"Talking"

'Thinking'

(Author making a quick comment)

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Chapter 13; Clash of Maelstroms.

~}i{~

Over the past three days, Sōma and the Aldini Twins experimented with several beef stew recipes. Some of those recipes were good, but they weren't extraordinary enough to cinch a win. With some of the bad recipes… Well, let's just say that there was no way those would be used, especially one particular bad recipe.

Sotsuda pretty much camped out in front of the kitchen Sōma was using the entire time. He had a sleeping bag, thermal mug, munchies, and all his journalism gear. When Mayu dropped by to check on her brother, she saw the young would-be journalist snoozing in his sleeping bag on the floor in front of the kitchen door. The two sets of twins did have to admire the jr high schooler's dedication to his path, somewhat.

Megumi left a thermos with some ice tea along with a nicely written note telling Sōma to enjoy the tea and to his best in front of the kitchen door. Mayu thought the gesture was sweet.

~}i{ Day of the Semi-Finals, 12:55 }i{~

The stadium that was to be used for the Autumn Election Semi-Finals filled up very quickly. Totsuki students and staff, some of the regular judges that preside over Shokugekis, and some of Japan's elite filled the stadium in eager anticipation.

Sotsuda paced one of the hallways, camera in hand, and looking a little nervous. When the junior high student noticed the blind redhead arriving with his sister and the Aldini Twins, he immediately rushed over. The would-be journalist then asked in a frantic tone, "Yukihira-senpai! It's almost time for your match to start! Where have you been?!"

Sōma answered in a good-natured tone, "Ah, sorry, sorry. Mayu and I had a few errands to run this morning. Takumi and Isami ended up coming along with us."

"W-well?" Sotsuda vocalize before asking, "Did you find some way to beat Mimasaka-senpai's Tracing Technique?"

Sōma walked passed Sotsuda when he said, "Hmm... Dunno." Mayu rolled her eyes at this comment but didn't say anything.

The junior high student wrote everything down when he muttered under his breath, "Oh, okay. You don't know." That was when he finally registered what was said. Sotsuda then shouted at the top of his lungs, "YOU DON'T KNOW?! W-W-WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU DON'T KNOW?!"

Takumi couldn't help but say, "I thought you said you were going to word that differently?"

Isami couldn't help but add, "I'm not surprised he didn't."

Mayu looked at Isami and said, "Not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing that you're getting used to Sōma's antics." The younger Aldini twin simply shrugged at the comment.

In his usual calm casual tone, Sōma said, "I did everything I could. *Sōma slung his knife case over his shoulder*. Now all that's left is to do what I always do _ have fun cooking."

With that, Sōma and Mayu entered the arena.

~}i{ Right Outside the Stadium, Ten Minutes Before the Start of the Match }i{~

"Remind me again how ya got tickets to this, Eiji?" Aira Kanae asked the long-haired man. She was currently wearing her matching tiger printed shirt and shorts paired with bright orange knee-high boots and a black leather jacket. She then asked, "Listen, I get that you're a foodie and all, but even I know that when it comes to Totsuki events, their tickets are hard ta get. Especially at the last minute."

Kashii Eiji, wearing a mellow red button-up shirt with white trimmings, long black slacks paired with boots of the same colour, and actually had his hair tied back in a loose ponytail that allowed his bangs to hang in his face, answered by saying, "The Totsuki Headmaster sent Duodecuple the tickets so he would give them to us as a way of apologizing for the actions of his students during the Menu Contest, since he only knew where we lived."

Yūki Misaki fiddled with the khaki fur wrap around her neck when she nervously asked, "Did you contact..." The ginger-haired petit woman was wearing an olive coloured shirt and shorts paired with black thigh-high socks and brown shoes.

Eiji glanced at the ground when he said, "I did... But the hospital is keeping him until he can eat solids without trouble or pain."

"Well'p, at least he's in a better condition than when he was admitted," Sumihiko Tsujiie stated as he stroked his fluffy white beard. The elderly man was wearing a straw hat to cover his balding head, olive cameo coloured slacks, wooden getas on his feet, and was wearing a gray shirt with the words 'Who's Your Llama?' written in black letters over a picture of a purple, blue, and indigo llama pinata on the front (1).

Souma Yoshimi, wearing a tight gray sleeveless shirt that showed off his bulging muscles and a pair long rusty brown slacks that were tucked into his giant workboot, nodded in agreement at the statement.

Usagi, wearing a rabbit themed shirt with a pair of black slacks with little bunnies stitched on and wore a pair of red high heels and his black bunny eared headband, pipped in a, "So he's getting better?"

"Usagi," Michio said getting the albino man's attention before adding, "It takes a while to recover from an attack like that, but yes, he's getting better." She was wearing a gray t-shirt, black cargo pants, and paired with a pair of gray leather boots. Yumi, wearing a blue and red striped shirt paired with khaki slacks and red sneakers, was standing next to her mother.

Tsugiyoshi yawned before saying, "But knowing him, he'll be on his feet before we realize it." The gray-haired teen was just wearing his school uniform. He stretched his arms above his head before saying, "Besides, the paramedics arrived in a fast enough timeframe to apply the medical assistance necessary to save him." The gray-haired teen was wearing his school uniform since he didn't feel like wearing his casual clothing.

Usagi lowered his gaze a bit before saying, "I know that's a good thing, and I'm glad they did... I guess I'm still a bit unnerved by what happened... There wasn't a whole lot of it."

Michio nudged her daughter closer to her when she said, "Unfortunately, it doesn't take much to set off an anaphylactic shock if they're severely allergic to a food item."

Misaki tried to move the conversation to something a bit more pleasant by saying, "I agree with Tsugiyoshi, he'll be better in no time. Besides, we're here to cheer for Yukihira-kun, Kurokiba-kun, and Hayama-kun. Remember."

That was a unanimous decision.

The Tsumita brothers, Nagayuki and Takeyasu, couldn't help but note the shirt the elderly man was wearing.

Nagayuki, wearing a light blue jump-suit and matching shoes, was the first of the duo to say, "Hey, Old Man, don't you have anything that doesn't make ya look like your grandkid dressed ya?"

Wearing a flimsy gray tank-top and olive green cameo slacks, Takeyasu said, "I agree with my big bro. Game gear just looks weird on a geezer."

Sumihiko taped his hat when he said, "I don't see the problem with that. It breaks ageism barriers and I like some of those games. So, I'm more then happy ta talk about them if someone asks. And last time I checked, you two little whipper-snappers still haven't beaten me at any of the Mario Kart games." The elderly man let out a chuckle, as did some of the others in the group when he saw the brothers turn pink in embarrassment.

Yumi tugged on her mother's hand when she said, "Can we go find our seats so we can watch Sōma-kun?"

Michio smiled at her daughter and said, "Sure. *Turns to the group* Come on, let's head on in. We can tease the Tweedle Twins on the way to our seats."

The Tsumita brothers turned pinkish-red in embarrassment when they said in unison, "We told you a million times! We're not twins! We just look alike!"

Michio chuckled when she said as they all started walking into the stadium, "Yeah, I know, but it's just too amusing calling you two twins Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum."

~}i{ Back Inside the Stadium, Right before the Start of the Match }i{~

Mimasaka Subaru and Yukihira Sōma were at their cooking stations for their match.

That was when a familiar voice said over the speaker system, "Ladies and gentlemen, for the semi-final matches, we five chefs have the honor of being judges."

All of the Totsuki students within the audience gasped in absolute shock when they realized who the judges for this round would be.

Judges' Seat #1; 80th Graduating Class, Second Seat, Inui Hinako: Owner of Japanese Restaurant Kiri no Ya.

Judges' Seat #2; 79th Graduating Class, Second Seat, Mizuhara Fuyumi: Owner of the Time Restaurant Ristorante F.

Judges' Seat #3; 69th Graduating Class, First Seated Gemini Chef, Dōjima Gin: Head Chef of the Totsuki Resort Hotels.

Judges' Seat #4; 88th graduating Class, Second Seat, Tsunozaki Taki: Owner of Spanish Restaurant Taki Amarillo.

Judges' Seat #5; 89th Graduating Class, Second Seat, Kikuchi Sonoka: Owner of Western Cuisine Restaurant Shunkatei.

Gin then said into the microphone, "Ladies and gentlemen, the first semi-final match is Yukihira Sōma versus Mimasaka Subaru! Contestants _ begin cooking!"

(Going to skip writing the antics between the judges, sorry folks but it's not necessary for this story).

That was when the audience noticed the type of beef meat the blind redhead was using.

"Oxtail?" "You mean the beef he chose is a cow's tail?!" "What's going on? Doesn't beef stew usually use a shoulder or a rump cut?" "Yeah, so why'd he picked oxtail of all things?"

Erina, watching from the VIP lounge, watched the entire thing when she thought, 'Now I see what he's going for! Out of all of the meat, you can get from a cow, the tail meat has the most gelatin! Season the oxtail with salt and pepper, dusted with flour and stir it in a frying pan to give it a good color, and then set it to simmer until it's good and tender. That way by the time it has thoroughly soaked up the demi-glace sauce all of the sticky gelatin in it would have begun to melt out giving the meat a delicately chilly and gooey texture! That, together with the demi-glace sauce, creates a much richer taste experience.'

Erina was amazed that the blind redhead managed to come up with something like that. Although, she wasn't sure if it was because the Aldini Twins were helping him with ideas or because of past experience. But if the honey blonde was honest with herself, she was hoping it was because of half-Italian brothers.

Ikumi noticed Sōma using cloves and black pepper and that was when she said, "Oh, I get it! Cloves will help highlight the mellow yet deep flavor of the sauce! That and he rubbed only salt and pepper on the oxtails themselves makes sense too. If he dusted them with cloves, that would give them too much flavor, making them stick out from the rest of the dish."

Sōma then started dicing vegetables. So far, Mayu was just standing by and keeping an eye on her brother.

Erina easily noted that the vegetable combination would make a Matignon.

Matignon; celery, carrots, and onions are minced and then sautéed with diced ham or bacon in butter, white wine or madeira wine. That primarily to impart its sweetness on to other meats or fish, matignon is more commonly used as a bed on which other things are cooked, as opposed to being served in its own right.

Erina couldn't help but think, 'The matignon is yet another thing that will preserve the gentle flavor of the dish while still giving it an impact.' The honey blonde knew that that kind of combination would be hard to defeat and giving her a little hope that maybe the blind redhead would be able to win.

However, that feeling didn't last long…

Mimasaka Subaru was cooking oxtail as well, and spicing the meats with cloves and black pepper. He then started on mincing the vegetables for the matignon. That was when the copycat said, "This is where I get one step ahead!" And with that, he pulled out a giant slab of meat on a hook from who knows where and started cooking it.

Judging by the smell that was filling the audiences' nostrils, the giant slab of meat was smoked bacon.

Erina carefully thought over what was happening within the stadium, 'If he's adding bacon to beef stew, there's only one thing it could be. A garnish! The bacon is meant to be a side dish to the stew. Yukihira's recipe is the type that calls for straining the demi-glace sauce at the end to give it a smooth texture. That means it's only official ingredients are the meat and the sauce, making for a very plain dish. Garnishes of some sort are necessary! Beef simmered in red wine _ the French dish thought to be the predecessor to beef stew _ always comes with at least a handful of garnishes. The traditional garnishes are croutons, glazed pearl onions, sauté mushrooms, and bacon!'

"He's going to take that thick, juicy bacon and added to the stew?!" Someone in the audience exclaimed. Another student then shouted, "Now he's sautéing those extra-thick slices of bacon in butter!" "He's being just as efficient and delicate as always." "Man, the smell of the bacon is so good! It's smoky, yet somehow mellow…" "What kind of wood chips did he used to give it that kind of sent?"

Somehow hearing that particular question over the yammer of the audience, Subaru said, "You wanna know what I used? It's Mesquite."

Yuuki asked her fellow dorm mates if any of them knew what Mesquite was. Ibusaki Shun knew exactly what it was when he said, "It's a small tree used for smoking that's native to Mexico and the southern US. You'll hardly find it used anywhere in Japan though. Mesquite is one of the most popular kinds of wood chips in Texas, the heartland of barbecues and grilling. Because of its sharp scent, it's mostly used in small quantities for smoking, particularly thick cuts of meat, giving them a golden sheen."

Again, somehow hearing that particular statement over the audience, Subaru said, "But I didn't stop there! I added a secret weapon to my curing compound _ Muscovado sugar! I sweetened my curing compound with muscovado sage, nutmeg, basil, and other spices, letting the bacon marinade for a week! It will have boosted the umami of the bacon, 10 times over!"

Yuuki then exclaimed, "What the heck? When did Mimasaka-kun get that good at smoking and curing? That's practically Ibusaki-level know-how right there!"

That was when the Polaris group realized that Subaru had traced Shun's talents at smoking and curing food.

Subaru then added, "Juicy, extra-thick-cut bacon, and oxtail simmered until it's so tender and chewy it almost melts in the mouth. All wrapped up in a rich, thick, full-bodied demi-glace sauce. That's the beef stew I'm making."

The majority of the audience's mouth started watering, just by that description of the dish.

Kikuchi Sonoka was the one to say, "On the other hand, Yukihira-kun doesn't seem to have any special garnishes."

Tsunozaki Taki added on by saying, "Hmph, the guy probably thought they were just extra thick tacked on the side. He doesn't know they're really a key part to a good beef stew! Against Mimasaka's beef stew, there's no way at all that Yukihira can win."

Suddenly, Taki was hit in the back of the head with a wooden geta that just flew out of nowhere, and it hit her pretty hard. She nearly toppled over as a result.

This, of course, angered Taki to the point that you can see an inferno surrounding her being. The Spanish cuisine chef picked up the geta, turn towards the audience behind her, and snapped angrily, "Alright! Which one of you snot-nosed brats actually has the balls to throw this *holds up the geta* at me?!"

Sonoka looked at the wooden shoe before asking, "Are you sure it was a kid who threw this? It looks like an adult-sized geta."

Taki quickly snapped at the blonde judge, "Who cares! I just want to know who threw it!"

"You were being mean to my friend!" Usagi suddenly shouted at the two judges.

Anyone who was close enough turned their attention to the white-haired man, who is currently standing in the row three flights behind where the judges were observing the two contestants. everyone, besides the residence of the Juuni Taisen Building Complex, stared at Usagi as if he were an escaped insane asylum patient. Which they probably thought he was in all honesty.

Sumihiko gave a weary sigh before telling the albino man, "As much as I applaud you for sticking up for a friend, I really don't like the fact that you threw one of my geta at'er."

Usagi looked at the elderly man and said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "I didn't have anything on me that was as hard as a geta to throw."

Being completely use to the albino man's antics/behaviors, Sumihiko only said, "How's about you ask me to use my getas first, okay? It'll give you a chance to hear yourself before you act."

Usagi happily chimed an "Okay!" as Michio stood up from her seat and scooted out of the row. She said as she made her way out, "I'll get your geta Tsujiie-san. It may not be a good idea to let Usagi get it right now." That made the other Juuni Taisen residents think for a few seconds about what their friends had just said before realizing that she had a point. Usagi was very protective of his friends and he didn't like people who bad mouthed them. Meaning he would've picked a fight with the judge that might've ended with blood being spilled.

Luckily it wasn't much of a fuss when Michio retrieves the geta from Taki. Unless you count the Spanish cuisine chef mumbling about the crazy albino man being a nut case. The daycare teacher managed to retort softly, "Oh, he's not so crazy once gets know him." Once Michio had the geta, she returned to her seat and handed the wooded shoe back to its original owner.

Meanwhile…

Sotsuda felt an uneasy sensation creeping into his body. The junior high student then thought to himself, 'Right after Yukihira-senpai locked himself in the kitchen with the Aldini brothers he didn't talk with anyone besides his sister… So… How could Mimasaka-senpai know about the oxtail?'

By coincidence, Subaru walked by the junior high student with a box in his arms. When the copycat noticed him, he said, "Oh, hey, you're Sotsuda Mitsuru, right?" Getting the young journalist's attention before continuing, "You ought to come up with more complicated passwords in the future, man. I mean, your birthday? Come on, Anybody could've guessed that."

That was when all the color drained from Sotsuda's face when he exclaimed in shock, "No way! You hacked into my computer?!"

Subaru then said as if there was nothing important about it, "There were lots of other things that could've done, but that made it almost too easy." The copycat then walked off when he said, "Thanks, man."

Sotsuda couldn't have felt worse then he did right then and there. It just happened to be a coincidence that he was even in the Polaris dorm when he overheard Sōma talking with his dorm mates about using oxtail in his beef stew. 'All those days Yukihira-senpai spent practicing dishes… All the new ideas, all the trials, and errors… He stole it all…' The junior high student thought as tears peaked out from the corners of his eyes. It was all his fault that Mimasaka knew… Sotsuda was so eager to write the in-depth article on Sōma and wanted to show the entire school that the blind redhead was a capable chef and him a worthy journalist that it never occurred to him that the copycat could get into his computer.

Suddenly, Mayu placed a medium-sized cooler on top of the counter Sōma cooking on. The younger Yukihira twin then told the older, "You might want to get started on cooking these if you want to finish your dish on time."

Sōma couldn't help but smile when he said with a chuckle, "Oh, is it at that time already? Man, I must've been in the zone to nearly forget about the main ingredients."

"Not sure if I should chalk that up to being too much like mom or like dad," Mayu stated chipperly as the blind redhead took whatever was out of the cooler and started prepping those.

To the majority of the audience, it sounded like neither of the Yukihiras heard anything that was said about them. Either that or they chose to ignore what was being said.

The next thing everyone knew, Sōma was prepping three different things at once (with a little assistance from Mayu), each in a different way. It made it a little too easy to forget that Sōma was blind, at least until they remembered that Mayu was there.

"Beef cheek! Tongue! Tripe! Tenderloin!" Someone shouted as they looked over what meats were in the cooler.

"Look at all those different cuts of beef! And now he's cooking all of them at once," the MC exclaimed over are the microphone.

Sotsuda couldn't help but exclaimed, "Senpai, you only used oxtail the whole time you are practicing!"

Mayu was the one to apply rather nonchalantly, "Oh, we just bought all of these meats just this morning."

The audience was a gasp with shock, but now they understood what Sōma was planning. They assumed that the blind redhead was going to ad-lip his dish!

Sōma's first attention was on the cow tongue. He boiled that for a few minutes until it was firm on the outside, then he skinned it. Sōma then browned the tongue in butter and olive oil, for little freshness. The next meat part that was prepped was the cheek meat. That was marinated in red wine with basil and parsley stems, then sprinkled with some salt-and-pepper, and then dusted with flour, before finally being seared in a frying pan. The tenderloins were next. Those were simmered right inside the oven at 180°C (356°F), and needed to be cooked for just over an hour.

The audience couldn't believe their eyes or at least the majority of the audience. "Holy crap! He really does look like he's making this up as he goes?" One person from the audience shouted. Another member of the audience that exclaimed, "Are all those different things even going to come together into a coherent dish?" Then another person said, "Now he's bringing out even more meat!" That was when someone noticed the meat those just brought out and shouted, "Is that… Skirt steak?"

That was when the audience realized that Mayu had disappeared. She returned with a Charcoal Brazier. Not even two seconds later, the Yukihira Twins started the brazier and waited for the coals to light.

From what the audience could tell, Yukihira Sōma was putting together the beef stew on-the-fly.

"Heh, now I see, Yukihira," Subaru vocalize before adding with a smirk, "I figured you might be one of those types."

That was when Mayu folded her arms as she leaned against the counter and said, "Hmm, you might need to be a little bit more specific. Using a broad term like 'Types' can mean a whole lot of things. Although, I highly doubt you're talking about Pokémon at a time like this." This earned a chuckle from her twin brother.

Even though he didn't understand the quip behind the comment, Subaru decided to explain what he meant, "When chefs compete against me without knowing about my Perfect-Trace Technique, they either lose their morale and give up or, like Aldini Takumi, try to come up with some way to evolve their dish on the spot."

"Sounds similar to what happens to Kon's opponents when they realize how badly they screwed up when facing her," Mayu commented as she placed a hand to her chin, thinking about those particular events the past. That was when she added, "Though that's kind of how she gets back at them."

That was when Sōma added, "Well, ya can't exactly say it's not deserved. But they should really be thankful that that tends to be the worst she usually does." Mayu nodded at that.

Despite finding the comments interesting, Subaru continued with his explanation, "But when people know what they're up against, there are two types of chefs. Type 1; the Bluffer. They loudly proclaim before and that they will make one dish, but on the day of the match, the make something else entirely. The more confident the chef is in his skills, the more he tends towards this type. Type 2; the Ad-Libber! These types come into the match with absolutely no idea what they are going to make! They figure if they don't plan anything, there's nothing for me to copy. I understand the logic, but most of these type-two chefs wind up panicking in the middle of the match, and can't even finish a dish inside the time limit. But you, Yukihira? I figure you'll manage to put something together. It'll probably be half decent. You aren't the kind of guy who loses his cool often."

That was when Sōma replied, "Aww, geez, that's real nice of you. Most people don't actually notice that about me."

That was when Mayu added, "Yeah, that's definitely something you inherited from mom." Sōma chuckled when he replied, "Same can be said about you."

That's when Subaru asked with a smirk on his face, "By the way… This morning, before you bought all of those meats with your sister and the Aldini brothers, you went to Hanamirai Hospital. I'm just a little curious as to who you were visiting there?"

Mayu glared at the copycat stalker while Sōma seemed to flinch a bit. It was pretty obvious that Subaru only said that to prove that he was watching the blind redhead's every move. That was both creepy and psychologically unsettling.

Sōma's eyebrows narrowed when he said sternly, "Judging by the tone in your voice, it seems to me that you already know who."

Giving a nonchalant shrug, Subaru said before going back to cooking, "Someone with Dragon in their name (2)."

~}i{ Time Skip }i{~

Subaru finished his dish first.

The five judges took a bite of the beef stew.

Kikuchi Sonoka was shuttering with delight at the stew in her mouth burst with flavor. She couldn't help but ooze out, "Mmmmmm! My tongue feels like it could melt in pure bliss! What a wonderfully mellow and smooth flavor!"

Amarillo Taki couldn't help but add, "Then that sharp Mesquite scent comes along and kicks you in the nose! It's so powerful it almost makes my eyes tear up. This is unbelievably delicious!"

I was when Subaru turned his attention to Sōma when he said, "I anticipated everything you'd think up. And that is exactly why I chose this bacon!" That was when the copycat explained the process, "Five days spent aging and marinating the bacon. Another full day left out in the open air to dry, and five more hours spent smoking at." After all of that time and effort, it's no wonder its umami flavor is off the charts!

Gin then said before scooping another bite full of the beef stew into his mouth, "True. The amount of time spent carefully crafting this bacon is obvious. Despite its sharp umami flavor, it doesn't overpower the oxtail. It even magnifies the beef's impact!" That was when the head chef of the Resort Hotels thought, 'The power of time and effort. The strength of this dish lies on the exact opposite side of the spectrum from ad-lib cooking. Sōma… Can you overcome this kind of obstacle?'

Ryōka couldn't help but say, "Then that means Mimasaka-kun figured out ahead of time that Sōma would ad-lib his dish?"

Yuuki had a look of horror on her face when she said, "Oh gawd, it's the same as what happened to Takumi-chi. The guy knew what was coming, and already countered it!"

That was when Subaru shouted in a mocking tone filled with pride, "You didn't think it through, Yukihira! Yeah, it might sound cool to say that you will rely on spur-of-the-moment inspiration to put together a dish last minute, but that's just avoiding the problem! You couldn't think of a solution, so you decided to stop thinking entirely! The details, Yukihira! Cooking is all about the details! The chef who prepares more thoroughly wins! You can come up with all the pretty tricks you want now, they won't help you! You're finished! Engraved today on your memory, Yukihira, because it's going to be your last day in Totsuki!"

(I'm going to skip writing the very weird imagery for the judges' reaction to Mimasaka's beef stew dish. Because I am not sure if they are wrestling with humanoid pigs, or having a weird costume contest with pork as a theme… But just letting you know it's the same reactions as the canon anime/manga).

"The judges love it!" Someone from the audience shouted. Another then shouted, "Mimasaka-kun made five of the world biggest star chefs moan in delight!"

Kanae couldn't help but comment to her friends in a rather flat tone, "I wouldn't say they're moanin' or nothing, but there's no denyin' that they seem to like that Sake-kun's stew."

everyone from the Juuni Taisen Building Complex stared at the orangette before Misaki said in a weary tone, "Umm, Kanae, his name is Mimasaka, not Sake." Although it wasn't that much of a surprise that the orange-haired dojo instructor mixed up someone's name with an alcoholic beverage.

Takeyasu, then glanced at his older brother and said, "But Sōma-chan'll beat him. The only ones who can beat Sōma-chan in a cooking contest are Yukihira-san and sometimes Mayu-chan. He's too good of a chef to let something like a copycat beat 'im."

That was when Nagayuki stated, "Of course Sōma-chan'll win, Ore-sama is sure of it. Besides, he's gone up against worse."

"Sōma-Tomodachi (3) will win, he'd never let anything stop him from cooking," Usagi stated as he, somewhat, bounced in his seat like his namesake.

Michio only smiled at the albino's comment before turning her attention back towards the arena.

On the other end of the spectrum of Yukihira allies, the Polaris dorm members seem completely disheartened by all the praise that Subaru was getting, even Erina seemed to think that there was no way that Sōma could win. Although the Aldini brothers didn't seem as nervous as everyone else, they were still a bit nervous.

As he finished up his beef stew, Sōma said, "Y'know, Mimasaka-kun. I never said anything about giving up on thinking." With that, the blind redhead did something to cause the entire arena to erupt in smoke.

And the next thing everyone knew, the two Yukihiras served Sōma's beef stew dish.

"Here ya go, folks, dig in!" Sōma said with his usual smile on his face before saying, "This is Yukihira-Style Beef Stew Autumn Election Edition."

For what the audience could see, Sōma's beef stew was piled with all kinds of different cuts of meat.

Taki couldn't help but comment in an annoyed tone, "Is this some kind of joke? I've never seen beef stew that looks like this asked!"

Sōma couldn't help but chuckle and say in an amused tone, "Well, to be honest, I haven't "seen" beef stew in quite some time, so I wouldn't know what it's supposed to look like. But I can guarantee that it is beef stew in smell, taste, and texture."

That was when Mayu said with a giggle, "I think she was talking about all the extra garnishes." Sōma turned an ear to his twin sister and vocalized an, "Oh."

The majority of the audience was outright confused by Sōma's seemingly mismatched ensemble of beef parts, even organs, in the stew that he created. Of course, the main question on everyone's lips was "is that really going to come together?" Or "would that really taste good?"

Subaru looked at his opponents beef stew and thought, 'What a mess of random meat. That's a poor last-ditch effort if you ask me. All that junk is nowhere close to my garnishes! Especially my special bacon, which I thoroughly smoked with all that tantalizing Mesquite goodness. There is no way he can reach the flavor I so carefully built over an entire week!" To the copycat, his own beef stew was as well constructed as a carefully assembled tower made from a deck of standard playing cards.

Inui Hinako hummed in delight when she said, "Mmm! The savory smell of the charcoal-grilled steak is lovely!"

Kikuchi Sonoka scooped a spoonful of meat and said, "There's the cow tongue… And tenderloin too. They look like they've been simmered to perfection."

Gin was the one to say, "All rights. Ladies… It's time to taste." But in his head, he thought, 'Knowing you, my little godson, there is more to this than meets the eye.'

Just as the judges were about to take their first bite, a song suddenly echoed through the stadium.

"Transformers! More than meets the eye!

Transformers! Robots in disguise!

Autobots wage their battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons!" (4).

Mayu immediately turned towards her blushing twin brother when she asked him, "I thought you told the Trinity not to call you during the match, and I'm sure you told them the time and length of it."

Sōma pulled his phone out of his pocket when he said, "Trust me, I did. Hmm, that's the ring tone I set for Kon."

"Transformers! More than they appear!

Transformers! Justice, bolts, and gears!

Autobots wage their battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons!" (4).

Mayu couldn't help but chuckle out a, "How appropriate." As Sōma quickly told his phone to tell the caller a pre-recorded message, that ended the ring tone immediately. Gin actually bit his lip to prevent himself from laughing at the pure coincidence of the timing of that phone call and ring tone.

That was when Sōma said as he shoved his phone back in his pocket, "I'll call her back after the match. If she is calling about an emergency, she'll call again within the next few seconds."

The female judges glanced at one another before asking in confusion, "She?"

That was when Sonoka asked, "But isn't Kon a boy's name?"

Mayu was the one to answer, "Kon's her nickname, plus it's easier for people to remember."

Taki gave a huff before reminding the other judges that they had a job to do, much to Gin's amusement. With that, the judges tasted the dish.

That was when the members of the Polaris dorm and Ikumi remembered Sōma's words from the night that started the Shokugeki. "If I lose, I'll quit Totsuki." All of their heartbeats quickened. "You heard me. If I lose, I'll leave Totsuki."

The moment the judges started chewing the beef stew, it felt as though their mouths were on a roller coaster of wonderful flavor and texture with several amazing twists, turns, and loop-de-loops.

That was when Taki exclaimed, "SO GOOD!"

This single comment shocked pretty much everyone in the stadium.

Taki then continued, in a more calmer tone, "The cheek meat is so tender it falls apart in your mouth! Then there's the gummy, chewy tripe and tongue -new textures and flavors to enjoy with every bite! It all hits you so fast it's like a roller coaster!"

Mizuhara Fuyumi then added with slightly tinted cheeks, "This charcoal-grilled skirt steak is particularly amazing. Usually, skirt steak is served thinly sliced. But these are thick-cut, taking their juiciness to a whole new level! Not only that, he added a grid pattern of shallow cuts to the meat's surface, so that once it was charcoal-grilled, it would have a pleasantly springy texture to it. *Takes another bite of the beef stew*. It makes for an excellent accent when dipped in the stew. At first blush, it looks like just a pile of random meat… But in reality, it is a meticulously constructed thrill ride of separate, yet perfectly prepared tastes! Together, they form one detailed, cohesive whole!"

"What?!" Subaru vocalized as he thought, 'Impossible! How can a last-minute ad-lib like that come together in so completely?!'

That was when Sōma suddenly said, "Ya know, Mimasaka-kun. I thought about the same idea you did. Adding something like smoked bacon as a garnish to give the beef stew a stronger punch." This actually surprised the copycat. The blind redhead continued by saying, "But in the end… That wasn't the flavor I was hoping to find." Sōma closed his unseeing eyes, thinking back, and said out loud, "Strong for the sake of being strong isn't good enough. That's not my kind of cooking. I wanted to make something more vibrant in flavors, with fun and varied ingredients. Something that can be built, piece by piece, right on the plate." Sōma opens the lids of his eyes and added, "Much like the variety of customers that come to my family diner all the time."

This made the residence of the Juuni Taisen Building Complex smile when they realized what their friends was talking about.

Sonoka sighed relief when she said, "What creative originality! Who would have thought beef stew could have a taste this broad and multilayered! However did you get the idea to make something like this?"

It took a few seconds for Sōma to realize that the question was directed at him, but he then answered, "Oh, that? I use this other dish as a model for it. *Rubs the back of his neck*. Though, I only just hit on it this morning."

Now Taki was interested when she thought, 'He used another dish as a model? Which dish is it?'

Mayu poked her twin brother side and said with a giggle, "You got the idea from Chikuzanni, Simmered Vegetables, didn't you big brother."

Sōma laughed when he said, "You got me, sis."

"WHAAAT?!" Was the unanimous reaction from Taki and Sonoka, as well as the majority of the audience.

"Chikuzanni and beef stew?!" Someone in the audience exclaimed. Another person then shouted, "One is almost all meat, and the other's almost all vegetables! That totally different dishes!"

Sotsuda then realized, "W-wait a minute… Isn't chikuzanni a common family dinner recipe?"

Somehow hearing that specific question, Sōma answered by saying, "Not always. You see, when a pro makes chikuzanni, they cook each individual vegetable separately before they put it together on the plate. Each vegetable is cooked individually, in the way that brings out its unique flavors and textures the best. Then they are all pieced together on the plate. Balanced one by one, with very careful attention paid to how their flavors will mix and match with others."

That was when Yuuki shouted excitedly, "Chikuzanni! That definitely a common man's dish! Which means it's right up Yukihira-chi's ally!"

'What the hell's going on here?' Subaru thought before growling out, "Yukihira... *Now shouting*. You were supposed to have given up! You quit thinking! Quit planning! You do in the talent decided to rely on nothing but ad-lib and last-second inspiration!"

"Ad-lib?" Sōma vocalized curiously, before saying, "I never said anything about ad-libbing. This is a dish I was piecing together all the way up until the start of the match. *Pauses for a bit*. No, even after the match started. I've been building it this whole time." This earned a shocked look from Subaru. That was when the blind redhead continued by saying, "All the experiences I've had. All the crazy, off-the-wall flavor combinations I've tried. I've racked my brain for every last thing I could think of and put it all together bit by bit in my head. I'm pretty sure you realize that I can't exactly write anything down to remember, so I have to remember every recipe that I have tried within my own memories. What made that particular recipe a success or failure… What worked during the cooking process, what didn't work… For someone who spent all his time looking up the other guy and only ever try to take his dish a single step beyond their's… I figured that was something you couldn't copy."

Subaru shattered when he thought, 'Impossible! There's something my Perfect-Trace Technique can't copy?!'

During this, Gin thought to himself, 'In the end, the one who had given up thinking wasn't Sōma. All the hundreds of footsteps in the sand. He left behind as he keeps searching for new ways to perfect his cooking… That is the true measure of a chef.'

The judges took another bite of Sōma's beef stew. To them, the effort and skills put into cooking the dish was like a meaty land of dreams they never wanted to leave. A wonderful amusement parks of a paradise known as Yukihee Land. (How does Tsukuda Yuto (Author of Shokugeki no Sōma) come up with these weird visualizations for taste? I mean, some of those are just plain weird even for me).

After the weird little blissful moment, the judges came to a decision for the semifinal match/Shokugeki.

In a landslide victory of 5-0, Yukihira Sōma won the match. All of the blind redhead's friends and allies cheered happily at this.

Once everyone has settled down, a middle-aged man with black hair, rectangular-shaped glasses, and wore a mellow yellow business suit with playing card patterns on it, stepped into the arena. This man is Kageura Hisanao, the president of the Shokugeki Administration Bureau/Department (he's a minor canon character, you'll recognize him by the suits he wears in the Anime/Manga).

Kageura-san held up two documents for the audience to see and said, "I have here are the contracts by which Yukihira Sōma's education here at Totsuki would be permanently terminated. And this is the notice of his agreement to annul the legal document that mandates that the current and former members of Elite 10 to work at his diner. The headmaster had signed both of them. All that would be required is his thumbprint, and Yukihira Sōma's life here at Totsuki would be over." All of the blind redhead's allies were surprised by the existence of the documents.

At this, Kageura-san immediately ripped up both documents. Symbolizing the effectiveness of these two pieces of papers has been effectively null-and-void. Bring a smile to the faces of Sōma's allies.

Subaru was practically in a state of shock. His Perfect Trace has never been beaten before. None have even come close. So to the copycat, this situation made absolutely no sense.

The sound of a plate being placed on a counter tapped Subaru's ears. He turned to the sound to see Sōma placing a plate of his beef stew on his cooking station.

Sōma then stated, "Here's your portion, Mimaaka-kun. I would appreciate it if you at least give it a try."

Not sure what the blind redhead's angle was for this, Subaru just looked at the beef stew. No matter how you looked at it, it still looked like a mishmash assortment of random beef parts. It made the copycat wonder how the other chef was able to make all those pieces come together as perfectly as a puzzle at literally the last second. Subaru picked up a spoon and took a bite of the stew. The moment the stew hit his tongue, he was in Yukihee Land. The texture and flavor of the stew and the meat parts were just so fun and tasty.

That was when Subaru remembered how we started cooking as he sank to the ground... How he discovered his talent in mimicry, it was a time when he felt that cooking was fun for him, how he enjoyed cooking…

At least until the memory of his father came up. Subaru's father seemed to despise the fact that the only thing his son can cook was something that he was able to copy. A 12-year-old Subaru never really understood why the animosity towards his mimicry, it was how he learned how to do things and how he learned recipes. And that was before young Subaru defeated his father in a cooking contest, with a recipe that his father used in the hopes of impressing him. The 12-year-old only made a minor adjustment to the recipe, just one tiny addition to the recipe, and that allowed him to win the contest. In all honesty, the preteen didn't expect to win the whole contest, let alone defeating his father... It was after that that his father sent him straight to Totsuki, just to get rid of him.

It was at that moment that Subaru realized, his father ran away from him because of his cooking skills. That was the start of his cooking style, his Perfect Trace. Subaru used his skills to stay one step ahead of every opponent that he has faced. This also started his nasty habit of psychological warfare with other chefs.

The next thing everyone knew, a forklift was hauling in a huge container into the arena.

When the forklift put down its load, Kageura-san said as he opened the container, "According to the results of this Shokugeki, Mimasaka Subaru's right to own these implements have been revoked!"

The Totsuki students in the audience were amazed by the 99 knives that were stored within the container. The two Tsumita couldn't help but whistle in amazement at what they were seeing.

Kageura-san adjusted his glasses as he glanced at Sōma and said, "Also, in the event of Yukihira Sōma's victory, it was his wish that these implements be returned to their former owners." During this, the blind redhead was wrapping his white scarf around his left wrist.

It took roughly 30 seconds for a stampede to head towards the container. All of these feet belong to the original owners of the cooking knives. Each one of these individuals took back the implements that were taken to from them. It seemed to be a very blissful reunion.

"Um, Yukihira-kun," one of the female students said as she walked up to the blind redhead, her reacquired knife case cradled carefully in her arms. She then added with tears in her eyes, "I inherited this cleaver when my mother died. It's a family heirloom. *Bows*. Thank you. Thank you so much!"

It was pretty obvious to anyone looking in that all of these students were glaring at Subaru as they passed him. The copycat never cared about the glares before… But now they seem to just dig into him like the knives that he took.

"Guess this is it," Subaru suddenly said, grabbing the two Yukihiras' attention. "I will leave Totsuki. My life as a chef is over," the copycat said in a solemn tone. Mayu narrowed her eyes at him. "After this miserable loss, I don't have anything much take pride in," Subaru stated in that same somber tone. Unbeknownst to the copycat, Sōma seems to be using his cane to find something. The cane tapped the copycat's knee. "Hm?" Subaru vocalized when he felt the cane before it was pulled away.

What happened next took everyone by surprise or at least 99% of everyone within the stadium.

Sōma whacked Subaru on the head with his cane, hard!

As the copycat rubbed his head, the blind redhead stated, "Are you stupid?! If you do that, it defeats the purpose of why it took you up on the Shokugeki in the first place!" Now Subaru was confused.

Takumi, holding his re-acquired case with his mezzaluna, walked over to the two and stated rather sternly, "You really don't get it do you. Or is it you really haven't noticed." Now, this comment made Subaru very confused.

Mayu rubbed her temples, when she stated, "Honestly, even Kon isn't that oblivious to subtext. *Places hands on hips and stares at Subaru*. Listen here, you might have won your matches via your Perfect Trace and you psyching out your opponents, but that's not going to break anyone. Hurting their pride and causing some self-doubt maybe, but it's not going to break them. Well, anyone who doesn't think losing one matches the end of the world that is."

That was when Takami stated in a very serious tone, "And while on that topic. *Glares at Subaru*. I may have lost to you, but there's no way in hell I'll lose to you next time! If you take one step forward, I'll take two… No! I'll take 10… 100… 1000 steps! This isn't over! I'll get you back for all the humil-"

Isami grabbed his older twin brother by the back of his caller, started dragging him away, and said, "Okay, big brother, you told him. Now let's get to our seats before the next match starts." Takumi was still shouting at the copycats as he was being hauled away by his younger twin brother.

Well… That was… Interesting… To say the least…

Sōma chuckled at what he heard before he told Subaru, "See? Anybody who's here looking to become a pro chef is like that. We're all hard-core competitors who never back down. Besides, losing at just one matches isn't going to keep anyone down for long. *Kneels down to Subaru's level (who is still sitting on the ground)* I know that sometimes failing so badly can cause your self-confidence to plummet, or even if you've been so humiliated you don't feel like you can set foot in public again. However, the next day, no matter what, there is a possibility that it can get better and that your restaurant has got to open, especially when you know you have people who support you and believe in you. That's what it means to be a chef and anything else you decide to do."

Subaru wasn't sure what the blind redhead was talking about when he said, "I don't get why you're so determined to make sure I keep cooking…"

That was when Sōma stated, "You can still use your hands, right?"

Subaru raised a brow and replied, "Well, yes, but-."

Sōma cut in by saying, "You can still taste with your tongue, right?"

Subaru tried to reply, "Uh, yes, but-."

Sōma interrupted by saying, "You still have your skills at cooking, right?"

Now Subaru sounded confused when he said, "Yes, bu-."

Sōma then suddenly said, "You still like to cook, right?"

Subaru went silent at that last question. Did he actually like cooking? After was he has done? Now that the copycat thought about it… The best part of analyzing his opponents was when he was cooking the recipes. He did enjoy going to his classes and cooking dishes. Heck, he mimicked whatever his teachers made in class just for fun sometimes, mostly desserts, when he didn't have anything else to do. "Yeah... I still like cooking," Subaru finally replied with a small smile on his face.

Sōma smiled when he realized that his point has been made, and then said, "Then why do you want to give it up?"

"I guess… Maybe I was a little too hasty in my decision," Subaru admitted before taking another bite of the beef stew.

Sōma chuckled before he said, "Yeah, you were." The blind redhead then stood up and was about to walk away when he was tackled out of nowhere by a white blur.

"You did it! You did it! You did it!" A shirtless Usagi chanted happily as he hugged Sōma tightly as he started twirling around in circles, with the poor redhead in tow, as if he were a child who got the last toy on the shelf.

To say that the entire audience was flabbergasted at the very strange sight of this was the very definition of an understatement.

"Usagi!" Sōma and Mayu exclaimed in shock as the older twin was being twirled around by a very happy, hyperactive, half-naked albino man.

"I knew you would win! I knew it! Knew it!" Usagi said happily as he finally stopped twirling around and just hugged the blind redhead as he would a giant teddy bear.

Yeah… Saying that this display was mind-bogglingly weird was a definite understatement. Then again, does anyone actually expect to see a shirtless, full-grown albino man hugging an unrelated teenager while acting like a six-year-old child? (Uh, actually... Don't answer that).

"Usagi, could you please let me go? It's getting a little hard to breathe," Sōma muffled out flatly, face being smothered into the albino man's muscled chest. Thankfully, Usagi released his grip on the teenager without much of a fuss, or drama.

By now, the other residents of the Juuni Taisen Building Complex were near the stage. Kanae was holding Usagi's shirt in hand while the two Tsumita brothers scolded the albino man about stripping his clothes off in public, again.

Sōma buried his face in a hand when he asked, "I know Usagi's isn't wearing a shirt, but please tell me that he isn't standing here in just his underwear is he?" The reason for the question was understandable, considering what happened just a few seconds ago.

Subaru, now standing on his feet, couldn't help but note that the tone Sōma used seemed to imply that this isn't the first time the albino man has done something like this before. The copycat watched as the very tall, and very muscular, giant tried explaining to Usagi that he isn't supposed to "take off" his close in public areas. That was when the long-haired man of the group told the albino man that an Officer Hikaru would have given him another ticket for indecent exposure if she were here. 'They seem to be very used to his behaviors if they are that calm about this situation,' Subaru thought as he watched the group convince the albino man to put his shirt back on. Which he did without much fuss.

Michio and Yumi walked over to Sōma as the older of the two said, "Sorry about Usagi's antics, but you know how he is."

The blind redhead sighed before saying, "I know, Tsukui-sensei, but that doesn't mean it's any less shocking. By the way, is everyone from your building complex here?" Sōma turned an ear towards the familiar voices, trying to note who was here.

"Miss Inou and Miss Niwa are the only ones not here," Yumi said as she watched Misaki trying to explain to Usagi which places where it was appropriate for him to "take off" his clothing. The ginger-haired woman was trying to keep the language appropriate since, a, they were in public, and b, there was a child present.

That's when they heard the announcement for the next round to begin.

"Nyah, I guess that's our queue to get back to our seats," Kanae commented as she and the rest of the Juuni Taisen Building Complex started heading back to the stands.

"Hey," Sōma said, getting the group's attention, before saying, "You guys wouldn't happen to have time to stop by the Polaris Dorm before you have to go, do you?"

Sumihiko gave a light chuckle before he said, "I'm afraid I can't, I already promised my son that I would drop by his place and help with the pyrotechnics for my adorable grandchild's birthday. But I think the other youngsters here might have some free time."

Mayu couldn't help but giggle at the comment as the rest of the group had a look on their face that showed that they weren't all that surprised by this new information. The elderly man just adored his grandchild, that was no secret.

As everyone walked off the stage, Sōma pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed into the voicemail section to hear the message that was left for him. The blind redhead listened to the message as he and his sister walked down the corridor to their assigned seating.

"Oh? That's interesting," Sōma said out loud as he pulled the phone away from his ear.

Mayu couldn't help but ask, "What did Kon say in her message?"

Sōma replied by saying, "Actually, it's pretty good new-."

That was when Alice, who appeared out of nowhere, suddenly grabbed the twins by their arms, started hauling them away in a certain direction, and said, "Come on you two. The next match is going to start and we need to get to our seats!"

"Uhh, "we"?" was all Mayu got out as she and her brother were dragged away to who knows where. Sōma, on the other hand, was wondering if the albino girl was just watching and waiting for him and his sister to be alone before she just popped out of nowhere. "Where are you taking us exactly?" Mayu asked as Alice continued to take them to wherever she had in mind.

"You'll see~," Alice said in her singy-songy voice, before adding equally as cheerfully, "Don't worry, we'll have a great veiw~."

Mayu glanced at Sōma, only to see the same worried look on his face that was on her face.

~}i{ Back in the Stands with the Juuni Taisen Building Complex Group, the Polaris Dorm Group, and the other Yukihira Allies (They decided to sit in the same area. It was Yuuki's idea) }i{~

"So... You guys are regular customers at Yukihira-chi's Family Resturant?" Yuuki asked the group of eleven with a curious look on her face.

Misaki smiled and said, "Yes we are."

Kanae giggled when she said, "Some of us here ended up becoming regulars from knowing the Yukihiras before entering their diner." The orangette cased an obvious glance at Michio.

The daycare teacher eyed the dojo instructor when she said, "Don't just look at me. You and I aren't the only ones in the same boat you know." Kanae playfully tried to throw a punch at Michio, but Yoshimi was sitting between the two women. The giant man was pretty much the best blockade between two people.

Misaki giggled before hearing the announcement that the next match will begin in a few seconds and telling the Polaris Dorm members, "How about we tell you some of our stories later."

~}i{ In the VIP Lounge }i{~

"Uhh, why are you two so quiet?" Sōma asked Mayu and Alice as they suddenly stopped just inside the VIP lounge. The blind redhead wasn't sure what happened. The two girls were talking/arguing just a few seconds ago, but now they were silent.

Alice scoffed when she said, "Because a certain Someone is here that we were told wasn't in this particular room."

The albino girl did check ahead about the vacancy of the VIP Lounge, and they did tell her that the room was open for her to use. But apparently, no one checked to see if it was empty. As you can imagine, Alice was not happy at the moment.

Mayu was simply displeased that the honey blonde was there and Sōma wasn't sure what was going on. "Uhh, did the desk clerk for these lounge mix up the room numbers or something?" the blind redhead asked, not quite understanding why Alice was upset. There had to be other VIP rooms to use and there isn't that much of a distance between the lounges, so Sōma wasn't sure what the big deal was.

"The Princess is the person in this room, Sōma," Mayu stated sourly. Now the blind redhead understood Alice's animosity.

The MC then did the contestant introductions, meaning that the match was about to start.

It was too late to get to another VIP Lounge or going to the regular seats. Guess they're going to have to stay here for the match...

~}i{ Stadium Ring }i{~

Akira tied his hair back when he told Ryō, "Let's finish what was started at the diner with this match unless you've turned chicken."

"Fine by me," Ryō said nonchalantly before wrapping his fire-printed bandana around his forehead. Once the bandana was on his head, a flaming aurora emitted around the seafood specialist. In a fiery tone, Ryō said, "Let's settle our score!"

Not that surprised by the sudden change of tone or behavior, Akira smiled.

~}i{ Back in the Stadium Stands with Our Favorite Group }i{~

"Hmm, looks like they're planning on finishing that little contest of theirs from the diner," Tsugiyoshi said with a yawn.

Michio glanced at the gray-haired teen when she asked, "I'm not that surprised, they were really into the Menu Contest." Tsugiyoshi yawned again, prompting the daycare teacher to ask him, "Tsugi-chan, you brought your narcolepsy (5) medication with you, right?"

Tsugiyoshi snorted when he said, "You think I would want miss this tie-breaker? No way! I restocked my prescription before meeting up with you guys and gals. So, yes, Mom, I have my meds on me." That last sentence was had more of a playfully sarcastic tone to it. Yumi giggled while Kanae snorted out a laugh.

Sumihiko taped his hat when he said, "Not giving yourself an excuse ta miss the match, eh, kiddo?"

Tsugiyoshi only shrugged before saying, "Duh, you really think I want to miss the pair that actually caused Kashii-san and Yūki-san to argue."

That was when both Eiji and Misaki said at the same time, "We weren't arguing, we were debating!"

That was when Shun asked, "I take it the two of you have very different opinions on Hayama-kun and Kurokiba-kun?"

Kadae chuckled when she said, "More along the lines of those two favoring a different one of the two chefs in the ring right now." Misaki turned pink while Eiji simply remained stoic as always.

Ryōko couldn't help but comment, "I take it that Kashi-san and Yūki-san don't argue often."

Kanae playfully wrapped an arm around the long-haired man, who was sitting on the other side of the orangette and said cheerfully, "That's putting it simply. Eiji here is can be too much of a gentleman and Misaki's way too sweet to be mean or menacing in any way. So yeah, getting these two into an argument is wa~y abnormal~. It'sa kinda fasinatin' ta watch happen~."

"We were not arguing over who was better, we were debating," Eiji stated sternly, clearly annoyed with this discussion, but he didn't even try to pull away or remove the orangette's arm from his person. The long-hair man knew it would've been pointless to do so, plus the orangette wouldn't have let him go that easily.

Misaki nodded in agreement when she said, "Arguments are informal, usually personal when arguing people aren't always concerned with the factual correctness, and arguing can be about things both parties are aware of, thus no opposing viewpoints. Debates are more formal, more intellectual, normally concerns factual events or theories, and concerned with persuading the opposing party to an alternate viewpoint. Because Eiji and I are being both formal and persuasive when talking about our viewpoints, we are debating on who made the better dish during the Menu Contest, not arguing." The ginger-haired woman folded her arms at the end of the statement.

Eiji nodded when he stated, "We had differing opinions about the tie, so we merely talked about it politely and professionally. We were by no means uncivil or rude in our debate." This comment made Michio chuckle and Yumi giggle.

It was pretty obvious to the Polaris Group that this discussion has happened too many times before today.

Soon the 2nd semi-final match began.

~}i{ Back in the VIP Lounge }i{~

Fortunately, there where two couches in the lounge so that the four teens didn't have to squeeze in one. Though, Erina did have to admit that having an entire couch to herself while the other three sat on the other didn't feel all that good. It felt a bit like being stabbed with acupuncture needles by someone that wasn't trained in it.

"Looks like they're making this a tie-breaking rematch," Mayu said as she reclined a bit on the couch she was sitting on.

Sōma nodded when he said, "Given that they got Kashii-san and Yūki-san to argue, I'm not that surprised." Mayu couldn't help but comment that the two called it a Debate and not an Argument. Sōma laughed at that. The blind redhead then added, "Either way, this'll be a great match."

That was when Alice said, "Totally, Ryō's been practicing since we got back, so I know it's going to be a good match~."

Mayu raised an amused brow when she said, "Oh? Well, that's no surprise. Ryō-kun didn't seem like the type of guy to just let things stay as a stalemate."

Alice giggled when she said, "Ryō-chan hates stalemates, especially when it involves him." Sōma couldn't help but chuckle in agreement while Mayu giggled.

Erina wanted to join in on the conversation, really she did... But... She wasn't sure how to jump in or if it would even be welcome... Thinking back on the Menu Contest, Erina should've checked the ingredient list for that particular food item. She should've known that not even her Divine Pallet can pick up a very tiny amount of a minor but specific ingredient in a dish... But Erina's overwhelming pride in her tongue made her think that she didn't need to look at an ingredient list to know what was in it, and that lead her to receive the anger from practically all of the customers from the diner and the loss of her Seat on the Elite Ten...

~}i{ Meanwhile, at the Same Time in One of the Kitchen Rooms on Totsuki Campus }i{~

Momo happily bit into a fluffy and light cupcake made with crushed hazelnuts, vanilla cake mix, fresh strawberries, and a bar of smooth milk chocolate. This cake recipe had to be the best sweet recipe she has ever made! She'll defiantly get that A for sure. Now all that was left to do was to make it cute and pretty. The smile stayed on Momo's face as she re-read the homework assignment, which was to make a dessert with strawberries as the main ingredient.

Easy-peasy assignment to the short, child-like 3rd-year student.

At least until she read the rest of the criteria to the assignment.

"You are to create a snack pastry with strawberries as the main ingredient and will be graded based on the creativity, appeal, and ingredients used. However, due to the popularity and cohesiveness of this pairing, chocolate will not be permitted for this assignment. If used during the submission, it will be an automatic failing grade," read the words on the paper.

Momo dropped her cupcake.

No... No... No chocolate allowed...

The first thing that sparked in Momo's mind was, 'Why not?! Chocolate and strawberries go together like peanut butter and jelly, rice and fried chicken, mochi and ice cream. They belong together! Why make so they aren't? It makes no sense!' Momo was going to submit this recipe anyway, chocolate or not.

"Cht, I'd figured you'd know better than to break the rules, *echoing* rules, rules." Was the memory that answered back almost immediately. That was when Momo remembered.

~}i{ Flashback }i{~

"Disqualified!" Momo shouted in disbelief. That was when the tiny 3rd-year snapped, "But you didn't even try Momo's yummy dessert? So why is Momo being disqualified?"

At this statement; Andoryū pinched the bridge of his nose as he shook his head in annoyance. Misaki closed her eyes and exhaled in disappointment. Eiji didn't do anything to outwardly show what he was thinking, but a gleam in his eyes did hint that he seemed bothered by what was said. Mayu gave the 4th Seat a glare that shouted 'Are-you-really-asking-that?'. Sōma sighed when he said in a stern tone, "Are you being serious? You served a dish with chocolate, a forbidden ingredient, so of course, you're being disqualified from the contest regardless of the taste of it."

"All of the Judges can eat chocolate, so Momo sees no reason why chocolate shouldn't be allowed," Momo grumbled out in annoyance.

That was when Michio snapped angrily, "According to the Rules of the Menu Contest, ANYONE within the contest who is either intolerant or allergic to a certain food item that particular food item is not to be used in the contest at all, and anyone who does use it will be disqualified immediately regardless of their overall score! I know you've been told multiple times that Kon was intolerant to chocolate!"

All Momo said was, "So what, she's not a judge."

Kon was making no effort in hiding her displeasure at the comment. The green-haired girl let out a growl that seemed akin to the hissing of a snake, the kind of hiss that could get you killed should you decide to ignore it. Ishi and Ki quickly grabbed ahold of their friend's wrists, more so to make sure she won't do anything rash.

Sharpe canines were bared when the daycare teacher snapped in anger, "But she is Participating in the contest, therefore she is "Within the Contest" and the reason why chocolate is on the forbidden list!"

Andoryū gave a heavy sigh when he said, "Even if it wasn't my daughter, I'd still be rather... Hm, what is the word? Not flabbergasted, that is usually for a confusing kind of shock..."

"I believe that the word you are looking for is "Irked". It is understandable to be irked at the moment, especially for the blatant disregard for the other individuals participating in the Menu Contest," Eiji stated in his usual calm tone, despite what he was saying. Though, his eyes showed that he meant those words.

"Ah, "Irked", that's the word! Thank you Kashii-san," Andoryū said with a cheerful smile before turning his attention towards Momo and said in a serious tone, "Listen here little loli, the rules are mandatory for all participants. You cannot just pick and choose which to follow and which not to follow. Do you follow all the rules of Totsuki, yes?"

"Duh, it's Momo's school," Momo stated without much care. This did earn some interesting looks from the spectators.

That was when Michio said with a growl, "Then it should be a no brainer for you to do the same here!"

Kon hissed out an, "Rulesss are in place for a reasson and if you don't know the reasson or don't undersstand them, you asssk! You have to follow the rulesss in placcce so it's fair and sssafe for everyone involved." Ishi and Ki were now holding their friend back with all their might, though she did drag the two a few cms.

That was when Eiji stated plainly, "And because of the rules in place, we judges herby disqualify Akanegakubo Momo from the Menu Contest for using a forbidden ingredient." The other four judges nodded in agreement.

Momo was utterly stunned. She... She has never been disqualified before, not ever... Especially for desserts.

Michio folded her arm in annoyance and glared at Momo when she said, "Cht, I'd figured you'd know better than to break the rules."

~}i{ End Flashback }i{~

Momo then glanced at the fallen cupcake. Bucchi sat on the counter nearby with a downcast look on its plushie face.

~}i{ Back to the Arena, Judging Section }i{~

(The cooking sequence between Akira and Ryō and the imageries from tasting the dishes are the same as the canon Manga/Anime, though a bit more of a friendly mood between the two than the canon.)

When the judges finally made their decision, the audience was already oozing with anticipation.

Hinako and Fuyumi voted for Hayama Akira, while Gin and Taki voted for Kurokiba Ryō. But Sonoka was unable to choose between either, which in turn caused an outrage among 92% of the audience. Gin practically stepped between his fellow judge and the audience when he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I can't say I don't understand her reluctance. These two dishes are that perfectly even with each other." These words did quail the audience. The former Gemini Chef then turned his attention to the two students in charge of the Autumn Elections and said, "Ladies and gentlemen of the staff… I have a proposal. Will you hear me out?"

The two students were Isshiki Satoshi and Eizan Etsuya, with Nakiri Erina standing by.

When Mayu saw that the honey blonde was standing on the overhead deck with the two second-year students, she immediately turned towards the now vacant couch when she mumbled out loud for her brother and Alice to hear, "When did she leave?"

That was when Gin asked the three, "In the case of a Shokugeki when, for whatever reason, the judges can't reach a decision. The match is declared a draw and a rematch is set for a later date, correct?"

Satoshi smiled when he replied, "Correct. But this is the Autumn Election. We have many illustrious guests and VIPs in the audience today. These are very busy people, chef Dōjima. As are the five of you judges, I am sure. Finding an open date on which to have a rematch is, unfortunately, quite impossible."

With a professional smile on his face, Gin continued with his proposal, "Thus my proposition. There is one and only one way to resolve this deadlock." Now Erina was confused. There was no way to resolve such a dilemma in such a short amount of time, especially with a big event going on. The professional smile now had a hint of a smirk when the former Gemini Chef said, "Advance them both. I suggest the Autumn Election's first Three-Way Final!"

~}i{~

To Be Continued in Chapter 14.

~}i{~

~}i{ Summer Omake: July 13, Summer Job Day 12. Shokujidokoro Yukihira's Annual Menu Contest, Day 1, Part 1 }i{~

Duodecuple then made the final announcement explaining the rules of the Menu Contest, "All right everybody, listen carefully while I go over the rules one last time. First rule, one category per person and anyone can participate so long as they know how to cook, then again, would you be participating in a cooking contest if you didn't know how to cook. The second rule, budget, budget, budget~, all participants are to follow the budgeting rules of a diner. Participants, I would advise that you submit your budgets for each dish after you have presented them per round. The third rule, you are responsible for your own ingredients, which does include procuring them from reputable outlets and cooking them. Easy enough to do, just make sure to record every ingredient and the name of the outlet. By now, anyone who lives near the Sumiredōri Shopping District would know this particular rule fairly well. Fourth rule, the four individuals who won the categories in the prior year's Shokujidokoro Yukihira's Annual Menu Addition Contest must serve as the panel of judges for the current contest alongside the current owner of Shokujidokoro Yukihira. However, due to the current circumstances of him traveling, he will not be judging this year. Instead, Ushii; Warrior of the Ox will be filling in as a substitute judge."

As the residents of the Juuni Taisen Building Complex groaned in annoyance and the other members audience murmured in confusion, Navi took the microphone from his father and quickly said into the device, "Uh, what my dad is trying to say is that Kashii Eiji will be filling in for Yukihira-san as a judge for this menu contest." This did relieve the confusion of the audience.

Erina couldn't help but wonder why the odd old man uses those particular names for the residence of his building. 'I mean... He didn't just give them those names because they were simply born on different years of the Chinese Zodiac. There has to be another reason for those weird names...' The honey blonde thought to herself, before concluding that the gray-haired man didn't seem like a sane person.

Duodecuple took the microphone from the son, and continued with the rules, "And now for the final rule. If anyone within the contest has either an allergy or intolerance to a certain food item that said food item is forbidden from being used within the contest. Dietary restrictions due to religion can also be applied to this rule. *In a rather serious tone* There are absolutely no exceptions to this rule if anyone uses even a little bit of any forbidden ingredient they will be disqualified from the contest, regardless of their overall score. This year the forbidden ingredients are Pork, Chocolate, and Alcohol. The last one is on the list due to Ushii's chosen diet that prevents him from drinking it and two of this Year's Judges being minors." Duodecuple glanced around at the audience, then glanced at the participants of the menu contest, then glanced at the current judges, and said, "As I said earlier, the current owner of Yukihira's is currently unavailable, so the current judges for this year's contest are Ushii, Yukihira Sōma, Yukihira Mayumi, Forest Andoryū, and Sharyū; Warrior of the Monkey."

Navi snatched the mic from his father, once again, and said into the mic, "He means Yūki Misaki."

Erina couldn't help but feel sorry for that blonde for having to constantly translate for his father's peculiar nicknames for his residence to everyone.

Duodecuple took back the mic and continued his explanation, "Our judges will score the dishes by these four criteria; Budget, Appeal, Taste, and Creativity. Mind you, each of the judges have their own views and opinions on these criteria. As we are on the topic, each criteria block can receive a max five points, therefore a maximum score of 20 per dish. Or 100 points for each round. Winner of each category will be the one who scores is closest to 300, a perfect score, by the end of the contest. However, during the judging portion, the contestants and audience will only know the score for Appeal, Taste, and Creativity. The judges will go over the budgets for the dishes once everyone has both submitted said budget and the judging portion has concluded. Now, everybody clap your hands!" And with that Duodecuple started clapping, with the mic in one hand and the other hitting the ball of the palm.

Duodecuple was the only one in the gymnasium clapping, not even the very young children were clapping. The little ones were just looking at each other in confusion over the emcee's strange behavior while the residents on the Juuni Taisen Building Complex shook their heads with a sigh. It made the Totsuki students glad that this man wasn't a part of their school in any way whatsoever. Erina couldn't help but think, 'With a crazy customer like him, it's no wonder the two Yukihiras aren't fazed by much.'

The next thing Duodecuple announced was the order in which the participants will cook. The Appetizers would be cooked and served first, followed by the Main Course dishes, the Beverage was next to be made, and lastly Dessert dishes.

'I see,' Erina thought, eyeing the participants for the others in the Main Course, Beverage, and Dessert categories standing by the audience before looking at the ten cooking stations that were already set up in the gym. The honey blonde then thought as she now understanding the situation at hand, 'Due to the space and cooking stations available, they can't have all the participants cook at the same time. So they have to do at least one category at a time.' She figured that the Beverage and Dessert Catagory might be able to cook at the same time, due to each having only three participants. Erina suddenly realized that that had to be the reason why each of the participants were asked to place all their ingredients on a mobile countertop, along with a small cooler/freezer attached (just in case a food item needed to be kept chilled or frozen), so it would be easier for the contestants to be ready for their turn.

'Come to think of it. Where did they get such a useful counter? Not to mention enough for all the participants' Erina thought as she looked over the structure of the counter she was using. A sturdy countertop with raised edges to prevent any items from accidentally rolling off during motion, a pullout drawer underneath the counter for spices and liquid, a small fridge on the bottom with a mini freezer inside, and all these stood on top of 360 wheels that were bolted in place. The whole thing was space-saving to say the least, handy if you like keeping organized. That was when Erina noticed what looked like a branding on one of the sides of it. To the honey blonde, looked like a really long serpent with a rather wide head that got narrower as it traveled down the neck of the serpent.

But before Erina could ponder what kind of serpent the image was, Duodecuple signaled the start of the Appetizer category.

As much as Erina, as well as the other Elites, would assume that Saitou Somei, the 5th Seat of Totsuki's Elite 10, would easily win the category with Ryō coming in second, they did remember what Andoryū said about not underestimating the other participants in the Contest. Erina quickly glanced at those particular individuals. From what the honey blonde could see, Niwa Ryouka seemed to be the only one who just looked like she was doing pretty average, although she did seem to pay a little too much attention to a bottle of red liquid she had with her. Tsujiie Sumihiko was standing on a small platform, due to being a little on the short side at 140 cm (4.59318 inches). 'Oh right, he's the same height as Akanegakubo-senpai,' Erina remembered before she saw the elderly man using wonton wrapping. The honey blonde assumed he would be making some kind of Chinese appetizer or something along the line. Erina finally glanced at Tsumita Nagayuki as he cooked when she did she saw what looked like a silver, thermos-like vacuum flask with LN2 etched onto it.

'LN2? I know I don't know what that is, but it sounds familiar in a way,' Erina thought as she watched the participants cook. Though admittedly, it was hard for the 10th Seat to watch the three from the Building Complex because they didn't seem to be doing any "proper cooking techniques". Erina frowned when she thought, 'Arg! These people have never been taught to cook properly.'

That was when Erina felt someone pat her on the back and say, "There, there. Don't worry, the Main Course category is cooking next. Just be patient." The honey blonde looked to see that it was Kon doing it.

Erina wasn't sure what to think of this. 'Does she honestly think I'm annoyed that I'm not cooking right now?' the honey blonde thought as she just stared at the tall teenage girl with a confused look on her face. But the way that Kon was acting... The green-haired girl was being genuine in what she was saying and doing.

Noticing the look on Erina's face, Kon asked, "Are you feeling all right? Your facial expression indicates that you are either confused or are not feeling well."

'Facial expression? What the heck does she mean by that?' Erina thought as she quickly responded with, "I'm fine! I'm just… A little concerned with how Niwa-chan, Tsujiie-san, and the older Tsumita-kun are preparing their dishes. They're not using proper cooking etiquette." The honey blonde couldn't believe that she told the tall, green-haired girl what she was thinking about the non-Totsuki participants.

Kon only stared at the honey blonde for a few seconds before finally saying, "Cooking etiquette differs from person to person. The term "Proper Cooking" is used more so for general education rather than individual learning. Besides, each person has their own way of doing things and has their own style of learning. *Erina gives the amber-eyed girl an odd look*. To put it in simple terms, what works for them, works for them and what works for you, works for you. What works for them may not work for you, and what may work for you may not work for them. everyone does what works best for them."

Erina had absolutely no idea how to respond to that very unusual statement.

That was when Kon added, "Long as no one is hurt and the method is safe, I honestly don't care how they do something."

Erina couldn't help but think, 'Arg. There's obviously a big difference between proper and improper, plain and simple.' But now that the honey blonde thought about it, was there really a difference between the two? Erina never actually bothered to find out, since she only used the former and never the latter.

But to Erina's amazement, the "Common Civilians" seemed to be doing well with cooking through everything that needed to cook through, despite some questionable choices in what they were making. Especially when Duodecuple called for participants to finish up their last-minute prep.

"And... Time's Up!" Duodecuple announced with a smile before adding, "Participants, step away from your cooking stations." The five individuals took a step back from their stations, or hopping off the stepping stool in the case of Sumihiko, with their hands in the air to indicate that they were not touching anything on their station after the announcement.

That was when Duodecuple announced, "Judges, it is your time to shine. Everybody, clap your hands." The MC was the only one clapping. It was getting pretty obvious that this particular quirk was going to be a recurring thing.

Etsuya couldn't help but asked Takeyasu in a somewhat hushed tone, "Does that crazy old fart do that clapping thing a lot?"

The younger Tsumita brother simply shrugged and said, "Yeah, this is pretty much normal for him."

The 9th Seat raised a brow at this comment when he asked, "Any particular reason why nobody complains about it?"

Takeyasu raised an amused brow when he replied, "I take it that you don't have a landlord or building owner, do you. Listen, Duodecuple may have more than a couple of screws loose, but he's good at what he does at both his job and running the Juuni Taisen Building Complex." Etsuya had no idea how to make a good rebuttal to that or even understood the comment in general.

After a quick five rounds of rock-paper-scissors, the order of submission was established. Niwa Ryouka would serve her dish first, followed by Kurokiba Ryō, then Tsujiie Sumihiko, then Tsumita Nagayuki, and lastly Saitou Somei. It was painfully obvious that the 5th Seat was terrible at these kinds of games when he lost all five rounds.

With a cheerful smile on her face, Ryouka served her appetizer dish. Which appeared to be a chicken salad with what looked like a soy sauce-based dressing.

Andoryū did one quick sniff before commenting in a serious tone, "Niwa-chan, I understand that dressing is common for salads and are traditionally chilled, but I do hope you cooked this particular dressing if you want to remain in the contest." From the tone that he was using, he knew exactly what was in the dressing.

With a cheerfully innocent smile on her face, Ryouka said, "Teehee~, I knew you would figure out the main ingredient to that dressing immediately, Forest-san. Don't worry, I cooked everything through." Andoryū rolled his eyes at the comment while the other judges glanced at one another, minus Sōma who just raised a brow.

Erina heard the daycare teacher mutter something along the lines of, "That's disgusting for a salad."

The honey blonde couldn't help but wonder what she meant by that. Though it did seem like the daycare teacher knew the over peppy green-eyed woman a little too well. 'But what could she possibly mean by that?' Erina that as she brought her right index knuckle to her chin. As far as the honey blonde knew, the only thing that could make a salad disgusting was probably having the salad leaves dirty or extremely damp.

With that, the judges took a bite of the dish. Guessing their opinions through their reactions wasn't too difficult.

Misaki unwillingly swallowed what was in her mouth before asking the smiling girl, "Umm, Ryouka, the dressing has a very potent iron flavor to it. Is there a reason for it?" Mayu covered her mouth and forced herself to swallow the food in her mouth. Sōma's they seem to distort the longer he allowed the chicken salad with the weird dressing to sit in his mouth. Eiji didn't seem to show much emotion except for a twitch of an eyebrow as he swallowed. Andoryū swallowed his portion before he shook his head in disappointment.

That was when the rest of the Totsuki members realized what that red liquid that Niwa Ryouka used was, and quite frankly, they were both horrified and disgusted by that fact.

Sōma was the one to finally say, "While I do admire your, uh, creativity when it comes to your, uh was the best word to use here… Ah, "fascination" with using chicken blood. I do have to point out that it's probably not the best idea to use it in EVERY DISH you make."

Eiji then commented in a stern tone, "I am very aware that you have been lectured of about using chicken blood. Especially, about your method of collection that was discussed about two nights ago." That last sentence seemed to have a little more of a harsher tone. The corners of Ryouka's smile twitched a bit.

'I guess she is the literal definition of "Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover". Also, gross,' Erina thought in a rather unpleasant tone. The honey blonde knew who she wasn't going to socialize with anytime soon.

With that, all 5 judges submitted their scores for Ryouka's dish. (Until the judges go over the budget aspect of the dish, the maximum amount of points the judges can currently give is 15).

Sōma's current score was 5; with the appeal score being 2, the taste score being 1, and the creativity score being 2.

Mayu's current score was 3; with the appeals score being 1, the taste score being 1, and the creativity score being 1.

Eiji's current score was 2; with the appeal score being 1, the taste score being 0, and the creativity score being 1.

Misaki's current score was 4; with the appeal score being 2, the taste score being 1, and the creativity score being 1.

Andoryū's current score was 1; with the appeal score being 0, the taste score being 0, and the creativity score being 1.

Bringing Niwa Ryouka's current total score to 15.

Erina was pretty sure that the reason for the low score was the chicken blood for the salad dressing. Which even she knew had to be disgusting without even having to try it. Though from what the honey blonde was able to discern, it seemed like the peppy green-eyed girl did the whole thing on purpose.

Ryō (without his flame-printed headband) was next with his appetizer of... Fish Taco Wraps?

To the other Totsuki students, that was a bit of a surprise. They were expecting something a little bigger than tocos. But the judges seemed to be a bit more excited to try it than the last dish. Well, almost all of them... Misaki didn't seem to like fish all that much. But all five tried the dish anyway. The judges bit into the fish tocos with a sudden crunch.

"Ooo, I like the crunchiness of the leaves and peppers mixed with the soft fish and avocados. Smells like zander, yes?" Andoryū said, enjoying the two different textures in his mouth.

In his usual nonchalant tone, Ryō said, "Yeah, there was a sale on zander at the fish market I went to, so I figured I use them in this dish. Plus, I figured I would try my hand at making tacos since the wrapping works with fish."

Mayu then said between bites, "Well, you got my vote for a successful experiment." Sōma couldn't help but happily nod in agreement.

Eiji didn't say anything as he ate the taco, but Misaki was pleasantly surprised by how much she liked the dish.

Then it was time to submit the scores for Ryō's dish.

Sōma's current score was 13; with the appeal score being 4, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 4.

Mayu's current score was 14; with the appeals score being 4, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 5.

Eiji's current score was 12; with the appeal score being 4, the taste score being 4, and the creativity score being 4.

Misaki's current score was a solid 15; with all the categories scoring a five.

Andoryū's current score was 13; with the appeal score being 5, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 3.

Bringing Kirokiba Ryō's current total score to 67. Making the seafood specialist currently in the lead by a longshot.

'Now that's more like it,' Erina thought with a very small smirk on her face. Happy to finally see someone competent in cooking take home a few good points for this competition. Though in all honesty, it was probably because Ryō was a Totsuki student.

Tsujiie Sumihiko served his dish next. From what Erina could see, it seems like the elderly man had indeed made wontons. Fried wontons to be exact.

'Well, at least he's on point with the appetizer aspect of his chosen category,' Erina thought as she tried to get a better look at the wontons, but they just look like your basic fried wontons with nothing special, even with the soy sauce dip on the side. To Erina, the Appetizer Category might as well be Ryō vs Somei.

Before the judges could dip the wontons into the sauce, Sumihiko asked if they could try the wontons without the soy sauce first. So, they did, and when they did, they were practically met with an explosion in the mouth.

After swallowing, Mayu asked, "Waoh, Tsujiie-san what did you put in these wontons?"

Sōma then added, "Yeah, it felt like you added some spicy pop rocks to the chicken meat. Which actually tastes pretty good by the way." Andoryū chuckled at this comments.

Sumihiko stroked his beard when he chuckled out a "Hohoho, you pretty much hit the nail on the head, little Sōma. You see my adorable little grandchild just loves pop rocks, so I've gone and found myself a way to make'm from scratch. With my own little twists of course."

"Ah, that would explain the strange popping noise I've been hearing from the building complex's kitchen, not to mention the strange stains I've been finding on some of the plates," Misaki said before dipping a wonton in the soy sauce.

Still stroking his beard, Sumihiko couldn't help but comment, "Ah yes, that would be from me testing my experiments. Still haven't figured out how to prevent them from staining the plates, sadly. But at least it reminded me to make sure to do those experiment with a paper towel on top of the plates."

Now the judges tried the wontons with the soy sauce dip. When they did, the wontons practically doubled their potency. Erina was somehow able to catch an excited gleam in the elderly man's eyes.

Then it was time to submit the scores for Sumihiko's dish.

Sōma's current score was 14; with the appeal score being 4, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 5.

Mayu's current score was 14; with the appeals score being 4, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 5.

Eiji's current score was 10; with the appeal score being 2, the taste score being 4, and the creativity score being 4.

Misaki's current score was 11; with the appeal score being 3, the taste score being 4, and the creativity score being 4.

Andoryū's current score was 11; with the appeal score being 3, the taste score being 4, and the creativity score being 4.

Bringing Tsujiie Sumihiko's current total score to a solid 60.

Sumihiko chuckled when he glanced at Ryouka and said, "Now that's how you're supposed to cook in a competition, Chick-a-dee. You might want to try it next round." This made the green-haired, green-eyed girl puffed her cheeks in annoyance.

Erina, as well as some of the other Totsuki students, were relatively surprised by the score the elderly man had received. Okay, yes, he didn't score higher than Ryō, but he came pretty close. The honey blonde couldn't help but think to herself, 'Pop rocks in chicken wontons? What was that old man thinking? It's such a ridiculous combination.' However, truth be told, Erina had to admit that it seemed to get the reaction that the elderly man was hoping for.

"Oh dear, it really seems like my age is catching up to me," Sumihiko said out loud as he looked over his cooking station. He then said as he stroked his beard, "I ended up making far too many of my Firework Chicken Wontons this time around. It would be such a shame to just toss all of these away." True to his word, there was easily over 30 wontons just sitting on plates at the elderly man's cooking station.

Sōma chuckled when he said, "Well, you know the rules of the Menu Contest, Tsujiie-san. You got a share them with everyone if you make too much." Though judging by the tone of the blind redhead used, it sounded like he expected this to happen.

With a smile on his face, Sumihiko said in a very good-natured tone, "Hohoho, suppose that'll have to work." Yup, it's starting to sound like this so-called "senile" old man had planned this from the very beginning. But no one was complaining about it. Plus, this did give Erina a chance to taste this completely weird dish without making it seem like she was curious about it. Which she will not admit to.

When Erina ate the Firework Chicken Wontons, it tasted like she was in a shopping bizarre full of energetic chickens going about their business while colorful fireworks exploded overhead as harmonious music played in the background.

"Uhh... Thanks for the compliment little missy," Sumihiko said in a very unsure tone, causing Erina to snap out of her thoughts.

Erina quickly looked around to see you that the diners regular customers and participants were staring at her as if she grew a second head. That was when the honey blonde realized that she had said her God's Tongue Critique out loud by accident, again. Erina immediately turned a very bright shade of vivacious red. She had never felt so embarrassed before.

Usagi patted Erina on the head and said in a well-meaning but relatively clueless tone, "There, there, it's ok. You just liked Hitsuji-Tomodachi's wontons very much. Nothing wrong with that." Correction, Erina has never felt more embarrassed than she did at this very second as she somehow turned an even brighter shade of Vermillion. The Tsumita brothers were doing a terrible job of muffling their snickers.

Mayu chuckled before saying with a satisfied smirk, "Glad to know that you're expanding your palate, Princesse." This caused Erina to glare at the younger Yukihira twin. Though it only made the smirk grow.

Next up to serve their dish was Tsumita Nagayuki.

"Nitro Coffee?" Eiji questioned as he looked at the cup before him. Which indeed looked like Nitro Coffee.

"Umm, Nagayuki, this is the Appetizer category, not the Beverage category," Misaki said as she looked at the cup of molecular gastronomy. It didn't matter how she looked at it, it looked like coffee…

Nagayuki held up an index finger, flicked that wrist from side to side, and said, "Oh, no, no, it's an appetizer alright. Ore-sama just couldn't find a way to not make it look like a beverage. But yes, Ore-sama did use coffee in this dish."

Though the judges weren't sure about what was said, they tasted the dish anyway. One bite caused four of the five judges to cringe at the overly unpleasant mixture of the extremely bitter taste and stingingly sweet taste of the yogurt-based appetizer. Andoryū only raised a brow at the strange slushie-like texture from the dish.

Rubbing the back of his head while expressing a not-so-subtle amused look, Nagayuki stated in a fake-like apology tone, "Whoops, it looks like Ore-sama messed up the yogurt to coffee ratio on Ore-sama's Berry Yogurt Nitro Coffee. Ore-sama's bad." It was a little too obvious that the older Tsumita brother botched the ratio on purpose. (Again, quick note, Ore-sama is just an egotistical/prideful way of referring to one's self in Japanese. It's actually how Tsumita Nagayuki talks in the Juuni Taisen canon).

It didn't really take long for the judges to submit their score after that.

Sōma's current score was 5; with the appeal score being 0, the taste score being 0, and the creativity score being 5.

Mayu's current score was 5; with the appeals score being 1, the taste score being 1, and the creativity score being 3.

Eiji's current score was 0; with the appeal score being 0, the taste score being 0, and the creativity score being 0.

Misaki's current score was a 5; with the appeal score being 1, the taste score being 0, and the creativity score being 4.

Andoryū's current score was 5; with the appeal score being 2, the taste score being 1, and the creativity score being 2.

Bringing Tsumita Nagayuki's current total score to a solid 20. It was better than Ryouka's dish, but not by much.

Even though the judges didn't exactly like the taste/texture of the dish, some of them did have to admit that the idea of that was creative. Alice did throw in her opinion of the idea, saying something along the lines of yogurt and coffee having some detoxifying effects that could aid in the digestion of the main course meal.

Nagayuki whistled before he said, "Not bad. Ore-sama figured that that was something that only Ore-sama knew."

Alice blinked a couple of time before she huffed and said with a scoff, "Oh, pa~lease~, Anyone who knows anything about molecular gastronomy would know something so basic." This earned a laugh from the younger Tsumita brother, a scoff from the older, and a chuckle from Sōma. A couple of the other individuals just rolled their eyes or shook their head at this particular antic, but the way they did it practically showed that this was a relatively normal occurrence.

Despite the purposeful botched attempt at the dish, Erina was relatively surprised that someone in this environment knew molecular gastronomy, or least seem to know. The honey blonde looked at Nagayuki's station one last time to see the vacuum flasks and that was when she remembered where she heard the term LN2, it was the scientific term for liquid nitrogen. It was a common but relatively dangerous molecular gastronomy ingredient if handled improperly. Erina knew that she has seen Alice use liquid nitrogen before for some of her dishes. Though a question that did raise in the honey blonde's mind was, 'Where was he able to get liquid nitrogen for this contest?' But in the end, Erina decided that she was better off not knowing.

Somei's turn was finally up, and of course, he served a type of appetizer sushi.

From what the Totsuki students could tell, it appeared to be a type of tuna sushi.

(Okay, here's were I issue an apology. But because I only saw Saitou Somei in three Shokugeki, and two of those were actually skimmed over in the Manga, and only two dishes to analyze, I don't really have much information on what kind of sushi this character likes to make or even how he preps them, besides how the sushi-making basics are. So, regretfully, I have to skip the reactions and explanations to any dish that Saitou Somei makes within this story due to a lack of information on his sushi cooking style).

Sōma's current score was 14; with the appeal score being 5, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 4.

Mayu's current score was 15; with all the categories scoring a five.

Eiji's current score was 13; with the appeal score being 4, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 4.

Misaki's current score was a solid 12; with the appeal score being 5, the taste score being 2, and the creativity score being 5.

Andoryu's current score was 14; with the appeal score being 5, the taste score being 5, and the creativity score being 4.

Bringing Saitou Somei's current total score to 68. Just snatching the lead from Ryō by a single point.

Sumihiko stroked his beard when he told Ryouka and Nagayuki, " Hehehe, looks like your little immature antics put you two whippersnappers at a disadvantage right off the bat."

Nagayuki couldn't stop himself from snapping, "Shut up, old man! Ore-sama just wanted a laugh! Ore-sama will show you what Ore-sama is capable of when Ore-sama wins this category!"

With an amused smirk on his face, Sumihiko stated in a teasing manner, "Oh? Can you really snatch a victory when you're more than 40 points behind the lead?"

Nagayuki folded his arms and muttered under his breath, "Ore-sama will show you, old man."

The elderly man couldn't help but comment, "Sure, sure, whippersnapper. Sure, sure." Ryouka couldn't stop herself from giggling. Sumihiko glanced at the pet be a green-eyed girl and said in a slightly teasing manner, "I don't think you should be laughing right now little chick-a-dee. You're the one in last place for the appetizer category." That made Ryouka stop.

"You guys seem to be taking this whole thing in a friendly matter," Ryō stated in his usual nonchalant tone, making it seem as if he were just disinterested in the conversation, despite what he had just said.

Sumihiko patted the secret specialist on the arm when he said, "Trust me, young man, when you live with a bunch of individuals with their own peculiar quirks for a good number of years, you get a feel on how to interact with them easily." Ryō only replied with a simple, "Ah," while Somei commented that he agreed with that statement. Which did earn a chuckle from the elderly man.

Erina didn't understand what was happening before her. Okay, yes, the outcome was what she's expected to happen, but despite the outcome of the matches, some more purposeful than others, the atmosphere of the end of the Appetizer Course was very light and friendly. And while Erina couldn't fathom the reason why someone would want to make a terrible dish on purpose, the new determination from Ryouka and Nagayuki to actually try better the next round felt… Rather satisfying in some way. A way that the honey blonde couldn't understand or describe, and that was a very strange feeling for her.

However, Erina had to figure this weird feeling out at a later date. Because now, the Main Course category was up to cook.

~}i{~

To be Continued in the Next Omake.

~}i{~

1) I don't actually play this game, but I'd figure it'll give some readers who do a good laugh.

2) Ryū is the Japanese word for Dragon. What Subaru was referencing in his comment was that someone had the word Ryū in their name. *hint*hint*

3) Tamodachi/Tomodachi (友達; ともだち; or トモダチ) is a Japanese word meaning "friend(s)". It's not really used as a suffix, but Usagi likes to use the word as so and uses it to indicate that he is Friends with someone. And yes, it is also the name of a buddy game.

4) Omake request will be given to the first person to tell me in the reviews which Transformer series this particular song is from (Teehee). Good luck~.

5) Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder that causes overwhelming daytime drowsiness. While the character of Tsugiyoshi, AKA Nezumi, doesn't have narcolepsy in the canon Juuni Taisen media, his sleepiness is caused by his in canon ability that does not exist in the Shokugeki no Sōma universe so I gave him narcolepsy in this story to keep him in character even without his ability.

~}i{~

Gale-Dragon: If you have gotten to this, I thank you for reading. I'm sure you've noticed that I finally started the Menu Contest the Omake, but due to the fact that I was a bit late with posting this chapter, I decided to split the first round of the contest into thirds with the Main Course being the next Omake and the Beverage and Dessert being in the Omake after. It's more for me to keep the two storylines in order when I write. Hopefully, I'll have the next chapter up in a reasonable amount of time. Keyword "Hopefully".

And regards to the (4) trivia, you can either write your answers in the comments or PM it to me, but I do need the name of the Transformers Series. AKA, it has to say "Transformers" and what series it is. Just saying G1, Headmasters, Robots in Disguise, or Cybertron will not count (Btw, these may or may not be the right series). Good Luck~.

So, until the next chapter dear readers.