long comment over her dish.

"Hey...!"

Karen gave Shinomiya a brief look over his call just now. "The best dish, huh?" She spelled that question back to herself. Actually she didn't know what kind of the right answer for that. In the past, her father gave her an ambiguous answer for her question. After so many things happened, till this time – even after she served countless dishes, she still didn't know the true meaning behind her father's answer.

"I... don't know."

It was unexpected answer Shinomiya got. He has expecting her 'smart' answer over that simple question. But he got a whole different thing. Then he realized, it was understandable. The girl beside him was no other than an ordinary teen girl, beside that 'sharp instinct' of hers.

"Precisely, I still can't find my own definition of that words." She paused. She didn't belief herself that she said it in front of him. "Father had said before... that it differed to each person."

Shinomiya nodded slowly, agreed to Karen's words just now. Also, it was the first time he agreed on the same thing with her. Almost all the remained students had been there. Shinomiya decided to end their conversation as he didn't has any kind of topic to be brought also he has to prepare the things for the last event of the training camp.

"Then... I hope you will found it, soon."

Karen followed the coral pink haired chef with her sight till the latter disappeared between the crowd. She leaned on the nearby wall, fished out her phone and there was still no reply from Haruki about her earlier message got sent to the sophomore. Then she decided to send a message to the president of Local Cuisine RS. Yet, after waiting for almost three minutes, no reply from the president boy too. With a heavy sigh, she put back her phone into her uniform pocket. She eyed the tired students in the hall with uninterested look. In between those students, she spotted each member of Polar Star Dorm presented there. Except Souma, the others had their worried look on their face.

It was like the hall descended into a different world, it got silenced once the most frightening 'instructor' in that training camp appeared on the podium. Wore his firm look like always, Doujima Gin stood confidently in front of the remained students. The microphone already in his right hand.

Karen didn't take the long speech given by the number one man in Toutsuki Resort seriously. Since in the first place, she's not kind of girl whom fond of listening to a long, serious speech. It was when Doujima said the phrase of 'the final event of the training camp' that Karen looked at the podium. Almost all the faces of the students turned into horror as they had imagined another assignment will be given the next second. But, not a single assignment got given. Instead, the big heavy doors of the hall got opened. The waiters and waitresses had been lined like in a parade, wearing their friendly smile on their face.

"Welcome to Toutsuki Resort!"

All of the waiters and waitresses chorused, succeed in bringing the surprise to all the attendants in the hall, included Karen.

"This is the message to all 628 students whom last till this second. For passing all the assignments in this training camp, congratulation!" Doujima started, then continued. "The last event of this training camp is... a simple banquet to celebrate the end of the training camp. Please, enjoy the banquet wholeheartedly." Pleased cheers rang around the hall. "Now, have a table and you'll taste the alumni's dish."

One by one, the students moved from Hall A to the other hall where the banquet got hold in. To be able to taste Toutsuki's alumni's dish was the best present they got after that hard training camp. It would be the most unforgettable moment in their life. But, Karen chose to go to another place. It's not that she didn't want to experience the rarest thing called 'tasting her seniors' dishes', but all she wanted was a peaceful moment – for herself. Put a cube of her caramel candy into her mouth, she walked leisurely along the silent corridor. Her rose gold eyes gazed the cloudless sky which its color turned into mix of orange, blue, and strands of pale violet.

"Where are you going, Ren-kun?"

She hasn't enjoyed her 'private' walk yet, a men's voice stopped her. She has wished that the long speech he had given earlier in the hall was the last time she heard his voice, as she had lost count of how many times she heard Doujima Gin's voice called her, asked her, also... lectured her.

"A short walk, maybe?" She replied. She wished that the older man didn't came towards her, but to her dismay. Doujima walked to Karen's place. The younger one has concluded, that Doujima had whatever kind of 'business' to be talked about to her.

"I have prepared an apologized speech if you're in that banquet, but now that you're here... I can talk about it freely." Karen questioned Doujima back through her eyesight. "There is someone wanted to make a joint business with Toutsuki Resort, and it seems that he had heard about your fame in Toutsuki Resort that he wanted to meet you, directly."

Karen was like hearing the most ridiculous thing just now. What is 'her fame in Toutsuki Resort' anyway? She never did something remarkable in that famous resort, so that title is too exaggerate to be paired with her name.

"Doujima-san, I didn't..."

"He has known about your liking of berry and wine." Doujima cut Karen's rejection immediately. "He wanted you to sample their product first before conducting the joint business. How?"


Fate really brought the most surprising thing ever happened. Since Toutsuki's disapproval on his family business forty years ago, his grandfather, his father too, had sworn that they won't made any kind of joint business with Toutsuki. Shirafude Wine Factory and Toutsuki Group was not good to be placed side by side. And now, he sat there. In a private meeting room in Toutsuki Resort. That day, he will broke the long oath made by his predecessor. Not a remorse look he showed on his handsome face. It wasn't the first time he did something like that. Since he got the title as the head director of Shirafude Wine Factory, he had made many changes in that family business. Made new joint business to the old 'enemy' and broke the long – old joint business to their close client. Okazaki Ten, he is that kind of man. He liked the thrilling feeling he got from it, it was like got invited into unknown kingdom.

"I'm sorry for the long wait, Okazaki-dono."

Doujima Gin's voice brought back Okazaki Ten from his reverie. He saw the director of Toutsuki Resort came in to the meeting room with someone followed him from behind.

"Just like your request, I have brought Nakiri Karen with me to this meeting."

Okazaki Ten felt his heartbeat missed a beat once his emerald eyes saw the girl dressed in male uniform in front of him. If not for that girl's rose gold eyes, he must has considered that his little brother had come back alive. The glossy jet-black hair, a fair complexion, and a slender frame. Also, a small mole sat under her right eye. She's the exact copy also the perfect girl version of his late little brother – Okazaki Ken.

"Ren-kun, he's Okazaki Ten – the head director of Shirafude Wine Factory. You must have known about them, right?" Doujima introduced the said man to Karen.

"I have heard several things about them."

Karen sat on the blue velvet colored sofa, beside Doujima Gin, faced the one and only Okazaki Ten. She was actually surprised – a bit, when she heard that the man in front of her was the famous, 'ruthless' yet controversial business man whom owned the multination-wide wine business. The first thing Karen noticed about the man named Okazaki Ten was the sharp, menacing look in his emerald eyes. And those eyes gave her uneasy feeling since the first time he looked at her.

"So, you're Nakiri Karen." Ten's baritone voice got heard for the first time, for Karen. Karen nodded at Ten's statement. The sharp emerald eyes of his slowly softened, as a thin smile emerged on his lips. "I'm sorry for disturbing your 'supposed' celebrating banquet, Nakiri-san."

"Just call me Karen. Also... it's me who should be honored to have a meeting with you, Okazaki-san." Karen replied, with her polite attitude which only showed in front of her clients.

Ten noted that the girl in front of him was not only copied his little brother's look. Even their smile, choice of words, they resembled each other. Ten felt like meeting the younger version of his late brother, but for Karen, he's no other than a stranger to her.

"Earlier... you said that you've heard several things about us, Shirafude. I hope that you heard about 'good things' related to our business." Ten started the conversation. From the outer look on Karen's face, Ten could tell that the girl was a bit 'frightened' by his presence. The same reaction he always got whenever he started a joint business meeting with new client. But, the girl named Nakiri Karen seemed had mastered her expression changing so well, as her facial features already turned into calm, unreadable look. Ten had concluded it as the result of being grown into Nakiri house.

"By the way, I also have heard several things about you, Karen-san. My trusted man informed me that... you're the one whom made almost 70% of joint business in Toutsuki Resort got succeed. In your young age, it's really a remarkable achievement."

Karen didn't reply to Ten's long talk just now. Unlike Toutsuki Resort's previous client which she had evaluated them before the first official meeting – even it's only a bit, Karen almost didn't know at all about Shirafude Wine Factory – except for their commodity and profit, their main land, and several issues about their head director. The meeting was also too sudden to be happened. More importantly, Toutsuki Resort has had joint business with a wine factory as their prior wine supplier. There were too much 'unclear' things laid behind that meeting.

"I think... that you want to meet me not to talk about me, Okazaki-san."

Ten was taken aback by Karen's unexpected reply. To reveal his 'true' intention behind that meeting, he suddenly got interested with the girl in front of him. He knew, the reason why a man such as Doujima Gin trusted that girl as one of the negotiators in Toutsuki Resort.

"I'm sorry... if my words has offended you. I just want to make sure that I've choose the right person for this joint business, moreover when it comes from the one which had disapproved our business before." Ten reasoned, then took the tea served on the table and took a sip of it. He could see a hint of surprised look in Karen's rose gold eyes. It seemed that she didn't know about that fact.

"For a good quality wine such as Shirafude, I didn't expect that Toutsuki disapproved it."

"It happened years ago, and it isn't related to our business today." Ten tried to reassure Karen. "So, you 'acknowledge' our product, Karen-san?"

Karen nodded slowly. "I use it mainly for my berry sauce. It suits well to my preference taste." She paused as she gave Ten a look. "But, thanks to its fantastic price, I only could use it in rare occasions."

Ten gave the girl a small smile. Since the beginning of his family business, they only focused in making the product to get exported. So, even for a domestic customers, they should got the same price as the foreign customers.

"Oh? It's really unexpected of you, Karen-san. For a Nakiri to use our..."

"I think that my preference didn't relate with that family name, Okazaki-san. Just like you, who did so many 'unusual' things rather than your predecessor, am I wrong?"

For the first time, Karen stopped Ten's unfinished words – a bit harsh deed, Ten called it. If not for that last part of her sentence, he will cancel their cooperation right away. It was Ten's first time, met someone he wanted to hate and agree at the same time. If only... if only his late father met that girl, how that old man will deal with her?

"You got the point, girl." Ten nodded as he said those words, then changed his facial features into a serious mode. "So, let's start to our main business, shall we?"


"Surprise!"

Karen almost jumped out of shock because of the sudden loud scream she got once she opened her room's door. The first face she saw was Ikuya's, brought a small caramel cake on his hands decorated with countless colorful candies. Then she spotted the older Kimura sat casually on her bed. On the coffee table not far from her bed, had been set various dishes on it.

"What is it?" She asked, shortly.

"You can't tell it?! It's a congratulatory small banquet special from us – your beloved brothers, Ren-chan." Ikuya answered, matter-of-factly. Then he dragged the younger one into her room, got her sat on the prepared chair which facing the various dishes served on the table.

"Congratulation, for passing this training camp, Ren-kun." Ichiya offered a glass of orange juice, which got accepted by Karen. "I've heard that you barely made a new deal for the resort. Good work today."

Karen stopped sipping her orange juice when she heard Ichiya's last sentence. She didn't know that the deal with Shirafude Wine Factory has spread to others. She chose to not comment on that thing. The said business, already tired her as that poker faced man named Okazaki Ten wasn't any ordinary business man she had faced before. It was when she took a better look on the dishes, she noticed that it's not only both Ichiya's and Ikuya's specialty dish. Chef Inui's, Chef Mizuhara's, Chef Sekimori's, and... Chef Shinomiya's too.

"What are you gazing at, Ren-chan? Get a taste of it." Ikuya encouraged the jet-black haired girl with his cheerful voice as he offered a plate with the caramel cake earlier.

"Mind... if you two joined me?"


Kanto Traditional Cuisine Festival Venue – Toutsuki Local Cuisine RS's booth

07.45 pm

Iida Shunpei, the one whom in charge of making the product selling strategy for Local Cuisine RS in that fest could not belief his own sight. Not even a single of his well-planned strategy was succeed in surpassing Kyusei's product selling. Though between all the 'real' participants for the fest Toutsuki still took the first place, but their total selling still far behind Kyusei's.

"You've given your best for this. Don't blame yourself."

He still remembered what the president boy had said earlier, right after the announcement of the product selling's rank at 6 pm. The fest has officially ended, with the closing ceremony got held after the announcement. Toutsuki got the grand prize, and their biggest rival, Kyusei High, got a special prize from the fest committee as that school had made a new record of the highest product selling.

"Still depressed from the result, huh?" Iida turned as to see the vice president girl had stood beside him. Inoue patted Iida's shoulder to encourage the latter. "As expected from them, isn't it?"

"Oh? I didn't know that you accept it so easily like this, Inoue." Iida talked back.

"Who? Me?! Nonsense! Of course not!" Inoue said it without a space. Iida almost burst into loud laugh as he saw the red face of the vice president girl next to him. Her face got more hilarious once it added with her lips pouted, and her redden cheeks puffed. Her round dark blue eyes behind her glasses glared at Kyusei's booth which still packed up with so many customers. Even the fest already officially ended, but the booths still opened till 9 pm – just like the previous days. Of course, Toutsuki's also crowded by the customers, but it's not as many as Kyusei's.

"Is that so?"

"By the way, why... all of people, both of them should be in our booth?"

Iida followed Inoue's sight, and found two students of Kyusei sat comfortably on one of the benches, waiting for their ordered dish.

Unlike the ordinary customer, once Kikuchi Yuu got his ordered sweets served in front of him, he examined each corner of the dish. When he finished examining the said dish, he took a small bite of it and will became silent for several seconds after that. Chiaki already seen Yuu's routine countless times – he even already had memorized it perfectly in the back of his head. That evening, on the last day of the fest, Chiaki witnessed it too. But it was a rare look as the older Kikuchi boy took another spoon of the sweets had been ordered by Yuu. Chiaki concluded that the sweets made by Toutsuki's student whom he and Yuu met at the day before the fest started was into Yuu's taste.

"Are you sure you didn't want to take a bite of this, Chiaki?" Yuu asked Chiaki for the fourth times that evening. The younger one shook his head as the answer. He already got a bit annoyed at Yuu's unusual childish act as he didn't get to enjoy his own ordered dish. It was when Chiaki was about to feed himself, he heard another Yuu's persuasion. "You'll regret later if you..."

"I'm not eat sweets."

Chiaki's short yet stern reply was succeed in making Yuu stopped his persuasion. He resumed eating his sweets. Chiaki whom saw the obedient Kikuchi Yuu let a relief sigh. Actually he didn't hate sweets that much. It was because he had become the one who should ate the various sweets Yuu had bought the previous days in the fest.

"I hope that you enjoy it, Kikuchi Yuu-san."

Both Yuu and Chiaki looked up from their dish to the one whom barely spoke. Kimura Haruki – still dressed in his chef uniform already stood in front of them, wearing his confident face. Yuu swept his lips using the napkin tissue paper, then faced the dark blue haired boy properly.

"It's... better than what I have expected from you." Yuu said calmly, then he added. "Or... should I apologize to you that I've belittled your talent, Kimura-kun?"

"Yuu..." Chiaki called his cousin, warned him to not saying unnecessary things. He has known based on Yuu's last sentence, the latter already started to be the annoying Kikuchi Yuu whom loved to piss everybody off.

"I'm sorry then, but still… I get a bit disappointed as you didn't get to visit our booth."

Haruki immediately got reminded of his older brother – Kimura Ikuya – when he saw the playful behavior Kikuchi Yuu had. So annoying, but he can't argued to the latter as he got praised the next second. In one look, maybe both Ikuya and Yuu looked resemble each other.

"But... maybe you can visit us another time? In another big fest."

An envelope got offered by the platinum blonde haired boy, got offered to Haruki who still stood in front of both Yuu and Chiaki. Haruki could see clearly the name got written on the name tag of the envelope.

To: Kimura Haruki

Yuu got up from his seat, stepped closer to Haruki. He whispered something to Haruki's ear. Then, he left the red eyed Kimura boy without looked back. While still in his place, Haruki kept his sight on the walking Kikuchi Yuu. He showed a small smirk on the corner of his lips. "So, it was your 'true' intention of joining this fest... Kikuchi Yuu?!"

"My offer is still valid, in case you had an interest of joining us after coming to our annual summer fest later."


Reached his room in their reserved hotel, Yuu immediately laid on the mattress and closed his eyes. The fest already over, yet in that five days fest he didn't meet the one he wished to see. He never believed in fate, so the reason of that thing happened was pure based on his miscalculation.

Opened his eyes to meet the plain ceiling above him, he did the flash back of the things he did before the fest. He did the precise observation of the one he missed so much. The one whom owned the most beautiful rose gold eyes, beautiful face which framed by the glossy jet-black hair. He had missed that girl for years. His busy life had made him unable to meet her directly. So, he chose to 'watch' her from afar. He knew every single thing related to her, included the close relationship that girl had with the youngest child of Kimura house.

It was when his longing to that girl almost exploded, the fest committee's offer was like the biggest gift fallen from the heaven. His 'true' and 'utmost' reason for joining the long forgotten Kanto Traditional Cuisine Festival was to meet his dreamt girl. He had prepared so many beautiful, heartfelt words to be spoken in front of her.

It was in the last minutes that he found out the fact about his dreamt girl had another thing to do in the same time as the fest. He was almost drew back his team from joining the fest, but another idea appeared like a miracle. It didn't matter if he should waited a little longer. Hell, he has been lived for years far from her and he's still alive till now. Through that fest, he gave the special invitation of Kyusei's Annual Summer Fest – Ryuuseigun, to Kimura Haruki – the one closest to his dreamt girl.

"Didn't you waste too much of our wellbeing just to give the invitation to that brat, Yuu?" Chiaki interrupted as leaned on the doorframe of Yuu's room. He tossed a can of cold drink to the latter, then marched to the sofa next to the double windows in that room. "Are you sure he will come?" He asked the older Kikuchi boy then sipped his own drink.

"Obviously." Yuu answered shortly. Together with her, he added it in his mind.

Chiaki didn't know how to reply to Yuu's confident words. As he already experienced it too many times in the past. Yuu was never failed in making his words came true, since he was younger.

"Then, what about them?" Chiaki gave another question. This time, Yuu didn't answer immediately. He gave Chiaki a questioning look as the reply. When Yuu gave that kind of look, Chiaki even questioning himself... if Yuu was really didn't know what the meaning behind his question or Yuu only 'acted' like a fool little boy.

"Didn't you send another invitation to them...? Toutsuki's Elite Ten Members." Chiaki revealed the complete question to his cousin. "You're sure had a nerve to invite them, even after knew their fame." He paused as he took a big gulp of his drink, then gave his cousin a serious look. "I didn't find any necessity of inviting them, and I'm pretty sure that grandpa already told you this, Yuu."

Yuu didn't take Chiaki's words into a serious thought as he drank the cold drink of his with ease manner, like nothing to be discussed in that room. In other word, he ignored Chiaki's talk at all costs.

"Huh... what's your intention this time, Yuu?"

Finally, Chiaki said the most wanted question Yuu had waited. "What's my intention? For sure, I have no malice intention of inviting them. I just... you must have heard what people called us, aren't you?" Yuu gave another question back in the end of his answer.

"Wha..." Chiaki wasn't finished his question once he understood what Yuu had meant by. The old nickname Kyusei has had for years. Toutsuki Academy at the west.

"I've got sick of that lame name, Chiaki." Yuu played with the can in his right hand. "Through that invitation, I just want to show them that... we are Kyusei, far different from Toutsuki."


The next day,

At certain meeting room in Toutsuki Academy

"We got it this morning." A deep voice broke the silence in that meeting room for the first time. "As I'm already busy even before the summer holiday started, I passed." The owner of that deep voice continued. "How about you, Akanegakubo? I thought that it related to your specialty, maybe you're interested in it?"

"I hate plane. I don't want to go there." The child-like girl answered the first one.

"Hmm... hmm... the dishes looked delicious, the other products looked interesting too. Look, look, Tsukasa! Maybe they have a rare product to be sold?" Another girl talked about random stuffs enthusiastically. She even swung her feet back and forth like a little girl.

"Hmm, you're right, Rindo. They seemed had something interesting." The one whom got mentioned by the previous girl agreed. "Should we take a short stop there? How about you, Isshiki, Kuga, Kinokuni?" He asked the other three sophomores whom still haven't given their interest yet. He didn't asked the big one next to the girl he called Rindo as he already knew that the other boy already had a plan in his summer holiday.

"I have planned in helping my family business, Tsukasa-senpai. I'm sorry, but I have to pass." The girl with glasses answered, right to the point.

"I passed too. As I wanted to spend my summer holiday to sharpen my cooking ability and prepared for my upcoming battle." The shortest one in that room chime in as he raised his hand to announce his decision.

There, only left the brunette boy whom owned the seventh seat. With his usual smile, he gave his answer. "I can't let this rare chance to pass. I will take it. Also... can I get the unused invitation for my dear kouhai, minna?"