BiTTER (Shokugeki no Souma Fanfic)

24. Precision and Development

"What? You didn't tell anyone that you couldn't taste or smell anything?!" Tamako was baffled. But, in a very delightfully positive way. "And you still survived in that dog-eat-eat hellscape? Holy shit Fumi, you're badass!"

Okay. Eda wasn't going to outright admit it, but he was enjoying this.

"I've gotta tell Rase-cchi and Butakko about this."

"Stop!" Eda wailed. This was more embarrassing than it was flattering but maybe they didn't cancel each other out.

"Quit it, Tama!" Uncle Yukihiro snarled, whacking the phone out of Tamako's hand, "you're the reason he's like this and I hope you know that! Do you have any idea how dangerous this could be for both Fumi and the people he cooks for? And what's all this lying going to do for him when the tests come by?!"

"I'm SO proud," Tamako begins, only to get whacked over the head again.

Meanwhile, Jouichirou laughed until he was wheezing.

Eda covered his face in his hands with shame.

Shinomiya could only knead his hands into his eyes. The second-hand embarrassment was really hard to cope with.

"No seriously, I still think you need to tell everyone," Shinomiya insists.

"Dude, some of the teachers and some of our classmates hate my guts," Eda murmured. And while those parties also held the same vitriol for Shinomiya, at least they didn't have much to use against him except his low birth. "The moment they find out I've been lying the entire first half of the semester they're going to expel me for incompetence, alright?"

Shinomiya had to admit. Eda was right.

If they could sabotage a knife case to get Sekimori (ideal chef-to-be, model student, good grades, perfect pedigree—) expelled, they sure as hell could get a food poisoning risk expelled, too, especially when he's failed every single class about identifying good ingredients.

"That's fine," Jouichirou dismissed, rather easygoing for the problem at hand. "If they come at you, that's what a Shokugeki is for, after all."

"But Jou-san," Eda groaned, "they almost permanently injured Sekimori-senpai's hands, winning a Shokugeki did nothing to prevent that."

"Well," Jouichirou barely even faltered, "that's what the spiked bat in the shed is for."

"What?" Tamako and Eda synchronized in exasperation.

"By golly," Shinomiya sounded dead tired, "It was a mistake for me to come here."

-

After the lunch rush, it was time for a shift at the cafe.

"You live like this?" Shinomiya groaned. "I mean, I work day in and out too, but you work two places? How do you get ready for it all, in the same morning?"

"Uhhh," Eda adjusted the oven, "I don't? Uncle usually preps for the diner, I only focus on the bakery, and I only help out at the diner during lunch and dinner rush. But since I just came back, everyone wants to eat my food, so... as you've guessed, I had to help out all day."

Shinomiya drooped dejectedly, "Is this going to continue?"

And Eda grinned, victoriously. "Yep! It'll probably get worse before it gets better, too, because more people know I'm back now and more people will be making a trip over to eat. Have a taste of how it feels to run your own diner and serve your guests in prime time, Pinkymiya! This is the harsh world of culinary we're in for!"