Hope and Despair of Cooking [Shokugeki No Soma]

Chapter 15- Long Live the Don Research Society!

Third POV:

"How's this one?"

"Really damn good, but not good enough! This won't beat Nikumi!" 

Megumi fidgeted around the room in panic, serving her senpai. Moka sat in the corner of the room drinking tea watching Soma and her little friend getting riled up. 'Youth these days. So much energy. Wait... I sound like an old hag now!' Moka sighed in exasperation. 

"MOKA-CHAN! I thought you would be helping me!" Soma complained. Moka looked at him and then went back to her drink. "HEY DON'T IGNORE ME!"

"So-Kun, I think you'll win even without my help. Somehow, people's warnings aren't able to get through your thick skull but idiotic and random ideas do. Using those crazy thoughts of yours, you'll create some random dish that may outshine Ikumi-San's dish. For now, you're brightness is dim. Although, I think your true self that shines the most is present while you're cooking," Moka smiled. Soma sweatdropped, rubbed his head, and then turned around to face Moka. He gave her a thumbs up as a sign to say "I understand." Moka sweatdropped at this. "You didn't understand what I said, did you?" She stood up from her seat and asked, "You really are helpless, So-Kun. I have no choice then; I'm going to have to put more effort in helping."

"More effort in helping? You never even helped me at all!" Soma objected. 

Moka disagreed, "I did help, you ungrateful nincompoop. I was cheering for you in the sidelines. Cheering takes a lot of energy out me. I'm surprised you never even thanked me."

Soma gaped her her. "You just sat in the corner drinking tea."

"I was cheering silently so then you don't accidently cut one of your fingers off which will cause you to bloody bleed. Although the plus side is that you can use your own blood to marinate the meat."

"..."

"I have my ways..."

"Haha! Moka-Chan, who's the weird one now?"

"The only weird one here is you."

Both Moka and Soma had their little "staredown" before Megumi broke them up. "Guys, we have to focus otherwise, Soma-Kun isn't going to win!" she interrupted. Soma decided to stop bickering since Soma knows Moka would probably kick him out the window again and that would really suck for him. 

"Tadokoro, what's your favorite kind of bowl?" Soma asked, trying to ignore the death glare from Moka. 

"Um, I-I don't know if it's a bowl, per se, and I know it's not made out of meat, but at home we'd grilled scallops on a hibachi grill. When the shell popped open, we'd put a little soy sauce and butter inside and then we'd put it all over the fresh, hot white rice. It was really yummy!" Megumi drooled while describing it. Moka almost drooled from the way Megumi described it. 

"Ne, Megu-Chan. Bring me back to your hometown so I can try it, k?" Moka pleaded with a glint in her eyes. Megumi nodded making Moka hug her. 

Konishi anime cried and the hair sandwich on his head drooped once more. "That's right. We coulda made a seafood bowls! But then you hadda go and say we'd do it with meat. Damn it."

Moka sighed (AN: Moka sigh too much. Must be because Soma is hella stressful). "Konishi-Senpai, this is what happens when you trust a knucklehead like Soma."

"The conditions for the challenge were set ages ago, Konishi. You can stop grumbling about them now," Soma bluntly stated. 

Moka hit Soma on the back for his statement. "Give Konishi-Senpai a break. It's kind of your fault we're in this situation. At least try to do something about your bluntness."