It’s the 16th century in Nagano, feudal Japan. My name is Akamatsu and I am 12 years old; I am the son of Sanada Yukimura, one of the nation’s most notorious samurai warriors in Japan. He is a leader against the Tokugawa rule and his mission is to keep the country governed as it is now, but there is a war for power. As the son of one of the greatest samurai warriors Japan has ever seen, there are many expectations of me to become a great warrior like my father. The problem is, I was not exactly meant to be a warrior, but rather ~a chef~.
My first day of training was a disaster, to say the least. The general put me into the beginners’ class with the rest of the kids when I was about seven years old, and I knew right away that I was not meant for it. The moment they gave me the bamboo sword, I wanted to bring it home to my mother so she could burn it for the stove. During the drills I was dreaming about the delicious stew my mother made, thinking about how much I wanted to learn to cook it myself. I always have helped my mother in the kitchen, especially when “BAM!”. Someone struck me in the back of the head with their wooden sword, and I did not know where I was for a little bit. Who would do that? Honma, my arch enemy. He was such a goody-two-shoes, the perfect little warrior with a bright future, the opposite of me. He always used to pick on me for being different. Nobody respects chefs who can put a smile on people’s faces with beautiful dishes, yet society worships warriors that are masters of violence. Not to say I do not love my father, but he just has never understood and will never understand that there are other valid professions besides being a warrior. Anyway, right after I figured out it was Honma, I rushed at him, only to be made a fool when he swiftly slid out of the way and I faceplanted. I have refused to attend training sessions since.
Ever since that day I have been training to become a head chef for highly regarded officials, so that one day, society will recognize gastronomy as a valid industry, instead of praising warriors who can do damage instead of warm peoples’ hearts.
