第十七章

地獄の一日

Dai Juu Nana Shou

Jigoku no Tsuitachi

Chapter 17

Day One in Hell

Inui Hinako hummed lightly to herself as she made her way from the main hotel building of the Tōtsuki Resort to the company car that would carry her to the destination where she would be hosting her cute little kōhai.

"Tadokoro Megumi," the Second Seat of the Eightieth Generation murmured to herself as she climbed into the company car. She smiled sweetly at the driver as he opened the door for her before she returned to her musings. The young woman reminded Hinako so much of her younger self. Meek, unsure of herself, little self-confidence and an abundance of stage fright. That had all changed when she had met Kojirō-senpai. Hopefully Megumi-chan met someone like him to bring out the radiant woman sleeping within her.

Speaking of young men with brilliant colored hair…

"Sōma-chan sure has grown into a gorgeous young man from that little cute boy I remember," Megumi giggled behind her hand. The driver, silently swallowed at hearing something dangerous like that. He decided that going down that line of thinking would require a liberal use of sake and thus focused his entire being into driving, doing his level best to ignore the crazy Tōtsuki Alumna he was chauffeuring. Not that any of them were not crazy to begin with.

"Ah, what I wouldn't give to have Megumi-chan and Sōma-chan in my first batch of kōhai," Hinako giggled quietly to herself as she opened up her cellphone and began scrolling through the messages. A small squeal passed through her lips when she saw the text from her senpai. To anyone else it would have been derisive, but coming from Kojirō it meant much to her.

Don't screw up. You're a Second Seat for a reason, so show them that you earned it. Blockhead.

"Hey, Takumi! Nice to see you man!" Takumi Aldini cringed when he heard his old rival shout his name.

"Bro?" Isami asked quietly as he looked back in Sōma's direction. "Aren't you going to greet him?"

"Ignore him," Takumi hissed to his younger twin, finger to his lips and frantic look in his eyes. He had been planning on doing this big dramatic reveal where he would surprise his old rival and challenge him to a contest to see whose dish was better with the Tōtsuki Alumnum being the judge, whoever that might be. The blonde jumped in fright when a hand clapped on his shoulder.

"I knew it was you Takumi! How've you been?" Sōma asked with his ever cheerful eyes and radiant smile. A few of the female students swooned when he smiled that dashing smile, one that was quickly going up the ranks of the hottest smiles in Tōtsuki. One girl actually did faint and was fortunately caught by her friends.

"I've been well," Takumi ground out while smiling an equally dazzling smile. More girls swooned, as Takumi was another young man in the ranks of 'The Hottest of Tōtsuki'. The unfortunate girl who had fainted a moment ago had miraculously regained consciousness only to faint once more seeing her two favorite classmates smiling at one another. "I see you finally decided to join us here at Tōtsuki."

"Took me a while, what with me having to lay low for a bit," the redhead admitted with a shrug.

"Law low? What, did you get into a fight with some sort of crime boss?" Takumi asked with a smug expression, daring Sōma to dig his hole deeper with that lie.

"Oh, something like that. Saved the girl in the end, so that's all that matters." Everyone began to whisper amongst themselves due to the conversation between two of the most sensational Ninety-Second Generation students.

"Well, while you were off gallivanting, charging at windmills, I was honing my skills so that I could show you once and for all- WOULD YOU QUIT IGNORING ME?!" Takumi shouted when he realized Sōma had completely ignored him in favor of introducing the blunette to his brother.

"This is Isami Aldini," the Spawn of Asura introduced with a wave of his hand. "And although he looks like a big guy, his looks rival his brother's in the summer."

"How's that Sōma-kun?"

"He sweats a lot," he stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Oh!" Megumi replied, drawing out the vowel.

"Now you're just making me blush Yukihira-san," Isami replied with a dainty, yet obviously fake, blush, rubbing the back of his head shyly. Queue more swooning.

"So how do you know the Aldini brothers Sōma-kun?" Megumi curiously enquired.

"Well it was a breezy Mediterranean day, as they were usually, the sun beating on Oyaji's and my backs when-" He was suddenly cut off when a high pitched squeal erupted from the back of the room that caused a few students to cover their ears, cringe in pain or even foam at the mouth. Sōma had a look of terror flicker in his eyes for a second before he was suddenly engulfed in the loving embrace of an older woman.

"SOUMA-CHAN!" Inui Hinako cried out as she hugged the young man who was once like her little brother to her womanly assets. A few of Sōma's fellow male classmates saw the predicament that he was in and silently cursed him for his luck, a few of them even verbally doing so. They were all summarily smacked upside their collective heads by all the women, excluding Megumi who was too busy frantically worrying about Sōma's current distress.

"It's been too long Sōma-chan, how's my favorite little chef been doing?" she asked excitedly once she removed the redhead from her powerful hug, ignoring the deep gulps of breath he was taking.

"I've been doing fine Hinako-senpai. Although I'm hardly little now," he replied after catching his breath. A finger was wagged in his face and he looked to see a pout on the older woman's lips and her other hand on her hip.

"What did I tell you? You're supposed to call me Hina-nee-chan." A deep red blush passed over the young man's cheeks, causing a few of his female classmates to look quickly back and forth between the Second Seat of the Eightieth Generation and the Upstart of their generation, theories about the two flying at light speed in many peoples' heads.

"I told you I'm not a little kid anymore Hinako-senpai," he muttered while looking away, a small pout on his lips, a first for many. Takumi was rubbing his hands together gleefully, relishing having some sort of dirt on his rival.

'Erina's so lucky to have him,' Megumi sighed internally with a small, sad smile, her thoughts mirrored by the older woman.

"You'll still be the little Sōma-chan I remembered shouting about how he'd be the greatest chef in the world to Kojirō-senpai's face," the woman who was like an older sister to Sōma murmured as she hugged him lovingly to herself. Due to absorbing the customs of other countries, Sōma did not hesitate to hug her back, though in a slightly embarrassed manner. To those who were raised in the Western World this had not seemed odd, but to those raised in the East, this was something massive and considered nearly improper.

Hinako smiled once more as she pulled away, giving her cute kōhai a pat on the head before making her way to the front of the room. She had seen Megumi looking at her expectantly after the hug between her and Sōma from her periphery, but had decided not to detour and make small talk with the younger woman on the count of her wasting enough time greeting Sōma.

"Greetings, everyone in the Ninety-Second Generation standing before me," Hinako began dramatically as she stood proudly before the students. The aura she now displayed showed the disparity between her casual personality and her chef personality. There was a reason she had been Second Seat after all. "You've done well to make it this far, because as you saw, even in the first hour, three of your number left for home. I will be your instructor for your first day of the Tōtsuki Friendship and Rapport Training Camp.

"Or as it is known to all who survive it: Tōtsuki Baptism by Fire Camp, Tōtsuki Hell Camp, Tōtsuki Culling Camp or my personal favorite, Tōtsuki Sucking the Soul out of Poor Unprepared Kōhai." The serene smile she had on her face as she rattled off the unofficial names for the training camp absolutely terrified a majority of the students standing right before her. Takumi was only slightly jarred while Sōma looked bored to tears, anxiously waiting for the moment he could be let loose to cook.

"Each and every Alumni is asked to change up their task year to year if they are invited back the following year so as to avoid repetition, not that we would not do so anyway." Again, the serene smile on her face was in disproportion to her aura. "My name is Inui Hinako, Second Seat of the Eightieth Generation. I will be your instructor for your first day. My challenge to you will be for you to make a dish that is fitting to be the main course of Japanese Cuisine using the ingredients before you," she said while motioning out the window.

"Uh, Chef Inui there's nothing over there," a young man with sandy-blonde hair muttered as he looked out the window. A few of the students who were a part of the Diner of the Masses Research Society looked to their dauntless leader to see his eyes burning with an intense fire, their minds soon catching on to the challenge being laid before them. They all felt the same anxious excitement that was welling up within their leader soon burn within their own chests.

"Ah, but that is where you're wrong my cute, yet ignorant, kōhai," she giggled with that terrifying aura once more. "All the lands up until the fences surrounding us, including those on the other side of the mountain, and to the river to the south are where you will find the ingredients necessary to create your dish. Chefs need to not only learn how to create exceptional, new and delicious dishes, they must learn to cultivate and gather the ingredients necessary to do so themselves, be that making deals with farmers, learning to fish, foraging or learning to wield a bow.

"You have until four p.m. The time now is twelve-oh-seven p.m. Now begin please," Hinako said with a smile before she wandered over to an unused station and started a pot of tea for herself. By then Sōma and Megumi had already made their way out of the room before most of their classmates had registered the fact that Hinako had already begun their challenge. The pair were immediately followed by the Aldini brothers and members of the Diner RS. Every student left blinked blankly at the exit before suddenly realizing what had occurred, their frantic shouts following after them as soon as the bolted for the great outdoors.

Or so they thought.

"Alright! Who here has experience foraging?" Yukihira questioned aloud standing at the main entrance to the building, blocking off most everyone's escape.

"Let us through damnit!"

"You're in the way!"

"Are you trying to get us to fail?!"

"Move it, transfer student!"

A sharp whistle rang throughout everyone's ears, causing almost everyone to cover their ears and cringe in fright. Everyone opened their eyes and spied Sōma removing his fingers from his lips, a scowl on his face.

"Alright, let me start over. Who has any idea of what they're going to be cooking for Hinako-senpai?"

"Why are you asking, so you can steal it?" a lean young man sneered.

"Oh please I've had ideas for dishes the moment I woke up. Why would I steal from you? Back to my question: does anyone have an idea of what they will be cooking? Hands up please." Most everyone raised their hands, except for a few. "Put your hands down if you're planning to do a traditional Japanese meal involving fried fish and vegetables." Nearly everyone save for the Aldini brothers, the Diner RS members and two pairs dropped their hands as a result.

"I'll lay it out straight to you, you won't make it through this without getting creative. So again, anyone know how to forage? Hands please." A few girls and boys raised their hands. "Stand to the side please." They looked at one another and shrugged, wondering where this was going.

"Anyone know how to hunt, like use a bow or a gun?" Several boys held their hands a loft and one of the girls from the group to the side did so as well. "Those with their hands raised form a new group."

"Where is this going Sōma-kun?" Megumi asked as three distinct groups took shape.

"The plot of land we're on is massive. I saw the fence to this place fifteen minutes back by way of the bus. Judging by speed, I'd say that's about eight kilometers away from us. That's a vast amount of land to cover. I've seen water fowl, land fowl, boars, bison, deer, lamb and other animals roaming these forests. I spied different types of trees and vegetation you would not normally see while we were coming here. What I'm proposing is that we all work together in gathering the ingredients of the wild to our own unique dishes that would be defined as Japanese Cuisine."

"I thought you said you were going to crush us Yukihira-kun?" a female classmate asked as others around her nodded in agreement.

"Well yeah. I am. But doesn't everyone else think the same thing about their fellow classmates? Simply because I said it out loud doesn't negate the fact that everyone else looks at their classmates like they're a stepping stone," he admitted with a shrug. "That doesn't mean I can't be friendly with everyone does it?" The redhead's eyes passed over the assembled group before he shrugged once more. "Also this is non-negotiable, I'm helping you whether you like it or not."

"Now, who knows how to ride a horse?"

"Damnit! I knew this was a bad idea!" shouted Kamijō Tōma as he ran for his life, Mikoto, Sōma and Megumi running just as frantically. Currently they were all running away from a massive boar that did not take kindly to having an arrow shot into its shoulder. Sōma had cursed immediately which had somehow caused Tōma to fall out of the tree they were hiding in, bringing everyone else down with him and alerting the boar to their location and leading to their current predicament.

"I thought your nickname was the 'Railgun'!" Sōma asked in a snarky tone toward the petite brunette beside him with the bow slung over her body and quiver at her waist.

"S-Shut up! Baka-Tōma was the one who caused all of this!"

"How is this my fault?!"

"Less arguing, more running!" Megumi cried out as they barreled on through the forest.

"Thank god we set a few bear traps for instances like this!" Sōma reminded everyone as they were running upon a clearing where they had prepared animal traps in. The foursome immediately hopped over an innocuous patch of grass that the boar ignored in its rage. The snorts of anger quickly changed to squeals of terror as it found its leg trapped in a heavy metal contraption. Sweet oblivion soon relieved the swine of its pain curtesy of an arrow right at the base of the skull by none other than Misaka 'Railgun' Mikoto.

"So that's boar meat, venison, lamb, rabbit, duck, goose and bison meat down. We also caught a few porgies, salmon, trout and bass in the nearby river," Takumi rattled off as he finished looking over the catches done by the hunting and fishing parties.

"There's so many berries, fruits, roots, wheats and grains gathered that we could probably open a small farmer's market stall and make boat loads off of the stock. Especially off of the Matsutake we gathered," Megumi reported to her friend, small swirls starting to develop in her eyes.

All around groups of students were showing off their catches, boasting proudly to one another about their exceptional skills. Despite the fact that the day had started off rocky for a number of them, the time they had spent cooperating with everyone else, including Sōma, his friends and his RS members, had raised their spirits and boasted their morale back to levels where they felt like they were all floating on Cloud Nine. Time for them was ticking down however, and they needed to ready their supplies for the cooking.

"Everyone who knows how to drain, skin, and unfeather should stick outside and help me clean these animals up. We're going to need them," the redhead said loudly enough to grab everyone's attention as he pointed a thumb back at the pile of animal bodies. He so wished Yuki was here to help them, she was a pro at this. Well, not like he was not one too. But having two pros was better than having one. He got a real shock when he saw Takumi and Isami drain, behead, skin and gut a deer in less than thirty minutes.

Surprisingly enough just about everyone stuck around to either help clean the animals or watch the proceedings while sorting out what plants would help best with the prepared animals and who would be using them. The students even shared techniques that they had learned from their families, reasoning that they could part with some of the less guarded secrets and help their fellow classmate, a move that would see a number of partners saved in the coming evaluation.

Since the time they had stepped out of the building to gather their supplies, nearly two hours had passed for the group of thirty students. But once that time had passed everyone had all they needed to face their first day of camp head on.

Rather than feeling surprised when she saw the students returning as a whole, Hinako felt proud at seeing her surrogate little brother leading the pack with a triumphant look on his face. Had he not been in this batch of students she would have seen frantic, worried and downright terrified thoughts reflected in all of their eyes, rather than the brave and steadfast expression worn on their faces. Every one of them was a capable cook or sous-chef with a few having the potential to reach chef. But only Sōma showed the traits inherent in all owner chefs, men and women who had established their own stake in the culinary world.

Placing such a powerful variable amongst fledglings could have either disastrous or wonderful results. Luckily Sōma was the kind of person who saw everyone as both a friend and rival at the same time, and saw growth in his rivals as a challenge to try even harder rather than sabotage or make excuses for later. The generation he was a part of would no doubt ascend to greatness in the culinary world with him at the helm.

"Ara, ara. It seems everyone has found a calm in themselves where once there was a storm. I can only lay blame for your calm composure at one individual's feet, for it is the job I and my fellow Alumni were tasked with teaching you." A few students gulped wondering whether or not they were going to be failed and expelled for listening to someone that was not an Alumni. "Luckily I didn't say anything about not working together, so you're all safe."

Most everyone heaved a sigh of relief, having held their collective breaths in anticipation. They quickly remembered where they were and what was going on and began the preparations for the dish they would serve their senpai.

The country-side borne woman merrily sipped at her green tea, munching on her tea snacks. As she did so, she allowed the aroma that was slowly forming in the kitchen to envelope her. So many spices and herbs wafted through the air, tickling her nose and causing her knees to quake in sheer excitement in anticipation for the food they would create. She had seen so much wild game and fishes of varying species upon everyone's chopping blocks that she was curious about whether or not the dishes she would be tasting would be traditional Japanese Cuisine or completely revolutionized dishes.

Soon the ringing of knives sent an orchestra of chops and ringing into the air, symbolizing the start of the meat preparation for everyone's dishes. Towards the beginning of the preparations many pairs had found difficulty in syncing with one another, but after having watched the harmonious dance of two chefs that was going with Sōma and Megumi, Takumi and Isami, and Tōma and Mikoto in awe, many found their own rhythms. The once chaotic scene before had quickly transformed into a professional kitchen the likes of which Hinako had only ever seen in the restaurants of seated Tōtsuki Alumni.

Following this sudden and outright insane metamorphosis, the sound of cooking meats, vegetables, herbs, spices and an assortment of ingredients filled the air, their sweet, subtle, powerful, rich and widely diverse aromas quickly following them into the kitchen's atmosphere. Hinako's senses were soon overwhelmed by the smells being blasted into the air, the most prevalent of which came from Sōma and Megumi's station as well as the Aldini Brothers'. The dark-haired woman could only imagine what new and exciting dishes those two pairs would bring to her, but she could not forget everyone else, as the aromas wafting from their stations were strong, just not as strong as the two powerhouse pairs'.

Nearly thirty minutes later after everyone had begun to cook one plate of finished food made its way to where she sat, the students presenting the food to her, while not supremely confident, as they were awaiting the evaluation from the Second Seat of the Eightieth Generation, at least put on a brave front, in a somewhat reverent fashion. The first dish she was to deliver a deliberation on was the traditional fish, rice, soup and vegetables course. It was a simple meal to create, yet difficult to improve as all Japanese dishes relied on freshness, heat and simplicity in their preparation and execution.

But this was no simple dish, as when she looked upon it closely she could see that the fish was not a mackerel, but rather a black carp instead. And instead of the traditional bowl Miso Soup, a mysterious liquid that held a deep, earthy fragrance to it greeted her, the smell of the ocean missing from its place.

Already having guessed to what the theme the students were aiming for, Hinako could not contain herself anymore and dug into the carp with gusto after reciting the traditional Japanese phrase for being thankful for food, moaning as the first fatty chunk of flesh entered her mouth. The fragrance and taste immediately assaulted her senses, the dance of the fish's unique signature surrounding her in a whirlpool while the dried peppers and spices warmed her body from the tongue down.

"Ah, the use of spices and herbs to infuse this simple, traditional Japanese dish with Chinese influences speaks of itself. The intensity of those spices simple pounds away at the sense while the melodic taste of the fish soothes those sore spots," the owner-chef explained in detail as some sweat dripped from her forehead, the heat slightly affecting her. She took another bite and giggled happily as she held her cheek, her teeth tearing through the delicious morsels in her mouth. Giving herself a moment to swallow, she allowed her senses to reset before moving onto the soup. Once more here taste buds were sent on a journey as she could taste the pork in the soups base along with shiitake mushroom, giving her the image of a wild untamed land before. The real seller of the soup was the daikon that she inhaled, the once hard and mild root becoming pliable and savory in her mouth.

"This is a success, never before have I tasted food like this from a first year save for those talented to be among the Elite Ten!" Hinako announced as she took one more sip of the soup. She had to of course save room for more, as there were at fourteen pairs of students still awaiting her evaluation.

"Bringing the spirit of Chinese culinary techniques to a traditional Japanese dish is a risky move, as it could potentially change the food from Japanese Cuisine to Chinese Cuisine, yet you two were able to splendidly maintain the Japanese roots of the dish while making a new dish. Congratulations, Xiao Yufei and Jason Long. You both pass!" A quick round of applause from the entire kitchen soon erupted, before the melody of the chefs resumed.

The evaluation of the first dish had gone terrifically for the pair, a Chinese-borne young woman with panda-ear hair buns and a young man born to a Chinese family raised in the United States. Though they had initially clashed ever since having met one another, for reasons neither remembered nor card for now, seeing Sōma working like crazy had lit a fire beneath the pair, galvanizing them into action. Action that would see them pull off their first successful collaboration in their long history of partner work.

"Thanks Yufei," Jason mumbled as he and his partner began cleaning up their station while other students began dishing their entrées for tasting. Boar cutlets atop rice, tempura goose with a rich brown sauce, venison served with noodles, beef teriyaki with vegetables and sashimi mackerel served with an original herb sauce soon made their way to Hinako, each and every unique dish impressing The Mist Empress with the ingenuity and creativity of their creators. "I really couldn't have been able to pull it off without your help and expertise."

"Well when we finally decided to just cook, instead of argue, we can go far Jason," the petite young woman explained as she began cleaning the pots and pans. Because the pale young man had his back to his partner, he did not see the blush on her face due to his praise. "The dish couldn't have been pulled off without you either, you know?"

"That's big praise coming from you Yufei," Jason laughed as he appeared at her side with dishes in his hands. He set them down and began to clean them off beside her, the sight domestic. "I don't know how many times you've saved my bacon and yet I've never given you proper thanks."

"Y-You don't need to do that," she stammered as diverted her gaze, doing her level best to look anywhere but her partner for fear of him seeing his blush and teasing her.

"Still," the young aspiring chef murmured. "You have my thanks, and I'll do my best not to hold you back."

"What makes you think I'll be working with you ever again?" Yufei answered cheekily, a grin spreading on her face as she turned back to gaze up at him, her blush luckily vanished.

"Oi!" her partner gruffly replied, earning him a hearty laugh from his acquaintance. Realizing that she was pulling his leg and trying her best to get a rise out of him, he laughed as well and smiled back, lightly bumping his hip into her own. A slight flush rose to her cheeks in response, but she did not feel all too embarrassed, as her friend Jason had a matching one too.

Of the dishes so far tasted, with only Sōma and Megumi's dish the final left to do so, Hinako had given the highest amount of praise to the Aldini Brothers with their Aigamo Grilled with Spices dish, followed by Kamijō 'Illusion Breaker' Tōma and Misaka 'Railgun' Mikoto and their Inoshishi Cutlet atop Brown Rice and Herbs dish.

The dish created by the Aldinis was in truth a purely Italian dish reworked with Japanese techniques and thinking to create a new dish that stood above all others. That did not mean the gap between it and the dish created by the 'Illusion Breaker' and the 'Railgun' was not vast. In truth the Inoshishi Cutlet, with its juicy fat, soft, flavorful meat and crunchy exterior and the rice with its mild and plentiful taste that accompanied it were powerful enough to give the Aldini Brothers a run for their money. But of all of the dishes Hinako looked forward to, it was the dish that would be served last that piqued her interest, and the interest of all others still in the kitchen.

During the entire preparation phase of their dish, everyone had seen numerous herbs and spices going into heated pans, the aroma unleashed from that process clouding the kitchen's air with an intoxicating smell. And when the goose, boar, beef and venison began to cook, the smell of the burning fats made everyone's mouths water in anticipation of the dish that Yukihira had concocted with the help of Megumi.

And when they finally brought it together the final dish was a large bowl with a generous helping of light-brown noodles in a light brown soup base with slices of venison, goose, boar and beef to the side, a split, soft boiled egg, diced negi, two nori sheets, enoki, and a small helping of stir-fried vegetables. When the dish passed by a few pairs of students, they felt their tongues wag in excitement, the fragrance the entire dish letting loose a plethora of heavenly smells that would whet anyone's palate.

"And what are you presenting to me today Sōma-chan?" Hinako asked as she accepted the tray with the noodles with her two hands before setting it down in her lap.

"I call this dish: A Breath of the Japanese Wilds Ramen," Sōma answered with his hands on his hips, a confident grin on his face. "You'll be the first to taste the finished dish, a work five years in the making," He pulled a clean pair of chopsticks out of one of his apron pockets and handed them to his eager senpai. "Enjoy."

"Itadakimasu!" Hinako said aloud as dug into the ramen, taking a bit of the noodles in between her utensils and blowing on them, steam rising from the morsels, before bringing them to her lips and placing them in her mouth. As she chewed down on the noodles, a distinct earthen taste entered her mouth thanks to the tree nuts and roots used to create the noodles, its distinct flavor figuratively transporting her to a forest upon a plateau overlooking a vast land. Swallowing the noodles, her body simply moved on auto-pilot, her chopsticks taking in pieces of the meats and vegetables, biting down upon them and savoring the flavor and then swallowing.

The boar held a mildly spicy and fatty taste, while the venison was soft and mellow, absorbing the soup that tasted of mushrooms, roots, meats and fish, a very earthen and oceanic taste to it. The goose and beef were in perfect harmony with one another, their medium-rare roast leaving them just juicy enough to change the flavor profile of the soup while their meats left a flavorful impact. Rich and earthy flavors greeted her when she bit into the lightly fried onions, red and orange peppers, and Matsutake, all julienne cut to increase the flavor absorption they would receive from the soup. Altogether, every single ingredient in the dish worked perfectly by themselves, but when put together their differing flavor profiles augmented one another to create a dish that would please any connoisseur of excellent cuisine.

A sigh passed from her lips, a content look upon her face as she gazed out passed the students into the lands around them. Her gaze passed over the forests full of so much flora and fauna, to the mountains and rivers, feeling as if she had a bit of the entire land in her bowl. Returning to her tasting of the dish, Hinako inhaled more noodles, meats and vegetables and could feel the image within her mind of the dish growing more and more beautiful. A grand vista before her, the panoramic view of the lands and all of its bounties just waiting for her to enjoy.

"Don't worry guys!" Sōma announced to the room as they watched Hinako become immersed by the ramen, drool dripping down some of their lips. "I made enough for everyone in here!" A number of them cheered while others acted disinterested despite the fact that they joined in the line for Sōma's food with everyone else.

"This dish," the Second Seat began, trying to grasp the right words on how to describe it once everyone else had dug into their own ramen bowls, immediately followed by nearly everyone becoming catatonic with a flavor cascade. "This dish simply captures so many flavor profiles that most would never dream to do so simply because it's difficult to pull together into a cohesive dish. And yet you have done it Sōma-chan, Megumi-chan! You've both made a dish that uses the strengths of all of the ingredients while mellowing out the profile to make it not too heavy, yet savory all the while. Congratulations Yukihira Sōma, Tadokoro Megumi! You both pass!"

"It wasn't much!" Sōma declared with a grin as he pulled the headband off with a flourish before replacing it around his neck once more. Megumi clapped with a merry smile on her face, happy to know once more that she was saved from being expelled from Tōtsuki.

"Thanks for letting my carry on such a selfish request Megumi," the redhead told his partner as they began to clean their dishes. "And you were great helping me with the vegetables and meats!"

"I-It was nothing Sōma-kun!" the blunette replied with a deep blush, embarrassed as usual whenever Sōma would lavish her compliments. A part of her would have wondered what it would have been like had their relationship been more than friends, or even best friends. But right now, she was thankful there was at least someone like Sōma-kun there for her. Maybe one day she would find a young man that treated her like Sōma-kun treated Na- Erina-san. "And you were great too! I can't believe you've been working on a dish like that for so long! It was amazing!"

"It really was, wasn't it?" the L'Arlequin Capricieuse admitted with a silly grin. "I got the idea as I was traveling the world with Oyaji, asking myself, "What would a dish using nearly everything in the environment taste like?" And this is the answer for this region at least."

"So you mean you have other ideas like this?" his friend asked as she began working on the knives, careful to clean each one delicately as possible so as to avoid any unnecessary injuries.

"Oh yeah! I live and breathe cooking. Well, that and pleasing a certain someone with my food. That reminds me!" He quickly pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of his ramen and quickly sent it along with a text to Erina.

"Well that and making hazardous creations," Megumi amended as she slotted the knives back into their cutting block.

"Oh Sōma-chan, that's one trait you inherited from your father that I wished you didn't," Hinako stated as she made her way over to where the redhead and blunette were stationed. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you that forcing others to eat food that's not even safe for rodents to eat is one of the most terrible crimes a chef could ever commit."

Takumi shivered once he was in earshot, remembering a memory that was best left to rot in the deepest recesses of his young mind. Isami quietly laughed behind his brother, remembering how Sōma had forced his brother to eat boiled bull nuts coated in orange jelly. "I still won't forgive for doing that once to me Yukihira!" the blonde Italian shouted as he pointed his left-pointer finger at his self-appointed rival. "One day, I will get you back for making me eat all your crazy concoctions!"

"You wanna try my deep-fried cucumbers smothered in strawberry jam?" Sōma asked everyone as he pulled out a container that, when opened, emitted a black smoke that rose into the air and formed a skull and crossed bones before dissipating into the air. Everyone looked at it in fright then the grinning visage of the transfer student and suddenly questioned who it was that sired this monster. Their thoughts were cut short when a rather loud ringtone floated through the kitchen's air, a few avid video game players, or more precisely Legend of Zelda fans, were able to identify it as the Bolero of Fire from Ocarina of Time.

"Moshi-Moshi Kojirō-kun!" Hinako answered with a smile as she answered her phone. An extremely annoyed and irritated voice roared back at her not even a scant second later, "I TOLD YOU TO CALL ME SHINOMIYA-SAN, YOU DUNCE!" His kōhai merely snickered, her imagination conjuring up an image of Kojirō-kun having a blush on his face pinker than his hair.

"Doesn't matter," her senpai huffed once he composed himself, having fought down the blush on his face at being called so familiarly by his girlfriend of one year. "You need to have the students back by five 'o' clock."

"I remember senpai~" she replied in a singsong tone.

"Did you also remember to call your shuttlebus back?" her year older boyfriend asked her in a deadpan that she knew he had on his face. "Because it's four ten, and it takes thirty minutes one way from where you're at by bus." Silence answered him. "Thankfully I remembered since I know you can be such a ditz. It'll be there in about ten minutes."

"Thank you Kojirō-kun." Hisako quickly brought the phone closer to her lips and cupped her face to the phone and whispered, "I love you, Ko-ji-rō-se-n-pa-i~" She quickly hit the end call prompt, giggling like a schoolgirl, imagining the face that her boyfriend had right now.

"Don't die yet Shinomiya-san," Gin said as he clapped his kōhai on the shoulder and walked past him, deciding to leave the younger man after their conversation was distracted from when the pinkette decided to phone someone. He had watched in amusement as a range of emotions had crossed the usually high-strung man's face. The former First Seat shook his head, tipping his hat off to whomever it was that caused Shinomiya Kojirō to stop in his tracks blushing up a storm like that. "We still need you for six more days you know."

Subject: You Owe Me

RE: I am adding that ramen to the long list of dishes you still have not served me yet. The list is forty-seven strong as of the addition of A Breath of the Japanese Wilds Ramen.

Subject: Big Trouble

RE: Megumi-chan just texted me something interesting a little bit after you sent that picture and text to me. Would you like a demonstration of my wrath from this morning once more? Or how about I cut you off?

"Et tu, Megumi?" Sōma asked his friend with a betrayed look on his face. Megumi merely smiled beautifully in response, the innocent look on her face betraying none of her glee.

Subject: Plead the Fifth

RE: I regret nothing! And wouldn't you also lose if you cut me off?

Erina merely rolled her eyes once she saw the text, swearing that his unrepentance was criminal and should be beaten out of him, preferably be her, and by using sweet, sweet torture. And by torture generous cuddling and petting. She kept the giggle a mental one, as she could not betray a single thought with most of her classmates gazing in her direction with undisguised reverence. A dominant part of her mind had long since despised the attention, only wishing that she could be like a normal high school girl and date her boyfriend openly without worry of wagging tongues and jealous eyes. At least she had the Polar Star Dormitories students and her assistant to rely upon to give herself the illusion of an average life at Tōtsuki.

The elegant and regal blonde soon stepped off the bus and made her way to the hall she was assigned to, ready for whatever challenge they decided to throw at her.

Back at Tōtsuki, Senzaemon growled under his breath after reading the intelligence reports brought to him by the head of security. This was something he could not hide from those it mattered to, especially from his granddaughter and Yukihira Sōma.

After all, it was due to the combined efforts of Sōma and Erina that his son-in-law, Nakiri né Nakamura Azami, was expelled from the Nakiri Clan.

AN: Please don't kill me. I know it's been a long time, and I've probably let a ton of people down, you included Miya. No amount of apologizes can forgive the sin I have committed. And I cannot promise that I won't make a stupid mistake like that again. Just please have patience with me.

Can you guess what manga series I am paying homage to with the new series title? Here's a hint: one of it's genres is romance.

"Tadaima!" Kokushi shouted as he kicked off his shoes in the foyer, Miya following his example. He noticed that his mother's shoes were missing, but thought nothing of it. "Oyaji? You still up?"

"In here Kokushi," came the weak reply.

The tanned young man looked down at his fiancée and shrugged before padding his way towards the living room to see his father holding his head in his hands.

"What's wrong?"

"Twenty years, son."

"Huh?"

"Twenty-one years I was married to your mother son. Twenty-one years." His father lifted his head to reveal his reddened eyes and tear stained cheeks. "You'd think that'd mean something."

"Oyaji."

Catching sight of who it was that had followed his son into their home, the older man frowned at the sight of the petite young woman. "Well, it's been a long day. I'd better go to bed, gotta be in early tomorrow." He rose from his seat, hugged his son quickly and gave a curt nod to Miya before trudging off, the door to his room slamming shut a minute later causing the pair to jump slightly.

"Damnit all," the dark haired young man muttered as he collapsed into the sofa.