CHAPTER TWO: The Cooking Starts Now!

"To start us off, I'll explain the rules of the first test in which half of you will fail. Currently, there are thirty-two of you participating in this screening. You all will form teams of two in order to compete against your peers in a two-vs.-two competition. You and your teammate will make separate meals. You will not be graded on taste alone, but on your ability to compliment your teammate's dish. You will be given one hour and thirty minutes to prepare the meal. Today's dish will be the American Hamburger." The man said as he gave the instructions to the test. He proceeded to go one by one, pairing individuals together. When he got to Ichiro, there was only one person left.

A boy around the same age as Ichiro stood before him. He looked completely and utterly lost on what was going on, but based on his appearance, I wouldn't think that he was someone who was entirely braindead. He had messy brown hair with orangish-bronze eyes. He was fitted in a gray sweater with black dress pants and dress shoes.

The boy began to grow quite annoyed with Ichiro analyzing his appearance, to the point where it was becoming clear that anger was boiling inside of me. "Quit staring at me, you fucking creeper. Before I remove both of your eyeballs!" It was clear that this guy was unhinged, not someone you wanted to mess with. But Ichiro, being Ichiro, was confused as to why he had become angry with him. "No need to be rude. The name Ichiro is Ichiro Yamazaki, if you're wondering. Now, if I may ask you, don't make us lose." Ichiro only had one simple request, and that was to win. It was clearly something the boy had planned on doing from the start. "Shut the hell up and cook." The boy responded to Ichiro with a snarl, "¡VÁMONOS!" He screamed in order to hype himself up before preparing his dish.

Ichiro could only help but smirk. This was an interesting fellow that they had partnered up with. If his cooking matches his vigor, then he's bound to be a good cook. Ichiro exhaled; he had better start prepping his meal before he was eliminated. He removed the crimson-red headband that was wrapped around his arm. It flowed within the cool air of the screening building. With one swift motion, Ichiro wrapped it around his neck. The former headband had now transformed into a neckerchief worn by only the greatest.

Ichiro's eyes flared with passion as he began to grab the ingredients that he needed to prepare the meal. Before even cooking, Ichiro grabbed a handful of pots and pans that he'd need to blend the ingredients. First, sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. The core elements of a burger are the various seasonings and salts that do the heavy lifting behind the scenes. Next is the ground beef. There are various different types of ground beef in the world, but the one best suited for the dish that Ichiro planned to make was 80/20 ground beef.

Without any warning, Ichiro grabbed a knife from one of the many draws attached to the aisle. But he left those spectating his cooking in confusion. Normally, there is no need for a knife in the preparation of a burger. Any sane person would start by mixing the ground beef with the proper seasoning. Thoughts raced in the minds of those who looked on as Ichiro twirled the knife within his hand. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that he was proficient in handling a knife, but did that directly translate to cooking? Without a second of thought, Ichiro sliced open a ketchup bottle, leaking its contents into a measuring cup. A few seconds later, he would do the same with mustard. He vigorously scooped 2 tablespoons worth of both ketchup and mustard within the bowl that contained the ground beef, only adding more per half pound of ground beef that he added to the bowl.

"IS HE CRAZY!?" Emiko Ono screamed at her fellow critics as she watched this strange young boy ruin his dish by adding the condiments to the ground beef before he even cooked it. "Tehehehe!" Yumi Mashida couldn't help but giggle at watching the boy cook. "It appears he doesn't know that if he adds both ketchup and mustard to the mixture, then salt. His dish will become a salty mess." Yumi said as she simply took this boy for any idiot. Megumi sighed as her two peers conversed about Ichiro's dish before it was even complete. "If he ends up adding no salt at all and relies on the salt within the ketchup and mustard, the burger will lack the proper seasoning to even compare to a fast food chain's meal. But if he adds even a spec more salt, then the opposite will happen, and his dish will become overly salty. Am I right?" Megumi asked her peers, and they both nodded to her question. "Just what will you do, Ichiro Yamazaki?" Megumi questioned the boy within the chambers of her mind.

Ichiro could only smirk as he overheard the conversation of his testers. He was glad to know that they were so interested in what his dish would become. But there was no need to worry about him, as he was a master of making specialties on the fly.

With adrenaline racing through his bloodstream, Ichiro added a pinch of salt. As well as adding a variety of other seasonings. He began to fiercely stir the bowl. There was no going back now; it was do or die, with the timer only running down. Ichiro couldn't help but smile at the intensity of the moment. If this was only the screening, he couldn't imagine how difficult the actual competition was going to be. "This is going to be fun."

As Ichiro finished stirring, he placed the ground beef on the table. With three precise yet quick movements, he sliced the beef into three different, equal portions. He began to mold them in the form of a patty, though this was only with his hands. When he was finished with his molding, he placed the three patties on the stovetop, letting them cook.

Ichiro wiped the sweat off his forehead as he looked over at his partner. A variety of spices and seasonings were scattered all over his section of the aisle. He pounded the beef into the shape that he desired it to be before sticking it onto the stovetop, just as Ichiro did. "Glad, I'm not that beef." Ichiro said before he sighed, How was he supposed to work with someone as expressive as this? Sure, he was passionate about cooking, but this was a bit much. As he began to get lost in his thoughts, his eyes suddenly widened. He scooped the patties off of the stovetop as he placed them on top of two very special puns. A single piece of lettuce, and bam, he was done.

He looked over at his teammate, and he was also done with his meal. It was time for them to present their meals to the judges. Ichiro smiled so hard that his gums showed as he declared his food was ready for consumption. "Order up!"