Subaru Mimasaka was determined to pay back Soma Yukihira. The very least he could do was lend his hands for the festival.
After his defeat Mimasaka was lost. He'd built his life around the belief that all that mattered was winning. How you got there didn't really matter, as long as you won. Having been out innovated though… he finally saw the point his father had tried to make all those years ago. To truly be a chef, you needed to think for yourself and have a viewpoint. You needed originality. Mimasaka knew that he wasn't there. At least not yet.
Regardless, when Soma approached him for help during the food festival, he was eager to help. The kid was weird but weren't they all?!
So Mimasaka accepted the key to Soma's restaurant to better get in the redhead's mindset and practice the recipe they'd be using against Kuga. Everything was going according to plan until a couple girls appeared at the door.
Mimasaka was completely in the zone of replicating Yukihira that when the door opened, he responded on reflex. Of course, the shriek of the two girls shook him back to himself.
"I'm sorry, who are you?"
"Never mind who we are, who the hell are you?!" the blonde was clearly the natural leader between the two, but the brunette seemed more concerned with his answer.
"My apologies. I'm a classmate of Soma Yukihira and I'm practicing a recipe that I'll be helping him with at an event in a couple days." The truth didn't always work when he was caught in the middle of his research, but Mimasaka had found that it was at least a good place to start.
The blonde looked like she was about to start a fight before the brunette stepped in, "You're another new classmate of Soma's?"
"I am. And I'm very glad to have met him. He's an impressive individual. You must be disappointed that he's not here."
Mayumi was quiet for a moment before slowly asking, "Why do you need to be here to learn Soma's recipe?"
Smiling his gentlest smile, Mimasaka hoped to set the girls at ease despite his imposing form. "Well, my main skill is being able to replicate other chefs' recipes. I pay attention to details that others ignore, and spend time to truly understand the essence of my opponent so that I can get ahead of them. Though it turned out that I was out of my depth with Yukihira in our first battle."
Mayumi's quick smile told Mimasaka everything he needed to know.
"Would you like to taste the new recipe? I don't think that Soma would mind."
"Well, we were a bit peckish…." The blonde, Aki, was also eyeing her friend at this point but was satisfied that they weren't about to be mugged.
Mayumi shyly sat at the familiar counter and accepted the dish that Not-Soma set before her. It was a variation on the usual Yukihira mapo tofu and was incredible! The addition of the noodles gave the sauce more to cling to, and the overall flavour was both explosive and warming all at once!
The petite girl moaned and heaved in such a lewd manner that Mimasaka felt that he had to clear his throat and break up her enjoyment for her own sake. Mayumi seemed sweet, and Mimasaka couldn't help but think of her like the waitresses at his father's restaurant who were always so kind to him. He wouldn't let her be embarrassed.
At Mimasaka's cue, Mayumi started from her euphoria and composed herself.
"It looks like there's something about it that reminds you of Soma!" Aki teased her friend while nudging her side. Mayumi flushed a bright crimson and locked eyes on her hands tightly clasped in her lap. "Hey, I'm sorry, you know I didn't mean…" Aki tried to console her friend, immediately regretting her good-natured ribbing.
"Please, you have nothing to be embarrassed over," Mimasaka consoled, "it must be difficult to not have Yukihira see your feelings."
"What?!" Mayumi said with a start before drooping sadly, "Is it that obvious?"
"Hmm…" Mimasaka paused, debating whether or not the information would help the shy girl, "Obviously your friend knows how you feel, but I can promise that Yukihira doesn't have a clue about what you think of him."
"Oh." Mayumi's eyes began to tear up, "I knew it. I'm just not his type. He's interested in Ms. Meat-Meat."
"What?!" a chuckle escaped Mimasaka before he could catch it, "I see you've met Ikumi Mito as well. But no, if anything you and she are in the same boat. Though truthfully, I don't think it's that simple. See, Mito had been among the elite at Tohtsuki before Yukihira beat her in a food war. In fact, he's become a challenge for a lot of people in an environment that prides itself on its competitive nature. For people who've grown up with the sole goal of excelling as a professional chef, it can be easy to conflate professional and romantic admiration."
Mayumi and Aki sat quietly as they digested Mimasaka's words. Thinking back on their childhood with Soma, it did make sense. He was always friendly, but a bit clueless and flaky at the same time. The one place they saw him really come alive and focused was in the diner.
"…so, you're saying that Soma could only like a chef, and even at a place like Tohtsuki, there's no one that's good enough for Soma?" Mayumi's small voice was full of defeat.
"Again, not that simple. I think it's fair to say that Yukihira admires and is impressed by everyone he meets. You must have seen this too."
Thinking back on Soma's last visit home, Mayumi had to concede this point. "He did say that I was really dependable and always took my responsibilities seriously. It's why he asked me to take a part time job in the arcade to keep the lunch counter running smoothly."
"You never said that Soma asked you to take that job!" Aki interjected.
Blushing Mayumi admitted that at first, she thought he was going to ask her out, and the whole thing was a little embarrassing.
"Sounds to me like he admires you plenty."
"Then… are you saying that I should try asking him out?" Mayumi asked with just a trace of hope.
Mimasaka came up short at this question. "I stalked Yukihira for weeks, but that really isn't the sort of insight I was looking for…."
"You stalked him for weeks?!" both girls exclaimed.
"It's part of my process for preparing for competitions." Mimasaka waved away their concerns. "If you expect Yukihira to return your feelings and be your boyfriend, you'll likely be disappointed. I don't say this to be mean, and you shouldn't consider this a failing on your part." Mimasaka carefully studied Mayumi to see if his words were getting through before continuing, "The reason I'm learning this recipe to help Yukihira at the festival is because his level of success is part of a challenge against one of our upper classmen. He's picking a fight against the ruling seats of the academy to prove himself. He's focused on improving his skill and proving himself on a very big scale. Even if you did confess your feelings to him, I don't think he'd have a response for you; at least nothing you'd want to hear. His ambition doesn't allow time for dating right now."
Both girls absorbed everything that Mimasaka had said.
"I'm sorry, Mayumi." Aki took her friend's hand, "I guess it should have been obvious that Soma wasn't looking at anyone that way, but I still pushed you."
"No! I was happy to hear your encouragement because I didn't want to give up on him!" For a moment it looked like Mayumi would start crying before she shook it off. "I've known it for a while, but I need to accept that Soma is just a friend to me." Aki gave her a tight hug before placing a warm kiss on her forehead. Mayumi was going to be alright.
"I feel like I owe you, Mr. Mimasaka." Mayumi looked up at the big chef. She looked happier than when she'd arrived.
"Please, call me Subaru. And just consider it part of the debt that I owe Yukihira."
"The debt that you owe him?"
"I won't drag you through everything, but I wasn't going down the right path until Yukihira set me straight. I may have been successful enough as I was, but now I have a slightly different goal. ….one that will actually make my father proud." Mimasaka's quiet smile at that last bit of information left the girls speechless. Eventually, Mayumi reached out to rest her hand on Mimasaka's arm. Startled, he looked at the girl he'd previously been consoling.
"I think that we have a bit in common. We both want to be better because of Soma." Mayumi's gentle and genuine smile made Mimasaka happier than he could have imagined. This is what he'd been missing all those years that he'd spent blindly pursuing blue ribbons. Human warmth and friendship. "I'm sure you're very busy with school, but if you ever want to hang out with us, or work at the lunch counter (not that we'll likely be able to pay you what you're worth) please know, you'll be welcome."
Shocked at the offer, it was Mimasaka's turn to shyly look away. The two girls in front of him were his age but had such a drastically different perspective. And still, they invited him to visit more in the future. "I think I'd actually like that."
Mayumi and Aki smiled at the considerate young man before them. As odd as he'd seemed at first, they realized that he was no odder than Soma, or Ikumi, or any of the other passionate personalities in their neighborhood.
"All that being said, we're going to have to discuss this stalking habit of yours!" Aki declared.
"Ah, do you need some pointers? Is there a rival you need to defeat?" Mimasaka's response caused an uproar with the other teens, and it led to a boisterous conversation that lasted late into the evening. By the time Mimasaka was showing the girls to the door it was like they'd been friends for years.
"I'm very grateful to have met you both. I guess this means that I owe Yukihira even more." Mimasaka chuckled.
"Not at all, you've done so much for me!" Mayumi protested. "You're a really good person, Subaru."
"And you need to tell us more about Takumi Aldini!" Aki threw in.
A pleasant laugh erupted before a happy, awkward silence fell over the trio.
"Thank you for that. I'll take you up on helping with the lunch counter next time I'm around." Mimasaka waved goodbye and turned back into the diner. For now, he should get some sleep and resume his practice in the morning. He didn't get as much practice with the festival recipe as he'd hoped, but the insight into Yukihira was definitely worth it.
True he wasn't trying to trace him the same way he'd stalked him before, but this new perspective of Yukihira was both impressive, and a little sad. Not that Mimasaka could criticize either his professional focus or social negligence. Yet Yukihira still seemed happy! He still made friends, even if he missed romantic opportunities, he still had close relationships with his peers. With one last sigh, Mimasaka locked the diner doors and retired to Yukihira's room. He was glad for this evening's encounter because as much as he was able to help one of Yukihira's childhood friends and gain further insight to Yukihira himself, he realized what he'd been missing personally. He wanted genuine friends. Maybe this would be the start to that journey as well.
Mimasaka went to sleep relaxed and happy for the first time in ages.
