「 Special Event in Tsukiji 」

"That's right, this is a very common activity that happens almost every morning in the Tsukiji Market, Fish Auction," Alice said.

"Hee~ I've heard about that Fish Auction, so these fresh tuna will be auctioned off?" Akira asked.

" No, look. These tunas is already been bought by someone. " Ryo said as he pointed at the code tag besides each Tuna.

" Hmm... We are late then? "

Ryo nodded.

"Osu, maybe just a few fish left. We came too late." Ryo answered.

Akira who heard it whistled in amazement.

"* whistle * Even after arriving at this time we are still late, i've heard that the Fish Auction in Tsukiji is held in the early of the morning, but i didn't know It's this early. " Said Akira.

"The auction usually starts at 3:30 - 4:00 AM, we are too late to take part in the Auction. But well, what brings me here today isn't the Auction, i just want to take a look at the fishes that get auctioned today before i go to buy my own fish." Ryo said as he started walking, leaving Akira alone in that place.

"Hmm... "

Akira heard Alice's voice calling him by his name, she's waving at him from the distance.

"Hyoujou-kun, here, here." She called him.

Akira then approached her in confusion.

" What's wrong? "

"Hyoujou-kun, look at this fish." Alice said, pointing at the fish that looks very similar to Tuna and Mackerel.

" Hmmm... Atlantic Bonito, huh." Akira said, holding his chin as he observing the fish.

"Ara~ Well, i'm surprised that you know about this and even recognized it in on look. Even though this fish is quite unpopular in Japan." Alice said.

The Atlantic bonito is a large mackerel-like fish of the family Scombridae. It is common in shallow waters of the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Black Sea. It's a very important and popular commercial and game fish.

" But this is not good at all, too bad. I'm going to buy it if only the Quality is slightly better than this."

"Eh? I know Its not the best Atlantic bonito you could have, since Its habitat is on a whole another side of the world. But this still looks good to me. " Alice said.

" My teacher once said that eyes can be deceived, but your nose doesn't. Well in this case, even if i'm covering my nose, i know that this fish isn't good. Let's go somewhere else." Akira said as he stepped away from there.

Alice followed him, walking beside him as her eyes keep staring at Akira intensely. After a few minutes like that, blue vein popped out of Akira's head as he looked at Alice and said.

"Stop looking at me like that!" Akira seems annoyed.

"Hyoujou-kun, perhaps you have some kind of special sense or something like that?" Alice asked.

Akira who heard that question just shook his head.

" I don't know are you talking about. I don't have such thing." Akira said. Well his whole body and its function is increased by 5 times when he's in the Zone. But that's a whole another story.

"Hmmm ... Then how can you smell the aroma that I can't even identify earlier?" Alice asked again, but Akira just pointed at his nose and said.

"Experience, that's all," Akira answered briefly, he then continued.

"Nakiri-san do—" But before he could finished his words, Alice cut it off.

"Alice. No need to be too formal, just call me Alice." Alice said with a smile on her face.

Akira hesitated for a moment but he agreed at the end.

"Then, Alice-san are you—" Before Akira could even said anything Alice cut him off again.

"I told you to just call me with Alice, do you understand?"

" Then Alice... you yourself is very talented in Molecular Gastronomy, right?" Akira asked.

"That's indeed true. What about that? " Alice asked. She doesn't know why Akira suddenly brings that up into the conversation right now.

"I have something... Well, let's say... special eyes." Akira said while closing his eyes.

"Special eyes? Didn't you just said that you don't have such a thing." Alice asked.

" That's different in context. What i mean by special eyes is that i have the ability to see a person's potential, talent, passion, and genius." Akira said casually.

" Hm? Isn't that a common sense, Akira-kun. I mean you can also do something like that simply just by watching them do that spesific thing? In this case, Cooking. " Alice said.

" Yea, but mine is a level above that. For example, that man is a very good Fish butcher, a professional, but do you believe me if i said that he doesn't have a talent in Fish butchery."

" Huh? That's bullshit i'd say. Without talent, there is no way he can be a professional. Because even though not every talented person is gonna be sucessful in their field, but every sucessful person is have a talent to reach that level. " Alice explained, but Akira just smiled.

" Yeah, that's the common sense. But my eyes didn't preceive talent in that way. I see talent and passion is something that can run out, and talent is directly proportional to potential itself. I can see when someone can reach their limit, cause everyone has different limit of potential."

' Isn't that perfect for talent scouting? ' Alice thought, it surprised her because if what Akira said is true, then...

" For example, you. " Akira

"Me?" Alice asked with a curious smile.

"Hm. Your limit of potential in cooking... is very high, maybe one of the highest i've ever see. And that being said, i can say that you are a heaven-born talented. There is no doubt about that."

Alice smiling like a prideful cat as Akira said that, before her pride is crushed with Akira words.

" But your passion is so unbelievably low that i cannot help but curious. That's why i ask you about this. "

"What do you mean that my passion i unbelievably low? That doesn't even make sense."

Akira shrugged.

" Ask yourself that question. Passion is something that pushed the talent into reaching the limit of your potential. There is no point' of having high potential if you don't have enough force to pushed yourself into that limit. As a chef, as a person in general. "

Alice smile dissapeared when Akira said that.

"So you are saying that I won't be as good as those who has bigger passion than me? " Alice asked with a cold look. Smile has dissapeared of her face. She surely didn't happy when Akira said that.

" It depends. In the end, you already has a head start than anyone without that big of talent. And fortunately, passion is something that you can develop unlime talent and potential. I just don't want someone like you get crushed by that "Storm" in the future when you run out of passion. " Akira said in a deep thought.

'Just like my mom.'

" Storm? " Alice tilted her head in confusion. But Akira just shook his head.

" Nevermind. "

"Hmmm..... Well, whatever. You yourself, what is your passion for cooking?" Alice asked, hearing the question, Akira stopped and looked into Alice's eyes. They looking at each other for a few seconds before Alice cut it off.

"So what is it, Akira-kun?"

"I don't know ~, what do you think?" Akira said, as he looked away.

"Mou ~ Akira-kun, you said that a chef needs passion, and now you said you don't know about your own passion?" Alice pouting because Akira seems to avoiding her question.

Akira just ignored her with a smile on his face.

Then unconsciously, the two of them had walked out of the auction area, and arrived at a crowded place, with a stage in front of it.

Alice who saw it tilted her head.

" What is this ? "

Akira then looking at the white-haired girl with unbelievable look on his face.

"You do realize that you just asked someone who just came here for the first time, right " Akira frowned, but Alice just continued her words.

" I've never seen this kind of event being held in Tsukiji before." Alice said. Maybe Its an annual event?

There is a woman in her 20s, standing on top of the stage.

"Is there no one dare to challenge us, wouldn't it be a shame if none of you took this 2 m long Atlantic Bluefin tuna." The woman said with a grin on her face.

On the stage, a whole loin of beautiful gigantic Bluefin Tuna displayed on a bath of ice.

"There have been 8 people who challenge both of them from before, but none of them managed to win."

" It means they have won 4 times in a row, unbelievable... who are they."

"You don't know? The two of them are a couple who own one of the best restaurants in Tsukiji Market, which sells a variety of fish dishes, Inariya Restaurant."

Various kinds of responses came from the audience, Akira and Alice who heard those chit chat from the crowd finally have some kind of idea of what is this event about. Basically, a cooking battle with a huge prize, that's why It attracts many people.

"Let's do it, Akira-kun!" Alice said, smiling at Akira with enthusiasm.

"Why suddenly? Are you aiming for that beautiful Bluefin tuna? " Akira raised his eyebrows.

"Well, that's also one of the reason but don't you think its gonna be so much fun?" Alice said.

Hearing that, Akira immediately smiled and said.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that anyway, let's go."

Alice then nodded with a smile and went to the stage to announce her participation.

"Can i participate in this event too?" Alice asked the woman, which shocked everyone. But the woman just smiled.

"Of course! But this is a team match, so you—" Before the woman continued, Alice cut her off.

"I already have it," Alice said, pointing at Akira behind her.

"So that settled it then..., go on stage!" Said the woman who immediately walked to her husband.

Alice just smiled and then stepped on the stage, followed by Akira from behind. Akira whispered to Alice as he standing beside her.

"Alice, don't you think this challenge a little bit sus. I mean, they don't ask for participation money. And they even spend money to provide all the ingredients. "

He whispered.

Alice just smiled.

" Maybe this is just how they promoting their restaurant. Just look at the crowd! Even if they're spend a lot of money, but the popularity they get is enormous. Word of mouth, Akira-kun. "

She then looked at Akira, and grinned.

" But too bad we are going to destroy their win streak right now. "

"That's the spirit." Akira said as he put his suitcase on the table and took his black headband.

"Let's win this match and get that 2 m long Bluefin tuna for Kurokiba. "

" Um! "

Then the woman approached Akira and Alice.

"How about the theme?" The woman asked Alice.

"Theme, huh? Well because the prize of this match is Bluefin tuna, how about tuna? Any tuna dish." Alice said with a confident smile.

"Okay then it's decided. Three lucky people from the crowd will be the judges and the cooking time is 1 hour." The woman said with a smile, she then turned her gaze to the person in the middle of the stage, and they nodded at each other.

After the woman returned to the cooking table, the person in the middle then shouted.

"The 5th cooking match in Inariya Cooking Challenge, the theme is tuna, 1 hour, match ... starts!!!"