Shokugeki no Souma and Harry Potter. i don't know either. It just was kind of a plot bunny that wouldn't leave me alone; how could the world of potions influence the world of cooking from the shadows? After all, potions can be enjoyed by those without magic just as much as those with, so long as a wizard or witch was the one to actually make it. How will it turn out? Who knows? anyway, lets's go!

Super hero time!

Harry: A huntsman on the road! Umber, fight on!

Umber: You're hiding something Harry - and not very well either!

Harry: What can I say? the laws regarding this sort of stuff is far laxer in Japan than in Europe.

Umber: So this is the sort of thing that goes on in a different world huh? Such great potential, used to cook...

H U: With a magic touch! Here we go!

"Greetings, my name is Harry Potter. I recall hundreds, if not thousands of people applying to take the transfer exam into the illustrious establishment, yet the moment it actually came down to the challenge, all but two chose to flee. You see, cooking is commonly compared to chemistry, but I like to think it's a magic; creating things far beyond the sum of its parts with skill, fitness and natural talent in equal parts. Those people didn't have the magic touch required to succeed at such a magical art as this. You can trust that I do."

The scruffy black haired English boy stepped off the podium with a small bow, a smile on his face even as he heard the murmurs build up around him. Harry wouldn't let those faze him; he had faced far worse from people in his own home country, there was no way he could feel intimidated by a race who was known to be less than receptive to those who were foreign. With a small sigh, Harry hefted his suitcase and began to make his way towards the giant building that towered over them all: Totsuki Tea Ceremony and Culinary Academy, known across the world as quite literally the most prestigious and successful cooking academy in the world. A ruthless regime cut down the students until ninety nine percent of the populous were sacrificed, the remaining one percent going on to become some of the most esteemed chefs to ever grace the culinary world.

Harry would show them something they had never seen before. Using ingredients they could never think of, using methods that a normal man would quite literally laugh at and never even dare to attempt, Harry would show them an entirely different world of cooking. Within that briefcase, all sorts of different bottles and jars were filled to the brim with a wide variety of ingredients just waiting to be used in magnificent ways and when he looked towards the first lesson of the day, Roland Chapelle's French cuisine, Harry couldn't help but think there wasn't a better way to start in the world.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. As I said on the stage, my name's Harry Potter. I hope we can get along." Harry formally greeted with a deep bow, the blue haired girl he was facing following up with a flurry of her own. If it weren't for the fact that she was in the high school division of the school already, Harry would never have pegged her for the kind to be so skilled; the way she acted was as if she was about to fall to pieces any moment and it certainly wasn't only because she had been partnered with him – she had been shaking like a leaf in the wind ever since she entered the classroom.

"M-M-M-Megumi. Megumi T-Tadokoro!" the girl eventually managed to say before falling to the ground in a ball, repeated drawing on her hand and motioning as if to swallow it. Harry could only shake his head, a questioning raise of his eyebrow causing the girl to fumble over her words once more. "I-I'm sorry, it helps me to relax… if I get one more E rating, then I'll be expelled…"

"Well, don't worry about that. We'll just have to give this dish a little magic touch and it'll go down a treat with the teacher!" Harry declared with a thumbs up, the girl hesitantly nodding before leaping to attention at the sound of an opening door.

The blond man who walked in held a stern gaze over every single student that was in test kitchen three, not a single motion to his face save for a few grimaces as his eyes passed over a select few. It didn't take a genius to tell he had already picked out the people he didn't like or thought didn't have the talent required to succeed. Harry had seen that look in his old headmaster's eyes, he had become used to it, even if he did hide it behind a visage of joviality.

"Good morning to you all, my apprentis." Chapelle began. "The moment you step through that kitchen door, it becomes your responsibility to ensure that a delectable dish is created. That duty is inescapable – neither experience nor status will let you flee from such a task. Therefore, in my class, any dish that is not worthy of an A rating will automatically receive an E. it would do you well to remember that."

The chef that never smiled, known to be one of the most strict when it came to the grading of his student's food; Megumi was left trembling simply from hearing his words. Harry could only give a good measured shake of his head; did this girl really put so little faith into their ability to form a delicious dish?

"Your task for today shall be to create Boeuf Bourguignon, an absolute staple of French cuisine. Though there will be a recipe on the board, deviations shall be accepted… for better or for worse." Chapelle declared, his assistant already scribing the recipe at an incredible speed. "The time limit to make the dish is two hours, though each team shall serve theirs as soon as it has been completed. And with that said… Commencer à cuisiner!"

"Megumi, shall we begin? Can I trust you to peel and chop the carrot and onion, also chop the 2 sticks of celery?" Harry immediately ordered, Megumi taken aback for a moment before nodding. There seemed to be a fire that hadn't been shown before in the boy's eyes, even as she realised the problem with his method.

"B-but, that's a cook marinade! If we wanted to do that, we would have to marinade it overnight!" the blue haired girl immediately pointed out, only for Harry to wave her off and begin to heat a tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan. He patted the briefcase that was just underneath the table, a joking tone to his voice.

"Don't worry, I have something that'll make sure it's done in seconds. Will you trust me that much, Miss Tadokoro?" Harry questioned, holding out a carrot as his other hand was busy preparing a frying pan with another tablespoon of oil alongside 25 grams of butter. Though clearly reluctant and constantly looking towards the kitchen clock, just one look at Harry was all Megumi needed to know that Harry was perfectly serious with his plan regardless of his tone. Within seconds, she had already begun chopping each and every one of the vegetables.

"Ready!" Megumi called out as she placed the mirepoix before Harry, who had already added bacon into the frying pan, the smoky scent filling the air.

"Thank you!" and then the carrot, celery and onion were cooking for a good 2-3 minutes, Harry passing on the duty of watching over the bacon and waiting to add the shallots in so that the messy haired boy could chuck in a pair of bay leaves, 2 bottles' worth of burgundy wine, 2 sprigs of thyme and a whole head of garlic, fifteen minutes required before the marinade was cooling down and poured over the 1.5 kilograms of beef they had had prepared. "Now, this is when the magic happens. Don't tell anybody."

"Tell anybody what?" Megumi questioned, having put the bacon and shallots into the casserole dish they would be using in order to make their Boeuf Bourguignon, turning back to her parent only to see him pulling out a completely different looking bowl of beef with a proud smile on his face. But that was impossible, the amount of time it would take to properly marinate the meat to that appearance and texture was far too long, the bowl that he was holding looked perfect but Harry had only held it for a few seconds… what kind of wizardry was this!? "B-But, how did you do that?"

"I told you, I have a magic touch!" Harry joyfully replied, finishing with his patting down of the beef with kitchen paper and placing half of it into one of the pans, the wonderful scent of beef browning floating past Megumi's nostrils. There was no way she could pretend that it hadn't been perfectly marinated, the deep scent coming off the meant wouldn't be present without hours of resting in the marinade and it was pretty clear that a couple of the chefs working nearby had taken notice of the difference in scents between their own dish and Harry and Megumi's. "Megumi, brown off the other half of the meat and deglaze the pan. I'll get to work on the mushrooms and parsley."

"O-Ok!" with the other half of the meat now wonderfully brown, Megumi focused her attention onto the pan itself, 3 spoonfuls of the marinade entering the pan in order to pick up all of the magnificent flavours left in the pan, Harry rapidly chopping the parsley for garnish and checking over each and every mushroom to ensure no dirt could be found on them. Even the tiniest speck after all could ruin the flavour of the end result after all. With the heated through marinade mixture entering the casserole dish along with everything else, including 290 millilitres of beef stock and 2 tablespoons of plain flour, it was ready for the oven, Megumi turning with a bright smile to where Harry was waiting with an preheated oven at 150 degrees Celsius. "How long does this go in for?"

"Well, it should go until the beef is tender, adding in the brandy mushrooms about halfway through the cooking time…" Harry mused, letting Megumi place the covered casserole dish into the oven and closing the door. One look at the clock had Harry giving a small smirk as his eyes fell over their fellow students; while they had already gotten to the stage where it was mostly waiting, the rest of the people were worrying over whether their meat had marinated enough and ensuring that nothing was going to burn prematurely. "Don't worry about the timing Megumi, it will be done in the time limit."

That statement… it was the first time that Megumi really thought about it; she hadn't been worried much if at all since they had started cooking! She was under the watchful eyes of one of the strictest teachers available at Totsuki doing an incredibly complex and time consuming dish in an awkward time limit, under normal circumstances she should be a wreck curled into herself on the floor. But when she was with Harry, everything seemed to be going perfectly fine, even more so than just perfectly fine; there was no way it could be going as well as it was considering the method that they were using. Normally, it would take a minimal of their entire time limit to use the method that Harry was… but he had managed to marinate the meat in a matter of seconds, Megumi had no reason to worry!

In another time, where Megumi might've had a completely different partner to work with on this dish, then they would've followed the traditional method detailed upon the board and their meal would be left upon the burner, open to people who might just want to play a little bit of sabotage. In this situation however, Megumi was lucky enough to have Harry on her side and in no time at all, Harry was pulling out their dish from the oven.

"But has it really finished?" the blue haired chef questioned. They still had a fair chunk of their time limit left, the people around them getting angsty as their beef continued to cook. From the abstract despair displayed on some of their faces, some had no doubt put their beef in too late and they would fail to get the correct tenderness in time. "We could be safe, we could put it in for a few minut-!?"

But then Harry opened the lid.

Almost immediately, the scent of Boeuf Bourguignon filled the air far stronger than any other dish, Harry delicately placing upon the plate and putting a sprinkling of parsley over the top. Even just the scent was enough to make a few of those close enough to get as whiff begin to drool a small amount, a glint entering Harry's eyes behind his glasses. With a proud stride, Harry eagerly presented the dish to Chapelle, the man giving it a cursory glance over as Megumi shuffled about behind the boy.

"…I had not expected to assess any dishes for a good amount of time. Tell me, what did you do to this dish that makes you believe it is already suitable for consumption?" the teacher questioned as he picked up a form. Harry rushing over to their station so he could find another for Megumi and himself to taste. Even merely placing his fork against the meat was more than telling to the man, the powerful scent wafting up towards his nostrils; the way it bounced showed just how tender the beef was and the juices that flowed out were plentiful.

"Actually, I added a personal twist on it, a secret recipe that most people simply cannot hope to replicate without a special touch." The English boy explained with a grin, lightly nudging Megumi at his side. "but if it weren't for Megumi, I wouldn't have been able to make it as good as it is now. I think this is the best version of it I've ever worked on!"

"Eh!? M-me!? B-but I didn't do anything…" Megumi immediately tried to deny, only to clam up mere seconds later; she was in front of Chappelle and the dish they were talking about would affect their end grade. Call her selfish, but maybe she shouldn't she shouldn't be downplaying her part if the Boeuf Bourguignon was as good as it seemed. Megumi took a piece off just after Chapelle, the two bringing the pieces of beef to their mouths moments after one another as Harry quickly followed.

Heaven.

"This shouldn't be possible, not with the time and limits…" Chapelle breathed out. He had made sure to personally inspect each of the ingredients that had been granted to the students for use within this challenge and there was simply no way that a meal with such a complex flavour profile could be formed without causing conflict between the individual flavours. In fact, it felt like very few different forms of flavourings had been used, only the sort he had seen the pair handling being present upon his tongue, which were few. "Even with a small range of flavourings, you've somehow managed to enhance their impact immensely without compromising on any other aspect. I barely need a knife in order to break through the meat and it melts upon my tongue…"

"it's so basic for a Boeuf Bourguignon, but so good!" Megumi couldn't help but squeal. It was as if she had fallen into a completely different world, a world of delicious magic. No worries marred her face, only sheer joy as a spell unknown swept her off her feet and towards the heavens, heavens filled with juicy beef waiting to be consumed. Harry merely took a small bite and hummed, far from the extravagant reaction his new friend seemed to be having.

"Well, there can be no doubts about it – this dish is worthy of an A rating." Chapelle declared, a small grin upon his face as took another bite. A gasp filled the air, a confused Harry turning around to see almost everyone in the room completely frozen in surprise. It was only the smallest of whispers in the air that actually told harry just what the issue was.

"They managed to make Chapelle smile…?"

"He's the strictest one here, no one's ever made him smile…"

"There's only one issue here…" Chapelle rang out, Megumi's joy melting away as the pair took in Chapelle's suddenly far more serious expression. That was impossible, Megumi couldn't taste or see a single thing wrong with and the blond man had already given it a stellar assessment, right? Turns out, her worries were unfounded. "This is a dish that deserves a far higher rating, yet I only hold the authority to grant you an A. know however that if it were possible, this dish would most certainly hold a higher rank. You may clean up and prepare to leave."

"Y-yes! Thank you!" Megumi sighed in relief, moving away from the judgement desk with a small fist pump of victory. She wasn't going to be expelled from Totsuki, she didn't have to go home defeated! And when she really thought about it, she had nothing to do with that result. Most of the effort lay in the hands of the strange English boy she had been paired with for the task, Harry Potter. The boy who hefted the suitcases he left beneath the work surface with a grin, a tune she didn't know upon his lips as he packed away all of the things they had used during the cooking process.

Someone who had done things that shouldn't have been possible, who seemed to have an almost unearthly feeling to him as he cooked, never losing his smile. It was a far cry from the timid chef who barely deserved her title and Megumi couldn't but hope that they would share another lesson.

"Harry Potter… just who are you?"

"My apologies. I had to take a detour in order to ensure that all of my ingredients were properly prepared." Megumi rubbed the tiredness out of her eyes as she stumbled out into the main hall of her dorm. The rest of the lessons that had been planned for the day had been just as intense as the first challenge, but with the students mixed up and working individually; no one would come to save her, meaning as much effort as possible was needed to keep her calm. Naturally, the workload, added onto her activities at her research society had left the blue haired girl drained, Megumi barely registering Harry stood before the keeper of Polar Star dormitory… wait, what? "I assume then that I can still take the challenge?"

"Of course, but don't think you can just waltz in with any old dish and get a room. I've tasted tons of these kinds of dishes, my tongue won't be so easily pleased!" the elderly woman declared, hands upon her hips before she noticed the sleepy Megumi passing by. "Ah, Megumi! Care to watch the new guy with me? He's trying out the challenge. Megumi will tell you just how difficult it is. After all, she took th-!"

"Fumio! Don't say it out loud!" Megumi cried, only to realise what she did moments later and let a bright red colour her cheeks. That tone only deepened when she heard Harry's stifled laughter, flinching back slightly before she felt a hand upon her shoulder, belonging to one English boy.

"It doesn't matter if you failed before. It just means you've grown enough to get in now." Harry reassured, turning to Fumio with a competitive fore behind his words. "If a girl with enough skill as Megumi struggled with this challenge, it really won't be easy, will it? Still, not as if I can do anything but give it my best. I'm assuming that you're ban on the premises doesn't count for the kitchen?"

It was a weird contrast; whereas the outside of Polar star dormitory was more than enough to scare off people with the rather unkempt building and rather odd mess of pipes that travelled throughout the building as an unorthodox method of communication, the kitchen was a far different story. It made sense – it was a culinary academy, so even the worst looking buildings were bound to have the best of kitchen equipment and it certainly showed with how the kitchen sparkled, not even a speck of dust and dirt as Harry drew his finger over the surface. Yes, this would work perfectly.

Megumi fidgeted slightly as she found herself stood beside Fumio. In her eyes, Harry had already proven himself when he managed to deliver a far superior Boeuf Bourguignon than any other pair in the class; what could he possibly hope to produce in this situation to top it? Once more, all that the boy had on him was the briefcases that he had carried into the classroom – while it may have had the size to hold a couple of ingredients, it was too small to carry anything significant in addition to his own personal belongings and Megumi hadn't seen any other carrying cases with it. Just what could he possibly pull out and create?

"Well then, let's get to work!"

With only a few moments of preparation, his pan was finally up to the preferred heat, butter and oil entering the pan in order to melt down. While it was reaching melting point, several cloves of garlic found themselves chopped into slices, the individual pieces sliding into each of the gaps within the potatoes, the vegetables quickly transferred to a roasting dish. In followed the butter and oil mixture, along with 100 millilitres of water and the whole thing was tossed with salt and pepper until each potato was beautifully glistening and well-seasoned. With that complete, they could go into the oven: 1 hour and 30 minutes, continuously basting with butter every 10 to 15 minutes to prevent burning. That allowed Harry to move onto the next aspect of his dish.

Megumi couldn't help the little bit of awe that entered her; there wasn't anything particularly spectacular going on, but there was something about the way that the boy held himself that showed he was completely comfortable in the kitchen. With many of the students and even some of the professionals, there was always a pressure upon them to succeed and excel and it clearly showed in the way they held themselves. Harry? He barely looked as if he felt a single thing beyond joy and happiness. Not even Fumio's formidable presence was enough to cow him it seemed. It made sense to Megumi – if he didn't flinch in the face of Chapelle, there would be very few people who could shake him.

Harry let out a small chuckle as he pulled forth a stock pot, the weight meaning nothing to him as he placed it upon the burner. A cup each of soy sauce, water and white sugar as well as a quarter cup each of ginger and garlic, both minced, entered the pot, a spoon stirring it until not a single grain of sugar could be seen anymore. Then five pounds worth of chicken thighs entered, the burner beneath flaring to life to bring the whole thing to a boil, the wonderful smell filling the whole kitchen. Fumio had been watching the whole thing with a straight face, but Harry wasn't a fool, he could tell she was getting intrigued at least a little bit.

After about thirty minutes of turning every five minutes and letting the chicken boil, his thermometer read 74 degrees Celsius, the juice coming out clear as he pulled out the probe – perfect. Taking it off the heat, Harry took a small sample of the sauce into a saucer, the rich glaze coating his mouth as he took a taste. Just as he expected – that would just need ten minutes to cool down to the perfect serving temperature. The left over time between his potatoes being done and the chicken finishing off was just enough for Harry to bring out several plates, the oven wafting steam into the air as they potatoes were transferred into one plate and the chicken was chopped with a cleaver, the sauce drizzled over. Adding a grating of cheddar cheese and chives over the potatoes and that was a dish complete.

"Two plates weren't what I requested in the brief, Potter. Western and Chinese food as well… you don't seem to be able to make up your mind." Fumio muttered with a dark glare, Harry simply rubbing the back of his head with a small chuckle.

"I know it seems to be cheating, but I must ask that you try it first. They may not normally go together on the same table, but both have their own hand to show." The black haired boy insisted, Fumio unrelenting in her look as she took a small piece of one of the potatoes within her fork, Megumi quickly following after her. It looked perfectly decent at least to their observation, the elderly lady opening up and letting it sit on her tongue.

A sudden wave of flavour burst through the entirety of her mouth, Fumio's eyebrows raising as she tried to comprehend the taste sensation passing through her, rapidly chewing and taking in another of the potatoes.

"The careful preparation of the potatoes has resulted in a large amount of crispy parts, yet the inside of them remain perfectly creamy and soft." The Polar Star care-lady remarked. The flavours within are perfectly normal and simple, basic to a tee, yet they all work in perfect harmony… I haven't ever lived in a western country, yet it feels incredibly homely, adventurous without taking any risks… how is such a thing possible?"

Megumi was lost for words entirely. There was nothing remotely that difficult about then; to be honest, they were pretty much beginner dishes that most anyone at Totsuki would be able to accomplish with only a little time, but somehow… somehow they were beyond anything Megumi could ever imagine such simple dishes could be,. They somehow even managed to feel…

"… It tastes familiar almost." The chicken as well practically melted in her mouth from how tender it was, the beautiful juices mixing with the sauce to create an umami coating of the mouth. Such a simple dish as well, barely needing any form of preparation, yet once more Megumi found herself lost for words.

There had been hundreds of meals Fumio had tasted in her time, just as many being incredibly flashy and technically challenging dishes that were meant to impress with an instant impact. These dishes? They were meant to be comforting, good home food that anyone could make, yet everyone always made it different and unique. In an instance, she found herself sitting in China, a place she hadn't been for years. Back when Fumio was a spry little thing, travelling to a different country for the first time with her then boyfriend. They had tried so many different things then, but it was always the simplest pleasures where they had the most enjoyment. Eating this brought tears to her eyes, the memories of a beloved one feeding her the same dish coming flooding back.

"It's beautiful, they both are. Though they are inherently different dishes, both of them have a synergy that shouldn't work. They're flavours may not perfectly match, but there is some indescribably connection between them that makes you want to keep swapping between them regardless." Fumio commented, a content blush coming over her face as she finally managed to put her fork down, completely puzzled. "Just how did you achieve that with dishes that can be considered night and day?"

"Well, I decided it would be best if I did a little research before I came here." Was Harry's explanation as he gave a small shrug. There was the smile, the smile Megumi recognised – it was the exact same expression as when he had been cooking for Chapelle and pulled off that odd little trick with the meat. "Didn't I tell you Miss Daimido? When I was getting and preparing all of my ingredients, I decided to take a little detour…"

"Wow, so you have all these chickens to yourself!?" Harry gasped as he looked to the coop. each and every bird looked to be at the peak of health; the eggs and meat they would provide had to be of excellent quality, all of them. Yuki merely gave a bright grin and a thumbs up in response, entering the cage and picking up a particularly wonderful looking specimen.

"Yup! Anyone who lives at Polar Star gets a chance at these beauties!" the orange haired girl proudly boasted, Harry nodding rapidly as he scribbled down something in his little notebook. "You won't find any better birds in the whole Totsuki!"

"I mean, I know you said anyone who lives at Polar star, but you wouldn't happen to have any going free, would you?"

"Trying to get a step up with your entrance test? Sure, I'll get this one ready in a second!"

"So you specialise in fermented foodstuffs Ryoko? I don't wish to sound condescending or anything like that, but I assume that means you work with things like soy sauce as well?" Harry remarked with a bright grin as he looked within the specialised shed. Ryoko gave a small nod as she moved over to the corner, a tub filled with dark liquid sitting happily ready to be used.

"This uses the traditional koji mixture fermented over a number of months. I've already pressed it, so I need to do at this point is pasteurise the mixture to remove any impurities and it'll be perfect." the purple haired girl replied with more than a little bit of smugness entering her voice. After all, Harry looked absolutely entranced with the sauce and it was all entirely her work. "If you want, I can pasteurise this right now and give you some, for good luck in your entrance test."

"That would be wonderful!"

"I haven't had much experience in a smoker. This cheese looks beautiful though." the compliment didn't seem to have an effect on Shun, the boy's face unchanging as he continued to deal with his various items left to smoke; the timeframe should've been reaching its desired stage at this point, meaning he would have to prepare the next batch for smoking. "Would it be possible to have some of this cheddar?"

"...Sure. I shouldn't need too much for myself."

"Most of the people at this dormitory seems to have a specialty that helps them exceed; if I had met Megumi before I started the challenge, then I would've asked if there was anything she would be willing to part with as well." Harry continued. "Whether it be wild game, fermented food stuffs, smoked food or incredible vegetables, quite a number of students here have a place where they shine. These dishes? They're meant to represent just what Polar Star can do when they work together!"

Well I would be a fool to deny you after serving something like that. Here, the key to your new room, numbers on the key." Fumio declared, a youthful smile appearing on her visage, one that hadn't been brought forth for a while; most of the time, it was a strict 'pass' or 'fail' with few comments for improvements. Harry merely let a smile appear on his face as he respectfully bowed to the lady, moving out to the front hall with a sigh of relief. After all, things were getting cold and he hadn't exactly prepared to sleep in a barn or anything like that.

"That was amazing Harry! Fumio has really specific tastes!" Megumi cheered, her visage growing a beautiful smile as the two started to walk out of the kitchen. "I don't think I've ever thought about using all of our ingredients like that. I mean, we share the produce made in the allotment at the back because we all work on that, but usually we stick to what we do best."

"And there's nothing wrong with that. If you're putting in the effort, there's no reason why you shouldn't use that effort on yourself, especially in such a competitive environment." Harry reasoned, letting his briefcase fall on the floor outside what would be now his room. "But when you work together, you produce a magic beyond anything you can imagine. I… I don't really have a speciality. I just want to make good food and improve dishes in ways that most people will never get to experience. If I can have the assistance of everyone else to make my food better, then I'll take it. If I can help other people make their food better, then all you need to do is ask."

"Harry? We're going to have a welcoming party! The other transfer student also managed to pass the dorm entrance exam!" Megumi called out as she knocked on the door, only to receive no reply from the other side. that was weird, Harry hadn't left his room yet and she made sure to check the baths beforehand just in case… a small push revealed how the door was unlocked, the blue haired girl taking a small breath before she found her resolution. "Um, as long as you're decent… I'm coming in! Sorry for the intrusion!"

Except, when she pushed open the door, there was no one there to greet her, let alone object to her presence. The room itself remained completely empty – not a single touch added by Harry to even begin to make it more homely. Everything remained a blank slate, all except for the briefcase sitting innocently to the side.

Now, Megumi most certainly wasn't a rude girl. But if anyone just so happened to be leaving their briefcase on the ground unattended, a briefcase that seemed to hold much more than it possibly should be able to and perhaps had a hand in performing what appeared to be miracles, then could she really be blamed for having a small bit of intrigue? Before Megumi even knew it, her hand was already resting on the latch and opening it up, a simple click before the lid fell open. What she saw, she didn't expect.

Nothing.

Not just an empty case, but literally open air without a bottom. Well, to say nothing was technically incorrect, for there was actually a ladder within, leading into a realm completely unknown. If Megumi didn't know that the briefcase could be and had been moved, she would've been fooled into thinking that someone had taken out the base of the case along with the floor and instigated a completely random new entrance. From the sounds within it however, it certainly didn't lead to just downstairs however…

"I'm sorry about this!" Megumi whispered as she took a hold of one of the rungs. At this point, there was no denying that she might have gone mad, but she was about to try and enter a briefcase with her full body. Slowly descending down the ladder, it would take until she couldn't see over the top of the briefcase before Megumi let herself actually believe that this was a thing. One rung at a time, one foot down and then the other; the ladder when surprisingly deep down, so much so that Megumi was scared to look down.

Naturally, that meant she would then lose her footing and fall all the way down to the ground with a cushioned thump and a moan.

It at least meant that Megumi could finally get a good look around. Considering that she was sat inside a carrying case, the amber eyed girl found herself staring around at what looked to be an entire Victorian parlour, complete with furniture and an endless supply of books. It was the odd bubbling from the distance however that drew Megumi in, the girl completely unaware of the sound of a briefcase closing above her.

Instead all of her attention was focused on the lab like room, filled with all sorts of odd bits and pieces of animals and insects (or at least, that's what Megumi thought they were), held within glass containers. Several different liquids decorated the walls as well, the girl unable to decipher what any of them were. At least, she wasn't able to decipher it in the time before she heard a voice much harsher calling out behind her.

"How did you get in here?"

And that's it. When it comes to the cooking aspect, I'll be using actual recipes that can be applied in real life, only with the help of a little trickery in order to make them just that little bit more special. Boeuf Bourguignon, Hasselback Potatoes and Soya sauce chicken: an incredibly complex dish contrasted with two rather simple ones. If they've managed to tickle your taste buds, try to make them yourselves!

Super hero time! See you next time!