The Second Round

The next day came as Soma and Megumi were in a kindergarten daycare thanks to Isshiki

Isshiki needed extra hands for the place so he invited Soma and Megumi to the daycare so here they are

"Man, Isshiki-senpai asks the weirdest requests," Soma said as a kid was tugging on his hand.

"He sure does," Megumi said with a smile before she screams in surprise as a kid lifted her skirt.

The two spent an hour trying to put the kids in line but no avail that it worked.

"How are we going to teach them how to cook when they won't listen to us?" Megumi asked Soma as they had been trying everything to get the kids' attention

Soma rubs his chin before he gets an idea.

He went to the kitchen and takes out a plastic knife and started chopping up some vegetables.

"Look at this!" Soma exclaimed as he showed the kids a robot made out of carrots

"Wooooowww!" in an instant all of the kids look in amazement at the food sculpture.

"Tadokoro, try to make one," Soma said as he spins an apple in his hand before he sliced it and made a swan out of it.

Tadokoro thought of the idea before she went and made cute vegetables and fruits animals as the girls awed to the cute food sculpture.

"Come on everyone, let's start cooking!" Soma said as all the students cheered in agreement

The teachers outside watched in amazement as they saw the kids learning how to cook from Soma and Megumi.

"It's amazing, they're all learning how to cook," one of the teachers said as she was touched to see the scene.

"Totsuki's students sure are something," another teacher complemented as Isshiki who was nearby smiled.

After bidding goodbye to the kids in the daycare; Soma, Megumi, and Isshiki went back to Totsuki where Soma gets on his bike and pedals away

"I made some Onigiri which I put in the fridge! Feel free to eat them!" Soma shouted out to Megumi and Isshiki before he was out of sight

"Soma-kun sure is in a rush," Isshiki said with a smile before the two enter the dorm.

Soma pedals his way to Erina's home as the man reaches there in 10 minutes

"Sure been training these bad boys," Soma said as he patted his legs before he went to the front door and knocked on it

After waiting a few seconds, Erina answered the door and invited the man in

As Soma entered the mansion, the man was being spied from the trees by the same figure from last night.

"Looks like he came for another visit," the figure said with a grin before hearing cackling beside him.

"Hehehehe! Hisako-oneesama!" it was Sadatsuka Nao and she was spying on Hisako who came out of the bathroom with a towel around her neck.

The bigger figure sweat dropped to her before he continued spying on Soma.

Soma was in Erina's room as the man was playing twister with Ryo.

"Left leg to yellow," Alice said after spinning the wheel and sees the result

Ryo moves his left leg to the said color as the man was having a hard time trying to stay balanced.

Erina was next as she spins the wheel and waited for it to stop

"Right hand to red," Erina said as Soma moves his right hand to the red color

"Remind me again on why are we playing this game?" Soma said while staying in balance

"It's fun and we can't play it because we have skirts on," Alice said as she spins the wheel again.

"Right hand on the green," she said as Ryo moves his right hand to the side color

He instantly lost his balance before he fell on top of Soma and both fell resulting in a tie

"Looks like it's a tie," Erina said as Soma and Ryo gets up.

"You do know you can wear pants instead of skirts, right?" Soma said as Alice just realized it

"Oh yeah," Alice said before she grabs Erina's hand and drags her away, "let's go, Erina!"

"Hey! Wait, Alice!" Erina exclaimed before she was dragged into the closet

Soma and Ryo look at the closet before to each other.

"Wanna play 'Go Fish'?" Ryo asked lazily while holding a deck of cards in his hand

"Why not," Soma said as the two started the game.

After 20 minutes, Erina and Alice came back and the two wore animal onesies.

Alice was a white fox while Erina was a yellow cat

"Sorry for the wait!" Alice said before noticing that the two were playing go fish, "no fair! We want in too!"

The twister was now out of their minds, now the four played go fish

"Got any seven?" Soma asked Ryo who replied, "go fish."

Soma took a card from the stack as they continued.

"Have any queens?" Ryo asked Alice who gave him the requested cards

"So, the second preliminary match is going to come, right?" Soma said as he gave Erina two 4 cards

"It's in two days, so it'd be best if you three prepare beforehand," Erina said as the game continues.

"Hey! It's a fun time now! No talking about cooking!" Alice huffed out as she takes a card from the deck

"Time to show," Soma said as everyone revealed their hand and the winners are Soma and Ryo.

"Again!" Erina and Alice exclaimed at the same time as the two started shuffling the cards together

"Now I see the relation with the two," Soma said while Ryo just looks lazily as they continued playing games after games.

After two days, it is the time for the Second Preliminary match.

Soma walks into the arena first as the crowds applaud him and cheered for him

"Go! Yukihira!" Yuki and the polar star residents shouted out as they cheered for him

Erina watches from the lounge as she watches Soma enter the arena before seeing Alice coming in next.

"HIS OPPONENT IS A NAKIRI!?" everyone shouted out in surprise as Soma's first opponent is Nakiri Alice.

As Alice past her grandfather, she waved at him as both of the contestants walk towards the center of the stadium.

Everyone knew of the Global Innovator's skill as she was intelligent in it. Nakiri Alice is molecular biology's prodigal child, a certified genius. Of all the first-year students in the Institute, no one can refute that she is the one closest to being named to the Council of 10.

Alice then had a small truckload of molecular gastronomy devices brought into the arena while Soma placed his set of knives on his side of the stadium.

"Looks like you're my foe for today," Soma said while cleaning his knives a bit.

"Yes, and I can't wait for me to win," Alice said with a smirk as Soma returned it with his

"The theme for the first quarterfinal round is Bento! Contestants, you have two hours to complete your dish!" the announcer shouted out as Senzaemon took a deep breath before shouting out, "COOKING START!" before a gong rang as the two participants start their prepping.

Alice's cooking is more of a laboratory as she was using so many gadgets that her cooking could be called incredible.

Soma, however, was in the middle of frying something and as he waits for it to finish cooking, he took a peek at Alice's cooking as the girl was like a mad scientist at her cooking station.

"What is it?" Alice asked as she felt Soma's stare

"Nothing, just that you look like a fricking mad scientist, right now," Soma said with a snicker

"Hey! Rude!" Alice huffed her cheeks as they puffed up, "I have you know that I'm a rank chef of Totsuki, and many pro chefs out in the world want me to help with their restaurants!..."

She then started to blabber out everything about her achievements to Soma who yawned before he takes out some rice from the cooker.

After a few minutes of cooking, Alice was the first one to serve her dish.

"Let's have lunch!" Alice said with a smile as she presented her dish which was sealed in a glass dome and was filled with steam

Saotome Seishū was the first of the judges to speak, "What a lovely presentation, eminently fit for this setting. My curiosity is indeed piqued!"

"A surprise bento dish," Soma noted as he watched the judges takes off the lid.

The mist poured out of the lid as it disappeared and the judges were presented with a sushi dish of 12 varieties.

"Beautiful! It's like a box of exquisitely worked gemstones," Saotome commented in praise.

"Temari Sushi," Senzaemon said as he watched the exquisite dish, his granddaughter presented

"Yes, sir! I put all of the very best of my technical knowledge into this Temari bento," Alice said with a smile

Senzaemon turned a palm near the mist and said, "Aha, I know what that mist was now. It was from a bottle filled with liquid nitrogen!"

"Aah, I see! So not only was the mist cosmetic, it's cool temperature helped maintain the freshness of the sushi!" Ōizumi Kakinoshin stated in amazement

They tasted all the sushi dishes one by one as each every single one heightened the flavor of the other.

'From this small bento box, the wisdom of Gourmet Food is overflowing!' Senzaemon suddenly flexed as his yukata burst out, "superb," the old man said as he complimented the dish

"He did it! The strip!" the crowds marveled at Alice's dish as it made the headmaster strip and the judges in awe of the dish

'Someone like her is the same age as me?' 'Are we going to have to fight against a genius upper-level through graduation?' 'We could work our whole lives and never get even close to that!'.

Every student thought in fear as Alice was like a giant wall as they were small ants.

"The students gathered here are the world's elite culinary prospects. Yet she has struck fear into the hearts of all of them. The stronger and brighter the talent, the deeper and larger the shadow it casts. It is their misfortune to be caught in it," A judge stated out as Nakiri Alice was a force to be reckoned with

Senzaemon placed his right elbow on the table, resting his right cheek on top of his right knuckle.

"This is the Totsuki Institute. The weak of heart and frail of mind is not needed here," he spoke out before pointing a finger to Soma, "besides, look there."

"Six Bentos ready to be served," Soma said as he threw a pair of metal chopsticks into a used bowl.

"There is at least one chef who stands unfazed," Senzaemon said with a smirk

Soma pushed a trolley to the judges as Senzaemon asked what kind of dish he was presenting.

"Nori bento, sir," Soma said with a smile on his face as the audience looks in surprise while Alice looks in confusion.

"Mine isn't a normal Nori Bento, though. This is the "Yukihira-Style Advance Nori Bento" Soma said as he placed five containers to their table, "dig in!"

"Oho! A Nori bento conjures up images of a square, single-layer bento box, but this is a multi-layer portable type. How interesting!" Judge Oizumi commented as he looks at the bento box with curiosity in his eyes

"This type of container is known as a Lunch Jar. Its stainless steel exterior and thermal installation help the rice and soup retained much of their heat!" Judge Saotome added in with a smile

"Lunch Jars tend to have three separate storage layers. One for Sides, one for Rice, and one for Soup," Soma explained as everyone gets the image

"Wow! Japanese Bentos have gotten pretty advance!" Alice said in a childish tone

Ikumi with the Polar Star Resident looks at Nakiri Alice as she was all smiles and joy

"She may be all cheerfulness and smiles, but I guarantee you that thought of losing has never even crossed her mind!" the Meat Master commented

The judges took out all of the compartments inside the Lunch Jar and open the compartment containing the sides.

The judges took a bite of one of the three side dishes.

"Oho! What a delectable Isobe-fried fish cake! It's light, fluffy, and has a pleasantly crispy crunch. The deep, mellow flavor of the kinpira burdock root is a delight as well! I can taste a hint of mayonnaise and balsamic vinegar, which gives it a more full-bodied flavor," One of the judges marveled as he looks with drool to the side dishes.

"Yes. It shows an admirable attention to detail by the chef!" Oizumi added in.

The audience was awestruck. The judges liked the food so much that murmurs started to spread.

The judges tried the soup, the rice, and Soma's secret weapon the Kudzu sauce as the bento was so delicious

"If Nakiri Alice's Temari Sushi is an assorted jewel box then Yukihira Soma's Nori Bento is a treasure chest waiting to be discovered!" Judge Saotome commented as every single judge remembered the excitement of having bento in their childhood

Alice watched the judges expressed their happiness for a bit.

"Hey, Yukihira-kun, my Temari Sushi is way better than yours. You aren't trying to tell me it's Heart or Spirit or some drivel like that, right? The most important thing for a bento, or any dish really, is the taste. These pseudo-psychological verities like the heart are totally out of the-," she said before getting cut off by her grandfather.

"No," the voice of the headmaster stated, "This is no psychological vagary, Alice." The old man said in a stern voice as he was now top naked.

'When did he strip!?' Alice looks in shock as Senzaemon continued

"Alice, your bento made extensive use of cold foods and chilling techniques," He said.

"Of course, grandfather. A bento is going to turn cold, after all." She replied before Senzaemon recontinued.

"Yukihira Sōma made no such assumptions. "Is there not some way to enjoy a warm lunch, even should half a day have passed?" That, Alice, is why he first turned his attention to the box itself, the first layer of a bento. He then filled it with fun and delicious foods that took full advantage of that warmth, creating a bento that was as entertaining as it was filling. You, however, could have presented this same dish had today's theme instead been sushi. It was, of course, exquisitely delicious. But what you did was simply take your skills as they were and plop them into a container. Flavors that could be found only in a bento, fresh ideas that could advance bento culture. Something new and educating precisely because it is a bento. Did your dish have any of that, Alice?" he said before Soma poured some Kudzu sauce to her portion of Nori Bento.

"Still, I'm not going to disagree with you when you said the taste is paramount," Soma said as he gave her the Nori Bento, "So how about you dig in and taste this for yourself, Nakiri Alice."

Alice took the rice section filled with kuzu sauce and ate a little bit of it. As the flavor of the dish filled her mouth, she remembered a party that seemed to be an awful reminder of how everyone seemed to favor Erina rather than her. When they spoke to Alice they never talked about her, just about Erina. How Erina was doing. That Erina was so busy. That Erina had the Divine Tongue. That Erina is the future of the Nakiri Family. How they wanted Alice to give Erina their best regards. Erina this! Erina that! Erina! Erina! Erina!

Erina didn't attend the party, Alice did, and yet everyone wanted to talk to her about Erina! Always Erina!

Alice took another mouthful of rice, Nori pearls, and kudzu sauce.

A tear rolled down Alice's cheek as the dish warmed her heart.

The judges nodded to each other before Senzaemon stood up and summoned out a giant calligraphy brush out of nowhere

"For this first quarter-final round, I hereby declare the winner… Yukihira Sōma!" Senzaemon announced as he writes down the kanji for Soma's name on a giant piece of paper

"Happy to Serve!" Soma exclaimed as he took off his headband

The audience was stunned as the Nakiri Alice was defeated by a commoner like Soma.

Erina smiles as Soma won the first round.

She claps her hands a bit before she sees Alice storming off with tears in her eyes as she wipes them away.

Alice saw Erina in her lounge as she sticks out her tongue before going out into the hallway.

Erina sighs with a smile before the next match began.

The next match was Tadokoro Megumi vs Kurokiba Ryō, the theme is Ramen.

Soma went off to the exit as he high fived Megumi who was on her way to the arena

"Break a leg, Tadokoro!" Soma exclaimed as Megumi nodded with a determined look on her

Soma was watching the match as the victor was Kurokiba as he made the Poisson Ramen, defeated Tadokoro's dish with a powerful punch.

"You did well, Tadokoro," Soma said as he was in the box lounge with Erina.

"Her dish was beautiful but it lacked the punch to win it," Erina commented before the two left the lounge.

The next day of the match came as the first round is between Hayama Akira and Arato Hisako.

Soma was walking in the street and heading to the arena as the man overslept

"I wonder who will win," Soma thought out loud as the match between the Spice Specialist and the Herb Medicine Specialist would be one heck of a match

Soma continued heading to the arena before he heard the sound of a motor coming from behind him.

"Yukihira Sōma," a voice spoke as a large figure was riding the bike.

'What a punk,' Soma thought as the bike reeks that of a motor gang's bike. 'He's from that time,' Soma remembered the large figure as he was the one who kicked out Marui and Ibusaki from the top four

"Mimasaka Subaru…" he muttered out as the large man smirks to him.

"You don't mind if we walk into the arena together, do you? I mean, we are supposed to be heading in there anyway," he asked.

"I don't mind but are you sure you can park that here?" Soma asked before he saw locks and chains appearing in Mimasaka's hands

He started locking up his bike as Soma waited and waited before 20 minutes passed and the man was done.

"Sorry for the wait," Mimasaka said to the redhead

"10 minutes more later then I would've just left you," Soma said with a sweatdrop, "Seriously? Chains and ropes?"

"These are just normal precautionary measures. I even officially registered my bike with the police and have a GPS locator installed. This way even if it ever gets stolen, although immediately where it is!" Mimasaka explained

"you must love that bike of yours," Soma said as Mimasaka smirks.

"Bi Ni Iri Sai Wo Ugatsu is my motto. Down to the last detail!" Mimasaka said to the man

"The name's Mimasaka Subaru, but I guess you already know of me from the preliminary rounds," Mimasaka said as he showed a stitched up embroilment on his jacket.

"Neat embroilment," Soma commented.

"And it was made by yours truly," Mimasaka said to him.

"I see," Soma said before hearing the crowds shouting out in the arena, "looks like it's starting, let's go."

"It's fine, there's no need to rush," Mimasaka said as he and Soma walk to the arena hall.