Ch. 96: Angels and Demons

(Author's Note: Sorry for the delay; I've been procrastinating like crazy on my writing lately. On a more positive note, Season 5 of the anime finally started back up again! Even though a lot of people seemed disappointed with the direction of Shokugeki No Soma during and after the Promotion Exams/Regiment Arc, I love everything about this series and will probably continue to re-watch and re-read it every so often. Still haven't read the last volume, though.)

It was a grueling first day back at Totsuki, and by the time it was over, Torrey felt like several months had already passed.

His first two classes were arguably the worst, thanks to Miyoko Hojo. Then there was Miss Shiomi's ridiculous assignment in third period, which resulted in Torrey carrying a wild hog and a particularly curvaceous girl around campus (although tiring, this might have actually been the lone bright spot of the day). After all this, he had to fight just to stay awake during the 4th  period lecture from hell.

Of course, he could have returned to Polaris at this point to begin preparations for Friday's big Shokugeki with Hojo. But for some reason, he just couldn't say no to Erina...

Such is the life of a chef. Torrey is finally back at the dorm, after the long walk from Erina's office. It would be ignorant to call this the last hurdle of the day; his work is only just beginning. Luckily, he isn't alone.

He can't help but laugh as he surveys the kitchen, surrounded by his team of assistants.

"I really appreciate all of you offering to help me with this...but it almost feels like cheating," he admits. "This is basically a student council all-star team."

Tonight's lineup:

1st seat- Soma Yukihira

2nd  seat (former)- Rindo Kobayashi

8th seat- Etsuya Eizan

9th seat- Nene Kinokuni

? seat (former)- Tormund Waldenpond.

"Hey, wait a minute! You can't just go around telling people you're the 'former question mark seat'. Have some pride, Kohai!" says Rindo, smacking Torrey on the shoulder. This is a habit of hers that Torrey is already used to.

"Well it's true...Azami never told me what seat I was. I guess it wasn't really important," Torrey admits, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"It's quite a simple matter to settle, truthfully. Just take a look at the Elite Ten Council page on the Shokugeki No Soma Fandom Wiki. Taking into account that Megishima, Isshiki, and Kuga were forcibly removed from their positions before the Battle Royale, and looking at the subsequent promotions of Momo to the 3rd seat, Saito to the 4th, and Eizan to the 7th- while I myself stayed put as the 6th seat- that left openings for the 5th, 8th, and 9th seats, since Nakiri was still technically the 10th seat at the time. As you know, in the main story, Shoko Kaburagi was given the 5th seat, Julio Shiratsu was given the 8th, and Hayama the 9th. If my memory serves, neither Shiratsu nor Kaburagi has appeared in THIS story, meaning that your seat was either the 5th or the 8th, Torrey," says Nene, pushing up her glasses. Which were now glowing, for some reason.

"Ugh...you lost me as soon as you started throwing numbers around," says Soma. Steam was literally puffing out of his head.

"Yeah, that's when I started tunin' her out," says Rindo.

"As I said before, it was a simple matter to resolve! I swear, it's a miracle that the both of you were able to make it on the Council at all," says Nene. "Torrey, surely you understood my well-thought explanation?"

"Umm...sure. I got the main idea, at least. As far as anyone's concerned, I can just say I was the 5th seat!" says Torrey, excited for this now meaningless promotion.

"If it means that much to you, why didn't you just accept the 2nd seat when Nakiri offered it?!" growls Eizan.

"I'm still sticking by my decision. No regerts," says Torrey.

"Re...gerts?"

"Sigh. Perhaps I should have enrolled at a strictly academic school..." mutters Nene.

"Anyways, I can't thank you all enough for being here," says Torrey, clapping his hands together in a gesture of prayer.

"Don't sweat it! Sometimes you just gotta rely on your pals. I wouldn't have made it through half of my ordeals without their support," says Soma.

"I'm not his pal! I just get sick at the thought of owing him a favor, that's all," says Eizan, crossing his arms and facing the other direction.

"We're waaay past the point of bein' pals. Right Kohai?" says Rindo.

"R-rindo Senpai...w-what exactly do you mean..." Nene stutters.

"You're a smartypants; you can figure it out."

"Misleading comments aside, I'm not sure where to even begin. After that awesome smorgasbord of Chinese food at lunch, courtesy of Rindo-Senpai..." says Torrey, pausing to watch Rindo take a bow, "now I understand just how little I actually know about this kind of cuisine."

"Aww, well...knowledge is knowledge, I guess," says Rindo.

"Nine provinces, each with a distinct style-it can be a lot to grasp, at first. Seeing how we're short on time, I suggest we narrow our focus down to a single province by tomorrow. We can review the basics today, and hopefully choose your dish by Wednesday. Worrying about Friday will only make matters worse, so with this rough outline in place, let us focus on what we can do right this moment," says Nene, confidently.

"Wow, that was awesome, Nene! Sure glad to have you aboard," says Torrey. Nene's face reddens a bit.

"It's not a bad plan. Only problem is, Hojo's a Chinese food expert and her style is pretty broad. There's no tellin' what kinda dish she'll use," says Rindo. She looks at Torrey. "If ya' both end up going with similar dishes, it'll be that much harder for you to impress the judges."

"I see. Then my lack of experience would be even more obvious," concludes Torrey.

"It's too bad you're not going up against Kuga and his signature Sichuan style. Then we'd just have to create a highly acidic dish to neutralize the PH levels of the spicy oils and reduce the impact of the heat," says Eizan, thinking it over carefully.

"Oho! Leave it to Eizan-Senpai to come up with a plan that involves fightin' dirty," says Soma.

"It's called a 'Food War' for a reason! All is fair, right? That is to say...uh...I mean...you shouldn't bribe judges or anything like that...I was referring to the actual cooking part!"

"Eizan's all flustered! Bahaha, wish I could see that every day," says Rindo, who's laughing so hard that she's in tears.

"We shouldn't waste any more time. Might I suggest we start the evening with a noodle dish?" says Nene.

"Great idea. Honestly, I've been kind of scared to try home-made noodles ever since our match," says Torrey.

"..." (Nene).

"Sorry, maybe I should have kept that to myself. So...what's the first step?"

***********************************************************

With Nene's help, Torrey manages to make a large batch of egg noodles that serves as the foundation for a number of dishes. At this stage, the goal is quantity over quality, until they're able to decide on a dish to focus their efforts on.

"I'll tell you what, Kohai. Not a bad first run," says Rindo, patting her stomach after trying dish number ten.

"Not bad? Senpai, you cleaned every plate. Granted, they were just sample plates so that everyone could try some... but still," says Torrey.

"Those were sample plates?! You were holding out on me!"

"Rindo, why don't you offer some constructive criticism? Obviously it doesn't take much to satisfy your stomach, and we all agreed that the dishes were decent enough. None of them was capable of earning a victory, however," says Eizan. Rindo suddenly stands up, hitting Eizan with a menacing glare from her catlike eye.

"That's Rindo-SENPAI to you, Four-Eyes."

"Err...right. Rindo-Senpai."

"Fine, I'll offer some 'constructive criticism'. I know this was just a trial run, but we don't have time for games. So I won't hold back. Sure you're okay with that, Kohai?"

"Of course. I always appreciate your honesty, Rindo-Senpai. Even though it's not always appropriate."

"See? We just get each other."

"Get on with it already!" Nene shouts.

"Sheesh. Okay...dishes 1, 3, and 7 were probably the best of the bunch. But in terms of flavor, they were more like Yukihira's diner food."

"Hey!" Soma protests. "I think?"

"Diner food is plenty good enough for 99% of customers, and there's somethin' to be said about being able to please that many folks. Diner food doesn't win Shokugeki's, though. Imagine that the judges are customers at your restaurant, and that they had to make reservations months in advance while travelin' across the globe just to get there. Now imagine that they're payin' an insane amount of moolah for that meal. You think they wanna go home and tell their friends that it was a 'decent enough' meal?"

"Probably n-" starts Torrey.

"NO! They don't. They wanna tell their friends that the meal knocked their socks off. And their panties. They want flavors that can't be found anywhere else. Yukihira- your goal at the diner is to get your customers to keep comin' back again and again, right?" says Rindo.

"Yeah, I get your point now. Even though I use a lot of the tricks I learned at my Dad's diner to win Shokugeki's, our menu can't compare with the fancy Michelin restaurants in terms of flavor. Our dishes are made to hook the customers without being overly satisfying," says Soma.

"This is some pretty good info. I have to admit, I really wasn't expecting a lecture from you though, Rindo-Senpai," says Torrey.

"I didn't think she was the type to actually pay attention in class," says Eizan.

"It's nothin'. And don't patronize me, Eizan! I learned all that stuff from eating at a ton of different restaurants. Some things can't be found in textbooks."

"That...sounds more accurate," says Nene. "But we're digressing again. Eizan, earlier you mentioned a great way to counteract the impact of Kuga's Sichuan dishes, and that got me thinking. If the goal is to make an impactful dish that has the highest chance of succeeding against Hojo's dish, wouldn't Sichuan be a logical choice of cuisine to focus on?"

"It might have the strongest flavors, but that doesn't mean it's gonna give Kohai the best chance," says Rindo. "Balancin' out the spices is real tough, especially without the practice. Kuga likes gettin' people addicted to the spiciness of his food and the pain that comes with it, but if you mess up the balance...all you get is the pain."

"But if Sichuan cooking is known for its powerful flavors, and there's only a 1 in 9 chance that Hojo will also choose it..." says Torrey, thinking out loud.

"Kohai, you know I'll support whatever you decide. I'm just sayin'. Even for someone with your abilities, it's gonna be tough to master the spices by Friday."

"I think the benefit of choosing your area of focus already puts us on track for a successful week of training," says Nene.

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on a minute. Nene, you keep saying stuff like that, which makes it sound like we'll be helping him out all week..." says Eizan, immediately concerned.

"Why wouldn't we? We've already invested in Torrey's success. Besides, Rindo-Senpai..." starts Nene, before stopping herself. Eizan gives her a curious look. Rindo raises an eyebrow. "Uh, nevermind. We might as well see this through, right?"

I can't let her get the better of me! This is my chance to get closer to Torrey! thinks Nene.

"This isn't what I signed up for. Starting tomorrow, I'll be charging my usual consultation fee," says Eizan.

"You're the reason he got expelled, remember?" says Rindo.

"It's okay, we really don't need to keep bringing up the past..." says Torrey, awkwardly.

"Fine. One week! That's it. Then we're even," says Eizan.

************************************************************

It was after 10pm by the time they started wrapping things up in the kitchen. Getting the former Central members to leave was a bit of a struggle, though.

"Yaaawn...geez, sure is gettin' late, huh? I don't know if I'm up for the trip..." says Rindo, watching Torrey's reaction out of the corner of her eye.

"It isn't safe to be walking about at this time, either. I guess it can't be helped," says Nene.

"Too bad we don't have any guest rooms open," says Soma.

"That IS too bad. I'll just have to share with Kohai, then. Wouldn't be the first time, am I right?" says Rindo, winking at Torrey.

"That's illegal! You can't do that!" says Nene, pointing aggressively at Rindo.

"No it's not! And you were thinkin' of the same thing!" says Rindo.

"Nuh-uh," says Nene, unused to lying.

"Aha! Runnin' out of big words already?"

"That's because my IQ drops every time I speak with you!"

"Yo, you're the only one who can fix this," says Soma, nudging Torrey on the elbow.

"Please do, before it gets out of hand," says Eizan. The three guys are standing back at a safe distance, watching the girls with a mix of fear and fascination.

"It's kinda cool, having the girls in my har- I mean, having my friends fighting over me. But you're right; it's gotta stop," says Torrey. "Nene, Rindo-Senpai!"

The girls stop and turn to face him, both looking surprised.

"What's up?" they say together.

"You're putting me in an uncomfortable position right now..."

"I'm sorry, Kohai. What position would you prefer to be in?" says Rindo. "Actually, don't answer that; we can figure it out later tonight."

"..." (Nene is speechless, once again).

"I'm the one who's sorry. I can't sleep with both of you, and I can't choose one at this point. It just wouldn't be fair to the others. We agreed to settle this with an honest competition, right? The lifeblood of Totsuki is the Shokugeki!" says Torrey.

"Let's just do it already!" says Rindo.

"The Shokugeki, you mean?" asks Nene.

"That too! Hey, I just realized...this is like a weird, reverse fairytale situation we've got goin' on right now," says Rindo.

"Please elaborate," says Nene, looking skeptical.

"Seriously though! You know how there's usually a princess, locked away in a castle or somethin' and waitin' for prince charming to come and rescue her from a fire-breathing dragon?"

"That just sounds like the plot of..." starts Eizan.

"Kohai is the princess in this story! Instead of giving his chastity away to the knight who defeats the dragon, he's giving it to the girl who can win the Shokugeki! The Shokugeki is the dragon!"

"I don't know about all that, but I think it's pretty funny that you're comparing Waldy here to a princess! Bahaha," says Soma, cracking up.

"That theory almost makes sense, but it's still a bit of a stretch," says Eizan.

"C'mon! Nene...you see what I'm sayin'?" says Rindo, appealing to the girl whom she was fighting with only moments ago.

"I can't believe that I didn't notice the parallels before. Rindo-Senpai, that's actually a rather apt comparison," says Nene.

"I knew you'd see it my way," says Rindo, giving Nene a playful noogie. Before Nene could protest- "All right, I guess we'll get out of your hair. See ya tomorrow, Kohai! Later Yukihira."

"Later, Senpai's," says Soma.

"Umm...bye?" says Nene, confused.

"Thanks again!" says Torrey.

Rindo leads Nene toward the doors. Eizan uses this moment to take his leave, too (without saying good-bye, of course). The kitchen is quiet for the first time all night.

********************************************************************

Torrey opens the fridge, cringing at the excessive amount of egg-noodle themed dishes occupying the space. He used up most of the ingredients, and didn't leave room to replenish the stock. While staring at the noodles, he hears some sounds at the other end of the kitchen. He turns to find Soma working on something.

"Hey, you better eat all of that! There's uh...no room in the fridge," says Torrey.

"I will, I will. I gotta practice too, you know. Seeing you going all out is getting me fired up for OUR Shokugeki!" says Soma.

At this moment, Megumi Tadokoro stumbles into the room wearing an adorable matching set of ducky pajamas. Her long blue hair is down, missing its signature pigtails. She yawns.

"Yo, Tadokoro! We weren't making too much noise down here, were we?" asks Soma.

"Not at all! I was just getting ready for bed and realized that I'm hungry..." says Megumi, heading toward the fridge. Torrey quickly steps into her way.

"Well, you came to the right place! What are you in the mood for? We've got...egg noodles with peanut chicken, egg noodle stir fry, cold egg noodles in beef broth, sesame egg noodles, spicy egg noodles..." says Torrey, giving the sales pitch.

"Do you happen to have any dishes without egg noodles?" asks Megumi, hopefully.

"Regretfully, no," says Torrey, suddenly embarrassed by the one-dimensional menu.

The plan had been to start broad and eventually narrow things down, but 'broad' apparently just meant a wide variety of egg noodle dishes.

"Oh...that's okay. I'll just have a warm glass of milk, then," says Megumi, taking another step toward the fridge.

Torrey doesn't budge. He doesn't have the strength to tell Megumi that there's no milk left. Only noodles.

"Wait! This could be a good opportunity for me. Just tell me something that sounds good, preferably Chinese, based on the ingredients that we already have out, and I'll whip it up in no time!"

"Are you sure it's not too much trouble?" asks Megumi.

"I need the practice," says Torrey.

"In that case, it needs to be something light and tasty. Maybe..." says Megumi, pausing to survey the ingredients, "...spring rolls?"

"You got it!" says Torrey, jumping into action. Megumi takes a seat at the counter and watches him work, fascinated. Soma joins her with the plate of Kung Pao Chicken that he just made.

Torrey grabs a small skillet, drizzles it with olive oil, then sets it over medium heat. Once the oil starts to shimmer, he adds shiitake mushrooms. He removes these after they're browned, tosses them with tamari, and sets them aside.

Now he takes the rice paper wrappers and quickly dips them in warm water. Then he removes the wrappers and fills them with the pre-made egg noodles, mushrooms, avocado, basil, mint, and microgreens.

For the final step, he wraps and tucks the sides, then carefully rolls until the wrapper is tightly closed. Four finished rolls are placed on a plate, along with two small dishes for dipping sauces. One holds extra tamari, the other holds a peanut sauce. Torrey sets the plate in front of Megumi.

"..." (Torrey)

"Is something wrong?" asks Megumi, genuinely concerned. Her kindness is nearly enough to melt Torrey's heart.

"Yeah, what's that look?" asks Soma.

"I wanted to say something cool, but I realized that I don't have a catchphrase like you Soma."

"That's okay; no need to force it. Plenty of chefs have trouble coming up with a good catchphrase," says Soma, proudly.

"That's right! I don't have one either..." says Megumi.

"Something else for me to practice, I guess. In any event, I hope you like it, Megumi," says Torrey, gesturing to the rolls.

"Thanks, Torrey," says Megumi, taking the first roll and dipping it in both sauces before taking a bite. Her eyes light up immediately.

"Yeah?" says Torrey.

"It's sooo good!" says Megumi, with a mouthful of spring roll. "The perfect late-night snack."

"Thank goodness," says Soma.

"Now I'm the one who's confused..." says Torrey.

"Well based on that reaction, I almost expected her clothes to go flying. I'm just glad that they didn't."

"Heh?" says Megumi.

"You're right! Megumi's an angel who should never be lewded. Even though it's the ultimate compliment if someone loses their clothes after trying your dish, I'm also glad it didn't happen," says Torrey.

"I'm just going to keep eating these spring rolls..." says Megumi, nervously taking another bite.

********************************************************

About an hour later, it isn't until he finishes cleaning up the kitchen that the day's exhaustion finally catches up to Torrey. He stumbles up the stairs to the second floor of Polaris, and heads straight for his room. The shower can wait until tomorrow morning.

Another thing that Torrey neglects to do is turn the light on upon entering his room. He strips down into his boxer briefs and climbs into bed.

That was kind of weird...I didn't expect Rindo-Senpai and Nene to give up so easily. Glad they did though. Once you start thinking about those things, it's hard to say no, he thinks. It's probably his last coherent thought as he begins drifting off into the abyss.

Just before he does, he instinctively reaches out for another pillow and hugs it closely. Though it's much firmer than usual, Torrey doesn't notice.

"Nghh..." says the pillow. Torrey doesn't hear; he's already asleep.