Waifu Wars: A Food Wars Fanfic

Ch. 23 November Rain

"C'mon Tadokoro, we're gonna be late!" said Soma. He was standing beside the third story stairs of Polaris.

            "Right...I...just thought..." said Megumi, outside of Torrey's door. Her hand was raised, as if she was about to knock.

            "We should probably let him sleep," said Soma.

            "Sorry...force of habit, I guess."

            With all three of their rooms adjacent to one another, Soma, Megumi, and Torrey had gotten used to leaving together for class. It was 7:40 am, and if Torrey wasn't awake by this time, Megumi would usually be the one to knock on his door. This morning, though, there was no need.

            By the time they got to campus, Soma and Megumi's stomachs were rumbling.

            "Hey Tadokoro, got any snacks on ya?" said Soma.

            "No, sadly. Hey, that reminds me..."

            "Oh yeah! The day we met Torrey!"

            "It wasn't that long ago, but I already feel like I've known him forever."

            "I hear what you're saying. He fit right in with everyone at Polaris."

            "I wish we could do something to help him out, like how he made us breakfast that morning."

            "So do I, but I think it's gonna take more than a breakfast to get him out of this mess."

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            After Alice took roll in first period, she looked over the class roster again. And again. They already removed his name.

            "Ms. Nakiri? Did Waldenpond really get expelled?" said Jonny, sounding like an innocent child asking his parent about their lost cat.

            "Yes, and it's like totally unfair! We were just getting to know each other, we haven't even been on a date yet and..." Alice stopped herself, realizing it was neither the time nor the place. "Sorry, that was unprofessional," she said to the class.

            "It's okay, Ms. Nakiri. We're gonna miss him too," said Jonny.

            "Listen up class. As your teacher, it's my job to turn this situation into a lesson. You guys were all there yesterday, right? What did you learn from watching Torrey's Shokugeki?"

            "Don't pick a fight with a council member?"

            "Don't eat pasta for dessert?"

            "Don't underestimate the power of YELP?"

            "Umm...that's totally not what I was trying to say. You're right though, YELP reviews are serious business. Some places even bribe people for positive feedback."

            "So what is the lesson then, Ms. Nakiri?"

            "The lesson is this: no matter how tough of a challenge you're facing, make sure to give it your all. Torrey knew the risks, and he still rose up to the challenge and put his heart and soul into that dish."

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            Finally waking up to the soft pattering of rain on the rooftop, Torrey glanced over at the clock. 10:30 am.

            He got up slowly and threw on his sweats, before boiling some water in his mini-kitchen. Then he opened the window and sat down at his desk with a nice cup of green tea.