Stupid dorm rules.

Ryo meant what he said about Megumi's dish being better, but he'd expected to be able to walk away afterwards! Thanks to the Polar Star's "You cook it, you clean it" rule he was stuck alone with her and an awkward silence while they tidied the expansive kitchen.

Most of the rebels had happily accepted Ryo's declaration that Megumi was the winner. Alice had looked notably shocked and stared at Ryo in disbelief, but she didn't say anything at the time. Ryo was sure that he would get an earful later, but for the time being he didn't dwell on it.

Right now, Ryo was primarily concerned with figuring out what the young woman in the kitchen with him was thinking. Megumi didn't seem to be angry like she had been that morning, but she was definitely on edge. All Ryo wanted to do was go to his room and reflect on the meal that Megumi had created with him in mind. It felt too spot on. Had Megumi done research on him? Was she a stalker like Mimasaka? Maybe the whole simple country chef routine was just a smokescreen!

The more Ryo's brain came up with doubts and possible answers about the blue haired girl next to him, the more agitated he became until his question came spilling out!

"Where did you get the idea of doing a smørrebrød?!"

Megumi was startled enough by the break in silence to drop the pan she was washing into the sink. She blinked up at Ryo and tried to process his question. "What do you mean? You'd suggested that I cook with you in mind."

"Yes, but where did you get that specific idea?" Ryo grit his teeth, feeling frustrated with Megumi's naïve attitude.

"….well, I don't know much about you besides the fact that Alice found you running your own kitchen in Denmark. And from what I've seen of your battles, you tend to cook high-end western dishes. And…" Megumi paused and worried her lip before taking a deep breath to continue, "and, given your Japanese surname, I assumed that your family was new to Denmark and probably not well off which is why you were a chef so young and put so much importance on high-end recipes. You also don't seem keen to cook Asian cuisine. So, it made sense that the type of meal you'd be most likely to come across as a kid, was the local common dishes, which is why I decided to do a smørrebrød."

Ryo stared at her speechlessly. Megumi blushed and looked away, worried that she'd insulted the tyrant of the kitchen. After a beat, Ryo let out a dry laugh. "I never realized I was so transparent."

"No! I wouldn't say that you're transparent! But you asked what I'd cook for you, so…"

"So in under an hour you dissected my childhood and figured out the best dish that would hit closest to home. Heh. You're dangerous, Megumi Tadokoro."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't."

Megumi eventually stole a look at Ryo, and even though he didn't seem angry, she couldn't think of anything to say to him despite her anxiousness to know why he would just concede the battle.

While Ryo sanitized the counters, he could feel Megumi watching him. He supposed it was better than her anger, but he was already too on edge to simply ignore her.

"Ask your question."

Startled by his directness, Megumi squirmed a moment before asking, "Why did you let me win? It doesn't seem like you."

"I didn't let you win. You won. Don't misunderstand how this battle went."

"…I'm sorry if I upset you..."

"No. You did exactly what I suggested. I underestimated you though, so I guess I owe you an apology for that."

"May I know what you mean by that?"

"Only if I get to ask a question in return."
"That's fair." Megumi was hesitant but agreed.

"So, ask your question."

"May I know what I got right?"

Ryo gave Megumi a long look, "does your friend keep her special rice juice here?"

"Oh!" Megumi hopped up and went to the pantry, returning with one of Ryoko's signature hand labeled bottles and poured two small glasses for each of them. Ryo took a long sip and savoured its passage down his throat before turning back to Megumi who was eagerly waiting for his answer.

"My parents had moved to Denmark shortly after they got married. My father was the youngest brother in a fishing family, and my mother didn't have any living relatives by the time they decided to move. Apparently, they decided that a fresh start was what they wanted. Long story short, my dad died at sea shortly after I was born, and my mother decided to stay where she had some friends and a job rather than moving back to Japan." Ryo took another measured sip of the rice juice. "My mother's best friend was an older neighbour named fru Fisker. She came from a family that had been fishing in that region for generations, so she was particularly fond of seafood. And before I started cooking myself, she saw to a lot of my meals while my mother worked. Even when my mother could be home, she was never too nostalgic for Japanese food, so the local food and what fru Fisker wanted to share with us was what we ate. Once I set foot in a kitchen, the food still wasn't fancy, but I heard about the amazing catches the fishermen got that would be worth a lot of money to the elite and royalty. And from there I studied what those elite people would do with these expensive products. Knowing how much my mother needed the money, I decided to become the best at using and creating these elite dishes. But it was the cheap food I grew up with." Ryo tipped back the last of his drink and turned away from Megumi. The last thing he wanted to see on her face was pity.

In turn, Megumi stared into her own glass before taking a hefty sip. "My parents got married young, and my dad decided not to stay in the picture. So, I grew up in my mother's family's inn. As soon as I was old enough, I began helping my mother in the kitchen. And when my grandfather became too old to perform tsurushi-giri, I begged our local fishermen to teach me so that I could keep it going. It took a while, but I was so proud to maintain that tradition for my family. They're all why I'm here now, and I'm terrified of letting everyone down." Megumi had wanted to set Ryo at ease but felt very exposed with her last admission.

The pair stayed next to each other in silence for a moment, each dwelling on their own thoughts. Finally, Ryo broke the silence.

"You promised to answer one of my questions."

"I did." Megumi looked at Ryo expectantly.

"Why were you so angry last night and this morning?"

"Oh. That."

"Yes, that. What was your problem?"

Megumi pursed her lips before answering. "I didn't think that you were taking me seriously."

"What?"

"Yesterday, I noticed that you weren't wearing your bandana while we were cooking. I figured it was because you didn't think I was much of a challenge." Megumi gripped the glass in her hands to try to steady herself. Ryo looked at her in disbelief before bursting out in genuine laughter!

"While I'm sure I make it all look very easy, it takes a lot of energy to be that fired up! I don't typically wear my bandana just for prep unless I'm in a real crunch."

Megumi looked up at Ryo with her bright amber eyes before letting a small smile grace her features. She shyly looked back down at her glass before quietly saying, "so it was all a misunderstanding."

Ryo nudged her shoulder and asked, "Does this mean you won't have a problem giving me a proper re-match?"

Megumi's laugh bounced off the spartan kitchen walls, "I suppose not. Just don't expect me to go easy on you!" She beamed at Ryo, and his heart felt warmer than it had in ages.