Chapter 22: Stagiaire
Soma was in Erina's home as he and the blonde were playing Jenga with Ryo, Alice, and even Hayama who was somehow dragged to the mansion
"Gently," Soma said as he slowly takes a wooden block out of the pile before successfully taking it out and placing it on top.
"Phew," Soma sighs in relief before Ryo went and takes out a piece with ease before putting it on top, "agh! That's cheating!"
"It's not," Ryo said lazily as it was Alice's turn now.
They were playing for 2 hours straight as the games changed from poker to Uno to checkers and then to Jenga which ended when Erina pulls out a piece and the whole tower crumbled down
"Hahaha! Looks like the princess lost the game" Soma said with a grin as Erina puffs her cheeks
"Another game!" Erina exclaimed as she and Soma rebuilt the Jenga tower
Hayama sweatdrops as a few hours ago, he was in the middle of testing some new spices when Soma and Alice came and dragged him away into the mansion to play games.
'Why did Jun give them permission?' he thought before sighing as it was now his turn to play.
He takes out a piece of a block before placing it on top.
'Though this is kinda fun,' Hayama thought with a small smile as everyone had fun with each other.
After another hour of playing, the group now was playing twister as Soma, Ryo, and Akira was on the mat and was all over each other.
"This feels like Déjà vu" Soma said as he was shaking and trembling while trying to keep balance.
"Of all the other games, you could've picked. why on earth would you want to play this game?" Akira said while Ryo just looks lazily
"It's fine, isn't it? This game is so much fun!" Alice said with a smile as she spins the wheel and sees the result, "right arm to green."
"Crap, my legs are going cramp!" Soma said as he was trying to hold up his body but failed before he drops on top of Akira and Ryo as the match ended with no winner.
"This is why this game suck," Akira said while sitting up, "no one can hold their position for too long."
"Then how about Monopoly?" Alice said while holding the board game that appeared magically in her hands
"We've been playing for 4 hours straight, damnit! like hell, I want to play too long!" Akira shouted at the albino
"But I'd be best to have as much fun as you want, Hayama-kun," Erina said while helping Soma massage his cramp legs, "the Stagiaire is coming soon."
"Stairiare?" Soma said confused
"Stagiaire," Erina corrected him, "It's a French word that means 'resident'. It's a program to send first-years to various businesses in the food industry. It doesn't matter what kind of industry either; High-end Restaurants, manufacturers, or organizations. It's a curriculum that's intended to give students hands-on experience."
"Then it would be a breeze then," Ryo said while leaning back to the wall "When a restaurant has me in it, they would be showering me in thanks," he said while having an arrogant look to him
"It's not something to take lightly!" Erina said "The Stagiaire partners have all agreed to take students. They trust this Academy which is why they agreed. If you cause problems that would negatively impact on Totsuki, you might get expelled"
"So, you pass if you complete your job without mishap?" Akira asked while crossing his arms
"The criteria to pass is to make a 'visible mark' during your residency," Erina explained.
"Visible mark, huh?" Soma said while rubbing his chin, "when's the Stagiaire coming?"
"A week from now," Erina replied
"Then that's enough time!" Alice said while taking out the Monopoly game.
"Let's play hard till we drop! Or we don't need to if Hayama-kun and Yukihira-kun are afraid of losing to me and Ryo-kun."
"BRING IT ON!" Soma and Hayama shouted as they spread out the board and took their pieces
Erina smiles before frowning a bit as her best friend, Hisako wasn't with them
"Hisako…" Erina thought sadly as she hadn't been around ever since the Autumn Selection Match
After a week, the Stagiaire came as Soma was walking out of the train station.
"So the first training site is tackled in pairs, huh?" Soma said as he reads the instruction paper
He keeps on walking to the restaurant; he is supposed to meet up with his partner.
As he walks, someone bumped into him from behind.
"Oh, sorry," Soma said before he looks behind to see who he bumped with and it was Hisako
"Arato?" Soma looks surprised to meet Erina's secretary friend
"Yukihira Soma?" Arato looks in surprise before looking away in depression.
"Why are you here?" she asked Soma who looks confused
"Why? It's because of the Stagiaire, of course," Soma told her while showing the paper to her, "are you, my partner?"
"It seems so," Hisako said as she showed him her paper and their destination was the same
The two then started walking to the restaurant while chatting a bit.
"Where did you go? Erina was worried about you, you know?" Soma told her as Hisako just pulls along her suitcase behind her.
"I... can't go back to her. Not after my defeat in the Autumn Elections", she told me.
"Why not? Erina doesn't care about that too much," Soma said with a nonchalant voice.
"You don't understand," Hisako said, "If a loser like me stays at her side, I'll degrade her and her fame."
Soma looks at her before sighing, 'this girl…'
They reached to a restaurant that had dozens of people running out of it while having dissatisfied faces.
The two went into the restaurant where they were face to face with the head chef
"Ooh! You two must be Totsuki's student!" he said with amazement, "can I ask for your autographs!?"
"Eh?" Soma and Hisako said in unison before giving him what he wanted
"I'm Mamoru Endo, the third-generation head chef of this restaurant," he introduced himself.
"So, basically the two of us are here for the week," Soma said as Endo nodded before guiding them to the back where they prepped themselves up.
"There we go," Soma puts on the restaurant's uniform as he puts on the apron around him.
"Hey, Arato, you ok in there?" Soma called out to Hisako who was in the middle of changing
"Keep quiet when someone is changing will ya?!" Hisako shouted out in the dressing room as she takes off her school shirt before taking the restaurant's shirt
Soma sighs with a smile before he took a seat near him.
"Hey, Arato," Soma called out to Hisako again.
"What is it?" Hisako asked as she pulls up the skirt and zips it up
"Remember, Erina is still waiting for you," Soma said as this made Hisako stopped, "no matter what, she will always be willing to be your friend, no matter what."
Hisako continued back before she finished changing as they head out.
"H-H-Here they come," a staff yelled before a mob of people came in. Everyone was rushing in the Kitchen and bustling in the dining area.
"It looks like we have a rush job now," Soma said cracking his neck before taking a tray filled with glasses of water and a notepad, "let's do this! Arato!"
Hisako looks to the man before following his lead as the two did everything they can to help the restaurant.
After two days in the restaurant, Soma and Hisako helped it survived the lunch rush.
Soma was in the middle of mopping the floor before he looks to the window.
"Why are you slacking?" Hisako asked while taking away a tray filled with dirty plates
"Is this enough?" Soma asked "Leaving a visible mark… Is this what it means?"
"The programs going well," Hisako said "I guess we just need to wait to hear the announcement" she then went to the back as Soma continued back moping
"I guess," Soma said before he heard his cellphone ringing. He grabs his phone and looks to the caller as it was Erina
"Hello," Soma greeted as he can hear loud noises in the call.
"How are the first two days of the Stagiaire?" Erina asked the man
"Fun," Soma replied, "meet a lot of customers and also…"
Soma looks to the back and sees Hisako cleaning the dishes, "There's Hisako"
"She's with you!? Can you let me talk to her!?" Erina exclaimed in the call as Soma looks to Hisako before looking away
"I don't think it's a good idea for now," Soma said as he can tell that Erina was frowning, "she got a lot to digest for now but don't worry, she will be coming back fast, you can count on it."
He can tell that Erina was smiling while nodding as she replied with an "alright" before the call ended
"Now then," Soma said as he pocketed his cellphone away, "let's help this restaurant out."
With that 4 days passed as the restaurant was quite calm for some reason.
The Mitamura Restaurant was rather flourishing as the restaurant changed its theme into a reservation-only restaurant.
Soma and Hisako were at the train station as their next stage on the Staigiaire is a separate mission.
"It looks like this is where we part, Arato," Soma said while holding his suitcase over his shoulder, "make sure you get back to Erina, alright?"
Hisako nodded as, over the time she spent with Soma in the restaurant, she had come into terms to come back to her mistress.
"Oh, and when you get back to Erina before me," Soma said as he had a paper bag in her hands, "mind giving this to her? I promised to buy her some new manga in the place but can't give it to her in person"
"Alright, will do," Hisako said as she takes the bag before hearing her train coming
"Work hard, Arato" Soma said as Hisako nodded before going into her train
"The same thing to you, Yukihira," Hisako said before her train departs from the station.
"Now then," Soma looks to the paper as he reads the next restaurant, he is supposed to go to "isn't this?" he looks at the name of the restaurant before grinning.
At a certain restaurant located in Tokyo, Shinomiya Kojiro was in the middle of cleaning the floor.
"So, a Totsuki Student is going to come to my restaurant for the Stagiaire," he said as he was in a phone conversation with Dojima Gin.
"Yes, and I would like for you to welcome him back with open arms," Gin told the French chef before the call ended.
"Hmph, he better not sent some snot-nosed brat," Kojiro said before remembering Dojima's words "welcome him back?" Kojiro thought of the words before the door to his restaurant got three knocks
He went to answer it as he opened the door and was given the sight of Soma.
"Long time no see, Kojiro Sensei," Soma said with a grin as Kojiro had a few tick marks on his face.
"Yeah, red-headed snot brat!" Kojiro replied with his smile that was so fake.
Weekly Power Status
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