2nd Plate – the Destined Encounter (part.01)

20XX – Las Vegas

158th John & co. Culinary Competition Venue

After final battle

"Oi, Rei!"

"What is it, Kou-"

Bugh!

"What was that kind of dish you served earlier, huh?!"

"..."

"You know that you can make something far more delicious than that, then why-"

"Hahahaha..."

"...?"

"Did you realize it, Kou?"

"...?"

"That it is the first time... you appraise my dish... even after..." I appraised yours countless times already.

*sigh*

"I think that I've made a mistake by worrying over you and your cooking. After all, never for once that we crossed the same way, Rei."

About two years later...

Summer, Sumire Shopping Precinct

"It didn't change even for a bit."

Almost all the female pedestrian got spelled by the appearance of that young man. He stopped his bicycle in front of the small diner with 'Yukihira Diner' banner in front of that small unit. That young man looked so handsome, with his foreigner-alike appearance. Once in a while, that young man flashed his breath-taking smile towards the female pedestrian who paid their attention to him.

After almost five minutes since he stopped his bicycle in front of the diner, that young man got off of it. He took the flower bouquet which previously sat neatly on the basket of his bicycle. It was like a model walked on the runway, he walked into the diner.

Unlike the dreamy looks he got earlier, none paid attention on his arrival in that diner. Each table was full of customers. Even the front counter. The sole chef who supposed to treat his customers was busy with his cooking on the stove.

And... a teenage girl looked so busy walked from one table to another. Be it fetching the customer's order, cleaned up the dish and table, and wrote down the new orders.

"May I help you, Mister?"

That teenage girl stood right in front of him, with a small note and pen in her hand. A warm smile plastered on her innocent face.

"It seems that you're the one who need a help, Miss."

That teenage girl looked puzzled by the reply she got. She even had her blank face when the young man in front of her offered the flower bouquet to her.

"Will you stop playing around and start your work, kid?"

That young man's smile got wider after got reprimanded by the sole chef in that diner. With a single move, the flower bouquet which previously in his right hand already landed safely on that teenage girl's hands.

"You may get back to the kitchen, Little Miss." That young man spoke to the teenage girl. "I will handle the orders." He added as he played the note and pen which previously brought by the girl.

"How..."

"Kana-chan~ come help me!"

The teenage girl who got called as Kana-chan was unable to continue her question toward the young man as the chef already asked her to help him.

Several hours later...

"Otsukare... you're really a big help for today."

The chef also the current owner of that diner – Yukihira Jouichirou – placed a cold canned beer in front of the young man with that foreigner-alike appearance. Instead of thanking the old man, that young man pouted.

"Isn't it too cheap for my salary, Sensei? I have helped you manage the orders all day long, even I have given you that beautiful flower bouquet. You should give me more than this canned beer."

Jouichirou sighed, but at the same time he smiled. "You're still same as the old days, Rei-kun."

"Am I? Then..."

That young man didn't continue as the sudden ring of his phone already interrupted. He excused himself to accept the call.

While the young man was busy with his call, Kana slowly approached Jouichirou. She nudged his left arm. "Jii-chan, you know that man?" She asked.

"Nah, an old acquaintance. He is a bit... playful. However, it's his charm point. Back in his school days, he was the girls' idol."

"You know him since he's a student?"

Jouichirou took a look over Kana whom had her surprised look on her face. "Not really. That time, I knew about him because he always sent cooking challenge to your brother. And, not only once that he won against your brother."

"He... he won against Nii-sama?"

Jouichirou laughed at Kana's surprised look. It must be the first time for her to hear that someone else than her father, her mother, or her big uncle, who could win against her brother in term of cooking challenge.

"Does he... that good in cooking?" Kana asked another thing.

Jouichirou nodded, as he drank his own cold beer. "He has similar palate with your brother." He paused as he eyed the cold beer in his glass which already remained half. "While your brother's cooking always gave a perfect taste of a dish, his was the opposite. Rei's cooking was... always filled with craziness."

Kana was deep in thought by her grandfather's statement. A dish which filled with craziness, what was that meant?

"That's right." Jouichirou's sudden shout made Kana got back into reality. "Kana-chan, maybe he can help you-"

"What kind of help?"

The two – Jouichirou and Kana – looked at the other one in that room whom several seconds ago was busy in a phone call. That young man whom Jouichirou addressed as Rei already took the seat which previously owned by him. His curious expression was so vivid on his handsome features.

"Help her to improve her cook-"

"Nothing!"

Rei looked a bit confuse by the strange act did by both Jouichirou and Kana in front of him. Moreover with Kana whom cut Jouichirou's unfinished sentence just now.

Kana immediately brought her grandfather to the front counter.

"Oi, Kana-chan, are you sure? This kind of chance is..."

"I'm pretty sure about it, Jii-chan!" Kana cut off her grandfather's unfinished sentence for the second times. "Also, how could you ask a stranger to train me? I'd rather training by myself."

"Dakara... he's not a stranger. He's your brother's biggest rival, Kana-chan." Jouichirou still tried to convince his granddaughter.

"But still... he's a stranger to me."

Jouichirou sighed in defeat. That hard-headed girl, once she set a thing then it was hard to break it. For the last time, he tried his luck. "Truth to be told, Kana-chan. In term of appreciating a dish and a chef, Rei is better than your brother."

Kana was like turned into a statue once she heard that. Slowly, she ducked her head low. Jouichirou's warm hands on her shoulder brought her back to face her grandfather. Jouichirou was about to say something, that he got interrupted.

"Sensei! I'm hungry!"

It was Rei whom screamed out like a child. Actually, he was a bit annoyed as he got ignored by both Jouichirou and Kana. So, he did something to get their attention. To add the effect, he even pouted like a little kid with their puppy eyes. He smiled widely as he saw Jouichirou nodded.

Not long after that, Jouichirou got back accompanied him at their table.

"Where's the dish?" Rei asked immediately.

"Still in the process." Jouichirou answered, then gulped down his beer. "So, how long you will be in Japan?" For the first time in that day, Jouichirou asked the younger one. To see the younger man in front of him in Japan was a rare event to be happened. He asked that question was just to kill his curiosity.

Rei didn't answer it right away. It was after he took the first sip of his canned beer that he answer. "Don't know. I still haven't planned on anything yet."

Jouichirou nodded slowly.

"Did he... visit you often?" Rei asked back, without looked at the older one as he set his gaze on his beer.

"He... who?" Jouichirou asked an ambiguous question toward Rei. Actually, he already knew who is the one Rei referred to, but he played the fool man role. "You know, Rei-kun. There are so many male customers of my diner."

Rei narrowed his eyes by that statement. His sensei was really good at playing with words.

"Do I really need to spill the name?"

There was a loathe feeling in that question. Jouichirou's smile immediately vanished. It was like yesterday that he saw his grandson and Rei glued together, debated in something so trivial yet none can replicated the both of them. Then now, the two were stranger to each other.

"You know that he's super busy. He didn't have a quality time with his parents, moreover with an old man like me." Jouichirou spilled out the truth.

"I see."

Nothing to be talked after that. Both of them just sat in silence face to face. A bowl filled with freshly made onigiri chazuke suddenly became the main focus of the two men. Rei looked up to the one who brought that dish.

"Ple-please... enjoy it."

Rei didn't reply as he got back his gaze to the said dish. He stared it for almost seven seconds without a blink. Kana who stood beside her grandfather can't hid her nervous face.

"Jii-chan... it's really... awkward. Why he keep looking at the dish? Did you really say the truth about he has the same palate as Nii-sama?" Kana whispered, sent one question after another impatiently.

"Just see it. You'll know later."

Instead of taking the chopsticks, Rei brought the bowl closer to his face. He closed his eyes, as he inhaled the delicious aroma came out from the dish. Slowly, a small smile emerged on his lips.

"You're really got a good pupil, Sensei." Rei started talking as he took his chopsticks. "This dish, has the exact same aroma like the one you made for me back then." He continued then closed both of his hands. "Itadakimasu!"

Kana's heartbeat began raising each second when she saw Rei started digging the dish. The first bite of her dish, she saw Rei munched it in slow motion. Kana hated it, when her hands suddenly turned cold and trembled. While his heart kept pumping the blood and the veins distributed it with the fastest speed ever happened. In short, she felt herself in a mess.

And miraculously... all of that things disappeared instantly once she saw Rei smiled and said the magic word.

"Oishi."

It was really... a magical word. As the surroundings around her got brighter, the fear in her heart got dispelled, refilled with no other than happiness. She felt her heart enveloped by something so warm.

"O-ojou-chan, daijoubu?" Rei's sudden worried question brought Kana back to the reality.

"Daijoubu, daijoubu. She is just... too overwhelmed with happiness, Rei-kun. However, it is the first time someone praised her dish with so much sincerity." Jouichirou answered in the name of his dumbfounded granddaughter.

"Ah... I see."

"You haven't slept yet, Rei-kun." Jouichirou spoke as he took a peep over the door of the room where Rei stayed the night.

"I can't sleep." Rei replied shortly. He even didn't comment when Jouichirou entered the room then sat on the sole chair in that room. "What is it?"

"Tell me about your opinion about the dish you had earlier."

Rei gave his questioned look to the older one once he heard that 'strange' demand. "I have. It's delicious."

"Since when you're being dishonest like this, Rei-kun?"

Rei sighed. He even questioned himself. Since when that old man became so talkative like this?

"Just tell me."

Rei took several seconds of silence, as he looked so deep in thought. It was like he didn't know where he should start. It was when he was about to spill his answer, that suddenly an idea came into his head.

"Before that, can I ask you a question, Sensei?"

Jouichirou was taken aback by the sudden question, but he nodded in the end.

"Who is that girl?" Rei asked bluntly. "To think that you have a talented little girl as your pupil but she hasn't made any progress, it... irks me."

Jouichirou was out of words. Hearing Rei's honest answer, it was like got slapped right on the face. But, that blunt – honest answer was Rei's style. Actually, that boy inherited it from both his late grandfather and his late mother.

"You said that she's talented?"

"She is! But, it seems that she's not willing to make that talent to bloom. Also, from the way she cooked each ingredient, she has got training for long but it made little progression. She-" Rei paused as he realized something. "Wait, it's me who asked you, not the other way, Sensei!"

Jouichirou chuckled when he saw the fuming Rei in front of him. That boy, didn't change at all since then. Jouichirou once hoped, that Rei would be his grandson too. Those playful, cunning yet smart thinking, and expressive act, only him who could break the ice named Nakiri Kouhei – his own grandson.

Back to the current topic, Rei was talking about Kana's current situation. Jouichirou can't helped but got amazed by Rei's sharp intuition. Just a single look, a single try of Kana's dish, and he can figured out Kana's situation precisely. Yet, that boy still didn't know who she is. After the bad things happened between Rei and his grandson in the past, Jouichirou can't risk the chance he got. He already took a long thought, he believed that Rei is the one who could train his granddaughter. So, he can't say the truth to the boy, not now at least.

"She is... a granddaughter of an old friend of mine." Jouichirou answered with an awkward tone in his voice. "Both of her parents was busy with business, and... she isn't in good relationship with her older brother."

At the end, Jouichirou said the truth even though it still enveloped by several ambiguous words. He hoped that Rei didn't ask for another things related to Kana's identity.

"Poor girl." Rei whispered, but it still loud enough for Jouichirou to hear it. And, Rei's next words brought another surprise to Jouichirou. "So, it's the reason... I think, it would be better if she stopped rather than forced herself to do something she didn't like."

Just, how deep he perceived about Kana?

"It's just... my opinion, Sensei." Rei paused, but then he added. "All the decision is up to her."

Jouichirou nodded slowly. With a small smile, he spoke. "I got it. You must be tired, get some rest."

With that, the older one left the room. Once Jouichirou was out of the sight, Rei was deep in thought. There was one thing about that Kana girl which kept hidden within himself. Suddenly, a sour smile emerged on his lips as he realized something ironic.

To taste something similar with my cooking two years ago, does her also desperate of someone's appraisal?

But, who?

Her parents? Her big brother?

No.

That frustration feeling in her dish... she's like trying to fight against the world.

That morning was different than any morning she has been experienced. For the first time, there was a fragrance of sweet peach and sugar first thing in the morning. Following her guts, Kana walked to the place where the sweet fragrance came from.

"Ohayo, Momo-chan. You woke up quite early, hmm?"

It was Rei whom greeted her, with a plate filled by the freshly made pain perdu on his right hand. The fragrance which came out from that pain perdu was the same with the fragrance she smelt several seconds ago.

"As I have tasted your dish last night, would you mind if you tasted mine?"