A shrill alarm echoed throughout the room, rousing Hisako from her sleep. Blearily she checked the time, seeing her red analog clock reading 5:30 AM. She rubbed her eyes and laid back in bed after turning off the loud alarm.

Today's the first day, huh?

Laying an arm across her eyes, she pulled the blankets off and sighed. Would she really be able to pull this off? Even Erina-sama had told her the week before that the Summer Challenge was no easy task, even for the likes of her. If Erina-sama had a hard time with it, then how could Hisako ever hope to compare?

But there's no use worrying about that right now. Hisako knew that she and Yukihira had designed a good menu, and all they had to do was execute it correctly. At least, that was all she could hope for. That, and that Erina-sama would advance through the week. But that was something she knew would happen.

She stood up, stepping into the bathroom to get ready while birds sang their melodies outside.

Immense crowds had already gathered in the plaza. As per usual, Hisako found her favorite spot underneath the shade of a tree, nestled nearby some bushes and waited for the day to begin. Already, a loud rumble could be heard as the crowd loudly chattered. A nervous tension filled the air, as well as a tangible anxiety that was almost contagious. Despite the loud chatter, it was painfully obvious that everyone was afraid.

However, a few confident or indifferent faces dotted the crowd. From her spot under the tree, it was hard for Hisako to see everyone but she could make out Hayama looking calm and collected, and if anything a bit annoyed. And beside him was Erina-sama, looking beautiful and composed as always. Hisako had no doubt that the two had devised a brilliant menu and would have no difficulty making it to the next stage. Besides, it was something she had to believe in.

After all, if Erina-sama couldn't make it, how could she expect herself to come anywhere close?

"Oi, Arato, morning!"

The words caught her ear and shook her form her stupor. She looked up to see Yukihira, wearing his signature Yukihira Diner shirt, with a goofy grin plastered across his face.

"Ah, good morning. Do you have all of the ingredients?"

He chuckled and turned around, revealing a large bag tied to his back. "Don't worry, I wouldn't forget on the big day! Besides, I can't wait to see what kind of dishes other people are going to make!"

Hisako sighed. "Please just worry about our own dish for now. We have enough on our plate as it is."

Yukihira laughed. "Haha, I get it! On our plate! Good one, Arato!"

"...That wasn't a joke."

"Oh."

He scratched the back of his head and looked on awkwardly towards the crowd. "But for real, there's a lot of people here... I wonder how many people will be able to pass..."

Hisako stood up on her toes to see at the same height as Yukihira. "Well, even if everyone were to fail this first challenge, they could still all make it by passing the next six. Remember? It's a six out of seven to pass."

"Still, if someone were to fail here, then it would almost surely be failure, right? Wasn't it you who said that the first one is the easiest?"

She gulped. "Well, I did say that, but..."

Suddenly, she felt a firm slap on her back.

"Oi, what are you doing?! That hurt!"

Yukihira turned to look at her and smiled. "Ah, sorry! But don't worry, we'll be fine. We have a great menu, so there's no way we can lose."

She glanced at him worriedly. "How can you be so certain? Sure, there are some weaker teams here, but don't you see the amount of talent here? How can you be sure that our dishes will be able to stack against theirs?"

He stood speechless for a moment, before opening his mouth to take a breath. "Well, if you ask me, it's not a matter of whether we are better than them. Yeah there are a lot of strong teams, and I'm sure they'll pass. But that shouldn't mean we can't also pass, right? It's not a competition against other people, it's simply if we can make the judges say it's delicious or not." He winks. "And there's no doubt that what we've created is delicious."

Huh... I've never thought about it like that before...

"Well, I guess it's a pretty good menu, so you have a point..."

He flashes a quick grin. "Right? See, there's nothing to worry about!"

Hisako sighs. "Well, I wouldn't go that far, but-"

The sound of a microphone adjusting suddenly blared through the plaza, causing everyone to wince. Quickly the shrill ring diminished, and a voice began speaking through the system.

"Um, excuse me, the first day of the Summer Challenge will be beginning now... Um, could I ask that every group goes to the main hall to check their locations and testing time? Uh, I think that's it... Oh, also, the time limit for your testing period is 2 hours... Um, that's all... Good luck..."

A rather feeble looking man with round glasses clears his throat and steps down from the podium, his speech delivered.

"Well, I guess we should get going, shouldn't we?"

"Yeah, I guess we should."

Stepping into the main hall was a disaster. Every student was rushing in to try and see their locations and test times. It takes a few seconds for Hisako to realize just how many people are crowding around the postings. She signals to Yukihira. "I'll go on ahead to find our times, why don't you go wait outside? There's no reason for us to both be here and increase the crowd."

He eyes the crowd. "You sure you don't want me to do it? I can probably check it a little more easily. I'm taller and probably stronger, don't you think?"

"Huh? You may be taller but don't think you're stronger... You don't get to be Erina-sama's attendant without being quite strong, you know."

"Hm, you don't say? Well, in that case, have fun!"

Hisako lets out a sigh as he walks away, trying to stifle a chuckle. She did say she was strong, but normally guys would be a little more persistent in helping a girl out. Wait a minute, did she actually want him to help her out?

Nah, of course not. Hisako knows that she's strong and independent, it was just the social norms that made her think that way.

She started sliding her way to the front of the crowd, squeezing past a mass of people who are trying to find their assigned times. The traffic isn't helped by the fact that people who have found their assigned times are trying to move back against the flow of the crowd, only causing more traffic. It's not easy, but in due time Hisako finally manages to squeeze through to the front and check the boards.

Scanning it, she finds her name on the third row.

Hall C, at 3:00... Got it!

When she turns around though, she's met with a crowd that still hasn't diminished whatsoever. Man, where are all these people even coming from?

She eventually manages to get out, panting at the heat and humidity of being stuck in a crowd of nearly several hundred people. You would think being in a kitchen prepares someone for this, but even Hisako wasn't used to being stuck in such a large crowd.

"Looks like you had a good time!"

She glances up, seeing Yukihira wryly smiling. "Please, if that's what you consider fun then you need to reconsider your entertainment."

"Hehe, maybe that's true. So, what's our time?

"3:00, Hall C. Should we go prepare now?"

Glancing down at his wrist, he nods. "Probably not a bad idea."

"Um... Yukihira?"

He grins as he turns to look at her. "What's up?"

Hisako frowned lightly, her brow furrowing a bit. "Do you think we'll be okay?"

"Ahaha, is that what you're worried about? The food we made was tasty, wasn't it?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

He clapped her on the back. "Then we've got nothing to worry about! Come on, let's go!"

Yukihira happily strode off. Hisako briskly followed behind, still worried but feeling a bit better.

The crowd roared in approval as all 5 judges gave their seal of approval.

"The intense flavor here is almost as if all my senses are being assaulted by a barrage of flavor! The sequence of the meal compliments the astringent flavors you used here, and I feel rejuvenated! Truly a display of mastery of flavor!"

Hayama smirked, seemingly expecting the answer. Behind him, Erina-sama tossed her hair back nonchalantly. "We've passed. Good job Hayama."

"But of course, this so called challenge is nothing to me."

The duo walk back through the exit of the stage to massive approval from the crowd, passing by Hisako and Yukihira on the way out. Hisako stood nervously and in awe when she saw them coming through the tunnel.

"Oh, Hisako, you're here? Good luck out there. I know you can pass. Shame you're paired with this idiot. I guess you'll have to just take him with you past the Summer Challenge."

"Oh, um, of course, Erina-sama. I'll try my best."

But before Erina-sama and Hayama could continue through the tunnel, Yukihira stepped a foot between their path. "Now, excuse me, but don't count me out so early. I'll beat this challenge you have here, and I'll take you down too. Just you wait!"

Hayama and Erina-sama laughed collectively. Hayama stepped in and stared down Yukihira. "Look, upstart, I don't really know who you are, but don't think that you could ever compete with someone like me."

Squaring up, Yukihira steps up closer, almost to the point of touching Hayama's chest. Despite the intimidation of Hayama, Yukihira wore a confidently smug smile. "You wanna go right now? I'll take you on anytime, anywhere."

Anyone would have been able to see the building tension in the air. While Yukihira seemed to be having fun goading Hayama, the latter seemed quite upset, as if almost on the verge of unleashing his wrath. Afraid of a last minute confrontation that could ruin her chances at passing through the Summer Challenge, Hisako stepped in between them, facing Yukihira and pushing him back. "Hey, Yukihira, calm down, focus on the task at hand!"

Hayama gave a smug smile and stepped back. "I guess you need your girlfriend to hold you back. What a shame."

"You wanna go right now? I'm sure I can kick your ass in the kitchen!"

She pushed Yukihira back further into the wall. "Calm down! And I'm not his girlfriend!" She felt surprisingly warm. Was her face red? She had never been accused of something like that before...

For some reason, behind them, Erina-sama laughed. "Come on Hayama. You'll learn pretty soon that talking with that kid is pointless." However, Hisako noticed Erina-sama giving a strange, lingering look on her before tossing her hair back.

"Yeah, yeah, this is a waste of time. Let's get outta here."

The two strode off, with Yukihira seeming somewhat confused. "Who? Kid? Me? Did she mean me?"

Hisako sighed, letting go of Yukihira and wiping off her hands. "You're so hopeless, getting into any fight you can. Just focus on the task at hand! You can't go getting distracted and wound up in ever little thing."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm still gonna kick his ass someday."

"It doesn't matter. Just focus! We have to pass this first challenge."

He yawned, almost seemingly too nonchalant about the whole thing. "Don't worry, we'll be-"

"Welcome the next contestants, Team Arato Hisako and Yukihira Souma!"

Yukihira smiled. "Well, that's our cue! Let's go show them what we're made of!"

She strode forward behind him, trying not to fall behind. Strange, she seemed to be doing a lot of that. "Yeah, let's go. I just wish you would take this more seriously."

"What? I'm taking this perfectly seriously!"

"Right."

"Hey I'm not joking-"

"Let's just do this."

As the two walked out of the tunnel into the large stage kitchen, the crowd murmured in suspense. Hisako knew they probably recognized Yukihira as the arrogant upstart, and herself as the aid to the infamous Erina-sama. The other thing they might have been wondering about was the mysterious bag of ingredients that Yukihira had slung over his shoulder.

"Alright participants, you have 1 hour to prepare your meal, and all three portions must be done by the end of the hour. Are you ready?"

Hisako and Yukihira both nodded. To her right, Yukihira untied his headband and tied it around his forehead.

"Then, begin!"

Yukihira laughed a little bit, as if he were having fun, and he quickly unwrapped the ingredients in his bag. Ripples occurred throughout both the crowd and the judges tables as they saw the first item emerge: a perfectly round watermelon.

"Arato, can you work on this?"

"Yup!" She grabbed the watermelon and began cutting it into pieces and peeling the skin. Meanwhile, Yukihira began boiling a pot of water and chopping up sour green apples and round red potatoes. The quick thudding of a knife against a cutting board filled the kitchen, as Hisako quickly disposed of the watermelon rinds, chopping the juicy flesh into small cubes.

As the cooking continued, murmurs through the judges table began.

"I wonder where they could be going with the array of fruit..."

"Well, it seems to be fitting the summer and refreshment themes, but what satisfying dish could possibly fit the bill? A fruit salad?"

"Oh please, surely it isn't something like that."

"But aside from the first course, I wonder what else they have in store..."

The following hour proceeded quickly for Hisako. A blur of actions and time on the stove preoccupied her mind, and with both care and absolute attention, she plated 5 portions of each dish over the hour. With each minute, she felt herself forgetting the nervousness that she had felt before, becoming fully absorbed into her craft. Across from her, much to her relief, Yukihira seemed to feel the same, losing the overly aloof attitude he had shown previously. Good, everything is going to plan... Just cut this here, boil this here...

As the hour started coming to a close, several dishes began emerging in coherent forms as the food was plated for the judges. Without too much information, the judges were unsure of what to expect. That is, until Yukihira walked up to the table, wearing a confident grin and two trays with plates of food.

He smirked. "First course, coming right up! Dig in!"

Setting the platters down, the judges found before them a plate with smaller plates on them and an array of different small dishes. One was a small seemingly white scoop with various colored bits inside, resembling some sort of ice cream. Another had a colorful array of small cubes in a light pink liquid. The last was a what appeared to be a rolled omelette.

The judges looked sparingly between each other, slightly confused at what they were looking at. "Hm, presentation wise, it certainly piques the interest... So many colors, and the different dishes all seem vastly different. The only issue is figuring out exactly what these things are. Well, I guess the only way to know is to try..."

Collectively, the five judges began taking bites of each dish. At the moment of tasting, the entire arena fell dead silent. The silence remained as they slowly tasted the food, and it seemed to grow stronger as the seconds ticked by.

Hisako, standing behind Yukihira, felt like the silence became so thick that she could reach out and feel a wall. Crossing her fingers, she silently hoped that the judges would like the food. If I fail here, then it might mean the end of my time with Erina-sama... She might not even want me anymore if I fail this...

Seconds stretched out further until a seemingly collective breath of air exited the judges' table.

"W...What is this?"

The judge beside him picked up more of the colorful bits and ate them happily. "Bursting with flavor... But how?"

"The intensity of the flavors packed in here are just bursting with energy! It's as if a cold mountain stream is washing over me after a long, hot day..."

"Everything here, from all these three dishes, each display an overwhelming amount of refreshment and deliciousness!"

Yukihira smirked his same old confident smirk, while Hisako let out a breath of relief, clutching her heart. It had almost been too intense for her.

Stepping forward, Yukihira crossed his arms happily. "Well, let me explain each one to you. The style of dishes was inspired by something my Dad once made for me, where we ate a lot of small side dishes before and during the main meal. It had a lot of small, refreshing dishes that often went well paired together with the main dish, and even tasted good on their own! I can't remember where he said he learned about it though... Uh..."

"Korea! It's inspired heavily by Korean banchan, the traditional side dishes served with every meal. They often include dishes like pickles and other refreshing vegetables, normally used to complement the main course."

Hisako had found herself striding forward excitedly when presenting the food.

She continued to talk, however, the words seeming to tumble out of her mouth. "The more we thought about it, the more we thought that something of this format could work exceptionally well with the theme of refreshment! Summer foods are often supposed to be cool and refreshing, and so we brought the idea of Korean food to a more summer-based style, utilizing refreshing fruits and their properties."

The middle judge nodded thoughtfully. "I see... Yes, this does really resemble all the side dishes I sampled while in Korea. While you kept the idea the same, the food reflects a different approach, and it came out brilliantly."

Holding a finger up, Yukihira smiled. "That's right! The white scoop you see is our take on a popular style of side dish in Korea, which is mashed potatoes!"

The crowd took in a breath. It hadn't occurred to them that the white scoop had been potatoes.

"And you might be thinking that potatoes can't be refreshing at all! But in reality, by using sweet and juicy, refreshing fruits like watermelon and apples, you can add them to the mixture to create a sweeter, lighter flavor! This is actually done in Korea with apples, but we thought adding watermelons would really boost the refreshment factor! Then adding a small amount of vinegar to the potatoes creates a strong sour flavor. The sourness acts as a bridge between the sweetness of the fruit and the starchiness of the potato, and together create a delicious harmony in which you get a sweet yet light mashed potato dish!"

"What a unique idea! We very rarely see Korean influence in the dishes here, as it isn't a very popular cuisine to study in any sort of culinary school..."

"It doesn't stop there! The next dish is a refreshing version of pickles! As you know, pickles are already meant to help cut the heaviness of foods by being a refreshing compliment. So we took it a step further using fruits! Pickled watermelons, apples, berries and oranges provide a delightfully cold, juicy and sweet flavor. The last dish is a popular dish around the world: omelette rolls! But again, utilizing the idea of refreshment, we incorporated ponzu vinegar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and some sugar in order to create an essential refreshment bomb! Pretty good, huh?"

The judges agreed enthusiastically, as reflected by their almost empty plates. "You utilized the inherent refreshing flavor in fruits and used them to enhance the concept of refreshing Korean side dishes to a great degree! Delightful!"

As Yukihira went to get the second course, he kept talking. "Some people argue that these dishes are too simple, but when you think of food with a lot of ingredients, you think of heavy, complicated foods. However, most often the most refreshing things are the ones that are simple and made utilizing the freshness of few ingredients and accenting them to their peak. For example, most of the popular refreshing deserts are things like shaved ice, ice cream, chilled fruits and other frozen treats! And the thing that keeps most of these in common is the fact that they are all made with very few ingredients!"

Hisako interjected as Yukihira brought out the second plate. "However, save some of the side dishes to enjoy the next course! I think you'll find that they pair quite nicely."

When the next dish was revealed, the crowd seemed to lean forward in curiosity. The judges seemed to do the same, trying to figure out what was laid in front of them. "What exactly is this?"

"Well, when you think of refreshing tastes, you think of something liquidy, right? So we went with the kind of food that lives in water: seafood! What you have before you is a lightly fried oyster, made with a tangy hollandaise and finished with green onions! I think if you try tasting it together with the side dishes, you'll find them to taste quite good together."

One of the judges nodded as the others began to eat. "I see... Utilizing the flavor of salty oysters in a lightly fried batter acts as a sort of flavor bomb, if you will. The combination of a tangy sauce with a flavor bomb creates an explosion of different tastes and mouthfeels, finished by green onions which add more texture and an overwhelming tangy flavor. Not to mention that they are all savory and yet refreshingly light!"

However, when he actually tried the food, he frowned. "Despite what I said, however, what is this astringent yet sweet flavor I taste?"

Hisako smiled. "Ah, that's persimmon!"

"Persimmon?"

"Yep! It's a fruit that is known for being dry yet sweet, a perfect example of astringent flavors! We used some as a part of the hollandaise to act as both a sweetener but also an astringent factor! It may seem counterintuitive, but you'll find that if you try the side dishes in combination, it creates a delicious flavor!"

The judges all gasped as they followed her suggestion. "But how...?"

Internally, Hisako was leaping with joy when she saw their reaction. Astringency is the flavor that creates a dry feeling your mouth, normally associated with bitter foods. But by using persimmon, which held a slightly fruity flavor and was also astringent, it accented the refreshment factor of the side dishes even more while also providing the bridge flavor that makes the two complement each other immensely!

Yukihira went to get the last dish as the crowd murmured in awe at the feat of cooking they used. Even the judges as well were chatting happily, as if they had thoroughly enjoyed the meal so far. However, the last dish had yet to arrive.

The last bowl had arrived in front of them, and they all looked at Yukihira expectantly, who promptly began explaining the dish.

"This last plate for you is your desert, and in it we made a variation on a popular desert from India, which is a spiced rice pudding. We used cinnamon, sugar, a bit of lavender, a bit of ginger and assorted citrus zests to really create both a refreshing yet rich, sweet flavor. It seems that this dish flows perfectly after a slightly heavier fried seafood and cream sauce main course. Not to mention, using Arato's specialty in medicinal cooking, we utilized the power of herbs that would revitalize and rejuvenate your body, ending the meal feeling refreshed, fitting the theme perfectly!"

As the plate came out, the judges paused for a moment as they tasted, before happily enjoying the desert. "The light use of zest creates a tangy compliment to the sweet and creamy desert, and yet the chilled factor make it as refreshing as a cool glass of milk on a hot day! It's absolutely delicious and follows the flow of the meal completely while continuing to harness the many flavors of fruit!"

Another judge let out a content sigh. "And the medicinal herbs make me feel so alive, as if the entire meal were a process that ended in my total rejuvenation! Wonderful!"

The announcer stepped out as the judges began finishing their final courses. "Well judges, what's the result?"

A massive roar emanated throughout the arena as the score appeared up on the display after a brief delay: 5 for, and 0 against.

Yukihira whipped his headband off as the score went live. "It wasn't much!"

Meanwhile, Hisako let out a sigh of relief and leaned on the counter. She had done it! With this, I'm one step closer to keeping my spot next to Erina-sama! I only hope-

Her thought process was interrupted by a slap on the back. Turning in surprise, she saw Yukihira standing there, a wide grin on his face. "See? We did it! I told you it wouldn't be so bad!"

She smirked. "Well, you know, it's as they say. The first day is always the easiest. Don't think it'll be this easy the whole time through."

"Haha, are you serious? Well, I always look forward to a challenge, but I think if I have you by my side we'll be unstoppable! Come on, let's go celebrate or something! I heard about some new recipes that I want to try out at the Polar Star Dorm! You wanna come? I promise I won't make you try too many weird things."

For some reason, she found herself laughing. The sporadic randomness, despite only having known him well for the past few days, was something she'd already found herself accustomed to. And the fact that she was used to it both surprised her, yet made her feel at ease. Perhaps, with Yukihira as her partner, things wouldn't be all that bad. There was something about him, about the way he was always so energetic and optimistic, that rubbed off on her sometimes. Not to mention, she didn't particularly dislike being around him anymore.

"Yeah, sure, I'll come. Let's get out of here!"

A/N: I'm not dead, I swear. Or at least, I hope not.

This must be a new record, right? Almost 1 year without an update, I think. I'm sorry, life happens, other stories happens, other things happen, and sometimes you find yourself without the energy or motivation to write. Don't mean to sound all mopey though, I'll keep trucking along and write when I have the energy to. Hope you guys enjoyed.

As always, feedback is appreciated, and I hope you all enjoyed. And, as always, I hope to see you all in the next chapter! Don't forget to read the little omake at the end ;)

-Rohasshiki

~Omake~

Hisako found herself leaving somewhat late that night. She had had a great night with Yukihira and the others as they cooked lots of great food and shared a lot of great camaraderie. As she left however, Yukihira offered to help her walk back to her dorm.

And Hisako surprised herself by accepting.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but regardless of what she was, what she got was completely different. Yukihira was whistling the way there, despite it being a dimly lit night with a beautiful array of stars filling up the summer sky. At the hilarity of the situation, she couldn't help but chuckle a few times.

"Hm? What's up?"

She looked at Yukihira, who had the same goofy smile on his face, his spiky red hair as disheveled as ever.

"Oh, it's nothing." She looked up. "But aren't the stars pretty tonight?"

He glanced up, before letting out a long whistle. "Wow, didn't even notice those! Those are great! I'd feel bad for anyone who had to miss a night like this!"

And somehow, the two found themselves standing there on the road, gazing up at the stars. Suddenly, Hisako felt herself feel very self conscious, and she wasn't sure why. Is my hair okay right now? I'm dressed alright, but is my... Wait, why does it matter?

"Arato, good job today."

The question caught her by surprise. "Huh? O-oh, yeah, you too..."

Feeling a hand rest on her shoulders, she looked up at him, only to find his gaze lost in the stars. "You know, I know you're super worried about the Summer Challenge and not passing, but don't worry. I believe in you. And even if you don't believe in yourself, I guarantee we'll get through this. I promise. After all, it'd be shame if someone were never able to see a night like this again."

The night air was already warm, but Hisako found herself even warmer. Touched by his words, she smiled. "Thanks, Yukihira. I just really want to get through this for Erina-sama... I hope we can continue to take on whatever challenge we get later. Again, thanks Yukihira."

With that, the pair continued towards Hisako's residency until she arrived and bade him good night. Hisako found herself feeling quite happy when she thought about her performance, which was something she wasn't used to. She felt like she had done really well, more than what others could have done, which was something she wasn't used to. She found herself becoming comfortable with someone whom Erina-sama despised, which was something she wasn't used to. And she wasn't able to explain the feelings she had felt that night, under the starry sky.

Then again, perhaps those were feelings of love, which was another thing she wasn't used to.

~Omake End~