In the first month of the new year, all students have to take a re-entry test. The theme is completely free, so people usually cook their current best dish in their specialty category and serve that.
And the junior high students have a whole extra month free.
Most people go home, because everyone in the High School Division is out around the country for their Advancement Exams. Some understudy in one of the resorts or hotels in the Tootsuki area, but not all get that kind of opportunity.
Which is why the five of them spent their Winter Break at Sumiredoori, helping out at both the cafe and diner.
Shinomiya's arms weren't fully healed yet, so he was unable to go home to the country if he wanted to make it for weekly checkups at the hospital. The amount of strength he had in his arms absolutely were not affected by the ailing burn scars under those gloves at all.
The locals are very happy about the limited-time menus, though Jouichirou took the opportunity to run off out of the country with Tamako, citing an excuse to have a belated honeymoon or something.
"Shinomiya sometimes cooks like a grandma."
Sena had to physically restrain Shinomiya from strangling Mizuhara for that remark. Haruno simply enjoyed the pot-au-feu with the look of pure happiness on her face.
"His food is always so homey and comforting..." Haruno swooned, "it's such a contrast to how mean he is in actuality."
"Haruno, you pickin' a fight?!" the feral animal growls.
"Easy there boy," Sena calls, only to get an unintelligible shriek in response. He's taller, so he's not in danger. Mizuhara is highly amused.
"Well, he is a country boy, all things considered," Eda peruses the recipe, checking for errors, "they say the greatest food in the world is your mom's cooking, after all."
Eda dodged the hand that came at him.
"Mommy's boy!" Mizuhara yelled from her safe spot on the far other end of the kitchen.
"Now, now..." Sena soothed Shinomiya, but only ended up getting his hair grabbed. He's marvellously unfazed. "Let's all be nice now. That's right! Mizuhara, didn't you say you had things you wanted to try to improve on your lasagna for the test? Let's go over it once more!"
Sena's really good at that. (Eda wondered if he had younger siblings at home, because he's really good at childcare.)
Almost as if Shinomiya read his mind, he launched over and grabbed him by the skull.
Eda squeaked, absolutely caught off guard.
"Hands off the pastry boy!" Haruno warned, "he still owes me a cake for Christmas!"
-
"Isn't your grandpa around?"
"No, Uncle Yukihira went on vacation with Grandma Kiyo and the rest of the neighbourhood society to a hot spring," Eda huffed out a frosty breath as he yanked the door of the Dagashiya open. "She kept all the sweets already, but the perishables in the fridge we have to find a way to use before they go bad."
The problem came with the tea and fresh Japanese confections that she served in the Dagashi store. She always served it when someone came by to sit and talk, and it was really common here in the quieter times of Sumiredoori.
"I brought back Sekimori-senpai's green tea leaves, but we should use the matcha somehow..."
"Hey hey..." Shinomiya looked further in, "you didn't tell me there was a legit kitchen in here. It's fully stocked, too."
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BiTTER (Shokugeki no Souma Fanfic)
FanfictionFumi lacks a lot of things. He's Taste-deaf. He's blind to most smells. He did not have the strength and culinary imagination many of the aspiring chefs in Tootsuki had. But he had experience, enough for a whole lifetime past. - Shokugeki no Souma ©...
