His curt explanation didn’t make much sense to me, but his tone left no room for argument. Iron Face looked beyond me into the room. “Why is everyone sitting?” he barked. “You have your chore assignments. Get moving!”
And just like that, he was gone.
Kenji came up beside me as I stood there, fuming. “What did he say?”
“That my room used to be a storage room,” I replied in frustration.
“Makes sense.”
“But he answered the wrong question. I don’t care why it’s there. I care about getting it removed.”
“He gave you a nonanswer. What a dick!”
“Totally. Iron Face hates me.”
“He’s testing you to see what you’re made of.”
“Why me and not everyone else?” As soon as I said it, the answer hit me. I wasn’t a man.
Jiro sauntered over, smirking. “Your door has a lock for your own protection, Akiko. It’s so you don’t embarrass yourself in the upcoming challenges.”
The smugness in his tone sent my blood boiling as he and the others walked away, laughter trailing behind them.
Kenji and I were relaxing in my room after chore duty when Iron Face suddenly appeared in the dorms. Without a preamble, he led everyone outside toward a part of the compound I hadn’t seen before.
We walked past a nondescript building between a Zen garden and an open pavilion, passing blossoming cherry trees and small jizos—stone Buddha statues. The serene beauty of the area felt misplaced.
Iron Face stopped in front of a small structure with traditional Japanese architecture. He pulled open the unlocked door and motioned for us to enter. Inside was a library, the air tinged with the faint smell of aged paper and cedar. Floor-to-ceiling shelves groaned under the weight of hundreds of books, with a ladder leaning against one shelf. A communal table with wooden chairs dominated the center of the room.
“You have been granted access to Chef Sakamoto’s private library,” Iron Face announced. “There are hundreds of books from which to glean information. Any question you have, the answer is here. If you can’t find it, you’re not looking hard enough. You are allowed to be here during your free time. The rule about the rest of the compound remains in effect. Those areas are off limits. Any questions?”
We exchanged wary glances, but no one spoke.
“Good. Your first challenge will involve shime saba. You have twenty-four hours to prepare.”
As soon as Iron Face left and the door clicked shut, Hideo adjusted his thick glasses and muttered, “Is he kidding? What’s so special about preparing shime saba?”
“He thinks torching a small piece of fish is a challenge?” Taka scoffed, turning to Dori. “This is supposed to be an elite competition. I wonder if we picked the wrong place to train.”
I glanced around the room, noting the shared expressions of disbelief. Shime saba was one of the most straightforward dishes to prepare. It was cured mackerel sliced into sashimi and charred lightly on the skin with a blowtorch. It didn’t require much technique, just a steady hand and basic knowledge.
“Bullshit,” Osamu declared, drumming his fingers on the table. “That’s what this apprenticeship is turning into.”
“But think about the long line of chefs who’ve come out of this program that now have Michelin-starred restaurants,” Kaiyo countered, tugging at his too-tight uniform. “There’s got to be some reason to assign us this task.”
Jiro plucked a book from the nearest shelf. “The first challenge isn’t much of a challenge,” he mused, flipping through the pages. “They’ll probably ramp up the difficulty over time.” He turned toward me, holding the book out. “Akiko, this book covers grilling techniques. You might want to brush up; scorching fish skin can be tricky.”
“Shut up, Jiro,” Kenji snapped, his voice sharp. “Being a dick isn’t the goal here.”
Feigning hurt, Jiro placed a hand on his chest. “Oh my, I think I’ve angered the boyfriend.”
Laughter rippled through the room, and for the first time, I noticed how closely Kenji and I had been sticking together. It must have looked like we were a couple.
“You think you’re better than Akiko?” Kenji challenged, stepping closer to Jiro. “She earned her place here, just like the rest of us. Maybe you should take that book back to your room and read it yourself.”
Jiro’s smirk faded, his expression hardening as he squared up to Kenji. “You looking for another challenge? I’m right here.”
I grabbed the back of Kenji’s uniform and tugged him away. “We’re here to learn, not fight. This challenge might seem beneath us, but maybe that’s the point. It’s probably some sort of test.”
