[3rd Person's Point of View]

After 2 weeks of spending time at Totsuki, your parents, including you; travelled abroad. You were currently in Italy and this was the last country in your list.

You were visiting a famous beach restaurant. You wore a (preferred color) shirt paired with (preferred color) trunks and tied your hair into a (ponytail/ messy bun/ twin-tails/ braid).

While you were busy eating and heading to a different stall, a girl bumped into you.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" She said bowing her head. She had braided twin-tails and a pair of thick eyeglasses.

'Isn't she Anne? One of the WGOs?' you thought.

"It's alright, you should be careful Miss-?" you asked looking at her.

"I'm An-" she was interrupted when someone called out to her.

"Anne! What are you doing?" you turned around and saw two girls in their swim wear; or rather bikini.

"Gomenasai Courage-san! I bumped into someone!" Anne said.

"Ah not! It's fine it's not a big de-" you were also cut off when one of the two girls spoke.

"Who is this handsome girl~?" The tan girl with a black hair seductively asked. Her name is Decora.

"I'm Yamaguchi (Reader)." You said as Decora smiled.

"I'm Decora~ You may call me Cora~" Cora said then clung unto your left arm.

"Why don't you spend time with us Yamaguchi-kun~?" the pale girl with a white hair asked. Her name is *Courage. {pronounced as ko-ra-ji}

"Well, I'm kinda alone so why not?" you asked then she smiled and hugged your right arm.

"I'm *Courage~" she said.

They kept clinging more unto you when they tasted the dish that you cooked for them. They also taught you about the spices and curry dishes which helped you a lot.

The day of the prelims came. You were really excited! Your mom bought you a new outfit. Lizu bought you a ring saying that it had something to do about 'your brother and sister relationship'

Your dad bought you a necklace so you decided to put the ring in the necklace and wore them together.

When you were inside the hall you looked around.

'It's so big!' you thought then spotted a certain red-haired guy so you ran to him. "Soma!" you yelled waving at him.

"Oh! (Reader)! Wow you kinda look different." Soma said smiling. "What's that? A ring?"

"Ah! My brother bought this for me. We have pair rings!" you replied and smiled.

"Oh, that's cool, but wow! This place is huge!" Soma said while you nodded in agreement. "Are we really going to cook here?"

"Soma-kun! (Reader)-chan!" Megu said waving at us, you ran to her and hugged her as Megu giggled.

"Tadakoro! / How was the rest of your summer?" Soma called out while you asked her.

"It was good. I think I trained for this in my own wa--" Megu didn't finish what she was saying when Yuki jumped to hug the both of you.

"Megumi! (Reader)! Long-time no see!" Yuki beamed. "You too Yukihira!" she added waving at Soma.

"You all look well." Ryoko said then smiled. "Oh (Reader)-chan I heard that you went abroad?" she said so you nodded and hug her also.

"Wha- / Really? / That's cool!" Soma, Megu and Yuki said in unison.

"Oh! Nikumi!" Soma said while looking at Ikumi.

"H-hey." Ikumi said blushing.

"Niku Niku-chan you're looking good!" you said and pinched her cheeks before hugging her.

"We're in the same group. Let's get through this together." Soma said then you pat Ikumi's head.

"T-Together?" Ikumi then blushed as steams come out from her face.

"Ara! How cute!" you beamed.

"I'm not! B-B-Baka! We're enemies!" Ikumi said before running away. "I'm not gonna lose to you this time!" she yelled.

"S-sure?" Soma answered waving.

You all heard a giggle so you turned around to look. "I'm disappointed I'm not in the same group as you. But Ryo-kun is." Alice said.

Alice saw you so she rushed to your side and hugged you. "I missed you (Reader)-chan!" She said squishing you.

"I missed you too Alice." You replied laughing, then Kurokiba pat your head.

"Eh?" you asked looking up at him. "Are you messing up my hair Kuro?" you asked him while huffing your cheeks.

'Kawaii.'

"I heard you went overseas?" Alice asked so you looked at her and nodded. "Oh! Ryo-kun, introduce yourself." Alice said then finally let go of me. Alice quickly fixed your hair and clothes.

"Osu!" Kuro said.

"O-osu!" Soma answered awkwardly.

"Gee Kuro you should say 'I'm Kurokiba Ryo nice to meet you.' not Osu." You said and pinched his cheeks. "You should smile like this." You said stretching his cheeks. You smiled. "Like this."

He tried to smile; it was terrifying to look at but at least he did.

"There's a lingering trace of spice in your fingers." Hayama said popping out of nowhere.

"Aki! How have you been?" you said waving, Hayama walked towards you and pat your head.

"Mataku! Why are you all messing up my (Reader)-chan's hair?" Alice asked pouting.

"(Nickname), I've been doing fine. Huh?" Hayama said then stopped and looked at the ring on your necklace.

"Ah, my brother gave it to me. It's like matching rings." You replied then smiled. Hayama ruffled your hair so you slapped his hand causing him to laugh.

You didn't notice it but Kurokiba, Soma and Shun were glaring at Hayama. Alice noticed this and giggled.

"Anyway, I guess you've been giving this your best shot." Hayama told Soma.

"Yup, I want to let you taste really great curry." Soma replied.

"Heh." Hayama snickered. "I'll go to my post now (Nickname)." Hayama said so you grinned. Hayama pushed your cheeks together.

Alice giggled when Soma, Kurokiba and Shun flinched. Shun had his fist clenched while Soma was standing there irritated. Kurokiba started walking towards the two of you.

"I'll meet with you later; I have some things t--" Hayama was cut off when Kurokiba slapped his hand. You were shocked so you looked at Kurokiba who was lazily looking at Hayama.

"Ah, my hand slipped." Kurokiba said.

"Hah!? Slipped?" Hayama asked glaring at Kuro. Kurokiba then pulled your hand.

"Hey let go of her." Soma said while pulling your hand away from Kuro.

'What the heck is happening?' you thought.

"Hey, why are you getting all angry?" you asked which made them look at you.

"Excuse me, you're making (Reader)-chan uncomfortable." Shun said appearing beside you and pulling you to stand beside Alice.

"Fufufu~ Pardon my little baby she's too innocent and dense for this." Alice said then hugged you.

"Wha- Innocent and Dense what do you mean?" you asked Alice but then you heard Hayama, Kurokiba and Soma sighed. Hayama waved at you before walking away.

"Yukihira." Takumi called out.

"Oh! Takumi. Been a while." Soma greeted.

"Vanilla Lemon! Heya." you beamed causing Takumi to blush.

"Shut up (Reader)-chan!! Hmph, I'll say this to you now! Your true rival is me right her-" Takumi didn't finish what he was saying when Soma talked.

You looked at who Soma was looking at then smiled. "Hey who's the guy next to you?" Soma asked.

"Sami!!" you beamed and went to hug the slim Isami.

"Huh? Who?" Taku asked.

"Sami-chan! Gee you lost a great amount of weight!" you said and pouted.

"Gomene (Reader)-chan." Isami apologized while smiling at you.

"It's Isami, of course." Taku answered which made Megumi and Soma sweat-drop.

"Huh? Lies!" Soma yelled. So, you rushed to hit his head.

"What's with you?" Taku asked Soma.

"Gee this fluffy bear right here is Isa-chan! Can't you see?" you said then pinched Isa's cheeks. "But he's gotten thinner. But he's still Sami!" you beamed.

"Isami always loses a little weight every year when the summer heat gets to him." Taku explained.

"This is because of summer heat?" Soma asked.

"Sami-chan, I'll make sure you eat more okay? I brought chocolates from Italy do you want some?" you asked so Takumi and Isami looked at you.

"Chocolates from Italy?" Isami asked.

"You went to Italy? Why didn't you visit Trattoria Aldini?" Takumi asked as you rummaged through your knife case.

It had 2 compartments so you placed the sweets on the second one. "Oh? I went to Italy last week." You replied. "Gomene Kumi-chan, I went to Trattoria Aldini but the place was packed so- yeah." I said.

"I'll be back to my old self come fall and winter." Isami replied when Soma and Megumi started asking him questions.

"S-So it happens every year." Megu said.

"I'm surprised you're still alive." Soma added.

"A-anyway, now you know! This is Isami." Takumi told Soma. "Okay let's start over. YukihirAHH?!" he said putting his hand on his chin but then the lights went out which made you laugh.

"Thank you for your patience, everyone! Eyes on the front stage please." Urara said.

"Hey, what's going on?" Soma asked then turned to look at Taku. "Oh, sorry, can this wait?"

"Eh? Wait! Hey!" Taku said.

"We'll now have the opening speech by the current director of Totsuki Academy, Nakiri Senzaemon." Senzaemon-dono then inhaled sharply but then coughed.

'I guess he sniffed too much spices...' you giggled at your own thought.

"D-don't mind me, I just choked on something." Senzaemon said coughing. "When I breathe the air here, I can feel all the energy coursing through me, body and soul."

"He was coughing just now though." Yuki commented which made you laugh. Ryoko heard this and shushed the two of you.

"This is the Hall of Heaven and Moon. Under ordinary circumstances only the Elite Ten may use this space to challenge each other in Shokugekis." Senzaemon said.

"To show our respect to the countless victors who have won the first seat, it's tradition to display their portraits." Senzaemon said as each frame lit up.

"Oh, He's right! Now that I'm taking a good look, there's Dojima-senpai." Soma said so you you're your phone out and took a picture of Kojiro's portrait.

"Shinomiya-senpai too! He was the first seat?" Soma exclaimed.

"Countless unforgettable battles have been fought, and countless specialties have been born here. That's why the memory of the never-ending battles fought here hang in the air like fog!

And this is also where the main tournament for the Autumn Elections will be held. You'll all make a new mark on history here!

Let us meet here again, chefs of the 92nd class of Totsuki Academy!" Senzaemon said as cheers enveloped the whole crowd.

"Hehh that old man sure knows how to talk." You mumbled.

"Oh Takumi, what'd you want to talk about earlier?" Soma asked.

"Never mind." Takumi replied smiling.

"We'll now explain the rules for the preliminaries. As indicated in our written notice, the topic is a curry dish. You have 3 hours! Out of 60 candidates in the preliminaries, only eight totals may advance to the main tournament. In other words, only 4 from each group." Urara said as she raised up her four fingers.

"Only that many?! / They weed you out real fast." the students mumbled.

"Candidates should relocate to their group's designated spaces. The preliminaries will begin at 11 o'clock." Urara announced.

After the students left, you ran towards Senzaemon. "Uhmm... Excuse me." You said then he looked at you.

"Oh! You're Kazu's daughter, aren't you?" Senzaemon asked laughing so you nodded. "Do you need something?" he asked so you nodded again.

"Uhm, I'm in group A and I just want to ask your permission." You started.

"What kind of permission?" Senzaemon asked then turned to you.

"If I present my dish and get to climb the higher ranks, can you exempt me then?" you asked.

"A very bold thing to ask! Why should I do that?" Senzaemon asked.

"Because, I want to give chance to other students." You replied which made him laugh.

"Subarashi! Sure, I'll give you the permission." Senzaemon said. You gave him a paper containing the agreement. He read it before signing it.

"Thank you so much Senzaemon-sama." You said then bowed your head and excused yourself.

--- Time Skip ---

You were already on your station with a lollipop in my mouth. You all turned your heads on the big screen on top of you.

The big hand of the clock then pointed at exact 12. Suddenly Senzaemon-dono's face lit up on the screen. "Begin... cooking!" he yelled.

'I should probably take a nap for a while.' You thought before taking your phone out and alarmed after 30 minutes; before sitting on a chair and sleeping.

"Say, Isshiki-kun... When will you join our company?" Sendawara Orie seductively said while looking at Isshiki. "Be mine already." she said putting her index finger on her lips.

Isshiki chuckled. "Gomen, I'm still a student."

"That's not a problem! Even if you withdraw from the academy right now, I'll ensure that you'll never go hungry." Orie replied.

"C'mon, hurry. I can't wait any longer." she said making the other judges blush.

"For today, please enjoy the dishes prepared by the cute first-years." Isshiki said smiling.

"Ehh~ Very well then." she answered.

"Oh, and I'm sorry but I refuse your offer. I already have set my eyes on someone." Isshiki answered.

"On someone?" Orie answered looking pissed.

"Yes, I think the name Yamaguchi (Reader) rings a bell?" Isshiki asked which made the judges gasped.

"The Great Yamaguchi (Reader)-sama is here?" The man who was wearing red shirt and spectacles said.

/Ando Shingo a food culture writer;

"Eh~ I didn't know she studies here!" Orie said as she scans the whole crowd. "Wait..."

They all stopped what they were doing as they stared jaw-dropping and sweat-dropping at Yamaguchi (Reader) who was currently sleeping on the chair.

"HEHHH?! / Why is Yamaguchi-sama sleeping? / Does she want to lose that badly?" the students murmured.

"And you're saying that she's the one who caught your attention?!" Orie asked Isshiki who was smiling the whole time. "I can't believe this!" she yelled frustrated.

Orie stopped when she noticed a blonde-haired guy. "Takumi Aldini- is he from Italy?" Orie asked. "It looks like he's making fond from beef shank and chicken bones. it's nothing new."

"His younger brother's the one next to him. Isami Aldini." Ando said while looking at Isami intently. "He's covered the bottom of his pot with tomatoes."

"Tomatoes are a staple vegetable in Italian Cuisine." Orie remarked. "I'm sure he knows all about them."

"Hm, this peculiar, insistent fragrance. It must be from spices being sautéed in duck fat!" Orie muttered.

"Keep it up! Yoshino!" the two pairs; Aoki and Shoji cheered for their fellow dormmate. The orange-haired girl; Yoshino then posed a peace sign.

"Oh, look there, what is she making?" an old man dressed in a formal amber coat said referring to a fuchsia-haired girl; Hisako. /Kita Osaji, a sponsor, Gastronomy Club;

"Even though spices are supposed to be sautéed in fat, in theory, she just threw them into water!"

"Look! / Nakiri Alice's doing something totally different from the rest! / What the hell's that giant machine?" the students murmured.

"A quick-freeze machine and a centrifuge? / I have no idea what kind of dish she'll be making! / Well the same goes for Sadatsuka Nao."

"Her roux's black! / It's not cooking! It's black magic!"

The boys watched as Hojo sliced the pineapples into two. They also watched how her boobies and butties wiggled.

"Miyoko-sama!" the boys yelled.

"That's the heir to Hojo-ro, a famous restaurant in Yokohama's Chinatown. Many of the spices used in Chinese cuisine can be used in curry." Ando said.

"It'll be interesting to see how she'll finish up her dish!" Kita said.

"It's true there are some students who looks interesting. Fine I've made up my mind. Give me all the students over there." Orie said.

"G-give? You don't care what people might think of what you say, Do you?" Kita asked.

"Oh, but. I don't need that girl with her hair in two braids." Orie said pointing at Megu. "She has no flair. I don't think she has much potential."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure." Isshiki said which made Orie look at him.