Note: From this chapter on, there may be events following canon, but it will primarily be an AU. As such, different events will occur, and I'll be trying to write about the food using my own ideas, which may not be as good as the source. If you notice any gaping errors, please bear with me.
The alarm on her phone roused Hisako from her slumber. She rolled over onto her side, turning off the phone on her nightstand. Laying there for a brief moment, she blearily rubbed her eyes before she sitting up, hair tousled in a mess. Blinking tiredly, she notices again that she managed to fall asleep without the blankets on, content with the warmth of just her pajamas.
Well, it's not strange. After all, it's the beginning of the summer season.
She looks out the window, the sun peeking up above the horizon. Checking her clock, Hisako sees that it's 6:30, her normal wake up time.
Ah, but the camp is starting today... Which means...
She pulls herself off the bed before making her way to the bathroom. She'll need to be ready for the pairs announcement that'll happen later in the morning. Stepping into the shower, she feels a pang of annoyance that she'll have to be separated from Erina-sama for a while...
Well, it can't be helped. She'll just need to ace the challenge and get back to her proper place beside Erina-sama.
After all, today marks the beginning of the Summer Challenge.
The Summer Challenge marks the beginning of the Summer Cycle at Tootsuki. Although it is the first event in the cycle, the Summer Challenge is often considered to be the most difficult stage of the season. If anything, while the cooking challenges may not be vastly more difficult than those of the other events, the challenge lies in the formatting.
The main problem of the Summer Challenge is that the entire event is done in pairs. Additionally, Tootsuki doesn't designate a head and sous chef. The challenge of working in partners normally isn't an issue, but the school also decides the pairs. Of course, it is supposedly random, but often times the pairs seem to coincidentally be students who fail to work together. Herein lies the main challenge of the Summer Challenge: working with your partner to produce a successful product.
Typically, the event acquires a variety of competitions and challenges that vary from year to year. However, while the individual challenges differ, the formatting stays the same. The event takes place over the course of a week, with a challenge every day. Each challenge that is completed awards the team a point, which is accumulated by the end of the week. Only teams with a score of at least 6 out of 7 pass, and those who score all 7 will be granted safety from expulsion during the next event. In this fashion, doing well on the Summer Challenge is the only time where your enrollment at Tootsuki is guaranteed.
And of course, what would a Tootsuki challenge be without the penalty?
Failure to complete the challenge results in immediate expulsion.
This is the extent of Hisako's knowledge of the event. However, what she doesn't know is that there is another criteria that the completion is based on.
The judges of each event are not only testing for the quality of the product. This challenge is specifically designed to test a chef's ability to adapt. The ideas of both chefs must be represented in each event in order to prove that the contestants are able to adapt to any working conditions.
In the real world of gourmet food, no chef will start at the top of the chain. Even graduating from an institution as prestigious as Tootsuki, no gourmet restaurant will allow a student to take position of head chef. They must learn to accept the ideas of others, and work their way from being on the bottom of the hierarchy. If a chef cannot learn to adapt, they have no place in the world of gourmet cooking.
Hisako, oblivious to this fact, finishes getting ready and makes her way to the main courtyard where pairs will be announced. As she buttons up her uniform, all she can think is, I hope I don't get anyone too difficult to deal with... I can't let Erina-sama down!
The summer heat was starting to pick up, reaching a level just on the edge of being uncomfortable. The final pink leaves of the cherry blossoms had finally finished falling, making way for vibrant, green leaves. The chirping of cicadas filled the air, with the myriad of other students also making their way to the main courtyard. Flowers and bushes lined the cobblestone pathways, as students met up with their friends and chattered excitedly, while others stood in serious silence, awaiting the "Judgement". At Tootsuki, the pairs announcement was just that: a judgement. It is often rumored among the students that receiving a bad partner essentially means immediate expulsion.
Hisako found a spot underneath a tree with plenty of shade. She would need it, based on the size of the crowd. Sighing, she leans against a tree. There's not much to do for her besides wait. Erina-sama told her to go on ahead for the day, and Hisako knew that she would be fine for the day. Besides, she didn't want to burden Erina-sama with her intrusion, especially with today being the day that she would get her partner for the week.
Hisako crosses her arms and follows a honeybee as it flies from flower to flower, starting to pick up on some of the louder conversations happening throughout the space.
"Man, I hope I get a cute girl as my partner!"
"Aw man, now that you mention it, that would be awesome!"
Tch. These guys... Do they think this is a joke or something?
As is customary in the Summer Challenge, the two partners often grow much closer due to a week of sustained contact. It's said that those who pass the Summer Challenge often become friends for life. And so, as one might expect, it's also just as common when a male and female student are paired together for them to eventually develop romantic feelings for each other. Of course, it's just a saying. The development of a relationship between two people is entirely based on their own feelings. The pairing just acts as a spark.
Annoyed and irritated, Hisako speaks up to the two boys. "Oi, can you guys try to be a little more mature? There's more involved in this than just girls."
Upon speaking, the two boys turn to her before cowering in fear. "A-ah! It's Nakiri Erina's aide! We're sorry! We're very sorry! Please don't hurt us!"
"Tch. Whatever. As long as you guys get it."
Returning her gaze to the bee, she hears the crowd ripple in a murmur and then grow silent, as students around her hush each other. Looking up to the podium, she's surprised to see none other than Erina-sama.
Erina-sama? What is she doing there?
Erina clears her throat into the microphone, looking just as confident and beautiful as ever, her long blond hair falling gracefully around her shoulders.
"Well, let's not waste any time. We all know why we're here today. I won't waste any time. Not even I know the pairs, but I know where they'll be posted." She points in the direction of the main Shokugeki hall. "Our announcements will happen in there. Things are running a bit late due to the amount of students in our class this year, so we'll be getting our results in the main hall rather than out here."
The crowd begins murmuring. This kind of thing is unprecedented in the Summer Challenge.
Hisako also frowns. Normally the school isn't ever behind schedule. Even if there were more students, the school should have accommodated for that. But then, what's the cause for the delay?
As most of the students begin making their way towards the main hall discontentedly, Hisako also stands up straight from her tree before she hears a flurry of footsteps behind her, followed by voices.
"Ah, Tadokoro! It'll be okay! I'm sure we'll still get our results regardless!"
Hisako feels a pang of irritation at the sound of that voice. Of course, he of all people would be late...
"B-b-but Souma-kun! This wouldn't have been a problem if you hadn't slept in for so long!"
The footsteps and voices draw closer. "Well, it's not like I did it on purpose! I was just having a great dream about cooking, and... Huh? Wait, where is everyone?"
The sounds of steps stop. "E-eh?! Souma-kun, we must be too late! I told you!"
"Huh? Oh , look there's someone still here. Hey! Oh, wait... Arato! Good to see you!"
Turning to face the two, Hisako can't help but notice that the two are already really close, despite only having been in the same school for a few months. What, are they dating or something?
"Yukihira. And Tadokoro, right?"
Megumi starts a little. "Ah! Um, yes, I'm Megumi Tadokoro! It's nice to meet you!"
Souma glances between the two. "Oh, Tadokoro. Have you never met Arato before?"
She shakes her head, still quivering slightly, as Hisako sighs.
"My name is Hisako Arato, nice to meet you. I'm assuming you guys want to find your pairs?"
Souma chuckles. "Haha, yeah, something like that." He holds a hand to his chest while laying the other on her shoulder, letting out a sigh of relief. "But man, Arato! I'm glad we ran into you here, or we would have been done for!"
"Tch...!" She slaps his hand off of her shoulder. Who does he think he is? "Can't you take this a little more seriously? Your very enrollment here is at stake."
"Hmm, I guess so, but it'll be fine, I think...?" Souma slows down as he ponders the thought.
"U-um, if we're late, shouldn't we get going?" Megumi butts in.
Gesturing with her hand, though annoyed, Hisako leads the way. "Yeah, you're right. Come on, it's in the main hall. We'll still make it if we hurry."
Stepping into the main hall, the trio are greeted by the loud chatter of students waiting for the announcements.
Megumi, who is clearly frightened by Hisako, tries to get away. "U-um, Arato-san? Thanks for guiding us here... I think I'll probably go sit down now..."
"Oh, but there's probably nowhere to sit. Arato, why don't you just come find a seat with us?"
Hisako turns to see Souma with an amiable grin. "W-what?"
He huffs. "I said, why don't you come sit with us?"
She narrows her eyes. "Huh? You know, we aren't friends! What are you planning?"
Scratching his cheek, Souma replies, "Well, I was just thinking that there probably aren't a whole lot of seats. Besides, it's kinda lonely to sit by yourself isn't it? That would be pretty sad."
Feeling her face get a little hot, Hisako can't help but retort back, "Shut up!"
Somehow though, in the end, the three of them ended up sitting together, with Souma in the middle. Hisako is sitting to his left, arms crossed and annoyed, facing away from him. Geez, just what is this guy thinking? Tch, he's annoying...
Suddenly, the lights go dark and the crowd instantly hushes in anticipation.
A lone figure walks out onto the stage, dressed in a rather professional looking suit and pants.
His voice carries through the mic and speakers set throughout the hall.
"Ah, first years of Tootsuki!"
The crowd seems to be sitting on the edge of their seats.
"I hope you've had an enjoyable year so far. But you've only just scratched the surface."
A collective wave of fear surges through the crowd.
Yet while Megumi cowers on the side, Hisako and Souma are unfazed. If anything, Souma seems eager.
"It's gonna get harder, huh? I was thinking that it was a little too easy so far..."
Hisako looks at him in disbelief. "Hah? Easy? Are you sure about that? You didn't even pass the entrance exam..."
He smirks as he looks back to her. "But I'm here now, aren't I? The dish I made was actually pretty good, wasn't it?"
She gnashes her teeth a little. This guy really ticks her off. A LOT.
"No, it wasn't..."
Noticing her expression though, Souma's grin grows wider. "See? I can tell by the look on your face that it was actually pretty good!"
"S-shut up!"
"Hehe, okay, okay."
As their conversation dies down, they return their attention to the speaker.
"-and so, without further ado, I'll begin announcing the pairs. I'd suggest using today to find your partner and begin learning how to work with them, as your challenges won't start until tomorrow."
Drawing a sheet of paper from a folder, he begins reading off pairs of names.
"Make sure to remember your pair number! Team 1: Nishimori Akari and Natsuo Nijiya! Team 2: Kondou Sanshiki and Hiraka..."
The readings continue for a while, as each team is listed off. As the student's name is called, the two aforementioned students stand up and make eye contact in the hall, then proceed to leave together. Hisako isn't listening too intently as she isn't really concerned with most of the other students. However, she sits up straight when she hears the name of her beloved Erina-sama.
"Team 47: Nakiri Erina and Akira Hayama!"
A murmur ripples through the crowd.
"No way..."
"Those two...?"
"That's not fair..."
The murmurs can clearly be heard throughout the hall, and Hisako is thinking the same things.
No way... Erina-sama and Akira?! That's way too strong!
"Oh, looks like Nakiri got a partner."
Hisako whips around to look at him. "Wait, are you telling me you don't know who Hayama Akira is?!"
Souma looks back blankly. "Nope. Who is he?"
Turning her attention to the stage as the two stand up, she points him out. "He's Hayama Akira, considered to be the master of spice! If Erina-sama is the holder of God's Tongue, some say that he's the one who possesses a sense of smell of nearly the same power!"
"Oh, I see..." He turns as well to face the team. "Master of spice and the God's Tongue, huh...?"
Hisako crosses her arms. "I'm not surprised that someone like you wouldn't kn-"
The sound of the announcer cuts her off.
"Team 73: Arato Hisako and Yukihira Souma!"
Huh?
"Oh, would you look at that."
Souma stands up, with a mischievous smile on his face. "Well, glad I got a good partner."
Hisako sits there in disbelief. How did she end up with Yukihira? The ONE person in the entire school who gets on her nerves the most... At the very least, he's not a bad chef.
Holding out his hand, he lets out a confident laugh. "I'll be in your care, Arato!"
As she shakes it, she stands up, sighing, resigned to her fate. "Yeah, me too."
In the meantime, Megumi sits watching them, a silent ehhhhhhh?! echoing through her head the entire time.
After the announcements end, it's already close to 4:00 PM. Hisako and Souma had left the building together, deciding that it wouldn't hurt to try and get some practice together before the challenges started the following day. Or rather, Souma forced her to go with him to prepare.
The two of them are currently in the Polar Star kitchen, although they aren't cooking yet.
Hisako looks through some papers she collected before leaving. "It looks like tomorrow, as usual, will be the easiest challenge of the week. It's the only time we'll know about the challenge the day before."
Souma voice is muffled as he rummages through the pantry, looking for ingredients. "That so?"
She reads the sheets intently. "Yeah. We're supposed to prepare a meal including an appetizer, entree and dessert. The food must follow a theme of 'Summer', and the three parts must have some sort of connection."
"Connection? What do you suppose that means?"
She furrows her brow. "Not sure..."
Unbeknownst to her, Souma had finished looking around and had wound up next to her. "Summer, huh?"
As she turned to look at him, he smiled confidently. "I have an idea, but we should probably test it out first."
Despite everything she's said about him, his cooking wasn't bad. And certainly, it was an interesting style. To say the least, she was curious to hear what he had to say. "What is it?"
He seems to be deep in thought. "Well, Arato, you're a specialist at medicinal cooking, right?"
"Um, yeah... Why?"
Where is he going with this?
He puts his fingers to his chin, lost in thought.
"Um... Yukihira?"
All of a sudden, he snaps to alertness, with a fierce look in his eyes. "How about we follow a theme of 'refreshment'? It'll work really well with your style of medicinal cooking, and it opens up a lot of unique ingredients we could use!"
Hisako stops to think about it. "Refreshment, huh...? It would need some testing, but it could definitely work..."
Souma claps his hands together. "Alright! Then what are we waiting for? Let's get to testing!"
She's taken aback by his abundant enthusiasm. "Ah, r-right!"
Somehow, she can't help but feel a little bid glad that she got someone like Yukihira as a partner. He may be annoying, but he's a creative chef who's competent in the kitchen. And for some reason, she feels a little excited to see where his cooking goes. If his examination dish was any indicator, then he must have another trick up his sleeve.
Following him to the prep station, the two begin discussing various ideas and experimenting.
It's not until around 10:00 PM that the two are satisfied with the dish they're going to make.
"Phew, good job Arato. I think this'll be pretty good for tomorrow."
The two of them are sitting on the floor, their backs to a counter.
"Yeah, good work..." She looks around. "Though, I've been wondering... Where are the other dorm members?"
Souma laughs, seemingly embarrassed. "Ah, about that... I asked to get the kitchen alone for today so I could plan for the challenge tomorrow... The others all already came back, though. You must have not noticed because of all the testing we were doing. Man, you must really get absorbed in it, don't you, Arato?"
Hisako crosses her arms, though somewhat happy. To most, that would sound like an insult, but to Hisako, it's a compliment. "Well, I guess I'm devoted to my work. That's all there is to it... After all, if I ever start slacking, I won't be worthy of being beside Erina-sama..."
When she turns to glance at him, she finds that he's looking in her direction. She's about to say something, but he starts talking first.
"You know, maybe you shouldn't always put yourself down like that. I used to have a friend like that. They were always sure they were number 2, and so they never thought they could overcome their idol."
"A friend?"
"Yeah, back from my hometown. But anyways, the thing is, I realized that you can't really grow as a chef if you're resigned to being behind someone else." Then he laughs a little. "Well, I put him in his place, but that's not the point."
Hisako giggles a little bit. "What kind of story is that? That doesn't sound very convincing at all..."
"You know, Arato, I don't think you give yourself enough credit. I mean, you had some pretty awesome ideas just now. I can tell, though. Just the way you talk, you think you'll always be behind Nakiri."
Her laughter subsided, she looks down, quiet. "Well, how can I? She's the holder of the God's Tongue. How am I supposed to beat that?"
"That's your problem right there. Nobody can tell you how but yourself, but you'll never find it if you don't think you can."
Looking at him, she finds that he's grinning mischievously.
"Well, that's what I think, anyways! But it's getting late, you should probably get some sleep before our first challenge tomorrow."
Hisako yawns tiredly. "Yeah, you should too. I don't need you falling asleep during our cooking period."
He laughs. "Pft, you don't need to worry about me! If I ever fell asleep on the job back at Yukihira's, I'd get fired on the spot!"
She gives a small smile as she stands up and makes her way to the door, putting on her shoes.
"Well, get some rest, Yukihira..." She pauses as she turns to leave. "And, well... Thanks for what you said today... I'll think about it."
He gives a grin. "Well, it's what friends are for, right?"
Friends, huh...?
Finding herself with the smile still on her face, she turns and leaves. "Good night."
He waves to her before she fully exits. "Night, Arato!"
The stars are glimmering in the night sky, displaying an endless myriad, almost like Yukihira's unpredictability. He's really not all too different than she thought he'd be: annoying, over excited, and over confident. And yet, something about him was strangely kind, and funny. And much to her surprise, he seemed quite insightful. Perhaps her image of him was wrong. Maybe it won't be all too bad.
But he was still wrong. Hisako knows she can't surpass Erina-sama. It just won't happen, even if Yukihira thinks so.
Even so, she can't help but find herself a little curious to see what kind of person he'll turn out to be over the course of the next week.
With the same smile fixed on her face, she hurries back to her room.
A/N: Well, if you didn't guess, I am deciding to continue this series. For how long it'll last, I'm not entirely sure. At the very least, we'll have at least enough chapters to cover the rest of the Summer Challenge. Oh yeah, about that. Hope you guys don't mind that I'm going ahead and changing some things within the story. I didn't want to make a copy of the original series, and I don't want to go post canon either because for this type of story, it's no fun.
Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. As with any AU, the characters will definitely be OOC because of their different experiences, but I hope you can look past it and enjoy it for what it is. Feedback is appreciated, both positive and negative, regarding any aspects of the stories. I'm always looking to improve! What do you guys think so far? I want to know!
That aside, I'll be doing my best to describe the food without any visual aids, but it might not really work. The updates for this series may also be on the slow side, as it's fairly difficult for me to write in 3rd person (I mostly do 1st person) and think of events that I can call at least somewhat interesting. Anyways, as always, hope you guys enjoyed, and I hope see you all in the next chapter!
-Rohasshiki