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.

9. 9: Father and Spice Can Turn the Tide

Gale-Dragon: Well, I got this chapter done. Hope I was able to weed out a lot of the grammar errors; although, some of the grammar error is purposeful because of how some of the characters speak. I do know a few accidental ones slipped under my radar... But anyway Enjoy.

~}i{~

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Emphasizing Stress

(Author's Comments)

~}i{~

Shokugeki no Sōma Nashi Saito de Chīfu. Chapter 9; Father and Spices Can Turn the Tide.

~}i{~

The Polaris group returned to the dorm with very mixed feelings. While they were utterly ecstatic that the majority them made the list for the Autumn Elections, learning that it was Nakiri Erina who tried to sabotage Sōma during the Hell Camp was sandbagging the high spirits. Plus, the whole enigma of Mayu making the list was another reason that downturned mood.

So the real question for the group was "Should we be Excited, Angry, or Confused right now?"

Isshiki-Senpai greeted everyone happily, in Just his apron and completely unaware of the sorrow-like aura around them, when he said "Welcome back, everyone! According to Fumio-san, were having a party tonight. C'mon, let's all had to the dining hall." This bit of news brightened the mood. After all, Fumio's celebratory meals are to die for.

"Oi, Senpai, is there be a reason for a non-Totsuki first-year student to be on the list for the Autumn Election?" Sōma asked the second-year student as everyone headed towards their destination.

Isshiki still had that smile on his face as he raised a brow and asked, "Why would you ask a question like that? Only first-year Totsuki students can participate in the Autumn Elections. If a non-student were to be at the Autumn Election, they would be spectators in the audience, not as participants."

Mayu folded her arms and stated, "Then how come my name was on the list for the Autumn Election? Which has a total of 61 names on it by the way."

Isshiki's smile twisted into a stern and serious frown when he asked "What? That shouldn't have happened."

"It happened," the Yukihira Twins stated in unison. Isshiki now had a look on his face that gave a clue that he might know who was behind this whole thing, even if he had no real proof. THAT was something Mayu didn't miss.

When the group entered the kitchen, a man who might be in his late 40s - early 50s, with brown hair which is swept back, save for a single group of bangs that hangs over his face down to his chin, a few whiskers of a beard on sed chin, and wearing a tight black short-sleeved shirt and slacks standing there cooking food.

The man casually glanced at the Totsuki students, spotted Sōma and Mayu, and asked "Ah, Sōma, Mayu. You're back. Give me a hand with this, ?"

The Yukihira Twin nodded and said "Sure," in unison.

The man chopped something on a table and said "Mayu, take care of the rest of the prep work on the soup for me. The stock's already done."

Mayu nodded and said "Sure."

The man then said to the blind redhead "Sōma, could you start with the sauce? I have everything out for you to use."

Sōma stated, "Sure... *Now in a tone of sudden realization* Wait a minute..."

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Sōma shouted at the man. That was when Mayu realized what was going on and snapped at the man as she pointed at him "We started helping out on pure muscle memory?!" Fumio raised a brow and asked the twins "You two know him?"

Megumi, curious to know why there was a stranger in the dorm, asked in an equally curious tone, "Ano... Who is he?"

Fumio sighed and stated, "He's a Totsuki Alumni and former resident of Polaris."

Yūki shouted in the background "TOTSUKI ALUMNI?!"

Fumio huffed out and explained "Sheesh. That's a generation gap for you. Kids nowadays don't even recognize Saiba Jōichirō. He's one of the former First Seated Gemini Chefs of Totsuki."

All the Polaris residents were paralyzed with a pure shock when they heard this. Well, all but two...

"Oh, Sōma, Mayu, the rice is nearly done steaming," Jōichirō said, seemingly not completely aware of the conversation going on right next to him.

The Yukihira Twins then shouted angrily at the same time "SHADDUP! JUST TELL US WHY YOU'RE HERE, DAD!"

Shock just bulldozed Fumio and the other Polaris residents down when they shouted in unison "THEY'RE RELATED?!"

}{

At the same time, and on a completely unrelated note...

Erina was laying on her bed, board out of her mind. Hisako was busy working on ideas her dish for the Autumn Elections and Erina had no work for the Elite 10 she had to do. Since all of the current Elite 10 work was for the Autumn Elections, and the honey blond was banned from working on sed event. Erina could do some tasting for some new dishes for a couple of 5-star restaurants that have asked for her help, but Hisako was usually the one to bring her those requests... Maybe she could ask one of the family help to see if there were any.

Erina got to her feet to leave her room when one of the house staff knocked on the door and told her that her grandfather wanted to talk to her.

Erina tilted her head to the side and wondered what her grandfather wanted to talk to her about.

~}i{~

Back to the Polaris Dorm...

"Seriously Pops, you really should've called first," Sōma stated flatly as Jōchirō placed plates on the dining table with a smile.

The man glanced at his children and said: "What's wrong with wanting to see my twin cherubs?"

Mayu turned red and snapped "Pops! We've told you a million times to stop calling us that!"

Sōma continued on his sister's comment by saying as he folded his arms "Seriously, we've outgrown that nickname, both figuratively and physically."

Jōchirō smiled at his twins before looking at Fumio and state, "Besides, I'd figured dropping by my old dorm would be fun." The Dorm Mother gave a huff.

Isshiki, still just wearing his apron, walked up to the former 1st Seat and said, "I have read about you in some of the older material, Chef Saiba Jōchirō." The man raised a brow and asked, "Oh? You've heard of me?" Isshiki nodded and stated, "The famous "Wandering Chef" who dazzled customers with his skills in all of the best restaurants around the world! It's said that no magazine of the time worth its salt hadn't been able to accurately run one article on him. But one day, you disappeared from the culinary world. Only those who've lived through or have read some of the Totsuki records." The 2nd-year student shook his hand and said "My name is Isshiki Satoshi. I'm the current 7th Seat of the Elite 10. It's an honour to make your acquaintance, Chef Saiba."

Jōchirō returned the handshake and said, not particularly fazed by the state of undress the student was in, "The pleasure's mine. Oh, and I go by the name Yukihira these days. But you all can call me Jōchirō though."

Yūki and Ryoko were simply amazed by the fact that the older man wasn't the least bit fazed by the fact that there was a nearly naked person standing right in front of him.

Jōchirō stood up and stated, "Now, before we begin our lovely feast, I have just one question for everyone here." Once all of the members of the Polaris Dorm had their undivided attention on the Alumni, the man then asked in a rather menacing tone, "Who here has any romantic interest in either of my adorable little cherubs?" Suddenly, Jōchirō had one of his sharpest kitchen knives in his hand; an evil aura engulfed his person, and a menacing light gleamed in his eyes.

With that, the Polaris Dorm members remembered that Sōma had told them that his and Mayu's father was Worse than the Overprotective Dad Trope.

"Now, now, don't be shy. I'm not going to hurt you, much," Jōchirō stated in a menacing tone as he motioned with his index finger for the students to come closer as he held the knife out. The Polaris group only took a step back.

Mayu had snatched the knife (by the base, not the blade) out of her father's hand before Sōma jabbed him in the back with his cane. "Why is THAT always the first thing you ask when you first meet our new schoolmates?" Mayu asked as she took the knife to the kitchen. That was when the Polaris group realized that Mayu was holding the knife with a handkerchief rather than directly with her hands. Odd, why would she take out a handkerchief to hold a knife?

Sōma whacked his father over the head with his cane and stated, "Both of us know to defend ourselves from unwanted attention, remember. So, get that through your thick skull."

"What's wrong with wanting to protect my twin chubs from unwanted admirers?" Jōchirō asked with a childish cheer. The Yukihira Twins could only sigh when their father told the Polaris Dorm to dig into the food.

Megumi and Yuuki were still in a bit of shock from learning that Sōma and Mayu's father was a former Totsuki student, not to mention the former first seated Gemini Chef of the Elite 10, and the... 'Almost' act of violence. But all those feelings just completely melted away with one bite from one of Jōchirō's array of dishes that were spread on the table. That one bite had Megumi and Yuuki flying on a magic carpet over the Arabian landscape. Both could not suppress their amazement for how good the food was.

Megumi happily asked Jōchirō, "Chef? What is the paste that's been spread on this lamb meat?"

The Totsuki alumni answered by saying, "That's Harissa. Originating in northern Africa, it's a blend of different peppers used to season all kinds of dishes. Since I used it as a base for some traditional middle-Eastern dishes, I tweaked the recipe by adding some parsley masala." More questions about the dishes came his way after they have been eaten, Jōchirō calmly answered each of those questions. This whole thing made Ryoko, Yuuki, and Megumi wonder if Sōma would ever grow up to be like Jōchirō (minus the whole Overprotective Father Trope, of course) as they dreamily (and discreetly) glanced at the blind redhead, who was just munching on some foodstuff. Even Isshiki had to admit that while Jōchirō's overprotectiveness of his children might have startled them, one bite of the alumni's cooking made them open their hearts to him.

This amazingly blissful moment continued until Marui bit into a particularly disgusting dish.

Jōchirō happily laughed and said, "Ah! That was my attempt to re-create one of the snake dishes I tried last month. You wouldn't believe how disgusting it was. See, you take the snake and hack it up, skin and all." Mayu sighed at this as her brother joined their father in the "Yukihira Forbidden Zone", as the other Polaris members called it. But, it looked like Jōchirō and Sōma having a blast, even if the food were completely disgusting in both appearance and taste. (I don't know how else to describe the scene as, so I'm just writing it how it appears to me).

"Oh, Sōma, Mayu," Jōchirō said, getting his children's attention, before asking "I heard Gin was overseeing the Hell Camp and the Application Assessment Camp. Was he professional during that timeframe?"

Sōma casually said, "Yeah, Oji-san was professional during the Totsuki camp."

Mayu followed up by saying, "And he was professional during the Gijutsu Saidai Academy camp."

Then the Yukihira twins said at the same time "Except when the camps reached their end. *Sigh* he threw a party for each of us for passing our respective camps."

Exactly 5 seconds after thinking 'Gin?...' The members of the Polaris dorm shouted at the same time, "Wait! Are you guys talking about Dōjima Gin?!"

The three Yukihira then replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the entire world, "Yup, we're talking about him."

Ah! Now at the Polaris numbers thought about it... Fumio DID mention that Jōchirō was a Gemini Chef… And in all technicality, Dōjima had that very same title; therefore, the two 1st-seated Gemini Chefs HAVE to know each other. It was so obvious now that they thought about it.

Wait a minute…

Yuuki then asked in a tone that seems to be a mixture of shock, confusion, and 'Can't Be', "Sōma, when you called Dōjima-san "Oji-san"… Do you mean that…"

"He's our godfather," Mayu stated in a very casual manner as if the information wasn't exactly earth stoppingly important.

With that, every member of the Polaris dorm, minus the Yukihiras, were solidly still. Almost as if the Gorgon Medusa suddenly appeared just to turn them to stone.

"Ano... Is everyone alright? It got quiet all of the sudden," Sōma asked when he realized that the celebratory party somehow came to a screeching to a halt.

~}i{~

With Erina...

"You wanted to talk to me, Grandfather?" Erina asked as she entered the Tea Room of the Nakiri estate. Senzaemon glanced at his granddaughter and told her to take a seat (or a pillow in this case). Erina did so by sitting across the table from the Headmaster of Totsuki.

Senzaemon took a deep breath and said, "Erina, I'm sure I don't have to tell you, but it seems as though I HAVE to because of all your actions. *Gives Erina a serious look* Sabotaging a fellow student? I cannot be more disappointed with you. It matters not if he IS blind or who You are. Sabotage is sabotage, no matter who the target may be or who the saboteur is. What you did was NOT right."

Erina quickly piped up, "But, Grandfather!" Senzaemon then snapped, "No Buts! And No Excuses!" The honey blonde quickly shut her mouth closed at the command.

The headmaster closed his eyes and firmly stated, "While I am aware of the root of your *sigh* 'Unsavory Behaviors', the rules of Totsuki are what pushed both I and the Totsuki Board to inevitably make our decision for your punishment." Erina lowered her head, not because she was finally felt ashamed of her actions during the camp but because she was being scolded by her grandfather.

Senzaemon sighed and said in a strange combination of a stern tone and his loving grandfather tone, "Erina... What that rotten man did to you was inhumane, immoral, and disqualifies him for even being called a *Sourly* "Father" to you or anyone. *Back in the Stern and Caring tone* And I do not want to follow the same horrible path he did."

Erina's eyes widened. Was she… Was she… Becoming like… Like… HIM?! The man who "Educated" her God's Pallet?! She hasn't thought about it before, but then again… HE made it very clear that HE was the one who was to have power over her, that only HE knew what was "Right" for her, that HE knew what kind of food was "Perfect", and that HE would do all the thinking for her… All the food judgment for her… All the decisions for her… All the… Actions that she has done… Erina lowered her head again, now actually rethinking all of her actions for once.

"Erina," Senzaemon said getting his granddaughters attention before adding, "While I am aware that old habits die hard, trust me on that one, but you need to change those behaviours before they inevitably become the very thing that will destroy you. And I truly think that working at Yukihira-kun's Diner will help you with that, understand?"

Erina was very silent. Not because she didn't have anything to say, but because she had nothing to say.

~}i{~ The Next Morning ~}i{~

Sōma wasn't sure what time it was, all he knew was that it was Early (exactly 5:30 in the morning according to his phone) when Jōchirō asked him to join him in the kitchen with his knife ready over the pipe intercoms of the Polaris dorm. The blind redhead sleepily gathered his knife set, pretty much brushing off the early alarm was because his father wanted an extra pair of hands to make breakfast for everyone. As soon as he had all his knives in his metal briefcase and grabbed his cane, Sōma went on his way to the kitchen, with a few yawns here and there. He was still too tired to think about why his father was back from overseas so soon.

Sōma heard the familiar sound of cooking as he got closer to the kitchen. When the redhead walked in, Jōchirō immediately greeted him.

"Sōma, may I be so bold to ask how you're doing here at Totsuki?" Jōchirō happily asked his son, not the least bit fazed by the predawn hours. Sōma yawned before asking groggily, "Pops… Please tell me you didn't wake me up this early just asked me that?"

Jōchirō smiled softly before saying, "Nope, I got a really good reason to wake you up this early, but while I have your undivided attention, I might as well ask you this."

The Sandman still had a slight hold over Sōma when he said, "The curriculum's all right, but it does have some flaws that could use some tweaking. I pretty much destroyed the teachers' expectations of me, but I think Chapelle-Sensei never made any assumptions about me. Everyone here in the Polaris dorm is friendly. I've also met a pair of twins who also work in a diner but from Italy. I've also met this weird first-year was an expert in molecular gastronomy and her friend who specializes in seafood. Oh, and Nikumi, who specializes in meat."

Jōchirō raised a brow in concern when he asked, "And what about the other students Outside of the Polaris dorm?"

Sōma growled out a, "They apparently never read the section in the Totsuki handbook about Student Courtesy."

Jōchirō immediately stopped what he was doing. "Has anyone..."

The man couldn't finish the question before his son interrupted by snapping, "At least four times a week before the Hell Camp, after the Hell Camp the sabotaging dropped to twice a week, and I was sabotaged during the Hell Camp. I, of course, threw it back into their faces while obeying the Totsuki Rules."

The next thing Jōchirō asked, in a bit of a frantic concerned tone, was, "Have those students been dealt with?" Who can blame him for asking? He was a father concerned about the well-being of his blind son. Not that Jōchirō had to worry about Sōma's blindness itself, but he had to worry about others' actions towards Sōma because he was blind. And sadly, this was nothing new, but it was still not pleasant for the father to hear that these things are still happening to his son.

"Of course they have. Between Mayu recording the classes and the teachers themselves, they pretty much get caught in the act. They might be decent chefs, but they are hardly skilled in the art of stealth," Sōma said, the Sandman's power no longer has any effect on him.

Jōchirō then asked carefully, really wanting some details, "And the student, or students, who sabotaged during the Hell Camp?"

Sōma scoffed in annoyance and snapped, "That Bratty Princess should have is known better, doesn't matter Who she is." Jōchirō didn't need Any other hints to know who tried to sabotage his son during the Hell Camp.

Jōchirō placed his kitchen knife onto the countertop, placed both of his palms on to that same countertop (within a safe distance from the knife), and said in a relatively shocked tone, "Nakiri Erina sabotaged you during the Hell Camp?"

While the older Yukihira did keep in contact with Nakiri Senzaemon, he hasn't contacted the old man since the day before the scheduled Friendship & Team Building Cooking Camp aka the Hell Camp. So to put it simply, this information might as well be a fresh bullet wound in the arm to the former Gemini Chef.

"Pops..." Sōma said, getting his father's attention, before saying in an uncharacteristically saddened tone as he lowered his head, "I wish I could tell you that she did it by accident, I really do. But she knew what she was doing, where she was sending me, and knowing full well that I was going to miss the announcement for the 200 Servings Challenge. And… I just can't trust her. And I am not trusting her with any of the customers back at the diner..."

Jōchirō placed a soft hand on his son's shoulder and said in a lovingly fatherly tone, "I understand Sōma. I understand. May I ask what you are planning to have her do during the summers she'll be working at the Diner?"

The blind redhead took a deep breath and stated, "Gathering and cleaning dishes. That's all I am having her do until she can prove otherwise, and I still can't feel like I can trust her with even that task." Jōchirō understood, there was no way Sōma could trust Erina after that. And now, neither can he, even after he showed her the joys of cooking...

Jōchirō shook away those memories. He needed to cheer his son up, ASAP.

"Sōma, are you keeping your knives sharpened?" Jōchirō asked Sōma, who replied after taking a deep breath, "Of course I have. I sharpen them the night before last until my whole room smelled like sharpening stone."

The former Gemini Chef smiled before saying, "Great. Now, sorry to spring this on you, but I wanna see the progress you've made since coming to Totsuki. Right here, right now." Sōma could feel the aura radiating from his father, edging them on to accept the challenge.

Jōchirō knew for a fact that his son was happiest when he was cooking, so of course, a little cooking contest would be the best medicine to brighten the mood. Besides, he was going to challenge Sōma to one of the first place, it was why he woke them up so early.

Sōma bared his teeth in amusement as he excitedly accepted the challenge.

Jōchirō had already asked Fumio to be the judge for this challenge.

Isshiki also appeared in the kitchen, without anyone really noticing and surprising everyone there. He insisted that he'll also join in on judging the Shokugeki. But now there was a problem, you can't have an even number of judges for any official (or unofficial in this case) Shokugeki. They needed another person to be a judge, but who else would be up at this hour?

That was when they suddenly heard the fridge door open. Fumio, Isshiki, and Jōchirō turned to see Megumi, pouring herself a cup of water. At the moment, the country girl wasn't her usual self. Not to mention those seriously nasty bags under her eyes. It seemed that Megumi kept herself up all night from thinking about the Autumn Elections. Sōma did tell her that they had a month to prepare for it. Fumio then stated, "Still, this works out perfectly. Megumi, come judge with us." The semi-conscious girl ended up agreeing to the whole thing, even though she wasn't completely aware of the whole situation.

Then the Dorm Mother went to thinking about a theme for the Shokugeki, "Now, I'm no youngster anymore… And my stomach an't happy with heavy foods first thing. Plus one of our judges just had what amounts to an all-nighter… So the theme should be… Oh, I know. A dish to "Energize and Invigorate" the body! So make something like that for us."

After thinking about what to make, Sōma then started cooking, his usual white bandanna around his forehead.

Megumi was finally fully awake and asked what the father-son duo was doing. When Jōchirō answered, "Our usual cooking contest," the country girl freaked! She then jumped towards Sōma and asked him if he was serious, going up against a former Elite 10 member, a Former 1st Seat none the less! "So what, we do this kind of thing all the time back at the diner," the blind redhead stated with a smile, as if it was no big deal, then added "Just ask Mayu, but after she wakes up. Trust me on this one, she is a nasty demon if you interrupt her sleep cycle. Especially after she finishes working on a project."

This made Megumi wonder if both of the Yukihira twins inherited the "Asura" from their father. Then again, there was a high probability that they did.

After 15 minutes, Sōma was the first to serve his dish. An Apple Risotto.

All three the judges took a bite of the Risotto, taking in the refreshingly tangy and citrusy scent that was able to rouse their stomachs and perk up their appetite. The Apple Risotto was filled with the crispy apple texture and mildly sweet flavour had some soft simmered onions and crispy and salty bacon on top of the Risotto that has been cooked to perfection. But the Apple really holds the spotlight in the dish, the mild sweetness spreading throughout the whole thing. Sōma then told them to add a little bit of black pepper to the dish.

That pepper added a whole new dimension to the Risotto! A dimension that felt like a harmoniously elegant waltz between black and white.

Megumi said in a blissful tone, "Aaah, I feel like I could melt! The energy from this seeping into every corner of my sleepy body!" Fumio then said with a smile, "It's got tons of healthy vitamins, along with carbs and fats for energy too. And the rights have been cooked just a shade to the soft side of Al Dante, making it easy on the stomach."

That was when Isshiki then inquired, "There's one thing I'm curious about. The Apple flavour had thoroughly soaked into the rice and onions, but if the apples were simmered long enough to do that, someday have crumbled too much?" The second-year student did make a point.

Sōma had an easy answer for that. 100% Pure Apple Juice.

The blind redhead then explained, "First, I sautéed the onions and set them with the rice to simmer. Then I poured in a bit of the apple juice while it was all boiling down. I didn't add the diced apples until the very end, cooking them just long enough to heat them through."

Ah! So that's how the apples kept their crisp texture!

Isshiki couldn't help but be amazed by the ingenuity behind this dish.

Now, it was Jōchirō's turn to serve his dish. Jōchirō's Special Kotteri Ramen.

The first thing to pop into everyone's had was "What?!" Kotteri is a type of ramen with a heavy, rich broth. It was completely opposite the theme of this challenge! Not to mention a bit counterintuitive for breakfast.

Isshiki couldn't help but think, 'There are regions where ramen is eaten for breakfast. But at a glance, this one looks like an ultra-rich and heavy seafood ramen that would sit in the stomach like lead. For someone short on sleep like Tadokoro-chan and as advanced in years as Fumio-san, this dish seems like it is a bit much.'

That was when Fumio started throwing a hissy fit about how Jōchirō would never think twice about using a brand-new recipe or using a disgusting mash-up in the middle of a Shokugeki, which would cost him a match. Although, he would never lose a Shokugeki that involved his seat.

"Ah-ha! So you DID exaggerate some of those Shokugeki!" Sōma stated towards his father in an annoyed tone.

Jōchirō then said in a cheerful tone, pretty much ignoring all of the peeved looks (minus Sōma) thrown at him, "What can I say? My brain works in mysterious ways." The blind redhead did hit his father over the head with his cane.

That was when Megumi noticed that the broth only Looks rich but it didn't smell overpowering at all and that it looks pretty mild and smooth. With that, all three of the judges tasted the dish. It was rich but so easy to eat.

Jōchirō revealed that he mixed in grated ebi taro roots to the broth. Isshiki took note of the spices used in the dish. Chilli oil, grated raw garlic, and ginger. The combination of the spices added to the soymilk gently warms the body without burning the tongue. Fumio noted that the rest of the ingredients are a parade of detailed work.

Thin slices of lotus root and burdock deep-fried to a crispy golden brown. Chunky strips of carrot and turnip grilled over an open flame until lightly charred and then seasoned with just a little rock salt to bring out their natural sweetness. Every one of the side ingredients were cooked in a way to bring out its unique flavour to the fullest. But the keystone to all of this harmony was the Tempeh.

Tempeh; originating in Indonesia. Tempeh is made of soybeans fermented into a cake form. Soybeans are lightly cooked and then wrapped in either banana or hibiscus leaves when stored, the naturally occurring bacteria in the leaves causes the soybeans to ferment into Tempeh. A traditional food with a history over 400 years long, Tempeh is well-known and often used in Indonesian cuisine.

Megumi took a bite of the tempeh. In delight, she said, "Wow! It's really light, yet really filling too! Like fried rice."

Jōchirō then explained, "It has a texture a lot like that of a burger patty, so vegetarians and people on macrobiotic diets (1) use it a lot as a meat substitute. I broiled these teriyaki styles in a mix of soy sauce and sake."

That was when Isshiki realized that the broth was vegetable stock. Jōchirō then happily explained, "Yep! It's a mixture of Kombu seaweed and mushroom stock. In other words, it's a "Buddhist Stock"!" That was when the Totsuki alumni told them about how we met a Buddhist priest who had to give up meat and fish for a week because of a fast, so Jōchirō had developed this particular dish for the priest so he could enjoy something delicious while adhering to his religion.

So by mixing Kombu and mushroom stocks, they each magnify the flavour of the other. Doing so will give you a solid soup stock without resorting to salty to meet like pork or bonito. After realizing that, Fumio shouted "Wait! That… You made this ramen without any meat or fish in it, and yet it's still this rich and powerful?!"

Jōchirō then stated with a grin, "It's really easy to get the strong, robust flavour out of animal products like meat and fish. But… A 100% Vegan Kotteri Ramen… Don't you think it's more fun to make something like that?" Making something delicious and satisfying out of beans and vegetables… That is no easy feat to accomplish. But to someone like Jōchirō, seem to have taken his entire globetrotting life and condensed it all into one single dish.

It was unanimous to whose dish the judges loved the most.

"Happy to serve!" Jōchirō stated as he took up his apron.

Sōma took off his bandanna with a sigh. "Guess there's still stuff for me to learn, huh?" The blind redhead stated as he rewrapped his bandanna around his left wrist.

Jōchirō gave a soft smile, placed a hand on his son's shoulder, and said "You've still improved a lot though. It wouldn't surprise me if you were selected for the Autumn Elections."

Fumio snickered when she said "As a matter of fact, he already has been selected. Along with the majority of the Dorm."

"Oh?" Jōchirō got out before he went into Super Proud Papa Mode. "Sōma! You are making your father burst with pride!" Jōchirō gushed out as he smothered his son with hugs and affection. This, in turn, made Fumio, Megumi, and Isshiki sweatdrop. This was making it was hard to believe that the man before them was a former First Seat of Totsuki. Sōma jabbed the butt of his cane into his father's gut, and then whacked him in the side.

Jōchirō doubled over in pain when Sōma snapped, "How many times have I told you to stop with those sudden hugs? You know very well that I hate those." Isshiki could understand the man's current pain, well at least the whole getting hit by the blind redhead's cane anyway.

Minus this whole weird smothering and hitting incident with his father, Sōma seem to have inspired some confidence in Megumi, yet again, but this time for the Autumn Elections. The country girl then thought, 'Perhaps... Maybe… Sōma could-'

Yuuki burst into the kitchen, shouting for everyone to wake up. She was panting from all the running she just did. Yuuki then said loudly, "We just got some huge news!"

Sōma was the one to ask, "Yūki? What's up?"

That was when Yuuki noticed that they were already people up and asked, "Wait. What are you all doing here? Something going on?"

Megumi then nervously replied, "See, ano... Sōma and Chef Jōchirō had a cook-off, and-"

Yuuki then shrieked, "WHAT?! WHY DIDN'T YOU COME GET ME?!" Megumi apologized.

To calm down the hyperactive orangette, Sōma asked her, "What's the big news?"

With that, Yuuki handed Megumi a sealed envelope and stated, "It came in the mail. I betcha it's the theme for the Autumn Election preliminaries!"

Megumi broke the seal of the envelope, gripped a single paper that laid innocently within, and said, "Our theme for the Autumn Elections is * Slides the paper out slowly * Curry... * Pulls the paper out all the way * Dishes?"

Curry Dishes? What is that suppose to mean?

}i{

Roughly a minute later...

"So, wait... Does that mean all we have to do is make Curry?" Sōma asked in a confused tone, not completely understanding what the theme was asking.

Yuuki then stated, "But it said Curry Dishes. That means we're not limited just to stuff like curry rice, don't you think. There is traditional Indian curry, which you eat with Naan Bread. Then there's stuff like curry noodles and curry stew. Of course, with the kind of bigwig judges will have, those dishes are probably too common to get good marks."

That was when the blind redhead stated, "Okay. So they're looking for a dish that uses curry."

Yuuki then asked Fumio if she could take care of her chickens for two or three days so she can go visit the local Hunter's Association to see if they are willing to share anything they've caught.

"Does anyone else think the theme of this is a little strange?" Sōma asked as he pressed the second knuckle of his right index finger to his chin.

Megumi asked the blind redhead what he meant by that. Sōma then explained in a serious tone, "From what I have been hearing about the Autumn Elections is that it's one of the biggest events for all the first-year Totsuki students that have been selected for it."

Yuuki nodded and said, "Yup, that sounds about right."

That was when Jōchirō stated "Ah, I see what you're talking about Sōma. The chosen theme is too broad with the main ingredient that is too common. It doesn't match with the importance of the Autumn Elections. Heck, the theme sounds more like it should have been chosen for a fun Festival where the winner gets crowned as the King or Queen of the dish, or something like that."

Now that the two Yukihiras mention it... Curry Dishes does seem to be a bit of a mismatched theme to pair with the major event... Even if the first-year students somehow manage to procure the best, top-grade ingredients... Soooo... Why is Curry Dishes the theme of the Autumn Elections?

"Isshiki-senpai," Sōma stated, getting the second-year student's attention, then asked, "How much of the Autumn Elections did Eizan-senpai actually work on?"

Isshiki eyed the blind redhead with a raised brow and asked, "Sōma-kun, as much as I admire your interest in such a prestigious event; however, I cannot disclose what any member of the Elite 10 worked on during sed event. Whether I agree with them or not... * Now in a concerned tone * Did something happened between you and Eizan-kun?"

Sōma scoffed when he said, "Jerk brought up some Bad Memories, and to put it simply, That was the only "good" thing about our little "conversation" a couple of weeks ago." Jōchirō wasn't liking the tone his son was using, more along the lines of this Eizan person then the actual tone... Maybe the former First Seat should drop by the Headmaster later today.

Now Isshiki was SURE Eizan was doing something unethical behind the scenes... Yet Again.

Trying to get everyone on a happier note, Jōchirō brought up that a former resident of the Polaris dorm from his day was an expert in spices and used to cook curry all the time. "Oh! I know who you mean. Jun is a professor here at Totsuki now," Fumio stated, then added as she glanced at the first-year students, "She teaches second-year classes and I'm pretty sure you haven't even met her yet."

Fumio then explained that this former residence name was Shiomi Jun. She teaches the general classes and teaches a seminar specializing in spices. Not to mention she was the youngest professor ever hired by Totsuki.

Jōchirō then happily said, "Wow. She sure has gone far. Jun was one of my old dorm mates. I was in my second year of high school when she came on in her first year of junior high (middle school). I look after her a lot. * Now really chipper * Tell her my name and I'm sure she'll be glad to help." For reason, Sōma had a feeling that dropping his father's name isn't a good idea.

Yuuki decided to go get Mayu, so she could join Megumi and Sōma to meet Professor Shiomi.

"Yuuki-chan where are you going?" Sōma asked when he heard her footsteps climbing the stairs. Yuuki happily said, "I'm gonna get Mayu-cchi, so she can go with you to meet Shiomi-Sensei," then she bolted off.

"Wait? Does she mean that she's going to wake-up Mayu? Now?" Sōma asked with a worried look on his face. Megumi glanced at the blind redhead and said, "I think so..."

With that Jōchirō had a look on his face that screamed 'Oh-Crap-!' when he asked "Umm, Sōma, correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember Mayu telling me last night that she needed to finish an assignment before midnight... She stayed up late to complete it, so that means..."

"Yuuki! Don't!" Sōma shouted as he and the older man ran towards the stairs. Jōchirō then grabbed his son by the arm before he could get to stairs, more along the lines of making sure that Sōma doesn't trip over the stairs in his rush. Megumi was wondering why the two were acting this way until she felt an aura that made the entire dorm feel like you were standing in front of the Gates of Hell. "Crap!" Sōma vocalized.

Then Jōchirō added, "Too late!" Both looked positively terrified. They knew was going to happen next, and it is soooo NOT going to be pretty.

That was when the rest of the dorm woke to the sound of Yuuki's glass-shattering screams of petrifying fear.

~}i{~

One Hour Later...

Erina was sitting in the back of the car with Hisako as it drove toward its destination.

Hisako was reading off today's schedule for Erina from a little notebook she had in her hand, "The the owner and head chef of the restaurant Kishoan have come to pay their respects. They have a few dishes they would like for you to taste. This evening is a business dinner with those VIPs of Food Exclusive Company..." Erina was just glancing out of the window as her assistant/friend continued talking. This is a pretty normal occurrence.

Suddenly, Erina thought she saw Chef Saiba walking in the opposite direction of the car.

The honey blonde quickly shouted for the driver to stop, and practically leapt out of drive a car to see if her beloved idol was there. Hisako quickly followed and concern and asked, "Erina-sama, is everything all right?"

With a pink tint on her face and a heart fluttering like butterflies, Erina said, "It's... Nothing..." And then she thought, 'Was I seeing things?'

}i{

At the same time...

Sōma and Megumi stood in front of a dilapidated shed.

"Ano... Did Fumio-san write down the building address for Shiomi-sensei incorrectly?" Megumi wondered aloud as she looked at the address written on the piece of paper, then the shed, looked at the paper again.

Sōma then asked, "Should we call Fumio-san or go inside and asked if this is the right building?" Megumi didn't want to bother the dorm mother, but she also didn't want to enter the building in fear of whoever was living inside it being as scary as Chapelle-sensei.

Sōma decided it be best to investigate the building, so he went ahead. Poor Megumi didn't want her dorm mate to get lost within the rundown shed, so she unwillingly followed him.

It didn't take more than three minutes to find the room marked "Shiomi Seminar". The two Polaris members entered the open room to find it empty. At least, it was empty to Megumi's eyes. Sōma could hear some rhythmic 'Skrch'ing, and uses his cane to help guide him in the direction of the sound. When he heard his cane hit something ceramic he heard a small gasp. "Is someone here?" The blind redhead asked, notifying Megumi that there was indeed someone in the room.

The person in the room appeared to be a junior high (middle) school student with a high brownish-black coloured ponytail with things framing her face, thin square-framed glasses, bright amber eyes, wearing a T-shirt with the word "spice" written on the chest, a pair of track shorts, and white generic shoes using one of those old-fashioned hand grinders to grind some kind of spice. Megumi wondered why a junior high school student was in a lab room that was designated for second-year high school students.

The girl quickly jolted to her feet as she shouted "GUESTS?!" She then nervously said while looking around "Um, I-I'm sorry. I'll go get some tea right away." Megumi quickly told the girl that she didn't have to, which in turn cause the girl to apologize, which then caused Megumi to apologize for the trouble.

'Are they aware that they're both apologizing for making the other apologies?' Sōma wondered as the whole apology cycle continued. Apparently, neither of the girls noticed.

Sōma did try to get their attention, but the apologies on top of apologies drowned his voice out. Before the blind redhead could try again, he smelt the scent of cinnamon. The same cinnamon scent that he smelt during the Autumn Elections announcement. It started faint but it was growing stronger, it was coming closer.

"Yo, I went and bought the stuff you asked for-, Hm?" a teen with dark skin and long, white hair with bangs are neatly swept to the right, green eyes, wearing the Totsuki school uniform unbuttoned with a shirt inside, a loosened tie around his uniform collar, and is considerably tall and handsome (in Megumi's opinion) said as he walked into the room.

}{ A Few Minutes Later }{

Megumi and Sōma sat on a sofa across from the girl as the tall, dark skin teen got them tea.

"Oh? So the two of you are from my old dorm?" The girls asked as the whitette placed a tray with a teakettle and four cups of tea.

"Hold on? Your old dorm?" Megumi asked in confusion.

That was when Sōma asked, more along the lines to confirm his suspicions, "Were you at the Polaris dorm when the Gemini Chefs resided at it?" The girl nodded it and said, "I was, *Now in a sour tone * unfortunately. * Now angrily * Saiba-senpai that jerk made me his test monkey for all of his experimental dishes!"

Megumi's attention perked when she asked "Saiba-senpai? Wait! Does that mean you're Shiomi Jun?!" That last part seemed to shock the country girl.

Shiomi Jun, Age 34. (But appears to be no older than 12 or 13-years-old)

Sōma turned an ear to his dorm mate and asked, "Why are you surprised? If this young lady is Shiomi-sensei then it shouldn't be that much of a surprise that she knew Oji-san and Saiba-senpai while they were attending Totsuki." At first, Megumi wondered why the blind redhead didn't address Jōchirō as his father, but remembering how Shiomi-sensei reacted to the memory of that very man, it seems like a reasonable action.

"Oji-san?" The child-looking woman asked in confusion.

Catching himself, Sōma explained, "I guess I should specify a bit, Dōjima Gin is my godfather, but my siblings and I like to call him Oji-san because he is close in age to our parents."

"Siblings? So Mayu isn't your only sister?" Megumi asked Sōma, who then replied, "Actually, she is my only sister, but we do have a younger brother. His name is Hiro." Megumi then asked if he was all right being at home all by himself. Sōma and stated that his younger brother was also attending an elementary school with dorm rooms, much like how Totsuki has dorms.

The dark skin teen giving audible cough to get the two Polaris dorm members attention, before asking, "While all this information is fascinating and all, but may I ask why you two are here?" As he sat down next to Shiomi-sensei.

Sōma quickly apologized for his tangent and said, "Both Megumi and I are here because we heard from Fumio-san that Shiomi-sensei is a master of spice and curry. And I guess that we were hoping that she would teach us about curry since it is the theme of the Autumn Elections."

Shiomi-sensei was a bit surprised that the dorm mother that oversaw the Polaris was still there, but she quickly recovered and said, "I guess I could teach you a thing or two. I mean, it is technically not against the rules for students to ask teachers for help when preparing for cooking events. * Turns to the dark skin teen next to her * Now that I think about it, Hayama, weren't you selected for Autumn Elections too?"

Megumi's braided pigtails stiffened when she asked the dark skin teen in shock, enough of a shock to make her slip completely into her Hokkaido accent, "Ya're a first-year student?! I thought you were a second-year student! Since you were-, I mean, ya seem ta be... I thought ya had ta be a second-year student to attend any of the Tozuki seminar classes..." The dark skin teen, Hayama, chuckled softly and said, "No, you're right, and I am a First-Year Totsuki student. But you see, Jun here sucks at anything that isn't messing with spices, and she NEEDS my help."

The child looking professor jumped to her feet and shouted at Hayama, "That's "Shiomi-sensei" to you! Also, don't call me "Jun"! Y-you're in a special position as my personal assistant, Hayama! You need to show me the respect due a-"

"Jun..." Hayama said, getting the professor's attention before adding in a somewhat menacing tone, "You forgot it was your turn to water the plants today." Shiomi-sensei now has the look of the kind of realization that you have inadvertently done something bad. Hayama told her that he watered them for her, again. The child-looking professor sat in front of the dark-skinned teen on her knees and apologized.

Hayama then said, "And who was it that forgot to water them last week, nearly letting a very rare spice wither?"

Shrinking, Shiomi-sensei said in a meek voice, "Me, sir. I'm sorry, sir."

Then Hayama stated, "And remind me, who was it that took care of the guests you completely forgot about last month?"

Still shrinking, the professor said, "You, sir."

A sweatdrop appeared on Megumi's head when she thought, 'I think he's made his point.'

Sōma chuckled a bit before saying, "Wow, you two remind me of how Tsukui-sensei and Niwa-chan interact, except in reverse."

This got Hayama to stop. Shiomi-sensei turns to the blind redhead and said, "I don't remember any teachers here at Totsuki by the surname of Tsukui."

Sōma waved a hand and said, "Oh, no, I'm not talking about any of the teachers here. Tsukui-sensei is a semi-regular customer back at the diner, and Niwa-chan drops in from time to time. You see, they live in the same building complex, and one of the rules of this place is that if you lived there you have to take care of it as well. Don't ask me why they have this kind of rule. And Niwa-chan is a little bit on the forgetful side and tends to forget her assigned chores from time to time, Tsukui-sensei usually ends up doing them and kind of starts doing what Hayama-kun was doing with Shiomi-sensei given the chance. Sorry, *Chuckles * I couldn't help but compare."

Well, that explains the odd reaction to that situation.

Sōma then sniffs the air and asked, "I can smell a whole lot of different spices here. * Stands and wonders over to where the scent was strongest * Ooh! I smell curry right here!"

Hayama smirked and said, "Ah, so you have a good nose too. What you're smelling right now is the Sweet Neem Leaf. Though most people know it as a Curry Leaf."

Megumi walked over to Sōma to see the spice and realized one thing when she vocalized, "What? That's a fresh curry leaf?!"

"Huh? What's the big deal about having a "fresh" curry leaf? We grow herbs in pots back at the diner," Sōma asked, not understanding the comment.

Megumi then explained, "There aren't any curry trees in Japan, because the saplings can't survive our cold winters. It's more common to find the drive leaves here. It should almost be impossible to acquire leaves this fresh…"

That was when Hayama said after taking a sip from his cup, "That's one of the many things Jun is researching. Things like stable means to cultivate tropical spice plants inside Japan improved long-term storage method using advanced refrigeration techniques, and new flavour extraction methods. Jun has invented and developed all of these."

"Wow, those are really big accomplishments for someone in their 30s," Sōma bluntly stated with a chuckle.

Shiomi-sensei blushed when she stated, "That's so very sweet of you, and besides spices indeed hold enough hidden potential to be worth those kinds of effort."

After these words, the professor slipped on a lab coat, that appear to be at least three sizes too big for her, and started writing on a whiteboard while explaining some of the scientific properties of spices. "Ano... Is she starting a seminar course?" Sōma asked, not sure what just happened.

Hayama chuckled when he said, "Uh-oh when she gets like this, she can go on for hours."

Wait? What?!

"Ah, well it'll probably be faster if you experience it firsthand anyway. C'mon, I'll show you just how nuanced spices can be," Hayama stated as he led Sōma and Megumi to the kitchen within the building.

After a few minutes, the first curry dish was done. It was a Kozhi Varutha Chicken Curry.

Hayama explained that it's one of the major dishes of South Indian cuisine and that he is already added some of the curry leaves from before for flavour. Megumi couldn't help but state that the curry dish looked great. Sōma sniff the air close to the dish a bit before asking, "Did you also add some chilli pepper to this dish? I can smell a hint of it."

Hayama blinked in surprise before ultimately saying, "Only one way to find out." With that, both Megumi and Sōma took a bite of the curry dish.

An explosion of the scented flavour of curry leaves filled their mouths, followed by the savoury flavour of chilli peppers and onions that danced on the tongue.

"You did use chilli peppers! And this is delicious!" Sōma exclaimed, making Hayama smirked.

The dark skin teen then explained, "That's the power of fresh. The fragrance of raw curry leaves is over 10 times stronger than drive leaves, thus making the flavour 10 times stronger."

"I don't disagree with you on that," the blind redhead stated before adding with a chuckle, "However, I know someone who would find this dish disgusting, probably more along the lines that there are onions in here."

"You seem to know a lot of interesting people," Hayama observed as he started making another curry dish. Sōma happily stated that it must be because he worked at a diner, and interesting people tend to eat at diners.

That's one way to put it, at least from Megumi's point of view.

Hayama then made two samples of Goan Fish Curry. He explained that this dish uses white-meat fish, like swordfish and salmon. Megumi did ask why he made two samples. Hayama smiled and said, "You'll see. I use exactly the same spices and fish for both. Taste them and compare." And so, Sōma and Megumi did eat a spoonful from both dishes.

"The second taste much better! How's that possible if you use the exact same ingredients?" Megumi exclaimed.

Sōma ran his tongue over the curry that was still in his mouth, before swallowing and saying, "You roasted the red peppers and coriander without any oils."

Hayama chuckled and said, "Correct! I parched those two spices in a frying pan. It was all I needed to do to make that big of a difference between the two dishes."

Now what Shiomi-sensei saying earlier makes sense.

Hayama made his third and final dish, but to Megumi's eyes, it looked identical to the Kozhi Varuttha Chicken Curry that she first tasted. But to Sōma, he smelled a different dish, true it's smelled similar to the first dish but the scent smelled more powerful than it.

When they took a bite, the spiciness of flavour spread through the mouth much quicker and the flavour was far clearer. What did the dark-skinned teen add to make this powerful flavour possible? He confirmed that it wasn't from dry roasting.

That was when Hayama explained, "Instead of the soup stock I used for all the other dishes, I simmered this one in plain water." This surprised both Sōma and Megumi. Hayama explained the reason why he used water instead of soup stock, "I use one of the principles from Jun's lecture. The more flavours are mixed together, the less powerful each individual flavour becomes. So in this case, by removing the flavour of the soup stock, it lets the flavour of the curry spices stand out more strongly."

Megumi couldn't help but think, 'So he deliberately didn't use it stock. But wouldn't that make the dish taste bland?' She took another bite of the dish. The strong, powerful fragrance and the robust, rounded flavours… Was like being pierced right to the heart by one of cupid's golden arrows.

"Does anyone here read Sherlock Holmes?" Sōma suddenly asked. Both Hayama and Megumi stared at the blind redhead. Who can blame them, that question just came out of nowhere, literally.

Sōma then said with a look on his face that made it seem that he wasn't just eating anything that extremely delicious two seconds ago, "Just me? Okay, I guess I'll just explain it. In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's mystery entitled "Silver Blaze", Sherlock Holmes solves the mystery and caught the culprit because of what didn't happen."

Megumi was the one to ask in confusion, "Umm, what does that have to do with cooking?"

In that same cheerful tone, Sōma stated "It doesn't, but I couldn't help but think of that story when I noticed something Hayama-kun didn't do. * Now in a serious tone * I never heard you moved to taste any of your dishes. You knew the conditions of your ingredients from just the smell of them alone." This was a shockwave to the country girl and dark-skinned teen. How the heck did the blind redhead notice something like that?

Now that Megumi thought about it… She never actually saw Hayama checking any of the pots while he was cooking.

Hayama let out a whistle then said, "Wow, you were able to notice something like that with all of the stuff I was doing. I'm going, to be honest, I never expected you to deduce that much besides the taste of the dishes I served."

Sōma chuckled as he said, "Lota people don't, but then again, no one expects a blind person to notice something that needs to be seen, right? * Drops the cheery demeanour and now in a calm tone * Shiomi-sensei said you were selected for the Autumn Elections, and I can understand why. Now I have to ask, considering what you specialize in, what did you think when you heard that "Curry Dishes" was selected as the theme for the preliminaries?"

Hayama chuckled when he said, "I laughed when I found out. I just couldn't help it. Of all the things they could have picked. Now it's your turn, what did you think when you heard, Yukihira Sōma?"

Sōma's ears perked up when he asked rather cluelessly, "Huh? I don't remember introducing myself when I arrived."

Hayama laughed when he said, "There isn't a single first-year student who doesn't know your name, and not just if they attended the entrance ceremony. Also, the majority of the second and third-year students know who you are as well."

"Eh? Is my cooking that good that even the senpais know why am?" Sōma asked placing a finger on his chin. A sweatdrop appeared on Hayama's brow when he said, "I'm sure it's the fact that you're a blind chef that's been catching everyone attention."

Sōma frowned when he said, "So... They only know of me because I'm labelled as "Disabled"... * Sighs * Same as always…"

"Sōma-kun..." was all Megumi got out. Hayama now regretted bringing that up.

Shaking off the sagging cloud, Sōma said to Hayama, "So, you know what's cooking by the scent of the ingredients. Were you born with a sharp sense of smell?"

The dark-skinned teen smiled and said, "It was in fact. It's one of the things that allowed me to cook as best I can. Since the sense of smell comes before the tongue can touch food."

By this time, Jun finally realized that the students weren't even in the same room she was and she had quickly scampered off to find them, lab coat dragging on the floor.

Sōma suddenly took one of Hayama's hands, held it to chest level, and said ecstatically, "This is amazing! I can't believe I found another person with an amazing sense of smell!" This caught both Megumi and Hayama (especially Hayama) majorly and completely off-guard.

"A-another?" The dark-skinned teen squeaked out in confusion.

The blind redhead nodded, not letting go of the others hand, and said, still bursting with joy, "Yes! His name is Andoryū and he's got the sharpest nose that I have ever known! I mean, he's been able to sniff out what's currently in the kitchen right from the front door! And he hasn't been wrong once! You just have to meet him, and he just has to meet you!"

Megumi pipped in an "Ano, are you talking about the same Andoryū that you mention about during the, err, I mean when you commented on the texture of that weird dish during the Hell Camp?"

The blind redhead happily stated, "Yup! That's him."

"Say, Hayama, we always have an Annual Menu Addition Cooking Contest at the diner during the summer, how about you drop by and participate in it? You'll be able to meet Andoryū there," Sōma asked happily, still having a hold on the dark-skinned teen's hand.

Still, in a bit of a shock, Hayama then commented, "You are aware that the first-year students selected for the Autumn Elections have to use the upcoming summer to prepare a dish for it? Right?"

"From what I just tasted, you should be able to come up with a dish for the Autumn Elections pretty easily and be able to participate in the Menu Addition Contest with little to no problem," Sōma stated with joy, not noticing the aura of confusion within the kitchen. Hayama was a bit taken back, not just because the blind redhead was suddenly so cheerful but also because he was admitting that the dark-skinned teen was an amazing chef.

Hayama was just about to refuse the offer when everyone heard and excited "He'll do it!" Emitting from the kitchen doorway. Megumi and Hayama turned to see Shiomi-sensei standing there, her face alight with radiating joy.

"Jun?!" was all Hayama was able to squeak out. Shiomi-sensei walked over to the trio and stated in a cheerful tone, "Hayama would love to participate, and I'll personally make sure of it."

"Eh? Really? That's nice of you," Sōma said cheerfully as he turned an ear to the professor.

Shiomi-sensei then said happily, "Yup, and besides, Hayama needs to socialize with people more." The whitette was utterly distraught about the conversation happening right before him.

That was when Megumi asked the professor why she was so involved in Hayama's life, considering Totsuki's student\teacher policy.

"Oh, I'm Hayama's legal guardian," Shiomi-sensei stated, her current happy mood was completely overtaking her being right now and didn't realize the information that she had just disclosed.

Megumi went into a state of shock, while Sōma said in amazement, "Whoa! I didn't think that kind of relationship was allowed here at Totsuki."

"Jun has special permission, but that's all we're going to tell you. Now can you let go of my hand," Hayama stated, trying to pull away from the blind redhead. Sōma finally realized that he's been holding on to the other's hand this entire time and realized his grip with an apology.

For once, Hayama was hoping that Jun's forgetful nature of things that are not spice related would allow him to miss this 'Annual Cooking Contest' thing.

}{ Roughly 30 Minutes Later }{

Megumi and Sōma returned to the Polaris dorm for more spice and curry research. After all, they had a preliminary to prepare for and they needed all the information they can get that was available to them in the limited time frame that they were going to be in the dorm.

}{

After three complete days of nonstop research on curry, spices, and any ingredients that may be used to balance the two, Megumi at her suitcase packed and ready for her to return home for the summer, and the Yukihira Twins had all their stuff packed and ready for them to return to the diner to restart it for the summer.

"Mayu, are you sure that you already talked to the Totsuki Board about being on the list for the Autumn Elections? You know they're not going to talk to you over Summer Vacation," Sōma asked his twin sister with concern.

Mayu sighed and then replied, "I did, and they said that they couldn't do anything because the list was already made and approved of. Can you believe that load of crap? * Scoffed * I just want to know who's the dimwitted idiot who put a non-Totsuki student on that list and didn't have anyone double-check it before making it official."

As you can imagine, Yukihira Mayu was NOT the least bit pleased with this. Especially since she got her summer assignment from her high school (Gijutsu Saidai Academy), which was to make a short animated film of assigned ballet dance. Sōma cringed when he heard that. While the blind redhead was aware that his twin sister was amazing when it came to technical stuff, he knew that she had her work cut out for, and that wasn't even including the fact that she also had to think of an original curry dish for something that she wasn't even supposed to be part of. 'Something tells me that that bastard Eizan is behind having Mayu's name on the Autumn Election list,' Sōma thought sourly.

After waving his arm around for her shoulder, Sōma placed a hand on his twin sister and said, "Mayu, you're getting too aggravated. How about we stop at your favourite sushi place on the way home to cheer you up, my treat."

Mayu smiled at her brother and said, "Sōma, you don't have to do that." The blind redhead smiled and said, "I don't mind, besides we haven't been there in a while."

A few seconds later, a taxi pulled up in front of the Polaris dorm.

~}i{~ Timeskip. End of Summer, and Back at Totsuki ~}i{~

(What happened over the Summer Holiday for Sōma is what happens in the Summer Omakes)

It didn't take much effort to find the stadium for the Autumn Elections introductions, all you had to do was follow the 61 participants.

Sōma and Mayu easily found their dorm mates. One of the questions that they asked was, "Mayu, are you going to be okay for the preliminaries?"

The female Yukihira smiled and said in a chipper tone, "Oh, don't worry about me, I have a dish in mind and I have all the ingredients for it. In all honesty, it was sort of the only thing I could think about making, considering what I was animating all summer * chuckles *. I am so glad I got THAT done." This made the Polaris dorm members curious as to what Mayu's curry dish was.

Takumi popped out of nowhere, mainly to declare that he was Sōma's only true rival when Mayu as who the thin stranger standing next to him was. Takumi answered in a slightly confused tone, "Huh? It's Isami, of course. Who else would it be?"

Things got awkwardly silent at that.

The Polaris group it merely stated that the blind half Italian was lying (minus Sōma, who didn't know why they were reacting the way they were). Takumi explained, almost as if the whole situation with Isami's sudden weight-loss was normal to him, "Um, I'm telling the truth. It is him. The summer heat got to him and he lost a little weight, yes, but he doesn't look that different."

Isami continued the explanation, "I'm feeling lots better now, though don't worry. I'm usually back to my normal self by late fall, early winter." Everyone was surprised that this was actually a yearly thing and that the whole thing has killed the brunette half Italian yet.

Takumi was about to say something when all of the light in the stadium suddenly switched off.

A spotlight flashed onto a podium with a microphone as the emcee announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, we apologized for keeping you waiting. Please turn your attention to the stage." Not like the students had a choice in the matter, the state was the only thing lit.

The emcee then announced, "The headmaster of the Institute will now make his introductory address."

With that, Nakiri Senzaemon walked onto the stage, his radiating aura suffocated the air close to the stage. When the muscular, elderly man stood in front of the microphone, and made his speech, "This auditorium is known as Heaven's Moon Arena. Usually, it is a place reserved solely for Shokugeki between members of the Elite 10. * This pretty much captured everyone in the stadium's attention * As a show of respect to those students who earned the rank of First Seat... It is a tradition to hang their portraits here in a place of honour." Mayu and the Polaris dorm members were able to find the portrait of the Two Gemini Chefs as soon as those words were spoken, and in the dim light too.

The headmaster continued, "This arena has seen countless battles and witnessed the birth of countless specialities. Here you can feel them in the air. The memories of battle, one after another after another… Floating through the air like a mist. This Heaven's Moon Arena is where the Autumn Election Finals will be held."

So in other words, those who survived the preliminaries will have the honour of standing on this legendary stage!

With this, Senzaemon decided it was time to finish his speech, "Students! We will meet here again on the day of the finals! Which of you will be the ones to carve a new piece of history? Show me! Chefs of Totsuki's 92nd graduating class!" The students cheered with excitement at these words, and not just the first-year students.

Having their names go down in history like this. Having the opportunity to walk the path of the elite. Not to mention having the second and third-year students watched their skills and action. No words to describe this level of excitement that would radiate from the majority of the first-year students.

Senzaemon tapped on the microphone, to get everyone's attention. He took a deep breath and said into the mic, "While I sincerely wish to end this on a happy note, but as Headmaster of Totsuki I must make this horrible news now while all of the students and staff are present." That earned a murmur from all of the students as the elderly man pulled out a folded sheet of paper from his sleeve pocket. What on earth could be so important, not to mention so bad, to paused the Autumn Elections for even a second?

Senzaemon cleared his throat, unfolded the paper to read, and said into the microphone, "As Headmaster of Totsuki, I hereby declare… That I, Nakiri Senzaemon, use one of my Nulls to remove the following students from the Elite 10 Council with a heavy heart... Kobayashi Rindou, Akanegakubo Momo, Kinokuni Nene, Eizan Etsuya, and * with a heavy sigh and an even heavier heart * Nikiri Erina... Over this past summer, these five students have violated, not only the rules of Totsuki but also the rules that have been set in place at their summer employment… And because of their negligence of said rules… * Takes a deep breath * A customer has suffered greatly. Therefore, I believe that they are no longer fit to be a part of the most prestigious group within the walls of Totsuki…"

The arena was eerily silent. No one said a single word. No one has made a single noise. No one had any idea what could have happened over the summer to remove half of the Elite 10 Council from power.

The Polaris Group, Ikumi, and the Aldini Twins eyed Mayu and Sōma since they knew for a fact that the names that were listed were apart of the Seven Elites that had to work at their diner. 'What happened over the summer?' was the question that popped into all of their heads.

However... Alice, Ryō, and Hayama focused their attention on the Yukihira Twins because they KNEW exactly what happened at Shokujidokoro Yukihira since they were there when THAT happened... And quite frankly… After watching it happen... Made it that much harder to ever see those five as Elites Chefs ever again.

For Mayu and Sōma... Hearing that those five have been removed from the Elite 10 didn't make them feel any better. After all, those five did something that neither of the Yukihira Twins could ever forgive...

~}i{~

To Be Continued...

~}i{~

Omake: Summer Time at Shokujidokoro Yukihira.

}i{ July 8; Summer Job Day 7 }i{

13:17 (1:17 PM) at Shokujidokoro Yukihira….

The Sumire Karaage Roll was still a major hit, everyone just loves them, no matter who they are. But now it's time for a new dish…

The lunch rush was pretty much over and the Seven Elites were on their lunch break when Hiro told them some interesting information.

"Annual Menu Addition Cooking Contest?" all Seven Elites asked at the same time.

Hiro happily nodded and said "Yes, Pops holds this cooking contest every Summer, and the winner of each category gets their dish on our menu. Sōma-Ani and Mayu-Ane won a few of the categories over the years."

Saitou then asked, "How long doth thy dishes last on the menu?"

Hiro answered honestly "Our menu is considered a Specialty-of-the-day or a seasonal menu, but as long as the customers want the dish, we'll do our best to keep making the dish. I mean, one of our most popular dishes is last year's Dessert Winner."

This got Akanegakubo's attention immediately when she said "What kind of dessert? Momo wants to know."

Hiro blinked in confusion and asked "Ano, you don't know? But you've been serving it for the past week you guys have been working here…. You don't remember any of the names of the dishes you've been serving? Or any of menu items?"

Now that the Seven Elites thought about it, they haven't been paying attention to what they've been serving, just what trays went to which table. Or in Erina's case, the number of dishes she had to wash.

Hiro folded his arms and said "You know, I'm starting to think that maybe you guys aren't the real members of this Legendary Elite 10 Council of Totsuki that Pops told us about. I would've figured you'd at least remember our most popular dishes." (Ouch! That had to have stung).

Two pairs of footsteps walked into the diner. "Hi, hi~" everyone heard a child happily called out. They turned to see two individuals. A relatively tall woman wearing a black shirt, white pants with a black coloured design on the middle paired with grey leather boots, who appeared to be in her late 40s, short messy midnight black hair, bright cyan blue eyes, and had (and what caught the attention of the Seven Elites) skin that was as white as pure untouched snow. And a seven-year-old girl with cocoa coloured hair that was tied in a pair low braided twin-tails, sparkling black eyes, light blue short-sleeved shirt with a silver panther printed on the front, matching slacks, and black shoes.

"Yumi, I know you're excited, but no shouting when we're inside," the woman said to the little girl, who cheerfully replied, "Sorry mommy, but it's been too long since we came here." The woman patted the girl, Yumi, on the head as they walked to the bar stools.

Hiro smiled and said happily "Tsukui-Sensei! How have you been? We haven't seen you in a while." 'Sensei?' the Seven Elites thought at the same time. They then wondered if this lady was some kind of chef who used to work at Yukihira's or was a cooking teacher like Chapelle-sensei.

The woman smiled, helped the girl onto one of the bar stools, and said "I'm good. I'm sorry for not dropping by lately, but I had a lot of kids to take care of this school year and Yumi here had a lot more schoolwork this time around." The woman, Tsukui-sensei, then patted Yumi on the head again as she sat on the stool next to her.

Yumi then happily said, "But I got it all done."

"By the way, the usual group is coming in, so would it be too much to ask for some seats to be open for them?" Tsukui-sensei asked the boy, who happily replied "No problem."

The pale woman looked around the diner before asking "Where are Sō-chan and Mai-chan? I figured they'd be back for the Menu Contest."

Hiro happily said "They're here, let me get them for you. They'll be so delighted that you're here, Sensei." The boy then took off to the Yukihira residents upstairs.

Nikiri Erina, Eizan Etsuya, Kinokuni Nene, Saitou Somei, Akanegakubo Momo, Kobayashi Rindou, and Tsukasa Eishi stared at the woman and her daughter with curiosity, wondering who the woman was. "It's rude to stare at someone you don't know," Tsukui-sensei said to the 7 Elites, casting a suspicious eye at them. "Who are you anyway? You children wear Yukihira's uniform, yet none of you have the vibe of Yukihira. And I doubt Yukihira-san would approve of strangers working in his diner," the woman stated still giving the Totsuki students with that same suspicious look. Yumi was a bit confused about why her mother was saying what she was saying, but the child knew she didn't recognize the teens in the diner uniform.

One thing the 7 Elites could Not miss was the aurora that the woman seems to be giving off. It was almost like they were being stared down by a Fearsome Wol-

"Tsukui-sensei!" the 7 Elites heard the Yukihira twins say at the same time as they entered the diner from the stairs. And with that, the aurora that surrounded the woman vanished without so much as a trace.

"Sō-chan, Mai-chan. Good to see you two again," Tsukui-sensei said cheerfully with a toothy grin.

That was when the 7 Elites finally realized what the woman was calling the Yukihira twins when they thought 'Sō-chan? Mai-chan? ... What?'

Mayu took one of her twin's hand and lead him to the woman, Hiro followed the twins. Tsukui-sensei, in turn, stood up and pulled all the three Yukihiras into a hug. Now that the 7 Elites noticed the height comparisons, the woman was a bit taller than Sōma by about 6 cm.

"Tsukui-sensei, it's so good of you to drop by," Mayu said happily as she and Hiro looked up at the woman as they separated.

Tsukui-sensei smiled and said, "Same here, I'm sure Hiro-chan told you, I've been busy this school year."

Sōma waved it off and said "No worries, Sensei. Also, is it the usual group that's coming in?"

Yumi pipped in by saying "Yup, and the usual troublemakers."

Mayu sighed and said, "Those two better behave this time."

"I'll add squid to their food for you if they don't," Sōma said casually, earning a snicker from the woman.

Tsukui-sensei then said rather than asked, "Still making those weird food combos, huh, Sō-chan."

The blind redhead smirked and stated, "Duh, how else am I going to find out what works?" The woman could only smile at the Totsuki student.

That was when Yumi asked the Yukihira Twins, "Neh, Nii-chan, Nee-chan (2), *points to the 7 Elites* who are they?" The Yukihiras then explained the whole "Troubled but Gifted Summer Camp" to the woman and added that their father gave the ok to use his diner as a camp.

Tsukui-sensei couldn't help but laugh and say "Yeah, that sounds just like something he would do."

"Oji-san needs to grow up," Yumi said with a huff. The woman snickered at the comment her daughter made. This somewhat made the 7 Elites wonder who the Yukihiras' father was. And now that they thought about it, where was their mother? None of the Elites have seen her, nor have any of them heard of her since they've been here.

Tsukui-sensei suddenly turned her head towards the door, as if she heard something everyone else could not. When everyone looked towards the diner entrance to see a tall thin man (181 cm/ 5.94 ft) with long dark brown hair that reached his caves but had some bangs in his face, dark grey eyes, a sky blue shirt with long sleeves and seemed to be made from a light material, long black slacks, and black shoes. The tall man took a few steps towards the group.

Sōma smirked and stated; "I know those footsteps. All your usual dishes, Kashii-san?"

The man, Kashii-san, only stated; "Not at the moment, Sōma-kun. Just an order of Chicken and Shrimp Ramen with the Works for now."

Tsukui-sensei raised a brow in concern when she asked as she took a step towards the man "Just ONE order of ONE dish? You feeling alright Eiji?"

"I am quite alright," Kashii-san replied as he walked over to the barstools.

"Then why are you only ordering one thing?" Mayu asked the tall man with a raised brow. These comments made the Seven Elites wonder if the man was a big eater, but looking at his figure made them think otherwise.

In a completely calm tone, Kashii-san stated; "Michio, you remember the bet that the Tsumita brothers made with me?"

Tsukui-sensei snickered and stated; "Yes, so I assume you won that bet, huh."

'So this man's name is Kashii Eiji and Tsukui-Sensei's name is Tsukui Michio?' Erina thought, taking in the new information. That was when she realized, 'Wait a minute... Michio is a guy's name (3)!' The honey blond quickly looked over the snow-skinned individual, trying to confirm whether or not the person was male or female. Erina quickly stopped as soon as she saw that the long-haired man was giving her a narrowed eye.

Kashii-san only nodded as he took a seat at the bar. One stool away from Yumi. Tsukui-sensei sat between the two and stated; "I saw that outcome coming the moment those two made that bet with you." Sōma and Hiro went to work on the ramen dish in the kitchen as Mayu went upstairs to work on her project.

The blind redhead pipped in a; "Well, what do'ya expect from those two? But making a bet with you Kashii-san? Depending on what the bet was about and what the game was, going up against you is just plain crazy."

Tsukui-sensei chuckled and stated, "You're one to talk about crazy, Sō-chan."

In a cheerful tone, Sōma asked; "Eh? You think so?"

Hiro quickly gave the three glasses of water before rushing back into the kitchen.

"Michio," Kashii-san said, getting the woman's attention, and asked in a rather serious tone "Why do you still call Sōma-kun and Mayumi-kun by those childish nicknames? They are no longer children in your Daycare."

"D-D-Daycare?!" all seven of the Elites gasped in both unison and shock. So this woman wasn't a chef?! She was a Daycare Teacher!

Everyone looked at the Elites (or in Sōma's case, turned an ear to the group) as Hiro stated; "Ano, yes. Tsukui-sensei runs the Daycare right outside the Sumiredōri Shopping District. She's the best when it comes to young kids."

Tsukui waved a hand and said; "Oh, you're exaggerating Hiro-chan."

Sōma chuckled out an "I gotta agree with Hiro on that one." The blind redhead then told the long-haired man "Besides, neither Mayu nor I mind that Tsukui-sensei still calls us by those nicknames." Kashii-san said nothing as he took a sip from his glass.

Kobayashi then pipped out happily, "So you won't mind it if we call ya Sō-chan then?"

With a sudden frown on his face, Sōma asked the 2nd Seat seriously, "Would you call the Headmaster of Totsuki Ojīchan (4) or Jiji (4)?"

The other Elites just gave the 2nd Seat a look that practically screamed: "Are you being serious?". The two adults and the young child were just not sure what to think of that 3rd-year high school student. In the adults' opinions, she seemed to act like a lower Elementary age student.

Just in case Rindou didn't get the hint, Sōma stated "I'm your boss here, as well as Mayu. So You seven will address us as so while you are working here. Got it?"

"Huh? When did Joey hire outsiders ta work at Yukihira's?" a petite woman with short, wild orange hair, emerald green eyes, wearing an orange short-sleeved shirt with black stripes, orange shorts, and black shoes walked into the diner.

The 7 Elite just stared at the orange-haired woman and wondered, 'Who's Joey?' But based on what she said, it seems as though this Joey person might be the Yukihira's father... 'Is their father a foreigner?' Erina thought to herself and then speculated that he might be from Australia. The honey blond then thought as she settled on that idea, 'Joey is a common name in Australia. So Yukihira's father must be an Australian.' (Umm... Did Erina just assume that Jōchirō is a foreigner after one person called him 'Joey'? And never considered that it just MIGHT be a nickname? I would say she's severe "Stereotyping" with that line of thinking but considering how uneducated Erina is outside of the culinary world... I guess it's to be expected of her... Kinda sad really...)

"Sensei ni rei (5)!" Sōma suddenly said, somewhat startling the 7 Elites.

"Oi, oi, Sōma-kun, ya don't have ta do that anymore," the orangette said as she waved a hand and walked towards the barstools.

The blind redhead chuckled when he said, "Sorry, Aira-san, but after doing that for so long it's become a habit."

"He does have a point Kadae," Tsukui stated as she turned to face the other woman before adding, "Once something becomes a habit, it's hard to just stop doing it."

"That's very true," said another petite woman, who had short light brown hair, brown eyes that sparkled through a pair of thin black-rimmed glasses, wore an olive green shirt and shorts, black pantyhose, and brown combat boots.

"Y-Yūki-san! Good Afternoon!" Hiro immediately shouted when he saw the female brunette, his face turning a nice shade of pink. The woman with the light brown hair smiled and waved at the boy, who in turn, flushed redder. Tsukui-sensei saw this and smiled.

Aira-san spotted Kashii-san and sauntered over to the long-haired man. When she stood next to him, she wrapped a playful arm around his neck and asked in a cheery tone, "Yo, Eiji, you made your move yet?~"

"Move on what?" Kashii-san asked rather cluelessly in a calm tone as if he didn't have anyone in a position to suffocate him.

Yūki-san turned pink and said to the orangette in a bit of a flustered tone, "Kadae! I thought you agreed that you weren't going to ask him about that?!"

"Ask about what?" the long-haired man asked again, still pretty clueless about what the two women were implying.

Sōma interrupted the odd banter by asking when the other half of the group was going to be in. Before the 7 Elites could even think about what that could mean, a pale young man with a fit build, with messy white short hair with a section covering his left eye while his visible right eye was red, he wore a black rabbit-eared headpiece with the left ear being droopy, a white sleeveless shirt that looked like it could use a good iron, long black slacks, both articles of clothing had bunny patterns stitched all over them and wore a pair of red heels appeared in front of them. More accurately, the Seven Elite finally noticed that the oddball white-haired man was staring at them. 'Who the hell is this?' Erina thought before realizing that this man looks similar to her cousin Alice for some reason. (Probably because of the hair, skin, and eye colour).

"Hi, Usagi-nii-chan!" Yumi cheered happily as she waved at the white-haired man, who gave a slight waved back at the girl.

It wasn't five seconds later that Sōma suddenly said, "Usagi, I'm sure you've noticed the new seasonal employees, but I would appreciate if you don't bother them when they are working. However, they are currently on a break so it's okay to talk to them now." The white-haired man, apparently named Usagi, smiled happily, revealing that he had sharp teeth. The Seven Elite did not know why the blind redhead said that to a grown adult, after all, it sounds like something you would tell a child.

The white-haired man turned his attention back on the Seven Elite and said happily, "I'm Usagi! What are your names?" The Seven Elite awkwardly introduced themselves to the whitette before he asked in a childishly innocent tone, "Will you be my friends?"

A grown man who acts like a child is asking a group of teenagers to be his friends… The Seven Elites had no response to that...

"Oh, wow! Ore-sama (It basically means 'I' with a very high opinion of one's self in Japanese) never expected to see a bunch of outsiders wearing the Yukihira's uniform," a new voice from the entranceway said.

"Agreed, Ani. It looks weird," a second voice stated, sounding very similar to the first.

Sōma told the new voices, "Ah, I hear that the Tsumita brothers are here. Just letting you two know, I got some fresh blueberry jam and I just boiled some squid tentacles."

The Seven Elites turned their attention to the door to see two identical-looking males that appeared to be in their late teens to mid-20s, pale skin, military khaki slacks, light purple-coloured hair, and amber eyes. One of them wore a grey sleeveless top while the other wore a blue shirt with sleeves to his elbows. The two gulped and said in unison, "Uh, we'll behave."

'Squid and blueberries? Even I don't have to taste THAT to know that it's going to be disgusting,' Erina thought with a cringe. She didn't have to think too hard to figure out that Sōma was threatening the identical males, who were obviously Twins to the honey blond's eyes, to be on their best behaviour.

When Hiro brought Aira-san a bottle of beer, a short, bald elderly man with a greying full fluffy beard, wearing getas, and some loose-fitting clothing walked into the diner. And what caught the attention of the Seven Elites was the shirt the old man was wearing, seriously, he was wearing a black t-shirt with the words 'OVERWATCH' under the logo from said video game series (which the present Elite knew about but never played). This elderly man had to at least be in his late 70s early 80s, this fact alone made the Seven Elite think that maybe his grandchild who was a fan of the game asked him to wear the shirt rather than the old man choosing to wear it himself.

Yūki-san spotted the elderly man through her glasses and said happily, "Oh, afternoon Tsujiie-san. I thought you were coming here later after you were done with that battle raid with your guild."

The elderly man, Tsujiie-san, waved a wrinkly hand and said, "I know, but the entire guild was able to get online faster than I anticipated, so we did the raid early. It was lucky for us, a limited surprise event just launched and we got double experience points and gold from that raid."

Yūki-san happily clapped her hands and said, "Wow, how lucky."

Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Wait a minute! The Seven Elites believe what they were hearing. The old man… The old man was talking about a video game… PLAYING a video game... But… How? Why was an old man playing video games? It didn't make a lick of sense to any of the seven.

Tsukui-sensei caught a glimpse of the looks on the Seven Elite's faces and told them, "I guess you children don't get out much. Not all elderly folks are daunted by new technology, a good number of them embrace it, like Tsujiie-san here. He is pretty much addicted to video games (6)."

The elderly man gave a low chuckle and said, "I'm not denying that. Besides, it allows me to spend more time with my grandkid." The elderly man then walked over to a table and took a seat. None of the Seven Elites had any response to that, more along the lines of not knowing how to respond than anything else.

The next to walk in was Hayama and Shiomi-sensei (in casual clothing by the way), but they didn't come in alone. A muscular giant standing at a towering 230 cm (7.54593 ft), with neck length semi-wavy brown hair, dark red eyes, wearing a tight grey sleeveless shirt that exposed his muscular arms, loose-fitting slacks that completely covered his legs, and wore brown calf-length workboots that seemed big enough to hold a small tree follow Hayama and Shiomi-sensei into the diner. The giant's footsteps resembled the sounds of hoofbeats from a battle-horse.

The Seven Elite wasn't sure what was more shocking. The fact that a teacher and a fellow student from their school was here or that a massive hulk just walked into a diner. All of the Seven Elites had to crank their necks up to even look the towering man's hard face. 'I can not believe that there is someone this huge! He can make Grandfather look like he's the size of a child!' Erina thought, her neck starting to hurt from having it at a sharp angle.

Sōma's ears perked at the footsteps, that was when he asked out loud, "Souma-san (7)? Is that you?"

Now the Seven Elite was confused. The giant had the same name as the blind redhead? Wait a second! Sōma called him Souma-SAN... Does that mean that the towering man's surname was Souma? Not his first... Erina's head was spinning in dizzying confusion.

In a soft but deep voice, the giant said, "Yes... It's me... I found some students from your school... They were looking for your diner... A boy and a girl..."

Sōma raised a brow when he said, "A boy and a girl? But Alice-chan and Ryō-kun know where Yukihira is..."

Hayama glanced up at the giant and said, "I believe he means a boy and a woman. Jun is 34."

Souma-san's headshot a downward glance at the short spice professor and asked in confusion and a bit of a higher tone, "You're an adult?"

"Oh! Hayama-kun, Shiomi-sensei, glad you came," Sōma said happily as he placed a bowl of Chicken and Shrimp Ramen onto a tray. Hiro then took the tray to Kashii-san and gave him the bowl. The boy looked over at the new arrivals before he then rushed over to a nearby corner booth and moved two chairs together for the giant to sit on, with the tray tucked under his arm as he did. Souma-san walked over to Hiro in only three of his long strides and patted the boy on the head as he softly thanked the boy. Hiro smiled back at the giant before scurrying back to the kitchen.

Hayama and Shiomi-sensei walked over to the barstools and took their seats, not even casting a glance at the Elites nearby. Erina wasn't sure if she should feel insulted or relieve at that.

"Wow, this place is amazing," Shiomi-sensei said after looking around the diner, noting how homely it felt. Sōma happily replied thanks.

Hayama turned his head a bit and ended up looking at the 7-year-old girl, who was looking up at him. After a few seconds, Yumi said, "You shouldn't stay out in the sun too long, it's really bad for your skin." Hayama blinked at that.

"YUMI! You do NOT say something like that to a stranger!" Tsukui-sensei snapped at her daughter in a stern voice, before turning her attention to the dark-skinned teen and said, "I apologize for what she said."

Hayama waved a hand and said with a small sweatdrop, "It's alright. I'm going to guess that she's never met anyone with dark skin before."

Tsukui-sensei eyed her daughter and said, "You're right, but it's still no excuse for her to make such a comment based on just someone's skin colour." Yumi lowered her head and apologized to Hayama.

The whitette patted the girl on the head and told her, "It's ok this time because I understand why you commented, but listen to your mother and try not to do it again." Yumi blinked a bit before smiling and nodding.

"Oh? I smell a lot of spices. You testing out a new dish, Sōma?" a familiar voice from the entranceway suddenly asked. Erina's head immediately snapped towards the voice, nearly giving herself whiplash, to see the grey-haired teen with sleepy grey eyes, but he was wearing casual clothing instead of the school uniform that the honey blond has seen him in.

Sōma chuckled before stated, "Hey Tsugiyoshi (8). The spice smells are probably from Hayama and Shiomi-sensei, * waves a hand towards the two in question, but more to the origin of the spice smells * they work with spices a lot."

The grey-haired teen glanced at the two and asked them, "You from this Totsuki school as well?" Alice and Ryō popped in a few seconds later, the albino happily saying hi, while and in contrast, the seafood specialist was lackadaisical.

Hayma looked at Tsugiyoshi and said, "Yes, I'm in my first year and Jun here is a teacher at Totsuki."

The grey-haired teen's eyes snapped to Shiomi-sensei and asked in shock, "Wait? You're a teacher?!"

With a raised brow, Sōma asked, "Why does everyone keep asking her that? Does she not have an aurora of a teacher?"

Everyone but the snickering Tsumita brothers were quiet. Tsukui-sensei was the one to explain to Sōma, "Sō-chan, the reason why everyone asks if Shiomi-sensei, right? * looks at the shorter teacher for confirmation. Shiomi-sensei nods * is actually a teacher because her outward appearance is that of a 13-year-old girl."

Sōma stopped what he was doing and vocalized, "Eh?"

Hayama snickered and stated, "Yup, Jun looks younger than the both of us, despite being twice our age."

This, of course, made Shiomi-sensei turn red with embarrassment as she shouted, "That's Shiomi-SENSEI to you! And I only look young because I eat a lot of spices that are known to keep a youthful appearance!"

Tilting his head to the side, Sōma said, "I kind of thought Shiomi-sensei was on the short side, judging from where her voice was coming from, but I never thought that it was because she looked half her age. Oh! But that explains why Megumi was so shocked when Shiomi-sensei introduced herself."

Hayama vocalized a "Yes," as he nodded, before looking around the diner and asking Sōma, "Is this Andoryū person you wanted me to meet here?"

The blind redhead shook his head and said, "He's not, but he'll be coming in with the Trinity close to 14:00 (2 pm)."

Aira-san turned to her former student and asked, "Oh? Are they planning on entering the Annual Menu Contest?"

Sōma shrugged and said, "I'm not sure, but if they are, then this year's contest is going to be a blast! * Sighs * I wish I could participate this year so I can cook-off against them."

Hiro looked up as his older brother and said, "But Ani, you can't. According to the rules of the Menu Addition Contest, you can't enter this year."

Ryō raised a brow and asked, "Why can't you participate in your own diner contest?"

Sōma smiled and said, "I explain that to all of you when Andoryū gets here. It'll be easier to explain once all the Ju-"

"No need to wait any longer. I, Inō Toshiko, have arrived to brighten your gloomy day!"

Sōma, Alice, Ryō, Hayama, and Shiomi-sensei easily heard Tsukui-sensei sigh over the boisterous introduction.

The new voice belonged to a tall woman with long blonde hair that reached past her butt, carefully painted red lipstick, red eyes, a beauty mark under the corner of her left eye, wore a tight white blouse that did little for guessing her rather large cup size, earring with small dangling tusks, a knee-length ruby red skirt, polished red heels that matched her lipstick, and carried a shopping bag in her left hand. Next to the boisterous blonde was a shorter woman with short green hair with braids tucked behind her ears, wore some red feather clips to hold those braids in place, bright green eyes wore a bright red shirt with a yellow heart in the middle of it, red shorts, red-feathered boots that reached her knees, and a couple of big shopping bags that she somehow was carrying in her arms.

"Inō-san, I hope you didn't have more than Five shopping bags with you this time. You know the diner rules," Sōma asked with a sigh, knowing full well that the tall woman had a bit of a shopping habit.

With a confident smile, the blonde, Inō-san, stated in a tone to match that smile, "I only have five bags."

"Each being the size of your ego," one of the Tsumita Brothers stated with a snicker. The Totsuki students (and staff) turned their attention towards the two look-alikes to see them high-five each other.

Sōma shook his head and stated, "The shopping bags either have to be in a chair or under the tables." "I know," Inō-san stated as she motioned for the greenette to follow her to a nearby booth.

The Seven Elite watched the two women walk by. "Niwa Ryouka," Usagi told them, which in turn made all of them return their gazes at the rabbit man. Usagi looked at them with his red eyes and said, "Niwatori's name is Niwa Ryouka. She's the one with the green hair."

'What the hell does a chicken have to do with that greenette's name?' Erina thought as she had a look on her face that didn't hide her emotions.

A young blonde man with a black fedora hat burst into the diner and effectively getting everyone's attention. "Has anyone seen Dad?" the blonde male asked, panting from all the running he's done.

"Hey Navi, what happened to Duodecuple this time?" Tsugiyoshi asked the young man, not at all surprised that this was happening.

Navi then said in a frantic tone, "Dad needs to take his meds now and I can't find him! Please tell me that he's here!"

"Everybody, clap your hands, for a wonderful performance." This voice came from right behind the Seven Elites, which in turn, caused them to snapped towards this voice to see a tall man with long grey hair that was tied in a ponytail and wearing a nice suit, clapping his hands. Completely freaked out that none of them noticed this man there, all seven of them leapt out of their skins and seats.

"Duodecuple-san is here," Sōma said with a chuckle after the Seven Elite stopped screaming.

"Dad!" Navi said with relief as he made his way towards his father, handing him some pills when he stood by his side.

Mayu walked into the diner from the upstairs living quarters for the Yukihira family and asked, "I heard multiple people screaming, is Duodecuple-san here today?"

After the grey-haired man swallowed the pills given to him, he stated in an invigorated tone, "I go where ever my 12 Warriors of the Zodiac goes."

Navi placed a hand on his father's shoulder and said, "Dad, please stop saying stuff like that, it's weird."

"12 Warriors of the Zodiac? What's that all about?" Alice asked cluelessly. She's not acting or pretending, she is clueless. This earned a groan from everyone who wasn't a Totsuki student (minus Sōma).

"Here we go again," the Tsumita brothers groaned out.

Ignoring the current emotion in the diner, Duodecuple explained the whole thing in that same invigorated tone, "Each of the individuals living in the Juuni Taisen was born on a different year of the Chinese Zodiac. *Claps his hands * Shall I introduce them or will my Warriors introduce themselves?"

"We'll introduce ourselves," all the adults (minus Navi and Shiomi) stated at the same time with the same amount of aggravation, probably because they had to do this several times before.

Inō did her introduction first, "Inounoshishi; Warrior of the Boar."

Tsukui-sensei was next, "Dotsuku; Warrior of the Dog."

The greenette was next to say, "Niwatori; Warrior of the Rooster."

Yūki-san did her introduction, "Sharyū; Warrior of the Monkey."

The elderly man Tsujiie was next, "Hitsujii; Warrior of the Sheep."

The towering giant then said in a soft voice, "Uuma; Warrior of the Horse..."

The Tsumita brother with the grey shirt was next to say, "Tatsumi Kyoudai Otouto; Warrior of the Snake."

The Tsumita brother with the blue shirt followed by saying, "Tatsumi Kyoudai Ani; Warrior of the Dragon."

Usagi happily cheered, "Usagi; Warrior of the Rabbit."

Aira-san sighed before saying, "Tora; Warrior of the Tiger."

After taking a sip of his water, Kashii-san said," Ushii; Warrior of the Ox."

Tsugiyoshi yawned before saying, "Nezumi; Warrior of the Rat."

All twelve glared at Duodecuple and said in annoyance at the same time, "Happy?"

The grey-haired man smiled and said, "Superb introductions! Everybody, clap your hands!" He was the only one in the diner clapping...

Sōma sighed before making a simple explanation for the Totsuki students (and the teacher), "All the tenets of the Juuni Taisen Building Complex were born in different years, thus all their Zodiac signs are different. Duodecuple-san has given each of them a nickname that corresponds to their respective Zodiac."

Okay, that makes more sense, however, the only thing Erina said was, "Wait, they're not all born in different years! There's a set of Identical Twins standing right there!" as she pointed to the to brothers.

This made everyone, but the Totsuki students (and teacher, but minus Sōma) laugh.

Tsugiyoshi was the one to explain, "The Tsumita brothers aren't twins. Nagayuki is older than Takeyasu by 11 Months (9)."

With an extremely confused look on her face, Erina looked at the look-alikes and stuttered out, "B-b-but! Th-they look identical!"

The older Tsumita brother cackled and stated, "There is this very interesting thing called "Genetics". That stuff makes you look the way you do."

The younger Tsumita then added, "And our "Genetics" simply make us look similar, but not identical." Erina turned red with embarrassment, now feeling stupid for her comment.

"Oh? it looks like we have some new faces here in Yukihira," a new voice from the entranceway said.

}{ Omake: to be Continue }{

~}i{~

(1) A macrobiotic diet is a diet that avoids all meat and dairy products and focuses on grain, beans, and vegetables.

(2) Nee-chan is a casual Japanese term for 'Big Sis'. It's usually used by children to refer to an older female, but not by much.

(3) I actually looked this up. Michio is a name of Japanese origin that means "Man with the strength of three thousand". Obviously, it's a name for boys. However, I didn't want to change Dotsuku's real name when I gender-bent him to her because the Juuni Taisen doesn't have that big of a fandom and thus confusing the people not familiar with Juuni Taisen. So, in this semi-crossover, "Dotsuku" is a woman who was given a male name by her parents (her father mostly). A story that will be told in the next Omake.

(4) Ojīchan is the informal Japanese term for Grandfather. Jiji is a casual term for Grandpa. Please note that Jiji is only appropriate to use when referring to one's own grandfather, calling a person that you are not close to or is a stranger is considered VERY VERY rude in Japan.

(5) "Sensei ni rei" is a basic Dojo etiquette that students say when a sensei enters the dojo. Normally, when a sensei enters a dojo, the students turn to the sensei, say "Sensei ni rei", and bow in respect. The only reason Sōma didn't bow in front of his former dojo sensei is because he was cooking over a stove. If the stove weren't there, he actually would've bowed.

(6) It's true. According to Tsujiie Sumihiko's, a.k.a. Hitsujii, bio in the Juuni Taisen Light Novel he is addicted to smartphone games, which does seem a bit unseemly for someone his age. But, I changed it to video games in this story since I highly doubt any of the Elite 10 know any combat smartphone games.

(7) His given name is Souma Yoshimi, a.k.a Uuma. While it does sound similar to Sōma, it's spelt differently and their names are written differently. The Souma in Souma Yoshimori's name uses the Kanji 早間, while the Sōma in Yukihira Sōma's name uses the Kanji 創真. (If you can see the Kanji on the website, then you can visibly see the difference in the characters, if not, then just know that the Kanji look nothing alike). I'm using the different spelling so readers know who's who.

(8) Cheese-Otaku is Sumino Tsugiyoshi, aka Nezumi, from the Juuni Taisen: Zodiac Wars. Sorry to say, but no one got the correct answer to the trivia question; therefore, there will be no Omake request given for the next chapter.

(9) According to the "Official Records", Tsumita Nagayuki was born on 11/11 and Tsumita Takeyasu was born on 10/10, but it's obvious that these two are actually twins. However, because of consistency and the fact that there is NO WAY that "Twins" (or siblings in general) can be born within 1 month of each other, they're not going to be twins in this story, but they could pass as twins.

~}i{~

Gale-Dragon: Okay, I admit, I like Juuni Taisen. More on the characters than the storyline. And I think they are actually interesting, plus having them interact with Sōma is very interesting. I'm hoping that no one minds too much that I'm adding this semi-crossover, but if I want the Juuni Taisen characters in my Shokugeki no Sōma story, I'm doing it. Besides, I do need to have more than just the Totsuki students competing in the Annual Menu Addition Contest, and I think it'll be interesting for some of the Juuni Taisen characters cook.

Also, I'll reveal the reason why half of the Elite 10 was removed from their Seats later in the story. But I'll be dropping some hint here and there.