A few hours after that, the sun started to set and students were now heading back to their dorms or house. Both Hana and Soma were walking up a path that was supposed to lead her to the dorm. The red-haired male carried his charcoal grill with his right hand, his bag slung over his left shoulder. His white headband was wrapped around his left wrist as usual as he held a few papers with his left hand. A squid leg was hanging on his mouth as he chewed on the food. 'Damn...What's with this school?! It's ridiculously huge!' he told himself as both of them continued to walk up the path. It was abnormally quiet but it was probably because there were no more students walking around.
Hana adjusted the bag on her shoulder and munched a bar of chocolate she was holding on her right hand. Soma looked down onto one of the papers he had been holding this whole time. "When are we going to reach Polar Star Dormitory?" She questioned curiously before averting her gaze towards the buildings around them. Soma sighed quietly and glanced at her.
"I'm not sure. The sun's about to set. I'm so tired.....To top it off, I'm freezing! I'm so hungry that the squid's not cutting it anymore....." Once he said that he stopped and placed down the charcoal grill onto the ground and groaned. The wind blew one of his papers out of his hands but he didn't seem to care about it. Hana stopped and stood beside Soma. Unwrapping the scarf on her neck, she stood on her toes and wrapped the scarf on the red-haired male's neck. A light blush decorated his cheeks as she wrapped the fabric around his neck. Afterwards, She handed him one of her uneaten chocolate bars.
"Here. This might help you survive a little longer. Or you prefer biscuits?" She smiled. The red-haired male shook his head and accepted the chocolate bar. With that, Hana started to walk away but she immediately stopped when Soma grabbed her hands. Glancing at Soma with a smile, she tilted her head slightly.
"What's wrong Soma?"
"Your hands.....um, they are freezing, You should take care of yourself more, Hana," he stated and unwrapped the scarf. Soma made sure that the scarf was still on his neck when he wrapped the other half around her neck. A bright blush made its way to her cheeks as she felt Soma's fingers touch her neck.
"Thank you, Soma...."
"No, I should be thanking you, Hana" he grinned as he picked up his charcoal grill from the ground. Both of them continued to walk up the path to the Polar Star Dormitory. Soma looked to his right and then to his left. There were fancy buildings on either side, no they were everywhere. A building came into view. Soma's hopes went down the drain rather quickly.
Maybe, just maybe it was not the Polar Star Dormitory. Though once Soma and Hana noticed the sign, there was no running away. It looked like a rather run-down western-styled dormitory, covered with vines. Crows were sitting on top of the room and the fence, letting out noises. With a creepy exterior, she couldn't tell how it would look like in the inside
"Seriously?" was all Soma said after a long silence. Even though it looked run down on the outside, they both had no choice but to live in here since both didn't have any money to purchase accommodation. Pushing the doors open, followed by a creaking noise. In the centre of the first floor is a grand staircase that leads to the upper floor. There was no source of light on the first floor. It seemed like they were using the sun's light as a source of light, saving electricity.
"Hello?" Soma called out. However, he didn't receive any response. Frowning, they both remained on the first floor, waiting for someone to at least reveal themselves. Hana took a step forward and scan the place for a moment. At the corner of her eye, she saw smoke coming from the right side of the second floor. Moving her hand towards her mouth, she turned towards where the smoke was coming from.
"Smoke.....?" Hana muttered and glanced at Soma to see his reaction. He seemed to be panicking slightly.
"Is there a fire?!" he inquired. She stayed silent and walked backwards, keeping yourself close to Soma. Suddenly a loud crash was heard, it echoed throughout the hallway so she wasn't able to pinpoint where the origin of the noise. The ceiling shook as the ceiling lamp swayed back and forth. Dust started rising from the corners of the floor.
"A-An earthquake?" The shaking stopped after a few seconds, then she heard the sound of fast footsteps. Followed by the sound of a quacking duck, along with other animalistic sounds. Turning her head to the left she heard someone panting and the voice of a female. A group of animals, which seemed to consists of a duck and a few others start to run towards where you were standing. Soma pulled her back against him, making the girl flush brightly thankfully Soma couldn't see her face as they both watched a girl with orange hair chase after the animals that were heading towards the right hallway — with an amused and shocked expression on both of their faces.
"Usako! Kamosuke! Shikanoshin! No! Don't leave me!" she exclaimed with her hand outstretched, reaching out towards the animals.
"Hey, Room 116! Don't you dare let game animals into your room! If you do it again. I'll flay you alive!" their attention was now on the tubes that were sticking out of the wall. The voice certainly belonged to an old woman but she couldn't tell where the source of the voice was coming from. Since there were tubes, Hana guessed that she was in some sort of room using those tubes as a speaker.
"Sorry!" the girl who was chasing the animals apologized.
"And Room 208! You turned an empty room into a smoker without permission again, didn't you?! Want me to string you up above some smoke chips?!" The same voice yelled out loud in anger. There was a boy who was standing in front of the room where the source of the smoke was.
"Yes, yes. I'm deeply sorry," he said in a not apologetic tone while scratching the back of his head with his right hand.
"And Room 205! If your floor falls out, I'll punch a hole in your gut!" she yelled. Inside the room mentioned was a male wearing glasses.
"We'll be more careful! Guys are fighting in my room." the male yelled angrily, pointing towards two males who were grabbing each other's collars and raising their fists.
"You must be Yukihira Soma and Hana, the transfer students who want to live in the dorm? I am the caretaker, Daimido Fumio a.k.a Fumio-san, the Madonna of the Polar Star. That's what you're to call me." She sounded like the one who had been telling off the students who were residing in the dorm. She was an old lady with features corresponding to her age, she was wearing a band with her grey hair combed backwards.
'How'd I end up in another freak show?' Soma's eyebrow twitched in slight annoyance.
"So, what'd you bring by way of ingredients?" she inquired which made both of them tilt your head in slight confusion. What was the point of bringing ingredients to the dorm when you know that there's someone who's going to cook for you?
"Huh?" was all Soma said.
"What ingredients?" you questioned.
"What else?! It's our famous challenge for anyone who wants to live here! First, dorm applicants must make one meal. Only those whose cooking passes muster will be allowed to reside in the dorm. Second, the caretaker will serve as the examiner. Third, the applicant may choose their ingredients." Fumido stated with her hands on her hips.
"This is news to us! We haven't got any ingredients on us!" Soma complained.
"I guess that means you both lose by default. I won't let you cross over the threshold without seeing what you're both made of."
"Huh?" Soma said loudly.
"Then does that mean tonight we'll have to....." you muttered.
"Camp out, of course," she replied in a casual tone as if it wasn't such a big deal. Soma, however, seemed to treat this as a large problem for himself and her.
"No way! You can't be serious! Even in April, nights get cold! We're already half-dead from exhaustion and hunger!" the red-haired chef complained, his hands itching to grab something and then throw it to show his frustration.
"The challenge is an absolute requirement. Just give up. We only have leftover scraps in the dorm kitchen, anyway. Consider today your unlucky day....." she waved her hand and smirked.
"Does that mean we can use those leftovers in the kitchen?" Hana questioned, getting her hopes up a little bit when she heard that there were at least something left in the kitchen for them both to use.
"What?" with an expression of confusion and slight shock, she averted her attention towards the two of you.
"We'll take on the challenge. Where's the kitchen?" Soma said with determination in his eyes. With that, she led them to the dorm's kitchen. She flipped the light switch and turned on the lights to the kitchen. The lights flickered for a while before turning completely on. Both of their eyes grew wide at the sight of the kitchen.
"Oh, hey. It's a nice kitchen, considering what the place looks like from the outside!" Soma said with a smile on his features. Hana smiled and walked around the kitchen in search of the leftover ingredients while listening to Fumio talk. From refrigerators to the cupboards, Hana searched every possible. While she searched for the items, she took note of how clean the kitchen was as Fumio started talking.
"Listen up. I hate know-it-all brats the most! How many student-cooked meals do you think I've tasted so far? Don't presume to think I'll give you both a passing grade for something you're going to slap together!" Once she said that Soma walked towards Hana with a smile, joining you in your search for ingredients.
'Onions and other odds and ends for vegetables.....Eggs.....Panko bread crumbs.....The usual assortment of spices and seasoning, and.....' Soma smiled to himself and nodded his head.
"All right! This should be more than plenty. What do you plan on using from here Hana?" the red-haired, yellow-eyed chef directed his gaze towards you. Crouching at the corner in front of the bag of rice, She turned to face him before standing up. Hana thought for a moment and replied.
"I only need a few things here, you can have the rest. And, I highly suggest you make your dish first." She walked away from the rice and towards where Soma was before listing all the items that you didn't plan on using. Soma nodded and smiled.
'What'd they say?' Fumio thought to herself after hearing both of your statements.
"Hand onto your seat, Polar Star Dormitory Caretaker Daimido Fumio-dono!" In one swift movement, Soma unwrapped the headband on his left wrist and tied it onto his forehead. On the other hand, you took out the ribbon from your neck and tied up her hair. Soma opened his case of knives that he always brings around his bag while Hana simply took the knife that she carried around with her.
Soma cracked a few eggs and chopped a whole onion on the chopping board swiftly. After doing a few steps, he kneaded his result on the bowl. He wet his hands with water and shaped the result into a hamburger shape before frying it with heated sesame oil on high heat.
Hana did her own thing too. Firstly, she grabbed the chocolate bars she had left, along with the biscuits she had. Afterwards, she turned on the heat on the pan and placed all the chocolate she had left. The smell of melted chocolate filled the air as she moved the chocolate with a wooden spoon so that it would melt faster. With the melted chocolate done, she poured it into a bowl and kept it aside. Then, she set a large saucepot over medium heat. Added cup water, the butter, sugar and salt. Bring to 155 degrees F, then added in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate and remove lumps, about 1 minute. Using the spoon, she adds the eggs into the batter one at a time, beating after each addition, until fully incorporated. Spoon the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and carefully pipe into the heated oil, forming 6-inch strips or free form shapes. She fries for 3 to 5 minutes, turning once as the underside browns. She removes with a slotted spoon and drains on paper-towel-lined sheet tray or plate.
To finish up, she works quickly, combines the sugar and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Gently add the hot churros, tossing to coat. She takes out the chocolate to complete the sauce, she uses the cream in the biscuits and mixes it well in the chocolate until it's all mixed and smooth.
"There wasn't a speck of ground beef or pork left! What magic is this? How'd you make this meat-filled hamburg steak?" Her eyes wide, staring at the dish prepared by Soma. They didn't even find any meat left in the kitchen, so there was almost no way to produce such a hamburg steak. Hana glanced at Soma's dish and smiled at Fumio.
"I used canned mackerel. It's a mackerel burger!"
"Canned mackerel?!"
"I used eggs, onions, and panko, then I added drained canned mackerel, and seasoned with salt and pepper. Cook it up, and you'll get a fluffy mackerel burger! To top it off, I took the drained mackerel juice and made an easy light sauce by adding ponzu, and thickening it with potato starch! I'll call it the! Have a taste!" he grinned widely, presenting his dish on a tray. It wasn't only hamburg steak, he placed a bowl of rice and a bowl of egg soup. That was the moment when Hana started preparing her dish. Soma had prepared a main course-type of a meal, so she decided to prepare a dessert with the ingredients left.
"Don't be ridiculous. A hamburger made from canned mackerel would be way too fishy....." she cut the mackerel hamburger with the chopsticks and clipped it between the utensil. Fumio brought it up and stared at the food. Slowly, very slowly, she parted her lips and moved the piece into her mouth.
'DE! LI! CIOUS! If he were to tell me that there was actual meat inside, I might believe it! Yes, it's light.....the texture is excellent! How about the egg soup?' Her attention was now on the egg soup that Soma had prepared along with the hamburg steak. Fumio raises the bowl and took a sip.
"What is this?" her eyes grew wide. 'The soup base can make or break the soup's flavour. This fragrant flavour indicates a high-quality soup base!' she thought to herself and quickly glanced at Soma.
"But how'd you come up with this?! There was neither kelp nor bonito to use as the soup base!" the woman said.
"Well, I happened to have something I could use." Slowly, Soma raised his hand and flicked the squid leg that was held in place with his teeth while smiling proudly.
"Squid?! You made a soup base using squid?" the old woman questioned in pure shock.
"Dried squid is umami in concentrated form! If you reconstitute it in hot water and add salt, you can create a great soup base with a depth of flavour." the yellow-eyed male explained as Fumio took another sip of the soup. 'This kid sure is something special. I can't believe he manages to concoct something this good from just those ingredients.....What a soothing flavour. It's as though I'm being warmed body and soul.....Mackerel and squid.....their beautiful marine rhapsody of flavour reminds me of my younger days.....' As she complimented Soma, she helped herself with another piece of the mackerel hamburg steak Soma created. Her mind immediately flashed back to the events that happened several years ago when she was still a young girl in her teens.
"Take me!"
"Let go of me, old lady!" Soma yelled out loud, his hands gripped the woman's hands as he tried pushing her away. Soma placed a hand over his chest and panted.
"Very well! I allow you to enter this dorm." Fumio raised her finger and pointed at the red-haired male.
"Glad you liked it!" the red-haired chef pulled off his headband in one movement.
"You'll be in Room 303! Here. And.....I suppose that you're ready for the judgement right, Hana?" the woman handed the male a key before averting her attention towards her. Soma did the same and walked towards you. The male slung an arm around her shoulder and grinned widely.
"It sure smells good, Hana! Can I have a bite?" he questioned. Hana chuckled in response and handed him a small plate. She walked towards Fumio and handed her a plate of her dish. Both Soma and Fumio ate them in unison. They feel warm feeling go through their body but it was soothing, gentle and comforting.
'DELICIOUS!' Their thoughts were alike after taking one bite.
"After the main course, a desert. How did you manage to make this dipping sauce?! There was no chocolate or cream." she questioned as she stared wide-eyed at the dish you made. Smiling, she turned towards the woman and began explaining.
"I used what I had." she raised the remains of her chocolate and biscuits.
" Since you were evaluating Soma's dish first, I had more time. Thank you, Soma." Hana smiled at the redhead.
"No, thank you for the delicious dish, Hana! You'd make a good wife someday!" he grinned ear to ear, unaware of what he had just blurted out. Her face became red at his words and she turned away to hide her red face.
"Wh-What are you talking about Soma? You're making me embarrassed....." She sighed.
"I can't say no to something like this, you're allowed to reside in this dorm. You'll be in Room 304. Here." she raised a key that had a string attached to it.
"Yeah! Thank you, Fumio-san. Let's go, Soma!" Hana grabbed his hand and pulled the red-haired male towards the exit of the kitchen. The old woman glanced at both of them as they walk towards the exit.
'They both demonstrated impressed flexibility with the limited array of ingredients.....Guess we have an interesting addition to the dorm in Yukihira Soma and Hana.' she smiled, watching the two students walk out of the kitchen, hand in hand with a smile on their faces.
Back inside the bathroom of the dorm, Megumi rested her arms on the side of the tub and happily smiled to herself, her rubber duck.
"This had been the only place I could relax since junior high. Fumio-san's kind of scary, but at least there are no strict teachers or Soma-kun here." she smiled to herself as she let herself close her eyes.
Standing in the changing room of the bathroom, Hana took off her scarf and placed it to the basket provided. Her attention was caught by another basket that was located beside hers, that means there was someone else in here. After taking off all her clothes, she walked towards the bathroom and slide the door open. There was a blue-haired girl in the bathtub, relaxing. Other than her, there was no one else. Smiling, she waved towards the bluenette and approached her.
"Megumi! What a coincidence, you lived in the dorm too?" she eyed the girl with a smile on her face. The girl smiled in return.
"Yes, did you just arrive today?" she questioned, sinking further into the tub filled with warm water as Megumi watched you search for the shampoo and soap.
"That's right. I just finished the entrance exam and I was thinking about taking a hot bath to wash away all the fatigue. Reacting towards Soma's creations were the most tiring though....." she muttered and faced the other way. Megumi's face visibly paled at the mention of Soma but she waved it off with a chuckle.
"How long have you been together with Soma? You two seem like close friends." the bluenette stated, playing with her rubber duck as she glanced at Hana.
"Around twelve years. My parents left me when I was at the age of three and Soma's father was the one who took me in." Hana smiled lightly. She didn't even bother to tie her hair and decided to dip her feet into the tub to warm her body. Megumi frowned slightly as she learned the news, bringing her knees to her chest to make space for Hana and also to cover herself, she felt a little shy.
"A bath! Let's start with a hot bath!" The door to the bathroom you and Megumi were currently in, suddenly opened, revealing a rather familiar red-haired male with yellow eyes. Both your and Megumi's cheeks turn red but comparing hers to Hana's was far redder.
Think about it.
She was standing in front of Soma, naked — nothing to conceal her body with. Soma was in the same situation but you were a girl. Megumi was in the tub w so she was.....in a different situation.
"Uwahhhhhhhh!!!!!"
"Oh, I guess I forgot to warn him that it's the girls' turn to use the bath right now," Fumio said and looked up for a moment. She was just finishing off both Hana's and Soma's dish.
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A/n: Hey people! How are you all doing? Hope you all are safe and are taking care. So, Update!! It's little long, I know... Also I'm not very confident about that recipe so I'll suggest against trying it. I'll surely put in a small a/n if I ever add recipes of my own, Do you guys enjoy cooking? and also
Who is your favourite character other than Soma? Comment down below!!
Random Fact about food: Hot Dogs
It's not clear where the hot dog originated from. Some say it was invented in the Austrian city of Vienna by two Austro-Hungarian immigrants who took the recipe with them when they left for Chicago. Others say that it originated from Frankfurt, Germany, while another state that a butcher from Coburg, Germany, invented the hot dog in the late 1600s.
In any case, Americans eat approximately 20 million hot dogs a year, especially during baseball games. About 18.5 million hot dogs were consumed during the 2015 Major League Baseball season!
Random Riddle: What is at the end of everything?
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Unwritten_Angel