Work Text:
It all started with a joke.
Basically Mari teased Riko that she could cook way better than her because some of the stuff that she "made" were bought at the Supermarket. (Though that fact was brought by Dia) Riko was obviously mad about that and swore that she could cook things that aren't all too complex and made a bet that she would make good food. Yoshiko, meanwhile, listened in about the conversation.
It then got to the point where Mari and Riko are going to face off in a cooking contest. Yoshiko herself joined in after she realized what was at stake and it got even more complicated after the Hakodate visit when Kazuno Sarah and Leah of Saint Snow tossed their hat in for the stakes as well.
What was at stake was one Takami Chika, the love interest of all members of Guilty Kiss and Saint Snow.
It was because of all these events that Riko found herself thinking about making something delicious and fancy out of Mikans as she raced against the clock to make it. She competed against her two fellow members of Guilty Kiss and the two members of Saint Snow in a cooking competition to win Chika's heart in the Culinary Arts.
And it was all held at a Kitchen Stadium that was actually Mari's main hallway, with the large statue of Mari herself removed to make room for kitchen appliances for five. All of the contestants for Chika's heart were being witnessed by Mari's parents and the rest of Aqours and a couple of schoolgirls from Hokkaido even.
To make this even more of an Iron Chef parody, there was a so-called "Secret Ingredient" that Mari's father revealed. And because they were competing for Chika, it was completely obvious that the "Secret Ingredient" were a whole bunch of Mikans. It also makes sense since Mikans are currently in season as a fruit. Mari sighed a bit, Yoshiko cringed and nearly barfed and Saint Snow merely nodded. Riko also looked very determined but she was also very nervous as she doesn't know what goes with Mikan.
Now we witness Riko pondering over what to do with her basket of Mikans that she grabbed at random. She believed that she was a very good cook but she doesn't know how to do something super fancy and feared that her food would be too bland for Chika. Her heart sank even more when she looked over to where the Saint Snow sisters, where the two sisters in question were fashioning up something very delicious with the Mikans they used.
"O' Great Lucifer. Banish the Tangy smell of Mikan and replace it with a luscious and lustful taste!"
Of course, Riko knew that as much of a bland cook she is compared to the Kazuno Sisters, she knew that she would at least beat out Yoshiko by a long shot. She rolled her eyes as Yoshiko continued to chant meaningless stuff to a single Mikan that she grabbed while wearing a gas mask. Riko couldn't fathom to believe that people ship her with that Fallen Angel or even, God forbid, said Fallen Angel with HER Chika.
"Shiny... COMPLETE..."
Riko shuddered as she stared at Mari. It was for the best for Riko to just tune Mari out and let her be. Now she knew how You felt when Mari was doing something as suspicious as this.
Shaking all those thoughts out, Riko stared at her Mikans. She won't be as fancy as the Kazuno Sisters, use expensive ingredients and being shiny like Mari, or even have the allure of the Fallen Angel like Yoshiko. She pondered over what to do in face of such competition, wondering if she even had a chance against those who are more unique than her.
However, she took one look at her beloved and she realized that she doesn't have to be unique and fancy to garner Chika's attention. So Riko then began to make the thing she is well known for: Egg Sandwiches with Mikans on the side.
"You all have ten minutes left!" Yelled Hanamaru, who was keeping track of time.
"You can do it, Leah-chan!" Ruby cheered to her new friend. Way to be a good friend to Riko, dammit.
Kurosawa Dia, Ruby's older sister, gave Riko an apologetic look. At least that made up for what her little sister said.
But Riko had no time to beat up Ruby, so she instead focused on making food for Chika and both Dia and Kanan, who are the other judges for this competition. She cracked some eggs and started to make her famous sandwiches. She also did work on peeling the Mikans and started to elaborately lay out the wedges in a circle with the Sandwiches placed in the middle.
In record time, Riko was finally finished with the Sandwiches and the other competitors finished with only seconds remaining. With the help of Mari's servants, the plates made by the competitors made there way to the three judges, Chika included. The cooks followed said servants, all very nervous about what will happen and how Chika would react to the plates they made.
"Alright!" You called to attention. "We will go one plate at a time. While Dia-san and Kanan-chan's opinion are to note, Chika-chan has the final word on who wins. Remember that!"
Every single "bachelor" nodded as the took their turns to present their dishes to the judges and their crush.
Mari was the first to go. Kanan and Dia sighed as she saw the ingredients, including the Mikans. The two knew that it was made from very expensive ingredients. While they understood that Mari would provide the ingredients, the two saw that she made her dish using the most expensive ingredients made available to all the cooks.
Chika looked very suspicious at the dish.
"Mari-chan?" Chika cocked her head at the supposed Mikan cake and bread in front of her. "What is this?"
"It's a simple Mikan cake!" She explained. "Made with only my love for you!"
The three judges tasted the cake itself. Yep. Mari definitely used stuff only rich people would use if they bothered to even cook. It was delicious, though, and that was one of the requirements made by Chika, Dia and Kanan. In the end, they lived and the cake was a solid start to the dishes they were about to dive into.
Though the next one...
"What. The. Fuck..." Was all Dia could say as the three stared at the blackened Mikan coated in white and red coatings. They then stared directly at the one who made this abomination.
"Fufufufu~" Yoshiko cackled. "I used up all of my time to relieve this acursed fruit of its horrible smell and taste! I called upon the Fallen Angel Lucifer to aid me in m quest!"
Kanan, Dia and Chika stared back at the "dish" and the two reluctantly digged in.
"MMm?!"
"Gah...?"
"Hmmgh?!"
The three were very surprised that the Mikan isn't at all spicy like Yoshiko's "Tears of the Fallen Angel", but rather sweet like a Mikan itself but without being too tangy. It caught the judges completely off guard. It felt as if she actually gone past the whole "Demonic Food" thing and actually made something that normal people could actually eat.
"Y-Yoshiko-chan..." Chika muttered, eating another piece. "How did you make this into something at least decent?"
"Ha!" Yoshiko scoffed. "Lucifer wasn't the only Demon I called upon. Prior to this I asked assistance of my Little Demons to make my dishes taste good!"
Yoshiko waved at her two fellow First Years. Hanamaru waved back while Ruby simply smiled, not wanting to invoke the wrath of a certain Edge Pigii.
"Well then," Kanan said. "It isn't the best thing in the world, but you gain points for improvement."
Yoshiko gave a silent cheer. It wasn't the best thing, she knew, but she also knows that it was good enough to impress the judges.
However, her victory was short lived when Saint Snow swaggered up towards the Judges Table and presented them with...
"Oh my!"
"I could never even believe this. I feel like I'm about to cry..."
"Sarah-chan! Leah-chan! You went above and beyond!!!"
Sarah and Leah bowed to the three for all the compliments of their dish they made together. The plate itself consists of one cup of Matcha Green Tea, four Daifuku Mikan Mochi with Red Bean paste, and topping it all off with three regular wedges of Mikan. Considering they were employed in their family restaurant, they knew how to cook and prepare food and drink though they didn't go too far off like what Mari did. It was the best of both worlds and Riko found herself beat by such a display.
To make matters worse for her, the judges, Chika included, was amazed at how it tastes.
"Never have I tasted anything this good..." Dia simply said.
"Mmm..." Kanan munched, talking while her mouth was full. "It sure is very delicious."
"Wow... This is amazing!" Chika exclaimed, unknowingly sinking Riko's heart even deeper into the abyss. "You two did very well!"
"Anything for you, Chika-san." Sarah said, blowing a kiss to the Mikan. That action caused Chika to blush and nearly led to the GK trio to kill Sarah on the spot.
"Just don't think of this too much..." Leah blushed, still being an edgy tsundere.
As the Kazuno sisters went back to their position, it was finally Riko's turn.
The poor thing gulped as she stepped forward towards the judges. Just by looking at her walking alone simply tells everyone that she was nervous beyond all belief. She was going up against very strict competition and she didn't make something that amazing compared to everyone else. She presented her dish and simply waited for their judgement.
"Egg Sandwiches?" Dia questioned but her expression was more of welcome surprise rather than being unimpressed by how plain it looked. "I never thought I would see this, but it still has Mikan."
"I really liked the design you used with the wedges, Riko-chan." Kanan smiled at the Pianist/Cook. "And there is always room in my stomach for your Egg Sandwiches."
Well at least Dia and Kanan were liking it so far. Not as amazed like they were with the Kazuno's dish but at least she felt as if she was doing better than Mari and Yoshiko as far as those two are concerned. It made Riko a tad happier that she might have a chance.
However, her eyes then went towards the girl in the middle. The very girl that would have the final say as to who would win: Chika.
Chika was staring at the wedges and Sandwich with an unknown expression Riko never saw from the girl at all. She shifted uncomfortably on the spot as the Mikan girl began to eat, knowing that her own judgement alone could make or break your chances. Not only that, this ultimate judge was still Chika and she might just pick something out of a hat due to her just liking Mikan in general.
As Chika finished the plate, she gave her opinion.
"Riko-chan's Sandwiches are good as always!" She said. "And adding Mikan is an added bonus!"
Well that didn't help Riko be a nervous mess.
She sulked as she gone back to her spot, knowing that she might have lost here and knowing the other dishes before her, she thought that the Kazunos got this in the bag already. Riko turned towards You who gave her a thumbs up, trying to at least cheer her up.
The five began to wait nervously as Chika consulted with both Kanan and Dia so she would make her decision as accurate and fair as possible. It took a very long while before Chika stood up, ready to make her own announcement.
"Okay first off," Chika started. "I love you all. I still want to be friends with you even if you didn't win and you still have a place in my heart regardless."
The five gave her knowing nods of agreement.
"Now then!" She continued. "The winner of this cooking contest is..."
The contestants sweated beads all across. The Kazuno Sisters were holding each other tight, Leah almost tearing up at the potential prospects of not being able to cuddle Chika. Mari crossed her fingers, hoping she would be picked. Yoshiko was still in her datenshi pose for some odd reason but she was still scared on the inside. Riko, who was nervous throughout the judging, was still shaking like a leaf.
All their thoughts and hopes rests on Chika's decision.
Chika then pointed at the person who won, which was...
"Sakurauchi Riko-chan!"
"Eh?" Riko jolted upwards and started to blush a bit when her name was called. She was met with Chika's warm smile and the applause of both Dia and Kanan.
"WAIT WHAT?!" Leah screamed, not pleased with the result. "WHAT THE FUCK. ALL SHE MADE WAS A SANDWICH! THAT'S BULL!"
Sarah patted Leah on the head, apologizing to Chika while giving her congratulations to the winner of the competition.
"I guess simplicity works," She said to Riko. "You nailed it out there."
"A-Ah..." Riko said while flustered. "Thanks for the compliments."
"Riko-chan won, but that doesn't mean I will give up!" Mari proclaimed. "I will have my ways soon- Ow!"
Mari was then pulled by the ears by both Kanan and Dia, who had enough of Mari's shenanigans for one day.
"Mari," Dia grumbled. "Stop being overdramatic and lets head on out. Besides, Kanan wanted to watch Black Panther today."
"Besides, you had your chance and you lost." Kanan finalized as her blonde friend began to sulk.
Yoshiko, meanwhile, was being consulted by both Hanamaru and Ruby.
"You did great, zura!" Hanamaru quipped to the down-feeling Yoshiko.
"But I lost!" Yoshiko said angrily. "The Great Fallen Angel Yohane never loses!"
"But you did lost to You for the center vote for one of our singles..." Ruby reminded. "And you didn't get us a favorable lottery either."
"S-Shut it!"
As for Riko? She went up to Chika with a confused expression.
"W-Why, Chika-chan?" She questioned. "Why choose me? I was the most bland cook out there! I just made simple Egg Sandwiches and put Mikan around it in a fancy matter. Hell, there was nothing fancy about my dish and-"
"That's why it had to be you, Riko-chan." Chika gave Riko a reassuring hug. "You would go all out for me but you would still be grounded and rational enough to understand the reality of things out there." She then gave Riko a slight kiss on the cheek. "Besides, your plainness is the reason you are so cute~"
"S-Shut it, Chika-chan...." Riko turned away, blushing even more.