Author's Note:

Hey. I'm back from Hiatus.

2020 made it quite challenging for me to write being honest. It's just rather hard for me to work when stuck at home. I thank everyone for their continued support and the nice reviews! Hopefully I'll be updating more in 2021!

"What...", seeing Mika Aldini wrestling for words to say was a disturbingly rare sight, "….What do you mean you weren't chosen?" "Itoko-chan.." Hiroshi began, his voice a faint whisper.

Mika quite frankly did not understand this and her non-understanding resulted in frustration. And her frustration resulted in her balling her fists. "There has to be a mistake to this! There's no way the Elite 10 would overlook an Aldini! An Aldini-Tadokoro at that! I'm not having this, no-" While Mika gave her rant, some of the other Polar Star students approaching them.

"What happened?" Yasu asked the moment he took a note of Mika's expression, a partly dumbfounded and partly irritated one. Behind Yasu, Hideyoshi and Daisuke were exchanging curious looks while Chieko shifted her gaze to Kimiko instead. But Kimiko was too busy focusing on Hiroshi to notice.

Hiroshi's head hung low, while he fumbled with his fingers. After a couple heart beats passed he took a deep breath. "It's nothing..." He lifted his head up again, facing the confused group with a small smile. A smile that looked somewhat weak and forced to Kimiko. "It's just that, I haven't been...", he paused to take another breath as the upholding of his smile became exhausting, "...haven't been chosen for the Elections, that's all."

He saw how his friend's faces instantly showed different degrees of shock but he didn't gave anyone a chance to respond to him. All he gave them was a last nod, before he turned around and walked away.

—

The Eighteenth Plate - Left Out

—

The group only saw Hiroshi again later at dinner in Polar Star.

The moment he entered the dining hall Mika, who had been uncharacteristically silent, rose of her chair with such an intensity that it made Daisuke next to her flinch. Of course everyone else at the table was quick to turn their head. The little, empty conversation about Chieko's and Hideyoshi's newest discovery on Netflix died down instantly, once the boy that had been on all of their minds throughout the day appeared at the doorframe.

As he approached their table he ran a hand through his blue hair before putting up that same weird, small smile from earlier. "Hey..." Hiroshi then said when close enough, eyes focused on the rest of the group sitting at the table and avoiding the feverish stare of his cousin. Then he sat down as well.

At first they remained quiet as they watched Hiroshi taking one spoon of rice out of the bowl. Glances were exchanged between them as they all silently debated who would go first and what they would say to begin with, leaving out only Mika who could not tear her eyes away from Hiroshi. Finally Yasu made the first move, earning mild surprise from the rest. "They made a mistake."

And just like that, Hideyoshi, Daisuke and Chieko hastily began throwing in their reassurances one after another. "Definitely! A big, big mistake! Tadokoro, we know you would be able to rock this! The Elite 10 is just blind." "Maybe your document got lost! You should go and ask...!" "I'm sure there's a logical explanation to it, Tadokoro. You've always been such a good student after all."

Hiroshi lowered the chopsticks in his hands before he faced them. "It's very flattering to hear how you think of me guys, thank you. I appreciate the concern. But I assure you that I'm doing fine." "But Tadokoro-" "Oh no, I'm terribly sorry. I did not congratulate you all yet." Hiroshi then gifted them a smile, a smile that was so earnest and honest that combined with the words he said it made Kimiko feel a harsh sting in her chest, and she was sure the others felt so as well. "I'm so proud of you all. You deserve it."

Hiroshi's other dormmates fell silent then. Well except for Mika. "If you're not participating, I'm not going to participate either!" She promptly declared, startling not only the people at their table but the ones at the neighboring ones as well. But Mika seemingly blocked it all out, her gaze still on Hiroshi.

Then she stood up again and without having eaten, not even one corn of rice, she exited the dining hall.

Hiroshi gulped, his blue eyes becoming cloudy once again. He quickly redirected his gaze to his small bowl of rice in order to hide any slight traces of misery from his friends.

It was dead quiet ever since Mika's outburst and the tensity she left in the room weighed down on them. Hiroshi felt all the short-lived looks in his direction, coming from the juniors who couldn't help but to wonder what was going on before deciding that it would probably be rude to stare. He knew that his classmates were determined to stare at the food while vigorously searching their brain for words to say in this situation. Hiroshi decided to take this burden for them and he began with a sigh.

"Please...Please don't let this, uhm, thing ruin your meal. I...I assure you I'm fine." He said before standing up. "I'm going to go upstairs.." And then he did as he said. He took his one bowl of rice, gave a weak, encouraging smile and retreated.

Once he was gone the conversation of the juniors picked up again, in the form of hushed whispers. Kimiko's table however collectively stared at the door both Aldinis had just rushed through for a good minute. Then Chieko sighed. "I feel terrible…"

—

Kimiko has made it herself a habit to stay last in the dining hall. It would probably sound silly to most but to her the sight of the last remaining students leaving their tables one by one felt a little reminiscent to the Yukihira diner in the late night hours when the last few occupied tables cleared at just about the same pace. And so today was no exception.

She only got up to bring out her dishes once the final middle schooler had gone out of the hall. And so she would have the dorm's kitchen completely for herself. Or at least she thought so.

"The dorm was awfully quiet today." Was Satoshi's greeting to her. Kimiko wasn't quite sure what kind off response she should give to this matter of fact. Just when she wanted to start with an unsure "Well...", Satoshi already said. "I heard about Hiroshi-kun." He then turned his head away and let out a hearty sigh. "I can't say that I didn't hold a slight suspicion that this might happen but I deeply hoped I would be proven wrong." This statement made Kimiko perk up in surprise. "You…had a suspicion?"

Looking back at her again, Satoshi gave a barely-noticeable nod. Kimiko slightly tilted her head. "Everyone else seemed to be greatly in shock over it…" This made the right end of Satoshi's mouth lift subtly. "Their loyalty is truly unshakeable, which makes me happy of course." He then fell silent for a good five seconds before giving Kimiko a look that she couldn't quite sort in. "I hope you don't mind me asking this but…what do you think?"

Kimiko blinked, taken off-guard by this question. What did she think about this whole situation?

"Hiroshi-kun says that it's fine but I can tell that he's upset over it. I mean, I don't really know much about these Autumn Elections being real but they seem to be a big deal, so I guess this was important to him. Seeing him being so down makes me feel sorry."

"Hmh...I see." Satoshi rubbed his chin, his expression still unreadable. "And what do you think about his qualifications? Is his cooking good enough for the elections in your opinion?"

Kimiko felt like she should be saying something like "of course it is" but she found herself unable to. A frown formed on her face as she began searching her brain for opinions on Hiroshi's cooking. She eventually tried to focus on all the times she had seen Hiroshi in the kitchen, heck specifically that one time she worked with Hiroshi in a kitchen. But then she realized that, back then, Hiroshi had been making her dish and when Kimiko had made him the offer to bring in his own ideas…he had declined. Furthermore, all other times she had seen him in a kitchen he had always been with Mika.

Slowly but surely it dawned on Kimiko that she did not have an opinion on Hiroshi's cooking because, quite frankly, she never tasted any of his cooking.

She redirected her gaze back to Satoshi. "The others said he deserves it..." She mumbled. Satoshi remained quiet at first but finally he sighed. "But I assume you are unable to judge it?" Before Kimiko could even open her mouth to respond , he already concluded. "Because how should you know if you don't know what Hiroshi-kun's cooking is like?"

"How…", Kimiko murmured, "..how did you know?"

Satoshi gave a bitter smile. "I've often heard that I am an observant individual, even in my youth. And of course I give a lot of special attention to the little ducklings that are under my care." He began scratching his head. "I've noticed a thing or two about Hiroshi-kun's trajectory throughout the past couple years and I think I see how it connects to the recent event."

Kimiko sensed from the tone he had used that Satoshi was about to tell her a story. She sat down on one of the kitchen counters and gave him an expectant look. And as expected, he started talking.

"Remember when I told you that it's rare for a student to pass the Polar Star entrance test in one go?"

—

"I am delighted to introduce you to the two newest members of Polar Star: Kawashima Hideyoshi and Aoki Daisuke!"

Satoshi brightly grinned when he stepped in front of the table that the 115th Generation had claimed for themselves, left arm around a young Hideyoshi and right arm around a young Daisuke.

Hiroshi quickly stood up from his chair, a welcoming smile on his face. "Congrats for making it through!" Hideyoshi's eyes slightly narrowed at that, but Daisuke shyly smiled back. "Thank you, Aldini-Tadokoro." Near Hiroshi the only 115th Gen girl in Polar Star, Chieko Marui, lifted a hand. "Good day." Next to her her childhood friend Yasu Ibusaki gave a subtle nod.

Satoshi was practically sparkling once again and he enthusiastically announced. "I'm going to get you some snacks!"

While Satoshi made his way to the kitchen, Daisuke and Hideyoshi finally sat down to the table as well. And when Satoshi had disappeared for good, Hideyoshi opened his mouth in an instant. "Man, that damn entrance test tradition surely is one hell of a chore!" He clicked his tongue before continuing. "If it hadn't been for my dad, I would have ditched this whole thing on the first day! Doesn't look that impressive anyway! By the way, that makes me wonder…how are the rooms.." While having seemingly ranted to no one before he now went to directly one of the others at the table with him right now. Or well, at least he tried to.

"You!" Without much warning he pointed at Hiroshi, who flinched as a result. "You Blue Curlyhead with that half-foreign double name….what was it again?" "A..Aldini-Tado.." "You've passed the damn hell year on first try! You're here the longest! So…How are the bedrooms in this place?"

Hiroshi blinked a couple times, thrown off by this sort of conversation-starter. "Uhm….I like mine?" Hideyoshi gave a skeptical look then and deadpanned. "That doesn't sound very convincing." He threw himself back in his chair while stretching his arms above his head. "Well, guess I'll have to judge it myself."

"Can you be a bit more polite?" Daisuke suddenly shouted in a whisper. "Hah?! Who are you to give me orders?" Hideyoshi snarled back, perfectly audible.

Yasu and Chieko exchanged a slightly disturbed glance.

Hiroshi chose to redirect his gaze to the door, in hope Satoshi would return with the snacks any time soon.

—

"So, Hiroshi-kun completed the entrance test on his first try as well?" Kimiko inquired.

"He did, he did!" Satoshi beamed while giving multiple nods. "The Maki Sushi he made me back then practically melted on my tongue! I felt like bubbles of happiness were fizzing in my tummy. Ah~ it left me with nothing but joy in my heart!" Kimiko gave a light frown. "Bu...Bubbles..?"

"Ahaha, you see...Hiroshi's cooking just never fails to bring a smile on my lips." Satoshi laughed. An earnest fondness found it's way into his sparkling blue eyes. "He was considered one of the most promising new students. His cooking is very special, you see…He pours his entire heart into it! And what a big heart he has!" Satoshi let out a chuckle. "That big heart may also have been what really brought the Polar Star students of the 115th Generation so close together…"

—

"I'm supposed to write an essay on the Edo shogunate?! And it has to be an entire page long?! The prof has to be insane!" Hideyoshi ranted at a blank sheet of paper.

Daisuke rolled his eyes. "Maybe if you talked a little bit less you would have already been able to write half of it."

Hideyoshi's eyes narrowed and he leaned over to get a glimpse of Daisuke's writing pad. "Speak for yourself! You just have one sentence down!" He barked. Daisuke was quick to retort. "Because somebody has not been shutting up!"

Before this discussion could get into detail however, Hiroshi suddenly spoke up. "I suppose this is for you guy's history class, right?" He let his gaze trail over Hideyoshi's textbook before facing the two. "Why don't you ask Marui-san for help?"

Hideyoshi and Daisuke made a surprised turn to the third party at the table right now. After a few seconds had passed, Hideyoshi finally repeated. "…Marui-san?" He scoffed. "You mean the shrinking violet who always hides her face in a book?"

Hiroshi shrugged. "Marui-san is in the same history class as me and she's not nearly as quiet there. No matter what question is asked her arm goes up first!" He gestured to Hideyoshi's blank sheet of paper. "I'm sure she would be able to help you with this."

Hideyoshi kept on frowning. Next to him Daisuke leaned forward in order to meet Hiroshi's eyes better. "That…doesn't sound like too bad of an idea actually! Marui-san is reading all the time. She must be pretty smart!" "I doubt she'll open her mouth though." Hideyoshi huffed then. "Or have you seen her talk to anyone but that Ibusaki-guy so far?"

"I talked to her a little bit before!" Hiroshi was quick to interject. "She was getting really excessive but also more open with each sentence! In history class she's also prone to give long, but confident-sounding speeches. I think if there's anything that Marui-san enjoys doing it's sharing her knowledge to be honest."

Judging by the face Hideyoshi was making Hiroshi just knew that he was searching his head for more arguments against his idea. But he also saw how the realization that there were no more arguments slowly sank in.

Finally, Daisuke sealed the deal. "We're…not getting anywhere on our own I believe. We should at least try and ask.."

With a defeated eyeroll Hideyoshi agreed and soon enough the two of them were gone as they made their way upstairs.

With all of Hideyoshi's complaining and whining not being there too disturb him anymore, Hiroshi was able to finish his homework off quickly. As Daisuke and Hideyoshi didn't come back down again, he presumed that Chieko did in fact lend them her help for their studies.

Hiroshi leaned back in his chair, unsure what do with the free time in his hands. He casted a look to the clock. And with the realization of the time also came the idea of what to do next. Hiroshi stood up and brought all of his studies up to his room. Once having done so he made his way to the kitchen.

Right before dinner the kitchen was always incredibly crowded as students of all generations had gathered to cook up their meal for tonight. Hiroshi walked passed them to find himself a free working space to claim and after a bit of looking around he finally saw an unoccupied kitchen island. It was only a few centimeters away as suddenly a metallic rattle ensued and Hiroshi could only helplessly watch a few pots and pans being placed on the once free kitchen island.

Then however he saw who had placed these utensils on the kitchen island. It was a fellow classmate of his.

"Ibusaki-san!" Hiroshi could make out a light flinch before Yasu turned to him, which was the only small visible sign of the boy being surprised. "Oh", Yasu spoke after a couple of heartbeats had passed, "It's you…Aldini-Tadokoro." Hiroshi smiled in return, happy that he had memorized his name, and gave a wave. "Good evening."

Once again Yasu kept quiet for a few second and Hiroshi couldn't help but to suspect that he was unsure on how to return that gesture. Finally he settled on a quick nod. Then however he began gesturing to the kitchen island and asked. "Did you want to use this kitchen island perhaps? I'm sorry, I didn't notice…" At first Hiroshi blinked, then he lifted his arm and began scratching the back off his head. "I did want to, yes. But you were there first, it's totally okay…" But as Hiroshi was speaking an idea sparked in his hand.

Yasu looked like he wanted to say something but before he could Hiroshi already began elaborating. "I was going to make dinner, you know? But not just for me! You see, Kawashima-san and Aoki-san went up to ask Marui-san for help with their homework and they haven't come down since. So I thought I could make something for all three of them to enjoy once they're done with studying."

"Chi-chan is helping them with their homework…?" Yasu said, the surprise very evident in his usually so monotone voice. "It was my suggestion for them to go and ask her." Hiroshi answered. "Aha." Was the dry reply.

A moment of silence ensued. Then Hiroshi spoke up again. "Why don't you help me?" This time Yasu did not sound only surprised but straight up baffled. "Huh?" And not the slightest bit encouraged, Hiroshi began to elaborate. "We could cook something together for everyone to eat." He gave a warm and earnest smile. "I still remember the dish that made you pass the entrance test! I was yearning to have a taste back then! It smelled great!"

Yasu appeared to be perplex as all those compliments washed over him. He lightly tilted his head. "You really think so…?" "But of course!" Hiroshi nodded. "I'd love to work with you and I'm sure the others would appreciate to have something to eat after all their studying. And I'm sure we could learn something from each other as well!"

It took a couple of minutes for Yasu to reply. "…Okay."

—

"I think you could say that Hiroshi-kun managed to get some Polar Star students out of their shell." Satoshi chuckled. "I always deemed him the heart of the group."

Kimiko took a bite of one of the strawberries that she got out of the fridge while Satoshi had been talking. "That makes you see why they're so protective." She mused. Satoshi gave an approving hum.

—

"You...You cooked that for us?"

The expressions that Chieko, Hideyoshi and Daisuke made would forever be engraved in Hiroshi's memory. A dozen stars were gleaming in Chieko's eyes, her cheeks glowed pink in anticipation and Hiroshi had not seen such a wide smile on her lips before. Hideyoshi's jaw hung low as he scanned the food in front of him with excited eyes. Daisuke's eyes were round as bowling balls and a small drool tripled out of his mouth.

Hiroshi felt like bursting with pride. Next to him, Yasu stared at the floor to hide the blush that has spread on his face.

"You helped as well, Yasu?" Chieko asked in genuine awe. He didn't look up. "It was Aldini-Tadokoro's idea…" "But Ibusaki-san was a great partner to work with! His knowledge on smoking as well as fermentation is super impressive! I'm sure you'll enjoy it." He then turned to Yasu, who still was avoiding everyone's eyes. "By the way, you can call me just 'Tadokoro' if you want." Now Yasu was slightly lifting his head a little. "Uh..sure, Tadokoro."

"The same goes for you guys." Hiroshi smiled at the rest of the group. As he saw how all three of them couldn't tear their eyes away from the food, he laughed. "And I think that now we should eat."

"Thanks for the Food!"

Half across the room, Satoshi was watching them with a fond smile.

—

"It sounds like…", Kimiko began, "…Hiroshi-kun really enjoyed to share his cooking with others." "Absolutely, yes." Satoshi agreed.

Kimiko's thoughts went back to the start of their conversation and her realization of never having tasted Hiroshi's true cooking. "So…" She finally dared asking. "…What caused the change?"

The smile Satoshi had been carrying disappeared and he seemed to be looking for words for a couple of heartbeats. At last he let out a sigh and began. "At the beginning of their second year in middle school a transfer student entered the 115th Generation…and she also joined Polar Star." He broke eye contact with Kimiko, his gaze trailing elsewhere. "A girl like the sun…bright, fiery and dangerous. Straight out of the hot, idyllic lands of Tuscany."

"Mika-chan!?" Kimiko identified, though not fully-understanding. Satoshi looked back at her and nodded. "Indeed. When Hiroshi-kun returned from his holidays back then he happily told us that his cousin would be joining us. He was obviously very excited, so was Chieko-chan once she found out that the new resident would be a girl." He let out a small chuckle before continuing. "Mika-chan was a great addition to Polar Star. I think you've seen her cook before, so it might not be too surprising to hear that Mika-cha passed the entrance test in one go as well." "Yeah, I can see that." Kimiko said before biting into another strawberry. "Mika-chan became one of the main topics of the school in just about a couple of weeks and quickly rose to the position of one of the 115th generation's most prominent members I believe." Satoshi added.

"From the day she joined, Hiroshi-kun and Mika-chan were almost inseparable. I could tell that the ties of the Aldini-Family were incredibly close despite the geographical distance between them. Hiroshi really loved to stick around her…..but…." He became quiet for a moment. Kimiko was just about to say 'but what?', however before she could he already began talking again. "…When Mika-chan was completing the entrance test, I heard Hiroshi say 'she became so much better than I remember' paired with what seemed to be an almost shocked expression…"

A pause ensued. A pause so silent that Kimiko didn't dare to bite into another strawberry, fearing that even that would be too much noise.

"…Ever since Mika-chan entered Totsuki, I've noticed that Hiroshi was more and more, willingly, fading into her shadow. He became her major cooking partner. But whenever they cooked, Hiroshi-kun always left everything up to his cousin without bringing in his own touch. I've noticed that he started to act like this with other cooking partners as well…" Kimiko silently nodded. This was how she has come to know Hiroshi

Satoshi let out yet another sigh. "Ever since his second year of middle school, it seemed like Hiroshi-kun has been actively trying to stay off the radar. He was becoming visibly less innovative, playing it safe rather than taking risks, and when he's working with others he is practically erasing himself out of the dish, strictly acting as a sous chef." He paused and it looked like the following words were actually hurting him. "He avoids to stand out and I believe that's why..", another pause, "…he wasn't chosen for the Autumn Elections."

"Ah…" Was all Kimiko replied, she didn't knew what else to say. "It's a terrible shame." Satoshi murmured before looking directly at Kimiko again. "He's an excellent chef, I can assure you that. He only needs to show that to others again."

Kimiko was certainly curious on how Hiroshi's cooking might taste like. When Satoshi said it was good, that surely was the truth after all. She was just about to say so as suddenly Satoshi's focus traveled away form her and to something behind her. "Yasu-kun?"

Kimiko turned her head and indeed, it was Yasu Ibusaki who stood there at the doorframe. She jumped off the counter in order to face him fully with the help of a swift turn. "I'm sorry for the disturbance." Was what Yasu said first. "I didn't want to disturb the conversation between you two." He took in Satoshi's and Kimiko's expression to judge how upset they were and if it might required a grander apology. As both of them gave him a friendly look, he continued. "But I came here to talk about something that is relevant to what you have been discussing, I believe."

"Oh?" Satoshi questioned. "Do tell, please." Yasu have a nod, before turning his head to Kimiko. "Yukihira-san, I am not sure if you know it yet but the Autumn Elections are organised by the Elite 10 council." He sighed, before continuing. "Of course this is not any of your responsibility, but...You seem to like Tadokoro and you do cross me as a helpful person, so please just hear me out." Kimiko was a little surprised by Yasu's overly guarded approach and so she was quick to give an encouraging nod. "Sure, go on."

"As I said, the Autumn Elections is organized by the Elite 10, meaning they're the only ones that could possibly still make a change to the situation. You're the only one in Polar Star who has a direct link to the Elites, given that one of them is your brother." He halted for a moment and began scratching the back of his head. "It feels awkward for me to ask but would you consider discussing the matter of Tadokoro with your older brother?"

When Kimiko didn't reply immediately, Yasu hastily added. "Again, I'm sorry for the brother but you see…" Yasu Ibusaki was not one to get personal a lot of times, Kimiko already knew as much. So it didn't surprise her when it took him a couple second to say the following words: "…Tadokoro really helped me to open up more back then. He's also a phenomenal cook who's deserving of a participation. I wouldn't ask you if I didn't believe that."

"I will do it." Kimiko suddenly interrupted him. "I consider Hiroshi-kun a friend, my first friend on Totsuki to be exact, and if there's anything I can do to help him I will." She had been thinking back to Trainings Camp. How Hiroshi had so expertly read her at the dinner on the final night, how he took her to meet one of her idols, Kojiro Shinomiya.

"How pleasant." Satoshi chimed in, a bright smile back on his face. "I have to thank you for the idea, Yasu-kun. And thank you Kimiko-chan for offering to help." He threw his hands into the air and sung. "Ah~, those are the true spirits of Polar Star." Yasu gave an agreeing nod. "I have to thank you as well, Yukihira-san."

"I just hope that my brother will be reasonable for once." Kimiko muttered bitterly. "But we should at least give it a try. I'll go and talk to him the very next day."