The following morning, yellows, blues and greens splashed across a canvas in Soma Yukihira's studio apartment. He spread the color with each stroke, breathing life into his newest piece. His well-practiced hand expertly adjusted its pressure on his brush to vary the thickness of his lines.

He had finally been inspired again after months of being in a creative rut, and it was all from meeting this woman last night. She had completely charmed him, not just with her good looks, but with all the real conversations they'd had. Being drunk had allowed them to skip the small talk and speak truthfully (for the most part) about their world views and passions in life. He had never connected with anyone on that level in such a short time.

Sunlight streamed through his giant windows, lighting up his make-shift art studio. Having almost wall-to-wall windows gave the room an open, airy feel and Soma left the windows open often. He loved the natural light, cool breeze and sounds of the city from below that flowed in. His large studio bedroom was technically one big room, but he had put up a divider near the far end of his place in order to separate his bedroom from his work space. While the rest of his place was fairly clean, his art studio was chaotic, to say the least. Half painted canvases propped up on easels littered the room while tarps were spread out over the floor, speckled with dots of colorful paint. The left wall of the room was decorated by the occasional paint swatch from all the times he had run out of room on his palette, while the right wall had doodles and little paintings from his friends whenever they'd come over.

The buzzer rang, and Soma used his elbow to buzz whoever it was in, as his hands were coated with acrylic paint.

Takumi and Megumi walked in, carrying breakfast tacos and coffee.

"Oh, thank God," Soma smiled gratefully, "I forgot how much hangovers suck." He washed his hands and forearms thoroughly before taking off the white bandana around his forehead that he always wore when he was painting and tied it back around his wrist. He gulped down the hot caffeine and tore into his tacos as his friends made themselves comfortable on his couch. "So, how are you guys feeling?"

"Not so loud, Soma-kun…" Megumi whimpered, leaving her sunglasses on in the brightly lit apartment. She had never been one to hold her liquor well, and after throwing up three times, she vowed to never touch the stuff again.

Takumi smiled sympathetically at his girlfriend, wishing he could take her pain away. He felt absolutely fine. "Last night was fun, huh? I'm glad Ryo introduced us to Alice and her friends. Now Megumi won't be the only girl in the group!" The blonde chef knew she had been missing her old female college roommates, Yuki and Ryoko.

Soma looked guiltily up from his food, wiping his mouth before admitting, "I don't know if that's such a great idea."

Takumi cocked an eyebrow, "I thought you and Erina really hit it off? Did something happen?"

Soma chuckled awkwardly, "I kinda lied to her and said I was a chef like you."

Takumi and Megumi stared at him dumbly. "Why would you do that?!" They both shouted at once, never knowing Soma to lie about anything.

"I don't know, it just slipped out! Her clothes looked really expensive and the way she talked made me think that she was crazy rich, and I guess I thought she wouldn't want to talk to me if she knew I was just a struggling artist." Soma lifted his arms in defeat and rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "And now if I see her again, I feel like I'd have to keep up the lie and I don't want to do that to her."

Takumi grinned, shaking his head. "You are such an idiot! First of all, you're not some cliché starving artist who suffers for his work; people pay you good money. How do you think you can afford this apartment without any roommates? Secondly, we probably will be seeing them again since Hayama wants to ask out that pink-haired chick on a date. They'll become a couple and you will eventually run into Erina again. Finally, and I mean this in the nicest way, YOU CAN'T COOK FOR SHIT. Keeping up this lie isn't an option, even if you wanted to!" He laughed, finishing his rant.

Megumi nodded thoughtfully at her boyfriend's words, "He's right! I really think you should just tell her the truth the next time you see her. The longer you wait, the weirder it'll be that you lied. Just say you were really drunk, and you don't know what came over you." She finished lamely, knowing it wasn't a good excuse but there wasn't much else he could say.

Soma groaned, "No, if I do see her I'll just tell her the truth." And he really did want to see her again. He wanted to memorize every one of her features so he could accurately portray them on his canvas. He wanted to hear her talk about how much she loved her work so he could see the way her eyes sparkled like jewels. A slight blush had spread across his cheeks as he thought of the way she had kissed him so suddenly, and how he definitely wanted that to happen again.

Megumi saw the change in his face and giggled, "Wow, you really are smitten. I'm glad to see you like this, Soma-kun." She painfully remembered the way his ex-girlfriend had utterly destroyed him and how her best friend had been like an empty shell of his former self. His usual spark and fire had been extinguished after her betrayal, and it took months to pull him out of his funk. "I can see you're painting again, too. I wonder what inspired you?" She teased gently.

Soma couldn't stop the wide smile from spreading on his face, revealing more than his words would ever say.


Across town, Erina was just waking up on her silky sheets in her king-sized bed. She hugged one of her dozens of pillows tightly, still half dreaming of the night before.

Soft knocking came at the door, and Erina made a noise of acknowledgment, not yet ready to open her eyes.

Hisako came in with a tray of food and set it down gently on Erina's bed before curling up next to her best friend. "I made you some ginger tea with honey and some oatmeal to soak up all the alcohol."

Erina's stomach heaved just at the word 'alcohol'. "I'm never drinking again." She declared, her throat still hoarse from all the shouting the night before.

Hisako sipped her own tea, giggling, "Likewise. I feel like death. My only consolation is knowing Alice drank even more than us and probably feels just as bad, if not worse."

Then as if she'd been summoned, Alice walked into the bedroom, perfectly chipper. "Good morning, ladies!" She said brightly, taking another place on Erina's bed. "Oh my gosh, can we please talk about last night now?"

This had become somewhat of a tradition for the girls whenever they had gone to an event the night before. The following morning, everyone would huddle into one room and fill the others in about what they might have missed. Divulging these secret details was almost more fun than the actual event.

Erina started. "I really cannot believe how Ikumi was leading both those boys on all night. I almost feel bad for how much she wound them up and then left." She was snorting with laughter thinking about how they had fought over her all night and neither had won. "She does this every time we go out!" Hisako and Alice joined in on the laughter, wiping tears from their eyes after they had settled down.

Once they had stopped giggling, Hisako turned her sights to Alice. "You failed to mention how attractive your intern was. Please tell me he actually knows something about the art world and you didn't just hire him for his looks." She shot the red-eyed girl a weary glance.

Alice pouted, "Of course I didn't! Ryo is an extremely talented individual and I'm glad to have him on my team. I feel he'll be an excellent addition to the Nakiri Art Foundation one day. But it certainly doesn't hurt that he's easy on the eyes." She giggled, prompting Hisako and Erina to smile back. "Besides, like attracts like. His friends were attractive too, wouldn't you agree, ladies?" Alice's comeback was too much for both its victims and they blushed deeply.

After a moment of silence, Erina shrieked, "You danced on a table with him!" and burst out laughing, while Hisako retorted, "You kissed him!"

All three girls were crying of laughter again and hitting each other playfully with the dozens of pillows on the bed.

Erina suddenly sobered up, "I can't believe I kissed a stranger. This is all your fault, Alice!" She cried, giving her cousin one final shove with her soft pillow.

Alice gawked at her, "Oh, come on. I know you enjoyed it. You guys were flirting like crazy all night! And Ikumi even volunteered to do it for you, remember?"

She had a point. Erina had wanted to kiss him all night, and Alice had given her the best birthday present of all: plausible deniability. Erina huffed in annoyance, but grinned, while looking down at her tea. "It doesn't really matter though since we won't see each other again."

The other girls stared at her in confusion, "Why not?" they asked jointly.

"I didn't exactly tell the truth about who I was. I didn't even give him my last name," she admitted. Come to think of it, she didn't know his last name either. This will make it much harder to stalk him on social media later, she thought frustratedly.

Erina explained her flawed logic of why she lied, and the girls made noises of disapproval, shaking their heads. "It just seemed like a lot to dump on a guy the first time we're meeting! I didn't exactly lie, I just…omitted the whole truth."

Hisako and Alice made sassy 'hmm' noises, and Erina rolled her eyes. "Either way it doesn't matter because I'm basically engaged to someone else!"

At this, Alice practically threw herself down into the bed and screamed, her muffled shriek thankfully muted by the thick comforter. "Hisako, will you please explain for the billionth time that Erina will not be marrying that man?!"

Hisako was equally frustrated, although not as outwardly expressive. "Erina, this is a business deal your father put together in order to join your art foundation with a very in-demand painter. The only reason he wants you two together is so he can guarantee your 'boyfriend' will become one of his clients. You are in no way obligated to go along with this. Please, if this doesn't make you happy, just end it. He can't force you to marry someone you don't love."

Erina sank back into her bed, letting her pillows fall on top of her. "I suppose you both are right." This was the first time she had said it out loud. Alice and Hisako did doubletakes.

"Do you think she has alcohol poisoning?" Alice whispered to Hisako, and Erina propped herself up on her elbows, smirking. "No, I'm fine. I think I'm just finally seeing things a little clearer."

Her friends smiled gladly, excited for Erina to stand up for herself, while thanking their lucky stars that fate had brought Soma into her life somehow. They suspected her sudden 180 had something to do with him.

After a moment of reflective silence, Alice glanced sneakily at Erina. "So, you're really going to make me ask?" Erina gave her a confused, "Hm?" and Alice giggled, "How was the kiss?"

Another pillow fight ensued.


Later that morning as Erina was getting ready for the day, her mind wandered back to picturing Soma's face again. She noticed she had been analyzing it last night like one of her artist's paintings. There's no way he was that cute. Drinking makes everyone seem more attractive than they actually are. Ah, the photo!

She pulled out her phone and scrolled through her pictures until she found the group selfie they had taken towards the end of the night. Her heart skipped a beat as she found his face right next to hers and quickly closed out of the picture, feeling like someone would know if she stared for too long. Shit, he really was that good looking.

She thought of how she had impulsively kissed him, and she couldn't help but squeal in delight and hug herself for being so brave. The best part had been that he had started to kiss her back! She couldn't help herself and pulled her phone out again, trying to find him on any form of social media she could. Unfortunately, she knew from Alice's complaints that Ryo had vehemently refused to create a profile on anything, meaning she wouldn't be able to search for Soma through his friends list or followers. She tried searching just 'Soma', then 'Soma chef', then 'Soma chef Japan' but she couldn't find him.

I guess it's for the best, she thought sadly. She finished up some last touches on her light makeup and left her room, ready for all the work she had to do that day.

As she walked down the hall, she ran into Hisako who had been running towards her room. She was panting with her arms on her knees, her bubble gum colored hair wildly out of place. Hisako lifted up her phone to show a text from an unsaved number.

'Hey, it's Akira Hayama from last night. Hope it's alright that Alice gave me your number. I was wondering if you wanted to come check out my pottery studio sometime this week. Let me know.'

Erina began reading the text quietly, increasing in volume as she read his invitation. They stared at each other for a moment and then began shrieking and bouncing up and down excitedly. "That's wonderful, Hisako! Are you going to go?" Erina asked. Hisako nodded, nervous jitters spreading throughout her body as she typed out a response. "Yes, we had fun last night and he's much more mature than any other guys our age. Besides, I'm thinking about asking him to lead one of the therapy classes."

Erina was so proud of her best friend. Hisako had started out as Erina's secretary, managing her appointments and basically keeping the blonde alive. She had proved herself to be more than capable, and Erina convinced her father to make Hisako the head of their charity division. Hisako found that the healing powers of art were extremely beneficial to both the physically and mentally ill. The more research she did, the more Hisako loved the idea of using the foundation's influence to heal. Studies had shown that just looking at a beautiful painting for 10 minutes a day reduced cortisol levels and lowered blood pressure. She began setting up drawing classes for the elderly to combat loneliness and donated countless works of art for hospitals who insisted their paintings made their patients heal faster.

Hisako finished typing out her text and sent it, smiling nervously. "We have a date on Wednesday!"


Hayama's phone buzzed and he grabbed it eagerly. His green eyes skimmed over the text and he allowed a small smile to grace his tan face. "We're meeting up on Wednesday," he said impassively to Soma and Ryo. They nodded in response, knowing that behind his cool exterior he was excited. Hayama always remained calm and confident no matter what.

Soma continued working on his newest painting, allowing his guests to do whatever they wanted in his apartment. They were basically family to him, and he always encouraged them to treat his place like their place. "I'm glad you guys hit off! She seems cool." He took a step back to stare critically at his painting.

Ryo glanced over from where he'd been standing and muttered, "Needs more pink," and went back to recreating Van Gogh's The Starry Night on Soma's doodle wall.

Soma agreed and dipped his brush back into the magenta hue on his palette. "I hope I can finish this one in time for next Saturday." In one week's time, Soma would be joining his father at the annual ball hosted by the Nakiri Art Foundation. While he had initially refused the invitation from his dad, Saiba Joichiro had convinced his son to accept.

"Listen brat, everyone has to use their connections in some way or another, or else no one would ever get anywhere! You have the talent, which is 99% of the work. Let me introduce you to the right people just this once, and I promise things will start picking up for you real soon." His father had laughed and ruffled Soma's hair like he was still a little kid, much to his son's displeasure. Soma had to agree. Although his entire life he had refused his dad's help and avoided meeting his agents, he was finally coming to accept that he needed to meet the right people to propel his career forward.

He was going to showcase his last collection which had done very well, in addition to this new piece he had been inspired to create last minute. He did worry about running into Alice, who would most likely tell Erina who he really was, but he figured at that point he'd be on the ladder to success and it wouldn't come as such a blow.

Little did he know, the Nakiri cousins were spending the whole day double and triple checking all the plans for the ball, ensuring everything would go perfectly. Back at the mansion, Erina had been terrorizing the caterers and staff. This ball had to be the greatest event their foundation had ever put on, for it would become where they announced Erina's new position: Vice President. She went over every detail, scrutinizing the ballroom with her God's Eye. Just as she was about to make a staff member cry after reciting all 17 flaws she found, she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

"Hey, I'm so sorry I missed your birthday party last night, sweetheart." Eishi Tsukasa extended a pale hand to grab Erina's and she pulled away from him, turning her nose to the air. "It's fine."

It clearly wasn't fine.

"I just got caught up doing some work," he said lamely, knowing he would be in the doghouse for a while. "But, I got you something." He pulled out a small Tiffany blue bag from behind his back and presented it to her. "Open it," he encouraged her, wanting the guilt to leave his system.

Erina glowered at the bag like it would bite her, but eventually pulled out the long box inside. She opened it, and gasped. An exquisite white-gold diamond bracelet shimmered brightly, and Eishi took advantage of her moment of surprise to clasp the bracelet around her wrist. "Happy birthday, Erina," he smiled at her.

Just as she was about to grace his presence with a returning smile, Rindo Kobayashi came bouncing through the ballroom doors. Erina's smile immediately turned into a scowl as she looked at the scarlet haired girl. Rindo was her Eishi's top advisor and current agent. However, she always suspected there was something more going on between them and couldn't help but feel irritated whenever the feline-looking girl was around.

"Happy belated birthday, Erina!" Rindo laughed, "I hope you like your gift. I picked it out." Her yellow eyes pulsed with challenging energy as they met purple ones. She ran her tongue over her sharp cat-like teeth and smiled smugly at her opponent.

Erina regained her composure and said in a clipped tone, "Thank you both, but I really must be getting back to overseeing the preparations for the ball."

As she turned to leave, Eishi put out a hand on her shoulder and said, "I promise I'll be there!"

Of course you will. This is just another networking opportunity for you. You won't be there for me.

She nodded curtly and walked away, not bothering to respond. While she felt nothing romantically for her white-haired 'boyfriend', her competitive nature bristled at the thought of someone stealing what was hers. She decided to put this aggressive energy into her event planning, much to the displeasure of her staff.

This will be a night to remember! She declared triumphantly.

She had no idea how right she would be.