20XX – Las Vegas

158th John & co. Culinary Competition Venue

After final battle

It hurt. Can't believe it, that he will landed his fist against my face.

"Baka!"

...

"Since when you become a coward like this, Kikuchi!"

...

"You have worked so hard to stand at your place now! Those sleepless nights, countless failed recipes, endless training... did all of that meant nothing rather than that fool girl-"

"Shut up."

...!

"You even didn't know a thing about me. Mind your own business."

3rd Plate – the Destined Encounter (part.02)

Tokyo, Nakiri Mansion

"Oh My God!"

Nakiri Asahi almost spilled out the morning coffee he had when he heard the sudden scream done by his one and only beautiful daughter. While the one who screamed out just now – Nakiri Ciel – has abandoned her morning honey milk and got her full attention on her smartphone. Precisely on her instagram app.

"What's the thing that made you overjoyed like that, Dear?" Asahi asked as he put back his coffee cup on the dining table.

"My dreamt prince has come back to Japan, Dad!"

Asahi even can't say another word as he saw his daughter already dashed out of the dining room in light speed. He was intended to resume his breakfast which officially hasn't started yet. But when he was about to take his chopsticks, he pulled back his hand.

His daughter's statement just now kept ringing in his head. As long as he remembered, the 'dreamt prince' Ciel always spoke about was a certain young man from a renowned family in Kyoto. Her kouhai back when they were in high school.

"Do you know where our beloved Ciel heading to, Asahi?"

A beautiful lady joined Asahi in the dining room, asked before she seated on the chair across Asahi's. She is Asahi's wife – Nakiri Charlotte.

"Who knows? She just dashed like a hurricane." Asahi replied, then took a sip of his miso soup.

"Damn! He looked so hot with that long platinum blonde hair."

Nakiri Ciel mumbled dreamily as her finger kept scrolling down her phone screen. She even didn't bother to save up several photos of her 'dreamt prince' in different pose. It was when she has settled herself in her private car that her chauffer asked.

"Where is the destination, Ciel-sama?"

"Yukihira Diner at Sumire Shopping Precinct." Ciel answered without looked up from her phone.

"Understood."

To think that her dreamt prince will ended up in that small diner out of all places in Japan, Ciel didn't take it into a serious matter. For someone who has hidden from the spotlight since almost two years ago, actually it was a miracle that Ciel found that young man appeared in public.

The last time she knew about his news was about half a year ago. That young man was serving in an orphanage near the borderline at certain country, far away from Japan.

Ciel got her phone back in homepage as she has no longer found another photo of her dreamt prince. She leaned on the backseat, set her gaze on the panorama outside the car window. Her previous cheerful face slowly changed, into her usual cold masquerade.

She realized, she shouldn't felt that way. Feeling all happy just because found a news about that young man came back to Japan. She was just nobody to him. Other than her cousin – Kouhei, she also had left a huge scars to that young man. She had hurt him, back then. Both of them, ended in an uncivil term.

Ciel has acknowledge herself to be hated by that young man. But, she can't helped herself to not run to him whenever she got a news about him. She was... long for him, that it felt so overwhelming.

Her first love, it was like a curse to her.

At the same time,

Inside Yukihira house's dining room

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

It was just... the second day that Kana met Rei, but she has got lost count of how many he had surprised her. Even in that early morning, he had surprised her two times.

First was... that foreign nickname he used to call her. It was the first time that she got called as "Momo-chan". And, the second was a plate full of peach pain perdu. Other than her grandfather, or her father, none had made a plate of breakfast to her since she knew how to make a dish. Save for the chef of Nakiri family who served them.

Rei's smiling face slowly faded, got shifted with a questioned one. He put the plate on the nearby dining table, then asked the younger girl in front of him.

"What's wrong, Momo-chan?"

"That...! Why do you call me with that name? I have my own-"

"It's Kana, right?" Rei cut off Kana's protest, followed with his breath-taking smile which reached his eyes. "But, I think that Momo suits you more than your given name." Rei started reasoning. "Look, with your silky rose gold hair which looked like a peach skin, also..." he paused as he leaned closer to Kana. "Your sweet voice, beautiful smile, and those innocent peach fragranced perfume. Can't helped the urge to call you..."

Rei was unable to continue it as suddenly he got his ear pulled by the owner of the house whom barely woken up.

"Aitatatata- it hurt, Sensei!" Rei cried out as he rubbed his swollen ear once he got out of Jouichirou's grasp.

"I'm appreciating that you made a breakfast for me, but..." Jouichirou paused as he took the first bite of Rei's peach pain perdu which previously placed on the dining table. "I can't allow you to play your trick to this little girl. She is too young for you, Rei." He added then finished up the remained pain perdu in his hand.

"And I'm not too old for her, Sensei."

"You-"

"Hai, douzou..." Rei cut off Jouichirou for lecturing him by feeding the older man with another bite of his pain perdu. "Don't mind us, Momo-chan. Please, take a bite of it."

Kana has long forgotten about the strange nickname given to her. She has got surprised by another thing in front of her. Just a mere acquaintance, it seemed that her grandfather has lied to her. The interaction between her grandfather with that young man whom appeared from out of nowhere – in Kana's thought – was more than any acquaintance could do. Both of them looked like a family.

Kana hasn't seen her grandfather had his annoyed look at the same time laughed so heartily like that. As long as she remembered, her grandfather never had long talk with her brother as well as her cousins whenever he visited Nakiri mansion. It was always a forced smile she saw whenever the older man bid a goodbye after his short visit.

"What's wrong, Momo-chan?" Rei asked as he stopped feeding Jouichirou and looked at the sole girl in that room. "Ah, you want me to feed you too? It's okay, I'm...uhmumumu."

Rei was unable to launch another words as he got fed by Jouichirou till his mouth was full. Rei was munching his food with an annoyed expression on his handsome face which made Jouichirou laughed for the second time.

"It's really good, Kana-chan. You won't regret when you taste it." Jouichirou said as he fed another spoon to Rei before the latter could open his mouth to protest.

Instead of following her grandfather's suggestion, Kana left the dining room without saying a single word. That act was succeed in making both Jouichirou and Rei stopped their activity and looked at each other.

"What's wrong with her, Sensei?" Rei asked once he swallowed up his food then drunk several gulps of fresh water. "She looked... upset."

"Just let her be. She will come back once she settled things up." Jouichirou answered leisurely. Rather than upset, Jouichirou could call his granddaughter's reaction just now as a jealousy.

That girl must be surprised to see that side of him.

"It must be the first time that you deal with a teenage girl, right, Sensei?" Rei asked again, this time he already walked toward the workstation where he made the pain perdu earlier. "Do you know, Sensei? A girl like Momo-chan is really sensitive. You shouldn't make her upset or she won't talk to you for days." Rei begun talking as his hands grabbed several ingredients and started making a new dish. "Momo-chan is... reminding me of my own sister. They're really looked alike."

Jouichirou sighed as he put back the spoon which he used to feed Rei before. "You're right. Kana-chan is a hardheaded girl. Once she got angry, she is really annoying." Jouichirou paused for a while, then continued. "I'm never good at words, so I didn't know how to make up with her."

Rei stopped his activity for a second when he heard his Sensei's confession. "It seems that... you love her so much, Sensei."

Of course, she is my granddaughter after all.

Jouichirou only said it in his head. "Is that so?"

Rei nodded as his reply. Then, only the sound of Rei's cooking that could be heard in that room. While Rei focused on his cooking, Jouichirou was deep in his own thought. It wasn't long that he saw Rei has finished his cooking then headed out of that room.

"Where are you going with those plate?"

"Looking for Momo-chan. Also, Sensei..." Rei paused as he looked back at Jouichirou. "Make sure that you eat all of the remained pain perdu there. Once I got back with Momo-chan, I didn't want to see any leftover."

Jouichirou smiled when he got lectured back by the younger one who already vanished from his sight. "Then, please take care of her, Rei."

Despite its crowded road at daytime, Sumire Shopping Precinct was so empty in the morning. Only several pedestrian walked from one place to another aimed place. Most of them were grandpa and granny, also housewife.

Once he got out of the Yukihira house, Rei looked at right and left. His eyes narrowed as to sharpen his sight. But, not a single of his Momo-chan's trace could be found. It hasn't reached half an hour that the girl left the house yet she has nowhere to be found. So, Rei decided to take a short walk. Maybe, he will found that girl.

Sumire Shopping Precinct hasn't changed so much since the last time he visited that place. He still remembered several places perfectly. So, as long as the missing girl still in that shopping precinct area, Rei was so confident that he will found her. Experience has taught him countless times. Finding a missing girl, not once that he failed in the past.

It was when Rei took the second left turn that he found that girl. But Rei didn't take another step forward to get closer to Kana. He just stood there, behind her back, in silent. Seeing Kana whom squat down, played with the koi fish in the pond of the shop owner. Suddenly, he got reminded of a certain girl.

A certain girl whom always glued to him, a girl whom confessed that she loved him, and... a girl whom ended up being hurt because of him.

"Is that koi fish more interesting than the breakfast I have made, Momo-chan?"

Rei almost burst into laughter when his eyes caught the moment of Kana got startled by his sudden comment. It was like seeing a slow motion scene, the way Kana looked at Rei.

"How-"

"How I know you're here?" Rei was succeed in cutting off Kana's unfinished question. "Let's see..." He paused as he took steps forward, got closer to Kana. "Actually, I'm really good in this kind of thing." He continued, his gaze was full at her. "Looking for a missing girl."

It was like Kana got captive by Rei's gaze that she couldn't take away her own gaze from his.

"Here for you."

Kana broke the eye contact as he handed her a warm plate above her hands. She looked at it. A new, freshly made pain perdu. A caramel pain perdu. So tempting, as it sparkled like an amber under sunlight.

"I have put so much effort and love in my peach pain perdu earlier, it's a bit hurt that you chose to abandon it. So, I decided to make a new one. This time, make sure that you eat it, Momo-chan."

Out of sudden, her hands which held the plate trembled. Her eyes felt hot, as she got teary for unknown reason. Before she cried because of Rei's kindness, again, Kana abruptly stood up.

"Th-thanks. I will eat it at home."

Before Rei could reply to that unexpected sentence, Kana already left him.

Nakiri Ciel stood in front of the Yukihira Diner, still hesitated about stepping into that diner. She was too excited to meet her 'dreamt prince' which then turned into anxiousness. Since high school's graduation day, both of them hadn't met even for once.

"Ciel Nee-sama?"

The sudden calling brought Ciel back into reality. She was so familiar with the one whom called her name just now. Her little cousin, Nakiri Kana. She saw the younger girl looked surprised as the latter saw her there. Ciel just drew an awkward smile on her face once she saw her cousin walked towards her.

"It's been a while, Ciel Nee-sama."

Ciel nodded as her reply. Then, her eyes looked at the plate on Kana's hands. A plate full of caramel pain perdu. A classic dish, but it looked luxurious. Just from a flash look, Ciel immediately knew that the dish wasn't made by Kana herself.

Kana followed her older cousin's sight which ended up on the untouched pain perdu on her hands. Kana was about to say something but someone has taken a step faster than her.

"What a coincidence to see you here, Ciel-senpai."

Ciel, being the one who got greeted, immediately spared her attention to the one whom greeted her. There, not far from her place, Rei stood while having his hands inside his cardigan's pocket. He looked so much mature than the last time they met. Two years before.

Ciel was about to open her mouth, intended to reply his greeting that the front door of the diner got opened from inside, showed Yukihira Jouichirou whom got surprised by the sudden appearance of Nakiri Ciel in front of his diner.

"Jou Jii-chan." Ciel greeted the older man which got greeted back with a single nod.

"You have back, Kana-chan." Jouichirou said as he looked at his granddaughter. "Rei was-" He didn't continue when he realized something. Then he looked at right and left, and his body turned like a statue when his eyes caught the figure of the said young man stood just several steps behind his granddaughter.

Before Jouichirou could utter another words, Rei walked pass the three as he entered the diner in silence. As Jouichirou saw the young man already far enough from the three of them, he looked back at both Kana and Ciel.

"Did he hear something from you two?"

Both Kana and Ciel didn't answer it immediately. Kana chose to question back her grandfather through her gaze as she didn't understand his question earlier. While Ciel who understood what Jouichirou's meant let out a small sigh.

"Don't worry. He didn't hear anything."

"I see."

"What is it? What he shouldn't hear from us?" Kana bombarded the other two with her curious questions.

Jouichirou was about to answer it, but Ciel already beat him.

"Nothing, Kana-chan. Just... I hope that you didn't reveal our relationship in front of him, please?"

By him, Kana was sure that her cousin referred to that Rei. Without so much thought, she nodded as her reply. She still remembered how Rei addressed her cousin earlier.

Ciel-senpai.

It shouldn't surprise her, right? As her grandfather already told her that Rei was her brother's biggest rival back in his school days. But, the different tone he used back when he greeted her cousin, Kana was curious about the reason behind that.

"Let's get in, shall we? Also, you should get your breakfast, Kana-chan."

Jouichirou's words brought back Kana from her own thought. Kana nodded as her reply and was about to follow her grandfather that she stopped when she saw her cousin didn't take a step away from her place.

"Nee-sama, you don't want to go in?"

That question also made Jouichirou stopped his step as he looked back at the two girls.

"Maybe another time? I barely remember that I already have an appointment. Then, excuse me."

Both Kana and Jouichirou watched Ciel walked toward the black sedan which got parked not far from the diner. The two entered the diner once Ciel has out of their sight.

Later...

After the diner closed.

Just like the previous day, Rei helped both Jouichirou and Kana in the diner, as the waiter. In between her work, Kana did take a note about that young man named Rei. That he has been helping her grandfather in the diner in the past. That news she got when not only one of the customers had asked him to make their ordered dish.

But none of them got their wish.

With his smooth talk, Rei refused all the requests. That strange deed, Kana questioned herself.

Why he did something like that?

She has taken a taste of Rei's cooking. And it was like her grandfather's words. Back when she tasted Rei's caramel pain perdu, she got 'attacked' by the wildness sweet flavors in it. She tasted different kind of sweet in each bite she took from the dish.

"Do you have something to say, Momo-chan?"

Kana got back from her own thought when that question being spilled out by the one who seated across her.

"Why... were you refused customers' request earlier?"

- 3rd plate – end -