The God's Chef ~Intoxicating Desire~ BETA

Chapter 40

The kitchen back in Polar Star Dormitory is peculiarly silent. The amount of anticipation mixed into it was unbreakable for everyone that was inside. The strong smell of curry was prominent all about the dorm, especially the kitchen and dining room. With various plates and bowls of different kinds of curry, they were all made by different polar star members.

"You won't pass the preliminaries with this, Yuki." Resting her spoon down, Rei dabs the corner of her lips with a napkin. Breaking the silence, Yoshino finally falls down to the floor with defeat.

"Then how should I improve it, Rei-chan!?" With tears in her eyes, she states pleadingly at the ravenette. Still in her baggy scoop uniform, balled up hair, glasses and braces, nothing has changed about her but her personality.

"Your Duck Cutlet Curry is honestly not bad, but depending on how hard the judges rate you, you will most likely get I don't know, hmm maybe 80 and above?" With a finger on her chin, Rei stares up at the ceiling in the kitchen. "That is well, of they judge hard." Shrugging her shoulders, she sighs. "But seriously, don't even try anything new right now. You'll only ruin the splendid dish you created." Glancing over at Yoshino who is still on the ground lying with defeat, she tries her best to reassure her. With the preliminaries starting right in the next day, this is her first time back in polar star after a long time.

With summer passing like a breeze, she spent all her time with Tsukasa. Staying over in his private residence that is gifted to the first seat, it is surprisingly overly big.

"Hey Rei, can you try my dish?" Yukihira hands a plate to her face. With a large omelette decorated with sauce that forms a net, Rei can smell the strong scent of curry within the yellow barrier. With shining hope in his eyes, he is the only person who Rei has yet to sample his curry dish.

"Nope," Standing up, Rei brings her arms high up in the air and stretches. "This is already very fulling for me." Tasting countless dishes already, the whole polar star members that were selected to take part in the autumn elections stares at her. "What?" Bringing down her arms she wonders why they were looking at her.

"You've changed a lot, Rei." Sakaki simply explains. "From the beginning of the training camp till now, everyone we see you, you seem so much more different the before."

"Mmhm!" With a single firm nod, Tadokoro adds on. "You've seem much happier and... brighter than ever."

Rei's eyes widens when she heard that. Feeling a creeping feeling in her heart, she gives a forced smile. "Really now?"

"From the many reasons possible for the sudden change in behaviour, the most believing one is that you fell in love." Pushing up his circular glasses, the left lens reflects the light.

"You heard Marui! So who's the lucky guy?!" Sato wraps an arms around Rei and grins.

"You have to introduce us to him, Rei!" Slapping a hand on her back, Aoki grins widely.

Almost toppling over from the sudden force, she still manages to stand. "I--it's--!" Pushing up her glasses in embarrassment, she sends a message to Yukihira via eyecontact pleading for help.

"Oh, come on! Leave Rei alone!" Pulling her out if Sato's hands, he nods to her, understanding what she wanted. Nodding back in thanks, a sudden loud gasp rungs through the kitchen.

"I--it's you!" Jumping right back up from the ground, Yoshino takes a step back from shock. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?!" Pointing a shaky firm finger at the two, they look at each other.

"Oh, you've got it--"

"Come on, Rei! You could have at least make up a better excuse to meet up with him." Sakaki's eyed sparkles with happiness. "If you have told us sooner, you wouldn't need to hide your secret meetings!"

Yoshino gasps loudly again. "How romantic is that?! Meeting up with your boyfriend without anyone knowing!" With her hands clasps together, forming a fist, Yoshino's green eyes glistens as she imagines them kissing.

"Wait--!"

"Don't worry, we accept!" Sato crosses his arms together and leans against Aoki's back, also arms crossed.

"Um... ah... huh?" Looking back and froth from her friends and to the mistaken boyfriend and girlfriend, Tadokoro didn't know what to do. Knowing full well that the silver head she met back in their unofficial shokugeki, she is pretty sure that he was her boyfriend.

"We should celebrate." Ibusaki suddenly intervenes.

Looking over at him, Rei couldn't believe that even he sided with them.

"Ah~ Young love!" Hugging himself with his arms, the naked apron finally makes his appearance by the door. With hearts floating around him, even Fumio is now present.

"I see what's happening here!" With firm hands on her hips, she sent Rei an understanding look with her eyes, knowing to play along. "Let's hurry up and celebrate this occasion!"

"Yeah!" All agreeing, Rei looks over at Yukihira.

"Soma! Will you really allow it?!" Stomping one of her feet, she pushes up her glasses with an irk mark at the side of her head.

"Huh? The party? That means good food right?" With his usual stupid expression back on his face, he turns and faces the blushing Rei.

"Out of all people, I thought that you would understand!" Covering her face, everyone laughs, but a still worrying blue head.

~*~

"You got to tell us the details, Rei!" Slamming her hands on the table, Yoshino leans forward and stares at Rei directly in the eyes.

"So how did the two of you fall in love?" Sato also adds.

"Who made the first move?" Aoki does the same.

"Oh, come now. I'd that was me, I'll be too embarrassed too even answer." Holding her cheek with her hand, Sakaki sighs while imagining her love life.

With many food cooked by the members of the dorm, everyone didn't seem to pay much attention to it, but the man who sits right next to Rei. With Tadokoro too scared to explain or even speak up, and Fumio playing along to the little charade all for the sake of hiding Rei's real lover, she never imagined in her whole life being stuck in a situation that she is in now in her whole life.

"Oh, I guess you can say we've been seeing each other for a long time now." Suddenly speaking up, Yukihira answers all of a sudden.

"Kyaaa! I want to be in love too!" Now holding her cheeks with her two hands, Sakaki shifts in her seat just imagining her love life.

"What else?!" Yoshino shouts.

"Soma--!" Just when she was about to tell him not to add any gas to the fire, he takes his yelled first name as a sigh to eleborate the members.

"We know each other a lot." Digging back into the food right in front of him, Rei gaps her mouth open.

"This makes sense now. With Rei's frequent disappearance back in Totsuki Resort, I bet that she has been meeting with Soma in a room privately. Too embarrassed to show her face after the many secret and private meetings they had together, she rather stay locked in her room." With fingers resting on his chin, Marui explains everything for everyone.

"Haaaaaa!"

"Kyaaaa!"

"How romantic!" They all yell at the same time.

"To sum it all up, it's their secret rendezvous."

"Maruiiiii!" Pushing up her glasses, Rei tries to hide her blusher face.

"Ahhhh~ Young love!" Isshiki sighs, looking at everyone. Nodding right next to him, Fumio is proud to not let anyone know that Rei's real boyfriend is a big shot.

All polar star members came back from their holidays yesterday.