Gale-Dragon: I decided to make this Omake a stand-alone chapter because A, it's long (again), and B, I'm behind with writing the story chapter because of my job and I wanted to post something to tell everyone that this story isn't dead.

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Omake: Summer Time at Shokujidokoro Yukihira.

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

13:52 (1:52 PM) at Shokujidokoro Yukihira...

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

Everyone turned towards the voice to see a man who appeared to be in his late 50s with mossy green hair that looked to be tied in a double braided (basically braids within a braid) ponytail with a set of sideburns of the same colour, a slightly wide nose, squared jaw, cocoa brown eyes open but both eyes seemed to be sharp, wore a silver shirt with short red sleeves and red hems, wore a pair of khaki slacks with several pockets, and black boots. From what Hayama was able to tell, this man seemed to be of mixed nationalities. That was when three teens walked in behind the man, two boys, and one girl.

One of the boys appeared to be around 13-years-old had short raven black hair, a pair fox-like eyes that were open in slits (but no one couldn't see the eye colour), wearing a light blue summer yukata with a dark blue floral pattern, and the sounds of getas could be heard from his feet as he took a few steps. The other boy appeared to be around 17 or 18-years-old with mossy green hair tied back in a ponytail that split into a pair of braided twin-tails, a pair of sharp-looking shades covering his eyes, a pair of headphones hanging around his neck, bright red shirt with an image of silver computer chip wearing a black business suit and sunglasses with the letters CBI under the image (1), khaki slacks with multiple pockets on the sides, and black shoes with a purple streak on them. The girl appeared to be around 13-years-old, had blond hair with thick black highlights tied in a loose ponytail, had two different coloured eyes, a green (right) eye and a black (left) eye, wore a sunny yellow shirt with an image of the British flag and black words written under the flag that said "Of all Trades" (1), khaki slacks that reached her knees, and a pair of open-toed shoes.

Sōma smiled and said, "Andoryū, perfect timing! And yes we have some new people here. Is the Trinity with you?"

The three teens standing by the man then said in unison, "We're here."

Sōma chuckled and asked the trio, "You three participating in the Menu Contest?"

The man, Andoryū, patted the tallest boy on the shoulder and said in a cheerful tone, "Only my daughter will be participating this year, Little Tchaikovsky."

"Chai-cough-ski?" Erina vocalized softly in confusion. The only Chai thing that she was aware of was Chai Tea, but from what this semi-foreign looking man said... It sounded like this weird Chai word was a nickname or something along that line. Erina then raised a brow and when she realized, 'Wait? Did he just call that tall boy his daughter? ... Maybe he's mixing up words, foreigners tend to do that when learning a new language.'

The tall teen took off the sunglasses and hooked them on the shirt collar, revealing golden amber eyes, and said to the man, "Отец (Pronounced: like Otets) (2) is telling the truth Sōma. Ki and Ishi aren't going to be participating in the Contest. Mostly because if all three of us participate while Отец is one of the Judges, the ingredient options will be restricted too much."

"She's right, Little Tchaikovsky," the green-haired man stated with a smile.

Now Erina was completely confused. What did he mea- Wait!

Erina stood up and shouted at the tall teen with the amber eyes in shock, "WAIT! YOU'RE A GIRL?!" The other Elites were also unhinged by this.

The tall amber-eyed teen only said in a flat, unfazed tone, "Uh, yeah, so what? You're one too."

The teen in the yukata chuckled and said in an amused tone, "Kon, I think she's just surprised that you're a girl because she thought you were a boy."

The tall teen, Kon, glanced at her blue-wearing friend and stated, "So I can assume she, and those weird six other newbies, think Ki's a girl."

The blond of the trio grumbled out an, "Of course they did."

Now all of the Elites had a WTF look on their faces. So... The teen that they thought was a girl was actually a boy and that the tall teen that they thought was a boy was actually a girl... If their heads could explode, then they would've.

Hayama coughed to get Sōma's attention and asked him, "So that man is Andoryū?"

The blind redhead nodded and said, "Yup, and he's also one of the current Judges for the Annual Menu Addition Contest, you can talk to him after I explain the rules. Oh, that reminds me, Andoryū, you're going to be able to judge Kon's dishes fairly, right?"

The mossy haired man chuckled and said, "I have to, because 1, it's the duty of a Judge, and 2, my little constrictor wouldn't like it if I favoured her dish just because she's my venomous little daughter."

Kon rolled her eyes and mumbled an "Отец... I'm not a little girl anymore."

The blond teen with the black highlights, Ki, then said to the tall female, "Kon, you know parents will still call their children their "Little" ones, even if they are fully grown. Mostly because it is a long-term habit."

The boy in the yukata then added, "Ki's right about that, and you know those are the hardest habits to break." Kon looked at her friends and said, "You are also right about that Ishi."

Ryō was the one to ask the oldest Yukihira, "Ano, what do you mean by Andoryū-san being a Judge?"

Sōma wiped his hands on a cloth and said, "Well, since all the Judges are here, I can explain the Rules of the Annual Menu Addition Contest." The blind redhead then moved towards the doorway that connected the kitchen to the diner.

When Sōma was in the doorway, he made the announcement, "For those of you who do know, this'll just be a refresher, but to those who are new, listen carefully. The rules for the Annual Menu Addition Contest are simple. There will be four categories with three rounds each. Appetizer, Main Course, Beverage, and Dessert. Anyone can participate, as long as they adhere to the rules.

First rule, Only one category per person, anyone can enter as long as they know how to cook. The second rule, you are given a budget for each of the three rounds and are not to go over said budget or else it'll affect the score of the dish. The third rule, you are responsible for your own ingredients, meaning you must procurer and cook them yourself. Fourth rule, the four individuals who won the categories in the prior year's Annual Menu Addition Contest must serve a the panel of judges for the current contest alongside the owner of Shokujidokoro Yukihira. Last rule, if anyone within the contest has either an allergy or intolerance to a certain food item, that said food item is forbidden from being used within the contest. Absolutely NO Exceptions of the last rule whatsoever, and any use of the forbidden ingredient, or ingredients, will be disqualified from the contest immediately, regardless of their current overall score.

Now, in the matter of the judges... The five judges have to judge the dishes by score within these category blocks. Budget, Appeal, Taste, and Creativity. Each block can receive a max number of 5, a maximum score of 20 per dish. Therefore, a max score of 100 per round from all of the Judges. The winner for each category will be the one whose overall score is the closest to 300, the maximum score anyone can receive. This year's judges are Mayu, Yūki-san, Andoryū, and I. Pop's is the Permanente Judge."

That was when Alice said in actual surprise, "Ah! So that's why you're not participating in this contest. You're judging it this time around!" Sōma nodded at the comment.

Suddenly, Mayu stated, "Uh, Sōma, Pop's not here and isn't going to be here for the contest!"

A shocked look appeared on the blind redhead's face when he said, "Ah! You're right! Now we're one judge short!" Mayu then said, "And according to Pop's rules for the judge section... If a Judge is unable to attend the contest, Pops chooses a replacement."

Sōma then added, "Problem is, He's the missing judge. So how do we solve this?"

Hayama raised a brow and asked, "You guys haven't had a situation like this?"

All the Yukihiras said at the same time, "Nope, this is the first time this has happened." That was when the dark-skinned teen suggested, "Then why doesn't Sōma choose the replacement judge in place of his father since he's the oldest Yukihira here."

Andoryū chuckled and stated with a smile, "That's not a bad idea, Little Tchaikovsky. I know I'm alright with it."

Yūki-san then added with a smile, "I like that idea too." "Guess you're choosing a new judge, Sōma," Mayu said with a smile.

Sōma nodded and said cheerfully, "I guess I am." The blind redhead placed the side of his right index finger on his chin to think, before finally saying, "The replacement judge needs to know about the different variety food, how each of the foods should be cooked, and how food items intertwined with one another." Erina flipped her hair with confidence. It was completely obvious to the honey blonde that She would be chosen as a replacement judge, there was no better option in her mind.

Tsugiyoshi then added, "Don't forget that this new judge can't be biased in any way since they Must be fair in their judgment of the dishes," as he eyed Erina. It was obvious what the grey-haired teen was implying. Tsukui-sensei glanced from Tsugiyoshi to Erina, it was obvious to the daycare teacher that something happened between the two.

Sōma then vocalized a thoughtful, "You got a point, Yoshi. Mayu and I have a pretty good and fair judgment. I also know Andoryū can make a fair Judgement, even with his own daughter, and Yūki-san is way too honest to even think of favouritism." The two in question chuckled at the comment, Andoryū did his in amusement while Yūki-san did hers with a soft blush on her cheeks (probably because what Sōma said about her was true).

Erina glared at Tsugiyoshi, who just glanced at her without much care about what she thought.

"Ah! I know who would make a perfect Judge for the contest!" Sōma suddenly exclaimed as he snapped his fingers, then added cheerfully, "And that person is right here!" Erina gave Tsugiyoshi a smug smile. She knew that the oldest Yukihira would undoubtedly choose her, despite not being on good terms.

Sōma walked over to the barstools and asked, "Kashii-san, would you mind being our replacement judge?" During this, Kashii-san had a couple of strands of noodles from his Chicken and Shrimp Raman dangling out of his mouth. He slurped the strands up and started chewing on them.

This caused Erina to bolt out of her chair and shout with rage, "How DARE you NOT choose ME for a Judge for a food contest! I have the Perfect Pallete to do so! Even for some Diner Contest!" Everyone from the Juuni Taisen Building Complex turned to the honey blonde as if she grew an extra head.

Then Usagi said, "Umm, you're supposed to use your indoor voice when you're inside."

That was when the Tsumita brother with the blue shirt asked Erina, "Why should Sōma-chan even think about choosing you to be a judge for the Annual Menu Contest?"

The Tsumita brother with the grey shirt than added, "Yeah, why should he? Eiji's a perfect choice for a food judge, even if he can't cook."

Tsujiie-san coughed a few times and stated, "I believe that no one is supposed to bring that up anymore, due to Eiji taking basic cooking classes."

The person in question was only chewing on the food in his mouth.

Sōma was the one to say, "I chose Kashii-san because I know he can make a fair decision for the contest, therefore, he's a perfect judge. *Turns an ear towards Erina* I have yet to note a fair decision from you, Bratty Princess." This made a few of the other patrons chuckle, mostly because of the nickname the blind redhead had given the honey blond.

Mayu folded her arms and stated firmly, "Ditto on that, and might I also add that She's not the only one who has been making poor choices." Saitou gave a few glances to his fellow Elites, he wonders if the female Yukihira twin was implying about the utter failures on the Allergy/Intolerance Test.

Sōma then turned his attention towards Kaishii-san and asked, "Kashii-san, your answer, please?"

The long-haired man swallowed the food in his mouth and stated, "I am very honoured that you have selected me to replace your father for the Annual Menu Addition Contest; therefore, I accept your offer. However, I will not consume anything with alcohol."

Sōma chuckled out a "Fair enough. Besides, Mayu and I are minors, so alcohol is not allowed to be used in this year's Menu Addition. You don't have to worry about them popping up in the contest." Kashii-san nodded in approval.

Mayu placed four pieces of paper on a nearby table and stated, "Sign-up sheets are here. The Catagories are listed at the top of each paper, and as you heard, you can only pick one category. Be aware, that the different categories have a different budget, so choose carefully. Sign-ups are going to be for the next two days, then we'll start by handing out the budgets for the first round, make sure you stay within the budgets. They're easy points per dish if you keep on budget and you lose points if you go over budget."

Sōma then stated, "Before we start the sign-ups, we're going to keep a list of Forbbiden Ingredients for the Menu Addition Contest, like we do every year. Since Andoryū is on the panel of Judges and has a pretty severe allergy to pork, Pork is now forbidden from being used. Since Kon is going to participating in this year's contest, Chocolate is also going to be on the forbidden list. Also, since three of the five Judges can't drink alcohol, that's on the Forbidden List. Mayu will let everyone know if more ingredients are going to be added to the Forbidden List by the end of the sign-ups."

This made Akanegakubo all huffy and mad when she vented at the tall amber-eyed teen, "What do you have against chocolate? Chocolate is the bestest and cutest ingredient in the world!"

Kon eyed the short 3rd-year and stated flatly, "Your opinion about chocolate is debatable, but if it'll make you understand, I'll explain it simply. I have a nasty intolerance to chocolate."

Tsukasa looked between Kon and Andoryū and asked in confusion, "But if the two of you are father and daughter, how come you have different ailments?"

Andoryū sighed as he placed a hand on his cheek and said, "My little constrictor has inherited a lot of my poorer traits, but she got lucky and didn't inherit my allergy to pork. However, she did inherit my brilliant Midori's intolerance to chocolate."

Hayama raised a brow at this and asked, "So I take it your household doesn't use chocolate for Valentine's Day?"

Kon visibly grimaced when she stated sourly, "I hate that holiday and White Day, because of all those gut-wrenching confections. The only non-chocolate food that they push is strawberries, and those are usually drenched in chocolate. *Growls* My stomach already feels like it has rocks in it from just thinking about it."

Andoryū gave a nervous chuckle and explained, "Our household tends to have a tradition of making sweets from fruits to give to our friends instead of using chocolate, but that doesn't stop people from giving my little constrictor chocolate during Valentine's Day." THAT explains the dislike for a holiday about love.

While this conversation was taking place, some of the other patrons were signing the sheets of papers. Ryō signed-up for the Appetizer category, Hayama signed-up for the Main Course category (on the insistence from Shiomi-sensei), and then Kon signed-up for the Main Course as well. Yumi hopped off the barstool and skipped over to the sign-up sheets and wrote under Desserts.

While Erina was still angry for not being picked for a tasting judge she had an idea to get back at the blind redhead. She would enter this 'contest' thing, win it, and have her wonderous dish on Yukihira's diner menu forever. THAT would be the perfect revenge for Erina. (I'm hoping she remembers the rules of the Menu Addition Contest...)

Erina and the Seven Elites walked over to the sign-up sheets, but all were stopped by Mayu. "Saitou-san, you can participate in the contest, the rest of you, NO! You six aren't entering," Mayu stated sternly as she let the 5th Seat by to sign-up for the contest.

This got on Erina's nerves when she asked, "We can cook, which WAS the main rule here, so why the hel-"

Mayu slaps a hand over the honey blonde's mouth and hissed out quietly, "NO swearing or cursing! There are children present!" The Elites glance at Yumi and Hiro at this comment. Mayu removed her hand and then continued in a normal tone, "The reason I'm not allowing you six into the Annual Menu Contest is because there's already an Allergy and an Intolerance food item on the Forbidden List, AND might I remind you six that you Failed the Allergy/Intolerance test. There's no way I'm risking their wellbeing with you idiots."

Hayama, Alice, and Ryō couldn't help but stare at those six Elites. Mind you, they were a bit surprised that Yukihira Mayu was calling six of the Elite 10 idiots but considering the context... It seemed like it was a very valid statement.

"Wow... No wonder you seven need this camp to improve your cooking skills. Well, I guess six at the moment," Tsukui-sensei stated before taking a sip of her water. Yumi hopped into the seat next to her mother with a smile.

Sōma sighed and stated sternly, "Listen you six, Mayu has a major point. None of you can participate in this year's Menu Addition contest if you can't pass the Allergy/Intolerance Test. We are NOT putting our patrons in danger because of your negligence, period."

That was when Tsukasa asked nervously, "So if we pass the Allergy/Intolerance test... We can participate in the contest...?"

Mayu folded her arms and stated, "You six have by the end of the sign-up period to pass the Allergy/Intolerance Test with at least a 75%. However, I'm adding a question on the test that you MUST get right if you want to participate in the Menu Addition Contest. I rather not take a chance with you guy getting lucky guesses to get that 75%."

Sōma then added a "That's fair. I think I know that the question is anyway." Shiomi-sensei quickly scurried to Mayu and asked what the question was since the short woman WAS a teacher at Totsuki. Mayu quietly whispered it into the sensei's ear, being extra careful not to let the Elites know what it was.

"Eh? That's the question?" Shiomi-sensei asked in confusion.

Mayu replied with a nod and said, "It is. You'd be surprised how many people overlook that." Shiomi-sensei thought for a bit, then nodded in agreement. The female Yukihira DID have a valid point. So the Totsuki teacher allowed the changes to the test.

As more customers came in they walked over to the sign-up sheets, and the Seven Elites' break was nearly up.

That was when Saitou Somei walked over to the daycare teacher and asked rather bluntly, "Tis Michio thy actual name?"

"Excuse me?" Tsukui-sensei asked with a raised brow. The tone she used seemed to indicate that she felt a bit offended by the question. The daycare teacher then stated with a huff, "Michio is the name on my birth certificate, so yeah, it's my given name."

This surprised the Seven Elites.

Kobayashi then said in shock, "But Michio's a guy's name! You're a gal!" Tsukui-sensei rolled her eyes and said, "I'm very aware of that. My dad thought 'Michio' would be the perfect name for his "Firstborn Son" and didn't listen to mom when she said to have a girl's name in mind just in case."

Kinokuni then asked, "What do you mean by that?"

The daycare teacher rolled her eyes again and said, "To put it simply, for about four generations anyone born into the Tsukui family was born male. My father assumed that his firstborn child would be a boy, so he already picked out a boy's name. My mom, on the other hand, wanted to at least have a girl's name in mind just in case their firstborn was a girl. But dad was positive that he would have a son, so he already had the name 'Michio' written on my birth certificate before I was even born. When dad came to the hospital to see mom and I, he saw me in mom's arms wrapped in a pink blanket and asked, "Did the hospital run out of blue blankets?" Mom shook her head no and asked him, "Instead of asking about the blanket, do you want to hold your daughter?" Mom told me that the look on my dad's face was utterly priceless. *Chuckles* I can only imagine how he looked when he realized just how badly he jumped the gun."

"Grandma has yet to let grandpa forget about that," Yumi said with a giggle. Tsukui-sensei smiled and patted her daughter on the head.

Sōma chuckled and stated, "That's still a funny story, no matter how many times I've heard it."

The daycare teacher chuckled and added, "Agreed. It's a lesson to Never make assumptions about anything, and to always make sure you have a backup plan handy just in case your first plan goes awry."

Mayu smiled and stated, "Too true, and it applies to everyone and everything."

Andoryū walked over to Hayama and Shiomi-sensei and asked, "How are those Sweet Neem saplings you two are growing doing?"

Eizan adjusted his glasses and stated, "What are you talking about? We're in Japan, you can't grow Curry Plants here."

Shiomi-sensei huffed and stated, "You know Nothing about the progression of Spice Growing."

Sōma's ears perked and said, "Oh, Andoryū how'd you know about the Curry Leave saplings? I never told you about them in the emails I sent you?"

Andoryū chuckled and said, "The smell of the Sweet Neem is all over these two. *Leans down a bit and sniffs Hayama's scent* I'd say the saplings are of mature age if I'm reading the smell right."

Shiomi-sensei was surprised by this when she said, "You're right! We just trimmed some fresh leaves off a mature Sweet Neem sapling that we were growing, but that was two days ago!"

Hayama then asked, "You got all that from a faint scent?"

Andoryū chuckled and stated, "I have a very acute sense of smell. *Sniffs air and turns to the Seven Elites* Uh-oh, Ishi, you might want to avoid the little girl with the bear toy, she's one of those sugar-loving pastry chefs. The tall one with a scar over his nose is a sushi chef. The stern-looking girl with the small braided twin-tails prefers to make soba. *Cringes a bit* Za redheaded girl might want to cut back on za "exotic" dishes, and all zose snacks in general, her breath is zat of a garbage disposal that hasn't been cleaned out in a week."

Mayu choked out a snicker while Sōma said, "Oh, you must be talking about Kobayashi-senpai. I kinda thought that she just didn't brush her teeth regularly."

Yumi and Hiro gave an audible "Eeeeewwww!" at that comments.

Andoryū then turned to Alice, Ryō, and Hayama and stated, "The Albino does Molecular Gastronomy, the bord looking boy's likes making seafood, and I guess you're Hayama since you have the smell of spices."

Other than the fact that it seemed like the 2nd Seat had bad breath, all the Totsuki students (minus Sōma) were surprised that this Andoryū guy knew some of their Specialties just by the smell on them.

Sōma chuckled and said, "Nothing gets past that nose of your's Andoryū."

The green-haired man gave a grin at the Totsuki students and stated, "I do hope you children make the Totsuki name proud and give my little constrictor a good challenge."

So this guy Knew what Totsuki is! And that THEY were students there!

This seemed to interest Saitou, now making him more psyched for the Menu Addition! The other Totsuki students too! (Once they pass the Allergy/Intolerance test).

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Omake: Too Be Continued...

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(1) This Omake Trivia will be guessing what the pun of the two images describe (please note, that I created these myself and that there are no shirts that I'm aware of that has these images). I do require the answers for both shirt images to win the Omake Request.

(2) Отец is the Russian word for Father.

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Gale-Dragon: I have decided that If I have finished writing a Summer Omake before I finish writing a chapter and if it's more than 2,500 words (Which is very likely), I'll publish the Summer Omakes as a stand-alone.

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