Shokugeki no Sōma: Nashi Saito de Chīfu

by Gale-Dragon

Ever since he picked up a kitchen knife at age three, Sōma knew he wanted to be a chef. For twelve years, he cooked in the kitchen of his family diner. But he doesn't cook like you or me. No, he has his own cooking style, and that style will change the world of cooking forever. After all, Sōma's blind.

6. 6: Hell Camp pt 2

Gale-Dragon: Finally done with this chapter. Enjoy.

~}i{~

"Talking"

'Thinking'

(Author commenting)

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Shokugeki no Sōma Nashi Saito de Chīfu. Chapter 6; Hell Camp pt 2

~}i{~

Megumi couldn't understand what had happened…

One moment she was in one of the kitchens trying to prevent Sōma from getting in trouble with Shinomiya Kojirō and the next thing she knew she was in an office with Dōjima Gin, the French chef, Sōma, and Chef Inui. All because Sōma decided to antagonize Shinomiya with a Shokugeki. Poor Megumi was crying over how she even got dragged into this mess.

"While I do admit, the examiners are allowed to make whatever test they want," Dōjima said looking at the glasses-wearing graduate, then stated while glancing at the blind redhead "But Yukihira-kun does make a valid point about you 'Sabotaging' the students from the groups that are assigned to you, Shinomiya-kun, and I know you are well aware of Totsuki's policy about Sabotaging."

The glasses-wearing graduate huffed at that and stated: "Not my fault they can't follow simple orders."

"I wonder about that," Sōma said out loud, knowing full well that the French chef could hear. The blind redhead heard the graduate growl.

"Now, now, don't fight," Dōjima said getting between the two.

Inui then added "But in all technicality, how do we solve this problem? We're literally in the middle of the training camp."

Sōma smirked at that and said, "This is a Totsuki event with Totsuki students, past and present; therefore this place can be counted as a Totsuki campus, right?" Megumi REALLY wasn't liking where this conversation was heading.

"What are you getting at?" Dōjima asked with a raised brow, but thought to himself 'You are enjoying this a little too much, my little godchild.'

With a smirk still on his face, Sōma stated "A Shokugeki!"

Poor Megumi fainted (momentarily) on the spot.

"Me? A Shokugeki with a first-year student? You have got to be having a laugh (1)," Shinomiya snipped with a smirk before saying "It wouldn't be much of a challenge."

"You sure you're a Totsuki graduate?" Sōma asked in a bit of a mocking tone before adding "No 'True Totsuki Student' would deny any type of cooking challenge, no matter how easy it may seem to be. That's how they become the best after all. But it seems like this so-called graduate of Totsuki doesn't seem to be all that he's cracked up to be, especially after you got that medal."

'I was right; you ARE enjoying this way too much.' Dōjima thought with a worrying hidden smile.

Shinomiya glared at Sōma and snapped "You have no idea just how much effort and work it took me to get that medal?!"

Sōma sneered and stated, "Oh, I have a pretty good idea, but I think you just stopped trying after that."

"Alright! That's enough, you two!" Dōjima stated, getting between the two before some kind of physical altercation could happen. 'Okay, Sōma, that's enough. Now let me take over,' the Totsuki hotel chain head thought before saying "I do admit, a full out Shokugeki is a good idea and it IS how arguments are decided at Totsuki. But this Shokugeki will have to be unofficial and be done in secret since Chapelle-sensei will have a fit if he finds out."

That part everyone agreed on. But...

"I still don't see why I have to duel seriously with a first-year student," Shinomiya stated arrogantly, before adding "Especially a Blind one."

"H-h-hold on just a second!" Megumi said out loud, nearly shouting. This got everyone's attention immediately; after all, it was a bit unusual for the timid girl to be this loud. Megumi had a serious look on her face when she said sternly "How can you say something like that?! Sōma has more than proved himself while at Totsuki! Even though he's blind! He won the approval of the Polaris Dorm Mother through her test with just leftovers in the kitchen and on his first try! He won his first Shokugeki despite the odds or opinions of others! He's able to adapt to any situation and use whatever is available, just ask Chef Inui! And he uses his creativity to create his own unique dishes! Who cares if Sōma is blind, he's more of a chef than any of the other first-year students in Totsuki! And if you can't see past the simple fact that he is disabled... Then, then, *Shouts* THEN YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S COMPLETELY BLIND!"

Everyone in the room froze in pure shock, jaws were dropped. Who could blame them, Megumi was normally a quiet, timid person who didn't raise her voice.

"Megumi-chan..." Was all Sōma could say.

Dōjima was the first to finally speak up, "My that was... Quite the speech, young lady." Megumi blinked in confusion, before turning red with embarrassment when she realized what she had said and how she said it.

Shinomiya recovered his composer and stated, "I doubt a dunce like you could ever understand the requirements needed at Totsuki."

"Says the one who can't take any sort of criticism," Sōma snipped, not liking how the French chef was acting.

Dōjima immediately stopped Shinomiya from attacking and suggested that they start the unofficial Shokugeki after the day was done.

~}i{~

At 18:00 (6 pm) in the Totsuki Villa Lobby.

The Polaris Dorm members have been looking around for a good while, looking for Sōma and Megumi to no avail.

This made them worry.

~}i{~

Dōjima led Sōma, Megumi, and Shinomiya to a basement of the Totsuki Villa Side Wing. Since the area isn't being used for the Camp, there won't be any interruptions. When they got there, Megumi gasped at the people who were already here. Chef Mizuhara Fuyumi, Chef Sekimori Hitoshi, Chef Gotoda Donato, and a tied-up Chef Inui Hinako with a sign around her neck that read "Just an Observer".

Megumi got nervous and stuttered out "Wh-Why are all the Graduates here?"

"Graduates? All of them? Really" Sōma asked with a raised brow, adding to the country girl's question.

Dōjima gave a small smirk and stated: "I requested that they judge for us, as Hinako's opinion might be a bit biased." Chef Inui gave a look that stated that she did not want to be bound to the chair.

Chef Gotoda smiled softly and said "Not only is this an unofficial Shokugeki, but it's also in the middle of camp between a student and an alumnus. What would Chapelle-sensei say if he found out?"

Chef Sekimori folded his arms and stated plainly "Oh, he would blister our ears, no doubt."

Chef Mizuhara, sitting rather oddly in her chair (ok, more like squatting in the chair, with her knees to her chin), then said in a rather emotionless tone "If he does find out, I'm running away. And blaming it all on Shinomiya." The chef in question then shouted at his former classmate that he heard that. Chef Mizuhara then said "But the reason I'm even here is that I want to see this much talked about "Blind Chef of Totsuki"."

Sōma raised a brow and asked "Much talked about? Me? Am I that famous in Totsuki?" All of the Totsuki graduates gave each other a look. Did the blind student not know how well-known he is Outside of Totsuki?

Dōjima got everyone's attention by saying "Now then… Let us begin the unofficial match. The available ingredients are leftovers from today's assignments. The theme will be any dish you can make from them."

"I already got my theme," Sōma stated with a smile/smirk.

Shinomiya raised a brow and asked, "You don't even know what ingredients are here, so how do you already have a theme?" Dōjima and the other Totsuki graduates also stared at the blind student with a curious look on their faces.

Sōma then stated with that smile/smirk on his face "Because I'll use whatever recipe Megumi-chan comes up with, I know she can think of something with the ingredients here."

It took a few seconds to register, but when it did, Megumi shouted in utter confusion "EEEEEEEHHHHHH?!"

"Yukihira-kun, are you sure that is what you want to do?" Dōjima asked with a sweatdrop on his head while he thought 'You are a little too much like your father.'

Sōma nodded and said with a smile "Yup, I'm sure. Megumi-chan is an amazing cook and can create amazing dishes, despite what some people say. I know for sure that she'll come up with something delicious."

Poor Megumi was quivering in the nearest corner, writing the Kanji character for Man on her palm, it was her nervous habit. 'Wh-what the heck is he thinking?!' Megumi thought as she continued her calming down technique.

The Alumni didn't know what to think at the moment.

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"YUKIHIRA DID WHAT?!" Takumi shouted from the outside of a kitchen that was currently being used by the remaining students of his group, they could easily hear him through the closed door. Isami held out his hands to calm down his older twin brother and said: "Nii-chan, I only heard this second hand, so I don't even know if it is even true." Takami clenched his fist and thought 'What are you thinking Yukihira?'

~}i{~

Sōma's hands traced the outlines of the kitchen counters, memorizing it since it had a slightly different layout from the kitchens he's been working in during this camp. Megumi, on the other hand, was looking at all of the ingredients, trying to figure out what recipe to use for this unofficial Shokugeki. Swirls appeared in the country girl's eyes when she thought 'How did I get myself into this mess?' That was when she noticed what some of the leftover ingredients were.

Shinomiya was already cooking his dish. He wasn't all that worried about what his opponent was going to make, he was confident in his dish. The French Chef quietly cast a glance at the blind redhead. Sōma's hands were still tracing the surface of the countertops, then those fingers touched the edge of the stove. Shinomiya continued to watch the redhead as he thought 'Why does he want to cook, even though he is completely blind?'

"He's interesting to watch, huh?" Inui asked, no longer tied up, leaning an arm on the French Chef's shoulder.

An anger mark appeared on Shinomiya's forehead before he shouted: "HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET LOOSE?!"

As Shinomiya was tieing Inui back onto a chair, Megumi rushed over to Sōma's side and quietly told him her idea for the ingredients.

"That's a great idea!" Sōma said with a smile on his face.

"Really? You think so?" Megumi asked in a surprised tone, before adding "But, ano... The requires a lot of prep work on the ingredients, and I-I don't know it'll work out in the end..."

Sōma smirked, stated with that smile still on his face "Between the two of us, we'll make the dish come to life. All we need to do is take the first step," unwrapped his signature bandana from his left wrist and tied it around his forehead. For some strange reason, Megumi felt that the blind student was right, but she did have some doubts about him making This dish on the first try. "Let's get those ingredients and start cooking," Sōma said with a smile on his face. Megumi nodded at that before she and the blind student went to work.

(I'm going to skim over the cooking process in this part mostly due to not wanting to copy it and partly due to wanting to focus on the storyline)

The Totsuki watched the two students cook in awe when Chef Mizuhara asked "Is he blind? He doesn't move like he's blind."

Chef Sekimori looked at Sōma's student file (that he had on hand for some reason) and said "Yukihira Sōma... Transferred in as a freshman? How unusual."

Chef Gotoda quickly asked "Does it say when he went blind? Or if he was born blind?"

The sushi chef looked over the entire file before he said "All it says is that he's blind, doesn't say how long. Hm? Says here he's been working at the restaurant his family owns... His father's the head chef..."

"Still," Chef Mizuhara mumbled out before saying "I mean, could he have gotten all that cooking skills just by helping out at home?"

Chef Gotoda nodded and said "I agree. No matter how you look at it... Forget the fact that he's blind, his skills far surpass that of an average Totsuki student."

Dōjima quietly smirked at those comments, who could blame him, they were praising his godson. Shinomiya, on the other hand, simply sat in a chair at his side of the kitchen, waiting for an ingredient to cook, as he eyed the blind redhead tasted a piece of a cherry tomato he'd just cut in half.

~}i{~

When the two sides were finished cooking, it was time for the judges to taste the dishes.

Chef Mizuhara, Chef Sekimori, and Chef Gotoda sat behind a table, ready to judge as Chef Inui remained tied to a chair, again. Dōjima placed his left hand on the same table his fellow alumni sat at and said: "We will start by tasting Shinomiya-kun's dish." The French chef served each of the judges a plate of what he made.

As she was trying to untie herself, Chef Inui huffed out "Oi! Where's my portion?"

Shinomiya stated in a blunt tone "You don't get one. Share with Mizuhara-kun if you want some."

The Empress of the Mist whined like a very disappointed toddler at that comment. Megumi watched in anticipation as she thought 'A dish made by a Totsuki Institute Grad... I wonder what he made.'

Shinomiya's dish was a Chou Farci.

Chou Farci is a family recipe common in the Auvergne region of France. It's made of diced meats and vegetables wrapped in cabbage leaves and then steamed. Pretty similar to "Stuffed Cabbage". Also, Chou is the French word for Cabbage.

Chef Gotoda placed his first knuckle of his right index to his chin and said: "Well, this is certainly an unexpected choice. You're not using your Specialty."

The other judges agreed on that. Shinomiya snickered and stated, "There's no need for me to use it for this match."

'So, Ojisan was right. He has become stagnate enough for him to avoid his own Specialty. I'm pretty the other grads would've noticed the stagnate if they ate his Specialty,' Sōma thought as he sniffed the air, to figure out what the French chef had just served. So far, the only thing the blind redhead could smell right away was the faint scent of herbs. 'What French dishes use herbs?' Sōma thought before he suddenly smelt the scent of sweet cabbage, chicken, the slight smell of asparagus, and a smidge of a scent from some type of mushroom (Sōma knows what mushrooms smell like and each has a slightly different smell to them, but he doesn't know what all of them smell like). 'Hm? Wait a minute...' the blind student thought, quickly realizing that the scent of the dish felt a little too warm. Sōma's right hand left its place on top of the cane to move towards his face. Fingers suddenly tapped something sold. Sōma tapped the bottom the object just below his face with his nails, it sounded a bit like ceramic.

"You know, that is considered pretty rude," Sōma stated plainly, not amused by this little stunt. Shinomiya smirked, not moving the plate he was holding under Sōma's nose.

"Just wondering how long it takes for you to notice it," the French chef sneered out.

Sōma then stated in a sarcastic tone "Oh wow, a blind person joke that I have never heard before. Gee, you must be oh so smart to come up with that." Chef Sekimori was the one to say "Kojirō, that was completely unnecessary!"

Chef Mizuhara then said in a bored tone "Yeah, and it makes you sound like a total dush bag."

With a small anger mark on his forehead, Shinomiya stated: "I was simply giving Yukihira-kun his portion." Sōma took the plate from the glasses-wearing man and placed it on a nearby table.

Chef Inui then huffed out in practically a childish tone "Oi! How come he gets a portion and I don't?"

The anger mark grew bigger on the French chef's forehead when he snapped "YOU are just an OBSERVER."

The judges took a bite of the Chou Farci. The savoury flavours of the dish and the sweet taste of the cabbage were spine-tingling. It tasted like you were in a super peppy magical girl show that was themed around cabbage. (At least that's what I thought about the image on that specific page of the Manga and the scene from the Anime).

"It tasted weird," Sōma said, still chewing on the piece of his Chou Farci.

Shinomiya quickly turned to the blind teen to snap at him, but Dōjima quickly interjected by saying "Oh? What do you mean by that, Yukihira-kun?"

"Oh, the texture of everything wrapped inside this cabbage taste like they've been steamed together, but I can still feel a mousse-like texture from something dairy that has been pureed, and there's the savoury chicken taste that's mixed with asparagus, mushrooms, and some kind of liver that's been sauteed in beef grease."

Dōjima raised a brow, impressed that the teen could tell all that from just one bite, and said, "Sounds to me like you like the Chou Farci."

"Chou Farci? Is that what this dish is called?" Sōma asked curiously before the hotel head asked: "Yes. If you like it, why did you say the taste was weird?"

That was when Sōma explained, "Oh I wasn't talking about this dish, it's pretty good. I was talking about a dish with a similar texture I had about a year ago. That dish had a weird taste, and I didn't get the name of it."

Shinomiya adjusted his glasses and asked in a rather surprised tone "You've eaten something similar to a Chou Farci?"

Sōma waved a hand and said, "I wouldn't call it completely similar since that dish wasn't wrapped in cabbage, it was wrapped in something with rye or pumpernickel flour, and the meat inside was sheep, not chicken. It was the combination of textures of the Chou Farci that reminded me of that dish and made me realize that perhaps the taste of some of the ingredients in that dish complemented each other weirdly."

"Hm, that explains the comment," Chef Mizuhara said before adding in a bored tone "And here I thought you were trying to picture how ugly Shinomiya was while you were eating his food."

"That was uncalled for," the French chef snipped at the Italian chef, trying to keep his anger in check.

Megumi said in a curious tone "Ano, I guess that weird dish wasn't that good."

"Well, it was kinda 50/50," Sōma said before explaining "The dish did taste weird, but the texture was pretty good, like this Chou Farci. Then again, Andoryū (2) was only focused on the texture. Taste never really mattered to him."

"Eh? What do you mean by that? The flavour of the food is what people like," the country girl asked as she wondered how anyone could not care about the taste of food.

Shinomiya gave an audible cough, getting everyone's attention.

"As interesting as this conversation is, I do have to remind everyone that there's an ongoing Shokugeki that needs to be finished," Shinomiya stated in a dead pin tone.

"Oh, right. Sorry," Sōma said in a chipper tone that made it seem like he wasn't in the middle of something important. Dōjima chuckled and asked the students to present their dish.

Megumi handed Sōma two plates, he managed to balanced one plate on his arm as he held a plate on that same side, while she held two plates, one for each of her hands. The country girl told the blind student to place his free hand on her shoulder and she'll lead him to the judges. Sōma nodded as he placed his free hand on one of Megumi's forearms, then he gently moved his hand up her arm until he got to her shoulder. The country girl then started walking slowly towards the judges, Sōma was making sure he moved fast enough to keep up while making sure he walked carefully so he wouldn't accidentally step on her heels. Shinomiya just watched this.

The Totsuki students placed the dishes on the table being used by the judges. Megumi arranged the plates so they were in front of the judges.

Chef Gotoda blinked when he saw the dish and said "A Terrine?" The terrine sparkled seven different colours.

"But isn't that the dish Shinomiya was using in his test?" Chef Inui asked in surprised, somehow getting out of the rope again.

"It was Megumi-chan's idea," Sōma said happily.

Megumi then said with a soft pink hue on her cheeks "Ano, when I saw all those vegetables on the ingredient table, so I decided to use seven different vegetables to make a Rainbow Terrine."

Chef Sekimori looked at the terrine and said "Hm, seven different types of Pâté (3) arranged in stripes to look like a rainbow... Tadokoro-kun, did you arrange them?"

Megumi nodded and said, "I did, but only because Sōma-kun asked me too."

The blind redhead smiled and said, "As I said before, I trust Megumi-chan to come up with a good recipe, so of course, I asked her to make it look nice."

Shinomiya snickered and stated to the country girl "You made the blind chef make a Rainbow Terrine? My, you really are a dunce."

"Seems like I'm not the blind one here," Sōma stated to the peeved French chef, handing the plate in his hand to Dōjima, before telling the judges "Take a bite and you'll see the "Real Rainbow" of the dish."

"Well then, let us have a taste," Chef Gotoda said, picking up his fork and knife. The Sushi and the Italian chef did the same.

Megumi clenched her eyes shut, practically expecting the alumni to reject her recipe, like all of the teachers at Totsuki, did when she made something. Sōma could practically hear the country girl trembling next to him. The blind student placed his free hand on her shoulder, and gave her a soothing rub and instilling some confidence in her.

"This is delicious!" the three alumni judges said at the same time.

This surprised Megumi.

Chef Sekimori "The seven Pâtés that you made were from different vegetables, I can taste carrots, potatoes, and zucchini. That's why you were able to make them different colours. You also cooked each of the Pâté in a way to maximize the deliciousness of each vegetable. I'm impressed the two of you were able to complete all that work in so little time." Chef Gotoda then noted the two different sauces, one was a sweet and tangy Sudachi Gelée and the other was a refreshing Shisho Pesto. The blond chef then said that combining the European terrine with distinctive Japanese flavours was a fresh idea. You could practically see the super sparkly backdrop behind the happy Chef Inui, who took a bit of Chef Mizuhara's portion. The Italian chef than said, while still chewing on the terrine, "The tangy sudachi sauce goes well with the mildly sweet tomatoes."

Chef Gotoda took another bite of the Rainbow Terrine and said "Seven different pâtés with two different sauces mean there are fourteen flavours to enjoy. That's quite an enjoyable experience figuring out all these wonderous tastes." Chef Sekimori then commented "So this is the "Real Rainbow" you mentioned earlier, Yukihira-kun."

Sōma smirked and said "Yup, and the texture of each pâté complements each other pretty well." Dōjima took a bite of Chef Sekimori portion and noticed the dried cherry tomatoes in one of the pâtés. Sōma stated that those were also Megumi's idea.

Megumi explained that back in her hometown, Winter can be really long, so in the Summer her village harvests a lot of vegetables and preserve them so they can have them during Winter. The country girl also added that her village mostly sundried the vegetables that they decide to save for Winter. Megumi then said "When I started helping out at tha inn, Ma-, err, my mother taught me how to dry them in an oven. You basically cut cherry tomatoes in half, sprinkle them with rock salt, and then slowly dry them at a low temperature, around 118 degrees Celsius (244.4 degrees Fahrenheit). That makes them sweet and tasty." She looked up at Dōjima and added: "I, ano, thought they'd make a nice accent for the terrine..." The hotel head did state that tomatoes were rich in Amino Acid Glutamate (4), which of course was the main the tomato's Umami (5), and that drying them would greatly concentrate the glutamate and thus increasing the amount of sweetness that hits the tongue.

A glare of light hit Shinomiya's glasses when he asked threateningly "Are you making fun of me dunce? Since MY Nine-Vegetable Terrine focuses on Fresh vegetables, while your's seem to focus on vegetables that have been aged and preserved."

Megumi got flustered when she replied "N-N-No! I wa-wa-wasn't t-t-trying to! I just! I just th-thought a terrine was the best way to bring out all the flavours of the vegetables here!"

The three Judges and Chef Inui took another bite of the Rainbow Terrine. The way Chef Gotoda felt that the dish represented that both Megumi and Sōma were like modest spirits that gift the bounty of nature, two vegetable Colobockle (6). Chef Inui disagreed with that statement and said that they were like twin Vegetable Zashiki Warashi (7). But Chef Sekimori said that they were like vegetable Yukimkos (8), spirits that deliver the bounty of vegetables from the snowy north.

Chef Mizuhara couldn't help but ask "How come all of you are picking spirits from Japanese folklore anyway?" The other alumni didn't seem to be listening to the question.

Megumi couldn't believe her ears. These famous chefs, that she read about and looked up to, are eating a dish that she helped she created! Her, the literal "bottom of the barrel" of Totsuki, was being praised for one of her recipes! Megumi just couldn't believe it! She just couldn't!

"I told you that you were an amazing chef," Sōma told Megumi with a big smile, before saying "You just need to believe in yourself and focus on your cooking." Megumi couldn't help but blush when she heard that, and for some reason, her heartbeat just a little bit faster.

Shinomiya just stared at his fellow alumni, trying to figure out why they thought a dish made by a blind student and a dunce was delicious. It just didn't make sense to him. Almost as if he was reading the French Chef's mind, Dōjima held his plat of Rainbow Terrine to him and asked "Why don't you take a bite and find out for yourself. I'm sure you'll learn why it tastes so good and maybe you'll find what you're missing in your own cooking."

Shinomiya scowled and snapped "What the hell makes you think that MY cooking is missing anything?!"

With a smirk on his face, Dōjima asked "Are you sure? Or perhaps, that's the reason why you're not cooking your Specialty?"

The French chef scoffed and said, "I told you, I don't have to use my Specialty for this match!"

"You're saying that you Won't use it? But, maybe it's because you Can't use it?" the Hotel Head asked with that smirk still on his face, knowing that everyone in this room understood what he was implying.

(Dōjima then tells Shinomiya about how his stagnate is affecting him, basically canon/identical to the Manga/Anime. I didn't want to copy that here, but if you want to know what Dōjima said, it starts on Chapter 26 page 4, last panel, and ends on page 14, panel 2).

'Just as planned, eh, Ojisan,' Sōma thought when he heard the sounds of a fork and knife at work.

Shinomiya took a bit of the Rainbow Terrine. He could easily tell it wasn't heated long enough, so why... The French Chef's palms pressed against the table as he looked down at the dish. 'Why does it feel like it's warming my very soul?' Shinomiya thought, Before noting 'Yes, it's inexpertly made, but each step, each piece, you can feel the thoughtfulness for the person who's going to eat this dish.' It reminded the French chef of the love and concern of his parents, mostly his mother. How they could be both stern and caring towards him at the same time. It made Shinomiya remember when he was 7, the time his mother scolded him for getting into a fight with some schoolmates, how mad she was at him for the fight but at the same time, she told him that she was glad he was alright. Shinomiya also remembered the rainbow that appeared overhead that day.

"The two of you used Allspice (9) in the pâté," Shinomiya stated calmly, regaining his composure.

Chef Mizuhara then said "It's a convenience spice for nullifying the smelling-ness is of some ingredients. You used it to get rid of the smell from the chicken liver, right?"

"True, we did use the Allspice for that, but it wasn't the reason why we used it. I mean, considering what you alumni have been doing for the past two days, neh, Megumi-chan," Sōma said, before nudging Megumi with his elbow. Chef Gotoda, Chef Mizuhara, and Chef Sekimori raised a brow in confusion at that comment.

Megumi finally got her voice back and she said in her semi-nervous tone "Ano, Allspice is a-also used to aid digestion, s-so w-we used it in the Rainbow Terrine so it would be easier on your stomachs."

Chef Gotoda and Chef Inui were bursting in tears of utter joy, both were in delight because of that thoughtful thinking of the cute little country girl. Chef Mizuhara whacked them over the head and told them in a soulless tone that they were being overdramatic.

Dōjima then told Shinomiya "It may not be a perfect dish, but they put in the effort to make it resonate with the people who would soon be eating it."

The French chef was quiet for a bit before stating "Oi, blind brat."

"If it's another blind joke, then drop it, I've heard them all," Sōma said coldly, not even turning to the voice. Okay, that stung, in more ways than one.

"I'm a little insulted that you assumed I was going to crack one of those jokes," Shinomiya said with a small sweatdrop on his forehead.

"Somewhat of a forced habit, considering how often I hear them," Sōma stated, before turning to where he heard the French chef's voice and asking "So what is it?"

"Never mind. It's nothing important," Shinomiya said as he turned to walk away from the group, thinking about the path he lead so far and what he needs to do to change it. The French chef then said over his shoulder "The two of you better survive till the end of this camp, since I'll never forgive myself for this match if you get kicked out." Shinomiya then left the basement. 'Yukihira Sōma, huh,' the French chef thought as he made his way to his room.

"Ano... Did Shinomiya-senpai just leave before the judges made their decision for this Shokugeki?" Sōma asked when he heard the door to the basement open and then closing. Megumi realized that her friend was right.

The basement was eerily silent.

Chef Gotoda, Chef Mizuhara, and Chef Sekimori looked at each other and agreed to end the Unofficial Shokugeki in a tie, to make things easier and less embarrassing.

Dōjima told the country girl that her cooking is warming, welcoming, and strongly comforting. Hospitality, a very powerful weapon if used wisely in the cooking field, and the key to Megumi's long stay at Totsuki.

"Now, off to bed with you two. The next bout of the camp's challenges still lay ahead," Dōjima said, realizing what time it was. Megumi and Sōma nodded and left the basement, that was when the two noticed all the messages on their phones from their dormmates, telling them how worried they were about them. The two students quickly scurried off towards their rooms.

Chef Gotoda, Chef Mizuhara, and Chef Inui left without another word, well, except maybe some debate between the Empress of the Mist and the blond chef over who should get Megumi.

Chef Sekimori lagged behind and asked Dōjima "Should I even be surprised that you somehow wrangled your godson into helping you with Kojirō?"

The hotel head raised a brow and asked the sushi chef "So, how long have you known?"

Chef Sekimori folded his arms and said "Wasn't hard to figure out when you look for the signs that are. Plus, the other Gemini Chef dropped by my restaurant before this camp started."

Dōjima chuckled out a "He told you, huh. Why am I not surprised." Chef Sekimori simply gave a small smile.

~}i{~

The Next Day...

The Hell Camp was getting even tougher, but Megumi was doing very well, thanks to her newfound confidence that Sōma and Dōjima have given her. Mind you she was still a bit nervous, but she was doing a lot better.

As Sōma worked on his dish, he heard some talking going on nearby. "Nabu-san, are there people by the wall?" the blind student asked the Assisted Help staff as he continued cooking. Nabu looked towards the closest wall, seeing a group of people in suits, and told the redhead this. "Any idea why they're here?" Sōma asked, but Nabu said he didn't.

As he continued to cook, Sōma wondered why the suits were here.

~}i{~

At 21:01 (9:01 PM)...

The Polaris group were heading back to their rooms when Sōma asked his friends about the people in the suits, but since they were completely focused on the 80 servings task, they didn't even notice. Ryoko was looking over the camp schedule when noticed that there was nothing on for lights out for today. It was speculated to be a printing error when there was an announcement over the hotel speakers, calling all of the students to assemble in the Grand Ballroom, in uniform, at 22:00 (10 PM) for a mandatory meeting. Attendance is an absolute must.

What could be so important that they had to call all the students to one location at this hour?

}{

At a quarter until the meet time, Sōma had a hand on the wall as he continued down the corridor with his cane in his other hand. He was looking for the brail plagues, to direct him to the Grand Ballroom. 'I need to find an employee and ask if they can take me to the Grand Ballroom, this place is way too big for me to navigate,' Sōma thought as he glided his cane on the ground while he kept his other hand on the wall, really wishing Mayu was here to help him. Maybe he should've waited for his dorm mates before heading out, this hotel was too huge.

Erina was walking down a hallway to her destination, not thinking anything odd about the late-night gathering. As she came up to a corner, a hand landed right on one of her breast.

The next thing Sōma felt with the hand on the wall was something covered in cloth that was big and jiggly, followed by a scream.

Erina was red with both embarrassment and rage, covering her breast, and shouted at the blind student "HOW DARE YOU SQUEEZE ME LIKE THAT?!"

Not really realizing what he had just done, and not realizing the voice of who he had just ran into, Sōma apologized for hurting whoever he ran into.

"Somehow, I expected something like this from you," Erina said in a huffy tone.

Finally recognizing the voice, Sōma stated in a calm tone, as if the incident never happened, "Oh, it's you, Princess. Are you heading towards the Grand Ballroom as well?"

Noticing what he had said, Erina spotted an opportunity to finally rid herself of this nuisance and the unwanted summer job all with one blow. With a smirk practically painted on her face, the Nakiri said: "Actually, I was heading back to my dorm for a few things, but I can point you in the direction of the ballroom."

'Strange, why is she being nice all of the sudden?' Sōma wondered when he said in a calmly suspicious tone "Really, how oddly polite of you."

Erina frowned and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, nothing, it just seems like politeness doesn't seem to be apart of your personality, at least from the information I've gathered," Sōma stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

With an anger mark visible on her forehead, Erina snipped "I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that."

"I wouldn't do that," the redhead said before adding "Listening skills are very important in any industry, not just cooking, you might want to keep that in mind."

Erina simply rolled her eyes, said "Whatever. The Grand Ballroom is down that corridor. Just keep following it until you get to the giant doors," and pointed straight ahead to a hallway with a sign that said Dining Hall A.

"Ano, can you be a bit more specific?" Sōma asked with a sigh. You'd think people would think before they just say things. 'Then again, everyone's human,' The redhead thought to himself.

Erina practically shoved Sōma towards the Dining Hall corridor and snapped "THIS corridor!"

"All right, all right, no need to be so pushy princess," Sōma said as he took a step in the direction he was forced to go when he asked "You coming? Or are you going back to your dorm?"

"My dorm, like I said, I have to get a few things to get before I start heading to the Grand Ballroom," Erina said with a smirk on her face.

"Alright, later princess," Sōma said as he started walking.

With a happy smirk on her face, Erina turned towards the real direction of the Grand Ballroom and thought 'There won't be a later for you, you disabled second-rate chef.'

}{

At the scheduled time and place, and the Totsuki first-year student, who have survived so far, were there. Roughly 80% of them looked completely wiped and could fall asleep standing on their feet, and all look as nervous as hell. Yuki reeeealy wanted this assembly to be over as quickly as possible, so they can get some sleep. Shun, Ryoko, and Megumi looked around, wondering where Sōma was.

Ikumi and Takumi ran right over to Megumi and shouted about what the hell Yukihira was thinking when he challenged a Totsuki Graduate to a Shokugeki. The two then glared at each other, asking who the other was. Isami was the one to ask "Where's Yukihira-kun, Tadokoro-chan?"

But before Megumi could answer, Dōjima was on stage as he started his announcement.

Through the microphone, Dōjima said to the students "I've brought you all here tonight to inform you of tomorrow morning's first assignment." The students murmured to each other about why the hotel had was telling them about this the night before. Dōjima continued "Your assignment will be to create a new breakfast dish fit to grace the tables for our Totsuki Resort Hotel Guests. The breakfast offering is the face of a hotel. It is a critically important meal in helping to start the day of each and every guest. We would like you to present a fresh and surprising dish that can decorate their breakfast table with invigorating delight." Even more yammer from the students hovered in the air, the majority stating that this was the hardest assignment yet. After getting the students' attention, yet again, Dōjima then stated with a mischievous grin "The main ingredient will be 'Egg'. *Holds up a single white chicken egg in his right hand, so everyone could see*. We will not restrict you to either Eastern on Western cuisine, but the dish Must be servable buffet style. Judgment will begin tomorrow at six in the morning. Please have your dishes ready for tasting by then."

With that, a pure eruption of noise filled the ballroom, all from the students.

Dōjima ignore the onslaught of noise when he said calmly "You may use your time until morning as you see fit. We will open all the kitchens, so you may use them to practice your dish. Or, if you rather, you may return to rooms and sleep. I will see you all again at six in the morning. Dismissed!" With that, the hotel head walked off the stage. While he did, he noticed that he didn't see the blazing red hair of his godson in the crowd. Since Dōjima couldn't call out to see if Sōma was here, due to it being a very major conflict of interest (even though he Can keep a professional distance during times like this), he decided to walk behind the stage and called Hiromi to check the security feed to find out where his godson was. 'There is no way in hell Sōma would miss any of the assignments. Something not right here.'

Dōjima thought as he heard Hiromi tell him over the phone "Sir, you can't interfere with Sōma during the camp anymore, you promise you wouldn't after he helped you wi-"

"He's not in the Grand Ballroom with the other students," Dōjima interrupted as he peaked at the students from behind the curtains, looking again for that blazing red hair.

"But, he passed all the assignments, so he should be there with the other remaining students," Hiromi said over the phone as he started looking over the security camera monitors for the Grand Ballroom, looking for Sōma. While the hotel staff isn't allowed to interfere in the Training Camp's curriculum or with the students (unless a good reason should emerge), they have to make sure all the students are in a safe environment and accounted for as long as they are on the hotel's grounds. The second-in-command of the Totsuki Hotels did not see the blind redhead on the monitors in the Grand Ballroom or any of the nearby kitchens.

"Dōjima-kun," Chapelle asked as he saw the look on his former student's face. The former Gemini Chef's head snapped towards the teacher. "Is there something wrong?" the blond teacher asked as Dōjima motioned him to come closer.

When the teacher did, the former Totsuki student put Himori on speaker and told the hotel staff "Tell Chapelle-sensei."

"I can confirm, Yukihira Sōma was nowhere in or near the Grand Ballroom, and after looking through the security feed, he wasn't even there when you gave the assignment for tomorrow." Chapelle narrowed his eyes and stated, "Find him."

"Understood, sir," Hiromi said before hanging up.

"I normally don't care if a student wishes to give-up during this camp; however, I do not believe that Yukihira-san would ever give-up when camp is so close to being over," Chapelle said in his stoic tone.

Dōjima raised a brow when he asked: "He's made that much of an impression on you?"

"Perhaps," was all the teacher would answer, before asking the former Gemini Chef with a serious look in his eyes "But, does Yukihira-san seem like a quitter to you?"

Dōjima shook his head and said "From what I've read from his transcript unless he's sick with a cold, he's never missed a day of school. Would someone that attentive miss an assignment? Willingly? Even after I used the hotel's speakers to notify all the students, no matter where they may be?"

"I thought as much," Chapelle said, looking out at some of the students, who were still in the ballroom.

}{

"Oi, seriously, where is Yukihira? I don't see him anywhere," Ikumi stated, looking around the ballroom for the blind redhead.

Takumi looked around as well when he said: "Come to think of it, I don't think ever saw him come in."

"But... He left before us, so he should've already been here," Ryoko said, not liking what she and the others were saying.

Something was not right.

Erina walked passed the Polaris group, the Aldini Twins, and Ikumi and stated in a very confident tone "I suggest you worry more about yourselves than some pathetic blind student. This camp is supposed to push the students to do their best, and I doubt any disabled chef can pass." She might as well tell the redhead's little friends this. Erina was confident that Sōma would never pass and that she will never have to step foot in a common diner. Hisako rushed up to the honey blond, telling her that her kitchen space is available for her to use.

The group really wanted to tell the Nakiri off, but... The repercussions were not in their favour.

Chapelle's eyes narrowed at what he just saw.

~}i{~

To Be Continued...

~}i{~

Omake: Summer Job for the "7 Elite Seats". (This is just a work in progress title, and is open for suggestions)

}i{ July 2; Summer Job Day 1 }i{

A long black limo dropped off Nikiri Erina, Eizan Etsuya, Kinokuni Nene, Saitou Somei, Akanegakubo Momo, Kobayashi Rindou, and Tsukasa Eishi off at the edge of Sumire Town, where they were told where their 'Summer Living Arrangements' and Yukihira Sōma's family restaurant were. All of them were wearing relatively large backpacks.

"Nya~ couldn't they've dropped us off closer to this place?" Kobayashi whined then complained that they didn't give them enough food to eat on the way here.

Eizan then snapped at the cat-eyed girl "How can you complain about not having enough food?! You ate ALL Seven of our bentos!"

Kobayashi grumbled, "Those didn't taste so good~." Tsukasa got between the two to prevent them from going all out.

"We better start walking, since we need to be at this… 'Diner' place in an hour. We don't need to get on His bad side on day one," Kinokuni said in a monotone voice.

Erina growled in annoyance. 'How could I, of all people, be stuck working at a common eatery? Much less His eatery?' the honey blond wondered angrily, before remembering that it was all because of the bet she and the other present Elite members made with the Headmaster. 'How could Mito-san lose to someone like Him? Especially since it was her speciality?' Erina wondered as they started walking into the city. It never once crossed the honey blonde's mind that maybe Sōma won by his own skills and talents.

"Ano… Does anyone know where anything is in this city?" Tsukasa asked the group nervously.

That stopped the other Elites in their tracks.

}{ Two Hours Later }{

Koganei Aki (10) was walking towards Shokujidokoro Yukihira so she could see her Best Friend, Yukihira Mayumi. She was so happy that she and her older twin brother were back for the summer, even if the twins had to work on their 'Summer Assignment Project' (Aka; He's preparing/creating his dish for the Autumn Election while she has a project assignment from her school). 'They said that their father had to hire seven students from this Totsuki place because the Headmaster asked him to…. Wonder why?' Aki (Using the first name, since she's going to be re-occurring in these Summer Omakes) thought curiously. Then she figured that those seven were probably signed up for the Totsuki version of 'Summer School' or something like that. That was when she saw a group of six teens and an elementary school-age girl arguing in in front of everyone on the street, and they were making a huge scene. Aki decided to ignore the group and try to walk by them, but they were inadvertently getting in her way.

"OI!" Aki shouted in annoyance, getting the annoying groups' attention, and stated angrily "You guys are causing a scene here, so how about doing this stuff somewhere else?" She made sure not to use any curse words in front of the elementary school girl (This would be Momo btw). Aki knew that these people weren't from around here as she looked them over, those clothing was practically irrefutable proof of that.

"Ano," the white-haired teen twiddled his fingers before saying "We're, ano, actually, ano, looking for a particular place that's, ano, that's supposed to be in the area."

"And you don't know where it is?" Aki asked with a raised brow. The group reluctantly nodded at that. Aki sighed and stated, "Ya know, you could've asked a local what you were looking for; I mean a lotta people here know the city like the back of our hand."

The white-haired teen glanced to the side and said "Ano, I suggested that, but…. They said they didn't need any directions…."

The girl with cat eyes pounced on the white-haired teen and said in a playfully menacing tone "Did ya need to tell her that, Eishi?" The white-haired teen looked like he was halfway to being scared to death as the cat-eyed girl twisted her fists on the sides of his head.

Aki had a sweatdrop on her forehead as she thought 'Who the heck are these dolts?'

}{ At Shokujidokoro Yukihira }{

"Those so-called Elites are late, I mean Really late," Mayu stated in an annoyed tone as she doodled on a pad of paper. She was sitting at one of the tables in her family restaurant as Sōma sat across from her, tracing his fingers over a page of a braille book.

"I'll tell the Headmaster that when I send him those required Daily Reports," the blind redhead stated before adding "Time Management seems to be one of their weakest traits." The brunette teen agreed to that.

"Mayu! Sōma!"

The Yukihira twins recognized that voice immediately.

"Aki!" Mayu shouted happily as she ran to hug her Best Friend, who in turn hugged her back.

"It's so good to see you again Mayu," Aki said with a smile on her face.

Sōma chuckled and said, "I somehow knew you'd be the first person to greet us." Aki grinned and stated that she wasn't alone. Mayu looked over her friend's shoulder while Sōma listened to the footsteps of seven individuals.

"Are they the Totsuki students that'll be working here during the summer?" Aki asked as Mayu looked them over, then replied: "Yes, they are, and they are very late."

"Well, excuse us for not knowing where this place it," Erina snapped.

"Ano, actually, we were given the address, but..." Tsukasa stated, twiddling his thumbs.

Rindou then said with a smile "We just didn't know where it was~. And why we were, like, super la~te."

"Did any of you think to ask someone where Shokujidokoro Yukihira was located?" Sōma asked the "Elites", only to be met with silence.

Aki broke the sound void by saying "Well, they did ask me after I asked what they were looking for."

Sōma sighed and said, while rubbing the back of his head, "Since it's day one, I'll let this slide, but I do expect all of you to be on time tomorrow. Now does everyone have their uniforms?" Kinokuni Nene, Saitou Somei, Akanegakubo Momo, and Tsukasa Eishi pulled out a paper bag out of their respective backpacks. Nikiri Erina, Eizan Etsuya, and Kobayashi Rindou made absolutely no motion.

"I heard four people," Sōma stated before Mayu asked, "What about you three?"

Erina stated that she wasn't wearing such an abomination, Eizan stated that he packed it in his suitcase, and Kobayashi simply said that she forgot hers.

Sōma said in a very stern tone "I'm pretty sure you were told that you had to have your uniforms with you on day one right." Eishi said that they were. Aki was starting to understand why some of these people needed extra lessons. "Alright, Mayu, those three are all yours," Sōma said with a sigh, before adding "Don't go overboard though."

Before any of the seven could wonder what their new boss meant, the three who did not have their uniforms were handcuffed. The handcuffs had a thick rope attached to the chains, and Yukihira Mayu was holding the other end of the ropes. "Follow me for your punishment, please," Mayu said in a cheerfully evil tone with a smile on her face. The female twin tugged on the ropes, hard enough to nearly cause the three to lose their balance as they were forced to walk. Mayu forced Erina, Eizan, and Kobayashi into a vacant room, walked into it, closed the door, and locked it.

Kinokuni was the one to ask "What exactly is the pun-"

Before the question could be completed, three screams were coming from the locked room.

The four remaining Elite quickly turned to the door in shock as the door started rattling as the screaming continued.

"Ano... Should we stop her? I mean, even Eizan's screaming..." Tsukasa asked nervously.

Sōma calmly answered "You can try, but I recommend you not. Since you might be joining them if you do." Aki simply nodded at that. From what the standing Elite could figure by the blind redhead and the sandy blond's reactions, this seemed normal.

The screaming continued for 10 whole minutes before it finally stopped.

The door clicked when the lock tumbled, and Mayu happily walked out. "They now have uniforms for today," the female twin said cheerfully.

Aki raised a brow and asked, "Then what was with all the screaming?"

"Oh, they didn't want to wear them, so I was convincing them to wear them," Mayu said in that happily cheerful tone.

Sōma asked, in a tone that made it sound like he was going to regret it, "Are the uniforms you were "convincing" them to wear Spiked?"

Kinokuni, Saitou, Akanegakubo, and Tsukasa were a bit confused by that statement, but Aki seemed to understand when she said with an Oh-Boy-This-Is-All-My-Fault tone "You're really making me regret taking you to that "Hidden Bonds" lecture."

"Ano, to be fair, neither of you knew what it was about," Sōma said, trying to cheer his friend up.

Kinokuni, Saitou, Akanegakubo, and Tsukasa looked at each other wondering if they were talking about what they think they're talking about.

Erina, Eizan, and Kobayashi finally walked out of the room or trying to walk normally, in what looked to be brand new Shokujidokoro Yukihira. From what the four unpunished Elites could see, they were flushed red and limiting their movements... Kinokuni, Saitou, Akanegakubo, and Tsukasa thought right about what the blind redhead and the sandy blond were talking about!

Erina struggled out "Y-you! Th-this h-has to be a-against the law!"

Mayu smirked and stated cheerfully "Nope, it's not. But as long as everyone behaves and wears their uniforms every day, no one will e~ver know." Aki felt like she was the one responsible for that whole thing.

Well... The 7 Elite now knew who NOT to tick off, or cross...

After everyone but a certain redhead was seated, three of whom were still red and did not look comfortable, Sōma went over the rules and menu of Shokujidokoro Yukihira.

}{ Omake: To Be Continued }{

~}i{~

(1); "Having a Laugh" is a British slang for "You're Kidding".

(2); Andoryū is basically the Japanese pronunciation of Andrew.

(3); Pâté is meat or fish minced into a paste, vegetables, and herbs can be added as flavour.

(4); Glutamic acid is an α-amino acid.

(5); Umami, or savoury taste, is one of the five basic tastes. It has been described as brothy or meaty. People taste umami through taste receptors that typically respond to glutamate.

(6); A Colobockle is a tiny spirit from Ainu folklore that is said to live under butterbur leaves.

(7); A Zashiki Warashi is a childlike spirit from Japanese folklore that is said to bring good fortune to the house that they reside in.

(8); A Yukinko is a small snow sprite.

(9); The Allspice plant is a tropical, mid-canopy tree. The leaves and dried fruits are often used as a cooking spice. It was given the name "Allspice" because it combines the flavour of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

(10); Her image is here, shokugekinoSō wiki/Aki_Koganei

~}i{~