Food From The Soul. The Judges' Final Decision!

Atsushi "Filled with spicy tuna, baked salmon, and cucumber! Topped with cucumber, ahi and drizzled with ponzu and karachi yuzu sauce!"

She shouts as the judges stare surprised and confused.

Shuhei "Okayyy well you heard it! Let's give it a try!"

He says as they each take a couple bites, making delighted sounds.

Keller "What a tangy and spicy flavor!"

Jordan "I am not a fan of raw food but this is quite pleasant."

Augustine "I have had better."

Atsushi "I'LL SHOW YOU BETTER! COME HERE!"

She shouts while struggling and swinging her fist in the air, her teammates trying to restrain her.

Augustine "What pitiful lack of restraint. I'm deducting points."

He writes down as Atsushi growls.

Shuhei "With this pleasant dish out of the way, it's time for the final plate! Team 4 with chicken parmesan on angel hair but as we know, they ran out of cheese during cooking so what could they have possibly done to account for that?"

He shouts as the judges look at Ryuji before them.

Jordan "Come here young man."

The group is surprised a bit but he does as told and approaches the judges table.

Jordan "Tell us about your dish."

They say as Ryuji sweats nervously a bit but keeps his composure.

Ryuji "I originally intended for classic chicken parmesan but when we ran out of parmesan I had to get creative. Then I remembered something my mother used to make for me, specifically on chicken. Using sesame seeds and oil, I made tahini."

The judges are surprised by his answer but not shocked.

Ryuji "I used it in place of the parmesan because that's something my mom used to do for me so it came personally to me and I felt it was the right choice."

He says proudly with a shine in his eyes and a slight blush in his cheeks. The judges look amongst themselves before responding.

Keller "How sweet. It sounds like your dish was made from the heart."

Jordan "Yes and tahini on chicken is quite a common combination despite the more advanced flavor. I look forward to trying it."

Augustine "Yes well as you said, it's advanced and definitely not for teenagers to make. We shall see how the rest of your dish holds up with the sudden change of flavors."

He says sharply while pushing up his glasses. The others are nervous as Ryuji stands tall and confident in his dish. Augustine puts a fork gently to his dish while thinking.

Augustine 'While I definitely appreciate the effort young one, I'm afraid your loss is set in stone. For Alphonso is my own son and as such, I will make sure my child wins and takes home the glory!'

He thinks with a ratty smirk as Alphonso snickers to himself.

Alphonso "I've got this in the bag. There's no way my father is letting some nobody win. It's all mine."

He says confidently as the judges take a bite of Ryuji's dish. Augustine's eyes suddenly widen as a blush comes across his face. He slowly chews before swallowing as his mouth hangs slightly open. He stutters and blushes in shock and delight before suddenly standing up and pointing his hand at Ryuji.

Augustine "I DECLARE THIS BOY TO BE THE WINNER!"

He shouts as the other judges look at him in confusion and with a sweat drop. Alphonso's eyes pop out of his head in shock.

Alphonso "WHAAAT??"

The others are surprised before smiling warmly and hugging each other.

Shuhei "I see you've made your choice but we still need to discuss the real winner…"

Augustine sweats before composing himself.

Augustine "Right, of course."

He says with his eyes closed and fist in front of his mouth while clearing his throat. He then opens one of his eyes and stares at Ryuji's dish before happily and excitedly continuing to eat the food. 

Keller "Mm! How lovely! This truly was made with love and passion, I can taste it!"

She says while chewing and blushing. 

Jordan "The chicken is breaded and cooked to perfection. The pasta is al dente with the right kind of seasoning and the tahini. Muah, perfect. Good job, boy."

She says with a smile as Ryuji is surprised before blushing and nodding.

Ryuji "Thank you."

Shuhei "Truly amazing! I see why Augustine had such an intense reaction! But with all that, the judges will now discuss with each chef individually about their dishes! All chefs line up!"

They do as told as the other chefs each have upset and angry looks on their faces except Ryuji who holds his composed and neutral look.

Jordan "Atsushi. Your roll was quite good but there were a couple issues. The spicy tuna was made just a bit too bland and lacking in flavor as well as the baked salmon wasn't baked enough to give the impactful flavor of baked salmon. At that point, you might as well have used regular salmon. Why do you think that is?"

Atsushi "I think because my subordinates are subpar and lacking in skill! I must push them harder to become the best chefs in the world!"

Jordan "Perhaps you should focus on becoming the best chef yourself before telling others what to do."

Atsushi "But I am the best."

She says blankly as the judges stare at her.

Jordan "Right."

Keller "Sharley. Your dish was well prepared but lacked spice and flavor. What do you have to say?"

Sharley "I had to do everything myself, sir. If it isn't made by my hands then it isn't made right."

She says calmly and honestly as they stare at her with slight disappointment.

Keller "Unfortunately, cooking, especially for many people in a professional kitchen, isn't a solo sport. It is a team game and you must learn to work with your team to achieve something better. It seems to me that you cook to impress others and not to please your soul and that is why it lacked that passion and flavor."

Sharley clicks her tongue in frustration as they move on.

Augustine "Alphonso."

Alphonso sweats and stares at his dad. He covers the side of his mouth with his open hand and tries to whisper to his father.

Alphonso "Dad, what are you doing?.. I'm supposed to win!.."

Augustine "Shut your mouth, boy!"

He says intensely as Alphonso sweats.

Augustine "Your dish was absolutely the worst today and there is no excuse you can cook up that will taste any better than that. I am greatly disappointed."

He says sharply as Alphonso looks down in disappointment.

Augustine "Ryuji. Step forth."

He commands as Ryuji does as told, awaiting their judgement. 

Augustine "While my stance is clear, your performance is not without flaw."

Jordan "Choosing a team of inexperienced helpers is not a wise choice as a cook. If you are to be a real chef, picking your team carefully and choosing which skills you need are very important tasks that you overlooked."

Keller "Despite that, they performed wonderfully and helped their friend the best they could!"

She says with a soft smile as Jordan nods. 

Augustine "Your pasta was al dente for this dish which I would say wasn't quite the right choice."

Keller "A softer noodle would have served the flavors well. I'm not sure if that was a mistake or choice."

Ryuji "It was a mistake, chef. I forgot to account for the topping change."

He says boldly with a bow.

Ryuji "I'll make sure to do better next time."

He says as Augustine speaks.

Augustine "Raise yourself, boy."

He looks up with a look of surprise as the judges smile at him.

Augustine "I believe we all know who won today, agreed?"

He says while looking at the other judges as they nod.

Shuhei "What do you know? It seems the judges are all in agreement on who today's winner is!"

He looks over at the judges who all nod and give a thumbs up in unison. Shuhei smiles and shouts happily into the microphone.

Shuhei "The judges have decided! Ryuji Sato of Team 4 wins!" 

Ryuji stares with a surprised and almost confused look as the crowd bursts out into cheer. The others jump onto him and hug him tightly with big smiles on their faces. They cheer in relief and satisfaction as Ryuji smiles with tears forming in his eyes. The other chefs stomp around in frustration as Alphonso rushes to Augustine. 

Alphonso "Dad! What was that? I thought we agreed you'd give me the win?"

He whines as Augustine walks with a straight look.

Augustine "I am disappointed in you. I expected much more from my own son. You need to do better, now come on."

He says sharply as they walk away, Alphonso moping behind him. As the others cheer and celebrate, the slingshot student is carried on Touma's shoulder, tied up with duct tape over his mouth in a back hallway. Touma eventually stops by a little dirt patch against a wall and throws him down on the ground. The student grunts in pain as Touma turns around.

Touma "This is the guy who shot her."

He says coldly as Hikigaya steps towards him, Haru following behind him. They all have furious looks and shadows over their eyes. The student sweats as Touma and Haru step back and lookout at Hikigaya crouches down before the student. 

Hikigaya "Shooting at Shiori was a big mistake. Let me explain why."

He says angrily as the student cries a bit. The sound of the student getting pummeled is heard as we look towards the sky. Soon after, the three of them turn their backs to the student coldly as they walk away, leaving a beaten and bruised wannabe slingshot for hire in the dirt. 

A bit later, the sun is beginning to set and a cool hue lays over the ground. The group laughs and cheers as they head home together. 

Sugawara "That was so crazy! The way you guys were moving and the teamwork!"

He shouts happily as he jumps with his arms in the air.

Hisana "The way Ryuji changed the recipe last second! That was way cool!"

She says with a big, excited smile. The group walks and talks about the competition, riding the high of the event as Hikigaya laughs. He slowly stops as he looks at Shiori. He examines her for a moment, looking at the bandaid on her forehead. 

Hikigaya "Hey, how's your head doing?"

Shiori is slightly surprised by his question before rubbing her small cut.

Shiori "Oh, yeah. I'm totally okay, it's nothing."

She says before looking around a little and leaning closer to him with a smile on her face.

Shiori "After fighting Keeper, no other stone can hurt me.."

She whispers to him as they both chuckle a bit.

Hikigaya "Totally.."

He whispers back.