Chapter 2 The Opening Ceremony

"Transforming Furikake, you say…" Erina says with an unimpressed tone.

"Now It's about to be ready." Soma says as he is doing the final preparations of the food.

"Yukihira Soma…this guy…just what kind of dish is he trying is he trying to make…" Erina thinks.

And then Soma suddenly places a small square bowl onto the table that was filled with eggs. Erina notices it and she thinks with anger, "What's this? He really is making fun of me…"

Hisako is looking at the dish and she thinks, "Is this really just a Furikake? Does he really think that Erina-sama will approve of him with this?"

Erina sighs and turns around, "This isn't even worth considering. After all, it is the work of a second-rate chef…I don't crave it at all."

"Are you sure about that? Even though the dish's true form is about to show?" Soma asks with a smirk.

"What do you mean with that?" Erina suddenly stops as Soma takes the square bowl and pours it on the rice, Erina notices it and thinks, "There's something in the eggs' shadow…between the pale gold, a semi-transparent thing is spreading..."

"Now take a look, at the Furikake's true value!" Soma says. The cubes inside the egg is now melted into the rice because of the heat, much to everyone's shock, and the eggs keeps getting coated.

"Is that…chicken? The carefully boiled chicken's mild flavor is rising up! This is the transforming Furikake Gohan? Its appearance is completely different to before…just how does it taste?" Erina thinks.

"So?" Soma asks after looking at Erina's flustered face.

"I'll give it just one bite. If you want it to be judged." Erina says with a huff. "Hand over that bowl now."

Soma passes over the bowl to her and she takes a little bit of the rice, and after a few seconds of chewing, she swallowed and let out a satisfied noise.

'I can't believe this…' Erina snaps back to the reality and thinks, 'I forgot to judge, and just savored it taste? But what was that texture?'

Soma notices that she is going to take another bite, and asks, "You'll give it a second bite? I thought you said you'll give it just one…"

Erina is now blushing and she yells, "Do you have any complaints?"

"I was kidding, take your time eating." Soma says as he hands over the bowl, and Erina tastes again and asks, "Jellied meat broth, right?"

"Correct, those square things are chicken wing jellied meat broth!" Soma says. "Jellied meat broth is meat or fish's broth with lots of gelatinous parts cooled down and frozen when in a jellied state. You boil the chicken wings with bonito stock, sake, and light soy sauce, then you extract the chicken wings, gelatinous part and good taste. You let the broth cool down and when it hardens you cut it delicately."

Erina looks at the pot and thinks, "He was making jellied meat broth in that big pot…"

"If you sprinkle it over the hot rice, the molten chicken wing broth will jiggly twine around the minced eggs." Soma adds.

Erina thinks, "If I had to say this jellied meat broth, is a concentrated soup where the chicken's deliciousness blends! The thick broth's body and saltiness brings out the soft minced eggs sweetness, with every bite the softness and the syrupiness rub inside my mouth. The molten jellied meat broth springs up the eggs' tastiness exceptionally…! This isn't like any of the dishes I've ever eaten. A world of tastes not even I knew…"

Soma asks, "So how is it? Aren't you glad you didn't leave before eating it?"

"Silence! I'm still judging…!" Erina's anger comes back to the boy in front of her. She thinks, "Even this commonplace menu transforms into a gem with creative originality…this is Yukihira's cooking…"

Then she starts to imagine that her being a goddess on top of the Totsuki Academy, and some angels with Soma's face are trying to come after her, causing her to go weak as she kneels down.

"It's true that ours is a small special-of-the-day shop, and yours probably really are part of the highest grade. However, if you just recline on the seat of honor, there probably are things you can't make."

Erina clicks her teeth, and Soma continues to ask, "So how is it?"

"It was bad!" Erina suddenly blurts out, much to Soma's surprise.

"I should have known that." Soma sighs. "It is a shame, the Phantom Seat really likes this one, though."

"How did you know the Phantom Seat?" Erina glares at him. "Nobody has seen him, and how a commoner like you know him?"

"That's for you to find out the truth." Soma says as he leaves, before saying his catchphrase, "It wasn't much."

Hisako rushes to Erina and says, "Erina-sama, are you alright?"

"That guy…even though the Phantom Seat acknowledges him…I won't…" Erina mutters. She then calls her grandfather and says, "The number of passing applicants are 0 by my side. But I want some answers! Tell me everything about this Yukihira Soma person!"

After Soma leaves, he manages to get to the headmaster's office, and Senzaemon is there waiting for him. "I see you have come, Soma-kun."

"It's nice to see you again, old gramps. Though I admit, your granddaughter is really hard to please just like you said." Soma sighs as he takes out the leftover Furikake, I tried to present this dish to her and it fails."

Senzaemon tastes it and he says, "It is good, though, but still, it is not enough if you want to please her. She just called me to know everything about you, I hope you didn't mind if I did that."

"I don't mind, except for those who tried to insult my parents, especially my mother." Soma says. "Anyway, now that I'm in Totsuki, but I have a request from you."

Senzaemon raises an eyebrow as Soma talks to him about something.

As the day of the semester begins, Erina is asked to make a speech in front of the whole first-grade students. And after it is her grandfather's turn, Erina is sitting in the seats as she is not that happy.

"Eeh, to finish, we'll introduce the student who was admitted to the high school section." Senzaemon says.

Erina thinks, "Just remembering him is irritating…"

(Flashback)

"What do you mean that he is just here to show me his cooking? Why bother sending him to me even though he already passed?" Erina yells at the phone.

"Erina, even though you may seen him as a person from the downtown diner, but he has the right to attend the school, his mother is Yukihira Tamako, who has been the second seat and the one known for her Angel's Eyes."

"No way…" Erina gasps, "No wonder that name sounds familiar…but why are you trying to get him inside the school? He is just a commoner who doesn't know anything about it."

"Erina, all you have seen is just the surface, he knows very well about this school and I have high hopes that he will go far if he continues to stay. I hope this satisfies your question."

(Flashback ends)

"Well, I'm sorry for being in this high place. I have to express my intentions, right? Well then…I'm Yukihira Soma."

Erina's thoughts are cut off by the speech that the red-haired boy made. "Truth to be told, I didn't expect to use all of you as stepping stones. To be admitted to this academy, but I don't plan to lose to some bunch of people that have never stood in front of the clients. Now that I'm here, I'll take the top. Best regards for the next three years."

Just then, everyone starts to boo at the student as he leaves the stage, the speech he is giving really makes everyone angry.

"Phew, I said it without biting my tongue…" Soma says as he notices Erina. "Oh, Nakiri Erina, right? I never thought we would meet again very soon."

"That doesn't matter! Let me tell you, I haven't accepted it! Not your cooking! I don't know what my grandfather or the Phantom Seat sees in you, but it is a mistake! You said you're going to take the top? Don't make me laugh. All of the students that passed the internal entrance exam for the middle school have received gifted education in ultra-fine gastronomy! A rookie from the outside doesn't even have to look at the top. You won't be able to beat them."

"I have heard about that, three years in the middle school section." Erina looks at him with surprise, and Soma says, "The truth is, I have been holding a knife when I was three, that makes 12 years, that's the time I've been living in the kitchen."

Erina is shocked a little, and Soma continues, "Besides, I know everything about this school for 7 years, that's enough for me to know what the school wants and what the school lacks. Thanks to my parents of course."

"Your mother…Yukihira Tamako, right? The one known for its 'Angel's Eyes?'" Erina asks with a little scowl. "She is one of the famous people in Totsuki, but it is a shame that she has a son like you."

Soma's expression suddenly turns a little dark, much to Erina's shock. "Never insult my deceased mother in front of me."

Erina can't believe that the one known for Angel's Eyes is gone, she thinks, "What's going on with this guy?"

Soma suddenly returns to normal and says, "Anyway, you just wait for it. I'll make you clearly say that my food is good with that mouth of yours! I'll even exhaust my cooking to its limits."

Then his face is changing once more and says, "And please don't try to insult my deceased mother, or else something bad will be happening to you."

After Soma leaves, Senzaemon was standing behind them as he smiles at the young chef's determination.

Back at the entrance hall, a girl is sitting at the seats shivering in fear. She is Tadokoro Megumi, the last place of the first grade who passed the entrance exam to high school selection. She is shivering and frowning as she mutters, "I'm tired of this…I'm definitely the first place in the sacrificial stone list…even though I could advance to the high school section…At any rate, right now, I'm on the verge of dropping out, so I have to continue quietly, and avoid standing out badly like that other rookie!"

Then she remembers how her friends and family cheered for her after she leaves her own town. She says in determination, "Alright, I'll definitely not get close to that other Rookie."

But things aren't turning her way as she finds the same boy in the same class as her, not only that, she is asked by the staff to be paired with him.

"Why...why do you have to do this to me..." Megumi is now terrified as she notices the glares from other classmates at Soma and her direction.

And here is a new chapter, as you can see, Soma managed to finish the dish, but Erina told him that it was bad, but that doesn't make him give up to please the god's tongue. I hope you like this chapter and in the next chapter, it will be the French Class and the Dormitory Exam.