The shokugeki took place early in the morning.
On one side, Ikumi Mito, in her tiny top and the air of a haute cuisine beast, held up a piece of marbled meat so perfect it looked like a jewel.
"A5 Wagyu, first-class," she declared with a provocative smile. "Your little donburi won't compete, Yukihira."
On the other side, Soma, bandana on his head and a cocky smile plastered on his face.
"We'll see. Rin, stay close; I'll need an honest assessment."
"Count me in."
He placed me beside him as if I were his natural assistant.
The Sharingan in my left eye pulsed slightly, analyzing every movement: blade against muscle, angular cuts, temperature, even the minute variations in the grain of the meat.
The world seemed to slow down just for me.
'The Uchiha would probably kill themselves if they knew their Sharingan was being used to watch two people cooking.'
Ikumi cooked with military precision.
Heated, sealed, tempered: the A5 slices seemed to dance on the teppan.
The judges almost drooled.
Soma, on the other hand, was…
Well, Soma.
He cut, cooked, reduced, whipped with almost annoying confidence.
"Not using high-quality meat… how crazy…" muttered one of the spectators.
"It's not crazy," I murmured. "It's Soma."
He smiled without even turning around.
"Exactly."
Then he prepared his mysterious mix: the special furikake, a blend of minced meat, sauce, herbs, fat, and Yukihira magic.
The Sharingan saw the exact point where the aromatic reaction peaked.
Soma noticed.
"It's ready. Now."
Ikumi served her A5 beef donburi, beautiful enough to make purists cry.
A sumptuous dish.
Soma simply placed a simple bowl of rice in front of the judges...
And his furikake.
Ikumi laughed.
"This? Are you serious?"
Soma raised an eyebrow.
"Let's see what they say."
The judges poured the hot furikake over the rice.
The aroma exploded like a gunshot.
The room went wild.
"It—It—"
A judge fell from her chair.
"This is illegal!"
Ikumi remained silent, trembling.
The judges voted.
A landslide victory: Yukihira Soma.
Soma raised his fist.
"Rin! I win!"
I clapped his hand.
"Congratulation."
Pov: Erina Nakiri
From the upper balcony, Erina had observed every moment.
Beside her, Hisako was taking quick notes.
"Erina-sama, it looks like Yukihira really... won."
Erina narrowed her eyes, irritated but curious.
"He just found a way to fool the judges' taste buds. It's nothing special."
But she wasn't looking at Soma.
She was looking at Rin.
The boy with that calm demeanor...
He seemed to be analyzing every movements.
And above all...
Soma trusted him. A lot.
Erina clutched her fan.
"Hisako."
"Yes, Erina-sama?"
"Bring me that boy. Rin Takamine."
"Do you... want to talk to him?"
Erina looked down at the scene below her: Soma and Rin laughing together like old friends, while Ikumi struggled to sink into the ground.
"I want to understand," she said with icy calm,
"whether that boy is useful."
Hisako nodded and went down to retrieve him.
Erina looked at him again, with that enigmatic smile that made everyone who knew her tremble.
"If I can use him against Yukihira… I will."
Pov: Rin
Ikumi was still kneeling on the floor, her hands shaking as she stared at her now-empty plate.
She looked like she was about to cry… or kill someone.
"Looks like you lost," I said, calmly approaching.
She jumped. "Y-You?! What do you want?! Did you come to make fun of me?!"
I reached out.
"No. I came to cheer you up."
Ikumi looked at me for a second, surprised, then pursed her lips and grabbed my hand.
I gently pulled her to her feet: her face, flushed from stress, ended up much closer to mine than expected.
"O-Oh."
"If it's any consolation… your cut on the meat was perfect."
I smiled slightly.
"Too bad you faced the wrong opponent."
Ikumi cleared her throat, placing her hands on her hips.
"You're such a… annoying guy, you know that?"
"I've been told that. But it's not a bad thing when it comes from a pretty girl."
Her face turned red.
"P-Pretty!? Idiot! I'm the Meat Master! You don't affect me!"
"Of course," I replied in a conspiratorial tone, "and that's why you're melting like hot butter."
"I-I'M JUST SWEATING—!"
But before she could finish, a shadow fell behind me.
"Takamine Rin?"
I turned around.
Hisako was there, composed and implacable, as if she'd appeared out of nowhere.
"Erina-sama wants to talk to you."
Ikumi made a noise somewhere between fear and hope.
"Hey! She didn't ask about me, did she?!"
Hisako ignored her completely.
I, on the other hand, sighed.
"Good… I guess the break's over."
Ikumi grabbed my wrist for a moment.
"Hey, Rin…"
He lowered his voice.
"…Be careful, don't make her angry no matter what happens."
I smiled at her.
"I don't promise anything."