AN: Initially going to be one chapter but I had a lot of fun writing this. It's my first attempt at a cunning, romcom where it's more than a battle of skill but brains as well.
This fic can take place at anytime during the manga.
"I don't really get it but if there's a Shokugeki going on, can I join in?"
Clueless to everything that had led up to this event, Yukihira Soma was in the Polar Star dining room, strapped to a chair. Soma didn't have Hayama's incredible sense of smell but from the dining room he could smell something delectable brewing from the Polar Star kitchen. His stomach growled in anticipation.
"NO!"
Though the door was slammed shut he could hear the voices of Erina, Alice, Megumi, Nikumi and Hisako clearly. They were all in the kitchen together, working on their own dish.
"Honestly, Soma's doesn't even understand why we're doing this!" Alice puffed her cheeks and she continued to stir her pot, hoping her dish would reach perfection.
"Heh, I just want Yukihira Soma to learn of the gap between his cooking and mine. Then he'll have no choice but to bow to my every whim." Erina flicked her hair. She was insistent on putting up her ice queen appearance but everyone knew the real reason Erina had entered herself into this competition.
"Right? Lady Erina has no need to meddle with an uncouth man of humble birth. So when she wins this competition, she'll bestow to me the exclusive rights to Soma." Hisako knew that Erina would be too prideful to admit her feelings. Erina was the strongest competitor and biggest obstacle in this competition and thus by stating such a claim, tried to up her odds of winning the grand prize.
"Now, why would she do that? If she gives me the prize, then she'll finally have the chance to re-earn the heart of her beloved cousin after burning the bridge years ago." Alice had used the same manipulative approach as Hisako but this time was pulling on Erina's heartstrings of their separated past.
"Neither of you deserve the prize. I'd rather not punish either of you. Instead, I think I'll use this chance to train my new pet and get him used to my scent." Erina was already aware of her feelings! She only acted distance to gauge the confidence of her competition. And to her, Hisako and Alice had ousted themselves as weak willed opponents.
"Pet? Scent? I think you've been reading way too much of that shoujo manga, Erina." Megumi was completely focused on her dish. She had gone with a soup dish, the broth bubbled ferociously and Megumi had to clean the scum that rose to the top to ensure the taste would be light and clean. "But it doesn't matter what advice you've received from that manga. You haven't read the ending. And in the ending, what matters most…is the characteristics of a housewife."
"H-housewife?" Erina had no idea how to be a housewife. She grew up without a mother or any sort of mother figure. Any resemblance of one would have been Hisako.
Other than that, the concept was foreign to her. If only she had finish the shoujo manga, but maybe, just maybe, Megumi was holding out on the final volume for this very moment. Maybe…Megumi anticipated that this very Shokugeki would take place. Megumi let out an uncharacteristic smirk like all was going according to plan and every other girl in this kitchen was just a pawn. While everyone was playing checkers, here she was playing chess. She was on a whole other dimension from them!
"That's right. The hospitality of a housewife, my very own specialty brand of cooking. If you thought this battle was merely one of skill, you couldn't be more wrong. It's a battle for Soma's heart! You see, Soma didn't have a mother growing up. When he tastes my cooking, I'll make sure he can envision me as someone that can be a mother to his children."
"CH-CHILDREN?!" Erina, Alice and Hisako's face were steaming red.
They knew they loved Soma but the concept of marriage and children had strayed away from their mind. All they were thinking about was being in a relationship, holding hands, first kiss and the like. But here Megumi was, thinking years ahead into the future. She truly was in a whole other dimension!
"Why are they talking so much? Are they even taking this competition seriously?" Nikumi, annoyed with the entire conversation, tapped her finger on the counter top rapidly.
Nikumi knew that out of everyone here, she was the weakest chef here. Her only bright spot being that Soma was a lover of meat, her cooking specialty. But she had to turn the competition around in her favor. This was an unofficial Shokugeki, that took place in the Polar Star dorms. That meant there would be a significantly lower set of eyes able to capture any suspicious action that would normally be easy to spot from the stands during a real Shokugeki.
"Erina, you think you have an advantage because you held the seat of the Elite Ten? But do you really think Soma would appreciate a dish such as yours?"
Megumi pointed to Erina's dish. It was lamprey a la bordelaise, a dish that featured a lamprey eel and used its' own blood along with some red wine as the sauce, it is a well known dish in French cuisine.
"Do you really think Soma would appreciate such a high class dish?" Megumi stared right into Erina's eyes.
"She's right. We are talking about the same Soma who would use grade B, supermarket eggs after all." Alice spoke in a tone where it sounded obvious that Soma wouldn't appreciate such a dish. But then proceeded with her fancy scientific cooking, pulling out a blowtorch.
Erina's will began to weaken. Her resolved wavered. She clenched her fist which were shaking with anger. "Well I have my own reasons for cooking this dish. If you're so confident, then you won't mind if I see what you're making, Tadokoro Megumi!"
"Sure, go ahead." Megumi welcomed her opponent with open arms.
"Now's my chance!" Nikumi was moving in a shifty manner, making her way to Erina's dish while her back was turned. She hesitated for a moment, feeling guilty for even contemplating sabotaging Erina's dish, especially after Megumi had proven the flaw in that dish. But she couldn't take any chances. Regardless of Soma's preference, this was a dish cooked by an Elite Ten member after all. She tossed a little bit of table salt, to distinctively change the flavor of the dish. But not to the point of unbearably salty. Erina made her way back to her dish, after watching Megumi cook, she had some changes to make. By that point, Nikumi was already back at her station.
"It's salty! I don't remember it being so salty. How could this be? I could have sworn it had a bolder tangy flavor." Erina winced as she tasted her dish by dipping her finger in and then licking the sauce off.
"Oh? Maybe the surrounding dishes managed to change the flavor as you were away." Nikumi had spoken out loud for the very first time in this competition.
"Ikumi, this was you!" Erina's voice was filled with distain. She swung her arms down to her sides, ready to charge at her saboteur. She reached for the pack of table salt.
"Heheh, sorry."
By time Erina had grabbed the table salt, Nikumi was already passing Erina, her dish was ready to be served and heading for the door.
"But you're too late! I'll be going first!" Nikumi formed a mischievous, Soma-ish grin.
"Wait!" Alice tried to stop her but no way Nikumi would give Erina a chance to catch up with table salt in hand and pay back the favor.
"That portion size…" Megumi stared at the plate. It was a braised beef brisket, enough to feed a family of four.
"Soma's stomach will bloat and he won't even have an appetite by the time he's done with that!" Hisako called to her opponent.
"Oh. Did you assume Erina was the only victim? I may be the weakest chef here, but my plan has no flaws! He won't even get the chance to lick your dishes. You girls have one thing wrong, you failed to understand that this ain't no normal Shokugeki. So all is fair in love and war and I just took advantage of that fact. Pack it up, buy yourselves a tub of ice cream and reminisce on what could have been. This match is over."
Nikumi walked out the door looking completely confident in her dish and her genius.
"Woooow, that smells good Nikumi!" Soma commented on the smell. With a dish such a braised brisket, the sauce was thick and Soma could smell the smoky aroma before it was presented to him.
All the remaining girls in the kitchen chased after Nikumi to see Soma's reaction. Erina had to be forcefully dragged out as she was now finding someone else to sabotage after failing to get revenge on Nikumi. They set their sights on Nikumi who had lowered the plate onto Soma's table.
"That's a lot of meat. I should have expected as much from you, Nikumi." The side of Soma's lips began to salivate.
"If you choose me…there's more meat where that came from." Nikumi's sheepishly looked down at her dish, unable to even glimpse at Soma. She crossed her arms and pushed up her breasts, hoping Soma would get the hint.
"I hope not. There's way too much already!" Soma, oblivious to Nikumi's words pointed at the absurd amount of food Nikumi had cooked. "I can't eat all of this! Especially since there's more food waiting for me."
"Pft." Alice stifled a laugh.
"Not only have you failed to seduce him but the plan you were so confident in has crumbled. Pft!" Hisako joined in with Alice.
"Nikumi, if Soma can't finish, I can pack up the meal and buy you a tub of ice cream if you'd like." Megumi tried to mockingly sympathize with her, which probably made things worse.
"I mean; you were the first contestant to go. In manga, that's never a good sign. It means you're the first to fail, congratulations. .Mi." Erina had regained her composure and looked down on Nikumi like the ice queen she was.
At this point Nikumi couldn't bear to look at anybody and simply just decided to untie Soma.
"T-th-the battle isn't over yet!" Nikumi put up a front, but she knew the skill gap between her and the rest of the competition. Erina's standing and God Tongue spoke for herself, Alice, being a Nakiri had the skill to go along with her creativity with science, especially since Soma loved creativity above all else. Hisako's medical cooking could stimulate Soma's senses. Megumi had the ability to cook like a housewife. All the odds were against her.
"Itadakimasu!" Soma's closed his eyes as he bit down on the bold and smoky briskey before him. He felt every bone in his body being revitalized, which helped as he was only recently tied up to a chair for the past hour. He cut into the brisket and the knife went right through as if he were handling sashimi.
"So, are you going for save some?" Nikumi had a wide smile on her face. After watching Soma gobble up her food, she believed she could win it all.
"Save some? For who?" Soma asked her as he took another bite.
"For Akio and Kimiko…our future children~ That's the intention I made with that dish. A meal fit for a family of four. But well…it looks like you've already eaten my portion."
Nikumi pointed at the brisket she had cooked. Soma looked down to find that he has eaten two portions worth without even realizing.
"S-she's planned her out their kids?!" Erina, Hisako and Alice all had the same shocking thought.
Yes, like Megumi, Nikumi had entered the next dimension. In terms of feelings, she was beyond the level of Megumi. Nikumi had even managed to think of the names of their children and how many kids she wanted to have with Soma.
"Oh man! I almost got engulfed by your dish Nikumi! It was that damn good!" Soma stopped himself before he reached the point of no return, so entranced by the dish he failed to properly hear all of Nikumi's explanation.
Nikumi cupped one fist to her mouth to hide her embarrassment as Soma complimented her. "Th-thank you..." That was all she could utter back after pouring her heart out.
"W-why would you stop him? If you didn't say anything…he might have eaten it all. He would have become bloated and too full to eat anything else." Hisako asked Nikumi who she now feared had a significant advantage.
"I guess…" Nikumi had her two index fingers poking the other, "More important than winning, I just wanted to get my feelings across with this dish. If you think you can top that, then go ahead. Like I said earlier, this battle isn't over!"
This was probably, if not, the best dish Nikumi had ever created. This Shokugeki was for all of Soma's marbles. If she couldn't pull out her best, she had no right to win over Soma. The remaining competitors had fear written all over their face. Ikumi Mito, had truly become a fierce competitor and a clear obstacle to the result of this Shokugeki when it mattered most. The competitors all headed back to the kitchen and worked on their respective dishes because after that display they had learned that the Shokugeki for Soma was far from over.