Waifu Wars: A Food Wars Fanfic

Ch. 68 Sorry For the Wait

(Author's Note: I'm really going to try and get back to posting chapters once a week. I was out of town last weekend, and i've been low-key addicted to Fire Emblem: Three Houses. This chapter ended up kinda long.)

            As he began his dish, Torrey's thoughts were with Soma, Megumi, and Takumi, who were obviously placed in a difficult situation. Being a member of the first group, Torrey had the full three hours to gather ingredients and make his dish. If his friends hadn't even been assigned to a cooking hall, they'd definitely be pressed for time.

            And there's no way they can gather any additional ingredients, at this point. This is one hell of a test! thought Torrey.

            His choice was a simple dish- Chilled Soba with Tofu and Sugar Snap Peas. Ever since his match against Nene, he'd wanted to try making soba noodles. Since a wide variety of noodles had already been prepared for the students, however, it kinda felt like cheating. Now wasn't the time to experiment, though.

            One day, I'll be able to make a soba dish as good as hers. Today probably isn't that day...

            The first step was easy: all he had to do was simmer a shitake mushroom for 15 minutes, before adding kombu and simmering them together for another 5.

            While waiting on this, Torrey glanced around the room to see how everyone else was doing.

            Erina was in top form, dancing gracefully around the kitchen while she prepared her own noodles. Torrey was mesmerized, and Erina happened to catch him staring at her. Suddenly uncomfortable, she stopped what she was doing and shot Torrey a glare.

            "What?" he asked.

            "Don't waste time looking at me! Focus on your own dish!"

            "Sorry, I couldn't help it. You just look so graceful. It's kind of inspiring."

            "W-well of course I do. Hmph, you should know by now that I'm not to be trifled with in the kitchen. You remember our last match, right?"

            "Whoa, geez...uh, forget I said anything."

            "Last match? What's she talkin' about?" asked Jonny. The room was otherwise silent, so it was likely that everyone there was able to eavesdrop on the conversation.

            "Nothing that concerns you. Zetus Lapetus! Jonathan!" said Erina, recoiling once she noticed that whatever Jonny had going on the stovetop had burst into flames.

            "Gwah! Crap crap crap...," said Jonny, emptying the pan into a sink.

            "I hope that wasn't one of the gourmet ingredients we picked up at the market," said Torrey.

            "Nah, it was just my noodles. Looks like there's still plenty left, so I'll just grab a new pack," said Jonny, without a trace of worry.

            "How did you manage to burn noodles? In a sense, that was oddly impressive," said Erina.

            "Why thank you, Erina-sama. I could do this all day!" said Jonny.

            "Please don't," said Torrey.

            "Ladies and Gentleman, might I remind you that conversing during this exam is forbidden, and we absolutely will not tolerate any discussion about your respective dishes. Miss Erina, given your status at this Institution, you've been afforded some leeway...but please refrain from speaking again for the duration of this challenge," interrupted one of the Central staffers.