Waifu Wars: A Food Wars Fanfic

Ch. 127 Casino Night, Part Eleven: Kohai vs Senpai

            "This is actually really cool," said Ikumi Mito, her short blonde bob swaying with the breeze. She walked alongside her friends from Polaris, as they made their way down the path towards Moonsview Arena. The crisp night air was a welcome relief from the stuffy halls where they'd been busy at work all evening; their uniforms still stuck to their skin from the sweat.

"It's actually really not," said Soma, dejectedly. "Waldy and I finally agreed to have a Shokugeki like a few hours ago, and somehow Rindo-Senpai managed to get a match in before me!"

A round of laughter broke out amongst the group. Soma had been ranting about this particular Shokugeki with Torrey since the moment they'd met, and countless obstacles had prevented it from taking place. The closest they'd came to an official one-on-one Shokugeki was during the Totsuki Train Arc, though Erina's morally questionable judgment had spoiled the results (giving Soma an undeserved victory).

"Soma, even you can't be dense enough to think that he'd actually challenge you TONIGHT, knowing that you still had to complete your Casino Night responsibilities," said Ryoko.

"Especially after going out of his way to make sure you didn't fail," added Ibusaki, who'd obviously heard about Soma and Torrey's appetizer throwdown. He didn't speak often, but when he did, he was usually right.

"Still..." said Soma, grumpily. It would take more than mere logic to curb Soma's hunger for battle.

"Rindo-Senpai sure is lucky," said Ryoko, "getting to spend the whole evening with Torrey..."

"Luck's got nothing to do with it- that's the former 2nd seat you're talking about! I'd sure like to take her on myself," said Soma. It was clear just how different their thought processes were; Soma was thinking of Rindo only in terms of battle, while the girls thought of her as a rival in love.

"Why are you still acting like you have something to prove, Yukihira? You and Erina-sama already defeated Torrey AND Rindo-Senpai during the Regiment, remember?" said Ikumi. Though she spoke in jest, this was a quality of Soma's that everyone respected and even envied at times.

"Doesn't count. Those were team battles. Plus, if you remember, the Regiment finale was actually a competition between me and Nakiri," explained Soma.

"Oh, we remember. How could we ever forget your ridiculous decision to challenge your own teammate in the middle of the final life-or-death battle against our arch-nemesises?!" said Yuki, raising her voice and earning some odd looks from other students nearby.

"Nemeses," said Marui, but his correction went ignored.

"It all worked out in the end," said Soma, shrugging. His consistently flippant attitude wasn't nearly as enviable as the chip on his shoulder.

The group continued on, filing in with the growing crowd that had slowed to a crawl on their way into the arena. A match like this would have been enough for a packed house under normal circumstances, but the added numbers from the guests and donors ensured that portions of the arena would be standing room only. The excitement was building, especially from those who weren't often able to witness the Totsuki's hallmark event.

"What an absolute treat!"

"And the night was already a smashing success!"

"I imagine this will have my stomach rumbling for even more scrumptious morsels!"

The matchup was full of intrigue. Rindo hadn't taken the stage since the epic finale of the Regiment de Cuisine, and had largely remained out of the spotlight. No student had forgotten her name or her reputation, however. Her creative use of exotic ingredients meant that every time she took the stage, the crowd was likely to learn something new. Not to mention, this match had the feeling of a hall-of-famer coming out of retirement for one last hoorah.