a/n: shokugeki no souma drabbles, start! I was waiting so bad for the anime to start and now I'm waiting for Shinomiya to appear :D this is Shinomiya/fem!Souma, there's more to come. Please enjoy. English is not my first language so there might be some mistakes.

palette of bittersweet flavours

I

("If I make you lose on a shokugeki. Could you take back Tadokoro's expulsion?"

Shinomiya looks at the girl in front of him, eyes blazing as the fire itself as she ties her hair into a small ponytail and, there's a fire burning inside himself as well.)

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When he leaves for France again Shinomiya thinks a lot about his cooking. He said that he is aiming to get 3 stars, but Shinomiya thinks it's not something he can do in France. So he makes up his mind of opening a restaurant in Tokyo, ready to face the roots of his cooking. But for the time being he decides to stay in France before he is sure that his employees can maintain the quality of his recipes.

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Months later he gets a call from Doujima about attending Yukihira Souma's official shokugeki in the semi-finals of Autumn Election, where she put her whole cooking career on the line. As much as he would like to go, it's not like he can just leave his restaurant and fly to Japan just to try her cooking. But Shinomiya has no doubt that she is the one who will once take the cooking world by storm.

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(During their unofficial shokugeki instead of focusing on the chef as he should, his eyes follow the movements of the redhead who effortlessly supports the panicking dunce. There are no useless movements as she predicts what the dunce will do, she supports her and is careful enough not to get in her way. Shinomiya thinks, Yukihira's cooking is just like the river, there's no forcing or holding back, just flowing straight towards the ocean.)

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When he comes to Japan and is preparing for "SHINO's" pre-opening he finds her at his door. Literally.

"I'll be in your care, Shinomiya-senpai."

It's his first time seeing her in months and his eyes drink in the sight of her. Softly curled dark red hair, which looks like it is on fire reaching her shoulders, her thick black lashes, bright golden eyes and a confident grin on her lips. Shinomiya isn't sure why his blood is boiling but, for some reason, he doesn't think it from anger.

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She's in his kitchen now. It takes her a while to get used to the tempo and work, but she's not giving up. Even thought he's not saying anything and she is just getting scolded, Shinomiya knows that Yukihira won't give up. Because he notices, as she works around in his kitchen, those passionate eyes with thirst for knowledge.

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"However... please give it a try. Right now this is the best french cuisine I can serve up." Those are her words as she presents her newest dish to them.

He looks at Souma, who had lately taken to looking at him sideways with her large eyes, big and gold, under lashes like stars.

It's fitting he thinks, that her first recipe he tries in his kitchen.

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"I'll definitely catch up to you Shinomiya-senpai."

There is a smile on her lips and a certain shine in her golden eyes and he can't help himself as he leans down and kisses her softly on the lips. When Shinomiya pulls back Souma looks at him with a stunned expression and pink hue staining her cheeks. He's walking back towards the door as the redhead tries to say something but there's no sound just mouth slightly opened and brighter blush on her cheeks.

With a teasing smirk Shinomiya says over his shoulder, "But don't take too long madamoselle Yukihira."