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.

14. Omake Chapter: July 12, Summer Job Day11

Gale-Dragon: Oh boy, this took longer than I thought. Especially since I ended up scrapping this chapter halfway through and rewriting it from scratch, so I am very sorry this took so long. But it's up and ready to be read. And a quick note, Andoryū is just the Japanese pronunciation of Andrew, so anyone who's first language is English in this story will be pronouncing Andoryū as Andrew.

~}i{~

"Talking"

'Thinking'

(Author making a quick comment)

~}i{~

Omake Chapter 2: Summer Time at Shokujidokoro Yukihira.

~}i{ July 12, Summer Job Day 11 }i{~

Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it - Helen Keller.

~}i{~

"I'm just a bit curious as to why seven members of Totsuki's Elite Ten are working at a diner against their will," Andoryū said as he just casually sat on a park bench, catching the attention of seven certain Totsuki students.

The Seven Elites were just walking through a nearby park during their day off, after gathering their ingredients for the first day of the contest. Right now, they were just looking to find something decent to eat, in their opinions, and they just happened to run into Forest Andoryū.

Eizan adjusted his glasses when he asked, "And how did you know who we are?"

Andoryū gave the teens a sly smirk and stated in a rather good nature tone, "A co-worker of mine is subscribed to that Totsuki Spotlight newspaper. Don't ask me how he gets it, but he always shows it around when something interesting pops up in it. So I've seen your faces. *Snickers* Plus, you just confirmed your identities."

It took a couple of seconds for Eizan to realize what the Half-Russian meant before turning pink.

Andoryū lounged back onto the bench, letting one arm draped over the backing of the bench as he asked in a tone that sounded like a really strange combination of being both playful and serious, "So, you going to tell me why you guys are here against your will or am I going to have to ask Little Tchaikovsky about it?"

Somehow... The Seven Elites couldn't help but feel like this man wasn't fooling around with his question, even if he sounded like he was.

}{ Five Minutes Later }{

"So, you lost a bet with the Headmaster and now have to work at Yukihira's every summer Little Tchaikovsky attends Totsuki?" Andoryū stated, giving a summary of what he had just heard. The Seven Elites nodded at that. Andoryū sighed and said in a serious tone, "That would be funny if you kids hadn't underestimated Sōma as severely as you did."

That was when the Seven Elites knew the man was serious with what he just said. Andoryū didn't call Sōma 'Little Tchaikovsky' that time around.

The green-haired man then closes one eye, stared at the Elites with his open eye and stated, "I hope that little bet taught you, kids, not to focus on another person's disability or condition, it's the best way to get your rears handed to you. Doesn't matter if you are an Elite Chef or a part-time Dishwasher."

The Elites glanced at one another briefly. The man did have a point.

Andoryū let out an audible sigh when he said, "For your sakes, I do hope you won't do the same with my daughter. She'll beat you all into submission if you underestimate her."

Kobayashi couldn't help but comment, "Y'all are makin' it sound like she can beat us."

Andoryū raised both of his brows when he said, "Hmm, sounds like you're already underestimating my little constrictor. You've already eaten the cookies she made, yes? Then you should already know a bit of what she can do."

Eizan shrugged and stated in his 'so what' tone, "So she made good cookies, big deal, she's up against the Elite of Totsuki."

"Oh?" was all Andoryū said in a rather unamused tone before asking in that same tone, "If that's the only thing that you're using as a safeguard, then you're going to get yourself pulverized, and humiliated." The green-haired man then moved to where his elbow rested on his knees and stated in a very serious tone, "Listen, I was trying to be nice and passively tell you not to underestimate Konda so you kids don't humiliate yourselves in front of your underclassmen when she beats you because you think she doesn't have a chance. I now see that words do nothing for you kids."

The change in tone from the usually cheery man seemed... Frightening...

Andoryū stood up from the bench, reminding the Elites that he easily towered over them. While he wasn't as tall as Souma Yoshimi, the Russian was about a head and a half shorter than the towering strongman. Andoryū looked down at the seven and said in a tone that gave off the vibe that he wasn't kidding around, "Here's a little fact you should know, I am the weakest cook in my home. Konda is easily twice the chef I am and Midori is easily better than her."

From what Erina could tell, he was being very serious. 'Hold on...' The honey blond thought when she realized something that the half-Russian said. 'Did he... Mispronounced his own daughter's name?' Erina wondered when she thought over what the green-haired man had said.

"So, let's play a little game, children," Andoryū said, now back in his rather causally good-natured tone, and added, "Cook against me as you were going to do with my little constrictor during the contest, with that whole "you're up against someone who isn't from Totsuki behaviour". If you beat me, then you can disregard this conversation. However, *gives the Seven Elites a sinister smile* if you lose then that proves my point about not underestimating Konda. Because if you can't even beat me with that attitude then there's no way you can beat her."

'He did it again!' Erina thought as she and the other Elites followed Andoryū. Now that the honey blonde thought about it, she did remember the green-haired girl saying that 'Kon' was her nickname. 'Wait a minute... What is a nickname supposed to be anyway?' Erina wondered. (1)

~}i{ About 10 Minutes Later }i{~

Andoryū brought the Seven Elites to a picnic area of the park that was close to having all of the flowers in complete bloom, probably within the next day or so. But even then, it was completely beautiful on the eyes. Especially with all the food vendors being there. Nothing big or heavy, a lot of light easy to carry foods meant to be enjoyed alongside nature. There were even a few cookout spots for some individuals that want to stick around for the majority of the day with an outdoor-cooked meal.

"Good location, yes?" Andoryū said, giving the seven a cheerfully knowing smile.

Normally it would've annoyed some of the Elites, but for some very odd reason, it didn't. Erina couldn't help but wonder why this was possible. True, the Half-Russian never seem to be outright rude to anyone. Unlike his daughter, Erina noted to herself. He seemed to take the more passive-aggressive route. This made Erina wonder why Kon didn't inherit that kind of attitude from her father, it certainly would've made the tall teen more bearable. The honey blond then remembered that Sōma telling her and the others that Kon's brain was wired differently. But... Was that a big deal? Was it that much of a difference in how she behaved? To Erina, it was starting to become clear that there was so much she didn't know about outside the culinary world.

Tsukasa was the first to say, "It is nice." While he wasn't a fan of all the people that were gathered around, he had to admit that it was a nice location to relax and cook something nice at. The 1st Seat could already think of at least ten different dishes that he could make that could easily be complemented by the surrounding environment. Although... Eishi glanced around at the food stalls. The whitette couldn't help but wonder if the food available was a little... Too simple in both means and quality. At least to the 1st Seat.

With a smile still gleaming on his face, Andoryū then stated in a good-natured tone, "So I take it that we can have our little cookoff here with no problems, yes?"

Rindou blinked a bit before saying, "Wait, ya were serious about that? But ya're cookin' against the Elite of Totsuki?"

Andoryū raised an amused brow when he stated, "I know and not all of you, just Kinokuni Nene and Eizan Etsuya. I'm very aware of my limits in cooking and I'm not crazy enough to take on all the Elites. I'm just going against the ones in the Main Course category." The way he said that it sounded more like he was having a light-hearted conversation, not a challenge to those who are considered the best of the best of the culinary world.

None of the Elites were sure how to make sense of this...

Hold on... Only two of the four Elites participating in the main Course category?

Andoryū seemed to know what the Elites were thinking and stated before any of them could even ask, "I'm also aware of your positions within the Elite 10 and I know I'm no match for the ones in the top five. But on a separate note, I know a cookoff between me and Nakiri Erina would invoke some... Hmm, well, I guess the best way to word that gently would be "Clashes of Opinions Over What Makes Food Good". And I rather not get into a fight over that before the actual Menu Contest."

Right now, Erina wasn't sure if she should feel insulted or confused. Yes, she did feel a bit peeved that the Half-Russian felt it unnecessary to cook against her, but she also couldn't help but wonder why the whole "Clash of Opinion" thing should matter. Erina's God's Tongue was absolute and always correct about the flavour of a dish. Why should opinions matter in this?

Andoryū snapped the 10th Seat out of her thoughts when he said, "I already made the arrangements for our cookoff." The Half-Russian waved a hand towards the food stalls and the cooking areas and added, "The three of us can use whatever is available within the boundaries of the immediate area, which includes the cooking equipment already here. The only ingredient that's off-limits is pork, but lucky for us, there's no pork today."

'When did he have time to do all that?' Erina wondered as she glanced at the food stalls again to see the vendors noticing her and the other Elites. The vendors then waved at the Totsuki students, practically proving that the Half-Russian had indeed made the arrangements ahead of time. This both fascinated and puzzled Erina, making her wonder if the older man already knew that the Elites were going to accept his proposal for a cooking match.

After placing a hand on Nene's and Etsuya's shoulder, Andoryū said with a smile, "I already know what foodstuffs that are already here, so how about you two and the others take the time to explore the battlefield so we are on the same page, okay? I rather you kids not go into the cookoff without knowing what's available. I want to make sure we have a fair match."

The 9th and 6th Seats awkwardly thanked the Half-Russian before all 7 of the Elites went off to check out the venues.

None of them could figure out if Andoryū was just friendly, subliminally threatening, or just odd.

~}i{ At Shokujidokoro Yukihira }i{~

"Oh, you guys ran into Ishi's father at the park?" Sōma asked into his cellphone. He listened for the other to respond. The blind redhead smiled at the response and said, "Yeah, he works well with Ki's parents, and from what I've heard, their skill-sets complement each other when the three of them work together." Sōma was quiet as he listened to the person on the other end of the line. "Hm? Who did you just see?" the blind redhead asked curiously. Sōma's face quickly shifted into a surprised look when heard what the other had said. Sōma then said, "With Andoryū? ... Oh, I think I know what's going on. Knowing him, he probably wants to make sure Kon isn't underestimated during the Menu Contest."

Akira then asked Sōma over the phone, "Is it really necessary for him to do that? I mean, can't they just learn from the first round of the contest?"

Sōma gave a nervous chuckle when he said, "As reasonable as that is, Kon does have a pet peeve about being underestimated and will not hesitate to go all out just to, legally, humiliate the unlucky sap once she realizes they're underestimating her. Andoryū's a nice enough person to just save them from that unfortunate fate."

Akira was quiet for a brief moment before saying, "I'll definitely keep that in mind when I cook against her in the Main Course category, and I'll tell Alice-chan about that as well..."

Sōma chuckled and said with a smile, "Good call, and while you're there you, Alice-chan, and Ryō can enjoy the cookoff. Just giving you the heads up, Andoryū can be rather unconventional but he'll whip up a good dish."

"Unconventional? What, like you?" Akira said with a soft snicker.

Sōma chuckled when he said, "Oh, compared to Andoryū, I'm practically mundane."

The blind redhead heard the spice master state, "Oh, wow? THIS I have to see. Err, wait..."

The blind redhead chuckled. "I get the implication, Akira, no need to rephrase things on my behalf. You guys have enjoyed the cookoff~," Sōma said cheerfully before hanging up.

~}i{ Back at the Park }i{~

Erina wasn't sure what to think of all these... Vender Foods. Granted she's eaten stuff from vendors, but they were from 5-Star restaurants or 3rd-year Tostuki students during the Moon Banquet. Certainly not this...this... This kind of food! This kind of food-grade that Erina had never even thought to touch! And there was no way she would touch that kind of "Low-Grade" food, EVER!

Erina's stomach gave off a rumble.

Erina placed her hands on her stomach as she turned pink. For nearly two weeks, the honey blonde only ate the food from her hotel, a nearby 5-star of course. Meaning she's pretty much been eating breakfast and dinner when she's at the hotel. Her stomach growled again when her nose smelt the aroma of the food in the air.

"Oh, come on Erina, if you're hungry just get something to eat," Alice stated as she slung an arm over her cousin's shoulder, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. The albino looked over the nearby stalls and said with a smile, "Ooo, everything looks sooo yummy~. What do you think Ryō-kun?"

The seafood specialist was already munching on a wrap he got from a nearby stall while Akira and Shiomi-sensei had smoothies in their hands. The whitette was holding a blue smoothie and the teacher was holding a yellow smoothie. The three were standing next to three other adults.

One of the adults looked like an older version of Ishi, he was even wearing a casual light blue yukata, but with dark blue butterflies printed on it rather than a floral pattern.

The second adult looked like a woman with long blonde hair that almost reached her elbows that was loosely tied back, she had long bangs that swept over the right side of her face and covering that side, and what appeared to be a black headband around her forehead. An emerald green eye gleamed happily as she happily chatted with the others. She wore a loose-fitting mellow red shirt with yellow and blue flowers printed around the mid-section, a bit on the flat-chested side, the left sleeve was to her wrist while there wasn't a right sleeve, long grey slacks that were embroidered with red flowers along the legs, and a pair of light brown open-toed sandals.

The third adult was a man with short raven black hair that spiked up in the back because his bangs were being held back by a red headband. He had black eyes that seemed to sparkle with amusement. He wore a short-sleeved khaki coloured shirt with a green vine and tiny blue flower pattern stripes, long grey slacks that reached his ankles, and a pair of light brown open-toed sandals.

Nene seemed to recognize the man in the khaki shirt. She was nearly a bullet when she darted towards him. It certainly got the Other Totsuki students' attention.

"Yes? Can I help you young lady?" the man in the khaki shirt asked the soba master with a raised brow.

Nene adjusted her glasses and said in an uncharacteristically befuddled tone, "You're... You're Hana Sora! The Ikebana (2) Master who did the breathtaking display at the indoor art festival last month!" She seemed very excited at this realization, much to the confusion of her fellow Totsuki students.

The man in the khaki shirt waved a hand, telling the soba master to calm down, and stated in a slightly annoyed tone, "I'll admit my first name is Sora, but my surname is Soulkin, not Hana." The woman in the flower shirt chuckled at the statement as the man in the khaki shirt, Sora, then added, "And I'm a professional garden landscaper, not some Ikebana Master. But I'm not going to deny that I like flowers."

The woman in the flower shirt chuckled and said in a relatively mild British accent, "Oh, Love, no need to get angry about this again. You do remember that when you adamantly deny it, then they assume that they're right about you being that Hana Master person." She then took the man in the khaki shirt's hand and added, "Also, Love, these children are from Sōma's school. Ki's description of them was spot on as usual."

"I do think an introduction is in order," the man in the yukata stated with a small smile. He then said, "My name is Hikaru Reo, I'm pretty sure you already figured out that I'm Ishi's father. *Chuckles*. He got his looks from me."

'That much is obvious,' the Totsuki students thought at the same time.

"Well, I already told you that my name is Soulkin Sora," the man in the khaki shirt stated in a nonchalant tone, then turned his attention to the woman in the flower shirt and added, "And this lovely flower maker is my soulmate, Mellow. We're Ki's parents."

"Flower maker?" Erina questioned with a raised brow. She never heard of such a weird term before.

Mellow smiled and explained, "I'm a floriculturist (3). It means I specialize in growing flowering plants or plants with flowers to put it simply, although I do also grow non-flowering plants as well." She then brushed the hair strands covering the right side of her face and tucked them behind her ear, revealing that she was wearing a black eye patch over her right eye. Mellow noticed the stares from the seven Elites and said, "Accident during an archery tournament years ago. My eye couldn't be saved, but I'm fine with it. So would you all be kind and not stare too much at it? It's quite rude."

Now the Elites were feeling a little self-conscious. They didn't mean to stare.

"Shouldn't two of you be looking over the inventory of the stalls? Unless you both have memorized them and are ready now, yes?" Andoryū asked with a relatively happy smile as he suddenly appeared behind Nene and Eizan, pretty much startling the two out of their respective skins.

"Let me guess Andrew, they wouldn't heed your verbal warning about Kon?" Mellow asked with a sigh.

Sora rolled his eyes and stated, "You are far too merciful, Andoryū."

Hikaru-san shook his head and said, "I would say just let them learn the hard way, but we already know your answer to that."

Andoryū only smiled at his friends' comments as Nene and Eizan scurried away from the Half-Russian.

Alice then whispered to Erina, "That's cool, the Trinity's parents are good friends too. But I guess it makes sense." The albino girl smiled and asked her cousin, "So, are you going to eat what he makes in your little outdoor Shokugeki?"

The Elites turned to Alice with shocked looks on their faces. Rindou blinked and asked, "How'd ya know about that? Ya just got here?"

Akira answered by saying, "I was talking on the phone with Sōma after we ran into Hikaru-san and the Soulkin-sans as they finished their recent project. I saw you guys with Forest-san walking into the area and I ended up telling Sōma that I saw you. He explained that Kon-kun has a pet peeve about people underestimating her and that Forest-san is trying to prevent you guys from doing that. Sōma also mentioned that Forest-san is more unconventional than he is."

Erina scoffed and stated, "I find that very hard to believe, considering all the ridiculous things he's made at Totsuki."

Ryō then comment nonchalantly, "Are you talking about the stuff that got him good grades in his classes or the ones that sealed him his victories in every match he's been in?" Erina turned pink when she realized the seafood specialist meant. This also earned some chuckles from the adults.

Andoryū smiled as he pulled out two pocket knives from some kind of hidden pockets near his belt loops. He flipped them both open with one swift movement with just the hand holding them and said, "When both of my opponents look over the inventory, I'd go commandeer my main ingredient before we officially start."

Etsuya pushed his glasses back, glanced at the two small knives, and stated, "Are those necessary? I mean, I understand the feeling of wanting to use your own personal knife and all, but I don't think pocket knives are the best thing to use when cooking."

Andoryū raised an amused brow and said in an almost mocking tone, "Sounds to me like you've never cooked outside a kitchen environment." He then flipped one of the pocket knives into the air to catch it with his other hand and started weaving the other knife between his fingers without cutting himself. How he was able to do these things without harming himself was beyond the Totsuki students and teacher. The Half-Russian then said with more of a smirk than a smile, "I guess I can tell you, children, this, I'm a master when it comes to "Adapting", so I simply 'Adapted' to cooking wildlife in outdoor environments during my time with the Unit. *Now in a tone of realization* Ah! That is probably why Kon and Midori are better chefs than me, I'm not exactly comfortable cooking in a kitchen setting. Oh, I guess that means I can expect Ren will surpass me in cooking too once Midori allows him into use knives. *Chuckles* Aw, both my children are growing up."

The Totsuki group glanced at one another. That was a tangent if there ever was one...

'But... He did admit that he's better at cooking outdoors than indoors,' Erina thought as she glanced at the vendors and outdoor grills. The honey blonde then thought, 'So he has an advantage here.' Erina couldn't help but wonder just how far ahead the Half-Russian had planned, but then again he was going up against two members of the Elite 10 so she figured that he had thought ahead enough to make sure he had some kind of edge.

Nene adjusted her glasses when she said, "Back to the topic at hand. Besides the restriction of keeping to the immediate area, what are the other rules and criteria to win?"

Andoryū blinked a few times before admitting out loud, "Oh, I forgot to mention all that, huh?"

Everyone from Totsuki couldn't help but think that that seemed a bit hard to believe. The Half-Russian has already proven that he is capable of forethought and proper planning, so it did seem weird that he would "forget" to tell them the rules.

Hikaru-san chuckled when he said, "Andoryū, we know you well enough to know you didn't forget. You were waiting to see if any of them noticed that you didn't explain all the rules." From the tone and what was said, the Totsuki members could assume that this was something that happened quite often.

Andoryū gave a hardy laugh and said, "Guilty as charged. Midori has rubbed off on me, yes?"

Mellow chuckled when Sora said with a frown, "That depends on what traits you're talking about. She's got a couple of nasty ones." Earning an oddly cheerful chuckle from Andoryū.

Hikaru-san sighed before saying, "Just tell them all the rules for this cookoff. The faster that's over with, the faster we can finish this. I have another project to get started on, and I would like to get the references for it as soon as I can."

Andoryū chuckled and said, "Alright. *Turns his attention to Nene and Etsuya*. Okay, here are the rules. I already told you the first rule so we can skip over that one. Rule 2; Keep the portions small and the waste low, since we're here in this park-."

Erina interrupted by saying, "So basically the theme is something that can complement the appeal of the park, right? And we need have to use packaging that leaves as little waste as possible."

Andoryū dropped the smile, folded his arms, and gave the 10th Seat a stern look. Hikaru-san, Sora, and Mellow were also giving Erina a look that made it seem like they were rather surprised by her interrupting their friend.

It took a few seconds for Erina to realize that Andoryū was giving her a look of a disapproving parent. And quite frankly, it made her uncomfortable, it kind of made her think of her father when she didn't do as he ordered her to do.

Sensing the honey blonde's discomfort, Andoryū stated in a rather stern tone, "Before I was rudely interrupted, I was going to explain that this park has particular rules as to what the vendors that are stationed here are allowed to sell and how they are to sell them. Since we are going to be using their inventory, we are obligated to follow the same rules as they do. Next time, Nakiri Erina, let someone finish explaining the criteria before you make assumptions and if you have any questions about what was just said, you ask when the person is finished talking. It is common curtsy no matter where you come from."

"What about your daughter? She's rude enough to do the same," Erina retorted. Or at least tried to.

Andoryū narrowed his eyes and asked sternly, "Oh? Have you heard her interrupt someone midway through their sentence?" Erina opened her mouth, but then closed it. The Half-Russian had a point. None of the Elites have heard the green-haired girl interrupt anyone. The Half-Russian sighed softly before saying, "Listen, while I will admit Konda can say things that might be interrupted as rude sometimes, but I guaranteed that she doesn't mean it to be rude. *Sighs* Listen, Midori and I have taught her the value of patients and we made sure she knows how to properly use it. She can wait until someone is done talking before she asks or says something." Andoryū easily noted the minor discomfort signals that the blonde Nakiri was showing subconsciously. The Half-Russian felt that odd, from his perspective he was trying to act like a stern teacher towards a troublesome student, but the way the honey blonde was acting... It was as if she broke a taboo but was trying not to show that she did. Something wasn't right with that...

Hikaru-san explained that the park officials want to keep the park as clean as possible and thus want to keep the waste of the vendors to a minimum. Meaning no paper/plastic plates, no non-biodegradable wrappings, and no plastic utensils. Hikaru-san then added with a small smile, "These restrictions have made the vendors here very creative about how to serve their wares. So part of this challenge is to follow the same restrictions when it comes to making your own dish here."

Sora then said as he looked at Andoryū, "Ah, so that's one of the reasons you decided to have a cookoff here. To test their creativity, or at least the two you're facing off against."

The Half-Russian only smiled.

Akira couldn't help but think, 'Ah, so he had more than just his daughter in mind when he came up with this challenge. He also wants to test their creativity when it comes to abiding by strict rules and to test their skills as Totsuki's Elite. *Places a hand to his chin*. It sounds like his Adaption skills isn't just a physical ability, it's also a mental ability.' Now it made the spice master wonder if the Half-Russian's daughter inherited that skill. 'But...' Akira thought before wondering, 'Is it really necessary for him to such a test? He didn't have to... Unless...'

Andoryū continued with the rules, "Rule 3, You can use any style, theme, or speciality you want."

"Eh?!" was the reaction from the Elites.

In pretty much a mock surprised tone, Andoryū said, "What? I'm no professional chef or one in general, I'm a semi-casual cook. I don't know what counts as a theme or a style in cooking, and I don't exactly have a cooking speciality unless you count knowing what's good and safe to eat in the wild. Besides, I'm sure you kids won't mind that kind of free-range, especially with the restricted "plating" you have to deal with." The Half-Russian seemed a little too good-natured about this whole thing.

Alice was the one to say, "I kind of get that. So, any more rules?"

Andoryū looked at the sky and said, "Well, since we have to keep out portions small and portable, plus the vendors here kind of use this times frame as well. I guess Rule 4 is a ten-minute time limit for cooking once you gathered all your ingredients."

Etsuya nodded and then asked, "That sounds doable. But what about the judging? I mean, this is somewhat a three-way Shokugeki, we need judges."

Andoryū tilted his head to the side and asked in a bit of a confused tone, "Shoku-Henki? I do not know that word. Is it a chef term?"

The 9th Seat's cheeks acquired a soft dusting of pink when he realized what he let slip out. Of course, the Half-Russian didn't understand what he meant, the term Shokugeki is only used an official at Totsuki, or any of its establishments. Etsuya could've just written it off as an off day or something along that line.

Shiomi Jun was the one to explain, "Ah, no. Shokugeki is a cooking duel between Totsuki students. It's a way to solve disagreements and expand on-campus clubs by putting their cooking skills to the test. Whoever makes the better dish within the timeline and theme wins the Shokugeki."

Hikaru-san couldn't help but whistle at this new information. Mellow was the one to say, "This does prove that every job or career has its own dictionary."

Andoryū scratched his cheek when he said, "I guess if you kids want to call it a Shoku-meki, you can. I'm just going to call it a cookoff because I'm used to the term." This whole stuff wasn't the Half-Russian's thing, and he was vaguely aware that he wasn't pronouncing the word correctly. "As to the Judges, how about the other Totsuki kids, Shiomi-sensei, and my friends here be the judges for this cookoff," Andoryū said with a cheery smile.

Sora snorted before commenting, "Of course you would say something like that, you always make sure every battle is completely fair." Mellow simply rolled her eye at the comment while Hikaru-san snickered. Judging by what was said, this was normal behaviour for the Half-Russian.

Andoryū smiled as he eyed the Elites and asked, "Do my opponents have a better idea on what they need for the cookoff now?" From the tone, it sounded like he was making sure no one goes into a fight without any weapons.

'So he was being serious about making the Shokugeki completely fair,' Ryō thought to himself before glancing at the outdoor grills. 'But… If he wanted everything to be fair, why bring the Elites to where he has the obvious edge, and with the rules that he can abide by very easily while they might have some problems with?' The seafood specialist wondered. From what he heard from Andoryū himself, the Half-Russian was by no means a professional chef and didn't usually cook in a kitchen.

"Ah, now I get why," Ryō suddenly said out loud, earning some looks from Akira, Alice, Shiomi-sensei, and Hikaru-san.

Alice placed her hands on her hips and asked in a huffy tone, "What are you talking about, Ryō?"

Ryō narrowed his eyes at the Half-Russian as he strolled around the area before saying, "He didn't just choose this location because it's convenient or close, he chose this location to hamper the 9th and 6th Seats while at the same time raise his skill-set. And the rules and restrictions were put in place for the same reason. All these were set in place so that all three of them were at the same cooking level. Here they have access to the same ingredients and cookware with Totsuki students and a teacher as judges, we know what to look for in cooking and we know what a good dish tastes like. It may look like he gave himself the edge at first glance but it isn't, this is a completely fair match when you take a step back and think about it."

Hikaru-san chuckled a bit before saying, "That's how Andoryū is. He's always had a strong sense of fairness, makes him a good judge."

Akira raised a brow when he said, "Oh, is he one professionally? Er, I mean, besides for the current Menu Contest."

Hikaru-san gave the spice master a mischievous smile and said, "Sometimes his job makes him a judge. I guess since we're on the topic, I was surprised that he entered that category in last year's Menu Contest."

This perked the small group's interest.

Alice was the one to ask, "Which category?"

Hikaru-san gave them another mischievous smile when he said as he waved his right index finger from side to side, "Nah ah ah, I'm not telling. I know what his plan is now, so I'm not going to ruin it." Now he was being a sly fox here, and he wasn't even hiding it. He then turned his attention to the Half-Russian and said, "Besides, if he wants to tell you, he will. *Realizes what his friend was doing*. Uh oh, he's... Oh boy, I really shouldn't be surprised he was going planning on cooking something like that, given how he usually cooks."

Ryō, Akira, Alice, and Shiomi-sensei then turned their attention towards Andoryū, all wondering what Hikaru-san was talking about. Three seconds later, the little Totsuki group's eyes widened at the same time at what they had seen. More along the line of just the shock at what they just saw than what happened.

Hikaru-san sighed and said, "Well... Looks like he's got his main ingredient for the cookoff."

Ryō, Akira, Alice, and Shiomi-sensei immediately turned their heads to the man in the yukata in shock as the albino asked in an actual shakey tone, "Wait! He's planning on cooking THAT?! Is that allowed?"

"Well, it IS in the immediate area, so yes, it's allowed," Hikaru-san said a little too calmly considering what they'd just saw. He sighed again when he added, "I hope he can cook it completely in the ten minutes timespan." Hikaru-san glanced at the little group he was with and said, "I know this kind of thing is off-putting to you, but it's pretty normal for him. I'm just glad there aren't many people around this time."

"This time?" Shiomi-sensei squeaked out.

Akira rubbed his neck and said wirily, "Sōma did say that Forest-san was "More Unconventional than He was", but I guess that was both an understatement and probably the best way for him to describe Forest-san's cooking style... Although, I think the term "Unorthodox" would be a better word to use..." Truth be told, THIS was something the spice master did not expect to happen before a Shokugeki, especially this one.

"Well, one thing's clear," Ryō said in an uncharacteristic unnerved tone, before saying, "This is certainly going to be an unusual match."

That was an obvious opinion.

~}i{ At Shokujidokoro Yukihira }i{~

"Hiro, you mind helping me with a dish?" Sōma asked out loud as he walked into the kitchen.

"Sure, big brother," Hiro said before he followed the blind redhead. The nine-year-old looked at the ingredients and asked, "What are you making?"

Sōma smiled and said, "Ohh~, just one of the winning dishes from last year~. I'm kinda expecting our Summer Workers to come in today, and I'm sure they're going to have some questions."

Hiro blinked and tilted his head in confusion at the statement.

~}i{ Back at the Park }i{~

Etsuya huffed as he gathered up all the materials he needed for his dish. It may not have been completely in his speciality, but he knew enough about what he's going to make it tasty. Problem was, he was going to get a nasty earful from the 4th Seat.

Nene gathered up everything she needed for her dish, it wasn't soba by any means but it was Traditional Japanese (Street) dish so she'll be able to make a delicious dish. She was a bit annoyed that she couldn't make her soba, but with the plating restrictions, she knew that soba would be hard to serve.

Etsuya and Nene walked over towards Andoryū, to tell them that they were ready for their cookoff. The two saw the green-haired man plopping five small de-feathered and headless birds onto his chosen workstation before tossing a small bundle of wooden branches onto the lower level of a grill.

The 9th Seat was immediately suspicious of this, especially since he just checked all the inventory of all the street vendors and didn't see anything like those birds in said inventory. Etsuya adjusted his glasses as he asked in a suspicious tone as he pointed at the pile of featherless bird corps, "Where did you get those?"

Andoryū smiled as he lit a match to light up the grill and said, "I caught and de-feathered them myself. I took off the feathers now since it would've taken more than half our cook time to take them all off during the match, hope you two don't mind that I did that." He then pulled a collapsible fan out of one of his cargo pockets and used it to move the air toward the fire to fuel it.

"Caught?" Nene asked with a raised brow before adjusting her glasses and said, "But the only food available for us to use are the ones from the vendors, and there aren't any type of live chickens here." The soba master glanced around to see if she missed anything, like a mobile chicken coop or something along the lines of that.

Andoryū blinked in confusion as he pointed a free hand towards a nearby tree and said as the other Elite gathered nearby, "I caught a few of those healthy ones. You can try to catch one if you want to use some of their meat, but keep in mind that they're pretty fast."

All Seven of the Elites looked at the tree, more specifically a little flock of what was cooing contently underneath the tree.

"P-p-p-pigeons?!" All of the Elites gasped in shock as the grey birds cooed in an oddly patterned song as they walked around the tree.

None of the seven could believe what they were hearing and seeing... The Half-Russian was going to cook a bunch of wild pigeons for the cookoff. Pigeons...

'Are those even safe to eat?' Erina thought in disgust. She couldn't help but think of all the things that are wrong with this whole thing. The only thing Erina knew about pigeons was the fact they were referred to as 'Rats with Wings', so as far as she knew, pigeons were a horrible choice of ingredients to use.

Andoryū sighed and stated as he continued to fan the flames on his grill, "I understand how using pigeons could be a bit of a deterrent for people who've never thought of using them as food, but they're pretty good. They're kind of like a quail-sized chicken and their meat goes good with some blood oranges and a little bit of wild sage. *Now in a more cheery tone*. I hope you kids try them." He then turned to Nene and Etsuya and said, "You two might want to get your chosen stations ready."

Etsuya glared at the green-haired man and asked/snapped in a bit of an insulted tone, "Are you taking us seriously?"

Andoryū raised a brow and said, "Of course I am taking you kids seriously, why else would I made sure to catch the healthiest pigeons here?"

Rindou jumped in front of the 9th Seat and asked in a chipper tone, "Wow, you can tell if they're healthy or not? They all look and act the same to me~."

Andoryū happily replied, "Of course they act the same, they don't want to draw any attention from predators so they act as though nothing is wrong with them. It's a self-defence mechanism for a lot of prey animals, but they have their micro-tells whether they are perfectly healthy or not."

Rindou squealed cheerfully and happily chanted, "Wow! And you can spot all those tells? *Andoryū nods with a smile*. Nya~, now I can try pigdeon~."

Etsuya yanked the 2nd Seat out of the way by one of her ears and said in an annoyed tone, "How is it that you're older than some of us but act a lot younger than us? Do act your age and wait for us to cook first."

Andoryū smiled, not the least bit surprised by what was happening before him, and said, "Ah, judging by what you just said, I take it you two are ready for our match, yes?" Nene and Etsuya adjusted their glasses and nodded at the comment. The green-haired man smiled again before saying, "Okay. Now get to the cooking stations you've selected warmed up and we can get this cookoff started."

'Pigeons as a main dish... Even after all this planning to give himself an edge, that's what he goes with?' Nene thought as she walked away from the group.

Etsuya adjusted his glasses when he thought with a scoff, 'He's the one who's underestimating us.'

And with that, and once the 9th and 6th Seat got to their chosen stations, the cookoff began.

~}i{ Time Skip, End of Cooking Time (Don't need to put in every cooking detail for this part of the story, and anything that happened during the cooking will be mentioned a little later) }i{~

"Alright, time is up," Sora said as his watch struck the hour. The moment the garden landscaper said these words, the three who were cooking took a step back from their cooking stations.

The first one to serve their dish was Etsuya with his Sweet Triple Berry Crêpes. Which of course caused the pastry pride of Momo to flare-up. The short 4th Seat was currently giving the 9th Seat an earful about how making yummy sweets were HER thing and was currently trying to clobber him. Thankfully, Somei had a nice grip on Momo's collar, preventing her from getting any closer to Etsuya.

Andoryū turned his head towards Shiomi-sensei and asked, "Is it normal for them to be acting this way?" The spice teacher reluctantly nodded at the question. The green-haired man chuckled and stated, "They must be close then if they fight like that a lot."

Shiomi-sensei gave a nervous chuckle when she said, "I don't think that's the case."

"I never said anything about it being either a positive or negative thing," Andoryū stated with a bit of a snicker. This comment earned him some looks from the Totsuki members.

Etsuya handed out his crêpes to his fellow Totsuki students, teacher, and the three other adults for the judging portion of the cookoff with a smile on his face, even though Momo was still relatively peeved and glaring at him.

From what everyone could see at first glance, the crêpes were filled with sweetened frosting and three different berries. Raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries.

"Oh boy, good thing Ishi isn't here to judge this cookoff. There is no way you could get him to take a bite of this sugar-fest, not even to break a tie," Hikaru-san commented as he looked over at the crêpe in his hand.

Akira couldn't help but think, 'So, Ishi-kun doesn't like sweets... So that fact was true.' That was when the whitette wondered why he was thinking about this whole liar trivia.

~}i{ Flashback, Yesterday Afternoon }i{~

"It seems like you guys are already being tested," Sōma commented as he placed an order on a tray.

Rindou raised a brow when she asked, "What're ya talking about?"

Sōma gave a mischievous smile when he said, "Oh, I just heard one of the Trinity say something interesting. Guess that means they want to test you."

Eishi raised a brow when he asked, "Uhh if they wanted to test us about cooking, they should have given us a heads up so we can prepare..."

Sōma chuckled a bit before saying, "Ah, no, not that kind of test. It's more along the lines of an intelligence test." When the blind redhead was asked what he meant by that, he smiled and answered mischievously, "This intelligence test is more of a way for that one to gauge the awareness of others by telling small lies."

Akira raised a brow when he asked, "Awareness by telling lies?"

Sōma then said with that mischievous smile on his face, "How about I give you all a few hints about the Trinity so you can find the 'Lier' of them. Ki-kun can never lie when it comes to past events, Kon-kun will always answer questions that are asked, and Ishi-kun can't answer if you ask incorrectly."

Erina was the one to ask in a confused tone, "How are those hint supposed to help us?"

Sōma cheerfully stated, "Oh, you'll understand the hints, so long as you pay attention~."

~}i{ End Flashback }i{~

Akira sighed. Maybe he was thinking about that because he officially had too much free time after he decided on what he was going to make for the Autumn Elections.

Everyone then took a bite of their crêpe. The overflowing taste of the naturally sweeten berries paired with the silky texture of the crêpe and the fluffy filling made it feel like you were in a soft grassy field as berry-butterflies fluttered around in the air as a gentle breeze swooned by, as Erina put it.

Andoryū blinked at the description and asked, "That is quite the environment, but what does it have to do with this cookoff?" From what the Totsuki students could tell, he sounded rather confused by what Erina had said, almost as if he didn't understand why she was saying something like that.

That was when Sora said, "It's probably how she verbally describes the taste of something. Some people are like that." That statement seemed to help Andoryū, but it didn't seem to completely alleviate the confusion.

While the Totsuki students did find that fact that the green-haired man didn't understand Erina's descriptions odd, they then remembered that they were more use to her "Food Descriptions" while he wasn't. However...

'The way he asked what it had to do with the cookoff... Was just... Odd...' was all Akira could think as he finished off the crêpe. While the whitette wasn't a huge fan of sweets, he didn't want to waste the food, plus it was pretty good.

"Argh!" Hikaru-san verbalized as he swallowed what he had in his mouth. He then said as he covered his mouth, "Urg. While I don't mind eating the occasional small sweet, I don't really like this kind of full-blown over-sweeten thing."

'Guess there's more of a connection between father and son then just looks,' Ryō thought in an almost amused internal tone. But the seafood specialist knew that the yukata wearing man wasn't going to choose the crêpe on this Shokugeki, much to the 9th Seat's annoyance.

Momo, of course, made a bit of a fuss about the crêpe not being up to par with the ones that she can make in her sleep.

'Now that seems to be more ego then fact,' Akira mused as he rolled his eyes at the antics between Eizan and Momo happening before everyone, again. Saitou was keeping them from fighting, yet again. Akira sighed at the 9th and 4th Seats and wondering if cooking was the only way that they could act their actual age.

Saitou finally whacked the two over their heads to stop the bickering. The 5th Seat then stated sternly, "Thy two douth not in tis Shokugeki for sweets. Now cease tis childish banter and allow'ith the other two to serve thy dishes, or would thy rather be'ith unable to participate in thy Menu Contest?"

"What? You can't do that? You're not in charge of it!" both Momo and Eizan nearly shouted at the same time.

Andoryū raised/waved a hand to get everyone's attention and said, "Umm, actually... As long as all five judges agree on something pertaining to the current Menu Contest, it will be allowed or voided just for that contest. So if I tell the other judges that the two of you were acting very inappropriately before the actual Contest start date, and if all five of us agree that your actions are not something we wish to see during the contest, you're application for the Menu Contest can be void... I would rather not have to report that, so please be good and stop the bickering. Because if you two argue like this during the contest, you would not only distract yourself but also the other participants in the contest, not something us judges want happening." From the tone he was using, you could tell he meant what he was saying. The green-haired man didn't want to report this, but if he had to he would.

This silenced the 9th and 4th Seat rather quickly. As much as the fact that they didn't really like working at a menial position of a diner for the mass, this contest was probably the one chance they had a proving to the patrons of the diner that they had cooking skills worthy of the Elite 10. Blowing that opportunity will cost them that recognition...

Now that that's over.

Nene was next to serve her dish.

"Taiyaki (4)?" nearly everyone question curiously. Keyword; Nearly.

Andoryū smiled at what he saw and said happily, "Oh, Ren just loves taiyaki! He even saved up his allowance to by the pans needed to make them at home. He has even experimented with different taiyaki recipes. He actually sells them at his school during lunch and breaks, managed to stockpile a good amount of money and used it to buy one of those the bigger pans to make multiple taiyaki at once so he can sale them during local festivals, even managed to get his own permanent booth too. I just can't help but be so very proud of him for his entrepreneurial skills~."

Sora, Mellow, and Hikaru-san couldn't help but chuckle at their friend's little happy rant moment.

Ryo took his portion and asked in a lackadaisical tone, "So, you eat these often?"

Andoryū gave a small smile when he said, "More or less. Long as there's no pork or chocolate involved, I don't mind eating taiyaki. Besides, Ren always makes the kind of taiyaki that I enjoy eating."

Momo rushed up to Andoryū and demanded, "Why no chocolate? Chocolate filled taiyaki is the bestest!"

Andoryū's smile disappeared when he said sternly, "In case you have forgotten, my daughter is severely intolerant to chocolate, just like my Midori. So our household does not eat chocolate, no matter what occasion it is. I understand that millions of people love chocolate, but some people don't like it or can't eat it. It would be nice if you would respect their opinions and decisions no matter what they may be."

Alice couldn't help but think 'Okay, that's something that needs to be remembered. Even though he can eat chocolate, he won't because he loves his wife and daughter very much...' This kind of love reminded the albino of her parents in a way.

Once everyone had a taiyaki, they took a bite. The mouth-filling taste of the cooked taiyaki batter mixed harmoniously with the savoury taste of the red bean paste. Erina couldn't help but picture a vibrant festival with red decor of every shade scattered around ecstatically.

Andoryū couldn't help but comment to the honey blonde, "You have a very vivid imagination young miss." This earned a glare from Erina. She couldn't understand how the green-haired man thought that she was 'Imagining' all this, it was how the taiyaki tasted that she was picturing it.

Akira rubbed his chin at this. From what the whitette could tell, Andoryū didn't seem to be aggravating Erina on purpose or trying to in general. 'He genuinely thinks her 'Food Judgment' is her imagination,' Akira thought, trying to make sense of what he was hearing and seeing.

Nene adjusted her glasses when she said, "It's not soba, but I made it perfectly." It was a traditional taiyaki recipe that the Kinokuni family have perfected a few generations back. Nene made taiyaki occasionally during a few high-classed events that were Traditional Japanese themed. Taiyaki may not have been one of Nene's favourite thing to make, but she thought they were a good occasional treat.

As far as the Elite was concerned, Etsuya and Nene were easily tied. That was until Ryo coughed to get their attention and said in his usual lackadaisical tone, "Uuhh, you guys do remember that this is a three-way match, right?"

Andoryū waved a cheery hand and said chipperly, "Oh, I'm sure they're just used to just having a one-against-one match at Totsuki, yes?" The green-haired man didn't seem all that bothered by the Elites' little 'forgetful' moment. In fact, he seemed a little too at ease with this... Andoryū noticed the looks and said, "What? I'm I not allowed to give you kids the benefit of the doubt? I don't know what a normal cookoff at Totsuki is like, but I can guess a three-way doesn't happen often."

'He is being way too calm and logical with this,' The Totsuki group thought at the same time.

Andoryū noticed the looks he was getting. He then said with an amused raised brow, "I do have a lot more life experience than you kids, so I'm a bit more willing to be more open than you."

Ah, now it makes sense.

With that, Andoryū handed out his Yakitori (healthy pigeon meat edition).

The Totsuki group weren't sure about eating pigeons. Okay, yeah, it looked a bit like chicken, but it was still pigeon...

"Just pretend that it's chicken and take a bite. Andoryū's surprisingly good at cooking stuff like this. Well, he does have a lot of experience with this kind of food," Hikaru-san said before biting into his yakitori, getting a mouthful of the pigeon meat and vegetables.

The Totsuki group then glanced at Sora and Mellow as the two-bit into their yakitori without much worry. They then quickly glanced at each other for a few seconds before they finally bit into their yakitori.

To Erina... It tasted like she was flying above the fluffy, white clouds that were shaped like vegetable leaves on the back of a giant, majestic pigeon-like gryphon.

With a very obvious look of confusion on his face, Andoryū couldn't help but say, "Vegetable clouds? Pigeon gryphon? Where on earth did you come up with such a strange concept like that?"

Erina was too blissfully enjoying the odd meal that she didn't even hear the comment from the green-haired man.

Nene and Etsuya glanced at each other before they tried the yakitori for themselves. And much to their surprise and disarray... It was delicious... It was expertly seasoned, cooked to perfection, and all the vegetables complemented the pigeon meat positively cohesively.

With the voting score of E: 1 - N: 4 - A: 6, Forest Andoryū won the cookoff.

"You kids really did underestimate me because of the meat I chose to use, didn't you," Andoryū stated as he glanced at Nene and Etsuya with a critical look in his eyes. Narrowing his eyes, the green-haired man stated seriously, "You didn't use all the ingredients you've gathered. I can still smell them at your cooking station."

True enough, both Nene and Etsuya had an untouched food item, each, that they planned to use still sitting on their station.

"Wafers?" Hikaru-san said as he picked up the bag of bite-sized cookie wafers from Etsuya's station. The fox-eyed man thought for a few seconds before saying, "Come to think of it, the crêpe was too sweet and I thought it might've been because I don't really like sweets, but it might've been because Eizan-kun was originally planning on using these wafers in the crêpe."

That was when Alice said, "Makes sense, I mean, wafers were made to complement sweetness, although there are some wafers that have certain sweets incorporated into them. But... *Places a hand to her chin* It's odd that Eizan-senpai got those but didn't use them..."

That was when Andoryū stated, "Yes, he planned to use them, but he decided that he didn't need them right before we started the cooking timer, yes."

Etsuya frowned in anger when he turned his head away from the group. The green-haired man was right.

"Whipped cream?" Akira said when he looked at Nene's cooking station and saw the container of whipped cream sitting there unopened.

Andoryū was the one to explain, "Sometimes whipped cream can be used as a topping for taiyaki, especially the dessert versions. And from what I hear, it's an oddly good combination with the traditional red bean filling. Something I'm sure someone who is a self-proclaimed expert in traditional Japanese dishes would've easily picked up on, yes."

Nene lowered her eyes at the comment.

Mellow was the one to say, "They were planning on using those particular ingredients but chose not to at the last minute... All because they learned that Andrew was going to use pigeons."

Andoryū shoved his hands into his pockets when he said sternly, "I told zese kids twice that I specialized in cooking wildlife before they saw the pigeons, and yet zey still assumed I wasn't taking zem seriously to the point that they screwed themselves over by leaving out an ingredient. I can safely say, zat I am more zan disappointed." He then took a deep breath to calm himself down a bit before saying, "But my point was made. *Glances back at the Totsuki group with a critical look in his eyes* This isn't just about underestimating my daughter anymore, it's also underestimating the other participants in the contest. Yes, they may not be professionals, but they do have talent in cooking. And if you underestimate them in the Menu Contest, then it'll reflect badly on Totsuki, especially since some of you kids are the Seated Elite."

That was a harsh but true statement.

Andoryū closed his eyes when he said, "For your sakes, you better bring your A-Game to the Menu Contest for all three rounds."

~}i{ Roughly 30 Minutes Later }i{~

Hiro was cleaning off a table when the Totsuki group walked in. The 9-year-old smiled and said, "You guys are here! Big brother was right when he'd said you'd come by."

Akira raised an amused brow when he asked, "Oh? And what did he say?"

"That you would be by after your improv match with Forest-san!" Hiro said excitedly, before pointing to the bar area and added, "Sit over there, big brother already made you guys something to drink."

The Totsuki group, mostly the Elites, glanced at each other before heading towards the barstools.

Sōma heard everything and already got a tray full of glasses that were filled with different coloured liquids. He placed the tray in front of the Totsuki group and said cheerfully, "I'd figure you all would like something nice and refreshing to drink after being outside for a while."

Everyone looked at the drinks and realized that they were assorted flavours of boba tea.

"Oh, wow, I thought that was a mistake on the menu. You serve boba tea," Alice said as she picked up the glass of blue semi-transparent boba tea.

Sōma nodded and said, "Yup, it was the winning Beverage Dish from last year's Menu Contest."

Etsuya glared at the blind redhead and snapped, "Was that whole thing planned?"

Sōma tilted his head a bit before asking, "Pardon? I figured you guys would want something refreshing to dri-"

The 9th Seat interrupted by snapping, "That whole improv Shokugeki. Did you have a hand in that? Because that green-haired weirdo managed to beat two members of the Elite 10 with a meat dish made from pigeons. Pigeons! How the hell is that possible?!"

Yeah, saying that Etsuya was unhappy with the outcome of the cookoff was a complete understatement...

"Oh? He used pigeons this time around? He used squirrels last time he had a cookoff at the park. *Chuckles* Officer Hikaru, uh, that's Ishi's mother, had to write him a ticket for throwing knives in a public park," Sōma stated, reminiscing about that particular match. The blind redhead then told the Totsuki group, "And no, I didn't know Andoryū was planning on challenging you to a cookoff. At least, not until Akira told me over the phone."

Erina raised her brow when she asked, "So you had no part in that?"

Sōma shook his head and said, "I didn't, and I'm not sure if you've realized this, but Andoryū is an adult with his own agenda that can be separate from the Menu Contest. *Places his hands on his hips* And I'm pretty sure he wanted to make sure that you guys didn't underestimate Kon during the Menu Contest. She's got a nasty habit of legally humiliating individuals that underestimate her."

"Legal Humiliation?" was the unanimous question of the Totsuki group. Akira then added, "Ah, I remember you said something like that over the phone."

Sōma rubbed the back of his neck when he said, "To put it simply, she'll go out of her way to make a fool of her opponent while adhering to the rules at the same time."

Ryo placed a hand on his chin when he said, "Ah, I get it. Because she is technically following the rules while she's humiliating them, it's allowed. Thus, it is "legal" to do." Sōma nods at that while saying 'basically'. Ryo then added, "I take it she's done this a lot."

Sōma sighed before saying, "Kon may be an atypical thinker, but that doesn't give anyone the right to think she's incapable of anything. And just like her mother, she likes to humiliate them when they use that kind of narrow-minded thinking."

'Narrow-minded thinking...' Erina thought sadly before she took a sip of the semi-transparent pink boba tea. The soft, utterly refreshing flavour of the tea filled her mouth. The tea just tasted like the definition of relaxing. Erina's eyes shot open. She didn't even realize she'd closed them. The boba tea... Just soothed her without her notice.

"Sōma-kun, I thought your seasonal workers had the day off today?" a voice from the entrance of the diner. The Totsuki group turned towards the voice to see Kashii Eiji was standing in the entranceway. Tsukui Michio walked into the diner a few seconds later.

"Afternoon, Kashii-san. Would you like your usuals?" Sōma asked easily enough.

Eiji shook his head when he said, "Not at the moment, Sōma-kun. I am more here to inquire more about the judging parameters for the Menu Contest than eating." The long-haired man and the daycare teacher walked over to the bar stools so the blind redhead could hear them better.

Sōma picked up the sounds of the second set of footsteps and asked, "Oh? Who's with you Kashii-san?"

"Just me, Sō-chan," Michio said with a smile as she and Eiji sat at the end of the bar.

"Oh, afternoon Tsukui-sensei," Sōma said with a smile. The blind redhead then said, "My seasonal employees and schoolmates decided to come by after a cooking match with Andoryū in the park."

Michio snickered when he asked, "Oh boy, these kids didn't freak when he used squirrel meat did they?"

Shiomi-sensei shuttered when she said, "Uh, no he used pigeons..."

Michio covered her mouth to stop a laugh as Eiji sighed. He was not all that surprised by this when she asked while trying not to laugh, "Taste like chicken, right?"

No one from Totsuki wanted to answer that, so they all took a sip from their boba tea.

After her sip and taking a deep breath, Erina said reluctantly, "I hate to admit it, but you do make good boba tea."

Eizan nodded when he said, "I know I wouldn't mind marketing this kind of relaxing tea."

Michio couldn't stop herself from snickering when Sōma said rather bluntly, "I'm not sure if I should find that insulting or disappointing. I said this was the winning Beverage Dish from last year, and I won the Main Course category."

Eizan pushed his glasses back up his nose when he said, "Well, now, I guess your sister does have cooking talent in her blood."

Sōma shook his head and said, "Mayu won the Appetizer Course."

This was a little embarrassing for Erina and Eizan... They assumed one of the Yukihira Twins made the boba tea because they were chefs and never thought that a patron of the diner could make this kind of boba tea.

Between snickers, Michio said, "Before you ask, Misaki won the Dessert Course. You kids really should try her Mini Banana-Berry Burst Parfait Cake."

Things were quiet for a good moment, aside from the Daycare Teacher's snickering.

The Elites looked at Eiji thinking it might've been him until they realized that he was a substitute judge. They then saw a look from Michio that practically stated 'Seriously? Are you kids that forgetful or dence?'.

"Hold on... Forest-san made this boba tea?" Akira asked before he sniffed the soft, refreshing aroma of the tea. 'Odd, the aroma seems more potent than the taste,' the spice master thought to himself.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Eishi vocalized before asking in an understandably bewildered tone, "Are you saying that the same guy who used wild pigeon for yakitori, also made this refreshing boba tea?"

Sōma smiled, shrugged, and said, "Yup, sounds a bit weird on paper, but he had an interest in boba tea last year and thought the Menu Contest would be a good opportunity to share that interest. He never thought he would win the Drink Catagory."

"Why? Wasn't he tryin' ta win? I mean, an't that why ya enter a contest?" Rindou asked with a raised brow before he downed the drink along with the boba bubbles sitting at the bottom of the glass. The bubbles popped pleasantly when she bit down on them.

This comment caught Sōma's, Michio's, and Eiji's attention when the daycare teacher asked, "Andoryū didn't disclose when he cooked against you kids?"

"Disclose what?" was pretty much the unanimous reply that was asked from the Totsuki group.

Sōma placed a hand to his chin and thought for a bit before finally saying, "Ah right, he wanted them to face him as they would've done against Kon, not against someone like me or himself."

"What doth thou talking about? Forest-san tis not blind," Saitou stated with a raised brow, not quite understanding what the blind redhead had just said.

Michio glanced at Eiji when she asked him, "Should we tell them?"

The long-haired man shook his head when he said, "If Forest-san did not tell them, then we should not either. It is not our place or business to tell them."

Michio placed her right elbow on the table, rested her cheek in her knuckles, kept her eyes on the long-haired man, and said in a humorous tone, "You can be too damn noble sometimes, Eiji." The long-haired man only raised a brow at this as his eyes kept to her while Sōma chuckled at the comment.

Erina stood up when she said, "But... Forest-san isn't disabled... He could see us, he heard us, he talked to us, and he could move around easily. He's not disabled!" Sōma was oddly quiet while Eiji narrowed his eyes at the honey blonde. Michio sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Shiomi-sensei seemed... a little disappointed with what she heard.

Eiji eyed the Totsuki group when he asked, "Do you kids get educated on topics outside the culinary world while attending Totsuki?"

Eizan pushed his glasses back and stated, "Of course, we learn about budgeting for a restaurant, running a restaurant, history behind food culture, and investment opportunities in the food industry." No one noticed Shiomi-sensei's eyebrow twitch at this comment.

Michio rolled her eyes when she asked the long-haired man, "Eiji, didn't you ask if they learn anything OUTSIDE the culinary industry? Because I didn't think those are considered "Outside the Industry", especially when they are within the industry?"

Eiji tucked a strand of hair behind his ear when he said, "While I do believe learning about Budgeting and Cultures is important, I do not believe they should only apply to just the food industry."

An inferno of an aura surrounded the short spice teacher. Out of instinctual habit, Akira darted into the kitchen and crouched in the farthest corner away from his enraged legal guardian. Eiji was a bit surprised while Michio was impressed. The rest of the Totsuki group was trembling in fear because she IS one of their teachers. Sōma was the only one oblivious to the aura, in fact, his only comment was, "Hm? Do I need to get the a/c looked at? It got hot all of a sudden."

"Have some of you been skipping your mandatory academic classes?" Shiomi-sensei demanded angrily in her 'I'm-your-teacher' tone and with her 'don't-lie-to-me glare'. Michio raised an amused brow at this.

It didn't take long for Rindou, Eizan, Momo, and Erina to reluctantly admit that they might have 'tuned out' when they were in those classes. Shiomi-sensei went into her 'Stern Teacher Mode' when she pulled the four to the side and started scolding them for neglecting their education. Michio gave an amused smirk when she said, "Oh~, seems like I found a comrade in the educational field." Eiji simply glanced at the daycare teacher with a raised brow.

Once Shiomi-sensei cooled off, Michio then stated with a mischievous glint, "General education aside. I know that we shouldn't expect you kids to know every kind of disability, but I don't think I heard one particular disability that would directly affect the ability to cook."

Eiji narrowed his eyes at the daycare teacher when he stated sternly, "Michio."

Michio glanced at her friend when she said, "I'm not saying anything, I'm just mentioning something that just happens to pertain to Andoryū." While Eiji didn't say anything, he gave the daycare teacher a look that told everyone that he wasn't exactly thrilled with what she was saying. Sōma was oddly quiet during this.

Akira came out of his corner and asked the blind redhead, "Sōma, are you ok?"

Sōma turned an ear towards the whitette and asked in a rather surprised tone, "Oh, Akira, when did you sneak into the kitchen?"

"Uhh, when Jun was scolding," Akira said wirily as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"That's Shiomi-Sensei to you!" the short teacher stated in a slightly huffy tone. Which did earn a chuckle from the daycare teacher.

That was when everyone heard someone right outside the doorway say, "Little Tchaikovsky, would it be too much to ask if you got-, oh?" Andoryū walked into the diner to see the Totsuki group inside. He smiled and said cheerfully, "Ah, looking for some overtime now, yes?"

With her right elbow on the bar table, Michio waved at the green-haired man and said, "Yo, Andoryū, the kids here told us about your Yaki-Pigeons. *Now in a tone of realization* Oh yeah, who won that cookoff?"

Andoryū smiled when he said while Nene and Eizan frowned and scowled respectively, "Oh, I did. I was just proving a point about these kids needing to take every match seriously if they wanted a chance in defeating Konda."

"Ah, that's why you didn't disclose for the cookoff. They wouldn't have even bothered to put in a gram of effort in that match if they'd known," Michio said with an amused look on her face when she rested her chin on her knuckle.

"Known what?" Momo asked in a mad, huffy tone. She was not liking the fact that she was out of the loop, so to speak.

Alice then asked, "Oh, come on, tell us. I'm sure it isn't all that bad. I mean, you made pigeons edible. I'm pretty sure that takes a lot of talent."

Andoryū snickered a bit when he said, "Pigeons were already edible, it's just that a lot of people don't see it that way. And it's not so much talent as it is experience."

Eishi looked at the green-haired man and asked in a curious tone, "Then... You're not disabled."

Andoryū shook his head and said in a rather good-natured tone, "Oh no, I'm categorized as disabled."

Rindou blinked in confusion before saying, "But ya can see, hear, move around, talk, and ya obviously have a strong sense of smell. So ya're not disabled."

Andoryū shook his head in disappointment when he said, "You have limited knowledge in what is considered a disability. While not every disability is physical, My disability is."

The Totsuki group looked over Andoryū again. They saw nothing wrong or abnormal with him. Forest Andoryū just looked normal... Well, normal for someone who is of duo-nationalities that is.

"Ageusia (6)," was all Andoryū said before saying with a smile, "I have Ageusia."

Shiomi-sensei stood up from where she was sitting, looked directly at the green-haired man with a shocked look on her face, and asked, "How long?"

Andoryū still had that smile on his face when he said, "I prefer to keep that number private if you don't mind, but I've had Ageusia since the day I was born."

"Agi... Oo... See... A?" Erina tried to pronounce. She's never heard of the word before. Now after hearing this new word, she wanted to know what kind of disability it is. After all, nothing seemed physically wrong with the green-haired man, so why was he saying he had a disability? Erina just didn't understand.

"I don't believe it..." Alice got out with wide eyes before saying, "You're able to make unusual food taste like a tasty common dishes with just your sense of smell, and you don't call that talent?"

Andoryū shrugged his shoulders and said, "I find that it is more the experience of Trial-and-Error then actual talent. Plus, having a family like mine tends to help with some of those experiments."

Akira placed a hand to his chin and said, "The fact that you have Ageusia, Forest-san, it's no wonder you didn't understand Nakiri Erina's Taste Descriptions. It also explains why your sense of smell is as strong, if not, stronger then mine."

"I know, right?" Sōma stated cheerfully, going back to his usual self. The blind redhead then added, "I've never met anyone with such a strong sense of smell as Andoryū, well, until you came along, Akira."

With a wry smile, Akira said, "I guess I'll take that as a compliment."

Six of the Seven Elites were a bit confused, and their faces showed it. Admittedly, they have heard of the word Ageusia before in one of their classes, but they didn't remember what it meant. Erina was still trying to figure out what the word was and only half paid attention to what was being said.

Michio noticed this and said, "Hey, kids," to get their attention. She then stated in a tone that made it feel as if she was disappointed that they didn't know this particular fact, "Ageusia is the inability to detect sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness, and umami on the tongue. I'm pretty sure you kids can figure what that means now."

Time just froze for the 7 Elites. It was like they could've even believed what they'd just heard like it wasn't real...

They all looked at Andoryū as Eishi asked in both shock and confusion but mostly shock, "You... Can't taste anything?"

Andoryū shook his head and said, still in his good-natured tone, "Never have and never will. Like I said earlier, I've had Ageusia my entire life, so I've never known this "Flavor" thing that people claim is the best part of the food. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I just don't care for it since I can't experience it. The scent and texture of food is what appeals to me and I would appreciate it if you didn't make a fuss about it."

Nakiri Erina, Eizan Etsuya, Kinokuni Nene, Saitou Somei, Akanegakubo Momo, Kobayashi Rindou, and Tsukasa Eishi were unusually quiet. None of them had a single word to say, or rather they didn't know what to say. They didn't even realize that Andoryū was there to pick up an order his wife placed, or that Akira was the one to bring the Half-Russian the order, or that Andoryū left the diner, or even the fact that they were being asked if they were alright.

That was when Erina felt someone pinch her cheek, hard. The honey blonde repeatedly shouting "Ow! Ow! Ow!" snapped the other Elites out of their trances.

Michio released her grip on Erina's cheek, who in turn rubbed the forming red mark, when she said, "You kids do know that someone having a disability isn't that unusual. Eesh, the way some of you kids are acting, it's like Sō-chan, Andoryū, Ishi-chan, and Hebiko-chan (7) are the only people in the world with a disability." The way she said it made it sound like she was annoyed, but her tone gave away that she was concerned.

"Hebiko-chan?" Ryō asked in his usual lackadaisical tone but with a hint of confusion this time around.

Sōma chuckled and said, "Oh, that's Tsukui-sensei's nickname for Kon. It's more in line with her full name in a way."

Alice tapped her right index finger on her cheek and said, "Oh? You have a weird nickname for Konny-chan?"

Michio gave the albino girl an odd look. With a raised brow, Eiji commented, "I believe a 15-year-old girl calling a 13-year-old girl "Older Brother" is a much stranger nickname than Michio's nickname for Konda-kun."

That was when Alice happily explained her whole method of creating Kon's nickname, which did earn confused looks from the daycare teacher and the long-haired man.

Michio rubbed the back of her head when she said, "I guess as long as Hebiko-chan is fine with it..."

Eishi twiddled his thumbs when he asked in a worried tone, "Umm, is it a good idea for Forest-san to judge the Menu Contest? I mean, He can't taste anything..."

That was when Sōma said in a rather plain tone, "So? Nothing can be done about that. He won last year's Beverage Catagory, therefore, he's a judge for this year's contest."

Michio nodded when she said, "And the only main restriction in the Menu Contest is that you need to know how to cook. As unorthodox as Andoryū is, he certainly knows how to cook."

Eiji nodded in agreement when he said, "That much is true. Jōichirō and Tamako (8) created the Annual Menu Contest to be inclusive, due to the other cooking contests in the area not willing to allow Sōma-kun to participate because they were not willing to risk the "liability" of letting a blind individual "hurt" themselves during their contest."

"Who and who?" Momo asked with a raised brow.

"Oh, those are my parents' names," Sōma said with a chuckle. The blind redhead then added, "Shokujidokoro Yukihira has been in Mom's family for a long time. *Chuckles* Grandpa was relieved that Mom found Pop."

Michio chuckled at that when she sat down at her seat and added, "Let's not get into that particular story until your father gets back, he likes to add his own details. He makes the story more amusing." Sōma couldn't help but laugh at that and agree. Michio smiled and said, "Oh and don't get me started with the Fish & Chip Fiasco, now that we're on amusing stories topic."

Eiji nodded and stated, "Agreed, those two should stay away from British Dishes."

Sōma nearly keeled over with laughter when he asked between laughs, "Did you two plan this? *Laughs*. Because you two are too well-timed *Laughs*."

Michio snickered when she said, "I was being funny, *nudges Eiji* he was being serious."

"Ooh, what happened during this "Fish & Chip Fiasco" thing?" Alice asked cheerfully.

Sōma waved a hand and said, "Oh, just my parents thinking about making a better Fish & Chip than Ki's father. Both of whom have failed miserably."

"Only because both of them use too much batter when they cook their fish in their attempt to make Fish & Chips," Eiji stated in a deadpin tone.

Michio chuckled when she said, "That explains why sometimes the fish ended up undercooked."

"So did Ki-kun's father somehow seduced Ki's mother with a Classic English dish?" Etsuya asked before popping one of the boba bubbles into his mouth.

Erina flipped her hair when she said, "Ah, I get it. He was showing her that he could make a taste of her homeland here in Japan." Now she had a better idea of how a young woman from Britain could settle down in Japan with a garden landscaper.

Eiji and Michio looked at each other in confusion as Sōma raised a brow in confusion before asking the Elites at the same time, "What are you talking about?"

Akira placed a hand to his chin when he said, "Uhh, I guess they're saying that Soulkin Sora seduced Mellow with a Classic Dish from her homeland."

"Oooohhh," Sōma, Michio, and Eiji said at the same time.

The blind redhead then added in his usual laid back tone, "They think Sora is Ki's father and Mellow is Ki's mother."

That was when Michio stated in a regular tone, "To be fair, it's an easy mistake to make."

Ryō raised a brow and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

That was when Alice pipped in an, "Totally, it's like you're saying that the Soulkins aren't Ki-kun's real parents."

Eiji shook his head when he said, "Ah, no. They are Katsuki-kun's biological parents. You kids are just mistaken about their genders."

With a look that seemed to be in between sympathetic and amused, Michio stated, "Mellow's a man and Sora's a woman. *Turns to the long-haired man* And Eiji, you can call Ki-chan by his nickname, he doesn't mind and he won't be insulted."

Eiji closed his eyes when he said, "I prefer to use people's given names."

"Oh?" Michio said in an amused tone before adding in a teasing matter, "Then how come you use the nickname Hebiko-chan's parents like using?" Eiji was oddly quiet about this as his face acquired a dusting of pink, before adding that he thought that that was her given name.

Akira leaned against the counter of the kitchen, turned his attention to Sōma, and asked, "So Ki-kun's father is the British floriculturists with the eyepatch and his mother is the garden landscaper?"

Sōma nodded and said, "Basically."

Oooooooooohhhhhhh that was something that surprised the group more than two Elites losing a cooking contest.

Saitou tapped his chin when he asked, "And thy names Ki, Ishi, and Kon are truthfully nicknames?"

Sōma nodded and said, "Yeah, they ended up with those nicknames."

Ryō raised a brow when he asked, "Ended up?"

Sōma gave a small smile when he explained, "Yes, interesting stories about how they got those. Ki's given name is actually Katsuki, he has the Kanji for "Tree" (9) in his name. Apparently, when he wrote his name of the board the 木 was what his classmates remembered the most, so Ki became his nickname. Ishi's given name is Tsuyoi-Ishi. If I remember correctly, I think it was that there were two other students in 2nd grade with Tsuyoi in their name, one has it as the first name and the other was the surname, and I think there was another student who also had the surname Hikaru but had no relation to him. Pretty sure Ishi was the one to say "Well, how about you just call me Ishi?" And that stuck with him."

Shiomi-sensei was the one to note, "So their nicknames are just a part of their given names."

Sōma nodded and said, "Yup, all three of them."

Rindou then asked, "So what's Kon-kun given name?"

Sōma rubbed the back of his neck when he said, "Truth be told, she got the nickname Kon because that was the only part of her given name that a lot of people were able to pronounce correctly. Even I'm still trying to get it right."

Michio folded her arms when she said, "To be fair, Midori and Andoryū are of duo-nationalities and have a wider pronunciation palate because of knowing more languages, and Hebiko-chan's given name is a little harder for a native Japanese speaker, especially if they don't know snake names."

Eiji gave Michio a look that practically stated 'You-Know-More-Then-You-Are-Letting-On' when he asked, "And you know this how Michio?"

Michio rolled her eyes when she said, "She was one of my kids, and she only responded to her given name at the time. So I had to practice with pronouncing her name."

Sōma's interest perked when he said, "I didn't know that Tsukui-sensei? But I don't remember meeting her before Aira-sensei's dojo."

Michio waved a hand when she said, "Oh right, she came to my daycare after you left."

"Ah, so we just missed meeting each other at an early age," Sōma said in a good-natured tone. Michio chuckled in agreement.

Erina raised a brow when she asked, "Then how did you get to using Hebiko-chan?"

A laugh caught in the daycare teacher's throat when she said, "Oh that *Snickers*. That's just something that the other kids seemed to notice when she wrote her name *snickers*."

That was when Alice asked in a rather serious tone, "Does Konny-chan have the same disability as her father?"

Sōma shook his head when he said, "Nope, she doesn't. The proof being is that she's usually the first to complain about a dish being too salty."

Eiji eyed the blind redhead when he asked, "These kids were not told that Konda-kun is on the Spectrum?"

"Spectrum?" was the unanimous question from the Totsuki group.

Sōma sighed when he said, "They were supposed to find out for themselves, so I didn't tell them." Now Eiji had a 'Whoops-Sorry-It-Slipped' look on his face.

That was when Shiomi-sensei asked, "Wait, are you talking about Autism Spectrum Disorder (10)?"

Michio nodded when she said, "Yeah. And truth be told, I was the one who told Andoryū and Midori that she might have autism. I'm very glad they took that news well."

Etsuya adjusted his glasses when he said, "So Kon-kun isn't all that bright, huh."

The Totsuki group heard a growl from Michio when she snarled out, "That is just plain ignorance, brat!" That made the group jump in fear. The daycare teacher was even more pissed off than when she was talking about having her whole wardrobe replaced. Michio then snapped, "The only things individuals on the spectrum have problems with is social interactions! They are brilliant in whatever field they are interested in! Since cooking is under Hebiko-chan's speciality, maybe it'll open your eyes to the reality that being disabled does not mean that you're unable!" The daycare teacher suddenly stood up and turned to leave.

Eiji managed to catch Michio's wrist as she was walking away when he said, "Calm down, Michio. I understand that this is a sour topic, but reacting this way doesn't do anyone any good." The daycare teacher turned to look at the long-haired man when he said, "Also there is a greater chance of you ripping out the throat of that nuisance who has been annoying the vendors if you are angry."

"Good point..." Michio growled out. She pulled her hand away when she said, "I'll just sit by the entrance and cool off while you talk to Sō-chan." With that, she walked towards a table next to the entrance and sat at it.

"Tsukui-sensei has a very low tolerance to bullying individuals with disabilities," Hiro said softly as he poked his head up from the kitchen counter. Akira was surprised that he missed the 9-year-old being here with him and the blind redhead.

"There is a reason behind that..." Eiji mumbled under his breath. It was soft but the Totsuki group managed to hear it.

As Eiji asked Sōma his questions about the judging, Erina couldn't help but wonder why the daycare teacher's words seem to echo through her head.

"Being disabled does not mean that you're unable!"

'What does that mean?... ' Erina wondered to himself as she swished her boba tea, watching the boba bubbles dancing in the tea with the motion. The thing that was bothering Erina the most was the fact that this wonderfully refreshing boba tea that she positively approved was created by someone who couldn't taste anything.

~}i{ The Next Day, July 13, Summer Job Day 12 }i{~

Today was the first day of Shokujidokoro Yukihira's Annual Menu Contest, and everyone who was signed up just drew lots on which cooking station they were going to be using for the first round at the nearby collage's gymnasium. At this very moment, they were just organizing their ingredients and tools before the contest starts.

Erina had just finished with her setup when she noticed Forest Andoryū talking with Kashii Eiji near the Judge's Table. From what the honey blonde could tell, the two were having a conversation, probably some last-minute details regarding the contest. Erina averted her eyes from the two and glanced at her ingredients. She had this dish in mind since she signed-up for the contest, making sure the entire thing was positively delicious with cohesive flavours that just filled the mouth and guaranteed that she would get a high score. But... Erina glanced at Andoryū once more as she thought, 'None of that will matter because he can't taste such a delectable dish and he'll give me a horrible score because of it...'

That was when Erina heard the sound of someone softly humming along to a song. The honey blonde turned towards the humming to see Forest Kon arranging her ingredients in, what appeared to be, alphabetical order and in a neat line on her cooking station while she was listening to music via her headphones. Erina just stared with a bewildered look on her face as she watched the green-haired girl move her cheese precisely in between the basil and the flour. The honey blonde has never seen anyone organized their cooking station like that before.

Kon finally noticed that Erina was staring at her. The honey blonde couldn't help but gulp at the glaring look she was getting from those amber eyes. It was like she was a helpless mouse caught in the gaze of a giant cobra ready to strike. Erina was dead sure that Kon was going to do something to hurt her as the green-haired girl took a few steps over to the honey blonde.

In an action that could only be described as anticlimactic, Kon grabbed a rolling suitcase-looking container that was near Erina and pulled it towards her cooking station without so much as a word to the other. The honey blonde blinked in utter confusion, wondering what exactly just happened.

Kon was about to open the container when she noticed that Erina was still looking at her. After a few seconds of this weird staring contest, Kon pulled the small light brown hardback notebook from the pocket near her left knee, opened it, and flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for. She turned off her music, pulled off her headphones and let them hang around her neck when she asked the honey blonde, "Is there something you wish to discuss with me?"

Erina quickly huffed, folded her arms, and put on her best I-don't-know-what's-your-talking-about face when she said, "What on earth would make you I have anything to talk to you about?"

Not looking up from her notebook, Kon stated in a flat tone, "Apparently, when someone stares at another person they are usually either "in love with said person", debating on whether or not they want to talk to said person, or said person has done something to grab your attention suddenly. *Closes notebook and puts it back in pocket*. Since I highly doubt it is the first option because we don't know each other, and I haven't done anything out of the blue to catch your attention, so I am pretty sure you do wish to talk to me but are unsure about what to say."

Erina and no rebuttal to that.

Kon rolled her eyes and stated in an unamused blunt tone, "Just say what's on your mind. The quicker you tell me what you want to say the faster it can be done with and we can focus on the contest."

'Urg, she is so rude,' Erina scoffed before telling the green-haired girl, "Fine." The honey blonde watched the amber-eyed teen opened the case before she asked, "Are you going to listen?"

As she fiddled with whatever was in the case, Kon said plainly, "Yes, I'm listening. I'm just multi-tasking since I'm not finished with organizing my station."

Erina wasn't sure if she should believe that or not but continued anyway. "Doesn't it bother you?" the honey blonde asked hugging her folded arms close to her body.

Kon glanced at Erina with a raised brow and stated, "Can you be more specific with what you're asking? Because using such a broad term such as 'It' can mean several things, though I doubt you would be asking about horror literature at a time like this (11)."

While Erina had no idea what the horror reference was about, she understands that she was being too broad in her question. She sighed and then asked, "Does it bother you that your father is one of the judges?"

"Nope," Kon stated in a very blunt tone as she continued with what she was doing. The amber-eyed girl pulled a yellow, multi-purpose hand drill and said in that same blunt tone, "My dad is a fair person and there's no way he will give me any leeway because I'm his daughter. So you don't have to worry about favouritism from him." Kon slid the rechargeable battery into the drill before placing it on the counter.

As much as Erina wanted to ask about what Kon plans to do with a power tool in a cooking competition, it wasn't any of her business what weird things her opponents want to use and her real question hasn't been answered. "Uh, no, not that, I mean..." Erina paused to take a deep breath before finally saying, "Are you okay with having someone who can't taste anything judge a cooking contest?"

Kon paused what she was doing to glance at the honey blonde with a critical gleam in her eye when she said, "While I don't understand why you would ask the daughter of the judge in question that, I'll answer it by saying that I'm fine with it." Kon then tilts her head to the side a bit when she stated, "But it seems that it bothers you a great deal."

Erina was a little too quiet at this.

Kon went back to what she was doing when she said, "Nothing can be done about it now. Dad won in his chosen category last year so he has to participate as a judge this year. Since you asked about him not being able to taste, you know that he has ageusia. I can guess that dad either disclosed or you were told by someone who knew."

Erina was rather surprised by this. She wasn't expecting the amber-eyed girl to be that observant given how she usually speaks. Although, given that her father seemed observant enough to pick out completely healthy pigeons from a flock, it really shouldn't be that surprising that she would inherit that.

Kon gave Erina a glance with that critical look when she said, "I guess it must be very difficult for someone with the "God's Tongue" to understand how someone can be fine with not being able to taste flavours." Erina paled in shock. Kon tilted her head to one side when she said, "Why are you so surprised I know who you are? Dad told me he wanted to test you and your fellow Elites yesterday, by name, so that got me curious and I looked you guys up. Can't say that anything you did is considered groundbreaking."

"Excuse Me?!" Erina got out in a flabbergasted tone. She's never been so insulted before. This also grabbed the attention of the participants nearby.

Kon tilted her head to the other side when she said bluntly, "So you can make food taste good, big deal. Anyone can do that with practice. What you should rea- *Noticing the pissed off look on Erina's face* Are you feeling alright? You're looking very red."

"Oh, Konda, it seems you said something that upset her," Andoryū stated in a calm tone from behind his daughter, arms behind his back.

Kon turn, tilted her head up to look at her father, and said, "Отец (pronounced Otets, Russian for Father). She is mad?"

Andoryū smiled softly at his daughter when he said, "Yes. I heard what you said, and it did sound like you insulted her by saying that cooking tasty food wasn't much of a talent. Plus, her eyebrows are furrowed inwards, her teeth are bared with the edges of her lips are pointing down, flaring nostrils, and sometimes red cheek. Those are facial indications that show that she is angry."

"Oh," Kon vocalized before saying, "I didn't mean to upset her."

Erina glared at the amber-eyed girl when she said, "Well you did, and what did you mean that I haven't done anything Amazing?" Now that the honey blonde was aware that Kon knew who she was and knew that she was the 10th Seat of Totsuki with the God's Palate, Erina couldn't understand what made her think that she didn't do anything worthwhile.

Kon stared at Erina for a few seconds before she dug into her container and pulled out a bundle of papers neatly folded in half. The honey blonde raised a brow when the green-haired girl handed her the papers. That was when Kon finally answered, "You did more harm at Totsuki than you did good since you became the 10th Seat."

Erina took the papers, unfolded them, and then read them. To her surprise, each of the sheets was a printout of articles from the Totsuki Spotlight. More specifically, the articles about the Research Societies that she closed down.

"Just because something doesn't fit with your views, does not mean that it doesn't have potential to be great in its own way," Kon stated calmly as she went back to organizing her station. The amber-eyed teen then said to Erina in a matter-of-fact tone, "The word 'Amazing' is an adjective meaning causing great surprise, or wonder; astonishing. The Informal term for it means startlingly impressive. Therefore, the actions you have done have not earned the usage of said word." Kon then put her headphones back on, turned on the music she was listening to, and continued with organizing her station.

Erina lowered her gaze for a bit before she realized that Andoryū was still standing there. The honey blonde shifted her eyes to the side when she asked. "That whole "Clashes of Opinions Over What Makes Food Good" thing... Were you talking about the fact that our tongues are completely different?"

With a soft look on his face, Andoryū said, "No, what I meant by that was the fact that you favoured the higher-classes food and disregard anything lower than that. Because of that, you would've lost that match before it even began." Erina knew that was true... Because of where the match was and what was available to use, she would've had more than a difficult time coming up with a dish, and that wasn't even including the rules of the cookoff... That was when Andoryū continued by saying, "Also, despite what you already think of me, I have eaten high-classed food before and I didn't much care for the majority of those. We would've ended up arguing over our differentiating opinions than actually cooking, and that was before you knew about my ageusia."

Erina lowered her eyes again. She knew the green-haired man was right.

"Listen, Nakiri-chan," Andoryū said, getting Erina's attention before saying, "Maybe think of this as a chance to test the waters with none high-classed foods, since the Budget of your dish will affect your score." Andoryū then turned to head towards the Judges' Table, before halting and suddenly saying, "Ah, one more thing. *Looks over his shoulder with a smile*. Don't worry about the fact that I won't taste the dish, it'll hinder your overall cooking. So just make your dish the way you want to." With that, he walked away.

Erina was oddly touched by this advise. She glanced at Kon, who was still wearing her headphones and organizing and thought, 'She's... Lucky to have a father like that...'

That was when Erina felt the tap of a cane on her left foot.

"How much of that did you hear?" Erina asked as she turned to see Sōma standing there, cane in hand.

With a bit of a smile/smirk, Sōma said, "Enough to know that you're not going to get on Kon's bad side."

Erina puffed her cheeks when she said, "It's rude to eavesdrop."

Sōma chuckled when he said, "Not if it's by accident." Erina rolled her eyes at that. As the blind redhead started walking off, he quoted, "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart."

"Huh?" Was all Erina got out in confusion.

Sōma smiled when he said as he kept walking, "Oh~, I just have a feeling that this Menu Contest is going to be memorable. Experience is something to take to heart, ya'know. And this'll be a good experience to all my schoolmates here."

Right now, Erina wasn't sure if she should be annoyed or not about that.

Suddenly the gymnasium's sound system came alive. Duodecuple tapped the wireless microphone a few times to test the audio before saying into it, "Participants of the Menu Contest, you now have five minutes before we go over the rules of the contest for the audience before we start."

'Audience?' Erina wondered before she remembered that a lot of the regulars also liked to watch the Menu Contest.

"Oh? Pie Man isn't participating this year?" Ryouka asked out loud after she looked over the other participants.

Michio was the one to say as she placed a bowl on the counter, "He's still on a business trip, but he'll be here for the last day of the contest."

Ryouka whined at that and complained that he made the best pies. One of the Tsumita brothers told the lime green-haired girl to grow up. Akira noticed a few eyes rolls at this antic.

Time passed quickly, and the Menu Contest was about to begin.

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Okame Chapter: To Be Continued...

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1) Not bashing here, I think Erina has never been given or has ever used nicknames properly. Yes, she uses titles and insults, but I don't believe she has experience nicknames. Which might be due to her upbringing. Don't worry, she's learning the ropes.

2) Ikebana (生け花, 活け花, make flowers alive) is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is also known as Kadō (華道, "way of flowers").

3) Floriculture, or flower farming, is a discipline of horticulture (basic science of plant growing ) concerned with the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for gardens and floristry, comprising the floral industry. The development, via plant breeding, of new varieties, is a major occupation of floriculturists.

4) Taiyaki: Despite their fish-shaped, taiyaki are sweet pancake-like treats filled with red bean paste. With a delicately crispy exterior, the taiyaki's soft interior can also be filled with custard, chocolate, or Nutella. You might also see savoury versions of the snack, filled with sweet potatoes, cheese, sausages or vegetables. Taiyaki batter consists of flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar, which is cooked in detailed fish-shaped moulds to give the finished taiyaki its distinct appearance.

5) Yakitori: describes small pieces of chicken, served skewered and grilled on a bamboo stick. While chicken thighs and wings are often used, the skewers can also be made with the chicken liver, skin, small intestine, or cartilage. The meat is typically seasoned with salt or a savoury sauce. Some skewers incorporate other ingredients besides chicken, such as tsukune which consists of balls made with minced chicken, egg, vegetables, and spices; or negima in which the chicken pieces alternate with pieces of leek.

6) Ageusia is the loss of taste functions of the tongue, particularly the inability to detect sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness, and umami (meaning "pleasant/savoury taste"). It is sometimes confused with anosmia – a loss of the sense of smell. Because the tongue can only indicate texture and differentiate between sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami, most of what is perceived as the sense of taste is actually derived from smell. Hence, why Andoryū had a strong sense of smell.

7) This is more me liking word puns a little too much. "Hebi" is the Japanese word for "Snake", while the ending syllable "ko" loosely means "Small", "Little", or "Child". A lot of names for females in Japanese often end in the syllable "ko". To put it simply, Michio was basically giving Kon a cute nickname that was a bit more in tune with her full name.

8) As of Shokugeki no Sōma chapter 311, Yukihira Sōma's (and in this story, Mayu and Hiro's) Mother has been revealed. I'm so happy that I can use her name now~.

9) The Kanji symbol for Tree is "木" and it is pronounced like "Key" but spelt like "Ki". And yes, it's more of a hidden play on words. Ki's parents love plants and wanted him to grow strong like a tree, so they made sure the Kanji character for tree was in his name.

10) Autism Spectrum, also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a range of mental disorders of the neurodevelopmental type. It includes Autism and Asperger Syndrome. Individuals on the spectrum often present with problems with social communication and interaction; and restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests or activities. Symptoms are typically recognized between one and two years of age.

11) I couldn't resist adding this pun~. An Omake request will be given to the first person to get the reference. Good luck~.

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