On the fly cook off

Once Rika woke up, she began discussing things with Masaru.

"So I found a cute girl that could be a good waitress. She's not the brightest, but has a cute face," Rika said.

"Why would we hire someone dumb?" Masaru glared.

"Well guess she'll be a hostess then. All she'd do is show people to their seats and clean the tables. Besides, she's not dumb enough to mess up orders like crazy. Maybe once or twice, but she'll get the hang of it if she writes it all down."

"Rika, *Sigh* anyone else you have in mind?"

"Actually I got two more. One I'm sure you'd approve of cooking, but will probably be difficult to hire so forget her for now."

"*Sigh* You peeked my interest, but then deflated it all at the end."

"The other one also has some circumstances that could effect her hiring. The good news though, is that I can easily solve those problems with a simple cook off."

                                                                          ...

"And why would I agree to even partake in such an outrageous proposal," Makihara glared.

"Hey, I started out with the more easy request," Rika smirked.

"You had another demand?"

"Well, since you're clamming up on the easy one, I'm sure demand 2 is off the the table. So I'm gonna push for demand 1. I'll put my cooking license on the line in order to get Matcha Myouchi and all that unfairly lost their cooking licenses, the right to work in a culinary business, preferably cooking, again."

"I do not restore rights to those that have lost them. Even more so, now that Takeda-kun has vanished. My personal lawyer is the best of the best, but even then I think Takeda-kun was an indispensable legal consultant and chef."

"Afraid everyone that got unfairly expelled will come back with a vengeance? Well then all the more reason to get ahead of things. Why not offer a remedial license renewal course?"

"No, I will not-"

"Then we go one on one and winner gets Itsuki."

"THAT WAS YOUR OTHER DEMAND!? You heathen, she still has not recovered from the drugs you fed her!"

"Drugs? Wow, don't think American fair vendors are gonna like hearing that."

"And why would I care about what some greasy American slop farmer thinks!?"

"Not just them, if a good chunk of people hear you referring to a simple funnel cake like its cocaine, that's sure to get you massive flak abroad and even domestically," Rika smirked as she stopped recording the video.

"You were recording!?"

"Only started when you flipped out about Itsuki."

"*TCH* Of all the times. Very well. If you can best Helga, the deal is on. Though if you lose, you're finished."

"And if I best you too do I get Itsuki too?"

"Still adamant, well perhaps I should take advantage of your foolishness and ask you to ante up Masaru-kun."

"Alright, though my two conditions are this,

1. For impartiality we pick 5 judges. 3 professional judges, and 2 civilians from the venue. You can select 1 judge, while I get to pick the two civilian judges. The remaining professional judges will be called at random.

2. You don't tell Masaru a word about our bet until the results are in."

"Very well."

"Oh, and condition 3, we've got 5 hours to cook a full course meal and bring it before city hall."

"You heathen! Very well, I recorded everything this time, so there's no chance in you backing out."

                                                                              ...

"Rika? Why are you cooking so fervently?" Masaru asked?"

"Oh, someone at town hall suddenly asked me to make a full course meal. If his judges like it over the other guys, he promised to help us get those two I want hired."

"Is it only allowed to be you?"

"Sadly yes. Though feel free to give some pointers."

                                                                                    ...

"Yep, as expected, that asshole played dirty, well at least he seems to have honored the second condition," Rika sighed as she gazed at the judges.

She noticed Makihara arriving with trucks containing the food.

"All finished setting up? Well, then feel free to go first while I unload my dish," Makihara sneered.

"Sure, though come observe the judging."

Makihara and Rika observed the judging of Rika's meal.

"Yes, it is... edible," a snobby judge stated.

"Tastes great!" a peppy judge smiled.

"I only ate this filth because I was mandated to," a snarky judge scoffed.

"I like it," a fair judge stated.

The final judge had apparently left to use the bathroom and had yet to return.

Makihara smirked and walked away as Helga arrived.

"Me an Makihara-sama made the greatest full course meal, for an on the fly contest of course," Helga gloated.

"AH! Sorry sorry I just had to use the john, let me taste- Oh! Delicious!" the final judge said as he ate Rika's meal.

Makihara and Helga then presented their dish.

"You were a fool heathen. I honored your request as best I could, but you should know simply by math that a majority of professional culinary judges in this nation are under my wing. It seems you got good reception from the peons, but even they will realize that my dish is superior in every way. Perhaps you'd stand a percentage of a chance if it was one on one, but your bravado landed you in a 2v1 slaughter. Farewell heathen," Makihara thought.

"OW! Why is the bread hard!?" the snobby judge shouted.

Makihara's eyes went wide with shock.

"The hell is this!? It tastes salty. Ugh!" the peppy judge cringed.

"UMAI! THE BEST THING EVER! AS EXPECTED OF MAKIHARA-SAMA!" the snarky judge laughed as he painfully ate the rock hard bread."

"The turkey smells weird. *ULP* It tastes really salty. What did you season it with!? the fair judge glared.

"Why the soup tastes just fine, you unprofessional peons must have your tongues corrupted," the final judge said as he elegantly finished the soup.

Once they had finished the meal, they gave their verdict.

"Oh, before the judges deliver their verdict, allow me to tell all gathered here what is at stake," Rika shouted.

"If I lose, I'm done and Masaru will work for Makihara, but if I win, Itsuki will work for me, and anyone who was unfairly blacklisted from working in the culinary world will have a chance to reverse it in a remedial course offered at Tabemono Gakuin!"

The crowd roared with excitement as Makihara scowled. Though he quickly joined Hilda in smiling sadistically.

"Three of em work for us. Even if the rabble vote for the bitch, we win 3-2," Helga sneered.

"Indeed. I know not why they were cringing when they ate fine gourmet, but it matters not. We win, and nab a big prize," Makihara stated.

"I believe Makihara made the superior meal," the snobby judge huffed.

"I liked Rika's better. It just tasted like really good," the peppy judge stated.

"Makihara-sama cooked the best meal in ages!" the snarky judge forcefully smiled.

"Makihara's meal, was disgusting. The soup was the only thing that tasted normal. Therefore, I give my vote to Rika who at least made a pleasantly tasting meal," the fair judge stated.

"Makihara's meal... was amazing. Full disclaimer, I was personally selected to be a judge by Makihara-sama, while the two er- "guest" judges were selected by the heathen. These were conditions of the contest mind you. However, seeing as the other randomly selected judges have seen the superior meal. I cast my vote- UGH!"

The 5th judge clutched his stomach in pain.

"I- My vot- UGH! I can't hold it in! Makihara! How could you create such an atrocity! Did you think so lowly of this to just half ass it all!? UGH! I gotta shit! Rika wins!" the 5th judge shouted as he ran away clutching his stomach.

"What- UGH!"

Suddenly the other 4 judges began to feel the urge to go as well. Makihara and Helga went pale with horror as the four other judges charged for the nearest bathroom.

"What did you do!?" Makihara glared as he turned to Rika.

"Nothing. I was with you the whole time. Guess you really half-assed it. Oh, and you're following through on the agreement," Rika smirked.

"SCREW YOU! I WAS SABOTAGED! MY MEALS ARE DIVINE! IT TASTED FINE WHEN I SAMPLED IT! YOUR MEAL MUST HAVE SICKENED THEM!"

"Boo! What a soar loser!" a crowd member jeered.

The crowd instantly began hurling jeers at Makihara and Helga.

"JEER ALL YOU WANT YOU PEONS! MY DISH IS SUPERIOR TO YOUR CORRUPTED TASTE BUDS!"

Rika then played the clip of Makihara comparing funnel cakes to drugs, causing the audience to erupt in even greater fury. Makihara had never seen this much animosity towards him up close.

As the angry crowd began to descend on him, he shouted,"FINE! YOU CAN HAVE HER! SHE WAS TAINTED ANYWAY BY YOUR FRIED DRUGS! AS FOR, *Ahem* As for the remedial course, yes, I shall make good on that promise," Makihara glared.

The crowd's anger subsided and was replaced with cheers for Rika as Makihara and Helga angrily shrieked away.

                                                                                  ...

Rika returned to the restaurant to find a shell shocked Masaru.

"Yeah, sorry for not telling you about the high stakes cook off against Makihara. I selfishly didn't want you to know about it," Rika said.

"I'm too shocked to think. First the bet, but more shockingly, Makihara's meal. Wh- What happened!? It must have been damaged in transport. But he's the best of the best. And, how could he claim that delicious funnel cake was drugs!? I- I don't understand!" Masaru stuttered.

"Don't worry, I'll put your mind at ease with a fresh funnel cake to celebrate my victory and our new employee, Itsuki."

"ITSUKI!? Well, she is certainly worthy. But didn't you say we need more servers?"

"Yeah, they'll be coming once they destroy the remedial course and get un-blacklisted."

                                                                         ...

Dastard laughed as he perched atop the town hall.

"And here I am with blackmail on you, yet you ask me for such a big favor, well I'll consider it training. Plus it was a delicious way to humiliate Makihara. Lets recap, I disguised as Makihara and sabotaged the food while Rika distracted the real one. Then faster than the eye could see, I disguised myself as that judge and took his place. Then I just acted it out and handed Rika the victory. Best of all, I even took out the real judge, by disguising as Makihara and giving him the laxative soup ahead of time, thus tying up any potential loose ends. I think I'll steal something from Tabemono Gakuin next.That remedial course will provide an excellent opportunity to get in."