Waifu Wars: A Food Wars Fanfic

Ch. 12 Halloween Hoopla (Part One)

            Everyone at Totsuki is in a festive mood on Halloween Friday. The students had been practicing desserts since the start of October, and the day was finally here for them to put their hard work to the test. One of the most well-known traditions at Totsuki Culinary Academy is the Halloween Baking Championships. This event is an epic Shokugeki, a battle royale with no limit on the number of contestants. Competitors are randomly placed into groups and brackets, and at the end of the night the chef with the best dessert dish will be crowned the winner. Costumes aren't graded during the competition, but the unspoken rule is that the quality of the costume has to match the quality of the dish. Students poured their hearts and souls into both.

            Instructors opted to give easy assignments, knowing how hard it is for the students to focus in class on the big day. Due to the easy nature of the classes, time ticked by at a slower pace than usual. Torrey, who wasn't fully aware of the Halloween traditions, couldn't quite appreciate the light schedule. It was fun chatting with Alice Nakiri in first period, at least, but it made him uncomfortable that she gave him so much more attention than his fellow students.

            "I'm thinking of going as a bunny, but idk, it's sooo cliché. What do you think? Would I look good in a bunny suit?"

            "Alice, you could wear a garbage bag and still look good."

            "That's so sweet! But EEW, no. What about a vampire? I could be like, a vampire seductress or something."

            "You've certainly got the eyes for it." And the skin, and the habit of appearing out of thin air...maybe she IS a vampire? She looked taken aback.

            "Because of the color, right? You're not saying...that my eyes look dead, are you?" Before he could clarify, she had a compact mirror opened and was peering intently into it. Ah, so she's not a vampire.

            "Of course not! I meant the color. Your eyes are very lively." She snapped the mirror shut immediately, and was positively radiant.

            "You're too much today! Stop making me blush." It was true, her usually pale complexion was red as a candy apple. Just then, her assistant Ryo Kurokiba approached Torrey's table (where Alice had been camped out for most of class).

            "Uhh...Miss? You should probably start grading some of the assignments now. You don't want to stay late today, do you?"

            "Oh Ryo, quit being such a bore. That's why I have you here! Just give them all A's or something." Ryo sighed. By now, he was used to doing the grading though.

            "Of course, Miss. I'll get on it right away." He trudged over to one of the groups. Without so much as glancing at their dish, he gave the verdict. "Pass." Then he moved to another. "Pass."

            "Anyways, have you heard about the Halloween party that my family hosts every year? It's kind of a big deal," Alice explained to Torrey.

            "I thought I heard some students talking about it earlier. So are you like, serving cocktails or something?"

            "Ha! As if I would stoop so low. But you should come! That's where the Halloween Baking Championships are going to be held. It's like an epic Shokugeki with TONS of contestants. You'd have a decent shot at the title. A lot of people already consider you a master baker, you know."

            "Thanks for the flattery, hehe...are you competing, too?"

            "Duh! I'm finally gonna get my revenge on Erina for beating me last year."