Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Izuku Midoriya had known Bakugou since the moment he was born. Their parents had met each other in college, and quickly became friends. Coincidentally, they both moved to the same neighbourhood, and unquestionably, both their children were raised together.

As soon as Izuku learned how to move around, he was constantly tailing Katsuki. From the playground, to the riverbanks and to each other’s houses. Wherever Katsuki went, Izuku followed mere steps behind.

They were friends back then, before either of them got their quirks. They had playdates, sleepovers, and spent time doing whatever else children do together. Being together, and knowing small things about each other came naturally as it was breathing.

But things took a turn when Katsuki received his quirk, explosion; the detonation of energy being expanded at a quick rate. It was an incredibly strong and versatile ability that many dreamed of having, and one that was undoubtedly suited for hero work. A highly desired occupation that every individual had dreamed of being at least once in their lives, all to receive glory, fame, wealth and respect from their career. Parents, children, and even adults would often stare in envy when Katsuki flaunted his powerful quirk to the world.

That following year, Midoriya turned four, and he still hasn’t shown any signs of developing a quirk. Then he turned six, seven and a half, eight, and so on. His mother had brought him to several quirk specialists, and there, he was officially pronounced as quirkless. It was a one in a 20% chance, that was continuously decreasing yearly. People without quirks were looked down upon by society. Useless, unfortunate, and uncommon. What used to be the norm was now outcasted as rare, and Izuku was one of the rejects of society.

He could clearly remember the moment when things between them started getting tense. Two sides of a coin, people often said. Head and tails, good and bad.

“T-That’s really mean of y-you Kacchan!”

Six years old Izuku was quivering in his shoes as he stood protectively in front of a boy who got knocked down by Bakugou and his friends. “Can’t you see he’s crying? I-If you keep going.. I- I’ll never forgive you!”

Bakugou stared at him with a blank face, “Stop trying to act like a hero Zuku', you don’t even know why I pushed him.”

Midoriya whimpered, tears forming in his eyes “But you s-still hurt him, and if you don’t apologize. I’m going to t-tell auntie Mitsuki!”

Bakugou stiffened for a moment before snarling at him, hands heating up. “Don’t you dare bring the old hag into this, you damn Deku!”

One thing led to another and somehow it ended up with Bakugou being grounded.

Midoriya didn’t see Bakugou for the rest of their summer break.

They were never in the same class the following years, so Midoriya never found a chance to ask him about his disappearance that summer. Similarly, Bakugou never bothered reaching out and socializing with him after that incident. That was how their relationship became strained and eventually, both of them drifted apart.

So to put it short, they weren't friends anymore.

Although they both lived in the same neighbourhood, Bakugou and his family moved to another house that was bigger, and a lot more expensive too. Midoriya didn't see him often, and it was rare that they bumped into each other on the streets.

Midoriya moved on, quietly watching over Bakugou since the blonde had made it clear that he didn’t want to be anywhere near him. But by the time middle school rolled around, they both went to the same junior high; Aldera, as it was close by. Surprisingly, he and Bakugou were in the same class in their third year.

That was when they both started hitting puberty. Midoriya grew a few centimetres, not really impressive since he was still one of the shortest students in his class. Nothing really changed for him.

But for Bakugou, that was a whole different story. He had grown a whole head taller, and his muscles started developing. It fitted his uniform well. Bakugou was the son of a model, so it wasn't surprising that he received good genes and grew up attractive. During his childhood, he had a cute baby face that adults would often coo over. But those features really started filling out, and gradually, people would crowd over him asking for his number, dates, and many times, Midoriya would see confession letters being pushed into his locker. He was the apple of everyone's eye, but Bakugou couldn't care less. He ignored them and kept to himself.

Over these few years, Bakugou had seemed to mellow out, even though he was still drawing a lot of attention from others, he seemed more mature and less rowdy. Although he was still vulgar and aggressive as usual, he didn't lash out as much. 

They were both focusing on themselves.

Midoriya started studying more and soon, countless journals with endless pages of information about heroes piled up. Heroics. It was a dream he had ever since he was a child, and one that he would keep chasing after, but could never be able to achieve.

But that all changed when he met Yagi Toshinori, or as one might call him “All Might.”
The Number 1 Hero of Japan, the Symbol of Peace, the hero that aided others with a bright smile on his face. Shouting his iconic phrase, “I am here” whilst he saved people and defeated villains. The hero that many looked up to, including himself. 

Izuku Midoriya was one out of the whole entire population who gained the next One for All. The quirk that was passed down through generations after generations of previous heroes. All Might, the eighth holder of the quirk, his idol had chosen Midoriya as his successor, and that was how his whole life changed.

He trained hard and endlessly for months. But he made it. The boy who was bullied the moment he was declared as quirkless had made it into U.A. The prestigious hero school  had a low acceptance rate of 0.2%, and Izuku Midoriya was now part of the first-year students in Class 1-A, of U.A.

There was no surprise that Bakugou had also made it in. When Midoriya was bullied and pushed around back in middle school, Bakugou didn’t bother batting an eye. He ignored Midoriya as if he wasn’t there. But although never landing a hit on him, the way Bakugou had treated Midoriya as if he was nothing but a pebble on the road had left an emotional scar on him.

-

The following days after the U.S.J incident, Midoriya had been holed up in his room, scribbling away in his notebooks.

There was something strange about Kacchan.

He seemed different from before and Midoriya couldn't put a finger on what. People change all the time, it was natural. Your friends change, your grades change, your jobs change. It was normal. But Bakugou’s behaviour seemed unusual to him.

Take for an instance. Bakugou was never someone who spent a lot of time on electronics, even when he got his first phone in his second year of junior high. It was the newest model that came out in stores, with snazzy functions you couldn't even imagine. Bakugou didn't seem to care and barely used it, but now thinking back to it. Throughout their last year of middle school, Bakugou was often seen on his phone, tapping away on the screen. But there were a few times where he left it on his desk; unlocked when he forgot about the device.

Midoriya who couldn't help but feel curious had leaned over and seen a bunch of text messages incoming from his screen. All from people he didn’t know and was sure that they didn't go to the same school as them.

Bakugou Katsuki of all people, the person who sees others as extras, has been messaging people; having an actual conversation. That was pretty shocking to Midoriya,  since Bakugou barely talked to any of his classmates. Nonetheless be the one to initiate conversation, practically having no social interactions unless he finds you interesting, or strong enough to be on par with him. It seemed unrealistic, even to Midoriya who had known him for years.

Heck, Bakugou doesn’t respond to anyone aside from the teacher when being spoken to. It was often either a nod, grunt, swear word or if lucky, a short phrase that came out of his mouth. 

It was no secret that the Bakugou family had money. They weren't rich but had more than enough cash to fund a few yearly trips. Whenever Bakugou came back from a break, he always seemed to be in a positive mood for a few days after. Even to the point of nodding back to Midoriya when he had stuttered out a meek greeting in the mornings. 

There were even a few times where Bakugou was late to class. Midoriya knew he took his studies seriously and got good grades in exchange. But seeing him come to class almost an hour after the bell rang was odd. The moment their teachers dismissed the class, Bakugou was always the first one out the door. Often rejecting his classmates' offers to hang out after school. 

Don't even get him started on the piercings. Bakugou had came into class one day with multiple piercings, and a deep frown marring his face. He looked almost exactly like a dequilient. Piercings, baggy pants, and messy tousled hair. Obviously, his classmates ate that look right up and the teachers didn't bother calling him out for it. On his left ear, he had a small black huggie piercing hooped around his lobe, and 2 matching black studs on his right. Each lining up right above the other. 

These were just a few of the things that Midoriya felt were off. They were strange. But not as weird as the most recent occurrence that had happened just a few days ago.

The U.S.J incident

Back when the villains attacked, our class was separated into different groups and parts of the facility. Kacchan was sent to the collapsed zone with #8; Kirishima Eijirou, who had a hardening quirk. They were one of the first that had made it back to the central plaza, where Aizawa, our teacher, was fighting the group of villains and a huge abnormal black monster being. We later found out that it was called a “Nomu”

That wasn’t the most surprising part though. As Kacchan and a few of our classmates aided our teacher with attacking the Nomu and getting Aizawa-sensei out of villains' reach, he was injured badly from fighting. Kacchan had found a way to restrain the mist villain on the floor by pinning down on his metal brace which was his weak point that Kacchan had exploited.  He had introduced himself as Kurogiri, and was quite polite for a villain. It seemed like he had a teleporting quirk that he called a "warp gate".  

Towards the end of the fight, All Might had came to their rescue. It seemed like Iida managed to find help in time. When Tomura, their leader, realized that they wouldn’t be able to win the fight, he commanded the Nomu to bring back Kurogiri. (Who was still pinned to the ground.) The Nomu was in front of Kacchan in a flash. We didn’t have any chance to react before a deafening explosion and grey smoke start to evoked the whole area. A few seconds later, I saw Kacchan crouching on the floor just a few feet away from me! I was shocked because All Might didn’t even move an inch from where he was standing previously. But Kacchan managed to move away in time, and even attacking it as well!

How did he manage to dodge the abnormal being? The Nomu had speed, the power and the regeneration that matched All Might, and perhaps even stronger. But somehow Kachan had gotten away unharmed?

The leader was just as surprised as the rest of us. It seemed like he was also shocked that Kacchan had managed to evade himself away from the Nomu. His reaction definitely showed that he didn’t expect that to happen either. But in the process, Kurogiri was released.

The fact that Kacchan had managed to move away from the Nomu meant he was able to keep up with the movements of the monster even though All Might was having difficulty against it.

All Might snapped out of his stupor and went back to exchanging punches with the Nomu, and when he was about to hit the finishing blow. The monster rushed back to Kacchan screeching. Once again, the rest of us were frozen in shock and unable to do anything. Just a few seconds away from getting his body ripped apart, Kacchan had used his quirk to land on the shoulders of the bulky monster. He wrapped his legs around the neck and squeezed his arms to hold the Nomu into a chokehold. He then blasted a huge explosion onto the exposed brains. Black ashes fell from the sky as Katsuki released the monster who was squirming around and leaped back. Allowing All Might to properly defeat the Nomu.

We were all flabbergasted. How was Kacchan so composed? And how was his reaction time so fast? These were some of the questions that popped into my mind that was  racing with confusion. It was really strange because it almost seemed like Kacchan was experienced with facing situations like these.

But aside from that, I’m not sure if anyone else saw. But I saw what the others hadn’t. Although I was distracted by the fight, just a few moments before Kacchan released the monster, I saw him swiftly pull out something shaped like a syringe. It was filled with a dark substance and he injected the liquid into the Nomu's nape. He did it so fast that no one would be able to see unless they were focusing on him at the exact moment and was at the right angle.

All Might defeated the monster right when the rest of the pro heroes showed up. Most of the villains were caught and arrested, while some escaped using Kurogiri’s warp gate. Snipeshot had managed to put a few bullets into the leader as he retreated.

The police had managed to capture the Nomu after the incident. I had overheard them questioning amongst themselves why the Nomu had gone slack, while I was getting treated with first aid. The monstrosity that was on a league with All Might had become paralyzed. And even though I knew the strength of my mentor, I knew that he wasn’t the one who did that. The rest of my classmates, including Kacchan was getting checked over by the medics as well.

There were no injuries on him.

Midoriya’s pen paused, his spiral of thoughts came to a halt. Eyes narrowing in confusion

Things weren't adding up.

Although I knew that Kacchan used to go to a lot of dojos and was a good fighter, where and how did he get all the skills? They weren’t by just peer luck, seeing that it happened twice within 5 minutes. That level of the fighting obviously took years of training. And all those moves looked professional and clean. It's very strange..

Midoriya came to a conclusion that he would be observing Bakugou a little closer, just in case of anything.

Chapter Text

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that Bakugou Katsuki was a competitive person.

Whatever he did, he was always the best at, and therefore, first. Whether it be sports, academics, looks, skills, and whatever, he would always excel at it. Even at a young age, activities that were difficult for others were simple to him. Answers to questions that were above his grade level just came naturally to him. Whatever you threw at Katsuki, he would return it many times better. 

It came to the point where his parents refused to sign him up for any more clubs or extracurricular activities because there was just no point. All it would take is a single glance and Katsuki would successfully master it and beat the record. And so because of this, their attic eventually turned into a storage room for all the trophies and medals he had won. One after another slowly piled up and gained dust over the years.

Katsuki was just naturally above everyone else. 

Adults, teachers, classmates’ praises soon became the norm and faded into background noises. Everything was dull, there was no thrill in being able to beat record after record. It was the same as playing a game over again, even if you already beaten the boss. Katsuki anticipated challenges and excitement just as much as the next person, possibly even more. But the people around him just couldn’t provide that, so that's why it didn’t come as a surprise when his social group turned smaller and smaller.

Bakugou continued moving forward while his peers were left in the dust. They would stare at his back in either awe or jealousy but never bothered to get up and chase after him.

Being able to succeed in anything he wanted was both a blessing and a curse.

Bakugou learned how to ride a bike at the age of five, held a knife when he was six, knew how to cook at the age of seven, kept on receiving countless awards at eight and continued. He kept winning and there was nothing stopping him.

He matured faster, and maybe that was why his parents didn’t pay much attention to him growing up. Trusting him to take care of himself at home when he was just in elementary school. Thinking back, what they showed wasn’t quite trust, it was more that they didn’t have time for him. They were constantly busy with their growing business to spend time with Katsuki, and moreover thinking that he would be able to take care of himself when his age was still in the single digits.

Leaving on business trips continuously from Milan to Paris to New York. Countries after countries, and barely coming home for a few days every month. It was needless to say that Katsuki was used to an empty house, with silence being his sole companion. They sent money every few weeks for him to live on. He had to learn how to split the money between groceries, laundry, and cleaning bills the moment he stepped out of elementary school. You could practically say that Katsuki raised himself.

Once every few months, his teachers would sit them in a sharing circle and go around asking his classmates what they wanted to be in the future. When it came to Bakugou’s turn, he would always respond with “anything I want to be” then shrug and keep quiet after that. His teachers moved on to the next student, most likely thinking that he was joking around with his answer. It probably seemed to them when a child said that they would become a princess when they grew up. But that wasn’t the case for Katsuki, the claims weren’t just the truth, they were a fact. Whatever he put his mind to, he would always be able to achieve. All the endless trophies in the attic were more than enough proof.

Every year he kept getting asked the same questions over and over again. Eventually the teachers wouldn’t take his response seriously and thought he was just being naive. That he needed to start thinking about his future more earnestly. 

But it's not as if Bakugou wasn't planning out his future. It was just that he's indifferent to what he would become in a few years time. He could chose to be a lawyer, and he'd probably do well in that field as well. But it just wasn't something he was particularly interested nor passionate about. Yet the adults, on the other hand, didn't get it.

Starting in his last year of Junior High, teachers started handing out career path forms and high school recommendation choices. Options that ranged from U.A, Seijin, Ketsubusu to Shiketsu were the more popular ones. People around him expected him to go far and thrive in life. They were confident that he would become someone successful.

Bakugou had lost track of how many times he got pulled into the guidance office because he had left the page blank. The counsellor said the same thing every time. Shit about how he should become a doctor, a teacher, a hero. Anything that was stereotypically viewed as a profitable and successful job. Bakugou could remember the speech even in his sleep. “Bakugou-kun, take this as advice from me..."

His classmates and teachers speculated that he would choose heroics as his career choice. The glory-filled occupation that only a few selected, fortunate people with strong quirks would be able to succeed in. Bakugou didn’t really care, but he filled in his form with U.A as his choice anyways. It was the easiest way for the adults to shut up and for his peers to stop questioning him.

Heroics in Bakugou’s opinion were overrated. Sure, when he was a child, he also dreamed of becoming a hero and beating up villains. But now? He really doesn't give a fuck.

Heroes these days paid more attention to public opinions rather than focusing on the original purpose. He used to idolize All Might, but now he favoured Endeavor and underground heroes more.

They were some of the more realistic heroes, people who actually have their shit together and finish the job. Although they weren’t as popular as the ones who did fanservice to the public, Bakugou found them cooler. Heroes who saved others without caring about popularity and don’t waste time making small talk. That was the type of hero he would be if he made it pro. Though it also wouldn’t hurt to get a Hero License and be able to use his quirk in public without any legal repercussions.

Bakugou has the quirk, the grades, the face and whatever anyone else wanted, he had. He was the blessed, perfect golden boy in others’ eyes. So maybe that was why it wasn’t a surprise to anybody when he made it into Class 1-A.

-

[Nostrils] 19:32

You still have those Uno cards right?

[You] 19:38

Why

[Nostrils] 19:38

Bring them

There's a training camp next week

Check your email if you haven’t already, dumbass

[You] 19:40

Bring ur own fucking deck

Bakugou turned over onto his back from his position on the bed as he swiped to his email app. Totsuki, Totsuki, he scrolled through countless unread messages searching for the one from the academy. He clicked into the letter.

April 18, 2xxx

Dear Katsuki Bakugou,

You have been invited to attend the Tōtsuki Friendship and Rapport Training Camp. It will be held on April 22, 2xxx and will last for a week. We have contacted your principal at Yuuei Academy and they have given you the go-ahead if you would like to proceed. The camp will be held at Tōtsuki Resorts and the students will be going through a variety of challenges to hone their cooking skills. If you have any questions please contact our support department.

Sincerely,

Tōtsuki Culinary Academy

Skimming over the text, Bakugou dialled a number on his phone before tossing it onto the bed. He stretched his back while he waited for the receiver to pick up.

Training camp huh. Seems interesting.

The ringing came to stop and a familiar voice filled the room “Bring the limited edition Uno ones.”

“That’s the first fucking thing you say?” Bakugou scoffed, taking a seat on his desk chair, “We’ll be too busy with the camp anyways.”

“Wow," The voice drawled, "You’re actually coming? Didn’t your class just go through a villain attack? I didn’t think U.A’s security measures were taken this lightly.”

Bakugou's eyes flickered to his window through his rimmed glasses. The sky was setting and it lit the room with a warm hazy orange glow through the glass panels.

“We got a week off since they’re investigating the case. The rat said it was fine if I go, just needa be careful or whatever.”

“You really should be more respectful to your teachers... I can’t believe you called your principal a rat,” the voice on the other line snickered, then pausing and adding a little softer, “You’re fine right? No injuries?”

“Obviously, who do you think I am? The damn second-rate villains didn’t stand a chance against me,” the blonde said smugly as he got up and opened his closet, grabbing a few clothing pieces that would last him the week. “The rat's fucking creepy with his beedy ass eyes. Seems like it's always staring into your soul and shit.” Bakugou complained, voice raising a little louder since he had started packing his bag. “What else do I fucking need to bring”

“Basic essentials, personal equipment and the cards. The resort will probably provide the rest.”

“Oi, shut up with the cards bullshit. Knowing that it’s Tōtsuki, keep up that damn mindset and you’ll be expelled by the end of the week.”

“Oh? Are you worried about me? Man, this is the first time that you showed some emotion aside from being angry and annoyed all the time. I thought you were emotionally constipated this whole time since I met you.”

Bakugou glowered at his phone. Maybe if he stared hard enough, the other person would feel his irritation over the screen.

“Fuck off, who the hell said I was worried?! I wouldn’t miss the chance to see you getting your ass kicked.”

“You say that, but don’t come crying to me when you end up in last place~”

“Haah?! Don’t act so high and mighty, you piece of shit!” He fiddled with the zipper of his bag, tugging it closed. “I’ll be the first one finished. Watch me fucking beat your ass.”

Bakugou could practically feel the other grinning over the screen “Kinky but sure~ Anyways I’ll make a deal with you, pack the Uno cards and I’ll plant the herbs you’ve been wanting.”

The baggage thumped against the wooden floor as his eyes twitched. “Are you fucking with me? All it took was a pack of cards? Deal. You better make sure it fucking grows properly or I’ll chop off your damn hair while you’re sleeping.”

He could hear the other humming, shrugging off the threat “Yeah, yeah. So I’ll see you at the camp?”

“Mhm” Making a sound of acknowledgment, he ended the call and grabbed the deck of cards, stuffing it into the bag.

Ping

Bakugou picked up his phone again after hearing a notification from his message app.

[Stripper bitch] 20:03

Katsuki-kun, I heard from a little birdie that you’re going to the training camp?

If you have time, come over to the dorm, I have your package here

[You] 20:04

“Little birdie” my ass

I’ll stop by to pick it up

[Stripper bitch] 20:04

Rude!! Be nicer to your senpai! :((

Okay, I’ll see you then! :)

This school's filled with freaks.

-

A few days later, Bakugou found himself standing in a large parking lot with his luggage. Students bustled around while teachers tried to organize everything. The weather was hot today. He tugged on his necktie, it was so fucking stuffy and the heat didn’t help.

Bakugou’s eyes wandered around, but his view was obstructed by the absurd number of coach buses that lined up and gleamed in the sun. The metallic exterior was flashy and Bakugou didn’t doubt that the inside would be too. The whole scene was ridiculous.

Damn richass people showing off their wealth.

Surveying his surroundings, he noticed a tuft of sandy blonde hair peeking out from a pair of siblings standing together on his right, and headed towards them which was also where his designated bus was. Bakugou smirked.

“OI ALDINI”

Two heads turned to look in his direction. The bigger one seemed visibly confused, leaning down whispering to his twin. Although the other blonde’s face was covered by his brother, Bakugou had no doubt that his eyes were wide open.

“Bakugou” Takumi Aldini muttered quietly.

“Big bro, do you know that person?” Isami Aldini asked, cocking his head as he watched the blonde approach their group.

“I do, we got paired up for a few assignments together before. He’s quite vulgar and as much as I hate to admit it, he has the skills to back his talk.”

Bakugou stopped in front of the two, dropping his duffel bag on the ground by the makeshift luggage pile.

He leaned over Takumi, who was sitting on a bench, “It’s been a while, loser.”

Piercing sharp red eyes met cerulean blue.

“Yes, it has, and please don’t call me that. Anyways, this is Bakugou Katsuki, he was one of my classmates” Takumi said, introducing Bakugou to his brother.

“Classmate? What happened to rival?” Bakugou smirked, “The last time I remember, you were throwing a tantrum that I got a higher grade than you.”

“Ehh? Nii-chan, you cried again?” The youngest in their group asked incredulously.

“I didn’t!!”

“Yeah, he did. Fucking cried over it for 10 minutes, it was hilarious. I even got it on tape.”

Isami laughed, finding fun by teasing his brother. “Show me that video, that definitely seems like something Nii-chan would do!”

Takumi flushed in embarrassment, “Shut up! It was NOT for 10 minutes. Also, it’s been months since then! My skills have grown, and the next time we have a match. I’ll beat you!! Also, Isami, don’t side with him! We’re supposed to stick togethe-”

He was interrupted by the teacher’s shout. “Line up in groups and head onto the buses please. Single file!”

Bakugou watched as the students around them moved, picking up his bag and stepping onto the assigned bus, “Sure, get ready to cry for 20 minutes this time.”

Takumi let out a squawk of protest and was about to go off on another ranting session before Isami picked up both their bags and hoarded his brother onto the bus. “Don’t embarrass yourself more Nii-chan!”

Bakugou snickered. The rest of the bus ride was filled with the two poking fun at Takumi. 

-

Bakugou spotted the hair before anything else.

The person with the unsightly white hair tied in a low ponytail was standing just a few feet away. Bakugou glared, quickly unzipping his bag and fishing out the pack of cards before abruptly throwing it, on aim, at the person’s head. It struck the nape of the said person.

Bullseye.

Hayama Akira hissed, then threw a dirty look right at him. “You know you could have just handed it to me like a normal civil human being, right?”

Bakugou shrugged feeling smug, “I don't do normal, plus I prefer it this way more.”

Hayama rubbed the back of his neck, picking up the cards that fell to the ground. “The life of your plants is in my hands. You should really treat me better.”

“Drowning them with water until they grow? Is that how you got so fucking tall? By standing in the rain?!” Bakugou glared up at Hayama, who had hit a growth spurt within the few months they haven’t seen each other, before tugging his head down in an headlock, “I’m not fucking going to look up at you, damn beanstalk.”

Fucktard grew taller than me..

The tanned male grinned revealing his teeth, “At least I’m not a shortass like you anymore.”

The blonde snarled, preparing to kick his ass when the P.A system crackled, making an announcement. “All Tōtsuki students, please proceed towards the reception desks. You will each receive a key to your designated rooms. Leave your belongings there and head towards the lobby area in the east wing directly after you've finished unpacking."

“Fuck off, I can still beat your ass either way,” Bakugou growled stepping towards the receptionist that handed him his key. He tossed it to Hayama who had also received his own room pass.

“2304. I guess we’re rooming together then.” the other smirked, shifting the weight of his bag.

“You better not snore or I’ll blast you to next week, nostrils.”

“Are you sure you won’t be the one snoring instead?” Hayama teased, walking behind Bakugou towards their designated room.

The two continued bantering, unlocking their shared room. It was excessively large, just like the rest of the building. There were velvet-covered sofas with potted plants to match. Large paintings hung over the king-sized beds, and after examining the room further. They found a jacuzzi that could easily fit three people in the washroom, with a TV connected beside it. Bakugou rubbed his eyes, swearing that there were sparkles in the air.

Who the hell has a goddamn TV in the washroom?! Bakugou grimaced thinking about the cost of a night here, and although his family was by no means poor. This was.. overly excessive and don’t even get him started on the interior of the bus. Hell, even the floorboards of the hotel were covered in carpet!

He said it once and will say it again.

Rich-ass people are extra as fuck.

Chapter Text

The large lobby room was packed with students from Tōtsuki Academy. The elite culinary institution that was worldwide-renowned for producing successful high-class chefs from all over. Apart from that, they were also infamous for the percentage of graduates per year. The number of students who managed to graduate continuously decreased until eventually, the graduation rate dwindled down to a measly 10%. It was nearly impossible to graduate.

Just like the rest of Japan, they had a 3-year system. At the start of the year, about roughly 1000 students are admitted. By the end of their first year, only about 100 remain until less than 10 students graduate in their third year. The system that the academy had put in place to eliminate anyone who couldn’t match up to their standards was rigorous and harsh. Practically even a single failure in your class would result in immediate expulsion. 

But for those who did manage to graduate, they were guaranteed to become a major piece of the culinary world. It would already be seen as a great accomplishment if you could even make it past your first year. Most don’t, which is why many drop out and try their luck at another school. Some just give up culinary completely after getting a glimpse of the challenging and demanding profession. 

The graduates of the academy put in years of work in the kitchen, shedding blood, sweat and tears for them to stand at where they are right now. Those graduates were known as the Tōtsuki Academy Alumni, some of the most skilled and sought-after chefs in the world. 

Majority of the students attending were chosen since middle school. So as long as you met a certain criteria, you would be allowed to move to their secondary division. But being able to stay at the prestigious academy for those 3 years would be a result of your hard work, talent and determination. Only the ones who showed potential to be able to succeed as a chef were acknowledged to move forward. 

The only other option to enter the school aside from being selected was doing an entrance exam. The only requirements were to serve a dish that would satisfy the judge’s palate. Being able to pass the challenge would be seen as a major feat since the students chosen from middle school had already gone through years of schooling and were taught from the finest lectures.

But unfortunately for the examinees this year, the judge who was overseeing the exams was Erina Nakiri, the holder of the Divine Tongue. A quirk that allows the user to taste a dish to the highest degree. As being able to tell all the ingredients used and the cooking process. She was a prodigy, and in addition to that, she was also the granddaughter of the dean at the academy.

Anyone who couldn’t meet her standards were instantly labelled as a failure in the cooking world. 

Soma Yukihira, the first-year student who came and disrupted the academy. He was the sole person who had made it past the entrance exam, as well as the only contender. At the start of the year's speech, he had the confidence and ignorance to declare that he would take the number 1 spot at this school, instantly making everyone dislike him at first glance. 

“To be honest, this academy’s just a stepping stone for me. I wasn’t expecting to transfer here, but I don’t plan on losing to folks who’ve never actually served customers. What I’m trying to say is, basically, now that I’m here. I’m going to take the number one spot!” 

No wonder everybody hated him!

-

Soma stood with the rest of the first years in the meeting area, surrounded by his dorm-mates at Polaris. The hotel was extravagant, as expected. He had gotten over most of the shock towards the luxurious resort after seeing the rooms the school had provided them. There was a jacuzzi in his bathroom, an actual jacuzzi! Soma stared at the tub for 5 minutes before snapping out and unpacking his bag. 

Rich people are a different breed. 

The walls of the lobby room were painted in burgundy red and were decorated by large stone pillars that stood tall. Even the interior of the space looked classy, being furnished in elegant red and gold details. The cost of a single night here at the hotel was probably more than any middle class citizen would ever be able to afford. A night here would cost just as much as a month’s worth of rent.

The students were standing around, pacing nervously waiting for instructions, while others sat on chairs with their heads down in anxiety. The atmosphere was filled with anticipation, worries, and nerves. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. 

This week-long trip was also dubbed as the “Training Camp From Hell” by their upperclassman who had passed the camp the previous years. Hence, if you failed to complete even a single task, it was highly likely that you would be expelled from the school.

It was a competition of the fittest made to weed out the winners and losers. To separate the ones with talent against ones who weren't suited for the kitchen and couldn't keep up with the ruthless competition. It was harsh, but it was needed for them to realize where their talent stands. It was a trial of sorts, to divide against students who could keep up with the heat of the kitchen and the ones who would lose themselves in the long run.

By the end of the week, at least half of the students here today would be expelled. Undeniably, everyone had some sort of uneasy air around them. 

Well, everyone except for Soma who didn’t seem even a little bothered by the mood. The red head scanned his eyes around the room, catching sight of a busty blonde hair girl he had befriended a few weeks ago into the school year. Although their encounter was through a Shokugeki, they had gotten pretty close with each other. Almost to the point where they would be considered friends. 

“Hey look, it's Nikumi!” 

“Y-Yukihira?!” The said person turned around in surprise, fingers twirling through her short blonde hair nervously with a small blush forming on her tanned face. 

“Yo! It’s been a while, Nikumi,” he said waving cheerfully with a dumb smile on his face. The rest of his friends sweatdropped at his nonchalance. 

“Don’t call me that!” 

Whilst the small group was chatting amongst themselves, the other students near them watched in contempt and hostility. It was pretty obvious that they didn’t like Yukihira the moment he stepped down the stage after his opening speech. After all, he did say that he would be using them and the school as a stepping stone to reach the top.

“Good morning students." A voice cut through the small chatter, and everyone turned their attention to the front where Roland Chapelle; the head of the French Culinary Division, stepped up onto the podium with a microphone. "I will now provide an overview of this camp,” the man said with a stern face. He swept his sharp blue eyes over the first year students below. “You are scheduled to stay here for five nights, and six days. During this time, you’ll split off into several groups and take on new assignments each day. Students whose instructors' evaluations fall below a certain baseline will be failed and sent back to the academy and expelled.” 

Many gulped in worry at the thought of that. Being expelled not even a whole month into the school year? No normal school did that, but since it was Tōtsuki, getting expelled was basically a normal occurrence. At least one person was expelled daily, so if the instructors deem you not fit for their lessons, you’re kicked out. It was simple like that, and even easier since the institute was a private school. The directors made their own guidelines so that there would be no legal repercussions. 

“To evaluate your tasks, we have invited some guest lecturers. They’re the Tōtsuki Alumni who have graciously agreed to join us in spite of their busy schedules.” Roland introduced as a large number of people filed in, stepping onto the stage. Students started murmuring within themselves in awe. 

Tōtsuki Alumni, the culinary geniuses who managed to graduate within that limited 10 percent. They were in the same room and even just several meters away from some of the most talented celebrities of the culinary world. And just with that first glance, they could make out the majority of the famed chefs featured in monthly cooking magazines. To be able to meet them in person was an honour! 

There were countless big-name chefs onstage that had won numerous awards for their dishes and recipes. The students were staring in admiration for just being in the presence of the Alumni. The stars of the cooking world were lined up in front of them. It was a once in a lifetime chance to see all of them gathered together in front of their eyes. 

“Hm, you over there. Nine rows back, the boy with the scar on his eyebrow.”

Yukihira pointed at himself questioningly at the chef who called him out. Everyone else fell silent as they waited in anticipation. 

“Oh, sorry. Not you. I mean the one on your right.” 

The person beside Soma tilted his head in confusion.

“Yeah, you. You’re expelled. You can leave now.” 

The boy’s eyes widened in shock, “What?!” 

“Your hair product has a citrus scent. It interferes with the aroma of the food. We do need to pay attention to our sense of style after all.”

Kojiro Shinomiya, a former first seat of the 80th generation, stepped down the small staircases and sauntered towards them with a cocky smirk on his face. “If chefs have no sense of style, their dishes will have no appeal. You should choose an unscented hair product from now on.”

“Wait, I’m getting expelled just for that?!” 

“Just that, can be enough to lose your customers,” he added, turning around with a glare. “Are you trying to destroy my restaurant?”

A stifled snicker rang out through the otherwise quiet room. Soma found himself along with others looking over towards the source of the sound. 

A blonde teen whose face was covered with a disposable black medical mask was standing next to a taller male whose face was hidden by white hair. He wasn’t even trying to disguise the noise, while the other male beside him shook his head in exasperation. It seemed like he was used to this kind of behaviour from the blonde.  

“And you, blondie, is there something funny?” 

The blonde looked up and stared at Shinomiya straight-on. “Have you seen yourself in the mirror before you came on stage? Are you really one to talk about fashion choices? Your glasses look like swimming goggles. They’re so fucking ugly that I could see them a mile away.” 

Soma could see Megumi’s jaw-dropping alongside many others. That boy was insulting Kojiro Shinomiya, and he wasn’t just anybody. He was the first Japanese chef who had received the French Pluspol Award just a few years after he opened his restaurant. He was practically a living culinary legend who specialized in French Cuisine! 

The said chef raised an eyebrow intrigued, “You’ve got quite the mouth, don’t you? I could expel you right here if I wanted to. So unless you would also like to leave with him, I would suggest keeping your mouth shut” He gestured towards the other boy who he had personally expelled a few minutes ago. “What are you standing around for? Leave.”

The boy slumped over with his head down, walking to the doors leading out. The other first-years stared in disbelief, that student had been expelled before the camp had even started, and just because of his hair product! 

Soma turned his gaze back to the blonde teen who looked like he wanted to say something back but the male beside him leaned down to whisper a few words and he resorted to narrowing his eyes at the chef.  

Shinomiya held his gaze for a few seconds then walked back up the stairs satisfied. 

Whispers started spreading around the room, everyone was blatantly staring at the blonde teen in disbelief by his disrespect and bluntness. 

“What’re you extras staring at?” The male said lifting an eyebrow and sneering at his peers. The students quickly turned their attention back to the stage weary of his hostility. 

After seeing the tension in the room slightly decrease. Dojima Gin; the 69th generation first seat, and current head chef of the resort, started his welcoming speech. 

“Welcome to Totsuki Resort,” the large man with a buzzcut announced with his deep voice. Instantly silencing the room more with his heavy presence. “Each of the alumni members who have gathered here today is a chef who manages their own restaurant. For the next 6 days of this camp, we will treat you as we would our own staff. Do you understand what that entails?” He paused staring at the students, keen eyes scanning over the many students below. 

“Those of you who cannot perform to our expectations will be fired. Or in your case expelled. As you have already seen, at their discretion, you may be dismissed at the drop of a hat. It will be up to each of you personally to show what you are capable of within these few short days. Put in your best work, cook with everything you have, and show us that you have what it takes to stay at this academy and make it out as a chef.”

Dojima smirked, his single studded piercing glinted from the bright overhead spotlights, “Good luck with your assessments. Each of you may now proceed to your groups and head towards your designated locations.”

The students slowly began heading towards their respective groups after Dojima’s speech. Individuals swarmed over the place organizing themselves in groups. 

Soma stared at his card that was given out when they entered the lobby. Group B 

He felt someone tap his shoulder, and turning around he was greeted by Megumi’s dark hair, “Um, Soma, I think we’re in the same group?” She questioned showing him her card. Group B

“Guess we’ll be together for this assignment!” Soma grinned, “Do ya know what we’re doing?” 

Megumi shook her head, twin braids swinging along with her movement, “I’m not sure yet, but I’m pretty nervous… It’s a relief that we’re in the same group though!” 

He nodded walking towards their group who were boarding the bus that would take them to their spot “Yep, I’m excited though. I feel like-” 

Soma was cut off by someone who bumped against his shoulder. He turned his head around, meeting gazes with sharp red eyes. It was the blonde male who spoke back to chef Shinomiya! 

He opened his mouth to say something before getting cut off, on purpose this time by the same male snapping, “Watch where you’re going squidface.” 

“Squidface?? Are you talking about me?” Soma blinked a few times, confused by the insulting nickname the other had given him in less than a few seconds of their first encounter. 

“Who else would I be talking about? Fucking moron.” The blonde muttered, annoyed before heading towards his bus. 

Soma turned back to Megumi who moved a few feet away from him after the interaction. She was wringing her hands nervously, “Do you know who that guy is? He was really rude!” 

She answered tentatively, eyes trained on the carpet. “His name is Bakugou Katsuki, I don’t know much about him but there’s a rumour that he’s been personally handpicked by the headmaster.” She stepped closer to him, whispering, “A lot of people are saying that he’s on par with the council, but it’s not confirmed. I’m think that Isshiki-senpai is friends with him, but I find him very intimidating..” 

Soma’s eyes shifted back to the blonde who was already sitting next to the window seat on the bus, staring out the window with his chin resting on his palms, waiting for the rest of his group to get on. 

Bakugou Katsuki, he seems to be an interesting person. I’ll challenge him to a Shokugeki the next time we meet!” 

-

Their next meeting came sooner than he expected. 

Soma and Megumi, along with the Aldini brothers were in the same group. The students were split into pairs for the assignment. The bus took them to a remote area, and their challenge was to create a dish using resources that they could find from their outdoor environment. 

Out of the 40 students in their group, 26 failed and were to be expelled when they get back to the academy. It really showed how high the standards were in this school. 

Soma along with the rest of the first years at their dorm made it through their first challenge! Although Marui looked like he was about to drop to the ground and sleep for the rest of the hellish week.  

Yoshino winked at them cheering with her hands up enthusiastically, “Now that we’re finished with our first challenge, it’s time to reap the rewards! Dinner, bath, hotel room, I bet it’ll all be lavishly extravagant! And I’m going to enjoy all of it to the absolute fullest!!” 

Ryoko and Megumi sweatdropped before gently pulling her back into the lobby after her optimistic declaration. There, they tactfully observed how compared to this morning, there was a noticeable amount of reduced students. 

Hitoshi Sekimori, a chef that owns a traditional Japanese restaurant stepped into the room a few minutes later followed by a large number of people. “The Jouwan University bodybuilder club is staying nearby. The American football and wrestling teams will be joining them soon. Those of you who finish serving them dinner will be allowed to have free time.” 

He gestured to the small table cart in front of him, lifting the lid off a platter showing an example of the dinner. “The meal consists of a steak set, along with white rice, vegetable salad, miso soup, along with pickled carrot and daikon as a side dish. Each of you will prepare 50 servings within an hour. If you cannot meet the requirements, you will be expelled on the spot.”

Right after he finished talking, the students let out a roar of protests. 

Yoshino’s jaw dropped “But, Sekimori-senpai! What about our dinner?!” 

“Once you finished preparing the 50 servings, then you can make your own.”

The orange hair girl trembled. “Make our own? But what about… What about our extravagant dinners?”

Sekimori stared at her with an unimpressed expression. “There will be no such thing. You should also know that during your stay here at the camp, you will be preparing your own individual meals.” 

Ryoko clamped a hand over her mouth stifling her laughter after seeing Yoshino’s disappointed expression, “I can hear Yuuki’s heart breaking!”

Sekimori pulled out a timer, setting the time limit. “You may begin.”

The students were stupefied and started rushing all over the place to gather materials and start cooking. It was a messy sight, people shoving each other out of line so they could get a headstart, and hurrying to prep the ingredients needed. 

The bodybuilders were eating just as fast as each dish was served. The football team and the wrestlers were joining them in line for their meals as well. All the students were moving in frenzied movements, nerves filling the kitchen again just like the morning in the lobby room. 

This camp is hell after all, didn’t know what we even expected.

“Soma Yukihira, 50 servings complete! You pass the test.” Sekimura announced.

“Shit! He finished before me! But wait Yukihira, mine will taste better! I think!” Takumi Aldini shouted out after him. The Italian male had proclaimed himself as Yukihira's rival during their group challenge earlier this morning. 

“Hey, Aldini! Move your hands not your mouth! You have 5 more servings left.” 

“Yessir!” Takumi responded back earnestly. 

Soma unwrapped his headband tying it onto his wrist after changing back into his school uniform. He finished the task quickly due to the experience he gained back at his family restaurants during rush hours. He strolled down the velvet carpeted floor talking to himself, “I said I would wait in Marui’s room, but I can’t really do anything on my own.. I wonder if there’s anything on TV!”

He passed by a large sign before stepping back and re-reading the imprinted words. “Oh! The communal baths, that’s right! I’ll just take my bath before everyone else, maybe I’ll even have the baths to myself! I gotta get my yukata!” He said bouncing happily down the hallway, passing by someone before getting stopped with a pull on his jacket uniform.

“Oi, you, come over here” Soma turned to the person who called him out, “Me?”

“Yes, you, dumbass. Who else is in the hallway?” The other rolled his eyes before shoving a room pass into his hands, “Open the door for me.” 

“What? Wait! You’re- you’re the guy from this morning! Baku something, right?” Soma shouted pointing his fingers at the blond male. 

“Could you be any louder? Are you going to open the fucking door or not?” 

“Ahh, sure,” Turning the pass over in his hands, he swiped the card through the slot. “Do you not know how to?” 

Baku-something flushed red, “Of course I do! I just.. used it on the wrong side or something.” 

“Sure.. By the way, are you going to the baths? Wanna come with me?” The door clicked open, and the blond snatched the card out of his hand pausing for a few seconds,  thinking it over. “Okay.”

“Sweet, I’ll meet you there!” Soma nodded enthusiastically before running towards his own room to get a change of clothes. 

Setting down his stuff and gathering his necessities, he stepped back out of his room after closing it. Mindlessly, he skipped towards the baths and promptly bumped into someone again. 

“Man, I really gotta stop doing that,” He muttered rubbing at his scalp. Looking down at the person he collided with, “Sorry about that!” Yukihira locked stares with dark purple eyes, “Eh, Nakiri?” He said the same time the other said “Yukihira?” 

Erina Nakiri was on the floor astonished before quickly collecting herself, wrapping herself tighter in her thin yukata robe.

“You alright, Nakiri? Did you twist your ankle or something?” Soma asked, reaching a hand out. 

“Don’t touch me! I can get up without your help” She said inching her way on the floor away from him. She got up quickly and glared at him, face warm in embarrassment for getting caught up in such a humiliating situation.

“You seem to be in a good mood,” Yukihira pointed out, grinning, “Well, I do get why you’re so cheerful. We’re staying a few nights at a luxury resort. I even brought cards and other stuff to play with!” He said rubbing his finger under his nose smugly.  

“I’m not like you! I’d been told that this is supposed to be a camp straight out of hell. But I find it to be a boring, if not pointless excursion. But on the other hand, getting to see you expelled may prove to have some entertainment value” Erina said, mirth shining in her eyes waiting for a reaction. 

“Sure, whatever. But you were totally enjoying yourself earlier, I totally heard you humming!” 

She turned a darker shade of pink, ready to defend herself before getting cut off by someone shouting out her name. 

“Miss Erina! I’m sorry I took so long. It was more work than I anticipated- Yu-Yukihira Soma?! What are you doing here?!” Hisako shouted, startled. 

“Oh, I pushed Nakiri down the floor.” Soma said casually, “Sorry about that again.”

Hisako gasped, strange scenarios running through her mind. Erina cut her train of thought off, furiously waving a hand in front of his face, “Don’t make it sound like something it wasn’t!”

“Ah? But I did?” 

Erina threw him a dirty look “Whatever, just get out of my sight.”

“Fine, fine. See ya.” Soma said waving his hand as he stepped into the locker room. He could still hear the two conversing outside. Something about playing cards?  

The interior of the area was covered in wooden floors, and woven baskets to put in personal belongings. Soma glanced around the barren room. The blond male was nowhere to be seen. “Where’d he go? Well whatever, I’m going to take my sweet time in the baths.”

He quickly changed out of his clothes, then wrapping a short towel around himself. He slid open the doors separating the lockers and the baths shouting, “First one in, here I come!” Right before getting flashed with a wall of defined muscles.

“The first students here already?” Dojima Gin asked, not bothering to turn around as he stretched his tan arms in the water. “Sorry, stretching in the baths is part of my daily routine.”

At that moment, a single thought formed in Soma’s mind.

He’s freakin’ scary!

But it was only a moment before he joined the buff man in the baths laughing while so, “Man, and I was like all revved up thinking I would be the first one here. What a letdown!” 

Dojima chuckled “You’ll have to settle for being the first student here. Although I have to say, between last year and this year, the academy has some very good students in the pipeline.”

“Last year?” Soma asked questionly. 

“The task of preparing 50 servings has been assigned simultaneously at multiple locations. Every year, I try to finish my bath and leave before the students show up.”

Soma hummed in acknowledgement, stopping only when a thought came to mind. 

Wait, Nakiri finished earlier than I did. As well as the Baku-something guy since he was already getting into his room. 

Dojima noticed his distress and commented “Speed isn’t everything, of course. But it does say something about one’s skill.” Soma relaxed his body, waiting for him to continue.  

“Erina Nakiri, she’s the granddaughter of the academy’s director. She has a quirk called the ‘God’s tongue.’ It's a pretty amazing quirk to have as a chef. When she was a child, she was tested to taste several varieties of salt while blindfolded. There were accordingly 37 different types, and she correctly identified each of the salt’s name and origin. All of the academy’s senior lectures have been at her disposal since her childhood. There are more stories I could tell about her quirk. However, her ascendance as the youngest member of the Elite Ten is founded on pure talent. If she continues on that level, she will become Totsuki’s greatest masterpiece. A monster in the culinary world.” 

Dojima sighed, leaning back onto the edge of the pool. 

“But she’s still a diamond in the rough. Though I assure you that within these 3 years. She’ll come out as a polished diamond. This academy is a hellish place, where those with talent throng and devour each other. Its depths are unfathomable. That’s why Totsuki is one of the most elite culinary institutions in the world. For its rigorous competition.” 

Soma blinked, processing all that knowledge. “Woah, that’s a lot of information. Then, what about the other guy? Baku-something”

Dojima turned his head back to the red head, meeting his stare. “Bakugou Katsuki? He was single handedly chosen by the director a few years ago. I can’t say much about him, but he definitely has the drive to be on the council in a few years. His talent may possibly be on par with Nakiri’s, although there has been no official match record yet.” 

“You’ve got some potential in yourself as well, so don’t sell yourself short. Sharpen your fangs, boy!” He held his hand out for Soma to shake.

Soma let the corners of his mouth twitch up “Yessir!” taking his hand and shaking it firmly. Right then, the sliding doors opened, revealing Bakugou who too, was covered in a towel. “Bakugou! Sure took you long enough!” 

The male walked towards them and slowly slipped into the warm water. “The fuck? I was in here 10 minutes ago.”

“What? You were? Where?” Soma questioned confused, “I didn’t see you!” 

“Course you didn’t” He snorted before catching gazes with Dojima, tilting his head down in greeting, “Yo, S' Been a while, chef.” 

Dojima agreed, resting his hand on top of the blond’s head, flattening down the hair. “It has. Although it seems like I’ve soaked for too long. I should get going” He said stepping out of the water. “At any rate, the camp is just the beginning. Be sure to take care of yourself physically. Good luck.” He said leaving through the glass sliding doors.  

The two teens nodded, easing back down into the water. “You never answered my question earlier.”

Bakugou grunted “Are you my secretary or something? I don’t need to tell you shit.”

Soma frowned “What? Were you taking a dump?” 

Bakugou let out a noise of irritation, deciding on explaining before the other continues to pester him. “My quirk makes me sweat a substance similar to Nitroglycerin, and it’s toxic blah blah. I need to cover myself in a chloride solution before I get in public areas with water or else everyone will get nitro poisoning. You get it or what?” 

“Oh, so you’re like a walking health hazard?” 

Bakugou turned his head to stare at him disgruntled, “You’re a fucking moron.” 

Soma pouted then brightened up. “Oh yeah, I never introduced myself to you! I’m Yukihira Soma. Nice to meet ya!” 

The blond rolled his eyes, “Squidface.”

“Huh?! Hey! Why squidface?” His protests sounded on deaf ears. “Oh, by the way. How come this is the first time I saw you around? You sure seem like someone who would gather a lot of attention!” 

Bakugou took a moment to answer, “Why does it matter?” 

Soma opened his mouth to retort when the sliding door opened once more with another blonde joining them, “Yukihira! You may have finished before me this time, but I won’t let that happen- Eh? Bakugou?! You’re also here??” 

Bakugou shook his head, stray water droplets dripping off his hair. “You have eyes, don’t you? Anyways, I’m out. Shouldn't stay in the water for too long.” He rose from the water, stepping across the deck and back towards the locker room. “Later losers.”

Soma waved his hand, “See you later Bakugou!” 

Takumi swung his head around looking at the smiling face of Soma and the retreating back of Bakugou entering the other room. “You two are friends?!” 

“I think so. You know him too?”

“Of course I do! He’s my rival as well, you know!” 

Soma nodded slowly, “You sure have a lot of rivals” 

Takumi huffed “If I want to become a better chef, then the more competitors I have, the better. I get to learn more and expand my skills and knowledge for me to grow. Which is why you better put in your best when I challenge you to an official Shokugeki!” 

Soma blinked surprised. “That’s pretty deep hearing it from you. But sure!” 

The locker room soon erupted in chatters, alerting them of the other students coming in to wash up. 

Soma grinned excitedly “Time to get going! I’m going to see the rooms that’d normally cost us 80,000 yen per night!” 

Takumi scoffed “Simpleton.”

-

“We’re here!” The Polaris first years shouted in greeting, all gathering in Marui’s temporary room. “Since we all made it through day one, let’s celebrate!”

The unwilling host shouted back in distress, “Why do you guys keep coming to my room?!”

Yoshina ignored him, “All right! Time to de-stress! What game should we play?” 

“Poker! BlackJack! Old Maid!” 

-

“2 minutes and 15 seconds. That’s how long it took for them to pass out. Their exhaustion overwhelmed them the moment they eased up” Shun narrated eyeing his friends who collapsed onto the bed from exhaustion. “We can let them rest until lights out.” 

Ryoko turned her head towards Megumi, hugging a small pillow. “You’re not sleepy? You usually go to bed pretty early.”

Megumi smiled softly, “Yeah, it’s weird. I can’t explain, but I’m tired yet wide awake. It was like a repeat of the time when Soma challenged Nikumi to a Shokugeki. I was so anxious that I couldn’t sleep.”

An imaginary light bulb popped up in Soma’s mind as he grimaced, remembering something. 

Dangit! I forgot to challenge Bakugou to a Shokugeki!  

Chapter Text

Ordinary, plain and simple were often words associated with Megumi Tadokoro. 

Although they weren’t blatant insults, she still felt a little hurt when her friends used those words to tease her. She knows, okay? She knows, even as a child she never stood out from the crowd. She was average in all aspects, from her looks, to her grades, and to her social life. She was a common wallflower found in the background, hard to find even if you were intentionally searching for her.

But perhaps one thing that differentiates her from her peers back in her small rural hometown was her culinary skills. She wasn’t exactly the best, but she could, even with as little self-confidence as she had, could pride herself even just a little bit on her set of cooking skills. Though possibly, another one of her hidden talents may be unintentionally angering hot-headed people. 

Chef Shinomiya or his full name, Kojiro Shinomiya, was a well-respected chef with expertise in the French Culinary Arts. He was their selected teacher for the day, and passing rumours have it that he has expelled over 30 people all in one go. 

Funny how last night, Megumi had gotten a burst of determination to work her hardest so she could continue staying at the school with her friends and pursue her dreams. Yet now, she was on the verge of expulsion. Though, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to her, since she had barely scraped by getting kicked out last time due to the help of Soma. 

But at this very moment, she couldn’t tell if Soma was brave or just plain reckless in his decisions. He was wagering his own expulsion for her sake. He had challenged the professional, award-winning chef to a Shokugeki; a cooking challenge. Along with the terms that if he lost the challenge then he, along with Megumi would follow expulsion.

The task for their assignment was to prepare a vegetable terrain. A 9-layer multitude of vegetables that all require different cooking methods and heating techniques to create. What makes it especially challenging to make, is the process of melding all the flavours together so not one can overpower the other. It's a course that specifically focused on ingredients, and the key to making the particular dish successfully was to use the best and freshest produce possible.

To make it even more difficult for the students, they all had to follow one of Chef Shinomiya's recipes and weren’t allowed to share information nor help each other during the cooking process. 

Megumi had been caught in the midst of the rush where everyone was fighting to gather the freshest ingredients. She too tried her best to collect the ripest vegetables, but her only problem was that she was only left with cauliflowers in the stages of oxidation. It was a crucial factor for the vegetables since they are easily damaged and hard to preserve. Even the slightest tainted bruise would impact the dishes' presentation.

Though Megumi had tried to preserve the colour by using white wine for its whitening effects and to enhance the sweetness of the cauliflower. But Chef Shinomiya failed her due to how she didn’t follow the exact recipe he gave out. 

Which brings us now.

Soma had argued on her behalf to the chef, that he was being unreasonable because if they were his actual staff, then he would have the responsibility for all the ingredients in the kitchen. 

Chef Shinomiya slammed his hand against the counter, "You brat," directing the male a glare. "I added poor-quality ingredients on purpose to limit the number of people who would pass. Any idiot who lost their composure and made a poor selection would fail!" 

Yukihira futility tried to defend her, by insisting that Megumi tried to compensate by using her creativity.   

Someone else cut in before he had the chance to continue. "Chef, ain't that a part of becoming a pro? To improvise for inadequacy with individuality?" A voice drawled from the back of the room. 

Heads turned towards the voice, curious about who was meddling in the argument.  

Bakugou stared back unflinching, face resting on his hands from their position on the metal counter. "Can't fault her for trying to fix the dish when the ingredients were shitty. And if we were actual staff, then wouldn't you rather serve something altered rather than a dish that's fucking repulsive?" 

Shinomiya clicked his tongue in annoyance, "You again. Shouldn't you be happy that you passed instead of running your mouth? Or would you rather I fail you instead?" He levelled his glare at the blonde. 

Instead of shying away, the male raised an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly. "Oh? Isn't that an abuse of your power by threatening me?" Smirking, he paused, eyes scanning the room before landing on someone by the doorframe. "I'm sure Chef Dojima would agree." 

The said man huffed in amusement before fully stepping into the room. "It seems like you have an interesting situation on your hands... Shinomiya."

Chef Shinomiya swivelled around in surprise. "What are you doing here?" 

"Just checking around," He said unassumingly, though his presence alone made the room feel colder. "How about we bring this situation to my office?" 

Shinomiya grinded his teeth together. "Fine. Come along, all three of you." 

Bakugou raised an eyebrow, "Why me?" 

"Why not you? Since you're clearly so opinionated, I only felt it was right to have you join us" 

Bakugou stood up from where he was resting by the counter, hissing out, "It wasn't fucking opinionated, it was opposing your shitty methods." 

Shinomiya huffed, "Regardless of your judgement, you are to come with us" 

The blonde narrowed his eyes, glancing at Chef Dojima before relenting. "... Fine"

-

The office was a moderately sized room with large indoor plants scattering the place. It was furnished with oakwood furniture that gave the room a classy exterior finish. 

Each of the individuals stood around while Megumi's dish was placed on the center of a coffee table.  

Hinako Inui, their supervisor for yesterday's task was in the room with them. She carefully sliced off a piece of the terrain and placed it in her mouth chewing thoughtfully. Her expression slowly turned into one of surprise, "Is this what Megumi made? But it's delicious!" 

Placing down the cutlery, she moved over to circle around Shinomiya childishly. "What's wrong with passing something this yummy? Why be so stubborn? Dummy! Blockhead! Narcissist!" 

Shinomiya's hand shot out to grasp her clothes, "Shut it, Hinako." 

She eeped and eased off grudgingly.

Shinomiya turned around to face Chef Dojima, "Wasn't this assignment supposed to be left entirely up to my discretion?" 

Chef Dojima nodded, "Yes, and it was. I have nothing against what dish you chose or the criteria of your judgement." He paused, "However from what I see, she did everything she could to overcome the challenges presented. Don't you think that courage merits giving her results a second thought?"

"No, not at all" Shinomiya replied flippantly. 

"Well, I think it does!" Hinako butt in enthusiastically, raising her hand. 

Chef Dojima peered down at her smirking. "Well, looks like we have a tie. I guess there's no way around it." He said shrugging his shoulders, not hiding his amusement at the situation. "Only one option. We go through with the unofficial Shokugeki. I will manage the details myself, so consider it a side event." He continued, "Though of course, there must be no interruption to the camp itself. Therefore your battle with Shinomiya will wait until you both have finished all your other obligations for the day." 

Shinomiya cut in agitated "Hold on a minute! Why make me go through with this farce-?!"

The room once again dropped in temperature as Chef Dojima stared at him, eyes glinting in mirth. "Accept it, Shinomiya." 

Shinomiya narrowed his eyes, conveying his thoughts before relenting with a change in demeanour. His previous icy, strict air around him changed casually. He sighed, "Alright, alright. I'll go along with your little whims, Monsieur Dojima. You get your Shokugeki, Yukihira. And if you win, I will rescind Tadokoro's expulsion." He said, stepping towards the door. Pausing he turned around, shooting them with an intimidating glare, "But if you lose... your head flies right along with hers!" He said smirking, exiting the office. 

The atmosphere in the room was tense before Bakugou cut it off. "Fucking dramatic ass" 

Everyone left in the room turned around to face the blonde startled. They haven't even noticed his presence since he entered the room with them. 

"So, since Drama Queen dragged me here then left without saying a word to me. There there was no point." He said yawning, "Thanks for wasting my time fuckers. I'm out."  

He made a move towards the door as well, before Chef Dojima's voice cut through the air. "Since you're here anyways, why don't you come to be a judge for the Shokugeki?" 

Bakugou raised an eyebrow, "