Waifu Wars: A Food Wars Fanfic

Ch.6 Tongue-Tied (Momo Akanegakubo and Rindo Kobayashi)

            Torrey looked at the sign above the door, and took a deep breath. It read "3F", the location for his final class of the day. The late bell rang out 5 minutes ago, so he was expecting to star in another embarrassing intro. Grabbing the doorknob with trepidation, he slowly entered the room...

            It was a grand kitchen, much larger than the one that he'd used to make breakfast in, though it was nearly empty. Searching for the instructor, Torrey scanned the room and counted only 11 students. Seemingly, no one was in charge and all of the students worked on different assignments. Various ingredients were arranged on the countertops: cocoa, chocolates, cream cheese, oatmeal, almonds, honey...

            Torrey nervously reached into his pocket to double-check the schedule. It read, "Baking 101, Room 3F." He was definitely in the right place. But why is it so empty? Did the instructor already leave?

            The other chefs were too focused on their tasks to pay him any attention. There were a handful of pairs, and some students worked alone. One individual was already cutting cannoli shells. At a table near him, two girls worked on a custard together, one adding ingredients while the other stirred the pot. It was quiet enough to eavesdrop on the conversations; and Torrey heard two students arguing over their recipe.

            "You were supposed to use unsalted butter, Jonny! I already added a ton of salt to the mix!"

            "Well, I couldn't find any unsalted butter."

            "It's right here on the table! I already grabbed our ingredients!"

            "Oh...can't we adjust the recipe or something?"

            "Yeah, I guess it's not that big of a deal. Did you at least preheat the oven like I asked you to?"

            "When did you ask me that?"

            "Nevermind, Jonny. Nevermind..."

            One student stood out above the others. At least in terms of skill...she was rather small for a high-schooler. Her hair was short and purple, which clashed with her avocado eyes. It was styled at the top in a way that resembled the cat ears. Perhaps not coincidentally, a stuffed cat was also propped up at the kitchen counter.

            Torrey sat down at one of the many open tables, and watched her work. She'd already set a paste aside, and was now stirring ingredients into another mixing bowl. The movements were so quick that Torrey could barely keep up. Before he knew it, she was beating the batter with an electric mixer. He tried to guess the dish based on the ingredients spread out along the countertop. Flour, sugar, baking powder, heavy cream, eggs, almonds...by the time he had an idea, she was already kneading dough on a cutting board.

            Sensing his presence, the girl suddenly looked up and locked eyes with Torrey. Gah! Is this ultra-instinct?!It lasted only a moment, but the terror he felt was absolute. Looking away and attempting a whistle, Torrey felt rather foolish. After regaining his courage, he subtly glanced back. Her focus had shifted back to the dish.

            "Hey, are you gonna make me something already? Or would you rather stare at Momo all day?" Torrey nearly jumped from his seat. He was so mesmerized by the Lolli baker, he hadn't noticed that a girl was now seated beside him. Right beside him.

            "Uhh...whaa...I beg your pardon?"

            "HAHA! That's right, beg to your Senpai!" she teased. "You must be new. I DEFINITELY would have noticed you before." She was really, really, really, ridiculously good-looking. One of her eyes was hidden behind long locks of scarlet hair; the visible eye shined bright yellow and had a vertically slit pupil. Her hands rested underneath her cheeks, giving the appearance of a cat who'd been left alone all day and was looking to play. A single tooth revealed itself when she flashed Torrey a hungry grin.