"Disgusting!"
In the Sumire-dori Shopping District stood a Japanese restaurant named Yukihira. The gagging voice came from the back of the restaurant, where 15 year old Soma Yukihira sat on a crate, tasting another one of his creations.
"These were never meant to go together. Squid tentacles and peanut butter."
"I'm like a genius" he chuckles under his breath "This is so nasty!"
"Soma!" A girl's voice called from inside "Mayumi is here! Come on!"
(Scene changes to the inside of the restaurant)
Sara POV.
A 15 year old, Sara Yukihira, stood on the side, watching her brother and father cooking the exact same dish for their friend, Mayumi, to judge.
He's going to lose again. She thought looking at her brother.
Since they were young, they've had cooking battles with their dad and with each other. Their dad always came out on top, in second place would be Sara and Soma would be last. But no matter how many times he lost, he'd get right back up with more determination.
She smiles. But I guess he won't be him if he didn't keep trying.
Third Person POV
When the cooking was done, two plates of fried rice was laid in front of their friend.
Joichiro took off the band that held up his hair "Please enjoy."
Soma took off the sash around his forehead "Bon appétit, my lady!"
"Thank you very much!" She said. As she took a bite, her body wiggles in ecstasy, her cheeks flushed red. After the feeling pass, she pondered over who was the winner.
After a minute, she smiled and gesture to their dad "This one here!"
Joichiro held his fist up in victory as the crowd cheered. Sara came forward, clapping her hands.
"Congratulation, daddy."
He grins "Was there ever a doubt?"
She rolled her eyes playfully at his cockiness and looked down at her brother "How long are you going to pout?"
He just puffed his cheeks and turned away.
"You are such a kid." She sighs
"Sōma..." Their dad called "Looks like you still got some learning to do, don't cha?"
"Well I guess I'll take the lost today." He said walking away.
"You know to say something like that, you'd have to beat me at least once." He gloated "You're sittin' at about 500 losses, that about right?"
"Huh?! Don't even that only 489!" Soma corrected
As they were talking, Sara continued her work in the kitchen. Soma and their dad were in charge of the appetizers and entrees while she was in charge of drinks and desserts. Sure there are times when they switch it up but people loved her desserts the most.
A nervous voice behind her spoke "Um...Sara, do you think-"
"Don't worry about it, Mayu. You gave your honest opinion about the dishes and you choose a winner." She assured as she was making her friend a dessert for always judging their battles "But really, he had to have seen that coming. I mean if I've never won against dad and he's never won against me, what makes him think he would win against him?"
She sighed, feeling exhausted just saying it "It's like he has no common sense." She looked at Mayu and saw she was still unsure. "Mayu, I think Soma would appreciate it if you cheered him up."
The brunette perks up at bit "You think so?"
"Go on, I'm sure after you two talk, he'll be all smiles again."
"R-Right!" Mayu agreed, making her way to Soma.
You are too obvious, Mayu. She giggled
Mayu found Soma in the back with his head bowed and a dark and gloomy aura around him.
"S-Soma, please don't feel bad! Yours was really tasty too. I just never had fried rice anything like this before!"
"Yeah thanks..." He said with tears still running down his face. "Would try a brand new dish I created earlier today? I think you'll really like it."
She smiles, thinking this would be a perfect chance to cheer him up "Are you sure? I would love to try it."
He turned around and presented the dish to her "It's fried peanut butter squid tentacles."
She froze
Sara just finished making Mayu's dessert when she heard a commotion "What's going on?"
Mayu slowly backs away as Soma came closer to her with the tentacle "Won't you take a little bite? It's so putrid, you're gonna freak."
"No!"
Despite her protest, he forced it into her mouth
"AAAAAAHHHH"!!!!
Hearing Mayu scream, Sara quickly came to the screen with her plate to find Mayu shaking in terror on the floor with Aki trying to keep her together, Soma in his own world and the bowl with his disgusting dish. She put two and two together and figured out what happened: He made Mayu taste his dish.
A vein popped in her temple. Mayu first then Soma
She crouches down next to them and shakes her "Mayu? Mayu, are you ok?"
"Peanut...squid...horror..."
"She's completely out of it!" Aki said
" Luckily I have just the thing to get her out of this" the redhead said as she presented her dish.
Aki was drooling when she saw it "That's looks amazing!"
Sara took a spoon of the dish and put it into Mayu's mouth.
(Scene change in Mayu's mind)
Just as the peanut butter Squid was ready to finish her off, Mayu looked up and saw a beam of light come down upon the squid killing it and freeing her from its grip. Then she fell into the arms of a knight with a strawberry as his head. He took her to an oasis made of smooth silky cream, dipped her naked body into the oasis. He went in and started removing the awful peanut butter with a sponge made of light fluffy cake and began caressing her body. She turned to him and they both lean forward, there lips an inch away from each other.
(Scene change)
Mayu sat there with a dreamy look on her eyes and blissful smile on her face. "It's heaven."
"It was a pleasure." Sara said
While she was fixing her friend, Joichiro came up to his son "Nice try but I've made worse. Remember that dried sardine concoction with the puréed strawberry jam?"
"How could I forget, that one should've been banned"
They both started grinning
"I know, right?"
"But my peanut butter Squid is way more gross!"
"Please! Sardines and jam!!"
"Peanut butter Squid is so much worse!"
Before they can start arguing about who's dish was more disgusting, two hands came out and grab each of their heads.
BONK!
Their heads collided with each other and they fell to the ground. Two large bumps formed and both father and son withered in pain. They both looked up only to turn pale as they saw their very pissed out daughter/sister.
"It's one thing for the two of you to try each other's nasty dishes but it's a whole another damn story when you put our customers in the line of fire. When I let you two do this, I never intended for you to make other people your guinea pigs! You try this again and there will be hell to pay!!"
Both males were trembling in fear. When Sara was pissed, it's almost makes the devil seem like an angel.
"Well?!!!"
They jumped and bowed their heads to her "We're sorry!! We won't do it again!!"
(Time skip)
The Yukihira family were cleaning up after another successful day of work.
While cleaning the dishes, Joichiro spoke to his son "Soma, when you're done with that, could you put out the charcoal?"
"I wouldn't bother trying to talk to him right now, Daddy" Sara said as she turned the chairs.
"Huh?"
"Take a look behind you."
He looked, his son cleaning the glass for muttering to himself about what he could have done to improve.
He stared at his son , then his daughter and a serious look appeared on his face.
Suddenly the door opens and Soma perks up "Wel-"
Then his face darkens, standing at the door was a purple haired woman surrounded by three body cards wearing identical suits.
Sara came up to the front and stood next to her brother, with a neutral expression on her face "You don't give up, do you?"
She walks up to the teens, taking off her sunglasses "Now where would I been if I gave up so easily?" She turns to Soma "Hello there, remember me?"
He crossed his arms across his chest, annoyed "Can I get you something?"
"Huh?"
"Today's specials are the Kinmedai sashimi and -"
Her laughter cuts him off"Ah! No thanks, the reason I'm here today is to further explain the plan that we discussed. I would be happy to go over it with you if you like." She said, laying the pamphlet on the table.
Sara reaches for it and rips it into many little piece. "There is nothing to discuss."
She glared and the woman flinched, stepping back "The bottom line is you want us to sell you our restaurant, so that you can destroy it and replace it with a fancy apartment complex, is that right?"
The woman said nothing but her silence said everything.
"You might as well leave because there is no way in hell we are selling this place."
"I've had enough of your attitude little girl!" She scowls "Why don't you just sit down and be quiet while me and the father talk adult to adult?"
The red haired girls glare intensifies as she started towards the woman "Why don't you go to hell?!"
Soma reached out and held her back when he saw one of the bodyguards step forward "Relax sis."
She said nothing as she continued to glare at the people in front of her. I'm not about to submit to some money hungry bimbo!!
The woman was trembling the glare but tried to compose herself "I'll just leave my business card."
She turned to Joichiro "I know it isn't easy, I mean smart businesses on and all. I heard a lot of folks are having trouble and getting by each day."
"Yeah well that's not the case with this place." Soma replied, stepping in front of his sister
"Is that so?"
"Here at Yukihira, We do what ever it takes to give the customer what they want"
She smiles cheerfully "It's sound like you're the picture perfect little restaurant, aren't you?" Her smile turns devious as she took a step toward the siblings "However, what if you couldn't give your customers what they want? How exactly would you handle a situation like that?"
He sighed, taking a pair of tongs and grabbed her business card "If that were to happen..."
He holds it over the hot charcoals with a smirk "We would graciously shut our doors and go out of business for all eternity."
With that said, he drops the card and they watched as it turned to ash.
"Now..." Sara spoke "If there's nothing else, you can get out."
"Before I leave" She looks up at the siblings "Can I take your brother's word on that?"
"Yeah" They voiced
She started at them for a moment "Very well, I'll be back."
The siblings watched as she left "I'm getting the salt."
"Good idea sis, let's purify this place."
"Don't!" Joichiro quickly took the salt away from his daughter "That would be a waste, don't worry about it."
"I don't understand, why didn't you speak up daddy?" She demanded "You ignored that bimbo the last time and left us to deal with her again."
"Look, she sees that none of us have any intention of selling this place. So I say let her keep coming, we keep saying no and she'll give up."
"You sure of that, dad?" Soma asked
He nodded, patting his daughter's head "Don't worry about it, I'm never letting this place go."
She sighs "Alright, I trust you."
Joichiro smiles, turning to finish up
"What are you planning?"
He stops mid step and look back at his daughter. She glanced at her brother to make sure he wasn't listening "Before she came in, you were looking at me and Soma intensely. What were you thinking about?"
Perceive as alway... "Nothing sweetie, I was just looking at my loving kids!!" He laughs loudly
Soma turns to them, looking at his father like he was some weird "What are you laughing about?"
"Oh nothing, nothing! Come on, let's close up!"
Sara crossed her arms as she watched him disappear to the back.
(Next Day) Sara POV
"You're not coming to school today?"
Sara laid in bed with a pained expression, clutching her forehead, "I..have a really bad headache. I t-think I...might have o-overworked or m-maybe it's the stress with t-that woman."
"I guess that's true" Soma spoke with concern in his voice. He knew his sister was strong and could take care of herself , but he hated seeing her in any kind of pain, physically or emotionally. "You want me to stay with you? Dad just left and there's no one here to look after you."
She gives him a weak smile "T-That's sweet but I'll be fine alone. I'll j-just take a few aspirins, go back to s-sleep and by the time I wake up , I'll be as good as new."
He hesitates a bit before conceding "Well ok, but call me if you need anything, ok?"
"Ok. Love you."
He smiles, giving her a light peck on her head "Love you too, get better."
Sara watched as he closed the room of her room and waited about 20 minutes. When she was sure he wasn't coming, she leaped out of bed fully dressed.
"Now to get to work"
She locked up and took off after her father. She knew he was up to something and she was going to find out what it was. So the night before, Sara looked through his cell phone (which was easy to do since his password was his birthday day) and saw he was someone at Takano cafe.
The cafe was 45 minutes away and her dad left 30 minutes, so she had to move.
(40 minutes later at the cafe)
By the time she got there, she saw that her father was already seated at a table outside the cafe, waiting for this person to arrive. So carefully she sat at the table behind his, put on a hat and sunglasses to hide her face and hair. She picked up a menu, ordered an ice coffee and waited.
After three minutes, a man with dirty blonde hair and dark blue eyes in an tailored blue suit came to her father's table and greeted him.
That must be him she thought taking a good look at him He looks like a foreigner. What's he want with dad?
Both men started speaking to each other but the problem was she could barely understand them: they were speaking in English.
Just my luck I can understand Japanese Chinese, French, Spanish and a bit of Hindi but I never thought to brush up on English.
All she could pick up was from the man was: need...please...business...down. From her dad: ok...kids...tomorrow...school...New York.
I'll just have to follow them until I figure it out.
And follow she did, for the rest of the morning into the afternoon she followed them everywhere. There were a couple of times she lost track of them but was able to find them again.
The sun was beginning to set and the men were sitting on a bench in a park. She was standing behind tree a few feet away. Throughout most of the day, Sara saw nothing out of the ordinary but that changed when it was time for them to part. The man handed her father a thin piece of paper.
Out of all her senses, her hearing and vision were the best, they are the weapons she uses when it came to picking out ingredients (vision) and cooking (both vision and hearing). They went beyond normal vision and hearing.
Anyway, thanks to her vision, she saw what the man had given him a plane ticket. This only meant one thing.
He's leaving again...
After the man left, Joichiro took out his phone and called Soma, telling him he wasn't going to be back until tomorrow and not to open the restaurant. He also asked him his plan when the year was done. She saw the troubled look on his face. He must not have liked his son's answer.
She saw him hang up and sighs "You can come out now. I know you're there."
How did he...
(Third Person POV)
Knowing she was caught, Sara stepped out from behind the tree and into her father's sight but she couldn't look at him.
"So..." He started "How much do you know?"
"Enough to know you're leaving again and this time I know I can't come."
His eyes soften at her sad tone and patted the space on the bench next to him.
She sat down and held still as he removed her hat and glasses revealing her long her and her sad eyes. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her head. "Will you hear me out before you judge me?"
She didn't say anything but nodded
"See the man you saw me with today was an old friend of mine who owns a big restaurant business back in New York. A couple of the his chefs quit, so he came begging me to to help him out and you how I am?"
Yeah she did, her father would drop everything to go and help a friend but did he have to leave his kids too?
"But I'm not leaving you and Soma at home. Im closing the shop for a couple of years and transferring you two to a culinary school."
That got her looking at him and the look on her face was priceless "What?!"
"That's right, you two will transfer to a culinary school and earn the credits needed to into high school."
"Daddy, this is crazy! You can't be serious!!"
His expression harden and his eyes turned serious "Sara, tell me: do you think you've proven that you've reached your full potential in your cooking? Have you really gone beyond the limits of your abilities?
She thought about his question hard. All her life she's made dishes that are good for the people who come to the restaurant but she knew it wouldn't be the same for everyone. Her dream was to be a cook that can make people, no matter what their status is, feel happy and loved with her cooking.
"No, I haven't" She looked at her father with determination in her eyes "I may have been cooking seen I was a toddler and I may learn many things while I traveled with you but I feel like I'm not even close to being a great chef! Not even close to my dream! Daddy, I want to make even the saddest or angriest of people happy with my food no more who they are!!"
Joichiro was shocked at his daughter's rising voice but her answer brought a loving smile to his face.
That's my girl....
"So it's settled, you'll agree to go?"
"Hold it" She holds up her hand "Which culinary school are we going to exactly?"
He smirks "It's call Tōtsuki Culinary Academy."
Her eyes bug out and she leaps off the bench "No way in hell!! Forget it!!"
While that's not the reaction I was hoping for "You know the school, angel?"
"I've heard of it and you can forget about enrolling me there."
"Come on sweetie, I guarantee this will help you reach your potential."
"And I guarantee you that half of the student body will be dead by the end of my first week there!"
There goes that temper of her. He sweats
"Daddy I may not know the school personally but I know that, that school is filled with rich kids who come from families that own big restaurant businesses that have franchises all around the world. Those kids are going to do what ever it takes to make sure people like me and Soma will get expelled. They'll try to threaten us, tease us or even try to sabotage us and you know how I am when people in my friends and family. If I don't get kicked out because their sabotages, I probably get kicked out for attempting to kill them."
He knew alright. It was one of the traits she inherited from his late wife.
"And this is why Tōtsuki will be a good for you."
He gets up and stood in front of her "You have the love and passion for people that your mother did but you also have her temper. And she learned to control that temper in Tōtsuki and so will you."
She still seemed unsure.
"Sweetheart, Tōtsuki is a great school, it's changes people and lives for the better."
Sara looked in her father's eyes, he really wanted her and Soma to go, he seemed so sure this is what they needed.
She sighed internally but smiles up at him "Ok, daddy. I'll go."
A grin covers his face and he pulls her into a tight embrace "That's my girl! I know you and Soma will do great and don't worry I'll wire you for expenses every now and then."
"And by that you mean you'll wire me money every two weeks and you'll forget Soma and I'll have to call to remind you."
"That's right."
She rolls her eyes but return his embrace.
I guess everything changes now, hopefully for the better...
(Time skip)
The red haired siblings, wearing their previous school uniforms, were walking up to road to the academy with cars passing them on the left and cherry blossom trees, who have yet to bloom yet, on the right.
Soma was still sulking over the whole thing "This is bull crap."
"Quit complaining and stop wrinkling your papers." Sara said
"I can't believe you agreed to this." He complained
"Unlike you, I see this as an opportunity. None of the people in our class really shared our passion for cooking. This will give us a chance to see what we're really made of and to make new friends. Besides how are you ever going to improve if you stay in the restaurant."
"Hmph! I still this is dumb, paying some yahoo to teach us how to cook is just stupid. I don't need a bunch of has-beens blathering about nothing."
Sara, who was walking ahead of him, shook her head and gave him a side smirk "It's you had look up the school like I did you would know this school contains anyone but has-beens."
A sudden scream stops them, Soma pulls Sara close just in case. They look to the right of them and see two guys on their knees, wallowing and grieving.
"I am an absolute failure!" The black haired one cried
"My life is over!" The other one cried too
"Please!!"
The siblings looked to their left to see a nearly bald middle age man on his knees clutching the arm of a man who seems to work for the academy.
"I'll pay you 10 million no no 20 million! Just please don't expel my son!!!" He begged
Sara looked in front of her and her jaw dropped at the sight "Holy crap.."
Soma looks in her direction and lays his eyes on a mountain with building and trees all over and the largest building standing ominously on the top.
"Know this kids, this is one of the best culinary schools in country. It's a super elite institution for graduation rate of less than 10%"