Waifu Wars: A Food Wars Fanfic

Ch. 24 A Special Guest

(Author's Note: I just re-ordered the chapters to make more sense with the story progression. Ch 12 Moonlight Masquerade was out of place and is now Ch 20, so all chapters in-between were bumped up by one number. For those of you who've been keeping up with the story, that was the chapter where Azami returned during the Moon Banquet Festival, which (now) took place shortly BEFORE the events of Torrey's Shokugeki with Nene and AFTER Halloween. Sorry for the confusion)

            Torrey spent the next day wandering around the nearby metro in search of work. He was looking for something in the food industry but willing to compromise a little, and his status as a former Totsuki student quickly earned him a job at a small sandwich shop.

            The owner of the shop must have known that Torrey wasn't a Totsuki graduate, otherwise he'd be applying at Michelin Star restaurants and not a minimum wage job. Still, Torrey was grateful that he didn't ask questions about the extent of his culinary education.

            As a slicer responsible for cutting the meats, cheeses, and produce each day, Torrey's shifts started at 8am, well before opening. After completing these tasks, he would jump on the 'line' to take customer's orders and make sandwiches. For such a humble shop, things got surprisingly busy during the lunch rush.

            At first, Torrey had wanted to earn money for groceries, being no longer entitled to the food stipend afforded to all Totsuki students. However, still reeling from his loss to Nene Kinokuni, and often worn-out from his eight-hour shifts, Torrey quickly settled into a routine that involved hardly any cooking at all.

            One day after another long shift, he wandered into the kitchen and found Ryoko and Megumi cooking together. Their voices stopped when he entered the room, making it clear that they'd been talking about him.

            "Oh...hey Torrey! How was work?" asked Ryoko, trying to act natural.

            "It could have been better. Some lady threw a fit because we forgot to put pickles on her sandwich when she specifically asked for extra pickles. She went on a tirade about how everyone's out to get her and accused us of doing it on purpose."

            "Geez...customer service must be tough," said Megumi, thinking nervously about her future job at a well-respected restaurant.

            "I guess it is. I felt bad because I was the one who made her sandwich though. Maybe I subconsciously DID do it to spite her. Or maybe I'm not even fit for this job...sigh."

            "Torrey..." said Megumi, unable to think of any comforting words.

            "We're making fish head curry and rice. There should be plenty, if you want some," said Ryoko, hopefully.

            "Thanks, that sounds really good. All I've been eating lately are sandwiches," said Torrey. Ryoko gave Megumi a look of concern. It was hard enough watching Torrey get expelled from school, but to see him essentially giving up on cooking...it nearly broke Ryoko's heart.

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            "You call yourself a chef? You're just another mob mook," said Rindo. Eizan was smirking at her behind his glowing frames.

            "That may be so, but at least I'm a successful mob mook. You of all people know what it takes to stay in power here. I can't imagine anyone holding the 2nd seat for as long as you have using completely honest means."

            "I hold this seat because I keep my knives sharp and my skills sharper! You think I'd stoop so low as to fix a Shokugeki? It wasn't even your fight! Those battles are the lifeblood of Totsuki, and you've single-handedly ruined the sanctity of everything that a chef should stand for!" Rindo was fuming, clenching her fists and using all her restraint to keep them at her sides.