A Spice in Life (Shokugeki no Soma x Fem!Reader)

Chapter 69 - Bout 1, End: Rice Ball Assault and Garlic-Induced Grief

(Name)'s POV

"Thank you all for your patience. Now, please enjoy my dish..." I placed a dish in front of each of the three judges and bowed. "Four Seasons Onigiri!"

The crowd erupted at once.

"Onigiri!? Are you kidding me!"

"Did she really just serve three bookmen of the WGO rice balls!?"

I chuckled. When I wasn't having a meltdown because of their comments, it was kinda fun to feed off their confusion. But the student-body wasn't the only one upset by my decision.

"Onigiri? Are you insane, Homura?!" Yuki bellowed, before Ryou appeared and grabbed her by the ear. "Owowowow, hands off!"

I waved back to Kiyoko, standing taller when the rest of my friends shot me a thumbs-up, and returned my attention to the judges.

"Hmm... Homura (Name), was it?" Anne questioned, glancing up from the onigiri. "I must say, you are indeed bold to serve something such as onigiri to us."

Bold, or stupid? I plastered on a smile, knowing full-well what the judges and probably everyone else were thinking at this moment: how could I possibly try to pass a common convenience-store item as a gourmet dish?

But this wasn't just any ordinary onigiri. I gestured to the first rice ball. "If I may, I ask that you eat them from left to right with the first season: spring."

"May we use our hands?" Histoire asked, and I couldn't help but giggle at his request.

"Of course! Go for it." The judges placed down their utensils and picked up the first rice ball.

"I do appreciate the knife-work in the presentation. It must require considerable skill to slice such a delicate design," Charme commented on the front of the spring-ball, with its sakura-tree that I crafted from thin slices of nori. I inflated with pride at the compliment; my knife work had certainly improved since day one!

"Oh, how cute!" Anne cupped her cheek upon flipping the onigiri to the other side. I'd shaped the rice ball like a bunny, using the nori and slices of ginger to create its face. I did the same for the other seasons as well: summer was bear-shaped with a sun and flower design; autumn was a raccoon with maple-leaves; and winter was a penguin with snowflakes, of course. My knife-practice paid off, for I'd never have been able to do this even a few months ago.

The judges bit into the spring-ball. For once, I was relieved when their faces flushed pink as they, uh, voiced their enjoyment.

"It's so fresh. The dash of salt helps to bring out the sweetness in the salmon," said Histoire.

"Yes, the furikake pairs quite well with the rice too," Charme added.

"Mm. I can almost picture myself beneath the sakura-trees in spring. Is that roses, I smell?" Anne asked, sniffing.

"Yes! I added just a drop of rose extract to the rice to give it a floral scent. Your sense of smell is pivotal to your taste, so I was careful not to overdo it." I thought of how my time at Shiomi RS had helped. With Hayama's sensitive nose, I had to learn pretty fast how to manage the scent of a dish. Guess you could say I used my skills and rose to the challenge.

Histoire paused and rubbed his chin, glasses flashing dramatically in the light. "Mm? But this doesn't taste like normal rice."

"I'm so glad you noticed!" I clapped my hands together, eager to explain. "I used shinmai rice in this one, or 'newly-harvested' rice. It is annually grown and exported from Seichōmura, my hometown," I shamelessly bragged. "I chose this grain for this ball because of its moisture. Unlike older rice, it has a glutinous, plump texture when cooked! And it provides a fresh, cleaner taste as well — so it is best enjoyed as plainly as possible." That was part of why I had them start with spring, so their palates were a blank slate for the first rice ball.