Seat Number Zero

Part 31

Dressed in black and pale as a sheet, she recognized the cocky smirk anywhere. "I thought that kid looked familiar when I met him at the seminar."

She tilts her head at the other as a fake smile graces her features. "Hello, Professor. Did I miss a class assignment?" She took off her mask along with her hood and shook the wig off, letting her red hair free. "Or should I address you as, leader of the noir chef, Asahi Saiba?"

He nodded his head thoughtfully as if pleased by the title.

"So what do I owe the pleasure for you to greet me personally?" Yumi asked, her smile curling into a sneer as she raised her head arrogantly. Her hand rested on her belt that contained her spoils posing as a noir. Tracing her thumb across her most favored blade, residing on the left of her hip.

Asahi followed the movement of her hands, his eyes glinted as they lingered on her belt, glossing over her collection hanging functionally chaotic around her waist and off her shoulders. His gaze landed on the mini guillotine that's leaning against her feet. "What do you plan on doing with madwoman's..." He smiles for a moment before choosing his next word. "toy."

"Hm?" Yumi rolled her eyes as soon as the word left his mouth. "this thing?" She slides her fingers across the handle of the rabbit's favorite toy. "Call it a tip."

"For?" Asahi asked, feigning ignorance.

"The illegal trades network?" Yumi mirrored his expression. "It had caused my seniors quite the headache."

"I'm afraid I don't have what you need."

"Useless," Yumi mutters under her breath, as she clicks her tongue in annoyance.

"Perhaps I can interest you in something of more sentimental value." He grins revealing an item contained in a plastic wrap, with an identification stuck onto it.

As soon as she saw the item her eyes narrowed. "So it was you." The last remaining traces of her fake persona were wiped from her face as she clenched her teeth and glared at him.

"To think something so interesting had fallen onto my lap one day." He laughed holding it up towards the ceiling lights.

"You didn't find it, you fucking stole it." Yumi spat.

It was a high-quality knife, with the initials Y.Y. carved into the base, her initials. A tool she valued and carried with her since she was five. She remembered asking her father to help pick out a suitable knife for her. While she was traveling the world during her suspension it disappeared. It was poor timing as the next day she received a summons to return back to Japan. Reside to the fact that it is lost forever she sought Chef Shinomiya's recommendation on buying a new tool.

He hums at her crude words, twirling the item in his hands in a careless manner. "I found out something while they were in my possession."

Yumi grit her teeth. "Shut up," she mutters.

"While holding these..."

"Shut up," Yumi said again. She harshly slammed both her hands to her ears. The force she used in her emotional state was so intense she almost lost consciousness from it rattling her head. "Shut up, shut up," she yelled repeatedly, increasing in volume each time.

Ashai slowly approached and stopped right in front of her, his figure towering over hers. "I felt nothing." he looked down at Yumi in mocked sympathy, "you can't taste anything can you."

Yumi opened her eyes wide, they stared empty at the other.

Yumi was never sure why she chose to go to a culinary school, much less the best one in the country, but she did well. She found that shokugeki was a great way to blow off steam, she was able to forget about her flaws. It kept her sane and made her lonely.