Waifu Wars: A Food Wars Fanfic

Ch. 116 Never Shy

Torrey took his time returning to class, choosing instead to enjoy a rare moment of peace inside the usually chaotic halls of Totsuki. No matter how long the passing periods were, it seemed that most students were always in a hurry to get to their next class, which sometimes meant having to traverse miles of campus grounds. The sheer amount of students meant that pushing and shoving occurred frequently within the hallways.

At this moment, however, Torrey was the lone student and he had the halls to himself. He noticed an open classroom door up ahead, and decided to peek his head inside.

"Again. But this time, follow the recipe exactly as it's written on the board," said an ornery old instructor. His brow was creased in frustration, his skin wrinkled from years of failing students just like the ones who were presently submitting their dishes.

"B-but we won't have enough time..." said one of the students, a doe-eyed girl on the verge of tears.

"Aye, that is a problem," said the instructor, nodding. "Next!"

Without even knowing the context of the assignment, Torrey was able to divide the class into three separate groups of students in various stages of distress.

The first group he noticed was the one presenting their dishes; a short line of students, none of whom looked particularly confident.

The members of the second group were dashing around the kitchen like madmen, getting in each other's way and causing even more confusion as they struggled to finish on time.

The last group was a sight for sore eyes; the students who had failed their task and had already given up on a second attempt. There was no hope for these students, and for some of them this would be their final assignment at Totsuki.

Suddenly aware of the negative energy emanating from the room, Torrey ducked out and continued his walk, this time with some food for thought.

Sometimes I forget how tough this school actually is. Those students were completely focused on their work and still couldn't manage the stress. Is it even possible to succeed here without 100% focus, 100% of the time?

Once again, Torrey was on the verge of an epiphany. An epiphany so profound, it had the potential to change the course of his story. As well as the stories of countless friends and culinary rivals. Before he could reach this epiphany, however, he bumped into one of those friends and lost his train of thought.

"Yooo, Kohai! Are you seriously ditchin' class right now?" said Rindo Kobayashi, seated on a bench with a breakfast sandwich in hand. Two sandwiches, actually.

Her usually long, scarlet hair was cut short, so that it didn't quite reach her shoulders. It was the same way that she had worn her hair in the past, long before reaching the 2nd seat and long before meeting Torrey. Only one of her amber eyes was visible, while the other remained hidden behind a lock of hair.

"Rindo-Senpai!" said Torrey, startled by the abrupt end to his ruminations. "I wasn't, I swear. And nice haircut."

"I know; I heard your name over the loudspeakers. I was just teasin' ya. And thanks," said Rindo, flashing a toothy grin. "So are you in trouble? Or was the Princess just trying to steal away her knight in shining armor?"

"Heh? Why does everyone assume that?" said Torrey, remembering that Alice had come to the same conclusion earlier.

"Cuz I'd be stealin' you away all the time if I was in her shoes!"