The next couple weeks were a blur. Azami had apparently shown up at the Polar Star dorm and it was revealed that Soma had a pedigree after all. One that was apparently significant to the current director and Erina. It was unclear exactly what happened between Soma and Erina after that, but whatever it was shook Erina from her passive state. It was no longer a secret that she was staying at the Polar Star dorm, and all rebels were expected to spend their free time studying under the God Tongue.
Ryo had to admit, the pace and atmosphere as they prepared for war (technically the advancement exams, but at this point there was so much more on the line) suited him. Erina had plenty of information to improve the rebel's arsenal, but after the first couple days it was clear that some hands-on training would be necessary to drive some of her points home. In addition to an intense training regimen crafted by Erina, each day there would be two battles which would allow them to practice theory from the previous day as well as provide the food for their meal breaks.
Soma insisted on taking part in the first battle, and once he agreed not to intentionally serve anything gross, Alice got her rematch. This time her precision gave her the victory with a balanced infusion of black tea and braised pork with a rich cherry compote accented by lemon zest. In contrast, Soma's peppered, fried pork cutlets over seasoned rice with a jellied chili topping just didn't blend as harmoniously on the palate.
"Hah! I told you your gimmicky cooking couldn't stand against my refined skills!" Alice gloated.
"You won this time, but you won't stay on top without taking more risks!" lectured Soma, "you can't be afraid of failing if you want to do anything new."
"Shut up, you idiot!" Ikumi cut in, "If you go against Central with that attitude, you'll be out on your ass!"
Ryoko tried cutting in as the voice of reason, "That's true, but for now let's see what the potential of Soma's dish is…" The rest of the meal was spent debating the merits of Soma's efforts and praising Alice's execution.
As the chaos wound down and the food disappeared, talk turned to who would be in the next battle. Takumi and Nikumi were itching to show up Soma, so Erina decided that their theme would be dumplings. And once lunch was cleaned up the two blonds were off at a furious pace! The others used their time to review Erina's lecture notes and do their own homework. Alice decided that as the winner of the lunch battle she should oversee the review on pork and scooped up whoever wasn't quick enough to retreat to their rooms.
Deciding that a change of scenery would be beneficial, Alice gathered everyone outside, picnic style, and began her review on the benefits and pitfalls of working with pork. Being out next to "Isshiki" field had a relaxing effect and they were quickly engulfed in their review. Alice patrolled the perimeter, sharing her insights and moving between conversations.
Despite managing to maneuver Ryo and Megumi next to each other, they weren't talking to each other. Alice pursed her lips and decided some intervention was in order.
"Of course, you know that certain pork cuts have a secret weapon when prepared correctly!" Alice declared stopping behind Megumi, "When dealing with cuts like shank or belly, you have the opportunity to make cracklin'! But part of the trick is to pierce the skin without touching the meat, similar to preparing duck, so the fat can bubble out while sealing in the juices!" In a swift movement Alice accents her point by swooping between Issami and Megumi to lightly pinch Megumi's side, making her squeal and launch herself in the opposite direction! "You see, if you pierce too much the meat will lose its juices and be too dry…." Alice continued while Megumi regained her bearings, only to realize that she had practically landed in Ryo's lap! He looked at her quizzically waiting to see what she'd do next.
Megumi flushed a deep crimson and froze under Ryo's gaze.
"You alright?" Ryo deadpanned.
"Yes! Sorry!" Megumi squeaked out and bolted back to her own space, sitting as properly as she could with her eyes glued to her notes.
"Hm." Ryo hadn't minded Megumi pressed against him, but he knew Alice too well to take it as a coincidence and shot her a look. Naturally, Alice didn't give anything away, but Ryo was getting an idea of her game. And he didn't know if he wanted her to succeed or not.
The dumpling battle turned out complicated to judge.
Ikumi made spectacular soup dumplings. Juicy with a rich beef broth and a blend of beef, pork, and veal with chives to accent the fat, and a dipping sauce that brought lofty heights of spice while the dumpling wrapper had a sesame element which provided a base to tie it all together.
Takumi presented tortellini. He seasoned ricotta with herbs and incorporated bacon bits into the filling. He served this with a white wine sauce to counter the fats of the cheese and bacon.
Of course, the first argument was whether tortellini counted as a dumpling. After a very energetic discussion, Erina decreed that a stuffed, boiled/steamed, bite sized parcel could be considered a dumpling. Though in the end it was still Ikumi who presented the better dish.
Once the first rounds were completed, they decided that previous winners would select the next competitors. Erina decided that the next day's competition themes would be cheese for lunch and potatoes for supper.
Alice insisted that the two seafood chefs should be thrown out of their comfort zones with a rematch over cheese! Yuki piled on that Megumi would absolutely beat Ryo this time! And despite Megumi's best impression of a deer in headlights, everyone else quickly agreed that it would be an interesting battle.
Since it wasn't realistic for either chef to create their own cheese in less than 24 hours, Erina decided that they would have a couple hours that evening to prep some ingredients, as well as time the following morning to pick up anything else.
And with that Megumi was pushed into the kitchen and left with Ryo to begin their preparations.
Megumi was left frozen in place as the door closed behind her raucous dormmates. She'd faced Ryo before and knew how amazing he was. Her friends insisted that it was a great idea, and that she and Ryo were on equal footing since it was outside their specialties. But she still had no clue where to start! Once they were in the kitchen it only got worse as her head spun scrambling to think of what she could possibly offer against such a competitor. Not to mention she was now alone with the man who kept luring her subconscious towards lewd thoughts. She was panicking!
