Chapter Text
Mori is beyond disappointed to say the least by the recent turn of events. He’s determined to forget the memories of the beach (except Fukuzawa’s abs) and turn the tide in his favor. They say the way to win a man’s heart is through his stomach and if a romantic candlelit dinner wasn’t enough, perhaps this baking competition will suffice.
That’s how Port Mafia and the ADA end up in a very large kitchen, courtesy of Mori pulling a few strings, bright and early at 9 AM on a Saturday morning. Everyone is mostly awake. Even Akutagawa, who did end up making a full recovery from his injury and promptly made sure Atsushi suffered the same, speed regeneration be damned. Hirotsu is noticeably absent—he claimed that after the events on the island he needed his own vacation and hoped he could trust them to handle themselves. Similarly, Higuchi and Gin are at their weekly yoga class and also couldn't make it.
“Thank you for coming today,” Mori calls out. The idle chatter among the contestants settles and they look attentively albeit bleary-eyed at him. “For today’s seduc-I mean competition, I am hosting a cooking competition! The rules are quite simple—you will be divided into teams of four and be given two hours to create a dish of their choice. It can be anything—an appetizer, a dinner entrée, dessert, whatever you prefer. You will have unrestricted access to a well-stocked fridge and freezer located on each side and a shared pantry towards the back. We have also provided all utensils, pots, pans, and virtually any baking equipment you may need. Before I assign people to teams, are there any questions?”
Atsushi raises his hand. “Yes, Atsushi?”
“How will we be evaluated?” he inquires, tilting his head slightly.
Mori smiles. “Good question! Our judges are Yosano and Kouyou. They both have esteemed palates and I trust them to make an honest assessment of the dishes you serve to them. Of course, if there happens to be any…unforeseen injuries like last time, Yosano is here to treat you. Any others?”
Kenji raises his hand. "Yes, Kenji?"
"Can I use as much cow meat as I want?"
Fukuzawa sighs, rubbing his hand on his temples. "Yes, Kenji, you can use as much as you'd like. Any others?"
Chuuya raises his hand. At this point Mori is slightly frustrated with all these questions but he's doing his best to remain calm and collected in front of his love. "Yes, Chuuya?"
"Can we use wine in our dishes?"
This time Mori replies. "Yes, Chuuya, I forgot to mention we also have a fully stocked wine collection in the pantry as well. We don't have the most expensive ones that you would like, but our selection will suffice for cooking purposes. Any others?"
The group picks up on his slightly exasperated tone and wisely don't ask any more.
"Very well! Onto the groups then. In team A, Dazai, Chuuya, Akutagawa, and Atsushi. In team B, Kyouka, Lucy, and the Tanizaki siblings. In team C, Kenji, Kunikida, Ranpo, and Poe. Fukuzawa and I are here to supervise and answer any questions that may arise when you are cooking. Remember, no Abilities, and no sabotaging the other teams' dishes. Any further questions?"
Mori waits for a few seconds. "Alright then, to your stations! Once you've found your station, please wait patiently for further instructions."
The members split up and go to the stations appropriately labeled A, B, and C. Almost immediately Dazai starts harassing Chuuya and Akutagawa and Atsushi start bickering but Mori clears his throat and silence ensues once again.
"Now that you have all found your stations, you have 2 hours when I say go to decide your dish and bake, grill, whatever you please. All we ask is there's enough to feed 2 people. On your mark. Get set. GO!"
The kitchen becomes alive with chatter.
"So what do we want to make?" Atsushi asks. Dazai is too preoccupied with stealing Chuuya's hat and Akutagawa is leaning against the counter with his arms crossed. "Doesn't matter, just pick something," he growls.
"Anything with wine," Chuuya says, stealing his hat back and dusting it off before putting it back on. "Actually, I know it's a little early but why don't we make steaks?"
"Ah, steaks! Are you hoping the protein will help you grow, little chibi?" Dazai snickers.
"I'm FAR stronger than you in a fight, shitty mackerel! Anyway, I know a great red-wine-braised steak recipe that we can serve with flatbreads. It's pretty easy to make and tastes amazing."
"Just tell me what to do," Akutagawa mutters. Chuuya grabs an apron off the stove and ties it around him, ignoring Dazai's cooing ("What a cute housewife!") and starts giving out orders.
Meanwhile, at station B, Kyouka and Lucy are in deep discussion while the Tanizaki twins are preoccupied with their...activities.
"I think we can go for a simple strawberry soufflé," Kyouka says.
"Ooo, I love strawberry!" replies Lucy. "I don't think I've ever made a soufflé before though."
"I can teach you. I've had a lot of time to experiment once I started living with Atsushi." Kyouka ties her hair back in a high-rise ponytail.
Junichirou, Naomi attached to his arm, walks over. "How can I help?"
Kyouka looks up at him, a determined expression on her face as she rolls up her sleeves. "Here's what we'll need."
Station C is having, in no uncertain words, a blond-haired, bespectacled meltdown.
"WE HAVE ONLY 1:58:36 LEFT! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?!" Kunikida roars, hands clutching his head.
"Calm down, Kunikida-kun. We just have to pick a fairly easy recipe that tastes good and we'll be in the clear,” Ranpo says calmly.
"BUT WHAT IF WE LOSE?! I DON'T WANT TO DISAPPOINT THE PRESIDENT!"
"We're going to lose if you don't calm yourself. From what I anticipate, Chuuya's team is going to do something wine-based so I'll assume that's a lunch entrée. Kyouka specializes in desserts. Which means we can choose a breakfast type food."
By this point, Kunikida has finally regained the ability for rational thought. "Very well, then." He pushes up his glasses. "What type of breakfast food do we want to make?"
"Something with BEEF!" Kenji calls out. Poe smiles sheepishly but nods. "I...I think having meat would be a wonderful idea as well."
"Very well, let's go with a ground beef omelette. It's shouldn't take very long to make, and we'll be done a lot sooner than the other teams." Ranpo remarks.
"Perfect," Kunikida says. "Let's start assembling our ingredients."