A lone bird's call echoed in from outside her window. However, unlike one might see in television shows, the call didn't wake up Hisako from her slumber. After all, it would be impossible if she was already awake.

Even in the summer, where the sun rises early and the birds call even earlier, Hisako couldn't sleep in anymore if she had tried. Day 2 of the Summer Challenge was upon her, and her entire body felt like there was electricity coursing through it. Anxious energy filled the air as she stepped into the shower, letting the warm water spill over her body. Hisako was a warm shower person through and through: even in the hottest summer day, taking a cold shower just felt... wrong.

And it was in the warm shower that her body finally eased up a bit, and she could think more clearly. Day 2 was always the one most people feared, because it was the most random. Other days in the challenge followed a trend, a pattern that continued every year. While themes may change, the concept was normally similar. With that said, Day 2 was the wild card, as every year was a completely different event.

If she recalled correctly, the year prior had been a team event where pairs would find other pairs to team with, running a kitchen setting for a single dining service. The year before that, a challenge where the students were forced to both randomly pick an ingredient and incorporate both into a dish. As such, the current year's Day 2 was unpredictable. Hisako could only imagine what event could possibly be in store for her.

Closing her eyes, she clutched her hands to her chest and let the warm water cascade through her hair and down her back. And to top it all off, my partner is Yukihira... I don't doubt his cooking ability, and he has always been able to adapt to any situation... Yet for some reason I can't shake this nervousness. Is it because of the event?

With a start, Hisako snaps her eyes open and shuts off the water. Ahhh, how long was I in there?!

In a hurry, she dried herself of and ran to a clock. With a heavy sigh of relief, she sunk down in front of her vanity stand, and began working on her hair.

The sun was bright and beating down endlessly as students amassed in the arena. Chatter could be heard endlessly rippling through the crowd as tension filled the air. As expected, everyone in the arena was unsure of what the challenge might be, and each pair sat in nervous anticipation. Hisako checked her phone; still ten minutes until the announcement came. There was still a bit of time, but she was still worried that Yukihira had not shown up yet.

Almost as if on cue, she felt her phone vibrate. Pulling it out, she quickly unlocked it and read the message.

"Where are ya? I'm looking around the arena but I can't find you."

Hisako sighed and checked her seat number. Designating a meeting spot probably would have been a good idea.

"Seat 52, row 12."

She pocketed her phone and tapped her foot in anticipation. She couldn't help but worry about what the next challenge was. After all, if she failed at any of these, she would be expelled and wouldn't be able to serve Erina-sama anymore.

Deep down, she knew, of course, that she was a skilled chef with enough raw power and talent to topple most other students. Just the fact that Erina-sama had chosen her as an aide was more than enough proof of that fact. And yet she couldn't help it; it's almost as if self doubt was built into her nature, and she had no choice but to worry if she was ever good enough. After all, spending her life serving someone who was always considered greater than she was set her into a mindset of inferiority: how could she dare think highly of herself when compared to one such as Erina-sama?

And it's not that she had no confidence in herself at all, but rather had an extremely high standard. To Hisako, being great meant being as good as Erina-sama, and anything beneath that was clearly lesser. The most she could ever hope for was to be second best, someone who was only good enough to serve a greater power. Yet if she couldn't even pass the Summer Challenge, the first event in which Tootsuki students were weeded out, she would have no place beside Erina-sama. Without that, she wasn't sure what she would do with-

"Oi, Arato, what're you spacing out for?"

A familiarly carefree voice broke her from her reverie. She turned to her left to see Yukihira standing beside her, smiling that same goofy grin. Seeing it, she almost felt a bit of warmth, as if him just being there was comforting. Somehow, that ticked her off too.

"The better question is why are you so late? Announcements are about to start, you know."

Yukihira looked confused. "Late? Aren't I on time? They haven't started, right?"

Hisako stifled her desire to lecture him and pulled on his arm. "Come on, just take a seat! It'll start any minute!"

"Oi, oi, I get it! I can sit down on my own!"

As the two of them finally sat down, the stadium began to grow quiet. The lights began to dim and it was clear that whatever was about to happen was important. A lone figure stepped out from one of the tunnels, walking into the center of the event floor which was filled with cooking stations. He tapped his microphone once to test it, then began speaking.

"Good morning, students! Congratulations on making it through to Day 2 of the Summer Challenge! You've done a good job to get here, but I assure you it will only grow more difficult as the week progresses. Now, I'm sure everyone is wondering what the challenge is for today's event. As you all know, Day 2 is considered the wildcard event, where each year something completely new is done. In today's event, there are no time slots. Every pair will cook at the same time."

A murmur rippled through the crowd. Hisako frowned. She had been at the school long enough to know something was wrong. How was that even possible? There weren't enough cooking stations for each pair to work with…

"I'm sure you're all wondering how that's possible, so let me tell you. Each work station will have three different pairs assigned to it! In essence, you must each share a cooking station with five other people! It is a test not only of your time management, but also your ability to work in a crowded environment!"

The crowd reacted violently, many people shouting, some crying in disbelief. Hisako too crossed her arms and scowled. That's not something that's ever been done before. Sharing a cooking station with other people? How were they supposed to even get anything done? Most complex dishes required several things happening at once to finish the dish in the time frame. But in a work station, there were only six burners, meaning each person would only get one at a time. Not to mention there were only two ovens. Knives and other personal things would be no problem, and space wouldn't be too big an issue since the counters were quite large. But the limited access to appliances would surely be a challenge. She hated to admit it, but it certainly was a good challenge, and it certainly caught her by surprise.

"But wait! That's not all!"

One could almost reach out and grab the crushed hopes and dreams that many of the students faced at this point. Many of them, having grown up in elite culinary settings, were all too used to having as many appliances and space as necessary, so adding anything on top of the challenge was a nail in the coffin.

"In addition to sharing cooking stations, you may only use five ingredients to create your dish!"

At this point, the crowd had grown silent, as if trying to take in what he had just said. Only five ingredients? How was one supposed to create any sort of dish that could be considered delicious with such a limited number of ingredients to work with?

"Now, before you get too upset, let me explain. Tootsuki's entire ingredient storage has been opened for student access during this event! Staples and basic necessities are not included in the five ingredients and have been provided at each work station. In essence, the only limitation is on things other than basic seasonings and cooking materials! You will have one hour to find your station assignment, and then you will have three hours to prepare your dish. If you finish early, you may present to the judges as soon as you are ready. In order to pass this event, you must earn the passing vote by the majority of the five judges. Your dish can be of any theme or cuisine. Your events will begin in one hour! Good luck!"

Even with the caveat, Hisako shuddered. The thundering crowd around her was blocked from her attention as it died into a faint rumble. She was concerned before, but now she was actually worried about her future. This could be the event to end everything. After all, her specialty was medicinal cooking, a style that required copious amounts of herbs and spices with remedial properties. Depending on which were provided as basic necessities, she wouldn't be able to use her specialty if she wanted to actually have any other ingredients aside from spices. Just to use the core set of Chinese five-spice, if not included in the staples, would mean she had no other ingredients to work with…

Not to mention they only have five ingredients between the pair, meaning she has to work with Yukihira in order to select their five ingredients. Speaking of, Yukihira seemed to be in deep thought next to her. Despite the loud crowd around him, he seemed to completely zone the sound out. He seemed so lost in thought, actually, that when Hisako turned to look at him, he didn't react at all.

On closer inspection, Yukihira actually wasn't a bad looking guy. He had a goofy grin that betrayed the experience he had in cooking but when he was serious, he really devoted himself to his craft. His fiery red hair complemented his fiery personality, and despite the zero amount of effort that seemed to be put into styling it, it suited him. She found herself growing a little warm, and started when she realized she had been staring at him. She quickly turned back, her face red. What's wrong with me? That's never happened before…

Yukihira, on the other hand, seemed to come back to reality. "Arato, it looks like we're in for a challenge huh? Not that this'll be too hard for us, but it won't be easy."

"Y-yeah." She took a moment to collect herself. "Do you have any ideas?"

He frowns, crossing his arms. "Honestly, not really... We never had to use only five ingredients at the diner before. Well, I'm sure it'll be fine!"

"How can you be so carefree at a time like this? We both have no idea what to do, and we only have an hour before the cooking starts!"

"Well, that's true." He crosses his arms and shrugs. "But if we spend the entire time being worried about what's going to happen, we won't be able to think with a clear mind. So I think it's better to go in as clear headed as possible, even if that means being a little carefree."

"Huh."

It wasn't a bad point, honestly. Panicking would help no one, and Hisako certainly knew that being afraid wouldn't make a dish come to her mind any sooner. But that still didn't change the fact that her specialty had been stripped from her, and even Yukihira seemed stumped.

"Come on, Arato. We have an hour before we have to go to the stations, right? We can try to do some brainstorming with what little time we have."

Wordlessly, she nodded and the two set off for the Polar Star Dorm.

"What about this?"

"No, that won't work! It's not going to be good enough..."

Hisako struggled to think of any ingredient combinations that could work within a five ingredient limit. One problem was that five ingredients was a small amount for sure, but another was that they didn't know what ingredients were being provided as staples. Not to mention, what classified as an ingredient.

Because if she wanted to use, say, beef, would she get access to the whole cow? Or just a cut of the meat? Would 'fish' as an ingredient allow her to use a whole fish or just the fillet?

"This really is a hard challenge, isn't it?"

Yukihira's voice sounded calm and steady, contrary to his words. He grinned. "There's really not much we can think of without knowing everything. Maybe they purposely leave details out so we're forced to think on our feet? And so we can't use this first hour as prep time."

"Yeah, it would seem so. I mean, my entire repertoire relies on different medicinal herbs and spices, so having only five ingredients really limits my abilities..."

"Thinking like that won't get you very far in life, you know. Isn't that the whole point of this challenge? You gotta be able to adapt and overcome. What'll you do in a restaurant if a customer wants a very specific kind of order?"

"Shut up, I know that! It's just not any easier with this limit..."

Yukihira's words had truth to them, although they were masked by his somewhat demeaning choice of vocabulary.

Hisako rubbed her temples, leaning on the stainless steel countertop. "Let's think strategically for a bit. If you have only five ingredients, what must be true of those ingredients if you want to make something delicious?"

"I don't know, they have to complement each other?"

"That, sure, but what else?"

Scratching his chin, Yukihira seemed to come to the answer. "At least one of them must have a strong flavor."

She smiled. Maybe they were finally getting somewhere. "Right, strong doesn't have to be in a sense of overpowering, but at least one has to have the flavor in order to carry the dish, and the others have to enhance it. When you think about dishes in the real world that use less than five ingredients, what do you think of?"

"Well, at it's most basic, sushi only uses five ingredients. Fish, rice, vinegar, wasabi, and soy sauce. And not even all sushi uses that many ingredients."

"And the whole concept of sushi is that it's a flavor that's achieved by each ingredient harmonizing and enhancing the other. When you think of sushi, though, what comes to mind first?"

"The fish, normally."

She finally felt like something was clicking in her head. Something was coming together. "Right, even though most sushi experts say that the rice is the most important part of sushi, sushi is normally differentiated from each other by the type of fish used. And while the rice can be made in different ways with different combinations, excluding that there aren't many ingredients that go into sushi."

Yukihira still seemed a bit confused. "Okay, I get all that, but what are you trying to imply? Do you want to make sushi or something?"

She shook her head. "No, neither of us are sushi chefs, and that's not a skill that we can replicate in such a short amount of time."

"What do you suggest then?"

Hisako closed her eyes to collect her thoughts a bit. "Sushi is about highlighting the natural flavor of the fish by giving it a base to work off of, which is the rice, and other ingredients to enhance its flavor. I think the only way that we can successfully use only five ingredients is to follow that sort of thinking."

Going to the cabinet, Yukihira started looking through what was lying around. "Well, I can get on board with that, but we still don't know what five ingredients we can use that'll fit that sort of idea."

"Think about it. We don't really have a lot of ingredients to work with, so building complex and deep flavors is nearly impossible. But what we can do is try to find something with a strong natural flavor that can be enhanced easily. In a way, having an ingredient limit means that we only need to make sure a few things complement each other."

"So we need a main ingredient to highlight, followed by a base for it to work off of and three other complementing parts?"

"I think something like that would be best."

Yukihira pulled something out of the cupboard and smiled mischievously. "Well, if you're up for it, I'm more than happy to try that out."

Stepping into their station, Hisako could only gawk.

This can't be happening.

Standing across from them, in the same station, was none other than Hayama Akira. And that means the other person at their station...

"Well Hisako, I hope we both do well here."

"O-of course, Erina-sama."

Normally, Hisako would be ecstatic to work beside Erina-sama, but in a situation like this she didn't want to be a hindrance to her by taking up too much space. But at the same time, if she just let Erina-sama use all of the space she needs, Hisako might not get the amount of work done in order to pass the challenge.

Speaking of having to share the station, she looked around to see who the last pair at their station was. They weren't here yet, but Hisako saw a pair walking in from the tunnel who were walking straight towards them. She squinted slightly, trying to figure out who they were. As they grew closer, she could hear their chatter. One was a girl, who seemed about as average as one could get. Dark brown hair, tied back in a ponytail. She wore thin glasses and a rather complacent expression adorned her face. Her partner was a rather tall boy with black hair cut extremely short, reminiscent of the haircuts Hisako saw in baseball manga.

"Wow, quite a few celebrities at this station! Right, Tama?"

"Just focus on the task at hand, Koji. We can't afford to lose focus right now."

"Well, you can say that, but still! The master of spice, the tenth seat and her aide, and the upstart first year, all in one place with us!"

"Didn't I say to focus?"

Hisako, for some reason, can't help but feel as if that's how she and Yukihira interact. As the two approach, she's the first to talk. "So, who are you two?"

The tall boy steps forward cheerfully, extending a hand. "The name's Katamura Koji!" He gestures at the girl beside him, still grinning. "And this is my friend, Yamato Tama! Feel free to call me Koji! Not sure about Tama though."

"Tama is fine..."

Yukihira steps forward from behind Hisako and shakes Koji's hand warmly. "Nice too met ya! I'm Yukihira Souma, and this is my partner Arato Hisako."

"Ahaha, I already know who you guys are, but nice too met ya nonetheless! Good luck out there!" Koji smile is carefree and easy going. "Try not to let us get in your way!"

Tama proceeds to pull on his arm to the other side of the station, muttering something about needing to focus.

Are they dating or something?

As she turns to check on things with Yukihira though, Erina-sama stops her.

"H-Hisako, if you need help with anything, just let me know. I would hate it if you were to fail and get expelled here."

Warmth flooded through her heart, as Erina-sama's words washed over her. "Of course, Erina-sama. I will also do my best to assist you."

Erina-sama smiled and nodded her head, gesturing to go. "You should go now, your B-class gourmet partner is going to need all the help he can get."

That part didn't sit as well with her, but she was unsure why. Slightly unsettled, she bowed and took her leave. Yukihira was already at the station, looking through what ingredients were provided for them. When he noticed her coming over, he motioned with his hand to come take a look.

"The provided ingredients are about as limited as we expected... Salt, pepper and sugar are the only real seasonings. We do have oil and butter, but that's it in terms of fats. There is flour, so that could be useful. Oh! And there's actually cream as well!"

"Well, it won't really change our plan, right? We can actually use the flour and fats, and salt and pepper is always good! And the cream will give us one more ingredient to work with."

Hisako nodded, standing up. "We should be able to do this."

She glanced up at the clock hanging above the stadium. Their time would start soon. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Things were going to be okay. She was going to pass. She had Yukihira with her, and Erina-sama would be at the same station.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes to see Yukihira's confident grin.

"Don't worry, we've got this."

For the first time, instead of being annoyed, she smiled back.

"Let's do this."

The timer buzzed and everyone in their arena rushed to the ingredients pantry. In a large tent, shelves and shelves of different ingredients were lined up neatly. There were so many, in fact, that at the entrance there was a directory indicating where one could find specific ingredients. As both Yukihira and Hisako hurried in, they quickly surveyed the directory and Yukihira ran off to the left.

"I'll handle the refrigerated stuff, you handle the rest!"

Hisako nodded and quickly made her way down the aisles of food. The worry had all but dissipated in the heat of the moment, and she was zoned in on completing this challenge. Scanning the aisles with as much speed as possible, she quickly grabbed the three ingredients she could: rice, soy sauce, lemon, and dill. She quickly registered the four items as part of her set before leaving the tent and hurrying back to the station. Yukihira was already there, a container of cream on the counter and a box of something else in his hands. Wordlessly, the two of them began working.

Grabbing a low rim pot, Hisako started one of the burners with the rice, hoping to partially soften it before the rest of the cooking happened. Beside her, Yukihira had filled another pot with a splash of cream, a knob of butter, chopped dill leaves, and the last ingredient: salted fish roe. As that began to simmer, Hisako went back to the bench and started squeezing lemons and shaving zest.

Almost completely absorbed in her own cooking, Hisako forgot for a moment that there were other people at her station. Beside her, Koji was kneading what appeared to be a sort of dough, and across from her Erina-sama was chopping carrots. Erina-sama, who glanced up at Koji's dough, seemed curious.

"What are you planning on making with that?'

Looking up, Koji smiled. "Well, that'd be no fun if I told you, right?"

Hisako would have laughed if she wasn't in a situation like the event, because that sort of response was similar to what Yukihira might have said. And just like Yukihira, it seemed to annoy Erina-sama a bit. She almost felt like scolding him for addressing her Erina-sama in that way, but she let it slide.

"Hmph, whatever."

Erina quickly took her thinly chopped carrots and set them on a burner. Hayama had already begun toasting some spices, and was moving to open the oven just as Koji brought his dough over. Tama, on the other hand, who had been using a burner just now to roast something, moved over to the counter where there was now open space. Hisako didn't realize until just now, but was it possible that those two were actually skilled at cooking?

They keep moving to finish their current task as soon as someone needs that area, and they stay efficient by moving to the now open space... But that means that they aren't only watching our movements, but...

They already know what we're making too?

She stood shocked for a moment, before resuming her task. It was incredible that somehow, they avoided any and all collisions, contrary to the numerous other stations, judging by the sounds of clanging bowls and angry shouts. Instead of the six of them being constantly at odds, fighting over space, it felt more as if they were a single cohesive kitchen unit preparing a three course meal. From Erina-sama, Hayama and Yukihira, she expected this, but she wouldn't have imagined that the other two would have been able to keep up at the same level. She'd have to be careful of them in the future.

The cooking continued rather smoothly, considering that part of the entire challenge was that it wasn't supposed to be smooth, but perhaps it's not too much of a surprise considering the caliber of chefs working at the station.

It was only about forty five minutes by the time Hisako and Yukihira finished their dish. Looking around, it seemed they were one of the first to finish.

"Ready, Arato?"

She picked up a tray holding some of the servings of their dish. "As ready as I'll ever be. Come on, let's get this over with."

The two of them strode up to the judges table, who had been chatting and observing cooking. They seemed taken aback when they realized that a team had already completed a dish, in only 45 minutes out of the provided 180.

"Well, um, please present your dish."

In the crowd, the upperclassmen who could be bothered to come watched in interest.

The two of them walked up, serving a dish to each of the five judges. In it was a bowl of what seemed to be porridge, speckled with green and a slight pink hue. The judges looked down in interest.

"Well, it certainly doesn't look like much... But it does seem that it fit within the five ingredient limit, don't you think?"

"Yes, at most I count four ingredients, and there is certainly cream in here, meaning that that's not one of the five..."

"Why don't we just give it a try? I'm sure everything will be more clear once we taste it."

In unison, the five judges lift a spoonful to their mouth and chew thoughtfully. The crowd around them leaned in as well, wondering what the verdict would be. One of the judges cleared his throat, and took another bite. The rest did something similar.

Yukihira smiled. "Well? What do you think of Yukihira's Fish Roe Risotto?"

The judge in the middle took another bite and swallowed it thoughtfully. "There's a lot of cream and butter, yet it isn't too rich. The pink ingredient you used, it was salted pollock roe, correct?"

"That's correct."

"You did an excellent job of utilizing the strong flavor of the fish roe. Pollock has fishy tasting roe, yet you managed to keep it in check. Its saltiness and fishiness are complemented by the creaminess, which creates a very rich and luxurious texture and flavor. Plus, because roe can break apart very easily, it spreads very evenly and distributes a balance across the entire dish. All of this is only accented by the fact that you served it as a risotto, because rice has a wonderful mouthfeel, especially given the creamy texture. You've also kept the integrity of the rice, allowing it to still give off a satisfying bite while absorbing all of the delicious flavors."

Another judge pipes in. "But typically, salted pollock roe is a very strong flavor... It is extremely salty and fishy, meaning when combined with butter and cream, it would be overly rich... How did you make it come together in such a strong harmony?"

Hisako piped in, excited by their reactions so far. "It was a several step process! The first is pepper, which isn't very spicy but does a good job at offsetting overly rich foods due to its slight amount of heat, keeping the mouth from becoming too oversaturated with rich and creamy textures. Second is lemon, which is traditionally served with fish. Instead we used it with fish roe, but it serves the same purpose. The acidity of the lemon cuts into the creaminess of the risotto, and it also creates a perfect balance with the fish roe between salty and sour. To prevent it from becoming overbearing though, we used soy sauce and sugar, which not only further cut into the richness of the cream, but harmonizes with the fish roe to create a burst of flavor that wasn't solely one dimensional. Lastly, we used dill, an herb which is commonly served alongside fish and reduces the fishy flavor, enhancing it where it can."

"I see... That certainly makes sense! The soy sauce serves as a refreshing flavor that builds upon the rather one dimensional flavor of fish roe and cream! Furthermore, when you eat it, you are first hit by the sour of the lemon and the saltiness of the roe and soy sauce! However, after that flavor shock, you are soothed by the delicious and rich creamy risotto, which is only accented by the dill! And once you finish the bite, you are left in a state of richness, which you want to immediately cut into by taking another bite! The ingredients here create a cycle which is impossible to escape!"

Another judge, looking at the bowl, almost seems confused. "Yet no matter how much I eat, I don't feel full! And normally, this much creamy food would cause me to feel bloated after, or weak with too much rich food, but instead, I feel fine! Is this a result of the acidity and saltiness which keep me refreshed?"

Hisako, once again, raised her finger. "While that certainly is true, it might also be a result of the dill! Dill as an herb was used traditionally in Europe as a medicine known to aid in loss of appetite and stomach problems!"

"Incredible! So the sole spice they chose to incorporate also happened to be one that not only tasted good, but addressed two of the most prominent issues a dish like this would have! In a way, it reminds me of sushi! Using a single meat, and enhancing it through the use of other ingredients that build upon the core flavor, in this case fishiness!"

"You truly captured the essence of what it means to use a small number of ingredients to enhance each of their natural flavors and create a coherent dish!"

The score went up: a resounding unanimous success.

"It wasn't much!"

Yukihira and Hisako smiled, glancing at each other. It looks like we really did it! He extended a fist to her. Taken aback at first, she tentatively reached out and bumped it.

"Good job, Arato."

"You too, Yukihira."

The two of them sat up in the stands, still a whopping two hours left on the clock before the challenge ended. They sat in the front row, and looked down at the stadium, at ease with the fact that their Day 2 is over.

"What do you think about the rest of the contestants?"

"Eh, I don't know. I kinda want to go celebrate though. That was a fun challenge!"

"I don't know if fun is the right word for that, but yeah, I see what you mean."

Yukihira leaned back. "Well, I am at least curious about what Nakiri and the others in our group are making, so I'll stay for those."

Hisako grinned, happy, but not too sure as to why. "Yeah, we can go celebrate after this."

They watched with interest as Erina-sama pulled something out of a sous vide machine, which was definitely a steak of some sort. As soon as it hit the searing pan, an incredible scent started to fill the room. Hisako tried to pinpoint it, but struggled. It was a scent that felt so familiar, but still unknown. "Do you know what that smell is?"

He smiles a dumb grin. "Not a clue! Smells good though."

I'm not sure why I expected anything else, honestly.

Before long, Erina-sama had finished their dish and both her and Hayama walked up to the judging table. The judges looked intrigued when they saw the pair that approached them, given the reputation of both partners. "What do you have for us today?"

Hayama set forth the trays of food, revealing a steak with what appeared to be finely shredded carrots on top.

The judges seemed to drool with anticipation. "It certainly is a beautiful dish... Why don't we have a taste?"

They all cut into it effortlessly, getting a bit of everything onto their fork and putting the entire thing into their mouth. Almost instantly, their eyes light up.

"The beef is delicious... Fatty, tender and cooked to a perfect medium rare. But what makes this dish truly amazing is the carrots! They are the absolute perfect accompaniment!"

Another judge takes another bite enthusiastically. "Onion is commonly used as a pair for steak, but using carrot instead works quite well! Onion is good because when caramelized they create a sweet, acidic flavor. However, the carrots retain much more crunch, are still sweet, and you have paired them with a balsamic vinaigrette! But there's a depth to this carrot... What is it?"

"It would be cumin and coriander."

The judge's eyes widen. "I see! Cumin has a strong flavor which evokes warmth! It is earthy and nutty, which pairs similarly with meat as does wine! The slight bitterness turns to cut into the richness of the meat, which was also seasoned with cumin."

"Not to mention, coriander, also known as cilantro, has a distinct flavor which is accented by the earthiness! It evokes a freshness that contrasts the deep flavors of the cumin which only makes it more delicious! By creating a contrast of flavors between the two distinct spices, using the tender beef and sweet, balsamic carrots, the two of you have created a deliciously coherent dish!"

"The oil used as part of the vinaigrette also create a wonderful mouth feel that makes the switch to distinct acidic flavors all the more clear. By taking advantage of contrasting flavors, from the acidic, to the rich, to the sweet, the endless transitions do not only keep the dish delicious and interesting all the way through, but make it showcase the simplicity behind its ingredients! Splendid!"

"Wow, that looks good! I wonder if she'll make it for me sometime."

That last part, said by Yukihira, garnered a slap on the arm from Hisako. She sighed, again unsurprised by how used she was to his behavior. That said, it did seem like a very delicious dish. She could feel her mouth watering at the sight of it. The contrast between meat and vegetable, using the other ingredients to showcase those differences... It was an amazing idea, befitting a pair of their caliber.

However, as soon as Erina-sama and Hayama had left, another unanimous pass having happened, the judges were faced with yet another pair, this time coming from Tama and Koji.

"Oh my... Another dish so soon. What have you prepared for us?"

Setting down the plates, Koji smiles. It appears to be some sort of pizza, except the toppings are completely foreign, looking nothing at all like something one would normally find on a pizza.

Hisako leans over, whispering to Yukihira, "What do you think that is?"

"Hmmm... I mean, it looks like a pizza, but I have no idea what's on it. It looks sort of like... fish?"

"Hm."

It did look like fish, but she wasn't entirely sure what kind it was, much less what was underneath it. It also looked like there were cucumbers on top? She waited eagerly to see what it was that those two made. If their kitchen skills were anything to go by, they certainly had talent.

"What you have is a pizza, Koji style!"

"I'm here too you know."

"Koji and Tama style!"

Hisako let out a laugh, and Yukihira chuckled too. Were these people real? This seemed like something straight out of a comedy bit. In fact, they seemed so animated that it almost seemed like just that: an anime.

The pizza was sliced and each judge was served a piece. They looked at each other, almost in confusion, and took a bite. The crowd around Hisako grew quiet, intrigued by such a bizarre looking dish.

One of the judges cleared his throat. "Let me preface this by saying that this pizza is delicious! But it is so bizarre that my mind is struggling to comprehend what is happening..."

Another judge, who also seems a tad confused, tries to explain the dish. "The topping is seared mackerel, correct? Mackerel is an extremely salty and fishy fish which, when used correctly, has potential to explode with flavor. By searing it, you've trapped the flavors inside the fish without overcooking it, and keeping it in pieces keeps each piece succulent. The base is a soy sauce infused mayonnaise. Another topping is Japanese pickle, or tsukemono. In essence, what you have created is a Japanese pizza that contains very traditional flavors!"

That made a lot of sense. Just like how Hisako and Yukihira thought of sushi as a simple food, it turns out a large portion of Japanese cuisine is based around simplicity and the natural flavor of ingredients! And a pizza is one of the most simple foods, so to pair the two together is actually quite ingenious!

"The flavor of the fish is complemented by soy sauce, as is most Japanese prepared fish, and yet because you chose mackerel, it could have been overly salty. However, by using mayonnaise, you cut into it with a creamy texture which helps mellow out the fishiness and saltiness! Additionally, to keep it from being too creamy, the tsukemono add a refreshing bite that cleanse the palate!"

"And what's more impressive is that you made the decision to keep the dough bland and not salt it at all! Normally, doughs are made with a pinch or two of salt, but by abstaining from doing that, the dough ensures that the toppings don't overpower each other!"

Tama was smiling, perhaps the first time Hisako had seen her smile since they had met, which granted wasn't very long ago. "Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the food."

Koji gave her a thumbs up as the score went up, which was yet again unanimous.

As the two made their way outside, Yukihira stood up. "Well, that was interesting! I figured they'd be good at cooking after seeing what they were like in the kitchen."

"You noticed too?"

He scoffed. "Of course! I worked in the greatest restaurant of all time, you know."

Chuckling lightly, Hisako got up as well. "Sure, whatever you say, Yukihira."

"You ready to get out of here? I think the Polar Star Dorm is hosting a party for everyone who passed."

She checked her watch. "I should check on Erina-sama first before I do that... I'll let you know if I can make it later."

Yukihira gave her a thumbs up. "Sure thing!"

Walking back to her dorm, Hisako dropped off her things and went to find Erina-sama. She should be in her room right now...

Returning to Erina-sama's room, she called out, "Erina-sama? I'm back!"

Erina-sama emerged from the hallway. "Welcome back, Hisako. You did well. I'm glad to see you passed."

"Thank you! I'm glad you passed as well, not that it was ever in question though..."

"Yes, well, Hayama is a rather experienced individual, so he certainly doesn't get in my way very much. Rather, his nose is quite strong. Anyways, what are you doing for the rest of the day? You don't need to attend to me during the Challenge, you know that, right?"

Hisako faltered. Was she not needed anymore? "O-of course, Erina-sama, I just wanted to check on you-"

"Ah! Hisako, don't get me wrong, I really appreciate you coming here for me it's just... I don't... Want to take away your time or anything."

"Don't worry, Erina-sama! It'd be my honor to spend the rest of the day with you!"

Erina-sama smiled sweetly, as if indulging in a guilty pleasure. "Well, if you say so. You can come in to my room."

Hisako, on the other hand, pulled out her phone, opening her conversation with Yukihira.

"Sorry, I can't make it today... Invite me next time though! I'd be happy to go!"

A reply came extremely quickly.

"Don't worry about it! See ya tomorrow!"

She found herself surprisingly sad that she wouldn't get to go, but as for why, she was unsure. But regardless, she was going to spend the rest of the day with Erina-sama, and make sure she realized how important she was to her. After all, Erina-sama was her everything.

Despite all that, even Erina-sama had praised her today, and she had felt confidence in what she was doing during the challenge. And for the first time, she felt as if she had an idea as to why that was. Opening her phone once again, she shot one last text.

"Thank you, Yukihira."

A few seconds passed.

"For what?"

Hisako smiled.

"Don't worry about it. See ya tomorrow :)"

A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! This is my gift to you: a story that hasn't updated in over a year!

I can't promise the next update will come soon, but it will come eventually. Thank you all for being patient, and I understand if some of you have given up at this point. I haven't kept up with the community, so I hope that this pairing is received well.

See you all sometime next year!

-Rohasshiki