Title: Sweet and Spice

Rating: T (language warning)

DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Shokugeki no Soma belongs to Yato Tsukuda and Shun Saeki. Two respected mangaka! I do not own the characters in any way nor the story plot. Only the idea of this fanfiction!

MizukixTsukiyomi's Notes: By miracle, this story got an update, but it wouldn't have it weren't for the support of all of you. I know my last 'update' alarmed a lot of you, and for that I am sorry, but some things had to be said. I was surprised by the love and support this story has, and overall! So for that, thank you. Trust me, this story and others wouldn't be getting updates if it weren't for the support.

Now, this story won (on Tumblr voting) to be updated. I will be having another voting tomorrow on Tumblr! This chapter contains some of the things that happen in canon, but I added the one character a lot of you wanted to see: Hayama. As for Kagome, I hope I don't get hate for this, she is struggling. Her character is struggling. She came from fighting demons to cooking, that is bizarre. I mean, it's hard enough to try to make her fit in somehow...

Aside from that, I researched so many dishes and herbs just to write this chapter, and I thank those who helped me and suggested many recipe pages! I have found a lot of interesting ones to use in the future! I am eternally grateful to all of you!

Now, enjoy! A long chapter because I made you all wait...

Chapter 04: Winning with Uncertainty

Eyes narrowed; blink after blink Kagome could only wonder what some of the vocabulary meant. Since when did cooking have a different language? She shook her head, tired of reading the board. "So apparently, we just need to leave this inside the blender until the palak leaves and the other mixes blend well?" She questioned out loud. Turning to the silver haired male across from her on their station, she saw him beginning to add some cumin onto the melted butter resting over the pan.

Kagome blinked again, watching him working with precise movements and elegancy as he added the tej patta, which she came to learn to be the bay leaf she was familiar with. His movements were never slow nor hesitant. She watched him smell a few more spices required for the dish.

"Guess these will have to do." He spoke.

"Is…there something wrong with them?" She questioned.

Looking up from the small jar in his hand, Hayama noticed his new partner giving him a curious look. He sighed before giving her an answer. "Some spices aren't good quality. If anything, these have a few weeks on the shelf."

Her eyes landed on the jar; she tilted her head to the side. Most people kept their spices until the expiration date. They should be in good shape if they were only a few weeks old, right? Extending her arm out, she met his gaze. "Can I try smelling it?"

It was Hayama's turn to blink back. Having no objection to her request, he placed the small jar and observed her. His brow rose the second she took a sniff and nodded. Did she catch the same thing he did? Before he could question her, he watched her focus back on the blender beside her.

"Oh, the puree is ready." She commented, handing him back the jar before turning off the blender.

Continuing with his side of the recipe, he began to sauté the onions and garlic. The recipe they were given was anything but a challenge to him, but the semester had just started and he was no expecting anything to difficult – yet.

"Here is the puree." Kagome came forth, placing the puree inside a measuring cup. "I will go get the masala powder."

Throughout the cooking, Hayama could not help but observe the miko. From what he had seen and heard since orientation, she was a quiet girl, unlike the other transfer student who had made almost the whole school his enemy. Unfortunately, she was dragged down with him, but he felt no threat from her. Although he would ignore people that had no intention of bettering themselves, he wondered how she was able to pass the transfer exam when it was difficult enough to enroll.

He shook his head, deciding it was best to concentrate on the task in hand. Having already sautéed the rest of the ingredients and adding the puree, Hayama placed a bit of the finished product on a small round dish before handing it towards the miko.

Kagome blinked, confused on the gesture.

"You want to try it?" He asked.

Looking back down at the dish, she slowly raised her hands and nodded. As the green liquid touched the tip of her tongue, she felt her body melt and soothe with the fresh vegetables and powerful spices balancing each other out perfectly. Kagome sighed contently before noticing Hayama continuing with his work. Did he not want her input?

She blinked again, watching him add the last of the cream to the rest of the green curry before plating it off with some jeera rice. "You know," she spoke, placing the small dish on the counter, "I think kasuri methi would go well to top it off."

Hayama raised a brow, stopping halfway from putting the small lemon wedge on the side of the plate. 'Kasuri methi?' He asked himself. 'Huh…not many know about that leaf.' Nodding to her suggestion, he hummed under his breath. "Unfortunately, kasuri methi is a herb from India and other Middle Easters countries. Usually Totsuki would have it, but I saw none of it on the pantry." He turned his attention back to the girl. "How do you know about it?"

Meeting his eyes for only a second, Kagome quickly avoided his curious gaze. She grabbed the plate from his hands and gave him a smile. "We should go present this before time is up."

With a slow nod, Hayama watched the miko make her way forward, letting a few of the groups go first. His brow rose again, questioningly, knowing she had avoided his question.

Kagome's worries of their evaluation were blown away as soon as they watched their instructor's expression. The second the spoon left his mouth, he squealed with excitement and melted at the taste of the spicy yet flavorful curry.

Kagome shook her head, sighing in relief while putting away the dishes they used on the shelves. This was the first time she was cooking in a serious setting without Souma's help, and the butterflies in her stomach were weighing her down. 'If it weren't for Hayama-kun's high confidence, who knows if I could have finished the dish'. She was amazed, to say the least, to see Hayama carry himself so high with his cooking. What amazed her was his knowledge on spices.

For her, herbs were easy to differentiate, but spices were another thing she had yet to learn about. 'And I have heard they are complicated to understand.' She scoffed at herself. 'All I have ever really used was black pepper and salt; sometimes I use paprika, but only when I feel fancy.'

Placing one of the big plates on top of another, Kagome tilted her head to the side in thought. 'Maybe I can ask him for some advice…'

"Here is the last plate."

Turning her head to the side, the miko blinked at the sight of Hayama handing her the white plate. Thanking him, she grabbed it before placing it on the other shelf.

Hayama's brow rose while observing the transfer student he had come to meet outside of orientation. If he was not mistaken, her skills in the kitchen were nothing more than those of an amateur's, but when it came to her suggestion with the herbs, he was taken back. In his years of attending Totsuki, he never met anyone well rounded with their knowledge in such rare herbs. The kasuri methi was rarely used in Asian cuisine, but was known in India. Where had she learned such a thing?

"How did you know about the kasuri methi?" He questioned.

"Huh?" Kagome blinked back, closing the shelf doors.

"Not many people know about it." Hayama explained. "Especially at our age, most people just know the basic herbs like basil and rosemary, to name a few.

Kagome continued to blink, taken back by his interest. Straightening herself out, she turned to face her current partner. "You knew about it, right?"

Chuckling back, Hayama closed his eyes. "I'm an exception."

"Huh…," she nodded as her eyes narrowed, "aren't you special." Scoffing with a smile to match her sarcasm, Kagome knew answering his question would be difficult. How else was she supposed to answer about her knowledge coming from five hundred years ago? Sighing under her breath, Kagome scratched her cheek looking to the side. "My, um, great-great grandmother showed me a few things."

"Great…great grandmother?" Hayama repeated. Seeing her nod, he accepted her answer – somewhat. There had to be more to her knowledge than just learning from her great-great grandmother. Not to mention, to have been able to meet her great-great grandmother, she had to have learned it at a very young age. Nodding once again, Hayama crossed his arms. "It's rare for people our age to be interested in a complicated area of cooking. Trust me, not many are able to remember herbs and spices that easily."

Chuckling back, Kagome's sweat drop loomed over her head.

"Well, I am just surprised the girl from orientation has a skill." He smirked. "After your, hm, friend's declaration to take the number one spot in Totsuki, I was wondering if those words could actually be proved with his and your skill."

Kagome sighed, remembering back to Souma's sudden speech which fueled hate into the crowd. Souma placed a challenge he was sure to push on anyone that came close to taking the number one spot in the academy. And of course he had to take her down to that challenge she wanted to avoid. 'Baka-Souma.' She shook her head. "You are going to have to see yourself if he is skilled enough to take the number one spot here, Hayama-kun."

"Your goals isn't the top?"

Her eyes met his; her lips parted, taken back by the question. Breaking the eye contact, Kagome shrugged. "I will see where I go from here."

Watching the girl walk past him, Hayama remained silent. The thirst for victory rested in all Totsuki students, but having a closer look at his partner, it was not there. If anything, the look in her eyes was loss. Her skills were mediocre, but she had potential.

That was frightening if the flame for winning ignited.

Following her to their table, he watched her grab her school bag from the shelves below. "Have you joined a research society?"

Kagome stood back up, blinking with confusion. "Research society?"

Feeling the rays of the sun hitting her eyelids, Kagome raised her hand to block the rays. With her class over and the other subjects coming to an end, Kagome felt a little relieved. She had almost forgotten the routine of school and her brain was beginning to fume. She exhaled softly, turning around the corner of the building while holding her school bag on the side.

Her mind wandered to her recent partner: Hayama. Something told her the skills he demonstrated himself today were not his full potential. Shaking her head, Kagome continued her way down the main courtyard of the school.

"Research societies?"

The familiar voice rung in her ears; Kagome raised her eyes forward to see her red headed childhood friend staring at bulletin board in front of the main office of the school. She noticed Megumi standing behind him, laughing – nervously – as she watched the young Yukihira scan the papers posted on the board.

"Souma-kun. Megumi-chan. Are you two done for the day?"

The two turned their heads to the left; a wider smile broke onto Megumi's lips. "Kagome-chan!" She called. "How did your first day go in a new class? I hope it wasn't difficult…"

Kagome shook her head. "Not at all. I actually got a good partner to help me through the recipe."

"Partner?" Souma repeated, sticking one of his hands inside his pockets. "Eh~ so you managed not to get expelled."

Brows furrowing down, the corner of Kagome's lip began to twitch. "You know, if it weren't for your little speech in orientation, making friends wouldn't be such a big problem. And if I get expelled it's because of you." Kicking him in the shin, she chuckled at the sight of the red head bending down and groaning in pain.

"What are you two even talking about?" The miko questioned, ignoring Souma's glare.

Megumi blinked, silent over Souma's and Kagome's small conversation. 'Guess they really are childhood friends…'

"Tadokoro was telling me about research societies." Souma replied, as he straightened himself up. "Whatever those are."

"Ah!" Megumi blinked back into reality. "You see, I was explaining to Souma-kun about them. Totsuki has a ton of groups that do research on specific types of food. Members can develop new recipes after school or even compete in cooking contests outside of the academy."

"So it's like clubs." Souma nodded, hooking his fingers under his chin.

'Research societies, huh? That was what Hayama-kun was talking to me about…' Kagome had wondered what sparked Hayama to ask if she was part of one. Looking down at her school bag, she was unsure if it was a good idea to ask Megumi if she knew anything about the research society Hayama had presented her with.

"I'm in the Regional Cooking Research Society." Megumi smiled. "I think research societies help individuals discover new methods of cooking!"

"Well," Souma scoffed, "you weren't kidding about there being many. There is even with different themes: Japanese, Western, and Chinese cuisine. Oh! There is Haute cuisine and vegetarian cuisine! Then there is…fermented foods and preserved foods? Ah! Look! There is one for bentos!" His eyes wandered upwards until a certain flier with pictures of bowls caught his attention. "The Donmono Research Society? Maybe it will inspire menu items for our restaurant. We should go take a look!"

"Huh?" Before Kagome could question his words, she felt his hand grabbing her wrist before being pulled into another building. "O-Oi!"

"Come on, Tadokoro! You, too!" Souma shouted with a grin.

"Why us!?" Kagome exclaimed. "Go by yourself!"

After ten minutes of searching for the place, Souma smiled as he read the name of the research society over the door. "Yosh!" He nodded to himself – despite having the two girls behind him confused for having been dragged – before sliding the door open. With expectations of seeing many students cooking and the smell of food dancing in the room, Souma and the other two were taken back by the sight of a male with a pompadour looking defeated on a chair.

Eyes of the mysterious male rose to meet their lost gazes. With a scoff, he looked down with a heavy sigh. "Sorry, but you should all go. Don RS is about to become history."

The three blinked simultaneously; Kagome leaned towards the red head in front of her. "Are you sure this is the place?"

"It has to be." Souma replied. Scanning the rest of the room, Souma noticed the many posters of different restaurants displaying their own donburi bowls. His eyes landed down, seeing some notebooks scattered across the room and other supplies with mountains of dust. "Yo." He raised his hand. "My name is Yukihira Souma, and this is Higurashi Kagome and Tadokoro Megumi. We came here because we were interested in the research society."

"We were?" Megumi whispered towards the miko.

Kagome shook her head. "Just let him be."

"I see." He sighed back. "I'm Konishi, the leader of this research society."

Taking another look at the said leader, they could not help but feel the gloom on his person blanket the area. Souma tilted his head to the side, watching his pompadour wobble. "Are you okay…senpai?"

"You look pretty down." Kagome added, noticing the notebooks on the floor having foot prints on them.

Konishi scoffed as small laughs came out of his throat. "Laugh at me all you want. I couldn't save Don RS."

Megumi squatted down to grab one of the notebooks. Blinking, she began to flip through it with amazement at the detailed recipes. "Are these recipe collections?" She questioned handing the book over to the miko.

As Kagome flipped through the pages, Souma took a peek at the contents from over her shoulder. "Woah!" He blinked, surprised to see the many recipes done by the society. "From more mainstream items to off-beats ones. They're all jazzed up with a spark of creativity! These recipes are all interesting! So why do you have to shut down?"

Hearing the metal chair drop to the floor from Konishi's abrupt stand, Kagome and Souma jolted as soon as Konishi grabbed Souma's shoulders. "You get us!? Yukihira!"

Souma's leaned back as much as he could, hoping the miko would pull him away from Konishi's hands. "H-He is crying!"

"The don has a functional beauty that obeys the laws of speed, taste, and affordability!" Konichi cried with pride. "It mans up by being contained in a bowl! It's food for men who fight! As a man, I…I cannot die until I create the penultimate don!"

Finally released from Konishi's hold, Souma slowly backed away from his fiery passion. He cleared his throat, unsure is his voice would reach the miko's and Megumi's ears. "He sure is something…"

"More like oppressive." The miko whispered as Megumi nodded to the two of them.

"My Don RS!" Konichi exhaled, falling back down on another chair behind him. "If only Nakiri Erina didn't exist…!"

At the name, both Kagome and Souma gave each other a glance. Kagome raised a brow first, becoming interested in the sudden appearance of the girl in their conversation. "Nakiri?" She repeated. "What about her?"

"Well," Konichi's shoulders dropped, "this is how she works. First, she will propose that the council cut the budget or decrease the allotted space for any group she doesn't like. She strongarms them into voting in agreement. Once they're cornered, the groups have no choice but one: the last-ditch Shokugeki!"

"Shokugeki…" Kagome whispered, noticing Souma reacting to the word. If it was the competition Isshiki had explained, then she could only presume Shokugekis was the gate to decide on things or get your way. She only hoped Shokugekis would be far from their current path.

"In return for accepting the Shokugeki challenge, Nakiri will make even more extreme demands, and, in the end, get her own way. That is how she is expanding her sphere of influence. Once my members learned that our opponent is one of the Nakiri's lackeys, they all fled…" Konishi's head dipped low once again as the gloom atmosphere returned.

Souma nodded, crossing his arms as he saw Konichi's flame slowly blow out. "He's doesn't inspire a loyal following, huh?" He whispered to the girls. "So are you facing off with Nakiri?"

"Actually-"

The sliding doors opened; the four blinked, placing their focus at the entrance of the room. A dozen carpenters and architects began to flock into the room while holding clipboards under their arm. Konishi quickly stood up, trying to stop the men from further entering the club. "O-Oi!" He shouted, seeing them taking measurements and other calculations.

"Hm," one of the carpenters spoke, looking over his shoulder towards the door frame, "rather than a renovation, it would be faster to raze this place down and rebuild from scratch."

"Yeah?"

Eyes landed on the short haired blonde with tan skin nodding to the carpenter. Megumi and Kagome blinked, taken back by the different take on the uniform: white shirt tied into a crop top and what looked like a knife holder on her thigh strapped with an arm sheath. The miko's brow rose, noticing the look in her turquoise eyes: prideful.

"Let's go with that, then!" She scoffed, looking at the place with disgust.

"Who do you think you are, Mito!?" Konichi exclaimed.

"What?" She glared, taking a few steps towards him. "I just came to do a survey. I already know the outcome, after all." Placing her foot to the side of Konichi's thigh, she backed up into a wall. A smirk displayed itself as she leaned forward, making the leader of the society shrink with embarrassment. "Like Erina-sama said, no matter how much effort you put into a don, they are a low-class dish relegated to class B gourmet fare. Totsuki has no need for such a dish. That's what she said."

Kagome blinked, noticing Souma's fingers curl into a fist and his brows furrow from her words. Taking a step back, she cupped the side of her mouth with hand. "Megumi-chan? Do you know who she is?"

"Huh?" Megumi whispered back, feeling her body shake from the tension in the room. "U-Um…that's Mito Ikumi-san; she is a first year, and known as the Meat Master. She has always received high ratings, ever since junior high. She's never received anything below an A rating for meat dishes. Her knowledge of all things meat-related is said to be top-notch, even within the academy."

Nodding back, Kagome returned to focus on Ikumi's behavior. 'She said 'Erina-sama'…does that mean she works under her or idolizes her?' If that was the case, then the school was beginning to become more problematic for her.

Ikumi licked her lips as she patted Konichi's pompadour with her hand. "Well, it's a different story if you think you can win against me. Get it now, RS leader-san? A club like this doesn't belong here."

Feeling a lump in his throat, Konichi's glare slowly lowered before turning his head to the side. "D-Damn you, Nikumi!" He whispered under his breath.

In a flash, Ikumi grabbed the knife behind her on the counter and sliced off Konichi's pompadour in half. Megumi jumped as soon as it landed before her feet and scurried to hide behind the miko. Ignoring Konichi's shouts about his hair, Ikumi's brows tightened into her glare. "My name isn't Nikumi. Say that one more time, and the rest of your hair comes off! You have no chance against me! No matter what dish you may try to create, you will never beat my super high-quality meat!"

"Wait," Kagome interrupted, finally realizing who the person had to be if Konichi was becoming defensive, "don't tell me she is your Shokugeki opponent?"

Souma blinked, having heard the miko beside him. Taking another look at Konichi's opponent, he gave himself a nod before placing his hands inside his pockets. "Hm, I think you give cooking a bad name if all you care about is the price of your ingredients."

"Huh?" Ikumi's glared tightened, seeing someone else meddle into the conversation.

Pushing Konichi to the side by placing his hand on his shoulder, Souma stood in between the two. "Senpai, can you let me handle this Shokugeki?"

Kagome and the other two were taken back by Souma's request. Frozen in place, Kagome could only stare at his back. Was he being serious? Did he not hear Isshiki's warning about Shokugekis? Even his expulsion was not enough! And here she had thought they were able to avoid Shokugekis in the beginning of the school year!

"Who the hell are you?" Ikumi's question became laced with irritation. "Outsiders should stay out-!" She blinked, taking a closer look at the red head. It slowly came back to her: orientation. She scoffed at herself for having forgotten the face of the idiot declaring the number one spot. "You're the transfer student from the opening ceremony." Her eyes landed on the miko standing a few feet behind him. "Huh, you're here, too. Well, this saves me time; I have been wanting to talk to the both of you. Both of you seem to be confident in your skills if you're willing to butt into someone else's Shokugeki."

A sweat drop loomed over the miko's head. 'More like Souma-kun's is the idiot with high confidence. He just dragged me with him into hell!'

"Well," Soume chuckled, "why don't we compete on your turf with a meat dish, then?" His eyes narrowed; smile vanished from his expression. "I will win, though."

Ikumi's eyes mimicked his upon hearing his declaration of victory. "Then if I win, asshole, are you willing to leave Totsuki?"

Kagome's stomach dropped hearing her words. To hear them so easily being said, it began to alarm her of the seriousness the Shokugeki held. Taking a step forward, she tried to stop Souma from going forward with his plan but came out dry. 'Baka! Don't agree to it!'

"Tch, if you don't have the balls to do that, don't talk so big-"

"Sure, fine!" He replied.

"W-What?!" Ikumi exclaimed, surprised to hear his casual acceptance.

"In return," Souma continued, "if I win…yeah, you need to join Don RS."

"Huh!?" They all exclaimed at the same time.

The smirk on his lips returned, seeing Ikumi's shocked expression. "Join Don RS and contribute to advancing don culture. Let's call it penance for bothering us."

Ikumi blinked, unsure what to think about the transfer student. His confidence was at a level only those with experience could hold. Feeling the back of her neck beginning to sweat, Ikumi gulped. "You really think you can win against me…?" She chuckled, clapping her hands together to grab the team's attention in the room. "That's it for today, contractors!" Waiting for the team to leave the room, Ikumi raised a brow at the red head. "Then, the main ingredient will be 'meat', and the dish will be the don. The cook-off will be in three days! Once you're out, the other transfer student is next!"

Watching her leave, Kagome blinked with bitterness. "Why me…?"

"W-Why did you do that, Yukihira?" Konichi questioned, staring at the red head's back.

"Well," Souma sighed, "hearing her say that pricey meat is everything…I couldn't let that pass me by, as a diner brat. Besides, I think this club is too good to let it go to waste."

"And a brat you are." Kagome scoffed.

"But," Megumi cut in, "do you have a plan, Souma-kun?"

He blinked, staring at the girl for a few seconds before looking up at the ceiling. They waited for his reply; Kagome felt her brow beginning to twitch with the silence stretching a little too long.

"I'll think one up-"

Konichi and Megumi jolted as they saw Souma's head dip down from the slap on the back of his head. Kagome quickly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, despite the height giving her a less intimidating stance. "What the hell are you thinking?! I knew you were stupid, but not this stupid! What are you thinking going into a Shokugeki?!" Releasing him, the miko exhaled – heavily; Souma definitely tired her out with his antics. Shaking her head, she let him talk with Konishi knowing there was no way to change his mind.

Bending down to grab her school bag off the floor, she noticed the zipper open and revealing the paper in between her notebooks. Kagome blinked, remembering the silver haired male that had given her the paper along with an invite to look at his own research society. Taking it out, she read the directions leading to a secluded area away from the main buildings. Perhaps, he could help her figure out a way to find her own cooking skill – if that.

"Megumi-chan?"

She turned her head at the call of her name; Megumi blinked, noticing the paper in her hands. "Yes, Kagome-chan?"

"Is it okay if I meet you two at the dorm?" She questioned.

Blinking again, Megumi stayed silent for a few second before noticing the miko's eyes falling back to the paper. She nodded; she gave her a smile. "Yeah, no problem. I'll tell Souma-kun you went ahead of us."

"Thanks." Kagome gave her a smile back, knowing Megumi was probably curious about her early leave. Taking another glance at the red head talking with Konishi, she could only shake her head. What she needed was that confidence of his to survive in this school, and that meant finding her drive and specialty.

Staring at the paper in her hands, Kagome was not even sure why she was listening to her curiosity. She had already learned from her feudal adventures her curiosity was one to avoid. Yet, here she was in front of a building with no clue what was inside of it.

Her eyes lowered back to the paper; why would Hayama even give her this? His words repeated in her head.

"I work in a research society that concentrates on making spices and herbs. You are more than welcome to join. Not many are allowed to join, but…I see potential in you."

"Potential, huh?" She whispered to herself. She only had a few days with the label as a Totsuki student, but did she even want to become a chef like the rest? Seeing Souma and even his new 'rival' Ikumi go at it gave her a sense of emptiness. Maybe she was not cut out to be part of the culinary world? But for Hayama to say she had potential, perhaps she had something. 'Maybe taking a look inside wouldn't hurt…'

As her fist rose to knock on the door, she became startled at the sight of Hayama appearing on the other side. She chuckled nervously upon seeing his confused blink. "G-Gomenasai," she stuttered, "I came to see the research society…"

Hayama stared back. He did not expect to see her back so quickly. Most people in Totsuki avoided the research society seeing how under budget it was and most only concentrating in areas they deemed was important. Nodding, he stood under the door frame. "I am surprised you came so quick, Higurashi-san. Most people aren't even interested in a two-person research society."

"Two people?"

Sighing under his breath, he lifted the piece of paper between his index and middle finger. "Unfortunately, I was just sent to go to the store to buy a few things so I can't really show you the research society today."

"Oh! We have a visitor!?"

The sudden female voice made the two teens jump before noticing a petite brunette female lowering herself below Hayama's arm to get a look at the miko. Kagome at the girl with big round glasses and long brown hair held into a high ponytail wearing a white coat. Was she a student?

Watching her duck down, the said female grabbed the miko's hand into a handshake. "It's very nice to see Hayama-kun making friends! No one ever comes here and pulls him into a chat!"

"Oi." His eyes narrowed.

"What's your name?" She smiled, ignoring Hayama's intimidation.

"Higurashi, Kagome." The miko replied, still confused. "Um, and you are?"

"This is Shiomi Jun." Hayama replied, sighing again. "She is in charge of the research society."

Blinking down at the smiling female, Kagome wondered how a student came to be in charge of something most students would not be permitted to do so.

"She is a professor in the academy." Hayama continued, receiving a wide eyed look from the miko. "What?"

"A-A professor?" She repeated, turning her head towards Jun. "You look so young…"

"Oh, why thank you." She smiled brightly as her hands came to cup both of her cheeks. "Well spices do wonders on the skin, you know."

"Actually, I invited Higurashi-san here to join the research society." Hayama pointed with his thumb. "She is well informed on herbs and spices."

Kagome shook her heads noticing the immediate interest from Jun's expression. "J-Just herbs, really. And I wouldn't say I am that informed." That was no lie. After witnessing Hayama's elegant cooking and his way of easily telling which spices worked just with his sense of smell, her own knowledge was nothing.

Jun hooked her fingers under her chin in thought as she observed the miko in front of her. For Hayama to recommend someone, that was definitely odd and rare in her book, but that meant he noticed something that could be of use in the society she worked hard for. "Hmm," she nodded, "well first years aren't usually allowed to work in research societies until their second year, but I can see what I can do. After all, Hayama-kun is recommending you to the society so you must have caught his eye."

Seeing her smile – that can be described as a mother's pride for her son – Kagome could not help but look at Hayama again. He simply shook his head in response to Jun's implications. Nodding back, Kagome gave her a small bow with her head. "If I can't, don't worry. Being recommended, as you said, is an honor." She was just curious to begin with.

Hayama's eyes dropped to her fingers; his nose caught the smell of other herbs associated with those used on meat. He raised a brow. What was she working on?

Kagome took another look at the building. Run down with different types of metals, she could tell the research society probably had the lowest support of Totsuki. 'And after hearing Hayama-kun saying it was only them two, I wonder why.' She smiled at Jun and gave her another respectful bow. "Thank you again. I'll be sure to visit even if I can't be admitted."

Returning the smile, Jun waved her goodbye. "Of course. A friend of Hayama-kun's is always welcome here."

"Jun." His tone hardened. He huffed, knowing the professor would only ignore him. Turning his head back to the miko, he gave her a small nod before watching her leave the front.

He could only wonder how far the girl would go if that fire inside of her did not start.

"What the heck is Yukihira thinking!?"

"Mah, mah," Isshiki chuckled, seeing the young girl grasping the sides of her head, "I am sure he has a plan of some sort, Yoshino-chan."

Sighing defeatedly over the table and spreading her arms out, Yoshino glared at the school paper in front of her. News about the Shokugeki quickly made the paper, and now there it was: Ikumi versus Souma. She groaned, annoyed with the fact the idiot had not listened to Isshiki or know about the consequences of taking on Shokugekis just like that. "Everyone in the academy is talking about it!"

"Calm down, Yuki!" Sakaki patted her shoulder.

Megumi grabbed the paper from the table with a heavy sigh. Despite Souma being capable to cook good dishes, he was dealing with someone who had the upper hand. "I told him I would do my best to help, but we have too little time…"

"Hey."

The three girls and Isshiki turned their heads to the entrance of the dining room. A smile appeared over Isshiki's lips seeing the miko entering with her school bag in hand. "Konbanwa, Kagome-chan! Busy day?"

Kagome chuckled nervously. Why did she feel like a criminal? All she was doing was seeing another society. "Somewhat." She replied. Before she could place her school bag on one of the chairs to join them, she was immediately grabbed the shoulders. The miko's eyes widened, taken back by Yoshino's frightened and angered expression.

"Control the baka!" Yoshino shouted.

"I-I'm trying…" A sweat drop hung over the miko's head.

"I am surprised he took on a challenge that quick." Isshiki spoke, grabbing his cup of tea. "I do hope he knows he will have to have a plan."

Looking up at the stairs leading to the second floor, Kagome's brows furrowed. The idiot needed a talk.

With a small gap allowing visual into Souma's room, Kagome could only stare at the said boy laying on his bed as he held one of the don books in the air. Flip after flip, she could see his brows furrow each time. Kagome sighed, knowing there was going to be no way to pull him out of the Shokugeki.

He was a stubborn boy.

The soft force of her knock made the door open a bit wider. She gave herself permission to walk in; her eyes wandered over to the suitcase carrying his knifes on the desk and opened: sharpened.

"You really are an idiot." She whispered, walking over to the knifes.

"I thought you already knew that about me." He chuckled, flipping through the book.

Raising a brow, she looked at the Yukihira boy over her shoulder. "You are admitting you are?"

"Hehe~," his shoulders jumped slightly with his laugh, "we both are stubborn, though."

She parted her lips to bark back at his comment, but quickly pressed them together. There was nothing she could say to prove that wrong. She exhaled against before looking back at the knifes in his case. Her fingers slowly rose to touch the handle only to freeze her actions. A frown took over her lips; her brows furrowed in with guilt.

With the silence having stretched too long, which was rare when it came between the two of them, Souma lowered the book down to his chest to see his childhood friend staring at his knife set. The frown on her face was not missed. Sighing under his breath, the young Yukihira slowly rose from his bed before making his way towards his desk.

"Don't worry." He spoke, pulling her out of her thoughts and taking out one of his knifes. "I got this."

A big smile appeared, making the miko to give him a small smile back before her eyes landed on the scar on his left eyebrow. She nodded, turning her back on him. "Yeah, yeah. Just don't come crying or begging if you lose, Souma-kun."

He chuckled back, watching her leave his room. She cared too much at times.

Stretching out her arms out with her yawn, Kagome was greeted with an empty campus. So much for her Saturday to be a sleep-in day; the things she did for the stubborn Yukihira. For him to request to meet in the club room confused her. It was not like she could help him create anything special, nonetheless for a Shokugeki.

Feeling her sighs almost coming empty, the miko made her way towards the main building only to stop at the sudden appearance of the silver haired male. She blinked, taken back by his presence. 'My aura-readings must really be rusty if I didn't even sense him…'

His green eyes blinked back, but the rest of his expression remained unchanged. "Higurashi-san." He spoke. "Ohayou gozaimasu."

"O-Ohayou gozaimasu, Hayama-kun." She chucked nervously. "What are you doing on the main campus this early in the morning?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

Well, he got her there. The corner of her lips twitched, avoiding his questioning gaze.

"I see the other transfer student got himself involved in a Shokugeki." Hayama spoke, bringing back the miko's attention onto him.

Kagome blinked, seeing the same school paper in his hand. She could not help but eye the stupid look on Souma's picture that was clearly on his registration papers and school ID. Shoulders dropping, Kagome nodded. "Unfortunately; the baka doesn't know how to keep his nose out of other people's business." She looked to the side. 'Then again, neither do I.'

He scoffed back, looking back at the headlines for the Shokugeki. "Just let him know it won't be easy. He only has today and tomorrow morning to think about his recipe." His eyes narrowed at the miko. "Also, I spoke with Jun."

"Jun?" Kagome repeated. "Ah, the professor…"

"Seems like you may be able to join us."

Surprised by the fast news, Kagome could only muster a few blinks before realizing he was waiting on her reply, or excitement – if that was what he wanted. Nodding slowly, Kagome gave him a small smile. "Ah, well…thanks." Her sheepish laugh came out, unsure what to express. "Although I am unsure if I am cut out to be part of Shiomi-sensei's society."

Hayama's brow rose; what was she talking about?

"I'll give it some thought." She bowed. "Please give her my thanks, Hayama-kun."

With one nod, Hayama watched the miko walk past him before disappearing into the halls of the main building. He scoffed before bringing out a cinnamon stick from a small bag tucked in his pocket. Taking a whiff of the spice, he finally sighed.

That spark inside of her had yet to be ignited. The moment it was, he was sure she would become a threat to his own skills.

Sliding the door open, Kagome was taken back by the sight of Megumi and Konishi asleep with their heads resting over the counter. She blinked before moving her gaze towards the red head staring outside the window. "Not going well, huh?" She asked, walking over the fallen notebooks.

Souma sighed; shoulders dropped with his exhale. "Well, according to Konishi-senpai, Nikumi is really someone we got to look out for. He apparently ate one of Nikumi's steaks at an academy event.

'Nikumi?' The miko's brow crooked up. 'Is he talking about Ikumi-san?'

"Apparently, her level 'A5' meat was drinkable."

"Drinkable?" Kagome repeated. "Is…that even possible?"

He shrugged back as he saw some of the bowls he had served to Megumi and Konishi only half eaten. Up since four in the morning, their stomach had become upset with one meal after another. "Konishi-senpai says the second you take a bite of her meat, it transforms into a mass of umami that slips down your throat." He scoffed, remembering Konishi's words. "It's an expensive meat. The 'Mito Clan', as Konishi-senpai called it, operates a large-scale meat wholesale business that rivals another huge Japanese meat company that ships worldwide."

"Do you have the money for it?"

"Does it look like I have that money?" Digging into his pockets, he brought out one five thousand yen and two one-thousand yen bills. "The old man thinks I can survive off from this!"

A sheepish laugh escaped the miko. It was no surprise Joichiro would do that to his own son.

"All ingredients for the Shokugeki also have to be prepared by yourself." Souma added. He scratched the back of his head, groaning as ideas were not coming to him. "We even tried most of the don recipes they have here and nothing seemed to impress Konishi-san compared to Nikumi's. Kago-chan-"

"Stop calling me that."

"What is your favorite don?" He asked.

Hooking her fingers under her chin, Kagome looked away in thought. "My favorite don? Hmm, well I love udon."

"That isn't a don dish." His eyes narrowed.

"Ah…right." She tapped her chin. Don bowls consisted of rice bowls and something on top. "You said you tried all variations of dons, right? Maybe stop thinking about the meat itself and think about the bowl as a whole."

Souma blinked, turning around to face the miko. "As a whole?"

Kagome nodded back. "Beef is something I don't like to eat as often, and it can be heavy for one's stomach. If you have rice, which fills you up quickly, you won't finish the bowl, right?" She pouted, thinking back to the simple don bowl back in the feudal era before they even had a name. "You want your customers to finish their meal; you need flavors complimenting each other rather than compete against each other." She blinked at the given confusion from Souma's expression. "Think about it…beef is heavy and needs a lot of seasoning, so why not mess with the rice?"

Blinking again, Souma's mind slowly took in the miko's words. He quickly grasped the miko's shoulders, bringing her close. "Kago-chan! You're a genius! I think I got it now!"

"E-Eh?"

"Here are the ingredients and tools you need for the match. I got everything you asked for."

Souma nodded as he re-checked his ingredients and supplies on the counter as they waited in one of the waiting rooms inside the arena. Turning around, he gave a smile to the leader of the Don RS. "Arigatou, Konishi-senpai!"

Konishi blinked, worried over Souma's mental health. He was a first year and this was a Shokugeki against Ikumi, a person working under the honorable and strong Nakiri Erina. Placing his hands over his hips, Konishi's brows furrowed with concern. "Did you get any sleep, Yukihira?"

"Well," he lowered his eyes on the rice bowl on the counter, "after last night, I tweaked the sauce a little more. I think I got a good two hours."

Megumi sighed, just as worried as Konishi about the outcome. Hearing the door to their waiting room open, she turned around. "Ah!" A small smile broke through her anxiety. "Kagome-chan!"

Walking into the room, she could feel the heavy auras of Megumi and Konishi beginning to tire them out, but then there was the bright and excited aura radiating from the red head. She sighed as she made her way inside. "Hey, Megumi-chan." She gave Konishi a bow before coming to stand behind the red head. Watching him recount the onions in the bag, she wondered if he was able to get the meat he needed. "Did you go to buy the meat you wanted?"

"Of course!" Souma grinned. "It was my lucky day, too!"

"How are you two so calm…?" Megumi questioned, amazed by the calm composure the two held. "I checked the arena and there are so many people…! For times like this, you should write the kanji for 'man' on your palm!"

Kagome and Souma blinked, seeing the girl following her own advice while pacing around the room. Chuckling at her cute behavior, Kagome patted Megumi's back. "Trust me, I am nervous, but I am just nervous this baka's confidence gets to his head and gets him kicked out."

"Eh~," Souma smirked, "but confidence is what you need to prevail."

"Not yours." She quickly replied.

A knock on the door made them turn to see one of the Totsuki staff holding a clipboard and a walkie talkie in hand. "We will begin in five minutes; please start heading to the arena."

"Yosh!" Souma nodded, grabbing his case from the counter. "Let's save Don RS!"

"Ladies and gentlemen! Sorry for the wait!" The host, a black haired Totsuki student wearing a pink bow behind her head, held the microphone in her hands as she stood in the middle of the stage. "The administration has deemed this match an official Shokugeki! I am Kawashima Urara, a first year in the high school division! I'll be your host for this event!" Delivering a wink to the audience, Urara grinned with pride as the males in the audience chanted her name while ignoring the glares of the females.

Clearing her throat, Urara stretched her hand to the left, giving the audience the view of the incoming participant of the Shokugeki. "Now," she continued, "the contestants will be coming in from each corner! The first one to enter is…" The characters of the name appeared one by one on the screens above the stage as the contestant walked up the stairs leading to the platform. "The Meat Master, Mito Ikumi!"

"Alright!" Urara smiled, turning to the other corner. "Here comes the other contestant!"

As the name appeared on the screen, negative calls from the crowd were thrown down on the young Yukihira and the three behind him. Urara chuckled nervously as the 'boo's' echoed throughout the arena. "T-The transfer student no one can stop talking about, Yukihira Souma-kun!"

"Boo!"

"Die, shithead!"

"Don't think we haven't forgotten that crap you pulled on the first day!"

The miko's brow twitched with annoyance as she heard the death threats and anger being spewed on the red head. Comments about the orientation were brought up, making her look at Souma to see his reaction.

"Oi. Oi." Konishi blinked, frightened over the negative welcome. "What's up with this huge crowd? I didn't expect it this big, and what's up with this uproar?" Turning towards the red head, a sweat drop appeared. "Didn't you just transfer in this spring? Why do you have so many haters?"

Turning his head left and right, Souma tapped his chin with his index finger in thought. One brow crooked up, confused over the crowd's 'booing'. "I don't know. I haven't done anything that I can think of?"

"Seriously?" The corner of the miko's lip twitched.

"Well, then!" Urara spoke. "Allow me to run through the process. There will be three judges. The theme is don. And the main ingredient is meat! If Mito-san wins, the Donmono Research Society will be shut down, and Yukihira-kun will be expelled. If Yukihira-kun wins, Don RS's budget will be increased, and their cooking facilities will be upgraded. In addition, Mito-san will join Don RS!"

Watching Souma meet her on the platform, Ikumi smirked as she rested her hands on her hips. "Hey, transfer student! Today will be the last day I ever talk to you. If you have any last words, now's the time to say them."

"Oh yeah?" Souma grinned back. Untying the white headband from his arm, he quickly placed it over his forehead before turning his back on his opponent. "We can still talk anytime we want in the Don RS club room."

Ikumi's eyes narrowed. Did he seriously think he could win against her? Especially in her area of specialty? Scoffing, Ikumi turned around to face her station only to see the crowd looking up on the VIP rooms.

The miko blinked, seeing Erina making her way towards a chair as her assistant followed behind. Judging by the look of the luxurious room, she was beginning to think those with a high status in Totsuki received an expensive treatment.

"Oi, look!" Some of the students in the crowd whispered. "It's Nakiri Erina!"

"Erina-sama…"

The room fell silent; eyes remained glued on the tenth seat.

Ikumi's lips parted, knowing everything was at stake her. Even her link to 'God's Tongue'.

"Seriously!?" Yoshino exclaimed, astonished to see Erina making an appearance to a low level Shokugeki. Relaxing back on her seat, she looked at the rest of the dormitory students beside her. "Why would she be here?"

Adjusting his glasses – making sure he was seeing clear – Marui's eyes narrowed. "Why would one of the Elite Ten bother to attend a Shokugeki involving Don RS?"

"That's because Mito is in Nakiri Erina's faction, isn't it?" Ibusaki commented, crossing his arms.

"Really?" Sakaki tilted her head to the side. "I mean, could that be the only reason?" It was not the first time one of the Elite Ten members had lackeys on their side, but many of them did not even bother checking up on them knowing they had the skills to defeat their opponents.

Ikumi's smile broke out as she saw Erina's nod. 'Erina-sama has come all this way to watch us?!'

Keeping her own focus on the tenth seat above, Kagome felt this had to do more than just seeing the Don RS become history. Considering their small 'history' with her, Kagome knew Erina held a little grudge against Souma and herself.

"Now, then! Let us proceed! Contestants, to your stations! Everything is at stake in this battle of the palates! Let the Shokugeki…begin!"

Horns echoed throughout the arena, signaling the start of the battle. Looking over her shoulder, Ikumi scoffed at Souma's slow pace. "Oi! Transfer student! I'll show you an ingredient that a low-life piece of trash like you could never hope to touch for the rest of his sorry life!"

"Huh?" Souma looked over his shoulder.

"Behold, the ultimate meat!" Ikumi moved to the side, displaying the whole body of meat hanging from a hook. The cold fog surrounded the meat; the quality shined just through the color.

"Ah!" Konishi took a step back. "I knew she would go for that! It's A5 beef!"

"A5, huh?" Kagome nodded. Despite not knowing a lot of cooking techniques and recipes, she was becoming thankful to the school: she was learning something. 'So they weren't lying when they said Ikumi-san had the access to high quality meat.' Watching Ikumi take out her butcher knife, she effortlessly began to slice up chunks of the meat to severe the tendons and keeping the shape of the cuts smooth.

"That's a cleaver for butchering the meat." Konishi whispered, amazed by her precision. "Her strength is incredible!" His eyes sparkled at the sight of the big chunk of shoulder meat that was placed over a pan. "I-I have never seen marbling that fine! That shine of the fat and the meat itself is unbelievable!"

Ikumi placed her hand over the meat as she leaned towards it to catch the smell. 'That's a good boy.' She smirked. 'There's a faint sweetness that tickles your nose. As meat ages, the quantity of umami factors like glutamic acid increases, resulting in a sweet smell. I'm going to prepare the finest meat with my finest skills!'

Watching her sear the meat on a pan over the stove with butter, Kagome crossed her arms. The smell of the meat wafted around the arena, making mouths water just at the sight of the meat browning. "She is trying to keep the meat juices inside by making a seal around the meat. She is going to put it in the oven later…" Megumi and Konishi blinked as they came to stare at the miko. Feeling their stares on her person, Kagome blinked back. "What?"

"How do you know that, Kagome-chan?" Megumi asked, wondering.

Kagome – confused herself- wondered how her words slipped through her lips without thinking. It was not like she knew cooking techniques to be certain on what they would do, but she had seen Yukihira's father do it multiple times in the restaurant when she was a kid. Was it her memories that made her speak?

Before she could reply to Megumi's question, they heard the oven door close. Curiosity rose as they saw Ikumi smirking at the meat inside the oven. Ikumi chuckled, turning around to see Souma's progress. 'Now, how is the transfer student doing?'

"As for Yukihira-kun," Urara spoke, wondering like the rest of the crowd, "it seems he has just finished mincing many onions." Seeing the tray of minced onions on the screen, Urara's brow raised in question. "What could he be using those for? Oh!" She shouted, seeing Souma put his hand inside the cooler. "Looks like he is finally taking the meat out!" As Souma took out a plastic bag, she waited with eagerness to see what he would show. "Let's see how his meat measures up to Mito-san's A5-grade wagyu beef!"

Eyes blinked; all of them blinked upon reading the store's name on the plastic bag: Sendai – Discount Supermarket.

"Eh?" Urara whispered into the microphone.

"Well, look at that." Kagome nodded, finally realizing where he had gone in the morning to buy the meat. And by the looks of the students, everyone was in shock. Souma took out the simple sirloin steak and placed it on the counter. With the sticker prices still on it, she sighed. "Half off…"

"Cheap…?" Ikumi blinked.

"Half off!?" Urara exclaimed.

"Oh?" Souma looked up, realizing the silence. "Ah!" A – goofy – grin appeared over his lips. "I was lucky! They happened to be on sale!"

His laugh overran the silence in the arena as his grin was plastered on the screens.

"Bullshit!"

"Get out!"

"Ah! Please stop!" Urara squealed as she tried dodging the trash that was being thrown by the angry students. "Please stop throwing things!"

Ducking at the trash being thrown towards the stage, Kagome glared at the boys closest to the stage. She quickly picked up one of the empty bottles off the floor. "Oi! Don't be throwing things!" This school was starting to get on her nerves!

"K-Kagome-chan!" Megumi hugged her arm, stopping her from creating more violence. To see Kagome snapping was a sight to remember, but being in public was a problem and the last thing she wanted was Kagome being suspended.

Ikumi scoffed as Souma began to season the cheap meat. "I've seen enough. You can just use the rest of the allotted time to pack up your stuff." She turned around to take out the meat from the oven. Placing the hot tray over the stove, Ikumi smiled with pride upon hearing the sizzle of her art.

"Can you tell what the foundation of her cooking is, Hisako?" Erina asked, resting her cheek over her knuckles. Observing Ikumi's moves, she chuckled as soon as her lackey took out the thermometer from the side and stuck it into the meat.

Taking a few seconds to watch Ikumi's movements, Hisako blinked before turning her focus back on the tenth seat. "Could it be the sheer strength she has that allows her to dissect a carcass with ease?"

"Well, you aren't wrong there. But her true strength lies in the opposite direction. It's her delicate sensibility. The lips are one of the most sensitive body parts when it comes to heat. Even so, her ability to determine the actual temperature is unique." Erina's lips stretched into a deeper smirk. "Mito Ikumi's sensibility shines brightest when she handles meat."

"Sixty-four…" Ikumi whispered, placing the sharp metal of the thermometer over her lips. "No, sixty-five degrees Celsius." Placing the meat over the cutting board, she began to slice the meat from the end. People were beginning to be drawn by her precision and her slender fingers carefully handling the meat. 'I will present this victory to Erina-sama!'

Her eyes picked up the sound of searing from behind; Ikumi turned her head over her shoulder to see Souma browning the onions over the pan with butter. "Oh? You're still here?" She scoffed. "Why have you grown quiet all of a sudden, transfer student? What happened to all that bravado from three days ago?"

The sound of the pan continued; eyes narrowed on Yukihira's back.

"Say something." She rolled her eyes. "You're pathetic-"

"I don't need to say anything." Souma cut her off. "My don will soon be telling an eloquent tale. Besides…," he raised his finger up to his lips, "it's common knowledge that any chef who talks too much in the kitchen can't be trusted to have actual skills."

Ikumi's eyes widened as the insult sunk in. "A-Are you mocking me-!?" Her knees buckled as soon as Souma moved the onions from one pan to another; the smell of the buttered onions enveloped her with a need to get a taste. 'W-What? What is he trying to pull?!'

Kagome chuckled, watching Ikumi return to her station. Souma was a stubborn idiot, but when he cooked, he was serious. It did not matter how big or small the plate was or if the person eating was important or not, he gave it his all.

"Nee, Megumi-chan."

The said girl blinked after hearing her name in mid-whisper. Turning her head to the side, she noticed the miko's smile directed on Souma's back.

"You asked why he didn't feel nervous, right?" Kagome felt her shoulders relax, seeing Souma's moves become fluid. No hesitation; he was focused. It was the same look he always held when he was in the restaurant. "This is nothing to him." She spoke. "He has always thought the most nerve wreaking thing to him is having his customers in his restaurant watch him cook." Although over the years he also gained enough confidence to push those nerves to the side, Kagome was always amazed since they were little how easily Souma could cook in front of customers.

Now that she thought about it, the Shokugeki was nothing to him after all. Nothing compared to having the reputation of his restaurant on the line.

"Now, time's almost up!" Urara announced. As soon as the last five seconds were up, Urara raised her hand up. "Finish! We will now begin the judging! Mito-san's dish will go first."

Walking up to the front and placing her dish in front of the three judges, she smiled at the finish product. A plate of rice covered by pieces of meat adjusted to form a bloomed rose. Ikumi chuckled at sight of the hungry judges. "Mines a 'Roti' Don made with A5 wagyu beef!" She presented.

"'Roti' is French for "roast"!" Urara added. "It's often used to denote dishes cooked in the oven!"

"Eh~," Kagome tilted her head to the side, "so there is a name for that technique…"

"My," one of the female judges spoke, Shigeno Kuraki, as she marveled at the sight of the beef, "the sliced meat is like a flower. I'm honored to see such a beautiful don. Let's all dig in."

All three judges voiced their gratitude for the food before digging into the hot dish. One by one, the judges exploded with the beef's tender texture. Shigeno quickly felt her body react to the strong flavors swirling on her tongue. "It's so delicious!" She exclaimed. "It's paralyzing!"

Another judge nodded, eyeing the delicate work of the beef on the plate. "This is it! This profound umami is the A5's true strength!" Yoshiki Bito, critic of meat restaurants, smiled at the marvelous red tint of the beef. "And this meat…she has even calculated the angle of the cooking heat. When heat is applied perpendicular to the grain of the meat, heat spreads evenly, and more juices are released. The best chefs take even the grain of the meat into account!" He scooped up a bit of the rice resting underneath the meat. "Oh! What is this?"

The last judge, Katsunori Okamoto, leaned forward with excitement at the sight of the rice. "The garlic rice sautéed in beef fat and butter is exquisite! I could easily eat three bowls of this rice alone! This dish is fantastic, even seductive! It's superb!"

Ikumi smiled, sneaking a glance of the red head beside her. 'Do you get it no, transfer student? You can't beat me in my turf.'

Hearing the students around praise Ikumi's dish and the judges' flattery, Konishi gulped nervously. "Well, crap. The crowd seems to think Nikumi has won!"

There was no denying the crowd and the judges were leaning more towards Ikumi's dish, but seeing Souma confidently walk with his covered dishes in hand, Kagome felt a sense of peace. She only hoped his half-off steak was delicious enough to beat Ikumi's 'magic' beef.

"Let's have the judges evaluate Yukihira-kun's dish next!" Urara slid towards the red head. "What would you call your don?"

"Huh?" Souma blinked, seeing the head of the microphone before his lips. "Oh! Well, how about the Yukihira-style Chaliapin Steak Don?"

Yoshiki sighed, resting his chin over his palm as he heard the title of Souma's dish. "The Chaliapin steak, huh? So you used onions to tenderize cheap meat. But how would it measure up after what we just tasted?"

"Indeed," Katsunori laughed, "I'd just rather go home while savoring the lingering flavor of A5 beef."

Muting the judges' talk, Souma placed each bowl in front of them before removing the lids. The steam of the food mixed with the strong and flavorful scent; a display of rice with a steak on top adorned with a mountain of golden brown onions made them silent. They gulped, feeling the mouths beginning to water just at the sight.

"W-Well, it looks more promising than I had initially thought." Yoshiki could only stare at the juices from the onions seep into the steak and onto the rice. "Guess we will give it a try."

Ikumi's eyes tightened as she saw the judges, one by one, take a bite of Souma's dish. "Keh." She rolled her eyes. 'There's no way that cheap meat could turn into anything decent-!'

Her focus and everyone else's immediately fell on the judges quickly digging into the dish without a break. Bite after bite, the judges began to almost inhale the bowl, having picked it up from the table to get more of the exquisite flavor.

"I-I can't stop eating!" Shigeno sighed, seeing her bowl more than half eaten. "The meat is the most tender!"

"But it's the sauce!" Yoshiki added. "This special minced onion sauce is most excellent for the appetite! What is it exactly?!"

"This full-bodied flavor must be from the red wine he added to the pan after the steak was done!" Katsunori's eyes widened, picking up some of the rice from underneath the meat. "He must have deglazed the pan with it, then sautéed the onion in the sauce! Thickened with potato starch, the creaminess of the sauce coating the meat and rice is irresistible!"

Shigeno placed the bowl down, admiring the work and colors of the dish. "Not to mention, the flavors are rounded off with burnt soy sauce! He leveraged the burnt soy sauce to deepen the flavor!"

'Sauce?!' Ikumi's teeth clenched. 'Sauce is just sauce! It's got nothing on my premium meat!'

"Even though the meat and sauce are both strong in flavor," Yoshiki spoke, "I only get hungrier with every bite. Not to mention, there is a hint of acidity…"

A smile broke into the miko's lips as she heard the praises. There was no doubt in her mind the crowd, including Ikumi, were amazed by the judges' excitement. She chuckled under her breath, knowing Souma had listened to her 'random' advice the night before.

"Ah, yes." Souma nodded, bringing a clear jar with a red substance inside. "The trick is in the rice."

"The rice?" Ikumi repeated.

"I mixed handmade pickled plum paste into the don's rice!" Souma presented, showing the jar to the judges. "It's Refreshing Plum-Flavored Rice!"

Ikumi took a step back, shocked to hear something as simple as that would make the judges go crazy. 'P-Pickled plum…? That's it…? He may have tweaked things, but it doesn't change the fact that each ingredient is cheap!'

The judges continued with the meal, taking every bite and grain of rice into their mouths. Bowls soon hit the table, making the judges sigh with sadness. Katsunori stared at the empty bowl before him. "Man, I'm already done! Is there any seconds? The Roti Don was fantastic, as well, but this don is better at making you want to eat more."

"What-?!" Ikumi exclaimed, quickly stopping herself from barking back as soon as she saw her own plate being only half finished. Her garlic rice was sitting there cold.

"Oh yeah." Souma whispered, catching Ikumi's attention. "I've been wondering what you were going to do about the rice ever since Konishi-san said you would be using marbled wagyu beef." He chuckled, walking closer to his opponent. "It was thanks to a friend of mine that made me realize what I had forgotten: complimenting dishes. If you 'beef' up the rice on top of amplifying the wagyu beef's umami, they're just going to compete. Your dish may look like a don, but it's not a real don." Souma smirked as he held the bowl in his hand. "Don RS's leader said that the don has to be a complete package in one bowl."

Ikumi's clenched her teeth further as her fists began to tremble at her side. "Shut up! I'm not interested in your twisted logic! There is no way you can defeat my premium meat-!"

"If you're not convinced," Soma interrupted, "why not try it yourself." Handing her a hot plate of his don, Souma smirked at the sight of her watering appetite. "Listen to the story my don tells. Dig in."

Kagome watched Ikumi's hands hesitate to take the bowl from Souma's hand. Slowly taking the bowl and chopsticks, Ikumi stared at the appetizing onions begging to be tasted. Onions that had made her weak when he was cooking them. She gulped before taking the first bite; she bit her lower lip the second the flavors of the meat and rice embraced her warmly and with need to have more. Before realizing it, she continued to take one bite after another. 'He's right…' Ikumi's eyes softened. 'This don talks to you.' She cursed under her breath upon seeing the empty bowl in her hand. She hated herself for falling under his food's spell.

As tears streamed down her cheeks, judges pushed the button choosing the chef they favored. The name of the winner quickly appeared over the screen: Yukihira Souma. Kagome's lips parted slightly as she saw Souma having won over all three judges.

"What a surprise!" Urara exclaimed. "The victor is Yukihira Souma!"

Removing the headband, Souma nodded towards the judges. "Glad you enjoyed it!"

"Wah! Souma-kun's is amazing!" Megumi cheered as Konishi's tears sprouted out from the joy.

Coming to meet the red head on the stage, Kagome was given a huge grin. "I did it." Souma chuckled.

Giving out a soft snort, Kagome shook her head. "Yeah, but I think you just got lucky." She would not admit it, but seeing Souma cook through the Shokugeki, she felt a small spark inside of her wanting to try it as well. Whatever she felt, she had no idea what it was, but she felt the need to try it. At least Souma had proved he was not one to mess with – for now. A small curse was caught by her ears; Kagome turned her head to the side to face the Meat Master.

Eyes continuing to hold onto her tears, Ikumi's head hung down in defeat. "I lost…" She whispered. "I lost." She remembered Erina's presence; her head rose to look at VIP room. 'Erina-sama!' Ikumi gasped at the sight of Erina's disappointment before leaving the room. Her shoulders slumped knowing she had set a bad example of Erina's strength against the transfer student.

Souma noticed Kagome' focus on the blonde female staring at the empty room Erina had occupied. Walking forward – much to Kagome's and the other's surprise – he called her name. "Hey, Nikumi. Let me try some of your don, too."

Ikumi quickly faced the smug-faced Souma. "Who the hell do you think you are!? Don't call me that!"

"Why not?" Souma tilted his head to the side. "It's pretty cute when you write it out in hiragana. I'm looking forward to working with you, Nikumi-chan."

"H-Huh!?" A blush erupted over Ikumi's cheeks.

"Is he not afraid he will get hit…?" Konishi gulped behind the miko.

"Nah," Kagome waved her hand up and down, "he is used to my hits already. Besides, I think he is calling her that to get her out of her defeat." She scoffed, quickly reading Nikumi's aura slowly turning pink. "But that baka doesn't know how easily girls' could misread his 'kindness'."

Watching Ikumi sprint out of the arena – in fear of her embarrassment turning redder – Konishi took a step towards the red head before placing his hand over his shoulder. "Yukihira." He called. "You're really something, man. You're the only one who can lead the Don RS going forward. You're the 'don' of the new Don RS, Yukihira!"

Souma blinked, confused on the title. "Huh? Oh, I'm not joining Don RS."

"What!?" Konishi, Megumi, and Kagome shouted in unison.

"What?" Souma blinked again, unsure where the shock was coming from. "I just wanted to check it out. Well, thanks to Don RS, I came up with a new don menu that I might be able to serve at our restaurant someday-!" His head was quickly brought down into headlock, cutting off his words.

"You have a lot of nerve pulling us into this mess and saying you aren't joining, Souma-kun." Kagome glared. No matter how many years passed by, the idiot never learned to speak first before jumping into a challenge.

One day she was going to kill him for real.

Green eyes narrowed on Kagome's strangling of the red head. Standing up from his seat within the arena, the silver haired chef took out a cinnamon stick from his pocket before inhaling the sweet and spicy scent to calm him.

'Yukihira Souma mentioned a friend helped him realize something that helped him create that dish.' His eyes remained on miko as Souma tried to free himself from his incoming death. 'No doubt she helped.'

Mornings were beginning to hate her; Kagome's brows scrunched downwards as she heard the fumbling above her ceiling. Curling to the right, the miko hugged her blankets in hopes her sleep would come back.

"Kagome-chan~."

Her eyes tightened; she frowned. All she wanted was sleep.

"Oi! Kago-chan!"

How she missed the quiet feudal mornings. Then again, most mornings she was on edge not knowing when a demon, or Naraku, would attack. The modern era had a good thing: peaceful sleep on a nice warm bed.

"Ohayou, Kagome-chan~."

But even that she could not get.

"Kagome-chan~," the voice continued, "could you come and help with something? Can you come out once you get changed?"

The miko groaned as her eyes slowly opened to reveal a blurry view of her room. Hearing her name again through the copper pipes, she could not help but glare upon recognizing the voice: Isshiki. Pulling the sheets up to her head, Kagome replied. "I'm tired, Isshiki-senpai."

"Oh, come on, Kago-chan! He woke me up, so you have to come with!"

Kagome quickly looked up at her ceiling to see both Isshiki and Souma staring down at her. Her eyes widened; her hand quickly grabbed the pillow beside her and threw it towards the red head (Isshiki dodging it easily). "What the hell are you two doing up there!?"

Isshiki blinked, surprised by Kagome's quick reaction and aim. Seeing Souma having fallen back, he gave the miko an apology. "Gomenasai." He chuckled nervously. "It's just…we need help."

"Help?" She groaned.

So much for sleep.

Souma's groggy eyes brought laughter into Yoshino. Wiping the tear off from the corner of her eye, Yoshino could not help but enjoy the view of an annoyed Kagome and a beaten-up Souma. "So I am guessing Isshiki-senpai woke you two up, huh?"

"Yeah." Kagome sighed. "And this guy joined in."

"I apologized, didn't I?" Souma rolled his eyes. Even after giving the miko her privacy, he was met with a headlock the second she made her way downstairs. Yoshino got a full view of Kagome's strength having witnessed the 'fight'. "I was curious about Isshiki-senpai's ways, so when he woke me up, I asked if I could join. I thought it would be okay because you know, we have known each other for so long-ugh!"

"Go to hell." Kagome elbowed him on the side. "Respect a girl's privacy."

Chuckling at their small feud, Yoshino tilted her head to the side. "It must be nice having childhood friends. How long have you known each other?"

"Unfortunately, since we were five." She replied.

"Really?" Souma blinked before bringing out his fingers as he counted. "Wow. It has been that long. You are getting old, Kago-chan-oomf!"

Retreating her foot from his shin, the miko continued to walk beside Yoshino as she led them behind the dorm building. "So we are going to help out with something?"

"Mmh!" Yoshino nodded, bringing her hands behind her head. "We're going to harvest veggies from the back garden."

"Eh, you guys even grow your own ingredients?" Souma asked as he caught up to the two girls.

Giving them a smile, Yoshino shrugged. "Well, the road to good food is paved with good ingredients! That's our dorm's motto, you see." The sound of a saw caught their attention over to Ibusaki beginning to saw through wood. "Ibusaki-kun makes smoke wood for his own use, and Ryoko-chan, who specializes in dishes using rice malt, has her own workspace. I want to breed a special Polar Star chicken like the French Bresse chicken, so," she stopped in her steps to show them the chickens she kept in a cage, "I am breeding some cage-free right now."

"That's amazing…" Kagome whispered. She was baffled to say the least. Everyone was so young and driven to their own specialties. After witnessing Souma's first Shokugeki, she felt a push to find her own skill if she wanted to survive in this school. 'Question is…what should I focus on?'

"And this is the lot we manage," Yoshino spoke, showing the garden filled of different vegetables and fruits, "with Isshiki-senpai as our leader! It's a field where we grow over ten kinds of vegetables!"

"Woah!" Souma scanned the garden, amazed by the greenery. "Sugoi-!" His eyes immediately widened at the sight of a shadow at the end of the field using a hoe. Blinking, he poked the side of Kagome's arm. "Oi…is that…?"

Following his line of sight, Kagome's eyes narrowed to focus in on the figure. An apron; nothing else was worn. Both Souma and Kagome froze at the sight of the bright smile of their senpai as he waved at them with nothing but a thin white material covering his lower region.

"Ohayou, Souma-kun! Yoshino-kun! Kagome-chan! Morning labor is good for the spirit! Let's sweat together!"

"It fits him to a 'T'!" Souma exclaimed.

With an energetic chuckle, Isshiki rested the hoe over his shoulder as he made his was towards the three. "Knowing how food grows is part of our training. You can call this the Polar Star Farm, or even Isshiki Farm."

"Oh! Souma-kun! Kagome-chan!"

Kagome blinked, relieved to find a normal person greeting them in the morning. "Megumi-chan." She smiled, seeing the girl dressed in regular farm clothing while holding a basket full of ripe vegetables. "Ohayou!"

"Tadokoro! You're here, too!" Souma greeted.

She nodded back, showing them the basket in her hands. "See? Isshiki-senpai grew these vegetables. Don't they look delicious?"

"You know," Kagome whispered, "seeing Megumi-chan here…is very soothing."

"Yeah," Yoshino nodded, "Megumi-chan is a breath of fresh air at Polar Star."

Grabbing two tomatoes from Megumi's basket, Isshiki gifted them to the two new students. "Here you go. Try a bite."

Accepting with a thanks, Souma and Kagome started at the bright red tomato before taking a bite. Their taste buds exploded at the sweetness of the tomato, making them stare at it in disbelief.

"This is delicious!" Kagome commented. "How did you manage to grow something this high-quality?"

"It's plump and super sweet!" Souma added. "I would love to have these for our own restaurant!"

"Ah well," Isshiki shrugged, unsure how to give a reply, "it eats up all my time. I haven't been able to go to classes most of the time lately."

The miko's and Souma's eyes gloomed as a sweat drop fell onto their heads. With the corner of her lips twitching, Kagome spoke. "Ano, Isshiki-senpai. Don't you have your priorities backwards?" How he was still allowed in school was beyond her. But she was curious to know about gardening techniques. 'Maybe it can help me grow better quality herbs…'

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting!"

Smiling at Ibusaki's and Sakaki's appearance, Isshiki tightened his hold on his gardening tool. "Yosh, everyone! Let's all work together to make this garden shine!"

Balancing the basket of spinach on her hip, the miko's attention was caught by the herbs growing on one of the other fields beside hers. She tilted her head to the side, quickly recognizing one of herbs. Kagome squatted down before gently checking the steam. 'This is aralia dordata.' A herb she had learned from Kaede to treat fevers and inflammation.

A small smile broke into her lips; she felt her heart beat at the memories of Kaede. A woman she had seen as her grandmother. Over the months in the feudal era, she had come to learn so much no normal high school kid would know.

She had witnessed a lot.

"Ah, the aralia cordata."

Tilting her head up, her smile melted upon getting a view of Isshiki's sweaty skin. "I-Isshiki-senpai…"

Squatting down himself, Isshiki pulled the herb out before inspecting it. "Hmm, I am surprised you saw it. Most people would think of this is a weed. But those who know about it use it for miso soup, although it is a rare dish using this."

"It can also heal fevers and inflammation." Kagome added.

Isshiki blinked, surprised by the information. Going back to stare at the herb, he rotated it around between his fingers. "Really? Well, you definitely learn something new every day." He took another look at the miko from the corner of his eyes. Aside from Souma's history with cooking, the bigger mystery was Kagome. To anyone in Totsuki who could read off a chef's skill with just one look, they could tell Kagome was nothing but an amateur – if that. But as he heard her talk about the different herbs and have high quality ones with her, her knowledge could surpass their own. Especially with old herbs such as the one he held now.

Not many were familiar with herbs like these.

"Woah!" Souma shouted, crunchy through a carrot. "This is delicious, too!"

"Souma-kun, you can't just be eating everything!" Yoshino scolded.

Kagome sighed, seeing the red head over her shoulder moving to the side to dodge Yoshino's effort to take away his 'snack'. "There he goes again…"

"Miina! Breakfast time!" Megumi called out, bringing out a large bento box onto the wooden table near the green house.

"Ah! My back is killing me!" Souma groaned, trying to pop it before feeling a light smack on the back of his head. "Oi!"

Kagome flicked him on his forehead. "You didn't even do anything."

"Here, Kagome-chan!" Megumi came in, holding one of the boxes towards the miko. "Grab one!"

Eyes landed on the many rice balls lined up carefully inside the bento box. From the looks of them, there were three different flavors seeing one topped with spring onion, one with seaweed on the top, and a plain one. "You made these, Megumi-chan?" Kagome asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. You can choose which ever you like. You must be hungry! Dozo!"

"I see!" Isshiki grabbed one with the seaweed. "It's the Tadokoro-chan Special, the Three Rice Balls!"

"Rice balls are great after fieldwork!" Souma nodded, trying to decide which one to go after.

Yoshino quickly grabbed the one topped with spring onion and did not let another second pass to give her thanks and take a bite. Her tongue and stomach welcomed the small bit of food; she squealed with delight. "So delicious! This is salt and green onion, right? Ah, the saltiness really does a number on your appetite!"

"Well, you kind of want salt after doing hard labor." Sakaki chuckled.

"This must be kelp!" Isshiki smiled, observing the rice ball in his hand. "It's a classic rice ball ingredient." Taking a bite, his eyes widened at the unexpected flavor exploding inside his mouth. "Kelp simmered in soy…and cheese!?"

"Hai!" Megumi smiled big. "The heavy sweet flavor of the kelp works surprisingly well with cheese!"

"Then what could be in the last one!?" Souma shouted, raising the rice ball up in the air as if it had been a treasure he had found underground.

Ignoring his outburst, Kagome took a bite first of the simple looking rice ball. Sweet and saltiness mixed on her tongue, making her look inside the rice ball. "This is delicious!" She exclaimed.

"It is!" Souma added. "The garlic flavor rocks!"

"This one is pork marinated with garlic!" Megumi spoke. "After seeing the two of you use honey in class the other day, I decided to try something based on that. I marinated boiled pork in a marinade of garlic, miso, sake, and honey. It goes well with rice, so I chopped it up and put it into rice balls! Oh! I also brought barley and roasted green tea, too."

As each one got a cup of tea and carefully took a sip, they sighed contently at the warmth of the tea giving them a sense of peace.

"Wah, this is the appeal of Tadokoro-chan's cooking." Isshiki's smile widened. "It soothes everyone."

Souma stared at the rice ball in his hand, amazed by the flavors complimenting each other. "The chicken isn't too dry and the pork is nice and tender, too. They all show signs of careful preparation. Then," his eyes landed on Megumi, "why can't you cook like this in class?"

Feeling like lightning struck her down, Megumi turned her back on them as she felt nerves slowly building up.

"Oi!" Kagome lightly punched his arm as she whispered. "Don't say it like that!"

"I-I have always had stage fright issues…" Megumi replied. "When I get nervous, I blank out and I just fail at everything."

"Ah," Souma nodded, "that's tough…"

"You should try to be more relaxed when you cook, Tadokoro-chan." Isshiki smiled.

Before they could continue with their breakfast, another voice from the entrance to the back kitchen made them turn. Fumio smirked as she held a letter and booklet in her hand while resting her free hand on her hip. "Get ready, kids! Totsuki's hell has just started!"

MizukixTsukiyomi's Notes: I am sure you all know what is coming, right? Well more characters are going to come. Also, quick question, to put the other Inuyasha characters (if I decide to do it last minute), will be extra tricky. So opinions?

P.S. So far, which pairing are you leaning towards? Hehehe~

Other than that, I hope you all enjoyed! Thank you for reading!

Please review!

Ja~ne!