Seat Number Zero

Part 33

Laughter echoed through the kitchen, the image of her younger self ran past followed by a woman with short bleached hair. Her vision grew blurry with tears as the memory washed over her. It could be the onions or it could be the flash of memories she's having of her late mother. But the tears wouldn't stop rolling down her cheeks.

"Why do you cook mama?"

"Well, there isn't really a reason."

Yumi blinked the tears out of her eyes, her hands reached up to wipe her face. Only to realize her mistake as she bent down in pain over the sink. She groans at the burning sensation around her eyes, as she dutifully washes it out.

"I do as I like. And whether it's from the person I like or from that special someone, well... isn't that fun?" the memory vivid in her mind as the image of her mother's smile shined so brightly before her.

"Well, you still suck."

Yumi smiled softly, as her eyes landed on the knife in her palm. The birthday gift she received all those years ago. Peering at herself through the reflection of the blade, like flipping through a diary. An unwritten diary that documented more than half her life.

"Why do you cook dad?"

"Huh?"

"Well, I heard that you stopped after high school." The words of her younger self echoed once more as the scene of her memory changed. "So what made you want to cook again?"

Her father thought for a moment before responding. "I found someone whom I wish to cook for every day, for the rest of my life."

She looked up, envious of that feeling her parents described oh so vaguely. "Will I find someone like that one day?"

Yumi laughed at the words of her younger self. She stepped back and glanced at the neglected pot of water that had been bubbling at the boiling point for quite some time and then at the ingredients scattered pathetically across the counter.

"Of course you will." she murmurs, answering the question of her childhood. She glanced up into the crowd. It didn't take long for her to find the person she was looking for, she always knows where he is and can always feel when those beautiful cyan eyes are directed toward her. "I mean, you've already found him."

She turned the knobs, watched the blue flames diminish and the water rippled to a stop. Her eyes followed the steam, rising up till it disappeared.

Her opponent Asahi noticed and looked over. He frowns at her serene expression.

Yumi paid him no attention as she walked over to the judges and politely smiled. "I would like to withdraw from this match." she raised her head back into the audience. "I've completed my mission, there's no more reason for me to be here."

Yumi looked over, "Congratulations on your victory." Her lips curled into a smirk. "Asahi." She lifts up the pink guillotine that had been nothing but a deadweight next to her foot and plopped into his arms. He looked at her, 'shock' is one of the words describing his expression.

*********

"Yumi."

She instinctively turned towards the voice that called out to her. Her eyes landed on a familiar figure. "Satoshi? What-?" Yumi didn't know why she was so surprised by his presence when they made eye contact for an embarrassingly long time during the match.

"We've come to support a fellow student at Totsuki." He replies, implying that the whole dorm was also in the crowd. Which Yumi knows, obviously. It's not like she was tunnel-visioned by her boyfriend's extremely handsome face during her lowest emotional state. Of course, she knew the entire dorm was there to support her generation of Totsuki chefs at BLUE. Of course.