Hamasaki Kazuma was an efficient man. Everyone agreed on that. He was very well known, respected in his workplace, and confident in his ability to do his job. The one thing he knew was, the more eyes peering at a mystery, the greater chance of it being solved. Most of the time he was serious and strict with his fellow officers. Except when he stepped out of the station at the end of the day. He was pretty chill and fun after work.

"Sir !"

His underling's voice made him jump.

"Sorry, what ?" he spoke, as he turned to her. Her eyes rested on him in concern. "H-Have you eaten today ? Are you okay ?"

"Yeah, I'm decent. Is there anything new on the case ?" he asked matter-of-factly. She eyed him doubtfully before she handed him multiple copies of the same picture. It was a passport-size photo of a woman.

"We went to the airport this morning and asked the check-in staff to tell us more about the flight Aiko Suzuki was on." she explained. "It's her."

He looked closely at it for a few seconds and said, "They don't look alike."

"... Who and who ?"

"Did they tell you who she was travelling with ?"

"Apparently she had two kids with her..." she replied, with a tone genuinely confused. Thus the inspector crossed his arms and smirked, as if he hit something. "The woman I interviewed that night had short black hair and wore bangs. And she was whispering, knowing that I couldn't hear her well with the firemen's siren behind. As if she tried to hide her voice." he pondered. "And she told me she was travelling alone." he continued.

"... So one of them is an imposter ?" she assumed.

"Not one of them, it's pretty obvious. But for now, do as I say."

⁂

The door swung shut, as groans and various other sounds barely escaped the thick walls behind and swelled forth. Shoes and crumpled clothes scattered on the floor, then belts, purple bras and stockings. Here she was, sleeping with a stranger she had just met at the club again. It was the DJ this time.

As he broke the kiss to pace the room, Kaede took back his hand and pushed him down to the sofa.

"Wow okay?" His eyebrows raised in surprise.

Leonov Kaede was the former third seat of Totsuki's eightieth generation. Russian from her father, she had decided to start her own Russian restaurant chain in Tokyo; a project constantly rising through the ranks.

She grabbed the remote and muted the television.

But her eyes soon glued to the large screen as striking pictures of a disaster area began to run.

The headlines stated it was a restaurant; the Shino's. And it was not a pretty sight. The charred remains of the building stood in a cloud of dust, the surrounding trees blackened just on one side, and the resulting ashes spread all over the land. Appalling desolation was everywhere.

"Isn't that Shinomiya's..?" Her voice dropped.

The remote suddenly vanished from her hands and the television powered off.

"I did not allow you to do that." Kaede shifted her attention back to him.

"Well I do not allow you to take random breaks while standing half naked in front of me." DJ said, and her eyes dropped to the obvious bulge between his legs. She rolled her eyes. "Do you blame me?" He grinned.

She suppressed a chuckle and carefully dropped to her knees as she tied her hair back. The zipper of his pants eased off and once they'd moved passed his knees, they slid off of their own accord and he swiftly kicked them away.

⁂

What did it feel like to have an audience all around you in the kitchen ? The answer was...

"They're a pain in the a ss..." Kojiro ruminated.

"Great !" Hinako smiled. "They're so sweet !"

In the huge kitchen of Komorebi were two poles. The young cooks willing to improve their cooking skills after seeking advice from Hinako. And the other half expecting to discover new recipes and cooking techniques from Kojiro.

"It's Shinomiya-sama's son !"

He tried to ignore the quiet voices behind him.

"Yeah ! He's handsome, isn't he ?" the cooks giggled. "And talented !" someone else joined in the whispering. "He's much more composed than Mori-san.. I wish he could come here and take a leaf out of his book." 'Mori-san' was their superior's name. And also the chef who got sick at the wrong time...

He suddently shoved two plates accross the countertop as their expression changed.

Sweat slowly ran down their faces. "The mushroom risotto and la bouillabaisse are ready to be served." he didn't bother looking up.

They all paused as if their thoughts had stopped completely. The onions were finely chopped, the rice looked fresh, filled with wild and juicy mushrooms. The air was saturated with spicy perfume, forcing them to watch it as if they hadn't eaten for weeks. As for the bouillabaisse, it was a traditional french dish originating from the port city of Marseille. It smelled rich, promising a delightful taste. "Shut up and do your job instead of talking trash about your colleague." he continued with a venomous glance.

"Y-Yes sir..!" they all quickly scattered away.

Yup, Hinako was right when she said that he couldn't connect with people. Abel, Gao and Lucie were lucky people as we could see. Speaking of which, they've had a little confrontation with Kojiro and his family earlier in the morning :

"What the heck ?" Lucie tensed up.

"These are even tighter than Shinomiya Chef's..." Gao mentionned the ropes that vigorously bound them to the chairs they were tied up on.

"This is embarrassing..." Abel shook his head.

"The moment of truth has arrived." grandma gave them a patronizing look. She was the one who had them immobilized.

They had been lured to Kojiro's place, thinking that they were invited. "Chef, what is the meaning of this ?" Abel looked up at him, confused.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know who I can trust." Kojiro clarified as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "And I wanna make sure that you three at least, are loyal to me."

"What ? We're gonna go through a second interrogation ?" Lucie shivered. "We would never do that, you know it." Gao defended herself.

"I know." he responded. "'Cause we already found the culprit."

"What !" they all said in unison.

It was impossible.

The air became suddently so brittle it could snap.

"Seriously ?" Lucie shouted even louder. "Who is it ?" Abel followed suit.

Kojiro and his grandma stared at each other for a second, and nodded.

"That two-faced witch." grandma narrowed her eyes. "To think that I even invited her in my own house." she clenched her fist.

"Who ?" Gao frowned.

"It's Hinako." Kojiro declared, trying to mask his emotions.

He watched their faces change and express shock as he gritted his teeth. Inui Hinako, one of Kojiro's closest friend, his confidant. Her betrayal wasn't easy to accept and there was no right way to accept it. "Inui Chef ?.." Lucie repeated on but couldn't believe her ears. "No way..." Gao suddently felt teary... and upset. Abel was at a loss for words.

"Yes my dear. But luckily she's in custody right now." grandma added. "The police arrested her yesterday. All clues seem to point to her but apparently she wasn't alone that night, or so she says." she continued.

"Wait so she confessed ..?" Gao exclaimed, as if she still had hope that all of this was a mistake. "Yes she did. Or maybe you know something we don't ?" grandma raised her eyebrow. "No..." she lowered her tone.

"So Inui-san's the one who stole our restaurant from us.." Abel's voice was poison.

"You're the only ones I've informed when I was coming, besides my family. So I know you have something to do with this." Kojiro spoke up, to which their eyes widened in a 'i'm-not-guilty' expression. "After what she's done I'm ready to get her deeper into water, but I want the truth."

"But-" Lucie started only to be cut by Kojiro's grandma. "Look at this." she held up a sheet of lined paper.

"The prosecutor accepted to give you immunity." Kojiro noted. "Now tell me the truth. What happened friday night ?" he emphasised each word.

None of them talked.

But the sheer wrath in Kojiro's eyes made them nervous. Kojiro had always been an inspiration, a guide, and a friend for them. From Paris to Tokyo, the bond they had formed and shared over the years was real, and it was wholesome. "I didn't do it, believe it or not." Abel said, unsure of what to say. "Me neither. And I'm sure that Inui-san's covering someone..." Lucie voiced, tears of pain running down her face. "You should give her that immunity instead. You know very well that she isn't capable of this.." Gao spoke, shifting her gaze to the floor.

Kojiro simply glared at them, expressionless.

But after a few seconds, the corner of his mouth twitched into his cheek.

"Bravo !" grandma applaused as she swiftly untied the ropes. "You're very austere Kojiro, but you surround yourself with good people at least."

"Huh ?" Lucie blinked. Gao and Abel stared at them in a questionning way. What just happened ?

"You've passed." Kojiro said briefly "We've made that up to test you."

"Whew, bad mouthing Hinako was harsh." grandma removed drops of sweat off her face. "This immunity stuff is just a blank paper. See ?" she took it out of its folder.

They gave them a blank stare... That was too much...

"Their acting skills... are on point." Kaoru thought as she had watched the whole scene in silence.

"I guess I can trust you from now on."

On the other side of the room, Hinako was putting on a mist show.

"Don't forget to check on the chicken, your dish may be done before you know it." she stated. "Yes ma'am !"

She artistically cut dozens of cucumbers and rubbed the slices in salt. "Can someone take care of the soy broth ?" she exclaimed, without taking her eyes off her knife.

"Okay !"

"One sukiyaki is ready to be served !" she continued.

Steam was filling the place, and licking every corner of it. Everyone seemed to become silhouettes against a blanket of white. And the sweet aroma was carried in it, topping Kojiro's spicy fragrance. The only one who could be seen shining was Hinako, the Mist Empress.

Kojiro was observing her out of the corner of his eye.

She worked in perfect coordination with the other cooks. She had been so annoying with Kojiro these last few years that he even forgot what her serious mode looked like.

He forgot her one asset that blew her up to the second seat at Totsuki.

"The chicken's tender now !" one of them yelled. "Thanks ! Now sprinkle sesame on it to garnish it a little." she said softy. "I'll do it !" a young man called out. "No stay here." Hinako stopped him. "Let her do it and help me out with the soba I'm starting, please." she gave him a smile. "A-Alright."

She could easily spot the strengths and weaknesses of the chefs she partnered up with. And that in a short amount of time. She was also called an empress because she knew how to lead a team of people she didn't know, and hold them together.

"Why though ?" he asked.

"That chef." Hinako replied, "She's new isn't she ?"

"Yeah. But if she wasn't skilled enough my boss would've not hired-"

"She has back pain too, right ?" she continued. The cooked nodded, disbelief around his lips and eyes. "Wait... Don't tell me she started to complain in front of you ?" he widened his eyes. "No, not at all." Hinako shook her hand up and down. "I only noticed her way of walking, and she's got flat feet. Although it's not uncommon, 'cause I'm like that too." she scratched the back of her head. "She doesn't stand with proper posture as well so I think she shouldn't help us out with tough dishes like soba. But I'll make sure to give her tips to improve, at the end of the day." she explained.

"Oh..." was all he could utter.

"Back pain can set in easily, and yup, it's really sharp."

Looks like she knew more than a little bit on this subject.

And so they kept the momentum going, and cooked like that for hours.

⁂

"Is everything fine sir ?" Kaoru knocked in the door. The hotel rater had arrived less than an hour ago and demanded to stay in the room 201, that apparently, had a nice view. "You can go downstairs anytime, lunch's ready." she voiced.

"Don't worry about me, I'm good." he replied. "It really is a nice place here." he noted.

It looked like his words had made her day. "Thank you so much." she grinned behind the closed door. She turned away to leave when she suddently heard a loud thud against the bedroom door.

"H-Hey, are you okay ?" she rushed back.

"Y-Yeah... Sorry, I'm a little tired..."

"Right.."

She left with a questionning look on her face..

⁂

Kojiro took a little break to quench his thirst. But of course, the fridge was placed in Hinako's 'area'. He had a bad feeling about this.

That's when Hinako suddently sneered, and whispered into the sous-chef's hear. "Oho~ our traditional dishes are way better than Shinomiya-senpai's fancy cuisine."

"Huh ?" the sous-chef blurted out in confusion.

"But let's be honest, all this bragging is unnecesary considering the-"

She was cut off when Kojiro immediately grabbed her head and lifted her up in the air. "S-Sorry." she gasped out as she wiggled her feet at him.

"What the ?!" the sous-chef panicked and dropped his wooden spoon. The other ones gathered around them, watching what was going on.

"I could see where this was going." Kojiro stated, to which she grunted more. "Let me go Shinomiya-senpai ! How violent ! How shamele-"

"Be quiet. Why can't you just be normal for once ?" he shot back, as he nonchalantly gulped a mouthful of water from a mini bottle.

"I-Inui Chef ?" a few cooks stammered, not sure if they should, or even, could intervene.

"En passant, I can overhear compliments about my 'fancy cuisine' in there." he mentionned the dining room in which his french dishes were added to the kaiseki ; a multi-course meal. "Well that's because they don't expect to eat french food in a ryokan." she shrugged, a trace of smugness in her voice.

"Which is why it highlights today's meal." he replied confidently as he put her down. "And tomorrow's."

"Finally !" they all thought together.

She gritted her teeth in silence. "Fine ! We'll make a poll tonight then !" she shouted. He raised a brow at that. "Which type of cuisine conquered their hearts today." she continued as she crossed her arms.

He smirked as he returned back to work. "You've got some nerve." he scoffed. "I hope you won't challenge the results at the end."

"W-Wait is this a contest ?!" the sous-chef shouted.

"What's going on here..." another chef chipped in.

Hinako bit her lip and turned back to her soba. She threw a ball of dough together, and kneaded it with surprising strength.

"So fast !" a few of them exclaimed.

"Maybe she can handle it alone..." the sous-chef sighed and picked up his wooden spoon.

⁂

"Thank you very much. I look forward to hearing from you shortly." Mei hanged up the phone. She'd just ordered food supplies—such as fortune cookies and noodles—for the next day.

She sighed, leaning back on her bed with her eyes closed.

She didn't work on Monday afternoons so she took this opportunity to relax and release pressure a bit.

She opened her eyes and caught her reflection in the mirror, which was facing the bed. She stared into her short, black hair, with one side smashed from the pressure of her head against the pillow. "My bangs are starting to grow out." she noted as she pulled a string of her hair and looked at its length. "I should get a haircut."

Not to mention that Shinomiya, her toughest rival in the corner, was back.

And she couldn't deny that he was good-looking. And that she often thought about spending more time with him.

She had already met him a few years ago in Paris, where she studied food sciences. They met in a random restaurant where she was completing an internship. Both of them were Totsuki alumni, from different countries, Japan and China. They rarely talked to each other due to his unfaltering determination. Sometimes she found it scary, but, he was a true ace. The two of them had managed to catch the headchef's attention, with their skills. Since Totsuki graduates had naturally frightening presences.

He was different though.

She always felt like a pufferfish, able to protect herself from the predators by turning into a ball shape. But with Kojiro, she was forced to check at the surface lest him, the eagle, plunged down.

That's how he received the Pluspol award that he had long sought after. Even after experiencing racist insults and provocations, he remained impassive and built his very first restaurant in the 8th arrondissement. Right next to the Champs-Elysees, the most beautiful avenue in the world.

She admired his firmness at that time.

They reacquainted themselves two years ago, before the 'Shino's Tokyo' opening. He was back for a few days to talk with his architect. He didn't recognize her at first which offended her. But then they exchanged their phones numbers and tried to keep in touch, or rather she tried. She tried inviting him out for dinners, to watch movies, and even to the museum, but unfortunately he never showed any signs of interest in her. He was rather distant.

But he came back, again, and this time it didn't look like he was leaving soon. Thus she thought that she should try again, and take her chances.

She chuckled and lied down, before fading off to sleep.

⁂

"Good job everyone! And good night!" Hinako gave a cheery wave to the chefs, that were ready to leave.

She helped them clean the kitchen and the dining room earlier. They were somewhat reluctant at first—saying she didn't have to—but the latter had great convincing power.

So after insisting for a few minutes, they finally agreed to let her wipe the tables at least, while they mopped the floor. It almost took an hour but it was kind of fun because she got to know more about some of them. Misaki for example, the chef with the back problems, was a really cute and quirky young woman, with a weird accent too. Weirder than Kojiro's accent when he talked with his mom. She reminded her of Megumi, but of course no one was cuter than sweet Megumi. Kaito, the sous-chef, was more serious and composed. He never said anything unnecessary and was always focused.

Misaki and him seemed to be old acquaintances too. Hinako saw them joking around together today.

But actually Misaki was sweeping the floor inappropriately and Kaito was reprimanding her. Although, he smiled gently and then showed her the proper way to do it, by grabbing her hand and guiding her.

Recalling the scene, Hinako couldn't help but put on a small smile. Their relationship reminded her of Kojiro and her's. She sighed internally. "But he wouldn't smile like that to me."

By the way, where did that man run off to ? He didn't even help with the cleaning.

Suddenly, she wanted a little snack and decided to eat something before closing. She couldn't stick to her diet all the time after all...

She walked through the hall leading to the kitchen and noticed the lights were still on, which was odd, since she was the only one left. When she went in, she understood why.

"You're still here senpai ?" she asked cautiously, as she didn't want to surprise him.

He didn't move an inch, still bent over the counter, reviewing the ingredients of whatever dish he was preparing. She recognized it instantly as she knew all of his dishes. It was the Nine Vegetable Terrine, the French dish using nine different kind of vegetables basked in a gelatinous compound. It was actually her favorite... not like she ever told him.

"This one is not even on the menu." she approached him, not wanting to be ignored.

"Well that's why I'm doing it now, to see whether it can or not." he responded. "But I don't know if those chefs could handle it..."

"Oh come on I'm sure they'll do a good job. Isn't that the dish you presented during the training camp? It went well, didn't it?"

"I didn't know a dish you never got to taste left that big of a mark on you." he changed his tone into a more stingy one, as he lifted his gaze from his dish to glare at her.

She beamed, glad to get his attention. Now she could mess with him a little bit, her favorite thing to do.

"That's also when you lost your shokugeki to Yukihira-kun, right?" she shot back innocently, clasping her hands together.

As expected, he took the bait. He dropped the knife he was holding and scowled at her.

"I didn't lose, idiot. Dojima Chef only pointed out-"

"The worst part about this is that you could have avoided it if you weren't so self centered." she sighed.

Hinako was suddenly interrupted when she received a hand-chop to her head. Something he usually did to shut her up.

"Get out, you're bothering me." he said as she shook in pain.

"I-I'm sorry! Sorry! I'll stay quiet, I promise." she voiced, though there was a still hint of mischief in her voice.

He had wasted enough time anyways and he still had to emphasise some tastes. He glanced down at Hinako who was muttering some things under her breath, probably insulting him, not that he cares. She settled herself next to him, as he caught a whiff of her perfume. It was a subtle hint of vanilla and lotus flower. It was fresh and vibrant and left a nice fragrance flowing behind with the wind. She always had that scent. It wasn't like he was sniffing or something. It was just easy to perceive, especially since she was always clinging on to him.

Somehow he remembered the day she hugged him. He had caught it at that moment too, which had immediately soothed him. Well it wasn't unpleasant either so...

"Geez." her voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "I don't know why I even agreed to lend you a hand in here. I'm only doing this because of Kaoru oba-san and baa-baa." she spoke up, as she looked at him expectantly.

He couldn't help but smirk at the remark.

"Huh ? Wasn't it you who arrived here one hour before us 'cause you were 'too excited' ?" he lifted his eyebrow.

She blushed with embarrassment. "You're annoying." she rolled her eyes.

"Whatever." he retorted as he went back to work.

Hinako frowned at him. Of course he would act like that, that jerk. And now, he was ignoring her again. Tired, she propped up her chin with her elbow on the table.

She stared at him, thinking about how he easily got her into Komorebi's kitchen. "You're gonna run my grandmother's restaurant with me tomorrow." he said last night on the phone. "Don't ask questions."

She obviously bombarded him while he avoided most of them, grumbling something like a sick chef and his grandmother having no other options. His grandmother eventually snatched the phone from his hand and kindly explained the situation to her, asking for her consent.

There was clearly no way she would decline, not only because an elder directly asked it to her, but also because she was glad to be of any help for Shinomiya or his family.

Still pensive, she looked at his face, and seemed distracted for a moment. Kojiro still looked the same. Reflective, confident, and must she say, class. His smooth coral-colored hair that reached the back of his neck, his amber eyes spaced evenly apart under his glasses, a sensitive nose hooked over constantly closed and full lips. Not to mention his silver hoop earring that rendered him... enticing.

She had always known that he wasn't plain but she doubted that he was aware of it. And sometimes she simply forgot...

So, there were some quiet times like now, when she would discreetly watch him, and admire the senpai she had grown to respect.

"You know, if you stay so uptight your relationships won't last very long." she shrugged.

He took his phone out to check the time. It was already 8 p.m.

"Couldn't fail to disagree with you less than I already don't." he stated. "And it's not a priority, Chef."

She tittered in response.

"Exactly what I'm saying. Maybe you should try to open up a bit senpai."

He sighed. She was definitely trying to get on his nerves, but that wasn't a problem ; he was almost finished. If she wanted to play that game, he was in.

"Is that so?" he spoke up, "Wouldn't that be bad news for you if I had a girlfriend?"

She frowned, giving him the most shocked look she could while he laughed on the inside. He was going to win this argument.

"What do you mean?"

"If I had a woman in my life, you wouldn't spend your time pestering me, which you seem to enjoy. I should probably hurry then."

Hinako was about to yell at him to blow his impudence off when she paused to think about it. It was true that if he got to date a woman, she would've surely steered her away. It didn't really seem like it, but she liked to keep in touch with her friends. She and Fuyumi called each other sometimes, but she'd always been more attached to him. It was already frustrating enough that he rarely contacted her when he was away, so, if by any chance he appeared to be engaged to someone, he wouldn't pay attention to her anymore. Somehow, thinking about it was... hard to take.

She didn't realize she was whispering out loud.

"I guess it would've bothered me a bit..." she lowered her tone.

The rhythm of his whisk accidentally faltered. Looked like he didn't expect that.

She realized what she said as she raised her head up to him.

"Oh god what did I just say?" she shrunk down.

She felt awkward silence but didn't know what to say.

So she stared back at him. She expected him to screw his face up but she that's not what she saw. The bemusement weakened in his eyes, replaced with something else. Curiousity? Perplexity? She had no idea.

Their gazes suddently repelled like equal polarities.

She backed away, stirred by their proximity, if her blush was any indication.

"Well." she tried to make her voice sound calm. But she failed. "It's getting late, I'd better get going and let you finish."

She heard him clear his throat. She wanted to look back at him, but she couldn't meet up his eyes no more.

"Yeah, you can do that." he spoke nonchalantly, making her feel ridiculous.

⁂

Kazuma took his coat and walked through the station to leave. The cold that seemed mild at first, now numbed his face and extremities. Winter was coming soon.

"I'm not going to say this again sir ! Seriously, calm down or you'll regret it later." an officer shouted as Kazuma stopped in his tracks to watch them.

Apparently a man had erupted through the door to file a complaint.

"Sir." the man paused. "You cannot understand. Someone stole my car and I might lose my job now! Do your damn job for once and-"

"What's going on?" Kazuma eyed him.

"Inspector..." the officer backed off, feeling a bit relieved that he came.

"Somebody stole my car sir." the man defended himself, ignoring the threatening stares on him. "I'm a taxi driver and as you can see, I'll lose my job if I don't find it within one week."

Kazuma glued his eyes on him and frowned.

"Now leave." three or four officers surrounded him as one of them took handcuffs out to blackmail him. "The police officer in charge of your complaint will get in touch with you in the next few days, just wait."

"What?" he blurted out. "And how many days is this? You realize that I'm a family man, right?"

"We get it sir, and we're sorry to hear it but you're not the only one with problems in this city. So please be patient." one of them spoke up.

"But-"

"Do you mind if I ask your name?" Kazuma cut him off as he approached him.

He glared at him for a second.

"Amari Shunsuke."

⁂