The Fourth Dish - Kanshou and Bakuya Special


Chapter 4

Shirou didn't understand why it was such a serious matter, but apparently, a "Shokugeki" was serious match with serious consequences, and Tohsaka's explusion was on the line.

The teach that Tohsaka had challenged was called Archer, apparently, who, strangely enough, had a name EMIYA, which had the same pronunciation as Shirou's own last name.

Tohsaka, with her naturally domineering attitude, apparently just couldn't play nice with with the temporary teacher's smug and condescending attitude.

And so, here they were, in a private hall acting as a Shokugeki-hall, to determine the results.

Kotomine Kirei, Fujimura Taiga, and Artoria had been called in as judges,

Kotomine acting as a special judge, since one of the contest was a teacher and also a member of the "Holy Servant Seven".

But he assured them that would be no bias on his part. He was a completely neutral part, apparently, just here to oversee the match (albeit, in a very smug manner).

...

Though he only come to watch, Shirou, too, had been roped in to helping cook at Tohsaka's instance and out of his own sense of obligation, assisting her by acting as her sous-chef to help her out.

But now, both of their expulsions were on the line.

Shirou had only caught a glimpse of the teach, Archer, but the smug look and cocky, condescending grin the teacher had shot his way had somehow set Shirou off, too, even though he wouldn't normally be provoked so easily or by so cheap a gesture.

But there was something about Archer specifically, that Shirou couldn't explain - like a feeling, no, an instinct, of not wanting to lose to Archer, specifically.

It felt almost like he would've been fine with losing a cooking match to anybody else, but for some reason, he really didn't want to lose to Archer.

The matched started.

"Trace, on!"

"?!"

And as soon as Archer started cooking, he recited those words, much to Shirou's surprise and attention.

Shirou looked up, and couldn't help but but be entranced by Archer's cooking.

I am the bone of my knife.

Even though he was supposed to be focused on helping Tohsaka, there was just something about the way the Archer moved his knives ad prepared his food that couldn't help but draw all of Shirou's attention.

Cooking is my flesh, and Savoriness is my blood.

It was even as though Shirou was entering a trance, unable to focus on anything else.

Not known to blandness, nor known to hunger...

By just observing Archer cook, Shirou almost felt as if he was aging some sort deep insight into his own cooking style and dish.

So as I cook...

"...Unlimited Food Works..."

Shirou caught mumbled, only to be slapped in the back of the head by Tohsaka.

"Just what are you slacking off for?" Tohsaka asked, rhetorically, "I know Archer's cooking style may be impressive and all, but we won't win this unless we're all ready and focused!"

"Ri-right!" Shirou said, snapping out of his trance, and paying attention to Tohsaka once again. "Sorry about that!"

"It's no problem." She remarked, calmly, "Just help me out here!"

...

The cooking reached its conclusion, and the dishes were prepared.

It was Archer's "Signature Kanshou and Bakuya" VS Tohsaka Rin's "Ultimate Jewel Gyoza"

Tohsaka was the first to serve, her signature Jewel Gyoza that she was famed for.

The ingredients were expensive and under normal circumstances, Tohsaka was known for being a miser that charged a lot per serving, but their quality was undeniable.

The secret, of course, was in the glistening fattiness and marbling of the ground meat, as well as the long preparation and margination time that each stock of beef received, which she had brought from her room to use in this match, just for today, for her first official Shokugeki (and because Archer pissed her off that much).

With their first bites, all of the judges felt an immense juiciness and flavor explode in their in their mouths, almost like an impact strong enough to blow off their jaws,

Artoria commented, "It's a flavor that would be strong enough to surely even stop a raging berserker right in their tracks."

"Yes." Kotomine added, "And with the high quality Chinese chili oil to the side, which serves to compliment the flavor with a strong spiciness, it's almost like heavily reinforced bajiquan precision strikes to the pressure points of the tongue!"

"Truly, a masterful technique." He finished.

It was a very strongly prepared dish by Tohsaka, and one she was quite proud of.

"Certainly, it's quite good," Archer, who was just now finishing up his dishes to serve, complimented, "Like high-quality Chinese restaurant's gyoza - no, maybe eve slightly better than that."

Tohsaka was probably one of the best chiefs among students in Totsuki academy, after all.

Excluding the Servant Seven.

As a chef, she was certainly top-tier.

Her experience, knowledge, lineage, and just sheer talent meant that she would naturally stand atop the food chain, like a ruby shining among a chest of otherwise mundane treasures

But, she was only just on that level.

The Servant Seven were on a completely different magnitude.

And now, it was time for Archer to present his own dish.

"Make sure to judge without bias!" Shirou said, stealing a quick glance at Saber.

Saber pouted. "I know!" She huffed, indignantly.

"You should take any advantage you should get." Archer remarked snidely, "That naive attitude of yours is what will doom you in the end."

Shirou glared at him, but the way he said sounded somehow like he was talking about more than just this match.

Archer's dish was his Signature Kanshou and Bakuya dish, as expected. But there was something a little different about it this time, Kotomine noted.

"Yes." Archer confirmed for him, "This time, to crush them extra thoroughly, I've prepared the true form and blossoming of this dish.

"Kanshou and Bakuya Overload."

Kanshou and Bakuya were normally dishes just made with beef and salmon, complimented by relatively simple complimentary sauces, but made excellent in Archer's hands by his use of precision and in his ability to make the flavors compliment each other.

But this time was special.

On the left half, Beef and Lamb, Pork, Chicken - Small amounts of each, layer on top of each other, complimented by a intertwining dark-green sauce.

Only small amounts of each - but, a hamburger patty made from filet mignon and pork chop meat, with a thin layer of smoked bacon - without much fat, layered by minced and steamed chicken thigh meat - held together by a thin layer of turtle turtle cartilage, topped with a thick concentrated basil-parsley-thyme sauce.

On the right half, Salmon and Tuna, Squid, and Shrimp - small amounts of each, also layered with each other, tied together by a white-red sauce.

Only small amounts of each - Salmon and Tuna cut with incredible precision, and with intertwining flakes of meat, wrapped by a thin layer of squid - without the ink, layered by a flattened set of steamed shrimp - all glued together by the use of turtle fat, topped with a thinly diluted chestnut-pinenut-garlic sauce.

It was decorated even in the Classical Chinese Ying-Yang pattern, symbolizing the dual nature of the dish.

"Well," Archer commented, "It doesn't matter which half you start with, but make sure to to take alternating bites out of each."

The judges began the taste testing.

And with their first bite,

Archer's dish pierced through them like arrows through Saber and Fujimura's hearts and tongues, and like an exploding dagger through Kotomine's.

And with their second bite,

It felt as the flavor was exploding throughout their body!

The first was already good enough, but second bite truly on a different level!

There was an immense unity, an internal explosion of flavors, almost like the dishes had pierced right through their bodies and given them each a set of large black and white wings out of their backs.

It was a truly harmonizing heavenly experience, as though the flavors were drawn to each other and made each all the more more whole and delicious by being a part of the set.

Truly, a dish fit for even the angels of heaven, requiring immense precision to balance and unite the flavors harmoniously, so that they wouldn't clash with each other.

...But, for some reason, Saber felt something else underlying the dish, like an especially powerful hint of sorrow and guilt from the dish. Though it seemed as though Saber noticed the it, as both Fujimura and Kotomine had no problem continuging to savor the dish with pleased expressions on their faces.

"Each side compliments the other perfectly," Kotomine commented, "But how did you make these flavors unify so well, with so many different ingredients?"

"Naturally," Archer answer, "There has to be some ingredient that would bring it all together. In this case, it would be the turtle's meat, fat, and cartilage." Archer answered smoothly.

"But," He continued, "There is other parts to it, too. But I've leave that unsaid. A chef has to keep some secrets to himself, after all."

Kotomine nodded, satisfied.

Saber was clueless, but, Fujimura, despite not knowing what they were talking about, also nodded along clueless, going along with the flow. (In truth, Taiga had no idea, but wanted to seem like she knew.)

Kotomine could guess at the other factors, though. At least, some of them.

The white of the fat of the bacon going into the nut sauce, for example, which didn't over-power it because of the nature of the strong complimentary flavor of the nuts, and the richness of the amino-acids of the black squid ink going into the herb sauce, which perfectly complimented the mild flavor of the herbs.

And the small bit of diluted light shoyu also added to the concentrated dark herb sauce, and likewise, small amount of concentrated heavy miso added to the diluted light sauce, enhancing the flavors of both sauces.

'So, he's made the dish in way that not only uses the inner flavors from each of the other sides, but also matched the colors', Kotomine reflected, 'And the sauces themselves were almost like a pesto sauce, but separated into different parts. But by separating them, they not only contrasted each other and cleansed the palate for the other side, but which also complimented and harmonized with each other perfectly.'

Truly, it was like a Ying-Yang Explosion that pierced through and exploded throughout the whole body.

If normal version was a dish of sea and land that would propel it's eaters towards the the sky, then this version was one that utilized the whole of the whole of earth and the oceans, that ascended its eaters to heaven.

With an immense complexity and precision that intertwined the many complex flavors, this was truly a dish that only Archer could make.

How many decades, centuries, millennia, of experience and practice and sheer skill would it have taken an average chef to have been been able to reach the level of coming up with a dish like this?!

And yet this man - only in his thirties had somehow been been able to create such a dish, from just the experiences he had synthesized throughout his life.

Kotomine Kirei amazed.

Truly, the third seat and beyond were on a different magnitude from those below, and Archer was unquestionably the gatekeeper into that realm.

...

The judging took place.

And as expected, it was a unanimous victory.

Even Artoria, who looked conflicted about about having to vote against Shiro, ultimately had to admit that Archer's dishes was the better dish.

Smug with his victory, as though it were only the natural outcome, Archer looked over at Shirou and addressed him rather rather then Tohsaka, for some reason.

"That's as far as your own abilities and naivety will take you. Drown in your naivety and shallow recipes and die."

Shirou grit his teeth.

He knew it deep down, that he was no match for Archer, at least, not at this point. But, if he was being honest, he just didn't want to admit it.

"Well, I'll make an exception this time," Archer proclaimed, "I will spare Tohsaka Rin from expulsion, if Emiya Shirou is expelled instead."

"What?!" Tohsaka interjected, "That's not what we agreed upon!"

Shirou glared at Archer, but considered it.

"Tohsaka," Shirou addressed, "That's not a bad deal, though. If we don't take it, then..."

It really wasn't a bad deal in Shirou's eyes, and he would even be satisfied to sacrifice himself if he could sacrifice himself to save Tohsaka.

"Shirou!" Artoria looked like she was about to object, but -

"Well, too bad for you, Emiya-kun, but I'll have to refuse." Rin refused, turning her gaze back to Archer and glaring at him, "And moreover, I wouldn't be satisfied if everything went the way you wanted it too."

"Too bad." Archer replied, cocky as ever. "I guess that just means you'll both have to be expelled."

And he was about to leave, when Kotomine spoke up.

"Well, not so fast, Archer." Kotomine spoke, his tone undecipherable, "Why don't you give Tohsaka's dish a try, first. You might find something in here that surprises you."

Kotomine presented the dish before Archer's presence, and made a gesture as though for him to try it.

"I sincerely doubt that," Archer commented. Still, Kotomine's request peaked his interested, and he made his last mercy to at least try one of the gyoza.

He bite into one, and...

It wasn't that that good. There were many flaws to it, and there many things that could still be improve upon...

But even still...

It reminded him, of a certain warmth of his past, of sitting around a certain table, and enjoying his meals with certain people, with a certain teacher and kouhai, and classmate...

Without realizing, a single tear rolled down his still stoic face.

Archer scoffed, but wiped away the tear quickly.

"Well, fine." He said, "I'll overlook their expulsion for today, at least."

He turned to Rin and Sakura, "You two, at least, I'll acknowledge as having potential."

But before he left, he turned to Shirou to make one last comment to the boy.

"But you, I will never acknowledge."

Shirou glared back, but couldn't find any comeback to Archer's words. It was true, Archer, or rather, EMIYA was a chef he couldn't hope to beat as he was now.

"From now on," Archer continued, "Things are only going to get start rapidly accelerating. If he can't handle the heat, then get out of the kitchen."

He couldn't meant just the classes, but Shirou got the feeling that he was talking something more than just that.

"No," Archer corrected himself, "If you truly value Artoria at all, then you should just drop out now."

But before Shirou could make sense of anything that Archer was try to say, Archer made to leave, leaving behind one last cryptic comment.

"But, since you seem instant on staying, I'll leave you with at least one last piece of advice. If you ever find yourself facing can't defeat any enemy, visualize something that can."

Shirou caught off guard by the sudden helpful advice, but that advice somehow resonated with him deeply.

Leaving them behind, Archer murmured to himself, "And this time, make sure to at least save her heart, you idiot."

Notably, he didn't leave behind any positive comment for Shirou as he left, though that was fine - Shirou didn't want to hear any praise from him, either, glaring at his back as he left.

The tension gone, everybody else was relieved. Shirou also let out breath of relief, as the tension vanished.

Tohsaka thanked him, albeit in a rather roundabout manner, and Sakura, sweet girl that she was, and also thanked him and smiled at him sweetly.

Shirou also smiled back at them, albeit without thinking much, as his was mind focused elsewhere.

...

Meanwhile, Saber's alarm bells goes off - Now Shirou intentionally seducing Tohsaka siblings?!

It was bad enough that he got Mordred swooning for him when she came over for a visit, but now she now had to watch out for Jeanne and the other girls they were living with, too?!

She literally had to beat off the skanks with kendo-sticks! (Admittedly, maybe Jeanne and the Tohsaka sisters weren't skanks, unlike her nephew, but - but, even so!)

She had to make sure no girls would sneak into Shirou's room at night, and tried to use her own personal sword of selection!

Saber blushed, realizing what she was thinking.

Not in that sense!

(Though a small part of her thinking 'that wouldn't too be bad, either', which she quickly shushed up), but, he was the "sword" she had personally chosen and deemed worthy of her, of being the man who would complete her and accompany her back to her paradise, the one she could entrust with her holy sheath.

Saber again realized the innuendo she hadn't even meant, and blushed even more deeply.

'Not, not in that way! Geez, what is wrong with me, today!?'

For some reason, after eating Archer's dishes, she felt especially possessive of Shirou, though also strangely worried strangely worried about Shirou.

Well, it was probably just nothing.

Maybe it was just the embarrassment of morning incident earlier making her more conscious of him, and the sudden relief of him not being expelled. Yeah, it was probably just that.

...

The match had ended, and they were heading to the Type-Moon Dorm, though Shirou had prompted Artoria to go ahead of him, telling her that he still had some business left.

Left by himself, he slammed hand against wall, so hard that his right hand starting bleeding out blood.

Startled, Saber rushed back.

"Shirou?" She questioned, "What's wrong?!"

"Ah, no, it's nothing." He said, "I'm just frustrated from losing that match."

"Really?" She looked concerned.

"Yeah, really."

And that was the truth, but it wasn't exactly the whole truth.

He wouldn't have minded losing to any other chef, and it's not like he was that proud of his own abilities, which were admittedly rather lackluster compared more experienced chefs and cooks.

But it was just that, for some reason, he felt especially frustrated losing to Archer of all people, even though he didn't know him at all.

It was like there was some sort of instinct inside of him telling him that that Archer was where he would end up with his current ideals of food justice if he didn't change, and that he would never end up being the True "Ally of Cuisine" that he always envisioned himself as if he kept on following the path he was down now.

Well, maybe if he could discover the "Secret of Cooking", that his Father was always so cryptic about, maybe he could change that...

Shirou shook his head. Well, for now, he and Saber were both exhausted and both needed to rest. He could think about changing his path and "The Secret of Cooking" on another day.

And so, he headed back to the Type-Moon dorms, with Saber at his side.

...

And from the window of the building, hidden admist the shadows, Kotomine Kirei smirked.

...

...

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Author's Notes:

...

Wow, Kotomine, that's not ominous at all!

...

A dish made to defeat and overcome an enemy VS a dish made to nourish the one you care about huh?

I wonder which one Shirou was making, and why he by himself couldn't defeat Archer, but only with Sakura and Tohsaka's help?

Maybe that, too, has something to do with the secret to cooking...?

...

What did Archer mean with those lines? Could it have something to do with his mysterious past...?

Maybe he's Kiritsugu's other son that he had during a business trip affair (with Maya) in America, who's bitter at Shirou for stealing Kiritsugu's love?!

lmao, jk, I wouldn't do something like that.

Archer's presence will probably be the only the truly magical and unexplainable mysterious elemental to this story. I know I said there wouldn't be any magic, and that's still very true for the most part, but I really wanted Archer to be a part of this story while still being the character that he always was, and not just some sort of bitter older brother character.

...