Soma: The Phantom Seat (Abandoned)

Chapter 2 The Opening Ceremony

"Transforming Furikake, you say..." Erina says with an unimpressed tone.

"Now It's about to be ready." Soma says as he is doing the final preparations of the food.

"Yukihira Soma...this guy...just what kind of dish is he trying is he trying to make..." Erina thinks.

And then Soma suddenly places a small square bowl onto the table that was filled with eggs. Erina notices it and she thinks with anger, "What's this? He really is making fun of me..."

Hisako is looking at the dish and she thinks, "Is this really just a Furikake? Does he really think that Erina-sama will approve of him with this?"

Erina sighs and turns around, "This isn't even worth considering. After all, it is the work of a second-rate chef...I don't crave it at all."

"Are you sure about that? Even though the dish's true form is about to show?" Soma asks with a smirk.

"What do you mean with that?" Erina suddenly stops as Soma takes the square bowl and pours it on the rice, Erina notices it and thinks, "There's something in the eggs' shadow...between the pale gold, a semi-transparent thing is spreading..."

"Now take a look, at the Furikake's true value!" Soma says. The cubes inside the egg is now melted into the rice because of the heat, much to everyone's shock, and the eggs keeps getting coated.

"Is that...chicken? The carefully boiled chicken's mild flavor is rising up! This is the transforming Furikake Gohan? Its appearance is completely different to before...just how does it taste?" Erina thinks.

"So?" Soma asks after looking at Erina's flustered face.

"I'll give it just one bite. If you want it to be judged." Erina says with a huff. "Hand over that bowl now."

Soma passes over the bowl to her and she takes a little bit of the rice, and after a few seconds of chewing, she swallowed and let out a satisfied noise.

'I can't believe this...' Erina snaps back to the reality and thinks, 'I forgot to judge, and just savored it taste? But what was that texture?'

Soma notices that she is going to take another bite, and asks, "You'll give it a second bite? I thought you said you'll give it just one..."

Erina is now blushing and she yells, "Do you have any complaints?"

"I was kidding, take your time eating." Soma says as he hands over the bowl, and Erina tastes again and asks, "Jellied meat broth, right?"

"Correct, those square things are chicken wing jellied meat broth!" Soma says. "Jellied meat broth is meat or fish's broth with lots of gelatinous parts cooled down and frozen when in a jellied state. You boil the chicken wings with bonito stock, sake, and light soy sauce, then you extract the chicken wings, gelatinous part and good taste. You let the broth cool down and when it hardens you cut it delicately."

Erina looks at the pot and thinks, "He was making jellied meat broth in that big pot..."

"If you sprinkle it over the hot rice, the molten chicken wing broth will jiggly twine around the minced eggs." Soma adds.

Erina thinks, "If I had to say this jellied meat broth, is a concentrated soup where the chicken's deliciousness blends! The thick broth's body and saltiness brings out the soft minced eggs sweetness, with every bite the softness and the syrupiness rub inside my mouth. The molten jellied meat broth springs up the eggs' tastiness exceptionally...! This isn't like any of the dishes I've ever eaten. A world of tastes not even I knew..."

Soma asks, "So how is it? Aren't you glad you didn't leave before eating it?"

"Silence! I'm still judging...!" Erina's anger comes back to the boy in front of her. She thinks, "Even this commonplace menu transforms into a gem with creative originality...this is Yukihira's cooking..."