The next person stood out the most in the group, with shoulder-length bleached hair, piercings, and flame tattoos running up his arms, a hint of them peeking from his collar at his neck. “I’m Osamu Ito, and when I’m not drumming with my killer band, I’m in the kitchen drumming up food.” He tapped out a drumroll on the table with his fingers.
Seated next to Mr. Drummer was a man with a fondness for eyeliner who looked like he’d stepped out of a K-pop boy band. He cleared his throat. “My name is Sana Ito. I don’t have a famous family name, either, but I highly doubt Chef Sakamoto thinks Akiko is the best,” he growled, his voice killing any illusion he could carry a tune.
Can’t win them all.
It was clear the next two guys had known each other before entering the program, as they had been inseparable from the start, thick as thieves. They introduced themselves as Taka Yanagi and Dori Misaki and loved high-fiving each other like partners in a buddy cop movie. Plus, they were the only ones with matching facial hair.
“We excel at everything we do,” Taka announced, throwing a pointed glance my way. “We don’t look for handouts, like some people. Good luck, everyone.”
Ah, subtle. Team Tweedledee and Tweedledum had officially declared themselves allies. Did they know something the rest of us didn’t?
“What do you think Iron Face will have us do today?” Taka nudged Dori, and the two snickered as they high-fived.
“Iron Face? That’s perfect!” Hideo chimed in, adjusting his glasses. “Kanshisha-san totally has an iron face.”
The nickname caught on instantly, and everyone at the table had a good laugh at how perfectly it captured Kanshisha-san’s constant scowl. Even I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Taka stood and hunched over, clasping his hands behind his back to mimic Iron Face. “No one takes a shit unless they have permission from me! Is that clear?” he barked in a poor imitation, prompting laughter from everyone at the table.
Then the door creaked open, and the laughter evaporated. Iron Face stood in the doorway, his expression as stony as ever. Taka slid back into his seat, trying to look invisible.
“I will assign chore duties,” Iron Face began, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade. “After you finish, I will inspect your work. If it’s subpar, you will start over. Is that clear?”
Everyone nodded collectively.
He cleared his throat and began reading from a list. “Taka Yanagi and Dori Misaki, you will wash and hang all the linens from last night’s dinner service. Hideo Nakata, you will sweep, mop, and dust the dormitories. Kaiyo Uchida, from the look of it, you seem to like food. You will devein shrimp.”
The chores didn’t seem so bad at first.
“Kenji Sanada, you will sweep, mop, and remove trash from the restaurant. Akiko Ono, you will scrub the sinks, toilets, and shower area in the bathroom.”
Snickers erupted around the table. Great. Of course I got the grossest, most backbreaking task.
“Jiro Tachibana,” Iron Face continued, “you will assist me with office tasks.”
What? Why does he get a cushy chore?
As Iron Face finished assigning tasks, Miyo tentatively raised his hand. “Uh, when do we start training with Chef Sakamoto?”
Iron Face slowly lowered the paper he read from and turned his attention to Miyo. The look on Miyo’s face told me he wished he could time travel and take back that question.
“You think you’re ready to train with Chef Sakamoto?” Iron Face loomed over him, his voice dripping with disdain. “This program is the most successful in Japan because we do things differently!” His words were punctuated by spit that sprayed across Miyo’s face, but the poor guy didn’t dare wipe it off.
Iron Face turned to address the rest of us. “Right now, your only concern is the challenges. Do not think they will be easy. You will be tested beyond anything you’ve ever experienced. Do your best because Chef Sakamoto doesn’t work with losers. And remember, only one of you will train with him.”
My stomach churned as Iron Face reiterated that only one person here would be an actual apprentice. Six weeks of challenges with no guarantee of learning anything unless I won.
“If you’ve already made friends or alliances,” Iron Face added, his eyes locking on Taka and Dori, “you will find yourselves becoming enemies.”
CHAPTER TEN
Within a day and a half, I had gone from hopeful sushi apprentice to designated bathroom floor scrubber. There I was, on my hands and knees, inhaling the eye-watering sting of chemical fumes while scrubbing the tiles around the urinals. Each swipe of the brush brought with it gag-inducing thoughts about what, exactly, I was cleaning.
Focus, Akiko. Just focus and get it done.
The showers weren’t as revolting as the urinals and toilets but felt endless. The sheer size of the area played tricks on my mind, making the task seem overwhelming. My fingers throbbed with every scrub, and the occasional echo of laughter from the hallway only fueled my frustration. It was clear to everyone, and painfully clear to me, that I was taking the longest to finish my chore.
Stay calm, Akiko. This is just another test. Don’t let them break you. Tomorrow, someone else will get stuck scrubbing.
