Waifu Wars: A Food Wars Fanfic

Ch. 125 Casino Night, Part Nine: If the Price is Right

            Tormund Waldenpond and Rindo Kobayashi continued their night together by meandering through rooms packed tightly with felt tables and fellow students. They looked upon some of the games with amusement, but always kept an eye out for the gleam of a metal tray that would signal the presence of a server. Neither spoke of their upcoming battle.

Rindo, once the 2nd Seat on the Council of Ten, had never been nervous for a Shokugeki during her time at Totsuki. She'd dominated her competition for nearly 3 years now, and losing her title did nothing to diminish her abilities in the kitchen.

Torrey, who once had the opportunity to join the Council of Ten as the 2nd Seat (following the Regiment de Cuisine), had always been nervous for his Shokugekis. He'd had mixed results in official matches during his time at Totsuki, and he possessed only a fraction of the experience that Rindo had.

This time's different, thinks Torrey. Maybe because I was the one who issued the challenge.

Much like his earlier challenge with Soma, Torrey had felt compelled to go toe-to-toe with one of Totsuki's finest. It was an excellent opportunity to better his craft, while also proving to himself that he could help elevate his peers rather than hold them back. Though he'd accepted Erina's apology, there was no way to completely undo the feelings caused by her initial decision. That decision had hurt, because it confirmed something he had already suspected himself.

When Torrey issued the challenge, he implied to Rindo that he doubted her abilities. This was a total fib, as only a fool would believe that she'd actually been resting on her laurels since losing her spot on the council. He enjoyed taking advantage of the moment to tease her for that, as he felt that she'd been teasing him almost nonstop since they'd met.

"What's eatin' at you, Kohai?" asked Rindo.

One of her slender arm was still linked with Torrey's, while her visible cat-like eye appraised him with concern. The room's lighting was somewhat dim, mostly being illuminated by the flashing machines located along the walls. Thanks to that, Rindo's pale skin, dark dress, and glowing eyes had a powerful effect on Torrey. For a moment he was spellbound, and the effect immediately pulled him from his thoughts back to reality.

"Huh? Oh, I guess I was spacing out," he admitted, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry."

"There's nothin' to be sorry for; just tell Senpai what's on your mind! Unless you don't want to. Or if it involves another gal. We are on a date, after all," said Rindo, with a grin that made it tough to gauge if she was serious. Occasionally, she'd have moments of weakness around Torrey, and her usual flippancy disguised these moments from others.

"I was only thinking of you, Rindo-Senpai," said Torrey. She raised an eyebrow at him, testing his statement. When he didn't react, she finally nodded her head in approval.

"That's a good answer. A very good answer," said Rindo, waiting for him to elaborate.

"Specifically about your future."

"Oh. Oh!"

"You've mentioned graduating before, but you never said what you wanted to do after. You could land a job at any restaurant in the world, or start your own, or..."

"Wow, Kohai...sounds like you've given more thought to my future than I have! Haha, glad you're thinkin' about it though. Can you honestly picture me taking orders in someone else's kitchen?"

"No, I guess not. It's a pretty funny picture, actually."

"Exactly. See?"

"You haven't mentioned wanting to start your own, either."