[3rd Person's Point of View]

You overthought too much last night so you woke up late at night. You made a cup of coffee and was headed back to your room then you saw Megumi standing

by a doorway. "Megu is something wr-"

"You should hear this well, Tadakoro-kun and (Reader)." Gin-san said.

"Ah, I already heard that but sure." you said then sat beside Gin while sipping your coffee. He placed a picture on the table. It was the picture of the quadro; Saiba-Gin-Azami-Saito.

"This photo was taken when you were students." Megumi said.

"I still remember it like it happened only yesterday. The shining star of our generation was undeniably Joichiro. By my count, of the 121 times he and I had a Shokugeki, I won 20 times and lost 101 times."

"Eh? / Even you Chef Dojima?" Megu and Taku said surprised. "You lost that many times?"

"Your rank in the Elite Ten is determined not only by Shokugeki outcomes, but also by factors such as grades and contributions to the Academy. Joichiro may have been number one in terms of culinary skill, but he was late on classes. Even after joining the Elite Ten, he ignored his responsibilities." Gin said.

"You can't blame Saiba-san, attending classes is boring." you said.

"I heard that you skipped classes many times! Are you sure you're Kazu's daughter?" Gin asked you which made you laugh. You then sipped your coffee. "Maybe you're Joichiro's secret love child." Gin-san said which made you choke on your coffee.

"Gee Gin-san just continue the story." you replied then he nodded.

"He was also known as an eccentric."

"Like peas in a pod, those two. / Like father, like son." Taku and Megu commented.

"Alike huh, anyway all of us met him Saiba Joichiro, the chef with his genius in full bloom." Gin-san said then you slapped the table.

"Based on what I heard, Azami-dono was a crybaby before?" you asked then Gin laughed.

"Well Joichiro was being mean to-- Hey will you stop giving off that vibe that you're admiring Nakamura?" Gin-san asked so you pouted.

"I find crybabies cute what's wrong with that? Boo Gin-san." you said then he frowned.

/A-N: I mean-- When Azami-dono was young he looks like a cinammon roll :<

"What's with you and your father's taste?" Gin-san said then continued the story.

{Gin's P.o.V : Flashback}

It was very noisy and there were party popper and confetti around. There was a banner on top of us and I was hiding behind Joichiro.

"Congratulations on joining the Elite Ten Council!" they all congratulated.

The girls then hurdled around us. "Kaz-senpai, Joichiro-senpai, Gin-senpai, you're both so cool!" they said.

"You've become the 6th, 7th and 8th seats just as you're about to become third-years! Well done!" Fumio-san said.

I was sitting beside Kazu who was drinking coffee. I feel exhausted then a girl served me a drink.

"Oh, thanks." Joichiro said smugly. "It hasn't really sunk in yet that I've become one of the Elite Ten."

"Saiba-senpai, what dish did you win the contest with this time?" Nakamura asked.

"Oh, I made this porcini pie dish that was a huge hit." Joichiro answered.

"And? And?" Nakamura asked excitedly.

"Oh, and as the finishing touch, I--- Huh?" Joichiro then looked at Nakamura. "Hey can you stop oozing that dark aura of yours? I can almost hear a voice over saying, 'Now, tell me what you did so that my cooking will advance'." Joichiro said.

"That's uncalled for. I'm just hoping that I can get remotely close to your level, Saiba-senpai." Nakamura said.

"Close? You obviously mean surpass." Joichiro replied.

"That's not true at all!" Nakamura defended which made Kazu laugh.

When the party was over, we gathered at the kitchen. "All right! Let's have another match today guys!" Joichiro said.

"What should we wager?" I asked while my arms were crossed.

"The loser will take on bathroom cleaning duties tomorrow!" Kazu replied.

"I'll take a pass." Nakamura said.

"Hey! You still haven't gotten over losing to me last time, have you?! People with thin skin won't succeed in life, you know." Joichiro said then Nakamura started to tear up, Kazu came to the rescue to ruffle Nakamura's hair.

"Joichiro be nice!" I scolded him.

"Yeah, yeah." Joichiro replied. "Okay, you can be the judge Nakamura. All right, let's begin!" Joichiro said as he held the knife.

'Joichiro's path was headed straight into a storm-torn wasteland but he advanced without any fear. With a single step, he'd create a path.'

'With a single swing of his chef's knife, he'd open a whole new world of flavor.'

"Don't be scared guys, Let's go as far as we can go." Joichiro said.

"Yeah. / Of course." Me and Kazu said in unison.

"I'll keep up with you no matter how far we go." Nakamura replied.

'That was our life back then. Honing our skills with a genius whose skills denied description, our days were filled with sheer joy.'

'I didn't exactly like my name Gin which means 'silver' back then.

'People would tease me, saying it was as though I was announcing that I'm always in second place.'

'But after I met Joichiro, I didn't care anymore if I was in second place. I just wanted to walk with him, side-by-side. I'm sure Kazu and Nakamura Azami felt the same.'

'But our worlds began to quietly diverge from Joichiro's. After a time, Joichiro began to exhibit a curious habit. He began to make peculiar, disgusting food.'

I was currently studying with Kazu for the test when I heard Joichiro called. "Shiomi?" Joichiro called. "Here's one of my new creations."

"I've told you many times that I don't want any disgusting dishes!" Shiomi ranted.

"Come on, don't be a bad sport." Joichiro said. "I've been sharing my dishes with you since your first day at the dorm. This one tastes good. Try it!" Joichiro then made Shiomi eat his disgusting dish.

"Don't hold back!" Shiomi collapsed on the floor while Joichiro laughed. "How is it? You're in love with my food now, aren't you?"

'He was still going full speed in competitions and Shokugeki. He crushed all of them.'

We gathered at Conference Room. "I heard Joichiro's qualified for that competition next year." Fumio-san said.

"You mean BLUE?" Kazu asked.

"Yeah, there'll be a new announcement soon." Fumio-san replied.

"Wow! You did it, Joichiro!" I said.

"Thanks. Well, I'll try my best." Joichiro replied.

"I'll get in someday too, I'm not jealous or anything." Nakamura said making Kazu laugh.

'The BLUE... It's the ultimate competition in the fine dining world for newcomer chefs who managed to pass the qualifying rounds from around the world.'

'Victory would assure you a bright future and world-class fame.'

"Saiba, I heard you're going go to compete in BLUE?"

"I'm really looking forward to it!"

"Saiba! Hey, it's Saiba! / I bet you'll win the gold." the students said.

"Oh, thanks." Joichiro replied then I noticed someone surrounding us.

"Hey Saiba! Congrats on qualifying for BLUE." Sawatsubashi said.

"Thanks." Joichiro said frowning.

"But there are those who are wondering if you've bribed the selection committee members. I bet students who are serious about their cooking won't be satisfied without a Shokugeki where your qualification for BLUE is on the line. That includes me, of course." Sawatsubashi added.

"He's the Sawatsubashi family's heir, isn't he? I heard he didn't get into the Elite Ten."

"He didn't qualify for BLUE either so this is just a grudge."

"Or is it beneath Einstein to face off with us now?" Sawatsubashi said so I sighed.

"Let's go Joichiro." Kazu replied coldly.

"He's just trying to get your goat. There's no need to entertain hi-" Joichiro then cut me off.

"Since you insist, I'd like to see what you're made of. You have a lot of people with you. Why don't we celebrate the occasion by doing one of those? You know the Team Shokugeki." Joichiro said that left everyone shocked.

"Great! Let's do it. Gather up your friends too th-"

"I don't need any. I can handle it by myself."

"Joichiro!" Kazu and I exclaimed.

"Why did you agree to do this, Joichiro?" I asked.

"Joichiro you didn't need to entertain them." Kazu said.

"He's right! At least let us hel-" Nakamura was then cut off by Joichiro.

"Don't interfere." Joichiro said before leaving us.

'For some reason, I had a very bad feeling about the whole thing. I felt this Shokugeki would cause Joichiro to go somewhere far away.'

"First bout, victor: Saiba Joichiro!" / "Second bout, victor: Saiba Joichiro!"

"Third bout, victor: Saiba Joichiro! He's undefeatable!"

"Just come at me in groups of ten already. I'll face you all together." Joichiro said.

"Bastard! Don't underestimate us!" the students exclaimed.

"Fifth bout, victor: Saiba Joichiro!"

"You, face me next round. I'll take you on."

"Well, um, I think I'd rather-"

"Hey, how's that supposed to work?" Joichiro then grabbed the guy by his collar. "You've never even thought to imagine how hard it is to be a pioneer, going in new directions. This is just a game to you, huh?!"

"You think you're all in but you're not. Quit your bitching about how you're all serious about cooking!"

"Hey? HEY?! If you don't intend to serve a dish, then just quit already."

"The Team Shokugeki is an overwhelming victory for Saiba Joichiro who was the sole competitor in his team."

"How was that possible? / That's kind of... / Yeah, scary. / He's different now."

"Joichiro..." I muttered while watching him from a top.

"I'm worried for him." Kazu replied.

"How wonderful." I heard Nakamura said while grinning.

'People has praised him, calling him a true genius, a revolutionary, and a pioneer of fine dining. That day, he gained another nickname- The Demon.'

'And then we became third-years. I became the 1st seat and Joichiro was the 2nd seat. Azami was the 3rd seat, Saito Kazu was the 4th seat.'

'Ebisawa Riko was the 5th seat followed by Shiomi Jun, who was in junior high at the time. Polar Star was in the midst of a golden age.'

'There were so many dorm applicants that Fumio-san was at her wits' end. Joichiro was continuing to crush all the external competitions.'

That night after Joichiro won I had Shiomi talk to him. "Um Saiba-senpai. You don't make any disgusting dishes anymore." Shiomi said.

"Huh? Shiomi, I didn't know you were craving more." I heard Joichiro replied.

"N-No one's craving anything! You can't play with food! But you seemed to have so much fun making them, I was just wondering why'd you stopped."

~

"What's there to worry about? He's wielding his chef's knife like a weapon. That aura of his is befitting a chef at the height of his powers. I truly admire him." Nakamura said.

"That may be true but ever since he defeated 50 contestants in that Team Shokugeki, no one in the academy will challenge Joichiro. Only you, me and sometimes Ebisawa or Kazu will do a match." I replied.

"He's making up for that by taking on external competitions. But I feel like that's only a diversion for him." Kazu stated.

~

"The world-famous Totsuki Academy has produced a talent that's only seen once every hundred years. His name is Saiba Joichiro."

"I am absolutely certain that the dish he'll serve at BLUE will be remembered for centuries to come!"

"Saiba-senpai is amazing! / He's such a genius!" the Polar Star residents said.

~

"Joichiro? You're not ready yet?" Kazu called out of Joichiro's room.

"Your ride will be here soon." I said then opened the door and was surprised to see the room empty. "Joichiro?"

"Saiba-senpai's gone? / How could he ditch BLUE?"

"I hope he didn't have any strange ideas. / Strange? You don't mean..."

"Calm down!" Fumio-san yelled. "I'll head to the competition and explain the situation. The rest of you, search everywhere in the Academy! Now go!"

"Gin, I know where he is." Kazu told me so I followed him. We then stopped at the Hall of Heaven and Moon.

We entered and saw Joichiro sitting in the middle of a spotlight. "Everyone's worried about you." I said then sat beside him.

"You won't be making it in time for BLUE now but there's no point crying over spilt milk-" Kazu said.

"BLUE? Oh, that BLUE. Yeah, I know. I know."

"Joichiro?" I asked then Joichiro looked at me.

"Huh? Gin? Kazu? Oh! Gin and Kazu! Why are you here?" Joichiro asked.

"Kaz said we can find you here." I said.

"Oh. It brings back memories, you know? The Autumn Elections finals where I faced you. That was fun, wasn't it? But now I can barely breathe."

"I thought I should get ready for tomorrow. I thought, I need to head toward my next goal. But I lost track of what I'm doing and where I am. I don't know what I'm doing anymore." Joichiro said which made me tear up.

'Joichiro was no demon. He was a boy with delicate sensibilities, just like the rest of us.'

"I'm sorry Joichiro! We let you go ahead all alone!" I said as tears flowed from my eyes.

"Why are you crying Gin? That's not like you." Kazu said laughing while patting Joichiro and my back.

"He's been swallowed up by the storm." Senzaemon-dono said appearing out of nowhere.

"Director?" I asked.

"I had a premonition back during the Autumns Elections. Too great a talent will turn against itself in the end." Director said. "Saiba Joichiro, leave Japan for a while and leave cooking as well."

"I agree, that's what you need right now Joichiro." Kazu said.

"Later, Saito, Gin, Nakamura! Sorry!" Joichiro said.

'He had a lighthearted grin, as though he'd just stood us up for a meet-up. That was the last I saw of him as a student.'

{End of Flashback}

[Your Point of View]

"I had no idea that Joichiro-san had a past like that." Megu said.

"But Chef Dojima, I still don't understand. Why is Nakiri Azami acting the way he is?" Taku asked.

"Joichiro was his idol. I think he struggled with Joichiro's breakdown in his own way and is now seeking vengeance for that past." Gin said.

"In my opinion, I think Azami-dono needed more help than Saiba-san." I said then placed my cup on the table.

"Yeah that's what I thought too." Gin said.

"(Reader)-chan's father seemed close with Nakamura-san." Megu stated as Gin nodded.

"That's true, they're both weird in their own ways. That's why I wasn't surprised when Nakamura wanted (Reader) to join Central." Gin replied.

I grinned, "Now then." I then stretched my arms. "Time to check on them."

We then went at the kitchen to watch Soma and Saiba-san. "I'm gonna win today Dad!" Soma yelled.