Hi guys! This chapter is about her Shokugeki! So i hope you guys like it!
Chapter 7
Luna checked all her ingredients in her cart one last time before her match would start.
"Rosario, if you have everything then let's go," Reo said Luna nodded placing her bag in one of the lockers in the green room. She pushed the cart following Reo.
"What the hell?! This place is big!" Luna exclaimed seeing a lot of students taking a seat on the benches.
"This is where you're match will be,"Reo explained. "Your cooking station is set up. He turned his head seeing Luna frozen in her spot. "Rosario? "
"I've never seen so many people before…."Luna muttered, "Not even the food truck back home had these many people watching me cook."
"Over there are the three judges, both of you guys will have a time limit to finish your dish." Reo explained, "After that, they'll evaluate it and see who won." he turned his head at Luna who kept her gaze on the benches.
"So many people….."She muttered
"Luna-chan!" A voice yelled out
Luna looked at where her name was called in the Audience. She smiled seeing Soma there with a few other people.
"Soma!" Luna said loudly waving at him.
"Good luck Luna-chan!" Soma waved
"T-thanks!" Luna said
Reo watched in outside of the ring while Luna nervously walked she could feel millions of eyes on her.
'Calm down...don't get nervous Luna.'She thought to herself.
"The administration has deemed this match an official Shokugeki! I am Kawashi Urara, a first year in the high school division. I'll be your host for this event!" She cheerfully said with a wink at the audience it immediately caught a few boys from her fan club while a few girls glared at her with intense jealousy. "Now, our contestants for this match, in the red corner is a member of the Spanish cuisine club, Sato Ikki!"
A few classmates cheered for him while the club members were muttering and a bit apprehensive at cheering for him.
"In the blue corner is the new transfer Student Rosario Luna!" Urara said
Luna gulped seeing all of the students she heard a few people cheering one of them is Soma next to him was the blue haired girl and a few other people that Luna assumed are his friends.
"The theme of today's dish is paella. The main ingredient is meat, seafood or mixed." Urara explained "If Rosario-san wins then Sato apologizes to her and is kicked out of the club. But if Rosario-san loses then she'll agree to go on a date with Sato."
"So after this, we can talk I made plans at a restaurant that I reserved for us today," Ikki smirked.
"Really? Well too bad cause you'll have to go alone."Luna said softly
"Contestants to your station! Let the Shokugeki begin!" Urara exclaimed
Luna went to her station she tried to keep her cool. Ikki started prepping his ingredients while Luna held her knife lightly shivering from her nerves. 'Calm down...calm down…' Luna chanted to herself while cutting up a few green peppers. She could faintly hear the crowd whispering.
'She's not moving fast..'Reo thought 'When she practiced she was faster than this..could she be nervous?'
Ikki looked up seeing Luna a bit flustered and she clumsily knocked over a small steel bowl, the sound of the bowl echoed the stadium.
Ikki smirked a bit. "It hasn't been five minutes and you're already trembling in the kitchen. " Ikki said. "Or is it that you're trembling at how awesome I am?"
"As if!" Luna snapped she held her knife but still trembled. 'I never had so many watching me…' Luna thought she stopped what she was doing. 'Calm down….calm down…'
"Rosario! Move! I know you can do it! Don't be so nervous!" Reo yelled out.
'He says it's as if it was easy to not be nervous.' Luna thought
"Come on Luna-chan!" Soma yelled out. "Do what you always do!"
'Do what I always do?' Luna thought her eyes shifted to Soma for a second.
Flashback a few days ago…
"Soma-kun, when you take a bite of this food you're taste buds are gonna sing!" Luna smiled turning the mini speakers up.
"Music?" Soma asked
"Yeah! Back home I always listen to music when I cook it helps calm me down especially if I cook in front of people at the food truck." Luna explained, "My Abuelita says that music and food go well together it makes people smile and have fun."
End of flashback
'That's it!' Luna thought
"Huh? It looks like Rosario-san is leaving the arena, maybe she forgot a special ingredient."Urara commented seeing Luna runoff.
"Heh, no matter what she does she won't win with what I got."Ikki smirked
Seconds Later Luna came back she placed a small black box on the table in front her.
"It looks like...a speaker?" Urara said
Luna took a deep breath pressing the button with that a music echoed the arena. "Siento algo Que me mueve un ritmo Que me hace bailar." Luna happily sang along. (I feel something That moves me a rhythm That makes me dance.)
"Eh? I guess she's showing me what she'll do on our date." Ikki said then he saw how Luna was moving faster than usual. "She wasn't that fast!"
Reo couldn't help but tap his foot to the beat. 'She's even dancing while cooking, somehow seeing her dance is making her move fast, she explained to me that the simple dance of hers is actually all in her hips and feet.I don't understand the song but it sounds nice.'
Luna hummed along the music while swishing hips, Cutting up the ingredients then moving to her paella pan. Soma let out a soft smile seeing Luna have fun. A few rows away two people were watching Luna.
"She's energetic isn't she, brother?" the tall chubby guy said to the blonde.
"She is but I'm more interested in the food." He said
"Hey! Save the dance for-" Ikki stopped smelling the aroma that's coming out of Luna's pan making him freeze up. 'That smell...what is that?' He thought he went back to work. 'Just because it smells good she doesn't have that ingredient to make it more authentic.'
An hour later…
"Now it's time for both competitors to present their dished to the judges!" Urara said
"See you tonight babe." Ikki said winking at Luna.
"Excuse me! Don't call me babe!" Luna snapped at him while Ikki chuckled.
He presented his fish to the three judges. One wearing a cap he's known as Okamoto, another a man with dark hair name Hito who's known for a food critic for Paella dishes and one that's a woman with her hair in a bun.
"Oh...now this is a traditional Paella!" Hito commented "A valencia style, the most classic one."
"It smells good." Okamoto said seeing the dish. "You can see every ingredient in here."
"The aroma is making me hungry." The woman said
Each judge took a bite and was instantly in euphoria. "The rabbit is cooked to perfection!" Okamoto exclaimed
"The vegetables complement the dish, he used just the right amount of Saffron in it." Hito said "Along with the rice it's crisp and soft that's what you want in a paella."
"I used only the high-quality stuff that I can get on my dish." Ikki confidently said
"The real test is here." Hito said scraping the pan seeing the crispy rice taking a bite. He could feel his mouth bursting with flavor. "This is an excellent example of a good paella!"
"Ooh! It looks like the judges are enthralled with Sato-kun's dish! "Urara said she turns to Luna." What's the name of your paella?" she held the microphone towards Luna.
"Oh...uh...I guess I'll call it Paella...puerto rican style." Luna said "It's just rice with various things on it."
"Rice with various things? It is another style of paella." Hito said rubbing his chin. "But I don't think it'll beat the paella that Sato presented us."
Luna placed her dish in from of the Judges, Hito looked at the dish the rice was a golden yellow color with various meats and vegetables decorating it. Hito inhaled the scent.
"But it won't hurt to try.." Hito said each judge took a bite and instantly let out a pleasurable sound.
"The taste is something I never thought I would have! So many flavors! "Okomato said as he continued to take more bites.
"He's right! The combination of meat and seafood is amazing!" She said "What...she also used sundried tomatoes! They go so well here! There's more! Just what other flavors did she use?!"
"It's in the base."Luna said "I made the base with the traditional sofrito a mix of peppers, garlic, onion and cilantro along with aji peppers. I didn't have saffron so I substitute it with annatto oil. Annatto are seeds that you soak them in having that red-orange color similar to saffron the combination of flavors in the base complements any type of meat I used pork, chorizo and the seafood I picked are calamari and octopus, I usually add in extra stuff like sundried tomatoes since I like the contrasting flavors the stock is simple chicken stock with annato oil and a bit of rosemary."
"Wait! So it's not a paella at all!" Ikki exclaimed
"No, it is a paella each country has their own version of it, one such as this has so much flavor especially this part." Hito said scraping his spoon at the paella pan seeing the bottom of the rice that was crispier than Sato's. "This is how we know it's a good paella. " Hito immediately took a bite of the crispy rice, the judge immediately froze at the spot, the other judges did the same. 'The flavors are amazing, it also feels so very welcoming almost as if I'm being welcomed into her home listening to her Latin music and flare.'
"It's time for the judges to vote!" Urara said
Each judge pressed the button revealing to everyone that Luna is the winner! Ikki's jaw dropped shocked that his tactic didn't work.
"How could I lose to someone like you? A girl whose family owns a hot dog cart!" Ikki exclaimed
Luna glared at him, she held her dish towards him. "Just try it and you'll see why you lost." Luna said
Ikki held the plate and took a spoonful of it, the moment that the food touched his lips he felt warmth. 'This is..this is nice...why? Why do I feel bad? Why does eating something like this would make me feel bad? Maybe I might learn something from her..' Ikki thought he continued to eat the dish. Once he finished he looked at Luna.
"Congratulations Rosario!" Urara said "So- huh?" Luna grabbed Urara's microphone.
"Hey! All of you guys on your seats! I have a few things to say to all of you!" Luna started gripping the mic. "I'm tired of you guys underestimating me because of my background! If I ever hear anyone insulting me or my shops name you'll have to answer to me in a Shokugeki! Got that?!"
After that speech Soma and a few people manage to walk through to the arena.
"Luna-chan! Congrats! " Soma said with a smile.
A young petite girl with amber colored hair in two buns and teal colored eyes smiled.
"Wow! I never saw anyone dance while cooking here before! You were amazing out there!" She complemented. "I'm Yoshino Yuki! Nice to meet you!" She shook Luna's hand. "I hope we can be good friends! Megumi told me that you helped her in a few things in class!"
"Oh, you're friends with Megumi-chan too?" Luna said "I'm sure we'll get along fine."
"Let's go and celebrate! " Reo said with a smile.
"She's pretty quirky isn't she bro?" The chubby guy asked looking at Luna.
"She has spunk and defending her honor is impressive."The blond complemented, he gazed at Luna then at the redhead walking with her and the rest of the group. "I still wonder how he'll do in a Shokugeki."
There you guys have it! Please leave a review and tell me what you guys think!