Author's Note:
Hello!
Yeah, it wasn't as fast as last time but those things happen...sadly this chapter isn't very eventful, I admit and rather an exposition one. The next two will need a lot of research, so I don't know if I will manage them that fast.
Welp, I still hope you will enjoy this one here...I guess?
Also wow! Over 100 Follows! This makes me very happy and I am glad that the story is rather well received, it motivates me a lot and I would like to thank you for your support.
Let's get to the Reviews of last chapter then, shall we?
aominesshi: ! Thanks for the kind review, I am so glad you enjoy the story. And yeah, the parents are pretty proud about their little treasures of course. We'll get to that point someday... But well, thanks again for the nice review and hope you'll like this chapter too.
Anon: Glad you liked it! Yeah, as you can see it can be difficult to update that fast...very difficult..But I try my best
vincentgenesis: Well thanks for that friendly review. It's very nice to hear that you like the story so far, enjoy the new chapter, I guess qwq
So then, let's get started!
Author's Note End
Harumi Tsujimoto was confident.
The dish she had made was good, like everything Harumi did. It surely would please the judges rightly.
Holy tongue here or there. Harumi's dish won't loose.
"That certainly was a nice one." One of the judges stated and laid down the fork. Harumi's smirk grew at that statement and she practically already heard the words "And the winner is Tsujimoto Harumi" in her head as she looked at the satisfied smiles the judges were wearing.
Her opponent still had to serve. Harumi was sure, that he was quite unsure now. She would defiantly teach this boy a lesson.
She heard steps.
Hiraku Yukihira made his way to the judging table, carrying the three plates like a true professional.
Harumi stiffened.
He wasn't encouraged at all. His eyes rather looked...
...bored.
Hurriedly she swung around to watch the judges eat the dish.
Already after the first bite they stiffened and stopped moving.
Confusion rang trough the crowd.
Minutes passed.
Painful minutes in which nothing happened.
Minutes that started to feel like hours to Harumi.
Then the judges slammed their judging button.
Harumi went pale and her heart stopped beating for a second as the results read the name "Yukihira Hiraku."
"How?!" She shouted and turned to the judges who eagerly shoved in the dish Hiraku had made.
The crowd started cheering. You heard a lot of "Knew it" and "Hiraku-Sama" within.
Harumi clutched her fist. "How?!"
Hiraku himself yawned. He slowly turned around and walked past Harumi.
"Well, I've won right? So I can go now?" Everything went silent at that statement and the audience just watched.
Harumi couldn't believe it. She had given her all into this dish! And it seemed as if this goddamnit bastard couldn't care less about this Shokugeki!
"Are you for real?! What the hell is wrong with you!" She roared.
Hiraku didn't even turned around. He coldly replied. "That was just a little training for me and really not all too exciting as there was barely any challenge. I have to get ready for something else now."
The following words were spoken sharply.
"The Fourth seat, to be exact."
With that he was gone, meeting up with a pink-haired, tanned and green-eyed male, who was wearing the school uniform and held a clipboard.
Whispers began again and Harumi fell to the ground.
The Fifth Plate - Tōtsuki 101
Warm sunlight fell into room 303, awakening the honey blonde girl on the bed.
Slowly Kimiko sat up and yawned. She looked around and needed four seconds to remember that she wasn't at home anymore but in a dormitory called Polar Star. The girl then also recalled last night and couldn't help but chuckle a little.
"Wow, it's been some time since I've been that social..." She tiredly mumbled and stood up to get dressed.
It had been late at night as the party was declared to be over.
Chieko had already fallen asleep on the floor with a small smile and reddened cheeks that were caused by the rice juice. Yasu had lifted her up and laid his best friend on her bed. He then had undid her hair, took off her glasses and covered the fragile body with a blanket.
Daisuke and Hideyoshi had started to discuss who of the two would clean Chieko's room a little. They ended up leaving the room, still discussing, without cleaning one inch.
Hiroshi had to assist Mika walking, as the blonde's blue eyes nearly fell close all two seconds and she was nearly sleeping already. Kimiko had walked beside them and together with Yasu, they had left room 205.
"But the party...was fun I have to admit." Kimiko now quietly said for herself as she bound the signature neckerchief around her neck.
She actually was not much of a social person. While she was in good terms with her classmates, she only called one of them, Tadao Moto, her friend. She just didn't had a lot of time for social events and also the most people, were just boring to her.
The group which she had met yesterday defiantly was kind of odd. But at least they all understood a thing about cooking and so Kimiko finally had someone not-familiar-related-to-her she could talk to about her number one passion. Next to that, they had been pretty funny and friendly.
Fully dressed in her school uniform, she then exited her room.
Her floor was rather silent. Probably because the third floor only maintained four rooms and a bathroom. But Kimiko heard lots of voices coming from below.
How was breakfast handled here actually? Did everyone made something themselves? Or...
"Good Morning, Kimiko-san!" She suddenly heard a familiar voice behind her and turned.
Hiroshi was giving her that pure Hiroshi-smile which could melt the thickest of ice.
"Mornin'" Kimiko greeted back and lifted her hand. "How did you sleep? Shall I show you the dining hall?" Hiroshi asked. "Dining Hall?" "Yes, it's breakfast time after all."
Ah, so the dorm eats together. Kimiko noted in her head and nodded towards Hiroshi. "Well sure then, lead the way."
The two got moving down the stairs. As Kimiko expected the second floor was way more crowded than the third. Persons between 11 and 19 walked around between the doors, many of them making their downstairs like Kimiko and Hiroshi did.
"Where's Mika-san?" Kimiko asked while walking. "She's taking a quick shower." Hiroshi answered and switched the topic. "By the way, Satoshi-san will probably cook for our table, since you're new. But actually everyday each Generation sends one of their students into the kitchen so they can cook for the rest of their classmates. We have a schedule, you know? You will get signed into that as well, I guess." "Sounds fair and good to me." Kimiko shrugged.
The pair finally arrived in the noisy dining hall, crowded with the many inhabitants of the Polar Star Dormitory. Hiroshi immediately walked to a table, rather near to the kitchen. While following him, Kimiko took the second to inspect her surroundings. It was a comfortable looking dining hall and large enough as well. There were many tables, all stacked with a different age group which was casually living it's normal dorm morning.
Apparently Yasu, Hideyoshi, Daisuke and Chieko were already sitting at the table Hiroshi and Kimiko headed to. "That's our table." Hiroshi explained what Kimiko could have made out herself. And the nearer the two got, the louder a particular female voice got.
"The books were everywhere! Everywhere except for one place! The bookshelf!" "Oh, Marui seems to be in a great mood." Kimiko deadpanned at the sight of Chieko scolding an emotionless Yasu, an uninterested Hideyoshi and an already exhausted Daisuke. "Yes, but don't worry...at some point she is calm enough to get distracted and then she's normal again."
The two had finally reached their table. "Good Morning." They said in unison. A small smile appeared on Yasu's face and he nodded. "Mornin'" Hideyoshi exclaimed while Daisuke rather yawned it. "Oh well, good morning." Chieko greeted not all to enthusiastic, considering her mood.
"Eh he...let me guess? Your room?" Hiroshi weakly smiled. "Exactly." Chieko hissed and shot a dead glare into the direction of Daisuke and Hideyoshi.
Hiroshi sweatdropped at that sight and sat down. Kimiko took a seat beside him.
"Satoshi-san will be cooking for us today!" Hideyoshi excitedly informed them. "The others should be so jealous." Daisuke turned his head towards Kimiko and Hiroshi as well and added. "His food really is one of the best I've ever eaten."
"Buongiorno." The group heard Mika saying. The Quarter Italian stood in front of them with wet blonde hair and looked quite tired. After a long yawn the freshly bathed girl seated next to Yasu.
"Is she still in that 'Italian-Phase'?" Kimiko asked Hiroshi, who shook his head. "No, I don't think so. She's long enough in Japan now. She just likes speaking Italian sometimes."
Mika let out a grunt, rested her head on her hand and closed her blue eyes.
Chieko raised her voice again. "Anyway! I just find it extremely disrespe-" Luckily for everyone's peaceful morning, she was interrupted.
Satoshi had appeared in the hall and slowly the students started to shut up and drove their attention to the gleeful dorm mother in front of them.
"Good Morning, everyone!" Satoshi beamed and laughed happily.
"How can one person...be that enthusiastic...about everything...at every time of the day." Mika silently mumbled.
"Listen here, children. This privilege to eat and sit together, to live under the same roof and to share your bread with others. This is what life is, this is your meaningful youth which you should enjoy at your fullest, just like I did back in my days. The Polar Star Dormitory is a wonderful place, which you will hopefully always remember and still hold close after graduation. So from the bottom of my heart, I wish you a wonderful day."
This guy defiantly fits as a warden for this dormitory. Kimiko thought. "You basically tell us that everyday, Satoshi-san!" Hideyoshi yelled behind her.
"Well, well, then I don't want to hold you back much longer." Satoshi innocently smiled. "Enjoy your food." The dorm's warden disappeared into the kitchen again and came back with a few seconds later, with some plates and bowls which he brought to Kimiko's table.
"Since you have a new one, I took cooking duties for you guys over for today." He explained the obvious and placed down the food on the table.
"Thanks Satoshi-San." The group sang and with a chuckle Satoshi left them and went over to two very young looking students, sitting all alone at an absent table. Daisuke watched him doing so. "Ah look, those are the first arrivals of the 118th Generation."
"Who cares?" Such a thing could only come from Hideyoshi. "Let's eat."
"Thanks for the food."
As soon as Kimiko took the first bite, she was immediately overwhelmed by the sheer deliciousness, skill and impact which that one bite threw at her.
It tasted absolutely well.
Kimiko was truly astonished by the utter perfection on her plate. It defiantly reached the level of her parents. Something, she only thought her uncle and aunt were capable off.
"Ah, I love Satoshi-san's cooking." Chieko swooned absolutely satisfied. Hideyoshi eagerly nodded. "It certainly is a well cooked dish." Yasu commented.
Hiroshi looked at Kimiko. "And? What do you think, Kimiko-san?" "It's fantastic." Kimiko praised in-between her bites. "Really, I am pleasantly surprised."
Mika smirked. "No need to be, Yukihira. Our dorm mother Satoshi-san was in the Elite Ten once after all."
Cluelessly Kimiko looked up from her plate. "Elite Ten?"
Another one of these strange words, that everyone used around here so casually as if it was something self-explanatory. What had been the other word? Shotu...Shogu...Shoku...meki?
Her dormmates blinked, except for Yasu (well maybe he did? But no one could say for sure of course). "The Elite Ten." Hideyoshi said with a bewilderedness in his voice, as if Kimiko just asked what colour grass has. Daisuke was surprised as well. "Don't tell me you don't know them?"
Kimiko just simply shook her head. "Transfer Student, remember?" "Sure we do, but the Elite Ten is something you just...know." Chieko leaned forward a bit, which caused her glasses to slide down her nose a little. She quickly pushed them upwards again and began to explain.
"Totsuki's Elite Ten Council is formed out of the current ten most talented chefs in Totsuki. Mostly second years and third years. Just once someone entered the council during middle school. However, the council is the most important decision-making body next to the director her very self. An Elite Ten Seat comes with a lot of privileges which increase the higher the seat. So of course they enjoy great respect, everlasting honour in the culinary industry and even the teachers have to obey them."
Well, that certainly sounded interesting to Kimiko's ears. She didn't noticed how intensely Mika's eyes were burning on her and asked her next question. "So, the first seat...is basically the top spot?"
"Correct." Yasu took a sip of his tea and turned to Kimiko. "It was basically the First Seat you claimed in your entrance speech."
"Ah okay." Kimiko nonchalantly laughed. "Nice to have a more clear image of it. But sounds quite like the popular spot, no wonder Mika-san immediately challenged me."
Mika flinched at that statement and stuttered. "D...Did you even took my challenge serious?" Hiroshi sighed.
Kimiko didn't responded to Mika but rather wanted to learn more about this so called Elite Ten. "But well, how do you get the first seat anyway?"
"Shokugeki." The entire table said at the same time.
Ah yes, that was the other unknown word.
"And that's...?"
"You don't even know that?!" Mika blurted out. "It's what we're going to have someday, remember?!"
"Ah yes, you did say you would challenge me to one, right?" Mika couldn't believe it. Her voice got rather whiney as she replied, totally frustrated with Kimiko's lack of Totuki-knowledge. "Yes!"
Kimiko shrugged. "Sorry but I really have no idea about it."
Hideyoshi shook his head. "My, my Yukihira. Well..." He pointed at the black haired girl sitting in front of him. "...Marui, I guess it's on you again."
Chieko shot a little glare into Hideyoshi's direction but fairly enough she started to lecture.
"Shokugekis are kind of our way to resolve conflicts here. Putting it very, very, very simple you could say, that it's basically a cook-off. But the cook-off happens in an arena and a certain theme for it is chosen."
A grin had already spread on Kimiko's face at the sound of that. However it was mildred a little by what followed next.
"However, you cannot just walk around and challenge everyone who passes you to a Shokugeki. A Shokugeki will only occur if three certain things are given. First is what you're fighting for. Both parties have to be willing to give up something in the case of a loss, the parties also have to agree on the fact that their compensations are equal. For example, you can't risk expulsion just because you want someone's shirt. In case of a seat in the council: not even expulsion is worth an Elite Ten Seat!"
Okay, that were not so pleasing news. But still Kimiko liked the idea behind those Shokugeki. They sound like a lot of fun.
Chieko ended her explanation. "The other conditions that have to be given, is that a staff member of Totsuki has to acknowledge the Shokugeki as a valid one and that there has to be an odd number of judges organised. And of course, both participants must agree on having the Shokugeki."
Kimiko whistled. "Sounds great."
So, the first seat is what I have to catch after all, interesting, interesting. And these Shokugeki things sound tempting as well.
And Kimiko would get sooner to it, than she thought she would.
-.-.-.-
"This campus surely is huge, just the sheer thought of going all the way to the dormitory again is tiring!" Kimiko complained and shook herself.
She was currently walking trough the enormous hallways of Totsuki together with Hiroshi and Mika, as the three had finished all their classes for today.
"I could take you with my bicycle..." Hiroshi offered. Next to him, his cousin took a bite off her green apple. "You should get yourself some sort of vehicle as well, Yukihira." She flipped her pony tail behind her shoulders and proudly added. "Like me for example. I drive a motorcycle."
Mika of course wanted Kimiko to be jealous, but all she got was an impressed look that exclaimed. "Woah, Really? Sounds cool."
"Actually Ibusaki-Kun does that too." Hiroshi interjected with a side glance to Mika, who immediately pouted.
The male Aldini turned back to Kimiko again. "But Itoko-chan is right, the campus is pretty big. Especially us Polar Stars feel that. Let me think...Marui-san mostly just joins Ibusaki-san on his bike...but when she's on her own, she uses roller skates to move forward. She probably has an emergency pair lying around somewhere, you could ask her for it."
"I'll think about it." Kimiko crossed her arms behind her head and wanted to switch the topic has she suddenly heard quick footsteps and a familiar voice behind her.
"Ki - mi - ko!" It rang trough the whole building.
"Lola!" Kimiko exclaimed and swung around.
"Nakiri Lola!" Mika and Hiroshi blurted out simultaneously.
The director's daughter, who just arrived in front of them was quite the VIP after all.
Now another girl stepped around the corner, far behind Lola. She walked way more slowly and wore a stoic expression.
"A...and not just her..." Hiroshi stammered, while Kimiko grinned. "Oh and Mona's there too!"
Mona Nakiri looked quite a lot like her twin sister, they weren't called "twins" for nothing after all. Same height, same breast size, same messy hair, same pale skin, same facial features and of course the same, glowing and somewhat threatening red eyes. She even wore an identical ying-yang-necklace.
However there was one major difference.
Mona's hair was white.
Next to that the one longer bang was in Mona's case on the right side, instead of the left. Notable was also that Mona wore the girl's uniform, but with opened jacket and without ribbon.
Lola demandingly put the hands on her hips. "Mona, hurry up! How can one human being be that slow?"
Mona didn't even bothered to respond and so Lola just sighed and focused on her transfer student cousin again.
"Well, good day Kimiko! How's Totsuki life going? More importantly, how's dorm life going?"
"Both fine, I guess." Kimiko shrugged and then stepped aside a little to truly showcase Mika and Hiroshi, who were still trying to comprehend the fact that Lola Nakiri was talking to them. "Speaking of Polar Star, these two are my dormmates. Aldini-Tadokoro Hiroshi and Mika Aldini. They're cousins."
"Nice to meet you!" Lola smiled while Mona finally arrived next to her. The white haired girl just gave the quarter Italians a nod.
"P...Pleasure is on my side..." Hiroshi bowed, while Mika hastily nodded. "You see, Kimiko and me are cousins as well." Lola announced with pride. "Second-Degree ones."
Mika and Hiroshi's eyes widened. Mona only mumbled. "She's my cousin, as well."
Lola clapped her hands. "But let's get to the point of why I am actually here; Kimiko..." She smirked. "I want to introduce someone to you."
Kimiko tilted her head, but her second-degree cousin was impatient as ever. "Follow me!" She ordered and began to hop down the hallway.
Kimiko sighed and gave an excusing smile into the direction of Mika and Hiroshi. "Well, see you guys later." "S...Sure..." "S...See ya..."
Mona also waved and then turned around alongside Kimiko to follow Lola.
As the trio was gone, Mika clutched her fist.
"They're cousins..." Hiroshi mumbled. "That means..."
"Yeah!" Mika continued, almost a little bitterly. "Yukihira is related to Hiraku-sa..." Her head got red an she quickly shook it. "I...I mean Yukihira-senpai."
Hiroshi just shook his head at his cousin's behaviour. But he couldn't help but to look into the direction Kimiko had disappeared in.
Truly, truly; an amazing chef had entered their Generation for sure.
-.-.-.-
"Give me a new chewing gum, this one lost it's taste!"
Harumi hold out her hand, angrily avoiding her underclass man's gaze. The brown haired, young male with a cute, innocent face, decorated with freckles and big blue eyes, sighed.
"Please senpai, you can't just sit here all day and angrily chew gum. That's not going to polish our image at all."
The older girl instantly glared at him.
The sharp, green eyes wanted chewing gum and they wanted it now.
116th Generation's student Kenshin Maeda knew better than to piss off 114th Generation's student Harumi Tsujimoto even more.
So he handed her the twelfth stupid chewing gum of the day and watched how the platinum blonde threw it into her mouth and continued to chew it with that angered but also frustrated face.
It truly was a sad scenery.
But fortunately it got disturbed.
"Here I am! To save the day, once again!" Lola Nakiri cajoled as she crashed into the room, making Kenshin flinch. The black-haired girl was, of course, accompanied by her white-haired twin sister who just couldn't look any less bored.
But there was also a third one. A honey-blonde one, looking trough the room with wondering, yellow eyes.
Harumi raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" "Please don't talk so disrespectful, Tsujimoto-senpai!" Kenshin muttered into her direction. "You act more and more like a thug!"
"Well, I wanted to introduce you to my cousin...Yukihira Kimiko." Lola simply said and pointed with one finger to the Honey-Blonde.
"Yukihi..." Both Harumi and Kenshin whispered, but Lola didn't mind.
"Kimiko, I told you about the Research Societies, right?" "Yes, you did." Kimiko crossed her arms. "They're pretty much Totsuki's kind of school clubs and deal with detailed research on certain cuisines and food fortes."
"Exactly!"
Lola spread her arms wide and chirped. "Well then, this is the French Cuisine RS." She lowered her arms again. "Since you love French food, I just had to show to you."
Kimiko took another look around. "The kitchen does look impressive."
"Gnh..."
Their attention was brought to Harumi again, who had stood up from her chair and clutched her fist, eyes attached to the ground.
"That's the president, Tsujimoto Harumi. Heir to a very known French Restaurant Branch." Was all Lola could say, before Harumi started to growl.
"Nakiri Lola. What's the matter of this, if I may ask? Why..." She stomped her foot on the ground and finally lifted her head, to display those bitter green eyes. "...do you want to remind me on the source of my suffering? Do you want to humiliate me?! I thought you wanted to help?!"
Lola tilted her head, like a young child just hearing a new word. Kimiko glanced to Mona, silently asking her what was going on. But Mona was as emotionless as ever.
"I am here to help." Lola proclaimed. "Kimiko is the sister of Hiraku, yes." She didn't minded how Harumi flinched at the mere mention of this name and how Kenshin quickly rushed to the club president to shut her before she could use very foul words. Lola just nonchalantly continued. "Who could be better to improve your club's image again than the sister of Hiraku himself?"
For the first time Harumi's expression actually mildred a little.
Kimiko spoke up. "Now hold on Lola! What's going on here actually?"
"Kimiko!" Lola snickered. "Glad you asked. Well, to put it simply. Tsujimoto-senpai here got beat by your brother in a Shokugeki...You know what these things are?"
Kimiko gave a quick nod. "Yes, yes sure. Go on."
"Well, the RS's image went a little down afterwards of course." "Five Members left." Kenshin brought in with a sad tone.
"And that's where you get into the game, my dear cousin." Lola smirked and pointed at the girl she referred to. "As Hiraku's sis, you're going to do a Shokugeki in the name of the French Cuisine RS to polish the image back up again! Aren't I a genius?"
Kenshin's eyes widened in amazement and he let go of his senpai, who looked at Lola the same way he did.
Kimiko stayed silent for a bit.
Unsurely Kenshin wanted to ask. "A...Are you okay with that...Yukihira-senp..." "I'll do it." Kimiko interrupted.
She started to grin and glanced to Lola. "Nice that I get a chance for a Shokugeki that soon!"
Kenshin let out a breath of relief and Lola giggled satisfied. Mona stood there as silent as ever.
"But wait a minute." Harumi suddenly voiced. "This is still my Research Society! Not everyone can just step into it like that."
She sat down on her chair again, flipped her blonde locks and crossed her legs in an elegant way.
"First you have to show me what you've got, Yukihira Kimiko."
"Tsujimoto-Senpai!" Kenshin cried, but Kimiko's grin only got wider.
"Sure thing, senpai!"
"Well, nice, nice!" Lola smiled. "I'll go and organise the Shokugeki then!"
Cheerfully she grabbed her twin sister by the arm and dragged her out of the room. "Have fun!"
She closed the door behind her, shutting away the scenery of Kimiko confidently rushing to the kitchen watched by the critical eyes of Harumi.
"What do you get from her for helping out?" Mona immediately asked as they couldn't be heard by anyone anymore.
Lola snickered once again. "Very nice earrings, an even nicer knife case and of course a few cook utensils. Nothing too big, but still nice. I mostly took on this task to troll around with Hiraku a little."
Mona's neutral, lazy voice suddenly became rather sharp.
"And you can't just simply do something nice to others...because?"
Lola stopped in her walk. So did her sister behind her.
She took over the sharp tone of her white haired twin.
"How often do I have to tell you, Mona?"
Lola turned just her head halfway, so she could meet her sisters almost challenging eyes.
"It's eat or be eaten in this world."
With that she set her focus forward again and started to move.
"'Nice people' don't last long in it."
Author's Note:
You know, it was pretty relaxing to have a chapter without any cooking once. This is defiantly the hardest part for m But well, next chapter we're going to get to the culinary aspects back again, don't worry.
Welp, a lot of unused ideas got thrown into the bin for that chapter I gotta say. But I don't regret doing so.
Also I know that at the moment, the story isn't all too different to the original SnS, but it's just the beginning and I have to write myself into it somehow. It will truly, truly start with the Training Camp...but well...
Next Chapter we're going to get to the Shokugeki's details and stuff, I am very excited to write about the first Shokugeki, since I did not wrote one in the Alpha Version of the story!
So yah.
Harumi Tsujimoto (also appeared in the Alpha Version by the way, for anyone who remembers) and Kenshin Maeda are original characters, by the way of course (yes, some of them will appear here and there too)
Also Mona got introduced! Yay!
While Chieko truly took over the TVtrope Ms. Exposition
Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and that I can greet you in the next one as well
Have a wonderful next week, best wishes and bye!
Author's Note End