Ashiya Futaba's Story (Part One)

Chapter Six

"Thank you for waiting everyone!! The Shokugeki Administration Bureau has deem this as an official Shokugeki and it will start very soon!" The emcee exclaims with a wink, making the boys' eyes went heart while the girls glared.

"I am Kawashima Urara and I will be the Emcee for today's Shokugeki!" says Urara as she winks at the crowd again. 

"We will have three judges. The main ingredient is Meat and the theme is Don. And now, let's welcome the contestants!"

"It's finally starting" says Yuki. 

"Who is going to win?" Marui ask, adjusting his glasses.

"Ikumi can't win against Soma" says Futaba.

"Futaba, but how would you know?" Yuki ask but Futaba remain silent, focusing her attention at the stage arena. 

Just as Urara introduces Soma up onto the stage, he was being booed instead. Mainly because of what he said during the opening ceremony that provoked majority of the students. 

After the booing had calmed down a little, Urara begins to summarize the conditions of the Shokugeki. If Soma wins, Ikumi will have to join Don RS and and they will get an increased budget, enlargement of their club room and more cooking equipment. If Ikumi wins, the Don RS will be shut down and Soma would be expelled from Totsuki. 

However, Futaba is confident that Ikumi will lose. Because she knows. Just then, another commotion begins as the students turn their attention to a room not far away from their view. There sits Erina and her secretary. 

"E-Erina-sama!"

"It's Nakiri Erina"

"Why is she at such a small scale Shokugeki?"

"It's because Mito is part of Nakiri's faction isn't it?"

"Contestants! To your kitchen and begin!!" Urara announced and the Shokugeki has started. 

"Transfer student! I'll show you an ingredient you'll never be able to handle in your life!" says Ikumi as she brings forth a huge ranked A5 wagyu beef. 

Ikumi then butchers the beef swiftly but very accurately till the meat showed very smooth marbling fats. Ikumi then begins to brown the outer part of the meat and soon, scooping butter and spreading it entirely. 

"The venue is filled with the butter's rich smell!" says Urara. 

Later, Ikumi proceeds to putting the meat into the oven. Meanwhile, Soma was preparing to take out his meat which was faced with major disappointment from the crowd. Futaba growls at the noise as she stands up and takes a deep breath.

"ALL OF YOU JUST SHUT THE HELL UP! YOU ARE SO NOISY!!" Futaba's loud voice boomed through the entire stadium, engulfing the atmosphere into instant silence. 

"F-F-Futaba! Calm down!" Hirose says as he timidly tugs his sister's hem of the skirt.

"Oi, isn't she?"

"The one that disappeared"

"Didn't her sister die or something. Heard that she commi- EEK!!"

The student was cut off when a knife was being thrown towards him, missing his face by a few centimeters. Futaba glares at them as they tremble with fear. 

"F-F-F-Futaba!" Futaba sits back down and the arena was dead silent, only the sound of cooking and sizzling of oil could be heard. 

Soon, time was up and Ikumi served her dishes first.

"Japanese Beef Roti Don" Ikumi introduces her dish. 

The three judges seems impressed with Ikumi's dish as they take a bite, agreeing that it is delicious. The judges are already seem satisfied with just Ikumi's dish. 

Soma then proceeds to introduce his dish.

"What's the name of your dish?" Urara ask. 

"Let's see... I'll call it Yukihira Style: Chaplin Steak Don maybe" says Soma. 

"Hohh Chaplin steak? So he made that cheap meat softer using onions..." says one of the judge. 

"But let's get real! after that dish just now..."

"Haha, right. I'd like to go home with the aftertaste of that beef"

Soma says nothing, simply smirking as he uncovers his bon bowl to reveal his dish. Although initially hesitated, the judges eventually quickly gobble down the dish, much to Ikumi's shock. 

The judges begin to comment on Soma's dish to which he explains on the process and so on. Ikumi still couldn't believe that the judges were starting to favor Soma's dish over hers and that's when Soma hands her his dish to try. 

Ikumi takes a bite. Two. Three. Four. As Ikumi eats the dish Soma makes, her childhood memory came flashing to her. The dish was telling her to be herself. As Ikumi sheds tears and finishing the dish, the judges voted their win for Soma. 

Futaba then glances at Erina to see her disappointed expression as she walks away with Hisako with a dejected Ikumi. Futaba then leaves the arena alone as she catches up to Erina and Hisako. 

"Erina. Hisako" Futaba called. 

"Futaba, you knew from the start didn't you?" Erina ask, not turning back to see her. 

"I have known you all since junior high. Even if it wasn't a long time. I know all of you would have improve these years I was gone. But she simply can't beat Soma" says Futaba.

"Are you saying, you can?" Erina ask. 

"I have tried his cooking. He hasn't tried mine" says Futaba.

"What do you mean?" Hisako ask. 

"The 92nd Generation of Totsuki students... Is definitely an interesting one" Futaba says with a smile with a hidden meaning that Hisako and Erina couldn't understand. 

"See you around Erina, Hisako" says Futaba as she takes her leave. 

The next day, Ikumi hesitantly makes her way to the Don RS, since Soma was the one who told her to. However, she realize that Soma wasn't even part of the Don RS in the first place with someone concluding that Ikumi has become more ferocious since that day.