A/N: I decided to skip Sōma's first night in the dorm. It would have been exactly like the manga except for a few minor differences. So this chapter will pick up during the next morning.
Also, attention, I now have a tumblr blog where I post stuff (ideas and questions and thoughts and more) about this account. So… Follow me? The name is "stygianhazardff"
Disclaimer: I do not own Shokugeki no Sōma. And every time I read this manga, I get hungry.
The mornings at Tōtsuki Tea Ceremony and Cooking Academy are always beautiful. The sun always shines over the well-kept grounds. The birds will always sing in tune with each other over the buildings. A large amount of chefs get up early to start making breakfast, the scent of which would permeate throughout the hallways in the early morning. And in the Polar Star Dormitory this morning, Yukihira Sōma has gotten up extra early in order to prepare himself. A few hours later, the rest of the students of the Polar Star Dorms arrived downstairs to the dining hall only to pause at the sight if a revved up Yukihira Sōma sitting cross-legged on a chair facing the door.
"You told me it was postponed yesterday," Sōma said lowly. "So now… With the 7th Seat on the line… I CHALLENGE YOU! ISSHIKI-SENPAI!"
Nearly a full minute passed where everyone simply stared at each other, unable to react. Sōma looked at Satoshi questioningly, wondering what the holdup was. Eventually, Satoshi sighed tiredly before smiling slightly.
"I'm sorry, Sōma-kun…" Satoshi said. "I didn't explain enough last night. I never got to the part about Tōtsuki Academy's challenges."
"Challenges?" Sōma asked, hearing the added emphasis on the word.
"First, let's eat breakfast, shall we?" Satoshi asked.
The others had all sat down as soon as Satoshi started talking. They were now all lying down with their heads on the table, not hearing anything that was going on. Megumi stood slightly behind Satoshi as she looked between him and Sōma curiously.
"… Fine." Sōma sighed after seeing that the challenge and mood were apparently ruined.
"The food is ready!" Fumio called out as she walked in the dining hall with trays of food. She passed them out to everyone with Megumi's help. Everyone then sleepily thanked her before starting to eat. Sōma checked over his food before trying a bite.
"Oh!" Sōma exclaimed. "This is really good!"
"Heh," Fumio grinned as she took her seat next to Sōma and across from Yūki . "You didn't think I worked here just for my looks, did you?"
"Eh…" Sōma shrugged helplessly. Even he didn't have a response for that question.
"Hmph!" Fumo glared at him for a moment before turning to start eating her own food.
It was quiet for a few minutes with the exception of clicking utensils until Satoshi finally started to speak.
"The challenges at Tōtsuki were first established to settle disputes between students," Satoshi said slowly to Sōma. "There are some rules to them however. Sōma-kun, if you wish to challenge me for me seat, you have to present compensation that matches it in value."
"Oh?" Sōma tried to think about what he could give up in return. His bike? Or maybe some of his secret recipes?
"Let's see…" Satoshi stroked his chin in thought as he pondered quietly to himself. "If it's for the 7th Seat of the Elite Ten Council… Not even dropping out of the academy would be enough."
"Really?!" Sōma yelled disbelievingly.
"That's right," Fumio nodded in agreement. "That is the worth of the Elite Ten Council. In the past, a few of the students of the Polar Star Dormitory would make it into the Elite Ten nearly every year. One time, the entirety of the Elite Ten was composed of Polar Star students. It really was the Golden Age of the Polar Star Dormitory."
Sōma was only half paying attention, much to Satoshi's amusement. All of the others just kept on eating.
"You guys are miserable when compared to them!" Fumio finished angrily.
"Oh, come on!" Shōji complained loudly. "It's too early to hear your complaints Fumio-san!"
"Yeah," Daigo agreed. "At least one of us is in it, right? Just deal with it, Fumio-san."
"Well yeah…" Satoshi shrugged sadly before he continued where he had left off. "Of course, I could accept your conditions anyways just so we could compete. But in the end, I don't want you to leave this academy. So to put it plainly, your challenge just isn't feasible Sōma-kun."
"Seriously…?" Sōma asked dejectedly. "Man… And I even woke up at 5 a.m. just to rev myself up for it too…"
"Challenge the 7th Seat is just plain reckless, Sōma-kun." Megumi chimed after seeing that he and Satoshi were done talking.
"I think it's just stupid." Yūki added, rolling her eyes.
"It's not as if we could just go ahead and do it anyways," Satoshi said. "You need three things for a challenge."
Sōma perked up and started to pay more attention.
"One, an authorized person that can prove that the challenge is an official one. Two, an odd number of judges. Three, both parties agree on the conditions of the challenge. When those three conditions are met, then the challenge is arranged. Shokugeki!" Satoshi said with a slight grin on his face.
"Shokugeki…" Sōma repeated slowly.
"That's it," Satoshi grinned at Sōma. "Well, I'm sure you'll manage to do some others during your stay here anyways."
'Ah…' Megumi thought glumly. 'Someone will want him gone enough to challenge him soon. Probably.'
"That's it," Fumio said suddenly. Everyone looked at her in confusion until she pointed at the clock. Most of them shot up and started to run. Sōma, Satoshi, and Megumi stayed at the table though. Sōma looked at Fumio in curiosity. "It's almost time for your classes to start. You should get going."
"Oh?" Sōma quickly finished the rest of his food before running out of the door.
Megumi then got up and started to help Fumio with the dishes.
"You don't have to do that Tadokoro-kun," Satoshi told her. "I'll help Fumio-san out."
"O-oh?" Megumi blushed. "It's f-fine. I don't mind helping."
"It's no problem," Satoshi smiled. "After all, it's fine if I'm late for class. You should go get ready. Sōma may need your help today."
"Huh?" Megumi wasn't sure how to respond to that.
"Just get going," Fumio said with a wave of her hand. "We can manage just fine."
"W-well, if you're sure…" Megumi then bowed before quickly leaving.
Satoshi smiled at her retreating form before turning to Fumio.
"What are you planning now?" Fumio asked quietly while picking up the dishes after making sure that Megumi was out of earshot.
"Huh?" Satoshi smiled disarmingly. He also started to pick up the dishes. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Fumio-san."
"Hmm…" Fumio stared at Satoshi until finally sighing. "Very well, we can leave it at that for now."
"Don't worry so much," Satoshi said. "I'm merely interested in seeing their growth. That's all."
"Just seeing?" Fumio questioned.
Satoshi just shrugged helplessly in response.
"Hmph," Fumio pushed open the door the kitchen and placed the dishes on the sink. She moved aside to Satoshi could also place his dishes in before continuing. "Did you know that another student stopped by last night?"
"Oh?" Satishi quirked an eyebrow. That was news. "I didn't see anyone."
"That's because she left right after Sōma-kun passed my the Polar Star Entrance Test." Fumio said. She turned on the sink and started to wash them while waiting for a response from Satoshi.
"You're being mean Fumio-san," Satoshi sighed in mock sadness. "Who was with him?"
"Alice." Fumio stated.
"Alice?" Satoshi parroted.
"How many Alice's do you know?" Fumio asked lightly.
"At this academy?" Satoshi asked rhetorically. "Just one."
"Interesting, isn't it?" Fumio asked. She didn't turn away from the sink. But she could feel the curiosity rolling off of Satoshi in waves.
"Hm," Satoshi chuckled before turning to leave. "Thank you for the info, Fumio-san."
"If you find out why, be sure to let me know." Fumio replied.
"But of course." Satoshi smiled. He then left the kitchen and started to walk up the stairs to the balcony.
'Sōma-kun and Alice-chan? Now there's a strange yet interesting combination. I wonder how it came about…' Satoshi thought before shrugging disinterestedly. He was sure he would find out eventually. From what he knew, neither of those two were subtle people.
"We're here, Ojou-sama." Ryō stated blandly once he and Alice entered the arena. It was packed with students who were psyched for the Shokugeki taking place today. Even though it was early, everyone wanted to be here to see it. It was always a treat to be able to see Nakiri Erina cook. And no student would ever want to miss such a thing.
"I can see that Ryō-kun," Alice said with a sigh. "Really, you don't have to announce obvious things like this."
"Really?" Ryō asked. "Sorry Ojou-sama."
"Ugh," Alice shook her head in mock dismay. "Whatever, it's fine. So who is Erina facing today?"
"The Chanko Hot Pot Research society," Ryō said. There was a very slight sneer in his voice; he didn't show much reaction outwardly though. "They're a Research Society that has done pretty much nothing for a few years now except brag about their glory days."
"Oh?" Alice looked over them in thought. They didn't look like much. They all jeered at Erina as if it would help. "I see. I guess Erina decided to make that into a new building for her to cook in."
"Probably." Ryō said with a nod.
"That is so like her. What a kid." Alice said with a smirk on her face.
Ryō nodded. Inwardly though, he thought that that was like the pot calling the kettle black. However, he learned long ago to not talk back. So he kept his thoughts to himself.
"Huh, is something wrong Ryō-kun?" Alice asked him after not hearing a reply.
"Nothing at all, Ojou-sama." Ryō replied.
"If you say so~" Alice smiled disarmingly at Ryō before turning back to look at the Shokugeki.
It seemed to be going under way. There was just the standard big talk going on currently. There was nothing too interesting. The leader, a 2nd year called Kiyoshi Gōdabayashi, had stepped up and called Erina out for being a villain. Erina, of course, paid him no mind and shot him and his Research Society down.
"This will go just as expected," Alice said after seeing them start to cook. The second they had started to prep their ingredients, it was plain to see there was no way that Kiyoshi could win. Erina was being fast, thorough, and accurate. Kiyoshi, meanwhile, was being slow, messy, and negligent. "How boring…"
"Isn't it?" Ryō asked while yawning. "Why did we even bother coming?"
"Hey!" Alice glared at him. "Don't question your master."
"Very well, Ojou-sama." Ryō said apologetically.
"Hmph." Alice turned back to the match.
"Ojou-sama…" Ryō said after a few minutes.
"What is it, Ryō-kun?" Alice asked.
"Why were you late coming home last night?" Ryō asked.
Alice turned to look at him. Ryō wasn't looking at her. He was focused on the match. Even if it was a poor match-up, it was still a match. It would keep his interest, however little. Still, the fact that he had bothered to ask meant that he was more than a little curious.
"Just showing a student around," Alice said disinterestedly. "It wasn't much."
"Was it the transfer student?" Ryō questioned.
"Does it matter?" Alice snapped back.
Ryō waited a bit before replying. "I guess not."
Alice sighed before replying reluctantly. "It was."
"I see." Ryō said.
Alice waited to see if Ryō would continue his line of questioning. Luckily, he did not. She liked that about Ryō. He would never question too much. Sure, he would get annoyed easily and loved seafood far too much. But besides that, he was loyal and indulgent. He wouldn't question her too much, and would give input only when the situation required it. This wasn't one of those times, so he wouldn't care until something happened or if something was about to happen.
"It's finally over." Ryō said, breaking her out of her thoughts.
Alice focused in on the stage. Sure enough, Kiyoshi was on the ground with Erina standing before him triumphantly. She had her phone in her hand and Kiyoshi looked like he was about to cry.
"Oh my," Alice gasped. "Did Erina really call for the Chan RS to be demolished as soon as the match ended? And in front if it's leader too? How cruel."
The slight mirth in her eyes showed that this concern was entirely false.
"Shall we go now, Ojou-sama?" Ryō questioned as people started to get up and leave.
"Yeah, I suppose so." Alice said. She got up and started to walk out.
"By the way, we need to start putting out fliers for the Cutting-Edge Cooking Research Society. Among other things…" Ryō reminded her.
"Oh yes," Alice nodded. It was about time for that. Now that the new school year had started, it was the optimal recruiting time. While she was sure there wouldn't be anyone worth letting in, it wouldn't hurt to put some feelers out there. "I'll design some things. Ryō-kun, you'll be in charge of putting them in good places."
"Very well, Ojou-sama." Ryō said impassively.
"Don't you feel like today will be a good day?" Alice asked with a smile as she opened the doors to the outside. A breeze blew by, blowing her hair into her eyes. She pushed her hair out of the way and gazed out. All of the students were rushing to class. Among them, she saw a flash of a familiar red-head. "Let's get going. There are so many things that need to be taken care of before I face Erina in a Shokugeki for her Seat."
OMAKE
"Shokugeki, eh…?" Sōma asked himself aloud.
"Shokugeki?" A familiar voice asked from right next to him.
Sōma spun around and saw Alice looking at him inquisitively.
"Oh!" Sōma smiled at her. "Hey Alice-san. How are you?"
"I'm fine." Alice said dismissively with a wave of her hand. "Did I hear you say Shokugeki?"
"Yeah," Sōma nodded. "I wanted to have one with my senpai, but apparently it's not possible. I was hoping to have one."
"Hmm." Alice looked thoughtful for a moment before smirking slightly. "Does it have to be with that senpai?"
"Huh?" Sōma asked, not seeing where she was going with that question.
"How about you have a Shokugeki with me?" Alice asked charmingly.
"Well, it would be good experience…" Sōma muttered under his breath. "Yeah, sure. Let's do it!"
"Great!" Alice clapped her hands together delightedly. "What should we wager?"
"Wager?" Sōma asked. "Well, you can decide that."
"Really?" Alice's eyes widened. Inwardly though, she was doing a happy dance. "How about the loser has to be the winners slave for a day?"
"Is that what you want?" Sōma asked in surprise. "Well, I guess that wager is fine with me if it's fine with you."
Alice had to try her hardest to not start cackling evilly.
A/N: This is kind of shorter compared to the last chapter. I'm sorry. But like I said before, or I think I said before, this story is going to be following the manga. Chapter by chapter (to a degree). So the lengths will always vary, sometimes by a lot, depending. I'll probably be adding random chapters of random things to change things up. Like a breather. Holidays, events, and other things. We'll see how it goes and what my mood is at the time.
Again, reminder, please feel free to follow "stygianhazardff" on tumblr for updates/thoughts about my fan-fiction stuff.