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

Chapter 50 - Are You Chicken?

He was going to kill her.

He was going to give her a good smack first, and then he was going to kill her.

Ryou's face stretched into a deeper scowl than usual, boring holes into the television. "Both opponents to your respective cooking counters!" The other residents of Polar Star crowded him as they watched Dumb and Dumber prepare to challenge Eizan.

The boy sensed Shun wander towards the window for some reason, but Ryou's concerns soon centered on his phone when it began to ring.

He answered it in a flash. "Homura--!!"

"Shut up and listen," she cut him off. He bit back another remark if only to prevent their friends from crowding him again, and she took the advantage to speak. Her instructions were so clear, yet somehow left him with more questions than answers.

"The fifth panel from the dining hall door, left desk drawer, red box, and under your bed," Ryou repeated back, still confused. "But wha-"

"Good. Gotta blast."

"Wai--" The call ended.

"D*mmit." Ryou hissed. He had no idea what she wanted or why she told him those things, but the urgency in her tone suggested that he waste no time.

One, two, three, four... He counted the panels and kicked the fifth, unsurprised to see a barrel of cheese balls waiting for him inside. He reached inside, fishing out the grease-covered key, and rushed out of the dining hall right as the shouting started.

Ryou ignored the screams, the pounding, and even the shattered glass as he rushed to the third floor, skidding to a stop and shoving the key into the door marked '304.'

He entered and pulled out the left drawer, as instructed. The big, red box was hard to miss. Inside was a trove of rocks, jagged and smooth, and a well-crafted slingshot. Of course she'd have something like this in her room.

'BANG!'

Ryou flinched when a deafening sound shook the dorm, followed by more shouts and pattering-feet. It didn't take a genius to discern that the mafia-weasel-guy must've sent his goons to attack them.

"Yanagawa, there you are!" Yuki exclaimed once he exited Homura's room. Daigo and Shoji rushed past, armed with mops and a power-hose, and Kiyoko slapped a hard hat atop his head. "We're being attacked!"

"Yeah, I can see that." Ryou's sarcasm earned him a karate-chop from the spastic girl. "Gah, don't attack me!"

"Now's not the time for being a butthead! Either put on your big boy pants and help us or—nope, that's your only option!" Yuki roared back. "For Polar Star! Fight!!!"

She charged off before he could retort, but there was no need for him to contest it. After all, this group of bizarre, overly-friendly people had welcomed him and Kiyoko without hesitation. This was his home too.

"Ryou?" Kiyoko asked, wielding a sledgehammer with concerning ease.

"You called it, Kiyoko. It's a sh*t storm out there." Ryou scoffed, buckling on his helmet. "Good thing we've got an umbrella."

"...What?"

*~*~*~*

(Name)'s POV

The venue was pretty simple by Tōtsuki standards. It was a welcome relief from the huge arena I'd cooked in and witnessed countless others compete in during the Elections. Instead, there were two cooking stations, each with a camera trained on it, and the judges sat beneath a large screen which would display the winner.