Shokugeki no Sōma: Nashi Saito de Chīfu

by Gale-Dragon

Ever since he picked up a kitchen knife at age three, Sōma knew he wanted to be a chef. For twelve years, he cooked in the kitchen of his family diner. But he doesn't cook like you or me. No, he has his own cooking style, and that style will change the world of cooking forever. After all, Sōma's blind.

19. 16: The Next Difficult Challenge

~}I{~

Gale-Dragon: … … … … … … … … Yes! I know it's late! I got distracted by other stories and this story flowed better when dictated, but unfortunately, the default dictation program on my computer decided that it didn't want to work with any type of microphone that I connected to my computer ?. Thankfully Google Docs has a dictation option I can use even if it is a little buggy and doesn't hear words from different languages well. Another factor was that this part of the storyline is… Not much different from the canon and I was debating whether or not to even add it or skip it. Then I just decided to do the important parts so I'm not cutting too much out of the storyline but still skipping the bulk of it. But it's finally complete! Enjoy.

~}I{~

Shokugeki no Sōma: Nashi Saito de Chīfu, Chapter 16: The Next Difficult Challenge.

~}I{~

Hisako tugged her rolling suitcase along as she made her way to the location of her first Stagiaire Challenge. She knew she was going to pass this thing quickly enough. 'I mean, I have gotten the best grades for working in pairs and tasks that involve running a restaurant,' Hisako thought proudly. This challenge might as well be another class for her. Hisako was already making plans for her following location and maybe trying to do something with Erina-sama afterwards.

She slowed her walking speed as her thoughts trailed off to her lady and friend. Hisako was worried about Erina… The honey-blonde seemed… Off… Ever since she got back after Summer Break ended… Yes, Hisako initially thought that Erina's mood was because of Yukihira but… When she voiced her opinions to Erina her reply was, "No… Yukihira was in the right… What happened was my fault…" Hisako was confused by this. To her Erina never made any sort of mistakes regarding cooking… 'Did something else happen at the Diner?' Hisako wondered.

To get herself back on track, she quickly looked over the requirements to pass and raised a brow at what she read. "Make at least one Visible Accomplishment at Each of the Establishments you are stationed at…" Hisako muttered aloud before asking no one in particular, "What does that mean?" The pinkette decided to maybe call a Totsuki staff member for more information after finding the restaurant where she would be stationed for her first Stagiaire Challenge. Hisako noticed that she would be working with another person for this assignment. Hopefully, they'll be smart and work with her rather than against her.

As she followed her GPS to the address given, she read the rest of the Stagiaire Challange form. Unimpressed, Hisako thought after reading that some of the locations would have the Totsuki students working in pairs, 'So I might be working with another at the next location. Also no big deal, so long as they follow instructions and don't drag me down.' She was honestly expecting this whole Stagiaire thing to be, well, challenging.

The GPS on her phone alerted her that she was nearing her destination.

It took another minute before she arrived at the restaurant where she would work for her first Stagiaire Challenge. After seeing the building, Hisako had to double-check to make sure that she got the right address and input it correctly on her phone. 'This is where I'm going to be working for the next week?' the pinkette thought as she looked over the building again. It looked like a rather ordinary building with the name of the restaurant on the front of the canopy. "Mitamura's Western Cuisine?" Hisako mused as she looked at the paper with her assignment, wondering if this place was one of those hidden high-class eateries that only a select few knew about.

Hisako quickly glanced around the immediate area. The train station was within easy walking distance of here, this was a relatively classy area, and there were a few nice hotels nearby, but the restaurant before her looked… Too average… Too everyday… Still confused, she looked at the name of the restaurant and the name of her Stagiaire Assignment Location… Yup, the names matched, so this was the location she was supposed to be at.

… … … … Okay, how did this bland-looking place manage to get Totsuki to use their restaurant as a Stagiaire Location?

Not even a second later, a mob of customers stormed out of the restaurant. All were complaining about either the long wait for food, not being able to eat in a short timeframe, being late for the train, or a combination of the three. Hisako managed to move out of the mob's way just in time as she wondered what the heck was going on. Everything happened so fast that it took her hearing a customer cancelling their order and then storming off to catch their train for her to register what happened as the employee apologised to them.

That was when Hisako understood the situation. While it was confirmed that Totsuki's Stagiaire was often used to test their students in "The Real World", the Stagiaire also tested the students' ability to either run, improve, or even save restaurants. Hisako simply assumed that her task for this was to keep this place from going under.

'Shouldn't be too hard,' the pinkette thought as the employee greeted her. When Hisako introduced herself to the employee and added that she was one of the Totsuki students working there for the next week, the employee was ecstatic and quickly ushered her into the restaurant. 'Well, the staff are friendly at least,' Hisako thought as she was introduced to the others who worked there, including the owner of the restaurant.

That was when one of the employees told her that her fellow Totsuki student had been there earlier that morning. Hisako was confused. The Stagiaire had the start time written on the assignment, so why did this other student come so early?

"Ah, hello fellow Totsuki student~," Hisako heard a familiar voice reach her ears before she quickly snapped her attention towards the sound, and saw the redhead plaguing her friend's existence since he entered the school. Sōma smiled happily when he added as he walked closer to the pinkette, swishing his cane along the way as he did, "I hope we can work together while we're here~."

Hisako was deathly quiet as the realisation sank in that she had to work with that redhead for this location. Was this some sort of karma or was it just a coincidence that this happened?

"Hello?" Sōma asked in confusion. He didn't understand why his fellow Totsuki student wasn't replying. Was he facing the wrong way again?

The Mitamura employees weren't sure what was going on between the two and none weren't sure how to ask.

~}I{ Elsewhere, Later in the Day }I{~

At first, Megumi was utterly terrified and nervous because she was paired with Nakiri Erina for the first trial of the Stagiaire Challenge, but before the first day ended… Megumi became more confused than anything.

The Nakiri heir was… Acting very strange and "off"... At first, Megumi thought that maybe Erina was still a little bitter and upset about losing her Seat but as the day went on, that didn't seem to be the case…

Megumi looked over the "recommended updated" menu of the fancy French restaurant where her first Stagiaire Challenge was located. She wasn't surprised that Erina wanted to make all these changes this quickly, despite utter reluctance from the head chef, but some of the changes made her raise an eyebrow. "Glutten-free? Vegan? Dairy-free? Alternative meat choices? Kosher options?" Megumi muttered as she read off the recommended changes. She tilted her head to the side as she wondered if it was possible to make all these menu alterations within a week, Nakiri or not.

Megumi glanced at her partner for the week as she wondered, 'Why does she want to make these changes specifically?'

~}I{ Back at Mitamura's Western Cuisine }I{~

Hisako did have to admit one thing about working with Yukihira… She didn't have to worry about hearing any comments about how she looked in the restaurant's uniform from him…

The pinkette casually looked around the restaurant to get a feel for everything. Right now, most of the employees were tidying up from the customers that came in roughly 30 minutes ago while a few of the others were informing Sōma where everything was in the kitchen area. As she watched, Hisako couldn't help but think, 'Goodness it's quiet. You would hardly believe that there was a huge rush of customers earlier.' But it made the pinkette wonder what the people in that rush were talking about as they left.

Sōma got Hisako's attention before saying, "Okay, I know the kitchen layout so I'm going to handle things here. How about you help with the ord-"

Hisako quickly realised what was happening before she snapped back, "Who do you think you are, ordering me around!" Sōma paused as the pinkette pointed an accusing finger at him, not that he knew that, when she stated sternly, "Listen, just because you have real-world experience does not give you the right to act all high and mighty! I have taken classes where students worked in tandem to simulate these exact work environments, thank you very much! And I passed all the cooking camp assignments that emphasised speed and efficiency as well! I don't foresee having any problems with this Stagiaire challenge!"

Sōma hummed before saying, "Maybe, but those were in class in a controlled setting, right? You never had to deal with a crash of orders coming at you all at once."

All Hisako could get out was a, "What?" before the tables and chairs started to shake a bit. Then the items on the tables started rattling, the items on the countertops began rattling, and finally, the sounds of rumbling became audible.

Was there an earthquake?

No! It was a sudden surge of customers!

Hisako backed up to the nearest wall as droves of people filed in all at once. The pinkette was so confused. It was empty only a minute ago, but now the restaurant was completely packed with every single table occupied! Orders were flying in all at once! Too much was happening at once!

Hisako couldn't help but think, 'It's this bad?' That was when the owner explained the situation to her and Sōma just a moment ago flooded back into her brain. He explained that their customers used to primarily be the regular locals and that they fill up maybe a day or two a week, and even then it was only gradually. But then the Shinkansen Bullet Trains started stopping at the nearby station six months ago, causing Mitamura's to get flooded by train passengers. They come all at once, order all at once, and try to pay all at once. All these rushes are so overwhelming that the staff falls further and further behind the demand, and then the customers get tired of waiting and cancel their orders…

Hisako thought about that information for a bit as she realised, 'Aha. There has been a lot of development around the station in the last few years. Which caused this restaurant to get a demographic of customers they've never had before.'

That was when the sounds of the customers calling for their orders and the staff trying to relay those orders crashed in Hisako's ears, causing her to remember the situation at hand. She quickly moved to wash the dirty dishes so the staff could focus on the orders.

Soon, the surge of customers were full and they rushed out as quickly as they came in. The staff were only able to get a breath of relief before another wave of customers filled up the restaurant came in.

Hisako paled at this when she thought, 'One wave leaves, only to have another come crashing in behind it. It's like a battlefield! They just keep coming and coming, giving us no time to rest!' It was just! Just too overwhelming! Too many customers at once! And what felt worse to the pinkette, her school did not properly prepare her for something like this! But then again, how can one replicate such a thing in a school?

The sound of the Order Up bell interrupted Hisako's spiralling thoughts.

Sōma placed two trays on the Pick-up Order counter when he announced, "Table One's lunch special, two French toast, and their after-meal coffees are brewing. Table Three's two beef stews, two Nepolitans with one having no peppers, one hot coffee, two iced coffees, and one melon soda! Order up!" He then went back to start on what looked like Table Four's order. The Mitamura staff were impressed by how the blind redhead was able to get the orders done as quickly as he did and was still working on more orders!

But there were still too many customers to wait on, some unhappy with how slow the service was, not caring that the restaurant was at max capacity.

Sōma could hear the rowdiness from the kitchen. Knowing that he couldn't help on that end, he quickly turned an ear to where he last heard Hisako when he told her, "Hey! Arato-kun! Can you help with taking the customers' orders? There aren't enough front staff to get them all."

Hisako was a little taken aback by this. Remembering just moments ago about how Sōma shouldn't order her around. But… The restaurant needed her to act to survive the day… The pinkette bit her lips before she rushed out to help the front. As she took the orders and helped with the communication between the front and the kitchen, Hisako couldn't help but think back to her match against Akira Hayama and his comments. Tears pricked out of the corners of Hisako's eyes when she finally understood what he was telling her. The pinkette was quick to wipe away the tears when she thought, 'Damn it!' She quickly grabbed a pad of paper as she rushed off to take the orders.

~}I{ Later that Day }I{~

"Thank you, come again!" Mitamura Mamoru told the last customer before switching the Open sign to Closed and locked the front door.

After a moment to enjoy the silence of the restaurant, the Mitamura staff let out a good cheer. All of them were ecstatic that they went through the afternoon shift without a cancelled order! The Mitamura staff graciously thanked both the Totsuki students for their help.

Hisako admittedly felt a little self-conscious about the praises… Like… She didn't deserve it… After all, the only things she did was clean the dishes and help out the front staff, she didn't even do any cooking… But the staff assured her that she still helped out big time with what she did. Hisako couldn't believe the staff was complimenting her the way they were. All the pink it could get out in a somewhat flustered tone, "Oh, umm… Thank you…"

The next thing to happen was Sōma giving her a sudden pat on the back.

This, of course, surprised the pinkette before she started fuming in anger. At least until the redhead told her, "Great work today, Arato-kun! Keep it up tomorrow, 'kay?"

It took a few seconds for the words to register in Hisako's mind, but when they did, she blushed before shouting in anger, "DON'T YOU DARE ORDER ME AROUND!"

"Right, right. Sorry!" Sōma said with a chuckle.

But the two of them hadn't yet discovered… The real trial was hidden within the Stagiaire Challenge. Who is fit to be first-class? Who will be stuck as a second-rate? The true test is just beginning…

~}I{~

The next three days flew by so quickly that it was barely noticeable. Hisako has pretty much settled in at the restaurant. She would have to admit that she was actually enjoying her time here. The employees were friendly and Hisako had to admit that she was enjoying the atmosphere of the place. That was when she noticed that the owner of the restaurant was staring at a picture. Hisako walked over to the owner and asked about the picture.

Mitamura-san explained that it was a picture that was taken when his father was still the chef. The owner couldn't help but say fondly, "I remember it like it was yesterday. We had our local regulars coming by all the time. And because we have such a big menu, lots of couples and families would come in on the weekends."

Hisako smiled when she said, "Yes, I did notice that you have a large and varied menu. Your dishes are made with care too. They are very reflective of the chef."

Mitamura-san went all bashful when he replied with a blush on his face, "Aha-ha! Thanks. That's the one thing I take pride in, really." The owner smiled when he said, "Things are tough right now, but someday, I want it to be like it was back then. That's my ideal for this restaurant."

Hisako couldn't help but smile at the owner's simple dream. True, it probably wasn't the most outlandish thing to want, but it was something that he wanted to work towards. A goal in place that someone wanted to achieve. It was oddly similar to what Hisako wanted, though her goal was to stay by Erina's side, but it was a simple goal nonetheless.

Later, Hisako was helping with the cleaning after closing when she noticed Sōma looking oddly thoughtful while he was wiping down one of the tables.

Hisako has learned a lot while working side by side with the blind redhead and as much as she didn't want to admit it, she was actually starting to enjoy his company. She liked being around him. And during that time, it got Hisako thinking that a lot of what she has heard about him from some of the other students was just… Hearsay and rumours that had no true facts behind them… And it... Made Hisako feel incredibly guilty for trusting those unreliable sources. It also motivated the pinkette to see if she could mend the fences between Sōma and Erina.

But as of now, they had a job to do. Hisako walked over to the blind redhead when she asked, "What is on your mind?"

Sōma turned an ear towards the voice when he said, "Ah, I was just thinking about the assignment…" Hisako tilted her head to the side when she asked the blind redhead to elaborate on that statement. Sōma folded the rag when he said, "We're supposed to make a "visible accomplishment" while we're here, correct?" Hisako vocally stated that that was the assignment. That was when Sōma said, "Now I'm not asking because I'm blind, but what are they asking for when they say that they want a visible accomplishment?"

Hisako didn't have an answer for that as of now.

That was when Sōma muttered, "However, I do kind of think that the restaurant needs to change for them to continue..."

Hisako heard what he said and wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean.

}I{ Meanwhile }I{

Erina appeared to have taken complete control of the French Restaurant she and Megumi was assigned to by this point. During this, the country girl pretty much stayed in the background while she washed the dishes and observed everything that was happening around her. Megumi had noticed that Erina… She was doing a lot of things with the ingredients that she honestly doesn't remember the blonde doing while they were at Totsuki. Heck, a few of the things she was doing were things she had criticized others doing in the past…

Megumi wanted to ask about the sudden change in attitude regarding this but… Maybe it was best to wait until after the assignment was over.

~}I{ The Next Day }I{~

Hisako was going over the bookkeeping for the restaurant. She was pleased to see that profits were up and complaints were down. The pinkette felt oddly proud that things had gone well ever since she and Sōma arrived.

That was when she realised that once the Stagiaire Challenge was over… The Restaurant will start struggling again once she and Sōma leave… Oh… That was bad… They needed to think of something that will help the restaurant even after the two Totsuki students leave! And fast!

Hisako bolted out of the office and started searching the entire restaurant. Sōma was taste-testing a drink combination when the pinkette burst in when she shouted, "Yukihira-kun!" Whatever wasn't already in the blind redhead's throat, he spat out at the sudden noise, and he somewhat choked on what was still in his throat. Hisako was quick to pat Sōma on the back at this.

After a brief explanation, the two Totsuki students called for a staff meeting regarding the future of the restaurant.

}I{ Meanwhile }I{

Megumi watched everything from her spot at the dishwashing station. She was fascinated with how much Erina did to change the restaurant for the better, but she still couldn't help but wonder about some of those changes… Megumi let out a sigh as the next wave of dishes came in, somewhat giving up on trying to figure that out and turned her focus on trying to make some kind of 'visual accomplishment' while she was still here. That was when the bluette noticed something about the plates.

~}I{ Three Days Later }I{~

A member of the Totsuki "Watch" staff just got off the phone with another Watch member, informing her of the passing of the Nakiri/Todokoro pair. No one was surprised by this, in fact, it was expected. "Now for Mitamura's Western Cuisine," the watcher muttered to herself as she slid her sunglasses back on and made her way to the place in question.

The Watch Member hid behind a light pole close to the Mitamura location to "observe" how the restaurant was doing. From what she could see, the place seemed to be doing well and appeared to be a lot calmer than the first day of the Stagiaire. She watched the outside for a solid hour as it slowly dawned on her that only a few customers were going in at a time while the larger groups of patrons coming from the train station would stop in front of the door before, stand there for a bit, and then turn to walk away. Finding that both odd, she decided to take a closer look to see what it was all about. Once she was standing in front of the door she saw a sign on it that read, "Due to recent demand, we have shifted to Reservation Only. We thank you for understanding." Then the phone number for the restaurant and then the email link to make a reservation.

The Watcher was rather impressed.

~}I{ End of the First Stagiaire }I{~

After being told that they passed the first stage of the Stagiaire, Sōma and Hisako made their way back to the station, after a wonderful send-off from the Mitamura staff and owner. Yeah, the two were going to miss them.

As the two Totsuki students walked towards the train station, Sōma asked the pinkette, "How's Erina-kun doing?"

Hisako was a little surprised that the blind redhead asked that, but answered the question by saying, "Umm… Fine but… She has been acting a little weird since she came back from your diner… I'd say she was almost depressed but I don't think it would be the best way to describe it, to be honest… I… Don't think it was because she lost her Seat…"

Sōma lowered his head as they continued to walk when he commented softly, "She's taken that harder than I thought, huh…"

"Huh?" Hisako got out in confusion before she asked, "What happened at your diner during that Menu Contest?"

Sōma stopped walking, causing the pinkette to pause in her steps. As Hisako looked at the blind redhead, he asked, "So… Neither she nor the Headmaster has talked about it… I should be surprised, but…" Sōma let out a sigh before he asked the pinkette, "I can assume that that was the first time one of her dishes would be considered a failure… Then compounded by what happened…"

"Wha-wha! What do you mean?" Hisako got out in confusion. Not completely understanding what she was hearing. Nakiri Erina… Made a dish that… Was bad? The Nakiri with the Divine Palette?! How?!

Sōma turned his head to the side as his chin lowered when he said, "I'll summarise it so it'll be easier to understand." He took a deep breath before saying, "One of the rules is that if anyone participating in the Menu Contest is allergic, intolerant, or can't eat something due to dietary restrictions, then that food item is forbidden from use so everyone can enjoy the contest safely…"

Hisako nodded out of habit when she said, "That makes sense. Shokugekis have that option too, just in case, but it hasn't been used in recent years. Erina-sama mentioned that alcohol, chocolate, and pork were on that Forbidden List, right?"

Sōma nodded before saying, "Correct. The middle one was the main reason why Akanegakubo-senpai was disqualified during the second round and then lost her Seat since she actively disregarded that rule." He shrugged when he added, "I still can't understand why she used the chocolate after being told she couldn't use it by a couple of different people. And one of those people told her that multiple times."

Hisako glanced to the side as she hunched her shoulders when she said, "I've… Heard that Akanegakubo-senpai can be… Uhh, I think the kindest word to use is "stubborn" when it comes to her pastries… She won't change her recipes for anything unless it's to make them… Uh, in her words, "more yummy". Even if it goes against what the teacher is looking for…"

One of Sōma's brows twitched when he said, "Oh, THAT explains the comments that Tsukui-sensei and Ishi-kun made regarding her during the contest…"

Hisako had an idea what those pertained to, though as much as she wanted to know the wording of those, she didn't ask because she wanted the blind redhead to continue. Hisako then asked, "So… What else happened during the second round?"

Sōma shook his head when he said, "It wasn't during the second round, it was the last round." That caught the pinkette off-guard. Sōma took another deep breath before he said, "One of the other judges is allergic to pork… He can't eat anything with it or anything made on the same surface that pork has been prepared on… He always has to call at least an hour ahead at a restaurant to make sure his request goes in if he's eating out…"

Hisako wasn't liking where this conversation was heading when she said, "That has to be difficult to live with… Especially when pork is a popular meat…"

Sōma tilted his head to the side slightly before he said, "It may seem that way to an outsider looking in, but from what he told me if you know what to look for and how to look for it, it's not too hard as long as you keep aware and keep your epi-pen on you at all times." He waved his right hand in the air when he added, "He wears a medic alert tag around his neck, but keeps it under his shirt because there's always going to be some idiot who'll make a comment about it being real or try to sneak something into food to prove that they aren't allergic and was being plain picky."

Hisako was stunned by what she heard. She couldn't help but get out in an understandably shaky tone, "There… There are people… Who… Actually… Do that? They… They don't believe that someone… Someone could have… Have a life-threatening allergy… And… And purposefully give the person the food that could kill them?"

Sōma's lips twitched into a frown when he said, "I've witnessed a few of those… 'Moments' with Kon. She's intolerant to chocolate. And I've heard plenty of people question her intolerance… All I can say is… "Can't people just respect and be courteous about it?" It takes less of an effort to do that than being a jerk and possibly killing them or giving them an internal war in their digestive tract."

Hisako didn't know how to respond to that other than, "How… Terrible…" She didn't understand why the blind redhead was telling her this until she realised where the conversation was leading. Hisako couldn't stop herself from almost shouting out nearly in distress, "But Erina-sama isn't that kind of person! Sure she might not like having to change a recipe but she would certainly find a way to make the dish cohesive and delicious!"

Sōma was oddly calm when he said, "Erina-kun didn't add pork to her dish on purpose… In fact, she didn't even know she had pork in her dish until…"

Hisako could only get out a confused, "Huh?" Before asking, "How can that happen to Erina-sama? She would know everything that goes into what she makes."

Sōma took another deep breath before he stated, "There was a small amount of dehydrated pork in the breading she chose to use that day. Small enough that her Divine Palette didn't detect it."

Hisako didn't think it was possible. The Divine Palette missing an ingredient, even a small amount… That was… Hard to believe…

Sōma sighed when he said, "Meh, according to Kashii-san, the dehydrated pork was the last thing listed on the ingredient list for the breading, so it's safe to assume that the amount was pretty small… Not to mention the other spices in that would've easily covered the taste and smell of the pork…" Now that the blind redhead mentioned it… It makes logical sense as to how it was overlooked by Erina's usual method of appraisal. Sōma sighed again, rubbing his head with his right hand, and he said, "I'm not sure if Andoryū's throat would've had some minor swelling if it had just been Erina-kun using the breading… Not that the whole thing would've been okay, but I don't think he would've needed his epi-pen… I think… It was a dehydrated food item so I don't know how much it affects someone with allergies… Maybe a specialist would know for sure…"

Hisako slowly went over what was said, the words used in that. When she realised the implication, she got out, "The other members of the Elite that were removed… Did they… Use the same breading Erina-sama did?"

Sōma nodded sadly when he said, "Right from the same bag… And using all of it up… And since he was a Judge… He had to eat all their dishes… The amount of the dehydrated pork in all the breading on those dishes combined was enough to cause an allergy attack…"

Hisako was quiet for a moment before she stated, "But! But it was an accident! Accidents aren't enough to remove any Elite from their Seat!"

Sōma sighed before he said, "No… But neglect that ultimately leads to an accident is…"

Hisako was confused by this. What neglect? As far as she knew, none of the Elites would have been careless in the kitchen with any of their ingredients.

Sōma was quiet for a bit before he answered the unasked question, "Erina-kun was so dependent on her Divine Palette that she didn't even bother to check the ingredients listed on the packaging of the breading… The Elites who also used that breading didn't bother to do the same when they decided to use it…"

… … … Oh! That's what the blind redhead meant by neglect leading to an accident…

Hisako lowered her gaze when she realised this. She didn't think Erina was capable of doing such a thing, even by accident… But even the pinkette had to admit that the honey-blonde was overly dependent on her Divine Palette…

Sōma turned his head to the side when he admitted, "I'm not going to deny that I was angry with the whole thing and reacted more harshly than I should have… But whether I personally knew the person or not, a customer did suffer because of a lack of attentiveness towards the ingredient that had been used…" He sighed yet again before he added, "I guess since we had an allergy and an intolerance, I… Assume that everyone participating would've been checking the ingredients in what they were going to use…"

Hisako was quiet for a little longer before she asked softly, "Is he… Is he okay?"

A small smile appeared on Sōma's face when he said, "Yeah, he's fine now. He's not one to stay down for long." That made Hisako feel a little better. Well, knowing that the person was okay made her feel better.

Soon they continued towards the train station. When they were about to head in different directions due to having to take different lines, Sōma told Hisako, "Oi, Secretary-chan, word of advice for the next time you have a Shokugeki. Instead of trying to be someone whose continent in being in 2nd place, try to be someone who is willing to stand alongside others in first place."

Before the pinkette could ask what the blind redhead meant by those words, he disappeared into the growing crowd. Hisako stood quietly as she stared at where she last saw the blind redhead, pondering those words. She still thought about those words as she made her way to her line, and then kept thinking about it as she rode the train towards her next Stagiaire location. Hisako looked out the window, thinking that she needed to call Erina when she found a nice quiet spot.

~}I{ About Five Minutes After the Trains Depared }I{~

Sōma leaned back in his seat, eyes closed as the subtle motions of the train washed over him. Other than the soft sound of the train's wheels trekking over the tracks from the outside, the train cart Sōma was in was quiet. The only interruption to this was the intercom announcing which station that the train was arriving at and some of the patrons doing non-noisy activities during their ride (1). Sōma knew that it would be a while before he got to his stop, so he might as well try to listen to that audiobook that a friend recommended. But before he could get everything ready to listen to so he wouldn't inconvenience his fellow passengers, memories flowed back.

}{ Flashback, After the Polaris Dorm Party to Celebrate the End of the Autumn Elections (Mostly from Sōma's POV) }{

"Are you serious?!" Sōma got out in shock. He was pulled away after the party by Kon to a secluded spot so they wouldn't be overheard.

The blind redhead could hear the taller teen sigh before she said, "I can understand how you're sceptical, but it's the truth. As hard as it is to believe."

Sōma placed a hand on his chin when he asked, "If that's the case, why didn't you tell me this when it happened?"

Kon made a small noise that sounded suspiciously like an annoyed groan before she stated, "It happened close to an hour after Отец left in the ambulance and I guess after you banned those Totsuki members from the kitchen. We told the Nakiri's Grandfather what happened and he didn't want us telling anyone about it. He explained that he would take her home to rest and heal, plus he told us that you needed to focus on your part of the Autumn Election." She sighed before she added, "I… Probably shouldn't have confronted Nakiri Erina-kun, but I was so mad, you know."

Sōma sighed when he said, "I more than understand… But can you please explain to me how a verbal confrontation ended in not only a panic attack but also some sort of fever nightmare?"

Kon let out a soft "Ssss," before she said, "I guess that was the best way to describe it…" She sighed and then added uneasily, "Nakiri Erina-kun said… A lot of… Unpleasant things during her… Fever nightmare…"

Sōma took note of the tone and words used and then asked, "Did… Erina… Say something that you didn't expect?"

"Understatement," Kon got out in almost a growl. She then grumbled bitterly, "Though she would've been better off if both her parents were dead."

That caught Sōma's attention when he said, "I thought her parents have been dead a good while since she's been living with her grandfather. I mean, I've only heard her talk about him and Alice's side when the topic of family came up…"

Kon was oddly quiet for a good few seconds when she said in a disgruntled tone, "From what the Nakiris' grandfather had to tell us, the mother has been completely absent for almost a decade and he keeps the father as far away from Erina as possible by every legal means possible. They're the reason Nakiri Erina acted like a high-bitch-in-charge."

Oh… Those pieces of information were… … … … …

Sōma couldn't help but say, "That's… Um… Wow… I… Didn't think she was… Neglected or abused… Especially by her…"

Kon was quiet again before she stated, "Sōma-kun… It's an explanation for Why she acted the way she did, but it is not an excuse for what she did." She took a deep breath before she said, "True, most people can shrink back, take the abuse, and be all submissive, but not everyone is like that. Sometimes people who are abused can lash out at others or even emulate the abuser to avoid getting hurt or believe that's how to get the 'affection' they're so desperate for from their abusers in the case of mental or emotional abuse/manipulation." (2) Kon shifted her weight before she added, "But, from what Erina said during that Fever Nightmare… I can make the educated guess that her so-called dad… Conditioned her to behave like that rather than it being her choice."

Sōma was quiet at this for a good while before he asked, "Is that… One of the reasons why she had such a hard time making alterations to recipes?"

Kon made an "Ssss" before she said, "Without going into what she said during her Fever Nightmare… Yes, but it's still an understatement." Sōma could hear the taller teen shift when she asked, "How did you make the connection to that if you don't mind me asking?"

Sōma narrowed his brows when he said, "From what I've managed to gather on Totsuki grounds and during the Menu Contest, I've noticed how Erina… Had a hard time wrapping her head around the idea of using alternative ingredients in a recipe. And I'm not talking 'I like food this way' sort of thing. I'm talking 'if it changes in any way it'll be utterly terrible" mentality."

The blind redhead could hear Kon shift, possibly to fold her arms, when she stated, "I'm not that surprised. Again, the stuff that Nakiri Erina-kun said during her Fever Nightmare was unpleasant but it revealed how the dick "trained" her to taste food."

"That bad?" Sōma asked with a rather surprised yet disgusted look on his face.

"That bad," Kon replied before saying, "Call Yūki-san and Aira-sensei, they'll confirm this." She sighed before she added, "But in all honesty, I don't know what ended up being the worst out of all that…"

}{ End Flashback }{

Sōma furrowed his brows as he pulled his headphones on. Remembering the last words Kon spoke in that memory.

"What I said to trigger it all, her having that panic attack along with the Fever Nightmare, what was revealed during that, or that she doesn't remember the whole thing."

Sōma took a deep breath before he exhaled it slowly, wondering how much of Nakiri Erina's Palette Critiques were actually her or because of the 'training' her father did to her… He sighed before he activated his MP3 player and started the audiobook.

The narrator's voice came through the headphones; announcing the book title, name of the author, and then began the book. "I entered the… Well, I guess I should call it a room. Wasn't much in it, just a table and two chairs. And it wasn't big… I don't think calling it a cell would be right, given that it's not really one… It has a lovely shade of grey though…" (3)

~}I{ About Two Hours Later }I{~

"Damn it! I'm so busy with prep for the grand opening that I barely have time to sleep! and you want to saddle me with useless students now?! You've got to be kidding!" Kojiro Shinomiya shouted into his cell phone as he looked through a magazine. The feature article was about the grand opening of Shino's Tokyo.

"The students would make welcome help with the opening precisely because you are so busy. Chef Dojima suggested it, saying it would be nothing but advantageous to both sides," said the person on the other end of the call.

Shinomiya let out a growl before he said, "Ugh! What does that old fart think he's doing?!"

"Oh, and there's one other message from him," The person on the call said almost casually. Before Shinomiya could get in another word, the person on call relayed the message by saying, "He says 'I'm sure you will gladly choose to cooperate as you will be doing a favour for a poor, pitiful Totsuki chef.' That is all."

Shinomiya couldn't help but think, 'God, is he ever going to let that go?!' As he walked over to a table, the accomplished chef said into the phone, "Anyway! I do NOT have time to babysit any more incompetent dunces!" Shinomiya took a deep, calming breath before he said, "So you tell Chef Dojima this… If he sends me someone useless, I'll punt them right back!" He then hung up.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the front door of the still renovating restaurant. Annoyed, Shinomiya stomped towards the main entrance and flung open the door with a growl. All the negative emotions fell away when the wine-red-haired man saw who was on standing there.

Sōma smiled when he said, "Hello! I'm excited to be working here~." Anyone looking in, they would've seen some new interns happy to be working at a fun new workplace. Though, they wouldn't be too far off. The blind redhead was excited to work at a restaurant managed and run by a graduated Elite 10 member. He wasn't told which of the now accomplished chef was, oddly enough, but any of them were good to learn under. Right? Though Sōma admittedly wondered why he wasn't told who he would be having the 2nd stage of his Stagiaire challenge.

Shinomiya was just dumbfounded. He tried to wrap his brain around the situation before him. 'There was no way this was a coincidence! But no one at Totsuki should've…' The wine-red-haired man thought before realising the one person in the position of power to set this up perfectly without raising any suspicions was Dojima… The boy's godfather… Oh, Shinomiya would give that bastard a piece of his mind later.

"Ano… Hello? Um, is anyone there?" Sōma asked as he took a step forward in confusion. It was too quiet. Did someone just open the door and then head back inside?

That snapped Shinomiya back to the situation at hand.

}I{ Elsewhere }{

Dojima let out a loud sneeze before he sniffed and grabbed a tissue from his desk to blow his nose. When he tossed the tissue into the little rubbish bin in his office, the Hotel Head couldn't help but wonder if someone was talking about him.

}{ Back at Shino's Tokyo }{

When Sōma realised that he would be working under Shinomiya, he was surprised and wondered what the odds were of this sort of thing happening. To the French Specialist, it was obvious that Dojima had a major hand in it. But…

Shinomiya let out an audible sigh before he said, "When I told the admin office of Totsuki that if they had to foist somebody on me then it better at least be one of the Finalists from The Autumn Elections…" He glanced at the blind redhead before him when he added, "I have to say, I never expected you…" Shinomiya ran a hand through his hair when he said in an aggravated tone, "While I do have a strong hunch as to who recommended you for my restaurant, I'll be honest about thinking that you wouldn't have been selected to participate in the Autumn Elections… Let alone make it to the Finals…"

Sōma tilted his head to the side when he said with a slightly nervous laugh, "Pretty sure that Autumn Election was… Uh, rather unique compared to the ones in the past."

Shinomiya shrugged his shoulders when he stated, "You know, I'm not that surprised that would be the case if You were involved."

Sōma let out a weary, "Umm, thanks? I think…" He wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not.

"How are you on maintenance work?" Shinomiya asked suddenly.

Sōma stood in place for a bit before he asked, "Umm, can you repeat the question? I think I must've heard it wrong." He couldn't have heard Chef Shinomiya asking about that kind of thing.

A smirk appeared on Shinomiya's face when he said, "Oh no, you heard me right."

"Eh?" was all Sōma was able to get out in confusion.

}{

Sōma quickly discovered that Shino's Tokyo was still under renovation and that the employees who came back to Japan with Chef Shinomiya worked with him back in the flagship restaurant back in Paris, France. There was also the fact that they were officially on a tight budget for the renovation so… Everyone was chipping in their elbow grease to ensure that the restaurant would open as scheduled. That would have been an important piece of information that Sōma should have been told before arriving…

'So why didn't anyone tell me anything about this location?' Sōma wondered as he helped with the work that he could do without too much supervision. He belatedly wondered if that was part of the challenge or if someone just forgot to update his file.

"Little Sōma?" A soft, familiar voice said as the words reached the blind redhead's ears.

Sōma recognize the voice almost immediately when he said, "Uuma-san?" He turned in the direction he heard the towering strongman when he asked, "What are you doing here?"

Souma Yoshimi, or Uuma, shifted the two huge boxes of supplies in his arms when he said softly, "Delivering things for this place… You, Little Sōma?"

Sōma stopped what he was doing to say, "Starting the second part of my Stagiaire. It's part of Totsuki's educational program for first-years."

The Shino's staff noticed the friendliness between the giant of a delivery man and the Totsuki student, so of course they went over and asked how they knew each other. The explanation was quick and simple, the towering strongman was a semi-regular customer of the Yukihira Diner. Shinimoya, of course, didn't find the chatter amusing and shouted at them to continue their jobs, missing Uuma due to wanting everything ready before they officially opened. Everyone quickly went back to what they were doing, even the towering man by accident.

}{

After a good hour of work, it was time for a lunch break.

Shinomiya insisted that he cook up something for everyone. So the accomplished chef did so despite the protest from the staff or rather excitement about the idea. Sōma and Uuma were a little taken aback by the sudden surge of energy from the others, especially since it came out of nowhere for them.

After a nice cooking montage, Shinomiya set a Quiche on a table for everyone to eat.

Sōma took a sniff of the air before he said ecstatically, "Oh! Wow! It smells good!" He took another few sniffs of the scent when he got out, "Mmm! I bet it tastes even better."

Abel quickly explained, "Quiches are based on eggs, cheese, and milk. They're usually mixed with ingredients like bacon, spinach and onions and then poured into a pie crust and baked. It began as a Terroir dish primarily in the Lorraine region of France, but has long since been adopted as a lunch favourite in Paris."

Sōma couldn't help but smile when he said, "Oh? So that's where it came from." This made the redhead even more excited to try this new dish.

Everyone took a bite and the next thing they all knew was that they were wearing short frilly magical girl dresses with a vegetable theme. Gao and Lucie were in utter bliss. Abel was enjoying the mix of French and Japanese flavours. Meanwhile, Sōma was taking in the unique flavours while Uuma was completely red with embarrassment as he tried to pull the frilly dress down to cover himself more.

Despite thinking that it wasn't good enough, Shinomiya took in the happy expressions from the others. Except for Uuma who was muttering softly in uneasiness, "Too short…" That was when Shinomiya finally noticed that the towering strongman wasn't one of his employees or someone he knew.

The French restaurant owner stared at the giant while the towering man stared at the wine redhead for a good few seconds before the chef finally exclaimed in utter shock as he pointed at Uuma, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!?" Uuma quickly pulled out the delivery receipt and handed it to Shinomiya, who quickly read it. The head chef clicked his tongue in annoyance when he got out, "Damn, I forgot this was going to be delivered early…" He looked up at the towering man when he asked, "Where did you put them?"

Uuma quietly pointed towards the boxes he left in the corner of the restaurant, right where he left them, when he said softly, "There… Are a few more boxes that I haven't brought in yet…" He then twiddled his index fingers together when he added just as softly, "I… Got a little distracted…"

Sōma rubbed the back of his neck when he said sheepishly, "I guess he wasn't expecting me to be here." He lowered his posture slightly when he added in that same tone, "And when you shouted at us to get back to work… He kinda just, eh-he, joined in." Uuma blushed at those words.

None of the Shino's staff knew how to respond to this.

Shinomiya adjusted his glasses when he said, "Well, anyway, thanks for the extra help, but we should be getting back to setting everything up." He turned to his staff when he added, "After everyone finishes eating, it's back to work. That includes you, Sōma!"

Uuma placed the second knuckle of his left index finger on his chin as the blind redhead tilted his head in confusion. Both then asked, "Which of us are you referring to?" (4)

The Shino staff looked at the two in confusion when they all asked, "What are you talking about?"

Uuma and Sōma were quiet for a bit before the taller said softly, "Both of us have Sōma in our names…"

"Huh?" was the response from the Shino staff.

The blind redhead quickly explained, "Well, as you know, my name is Yukihira Sōma." He pats the taller man on the side of his arm when he adds, "And his name is Souma Yoshimi."

The tower man nodded before he said softly, "My name is on the receipt… As the delivery person…"

Shinomiya was quick to look over the piece of paper in question and saw that the taller man was right. The accomplished chef couldn't help but comment, "Your surname is spelt with a different Kanji than Yukihira's… But what's with the Uuma nickname?" The French Chef had his suspicions but wanted confirmation for his theory.

The towering strongman twiddled his index fingers together when he said softly, maybe with a little embarrassment mixed in, "Ummm… The landlord of the building complex I live at… Likes to give nicknames… All the current residences there happen to have different Zodiac signs, so all our nicknames are related to that… I was born on the Year of the Horse… Most people like to call me Uuma… Especially when Little Sōma is around… Sometimes."

The Shino staff stared at Uuma when they all thought, 'Oh, so the nickname was from a different reason.'

Shinomiya let out an awkward cough before he stated, "Ah, okay, I understand… And, uh, I was referring to Yukihira when I say "Sōma"..."

Uuma's attention seemed to be perked when he asked, "How are you already on a first-name basis with Little Sōma?"

The blind redhead was pretty confused by this when he got out, "Huh? I don't recall him calling me Sōma before. Just Yukihira-kun."

Shinomiya felt himself turn pink as his brow twitched as Uuma turned his attention towards the teen when he asked, "Really? Did anything happen that would make him think you're close?"

"Not that I can think of?" Sōma commented as Gao, Lucie, and Abel wearily glanced at a redening Shinomiya.

The accomplished chef then snapped at the two to stop talking about unimportant things and get back to work! The Shino staff seemed to have an idea as to why their boss seemed so flustered, but the towering strongman and the blind redhead were none the wiser. Soon, Uuma brought in the rest of the boxes for the new restaurant and then had to leave. Everyone else went back to setting everything up for the Pre-Opening.

~}I{~

(And the rest is pretty much the same as the Canon. I tried to see if I could change anything that needed to fit the narrative of this story, but I couldn't find anything major that needed to change. Sōma adapted, thrived, and completed the challenge, just like in the Canon. So there's no need to change anything other than Shinomiya being a little bit more watchful of Sōma, but I don't have to write the entire section out just to add those moments.)

(So onto the next major part of the story!)

~}I{ End of the Stagiaire Challange. The Students Who Passed are Back in School }I{~

Senzaemon tapped his right index and middle fingers on the table as the Totsuki executives made their pitches on this year's Momiji Meet and Greet arrangement. None were that appealing to the Headmaster of Totsuki. Then again… They never had such an "unique" year… Or at least a year when they didn't even have at least half of the Elite 10 Seats filled…

Kuga Terunori, Isshiki Satoshi, Saitou Somei, and Megishima Tosuke were the only ones on the Elite 10, and they had the 10 top 1st-year students to meet… The numbers didn't balance too well, despite both sides being even numbers...

Sure, they could've filled out the rest of the Seats with some of the remaining 3rd-years, but given that the 2nd and 3rd-years were already in the middle of their year-specific challenge during the same time as the 1st-years' Stagiaire Challenge, there weren't any opportunities for any of them to advance to any Seat on the Elite 10…

Senzaemon somewhat felt bad that he had to put the executives through this due to one of his decisions, but that was the extent of it. He didn't regret removing the other Elite Members. The Headmaster wanted them to use their failure as a learning experience to better themselves as both chefs and individuals. Senzaemon let out a sigh as he thought, 'I truely hope Erina overcomes this and becomes who she wants to be…'

}I{ At the Polaris Dorms }i{

Daimido held a party for all the lodgers who returned from their Stagiaire Challenge and was very happy that everyone returned successfully. Somehow, Ryo and Akira got dragged to the whole thing by Alice. The darker-skinned teen wondered how he became part of this group without realising it, not that he really complained about it.

"Wow, these wraps are surprisingly crunchy!" Yuuki got out excitedly before she happily bit into the food, it made an audible crunch when her teeth sank into it.

Akira had to agree on the wraps as he glanced at Yukihira Mayu, who was happily explaining how she made the wraps and how she kept them so crunchy. The whitette couldn't suppress a small smile from appearing on his lips. Ryō noticed but chose not to say anything about it.

Everyone enjoyed the party which was full of delicious food, aside from the experimental dishes Sōma made. Of which was segregated to the far corner of the hall much to his disappointment but everyone's relief.

All are unaware of the next challenge to come.

~}I{~

To be Continued.

~}I{~

1… Long story short, I went to Japan and was able to ride the J-Rails. Aside from the initial shock of the complex-looking train chart and schedules, which you learn very quickly that it is super handy to ride the trains was oddly fascinating in Japan! The patrons riding trains and buses in Japan are either quiet or talk softly out of politeness for the other riders, so the train carts are nearly silent during the ride. There are sometimes automatic announcements to alert the passengers of the stops they arrive at depending on which line or train you're on. The patrons fill the time for the longer rides by reading either on their phones or hard-copy books, listening to music or audiobooks via earbuds or headphones, watching videos on their phones, drawing, or even playing some games (mostly on their phones). I even saw one person knitting something during one train ride. I'd go into more detail about what I experienced on the trains in Japan, but not the time or the place. I just wanted to leave this note explaining that the train ride Sōma is experiencing in this scene is the normal train riding experience in Japan.

2… If anyone who's reading this has read a few of my other fics, especially the recent Miraculous ones, then you might notice some similarities to another blonde alpha bitch teenage girl that I've been giving a redemption arc to in those. If not, here's the explanation, I've been watching Miraculous Ladybug (and writing a lot of fics regarding it) and have noticed the weirdly similar characteristics between Erina and Chloe. Both are blonde teenage girls with an 'I'm better than you in every way' personality, both start off as your typical wealthy high school bully that you're supposed to dislike, both have a direct subordinate that is seen as a servant to outsiders but are actually friends in a somewhat unhealthy way (Sabrina for Chloe and Hisako for Erina), both are supposed to be foils to the protagonist to their respective series, both use their positions of power to make things happen the way they want to, both have an emotionally abusive parent, both have an absentee mother whom they seem to idolise in a way (for Chloe the abusive parent is the absentee mother), and both were "raised" with a very unhealthy and toxic mindset that also sabotages their chances of being their own person. The only difference (other than where their respective story takes place) is how the writers of their respective series treat their abuse. Without going into a rant about that, all I can say is… Erina's abuse is shown as a direct cause for her behaviour that we've come to know, is treated as something serious as well as something she needs to overcome, and that Erina is given the help/support she needed to finally free herself from the prison of said abuse. For Chloe… The creator and main writer for the Miraculous series has one major hate boner for a fictional teenage girl to put it simply… He essentially tries to frame the Entirety of Chloe's abuse and trauma as something she deserves despite the implications that the abuse and trauma are what's causing her to act the way she does… Wow, this has gotten kind of long but let's just say that when Erina's so-called Father came into the picture in the series while I was writing this story, my opinion of Erina has changed drastically (as some of you readers have noticed during this story)… I might try to re-write some of the earlier chapters to kind of re-work how she acts and update a few things at a later date.

3… This addition is more me being cheeky and referencing another one of my fics.

4… Had to do this with Shinomiya! I just had to!

~}I{~

Gale-Dragon: I'm sure you all noticed something that I've left out, so… Yeah, I couldn't decide on who should win the Autumn Election in this story… I couldn't decide on whether or not to go with Canon and let Akira win, or have Sōma win, or even have Ryō win… I just couldn't choose… So I kind of skipped it, at least for now. Also, no Summer Time at Shokujidokoro Yukihira for this chapter this time. 1, I already added a lot of mentioned moments that happened during that time frame, and 2, I don't feel like writing those at the moment and I didn't want to delay this chapter any longer.

~}I{~