Noise.
Tension.
Pride.
Fatigue.
These four emotions clashed and intertwined like a simmering broth, thick with uncertainty and resolve.
The atmosphere backstage was heavy yet electric. Contestants from both A and B blocks stood under the stadium's harsh fluorescent lights, shoulders sagging from exhaustion, eyes shining with stubborn fire. The Autumn Selection preliminaries had come to a close, and no matter their rankings, each of them had fought like warriors on the culinary battlefield.
Some stood tall with earned smiles. Others held back tears behind forced laughter. The top four from each block were announced. The rest had no choice but to swallow disappointment like overcooked rice — dry and choking, yet inescapable.
But they had all given their best.
And that, perhaps, was victory enough.
Polar Star Dormitory – Noon
The sun beat heavily through the windows. The early autumn air clung to the skin with a faint humidity. Inside the common area of Polar Star Dorm, the once rowdy atmosphere had fallen into a somber hush.
Yuuki Yoshino, normally bubbly and full of pep, sat with a can of soda in one hand and tears in her eyes.
She raised her drink and gulped it down like a strong shot of sake. The fizz stung her throat, but it was the welling mist in her eyes that finally broke her.
"Sob… sob…"
The glass clinked on the table.
"M-Megumi… tell me… what did I do wrong…?"
Yuuki collapsed sideways into Megumi's arms, her voice trembling with frustration and sorrow. Her usually playful eyes were red-rimmed, her face buried against her friend's shoulder.
"In the preliminaries… my braised chicken turned out so well. I used fresh ingredients, I worked all night… I got 88 points, Megumi. Eighty-eight! But in the end…"
She couldn't finish. Her voice cracked.
The tears came harder.
Megumi Tadokoro froze, eyes wide with worry. Her gentle hands awkwardly patted Yuuki's back, unsure of how to comfort her. She too had been through the storms of self-doubt and failure. She knew how harsh the competition could be.
She also knew — painfully — how hard Yuuki had worked.
But what could she say?
"Y-Yuuki-chan…"
Yuuki had always been the dorm's little spark. Cheerful. Unshakeable. Always making others smile. But now, seeing her like this — defeated, broken — Megumi could only hold her tighter.
People said children were born as blank slates. But even from the start, Megumi and Yuuki had been opposites.
Megumi — soft-spoken, timid, gentle. A rabbit hiding in the shadows.
Yuuki — vibrant, impulsive, high-energy. A lively fawn sprinting across fields.
But in a world where only the strongest shine under the spotlight, personality alone wasn't enough. Without the invisible glow of a "main character," Yuuki had always been in the background, admired but often overlooked.
Her dish had been solid. Her flavors honest. But in Block B… she had faced titans.
Alice Nakiri's molecular curry. Takumi's elegant Italian fusion. Mimasaka's uncanny mimicry.
Against such overwhelming pressure, even a commendable 88 had not been enough.
"Yuuki," said a calm voice nearby.
She looked up, sniffling. Satoshi Isshiki stood by the open window, the warm breeze ruffling his haori. He held a sake bottle in one hand, smiling faintly.
"You did great," he said, taking a sip. "The Autumn Selection is fiercer than any event before. Even the Training Camp couldn't compare. Only the top four from each block make it… and sometimes, no matter how hard you try, others are just better that day."
"I know that…" Yuuki muttered bitterly. "But I feel so unsatisfied!"
She rubbed her eyes with the heel of her palm, then slammed her hand against the table.
"My chicken… I imported the breed directly from Sichuan! I raised it myself in the dorm's garden! The spices were hand-ground. I braised it in sesame oil for hours…"
Her voice cracked again.
"But… Takumi… Alice… Mimasaka… they all had such incredible dishes…"
She trembled. "If only I'd been placed in A Block, maybe… just maybe…"
Satoshi shook his head gently.
"Erina was judging A Block. I don't think your braised chicken would've made it through there either."
Yuuki fell silent.
She knew he was right. But hearing it still hurt.
"I just… didn't expect Megumi to pass," she muttered, turning her gaze toward her friend. "No offense, Megumi. It's just… you used to be even more nervous than me. But today…"
Megumi looked down, cheeks flushed. "I… I was nervous at first."
She wrung her hands, voice soft as petals.
"But then… I thought of Zane."
Yuuki blinked. "Huh?"
"The tavern's owner," Megumi added shyly. "I remembered the monkfish curry hotpot he made me. It was rich and spicy, and the aroma reminded me of the ocean. I… I wanted to replicate that feeling."
She smiled faintly, voice filled with reverence. "He told me once… food that touches the heart can overcome fear. And in that moment… I wasn't afraid anymore."
Yuuki gawked.
"Wait, wait, wait—Zane? Are you telling me this is some culinary love story in the making?"
Megumi's face went crimson. "N-no! It's not like that! I mean, he's amazing, but I just—"
"Oh my god, Megumi, you're totally smitten!" Yuuki teased, jabbing her in the ribs.
"I am not!!" Megumi squeaked, flustered.
"You totally are."
Shunkatei Western Restaurant – Kitchen
Meanwhile, in the modern kitchen of the Shunkatei Western Restaurant, a peculiar scene was unfolding.
Sonoka was hiding by the kitchen door, peeking around the corner.
She watched intently as Sonoka — the other one — gracefully stirred a pot of melted chocolate. A faint aroma of cocoa and honey filled the air.
She wasn't just watching — she was investigating.
"Cocoa powder… coconut oil… powdered sugar… vanilla extract… Wait—stevia too?"
Sonoka frowned. "Why's she making dessert? She's a French-Italian hybrid specialist, not a pastry chef…"
Sonoka turned her head.
"Sonoka! If you're done snooping, come help with the sieve."
Sonoka yelped and stepped inside, caught red-handed.
"What's with the dessert obsession?" she asked, grabbing the sifter. "You usually stick to savory dishes."
Sonoka shrugged, eyes bright with purpose. "It's to thank Zane. He gave me a place when I had nowhere else to go."
"Hmph." Sonoka scowled. "Why thank that jerk? Without us, his tavern wouldn't even survive a Friday rush."
Sonoka smiled. "Don't be like that. Things are changing in the culinary world, Sonoka. With the Midnight Chefs gaining traction, we'll need allies."
Sonoka paused.
"You think… they'll try to take over all the major restaurants in Japan?"
Sonoka's eyes narrowed. "It's already begun. And unlike last time… this time, they're organized."
A chill passed between them.
"So… Zane's the only one we can rely on?"
Sonoka nodded grimly. "He's unpredictable. But he's survived things we haven't even imagined."
Minutes passed. The chocolate was melted, smooth and glossy. Sonoka poured it into molds.
Heart-shaped molds.
Sonoka's eyebrow twitched. "Really? You didn't have any other shape?"
"I didn't think about it," Sonoka said hastily. "These were all I had."
"Uh-huh."
The chocolates cooled and solidified. Glossy, elegant. Romantic.
"Are you… planning to confess?" Sonoka asked suspiciously.
"What?! No! Of course not!"
"Because today is Valentine's Day…"
Sonoka froze.
"…Oh."
She hadn't realized.
"You so have a crush on him," Sonoka teased.
"I do not!!"
Later, the finished chocolates were packed into a pretty box.
"Can I try one?" Sonoka asked.
"Sure."
The bitter shell cracked between her teeth, revealing a soft, nutty sweetness that bloomed slowly on her tongue.
"…Wow."
Crunchy walnuts, warm vanilla, just the right amount of bitterness.
"It's… really good."
But Sonoka didn't smile. She simply closed the box, nodded once, and walked out of the kitchen.
Sonoka stood there, staring at the door.
"She says it's not for Zane… but I've never seen her blush that hard before."
She sighed, arms crossed.
"Valentine's Day, huh?"