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.

16. 14: On the Way to the Three-Way

Gale-Dragon: Three words, "Writing Block Sucks". And my dictating program decided to stop working on me for no reason, so I had to go back to reading while typing up the scene while hoping I spell something right. There's also the fact that I've been writing new stories lately... Okay, the bad news is done, so enjoy the chapter.

~}i{~

"Talking"

'Thinking'

(Author making a quick comment)

~}i{~

Chapter 14: On the Way to the Three-Way.

~}i{~

Dōjima Gin was smirking throughout the entire outburst from the audience.

A three-way final?! For the Autumn Elections?! It was unbelievable! Unthinkable! Unimaginable! The entire audience of the stadium was utterly awestruck at the very idea of a three-way final. And yet... Somehow... It felt... Strangely appropriate.

Erina was completely and utterly flabbergasted when she stuttered out, "But… But nothing like this has ever been done before in the history of the Autumn Elections! I'm not sure that something a mere judge can decide…"

That was when a booming voice announced, "An interesting idea. I approve." Erina was utterly shocked to realize that it was her grandfather that had made the announcement. That was when the headmaster's thundering voice was easily heard throughout the arena, and without a megaphone or microphone, "The match between Kurokiba Ryō and Hayama Akira is a draw! Both contestants advance! Therefore, I hereby declare the finals A Three-Way Battle!"

Some of the members of the audience were utterly awestruck at this amazing turn of events, but nevertheless, they were also intrigued by it as well. Since, after all, this was certainly an event for the Totsuki history books.

During the audience's awestruck moment, Totsuki's journalism club already jumped on getting the interviews and pictures for the next Totsuki Spotlight issue. Both Akira and Ryō were instantly swarmed by student reporters and photographers, clamouring to get their insight for the unusual finals. While the two finalists were taken by surprise by the sudden mob, they took the interview in stride… Well, at least one of them did… The seafood specialist still had his flame printed bandanna on his head.

"Congratulations?! Congratulations for what? I ain't happy with this tie crap again!" Berserker Ryō growled out in anger, fury, and annoyance. Thus scaring the nearby student reporters a bit as the student photographers, snapping their cameras away. Arriving on the scene, Alice tweeted a whistle, that she happened to have on hand, as she called for Ryō to calm down.

Akira was rather calm as he answered the questions. "Yes, it's true," the white-haired teen said in his soothing mellow tone as he continued, "I'm disappointed that another one of our matches ended in a tie again, but I have to put that behind me and prepare for our next battle."

"Again?" One of the student reporters questioned in confusion. As far as anyone knew this was the first time Hayama Akira and Kurokiba Ryō have ever had a match against each other.

Akira gave a small smile when he said, "Yes, again. We both entered the same cooking contest over the summer, though while we were in separate categories, we seem to always get the same score from the judges. The two of us ended up competing over who would get a higher score by the end of the contest."

"Ah, so you ended up in a tie by the end of the contest," one of the student reporters commented.

Akira glanced at Alice and Ryō at this before finally saying, "I suppose that is an accurate statement…" The comment wasn't exactly a lie per se, but it was far from the truth. Then again, it wasn't like Alice, Akira, and Ryō were willing to talk about it with anyone who wasn't at the Menu Contest…

By this time, Mayu and Sōma made their way to their group of friends. Usagi was about to jump on the blind redhead to hug him but was stopped by Misaki, who told him that he didn't need to hug him again. Either way, they were excited about the next match. Nagayuki and Takeyasu, on the other hand, were a little annoyed with the outcome of the match.

"Ore-sama can't believe they ended up in a tie again." The older Tsumita brother stated in a loud tone.

The younger Tsumita brother then added, "Agreed, big brother. How are we going to win any of the bets on them when they keep ending their matches with ties."

everyone kind of looked at the two with looks on their face that made them wonder if that was the only thing the Tsumita brothers ever worried about. Although, the individuals who already knew the two, knew that this was nothing new for them. Tsumita Nagayuki and Takeyasu always try to find a way to get money out of a deal, any deal really.

That was when one of the student reporters asked, "So you're looking forward to your rematch in the final, correct?"

"Rematch?" Both Akira and Ryō said in unison, confused by the wording of the question.

In an enthusiastic bliss, that same student reporter stated excitedly, "Yes, your rematch for the finals! The two of you will be battling it out again in the Heaven's Moon Arena!"

Ryō and Akira glanced at each other with a suspicious eye when the seafood specialist stated in an unusual tone that seems to be a mixture of his berserker tone and a tone of suspicion, "Do you stupid vultures remember that the finals were declared a three-way match between me, Akira, and Sōma by the Headmaster, right?"

It took every bit of self-control Ryō had to prevent himself from outright attacking said reporter when that very same reporter stated, "Why would you bother worrying about him?"

Akira placed a hand on Ryō's shoulder when he stated, "I believe we are done with the questions." The white-haired teen then glared at the student reporters and added, "If these so-called reporters think that the entire story isn't worth their time, then they aren't worth ours." During this Sotsuda Mitsuru was happily interviewing Sōma about his opinion on the three-way final. The Tsumita brothers openly joked that they were going to kidnap the eager newsie later, thus making the jr high student squeak in fear. But after learning that they were joking, Sotsuda nervously laughs with the rest of the group.

That was when the MC announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes today's semifinal match. Next, a member of the event staff will announce the theme for the final round!"

That was when Isshiki pushed a giant block of ice on a dolly into the stadium, spotlights focused on him.

Sōma could hear at the audience murmur their excitements about what the mystery ingredient could be. The blind redhead couldn't understand the reaction of the audience, not because he couldn't see the giant block of ice that hid the mystery ingredient, but because he wasn't aware of this particular tradition of the Autumn Elections.

Sotsuda happily explained this to Sōma when he said, "Every year, the theme for the finals is an ingredient that's in season in the Fall. Fall is harvest time, after all. The final round is a match between the best chefs thing the best the season has to offer! There's no more appropriate way to close out a competition as grand as the Autumn Elections."

Tsugiyoshi couldn't help a comment, "Ah, so that's why everyone so excited."

Isshiki Satoshi stopped in the middle of the stadium and locked the dollies wheels so that they wouldn't move. That was when he realized that he forgot the most important tool needed, so he quickly rushed away to get the tool. Not even a minute later, the audience could hear what sounded like something heavy and made of metal was being dragged on the ground. It was soon revealed that Isshiki was dragging a rather large sledgehammer that might have been a little too heavy for the second-year student to carry.

Souma Yoshimi decided that he should help. He made his way to the front row and easily cleared the barrier between the seats and the arena. Anyone nearby who saw this was awestruck by the just how easily the giant strongman was able to clear such a barrier without even trying. Yoshimi strode over to the second-year student while ignoring the gasps and murmurs of the audience, and easily picked up the sledgehammer with just one hand.

Satoshi was surprised at first but graciously thanked the towering strongman. The two had a quick chat, Yoshimi agreed to help break the ice, so to speak.

Not even five seconds later, the towering strongman was standing beside the huge block of ice. Now the audience was abuzz with excitement as they wondered what the mystery ingredient is. Matsutake mushrooms? Returning Skipjack? Fresh soba? The audience was just dying to know! Yoshimi used only one hand to lift the sledgehammer and then brought it down, effectively smashing the block of ice open in a single strike.

The excited audience peered at the shattered ice to see the mystery ingredient, which turned out to be Mackerel Pike.

That was when the audience started murmuring among themselves. "Really? Pike?!" "Umm… That's kind of a letdown, to be honest. The such a common fish…"

That was when Isshiki Satoshi said into a microphone, "Not so fast, folks. It is true that throughout Japanese history Pike was viewed as a common fish that only the peasantry ate. But recently, high-class restaurants have begun serving it and it now appears on the menus of restaurants across the world. It has become an unspoken representative of the fall fishing season. A dish that uses Pike in some way is the theme for the final round of this year's Autumn Election!"

"MMM, Pike! The first thing that springs to mind is yummy salt-grilled Pike!" Yuuki said dreamily with a bit of drool dripping down the side of her mouth. That was when she said, "The crispy skin… The hot, succulent meat… The savoury smell of its juices… A dollop of grated daikon radish on top, and it's Yum, Yum, Yum!"

Misaki, on the other hand, visibly grimaced at the imagery of the dish. Fish was never one of her favourite foods…

Shun then commented, "It's been showing up on sushi menus recently to. That's a general ingredient for you. You can do tons of stuff with it."

Satoshi then said into the microphone, "As you know, Pike can be used in a wide variety of dishes. But strangely enough, this one ingredient has connections to all three of our contestants." This did confuse the majority of the audience for a brief second before the Seventh Seat explained, "A Pike, with its fatty meat, is known for its robust fragrant. It's a prized ingredient in seafood dishes across the world. And it has a long history of use in what is viewed as common cuisine!" That was when Satoshi realized that the choice of ingredient for the grand finale was a little too coincidental, it made him wonder… But thankfully he didn't show what he was thinking on his face.

Some of the VIPs then chatted among themselves, "Oho! It has facets that appeal to all three of them. That means it's an ingredient that can play to each of their strengths!"

"With that kind of tool to use… What sort of ideas will each of them bring to the table?"

Satoshi then spoke into the microphone seriously, "The final round will begin in 10 days." With a showman smile on his face, the Seventh Seat then declared, "Ladies and gentlemen, we promise you… It will be a battle for the ages!"

The audience cheered excitedly at this.

}i{ A Little While Later at the Polaris Dorm }i{

"This is the Polaris Dorm?" The Tsumita brothers said in unison when they came to the front door of the building in question. It was pretty obvious to anyone who was listening that the two brothers were expecting the building to be a bit more grandiose, luxurious, or least not looking like it was falling apart at the seams.

As the Totsuki students walked by they told the two bothers that it was a lot better on the inside. The Tsumita brothers glanced at each other before shrugging and then following the students inside.

Luckily for the non-Totsuki members, Fumio didn't make them take her cooking test. More because they weren't going to live or hang there regularly, and they weren't Totsuki members. Most of the other residents of the Juuni Taisen Building Complex couldn't help but tease Eiji about that since he apparently couldn't cook very well (1).

"How many times must I tell you that I have been taking cooking lessons?" Eiji stated sternly, clearly obviously annoyed by this.

"And he's been doing very well in his lesson, might we add," Michio stated as Yumi gave a visible pout.

The little girl then pipped out a "Yeah, he didn't burn a single thing last cooking lesson." Eiji nodded in agreement with a small proud smile on his face.

Yuuki couldn't help but gasp out, "Wait! You can't cook?!" as she pointed at the long-haired man.

Eiji eyed the wild-game specialist when he said, "Please understand that not everyone is gifted in-"

Yuuki rushed over to Eiji and shouted, "THAT IS TOTALLY NOT COOL WITH US! WE'RE GOING TO TEACH YOU PERSONALLY!" With that, the orangette dragged the long-haired man into the kitchen area. Much to his and the other's surprise.

"Woah! Hold on! Eiji isn't allowed in a kitchen without a Juuni Taisen resident present!" Kadae shouted as she rushed after the two. The dojo teacher then said, "We all voted on that and it has to be upheld!"

Zenji adjusted his glasses when he turned to the other Juuni Taisen residents and asked, "What did she mean by that? And I don't mean the not allowing your friend into the kitchen without supervision, the voting thing."

Tsugiyoshi gave a yawn when he said, "It's one of the things that Duodecuple came up with to keep things fair for everyone who lives in the building complex. Although, it only works when you have an odd number of tenants."

Yoshimi was the one to add, "Which we do have at the moment."

Tsumita brothers nodded at that statement when one said, "Duodecuple might be completely bonkers in the head, but in the end, he is very good at his jobs." That was when the other Tsumita brother said, "So it's only fair that we let him slide on being kookie."

The Polaris dorm members glanced at each other, innately wondering who this Duodecuple guy was. Based on the limited amount of data that they have acquired on this particular person, mostly from Sōma and Mayu, they were getting a very vivid picture of him being a bit off his rocker but well-meaning.

Kanae then shouted from the kitchen, "Hey! Hey! Hey! Eiji's still in the beginner's classes!"

Akira raised a brow at the outburst when he said, "Something tells me we should intervene before the Polaris dorm loses its kitchen…"

Alice couldn't help but comment in a cheerfully nonchalant tone, "Oh come on, Kashii-san can't be that terrible in the kitchen."

Ryō then bluntly stated, "Do you think we should take that kind of chance? Think about it for a moment Alice, if the residents of their building actually voted to only allow Kashii-san in a kitchen with supervision than that itself is telling…"

Misaki was the one to say as she made her way to the kitchen, "I think we shouldn't do and just adhere to our Juuni Taisen vote."

It didn't take long before the decision was unanimous. everyone headed towards the kitchen. Just in case.

~}i{ The Next Morning, Literally at the Crack of Dawn }i{~

(The Juuni Taisen Building Complex residents left last night after the pre-final celebration)

Sōma, Ryō, Akira, Megumi, and Alice made their way to a Riverside Market, or a Fish Market to be precise. Since Pike was going to be the main ingredient for the final match of the autumn elections, going to a fish market to look for some decently priced Pike was the first step in prepping for the match.

Megumi and Alice were tagging along because they could, but for different reasons. Megumi was coming along because the fish markets reminded her of her hometown's dockside market, while Alice came along because A, she actually did have to purchase fish for her latest class project and B…

"Alice-chan, you do remember that the losing conditions of the Shokugeki means that you're not supposed to cling to me anymore," Sōma stated when he felt one of Alice's thin arms wrap around his left arm.

Alice giggled when she said, "I know, I know, but you were about to collide with a pedestrian just now." Which was actually true. Despite the early hours of the day, the fish market was bustling and booming with people. Both vendors and buyers. And even with his cane to aid him, Sōma could not completely avoid any collisions with other people.

Megumi couldn't help but gush over how lively and energetic it was here at the fish market. It was just so easy to get excited over the cheery, bustling atmosphere.

Mentally comparing the sounds of the market today to the last time he was there, Sōma said out loud, "Sounds like there are more people here when I was last here."

Akira chuckled before he said, "Well, autumn is the season where more fish are available."

Ryō nodded when he added in his usual nonchalant tone, "Especially when there are only certain fishes that are only available in the fall."

Sōma couldn't help but say that that was true.

Now it was really crowded in the fish market. Which was how Sōma easily collided with a pedestrian, one of the vendors to be more precise. The vendor was a rather tall man with a black box cut hairstyle, with a short triangle beard, wore a green knit sweater that somewhat hid his figure, casual slacks, and workboots. The vendor quickly turned to the blind redhead and snapped angrily, "WATCH WERE YA GOING BOY! IF YA AIN'T BUYIN', BEAT IT!" Sōma quickly apologized to the vendor, who noticed the seafood specialist and said, "Oh, Ryō-chan, is he a friend of yours?"

"Ryō-chan?" Sōma vocalized in confusion. He's never heard anyone but Alice calls the seafood specialist that.

Ryō nodded at the vendor before turning his attention to his schoolmates and said, "I come here almost every day. So nearly all of the vendors here know me."

That was when Akira noted, "Makes sense, considering that your speciality is seafood."

The vendor that they were talking to then asked, "I guess that means all of you kids from Totsuki too?"

Alice smiled cheerfully when she said, "Yup, all five of us are in our first years at Totsuki."

The vendor gave a hardy laugh when he said, "Well now, that's not much of a surprise considering your friends with Ryō-chan. And just so you know, Totsuki is a valued customer to almost every fishmonger here."

Sōma made a mental note on that before the Totsuki group continued with shopping for fish, or searching for Pike in this case.

As they went over how to tell a good fish that was jampacked with umami, they had to go over how to inform Sōma how to find a good fish. That was when they realized that most of the tells for a good fish were sight related.

Yes, finding ones that are plump and firm was one good tell for a good fish. However, fish with clear eyes and the ones with yellow around their mouths are said to be fresher and had more fat on them, those you need to see to know. And you can't just choose a fish that is too firm or one that hasn't aged enough, you also can't choose one that just seems the freshest. That kind of thing takes years of experience to master, something that you can't just do in under two weeks.

"Now that I think about it," Sōma said as he placed a hand on his chin, and then saying, "Usually either Pops or Mayu picks out the fish when we come here… I know they make sure that I felt the fishes when they picked a few good ones so that I can find a good fish on my own one day, which I'll admit that I'm nowhere near that level yet…"

Akira placed his right index knuckle to his chin when he said, "I can always teach you how to sniff out some good fish, but that will also takes time we don't have. Much longer than the 10 days we have to prep for the finals..."

Megumi started to panic a bit when she asked, "Wait! What're'ya saying?"

That was when Alice realizes the main problem and said, "I see… Sōma-koi is still learning how to locate good fish from markets with only touch, smell, and taste. Unfortunately, each type of fish has its own standard for freshness, most being sight related. In the markets, Sōma-koi can only use his sense of touch and smell, he can't taste the fish until he has both purchased the fish and returns home…"

A couple of the vendors overheard the conversation, so they came over and asked why the redhead of the group had to use only touch, smell, and taste to find a good fish rather than using his eyesight to find them. So Sōma just told them that he was blind. This, of course, shocked all the vendors and it caused them to ask a lot of questions, most being how he was able to cook without harming himself. To which Sōma easily replied, "I've had years of practice, with my folks and twin sister supervising me when I was retraining myself to cook blind. Now, my chances of hurting myself while cooking is no greater than any other chefs."

The nearby vendors did think about the situation for a bit before they understood the dilemma. The blind redhead could only use three of the five senses (since I don't think you can hear a tasty fish while it's raw) to find suitable fish for the deadline he had, which certainly couldn't be easy. That meant that as of this moment, the blind redhead had to depend on what he was told about the fishes at the market by others. While they knew that they were honest and reputable, they were aware that a few of the vendors here at the market were not honest and would have no qualms about taking advantage of a blind customer.

One to the vendors couldn't help but ask, "Quick question, are you allowed to have assistance for your preparations? I mean, with all things considered… I know that Totsuki is a tough cooking school that produces some of the best chefs in the world, but in the end, it IS still an educational school and they have to have some kind of accommodations for students with disabilities."

That was a valid point.

"I can certainly ask if I can have someone help me with choosing fish to use for my dish, and I know I certainly wouldn't mind if one of my friends or sister helped me," Sōma said as he tapped his cane with his index finger.

Akira thought about that for a bit before he said, "I know Ryō-kun and I can't help you, since we are going to be your opponents in the finals. It can be considered tampering with an opponents dish, even if we are technically helping you."

Megumi nodded at that before saying, "And if you are going to have someone help you, it would be best to make sure that it's allowed for the finals. Since we don't want you disqualified for a technicality. Maybe you can ask Mayu to help you again."

That was something Sōma would do when he returned to Totsuki but in the meanwhile… Exploring the fish market.

~}i{ About an Hour Later }i{~

After going to the fish vendor after fish vendor, the three finalists found some promising fish to use for making test dishes. Sōma did purchase more fish than Ryō and Akira because he knew that he was going to be doing more experiments than they were. With that, they headed back to Totsuki and headed off to their respective living arrangements.

~}i{~

After Sōma dropped his fish off at the dorm, Mayu met up with her twin brother. Then the two asked Satoshi about acquiring some assistance to help preparations for the finals since he was on the Autumn Election committee.

The 7th Seat easily repeated what he told the blind redhead during the prior matches of the Autumn Elections, "Long as you are the one doing the cooking, Sōma-kun, you can have someone assist you for prep and/or presentation."

"Just wanted to make sure it was alright, Senpai," Sōma said as he thanked the 2nd-year student.

Satoshi smiled when he said, "Don't worry, I understand." He then turned his attention to Mayu when he asked, "I take it you're going to assist him again, Mayu-chan?"

Mayu looked at the date of the finals when she said, "I can help Sōma with gathering and helping with the recipe, but I won't be able to help on the actual day of the final. I have to be on my school's campus for exams and by the time those'll be over the Autumn Election Final will be close to ending."

Satoshi placed a hand to his chin when he asked, "I can understand your circumstances Mayu-chan, so maybe one of our dormmates will be willing to assist Sōma-kun during the final."

It was certainly something to consider, but that's going to have to wait until Sōma has a recipe for the final.

~}i{ Meanwhile }i{~

Shiomi Seminar Building…

Student reporters and photographers were swarming in the building, anxious to get another interview from Hayama Akira. Poor Shiomi-sensei's natural shyness and stage fright took over and pretty much shivered and started throughout the entire event.

"Hayama-san. Is it true you can pick out quality Pike by a scent alone? To be honest, I find that a little difficult to believe," one of the reporters asked with a recording device with a microphone handy.

Akira glanced at the paparazzi with an annoyed look in his eyes when he said, "I thought I told you guys that I wasn't doing any more interviews until you got the "whole story" about the three-way final. Now, shoo! I have to test out recipes." He then ushered out the other students. The last thing the whitette needed right now was an annoying audience.

}i{ At the Same Time, Inside the Campus in One of the Many Kitchens }i{

"GET OUT AND LEAVE ME ALONE YOU ANNOYING BUZZING VULTURES!" Berserk Ryō snapped as he, literally, kicked the reporters out of the kitchen he was using.

"Wait a minute!" one of the reporters shouted.

The fiery inferno burned around the seafood specialist's body when he snarled out, "SCRAM! I HAVE NO INTEREST IN HALF-ASSED REPORTERS WHO DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THEIR JOBS!" With that, he slammed the door shut and locked it.

The student reporters looked at each other in dismay. They couldn't even convince the finalist to even talk to them in a normal tone.

}i{ A Little Later }i{

The Journalism Club met up at their registered clubroom to go over notes about the finals, or at least what they could compile…

None of the student journalists were able to get even a second of an interview with either Kurokiba Ryō or Hayama Akira. Heck, the only thing the journalism club had on the two was the fact that they were two of the three finalists and what their specialities were in. It was the literal definition of "Bare Minimum". How were they going to sell newspapers with such little information?

Sotsuda, being the low man on the totem pole within the journalism club, was getting refreshments for the rest of the club as they discuss what they were going to do further next issue. Or rather, how they can make their issue more appealing with such little information. The junior high student could easily tell that was a losing battle.

"I don't understand why they are being so difficult. I mean, they're finalists in the Autumn Elections for goodness sake! You think they would be eager for an interview," one of the 1st-year high school students said in annoyance.

Another 1st-year then added, "Agreed, the Autumn Elections are one of the biggest events for 1st-years students and it would be good publicity for anyone this far in the Elections. I mean, this'll help with their cooking career in the future even if they don't make it to their 2nd or 3rd year..."

"Yeah, you'd think they would want to tell their opinions about the Autumn Election," another member said, cleaning their camera.

Sotsuda brought the drinks when he said, "I guess all three of them are psyched for their match with each other and want to work on perfecting their dishes to do any interviews."

Another member of the journalism club snorted when they said, "What are you talking about? The only ones worth reporting on are Kurokiba-kun and Hayama-kun. Yukihira only won his matches with just plain old luck."

Sotsuda held back his anger when he said, "But it's a Three-Way final instead of a regular one-on-one final, remember. Therefore, all Three of the participants are equally important, and as journalists and newsies, we have to report the Entire story. That means interviewing Kurokiba-senpai, Hayama-senpai, AND Yukihira-senpai. Also, in case you have forgotten, Yukihira-senpai won his matches with his skills and intelligence." It was sheer will that the junior high student didn't drop the drinks due to his building anger.

"Eesh, why are you so defensive of Yukihira? It's not like he's anything great or anything, besides being blind," another member stated in an annoyed tone.

This time, Sotsuda slammed the tray of drinks onto the table and seethed out, "Why is it that none of you can't seem to accept that Yukihira-senpai is a true chef? Even after everything he's done and everything that he has accomplished, you guys can't seem to look past the fact that he can't use his eyes. I'm serious, why is it so hard for you guys to treat Yukihira-senpai like you would any other student here at Totsuki? Yes, he is disabled, but that doesn't mean he is incapable or unable to do anything. He just does things differently, that's all. If you guys still refused to interview Yukihira-senpai for his side of the story… Then… Then… YOU GUYS HAVE NO RIGHT TO CALL YOURSELVES REPORTERS OR NEWSIES, AT ALL!"

With that, the junior high student stormed out of the clubroom and leaving the rest of the journalism club to think about what he had said.

~}i{ The Next Morning (Pre-Dawn) at the Fish Market }i{~

"Good morning Sōma-kun, Mayu-chan," Akira greeted when he spotted the Yukihira twins as he walked over to the two in question. The twins were already searching for some good Pike.

Mayu yawned when she grumbled out, "Mornin' 'Kira-kun..." The younger Yikuhira twin didn't seem like much of a morning person, or rather a pre-dawn person. Mayu looked like she was about to fall asleep on her feet.

"Late night?" the whitette asked with an amused raised brow. Akira had a feeling that might've been the case, considering that both Yukihiras have a rather bad habit of staying up late when they're eager to complete something.

Sōma chuckled when he said, "Mayu's never been much of a morning person. You wouldn't believe what I had to do to get her out of bed before the sun came up." Mayu grumbled something under her breath as she rubbed her tired eyes.

Akira had some ideas on that but chose not to say to avoid the younger Yukihiras twin's wrath. The girl was a nasty demon when she was mad.

It didn't take long for Ryō joined the group, and then they went mackerel pike hunting. During their search, they ran into a familiar face and they ended up chatting with him for a bit as they continued looking for some good Pike. It was nice running into him, though they were a little confused as to why he was there.

"Oh, I'm looking for some decent sized anchovies and shrimp for my seafood pizza I plan to make for my class later today. They pass their tests with flying colours, so I figured I throw them pizza party for passing," said a man with short dark hair, grey eyes, average height, had a rather plain-looking face, wore a modest blue shirt that had yellow letters that read "Math is " on the front, long dark green slacks, and clean brown loafers.

Akira chuckled when he said, "I'm starting to understand how you got the nickname "Pie Man". You really do use any excuse to make some sort of pie." The whitette was finding this whole thing very amusing. Akira then said, "Maybe next time we come by we can try some your famous pies."

The man, apparently nicknamed Pie Man, gave a hardy laugh when he said, "You might actually get the chance. Your headmaster hired me to assist with a mathematics/accounting course at the Totsuki campus after you finish with the whole Autumn Elections."

Ryō gave a small hum before he said, "Gives us something to look forward to. But you do know that our school is a cooking school right? Not all of the students are going to be as eager to try food made by an outsider as we are."

Pie Man shrugged and said, "Then it's their loss, simple as that. Besides, if they see you guys trying my pies and enjoy them, then they might get curious and try them for themselves."

Mayu giggled at the statement as Sōma said with a smile, "Still looking on the bright side of things, huh."

Pie Man smiled back when he said, "Statistics show that if you look to the positive aspects of something, it is more likely to happen."

"Don't tell Alice about that, she'll blow it out of proportion…" Ryō stated nonchalantly. He knew very well that that was the truth, Alice would most certainly overthink that kind of statement.

After another 10 minutes of talking and searching, Pie Man found some shrimp and anchovies to use so he had to head on out so we can get started on making the pizza.

"I'll see you guys when I'm at Totsuki," Pie Man said as he placed his purchases in a decent-sized pack. Akira, Ryō, Mayu, and Sōma bid the man farewell as he slung the pack on the back of his dark silver wheelchair and then wheeled off, he easily manoeuvred around the patrons of the fish market. Mind you, the majority of the people there were surprised to see a wheelchair-bound individual at the fish market and ended up staring at said individual longer than necessary.

"I still can't believe that he got along well with Eizan-senpai," Mayu said in a slightly annoyed tone as the group continued their pike hunt.

Akira thought about that for a bit before saying, "To be fair, I think they were more interested in their conversation about numbers and accounting then actually getting along. Also, as far as we know, they haven't met outside the diner, but I highly doubt they would after…"

Ryō mumbled out a, "Yeah... Good point… He was there when it happened…"

Sōma took a deep breath before he said, "Yeah, I don't think that he's going to talk to Eizan-senpai outside the mathematic course he'll be teaching. But, that something to worry about later. Right now, we focus on the pike."

And so the pike hunt continued, and later in the day, they found some decent pickings.

~}i{ Later, at the Polaris Dorm}i{~

As Sōma kept testing dish after dish, Mayu took a nap. So far, the blind redhead couldn't find a recipe that really jumped out at him as the one that could beat both the seafood specialist and the spice specialist. Although, some might be good to keep in mind for next year's Menu Addition Contest.

Sōma placed a hand to his chin and thought for a bit about his situation. Compared to Ryō, his own skills at picking good quality fish were severely lacking and not just because he was blind. Ryō has, what Sōma could guess, at least a decade of experience with fish over the blind redhead. Sōma knew that Akira could easily sniff out good fish by smell alone since the whitette knew what certain fats and umami smell like.

'It's not my blindness that's putting me at a disadvantage here, it's my lack of experience in this kind of thing,' Sōma thought to himself as he leaned against the counter of the Polaris' kitchen.

What he needed was a way to overcome this in some way with a strategy he can use. After a couple of minutes, Sōma groaned in annoyance for a split second when he kept realizing that all of the strategies that he was coming up with were dependant on him finding a fresh quality fish. The one thing that he needed to overcome. Sōma ran a hand through his hair in aggravation as he grunted in annoyance. He was going nowhere fast…

The blind redhead then took a deep breath before slowly exhaling, effectively calming himself down long enough for him to decide that he needed to take a break. "Sometimes the best way to solve a complicated matter is to step away from it for a while," Sōma said to himself as he snatched up his cane that was resting against the counter. And with that, he made his way out of the kitchen as he said to himself, "I might as well apply Ishi-kun's favourite advice to the situation. I mean, it's not going to hurt my chances at all. Hmm, I wonder what I should do during my break?"

}i{ Elsewhere }i{

Erina was staring at a photograph in her hand as she sat on her nice, plush bed.

The photograph was a snapshot of all the participants and judges from the Shokujidokoro Yukihira's Annual Menu Contest. The individuals for each category were grouped together, each group held up a sign that correlated to said group. The appetizer group with Kurokiba Ryō, Saitou Somei, Tsumita Nagayuki, Tsujiie Sumihiko, and Niwa Ryōuka were standing to the far left of the photograph. To the appetizer group's right was the main course group with Akira Hayama, Forest Kon, Nakiri Alice, Kinokuni Nene, Eizan Etsuya, Nakiri Erina, Kobayashi Rindou, Souma Yoshimi (Uuma), and Tsumita Takeyasu. On the far right of the photograph was the dessert group with Akanegakubo Momo, Usagi, and Tsukui Michio. To the dessert group's left was the beverage group with Tsukasa Eishi, Aira Kanae, and Yukihira Hiro. And in the middle of the photograph were the five appointed judges for that year's menu contest Yukihira Sōma, Yukihira Mayu, Yūki Misaki, Kashii Eiji, and Forest Andoryū. everyone was looking towards the camera as the photographer snapped this particular picture. Some had smiles, some had what appeared to be bored expressions, and some even had clueless looks spread across their faces.

Apparently, one of the traditions of the Sumiredōri Shopping District was to take a picture of all the participants and/or judges of any type of contest event that takes place within said shopping district. From what Erina was told, it was for the shop owners to hang on the store walls to both promote the contest and to advocate good sportsmanship, with the permission of the individuals within the photographs of course. It was a strange tradition to the Nakiri heiress, taking pictures of everyone participating in a contest and not just the winners of said contest… But still… Considering that she herself has witnessed good examples of sportsmanship within the Annual Menu Contest… It made it feel like the whole event was more of a friendly competition then than an actual contest where the winner gets they recipe on the restaurant menu. Okay, yeah, the participants did take the contest seriously. Well most of them at first… But the atmosphere during the contest was just so… So… So friendly… It was like… Like cooking was a fun thing to do.

Erina continued to stare at the photograph with a saddened look on her face. The honey blonde Reeeeeally messed up. She had nothing but her own pride and ego to blame for what happened, nothing else and no one else...

That was when Erina heard a couple of loud knocks on her door. She turned to the sound only to see her grandfather standing in the doorway. He knocked on the doorframe.

"To be fair, I did call your name a few time. I guess you didn't hear," Senzaemon stated as he stood in the doorway. The headmaster softly walked over to his granddaughter's side and sat on the bed to her right. Senzaemon then looked at the photograph in Erina's hand and asked, "I take it that the picture was taken before the final round of the Menu Contest?"

Erina gave her grandfather a small, slow nod a response as she continued to stare at the picture.

Senzaemon placed a comforting hand on his granddaughter's shoulder when he saw that melancholy look on her face as he said, "While I can understand Yukihira-kun's reaction to what happens as a chef, but as a grandparent, I can't help but worry about how it affects you."

Erina bit the inside of her lip, her eyebrows quivered slightly, and the hand holding the photograph shook slightly. Senzaemon easily noticed these little ticks in his granddaughter.

The Totsuki Headmaster took a deep breath before telling his granddaughter, "I'm not going to tell you to put what happened behind you or that what you did was wrong, but rather, I'm advising you to not forget what happened." Erina tore her eyes off the picture to look right at her grandfather. Senzaemon continued, "Erina, I won't lie, what happened was terrible, but what will be worse is if you don't learn from that experience."

Erina blinked in confusion while her eyes were still wide. The honey blonde couldn't help but ask in utter confusion, "How can I? He-he nearly died because of me..."

Senzaemon took a deep breath when he said, "Well, for the first step, you have to admit that you did make a mistake. If you're already trying to make up for the wrong that you did before admit it was your fault, then you're already making it worse." Erina was unusually quiet at this. The elderly man noticed this and asked in a stern tone with a raised bushy brow, "Erina, were you trying to make up for what happened at the diner DURING the Autumn Elections?"

"I only asked the Aldini brother to help him prepare for Mimasaka! That's it! Nothing else!" Erina nearly shouted in a panic as tears started prickling her eyes. She knew he would find out anyway, but she wanted him to know that it was only that and nothing more.

Senzaemon sighed softly before saying, "Erina, calm down," as he rubbed her shoulder. Trying to soothe his granddaughter and preventing her from truly panicking. The headmaster then said calmly, "As long as you were not directly involved in the outcome of the matches or talking to the judges, then you have no reason to worry." While it did hurt the Headmaster to see Erina like this, he knew that she needed to learn how to deal with these kinds of scenarios in some kind of positive way.

"But!" was all Erina got out before she started crying.

Senzaemon pulled the honey blonde into a comforting hug and did his best to soothe her. 'This is going to be a lot harder than I anticipated...' the headmaster thought as he rubbed soothing circles on Erina's back. Perhaps a psychologist might be necessary.

Unbeknownst to the two, Alice and Ryō were right outside the door and hidden out of sight. They heard the entire conversation between the grandfather and granddaughter. The albino glanced at the seafood specialist and placed an index finger to her lips. Ryō nodded, understanding what Alice was implying.

~}i{ Elsewhere }i{~

"Aw, man, that's great. Glad he's doing better," Sōma said as he adjusted his cellphone against his ear, talking to whoever was on the other end of the line. The blind redhead was currently lounging on his bed.

"That's my Отец, not much can keep him down for very long," a familiar voice said through the phone in a rather calm tone.

Sōma sighed when he said, "Well, I guess that's where you get your stubbornness from."

The voice replied by saying, "Both my parents are stubborn in their own way, so it's fair to say that I inherited it from both of them." Sōma then heard an odd sound on the other end, but it sounded like the phone was being shifted. "I think that's one reason why Отец has been able to pull through each time he's accidentally eaten pork," the voice added in a calm tone.

"I'm still sorry it happened, Kon," Sōma said in a low tone.

The phone was quiet for a bit before Kon replied, "I'm not mad about it anymore, neither is Отец or Mãe (Pronounced like the English word 'My') (2). Though it did take a while to talk Mãe down from doing anything harmful to those guys."

"Well, at least she's not going to do anything next summer..." Sōma said with a somewhat forced smile.

"I only said "harmful", according to Mãe, anything else is on the table," Kon replied flatly.

Sōma snorted out a laugh when he said, "Thanks for the warning."

"You're welcome," Kon replied immediately.

Sōma smiled as he shook his head from side to side in a knowing way. He knew his autistic friend and how she could be bluntly polite when manners are used. The redhead then asked, "Anyway, have you thought about what I asked about last time?"

"I have," Kon replied calmly before saying, "I already asked Отец and Mãe for their permission, they said it was fine, but they want pictures."

"I'll have to ask Isshiki-senpai about that, though I can always ask one of my dormmates to take some pictures for your folks. I'm sure they'll be willing to do that, and knowing one of my dormmates, she'll probably make a scrapbook or something with those pictures," Sōma said with a mellow tone.

"Always good to have hobbies," Kon said, somewhat repeating a quote she heard a while ago.

Sōma smiled before he said, "Speaking of hobbies, how's your little side business going?"

The blind redhead could hear the other's phone shift when she replied, "Pretty good despite all my classwork. Even got some new customers at our new school."

"The one in England?" Sōma asked. He's heard the Trinity talk about the school they transferred to in England. While it did surprise a lot of people who knew the trio, they had to admit that they were impressed that they were accepted to go to a school in England.

"Yep. The school's a very old castle, but it has a nice intricate look that aged well," Kon said in a casual tone.

"Wait! Can you repeat that?" Sōma asked as he bolted up from his bed.

"Uhh, sure. The school's a very old castle, but it has a nice intricate look that aged well," Kon repeated, not all that bothered by the blind redhead's sudden interest. A little confused, but not bothered.

Sōma practically leapt off his bed when he practically shouted excitedly, "Kon! You're a genius! Now I know how I can use pike in the finals!"

"Uhh, thanks and no problem..." Kon replied, obviously confused by the other's sudden energy. She then added in a flat tone, "I somehow gave you a weird idea for a dish and you're going straight to the kitchen to experiment to see if it can work, aren't you?"

Sōma was already half-way to the Polaris Dorm kitchen when he chuckled and said, "Yup and already on that."

Kon gave a hum before saying, "Okay, you have fun. Oh, make sure to keep your phone in your pocket while you're experimenting. Because when you're in your little "Cooking Zone" you usually miss your phone's alerts."

"You do the same, but will do," Sōma said with a huge smile on his face before adding, "Talk to you later, Kon."

"Ditto," Kon replied before hanging up.

Sōma shoved his phone into his pocket as he entered the kitchen with that grin still on his face. "Ah, right. I'm going to need a little knowledge help for this," the blind redhead realized, but he knew who could help him with that.

~}i{ Elsewhere }i{~

Once the call was done, Kon tucked her phone back into her pocket.

"You're still not going to tell him about that yet?" Ki asked the taller teen as he and Ishi sat nearby, working on some homework.

Kon glanced at her friends when she replied, "As much as I wanted to tell him, he already has too much on his plate."

"Pun intended or unintended?" Ishi asked with a raised brow, making sure he was watching what the taller teen said.

"Unintended," Kon immediately responded, before saying, "Also, it'll definitely affect his concentration during the Finals."

Ki and Ishi glanced at each other briefly before agreeing with Kon. They'll tell Sōma after the Autumn Election is over.

~}i{ Back at Totsuki }i{~

Shun was sitting in the lounge area, quietly reading a book. All of his homework was completed and he didn't have class until tomorrow morning, so he was just relaxing with a good book. It has been hard to even find the time to read a single page for a while, but now that he had the time he was taking full advantage of it.

"Ibusaki-kun, you in here?" Sōma called out as he entered the lounge.

Shun glanced up to see who it was before he said, "Yes. Is there something you're seeking?"

Sōma grinned like a mad-man when he said, "Yup, you."

"Huh?" was all Shun got out before the blind redhead strides over to him and then dragged him out of the lounge by the arm.

As Sōma dragged Shun, he said, "I need your help with a cooking idea." The blind redhead then called out, "Sakaki-kun! Where are you?!"

Now Shun wished he kept quiet.

~15 Minutes Later~

Ikumi was walking down one of the school's many corridors

"NIKUMIII!" the Meat Master heard someone call out. She knew immediately who it was since only one person had the guts to call her that. So Ikumi walked briskly towards the voice.

It didn't take the Meat Master more than a minute to find Sōma. He was walking down a parallel corridor from where Ikumi originally was walking. "Sōma-kun, I'm over here," Ikumi called out and getting the blind redhead's attention.

Sōma turned towards the familiar voice of the Meat Master with a smile on his face. As he walked rather quickly in the direction he heard Ikumi's voice, he said, "Nikumi, listen. This is very important." He waved his a hand in the air as he tried to locate where the Meat Master was standing. When he came in contact with Ikumi's arm, he moved his hand up to her shoulder.

"Um, y-yes?" Ikumi vocalized, a flush of pink dusting her face rather potently. She was thinking/hoping that this was going to be some sort of confession.

"I need you to teach me about ageing meat!" Sōma said in a serious tone.

"Eh?" was all Ikumi vocalized.

~Another 15 Minutes Later~

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Yuuki's loud voice echoed through the Polaris Dorm.

Sōma shrugged casually when he said, "Only a bit, but it leads to some pretty great dishes."

Mayu couldn't help but comment as she rolled her eyes, "And a lot of horrible ones."

Yuuki waved her hands frantically when she said, nearly shouting, "But! You're not only skipping going to the market today but also on the morning of the Finals?! That's like! The First thing you do that day so you can cook your dish for the Judges! But you're also planning on using Pike you bought four or five days prior?! That is just plain crazy?! Wait! Not crazy?! INSANE?!"

Mayu glanced at Megumi when she said, "No offence, Tadokoro-chan, but I was expecting you to be the one panicking to Sōma's plan."

Megumi sighed when she said with a wiry look on her face, "None taken, and I completely understand why. But... I've gotten a little more confidant in myself and learned to relax a bit. Plus, I think I've gotten used to Sōma being, well, himself."

Mayu now had a wiry look on her face when she said, "I can never be sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing for people outside the family to be used to Sōma and his antics. But if you're fine with it, then I guess it should be fine." Megumi was only able to give a nervous chuckle at that while Shun and Ryōuko stood nearby with worried looks on their faces.

That was when Sōma said, "Come on guys, think logically about this. If I try to go toe-to-toe with searching for a good fresh fish on the morning of the Finals, I'll lose before the match starts because I don't have the same skills for selecting the right fish like Akira and Ryō. Ryō has at least a decade of experience in seafood over me and Akira knows what smells to sniff out for. Ageing is just another way to bring the Pike's umami to its peak. And to do that, I'll need your help!"

Ryōuko, Shun, Megumi, Ikumi, Yuuki, and Mayu gave a quick glance at one another briefly.

Sōma then added, "If I can get the ageing thing right, I might be able to get a Mackerel Pike that can stand up to the ones Ryō-kun and Akira-kun will have!"

"Sounds to me like it's worth a shot!" Ikumi said, cracking her knuckles.

Ryōuko then added, "Yeah! I'm sure it'll work."

Sōma smiled when he said, "Cool! So you guys will teach me what you can?"

Ryōuko smiled when she said, "Of course! We're all friends who live under the same roof, after all! *Turns to Shun*, You don't mind either, right, Ibusaki-kun?"

Shun shrugged when he said, "Huh? Sure whatever." He seemed to be bearly paying attention to the fermenting specialist.

So, the group went to making testing dishes. They decided that they'd do three different ageing methods at the same time over the next three days. Fermenting, smoking, and high humidity. But don't worry, they're not going to just twiddle their thumbs as they waited for the time to be up.

They still had classes and clubs after all.

~}i{ Three Days Later }i{~

The first test batches have finished ageing and were ready to taste. Sōma, Mayu, Megumi, Ryōuka, Ikumi, and Shun were present and ready to taste and critique.

Ryōuko and Ikumi were the first to take a bite of each the aged Pike.

"MM! It's great!" Ikumi shouted with glee. She then added happily, "The umami flavours in all of them are through the roof! These are seriously well-done, Yukihira-kun! The Shio Koji ones a mild flavour with a mellow richness." The Meat Master then said rather proudly, "The smoked ones have got the others beat when it comes to great aroma, though."

Ryōuko then said with her eyes closed and a smile, "The ones aged at high humidity are balanced enough that you could use them in a variety of recipes. Oh, which one to pick? Maybe steam them in aluminium foil? Or you could fry them up, Nanbanzuke-style!"

Shun said in a soft tone, "Broiling them Kabayaki-style sounds good too."

Ikumi went completely cheery when she said in a gushing tone, "I betcha they'd be totally awesome if you made sushi out of them! Oh, but doing nigiri sushi can be super hard, though."

Sōma and Mayu tried the three aged Pike, but neither of them seemed impressed as the others were.

"Mayu-chan, Sōma-kun, what's wrong?" Megumi asked the two the moment she saw the looks on their faces.

Mayu put down her chopsticks when she said, "Compared to the Pike variant Fish Tocos Ryō-kun made during the second day of the Menu Contest... None of these three can hold up to that."

Sōma nodded when he said, "Yeah, I thought as much too. I mean, it's pure coincidence that he used Pike during the Menu Contest, but it was still better than these."

The others gasped when Ikumi nearly shouted, "What?! But these are perfectly aged! Are you saying they still aren't good enough?"

Now that was a problem...

~}i{ Later, A Little Passed Dinner }i{~

Sōma had to think over what he learnt so far. The ageing methods did work, the umami was better, but it just wasn't enough to go up against Ryō and Akira. He then began to think that maybe trying to age the meat was a bad idea, but the flavour certainly improved over his prior test dishes. "Maybe I need to use a different ageing method..." Sōma mumbled as he left the kitchen.

He needed to think of something quick, he only had a week left until the finals.

When he walked into the dining area he heard Fumio's voice call out in a somewhat drunk tone, " 'Ey, Yukihira! Whatcha lookin' all down for? A frowny face isn't gonna make yer practice dishes taste any better y'know. How 'bout you perk up a little, eh?"

Sōma's eyebrow twitched at the drunken slur when he replied, "I wouldn't know how my face looks when it frowns, but I'm not exactly depressed, y'know. Though, I'm not sure if you should be giving people lectures when you've had a little too much "Dinner-Time Drinks". How many cups have you had?" Might you, that last bit was more out of concern than anything.

"I an't drunk! And I an't just drinking! I've got food too," Fumio slurred out with a giggle or two.

With a sigh, Sōma then asked, playing along with the drunken older woman, "Okay, what are you eating alongside the drink?"

When Fumio told him what she was eating, Sōma suddenly got an idea on what he could use for his Pike! He gave a quick hug to the Dorm Mother, telling her that he loved her before he rushed off to the kitchen.

Fumio blinked in confusion before mumbling to herself, "I think I might've given him some inspiration... Hope it works." Before pouring herself another cup and taking a sip.

~}i{ Time Skip, Polaris Dorm Refridgerator Unit, 20:21 }i{~

Two days left until the Finals.

Sōma gave this lastest test dish a taste. A smirk appeared on his face.

Now all that was left to do is make one simple call, and Sōma will be ready for the Finals.

~}i{ Time Skip, Day of the Finals }i{~

The Dockside Market was bustling and booming with vendors and customers even at 2:44 in the morning.

Ryō glance around the area when he thought, 'Huh, that's weird. I don't see Sōma-kun around. It's been a few days since I spotted him.'

Akira, also glancing around but in a different area, when he thought, 'What is he doing? If he wants the freshest fish possible, there's no other place to get it but here.'

Both these teens knew that Sōma would never purposely throw a cooking match, so they knew that the blind redhead was up to something and they couldn't wait to find out what it was.

~}i{ More Time Skipping, Heaven's Moon Arena, 17:55 }i{~

The Finals wasn't going to start until 18:30, but the stadium seating was already filled. There wasn't a seat that wasn't already occupied by either a student, teacher, or some big name in the food industry. So that showed just how anticipated this match was to the food world.

Kurokiba Ryō and Hayama Akira were already present and waiting for the third competitor in this Finals.

Even with the murmurs of the crowd, the two managed to hear two people talking coming from one of the corridor ways that allows entry into the area.

"You didn't have to bring those. We have dollies here too, y'know," Sōma's voice could be heard drifting into the arena.

"I know, but they're limited and don't have built-in cold storage. Besides, it's too late to get them now," the other voice drifted into the arena, keeping conversation with the other.

'That voice!' both Akira and Ryō thought as they turned towards the corridor leading into the arena.

Not even five seconds later, Sōma walked into the arena with a teen that appeared to be around 17 or 18-years-old with mossy green hair tied back in a ponytail that split into a pair of braided twin-tails, amber eyes, a pair of sharp-looking shades hanging from the front collar of a red shirt with a design of a long forest green serpent with a cobra head that got narrower as it travelled down the neck of the serpent while the rest of its body curled over itself, a pair of headphones hanging around his neck, khaki slacks with multiple pockets on the sides, and black shoes with a purple streak on them. The taller teen was pushing the same cart that was used in the Annual Menu Contest.

"Huh? That's not his sister." "Who is that?" "Is he a student here?" "No, then he'd be wearing the school uniform." "His sister's boyfriend, maybe?" "Who is that guy?" were the murmurs coming from the audience members who didn't know who this new face was.

"Kon?!" Both Ryō and Akira exclaimed the moment they saw the blind redhead and the greenette walk into the arena. (Quick note; Kon is usually mistaken for a guy but she's a gal, so as far as the majority of the audience knows Kon is a guy because of her appearance).

Kon glanced up at the seafood specialist and spice specialist when she said, "Oh, hello, Kurokiba-kun, Hayama-kun. Good to see you again."

"Good to see you too, Kon, but may I ask why are you here?" Akira asked with a smile but with a raised brow of confusion.

Kon didn't hesitate when she said, "Mayu has mandatory testing on her campus right now, so she can't help Sōma. He asked me if I could help him, once he got the ok that it was alright for me to assist."

Sōma nodded in agreement when he added, "Yeah, they approved of her helping me, but I do have to pay her for her assistance for this match and she had to sign a contract stating that she can't remake anything cooked during this match after the Elections are over."

"It's no big deal since I don't plan on re-making anything being cooked here after tonight," Kon said with a shrug. She then added, "Besides, Sōma's bentos are a lot better than aeroplane food, so this job is worth that."

Ryō blinked in confusion when he asked, "Aeroplane food?"

"For the flight to England when Ki, Ishi, and I have to go back to school," Kon replied bluntly.

Akira thought about that for a bit before he said, "Oh right, I heard about that school in England you three attend from some of the other regulars and your dad. Hoguwātsu (3), right?" Kon nods. Akira folds his arms when he said in a curious tone, "I can't say I've heard of this school before."

Kon rocks her head from side to side a big when she said, "Can't say I've heard of Totsuki before Sōma enrolled."

Sōma snickered before saying, "Touche, Kon, Touche. But I guess you can say that both our schools are only well known in certain circles."

"Hmm, good point," Ryō stated in his usual lackadaisical tone before adding, "Tostuki's name is famous in the cooking world, so it's not hard to imagine that there are other schools that are well known in other industries."

Akira couldn't help but nod in agreement before asking Kon, "Are Ki and Ishi here with you?"

Kon nodded when she said, "Yes, they are. They should be with the Juuni Taisen Complex group right now. The dorm mother said there was going to be a huge party after this, regardless of who wins this match. You guys are invited too, Alice-kun if she wants to go. I brought my headphones to block out the loud noise." She taps on her headphones that were still hanging around her neck.

With a nervous chuckle, Sōma said, "I already gave Fumio-san the heads up on the volume level, she'll try to make sure the party isn't going to be too loud but no guarantee on the control of it."

Kon mumbled a thank you before she remembered something and told Sōma, "That reminds me, Sōma, you mind if I talk to you after this contest ends but before heading back to the Polaris Dorm."

"Ah, sure thing Kon," Sōma said with a smile.

That was when the clock struck 18:10 and the emcee made an announcement, "From now until the cooking time begins is your prep time. Contestants, please bring in your ingredients and set up your appliances."

"Better get started on that then," Kon stated before the three finalists went into prepping. She led Sōma to an unoccupied cooking counter.

Soon all three contestants were getting their Pike out so they'd be ready to be cooked when needed.

"OOOH! Look at their Pike!" one VIP exclaimed. While another exclaimed, "They're so fresh they're gleaming!"

It was true, both Ryō's and Akira's Pike were at their peak in both condition and umami.

One audience member exclaimed, "What colour! What plumpness! There's no doubting how fatty and fresh those fish are!" Another shouted, "Both shine in the light like naked blades... They are the perfect Pike with which to do battle!"

Kon's eyebrow twitched a bit before she moved her headphones from her neck to her head, making sure to cover her ears and blocking out the noise from the audience, when she said, "Eesh, we're only prepping and these people are already making so much noise."

"Yeah, Kon, I can understand how you feel, and yeah, it's kinda annoying that they're making such a fuss already," Sōma vocalized as he placed a small cooler on the counter.

Now the majority of the audience focused their attention on the cooler the blind redhead had. All where wondering if Sōma was able to find a Pike on par with the ones the other two had.

Sōma opened the cooler and paced a hand inside. "Huh? That's weird. Where'd it go?" As he rummaged through the cooler, trying to find whatever was hidden inside. The audience was dumbstricken by this action while Kon didn't seem surprised. "Aha! Here it is," Sōma said as he grabbed ahold of the fish's tail before saying as he pulled it out, "Come on out!"

Now the audience was dumbstiken for a different reason. Not only was Sōma's Pike was smaller than the two other Pikes, but it was also covered in some kind of gunk. It looked completely unappealing and unappetizing!

Kon only glanced at the pike before asking bluntly, "Oh? How'd you get that idea from me talking about an old castle?"

Sōma smirked when he replied, "I got the idea from you saying that the building "Aged Well", so I decided to age my pike rather then getting a fresh one."

"Ah, I see," was Kon's response. She then stated in a calm tone, "I'll do my best to help you with your dish."

Sōma nodded when he responded, "Thanks, Kon. Now let's get to the real prep."

Kon nodded when she said, "Alright."

~}i{~

Chapter 14, Completed. To be continued in Chapter 15: Clash of the Titans.

~}i{~

~}i{ Summer Omake: July 13, Summer Job Day 12. Shokujidokoro Yukihira's Annual Menu Contest, Day 1, Part 2 }i{~

Now the participants for the Main Course went over to the cooking stations. Akira Hayama, Forest Kon, Nakiri Alice, Kinokuni Nene, Eizan Etsuya, Nikiri Erina, Kobayashi Rindou, Souma Yoshimi (Uuma), and Tsumita Takeyasu moved all their ingredients and tools onto the cooking counters. It didn't take long thanks to the mobile counters. Erina should ask where to get those, they would make it easier for students to gather and move their ingredients before a Shokugeki at Totsuki. 'These are just so convenient,' the honey blonde thought as she started cooking.

As he was setting up, Akira noted how the none-Totsuki participants got ready. One thing he noticed right away was how strange it was to see a 230 cm (7.55 feet roughly) giant strongman using cooking tools that looked like toys in his big hands. Though to the giant's credit, Yoshimi seemed to wield the tiny cooking tools just fine. 'Is it strange that I think that he just seems to be assembling a ship-in-a-bottle? (4)' Akira couldn't help wondering to himself.

The next on the glance list was the younger Tsumita brother, Takeyasu. From what the white-haired teen could see, the younger lavender-haired individual just started on cutting up some kind of unfamiliar meat. Akira wasn't an expert in guessing meats at a glance, Ikumi was easily the queen of that, but he was sure that he never saw that kind of meat used in any of his classes before. The white-haired teen decided that it would be better for him to just wait for the dish submission to figure out what kind of meat that is. Akira couldn't help but think, 'Yeah, that's probably the best option. I need to focus on my dish.' That was when he caught a whiff of what Takeyasu was using. Akira quickly snuffed his nose in a handkerchief because of the smell. When he finished, he quickly washed his hands before continuing with cooking while thinking, 'Eesh, how much spicy peppers does that guy intent to use for this one dish?'

Akira then caught a glance at Kon's station. 'A waffle maker?' the white-haired teen thought when he saw the waffle making device on the amber-eyed girl's cooking station. That was when he remembered that Sōma mentioned that Kon's expertise was in making stuff, or "Assembling" as everyone liked to call her skillset. ' 'If it can be 'Assembled' then Kon can put it together'. That's what Sōma said if I remember correctly,' Akira thought as he went back to cooking. He was looking forward to seeing what the autistic girl can make, especially since the cookies from a few days ago were delicious.

Alice already had a plan in mind as she started on her dish. If everything goes as planned, she'll have Sōma's heart and Mayu's approval. As a bonus, she might be making some new friends during this competition. Alice smiled happily as she continued cooking.

Erina, Nene, Rindou, and Etsuya, on the other hand, didn't make any effort to even glance at any of the non-Totsuki participants. As far as these four were concerned, only other Totsuki students were the ones that were going to be a challenge. "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," Andoryū's words he told them when they were the park echoed through their heads. These words caused the four it to pause their actions.

The half-Russian was right, they really shouldn't underestimate the others just because they aren't from Totsuki… Especially since he DID technically defeat the Sixth and Ninth Seat of the Elite 10 in an unofficial cook-off. And Andoryū DID admit to them that he was the weakest cook in his home, which meant that Kon was better than her father in cooking. The Seated Elite thought about that for a bit. Maybe they need to take this cooking contest a little more seriously.

}i{ Time Skip }i{

"Time's up! Participants, step away from your cooking stations" Duodecuple announced with glee, before adding with a smile, "Plates should be ready for the judges to do their job. Now, a quick draw to establish the serving order." It was agreed on in advance that the Main Course group would be drawing lots for the serving order due to how many were participating. It was quicker than playing Rock-Paper-Scissors with a group that size.

With that, the Main Course group pulled a card each from a small deck of cards that the emcee had on hand, for some strange reason. Rule for this was that the lowest number drawn will serve their dish first.

Hayama drew the 3 of Spades, Kon drew the Jack of Spades, Alice drew the 2 of Spades, Nene drew the 9 of Spades, Etsuya drew the 6 of Spades, Erina drew the Queen of Spades, Rindou drew the 4 of Spades, Uuma drew the Ace of Spades, and Takeyasu drew the King of Spades.

"Sweet! I got the King!" Takeyasu stated with a gleeful smile as he showed off the card in his hand. The others non-Totsuki, either chuckled or rolled their eyes.

Etsuya pushed his glasses up when he said, "So what? That just means that you're going to be last."

The younger lavender-haired individual rolled his eyes when he said, "Inside joke, you wouldn't get it." The 9th Seat took that as a bit of an insult.

Kon rolled her eyes again when she said, "You have too many "inside jokes" already, don't add more to that annoying repotquare."

That was when Takeyasu retorted, "Hey come on, both of us got cards that represent us."

Kon replied in a flat tone, "If that were true, then you would've gotten the Joker." This caused a lot of the non-Totsuki students to chuckle, snicker, and laugh while the younger Tsumita brother turned pink.

'Can't say that she's wrong about that,' Erina thought as she glanced at the Queen of Spades in her hand. From the little interactions she had with the strange group, she's sure that the Tsumita brothers are the troublemakers of them. That was when Erina wondered, 'But what did he imply when he said that the Jack of Spades represents Forest-kun?'

Now that the order has been chosen, the next step was the judging.

(Due to length of this chapter, I'm just going to give the name of the dish each contestant served and the score they got for some of these. Sorry, but I just can't seem to get myself to really add more to this part, so again, sorry).

Yoshimi quietly served his Mediterranean Jambalaya: Beef Edition. The Totsuki group was actually amazed that he was able to even placed the plates on the Judging table without any sound at all. It made Erina wonder why such a huge man was so quiet.

The dish was eaten and the scores were submitted.

Sōma's current score was 12; with the appeal score being 4, the taste score being 4, and the creativity score being 4.

Mayu's current score was 12; with the appeals score being 4, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 3.

Eiji's current score was 12; with the appeal score being 5, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 2.

Misaki's current score was 12; with the appeal score being 4, the taste score being 4, and the creativity score being 4.

Andoryū's current score was 11; with the appeal score being 3, the taste score being 3, and the creativity score being 5.

Yoshimi's current score was 59. This caused the giant strongman to smile.

Alice was next with her Deconstructed Smoked Salmon. Though for some reason, Sōma's seemed to be in a shape similar to a heart. The other Judges weren't sure what to think of that, to be honest, but the blind redhead didn't seem to notice the shape all too much.

The dish was eaten and the scores were submitted.

Sōma's current score was 13; with the appeal score being 3, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 5.

Mayu's current score was 14; with the appeals score being 5, the taste score being 4, and the creativity score being 5.

Eiji's current score was 11; with the appeal score being 3, the taste score being 4, and the creativity score being 4.

Misaki's current score was 14; with the appeal score being 4, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 5.

Andoryū's current score was 14; with the appeal score being 5, the taste score being 4, and the creativity score being 5.

Alice's current score was 66. While the albino girl gave a cheery smile at the score, she was a little disappointed that she didn't get higher. 'Oh well~, I'll score higher next round,' Alice thought happily to herself. She already has the next variant of her dish in mind already.

Hayama was next with his Pita-Wrapped Chicken Berry dish. The whitette decided to try his hand with making berry sauce for the contest, more so to test the compatibility with all the meats he'll be using throughout the contest. He had a good amount of fun making the sauce, especially since Jun seemed to act like a happy kid when tasting his test dishes.

The dish was eaten and the scores were submitted.

Sōma's current score was 13; with the appeal score being 5, the taste score being 4, and the creativity score being 4.

Mayu's current score was 13; with the appeals score being 4, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 4.

Eiji's current score was 15; a perfect score.

Misaki's current score was 12; with the appeal score being 4, the taste score being 4, and the creativity score being 4.

Andoryū's current score was 14; with the appeal score being 5, the taste score being 4, and the creativity score being 5.

Hayama's current score was 67. The score was around where the whitette thought it would be, so he wasn't surprised. Though, he was glad that his berry sauce seems to be a hit.

Rindou was next with her Creamy Exotic Mushroom Soup. Much to the confusion of the judges.

The dish was eaten and the scores were submitted.

Sōma's current score was 10; with the appeal score being 3, the taste score being 3, and the creativity score being 4.

Mayu's current score was 10; with the appeals score being 3, the taste score being 4, and the creativity score being 3.

Eiji's current score was 6; with the appeal score being 2, the taste score being 2, and the creativity score being 2.

Misaki's current score was 10; with the appeal score being 3, the taste score being 4, and the creativity score being 3.

Andoryū's current score was 4; with the appeal score being 1, the taste score being 1, and the creativity score being 2.

Rindou current score was 40... That was pretty surprising considering that she was the 2nd Seat of the Elite 10. So she asked why she got the score she did.

Four of the five judges reasons were consisted. They all agreed that the dish did fall a little flat in the three active categories. The dish looked and smelt like regular mushroom soup and it didn't taste that much better from the regular. Andoryū did admit that soups are his least favourite foods, with the creamier ones being the ones he disliked the most.

But Andoryū's reason was rather reasonable when he explained, "To me, soups are just soggy dishes that drains the texture of the food sitting in it and I have never been a fan of creamy stuff because I don't like how it seems to cling to my tongue."

That was when Erina realized that it made sense that the older Forest couldn't give a higher score. 'Because soups are dependant on the combination of flavours in the broth and the ingredients to make their appeal,' the honey blonde thought to herself. She then thought, 'So for someone who cannot taste anything, soups would not be appealing to them.'

Eiji sturred the mushroom soup a bit before saying, "Another reason for my score was the low number of mushrooms in this soup. I had assumed it was because too many would have made the soup unbalanced before trying it, but after eating it was a mistake to assume that."

"Wait, your soup was low on mushrooms too? I thought it was just me getting a bad plate," Mayu commented as she stared at the long-haired man. Sōma commented that he did think it was a little strange that there was so few mushrooms in his soup as well.

"I thought it was how mushroom soups were, but if all three of you are saying it..." Misaki vocalized in concern.

It didn't take long before Rindou admitted that she got hungry when she was cooking and munching on some of the mushrooms she was using for her dish. No one was able to think of a polite response to that action. Although, the little kids in the audience told the 2nd Seat that she should've eaten before she came to the contest.

Etsuya was next with his Chicken & Shrimp Scanty Pasta Sauce. Four of the Judges were impressed by how good the dish looked/smelled, but Eiji seemed a bit more suspicious about the dish. The long-haired man could tell that the chicken seemed to be at a higher quality than the one Hayama used, higher than the given budget would've allowed. Eiji was going to make sure to look over the 9th Seat's budget for this dish very carefully.

The dish was eaten and the scores were submitted.

Sōma's current score was 14; with the appeal score being 5, the taste score being 4, and the creativity score being 5.

Mayu's current score was 14; with the appeals score being 5, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 4.

Eiji's current score was 10; with the appeal score being 4, the taste score being 4, and the creativity score being 2.

Misaki's current score was 14; with the appeal score being 5, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 4.

Andoryū's current score was 13; with the appeal score being 5, the taste score being 3, and the creativity score being 5. (The sauce was a little too creamy for his liking, Andoryū would've given him a higher score in the Taste category if it were less creamy).

Etsuya's current score was 65. He clicked his tongue in annoyance. The 9th Seat got a lower score than the two whitettes, then again... He wasn't exactly using his speciality in this contest right now.

Nene was next with her Shrimp and Tofu Soba Cambo with a smooth soy sauce-based dip. While the four of the Judges ate the soba by dipping it in the soy sauce and slurping it up, Andoryū poured the sauce unevenly over the soba, chicken, and the shrimp. The half-Russian's actions did aggravate Nene a lot because it wasn't "The Proper Way to Eat Soba". Andoryū's counter was that if he dips the soba completely in the sauce, per the eating tradition of soba, he wouldn't be able to smell the soba's fregrants over the sauce.

The dish was eaten and the scores were submitted.

Sōma's current score was 14; with the appeal score being 5, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 4.

Mayu's current score was 15; a perfect score.

Eiji's current score was 10; with the appeal score being 3, the taste score being 4, and the creativity score being 3.

Misaki's current score was 14; with the appeal score being 4, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 5.

Andoryū's current score was 14; with the appeal score being 5, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 4.

Nene's current score was 67. She adjusted her glasses, it was less then what she expected, but it was in the range that she expected.

Kon was next with Waffles? everyone participating had to take a second look at the tall girl's dish. Yup, those were waffles alright, thick waffles to be precise... With a dipping cup accompanying the waffles.

'She actually made Waffles?!' Erina shouting internally.

Hayama, on the other hand, could smell that the waffles had a different aroma than waffles that he's had in the past. He places a hand on his chin and wondered, 'What is she planning?'

The dish was eaten and the scores were submitted.

Sōma's current score was 14; with the appeal score being 4, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 5.

Mayu's current score was 14; with the appeals score being 4, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 5.

Eiji's current score was 11; with the appeal score being 3, the taste score being 4, and the creativity score being 4.

Misaki's current score was 14; with the appeal score being 4, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 5.

Andoryū's current score was 13; with the appeal score being 3, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 5.

Kon's current score was 66. "Hm, not a bad start," was all the greenette commented.

But the Totsuki participants were confused by the score. The amber-eyed teen made thick, plain-looking waffles. That was when Kon wheeled over the leftover waffles to the Totsuki group and said, "Отец suggested that I make a few extra batches during the first round for you guys to try since he mentioned that you haven't had anything waffles-shapes before."

Wait a second... The Totsuki group glanced up at the half-Russian, who smiled innocently at them before giving them a small wave. Misaki and Eiji seemed to catch on to Andoryū's antics while the Yukihira Twins were none the wiser. Now the Totsuki group wasn't sure if the half-Russian was threatening or proving a point... ... ... Probably both, in all honesty.

'Wait, waffle-shaps? Not waffles?' Erina realized what Kon had said. Apparently, the others noticed the wording too. So the Totsuki group each took one waffle and took a bite. That was when they realized that they weren't waffles, they were calzones!

'So THAT'S why she had the waffle maker! She used it to cook the calzones! Clever,' Hayama thought as he looked at the bite mark in his Waffle Calzone, now able to see the ingredients inside the dish.

Okay... Maybe the Elite group should take this contest a little more seriously... Especially given some of the scores of the none-Totsuki participants.

Erina was next with a Bistec Empanizado (Breaded Steak).

The dish was eaten and the scores were submitted.

Sōma's current score was 13; with the appeal score being 5, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 3.

Mayu's current score was 13; with the appeals score being 5, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 3.

Eiji's current score was 10; with the appeal score being 3, the taste score being 4, and the creativity score being 3.

Misaki's current score was 14; with the appeal score being 5, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 4.

Andoryū's current score was 14; with the appeal score being 5, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 4.

Erina's current score was 64. She got a lower score than Alice! The albino girl was happily giggling over that.

"But it seems like a different person is a tough judge in this contest," Alice commented when she finally stopped giggling.

"What do you mean?" Erina couldn't help but ask in confusion.

That was when Hayama said, "Pretty sure everyone from Totsuki thought that Forest-san would be the difficult judge because he has Ageusia, but he been giving out some decent scores. It's Kashii-san who's the difficult judge."

That was when the Elites realized that the spice master was right, the long-haired man was the one who gave the lowest scores out of the five judges.

Michio leaned into the group when she said, "Eiji might be a foodie, but he's completely honest in his opinions on what he eats. But it's still a challenge to get him to say something is perfect since he's one of those people who believes perfection is only a myth." What the daycare teacher said makes sense to the Totsuki group. That was when she glanced at Hayama when she said, "But you've done something good with your dish if you got a full score from him."

Hayama couldn't stop himself from stopping a dusting of pink from appearing on his cheeks at the comment, Ryō and Alice started teasing him for that. One subtly and the other obviously, wasn't hard to guess which was what.

Takeyasu was last with a dish he called Amanda's Special. Andoryū was covering his nose when he asked why the younger Tsumita brother always added so many peppers to his dishes. But the other judges' reactions were a little different.

"Isn't that the name of one of your boas?" Sōma commented in a slightly worried tone.

Misaki then said, "Yes, she's the sweetheart one who loves to sunbath in the areas with sunlight." That was when Eiji commented that he didn't see the snake in her usual morning spot this morning.

Mayu put two-&-two together when she asked Takeyasu, "Did Amanda pass away recently?"

Takeyasu smirked when he replied, "Yup, she died yesterday. It was lucky for me since I needed meat for my dish."

everyone's stomachs dropped at the realization of what the main ingredient was. Which was when Sōma asked, "Did you take her to a vet recently and had her checked out? Or even brought her there to determine cause of death before you "cooked" her?"

When Takeyasu's response was a big "Nope", all five judges immediately pushed their plate away in disgust and submitted their decisions.

Sōma's decision was Disqualification Due to Health Violations.

Mayu's decision was Disqualification Due to Health Violations.

Eiji's decision was Disqualification Due to Health Violations.

Misaki's decision was Disqualification Due to Health Violations.

Andoryū's decision was Disqualification Due to Health Violations.

It was official now, Tsumita Takeyasu was disqualified from the Menu Contest. But the younger lavendernette didn't seem upset over the fact, in fact, he was still smirking.

That was when Sōma commented, "Honestly, Takeyasu, I don't know why you even bother signing up for the Menu Contest when you always disqualify yourself during the first round." That was rather revealing...

"You mean he does this thing every year?" Eishi asked in confusion.

Erina immediately asked, "If he does this all the time, why hasn't he been banned?"

The response was from Duodecuple as he explains, "Even though he serves dishes with dubious origins, he always makes sure no one eats the dishes before he says who the dish came from. Because no one eats any of the dishes he serves, he technically can't be banned from the contest."

Navi then added, "Since Takeyasu lets the judges know that the dishes might not be safe to eat, they can't ban him for willingly serving tainted meat. The warning stops them before they can even take a bite."

Takeyasu smirked again when he said, "I'm used to eating my reptiles, so I got the stomach to deal with them. But I know others don't and will get sick if they eat'm, so long as I say that my reptiles are the main dish, I can still participate long as I give the warning."

"We probably should talk to Pop about that though," Mayu told her older twin brother, who nodded in response.

None of the Totsuki participants were sure how to respond to this "Odd" technicality...

Now that the Main Course bracket was completed, the Drink category participants got ready to cook.

~}i{~

Summer Omake: July 13, Summer Job Day 12. Shokujidokoro Yukihira's Annual Menu Contest, Day 1, Part 2. End.

To be continued in Summer Omake: July 13, Summer Job Day 12. Shokujidokoro Yukihira's Annual Menu Contest, Day 1, Part 3.

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1) Canon to the Juuni Taisen information, Kashii Eiji, aka Ushii can't cook anything.

2) Mãe is Portuguese for Mother.

3) Just a little Easter Egg for another fanfic that I'm working on that involves this school and my Trinity... That I should probably finish... Points to whoever gets the real name of this school.

4) Canon to the Juuni Taisen media, Souma Yoshimi, a.k.a. Uuma likes to make ship-in-a-bottles during his free time. I couldn't help myself, I had to make the reference.

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