By Monday, Hinako and Donato were officially members of the Polar Star Dormitory. No one in the High School section made it in this year.

"They're all just riding the high of the Polar Star Golden Generation," Fumio huffed, unhappy. "I miss it too, now that Shiomi's gone, but if they just want fame I want nothing to do with them."

"Look on the bright side, Fumio-san," Nakagawa said, "you got this one back."

The 'this one' in address, Sekimori, simply smiled like some kind of dachshund when his name was called.

Fumio sighed. "Yes, yes."

Shiomi had gone on her solo pilgrimage (so she said), starting her dream of travelling out of the country to personally discover spices all across the world.

"And it looks like we'll have a strong upcoming generation too," Sekimori turned toward the kitchen, where the Junior High kids were in charge of breakfast today.

Inui Hinako— she's the daughter of a high-end Japanese Food Conglomerate, but she's the youngest of six children (and the child of a mistress no less) so she was left to fend for herself after being dropped off here. She's got next to no actual experience in the kitchen due to the elitist nature of her household, but she's earnest, calculative and careful. She never takes unnecessary risks.

Then there's Donato Gotouda. The wayward family disappointment of a great Hotel chain in Italy— he apparently flirted with a girl he should have not flirted with, and had to escape the country to lay low for a bit. He's got many years of kitchen experience under his belt so he has proficiency across a large variety of skills, but he tends to rush his dish when too much pressure is suddenly put on him.

"The good thing about them is that they're still in Junior High," Fumio said. "I can be a little more lenient with them— but they're bursting with potential!"

If they were in the High School division, she probably would've sent them back out.

"Dunceda! Stop eating the damn pancakes, we're trying to serve them!" Shinomiya yells, whirling to the other side, "Donato, hands off!"

He earned a unison of eeps.

Eda's unapologetic, though, licking the honey off his fingers after he'd picked up the pancake and tore it in half by hand to share with Donato.

"Christ above, have some table manners!" Shinomiya gasped, "look at Hinako, she's shellshocked by your audacity!"

Donato simply accepted the hand-peeled pancake like an offering.

"How was it, Donato-kun?" Eda ignored Shinomiya, though his eyes lingered on Hinako's deer-in-headlights look from the pan. She'll probably burn the one she's making right now. "I think it's a little bit tough..."

Donato considered his piece deeply, "I think it's fine, but it is a little chewy. What a shame, it was such a beautiful colour too. The honey and butter are marvellous, though! I would gladly eat these as they are!"

"No, Donato, in Tootsuki we aim for greater heights than this," Eda told him. "It's not about being fast or serving more customers. We're in junior high, so we have to focus on making the perfect pancake. Once we're in high school they'll want us to make the perfect pancake a hundred out of a hundred times."

"Oooh, wise words, Eda-senpai! I shall keep it in mind!"

Eda whipped up more pancake batter while Shinomiya lectured a near-tears Hinako through the cooking station. Hinako's too short for the stove, so she's on a step stool.

"Stop yelling at me," Hinako pleaded.

"I will when you finally flip the goddamn pancake right!" Shinomiya doesn't lower his voice at all, "half of them are shaped like my sleep paralysis demons, and the other half is on the floor!"

"I'm sorry!" Hinako wailed. Below her breath she's regretting all her life choices, "why did I have to get the mean one—"

"I got the sour cream!" Donato announced as he sauntered back into the kitchen, and Shinomiya's voice reached a decibel unsafe for human ears.

"DUNCEDA, DO NOT!"

And then Eda returned it with an equal, "DON'T BE A SPOILSPORT, PINKYMIYA!" before whisking it, "you won't be able to taste that little bit once it's cooked, anyways. Come on, it's Donato-kun's turn to cook."

"Oh!" Donato brightened up.

"Finally!" Hinako all but launched herself off the stool, "I thought I'd be at the mercy of that monster forever!"

"Who are you calling a monster?!" Shinomiya barked.

Eda didn't miss the tongue she stuck out with a scowl in Shinomiya's direction. The way he just went hiss right back spoke volumes. He laughed.

-

Donato was just happy to be here. Really, he was.

Despite being just a year older than himself, Eda and Shinomiya were on wildly different levels from him. They didn't make a deal of it, but it was obvious how comfortable they were in the kitchen.

Donato's worked in a kitchen for years, but they act like they've been in one their whole life.

Eda whisked the batter perfectly without even pausing once. And he argued with Shinomiya the entire time— how much strength was in his hand? Even in Donato's experience they'd always set that up on a standing mixer.

"What's all these bowls?" Donato wondered, watching as Eda poured milk into one of them, and then stirred it into the batter. He mixed in the other ingredients the same way— always measuring them out first and adding them in step. "It seems slightly inefficient."

"I'd prefer to be accurate," Eda said, a slight strain in his voice Donato wondered if it was his imagination. "You can get away with eyeballing in most dishes, but I specialize in desserts that aren't quite as forgiving. I don't want to make a habit of not knowing exact measurements. At least if I mess up, I'll know how much to fix."

Donato considered that. It felt a little too mathematical for him. He was more a hands-on learner that figured things out as he went— it made more sense to taste as he went along, and narrow down any mistakes little by little as the food was made.

Plus, this way, the dishes really added up too quickly. It was making a bit of a mess, and that would never fly in a commercial kitchen.

And most of all... despite how comfortable the seniors spoke with them and how violently they argued, they worked seamlessly as a team. They were such hard workers, they never have enough time to practice.

-

It wasn't even daybreak yet, but Donato had been awoken by Nakagawa to help pound mochi. He was very intrigued by Japanese culture, so of course he agreed, even with the egregious time of day.

But as he passed by the kitchen, Eda was there with Shinomiya.

"It's not very tasty," Shinomiya told him. "It's much more fragrant than it tastes."

"And the texture is a little rough too," Eda sighed, "I guess I didn't blend it right. I'll head back to the steaming room. Can you get some more strawberries?"

"Yeah. We should try some of the slightly overripe ones this time. The stronger taste might help."

"Alright."

Donato snuck into the kitchen when they left, to see they had started creating sakura-themed confections. There were manju, sponge cakes, and teas, set up so elegantly it could've been a work of art.

And yet, they had been dissatisfied.

Also... if they had enough of these to fill up the tables, how long have they been awake?

-

"The sakuramochi are divineeeee!" Hinako swooned. "I'm in cherry blossom heaven. Thank you Eda-senpai. I love you Eda-senpai. Thank you for being born, Eda-senpai."

"Calm down, Hinako-chan."

One of the seniors sobbed, "homemade oshiruko by Eda-chan! Thank you mommy!"

"I don't remember giving birth to any of you," Eda retorted, "ah— Nakagawa-senpai! Good timing, would you try this?"

He called the senior in just as he passed by. He had been outside pounding mochi the whole morning, and was probably taking a break by changing shifts with Donato.

"You made mochi ice cream just for me? This is why you're my favourite, Eda-chan," Nakagawa leaned over his shoulder, still dressed in his jinbei, and opened his mouth to let Eda toss one in his mouth. His hands were still sweaty from pounding mochi. The icy cold matcha ice cream inside the sakura-fragrant milk mochi really perked him up from all the exercise. It was a match made in heaven itself. "Full points."

"Are you sure? That was my ice cream batch, not yours," Eda doubted him, but he nodded. Maybe because Eda's one had a weaker flavour, so it didn't conflict with the natural taste of the mochi? He went on to dust the next serving of milk mochi with matcha powder and honey. "Alright, is Sekimori-senpai still outside? This is for him."

"You spoil us."

"But unlike you, he doesn't really like sweet things, so he'd prefer this to all the other things I'm serving the others," Eda insisted. He tasted the powder, "it's definitely drying out my tongue a little... maybe I put too much matcha powder."

"Nah, he'll love it," Nakagawa assured. "The mochi's really good, freshly made. I'll go call him, so wait a sec."

"Mommy can you make kirimochi next?"

"Make it yourself, the ingredients are all there!" Eda finally snapped at them. "Kishinuma-senpai! That's your third plate! SHARE!"

"No it's MINNEE!"

-

"What, you had a whole hanami party and you didn't invite any of us?"

"Not sorry, it was a Polar Star event," Eda said.

Getting used to classes in the second year of junior high was a little tricky, but the good thing was that the number of students went down, so they had more classes together.

"These are so cute!" Sena observed the paper cups with the Polar Star symbol designed on them. "Kishinuma-senpai made them?"

"Yes, he said he was going to start his own trendy food stall chain once he graduates, so this is him starting early on the design route," Shinomiya sipped on his Sakura Matcha Latte. "I have a feeling we're just taunting everyone on main campus with these, though. They've been staring at us like we walked into class with expensive coffee but no, Eda just made these this morning and this is part of the failed batch."

"Pink drink!" Haruno took picture after picture after selfie with it, "it's a pink drink! Homemade! From scratch! It's perfect!"

"This is the failed batch?" Mizuhara grimaced. She sipped on hers. "They taste good to me, though. Actually the taste is probably better than a coffee shop."

"I messed up the mixing of the green tea," Eda said, very seriously, as he sipped on his. "I really gotta apologize to Sekimori-senpai one more time when we get back."

"No seriously, stop that, he doesn't mind," Shinomiya said.

"Huh? When did Sekimori-senpai return from the war?" Mizuhara wondered.

"It's been a week. Keep up."

Unlike when it was for first years, the second year in here assumes you already know what's up with the curriculum. So everyone's heading straight into graded classes right away.

And for now, they have an intensive crash course on all the bounties of spring. There's been nothing but spring ingredients and dishes through the season, and apparently, the rest of the year will be just as drill-camp reminiscent.

"I never thought I'd ever dread the sight of cabbage," Haruno sulked. "Do you know what Minase-sensei said? Yes, that's the point. You look at them until you go insane. So when the competition comes, your PTSD will help you work under pressure. Do you think he needs therapy?"

"Everyone in Tootsuki needs therapy," Mizuhara sympathized. "It's kind of a 'you don't graduate unless we've given you mental trauma' kind of thing."

"You two have it nice," Sena sighed. "All the vegetables in the ingredients class are giving me anxiety."

"Oh nah, I'm still failing those," Eda said.

"Don't be proud of it!" Shinomiya snapped.

"And you're acing every dessert-adjacent class, so what does that matter?" Mizuhara sighed. "The sakura season was made for you, dude..."

"It's also strawberry season."

"Stop proving my point," Mizuhara grumbled, "and you're even doing all this on the side. Seriously, you gotta figure out how to add this to your yearly credit."

Eda hummed at that. To get credit for extra research like seasonal desserts, he'll have to get the proper facilities in a Research Society and go through the process of submitting weekly reports.

But Eda just didn't like the options he had. He didn't know what Research Society suited him. He's been harassing a few of them regularly since last year (President Candy Association has a wanted poster of him on their billboard) but all of them felt constrictive. He didn't want to just focus on candy, or chocolate, or Japanese sweets. He wanted to appreciate all desserts at once, but no one else wants to, and you can't be a Research Society alone.

"For now, these are all going to Sekimori-senpai's record," Eda said. "Did he say he was going to seize Japanese Sweets next week?"

"Yeah. He's in a Shokugeki with Japanese Cuisine RS this week."

"Already?" Mizuhara balked, "and one after another?"

"He's going to merge them and become the President of both, apparently," Eda said. "He wants me in the sweets one, and I think I'll join... maybe for one year? I wanna make other desserts too."

"You're the first person I've seen to see a big Research Society like Japanese Sweets as a temporary option," Haruno was bewildered, "you even have the recommendation of a senior."

"I was thinking I'd join a few. There's no rule against that, right?" Eda said.

"I'm just aiming for French Cuisine RS," Shinomiya said. "Isn't it better to have a set goal and work your way up it early? I'm going to conquer it before high school."

"You overwork-loving fools," Mizuhara scoffed.

Sena laughed, "you don't have room to talk about that."

Now that they're second years, their priority has to be in expanding their options and zeroing in on their future strengths and specialties.

For Eda, spending a year focused on finding his roots and exploring Granny Kiyo's recipes with Sekimori-senpai's help seemed like a good decision.

"By the way, the sakura custard pudding will be done setting after class," Eda said. "Come take some of them home. I recommend eating them with hot chocolate so you can actually taste something other than milk."

"You still made more?!" Mizuhara and Sena balked.

"And you under-seasoned them again??" Shinomiya groaned.

"Eda-kun, have I told you that I would die for you?" Haruno started.

-

If there's anything Hinako knows, it's that her seniors are absolutely amazing, she wants to be like them, and she would give her soul to become Eda-senpai's or Sekimori-senpais apprentice forever.

With Sekimori specializing in traditional Japanese cuisine, and Eda having such an elegant handle on Japanese Sweets, they were the brilliant harmony of exactly the kind of chef she wanted to become.

A kind of chef that could take Kirinoya back from the rest of her family that rejected her just for her blood. She would be able to take back all her late mother's hard work! If she could only become just as amazing as those two...

But it's all so daunting.

She's always been a ditz, plain and slow, and she makes a lot of mistakes if she hurries. It's unfathomable to even think she could achieve the level of her seniors that are the epitome of composure.

Especially when that scary senior is in the way of everything.

"Are you sure we should've ditched Eda-kun and the others?"

"Screw'em. They'll just get in the way here."

She jumped when she heard his voice outside. Peeking out of the window, it seems he's just come back from classes. It seems theirs run longer than the first years— and there's a girl beside him.

A girl with light brown hair, a very dainty and adorable look, she's really cute, that cherry blossom hairpin looks good on her— she much also be a senior, then. But then Hinako recognizes her with a gasp.

That's the girl that was in the suite room of Kirinoya Inn for New Year's!

She thought with horror. When she worked at her branch's inn for the holidays before coming to Tootsuki, that one girl had been in a room with some very important businesswomen, politicians, and doctors. The inn was in uproar about not disappointing them, especially because one of them had ties to the yakuza. She and a couple other ladies all rented the most expensive room all throughout New Years.

And that's the daughter!

As expected from Tootsuki, there is some crazy pedigree here.

But hold on, why's she sticking so close to Shinomiya? And they're even chatting it up so amiably. Giggling. Like a couple. What on earth? Hinako's kind of irritated, actually— by a richie rich, no less! Shinomiya, where is angry feral meanie Shinomiya?? Why are you laughing with that spoiled girl who gets to spend vacations relaxing in high-class hotel suites?

"Hinako dear," Donato began behind her, "love is young. Leave them alone."

"No but it's so unexpected!" she insisted. "Shinomiya-senpai dating a soft and yurufuwa little girlie like that? Who would imagine?"

"Why do you two immediately assume they're dating?" Fumio sighed from the couch. She opened a newspaper. "This is what's the problem with kids too young."

"But they're so close!" Donato's face is stuck to the window. "It's love! Love is in the air! It could be nothing else, Dorm Mother!"

"They're walking side by side into the vegetable garden!" Hinako gasped. "Where no one else is. Scandalous! In broad daylight?!"

"Are they supposed to pick vegetables at night?"

Donato then inquired sincerely, "is 'picking vegetables' some Japanese slang for the birds and the bees?"

Fumio spat out her coffee while Nakagawa, who overheard everything from upstairs, proceeded to die of laughter, slip on the top step, and crash all the way down to the bottom. He's still laughing at the end of it.

"Are you okay?" Hinako's concerned.

"No," he said between laughter as he struggled back to his feet, wiping away some tears. "Come on. Let's go see what your seniors are doing, alright?"

-

Hinako was still very suspicious that there was some weird love scandal going on, fourteen-year-olds or not. Actually especially because they're fourteen. She's worked at inns, okay? She's seen things.

So they tucked themselves inconspicuously behind Nakagawa as they observed Shinomiya and— Haruno, they learned her name— picked fresh vegetables from the garden and placed them in the basket.

They then went into the steaming room, where they took a few boxes of all the steamed glutinous rice that was made earlier in the day. They then headed back toward campus.

And once they got to the school, they gathered in the practice room.

"Ugh, too greasy."

"It's delicious, though, in an indulgent way."

"This brown butter sauce was a complete fail! Why didn't it emulsify at all... I'm ditching it to start over. Stop eating!"

"Eh, but it's such a waste. I love the texture of the gnocchi, but the cheewiness can't really be enjoyed with the grease sticking to every bite."

"Quiet, Eda! A compliment from you is not safe for reception at this hour of the day!"

"Eh? My compliments have preferred serving hours?"

As they peeked in from the windows, they found three people inside.

Eda was there, toasting some peanuts in a pan, seemingly to make some peanut butter. He dipped a slightly toasted green apple into it, and his eyes bloomed with interest when he tasted it.

Then— Nakagawa introduces them to the juniors— Mizuhara was tossing lemon and aromatics together with a furrow in her brows, browning them so fragrantly Donato gulped. Once the butter went in, Donato couldn't resist sticking his forehead to the glass. It must smell heavenly there.

Then there's Sena, taking out something from the oven that has Mizuhara's head turning. It's a whole-roasted pan of lamb and spring vegetables, vibrant and gorgeous even from this distance.

"Mizuhara-chan does Italian dishes with great dedication to the details and composition. Sena-kun's food is always very indulgent and rich," Nakagawa explained. "And Eda-kun's unique flavour combinations never lose to anyone."

Hinako's breath held with fascination. Just the classes today had enough wrung her dry, and here they all were, doing more practice?

Shinomiya and Haruno finally make it to the door, and they open it with a loud greeting.

"We're back, did Eda burn anything yet?" Shinomiya immediately said.

And Mizuhara missed no beat to tattle, "butter." While Sena said the exact same thing, much calmer.

"It was on purpose! It's for the sauce!" Eda insisted.

"Butter!!" Haruno perked up from her ladylike look to essentially skitter to Mizuhara, "that butter smells heavenly!"

"Ah, Haruno, I toasted the peanuts for you," Eda said.

"Shinomiya, The lamb's going in once more. Which of the vegetables should I leave on the pan?" Sena asked. "They're not all quite done."

Shinomiya hummed, approaching the pan, "hey, this is pretty good. I think you're better off putting the carrots in a second round... maybe on its own in another oven. It'll probably burn at this rate. Everything else comes off."

Just like that, they continue their work.

"The lemang is so fragrant!" Haruno cut up the tubes of cooked glutinous rice and tested them out with the savoury peanut sauce.

"Stop snacking, you glutton," Mizuhara groaned.

"Yes, yes..." seemed to be working on some kind of salad, toasting up a thick sauce.

Meanwhile, Shinomiya began working with asparagus. He had butter and olive oil heating in a soup pot, and Sena came in with a chopping board full of chopped onions, sweeping them right in without even asking for affirmation. Sena then set down a small pot of chicken broth beside him, and then went back to his own dish.

Meanwhile, Eda cut up strawberries that Haruno and Shinomiya brought from the Polar Star garden, crushing up some of them into a batter with lemon and lots of cream cheese. It was mesmerizing, how he knew exactly when to stop stirring for that perfect consistency even if he turned away or conversed between the movement.

"What do you think?" Nakagawa interrupted, and the two juniors jumped, as if they were wrenched out of being utterly lost in everything happening. "A wonderful generation, don't you think?"

Yeah.

It's awe-inspiring. It's what a generation of Elite Ten looks like in its early stages, and Hinako and Donato can barely fathom it.

But it's what they'll one day become, if they persevere.

(She can't hold back the feeling of fear, because look at them, so far away. Is that something possible for us to reach? Is it something I'm allowed to wish for?)

(But it fills her with excitement, because she can't contain her desire to become someone worth looking at with so much admiration too.)

(How liberating would it be, to become someone who can take their place?)

-

Nakagawa barged into the practice room once they were done.

"Hey now, you can't be using practice rooms without permission!" he roared, and everyone in the room screamed and ran to hide behind Shinomiya. Eda's under the table.

"What the hell, it's just Nakagawa-senpai," Shinomiya groaned.

Donato sauntered in, "it smells like god descended in here! Absolutely fragrant, the bounties of spring in full perfection!"

"What the—"

Hinako, drooling, rushed in to contain her feral classmate, "it looks so gooooodd!!"

"Oh dear, juniors?"

"Alright, your punishment," Nakagawa said. "Share your meal."

"HUH?" Mizuhara barked. "We cooked it! Get your own!"

"Isn't it fine," Sena chuckled, "we ate while cooking, so we're not too hungry anyways. And we can still get supper at Polar Star."

"Exactly," Nakagawa said. "Eda-chan, get out from under there. Dinnertime."

"Eh? Hinako-chan?" Eda poked his head out from under the table like a meek mouse. He slunk back in. "Don't scare me like that..."

It was a whole full course.

Starting with Shinomiya's refreshing asparagus soup. Shinomiya ladled it up for her and had to gall to don a smug grin. Hinako was determined to defiantly sip this and point out any minor flaw she could— but the fragrance already crumbled her willpower.

It was refreshing and light, the tinge of white peppers leaving her breathless even before she actually consumed any. The asparagus were full and sweet, the soup rich and bodied with cream that warmed her up deep within. It was so nourishing, she couldn't resist going back for another mouthful. The tinge of lemon in the aftertaste perked her right up, making her crave the grassy sweetness of the asparagus once more.

"There's really an overwhelming amount of vegetables, aren't there?" Donato chuckled. "As a full course this would be a little much in a restaurant."

"I suppose," Sena said. "We have two appetisers and two entrees... so after the soup, I'd recommend mine as your entree."

Which was the one-pan roasted lamb leg with voluminous vegetables. The roast on the vegetables were gorgeous, the lamb glistening golden brown with the sauce— and the potatoes, the toasted surfaces crinkling like crystalized peels.

Eda was already chewing on some of the potatoes with interest.

Hinako understood why the second she tried one. The skin left partially peeled was paper thin and flakes off addictingly savoury. Baby potatoes as they were, the sweetness concentrated in each cube burst out fuller than ever, melding with the savoury, charred touches on the surface. The olive oil made the earthy aftertaste linger longer on her tongue, and the garlic emboldened the fragrance of the humble, earthen taste to the moon.

And this was just one side. The carrots were criminally sweet and bursting with juices, the green beans were just mellow enough to prepare her for the artichokes that completely sealed the deal. This entire pan was like a treasure trove of indulgence. It's heaven for anyone that loves vegetables.

But she hadn't even touched the lamb yet. The meat was so tender it fell off the bone, and the perfect cook on the red meat made rich, juicy wonder burst out with very bite, spreading across her mouth. The crisp skin had her chasing for more, and by the time she started worrying about calories, she was already diving in for more, because no regrets at this point.

"Yeah, that's good," Shinomiya tasted it too. He licked his lips, and circled around the vegetable varieties. "Maybe the garlic's a little overpowering, but it's just a cultural difference there."

"Woah, it's so rare of you to give me a compliment," Sena beamed. "I guess all that practice with the oven in winter was worth it."

"No one can beat you when it comes to throwing things in the oven and calling it a day," Mizuhara said. She sounded like she was complaining, but she went in for another serving of lamb anyways.

Nakagawa enjoyed the carrots the most, clearly, and he indulged in them all one by one, appreciative. "These would be good with some tomatoes."

"Senpai," Eda chided, "reign in your sweet tooth a little, please."

"Then next," Haruno brought out her huge bowl, "time for something refreshing after all that heavy stuff."

Hinako was, at first, taken aback. It was like a fruit bowl, mixed with vegetables— she seemed to have put anything she could in there, from mangoes, green apples, grapefruit, bean sprouts, cucumbers— she even tossed in some deep fried tofu and the glutinous riceballs in there. And then came the ominously brown sauce, thick as peanut butter yet its consistency reminded her of bean paste. The strong odour of shrimp paste was in the air and Hinako wasn't sure if she was a fan.

She served it up like a mess, and Hinako was very concerned. She was always trained to plate everything as appetising, elegant, and perfect as possible— no exceptions— so the idea of just dumping a chaotic mess of fruits onto a plate and then slathering it with sauce in a similarly appetising colour was just like taunting the grim reaper.

She could tell Donato had the same qualms. This is a fine-dining school, isn't it?

"Oh, street food," Sena indulged without hesitation. He perked when he tasted the sauce with his bite of the apples. "Definitely strong flavours."

"It's a surprise what you get, with everything drowned in sauce," Nakagawa enjoyed the mangoes, "the sauce is really good!"

"It's crunchy with the peanuts, then the chilli also tickles my tongue a little," Eda said, rather curiously, "the sesame seeds are really fun. The sticky rice makes it all nice and chewy, too."

Mizuhara was more hesitant. "Where do I even begin eating this?" She eventually picked up some julienned cucumbers, and pretty much drank the rest of it down, "hmm. Not bad."

Shinomiya definitely appreciated it. "The sauce is a little overpowering for the vegetables, but it fights with the fruits, and is evened out by the rice. As a whole dish, there's nothing I can complain about."

"Just say it's good, pinky."

"Whad'ya call me, ya feckin' dipshit?"

"I'm in disbelief," Nakagawa chewed on his foot carefully, "the Polar Star tomatoes are good here. You kids are really making much more progress than us high schoolers did with these crazy tomatoes."

When Donato decided to indulge, Hinako decided she had to, too. And she was blown away. She thought Haruno had insanely rich parents— yet, she made street food, and she made them good.

Though the sauce looked thick and heavy, it tasted fresh, the fragrance of white sesame and lime perking up the mellow notes of the roasted nuts. It was warm and comforting, the way it was reminiscent of peanut butter, yet was savoury and light without compromising a deep, fulfilling flavour that lingered with each bite.

Though the vegetables were only briefly prepared, their natural flavours came out strongly, the tartness of the green apples bursting through the seams of the savoury sauce. With each bite of the glutinous rice, the sauce melded into the seams of the rice, soaking into the rivers of each grain, spreading the enticing chilli freshness all across her tongue. Then the julienne cucumbers drew in so much of the sauce between its thin, flavourful strings, making it just a tad more addictively sweet with its light flavours as an accompaniment. It was tantalizing.

She circled back around to the rice, and it no longer mattered that the presentation was disastrous. What is this sauce, and why did it complement every single ingredient in this chaotic fruit salad? Was that even possible? One sauce?

"I was really craving rojak after coming back this year," Haruno pouted, "I just can't make it as good as this street stall uncle near my ibu's house."

"It's always the nondescript street stalls," Eda chuckled.

"Alright, the final entree is mine," Mizuhara stood up, and Hinako's heart ceased.

There's more.

Right.

She's at her limit. These dishes were just one dramatic whiplash after the next, her heart can't take this. She's going to die. Her tongue can only handle the food of the gods three times a day.

Following the refreshing fruit salad was a rich, buttery rigatoni, the fragrantly caramelised butter generously tossed with herbs and aromatics.

The comfortingly springy pasta, the rich buttery sauce that burst with herbs and sucked her right back into the dough— the roasted lemons garnished atop that prevented it all from becoming much too greasy— and then, the rich, dusted parmesan on top she just can't get enough of. The black pepper was just the combination move that tickled her all the way down her throat, and she couldn't help but inhale the rest of it all with a wanton hunger unbecoming of her upbringing.

"Mizuhara-senpai! Please take me in as your apprentice!" Donato's on the ground.

"What? No," Mizuhara said. "I don't take apprentices."

"Then I'll be your servant! Please allow me to be vaguely within five meters of you the next time you cook!"

"...yeah, that sounds less annoying."

"Mizuhara!" the rest of the seniors chided her in flustered unison.

"The herbs are very well melded into the dish," Nakagawa ignored the chaos to compliment the dish. "You mixed herb butter into the dough. And tossed the same herb butter with the lemon and aromatics. It makes the flavour come through really strongly without contracting each other. It must have been tough to make it not so greasy, huh? Ah, so that's why you changed from gnocchi to rigatoni."

"Yes, I tried a few until Eda was satisfied," Mizuhara glanced at Eda, who was enjoying the food rather satisfied. He raised a thumbs up. "I made sure to thicken it with a bit of cheese so it wasn't too watery, too."

"Hmm, I'd recommend another cheese rather than the parmesan you used, but it's good for something you made just in one day," Nakagawa said. "You did the best today, Mizuhara-chan."

Mizuhara bloomed like an excited cat. "Thank you, senpai!"

Meanwhile Shinomiya and Haruno sulked, and Sena chuckled sadly. "Looks like we lost..."

"They were all so good, though..." Hinako said, "I wouldn't be able to choose a best dish if it were me. The Rojak sauce was divine. The roasted vegetables were perfect..."

Donato also marvelled. "We can't forget the asparagus soup! It was nothing short of flawless! And then this rigatoni is something that could be served in a three-star restaurant! Hold on, when did this turn into a judging thing?" Donato wondered.

"In Tootsuki, every cook-off is a judging thing," Eda said, "especially if we have an Elite Ten in the room more than happy to eat our food."

This is where a competition can ruin your future forever, after all. It's a place where none of them can let their guard down for even a second, and they spend every other moment ceaselessly honing their craft.

"But if we're done eating, shall we have dessert?"

Hinako died instantly.

-

And then she came back to life so she could eat the cheesecake.

"I feel like every dish connected to the one before it somehow," Shinomiya said. "Asparagus to the roasted vegetable platter, to the salad, then the rigatoni's cheese to end with a cheesecake. But yours is the only one that's Japanese."

"Oh shush, you," Eda said.

"Oh! The crust has peanuts in it. It's what I didn't use for the peanut sauce, right?" Haruno said, "it's toasted and so fragrant! I love the crust layer."

"A strawberry cheesecake, huh," Nakagawa swooned, "I wish I could monopolize you in the Dairy Product Research Society, Eda-chan."

"Sorry, Sekimori-senpai had dibs."

"Maybe I can shokugeki him for you."

"Please do it after my mom's birthday in two months. I'm gonna figure out a good Japanese Confection for that first, then I'm game for wherever else."

"Hey," Mizuhara warned, "you're going to cause war in Polar Star."

Sena simply enjoyed his cake in silence.

The cake was visually gorgeous, and tasted just as great. The most eye-catching layer had to be the pink gelatin layer with sakura petals between it. It was followed by a mellow lemon cheesecake layer, and then powered by a rich pink strawberry cheesecake layer. Eating them in tandem was just art, the rejuvenating tart lemons binding with the rich syrup of the strawberries, dusted by the elegant fragrance of sakura— all wrapped lovingly in cream cheese. Then there's the crispy base layer, with mild-tasting cookie crumbs crusted with richly-caramelized peanuts for a satisfying texture coming through with each bite.

"The strawberry and cream cheese are harmonious," he adored it very much. "The strawberry comes on a little strong, but the lemon balances it out in flavour, so neither of it overpowers the sakura. It's amazing how subtle the flavour remains with the fragrance of sakura and vibrant strawberries as its main elements."

"I'm more impressed you managed to make a three-layered cheesecake in so little time," Nakagawa said. "Your time management never ceases to amaze me, Eda-chan. I want you employed in my shop when I make it."

"Sorry, Jou-san has first dibs."

"Darn it, I can't shokugeki with that!"

While Hinako briefly wondered who 'Jou-san' could be, she found Donato absolutely absorbed in all the dishes so far.

"It does a good job of connecting to the previous dishes," Donato said. "This could go best with the pairing of Haruno-senpai's appetiser and Mizuhara-senpai's main course..."

"You sure are thinking so hard about full course dinners, Donato-kun," HInako hummed. "You have to think about those a lot in your restaurant?"

"Eh?" he blushed, "ah, sorry. I see the chefs at my place pour hours into deciding each day's course, and sometimes I have to do it too. So it's just a habit at this point."

"That's a good experience!" Hinako said, "I never thought lot could go into the dishes. In my place, we have a set one for each day, a set each season, and we just rinse and repeat until the next menu order comes down from top."

Donato hummed with interest at that. "But the people up top must study intensively, if that menu is used so widely!"

"Yes, of course. Washoku is a lot less adaptable than other dishes, after all. We rely on the loyalty of customers, so changing the flavours will lose them," she sighed. "That's why, coming to Tootsuki is so refreshing. I've never tasted such vivid, adventurous flavours before. My guardians all looked down on street food, so I never imagined the chaotic presentation could translate to good flavours."

"Oh, that cannot be!" Donato gasped, "I simply must take you to the shopping district this weekend. You must join me in my conquest to discover the greatest finger food in the area."

"Eh?!"

"Please, I implore you!"

Hinako noticed the seniors had gone quiet, and she flushed bright red to find them all staring at her and Donato with the fondness of proud parents thinking their littlest were about to embark on their first venture into adulthood.

"Donato," Shinomiya took pity on Hinako, "you're so innocent that it's unfathomable how you're also a playboy, but tone it down around her. Hinako's a sheltered girl."

Hinako hissed like a wet cat. He's right, but she hates that it's him saying this.