Silver Sakura

Kyokusei

  "How does small-time diner trash get in here?" Someone whispered as I was putting my hair back into a bandanna.

  "Has to be a payoff."

  "Didn't you hear? That kid is here on a scholarship, no way they'd have that kind of money."

  "A fluke?"

  "It's gotta be." The whispers continued, and I picked up my knife to begin preparing the first dish for the class. I'd made it through the entrance exam, but now I'd have to make it past the teacher to get a good grade. It seemed even if someone managed to get into the school, it wasn't hard to flunk out.

  These stuck-up brats were definitely doing a number on my nerves, but if I wanted to give them the biggest 'fuck you' in return, I'd have to be better than them. I'd have to make food so good that their dishes didn't even register on the teacher's tongue.

  I was going to dominate this class and be #1, even if it was just for the sake of my pride in my cooking and pride in being the Sakura Diner heir. My family was by no means 'small-time' but as soon as these people heard 'diner' it was as if I was saying I made fast-food frozen burgers.

  The person I'd been partnered with also wanted nothing to do with me, so I'd actually tied him to a chair to keep him out of my way. To keep him quiet, I'd shoved a potato in his mouth. Sure, it wasn't the best course of action, but I wasn't going to let his snobby attitude bring my grade down.

  The smell of food filled the room as students cooked, and the sounds of metal clicking and knives hitting boards filled the air. The clock on the wall ticked by until teams began to take their dishes to the front desk to be graded. When I was ready to take my plate, I dragged my 'teammate' with me as he was still in the chair.

  Setting the plate down in front of the teacher, she rose a brow at the boy that was bound and gagged.

  "He didn't want to work with me." I gestured to the boy next to me. "So I made it to where he didn't have to."

  "You made this dish yourself, then?"

  "I did."

  "You realize that not utilizing your partner's skills will lower your grade?"

  "I doubt it." Smirking, I placed a hand on the desk as my other hand was on my hip. "Go on, Miss. Try it." The teacher picked up the fork to take a bite as it was now dead silent. Her maroon-painted lips closed around the fork just before her eyes went wide. That familiar goofy grin spread out on her face as her cheeks flushed.

  "A! An absolutely astounding A!" She declared.

~

  This old woman was calling herself the 'Holy Mother of Kyokusei', but she looked like a gremlin ready to bite my throat out.

  "Your room will be this way. No loud music, no livestock, make sure to keep your room clean, and abide by all the rules."

  "L-Livestock? In here?"

  "We've got a rowdy bunch here." She grumbled before turning to a door and handing me an old-looking key. "I'd wait on taking a bath now, though. It's currently the girls' time."

  "Gotcha." I took the key and entered the room.

  "Oh, and Gin?"

  "Hm?"

  "Don't smoke meat in the dorm rooms."

  "Wha.... Never mind. I'm not even going to ask." I muttered while dropping my bag behind the door. Glancing around the room, I sighed through my nose. I knew ahead of time how things were divided by sex around here, but it wasn't like I could bathe with the boys or the girls. I'd simply have to wait to have the bath to myself.

~

  Groggily rubbing my eyes, I sat up while looking at where the noise was coming from. It sounded like a voice whispering, and I paused as my eyes locked onto a pipe near the end of my bed.

  "Hellooo? Are you awake, Sakura? We're having a party if you want to join. We've got snacks and juice, Sakura~." A creepy voice whispered through the tube. "Sakura, come join-" I cut the voice off by quickly slapping the cover over the pipe.

  Why were these pipes even here?

~

  "Here at the Academy, there's a system for resolving disputes between students." Lumbering to the table with breakfast, I furrowed my brows at the familiar voice. "And it involves a few different rules. If you want to challenge me for the #7 seat, you have to offer something of corresponding value."

  "Corresponding value? To the #7 seat?"

  "Something on the level of my seat.... Even you being expelled wouldn't be enough."

  "For real?"

  "That's right. That's how much weight the Ten carry. After all, they're the highest decision-making body on campus. Not even the teachers can go against a ruling made by the Council of Ten. In the past, residents from this very dorm would join the Ten almost every year. It was truly the Golden Age of Kyokusei. By comparison, you all are just pathetic."

  "Jeez, Fumio, you want to talk about that again?"

  "Well, that's that. You could challenge me if I accepted, but of course, I don't want you to leave our school. To put it simply, this challenge isn't going to happen." The boy clapped his hands together while smiling.

  "Really? I was already up at 5:00 this morning ready to go."

  "In any case, going for the #7 seat...."

  "It's too reckless."

  "They'd probably think he's an idiot."

  "Also, it's not like you can just challenge people at will. There are three things you need to challenge someone. One: Authorized officials to declare the challenge valid. Two: An odd number of judges. Three: The agreement of both parties to the conditions of the challenge. Only then can things start to come together."

  "Man, what a friggin' pain."

  "But the other side of that is, when all three conditions are met, you can battle anyone at this school. 'Any and all challengers must be put down through cooking.' That is Totsuki's traditional, one-on-one cooking battle. Its name: 'Shoukugeki!'"

  "So this school has literal cook-offs?" I questioned while turning in my chair to look at the other table. My arm slung over the back of my chair as I took a drink.

  "It does! If you plan on participating in challenges, do be careful, Sakura."

  "Gin. Just call me Gin."

  "Sakura? Oh! The other kid from a diner!" The redhead grinned while pointing at me. "Who would have thought we'd both end up here?"

  "Pretty high, actually. We're being looked down on and sent to this run-down-looking building."

  "Oh, I wouldn't say that-"

  "I would. I am. This place looks like a dump for misfits. Not even a quarter of the rooms here are occupied. Though, I'd also say we make them regret looking down on us." Glancing at the others at the table with the redhead, I rose my brows. "My guess is you guys are also here to hone your skills and reach the top, too."

  "Of course." The redhead grinned.

  "I really dislike when people look down on my cooking, so how about we get this place back to its former glory?"