A clash of ideals

Zuina glared and turned to face Rebelle. "I will challenge you to a cook-off,” she stated.

"Hoh? Are you moved-"

"I am not doing this for her, I'm doing it for myself. I'm tired of you dictating my life. I don't care if your methods improved our quality of living, I can't stand you!" Zuina glared.

"So, it seems I will have to thoroughly domesticate you after this," Rebelle glared as she gripped her crop tighter.

"I don't fear your whip."

"You are only so rebellious because I don't have significant blackmail material on you, well blackmail material that could completely ruin your life at least."

"I sing horribly in the shower. I also read some raunchy things, but I'm sure many people around the world do too. Plus, I got all my hair shaved off after failing to pass Azuki-sensei's mini test at Tabemono Gakuin and was forced to do a walk of shame, though I'm pretty sure many know about that."

"Zuina, while blackmail is my main method of forcing compliance, I would not be alive if I didn't have the strength and smarts to hold my own against deadly assassins," Rebelle glared as she flicked her crop out, sending a mighty gust of wind into Zuina's undeterred face.

"I've grown, now what is the dish?"

"The cook-off shall take place entirely in this area. We will not be allowed to leave, though I hear the pool bar can receive ingredients from below via a dumbwaiter. Therefore, we have no need to worry about not having the proper ingredients. This hotel, like my restaurant, only uses organic ingredients so there is no need to worry about their quality. As for the dish, you may create anything as long as it is vegetarian. We begin in approximately 5 minutes."

...

When the meals were done, Rebelle dragged the still bound and gagged Rika to the judging table and wedged her in between Nino and Helga before presenting her dish. "I made my prized rainbow quinoa salad, enjoy," Rebelle declared as she removed Rika's gag ball.

"How am I supposed to-mmph!?"

Rebelle answered Rika's question by shoving a spoonful of her dish into Rika's mouth. Rika immediately began to tear up as she ate.

"Well?" Rebelle sneered.

"It's good, really good," Rika tearfully glared.

Both Nino and Helga agreed as well. Mocha scowled as she took a bite but didn't appear to hate the dish itself. Mochi meanwhile seemed to show no sign of how she swayed on the dish.

"I think my dish tastes quite good, don't you?" Rebelle sneered as Zuina tried some.

"It does taste good," Zuina conceded.

"Naturally. This hotel, like my restaurant, only uses high grade organic ingredients. Plus, I even made use of the exclusive seasonal ingredients to raise the dish's status even more."

"And that's the thing I despise most about you Onee-sama."

"Hmm?"

"You're one of the largest pushers for mandating that all food sold at stores be organic and that all chefs only cook with organic ingredients."

"And how exactly is that a bad thing?"

"IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE! Your prices are too high for most people to afford. You also don't believe that organic food should be cheap either. Organic produce costs much more than regular produce. Only the rich would be able to afford to eat if you and Makihara got your wish of only allowing things to be made with organic ingredients; many smaller restaurants wouldn't be able to afford the cost!"

"That's the point. Only the elite would remain. The rabble that can't adapt don't deserve to cook. And if you can't make the effort to afford to eat organic and healthy, you don't deserve to eat."

"Our place has many affordable dishes. Even our organic dishes are affordable," Rika glared.

"ORGANIC IS GOURMET! It sickens me that you would degrade the value of organic produce. Do you also serve truffles for 100 yen behind Ryono-san's back!?" Rebelle glared.

"Why would you be so upset about organic food being affordable? Wouldn't that-"

"Because the rabble that populates our earth would then deem 100% organic food, "normal". ORGANIC IS ELITE! The high value is proof of its status! Only a true gourmand should be allowed to appreciate its value! I won't allow heretics like you to rob organic produce of their status!" Rebelle fumed as she shoved the gag ball back in Rika's mouth.

"Onee-sama, I was just about to present my dish," Zuina glared as she presented everyone with dishes of red lentil sloppy joes.

Rebelle stared angrily at the dish. "And why are you degrading fine red lentil curry like this!?" she glared.

"You said I could create anything as long as it was vegetarian."

"Well, it gets you a FAIL in my book! This is something a poor sod would come up with!"

"I only care about the judge's opinion."

Helga was the first to try. "This looks messy and disgusting," she growled as she ate it.

"Why this of all things? I'm not fond of red lentils," Mocha sighed.

Just like with Rebelle's dish, Mochi ate Zuina's in silence without giving any indication on how she swayed.

"Huh, I kinda like this better than the salad. Then again, I don't like salad much anyway. How hard is this to make?" Nino asked.

"Not too difficult. Just pull up a red lentil curry recipe, follow it and put it on the bun of your choice," Zuina replied.

"Oh, and if you're going to eat it like that, deplete the stores of their non-organic filth to make it. Trash should be made with trash after all," Rebelle sneered as she removed Rika's gag ball and shoved her face into the dish.

"I should dock you points for forcing me to eat like this," Rika glared.

"Trash should eat like trash. Besides, is this TRULY better than my dish. Don't lie to save your ass."

"It isn't. I don't know Zuina too well, so I have no idea why she'd go with that dish against yours, but considering she's risking becoming your slave, I'm guessing she's got confidence in it. I hope it's warranted, because sadly as you stated, I enjoyed your dish more. I'd argue the WAY I WAS FED soured my opinion a bit, but the taste of your salad left a better impact on my tongue, so I'm regrettably giving you my vote," Rika glared.

"Sucking up to me won't save you."

"I know, but my so-called mortal enemies can respect a good dish over personal bias, I damn well better too."

"How respectful, but respectful won't save you from Shirohime-san's wrath. How say the other judges?"

"I like the burger," Nino stated.

"Well, I shouldn't be surprised considering it's more akin to your primitive instincts."

"Wanna-"

"I have far more incriminating material of you and Ichika on multiple hard drives."

"......"

"Guess this means I have to give your damn salad my vote. The salad was good though I will say this, I may hate red lentils, but I hate you even more," Mocha glared.

"My, how crude; and how do you sway, Helga?"

"Were you trying to assert dominance or something? Much like that gorilla, I'm not big on salad. I hate Sloppy Joes, but the red lentil tasted pretty good. I guess you lose on a technicality, Rebelle," Helga grumbled.

"My my, letting personal biases get in the way?" Rebelle sneered.

"There isn't a rule against it. Besides, you know me well enough to at least know I hate peppers."

"A shame. I thought you would want to screw Rika over upon hearing of her history."

"Maybe while Takeda was still kicking, but I've come to see a whole new worldview since then."

"Ah yes, Sundae mentioned how you began to change upon meeting...her," Rebelle scowled as she glared at Mimi. "However, we must now hear the words of the most prodigious chef here," Rebelle smirked as Mochi glared at her.

"The meal was a sloppy joe so naturally; it was quite messy. However, I must disclose something. Despite my elite upbringing and being constantly showered with gourmet meals day and night, I don't particularly appreciate their flavor as anything extraordinaire, though perhaps that is because those gourmet meals are the standard from my perspective. Thus, I am sorry to say, but that salad simply tasted like any other salad for me. Sure, there is some seasonal variety, but it failed to register a significant impact. The sloppy joe was a fresh take on the red lentil curry dish. Thus, I am giving my vote to that," Mochi stated.

"WHAT!? BUT MY DISH IS SUPERIOR!"

"Sure, it is more elegant and is made with precision. However, as I stated before, I am being merciful today in my judging. Though it is true that on the criteria of structure and difficulty, your meal is superior to Zuina's. However, I truly did find her spin on red lentil curry to be a refreshing take, and far more suitable for a late-night snack after dinner. That was your other big mistake. You prepared a massive salad for us without taking into consideration the time. It's nearly midnight so naturally most of us would have already eaten dinner. This would naturally diminish the taste of the salad. Meanwhile, the red lentil sloppy joe was much lighter and designed to be more of a quick-bite type of meal than your extravagant salad. You went too overboard, which is why I'm giving my vote to Zuina. Her meal was far more appropriate to be eaten at this time."

"Merciful my ass! Not even Makihara-san bases his verdict off of mealtime and stomach capacity," Rebelle trembled.

"Oh? Would you like me to discuss all the 142 flaws I found in your dish in detail?"

"....."

"Very well. By a vote of 3-2, Zuina Adler wins the bout. Now as per the rules, Mimi Hanazawa is to decide Rebelle Adler's punishment.

"Tch. Well, as per the rules, you are to decide my punishment. Now, am I to embrace baldness?" Rebelle smugly scoffed as she ran her hand through her hair.

"Nah, I don't really want to waste my punishment on making you bald. I mean, you're wearing a wig, so you'd probably just put it back on anyway," Mimi glared.

"I assure you this is my natural hair. Feel it if you must."

"Wow, it actually is real,” Mimi shrugged as she tugged on Rebelle's hair.

"Yes, I take great care and pride in styling it each morning."

"Guess I'll just have you eat a bunch of laxatives then."

"How childish. Very well." Rebelle shrugged as she sat down in a chair.

"Though um, could I actually try cooking something instead?" Mimi asked.

"You wish to waste fine food?"

"No, I actually wanna try cooking something for everyone."

"That or the laxatives. You can only pick one punishment. No combining the two."

"Fine," I guess I'll go with cooking."

Waki then freed Rika as Mimi began cooking.

"Well thanks for tying me to chair, now how bout I return the favor?" Rika glared as she dangled the gag ball before Rebelle.

"Oh, would bounding and gagging me soothe your wounded pride?" Rebelle sneered.

"You bitch! It's called payback!"

"Oh, well then pay me back. I'll happily allow myself to be bound and gagged knowing you'll never recover your pride, no matter how much you humiliate me."

Rika attempted to stick the gag ball in Rebelle's mouth, but stopped as she noticed Rebelle smugly opening her mouth. "Well, I'm holding my mouth open. Are you going to gag me?"

Rika clicked her tongue and threw the gag ball at Rebelle's face. Rebelle caught it, and simply put it back in her bag. as Zuina confronted Rika. "I want answers, what happened to Hinari?" Zuina glared.

"I'll tell you out of earshot of that blackmailing bitch," Rika sighed as she walked back up to Rebelle and bound and gagged her with duct tape.

"Mmph, ngh mmph ngh mmph ngh," Rebelle smugly stated.

"Shut up, I'm doing this to keep you in place," Rika growled as she grabbed the headphones Waki had been using as part of her SPA treatment and put them on Rebelle to prevent her from hearing.

Matcha then woke up from her nap and gasped when she removed the cucumbers from her eyes. "Wait, did I seriously miss something big!?" she gasped as her eyes darted around the room.

...

In Zuina's room, Rika sat in a chair as Zuina glared at her. "I understand Onee-san can bend the truth to suit her agenda, but is it true that you really are an assassin?" Zuina glared.

"Yes, everyone but Masaru and Benihime knows," Rika stated.

"So, I was kept out of the loop?"

"I don't know you that well, and Waki said you were close with Hinari, and after everything that happened before, I got kinda nervous. Guess I should just tell you everything really quick."

...

"So, your father put pressure on you. I can see why that would cause a lapse in judgement," Zuina sighed.

"So, you would have been fine if I told you?" Rika asked.

"Probably not. I would have likely reacted similar to Itsuki. My anger this time was merely mitigated because of Onee-san's presence. Then again, had you known Rebelle was my sister, I assume you might have treated me more differently, and possibly never even hired me."

"Just cause someone in your family's an ass, doesn’t mean you are."

"Not everyone shares such a belief, sadly. I've never been able to have any friends due to everyone fearing Onee-san gaining blackmail material on them. Hinari was the only person that was willing to get close to me. Yet ever since she was killed in Madagascar, I've been alone."

"If you want to leave, you're free to; just don't tell Masaru or Benihime."

"And are you going to tell them?"

"I'm going to tell Masaru. Benihime, I don't know. If she's the more understanding type then sure, but if not, I'll probably hide it."

"She is an incredibly prideful woman, considering Onee-san decided to use telling her as a punishment instead of threatening to tell Masaru, suggests telling her might end poorly for you. As much as I morally believe she has the right to know, I would not push you to tell her if doing so would lead to more carnage. I'm not the closest with her, but I do know she trains daily with a sword."

"Great, now I gotta worry about her."

"I'm not getting friendly with you either. Though, you are at the least a better person than Onee-san."

"So, what's your story? I know that blackmailing bitch is an organic produce elitist, but I don't know much about her past either."

"We grew up on a poor farm in the UK. Our father was British while our mother was Japanese. Both were farmers. One day, they were killed by hoodlums for failing to pay a debt. When Onee-san found out, she resolved herself to ascend to the high-class world. Ever since we moved here, Onee-san has been trying to dictate my life. I naturally butted heads, but my resolve to fight her was weakened both by the death of Hinari and my expulsion from Tabemono Gakuin. Because of the strict wording of Tabemono Gakuin's expulsion clause, I wasn't even allowed to work on local farms or grow my own food. Worst of all, Onee-san only offered me an out if I agreed to become her sycophant. I naturally refused, but in turn, had to suffer for nearly a year until the remedial course was announced. Unlike Itsuki, I don't hold animosity towards you for not leading the rebel faction sooner, but I certainly hold animosity towards you now, considering you are allegedly the reason my only friend is dead.

"I see. So, what was the history with your dish?"

"I despise Onee-san's elitism. Since our family was poor, we couldn't afford to grow high quality organic crops. The local shop would buy them, but Onee-san wanted to rise to elite hood after being mesmerized by a demonstration by Makihara who was doing a gourmet world tour. Ever since she tried some of his high-quality food, she's been a gourmet elitist since. The blackmailing only started as a way to make the capital needed to spring start her gourmet chef career. I strongly believe food should be affordable, but Onee-san believes high class food MUST be expensive in order to be "high class". My dish was simple and not as extravagant as hers, but I wanted to hammer home the point that fancy doesn't always mean better."

"I should have gotten to know you better at Tabemono, you sound like someone I'd have meshed well with."

"Sometimes you have to live with regrets. I won't forgive you for killing Hinari, but I will respect you as my employer. Thus, I will not cause any workplace drama for you or the others," Zuina stated.

Suddenly, Matcha entered the room. "Huh? Rika? Why are you in our room talking with Zuina?" Matcha asked.

"Matcha, we were just about to finish our conversation. You are free to get ready for bed if you please," Zuina stated.

"So, I guess she told you her secret?" Matcha asked.

"Correct, though I ended up first hearing about it through Onee-san."

"Onee-san?"

"My older sister, Rebelle."

"Rebelle? ...! Wait, do you mean the one with the pink hair that writes all those hit pieces on non-Makihara faction chefs?"

"Yes."

"Wow, I didn't realize you were her sister."

"Well, I don't like to bring it up."

"Well at least you're cool unlike her."

"You aren't mad?"

"No. I mean, I heard you actually stood up to her and bested her in a cook-off."

"Thank you. Truth be told, while I hold some animosity towards my employer, I am grateful that I was allowed to be hired and that no one ostracized me because of who my sister is," Zuina smiled.

"Do you want me to tell you what happened in Madagascar?" Rika asked.

"I believe I already saw the video of you brutally killing Hinari."

"And what if that isn't the full story?"

"Are you trying to get me on good terms with you?"

"Just listen, please."

"I too would like to know what happened with Hinari," Matcha stated.

"Very well. You may tell your tale," Zuina glared at Rika.