Few Months Later
It had been a few months and the school year was coming to a close without much incidents. The third years were preparing to graduate while everyone else was making sure that they were passing their classes and being able to make it to their next years in one piece. Over the course of those few months, both Soma and Erina found themselves together in the Polar Star kitchen late at night, albeit unplanned and much to the chagrin of the God Tongue.
They both still suffered from nightmares which kept them up, but after meeting each other and cooking food for one another, they were able to go back to bed and sleep peacefully. Unfortunately for Soma, Erina still refused to admit that his food was delicious. It seemed to Soma that Erina was fine, it seemed like she was back to her normal routine of yelling and insulting him. Though this came very rarely, only when he said something he knew would make her pissed.
It was early in the morning yet the sun was shining brightly in the sky. Soma was still sleeping since he had no class today and didn't plan on waking up anytime soon. However, that all changed when a series of loud knocks on his door awoke him from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, glancing at the clock that read 6:30 a.m. Whoever was knocking better have a damn good reason as to why they are waking him up so early on his day off.
As he opened his door, Megumi stood there, with her uniform on with a very annoyed face. Soma wondered what was wrong, but before he could speak all he heard was. "Hurry up and get dressed or we'll be late Soma-kun!" the girl yelled as she slammed the door leaving Soma very confused.
That's when he remembered what today was. Senzaemon had called a meeting that Soma was required to attend. Both Megumi and Erina were also required to be there. As he got dressed, Soma wondered about why there was a call for a meeting so suddenly and this early in the morning. As he walked downstairs, Megumi was waiting for him. She explained that Erina had already left and that the two of them needed to hurry to avoid being late.
Soma rode his moped and Megumi rode her bike as they made their way to one of the larger lecture halls on campus. As they walked into the room, basically everyone that needed to be there was there. Senzaemon was not present yet, which greatly relieved Megumi, and the two took their seats near the Aldini brothers and Ikumi. As Soma looked around, every student who competed in the main tournament of the Autumn Elections were there.
Both Nakiri's were present which wasn't much of a surprise and of course Ryo Kurokiba was sitting besides them too along with Hisako. Miyoko Hojo was present as well as Nao Sadatsuka. Subaru Mimasaka was near the back, jingling a set of keys for the locks on his bike. As Soma looked around the room more however, he realized that not only first-years were among those in sitting in the lecture hall. Isshiki was also in the room sitting next to Terunori Kuga. Sitting closely to them was Nene Kinokuni. The talent in the room was ridiculous and that whatever meeting that was being held must've been very important.
The doors opened again as Senzaemon walked in and lagging behind a bit was Hayama Akira. He took a seat off to the side as Senzaemon moved to the front of the room to address all those in attendance. All of the students drew their attention to the director as he started his speech.
"Well it seems as though you are all here so I guess we'll begin. I know the school has gone through some changes since the little incident we had a few months ago. Obviously, you all have seen them or experienced them in some way. You all should know as well that the Elite Ten was disbanded until further notice due to their actions," Senzaemon spoke as Soma was starting to figure out where this little meeting was going from here.
"Which brings me to why you all are here. Since the school year is coming to a close, many of you will be going home for the summer to hone your craft and prepare for the next school year. It will give you all a perfect opportunity to train and improve yourselves to the challenge that you will face at the beginning of the next school year. The sixteen of you have been chose to compete for spots on the new Elite Ten Council," he continued as many in the room perked up at those words.
"The Elite Ten are very vital to the schools everyday operations which I have been running since the disbandment. I believe now that it is time to select a new Elite Ten from the younger generations, which is all of you in this room," Senzaemon finished as he waved his hand. In came an assistant pushing a cart with two knife blocks on it.
"Each of you will take a knife which represents what group you will be competing in. Since there is 16 of you, only 10 of you can advance into the main elections. In the main election process, the remaining 10 will pair up and compete one-on-one against their opponent. Whoever wins will advance to the finals."
"There will be a 5 person final round to decide who the first seat will be. The first seat will be decided by whoever gets the highest score by the panel of 5 judges. After the first seat has been decided, the four that lost will compete against each other with whoever having the highest score out of the four will be the second seat. The second highest score will become the third seat and so on and so on. This will be done to figure out seats 6-10 as well. Though it may be a little unorthodox method of competing, this will be the quickest way to determine the council seatings. Besides, if you aren't able to become the first seat, then that means you all basically have much improving to do. Plus, you always can compete in Shokugeki's to move up in seating as well,"
"Now, everyone must come down and choose a knife," the director finished as all 16 students in the room came down to draw knives.
Akira went first since he was the closest to the knives block. He drew a knife that had a large A on it and moved aside. Alice then stepped forward to draw a knife that also had an A on it. Ryo took a knife which said B on it. Everyone went forward to draw a knife. As the last person picked the knife, they were then told to get into the groups of the letter on their knife.
Group A consisted of Hayama Akira, Nakiri Alice, Arato Hisako, Sadatsuka Nao, Tadokoro Megumi, Terunori Kuga, Subaru Mimasaka and Aldini Takumi.
Group B consisted of Nakiri Erina, Kinokuni Nene, Mito Ikumi, Satoshi Isshiki, Kurokiba Ryo, Hojo Miyoko, Aldini Isami and Yukihira Soma.
When looking at the groups, it was obvious that Group B would be the tougher group to get out of since there were many great chefs in it. Former Elite Ten members Isshiki and Nene to go along with the God Tongue herself Nakiri Erina. Ryo was also in the group to go along with the person who basically brought down Central in Soma. Group A seemed to be more evenly matched. Besides Kuga and Akira, who were also former members of the Elite Ten, everyone else were basically first-years that competed in the Autumn Elections but failed to make it to the finals.
Senzaemon looked on at the two groups and nodded his head. This was turning out to be a great idea. "Well now since you're all in your groups, I will remind you again. You will all get the entire summer to train and improve your cooking styles. You all are talented, but this election will definitely showcase who has what it takes to succeed in the competitive culinary world. The week that classes resume, you all will be competing in your groups and will determine who makes it to the finals," Senzaemon finished as he dismissed them from the meeting.
Soma, Megumi, the Aldini's and Isshiki all started their trek back to the Polar Star dorms. The Aldini twins had become regular guests at Polar Star along with Ikumi, Hisako, Alice and Ryo. They had all formed a tight group of friends that joked and competed against each other. However, silence filled the air seeing as though in a few months they would have to compete against each other. This would be the most serious cooking they would have to do in their entire lives, since it was for a spot in the Elite Ten. They all were thinking about what they would do during the summer to improve themselves. Soma actually wondered what he was going to do during the summer, seeing as though his dad might not even be home.
As the group arrived at their destination, Fumio and Joichirou were waiting for them as well as the rest of the Polar Star members. A nice breakfast spread was prepared for them by Joichirou himself which definitely satisfied everyone's appetite. Later, as everyone made their way back to their rooms, Soma found some alone time with his dad on the front porch of the dorms.
"So Soma, I take it the old man gave you all the entire rundown of the Elite Ten Elections?" Joichirou asked.
"Yeah. It's going to be very interesting. I think I'm in the tougher of the two groups. I have two former Elite Ten members plus the "God Tongue" herself," Soma air quoted as he chewed on a piece of squid.
"Oh? Ojou-chan is in your group huh? Well, looks like you'll have a lot of training to do over the summer," Joichirou said, amused that Erina was somehow in Soma's group. "Unfortunately, I won't have the time to help you with that, since I'll be abroad again," he continued as Soma just focused on the clear blue sky.
"I figured you would be. I might head down to the diner and do some cooking. Maybe open it up for a little while you're away," the younger Yukihira responded.
"Ha, go for it. Though, I don't believe you'll have much time for that," Joichirou responded as two people were approaching the dorm off in the distance. As they got closer, it was easy to tell who it was.
Erina and Hisako were making their way up to the dorms when they saw father and son sitting on the front porch of the dorms. Erina was taken aback at how much Soma takes after his father. Her heart raced as she got closer to the two of them and it nearly stopped when she saw both of their eyes locked onto her.
"Hello Ojou-san," Joichirou greeted with a slight bow of his head. "Yo" was the greeting from Soma.
"Saiba-sama," Erina responded and bowed to her idol. Basically ignoring Soma's greeting.
"Remember it's Yukihira now. How are you doing Erina-chan?"
"I'm well Sai-…Yukihira-sama. W-will you be staying here for a while?" she asked. Soma and Hisako picked up on her stutter when she was talking to Joichiro.
"Ah actually I won't be. I'm getting out of here tomorrow and going back abroad to cook. Plenty of appointments ya'know. Which reminds me," Joichirou said as he stood up. "I need to start packing. Soma, meet me in the kitchen before dinner tonight. We will do our usual before I leave," Joichirou said as he walked back inside.
Soma jumped to his feet and yelled in his response, "Just you wait old man, tonight will be the night!" This earned a chuckle from Joichiro and a bit of confusion from both Erina and Hisako.
"Um, Soma-kun, what does he mean by the usual?" Hisako asked.
"You'll see tonight," Soma explained as he walked into the dorm followed by a still confused Erina and Hisako.
That Night
Everything was prepared. All the ingredients were laid out on the countertop in Polar Star Kitchen. Father and son stood across from one another, facing each other. Soma's eyes seemed confident, while Joichirou had a giant smirk on his face. The father and son competition brought a large audience to watch. Every Polar Star resident was there. The Aldini's were there, Ikumi was there, even Alice and Ryo had come to watch.
Fumio sat down as judge along with Erina and Isshiki. The theme for the battle was donburi. As Fumio yelled for them to start, father and son wasted no time going at it.
Both competitors were in their own world, only focused on their cooking and no one else. For everyone watching, the kitchen was basically filled with an eerie silence. For both Erina and Hisako, they finally realized what Soma meant. This cooking battle was definitely something totally different from the typical Shokugeki they see at school. This was for something that wasn't tangible. This was for pride in the family.
Erina watched both father and son carefully. She watched her idol as he effortlessly finely chopped onions, ginger and scallions and placed them in a bowl to mix together. As she turned to Soma, he was dipping fresh vegetables into batter and was deep frying them. She couldn't help but notice that despite doing different things, their movements seemed to be in sync with each other.
Soma had truly learned from Joichiro and a small smile crept on her face. It was only a matter of time before the student became the master.
As the two finished up, the aroma in the kitchen was breathtaking. They were making two different dishes, but somehow the aroma together created something unique and only made everyone hungry.
Soma was first to present his dish.
"Here is Yukihira Style Ten-Don. Please dig in," he explained as three hot bowls of rice were covered by tempura battered items.
As each judge looked over the food, they really couldn't tell what each item was. The tempura batter shined to hide whatever food was inside. As the judges took a bite, a loud crunch was heard. All three judges couldn't express how good their first bite was. It was as though a shiny piece of gold radiated their entire body.
They had bitten into a lotus root, which usually doesn't have much of a crunch or doesn't usually have a large depth of flavor. Even Erina couldn't understand how Soma managed to get so much flavor into a simple item like lotus root. As they continued to eat the different components of the dish, the crunch in the tempura kept coming. What made the dish however was the sauce. It looked like a basic soy sauce that usually covers donburi, however, it had a hint of sweetness that usually isn't found in a regular soy sauce. Adding with this, Soma added pickled ume into the rice to add some acidity. The judges finished the entire bowl easily.
Then it was Joichirou's turn. He placed before them what looked to be a brown jelly-like substance with panko battered chicken with some curry on top. It looked very lackluster and unappealing compared to Soma's dish. Erina was little disappointed in her idols plating, expecting much better from him.
Joichirou still maintained a large grin as he presented his dish. "I give you Yukihira Style Curry Don." As the judges inspected the dish, they all wondered what type of flavors this curry don would have.
As Isshiki stabbed the jelly-like substance with his spoon, he scooped up what seemed to be a white substance that was underneath the brown jelly. As he took a bite, spices were hitting him from left and right. He couldn't believe what he was tasting. It was as though he was eating curry and rice except this time the curry had way more spices than it should or normally have.
As they combined the chicken on top along with the custard, the flavors jumped all around their taste buds. It was something that couldn't be described. Erina was taken aback by the flavors. Though Soma's dish really incorporated balance, this dish was extremely powerful. It was as though she was getting hit with a knockout punch of spices.
Fumio had actually finished her food while Erina and Isshiki were still working on theirs. She looked to Joichirou, wondering what he had up his sleeve in this cooking battle.
When it was time for judging, it was a unanimous 3-0 win for Joichiro. Though Soma's dish was very filling and satisfying, it couldn't match up to the flavor profile of Joichiro's curry.
"Yukihira-san, I must know what was the custard that you had in your bowl?" Isshiki asked as even everyone in the room wondered what that was.
"I figured you would ask. It was just basic curry and rice," he responded. This made everyone a bit confused. How on earth did he combine both curry and rice to form a custard.
Now it was Erina's turn to speak, "how did you make it though? It must've taken a while to make that into a custard and yet it was so flavorful."
Joichirou scanned the room and locked his gaze onto Alice before he responded, "Well you see, while I was in Denmark, I came across a certain corporation specializing in research. More specifically, I was invited, by a certain Nakiri family," he explained as Alice was a bit confused.
Alice stepped forward and put her hand under her chin, thinking about what Joichirou just said, "So wait, you know my parents?"
"Yes. Soe and Leonora Nakiri. Your father had invited me to look around the research facility of Nakiri International. Your mother also just so happened to teach me a few things in molecular gastronomy. Though I don't have any liquid nitrogen practice, I understand the basic principles of molecular gastronomy, and how handy the use of sodium alginate can be used for anything," Joichirou finished as everyone in the room was stunned. Soma couldn't believe it. His dad did know some advanced methods of cooking and he never cared to share with him.
"Ah Soma, well what number loss is this? 500 yet?" Joichirou teased as Soma grew angry.
"It's 492!" Soma yelled back as he sat on the floor, writing in his notebook. Joichiro couldn't help but laugh at his son and his fiery temper whenever he lost.
"Well, at least you did manage to learn something from your time here. I'm very proud of the chef you are starting to become," Joichirou said as everyone else in the room creeped in closer to look at the leftovers that Soma and Joichirou had.
"Oh yes where are my manners, I've made enough for everyone here to try. So please dig in," and with that, everyone lined up by the stoves and was making plates for themselves to eat. Soma on the other hand, still sulking, decided that he wanted to get some fresh air and went outside. Erina noticed him and quietly followed.
Soma went back onto the front porch and leaned back on the steps. His hands resting behind his head as he gazed up at the moon and the stars that were now illuminating the night sky. Though he had lost, Soma secretly was glad to hear his father compliment his cooking. He felt like he was finally catching up, despite the record number of losses. His thoughts however, were broken by the opening of the front door and out stepped Erina.
Soma turned around to look who was coming out and noticed the blonde hair Nakiri coming out. She quietly took a seat at the very top step. The two of them actually didn't talk or really acknowledge each other at first. Instead, they both gazed upon the beautiful night sky that was out before them. After some time passed, their silence was finally broken.
"You know, your dish wasn't half bad," Erina said, as her gaze remained fix on the night sky.
"Yeah I know, though there were some things I could've done differently," Soma replied, as he too, kept his gaze on the night sky.
Erina nodded and the silence returned. It was getting to the point that the silence was becoming very awkward. Neither of them knew what to say to each other, even though both of them had gotten a lot closer over the past few months.
"You cook a lot like your father, Soma-kun," Erina said, as she finally decided to look at Soma. Soma felt her gaze and glanced upwards at her as she continued to speak. "The way you both handle your knives and the techniques you use in the kitchen."
"Well, he basically taught me everything I know. Ever since I was three, I held a knife and cooked. It may not be the fancy foods that you cook, but I've cooked almost anything and everything there is out there," Soma replied as he finally turned around to face Erina.
He went on to explain the history of the father-son competition and some memorable matches that they've had over the years.
"I still can't believe you've never beaten your father in a match though. Almost 500 losses in your lifetime," Erina quipped as Soma really couldn't argue it. He plumped back down on the steps and folded his arms.
"Even when he was sick, I couldn't beat him," Soma mumbled to himself. Erina heard this and let out a small giggle.
"Maybe just shows you your skills as a chef are still very low," Erina responded, though in a more joking matter.
"Was that a joke from the Nakiri?" Soma retorted back and was met with an emphatic "hmph" from Erina who crossed her arms and met Soma with a very serious face.
"You do know that your face can get stuck like that if you do that often, Nakiri," Soma joked but no laughter came from Erina.
"Whatever," she said, as she stood up and headed to go back inside. Before she opened the door however, she gave Soma one more glance, "Just make sure you don't cook anything stupid for the elections, or else you'll never make it to the finals."
"Thanks for the advice," Soma replied. As Erina was about to go inside Soma added one more thing before she left. "Oh and Nakiri, Thanks." Erina turned around and gave Soma a soft smile and went back inside.
Soma decided to remain outside for a little bit.
"She really is something else," he thought to himself. Of all the interactions he had with Erina up to this point, this was probably the closest he's felt to her. He knew immediately that the person that had stepped outside was Erina. He had grown use to her smell, after meeting her so much during the nighttime in the kitchen these past few months. Soma closed his eyes and the first image that came up was of Erina. Her long, honey blonde hair going down her back. Her fragrance that he had grown accustomed to filled his nose. Soma wouldn't admit it, but the blonde was slowly becoming the object of his affection. He just didn't know that he was already the object of hers.
As the night went on, everyone in the dorms finally decided to head to their rooms and retire for the night. Soma finally ate some of his father's cooking and went up to his room. He found his father waiting for him, leaning up against the wall, looking out the window like he use to. As Soma entered the room, his father's gaze fixed back upon his son.
"Oh Soma, sorry, just wanted to see the old room again," Joichirou said as he started to walk for the door.
"Hey old man," Soma said as his father passed him on his way out. Joichiro turned to his son wondering what was up.
"How did you become such a great chef?"
Joichirou studied his son for a moment, trying to figure out what he was really up to. After a few seconds Joichirou finally decided to speak.
"I became such a great chef, because I found a woman I wanted to give all the cooking I make to her. Your mother was that woman, Soma. I became a great chef because of her. Even though she's not here anymore, I cook with her in mind. It's as though every meal I prepare will be for her. You can have all the knowledge and skills in the world, but if there isn't someone special that you want to truly share all of that with, then what's the point."
Soma listened to his father's words carefully. He was a bit surprised that this was the advice that his father was giving him. That Soma needed to find a woman to give all his cooking to.
"Ha, what if that woman calls your food disgusting?" Soma asked, catching Joichirou a little off guard. However, the older Yukihira chuckled and placed a hand on his son's shoulder.
"Then you definitely know she's the one," Joichirou replied. Now this caught Soma off guard. The only person he could think that calls his food disgusting was Erina.
"You think your mom didn't try out all of my disgusting creations? She tried everything and called them disgusting. There were even recipes that I made that I actually tried to make it taste good, yet your mom still called it disgusting. But you know what? That never stopped me. That only made me more determined to make things that she would say were delicious. That is what a true chef would do. The first time she called my cooking delicious, I asked her to marry me right then and there," Joichirou finished and caused Soma to really think about this.
Joichirou chuckled more and opened the door to exit. "Remember, I'm just a phone call away. Also, do what you need to do for the elections in the fall. That will be a totally different beast from what you're accustomed to." Joichirou said as he made his exit leaving Soma in his room by himself. Soma laid down on his bed and stared at the wall, reflecting on the things that his dad just told him.
Soma's mind however, wasn't fixed on the elections advice. He already knew who the two best chefs were that would battle for the first seat.. He was more intrigued about his dad's advice about how to become a great chef. Was Erina really the person who would make him a great chef? There was no way he even had a chance with her right? Soma couldn't help but contemplate these thoughts in his head. However, the more he contemplated, even though he was unaware of it, the feelings he was having for Erina only grew stronger.
Meanwhile, down the hall, Erina was also lying in her bed. She was contemplating how the days events had played out. The meeting in the morning about the Elite Ten elections seemed pointless to her. Like Soma, she knew who the two best chefs were. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but one of the two best chefs lived just two doors down.
Not to mention the fact that secretly, she had like Soma's dish a little more than Joichiro's during their battle. She couldn't help but blush a little, thinking of the way Soma handled his way in the kitchen. Even the food that he produced now was on a totally different level from when he first got to Totsuki. She would refuse to admit it to anyone, even herself, but she was falling head over heels for the redhead. The past few months of cooking in the kitchen late at night with him had only deepened her affection.
Erina hadn't realize that with summer coming, these feelings she had for Soma would only intesify. Summer lovin, happens very fast.
It's been a while, but waiting for the new season really got me into the mood of writing this stuff again. Hopefully whoever reads this enjoys the story. Hopefully, there will be more of this story to come.