Chapter 96: Talons of the Devil
Shock and confusion were the most prevalent expressions on the faces of the student population of the audience, as they all realised the enormity Kensuke's announced decision.
Meanhwile, up above in the stands, V.I.P observation boxes and the upper gallery, the elites, infleuncers and business moguls all angrily gnashed their teeth and hurled obscenities down upon the cooking stage. Disdaining the one they had once celebrated and declared to be culinary royalty.
"Disgraceful!" An extremely loud petulant voice boomed down from the upper gallery. "This boy isn't worth anymore time or interest. He, and such people like him, shouldn't have ever been allowed within the hallowed grounds of Tōtsuki..." the irrate voice of Nobunaga Takahashi sounded, and reverberated, around the hall. He was the lead food and hygiene researcher for the japanese government.
"Both him, his rebel opponent and all the degenerate rebels to work with them have proven themselves to be truly beyond the pail. Unfaithful to the most basic of culinary practice of manners, as well as theory and decorum entrenched by a Tōtsuki's education".
"I disagree..." a middle aged female culinary advertising executive, Rika Hiromusuke sounded as she stood up and pointed down towarda the cooking stage. "The original idea behing the formation of Central , whilst noble, has now been shown to be the antitheses of what fine dining and culinary exceptionism and good practice should be".
"I Agree..." another man yelled angrilly, standing up and pounding his fist down upon the wooden railling of the upper balcony.
"Furthermore, I will now be following the example of those three book-masters, and withdrawing every yen of my financial backing. Plus I will then add my name to the lawsuit being brought against Tōtsuki, the Nakiri family and Director Azami for breach of contract. And I'll be advocating for violation of human rights to be added to added too".
"Wait mister Yu Xaio Long..." the emcee yelled frantically as he glanced over at the panic stricken Azami. "There's no need to go that far! If that particular charge sticks, then the monetary damages inflicted by fines incurred could bankrupt the Director".
"Also this could result in the Academy going in to liquidation..." another woman; the chairwoman of one of Hokkaido's biggest apple orchards replied worriedly. "And then the academy would be subsequently taken away from the Nakiri family and absorbed and controled by one of the national government departments!"
"So what!" Yu-Xiao Long screamed back defiantly. "Tōtsuki has presumed itself to be far above the normal and decent for far too long now. Its about time that humility be forced upon this hallowed institution. Be it by choice; i.e, voluntary reform, or by court appointed mandate".
"And if the Nakiri family looses 'big time', finanically speaking..." the person sat bect ot him piped up, "then that will be a further reminder to everyone whom attend Totsuki in the future; students, staff and treachers that they are all equal and cannot be taken advantage of".
Eventually, after an hour of shouting and denigrating both Azami and former director Senzaemon's style - during which time the emcee consistently failed to regain order - the jugdes finally got to taste the food prepared for them.
However, the expressions worn by Kensuke and Isshiki was one of supreme irritation due to the fact their cooked food had dramatically cooled down.
So, to get the judging back in track, the two competitors plated up a new serving and carried these plates to the judges table.
Staring down at the plate of rabbit wellington and the bowl of rabbit soup, Azami kept his expression neutral - despite his raging fury at being humiliated by Kensuke. On the other hand, two female judges openly drooled, fawned and cooed over the food.
"Ohh god! I don't know which dish I want to try first!" Corage crowed ecstatically as she gazed starry eyed at the food. Savouring the taste of the wellington she then took a drink of the Tempranilo, thatvhad been chosen for the meal, and sighed contentedly.
"Both the Rabbit Wellington and the Rabbit Soup are clearly worthy of being served in any fine dining high society restaurant. They are exquisitly delicous and super refined..." Azami interjected trying to keep calm and measured. "And the aroma to boot is worthy of divinity!"
Again interupted by a soft whine let out by Corage who trembled in her seat, Azami smiled graciously and applauded the two chefs. Yet...
"~Aaaaahhhh!" The willowy voice of the other female judge - Decora - moaned haughtilly; to the excitement of the audicence.
"So much pleasure..." she moaned softly, "this moment will surely be forever seared into my brain. Kensuke and Isshiki are now forever the foci of my lusts".
Suprised and surpemly wierded out by the jugdes' actions as well as the effects their food was having on them, both Isshiki and Kensuke slowly retreated back to their respective work stations.
"I didn't expect that..." Kensuke murmured uncomfortably, as he unconsciously scratched his bandaged arm. Feeling an arm sling itself over his shoulder, he turned his head to see Rindō grinning at him with Tsukasa sighing ruefully next it her.
"They may be high power critics, and WGO operatives, but they're certainly not acting professional", Tsukasa whispered, earning a chuckle from his friends.
"You should know all about not being professional... Tsukasa" Isshiki mused walking up to and checking on Kensuke's bandages. "You may have been so in practice but never so during the out-of-kitchen jobs".
A forlorn expression fell across the first seat's face as he slowly nodded in agreement. "You're right Isshiki. I my never have been intentionally or purposely cruel, but my ambivalence to things not related to us three probably didn't help".
"Even now you still don't know how many people looked up to and wanted to learn from you, but you simply didn't notice them..." Isshiki muttered bitterly. "You still have a lot of apologies to make; to Kuga for a start, but I'm happy that you all have come to a realisation".
"I know... we all do", Rindō added demurely, "from now on our lives are our own. We dicide where we go, what do and for whom we cook. If anyone".
Staring at the two dishes, Corage steadied herself in her chair as a fine sweat moistened her forehead as she grabbing her arm rests - causing her nails to leave scratch marks in the wood. In furtherance of her ecstasy, her right hand then moved to clasp and gently molest the bodice area of her dress.
"I could die happy..." she grinned broadly before stabbing her fork into another pre-cut up bit of pastry wrapped rabbit; slathering it in the sauce, and then delivering the food into her watering mouth.
Gorging herself upon the third seat's rabbit dish; forkful after forkful disappearing into her mouth with absolute wild abandon, with no regard to the visible reactions that her obviously 'turned on' self had induced in the audience, she only further elicited higher frequencies of orgasmic-esque noise.
Reveling in her satisfaction from the delicious food - and also feeling gratified with having which turned on the male membership of the audience, and given second hand embarrassment to everyone else, Corage grinned as she ran her tongue across her teeth.
"Simply sublime. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, wrong or could be improved from this wellington…" she simpered, licking her lips. "The meat is perfectly cooked and practically melts in the mouth. Additionally, the pastry is both buttery and flakey and the ras-el-hanout in the thyme and blackberry sauce. ¡C'est merveilleux!"
"This. Is. Sheer. Perfection!" Decora annoucned blissfuly. "There can be no other word for to describe this dish… it is an undeniable ironclad fact".
Looking abruptly to her right Decora gawked at the sight of a pale faced and sweating Director Azami; who was staring at his food and gripping the fork so tightly his hand had gone white.
Moreover, the manic grin he wore, as he visible shook in his seat, was now indicative of him trying to not release the 'burst' for a second time. And appear to loose control again.
Then just as had ocurred when he had tasted Megumi's dish, unable to stop himself, he released the Nakiri families inherited signal of excellance, the 'burst', alongside a groan of his own gratifcation and satisfaction towards the food he'd just eaten.
"Uhh-ahh", he mumbled jostling his cultery as he failed to control himself. "So... good..."
"To think that one so far from being the perfect chef - a person..." he groaned restingly. "Especially one so riddled by self doubt and anxiety; and unable to underatand the motives and designs of those around him wishing for him - his fellow culinary figures - to teach and support them, has made food that has me trembling in fear".
Pushing himself to his feet forgeting about his earlier anger at, and humiliation from, Kensuke's words he stood up and rounded the table and walked towards the third seat.
Ignoring the startled confusion and bewildered look worn by his target, as well as the way the former seventh seat suddenly and immediately raced to place himself protectively in front of him, Azami smiled as he gestured to the other jugdes to begin a standing ovation.
"You really are a true gem of a chef, Kensuke Tadokoro…" Azami smiled, genuinely proud and excited as he spread his arms wide. "Please accept my humblest and heartfelt sincere apologies to you for any misunderstandings and any negative discourse that has occurred within your study within Tōtsuki".
"And of course I shall immediatly cease all my activities to shut down your families Ryokan. I give you my word".
Bowing his head in a genuine appeal, the Director showed his civility and displayed his humility as that of an apologetic and caring man as he desperately began to try and regain the thrid seat as a non-alligned Totsuki chef. Yet, seeing as the boy had just announced his immediate cessation from both the academy and professional cooking, that might be extremely difficult.
And now that Azami had for the first time truly just seen and tasted the immensity of Kensuke's culinary worth, he was suddenly fuelled by a new desire to keep the this prodigy within his sphere of business. Mayhaps, the elder Tadokoro could one day eclipse the deputy director - and rid the father of his nuisance of a son.
However, he then remembered the sight of sheer fury and revulsion on the faces of Kensuke's three benefactors as they'd seen what Tōtsuki - as Central - had done to their golden goose. And just like that Azami's mental anguish returned, and he knew that to avoid serious legal, business and culinary repercussions he had to get the third seat back on side before the WGO struck.
The furture of the Azami Doctrine, Tōtsuki, Central and the Nakiri family all could be potentially harmed.
Reina Ainu, Juan-Manuel Velázquez and Ricardo Orencia were a tripartite power entity within the organisation; and no one dared to cross or undermine them unless they were either had permission from the Bookmaster herselfor from crowned heads of state.
Consequently, they ammassed fame/infamy, wealth and influence, culinary accolyes and culinary agendas within the nations of the world. Highly territorial, these three food critics did not suffer fools, and absolutely would not allow the chef they had diacovered, payed attention to and cultivated all this time anf chosen to be the beacon for their culinary adventures to be harmed or taken from them by anyone else.
Plus as they were all agents chosen specifically by 'her', she had to also know about Kensuke.
Shivering where he stood at the memory of 'her', Azami composed himself and kept up the image of presenting himself to be aplauding the third seat's cooking. Accommodating specific requirements to allow him to keep this progidy on side whilst also mot offending his more radical conservative allies gunning to make Kensuke a pariah, he decided to lessen the benefactors rage before they struck back.
"I know that you have decided to quit Tōtsuki, and retire from professional cooking..." he mused placatingly, "but I do hope that you; in your own way, choose to continue cooking. To understand and strive towards your own freedom - unencumbered by expectation or might".
Bowing, before holding out his hands in kindness towards the third seat, Azami smiled beguilingly as the two of them slowly shook hands.
Seeing the third seat shuffle where he stood was a positive sign - it meant that his words had reminded him of his original goal and had momemtarily distracted him from the ramblings of his ousted opponent.
"Let me help you..." he spoke, carefully removing any and all semblance of annoyance and ambition from his voice. "You told me once that your desire to cook came from a desire to never have your family worry about you. To have a means all your own... to not feel like you were letting anyone down. That was your main aim".
Sensing that his target was nearing breaking point; and would no doubt see him reaffirm some position anf place to the Azami Doctrine, the director made to step closer. Unfortunately, he was again stopped by the former seventh seat whom bolted forwards backed up by Rindō, and stood infront of him.
Isshiki was about to interject in an attempt to refute the director on behalf of his best friend when he suddenly heard a quiet stutter behind him. Turning around, he saw a single tear trickle down Kensuke's face as he murmured a single word; a word that made him sound broken and unsure of his new confidence he had just found mere minutes ago in the food war.
"U-unencumbered?"
With a stark realisation of just how brittle and finite the improvement Kensuke had just made was; and what Azami was attempting to do, Isshiki grabbed his friend's hands and squeezed them tightly.
After all Central had been done to him, simply because of Kensuke's perceived weakness to the 'Azami Doctrine', and now the realised usefulness of him to the program, relit the angry defences within Isshiki.
"You're not taking him back!" Isshiki growled stalking forwards. "Ken is about to become free from you, Azami". Isshiki bit down on his tongue to stop himself from propely loosing his temper.
Realising that Central now saw the real power and potential of him, and that they were never going to willingly to let Kensuke go; even after subjecting him to sadistic, rude, manipulative and psychologically tormenting towards him, Isshiki knew that if he didn't speak up now then his best friend would never be free. He would fall right back into the familar cycle of despair, depression and self destruction.
Tōtsuki had cultivated Kensuke's culinary greatness; giving him a global pressence yet it had also terribly enhanced the pressures and anxieties that came with fame. But it had been Central where he had become a lost and broken shell within the bureaucratic morass of the Azami Doctrine.
Narrowing his eyes as he barely contolled his burning rage; feeling it reach new heights of simmering destruction, it took all of his inner fortitude to not immediately lunge forwards to strangle the now calm and, outwardly, demure sociopathic man before him.
Recalling the one and only time that Ken had actaully opened up about his struggles with anxiety and overcoming any upset caused by cooking in front of large groups of students, as well as for V.I.Ps, Isshiki felt sick as he recalled his own business at the time and had been hurried away by Tōtsuki aides.
The wider, international, culinary community was fickle yet determined, stubborn and liberal and constrictive. Too many time he too had lnost felt plagued by a thick insurmountable fear but he had always managed to overpcme it. However, to Kensuke, these feeings created in him a strong desperation to race through as wuickly as possible before by harm could he done. Regardless of those around him.
Just as Rindō and Tsukasa had said.
Suddnwly seeing the tracings of a smirk dance across the Director's face was the last straw for the former seventh seat; and before the older man knew what was hapening Isshiki lunged forwrds, shoved the Director to the ground and began to repeatedly strike him again and again with firece punches to his face and chest.
Dragged away by a stunned and wide-eyed Rindō, Isshiki unclenched his fists and fully turned back Kensuke. Ignoring the hurried running footsteps of others ontontye stage, he grasped his friends hands, "Ken don't listen to him..."
Unfortunately the moment he turned his back on the hive of activity behind him; and the wailing of pain from Azami - now sporting a broken nose, masive bruising and a blood sodden shirt - than the deputy director retaliated by running forwards and smashing a glass bottle hard across the back of Isshiki's head making the blonde collapse to the ground.
"You may be a skilled chef little Isshiki..." Asahi spat angirlly as he stood over an injured Isshiki. "But only Central has the best formula for chefs like him. And I intend to give him a new career". Shoving past Rindō, he outstretched hand and grinned at Kensuke. "Join me, and I will give you peace of mind and purpose".
However, the third seat's eyes were no longer looking at Azami but at the blood staining his best friend's blonde hair and the gash on Isshiki's forehead. Even with his lack of social skills and unable to read passive expressions, Kensuke immediately felt his heart tighten and the beginnings of panic attack at the sight of blood.
Moving quietly past the deputy director, the third seat knelt down beside the former seventh seat and wrapped a towel around his head to cover the wound before pulling him to his feet and embracing him.
With an almost unintelligible sob, masked by the way he was embracing his best friend, Kensuke managed to whisper the words that Isshiki had wanted to hear for a long time.
"Help me… Isshiki ... please".
"Getting back to the matter at hand..." the unwelcome and cold voice of mister Aida sounded throughout the venue hall. "So far all three judges are in agreement that our central chef, Kensuke Tadokoro, has provided a sublime rabbit wellington…"
Pausing to catch his breath, as well as to glance over at the other rebel chefs and their fellow expelled lot, gathered in the special seating area, the emcee made an over the top bow before continuing with the announcement.
"Now that the Silent King has wowed the judges with his transcendent dish; and despite his resigning from Central, he and the disreputable and shameful scorn of the Isshiki family has somehow matched his dish with equal delight and falvour".
Still stunned by Kensuke's emotional request for help, and woozy from Asahi's attack, Isshiki wobbled onhis feet as he was helped to his feet by Tsukasa.
Unconcerned with his surroundings, as he couod tell how the emcee was going to call this battle's end, and deaf to the emcee's lies and scandelous words, he simply hugged his best friend.
"Ken… I'm proud of you", gently ruffling his friends head of black hair, the former seventh seat suddenly became acutely aware of every set of eyes in the room zeroing in on the two of them.
"Chef Isshiki…" he heard the emcee snap angrily. "Your rabbit soup, if you don't mind, will now be officially judged".
Gritting his teeth, the blonde former seventh seat pushed himself away from Kensuke; swayed alittle and leant agaisnt his workstation.
Azami, irate and growling, had retaken his seat and was glowering; not at him but at Asahi. Then the three judges began to confer amongst themselves about the rabbit soup filled three black lacquered lidded bowls that he'd placed before them earlier.
Yet as they began to did so he could still feel the angry eyes of Azami Nakiri boring into him no doubt seething about that his attempt to re-manipulate the third seat again had been thwarted by the power of their friendship.
"Okay then…" Isshiki stated firmly, as he turned away from the judges and giving a thumbs up towards Nene and Sōma. "Consider this fight the strike that brings Kensuke back to us".
"As much as I would love to rip this dish apart…" Azami stated pointedly bitter, "it is blatantly clear to all that you are well versed in kaiseki cuisine. And the rabbit consommé is as crystal clear as distilled water. Then when you break the mochi dumpling and the meat spills into the soup the overall flavour profile is enhanced tenfold".
"Agreed!" Corage cooed, "I would very much like a second helping. If that isn't too much trouble?"
Nodding his head Isshiki complied with the blonde female's request but as he handed over the second bowlful of soup to her he felt her fingers tracing up his arm in a seductive manner as she leant forwards and pressed a kiss to his nose.
As used to being fawned over by older women as he was, Isshiki simply brushed off the judges advances with a faux smile and a harsh frown, but the subtleness of the kiss to his nose combined with the fact that no woman had ever been so bold to do something like that before momentarily shook him.
Yet at that moment before he could think deeper about what any potential designs for him were currently in the planning stage, he was saved from Corage's ministrations by Decora imparting her own praises at him.
"This soup had been made by someone whom believes wholeheartedly in the deliverance of their own skills to create deliciousness", Decora stated plainly before dropping her spoon down on the table with a loud 'clang'.
Grinning at the former seventh seat tall, the tall dark skinned woman flicked her hair behind her ears and smiled approvingly at him before lowering the top of her dress; a tad more than was considered usual flirting.
Shaking her head at her colleagues lustily behaviour ignoring her own earlier actions but equally smitten by the rabbit soup, and its creator, Corage not wanting to be outshone blew a kiss to Isshiki before turning her head towards her fellow two judges for final verdict discussions.
Yet, as excited as the blonde woman was at voicing the winner of the food war, it was Azami whom delivered the verdict: his expression joyful yet cold.
"Despite their treachery to Central by way if their unparalleled resignations; during this regimen de cuisine, the winners of the third bout of this regiment de cuisine are still the first, second and third seats!"
"What a show of complete and utter demolition of the opposition by Chefs Tsukasa, Rindō and Kensuke…" Mister Aida added, whipping the pro-central audience into yet more peels of rapt applause. "However, they have all forfit their Tōtsuki days and are hereby expelled".
"Round Four shall commence forthwith!"
R.I.P:
James Earl Jones. A titan of Stage and Screen - Forever beloved and remembered.
Kenneth Cope. Actor and screenwriter.
Tommy Cash. Singer and songwriter.
