Rating: T+
Pairing: Soma/Erina
Genre: Romance; Drama; Hurt/Comfort; Shonen
Notes:
Hey Everyone! Zancrow Here!
I hope you all are staying safe out there. This chapter ended up breaking a personal record of mine, as in, chapter that I had to rewrite the most. Entire scenes ended up in the cutting room floor, so to speak, as I felt it didn't quite mesh well with what I want this story to be. This is, after all, the true start of the plot, so I wanted to convey that as perfectly as possible!
Lastly, thank you all so much for the support this story has gotten! It means a lot, as like with "Nouvelle", this is a story near and dear to me, and one that I just can't wait to share with you all in its entirety!
Disclaimer: Don't own Shokugeki no Soma.
She couldn't say she had been that surprised when she received the call from him, as she had very much been expecting it. He had returned from his rather busy and eventful trip, and she knew just how he liked to unwind. However, she was caught off guard by the context behind the call, as he ended up needing her for other, more professional needs. In the end, when she managed to pick him up at that event hosted by an ex-classmate of his, she ended up picking up more than one guest. A far cry from how she imagined spending the night, but not everything needed to be about sex she supposed.
"I'm quite grateful for the ride," Azami said, breaking the silence in the car. He was seated in the passenger's seat, cross legged and his gaze shifted to the side window, although whether or not he was enjoying the sights she couldn't tell. She had never taken him one to grow homesick after having been months away from his home town. "I still quite haven't gotten around to buying myself another vehicle. I should make that my priority first thing in the morning tomorrow. Afterwards, I hope you are free, as it falls on me to return this favor and take you out somewhere nice. Does that sound agreeable to you, Decora?"
"So I take it that you have other plans for tonight then?" the First Class Examiner of the WGO asked with a hint of sarcasm. "Then again, you seem to be babysitting today."
Decora raised her gaze slightly as she spoke, her eyes catching sight of the two passengers seated on the back. One was a fair skinned raven haired girl, two or three years older than the daughter Azami had, currently busy with her smartphone. The other was a slightly younger boy, with delicate features and a peculiar blonde set of locks adorned by blacken tips. He was currently listening to something with his earphones, likely music, lost in his own world.
"I could not allow them to miss this meeting, I'm afraid, so please do pardon the abuse of your hospitality on my part," Azami replied, and Decora could not tell whether or not he was being sincere. "That said, Dove, Loren, please put those toys away, we're almost there."
"Hmm?" the girl, Dove, murmured, as she glanced up from her phone towards Azami, her bright blue eyes scanning the view before her, likely estimating where it was they currently were. Decora, for her part, was not fond of this girl. She didn't know her much, but for someone unrelated to Azami, she had spent a lot of time living under the same roof as him. And even if she was young, she clearly had the body to rival any woman, even Decora herself, which made the Examiner dislike her even more. "What exactly do you want me to do? Jump out of the moving car? Shouldn't we wait until the missy here finds somewhere to park?"
"Missy?" Decora repeated, her eyes narrowed, trying her best not to glare at the younger girl.
"I'm being polite. I don't know your name. Would you prefer for me to say 'daddy's mistress'?" Dove asked, masking the sheer amount of mockery in her statement rather masterfully, which both served to impress and insult Decora in equal parts.
"Why you little-wait, you call him daddy?" Decora asked, surprised.
"Only when we're alone," Dove replied, completely serious, her attention now seemingly refocused on her phone.
Decora felt outright horrified by that reply, which only seemed to encourage Dove, if the smirk now adorning her face was any indication. Azami, for his part, felt like he should at the very least correct her statement, even if he did chuckle a bit at her comment.
"Don't let her string you along," Azami told Decora, still laughing a bit, "Dove is my dearest protégé, almost like another daughter to me. She has, however, a talent for getting under peoples' skin. So, please, you're the adult, don't let her get to you."
Decora could merely frown, as instead of correcting his "daughter", Azami played along to her whims.
"That said," Azami continued. "Dove, please tell Loren that we are arriving."
Dove let out a rather audible sigh, before she placed her phone inside her purse and turned to her side and pulled one of the boy's earphones off.
"Hey!" Loren cried out, annoyed, as he shot Dove a glare mixed with a pout, resulting in a face that she could not really decipher if he meant it as threatening or cute. "I was at the best part of that song! Azami! Dove is picking on me!"
"He's the one who told me to get your attention genius," Dove told him, as she used her index finger to flick him on the nose, much to the boy's annoyance. "We're here. So act serious, this is important."
"Oh?" Loren voiced, still annoyed, but placing his earphones haphazardly into his pockets. "But why do I even have to here? I've got nothing to contribute."
"That's an understatement," Dove muttered, which earned her another half-glare, half-pout from the boy.
"Now, Dove, you know very well that Loren has a very big role to play in all of this," Azami corrected before the boy cried out to him. "But, please, behave. This is the final step. Decora, you may stop here. There's no need to park, this won't take long."
"Here…?" she voiced, as she stopped the car and eyed the building. It was not the fancy meeting ground she had been expecting. Rather, just an average, if not somewhat worn down little diner. "Are you sure this is…?"
"Yes," Azami merely replied, as he opened the car's door, showing himself out. Without needing instructions, both Dove and Loren followed suit, leaving a confused Decora behind. "You should remain in the car; we wouldn't want our guests to infer that I have further connections within the WGO just quite yet."
"Want us to bring you some fried eggs with sausage mommy?" Dove mockingly asked, as Decora glared at the girl, who only winked at her in response.
"I wouldn't mind her being my mommy," Loren voiced, as Dove mimicked herself shivering at the thought.
"Children, behave," was all Azami said on the matter, as the three walked away from the car and towards the unassuming diner. Once inside the diner, no sooner had Azami, Dove and Loren entered, someone called out to them. Seated at the far end was a group of four, their table empty save for four cups of half-drunk coffees. The diner was practically empty, which was something Azami had been counting on. There were only the few employees just cleaning about, likely trying to find stuff to do in this low-customer hour, with only a single occupied table at the far back, sporting a lone guy either sleeping or passed out drunk, who Azami much preferred remained that way.
"You sure took your time Azami," the once co-owner of the Luxury Cruise Hiei, Fukuzawa Eizan, said, his tone making it clear he was annoyed beyond belief. Next to him, his aide and presumed bodyguard, Julius Bedlam, said nothing, deciding to instead take another sip of his likely cold coffee.
"I was about to walk away myself," Toshio Sadatsuka said, as the graduate from the once prestigious Sadatsuka's Premier Culinary Institute took a glance towards the recently arrived trio, his eyes scanning each of them, wondering why Azami was being accompanied by kids. Kids that were not his own, he noted, as he himself was being joined by his son, but he had his reasons for that. Said son, Ashitaro Sadatsuka, the only among them to fully finish his coffee, seemed busy examining the cup, for what exactly he didn't know.
"My apologies gentlemen," Azami apologized jovially. "The event extended itself a bit. The hostess is a bit of a last-minute planner, then again, you should know her better than me Toshio."
"That was a lifetime ago," Toshio replied, scoffing. "She's no longer my problem. Did you or did you not get all the signatures?"
"I don't see why this couldn't be resolved by text or email-" Fukuzawa began, but was cut off when his sleeve was tugged. He turned to the side, and saw Ashitaro budging closer to him. His expression fixated on the man. "…Yes?"
"Are you done with your cup?"
Fukuzawa stared for a moment, confused, before he realized the young man meant his coffee. He nodded, unsure, but Ashitaro merely grabbed the cup from his side of the table and began to create a tower with them, using his own and the others' cups. Julius said nothing, merely pushing his towards Ashitaro, who was quick to grab it.
"I'm not hearing a response Azami," Toshio repeated, "Did you get the signatures?"
"Of course I did," the man with the plan said with a confident smile. "By now, Senzaemon must be scrambling to fill the five empty Elite Ten seats. All six academies agreed to my terms, no simple feat mind you, as it took me immense time to prove to each of them that my loyalties did not lie in Tootsuki Academy despite my history with the place. Fortunately, due to recent events, people's confidence in the establishment has wavered, which proved essential to achieve all this."
"And you are confident that at least one of these six schools have what it takes to bring those Elite students down?" Fukuzawa asked, his attention focused solely on Azami. "I've lost so much because of that damn school, but if there's one thing even I cannot deny is the skill those ten students usually have. My son was one of them for the longest time, and had he not screwed up at the end, he would still be."
"The Tootsuki of old would perhaps be a formidable foe," Azami replied. "But, Senzaemon has grown soft. He forbade me from raising my daughter properly; from raising her the right way. And now, he lost his way with the students. What was once as strict as a military academy focused solely on the success of those very few diamonds in the rough, has now become a joke of its former self where a student was even able to get readmitted after having been expelled. Such a thing would have been unheard off in my time."
"Ah, the young Yukihira," Toshio said. "Is he one of those Elite students?"
"No," Azami replied, but paused. "Or should I say, not yet. It's not a certainty, but by my estimate, come the next couple of days, he might very well be one. Senzaemon is desperate, and he might just lower the bar enough."
"That kid is a pain in the ass," Fukuzawa muttered.
"But, how confident are we in these other schools?" Toshio asked, echoing Fukuzawa's earlier statements. "Can we really put all of our chips on them?"
"Perhaps," Azami replied, extending his arms as if to showcase the sight before them. "But ask yourselves this, why would I even bother to gather all of you up if I have them? As fellow business men, I presume you both share my worldview on what matters most when taking business gambles such as these. Redundancy. And what better reassurance than what we've gathered here tonight. Can you not see? The talent we have under this very roof?"
"You mean…?" Toshio asked, as Fukuzawa scoffed slightly.
"Well of course," Azami answered with passion. "You, Toshio Sadatsuka, have brought forth your son, the ever talented Ashitaro Sadatsuka, whose cooking has been linked to outright witchcraft to the extent never seen before," Azami said, as he pointed to the boy preoccupied with his leaning tower of cups and silverware. "Fukuzawa Eizan, you have at your disposal the infamous Julius Bedlam, who already has first-hand experience with Soma Yukihira, and more importantly, with my precious daughter," Azami continued, pointing now to the dark-skinned young man next to Fukuzawa, who merely voiced a 'seriously?' at the notion.
"You intent to use our best men for this little gamble of yours?" Fukuzawa bluntly asked.
"Not just yours," Azami clarified, "As right next to me, is my greatest accomplishment in the culinary arts. I present to you all Dove Dillinger, who has matched and even surpassed every expectation I had for my own daughter, whereupon developing a skill which surpasses even that of the God's Tongue."
"Oh, so that's who you are?" Julius uncharacteristically spoke up, his eyes fixating themselves immediately onto Dove's, who flashed the young man a smile and a nod. "I thought you seemed familiar. So that's your plan, getting together those of us that everyone calls Noirs…"
"Not just any Noirs Julius," Azami answered, "There are three very specific members who fall under that umbrella-term that even the WGO have taken notice of. Those are the ones I've painstakingly gathered here tonight."
"He wants us to team up and beat up what's left of the Tootsuki's students," Dove added cheerfully, raising her fists and punching the air as a show playful force. "I've been practicing hard so I don't look unimpressive next to such infamous chefs such as yourselves."
Julius just remained silent at this, sensing the slight hint of mockery in her, but not wanting to get into a petty argument with her over it. Loren, for his part, was used to these displays of bravado from all these "high level" chefs, so he decided to sit this one out and went to the counter, asking the lady working there if she had any milkshakes.
"…Would I even classify?" Ashitaro asked, to the surprise of his father, as he had not expected his son to be at all interested. "I did form part of the Tootsuki Academy curriculum after all."
"Your case is special," Azami said, "You were never officially enrolled, so you more than classify for what I am planning. Your little sister is a student, however. So I would understand if you are hesitant in destroying the establishment that is currently assisting her in her learn-"
The sudden outburst of laughter took even Azami by surprise, as Ashitaro began to cackle like a madman for a good few seconds, before he stopped cold and turned towards the once Nakiri. "You are a funny one old man."
Thanks to the sudden laughter, the man passed out on the other side of the diner seemed to come back to life. He slowly got up, stretched himself, and turned towards the opposite side, where Azami and his group were currently gathered. He began moving forwards, towards their table, which caused Azami to focus on him, sensing something off.
"My, my," the young man voiced, flashing the group a grin, "That's a mighty fine scheme you all seem to be concocting here. Would be a shame if someone came in and-"
He never got to finish, as no sooner had he gotten within spitting distance to the group, than had Julius bolted up from his seat, leaping across the table and landing right next to the stranger. In an impressive show of strength, Julius lifted the guy by the collar with one hand and slammed him against the diner's windows, cracking them slightly, causing the guy to open his eyes wide at the suddenness of it all. His other hand held onto the guy's wrist, twisting it in a way that any movement could cause it to potentially break.
"Damn, you're fast," he voiced, smiling through the pain.
"Julius…" Fukuzawa voiced, knowing the boy was causing a scene, as the workers nearby were quickly alerted to the commotion.
"Oh, fight! Fight! Fight!" Dove began to cheer, as Ashitaro merely frowned, as his tower of cups had been toppled over due to Julius' little stunt.
"No need to be concerned," Azami told the diner's manager, as he handed the man a rolled up couple of bills, the exact amount unknown to the rest but clearly enough to stop him from calling the cops or having them thrown out. "Please, take him outside," Azami told Julius.
"Is this necessary?" Toshio asked, annoyed.
"He was hiding a knife," Julius explained. "Care to explain that?"
"Oh, you are very scary," the young man currently being strangled said, quite clearly for someone in his position Dove noted. "But, I'm not about to go into a slashing spree, Julius, so please, let me at least propose my contribution to your plans. You don't even know who I am."
"I know you well enough Yuunosuke," Julius replied, and Yuunosuke's eyes widened for a moment, then he smiled, this time his expression looking outright genuine.
"Ah, one of the so-called Noirs," Azami commented, as the rest looked on, with both Dove and Ashitaro now focused on the unexpected guest even more. "My apologies for the rough treatment, but I feel that my plans are quite precise. I have no need for the services of one as unmanageable as you lot. So, forgive me, but I am needing to request that you leave."
"Ah, not even sparing me a second thought, how appropriate," Yuunosuke said, as he feigned sounding hurt. For his part, Julius did set him down, but he kept his attention focused on Yuunosuke's hands, just in case. "And here I was excited at the thought of the four greatest noir chefs being together for the first time ever…"
"Four greatest?" Dove pondered, eyeing Yuunosuke curiously.
"That's correct Milady," he offered in a soft bow. "But, of course, I don't mean myself. While I am proud of my skill, I'm not quite yet at the level to try and match any of you three. However, my friend has the reputation, and the talent to match or even exceed, what you have gathered here tonight. Even you must have heard his name by now," Yuunosuke said as he directed himself at Azami.
"…The so-called Master Chef who finds it hilarious to use the surname of a talented man he'll never manage to measure up to," Azami replied with a scoff. "I do not have the time to entertain such childishness."
"Is that a fact…?" Yuunosuke asked with a soft, knowing smile, "…Mr. Nakiri…?"
Azami said nothing. He coldly stared down the noir before him, his mind briefly, very briefly humoring the idea of possibly integrating someone as problematic as Asahi Saiba into his plans, and the benefits that could come with it. It sounded risky, if not outright irresponsible. 'Dove, Julius and Ashitaro should more than suffice,' Azami pondered, '…adding someone else of their caliber, if anything, would simply be rebun…'
Then he stopped.
Then he smiled.
"…Please take a seat Yuunosuke," Azami spoke up, taking the young Noire by honest surprise with his sudden change in demeanor. "I'll give you three minutes to state your proposal. But be quick, three minutes is all I can spare, and not a second more."
-0-
She woke up to a nightmare she couldn't recall.
Back within the warmth and comfort that made up her manor, Erina tossed and turned in her bed sheets, having what could be described as a mental argument with herself about whether or not she should get up. She moved to pick up her smartphone on the drawer right next to her bed, shivering a bit as the cold air coming from her illustrious air conditioner hit her now bare arm. She turned the screen on, nearly blinding herself as she had forgotten to tone down the brightness the night before, before she was met by an even worst sight.
Alarm in 2 Minutes
She frowned as she read that, realizing that she had to get up no matter which side of her won the mental argument. So, the ever proper and professional princess forced herself off her bed, into her slippers, and slowly moved herself into her personal bathroom, yawning throughout.
A quick morning hot shower and several morning routines later, Erina found herself walking downstairs, now sporting the Tootsuki uniform for what seemed like forever since she had last worn it. It was somewhat thrilling, she admitted, to be starting a new year, even if she had been practically living within the academy for her entire life. Still, she was now officially a Second Year, and it felt great.
"Good morning gran-uncle?" Erina switched her greeting into a question midway, her head twisting slightly but the smile remained. "Uncle, good morning!" she greeted properly. "Are you going to be staying over?"
"Oh, Erina, morning sweetie," her uncle said with a smile as he glanced up from his laptop. The man, Erina noted, was currently using their dinner table as a work desk, strange considering they had like three or four actual offices within the manor not that far off. He, despite his genuine happiness at seeing her, seemed tired and overworked. "Don't tell me it's already seven," he told her with a hint of dread, confirming her suspicions.
"You stayed up all night?"
"Seems like it," Soe voiced. "I had intended to get some work done, you know, lighten the load as much as I could, but time got the best of me," he added as he signaled to the daylight coming in through the nearby windows. "Don't tell Leonora, please."
"Tell mom what?" Alice was heard saying as she peaked her head out of the staircase, joining her father and cousin at the dining area.
"Oh, well, damn," Soe muttered, laughing softly at himself. "Nevermind Erina, at this point we can simply assume Leonora finding out is a given."
"Are you implying I cannot keep a secret?!" Alice spoke up with a pout, her hands crossed across her chest as she stood in front of her father. "How rude!"
"From your mother? Not in a million years," Soe replied, taking the opportunity to give Alice a tight hug, which she returned like if she was a little girl again, hopping onto his lap and beginning to reprimand him for not sleeping before trying to read what it was he was busy working with. Nosy as ever, Erina noted, but deep down, she felt a bit of sadness at the display. Soe's relationship with Alice was such a far cry from what Erina had experienced with her own father, that it still outright confused her. Where fathers supposed to be good, kind men?
Erina shook her head, deciding that she should instead focus her energy on the day ahead, as she turned and took a few steps back… before she hit herself against a wall. She blinked, shocked, and even felt that the wall was wearing fabric. Somehow.
"Oh, Erina, good morning to you little Miss," the "wall" told her, which upon hearing his voice made her realize who it was, causing the girl to blush a bit at how childish her train of thoughts had become for a moment.
"Good morning Mr. Doujima," she greeted politely to the former First Seat of her father's generation, as the ever imposing man offered her a soft smile.
"I've told you kids, just "Gin" is fine," Gin offered. "Feels weird if you Nakiris keep being so prim and proper with me. I've been in this manor more times than I've been in my own home, so take that into account."
"Oh, I…" Erina had no idea how to reply to that. It was true in a way, as ever since she was little, she had known him to be a frequent contact of her grandfather, the most reliable one at that. "S-Sure, good morning… Gin."
It felt weird.
"Morning Gin!" Alice greeted with glee and without a drop of shame, much to Erina's increasing embarrassment.
"Oh, Gin," Soe said, with Alice still in daddy's lap. "I take it you received my emails. Sorry I had to send several, it was a lot of files and request forms. Can you…?"
"Accommodate our guests?" Gin finished up for him, taking a few steps forwards before he patted Alice in the head, much to the girl's delight. "Consider that taken care off," he replied. "You wrote to me that you spoke to Senzaemon last night. How is he?"
"…He's alright," Soe simply replied.
"I see…" Gin said, softly. "That's good."
"Indeed," Soe said, before turning to Alice. "You should be getting ready for school, right pumpkin?"
"But today's the start of the Open House," Alice argued. "We are going to be filled to the brim with visitors, and while we do have tasks to attend to, we don't really have that tight of a schedule to do them. Well, not me at least, Elite Ten members like our lovely girl over there on the other hand, well, yes they do."
"Don't try to worm your way out of your work," Erina reprimanded. "You have a lot of work to do, and we need to start early. You are a Nakiri after all, so Elite Ten student or not, this comes with the territory."
"I don't wanna."
"That's not an excuse!"
"And there's something more," Soe added, causing the would-be quarreling cousins to pause and turn to him. "There's something I need to tell you two, well, not just you two, but… But, it can wait a bit. What comes first though, is that we will be moving up the filling up of the Elite Ten seats."
"What?" Erina asked, her eyes widening.
"Moving up?" Alice asked, likewise as surprised, "To when?"
-0-
His phone beeping like crazy is what got him to finally wake up. He tossed and turned a bit, fighting himself loose of the beddings and struggling to reach his phone still connected to its charger. As soon as he was successful he saw what all the fuss had been about, and even in his half-awaken state, he couldn't help but be slapped awake by what he read. He jumped up, stripping off his nightclothes and putting on his casual attire so quickly that it could have been confused for a magic trick.
He sent a quick text to Erina, somehow, as he juggled his sleepwear with his street wear. Sending her a gif featuring Kakashi eating a bowl of ramen saying "good morning" to the screen, which he figured could get his totally-not-an-otaku,-how-dare-you-suggest-otherwise girlfriend to crack a smile…
…he added a heart emoji afterwards just to be safe.
The now proper Soma dashed out of his dorm room, clenching tightly onto his phone, and no sooner had he done so than had several other of his fellow Polar Stars begun to walk out of their rooms as well.
"Soma," Shun was the first amongst the boys to speak up. "You too?"
"Yeah, I just read it now. Is it, is it what I think it is?" Soma replied, barely able to contain his enthusiasm.
"It appears so," Shun said, as he turned to Marui. "What do you make of it?"
"…It's most likely what we're thinking," Marui explained, still holding onto his plush teddy bear but neither Soma or Shun saying anything on the matter. "The top five graduated after all, makes sense for this to happen. Still, I didn't know it worked this way."
"Yeah, sounds too good to be true," Soma agreed, as he turned to the side, wondering whether the rest had not woken up yet or not.
"That said," Marui continued, then he turned and stood in front of Isshiki's door, taking a deep breath, before he proceeded to pound and kick on the door so strongly that it caused both Soma and Shun to jump due to the suddenness and ferocity of it all. "Wake up you bastard! You're always bugging us about everything, and when we do need you to explain something, you're absent! Wake up!"
"Ah, Marui, I think you're going to break the door off the hinges," Soma stated, twitching.
"Don't damage the property Zenji," Shun added, which caused the irritated bear-holding boy to turn his glare towards them.
"You two seem awfully calm about this all," he told them, his eyes scanning them suspiciously. "This, if accurate, will be a game changer for everyone. I need facts! Clarification! Quick, help me go up the roof tiles! I'll give him a taste of his own medicine!"
"Careful man, you can seriously get stuck very easily up there," Soma added.
Shun said nothing to this, half wondering if Soma had actually tried to climb up himself at some point, but no sooner had Marui continued to try and pry Isshiki's door open, than had their dorm mother walked up to the trio from down the hallway, with a pleasant smile on her face.
"Kid's not there," Fumio told the trio, as they turned to her. They quickly offered her their greeting before quickly bombarding her with questions about Isshiki's whereabouts and about the texts they had received. "Easy. I'm old, so I'm not going to be repeating myself all day. Come, we have a dorm meeting already set up, you'll all get your answers there."
Following her, they quickly reached the dinner table, fully set up with a rather extravagant breakfast buffet for all of them to enjoy, courtesy of the Housekeeper of the Polar Star Dormitories, Fumio Damidou. It was a sight to behold, after being weeks away, to find themselves in their home away from home once again, all together again.
"Soma!" Ryoko quickly beamed, pushing her now short hair to the side. "So you had arrived after all! You really came in late last night."
"Told ya," Yuuki added, flashing the boys a grin. "I saw your shoes out there this morning, so I figured you must be here already. Stayed out late with Erina, didn't ya?"
"I did what!?" Soma acted surprised as he took a seat next to the sleepy Megumi, who lit up the moment she saw him approach her. "That sounds totally irresponsible, nothing like me at all," he continued, placing his closed fist next to Megumi, who quickly bumped it with her own fist, before she lowered her head and rested it on their connected hands, to which he followed suit and softly connected his own head to hers, as they both rested on each other.
"You two act like such a couple some times," Shoji quickly commented, his legs crossed and his back hunched, offering the best friends a smirk.
"Like you're one to talk," the once-upon-a-time meek Megumi softly shot back, as she eyed Shoji before shifting her gaze to Daigo briefly.
"She got us there," Daigo joked, as Shoji playfully blew him a kiss.
"Hey, Megs already has a guy, so show some respect," Yuuki quickly added, which did in turn cause Megumi to squirm in her seat.
"You never do talk much about that," Soma softly added, his head still resting on Megumi's.
"There's not much to talk about," she replied back, in a tone Soma couldn't quite decipher.
"The real surprise womanizer amongst us turned out to be our boy Marui here," Daigo said as he used his chopsticks to point at the flavor dictionary, who gave off a look of pure confusion.
"Whatever did I do?"
"Daigo wouldn't shut up about your friend," Shoji explained. "Madoka is her name, right? You two make such a great couple."
"We're not!" Marui quickly shot back. "She's a friend, and a colleague in our seminar. You see, this is why you lot always fall behind on your studies! Always skirt chasing, the nerve, right Shun?"
"…Right," Shun offered weakly. It wasn't that he disagreed, since he knew there was a time and place for everything, but, no sooner had Marui asked him that question than had Ryoko turned to him. Their eyes had met briefly, and he felt flustered throughout. She offered him a smile, like she always did, and fitting for someone of so few words, he was left with none.
"Alright kids, eat up," Fumio offered up, as she approached the table and took her seat. Soon all of Polar Star were busy eating and enjoying their meal. It tasted amazing, because of course it did, but underneath it all, they were waiting. Expecting. They knew there was more to this. Because this was Tootsuki Academy.
"…Alright, let's get this out of the way" the older woman voiced, as she turned her eyes from her bowl to the group. "Listen up kids, the new year is upon us, and thanks to all of you having done marvelous work last year, not to mention all the little stunts you all pulled, well, our little dorm has become rather famous, kinda. So it really was no surprise to learn that several students had requested to transfer into these dorm, most likely believing the key to succeeding in this academy rests somewhere within these walls."
"Are we bringing in more people?!" Yuuki quickly beamed. "Are they First Years?!"
"Mostly," Fumio replied. "Some Second Years applied as well, but in the end it'll be up to me to decide who gets the opportunity."
"But can we?" Ryoko asked, turning her head to the side a bit. "I mean, we have so very few rooms empty as is, can't imagine we can fit that many."
"Six more only," Fumio answered.
"That few, huh?" Soma said, and the others shared in his disappointment.
Yes. Well, unless you brats want to share your rooms, that way we can accept twenty-one more students instead," Fumio explained. She couldn't help but laugh when she saw the faces her kids made when she suggested that, changing from eager to outright horrified in less than a second.
"Six is fine," Soma said, and the others quickly agreed with his reasoning.
They all quickly began to ask and speculate about who was going be accepted in. As they spoke, each suggesting who they wanted to join their ranks, Fumio quickly interrupted them. "One important thing," she said. "Don't forget how we run this place. Just asking to be let in does not guarantee entrance. But, I feel that I no longer have to be the judge and jury here. Come tonight, when the six I decide upon arrive, it'll be you kids in charge of making sure they have the stuff required to make it here."
"So we get the final word?" Ryoko asked, as Yuuki was outright thrilled at the suggestion.
"That sounds amazing!" she said. "They are going to look up to us so much as their charming, yet mysterious upperclassmen! So cool!"
"Kinda like how we see Isshiki?" Soma asked, giving Yuuki a knowing look.
"Where is he anyways?" Megumi asked, as Fumio took a sip from her coffee.
"Busy, for what little he told me," she replied. "He had to go out at the break of dawn to resolve something. Little Miss Nene was here to pick him up, so I assume it had to do with the Elite Ten."
No sooner had Fumio mentioned the Sixth Seat than had the three girls at that table smiled knowingly, each of them glancing at the other, being almost certain that whatever it was totally did not involve the other seated members.
"Could it have anything to do with these texts we all got?" Marui asked innocently, as several of them shifted their glances towards their smartphones.
"Oh, that… To be completely honest, I just learned of that like half an hour ago," Fumio explained. "Seems like some hand-picked students are being given the chance to compete for the as of now empty Elite Ten seats, well, the bottom half at least. With Eishi, Rindou, Tosuke, Momo, and Soumei having graduated, that leaves five empty seats. The top five will probably be awarded to the remaining lower five, as in, Isshiki and the others. The Sixth Seat, Seventh Seat, Eight Seat, Ninth Seat, and Tenth Seat however, are all up for grabs. This cook-off they are texting you kids about seems like the ticket to try and get one of them."
"Damn it, that sounds so awesome!" Shoji shouted out, as he buried his head in his arms. "Daigo and I didn't get invited to that! All we got was the Open House messages everybody got! These lucky assholes managed to get invited to the best thing around, how lucky can you-"
"It's not luck," Fumio quickly cut in, causing Shoji to stop mid-rant. "That line of thinking is why you haven't quite gotten there yet. In order to be invited to partake in this, they take your entire academic record into account. From your Shokugeki Records, participations, if you qualified for the Autumn Elections, your accomplishments during the Stagiaire, your grades, everything. To be nominated for this takes effort that no amount of dumb luck will ever get you."
They all stared for a moment, the words hitting each of them differently. They said nothing to this, stayed silent for a moment, until Daigo suddenly exploded and slammed his foot onto the table with such force that Soma ended up shoving his pancake up his nose and Megumi almost fell back in fright.
"What the hell Shoji?!" Daigo roared, surprising his friend. "Six of our team got the invites! This isn't the time for us to second guess ourselves! Even if a single one of us gets in, that's all it takes, right?! That's all we should be happy for! Hasn't that always been our way of thinking?!"
"…Yeah, you're totally right," Shoji agreed. "You know, who cares if we didn't get the invite? We have two years to fight for those seats, but right now Shun, Soma, Megumi, Yuuki, Ryoko and Marui have the chance. We need to cheer you guys on. Sorry for getting all gloomy all the sudden."
"Hey, we get it. This is the girl who cried for almost two days straight after she didn't get into the Autumn Election. But, thanks guys, we'll do our best," Yuuki spoke with a confident grin, as she felt it more appropriate to look eager now, since she agreed with them. Heck, even if she failed again, which would still sting like hell, she'd still nonetheless be content with any of the other Polar Stars managing a win instead.
"That being said," Fumio added. "You kids best prepare yourselves. After everything that's been talked about, and with how the narrative has shifted over the last few months with all the stunts you kids have pulled, I'm certain the Third Years are not too keen on the idea of any Second Year actually winning this thing…"
Soma, Megumi, Shun, Ryoko, Yuuki and Marui each narrowed their eyes, fully understanding the weight of the words their dorm mother was telling them.
"…So you'd all best be prepared for an outright culinary war come one o'clock."
-0-
One o'clock came quickly. No sooner had the chosen Polar Stars begun to help around the dorm and prepare everything for the upcoming first day of the Open House than had they been shushed away to prepare for their upcoming event. Fumio stayed behind, with Daigo and Shoji, to finish up the preparations and handle the influx of guests that were, now more than ever, eager to see the place that housed the rather infamous Soma Yukihira. Or, as some would downplay, the God's Tongue's boyfriend.
The chosen six made their way towards Building 3C, where they were met with the sight of several dozen students waiting instructions. Just like Fumio had said, most of the students there were Third Years, and they did not look overly enthusiastic at the sight of even more Second Years showing up, especially the redhead.
"Did they seriously invite him?" they heard one of the Third Years say with an arrogant scoff. "Perks of trading spit with the Headmaster's granddaughter I suppose," cried another, and it made Soma inwardly twitch
"Such a friendly work environment," Soma half joked, somewhat bemused.
"You idiots have a problem?!" Yuuki barked at the older kids. "Come and say it to our face!"
"Don't stoop down to their level Yuuki," Ryoko said, trying her best to keep her volatile best friend from outright attacking anyone.
"Hey!" a voice quickly called out to them, causing the six to turn to the side and be greeted by the sight of both Alice and Kurokiba approaching them, the former all eager as usual. She seemed unaffected by any and all gossip directed at her or her family, as while most Third Years seemed annoyed at her presence, she could care less. If anything, it made her louder. "So the Polar Stars got the invite too! Isn't that awesome Ryou?!"
"Indeed," the guard dog voiced, his attention mostly focused on the older students, likely waiting for a moment where any of them got cocky so he could introduce their faces to the concrete. He did, however, shift his attention from them to Soma briefly. "…I hope all that struggle to get your ass back in this school proves worthwhile Yukihira. Because I'm taking you down today."
"Is that right?" Soma replied, his smirk ever present. "I've been itching for a shot at you too. And now that I'm finally caught up on my school work, I can finally show you guys all the sweet little tricks I've picked up!"
"Oh please," Alice added, stepping between Kurokiba and Soma. "I'm the one you should be focusing on. You won't get a victory over me again. I've learned tons. Totally not underestimating you this time!"
"I figure as much," Soma told her with a smile, lightly pounding his chest with his closed fist. "Let's settle this then!"
"That said," Kurokiba added, as he shifted his attention away from Soma. "Don't think I've forgotten about you. I'm taking you down with as much force as well."
The group froze at this, their eyes wide, turning their attention at the target of Kurokiba's "playful" threat.
Megumi even more so, as Kurokiba was staring her down.
"…Eh?"
Kurokiba said nothing else, seemingly waiting for a reply, which left the poor girl even more shocked. 'Is he still mad about our match way back then?! But he won! Was it something I said! Oh come on! I can't handle this now! I suck at this trash talk thing! Quickly, Megumi, say something! You've matured, haven't you! Stare him down! …Somehow!'
"A-Ah, yes, I will c-cook something so good that you'll be surprised by how good a cook I can cook, like, wait that doesn't really make much… I mean, let's do our best but my best will best your best!" she exclaimed, as everyone just stared. For her sake, they said nothing, as the shivering girl held out her fists in her attempts at looking threatening.
"That was quite the comeback," someone else cut in, and while Megumi was moments away from fainting of embarrassment, she quickly perked up when she saw the approaching duo. "You better be terrified Kurokiba, while trash talk may not be her thing, cooking definitely is."
"Takumi!" Megumi quickly shouted out as she jumped and tackle-hugged the boy, who easily caught her and held onto her. "I knew you'd get invited!"
"Why of course principessa," Takumi replied, as he turned to the others, his expression turning serious. Or as serious as he could manage, his brother Isami noted, as he too approached the group and decided to simply offer a salute to them as opposed to his brother's more outlandish greetings, which went something like… "This is the time to prove what we're made off, and I don't plan to lose to any of you, especially you Yukihira, do you hear me?! Your luck just ran out, as right here, right now, I'm taking you-!"
"Oh, hey Isami, looking good man," Soma greeted the younger Aldini, before he turned back to the now red-faced Takumi. "Ah, my bad, you were saying?"
"Can you not do that every single time we see each other?!"
"I was saying "hi" to Isami," Soma argued. "The heck did I even do?"
"Ignore me!"
"Ignore you how?"
"Ignoring what I'm saying!"
"Then say it now!"
"It no longer sounds as cool!"
As the two began to argue, the others just decided to move on from that topic, instead taking a look around, realizing how unreal it all felt. For the first time in what felt like an eternity of struggles, they had the Elite Ten within their grasp, and even the most composed of them, like Shun or Kurokiba, couldn't help but feel nervous at this all.
"Of course when a commotion is heard it involves you lot," another one of their friends called out as she approached their little gathering. Walking ever-so proudly, with plenty of onlookers, was one Ikumi Mito. She approached the Second Years with Hisako walking right beside her, the latter looking somewhat nervous.
"Yes, it would seem," Hisako said, as she offered the group a soft wave. Yuuki was quick to bounce from her spot and almost tackle Hisako, tugging at the latter's uniform.
"You. Changed. Your. Hairstyle!" she exclaimed, causing the secretary to give her a bemused look. The change had not been that great, heck, neither Soma nor Julio had even noticed. Erina had, of course, but she was different.
"W-Well, just trying out new things," Hisako offered, and Yuuki stared for a moment before smiling.
"I didn't know shorter styles were "in" now, what with both you and Ryoko sporting them now," she said, as Ryoko instinctively reached up to her hair. Megumi smiled at this, finding them adorable, but when her eyes met with Hisako's, she realized something.
"Ah! Sorry, I really shouldn't," Megumi quickly apologized, having realized she was still half-clinging onto Takumi while the blonde was busy still somehow arguing with Soma. Hisako noticed this, and her expression became a mix of confusion and concern, the girl likely not knowing what to say, or if she even had anything to say at all.
"T-That…" she tried. "…There's nothing to apologize about."
"Brother, Hisako is here, greet her," Isami quickly cut in to his sibling's "fight" with Soma, smacking Takumi upside the head rather defensively. Takumi was confused by it all, but did manage to settle his petty argument and turn to the others.
"Ah, Hisako! Hey…" Takumi greeted. He felt a hint of unease at greeting her, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it. After the Stagiaire, the two were now close friends, right? So what could be remiss? She waved back just as she usually did, which made it harder for the Italian to decipher whether or not something was wrong, which made his younger brother mentally face palm.
"Is this everyone from our current year?" Shun asked, deciding to try and at least keep the conversations going somewhere important.
"I don't believe so," Ikumi cut in, using her thumb to signal behind her. "According to the list on the bulletin board over there, there's a few others. In total, according to the list, eighty students were invited, out of which only sixteen are Second Years."
"That is rather low," Marui expressed, characteristically using his middle finger to push up his glasses back onto his frame.
"Is Kanachi one of those Third Years?" Soma asked, as Ikumi almost scoffed at that notion but stopped herself midway.
"That lazy bum?" she replied. "I'm still surprised he hasn't been kicked out. I can never imagine him being an Elite Ten member."
"He is rather jumpy," Soma noted. "Still, I'm sure he's thrilled that you got the invite. For his honor, and mine too in a way. We both know you'd make a great Elite Ten member."
Ikumi said nothing, blushing at the compliment and shifting her gaze away from Soma's, who seemed oblivious to her actions. Yuuki just stared, unamused, at how easily it was for this boy to make girls blush and be too dimwitted to notice. How he managed to land Erina Nakiri she'd never know.
"Hey! Don't you all go grouping up without me!" a familiar voice called out, causing the ever expanding group to turn towards the approaching girl. "Soma! It's been a while!"
"Hey Urara!" Soma greeted the ever-perky hostess. "You made it here too! Great! I've never got the chance to go up against you back at the cruise, so this is perfect."
"Of course you didn't you idiot, we were in the same team… Is that all you think about?" Urara asked, as she gave the boy a knowing smirk. "So, how's it going with Erina? Don't be shy, you can tell me, I was there to witness the beginning of that relationship after all."
"That's so unfair," Hisako uncharacteristically whined, which caused the others to turn to her momentarily. "I-I mean, she is my best friend, I should have been there when she took such a big step," the girl said with a blush, as Alice patted her on the head, sharing her pain.
"So you're another one our fellow Second Years," Ryoko noted, as she began to ponder. "Counting us, that would leave…"
"Have you counted Mimasaka?" Urara asked, pointing to the side with her index finger. "I mean, he's right there."
The group all turned and were shocked to find the towering man just standing there, right next to them, as if he had been there from the start.
"Mimasaka?!" Soma and Takumi exclaimed in unison, as the master of tracing offered the group a smile.
"It has been a while. I am eager to be able to face you both once again, this time, using something of my own," he said, as he turned his sights to someone else. "Oh, and you as well. I have not forgotten your words back at Shino's."
Megumi found herself stared down once again. '…W-Why do I have so many rivals all the sudden…'
"Can you guys be any louder?" another Second Year spoke up, walking towards the group. Soma did not know this girl well, but Megumi did, as she half wondered if she was going to be threatened a third time.
"Ah, Miyoko, glad to see you here," Megumi offered, as the young lady stopped in her tracks and turned to the petite chef before her. She frowned, but gave the girl a smile as well, which made her intentions all the harder for Megumi to read. "Megumi, no surprise to see you here. If I lose to anyone, it better be to you. I'd much rather nepotism not be a deciding factor in who gets in."
"Hey!" Alice quickly argued.
"Did I say your name princess?" Miyoko asked, her tone dry as she stared the Nakiri down.
"No, but don't you get sassy with me," Alice shot back. "I know what you meant, and so do you!"
"Ignoring them…" Kurokiba spoke up, causing the others to turn to him, likely also wanting to avoid another petty argument. Soma and Takumi were enough to deal with. "…That makes fifteen of us. We're missing one."
"Fifteen?" Soma asked, mentally counting each person there. "That means…"
"That means I'm the final Second Year selected!" another voice cut in, repeating Soma's words as he approached the group, standing proudly before them. "And surely you must realize what this means. I meant what I said back then, right here, right now, I'm taking you down Soma Yukihira."
"That's…!" Megumi gasped loudly.
"Oh my…!" Alice gasped louder.
"It's…!" Mimasaka gasped loudest.
"You…!" Soma spoke as his eyes widened, the immediately narrowed them. "…Who are you again…?"
Ken Dakekanba felt slapped.
"I'm Ken!" he screamed, and when that didn't seem to click with Soma, or any of the others for that matter, he continued. "Ken Dakekanba! We had a Shokugeki before the year ended! It was the closest to defeat you've ever been! I was so close to getting you kicked out, again I mean, and I swore that the next time we fought I'd end your career! Surely you remember that!"
"Dude, for the life of me I'm not doing this to be mean, but I feel I don't know you," Soma said as sincere as he could. "Are you sure it was me. There a few other skinny guys with red hair around here."
"Nobody would get you confused!" Ken shot back, exasperated.
"Ryou, who's that?" Alice asked.
"…No idea Miss," the guard dog replied.
"Not you two as well!" Ken argued. "I even took Professor Roland Chapelle's latest class with you last semester. We were partnered up and all!"
"Him or me?" Alice asked pointing to Ryou and then to herself, which caused Ken almost want to strangle all of them.
"With him!"
"You remember that Ryou?"
"I do not."
"You all are doing this on purpose!" Ken cried out. "I am Soma Yukihira's reckoning! The damage he did to this school is insane, and I will make sure to get him kicked out! Once I've taken the Sixth Seat, I'll make sure you get expelled, for good this time! I'll show you what happens when you ignore the greatest rival you will ev-"
Ken was stopped completely when Takumi grabbed him by the collar of his uniform and somehow lifted him into the air with a single arm, surprising the others, even the usually dimwitted Soma was outright shocked by such a sudden demonstration of strength. "Say that again, I dare you," Takumi warned, as Ken could only look in utter confusion.
"W-What's your problem man?!" he asked, and Takumi did not seem amused.
"I'm Soma's rival," he said matter-of-factly. "There's no room in this academy for two of us."
The others just stared, their impressed looks shifting into unimpressed ones. '…Is that what this was…?' they all thought in sync.
"If I may have your attention," a loud voice was heard throughout on the speakers, causing all eighty students present to stop their talking and gossiping and turn towards the far end of the gathering area, where they were met with the sight of the coordinator of the event: Soe Nakiri. While surprising to most, as they had expected their Headmaster to be the one in charge of such an important event, not many were likely to downplay the current heir's importance either. "First, allow me to offer another congratulation to each and everyone here. Throughout all of last year you have all been evaluated and observed, and I truly believe you all deserve to be here today. So, congratulations for being the best Tootsuki had within its many halls."
A loud cheer and applause erupted from the students. No matter how much they competed against one another, they still felt proud of each other for getting this far.
"Secondly," Soe continued. "Allow me to tell you all, that this is a very important event for us all, more so than what you are probably thinking. The reasons for this you will learn in the coming days, but rest assured, we need these seats filled. The lower five seats of the Elite Ten cannot remain empty, not now, however…" his tone changed completely, turning much more serious and causing the cheering students to freeze up, as a chill went up each and every spine. "…Don't think for a moment we are going to be accepting mediocrity of any manner. While true that the seats need to be filled, the must be filled properly, not haphazardly. If none of you measure up to what we need, then we will make do with the five members we currently have. Have I made myself clear?"
-0-
The group was moved from the assembly hall into one of the main classrooms, the large group divided into two groups of forty each, awaiting further instructions. Soma and the others had each wished each other the best of luck, all of them unsure of what was to follow, but excited nonetheless. As Soma made his way towards his assigned classroom, he spotted a nearby bulletin board that caught his eye. Written on it was the full list of all the students that had been chosen to partake in this event, the so-called "New Elite Ten Election Cook-Off", divided by those who were in their second year and those who were in their third. And just as Ikumi had mentioned, only sixteen of them were Second Years. He would be competing, in alphabetical order, against:
Isami Aldini
Takumi Aldini
Hisako Arato
Ken Dakekanba
Miyoko Houjou
Shun Ibusaki
Urara Kawashima
Ryou Kurokiba
Zenji Marui
Subaru Mimasaka
Ikumi Mito
Alice Nakiri
Ryoko Sakaki
Megumi Tadokoro
Yuuki Yoshino
Soma Yukihira
He smiled as he slid his index finger across the list, pausing briefly on each name as he mentally wished each of them luck. Even Ken what's-his-name, who he felt tempted to dub Third Takumi, but decided against it. He also noticed that in the list of Third Years, someone was missing. 'He's not here… wonder why…'
"While I know it's ordered alphabetically," a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts, speaking right beside him. "I still feel it both nostalgic and appropriate to see your name dead last in any talent list."
"That tongue is still as sharp as ever," Soma replied, as he turned to face his recently arrived girlfriend, as the God's Tongue seemed to be scanning the list herself, her wide eyes reading each name. "Came to wish me luck?"
"As if," she shot back. "I came to wish Hisako luck, not that she needs it. Also to use this opportunity to give Alice the middle finger and hope she doesn't win, but given how good Alice is, of course she'll win."
"As if," he repeated her words in her own tone, which caused the heiress to frown at him. "You love your cousin, so of course you're worried about her. But, you also love me, so you're clearly worried about me too."
"Love…" Erina repeated, and Soma realized the words he had just used.
"I, well, you know," he stammered a response, and she didn't seem able to continue their conversation either. He decided to ignore that for now. "So, what do you really think? Think I have a shot here?"
"…Such an out-of-character question," she simply said, and he could help but sheepishly laugh at that. He knew that she knew he had not been serious, still surprising for him that she had gotten really good at seeing through him so easily.
He decided now was as good as any time to steal another kiss from the unassuming girl, which he had grown to want more and more every time they did. He moved in, placing his hand on her shoulder, turning her slightly and moving in. She said nothing, but instead of allowing it, she moved her head slightly, causing the boy to miss her lips and reach her cheek. Once more, he was surprised, since her doing this two times in a row was, how had she phrased it, out-of-character?
"Erina…?"
"…Maybe now's not the best time," she said, offering him a smile. "There are loose tongues all about, and I don't want them to think that when you win this, because you will, that it was because of me."
"Erina, I don't care about that," Soma said frankly. "They can challenge me if they want to. I'll happily take them on, you know that."
"I know," she reassured. "But I care. I don't want you losing everything you've fought for simply because everyone labels it another Nakiri handout. I… I've never had a boyfriend Soma, so you're in uncharted territory. Just, trust me on this, okay?"
He wasn't convinced. It felt like hiding, like running away again after everything they had done to even get this far. But, he also knew relationships took time, took communication, and listening when spoken to. So, he swallowed his pride and nodded. "…Alright, I got you," he assured. "I'll hold back when we're in public."
"Yes, that's all I-"
"But hey," he interrupted, holding her as she moved to walk away, surprising her. "Once I win, we should have a date or something, right? To celebrate that I'm also a Seated Member and all that."
"Oh, we do now, huh?" she playfully asked, and both couldn't help but laugh softly. He wanted to kiss her so badly, but he held back, as per her wishes. "Go, Soma, go. It's time, get in there."
He nodded, holding onto her hands with his own briefly, pressing against them slightly before he released them and walked away. The girl remained, her fists clenching as uncertainty hit her, unsure if she was going about this the right way or not. She had not lied. She had never had a boyfriend before, and she had no idea how to manage this, at all. She knew he didn't have any experience either, but he also lacked all the baggage she carried. And, in a way, she knew it wasn't fair. There was much she wanted to say.
But for now, just for now, she'd remain quiet.
-0-
He was the last to enter the classroom he had been assigned. Everyone was already seated, and everyone turned their attention right to him, which was both equal parts awkward and funny. Soma said nothing, just chuckled softly as he took the only empty seat present. As luck would have it, Ken was right next to him. If the boy was waiting for Soma to say something, he would be waiting a while, as Soma had his mind elsewhere at the moment. 'It's not just her who's gotten pretty good at reading me,' Soma thought. 'I've gotten pretty good at reading her too. And something's off, but how on Earth do I try to help? I mean, should I try, or is it better to just wait it out… No, don't think like that. Baby steps. First, focus on being a Seated Member, that way you'll be able to spend even more time with her. So, let's win this thing for her!'
"Young man, your name please?" the teacher present before the group asked, his eyes fixated on Soma. The boy quickly straightened himself, finding the older man to be somewhat frightening.
"Oh, Soma Yukihira sir!" he replied.
"Don't you mean Soma Nakiri?" another voice cut in, likely a third year, which immediately caused a few scattered laughs throughout. Soma just shrugged, feeling that this was probably going to be a thing for quite a while.
"Right, Yukihira… Here," the teacher said, as he walked towards Soma's desk and placed a stack of papers before the boy, earning himself a puzzled look from him. "Don't flip them until I give the command."
"Sure…?"
As Soma refrained himself from taking a peak at the stack of papers before him, he decided to look around the room for any familiar face. Aside from Ken staring daggers right at him, for some reason, he could spot Takumi in the far end, Shun not that far off, Mimasaka and Ryoko right next to one another, Miyoko further off, and one of the Third Years he had fought in the finals of the Stuffed International Showcase who he could not name even if his life depended on it. Seeing how far off everyone was seating form each other, it made it clear that they were assigned seats, rather than freely being able to choose. Was there a reason for this?
"Alright, students, listen up," the teacher spoke up, causing the group to turn to him. "What you have before you is the written test that you must pass before you are able to partake in this competition, understood?"
'Well Erina, I tried,' Soma half-joked, feeling a massive sense of dread wash over him.
"Written test?" a Third Year voiced out, clearly surprised. Soma knew her, somewhat, as another one of the Third Years he had faced during the Showcase. "Since when? Don't we usually just-"
"Since now," the exam-proctor replied seriously. "The stakes have never been higher. You'll know more later, but for now, realize how important this is. The tests before you have been individually created, with each of you in mind."
'This entire thing is the test?' Takumi thought, shocked. There were easily fifteen to twenty pages on his desk.
'Did they seriously create eighty different tests?' Ryoko wondered, equally shocked.
"Don't look so scared," the exam-proctor added. "While it may look like a lot, there are merely ten questions in that test. Much of that space is there for you to have sufficient room to properly answer the questions. Nothing more."
'Just ten questions,' Mimasaka thought, his eyes narrowing. That could not be a good sign.
"Uh, excuse me sir?" Ken spoke up, his hand raised. The exam-proctor signaled to him, and the boy tried his best not to sound as horrified as he felt. "B-But, if there are only ten, how many do we need to get right to pass?"
"What kind of question is that?" the exam-proctor asked him in turn, and as he did, all the students felt their fears grow even larger, as they guessed the answer to that question before he gave it. "If you are to be a Seated Member, then it's only natural that you'll be able to answer all of them. So, your answer, is every single one."
-0-
"Coffee?"
Soe looked up from the screens, as Gin walked up to him with two cups in hand, handing the overworked man a cup. Soe took it, and Gin took a seat right next to him, glancing up at the screens before them.
"Don't know why you want to watch over them like this," Gin said, taking a sip. "It's not like they can cheat. No two tests are the same."
"I know, I made them," Soe explained, also taking a sip. "I just feel I went a bit overboard. One thing is to be tough, but right after their summer break? Without allowing them a chance to study? Maybe we should have tried something-"
"You'll never fill in his shoes with that line of thinking," Gin cut in, and Soe turned to him in confusion. "Don't take my word for it, look, look at them…"
Soe said nothing, turning back to look at the screens showing the kids flipping the exams over as they were given the green light to start. It took mere moments, but Soe saw what Gin meant. He saw it in each and every one of them.
'I mean… This is…' Takumi thought, scanning the first page.
'Wait…' Hisako thought, as she flipped through the test.
'Daddy, did you…?' Alice thought, reading the questions quickly.
"You can't expect them to defend this school if you're the first that doesn't believe in them," Gin continued. "Remember…"
'This is…' Kurokiba thought.
'This is…' Shun thought.
'This is…' Megumi thought.
"This isn't any school," Gin spoke firmly, with a knowing smile. "And those are not any students."
'This is…' Soma thought, completely astonished when realization finally hit him. '…So easy.'
"They're answering it so quickly," Soe spoke up, his tone sounding outright bewildered. "That's, that's amazing. I would have trouble answering a few of those honestly."
"As would I," Gin admitted, "But that's what happens when you sit behind a desk all day. But that's not them. They're out there, working. This is their daily life. And it's all the proof we need that we are right to turn to them to fill in these seats."
The two men continued to watch the students, as they continued to tackle the very questions that will help shape their careers for years to come…
-0-
1. What are the Big Six (6) Pathogens that have been singled out by the FDA as being the most contagious and most dangerous?
- Soma: That one's easy! That would be Norovirus, Salmonella Typhi, Nontyphoidal Salmonella, E Coli, Shigella and Hepatitis A. Master Shinomiya was very strict when it came to this stuff, so he hammered this in many times.
2. What are the appropriate temperatures for the most common ingredients when they are fully cooked?
- Alice: Ah, this one's a little lengthy. First, if its cooked veggies or fruits that are to be served hot, they should be cooked at 135 degrees Fahrenheit, red meats and fish need 145 degrees Fahrenheit, anything that's grounded save for birds or that have eggs in it goes up to 155 degrees Fahrenheit, and any type of bird, stuffed dishes or reheated foods must be cooked at 165 degrees Fahrenheit!
3. What are five fundamental safety guidelines present in the food service industry?
- Takumi: Quite easy really. One would be to stay at home if you're sick. Two, wash your hands properly every fifteen minutes or after handling equipment, twice if you've been to the bathroom, or double hand washing as it's called. Three, never touch Ready-to-Eat food with your bare hands. Four, only use clean equipment. And five, always practice proper temperature controls.
4. What is stock velveting?
- Megumi: Oh, that would be a cooking technique were you use the chicken or vegetable broth to cook different types of ingredients, mostly meats. We use this technique to properly cook the protein and to ensure the texture is changed ever-so slightly. It usually results in a new, softer cut of meat.
5. What is the proper storage method for most uncooked ingredients, and, knowing that, what is it to take shelf-life into account and what is "FIFO" and how does it apply to this method?
- Ken: …Uh, what?
-0-
The test ended almost as soon as it had started. To most of them at least. Soma did find it lengthy, but mostly because he had a lot to answer, and not as much space as he wanted, especially for the final two questions. Still, he was sure he had gotten it all right, even if they were told to wait for confirmation tomorrow morning, whereupon they would be given further directions. He found it annoying, as he was eager to move on to the next step.
He made his way back to the Polar Star dorm, alongside his other five friends, all of whom had been so relieved at seeing how easy a test they had gotten. Looking at his surrounding as they reached the dorms, Soma realized that he had missed pretty much all of the first day of the Open House event. He had, somewhat, seen crowded areas on his way to Building 3C, but other than that he had not really interacted much with the visitors. A shame really, but it the event did run for three days, so if he was lucky, he could still have several visitors try out all of his brand new experiments.
"How are my soon-to-be Elite Ten members doing?" Isshiki quickly welcomed the bunch as soon as they entered the doorway, causing the six to give out a shocked, but likewise happy reaction at seeing their upperclassman again.
"Isshiki!" Yuuki quickly beamed. "Where were you?! We're on our way to join your ranks! They even gave us a test! It was insanely easy."
"Was it now?" Isshiki asked, bemused.
"You must have known," Marui voiced, at which Isshiki shook his head.
"I knew of the event, but I wasn't informed of how it would take place," he explained. "For as much power as the Elite Ten have, we don't really have much say in matters that pertain to our next members. For practical reasons, really. But, while I am eager to hear how it went for you all, I feel I must explain our current situation first."
A collective "huh?" could be heard, as the newly arrived group was led by Isshiki towards the kitchen, where they were met by the sight of not just Fumio, Daigo and Shoji, but six other students, five out the six sporting eager expressions.
"Soma!" the young interpret reporter Mitsuru Soutsuda quickly beamed as he approached his idol. "It's been so long! Can you believe it, I got picked. I have a chance to stay here!"
"Mitsuru! Man, that's great!" Soma quickly patted the boy on the head. "That's right, you're a First Year now. So you can be the new me!"
"Berta, Soma Yukihira has arrived," Cilla Pedersen, the short haired twin, told her sister.
"He has indeed," Berta Pedersen, the long haired twin, replied.
"They are utterly adorable," Ryoko voiced, as Yuuki nodded, even if she couldn't help but notice that the younger girls somehow had more womanly attributes than she did, much to her eternal dismay.
"And look who else made it!" Daigo announced, as both he and Shoji formally presented another girl seated to the right, which caused Yuuki and Ryoko to squeal at the sight of her. "Madoka!"
"…Hi…?" Madoka Enomoto greeted, unsure why they were making such a big fuss over her. She regularly visited anyways, so to her, it just made sense. Marui, on the other hand, outright jumped and body-slammed both Daigo and Shoji so fiercely the two had no defense against it. The shy girl just stared, having no idea what was happening, and wondering what it was she was getting into.
Megumi just chuckled at the sight, before she caught a glimpse of another girl that made part of the six students present. Like Madoka, she was also a fellow Second Year, and one she actually knew to an extent. "…Nao, hey."
Nao Sadatsuka said nothing, her expression different from what little Megumi was used to, but she simply chalked it up to not knowing the girl well. She saw how Isshiki walked over to her, patting her lightly in the shoulders, while Nao said nothing, merely glancing up at him and then focusing her attention towards the outside. Megumi said nothing else, but it all felt… off, somehow.
"Now then," Fumio said, clapping her hands together to draw everyone's attention in. "It's getting late, and if these kids don't pass, they need the time to make arrangements to stay elsewhere, so let's not waste anyone's time. We have six new would-be dorm mates, and by luck, six Polar Stars currently taking the Elite Ten exams. So, each of you gets to have a match against one of the new recruits. Your match, your rules. Just be fair, alright."
"Ah, that's so awesome, right?!" Yuuki exclaimed.
"Y-Yeah," a now worried Megumi replied. Did she really have the skill to supervise another student?
"While it goes without saying, we are not playing favorites tonight," Isshiki added. "So, Marui, sorry, but you can't duel Madoka."
"I know that!"
"Same goes for you Soma," Isshiki turned to the redhead, who merely blinked in response. "Little Mitsuru will challenge someone else."
"Oh, alright," Soma replied, wondering if he had even been planning to go easy on the boy at all. 'I mean, I'm not Master Shinomiya, so I'm not going all out, but I'm not going at it easy either. Maybe I'll go at it with about half strength, maybe a dish I've made before when I started here. If my opponent can get at least come close to something like that, then he or she passes! That sounds good!'
"Now then, everyone, pick your opponent," Isshiki said, and soon, the challengers were quick to try and get someone to test them, while the Polar Stars were quick to get someone to torment, I mean, test. In a matter of moments, it was decided, and the six Polar Stars were staring down the six would-be future Polar Stars.
Megumi got Mitsuru. 'Yes! I get Megumi,' Mitsuru thought with a smile. Megumi was quick to return it, likewise alleviated that she got paired up with a familiar face.
Yuuki got Madoka. 'She looks rather invested,' Madoka though defensively, seeing Yuuki's rather intense expression.
Marui got Cilla. '…I got the nerd,' Cilla thought, disappointed.
Ryoko got Berta. 'I got the babe!' Berta thought, impressed.
Shun got Nao, and neither party seemed particularly invested, but the others said nothing about this.
"…And that just leaves us," Soma noted as he turned to his opponent. "I haven't seen you around these parts, new student I take it?"
"Yep! It's an honor to finally meet you. My name's Loren Frechette," the Trojan Horse said with a smile.
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ORIGINAL OC! DO NOT STEAL!