Chapter 40 - A Way Out
"Is everyone in agreement with the plan?"
Takumi was definitely not, by default it was simply because Ayame pretty much sacrificed herself to Isshiki-senpai's pazzo idea. What boyfriend would be supportive of that? Well he didn't have a choice anymore because no matter what he said or was going to say, Ayame put her foot down on her decision. Also she definitely knew how to distract him from firing back counter arguments… What was he ever going to do with his amore? It didn't help that she took on multiple perspectives for the plan. Dio mio… Uno: she wanted to help. Due: she wanted to test run her patched up flying robot and collect data on its speed, distance function, adaptability, sensor abilities, processing time and whole bunch of other factors. Tre: She wanted to practice her fine motor control for the joystick and the command pads attached to her laptop in an enclosed space. Takumi was suckered into her cheerful and beautiful face as she lit up like a Christmas tree as she detailed why she got a good bargain out of this. Somewhere in her noggin the pure engineer was scrambling out and leaking out of her ears. What could he say? Ayame was just Ayame.
"I suppose it's the only way" said Marui-san, nodding sagely.
"Yosh! It's about time we turned the tables on that marzipan dildo!" Yoshino-san fist pumped the air.
The other residents of Polar Star dispersed in small groups, breaking off in their own little conversations. Much of it to do with bringing justice back to Tootsuki and nailing Azami to a tree through the head and watch lice slowly crawl over his body, eating off the flesh in a slow and painful death. They were starting to get frighteningly creative in their fantasies, he noted.
"Aldini-kun, here's the Swiss Army knife Kanda-san requested from me" Isshiki-senpai held it out to Takumi, who blinked in confusion. Then it clicked. Oh yeah, Ayame mentioned that she wanted to modify her mini-stealth drone. She was going to take the swiss army knife apart, attach it and re-program the drone. He wondered what the end product would look like.
"Where's Yukihira?" asked Takumi, starting a new subject.
"He's kept to himself a lot more lately. Ever since he defeated Hayama-kun's bear meat challenge, I'm afraid" Isshiki-senpai nodded towards the stairs, with a gentle smile ever present on his face.
Takumi sighed.
"Sul serio? That was last week. He should get over himself already. And he won the match too, thus saving the Game Meat RS from dissolution, so he really shouldn't have anything to sulk about"
Isshiki-senpai leaned back on his chair and gave a non-committal shrug
"I've already told him that he did his best to convince Hayama-kun to come back to us, but he still thinks there was more he could've said. I guess Hayama-kun is too deep within Azami-dono's claws that there's no way back to the light. Azami-dono has probably punished him by now. Souma-kun feels responsible because he considers Hayama-kun his friend and rival"
Takumi furrowed his brow. He slipped the Swiss army knife into his jacket pocket then crossed his arms. It was almost as if Yukihira had forgotten he was supposed to be representing the Game Meat RS and could only instead focus on his tete-a-tete with Hayama. He was still annoyed by the fact that Yukihira had another rival. He huffed and pursed his lips. H He admitted it. He got jealous whenever Yukihira found competition in another student. Sue him. Takumi pushed his jealousy aside before it showed on his were more important going on and Takumi couldn't afford to be petty like back in the good ol' days. He wondered what punishments Azami subjected Hayama to. First of all, Yukihira Souma the face of the Rebel Alliance versus Hayama Akira the prodigious champion for Central. Such huge publicity and such huge humiliation in Centrals face would warrant punishment as heavy as la luna itself.
It was such an epic defeat.
'Then there's the odd mix of judges'
Firstly, there was Nakiri Soue.
He was the eldest son of Nakiri Senzaemon and the founder of Nakiri International, meaning he was Nakiri Alice's father. Also the very same man who passed over his Directorship to his younger sister, Lady Nadeshiko sixteen years ago. He was nothing but stoic, serious and professional. His demeanour reflected his values for the food industry, the same way Senzaemon-dono did. His surprise entrance was certainly the unneeded shot of adrenaline. He was supposed to be here on urgent business with Tootsuki since his father was usurped by his disowned brother-in-law. Grazie a Dio, that Isshiki-senpai was there to explain who that embellished Nakiri was to them as the Nakiri cousins were nowhere to be seen during the match. Takumi smelled trouble at as soon as he had a name to that face.
Dio mio, his face…
"I mean, look at those eyebrows!"
Takumi emerged from his thoughts at the sound of Yoshino-san's shrill cry. Isshiki-senpai turned his head towards her too. Dogs from the next town over could hear her.
"Those are attack-eyebrows. You could take bottle tops off with those" She finally slumped over Marui-san's defeated shoulders.
Yoshino-san took a giant swig from Sakaki-san's rice juice. From the state of the orange-haired girl, she must've taken many swigs. Isami was with them as well but he was abstaining like a gentleman, opting for Tadokoro-san's chilled barley tea. That girl always had barley tea on standby, bless her heart. She sat by Isami, laughing nervously and ready to scamper to the other side of the dining table to assist her dorm-mate, should she pass out and crush Marui-san in her inebriated state.
Indeed they were talking about Nakiri Soue's fantastico eyebrows. It was a pretty hot topic.
Takumi shivered. He could almost feel those thick eyebrows touching him all over. He could call 'Batman' with those. He thanked Madre Maria, Joseph, Cristo and the Spirito Santo that Nakri Alice didn't inherit that particular genetic trait. He was sure she was thankful too. No matter how Nakiri Soue looked, those eyebrows made him look cross. Crosser than the rest of his face. They were independently cross. They probably wanted to cede from the rest of his face and set up their own 'Independent State of Eyebrows'! Takumi resolutely decided to sit a bit more away from the rest of the group, almost amongst the shadow. He watched Isami laugh and the other two male students he'd forgotten their names make fools out of themselves. Absolutely no decorum!
But that was exactly what they needed right now.
Something silly, fun and joyous to bring everyone together in this time of darkness.
"Did you see twiddle dee and twiddle dum?! They were so cute! I wish I was as cute as them~" Yoshino-san ditched Marui-san and latched herself around Sakaki-san's neck. She wept buckets onto her clothing and Takumi could've sworn she even wiped her nose on it.
"Therr, there Yuuki-chan. They'll soon grow out of their cuteness and puberty will strike. They'll eventually be covered in acne, have oily skin and wear heavy-duty braces" Sakaki-san patted her friend's back and refilled her rice juice like any best friend would.
"Might I remind you that, that's the legendary Sheila and Berta Jørgensen you are talking about" the curt and menacing voice of Arato-san did little to silence Yoshino-san as she continued to prattle about.
Arato-san was temporarily staying at Polar Star Dormitories. She came absolutely prepared with a full sized luggage case and camping gear. Somebody must have told her Polar Star was a dump, therefore she packed equipment to sleep outside incase outside was better. Apparently she was having issues with her own parents about the little runaway stunt she pulled a week and a half ago. She was dressed in simple and casual home clothes that still reflected her status as a noble child, but it was in good taste. She sat on the other side of Isami and had her arms crossed, clearly unimpressed by the orange-headed game meat specialist slandering employees of Nakiri International.
"Don't worry about it Hishoko" chirped Nakiri Alice. "I never liked those twins in the first place. They might not look it, but they can be real bitches when they want to. Ryou-kun, how do we say 'bitches' in Dansk again?"
"Tæver"
"Tæver! Exactly. Phew, I almost forgot the word"
"I doubt you've forgotten... you just want to show off" said Arato-san sarcastically.
Nakiri Alice and Kurokiba Ryou were visiting for the heck of it, unlike Nakiri Erina who was currently under house arrest. The Danish Nakiri sat at the end of their table with her aide, bantering back and forth with everybody. Takumi wasn't quite sure, but why wasn't Nakiri Alice spending time with her own father right now? He came halfway around the world after all...
His thoughts trailed back to Berta and Sheila. The young twin prodigies from Denmark, part of Leonora-sama's Research Divion at Nakiri International. They were also here as part of Nakiri Soue's entourage and therefore was also roped in to be guest judges for Yukihira and Hayama's match. Those girls looked no less than twelve in his opinion. In fact, the way they flaunted themselves and the 'cuteness' sickened him. It wasn't appropriate for teenage girls to behave like children in his opinion, especially at times when they tried to sexualise their cuteness to garner attention from him... disgustoso... He had a hard time shaking them off. The twinkling in their eyes as they stared at him was scary. Yet another reminder that he was a good-looking guy with his own fanclub. He didn't do well with interacting with females he wasn't familiar with, so he tried to be polite as he could and decline them in a way that they wouldn't cry or make a scene. It didn't help that his classmates and Isami thought it was funny. He could still feel their tight grappling fingers puncturing his skin as they hung onto his biceps like monkeys.
'They looked like they wanted to eat me...'
"Aldini-kun, you seem to be in deep thought"
Takumi looked up to meet with Isshiki-senpai's sharp blue eyes.
"It's nothing"
"I know you're unhappy that I asked Kanda-san to assist us. But desperate times called for desperate measures"
"I'm not mad anymore. You don't need my persmission to talk to my girlfriend..."
Ayame briefly got the wrong idea. He didn't mean to sound like other guys required his permission to speak to her. Of course they didn't need to because Ayame was her own person! It was just the way he phrased his argument in the heat of anger that it came out that way to his amore. He crossed his leg and rested his arm on the back rest, the other hand fiddled with his glass of chilled barley tea. Except for that stronzetto Izumo. The little shit that was Ayame's classmate. He scuttled around in the back of his mind from time to time, like an evil pantomime. It took him ages, but he got over it. Twenty missed calls on Ayame's phone just to ask questions about the library? Get real. He was obviously pining for Ayame, who was already off the market, and he was pretty sure the whole school knew anyway.
His and Isami's after-school visits certainly made sure of that. Those were the only times Takumi dared to kiss her in a crowed place, for the sake of making a public declaration that Ayame was his girlfriend. Of course he actually wanted to kiss her too because he missed her... with the added bonus of grossing Namikaze out so she could vamoose. There might have been a silent tantrum or two on his part whenever Ayame had to stay back to actually help the stronzetto, but Takumi like the gentleman he was, didn't intervene. But mainly because Isami always had a tight grip on the back of his shirt to stop him running after them and beating the stronzetto with a garden shovel. So the act of Isshiki-senpai paying Ayame a visit and spending an afternoon with her wasn't actually as bothersome anymore.
"So kind, Aldini-kun. Most boyfriends would be pretty ticked off if another guy were to talk to their girlfriends behind their back" Isshiki-senpai smiled.
Takumi blushed "W-Well, you weren't doing anything indecent. A-And Ayame isn't stupid either. She'll know if something was up... And Namikaze could sniff if out a mile away..."
"I see. Anyway, I won't be in contact with Kanda-san anymore. My movements have been further restricted by Azami-dono and his security team is giving me lots of attention, as flattering as it sounds. I'll be relying on you to give her any messages from me"
"Fine" said Takumi. "Ayame wanted to let you know that her mini-stealth-drone will be ready in about two to three weeks since she wants to modify it and do preliminary test runs"
"Ah yes, I believe public school exam periods are over, that's perfect timing" said Isshiki-senpai.
Takumi had enough of spending time with Isshiki-senpai and merged with the rest of the group. Isami had caved under the pressure and was laughing loud and proud with Yoshino-san as she poured more of the famous rice juice into his cup. Takumi grinned, but refused the offer once the bottle was passed to him. He couldn't remember what happened the last time he had some but according to Yukihira, he was an over-emotional drunk. There was no way he was letting that happen again. Tadokoro-san left to coax the red-headed maverick down the stairs. Yoshino-san continued to be the drunken life of the party. She climbed onto the dining table and stood up. She swayed slightly as she tried to recapture her bearings from her dizzying new height. She cleared her throat and squinted at everybody.
"This… this mess we're in… is a bucket of shiiiii~t. If Central throws… shit at us, we throw shit back at them. We start a shit-fight. We throw so much shit back at them that they can't pick up shit, they can't throw shit, they can't do shit. WHO'S WITH ME?!"
"YOSH!"
Everybody except for Takumi and Isshiki-senpai were completely swept up by the intoxicating energy of Yoshino-san's winged motivational speech. Takumi was sure they hadn't considered what it was she was actually saying. If worse came to worse, then both he and Isshiki-senpai were on damage control. Before he knew it, Yoshino-san spun around and threw the empty bottle of rice juice towards the stairs. At that moment, Tadokoro-san was bringing Yukihira down who was trudging behind. He looked like he took a long nap and his golden eyes still had a sleepy sheen to them. Tadokoro-san dodged in time with a loud squeak and the half-awake Yukihira wasn't so lucky. Takumi watched in slow-motion with his jaw on the floor as Yukihira was promptly bowled over and tumbled down in a messy heap on the floor, with the empty bottle rolling away after it did its job to smack him in the head.
"SOUMA-CHII! You were supposed to get that~" cried out Yoshino-san.
"Souma-kun! Are you alright?" Tadokoro-san knelt onto the floor beside his head, her hands hovering over him as she panicked.
"That hurt. I would've caught it if you threw me some soda instead" he laughed and winced in pain at the same time, now fully awake as he rubbed his noggin. Trust Yukihira to bounce right back.
"H-Here, Souma-kun. Let me get some ice for you" Tadokoro-san got up and quickly ran back to the kitchens and Takumi could hear her rummaging around in the freezer. Honestly, the bump on his head wasn't that big but Tadokoro-san would always be a worry-wart to the core.
Takumi rolled up his sleeves and went over to give Yukihira a helping hand, while Isshiki-senpai went to calm Yoshino-san down.
"Thanks mate. I think I've lost five years of my life"
Yukihira dropped Takumi's hand and dusted himself off. Despite the huge smile spread over his face and the cheeky chuckle, there was a hint of sadness and thinly veiled frustration in his golden eyes. Ah. He was only putting on a façade for everyone's benefit. He was still troubled by the fact that Hayama shot him down. Takumi knew that inside Yukihira was thrilled to have finally bested Hayama, but it wasn't the sweet victory he wanted because everybody knew Hayama wasn't giving his all.
"Man, I don't think I've been under this much stress for ages" Yukihira said as he and Takumi walked back over to the main dining hall table.
"What about the Hokkaidou promotions exam?" asked Takumi.
"Hmm. Nah, that wasn't too bad"
He sighed "You and I remember Hokkaidou very differently…" muttered Takumi as he rested his chin in his palm.
"Urgh… I wanted to get my revenge on him for the Autumn Elections last year" Yukihira suddenly buried his head in his arms as he hunched over the dining table. "I was so pumped that I finally got the chance to go all-out against him, circumstances aside"
He blinked with wide eyes at Yukihira. Takumi knew he was talking about Hayama, but this was rare. Yukihira never confided in him his frustration that's been dragging on forever. He usually brooded silently and lock himself in his own little world. He decided to just listen for now. He was good at that. At least, that's what Ayame said.
"And yet, he was focused on everything except his dishes" Yukihira groaned as he lifted his head up and his eyes changed to become irritated. "I know that Shiomi Seminar is where Hayama belongs and yet he couldn't bring himself to fight for it. My win feels so frickin' empty"
Takumi sighed as he turned his gaze out the window, staring at the dipping sun on the horizon. "Look Yukihira. People change, friend's leave, things go wrong. But life goes on. You did your best to change Hayama's mind and bring him to us after winning that match. Whatever decision he's made is his responsibility, not yours. It's up to him to pull himself up if he knows he's in the wrong"
Yukihira turned around and gave Takumi a hard stare, then his golden eyes crinkled.
"Pfft"
"Wh-What?! Why are you laughing at me?!"
Takumi pushed his chair out with a loud screech to face Yukihira properly and banged his fist on the table. Yukihira narrowed his eyes with sparkling mischief and did nothing to suppress the grin slashed across his face. He showed a bit of civility for a few minutes to Yukihira and this was what he got?! There was nothing funny going on and he felt his ire rise along with embarrassment when there shouldn't be anything to be embarrassed about. One thing for sure was Takumi Aldini didn't like being made fun of! Finally, Yukihira settled down and wiped a stray tear from his eyes, keeping them locked onto Takumi's raging blue ones. His face felt like it was on fire and he was this close to pummelling the red-headed chef.
"I was going to say that you've mellowed out ever since you got a girlfriend, but I guess the spastic Takumi still lives" sniggered Yukihira.
"Why you little—!"
CRASH! BANG!
"Yare, yare. Look who's come to pay us a vis— What's going on here?!"
The room quietened. The blonde Italian had knocked Yukihira onto the floor. Their chairs were toppled over and laid askewed. He straddled Yukihira's back with one arm wrapped around his neck and the other pushing on the back of his red head in a headlock. Tadokoro-san had finally come back with an ice-packet as her hands almost froze off from clutching the blue ice-packet too tightly. Takumi instantly paused his actions and looked up to see Fumio-san with her hands on her hips giving him a warning tut. Yukihira's fingers went limp from trying to wrestle Takumi off as he stared at his dorm-mother and the unexpected visitor behind her from the floor.
"D-Doujima-s-senpai!" Yukihira spluttered.
"Well, I see that Polar Star hasn't changed at all" boomed the powerfully built man.
Chef Doujima was dressed in a tight, tailored suit. His broad shoulders barely fitted through the door frame of the dining hall. He carried with him a briefcase and a suit jacket hung over his arms. This meant he had just got back from something important, probably a sit-down with Director Azami. He strode into the room and his muscles flexed beneath his clothing as if it they had lives of their own. Takumi gulped and dropped Yukihira's shirt and the red-headed chef's head hit the floor with a soft bang. Another lump to add to is collection. Takumi scrambled off him and greeted the famous Tootsuki alumnus and former resident of Tootsuki with a deep bow. Chef Doujima's sharp brown eyes met with all the students as he nodded his acknowledgement to them. Last time Takumi met the man, he was awestruck. He was a very serious and straightforward person who treated every single student in the Rapport Building Training Camp in their first year like his own employee. True to Fumio-san's stories, he didn't tolerate failure. The dorm-mother also boasted a lot about him sending her cards for Obon and Shougatsu every year without fail, showing that he was dutiful in Japanese traditions and liked to keep in contact. Takumi had heard the story about Chef Doujima's great flexibility and defence for those he deemed worthy enough to stay at Tootsuki. Yukihira and Tadokoro-san had an unofficial shokugeki match at the same training camp to win her place back into the school after failing Chef Shinomiya's class. That was a story that hasn't made it to Chef Chapelle's ears, even till this day, grazie a Dio.
Doujima Gin was a hard man to impress, so Takumi counted himself lucky that he was even within his field of vision when it came to his cooking prowess. He felt honoured whenever Chef Doujima spoke to him.
"Ah! Doujima-sama. It is an honour to see you again, sir" Arato-san rushed over and bowed. She had a blush on her face, clearly flustered to be seeing the famed alumnus again.
"Arato-san, Nakiri-san, Kurokiba-kun, I hope you've all been well" he smiled at the three non-Polar Star residents.
"Could be better. Right Ryou-kun?" chirped Nakiri Alice.
"Ousu"
"AHH! PAPER-PUSHING, TAX-DODGING ELITEST!" Yoshino-san sprang up and pointed ferociously at the surprised Chef Doujima! Except her finger was pointing far out to the side, meaning she was having double vision or something. Her face was beetroot-red and her snarl barely made it over her teeth as her glazed eyes flicked back and forth. She swayed dangerously from standing on top of the table.
"Yuuki! That's enough! Sakaki, go get her cleaned up and put her to bed. And no more of that rice juice" Fumio-san yelled.
The tough dorm-mother wrenched the drunk girl back into her seat and snatched her umpteenth cup of rice juice before she could take another rebellious swig from it. Sakaki apologised profusely and smiled nervously as she tried to wrestle the orange-haired student chef out of the dining room. She grabbed poor Marui-san on the way to help with the mission of tranquilizing Yoshino-san. Fumio-san planted her aging hands on her hips, tutting at her undisciplined brood. She glared at the rest of the Polar Star residents and guests, a frosty reminder to behave themselves in the presence of her favourite ex-student.
"You haven't visited me in a while, Gin. Here! Stay for some dinner, why don't you" said Fumio-san, changing her demeanor completely.
"Only if it doesn't inconvenience you" he said as he sat at the nearest chair. "Ah Yukihira. I've heard about the match you had recently with Hayama. Congratulations"
"Yeah… thanks"
Takumi quirked a quizzical brow. Yukihira turned his face away and was scratching his head, his eyes suddenly half lidded which came across as almost rude.
"What's the matter Yukihira, you look like you've got something on your mind?" said Chef Doujima.
Yukihira was pretty shit at hiding his emotions, Takumi came to know.
"Now that you're here and are probably the man with the answer. I want to ask how the Shiomi Seminar dissolved" said Yukihira.
"How did it dissolved, huh?" Doujima-san crossed his huge arms. He closed his eyes and his thick eyebrows folded down in a serious furrow.
"Did Hayama not battle with a Central guy for the continued existence of the Shiomi Seminar?" Yukihira continued. He picked up his chair and resumed his place at the table and Takumi followed. "I just can't get over how weird it is that he just quietly joined the enemy's camp and stuff" he mimicked Chef Doujima's body language and crossed his arms also.
"Who cares how or why Hayama joined central" spoke up Ibusaki-san. His soft and raspy voice garnered everyone's attention. He remained quiet and in his own world the whole time, reminding Takumi of Kuchiyose's natural disposition. "Nothing we can do about it anyway".
"I just can't imagine him agreeing to being lorded over" said Yukihira to Ibusaki-san gesturing his hand out to further emphasise his point.
Chef Doujima finally opened his sharp brown eyes. "It's as you say, Yukihira. It seemed that initially he was quite opposed to being lorded over, himself"
Yukihira and Takumi snapped their eyes up in surprise. Really? Hayama had in fact been against it in the first place? Then what's with the sudden change of values? Takumi couldn't piece the bits of information together to create the whole picture.
"The Shiomi Seminar mainly ran on donations and partnership contracts from other research facilities and businesses. They fund Jun's research. Cut them off and the Shiomi Seminar won't have any legs to stand on, and that's exactly what Azami did. He forced Jun's seminar contract partners' hands to withdraw from her and cancel their deal and partnership. He did it to every single one, until there was virtually no support. So the Shiomi Seminar crumbled. It was all part of his plan to bring Hayama into his fold. Hayama wanted nothing more than to protect Jun and give her a place to belong, like she had done for him when she adopted him out of Bangladesh. So Azami gave him an ultimatum to use his skills for Central to protect Jun. And for that goal, he had no choice but to defeat you, Yukihira" said Chef Doujima.
"But he didn't win…" said Yukihira. "So what's going to happen to him?"
"I don't know. But knowing Azami, he will have something nasty in store for him"
The whole room went deathly quiet. It was suddenly chilly as realisation dawned upon them. Takumi clenched his fist. All this time… Hayama, just wanted to save Professor Shiomi and he gave up everything he believed to do that. He bit the bullet and fought for something higher than himself. He wasn't a coward like he thought he was. On the contrary, Hayama Akira was incredibly brave. Probably one of the bravest people he knew.
"I should've known…" said Takumi.
"Fratello?" Isami looked over in worry.
"Namikaze… Ayame said Namikaze mentioned that he asked her hypothetical questions about sacrifices one time when they bumped into each other at Karakura honchou. I didn't think much of it at the time. I should've picked up on that" Takumi massaged his forehead in frustration.
"Why on earth would Hayama go around talking about such things? He isn't the type to be having DMCs with just anybody" asked Nakiri Alice. She flipped her long silver lock from her eyes.
"Who knows, but that's a heavy burden to shoulder, even for Hayama… Maybe it was an subconscious cry for help… to let someone know that he was suffering" offered Isami.
"Namikaze-san of all people?" asked Tadokoro-san. His thoughts exactly.
"Ayame thinks he fancies Namikaze" scoffed Takumi.
"Ha… all this time, I thought he had the hots for Shiomi-sensei"
"He's her adopted son, you idiota!" Takumi yelled at Yukihira's thick head. Honestly!
"Anyway" Chef Doujima's deep voice captured everybody's attention again "That's Hayama's situation"
Everyone nodded sullenly, feeling bad for trash-talking their classmate the whole time.
"Hey, Hishoko. Where are you going?" asked Nakiri Alice.
Takumi looked up towards where the Arato-san should be but instead caught the rosette-haired yakuzan specialist in his periphery. She paused halfway out the dining room with her phone halfway to her ears. She turned around at her nickname, looking a bit shocked that someone caught her slipping out of the dining hall. She had a slight blush.
"Um-uh… I just have an important ph-phone call to make… that's all" she stuttered nervously.
"Oh? Okay then, get to it!" Nakiri Alice smirked like the devil "Wouldn't want to keep your boyfriend waiting~"
"I DON'T HAVE A BOYFRIEND!"
Akira slammed the door shut.
This was fucking ridiculous! If Azami was going to fucking punish him, then just fucking do it already! Instead the monster decided he wanted to keep him in limbo rather than tell him how his life as a chef was going to end, and how he'll destroy Jun. It was like Azami wanted to control his oxygen levels. He was depriving it to the point where he felt like he was suffocating, but not enough to pass out. Stuck gasping for little air to fill his aching lungs. Not knowing was the worst part, there was nothing he could do to prepare. He knew that Azami definitely wanted to keep him, but that didn't mean he wouldn't enforce his own brand of twisted discipline to ensure no more failures in Central.
The living quarters was empty. He hadn't seen Jun for a while. Not only was their living quarters empty of her warmth, but also their scientific equipment, samples, green house and their data were all confiscated, held hostage by Azami. His life and Jun's life. It was late at night when Akira came back from the grassy knoll. He always went there with his bag of cinnamon sticks. He would lay on the green grass in the cold night air to relax and collect his thoughts which was exactly what he did tonight. He would rest a cinnamon stick at his nostrils and inhale deeply, letting the sweet, spicy and earthy scent wash over him. Now the cinnamon scent had a new meaning to him. The short and cranky girl with congenital anosmia came to mind. He didn't have the patience to think of two troublesome things at once. He didn't come out of that peaceful place feeling any better. Akira stomped over to the cupboard and grabbed the first thing he saw.
Jun's bottle of sake.
"Fuck. It'll do"
Akira poured it into a little sake cup and knocked it back. He concentrated on the burn as it scorched his throat. It made his skin feel hot, but the warmth did nothing to replace the frigid cold he was feeling inside his dead body. The disgusting bitter taste lingered on his tongue and combined with his heightened sense of smell, it was a total fuck-up of the senses. He didn't understand what was pleasurable about alcoholic drinks. Jun liked to drink sake to unhinge. But for him, right now he needed it to make him forget.
Forget his defeat.
"Yukihira…" he whispered through gritted teeth.
After the bear-meat shokugeki, the male Joan-of-Arc preached about him falling into darkness and losing his way. That moron didn't understand anything. He had to do this. Even if he did turn over to the Rebel Alliance, it wouldn't stop Azami from punishing or expelling him. One did not simply cut ties with Nakiri Azami. Akira was already dancing with the devil and the music hadn't stopped. He remembered the hurt in Jun's eyes as she looked at him in utter disappointment when he told her his decision to join Azami to save her job at the beginning of this whole debacle. He would never forget the tears streaming down her face as she screamed at him not to follow down that path. It felt like his heart was being stabbed repeatedly, but it had to be done. Yukihira playing the maverick 'hero', gallivanting around to rub dirt in Central's face wasn't going to change his mind for one iota. He would follow through until his body dropped dead by Azami's hands, if it meant Jun would be safe.
"I will hold myself accountable… to the very end" he whispered his pledge to the emptiness.
He knocked back another cup.
Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!
Akira glowered at the landline disturbing his solitude. What the fuck was it now? All the contract partners tucked their tails and ran for the hills to leave him and Jun in the dust, so who could be calling at this time of night? He was on the verge of deciding to let the ringing die out, but he picked it up anyway. A few more cups of sake and he'd forget whatever miserable news the fucker's got to—
"Is this Hayama Akira?"
Akira paused pouring a third cup of sake. The voice was unfamiliar. It was a male voice. A young male's voice with a rural twang. Akira was full of trepidation. He carefully set the sake bottle down.
"…Yeah. Who's this"
"Not important. I heard Professor Shiomi's Spice Seminar was executed by the Azami Administration's firin' squad, and ya prostituted ya-self to the enemy so she doesn't go homeless. Props for that. Takes balls. Luckily, I 'ave a proposition that could turn all that 'round 'n' potentially save her career.
"…"
Akira was frozen solid. Prostituted?…What…
"I take ya silence as for me to keep talkin'. Dr. Haruno Sakura, the tenure professor at Toudai has a job opennin' for a permanent research position within her Faculty of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine"
"…Who the fuck are you and what the hell is this?"
"All ya need to know is I'm ya way out"
Akira faultered. Way… out? What did he mean by that? This talk about saving Jun's career was messing with his brain, but he was slowly making heads and tails of it. A way out for himself and Jun. Was that what the caller was talking about? Next, he placed the sake cup back down onto the table with a clumsy hand. His heart sped up and the hand holding the cordless phone shook. He could feel the heat of the alcohol thrumming through his body sluggishly now. He felt hot. He didn't understand what he was feeling! It made him breathless and his chest felt tight. There was adrenaline pumping all over his body. He could feel sweat beading against his temple and all he could hear was the rapid beating on his heart in his ears. He tried his best to identify this foreign feeling but he couldn't but a finger on it. Or maybe the feeling wasn't actually foreign, but was something he hadn't felt in such a long time, to the point that it was almost unrecognisable. Was it… Was this…
Hope?
He gulped. It was probably safe to assume that the caller knew a lot about the shit-storm he was in.
"… I've already struck a deal with Director Azami. He's promised to build me a brand new exclusive research facility inside Central if I join him… he also promised to employ Jun as well. So Jun is safe now"
It sounded too good to be true. He already resigned himself to the fact that joining Azami was his only ultimatum, and there was nothing else he could do. He didn't care that he was part of Central. He only cared about Jun and her life-long research. He did it all for Jun's sake. He owed her an unimaginable debt. She saved his life. The least he could was save hers in return even if it meant sacrificing himself to the most despicable man in the world. She might hate his guts and be really disappointed in him. Heck, he knew she felt that because they were not on speaking terms with each other but that didn't matter.
"Being a hero isn't about letting people know you did the right thing. It's about YOU knowing YOU did the right thing"
As strange as it sounded. Akira took comfort in what the short Karakura student said to him on that day. Ever since he bumped into Namikaze at the department store, he made his rock-solid decision. No matter what, he was going to save Jun's career. That was how he knew he was doing the right thing by Jun. Every time Akira became doubtful, all he needed to do was play Namikaze's words like a mantra in his head, then he wouldn't lose focus and be on track again. A 'hero from the shadows', that was the role he forced himself to play. While Yukihira and the Rebel Alliance were the heroes of their time that everybody knew about, endeavouring to save the whole school, Akira strived to do his bit and save his adoptive mother in their corner of the world. It felt sickening and hubristic to think himself as a hero disguised as a villain sometimes, but at other times, following the self-delusion helped him sleep at night.
But now with this miraculous offer coming at him at such a trying time… maybe he wouldn't have to live as a villain anymore.
"Is she really… Would ya rather her be under Azami? Or under Dr. Haruno?"
"…"
"I've been told that Professor Shiomi was doin' excellent research in… let me see…flavourants prepared through solid phase extraction, virtual mappin' development, development of a system for preparin' 'n' packagin' herbs that specialises in preservin' their freshness 'n' stuff. That last topic there sounds real interestin' by the way. I think ya professor will suit that Toudai position perfectly"
"They don't have anything to do with traditional Chinese medicine though. And how did you get that information anyway!"
"Also not important. Your research is to do with edible plants. Good enough for herbal medicine. Slightly changin' her field of study ain't that big of a deal. What stands out to me is Professor Shiomi's projects capability to further develop the field of traditional Chinese herbal medicine in an innovative way to support 'n'expand its use across the world"
Not important he said… It could've been leaked by anybody from Tootsuki. The only people who knew were anyone who was ever interested enough to ask Jun about her research.
"What's the permanent research position about?" asked Hayama sceptically.
"For the first year, she'll be conducting research under Dr. Haruno's supervision into whatever projects she's got goin' on at the moment. After that, she'll 'ave room to conduct her own research if she proves good enough by the end to Dr. Haruno. There are other bonus opportunities to develop other skills such as teachin' a university class, holdin' her own university seminar 'n' conferences, publishing research papers in highly distinguished journals, accompany Dr. Haruno in accreditation for other universities 'n' institutes"
"But Jun's research is highly specialised and there's no other place that has the capacity to—"
"Tokyo University is perfectly capable, thanks very much. Tootsuki may be operatin' as a school for chefs, but at its heart is a business with only business interests, 'n' the interests of their business partners. A businessman like Azami will end up telling ya what he wants ya to research 'n' then monopolise it. If ya don't research what he wants, ya fired or expelled. That's the nature of a private business, right? Toudai on the other hand is a government institution whose focus is largely on academia. The only thing ya professor needs to focus on in her position is social responsibility, which for any decent scientist ain't a problem. That's more room to breathe already, ain't it?
Akira retired to his small room, leaving behind the bottle of sake and used cups on the table. He switched the cordless phone to his other ear as he attempted to change his clothes with one hand. So far this sounded interesting enough, but not enough to hook him.
"Scientists and researchers working in Universities rely on grant money all the time, so they are under the government's thumb too" he said.
"Writin' grant proposals are a normal part of bein' a researcher. It ain't worth quibblin' over"
Akira felt the vein in his temple throb. He could practically hear the eye-roll behind those words. "What about the facilities? Jun needs highly specialised equipment and resources to conduct her research"
"Toudai's laboratories 'n' facilities are state-of-the-art, 'n' on the same level as Nakiri International. The Faculty of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine has teams of both like-minded 'n' diverse scientists which Professor Shiomi can collaborate 'n' share ideas with. Also there's the teams from other faculties in the science field if she wants an interdisciplinary collaboration, or just intelligent chats by the water cooler. So it'll broaden her horizons 'n' open up some brain-space she never knew she had, ya know? Tootsuki can't offer that since it's only the two of ya. Nakiri International is probably too stuck-up to give ya'll the time of day"
"You should already know that Director Azami's influence is far-spread. He's talked all of our research partners out of our contracts and deals. He's forced all of them to withdraw and stop funding us. He'll do the same with Toudai if he wants" said Hayama sombrely.
"Please. Dr Haruno has picked boogers from her nose bigger than Nakiri Azami. If he values his existence, he'll stay clear of her faculty"
Akira would've found that amusing if he wasn't so stressed and fucking tired. He shook his head. He'd seen Dr. Haruno in action verbally backhanding the CEO of Igakono senbei and the CEO of TopRamen Limited single handedly without breaking a sweat. She was truly a magnificent force to be reckoned with as she kept the two biggest business moguls of Japan in line during the short-lived Elite Ten Reshuffle competition. She was fierce, she was steadfast and was incredibly strong-spirited whilst maintaining absolute grace. So maybe Azami would have a harder time swaying her.
"You're selling me some good points here, but there is no guarantee that Jun will get that position"
"I can put in a good word for her to Dr. Haruno 'n' get the job information package earlier, 'n' 'ave them sent to ya. It'll help her organise her resume, portfolio, CV 'n' all that stuff so it'll be better than the other applicants. Nobody else is gettin' that special treatment. I may be showin' ya a way out, but I ain't diggin' the whole tunnel for ya'll. The rest is up to the both of ya to re-start her career in a better position"
"So… if she gets the position then—"
"Then ya can reconsider where ya loyalties lie without anythin' to hold ya back, yeah?"
It was all clicking into place now. Jun could get another job still pursuing her passion and be free. She could still conduct her research and projects in top of the range facilities. Toudai could open more doors for her. She would get the privilege to work under the famous Dr. Haruno Sakura and collaborate with other big-name scientists. She could publish her research for the whole world to see. She would have room to move up the career ladder and change the world. It was definitely better than what the current Tootsuki could offer. Then he could be rid of Azami's spider-web spun puppet strings, knowing that Jun would be safe under Dr. Haruno's wings. Both he and Jun had nothing to lose.
"Now my work here is done 'n' I've got my own shit to do. So I'm gonna hang up now—"
"Wait! If you're not going to tell me your name, at least tell me how the hell do you know about our situation in the first place. Who told you to call me?"
"Still bangin' on 'bout that… Fine then. Ya classmate, Arato Hisako told me all 'bout ya sorry ass. This 'Shawshank Redemption' thing for ya was her idea. Only ya ain't tunnelin' through shit, 'n' there's a better chance of redemption at the end. So she asked me for another favour to help ya'll out. Real sweetheart, ain't she? Laters fam"
Click… beep…beep…beep
That made no sense to Akira.
Whoever this caller was, he had to thank him one day, and Arato too.
He was going to get Jun out of here.
I'm going to let that sink in...
The light at the end of the tunnel for Hayama and Shiomi! :D Thanks Hisako! and thank you caller-san! Hayama is under a tonne of stress. Who could function with Azami breathing down their backs? I hope his vulnerability shows. He is dependent on Chizuru's words to reassure himself that he's doing the right thing. (Chizuru's quote about being a hero was from chapter 38 - Sacrifice)
Now the whole gang understands Hayama's situation :) and yeah... no more drinks for Yuuki...
Thanks for reading and do visit the poll to pick who your favourite OC character is for A Touch of Saffron: Ayame, Chizuru or Kuchiyose! Also you can see what others have voted :3
Until we meet again, I'd love to know what your guys think!
Signing off
-TripWire-dono
