In the normal shopping district, a man is standing in front of a small diner, the man is no other than Nakiri Senzaemon, the world-renowned Food Demon King. And the diner that he is standing in front of is called "Yukihira Diner"

As he enters the store, there are no customers as it is very empty. A woman is cleaning the table until she notices the man coming in. "Headmaster Senzaemon? Is that you?"

The woman is Yukihira Tamako, the owner of the diner, and also an alumnus of Totsuki Culinary School. Senzaemon says, "Hello to you, Tamako. Is your husband at home?"

"Of course." Tamako turns to the kitchen and says, "Joichiro! You have visitors!"

After a while, the said person comes out of the kitchen and he says, "Oh, Senzaemon. Good to see you again."

Senzaemon nods and says, "Never thought I would see the day you two would be together. After all, Joichiro is the Ashura of Totsuki while you are also one of the best, Tamako."

"I know what you mean." Tamako sighs.

"So what happened to the customers?" Senzaemon asks as he looks at the empty seats.

Joichiro says, "They just left, actually."

"Mom? Dad? Do we have more customers?" Just then, a young boy with golden eyes and red hair comes out of the kitchen, and he is only 8 years old. Tamako says, "Oh, Soma, it is a good time that you're here. Let us introduce you to someone."

Joichiro puts his hand on Soma's shoulder and he says, "This is Nakiri Senzaemon, he was our old principal back at Totsuki Culinary School."

Senzaemon looks at the child and says, "So this is the son you were talking about I see...he looks like his mother, strikingly as well."

"Though he has Joichiro's attitude." Tamako sighs, "By the way, you come all the way here from Totsuki, you must be hungry, right? How about we prepare something for you?"

"That will be fine." Senzaemon says, "However, I would like to try out young Soma's cooking."

Soma hears his name and he smiles, "Sure, I'll prepare the food that you want. So what do you want to eat?"

After looking at the menu, he decides to ask Soma to make something special for him. And Soma puts his white headband on as he starts to cook. While he is cooking, Tamako and Joichiro are sitting at the other side of the table as Joichiro asks, "So how is Azami? Is he still giving you trouble?"

"More than ever." Senzaemon sighs, "The way he's treating his own daughter, he's turning into a monster. He's teaching her his way of cooking, how there should be principles in cooking, that freely cooking is disastrous, and how it almost destroyed you."

Tamako frowns a little as she knows what Azami is talking about, and Joichiro just rolls his eyes. "I never thought that Azami would change for the worst..." Tamako sighs. "But then again, he is always this dark, it is no wonder."

"Alright, it is done!" Soma comes out and puts a plate with a seemingly roasted pork on the table. He says, "This is the "Just kidding Roast Pork". This is made from the "Thick slices of bacon and potatoes. The truth is, we used up all the pork, so I have to come with an alternative."

Senzaemon looks at the dish and tastes a bite, he thinks, "With every bite, the juices of bacon and crispy texture...I would have believe that this is just roast pork."

Just then, his clothes burst as he went top naked, which shocks Soma as Tamako quickly covered his eyes. "Headmaster Senzaemon!" She yells at the old man.

"I'm sorry for my sudden outburst, I promised it won't happen again." After Senzaemon gets the clothes back on, he says, "I must say that the fake roast pork is very delicious."

"Thanks...It wasn't much." Soma suddenly overcomes his shock and takes off his headband, and Tamako tastes it and says, "Not bad, Soma. But still, Joichiro's is better."

"What? Damn it...I lost to my Pops again?" Soma shouts with anger.

"Calm down, Soma." Joichiro rubs his hair, much to the red haired's annoyance.

"Now let's talk about the reason why I'm here, as you can see, I want to know if Soma wants to start with the Totsuki Culinary School from the Junior High Division."

"Totsuki Culinary School? What is that?" Soma asks, and Tamako sighs, "It is a school that both I and Joichiro had attended."

Joichiro says, "Soma still has a lot to learn, and I wouldn't want Soma to become what was happened to me when he goes there."

Senzaemon says, "The Ashura, right? If that's the case, I think I have another plan, how about it?"

Ever since that day of the visit, Soma has been training hard with cooking, as his goal is to become stronger than both of his parents. But after a while, Tamako perished because of a congenital heart valve defect. Ever since that day, Joichiro has been taking Soma around the world, visiting all his friends and juniors, and learning cooking from them. They also have some competitions with them as judges, but all of them are Joichiro's victory, much to Soma's dismay.

When Soma becomes 12 years old, he was asked by Nakiri Senzaemon to become a member of the Elite 10 in the Totsuki Culinary Academy, but because he isn't studying in the Junior High division, so he was seated to the Number 0 of the Elite 10. People call him the Phantom Seat because he didn't show up in meetings, and only Senzaemon was capable of seeing him in person. At first, the council members disagree with what Senzaemon was thinking, and they challenged Soma into a Shokugeki. But Soma, who was forced to go under his disguise, use his skills learned from other countries and alumni, defeated every one of them.

According to everyone in Totsuki, the Number 0 of the Elite 10 has special eyes and hands, with the quick speed of cooking and the eyes that would change any inferior food into the best dishes. Both of them were inherited from his mother, during his stay at Totsuki, he also learns about what happened to his mother, Tamako, but not that much information about his father: Saiba Joichiro.

Now it is the day when the Entrance Exam is held, and Soma walks into the school alone as he looks around, he notices some people who are begging the staff members. "I beg you! I'll donate you 10 or 20 million, so please, withdraw my son's drop out!"

"I feel sorry for that person, but this is a superior elite school where less than 10% of the students graduate." Soma shakes his head and he sits on a bench besides a boy.

"Hey, are you taking on the exam? I'm Nikaidou Yoshiaki, my family owns a French restaurant."

"Eh, what a coincidence, my family also owns a Restaurant." Soma says.

"Fufu, it might be no coincidence, that man over there is the heir to a restaurant that's expanding throughout the country. That one is from Oodon'ya, which sells fresh fish in all the Kanto regions. Most people here are thoroughbred from the cooking industry." The boy points out the people there, and he asks, "So what about you? What kind of shop is yours?"

"My family mostly does some overseas cooking, but our store is called Yukihira."

"Yukihira? Is that a traditional Japanese restaurant?" The boy asks.

"No, it's nothing that big. It's just a special-of-the-day store downtown." Soma says, but then he was kicked out of the seat.

"Don't you dare sit next to me, you vulgar plebeian..." The boy says, "This academy is no place for plebeians like you! It's a holy garden where only the elites of the food business are allowed to learn! That's what this place is, Totsuki Culinary Academy! A vulgar plebeian like you will probably get dropped out after they reviewed the documen-"

But Soma just grabs the shirt of the boy and says, "Listen here, you haven't eaten at Yukihira even once, don't go deciding our value like that...!"

Then he just throws him like some sort of trash and leaves with a grunt. "Geez...that person is just a big mouth...he won't come this far..."

After arriving at the transfer exam hall, he can see that almost 50 people are here for the Entrance Exam, but some of them are shocked to see their judge. Nakiri Erina, hired to the Nakiri Food Empire and the one with the tongue known as the Divine Tongue, or God's Palate. Soma looks at the girl, remembering that she was the newest Elite 10 member of the school, and also Senzaemon's granddaughter.

"Hisako, what are the guidelines for the test?" Erina asks the pink-haired girl beside her, and she replies, "Let me read the notification admissions, first is an interview in groups of 10 based on the application forms. After that, a test of practical cooking skills with three different dishes. Those who pass that will have to-"

"How worthless." Erina stops her and she says, "Let's see. Bringing the kitchen tables."

After a few seconds, the pinkette brings her to the kitchen tables. Erina says, "The main ingredient is eggs. Making one dish to satisfy my tongue will earn their admission to Totsuki Academy. In addition. I'll give you one minute to withdraw from the examination if you want."

Just then, Soma notices that everyone is rushing out of the room, he thinks, "Seriously? What a bunch of cowards!"

"Erina-sama, is this okay?" Hisako asks with worry.

"You saw them, they were all worthless. I don't want to waste my time on these kinds of people." Erina says. "So is that the end of my current schedule? Then I'll go back to my private kitchen to make a new recipe."

Hisako is oozing in joy after thinking of tasting one of Erina's recipes. But then they are interrupted by Soma. "Are you sure you could just do that?"

Erina and Hisako turn to Soma in shock, and Erina asks, "Looks like there is still one left. Are you sure you want to try? If you want to withdraw, then it is your choice."

Soma says, "You're mistaken, I already got the Letter of Acceptance. I was just disliking what you just do to the other applicants."

Erina is taken aback at the insult as she starts to get angry, and Hisako says, "Do you know who this person is?" The assistant yells. "She is a top student and a member of Totsuki's Elite 10 council, she is Nakiri Erina-sama."

"Is that so?" Soma says while looking at the kitchen knives, "Wow, this is nearly sharp."

"Don't you loiter around!" Erina yells back. "Whoever passes you must have made a mistake to let someone like you in."

"Oh? Then how about I prove to you right here right now?" Soma smirks. "I mean, I just have to make it so that you say it's good, right?"

Then he starts to find the ingredients, and Erina turns to Hisako, "Who the hell is this clown?"

Hisako is checking the passing applicants, and he says, "He is called Yukihira Soma, his family runs a special-of-the-day shop. Not much background of him is shown, but he was chosen by the Phantom!"

"What? That Phantom? The one who handled the whole Elite 10 Council in a Team Shokugeki during his Junior High years? Nobody knows who he is, but yet this person knows him?" Erine snorts, "Anyway, he only looks like a second-rate chef. He doesn't understand my nobility, just like a stray dog who doesn't understand a gem's value..."

Erina taunts, "If that's the case, I'll taste your food. The food of bottom feeders in the food world."

"With pleasure, I'll be happy to serve you our specialty." Soma says as he starts to take on his headband. "Just wait for it, Examiner Nakiri Erina."

As he is preparing the food, Hisako mutters, "Eggs are a fundamental ingredient in Japanese, Western, and Chinese cuisine, across all culinary genres. What will they serve to Erina-sama, who tastes Haute egg cuisine on a daily basis?"

After cutting the vegetables and spices, Soma finally crack the eggs into the pot. Erina mutters, "It's been 10 minutes since he started cooking. He finally took the vital eggs, but it doesn't seem close to completion at all. And next to the Earthenware pot where he's cooking the rice..."

She decides to ask, "Yukihira-kun, just what are you making?"

Soma is surprised and he says, "What? You've seen this much and you don't know what I'm making?"

Erina is now furious and she says, "Just answer me! The fact that Phantom acknowledges you doesn't mean that I will!"

"Fine, I'll tell you, the dish I'm cooking is the Yukihira Diner's secret menu No.8." Soma sighs.

"Secret menu? Just what kind of elaborated dish is it?" Erina thinks.

"Furikake Gohan!" Soma finishes, and both Erina and Hisako are silent for a while before Erina slams the table, "Don't screw with me! You're really a chef from the base. This was such a waste of time!"

"Wait there. Of course, it is not a normal furikake. What I made is...a "Transforming Furikake Gohan!" Soma adds.

Okay, this is my first attempt at the Food War series, and I decide to make some changes, such as Soma's mother was a part of the Totsuki and a year younger than Joichiro, and I want to make Soma different from the anime. The pairing of the story will be Soma and Megumi, since this is not that common in the other fanfics I read. I hope you like this chapter.