The reveal that the second phase examiners are Gourmet Hunters is met with the same ridicule Rook remembers from the anime. Idiots, she thinks as she rolls her eyes and fiddles with her cord bracelet. It's annoying that none of them realize cooking is an essential survival skill.
"So, you're both Gourmet Hunters. And what is it you want us to make?" Asks number 255, Todo the wrestler.
"You'll make two dishes today. First for me," Buhara starts.
"Then for me," Menchi finishes. "If Buhara passes you, that is."
WHAT?! That's not what happened?! Rook shakes her, trying to get a grip. This isn't what happened in the anime, but it's fine. It's not that big of a change. The outcome will probably be the same anyway she reassures herself. She grips her scarf and counts ten breaths like Knight taught her.
"My dish of choice is whole roast pig! Any pig in this preserve will do," Buhara explains. "Now get cooking!" With that, everyone is off.
Everyone stares in varying levels of shock as Buhara finishes the seventieth roast pig and lets out a long burp.
"Splendid! I'm stuffed!" With that, Menchi bangs on a gong. Menchi and Buhara banter a bit while all the examinees mutter in wonder.
"All right!" Menchi calls, getting everyone's attention again. "I'll warn you now, I'm a much harsher critic than Buhara. For the second phase part two! My dish is Sushi!"
This pronouncement causes a murmur of confusion to spread through the crowd.
Hmm, fish can be found in a forest, but what about rice? Are they going to provide it? Rook wonders
"Heh. I see the sea of blank faces. I'm not surprised. Sushi comes from a small island country after all," Menchi continues.
Wait. They're confused…because they don't know what sushi is?
"Don't worry. I'm sure you all noticed stations next to the grills. These are sushi stations, fully equipped with everything you need. In fact, we've already cooked the defining ingredient for you!" Menchi walks up to the nearest station and opens one of the baskets. "Rice!"
They cooked the rice for us?! That surprises Rook. Rice is surprisingly hard to cook right after all. But I guess if no one knows what sushi even is…
"All right! Man your stations! Like before, the test is over when I'm full. Until then, make as many as you like." With that people begin to examine the ingredients and utensils at their stations. "Oh and one more thing. I'm partial to nigiri sushi!"
Rook examines her station. There's a sink, various vegetables, a basket of rice with a rice paddle next to it, knives and other utensils, seaweed, wasabi and various sauces, and bamboo mats. Surprisingly, she also finds a frying pan on one of the shelves underneath.
"Hey Rook!" Knight called from where he was digging in the lower cabinets. When they had found the abandoned camper the evening before, the sun was already setting. They didn't want to risk attracting attention with flashlights, so they opted to search it in the morning. "Cookbooks!" He exclaimed, pulling out three well worn books. "One of them is for sushi!" He held up the thinnest one. "We can use that rice you found!"
"It's not sushi rice you know." She rolled her eyes. The rice had been a good find. That house had been pretty thoroughly looted already, but she had found several boxes of rice in one of the pantries. "Good thing we're near a lake."
Rook shakes the memories away. Wonder if they'll let us have the leftovers? She thinks as she pops some rice into her mouth. The flavor explodes on her tongue. Time to find some fish.
Rook is lucky. She managed to find some fresh water eels. Well they look similar enough to eels at least. She remembers one type of sushi was a cooked freshwater eel, and she doesn't feel comfortable serving an unknown creature raw. She doesn't want to be responsible for getting anyone sick.
Seems like they've figured out the basics she thinks as she notices others bringing fish to their stations as she washes her hands. Blocking out those around her, she starts prepping the eel-things.
"Ugh. I don't know how you can stand that," Knight complained as Rook gutted the fish.
"Well I have to be if we want any protein. Since you're such a baby about it," Rook teased.
"Hey! You can't say that to your older brother!" He pouted.
"Just focus on not burning the rice this time," she laughed.
Gutting, fileting, and cleaning done, Rook pours some teriyaki into the frying pan. She transfers the four strips of eel-thing meat into the pan and pours more teriyaki sauce on top. Then she starts up the grill.
"Hm?" Menchi looks over at her friend at the inquisitive noise.
"What is it, Buhara?" She asks.
"Looks like number 13 is cooking her fish," he says, nodding towards the only station with a turned on grill.
"Hmm."
Rook pulls the frying pan off the grill just as a commotion erupts at the front.
"What the hell is wrong with you all! You haven't even given me anything remotely edible, let alone close to sushi! You're all pathetic! Hopeless!" Menchi shouts. Just then 294, Hanzo walks up.
Rook turns her attention back to her work. She sets the frying pan and its contents to the side to let it cool. She begins washing vegetables when the shouting starts again.
"Sushi is just rice and raw fish! Nothing simpler. Nigiri just has the rice molded into an oblong shape with the fish on top and a dab of wasabi! It tastes the same no matter who makes it!" Hanzo shouts. A second later he realizes his mistake as he looks out at the crowd. Everyone rushes into a flurry of movement. Rook's attention stays on the people at the front.
"You nimrod! It takes ten years of practice to even begin to make proper sushi! You lot couldn't even challenge a rank beginner!" Menchi tears into Hanzo.
Looks like this is going to end like the anime afterall Rook thinks, the last lingering bits of anxiety leaving her. Might as well finish making this. If she doesn't eat it, I will.
Ignoring the chaos around her, Rook chops her vegetables. Once that's done she lays out a seaweed sheet on a bamboo mat.
Now for the rice. I think you're supposed to add vinegar and there is some provided but…
She pops another bit of rice in her mouth, chewing slowly. Then she pours some of the vinegar into a spoon and takes a taste.
Yeah I think they already put the vinegar in, she concludes.
Using the rice paddle, she spreads the rice on the seaweed sheet.
"Hey, what are you doing?" She looks up at the familiar voice. Gon and Killua are standing in front of her station, looking quizzically at the beginning of her sushi roll.
"Didn't you hear what that baldy said?" Killua asks. "He basically gave us direction on how to make sushi."
"Nigiri sushi," Rook responds. When they still look confused, she clarifies. "He gave us directions for nigiri sushi. There are other types."
"But she wants nigiri sushi?" Gon puzzles.
"She prefers nigiri, but the dish is just sushi."
"Yeah but?" Gon still looks confused.
"Oh I get it!" Killua exclaims. "Since she prefers nigiri, she'll probably be more picky about it!"
"Oh! So what type of sushi are you making?" Gon asks, now curious. It seems like he's not holding any type of grudge. Rook is glad for that.
"A roll," she answers. The curiosity in their eyes grows. "Here, I'll show you."
Rook's efforts to teach the two boys how to make sushi rolls quickly deteriorate into a food fight. When she shrieks at them to stop wasting food, they start throwing fish instead of rice. Considering some of those fish look poisonous, Rook just sighs.
GooOooOONg
The two stop mid throw as everyone focuses on the examiners. Menchi stands next to the gong. Buhara stands behind her looking exasperated.
"I'm full. Test is over," she says succinctly. An unhappy murmur rises.
"Seriously?"
"The test is over?"
"But no one's passed?"
"Rook," Gon gasps next to Rook, pointing at the full plate still at her station. "You never took her your rolls!"
"She probably would have failed them anyway," Rook shrugs.
A phone ring cuts through the growing discontent. Menchi pulls out her phone. Everyone remains quiet as they listen to her side of the conversation.
"That's just how it came out…Why would I do it over?…Established criteria? It was established that I'd judge by taste! My taste!"
"Partly," Buhara interrupts. "But also on their ability to pick up on your hints."
"Shut up Buhara! You didn't even bother to taste those pigs before you scarfed them down!" Menchi yells before returning to her phone call. "There was a glitch. One of the examinees knew the dish and blabbed to everyone…No that's not grounds for a redo!" With that she angrily slams her phone down. "It's decided! Second phase part two, everyone failed!"
"Miss Menchi wait!" A voice calls out before everyone gets too worked up again. To Rook's surprise and apprehension, the voice belongs to Gon. "We distracted Miss Rook before she could give hers." He points at Rook and she freezes.
What the fuck Gon?! Rook shrieks in her head as almost all eyes in the yard turn to her. She doesn't like attention normally but the pervert clown and Killua's creepy older brother are in that crowd. She definitely doesn't want their attention. Hisoka's not looking at her though, but at Gon.
"What part of I'm full don't you get kid?" Menchi states, eyes back on Gon. "If your friend wanted me to try her sushi, she should have brought it to me earlier."
"But we distracted her," Gon says again. Stop talking! Rook silently shouts. "She was trying to help by teaching us how to make sushi rolls but we started playing around instead."
"Sushi rolls?" Menchi asks. Oh god why does she look interested?! Rook is seriously considering hiding under her station.
KERSMASH
Oh thank god Rook thinks as everyone's attention is drawn to the sound. Todo stands next to the wreckage of what used to be his station.
"I've had enough of this!" Todo shouts. "You asked for sushi and we gave you sushi!"
"The challenge was to make a dish the examiner would find delicious. You failed," Menchi rebuts.
"I'm not here to butcher fish and mash rice! I'm here to become a Hunter!" Some of the crowd cheers at this. "My goal is to become a Black List Hunter! No stupid Gourmet hunter is gonna tell me I can't!"
"Then it's to bad a stupid Gourmet hunter is your examiner," Menchi responds coolly. "Piece of advice for next year? Try not to insult the examiners."
"Why you! Don't mess with me!" Todo shouts as he charges Menchi. Before he can reach her Buhara sends him flying.
With everyone's attention off of her, Rook tries one of her sushi rolls. Hmm the eel-thing is a bit rubbery.
"As Gourmet Hunters, we frequently venture in inhospitable places and face ferocious beasts to obtain rare ingredients. Additionally, we're often called on to run down and capture poachers. And every Hunter," Menchi throws her knives into the air, spinning them around. "Is proficient in some form of martial art. In addition," she catches all the knives in one hand. "All Hunters have a burning desire to challenge the unknown! That's what I seek in each of you!"
"Even so," a voice speaks from the sky, or rather from speakers on the blimp in the sky. "Not passing any applicants seems a bit strict."
People barely have time to speculate about the blimp before a person drops from it. The old man causes a huge dust cloud when he lands. Once it clears, the curious muttering starts.
"Actually Chairman," Menchi says before the chairman can say anything. "I changed my mind."
"Oh?" The chairman asks, his eyes wandering to her chest.
"Yep," she says popping the p. "Applicant thirteen passes."
WHAT?!
