Megumi was used to being nude with other women when she went to a bath house, but the sauna in Denmark was different. In a hotspring, Megumi felt at least somewhat covered by the water once she was in, but following Alice and her mother into the sauna where they laid their towels on the wooden benches before sitting stark naked in the middle of the room felt particularly exposing. Still, she was traveling for new experiences and this included learning about different traditions.
Megumi closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose before removing her own towel and setting it up on the bench next to Alice.
"Let us know if the heat is too much for you, there's no shame in taking a break." Alice reassured Megumi. "And you must try the infused water! It's really tasty! Though seriously, you do need to drink all of this at least before we leave to make sure you don't get sick." Megumi gawked at the half gallon jar of water that Alice presented her with. Without missing a beat Alice continued, "I'm sure you'll find your own preference, but you have to start with the mint and rose water." Megumi thanked Alice for the beverage and settled onto the bench.
Leonora took a wooden ladle full of water from a nearby bucket and poured it over the hot stones in the middle of the room. All three women took a calming breath as they settled in and got acclimated to the heat. They were silent as the steam seeped into their bones and eased their muscles. Alice was the first to break the silence.
"Is there anything in particular you want to do while you're with us?"
"Honestly, I don't really know. I've read a bit about food from this area, but I've learned that that doesn't tell you much about what's really behind a culture." Megumi fidgeted in her seat. She missed her rubber duck in this situation, but the toy wasn't exactly appropriate for the sauna.
"I see. You need to meet people!" Leonora chimed in. "Though truthfully, you seem to be very good at understanding people, and you're a smart girl. I am certain that you are better than you think at whatever you put your mind to."
"That's true enough. The lunch you prepared during our study sessions was practically a spot-on Nordic lunch." Megumi blushed at Alice's praise.
"I'm sure I'm still missing something…" Both Alice and Leonora smiled softly at the blue-haired country girl.
Alice gave Megumi's hand a squeeze to get her attention, "Then we're just going to have to look until you find it." Megumi smiled shyly but felt herself relaxing in the Nakiris' company the same way she would if her own mother was there.
Just as Megumi felt herself finally adjust to the temperature and setting, a noise from the room just outside the sauna startled her.
"Ah! She's finally here!" Leonora chirped.
Before Megumi could ask about their new companion, a striking Japanese woman entered the sauna and set her towel up on one of the higher benches next to Leonora. Her hair was black though a few white locks were starting to show. She wore her hair in a high bun with a few loose strands that framed her face and drew attention to her dark amber eyes. Her demeanor didn't invite questions or even conversation. Not that that stopped Leonora.
"Fru Kurokiba! It's so nice to see you! It's been too long since we've all had a moment together." Leonora beamed at the newcomer.
"It's always a pleasure to see you, Leonora." The woman smiled before taking a swig of one of the large water jars.
Megumi gawked at the new addition. This was Ryo's mom?!
"Ah, you haven't met our Megumi yet! Please, let me introduce another of Tohtski's promising gems." Megumi blushed at the praise.
"Hmm, I believe that I've heard of this one. You've competed against my Ryo, yes?" under the gaze of this warlord of a woman Megumi begins to panic.
"That's right!" Alice assists. "They've had one official battle, though we had some unofficial practice runs where Megumi took the win!"
The older woman smiles at Megumi, "That's an impressive feat against my Ryo."
"Oh! Well… um… thank you, Mrs…." Megumi is cut off.
"You may call me Youko."
"Yes! Sorry! Ms. Youko…" Megumi didn't know why she was so nervous meeting Ryo's mother, but she really wanted to make a good impression.
"Don't worry so much, girl. I don't bite. And I'm glad that someone can rattle my boy out of his comfort zone. He got good at cooking too quickly in my opinion. He needs to know that there is still further to go."
Megumi looked in awe at Youko Kurokiba. "I don't think you have to worry about Ryo losing ambition." Megumi spoke softly. "Ryo, Soma, and Akira have been keeping each other on their toes. Not to mention that Erina's study sessions have become a regular extracurricular activity."
Youko assesses the bluenette. "You're awfully timid for one of the Ten."
Megumi is taken aback by the blunt comment. "I know it's something I need to work on…"
"Hmm." Megumi squirmed under the older woman's gaze.. "At the very least, I hope you don't let my boy give you any shit."
Megumi blushes further. "I think that Megumi has found her own way of dealing with our adversities." Alice boasts. "Once she's in the kitchen, you'd be surprised how ferocious she can be!"
"Oh, yes!" Leonora chimes in, "I recall Soe sharing how rattled she made the patissiere of the previous Ten when they battled."
"Even before that, Megumi had no problem arguing with Ryo in the middle of the Fall Selection when he tried to insult her broth." Alice adds.
Chuckling, Youko smiles at the still blushing Megumi, "I'm glad to hear it." Changing topic, Youko continues, "Where did you get your start? No offense to our gracious hostesses, but you don't seem like a hoity-toity legacy chef."
Megumi shoots a glance at Alice and Leonora. Neither of them even bat an eye at Youko's comment so Megumi figures it isn't a social misstep to answer. "My mother runs the family inn in our fishing village. Especially as my grandfather got older, I always did my best to support our business. I started helping my mother in the kitchen, and when my grandfather wasn't able to do some of the more traditional fish prep demonstrations for guests. I studied with our local fishermen to be able to carry them on. My mother had me take the Tohtski exam in middle school which is when I got in."
"Traditional demonstrations? Now you have my attention!" Youko leans down towards the blue-haired chef. Even if they hadn't all been nude, Megumi would have found the older woman an imposing figure.
"Um…yes. Specifically, I first wanted to learn tsurushi-giri."
"And did you?" fru Kurokiba's gaze was now pinning Megumi to her spot.
"It took a while, but it was one of the first skills I was really proud of because it felt like I could add something of value."
Youko arches an eyebrow at the teen, "You say it took a while, but how old are you now?"
Confused, Megumi answers, "I'll be 17 by the next term."
"And how old were you when you could consistently pull off this skill?"
"Well, the first time my mother let me do it in front of guests, I was almost 11."
A beat passes in silence before everyone in the sauna except the bluenette burst out laughing! Megumi blushes, presuming she'd said something stupid.
Catching her friend's distraught expression, Alice quickly gives Megumi's hand a squeeze. "You really are far too humble."
"A lot of chefs never even learn how to clean a fresh fish, never mind something as difficult as tsurushi-giri." Leonora chimes. "The fact that you could execute such a technique before middle school is amazing!"
At a loss for words from all the praise, all Megumi says is a soft, "Oh."
"That settles it then." Youko stretches and relaxes back onto her section of bench. "I'll visit for a meal as long as this one is cooking." Alice and Leonora smile agreeingly, and the quartet settle into silence as the steam does its work. Though still confused, Megumi gathers that she had passed some sort of test. Alice pushes one of the water jugs towards Megumi as a reminder to stay hydrated. Picking up the jar Megumi takes a large swig and decides her questions could wait until they were someplace cooler.
_
Back at the Nakiri home, Ryo has been reviewing his old recipe notes and seeing where he could make improvements given this past semester's experiences. He felt that his Fall Selection cartoccio could use work. His earlier recipe had been a traditional interpretation, but he was confident that he could do better now.
With his focus on his notebook, Ryo made his way to the kitchen to make a couple test dishes. Considering the potency of fresh Pacific saury, he reconsidered using fresh cherry tomatoes in favor of sundried tomatoes, and adding fresh grated wasabi to the mix may better balance the oily aspect of the fish. He wondered if a different variety of mussels may be better too…..
As Ryo reached the pantry to begin assembling his ingredients, he was startled to be greeted by Soe Nakiri. "Ah, I see my daughter let you escape their girls' outing."
"Oh! Good to see you, sir." Ryo bowed to the elder man. "I confess, it's nice to have a little time to myself."
Soe chuckled. "As much as I adore my beautiful little girl, I understand your meaning. Is there something in particular you're working on?" Ryo shares his old notes and thoughts of revisions. Nodding his approval, Soe agrees that Ryo's ideas are worth trying. "However, you may want to hold off on making it now. I heard from my wife that your mother will be joining us for supper tonight."
"My mother?! She never cares to eat here!"
"Apparently, she's intrigued by Miss Tadokoro and will make an exception to try her cooking. Though, Alice thinks that you may want to use this opportunity to revisit your own battle with Megumi."
This took Ryo a moment to register exactly what Soe Nakiri was saying, "…you're saying that Alice and fru Nakiri are at the spa with Megumi AND my mother?!"
"Exactly. Though your primary thought should be on this new battle. I was just looking over our current stock to choose a theme ingredient. Which reminds me, since this will be intended as a battle, I'll have to ask you to leave the kitchen for now." Soe smiled warmly at Ryo as though he'd just told him that his favourite band would be playing in town.
Ryo nodded numbly in confirmation and made his way back to his room.