Breakfast for Masaru

Makihara trembled as he gritted his teeth.

"Um, I can explain-"

"YOU! YOU DEGENERATE BITCH HEATHEN! IS MY FLESH AND BLOOD NOTHING BUT A MERE TROPHY TO YOU!? YOU'VE CORRUPTED HER WITH YOUR COOKING, THEN YOU KIDNAP HER TO WORK AT YOUR DEGENERATE DINER! I HOPED MASARU-KUN AT THE LEAST WOULD BE ABLE TO PUT HER ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BUT NOW!? LOOK AT HER! SHE'S BEYOND CORRUPTED, SHE'S RUINED! ALL THAT TIME AND EFFORT I SPENT RAISING HER TO BE MY SUCCESSOR, GONE! DID YOU TURN HER INTO A DEGENERATE PROSTITUTE TO SPITE ME!? YES! OF COURSE YOU WOULD! YOU THINK YOU'RE HOT SHIT JUST BECAUSE YOUR DISHES CAN SATISFY MY ELITE PALLET! WELL NO MORE! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU! I'M ISSUING AN ALL OR NOTHING COOK-OFF! YOU VS ME! DOWNSTAIRS NOW! I WILL BEAT YOU AND BANISH YOU FOREVER FROM COOKING! YOU WON'T BE ALLOWED TO BUY GROCERIES, GROW YOUR OWN FOOD, OR EVEN LICK CRUMBS OFF THE STREET WHEN I'M FINISHED WITH YOU!" Makihara ranted.

Nearly every door on the hall opened up as people began to watch the exchange.

"My hand's-"

"I DON'T CARE! IT WAS CLEARLY FUNCTIONING PROPERLY ENOUGH TO DRAG MY DAUGHTER TO THAT DEGENERATE PUNK SHOP! NAY, NOT EVEN THEY HAVE THE DEGENERACY TO RIP HER CLOTHES IN SUCH A VULGAR INAPPROPRIATE MANNER! YOU HEATHEN! YOU ARE THE TRASH THAT POLLUTES SOCIETY!" Makihara shouted.

"And are you gonna get your cronies to judge!?" Rika glared.

"NO! THERE WILL ONLY BE ONE JUDGE! AN ALL OR NOTHING BET!"

"And who's it gonna be?"

"THE ONE WHO BOTH OF CAN AGREE ON, MASARU-KUN!"

Rika's eyes went wide as she clenched her fist.

"YES! MASARU SHALL BE JUDGE! I CAN'T THINK OF A MORE FITTING PERSON TO CRUSH YOU WITH! AS FOR THE DISH ALL OR NOTHING, BELGIAN BANANA FOSTER BREAD WAFFLE CAKE! NO WAFFLE IRON ALLOWED! I WILL CRUSH YOU!" a deranged Makihara declared as he retreated to the elevator.

"Shit, I guess hearing Itsuki's story will have to wait. I better get Masaru," Rika thought.

"Um, what about me!?" Itsuki asked.

"Room 1509," Rika hollered back.

                                                                              ...

Masaru sat at a table in the dining hall as Rika and Makihara furiously cooked.

"A waffle without the iron, Makihara-sama is treating us to his skill," a guest mused.

"I wonder what spurned the fight on so suddenly?" another mused.

"I do hope WE get to sample," another chuckled.

                                                                           ...

Rika and Makihara slammed their dishes before Masaru. Both looked similar, but had some differences, notably what was within.

"There are bite size samples for everyone. I had no issue making them," Makihara declared.

"Funny, me neither," Rika glared as she pointed to her array of samples.

"Then I shall try Makihara-sama's first. It has been so long since I tasted his fine cooking," Masaru declared.

As he took a bite, his eyes lit up.

"It is delicious. Everything is perfect!" Masaru beamed.

Everyone immediately charged for Makihara's samples as Masaru cleaned the plate.

"Perfect, you cannot match that, heathen," Makihara gloated with confidence.

"We'll see. I WON'T lose to you!" Rika glared.

Masaru then took a bite of Rika's dish. Immediately, his mood soured. He looked disappointed, but nonetheless finished the dish. No one bothered to try Rika's samples. Then Masaru gave his verdict.

"I... am conflicted. Makihara's dish is flawless. Everything about it is properly made," Masaru stated.

"I understand, you must be disappointed that the heathen who's cooking you respect could pale-"

"Makihara's dish is flawless, however, I feel it tastes inferior to Rika's dish."

Makihara's jaw dropped as the room let out an audible gasp.

"It conflicted me. Makihara's dish is flawless, yet I enjoy the taste more of Rika's. How should I judge such a decision? My decision will ultimately determine who is allowed to remain in the culinary industry."

"Then my dish is clearly superior!"

"It is flawless, but I think that if I were to ask one of you to make the dish, I would prefer it the way Rika made hers. The taste satisfies me more than yours does Makihara."

Some attendees began moving to try Rika's samples.

"Hmm, I don't get it. Makihara's clearly tasted better," one stated.

"I disagree, this one tastes a little better than Makihara's another argued.

Soon all of Rika's samples were gone. Opinion on which dish tasted better was evenly split. Rika and Makihara then tried each other's dishes.

"Yeah, even I'll admit that this tastes pretty good," Rika grumbled.

"Unfortunately, yours fails to satisfy my pallet, and that is true," Makihara glared.

"Yeah, not expecting you to like it, but I don't care if YOU like it or not."

Masaru then continued.

"It is true, I do greatly respect Rika's cooking, yet her skill, as well as my own is still far from surpassing Makihara. Nonetheless, Rika clearly made a dish that I would want to continue eating more of. I also doubt I'd ever choose to eat Makihara's dish over Rika's if I was only allowed to eat one or the other. I am conflicted, Makihara's is flawless, but I would be driven mad if I simply discarded Rika's dish because of that. I enjoyed it's taste more. The moment I tasted it, my turmoil began, it simply tasted better, but Makihara's was flawless. What should I do? I will not cop out with merely calling the match a draw, it would be a disservice to all present. Therefore, please everyone, respect my decision."

Masaru then took a deep breath.

"The winner... is Rika."

Everyone gasped as Makihara went pale with shock.

"B- But MINE WAS FLAWLESS!" Makihara shouted.

"Maybe in structure, but it could not overcome my taste buds. If I was to only eat one of those dishes ever for the rest of my life, I would choose Rika's. It just satisfies my taste pallet better than yours does, Makihara-san."

"San!? H- Have you forgotten who taught you-"

"No, and I am grateful, but Rika seems to know my tastes better than you do, and since I am the sole judge, my decision matters. I have also come to not hold you in as high regards as before. I thought you were more wise than to foolishly call for a reckless match like this. I'm sorry, but you have lost, and with a heavy heart, that means you are banished from the gourmet world as per your bet."

"Can he still cook if the winner says it's OK?" Rika asked.

"DO NOT PITY ME YOU HEATHEN! FIRST YOU RUIN MY DAUGHTER, NOW YOU HAVE TURNED MY PROTEGE AGAINST ME! YOU THINK I WILL BE AT YOUR MERCY!? NO! I'LL JUST BECOME PRIME MINISTER AND REVERSE THE DECISION WITH MY OWN HANDS! MANY WILL NOT ACCEPT THIS!" Makihara fumed with tears beginning to well up in his eyes.

"There must be a punishment unfortunately," Masaru sighed.

"Well, then let's interpret it a bit differently. Since I don't want mobs coming after us, how bout Makihara's forced to go work in an American diner and cook fair food. You only said he's banished from the gourmet world, plus he doesn't consider fair food culinary at all. So it's perfect, he can still cook. A man of his skill should have no trouble revolutionizing fair food, and who knows, maybe after a year or two, the gourmet society can give him a remedial to get his cooking license back," Rika declared.

"JA! I agree with za girl," Hanabi said, still in in disguise and with a thick German accent.

The others began to begrudgingly agree.

"Then, that shall be the punishment. Saiba Makihara, you are hereby banished to America where you must spend two years cooking diner and fairground food. If you comply with the punishment fully and find a way to revolutionize those foods, you will be granted the opportunity to regain your cooking license. Thus ends this cook off," Masaru declared.

Makihara sunk to all fours as he stared at the ground.

"This... is a crueler fate then I would have originally gotten," Makihara trembled.

"And it's all your fault. I don't know how that happened to Itsuki, but before she could tell me we ran into you," Rika glared.

"Do not mock me-"

"It's true. As for what ultimately led to your downfall, you made Masaru the sole judge."

"How!?"

"Because I love Masaru, and through our time together, know what his tastes are, seems you erased the funnel cake incident from your mind, well you'll be making plenty of them where you're going."

"Love!? I was intending for Itsuki to marry Masaru-kun, why must I lose to you even there!?"

"Because cooking is the way to a man's heart, didn't I tell you that before?"

"I have no- ____! I despise you," Makihara tearfully glared.

"I don't like you either, but I decided to be the adult and forgive. But your petty pride fucked you. Better head home to pack, I hear they're booking you the latest flight to LA tonight," Rika said as she walked away.

Makihara remained on the ground as his supporters surrounded him in an attempt to comfort him. Rika then walked up to Masaru.

"I truly meant everything I said. Makihara-san's dish was flawless, yet yours satisfied my taste pallet more," Masaru stated.

"That's why I won, I know what you like," Rika smiled as she prepared to go in for a kiss.

"Ri- Rika! Why here!?"

"Still nervous, well then how bout you kiss me first? I don't mind," Rika said as she closed her eyes and tilted her face back.

Masaru sighed, nervously brushed her hair back, and kissed her quickly on the lips.

"Th- There, now I'm going to cook lunch, I'm feeling better so I'll speak with the hotel staff," Masaru blushed as he ran away.

"That's fine, you've earned it," Rika blushed and serenely smiled.