First out-of-original-story chapter is here. Do enjoy.

Chapter 9: Food Soul Appreciation Society

Knock knock.

"Marui, I want to ask you something," Sōma called from behind the door to Room 205. A week had gone by since the redhead's first victory in a Shokugeki, and more or less the residents at Kyokusei would find Cookie taking advantage of her win by stuffing her two test subjects with different cuisines, even some VERY unpleasant ones (no surprise). There were days where Pancake and Steak were going to pass out from eating so much and others where they became sick to their stomachs from the more dissatisfying dishes. Several of the other Food Souls st the dorm pitied them, especially since it was only the first week of the month-long wager.

Sōma decided now was the perfect time to get more of the story he's been hearing about regarding his Food Soul. The person he instantly thought when seeking answers was Kyokusei's own resident bookworm, Zenji Marui.

"I'll answer since you actually knock unlike some people," a voice replied, and the door opened a few seconds later. The black haired student adjusted his round glasses and he let the redhead in.

"Thank you. I was wondering about the seminar you attend. It's in partnership with the Food Soul Appreciation Society, right?"

"Yes. They're like the Miyazato Seminar, only they focus on gathering the history on every Food Soul to ever step foot on Tierra. So they mostly are composed of the journalist type of students. Its members usually come to us for assistance in research papers, because the more they learn about the food they're from, the better they can understand the Food Soul themselves. We also collaborate with them when some literature involves the history of the Food Soul's time in a certain era. So in short, our research clubs are quite close."

"Then you may know why I asked."

"I do, and you're in luck. I asked around the Food Soul AS myself, curious about the legend behind 'the Ultimate Chef' and where she came from. Because many first believed that she was the 'people's Food Soul' which appeared from the creative minds of chefs themselves. Even though it's claimed that she never had a real Master Attendant, there's no other way she would even exist. I'm expecting their findings later today, and I know they won't mind if you come along, given that you're the second person to have ever summoned her. Of course, that would also mean they may interview you."

"I'm not afraid to stand before journalists."

"Oh, and I don't know much about Sakurajima technology, but the AS has the latest reporter equipment from the Academy in Nevras as part of their budget, courtesy of the Director himself. So you might want to be careful of what you wear and say."

The redhead didn't look intimidated, except for the small streak of sweat that ran down the side of his face.

"Marui-kun, you've come at the right time," a brown haired girl greeted at the entrance of one of Tōtsuki's many facilities, this one looking much like a gigantic Russian temple with seven towers in an assortment of colors and patterns. "All of the records we have have been gathered and are ready for you on the second floor."

"How come I've never seen this building before?" Sōma asked, completely surprised to have missed such a magnificent structure.

"The AS has been around since Tōtsuki was first founded," Zenji explained with pride. "It's always being renovated because their records keep accumulating so quickly. For that reason, interlopers liked to break into the building to steal information. Luckily, the Academy has provided a device that only allows Tōtsuki students to see it after their first few weeks. Clever, right?"

"Sometimes, I forget how much money this school has."

"You're Cookie's Master Attendant, Sōma Yukihira right? We're honored to have you here at the Food Soul Appreciation Society," the girl said.

"Um, thank you."

"I will lead you up to the second floor. Our Bookkeeper will be waiting for you."

"And I thought the outside was huge," the redhead gawked at the sheer size of the book gallery they had walked into. There wasn't a free shelf to be seen in what felt like miles of books, scrolls and envelopes. There was the occasional trinket that were most likely souvenirs, and they looked like they came from all over Tierra. Large chandeliers with sunset orange paper lanterns hung from the ceiling and several tables and chairs were placed in between the shelves shortways.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Zenji commented, taking in a deep breath. "So much history has been collected in this building since the beginning of this school, and yet there's still so much to learn."

"Indeed there is, Marui-kun," an elderly woman's voice replied. A woman in her sixties walked over to the boys in her cream orange yukata with a light brown undershirt and grey flats. Her greying blonde hair was pinned up in a bun with a white feathered hair comb, and her bangs made a shading over her wise, jade green eyes.

"Bookkeeper, you look well as always." The black haired student gave a respectful bow to the woman, and Sōma quickly followed out of respect.

"Thank you. And this must be the student who summoned the topic of the school these days." Her gaze fell on the redhead and she smiled warmly. "I am Mariko Watanabe, the history instructor here at Tōtsuki and the current Bookkeeper of the Food Soul Appreciation Society. Welcome to our trove of treasures, Yukihira."

"Um, honored to meet you."

"I just noticed how quiet it is in here, Bookkeeper," Zenji commented. "A few hundred students would be making at least some noise in here."

"Wait. How many?" The gold eyes of the transfer student widened.

"The Food Soul AS has been growing since the dawn of its age. There's currently over 650 students in this research club, including junior high students."

"You call that a few?!" The intimidation from the large list of members left the redhead dumbfounded. "Few hundred or not, that's a crazy number! This might as well the biggest research society in Tōtsuki!"

"It is actually! So large that not even Nakiri-san would dare to tear this place down, or else she would face the wrath of the entire school staff!" Mariko confirmed with an air of confidence. The intimidation meter just spiked. If even someone as controlling as Erina wouldn't tear off one brick of the research building, the AS must hold almost the same amount of power as the Ten Cooking Masters, or even the Director.

"Past Tōtsuki alumni and even members of the Ten Cooking Masters were also in the research club. So, if I may be bold, the Food Soul Appreciation Society may as well be the third highest position of power in Tōtsuki!"

"I can understand why," Sōma replied, overcome by all of the heavy information he just got.

"But enough about us. Do forgive me for getting sidetracked. Our files on Cookie are just over here." Mariko lead the two students to a part of the gallery with lit oil lamps on the tables. Occupying one of the tables were two files, one thicker than the other with several newspaper clippings sticking out of it. "Unfortunately, most of our records stem from witness accounts. The records on her actions themselves are fewer."

"What about her first Attendant?" Sōma asked.

"Truth be told, we actually do have a first hand account on her first Master Attendant's identity." She pointed to the smaller documents. "Her actual history is in that one."

"Thank you so much."

"Oh, and Yukihira. A few of our members were hoping that you could give your account of being the first Cooking Attendant in 70 years to have summoned Cookie. However, after seeing your skills against Mito last week, they've felt too intimidated to ask."

"I will do my best to answer their questions."

"Thank you. I will leave you two to it then. Call for one of the students when you're finished." The advisor took her leave from the room.

"Okay, let's see what we've got." The two boys took a seat at the table and Sōma proceeded in opening the folder. An old illustration of a of a small, three story house was on top of the stack of documents. The building's ground floor was a shop, a quaint little bakery with a warm green and cream theme on the outside.

"A bakery?"

"I know that building," Zenji said. "That's Angel Flour, the number one bakery in Gloriville, and has been so for decades. The Director and Peking Duck have been there a number of times. It was founded 80 years ago, and has been a family business since its founding. I didn't know Cookie was there."

The redhead's gold eyes carefully turned the illustration over to a page that appeared to be from a diary. Another illustration depicted the inside of the bakery, where a young woman with orange eyes and brown in a braid bun was pulling freshly baked bread out of a stove oven and Cookie was standing with nearby with a cheery smile and holding a cake pan in her hands.

"Cookie actually worked there?"

"According to the caption, this was Cookie's first days at Angel Flour, dated 70 years ago," Sōma summarized. "The woman must be the owner."

"Her Attendant may be that woman."

"I don't think so. Look at this."

'Daddy is not with us, but even after he passed away, Cookie stayed by my side. She's so young, having never been in this world before. My little sister… my last gift from Daddy… I hope I can raise her well like Daddy did for me when Mom left.'

"Well, no wonder Cookie doesn't tolerate Nakiri and Nikumi's attitudes," the redhead chuckled. "It's reassuring that she came from a homey background like mine."

"So it's no question that you two are the perfect pair." The two continued to look through the folder, learning about the bakery where Cookie spent the first years of her life.

Cookie's first Master Attendant was a renowned connoisseur and baker, and he became a single father of a daughter after his wife left. Throughout his career, the man was loved by all of Gloriville and his critiques of confections and pastries were highly appraised all over Tierra. When his daughter was grown, he became sick with no chance of recovering.

"So Cookie was…" Zenji muttered, surprised by what they discovered, reading over the written account under the diary page once more.

"She was summoned by her Attendant's last breath, for his daughter," the redhead finished.

"That would mean that Cookie never knew her Master Attendant, let alone had one for 40 years before her disappearance. But I heard that Cookie has been all over Tierra. Were those false?"

"I highly doubt that given all those newspaper accounts in the other one. The owner probably sent her out for some reason." After flipping a few more tens of pages in the folder, they found another illustration of Cookie in a cooking battle against a young man with dark skin, pale blue eyes and black-teal hair with a short apron over a regally styled attire and a black and white porkpie hat. Watching from the sides were a group of Food Souls watching the match. Two people that stood out were a young, drooling brunette in red and white with a tall, elaborate marcher's hat and an older man with steely, pale rose colored eyes, long brown hair in a low ponytail and in a pastry chef's uniform with a brown apron and light orange sailor tie. "What's this scene?"

"It says that this event was almost 33 years ago. Cookie was in a showdown with the faithful Food Soul Brownie under the supervision of the best pastry chef in Gloriville of that time, Pastel de Nata. The main ingredient was coffee and both of them made very amazing dishes that emphasize on the coffee's natural bitterness, Brownie making a meat dish and Cookie going with a tiramisu-esque dish. The showdown was to show the growth in their individual skills, and while the match came close, Cookie won by the amazing inspiration for her dish. It was a memorable battle that thousands had spectated to boost the morale for liberating Sakurajima from the Fallen Angels."

"So the liberation started three years before Cookie vanished. What happened during that time?"

"Well, let's look at the back." Coming to the last few pages in the file, the students scanned the contents.

"Cookie was on the front lines of the liberation along with four other Food Souls: Napoleon Cake, Brownie, B-52, and Pastel de Nata," Zenji read. "Cookie was the healer of the team, supported by Nata and Brownie. The human-turn-Fallen Angel Orochi was quickly defeated, and next was Inugami, who had entrapped human souls to keep itself alive."

"But it says here that something happened when they confronted Inugami. And it looks like the whole outcome wasn't released to the public, or at least to the humans." A clipping from a newspaper showed an illustration of a small boy with maroon colored hair with handful of peaches. "But it says that this boy, roughly six years old, was the last known witness before that battle. He said all of them were there when they went for Inugami."

"So what could've happened?" Zenji made a noise of confusion in his throat and held the clipping closer to him and then looked at Sōma. "It's not me. This boy looks a lot like you."

"Huh?" The redhead inspected the boy's features,and noticed that his hair was wavy and even though it's short, it was held in a small ponytail except for one strand in their face. The boy had a similar face to Sōma's and with familiar pale gold eyes. His own gold eyes widened in surprise.

"My dad was there?"

In another part of the AS facility, Mariko was down in the Attendant Archives, which looked much like the second floor gallery except for the futuristic lights that hung on the ceiling that illuminated every corner of the large room. Accompanying her was a tall, beautiful Food Soul in an elegant brown cloak and garments of robes and sashes. His eyes were a pale grey, his skin pale, and his long, braided hair was platinum blonde and slate colored. A giant jug was present on the table, which held a distinctive brown liquid inside that had a scent that Mariko had grown used to.

"Jōichirō… that little kitten has quite the nerve to vanish and then pop up out of nowhere, only in the form of his son," the woman mused. In her hands was a file containing three profiles, one depicting a young maroon haired student, a grey haired Food Soul with an eye patch and another Food Soul with wild blonde hair held back by a very unique ornamented headband. "He has actually made Caviar worried sick about him."

"Master Attendant, how are you sure Yukihira is Saiba's son?" the man with her asked.

"Jōichirō is never one to be predictable, Beer. Yukihira showed the same surprise at his Shokugeki. The aura around him is the same as his dad's and their eyes mirror the passion and excitement they have when they cook."

"I can't help but wonder now where Tempura is. He's never been known to stay in one place unless it's for his Master Attendant."

"Tempura may be a brawny character, but he's also a bright one. I'm sure wherever he is that he's just fine."

West Palata had become even more bustling with trade, tourists and new cuisine being thrown onto the restaurants in the past century or so. Not to mention all the oxen, chickens, camels and horses being pulled around. But the main action was taking place at one of the biggest plazas on the block. A huge crowd had formed around the plaza's fountain, where a man in elegant cream robes and a brown turban was forced to kneel before a man with maroon hair tied back in a ponytail save for one strand. Sitting on the edge of the fountain in front of the two was a muscular young man with long, wild blonde hair tied back with a simple, salmon roe patterned headband and red brick colored robes, and he was smirking at the man on the ground while with a small case in his lap.

"As we agreed, I'll be taking back your sous chef," the victorious man stated. "Thank you again for taking care of him for the past few years. I really do owe you for giving him a good-living job at your restaurant."

"Saiba… Don't you know that I will never find a replacement for him once he leaves?" the man yelled in dismay.

"I'm sure you can summon a Food Soul who is just as hardworking as Tempura is. Sorry, but now that I have MY Food Soul back, we have to be off for the next boat." The man walked up to the blonde at the fountain, who opened the case to show a slot for a knife. The knife in the victor's hand was placed into the slot, and the case was then closed and locked. Saiba hoisted up a plain pouch bag that was in his other hand over his shoulder and the two walked off, the crowd parting for them.

"Something must be going down if you're showing up after 18 or so years," Tempura informed. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be pulling me out of a job as good as that one. The master practically treated me like his own Food Soul, if not like a son."

"I do apologize since you were clearly enjoying yourself here. Let's just say that you may be needed for a bit of guidance."

"Guidance? You're making it sound like another revolution is going to happen."

"I'm sure I don't need to tell you all of the details…" Saiba fell silent as the two made their way through the crowded market. They came to a stop at the docks.

"Attendant?"

"Not when it involves Spaghetti and him." The Food Soul's pale gold eyes widened in shock.

"What? They're back?"

"Yeah, and no doubt they're going to try something underhanded such as gaining control of Tōtsuki. So Gramps is going to need all the backbone of alumni that he can get, Food Souls and blades flying."

"But why show up now, when he was kicked out years ago?"

"He will use the current Cooking Masters and Erina-chan without a doubt. It also makes me worried about how the Appreciation Society will be affected."

"He can't be allowed to do anything!" Tempura yelled. "That club is the bonding line of people and their Food Souls! If he so much as steps foot in their facility…!"

"But he will. No doubt that he will go after them after taking the guild because of how much influence they have. But not even the Cooking Masters would want to tear it down so they will be safe. For now."

"That club was like our second home from Kyokusei at the guild, theirs too." The blonde was starting to look enraged, which was far from his usual cheerfulness. His hands clenched into fists, making his knuckles white. "I'll rip them apart if they even so much as-!"

"I said that Gramps needed the backbone," the Attendant reminded. "It's not our duty to take him down for good. It's the duty of the newest generation of students."

"And how are you that positive about that?"

"Gramps picked many of them himself, including someone I want you to meet." A large, wooden mechant boat arrived at the docks. After the few passengers departed, Saiba showed the crew members a pair of tickets, and they nodded.

"And who is that?" Saiba looked over his shoulder with a smile.

"My son." The maroon haired man proceeded in boarding the boat. Tempura was stuck in place with a flabbergasted expression before his brain started working again and ran up the ramp to catch up.

"Hey, wait a second! A son?! When did that happen?!"

"A-are you sure that's not enough pictures?" Sōma asked uncomfortably under all the spotlight from a handful of members of the Food Soul Appreciation Society. Several of them were holding microphones and recorders at the ready and others were holding devices that they said were called cameras. The cameras were for the most in the redhead's face.

"A few more please! Maybe even bring Cookie along next time!" one of the students pleaded.

"We still have some more questions we want to ask you!" another called.

"Alright everyone, we of this society do not shove for details or get in one's personal space," Mariko reminded as she entered the humongous foyer with Beer. "It's impolite and will give us a bad name in the long run."

"Sorry, Bookkeeper." Quickly, the crowd of students dispersed.

"My deepest apologies, Yukihira. When I said that they were eager to meet you, I meant that they were determined to learn more about you."

"It was okay until it started to get into more of the personal stuff," he admitted. "And it took so long that I just sent Marui back to the dorm."

"Yes, many members here just love to dig up anything they can get their hands on," Beer pointed out. "Oh, and I'm Beer."

"Beer, huh? Like that very ancient drink?"

"Yes, I am named after it."

"Did you find what you were looking for, Yukihira?" the advisor asked.

"Some of our questions were answered thanks to what you found, but then we got more questions," the redhead told them. "Like what happened during Sakurajima's liberation and the last eye witness and Food Souls with her at that time. I can now understand at least on why she's so famous and how everybody in the guild knows who she is."

"There's a start at least."

"Watanabe-san, are any of the following Food Souls currently in contract with someone? They're B-52, Napoleon Cake, Brownie and Pastel de Nata." The Bookkeeper and her Food Soul looked at each other for a moment before turning back to the student.

"We only know of one who is in a contract with an Attendant. The mechanical Food Soul B-52. His Master Attendant is in the Nakiri family."

"The Nakiris?" Sōma thought to himself that he should've seen that coming.

"Yes, but we at least know that his Master Attendant doesn't boss him around like she does with her aide."

"Not Nakiri?"

"Oh no, her cousin who is much more pleasant than her," Beer laughed. "Her name is Alice, and she's a funny one at that, almost the complete opposite of Nakiri-chan. She's a first year here as well."

"Her cousin, huh?" The redhead put some thought into this new information. He hadn't met this Alice Nakiri yet, and he had no idea what she looked like. But if her Food Soul knew Cookie, he could ask him about their interactions.

"Yukihira, it seems you've become quite engrossed in learning more about the liberation. Unfortunately, most of our archives aren't open to those outside the AS with the Miyazato Seminar being one of our few exceptions."

"Having a Sakurajima native's point of view could also prove beneficial, if I say so myself, Mariko," a familiar voice commented. The three faced the entrance, where Senzaemon and Peking Duck were entering the facility.

"Oh, Senzen! I wasn't expecting you to come until tomorrow!" Mariko greeted cheerfully.

"'Senzen'?" Sōma asked, taken aback at the nickname for the Director himself.

"Mariko is one of the first instructors I hired for Tōtsuki and we go far back," the powerful man explained with amusement. "Our Food Souls also get along quite well." To show, Peking Duck waved over to Beer, who grinned and gave a mock bow.

"The documents you wanted to look over are in my office, Senzen," Mariko informed. "But before that, I need to ask Yukihira a question." Her jade green eyes went back to the young redhead. "How far are you going to push to learn everything you can about your Food Soul, Yukihira?"

"..." Sōma had to think about it. It shouldn't be any of his business of what Cookie had been through in the past. He didn't like to pry into someone's life like some people. But then, he thought about those moments when the honey blonde looked forlorn from her missing memories. He had seen enough in that first month of her at his side that there was someone so important to her, and she couldn't even remember their face or name. He never liked seeing his only Food Soul not being her chipper, curious self like when they first met.

"Cool! A new face! I'm Cookie, collector of new ideas!"

No, he would never see her as one would call a romantic partner (he knew he's dense, but even he had an inkling that she was not interested in him). He only found their love for cooking and ideal of cooking for fun to be what they had in common. Cookie was more of an equal to him, a close friend, and he would never abandon a friend.

"It wouldn't be for myself," the redhead finally answered. "Sure I was curious about her background, but that was to get to know her better. Learn where she got her roots, because she fit right in with me and my dad at our restaurant. But even with your research club's records, there's still many holes in her past, holes that bring her down. Whenever she found a hole in her memory, Cookie would always look so sad and ashamed. Just from looking at her, I could tell that those missing memories were some of her most important memories.

"From what I've heard back home and seen here, there are those Cooking Attendants who see their Food Souls as tools and beneath them, disregarding their feelings. Those kinds of people disgust me, because even though Food Souls can live a significantly longer time than humans, they're still living beings. I would never treat Cookie like she's a tool, or turn a blind eye to her sadness. If there's anything I can do to make her feel at ease, even digging up the dark parts of her past that connect to her memories, then I will go those lengths for her sake."

"So that is your answer…" Peking Duck acknowledged. "Most Attendants would only seek knowledge of their Food Souls and then keep it to themselves, but not you."

"Of course I wouldn't, it's Cookie's story." His gold eyes went back to the Bookkeeper. "Mariko Watanabe, Bookkeeper of the Food Soul Appreciation Society, will you let me continue to come to your doors as a member in search of Cookie's missing past?"

"Dear boy, you don't even need to ask."

"He's truly just like his father."

"Sōma sure has been gone for a while," Megumi noted worriedly as the dinner call came around at Kyokusei. Steak and Pancake had left for the day, completely stuffed thanks to Cookie, and said honey blonde was looking through her small notebook without a hint of worry for her Attendant.

"He probably got swamped with questions by the members of the Food Soul AS," Ryōko reasoned. "Marui and him went up there earlier and Marui was the only one who came back."

"Should someone go there to fetch him?" Macaron suggested.

"I'm sure he's on his way as we speak," Yellow Wine assured.

"Hey, sorry for keeping you all waiting!"

"Speak of the devil."

"Now just what was taking you so long?" Fumio asked as the redhead stepped into the dining hall.

"Well, for one, I was asked a lot of questions and had probably a hundred pictures taken of me. For two, I had a conversation with the Bookkeeper and the Director."

"Nakiri-dono showed up?" Sashimi asked while polishing his fillet knife.

"Something about some documents the Bookkeeper collected for him. I don't know all of the details." Sōma's Food Soul looked him over and she noticed a multicolored wristband on his right wrist, which greatly contrasted with the white cloth tied around his left wrist and his whole outfit in general.

"Attendant, what's-" she was about to ask, but Caviar answered for the redhead.

"Ah, that's one of the Appreciation Society's wristbands." Upon the new item being pointed out, everyone in the room was focused on the accessory.

"Wait, have you become a member?" Zenji asked, surprised and fixing his glasses.

"I thought it was hard to get in that research society," the blonde-black haired Kyokusei resident Shōji said.

"Bookkeeper said that I didn't need to ask," Sōma told them.

"But Sōma, students usually have to wait a whole month before being accepted by this club," Megumi pointed out. "No one gets in just by asking. There's a whole evaluation that the Bookkeeper goes through, and she gets in applications daily."

"Well, maybe I was a special case?"

"Why did you choose to join this research club, Attendant Sōma?" Cookie asked. The redhead looked her way and gave a bright smile.

"How else can I help my Food Soul regain her memories? They're important to her, aren't they?" The honey blonde didn't know if she wanted to believe it, even knowing how loyal Sōma was to those he's close to. But her visible eye was dotted at the corner with tears.

"Attendant…"

"I'm gonna do my best there for you, and you're welcome to come with me any time."

Suddenly, the dorm was throwing a last-minute party for Sōma's acceptance in the AS coordinated by none than Yūki and Satoshi (threatened into a pair of pants again). The honey blonde in the room could only smile, watching the redhead boy.

"Thank you… for being my Attendant."