Rating: T+

Pairing: Soma/Erina

Notes:

As per usual, a very, very BIG "Thank You!" to you all who have read, reviewed, favorited and enjoyed my story! While I have taken a bit longer to update than what I would have hoped (juggling University and a part-time is brutal) here I am with an update. Since Shokugeki no Soma is already heading for another arc (I think, Soma just returned to a bag-load of challenges as of this writing); my story can now go its own route. Onwards to plot!

Anyways, thank you all for the support and please enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own Shokugeki no Soma.

Correction: Takumi Aldini and Isami Aldini are both Italian, not French. Thanks for pointing it out, since I have no idea how I got that mixed up. On a similar note, Julio Rossi Saotome is also Italian. I apologize for this mistake.


"Can you believe that woman?" Soma's voice engulfed the entire area of the room he was in. He had spoken up suddenly, after having been silent for a few minutes, much to the sudden surprise of those currently with him. Before his outburst, Soma had been busy sharpening his knives in a stable rhythm; but something (or rather, someone) popped into his head. It was… something that didn't happen very often to him.

"What woman?" the tone of the question sounded threatening; or more correctly, like if someone was trying to mask the menace behind the words and failing miserably. Current head of the (admittedly small, currently looking for new members) Don RS Kanichi Konishi was certain that his lovely associate Ikumi Mito had understood Soma's woman troubles in a way Soma did not mean. Soma seemed equally confused by her angry outburst, looking at her puzzling as if he had said something wrong.

"Girl troubles Soma?" Kanichi asked, even if he was certain Soma was not the type to become romantically invested this early in life. If he pondered it, like he was doing now, he didn't seem to recall ever even seeing Soma interact with a girl or boy in any way that didn't seem completely platonically. Maybe he was asexual? Or just chaste?

"One girl, many troubles," he answered, quite possibly not understanding that he was just lighting the fuel in Ikumi's fire.

"Alright, spill," Ikumi ordered Soma as she grabbed the boy by the collar of his jacket, surprising him in a way that he almost dropped the knife he was holding. "Who are you dating? What's her name? Where did you meet her? W-"

"Does she have a sister?"

Soma would admit that he felt his face drain of all color the moment Ikumi threw a knife as Kanichi without bothering to look at him once he had asked that question. How she aimed it so well to fly pass his pompadour and land sticking into the wall next to him must have taken a lot of skill.

Or she missed.

Soma really hoped she hadn't missed.

Her eyes were still locked on him. "Answer."

"What are you saying?" Soma asked the tanned girl who was currently frightening him beyond belief. He couldn't understand why she got so upset all the sudden. Then it hit him. "Oh, that's right; I get it now!"

"What? Wait!" she took a step back, releasing her grip. "I don't mean it like that! Don't you start getting ideas that I want to be the girl that you lose ni-"

"You used work for Nakiri," he concluded. "So of course you're still friends, huh?"

Kanichi would have laughed at the two if Ikumi didn't keep spare knives in her person. How two so masterful chefs could be so completely incompetent in social matters was beyond him. And this coming from the guy who gave names to every grain of rice he used to cook… not that he was going to tell anybody that.

"That's it, right?" Soma asked Ikumi, as she felt her face heat up.

"…You almost made me say something embarrassing…"

"Huh? What are-?"

"Nothing!" she countered, turning around and walking towards Kanichi; or rather, towards the knife clenched to the wall. She gave it a swift pull, and out it came. During this, she just glared at Kanichi; he face still flushed. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," he lied as he did not want to get stabbed. "But Soma, what were you complaining about? Erina Nakiri?"

"…Yeah, she's a handful," Soma repositioned the knife he had dropped between his fingers; as if examining it for damages. Ikumi just stared, suspecting that maybe it was not what she originally understood what he had meant. She knew Soma was, well, a charming you man. But she also knew that Erina was, well, not a girl that could be conquered easily; if at all. Still, it didn't hurt to be sure.

"So…" she began to ask; hoping to be direct enough to get an answer. "You're not dating her?"

"Dating, Nakiri? Oh no, no," he shook his head twice for each "no", much to Ikumi's relief and Kanichi's expectance. Soma really was still a young teen; more preoccupied with recipes and victories over dates and baseball analogies.

"Is it the Shokugeki against Akira?" Ikumi asked, crossing her arms against her chest. It felt weird, if she were honest, to see Soma actually concerned about something related to cooking. He was always adventurous and daring. The only times she had seen him scared was the times she took math class with him and the professor announced a pop quiz. But for a Shokugeki? Soma had been the second place winner of the Autumn Election; a hair away from being the victor. So why…?

"Yes," he answered, but seemed to ponder his answer. "Wait… make that no."

Ikumi and Kanichi both stared, unsure of what he meant. Did he really mean something other than food-related? Something having to do with Erina Nakiri not related to the Shokugeki?

'Don't tell me that whole bitchy ice-queen routine actually works!' Ikumi pondered.

'That girl could do things with that tongue that I could only dream of!' Kanichi fantasied.

"…Nakiri just doesn't want me around. I can't even try to brainstorm ideas because if I call her, she either hangs up or doesn't pick up at all. If I visit, she doesn't let me in. If I text or email, she never responds. Heck, her secretary doesn't respond either! How are we a team if I have no idea what she's planning to make? I spent an entire night reading about Chinese restaurants in America; from fancy establishments to fast-food joints. I learned various dishes, several highly sought ingredients and even several combinations people seem to enjoy most depending on the state or the culture… but is she interested in hearing any of that? No! I feel like I'm stuck being unable to improve since I have the best opportunity to branch out into uncharted territory and yet she doesn't let me do a thing… Are you guys following me?"

Both Ikumi and Kanichi were speechless.

They had never seen Soma so agitated before. He wasn't actually screaming, but he could be given how expressive he had become. For someone so collected; it seemed Erina Nakiri had an effect on him. Ikumi didn't really like it. Kanichi found it hilarious.

"So…" Ikumi began, as Soma seemed surprise with himself given his sudden outburst. "You're just pissed because Erina isn't taking your help seriously?"

"Something like that, it's… how do I explain it?" he pondered it for a minute. "I lost to Hayama; like we all pretty much did by default. So having a chance to beat him; in an even bigger stage than the Autumn Election is something that I couldn't even begin to believe my luck. But," he paused, briefly. "Is it even me fighting him? Nakiri is doing everything herself. Even if she wins, what accomplishment will I feel if all I did was boil the water and pass her the salt?"

"Are you actually scared of where you measure against God's Tongue?" Kanichi asked, even if he hadn't meant to sound as harsh as he did. The sudden look Soma gave him; of slight shock and slight disgust; made him feel a bit bad about having spoken without thinking. This was Soma after all; he proved to everyone that he never shied away from anybody. Not Alice. Not Subaru. Not even Akira.

"What? Don't be stupid!" Ikumi was quick to insult Kanichi in Soma's defense; while he quickly bowed in apology against the knife wielding girl. "You know Soma, he would never-"

"Do I seem scared?"

The question surprised the other two. Soma stared at them wide eyed, fully expecting a response and awaiting one. It was here Kanichi fully understood what was going on. The look of disgust Soma had shown had not been directed at Kanichi. Soma had directed that look upon himself. He had realized that there was some truth to that assessment; to the fear of just where he measured up against Erina Nakiri.

"Not really…" Kanichi muttered, Soma's eyes still on him. "I wouldn't go as far as to call you scared…"

For the rest of the morning, Soma Yukihira remained silent.

-0-

"So, with that example in mind, go back to your text books on page 1083 and check to see what actually went wrong in that recipe," the professor spoke in monotone, adjusting his glasses to the rim of his nose as he waited for the students to reach the designated page. Soma skimmed through the pages, still shocked at the fact that even at over a thousand pages in he didn't seem to have reached the middle of the text book.

He decided to focus, for once, on the class at hand and contemplated the problem. They were given a recipe, a rather complex restaurant-class seven structured meal, and after reading everything that had taken part they had to decide what went wrong. Was it the written recipe? Or was it the quantity of the ingredients? Or did the time it took to cook the meal ruined the flavor that the recipe had intended to have?

So many possibilities.

Soma looked around; all of his peers were busy reading. He could see Megumi sitting a few seats from him, skimming around the pages of the text book. Did she have a theory, or was she lost? For all her faults, Soma had to admit she was far more book smart than he was, so she was probably mentally testing out a few theories.

The only other person close to him, which he knew well enough in this class, was Takumi; who was looking at the text book with a bored expression. Had he figured it out? Sometimes a few students did manage to get the correct answers, but avoided answering unless prompted as to avoid the risk of answering incorrectly. But again, Takumi was not the type.

"Time's up," the professor spoke up, closing the book he was holding. "You will now pick a partner and discuss, quietly, what each of you think happened. Then decide which theory works best and present it to the class. You have ten minutes."

That was new.

Megumi was next to Soma in a heartbeat; already taking a seat next to him by the time he saw her. "Can I join up?" she asked him; which caused him to smile since he did not know why she would even expect him to decline.

"Sure, let's see what theory you came up with," he began; if only to hide the fact that he had not come up with any himself. If her theory was convincing, which he was sure it was, he'd just go with it.

"Well, since the recipe is based on an old formula from the 1880's, I thought that maybe the u-" Megumi was interrupted the moment the door opened up; not because anyone interrupted her, but because it was so suddenly that it captured everyone's attention.

For the door came Hisako Arato, in very quick steps, walking right up to the professor. "Excuse me, professor Fukuhara," she spoke up politely, before bringing herself close to his ear. As she spoke, the class saw him nod, then blink, nod again, blush, fix his glasses, nod, followed by another nod and finally smile. It was a bit scary.

"Yukihira," Fukuhara spoke up, turning to the young chef. Soma blinked a few times, his dumbfounded expression being the only evidence that he had even heard the man. "You're dismissed," he spoke, before turning to Hisako. "You may take him."

The class erupted into squeals, both genuine and of mockery. From mentions of Soma "stealing Nakiri's secretary" to how Hisako was going to "take" Soma; most students began to mock and laugh at the two. Soma was confused, but Hisako paid them no mind. She was completely indifferent.

As Soma stood up, he noticed that he was going to leave Megumi on her own; which would not normally be a bad thing but he knew her. She still got stage fright, even after being up on stage in the Autumn Election. If she didn't go up there with Soma, she would be an indescribable mess. "Wait, Hishoko," Soma addressed the secretary; who was starting to wonder if everyone mispronounced her name on purpose. A secretary, she got it, it wasn't funny. "Can't I just finish this up real quick? It's an important part of my edu-"

"Not as much as this, and no, you may not. You have orders, as do I. Milady is waiting," she spoke seriously, and as Soma looked around, everyone seemed to be waiting for him to leave to continue the class. The professor was staring at him. Even Megumi just tugged him by the sleeve, giving him a reassuring smile. At that point he knew what she meant. She's strong, and capable, she could manage… But it never hurt to be sure.

"Alright, then let's do this!" he spoke as he moved away from Megumi and walked towards Takumi, before grabbing the boy by the sleeves and pulling him towards the desk he had been in.

"What the hell is your problem? You looking for a fight Yukihira?" Takumi blurted out, half angry, half taken by complete surprise.

Soma just looked at him for a moment, before he just grabbed Takumi by the shoulders, stared at him intently, and spoke: "Be Tadokoro's partner. You'll pass this assignment without having to even work, just stand next to her and look cool. Can you do that?"

"…What are you even-"

"I got to go, good luck you two," Soma interrupted him. With that said, Soma walked towards Hisako, who seemed somewhat perplexed by how those two communicated (she had thought them friends), but she nevertheless escorted him out of the classroom.

The professor just looked on, before turning back to the class. "With that done, get back to work," he said, before adding. "One of you, given Yukihira's absence, is now team-less, so one group will have three members. Aldini, are you going to partner up with Tadokoro?"

The young blond took a look at the young lady Yukihira has left in his "care". Truth be told, he never really talked to her much, save for a few get-togethers at the Polar Star Dorm or just before his match with Subaru. He had seen her cook, so he knew she had skills, but she was such a wallflower that it was hard to get much out of her. Except if you were Soma Yukihira, then she'd talk to you endlessly.

Takumi wondered if Soma could even tell.

"You don't have to worry about me," Megumi whispered to him, with a wink for emphasis. This caused the young Italian cook to fluster a bit, since the petite girl was thirty shades of adorable in her own way. Never one to be upstaged by Yukihira or caught in an uncompromising position (or at least he tried not to be, very earnestly); Takumi sighed and quietly took a seat next to Megumi; eyes closed and arms crossed.

"Yes, I'll be her partner," he stoically told the professor, who simply nodded. Takumi didn't see it. He had his eyes closed.

"…Ah, thank you…?" Megumi told him, unsure. She presumed it was his way of helping her with the work to agree to be her partner; or that's what she assumed. Both Soma and Takumi seemed to be making way to big a deal about this assignment.

"Don't mention it, so, what's your theory?"

"Oh, erm, I was thinking," she spoke as she took out her notes. "…that if we take into account the utensils that the cook most probably used way back in the 1880's; then the reason the recipe didn't work was not a flaw in the written recipe, but rather because the material of the cooking tools degraded much too quickly with the prolonged cooking period; thereby affecting the flavor in a way…"

As Megumi spoke in detail, Takumi came to one undeniable conclusion…

…They were so using her theory.

-0-

"So… what did you think the reason for the recipe's failure was?"

His attempt at small talk was pretty much that; a desperate attempt at ending the awkward silence between himself and Hisako. She was almost just like Erina, quiet, serious and strict. At first glance, she seemed more like a family member of Erina than even her own cousin Alice.

"The utensils."

"Huh?" he blurted out, before he understood. She was actually talking back to him. So, she was a bit more social than Erina Nakiri. "The utensils were the cause? Was it because of the material they were made or something?"

"Yes, they degraded quickly," she muttered quickly, before coming to a sudden stop. It was here Soma noticed that they had walked, well, she had led them to, a storage of sorts. It was a one story building, with a few windows and doors, but one that seemed to be used for housing items rather than housing people. The place was painted in a very low key manner, a simple off-white décor, but with many boxes lying around, even outside. Soma had no idea what this place even was supposed to store, aside from a sign that read "Subject A" near the main entrance. "Just go inside," Hisako told him, before adding: "And please don't touch anything unless told."

Soma stuck his tongue out at her as soon as she turned around, but he nevertheless entered the building. It was messy inside, but it had the smell of oils and butter and salts and spices and herbs and grease. It was here he noticed it had a kitchen, somewhere. He couldn't see it, but there had to be one around.

Then someone grabbed him.

"Hey!"

"Hey yourself!" answered the man, who seemed American by looks but spoke with a hint of Italian not unlike the Aldini siblings. "So you're Soma Yukihira? Nice to meet you fellow, I've heard a lot about you… none of it good but at least I've heard about you, right?"

"…Yeah, better to be hated than-," wait. "Who are you again?"

"His name's Julio Rossi Saotome," Erina Nakiri made her presence known. "And his one of my most trusted aides. Julio," she spoke as she turned to the taller boy(?). "…Don't encourage him."

"My apologies Milady, he seems harmless."

Soma did not know whether or not that was an insult.

"And Yukihira," she practically forced herself to pronounce his last name. He took it as her still being mad about him being in her home those days ago and catching her in her jammies. "…Have some decency, please. Wash your hands. I can still smell the iron from the knives you were sharpening."

"What! But that was hours…" he stopped, frozen. She could catch the scent from that, all those hours ago. Had he not washed his hands at all since then? Or could she smell through it even after he washed his hands?

"Just wash them," she ordered, and for all his intentions, he simply nodded. Good hygiene was important after all.

"Milady," Julio spoke up, walking towards a box in the middle of the room they were in. "Where should we start with the storage."

"Don't bother with that," Erina noted. "We need to get this place sorted out first. Yukihira!"

Soma looked at her, as Hisako poured a bit of disinfectant onto his hands. "Yeah?"

"Since I know you're wondering, this place is going to be where the Shokugeki takes place," she waved her hand across the room, signaling the entire building. It was then it hit him. The smell of the kitchen, the wide open areas, all the stuff lying around, the classification. This was going to be their restaurant.

"…It's just like Yukihira's."

"Don't insult this place," Erina muttered under her breathe, but Soma still felt his fist clench. For everything anybody could insult him with; ill-speaking about his family restaurant was the biggest slap-to-the-face he could receive.

"Hey! It was a compliment."

"Right," she sighed as she spoke; trying and failing to convince herself that working with Soma would not be as horrible as she had imagined it to be. "Anyways," she continued; "we need to pick this place up and get it ready for the first competition. You already know Hisako, and you've just met Julio; so I hope you understand they are your superiors."

Why did it not surprise him?

"Also," she continued, not bothering to get an acknowledgement from his part. "I already took the liberty to have Hisako excuse you from the rest of your classes today; so get to work."

"What? Wait," Soma spoke up; confused. Work? What was he going to do? "What am I even going to do?" he mouthed his thoughts. "If you recall Nakiri, you weren't the most approachable person these last few days. I have no idea what recipes we're using, what ingredients we have, what utensils we'll use, how ma-"

The sound of Julio's barely concealed hand-covered laughter caused him to stop; as he gave the elder guy-ish person a sharp glare. At this, he simply erupted into laughter. "Oh my, you were right Milady!" he blurted out between heavy laughter. "He actually thinks he's going to be cooking."

Soma looked on, both lost and angered. Hisako didn't react, her eyes fixated on her notes. Erina, on the other hand, gave off a soft chuckle. This caused Soma to turn to her. "What's so funny?"

"You Yukihira," she stated. "You don't have to concern yourself with the actual cooking. You're going to be the busser of the restaurant, a busboy I believe you commoners call them, so you mustn't worry about the dishes. Leave those to the professionals."

Okay, this felt like a slap too.

"The hell!" he felt his blood boiling. How was Nakiri able to edge him on so naturally? "I was chosen for this as your helper! I have to cook; you know I'm good at cooking!"

"No, the deal was for me to use you as I saw fit," Erina corrected. "Akira stated, and I quote: "work on your next Shokugeki as an assistant chef and lackey"."

"He never said "lackey"."

"Open to interpretation," Erina muttered, as Soma glared at her. "If you do not agree then fine, remove yourself from the competition. Or, correct me if I'm wrong. Let's say that it's true, that you are an employee I have recently hired for my restaurant, just like grandfather says. You are good at what you do, at least good enough to avoid getting fired. But," she paused, smiling. "What happens when I need you to do other things? Maybe not the things you studied for, but certainly things that are necessary. Or are you saying that the work of a busboy is beneath you?"

"What? When did I ever…" then it hit him. She was trying to kick him out, without being caught. If he tried to argue that he was supposed to cook, not clean, she could easily kick him out since he wasn't pulling his weight. And for everything the old man was good with; he still had a soft spot for his granddaughter, so he could possibly give her the benefit of the doubt. He had no choice.

"Are you against your work?" Erina asked, temptingly. She just needed… One. Little. Outburst.

"…No, I understand," he spoke, with a bow, "Milady."

All three other cooks were left silent.

Julio was dumbfounded.

Hisako was impressed.

Erina was… blushing?

"D-Don't mock me, you commoner!"

"I'm not mocking you," he argued, pouting like a small child would. "I'm showing respect. You want me to see you like a boss, then I'll see you like a boss! I'll be the best damn employee you ever had, so that I can leave you no choice but to ascend me and make me an assistant chef in you restaurant," he declared, before adding: "Or have you forgotten our promise?"

Julio's eyes almost fell out of his head. Not just because of his smug attitude towards the Erina Nakiri, even if that did shock him, but rather because of the fact that they seemed to actually share a history of some sort.

Hisako merely looked on, wondering, until she remembered. 'Promise?' she thought, as she seemed to recall. 'Does he mean when he first came here…?'

However, against all odds, Erina didn't react much. She just spoke softly.

"I haven't forgotten."

Soma himself was taken back a bit by her actual honesty. As he thought about it, for all the headache inducing trouble she was worth, she was always a professional chef and honest figure of authority. Well, except that time she didn't want to let him into the academy because of his attitude, but nobody's perfect.

"Nakiri, I-"

"If you have time to gawk, then get to work," she threatened, her voice as cold as usual. "Make sure to unpack every single box here. If you see anything you don't know where it should go, just ask Hisako or Julio. Understood?"

"…Yes, ma'am!"

-0-

Five hours passed since the four began to "set-up shop", so to speak. What began early in the afternoon with a messy abandoned-looking building ended late in the afternoon with a still somewhat messy building that at least seemed to be on its way to becoming something mirroring a restaurant. It had a few tables already set up, several sets of chairs already brought inside (even if they were still not on any proper arrangement) and both the electricity and running water had been reconnected (which was the easiest part, since all it took was Hisako calling the main headquarters and telling them to reconnect everything). Furthermore, and perhaps most important of all, the kitchen was actually (mostly) prepared.

Several tools, cooking and otherwise, were all set up across the area, with the large walk-in refrigerators already stocked to some capacity with a handful of different ingredients; including but not limited to: meats, rice, vegetables, fruits, dough, oils, seasonings, sauces, milk, juices, wine, sugars, etc.

For everything done, Erina Nakiri felt horribly sweaty.

"I told you we could have hired someone," Hisako spoke up, finishing up the inventory for the meat. Everything was in order there. "No need for you to have gotten your hands dirty with this."

"A necessary evil," Erina mentioned, as Hisako looked on. "One of the rules found in grandfather's letter about the Shokugeki was that we were going to be given a limited budget on our work; from ingredients, to electricity and water bills, to, well, everything. If I hired someone I would have to use money from that budget, not my own, which will probably come in handy later on…" she paused, examining her work. "Grandfather really wants to push me out of my comfort zone here; he's doing everything in his power to make sure I can't get my way by just throwing my money around."

"Seems harsh."

"No, it's what he believes it's best for me; for us," she declared, taking a seat on one of the still not assigned chairs and taking a sip from her bottled mineral water. "After all, when he was my age the Nakiri name was worth no more than any other. He raised in the ranks by his own efforts. I guess he wants us all to reach higher without using him as an insurance. After all, it is the Nakiri way."

As Hisako looked on, somewhat surprised by how well Erina was adapting to all of this; she supposed it shouldn't really surprise her. After all, since she met Erina, she was always a very professional and driven person. "…I guess it is," Hisako said, smiling.

"…Yeah," Erina the turned, shifting her gaze towards where she had last saw Soma. "I better check up on him or else risk someone saying that Erina Nakiri is a bad boss."

So check up on him she did. Erina walked towards the back of the building, where the chemical room was going to be at (sooner or later). It was the only part of the building that still had no lights, not because of the connection, but because the light bulbs they had brought were not working properly and Julio had still not returned with spares. So, to avoid slamming into something (or, heaven forbid, him) Erina called out to him. "Yukihira!" she called, against the darkness. "God help me if you pop out suddenly you are so fired."

"I can get fired for that?"

He sounded close.

"Where are you-?"

Before she even finished speaking, the lights suddenly went on around the chemical room, giving her slowly adjusting-to-darkness eyes a very sudden x-ray scan. "Ah motherf-!"

"Nakiri," he spoke up bemused; as she bit down her curse. "Didn't take you for having such a potty mouth."

"Yukihira…" she spoke up, as she slowly regained her sight. As she looked around, she could see that he had installed some lights, but… "What are those?"

"Lightbulbs."

"…I know, but," she spoke, pointing. "Why are they not green?"

"Oh!" he clasped his hands together as he spoke. "It's because Julio hasn't returned with the green ones, so I went out quickly and brought these two back. They were some spares back in my dorm, which is pretty close to here."

"But I wanted them green."

"Oh, come on, listen," he came down from the stool he had been standing on. He had been close to her, a few feet in fact. "I know you said you were going to light each room of the building a different color, with green symbolizing the chemicals, but it was hard to arrange everything without seeing; so… I brought these. Nobody's going to come back here anyways…"

"…Once Julio arrives, change them."

"What? Why?" as Soma asked, Nakiri looked around, walking around the chemical room. She passed her finger against the shelves, examining her finger afterwards.

"Cleaned that."

She didn't say anything, just walked towards the chemicals stacked on the side, picking up the closest bottle to her.

"Labeled it. All of them. They're also in a "first in, first out" order."

She didn't say anything, but felt the desire to smack him. He was sounding so cocky, just because he had worked in a cheap restaurant before. Then it hit her, and she quickly walked up to a shelf on the wall, and…

"The book's there. Wouldn't want any complaints from any labor unions, now would we?"

The smugness of his voice made her want to murder him; just to see how labor unions would respond to that. But, she digressed. He had placed everything in place; so it was a job well done, as far as she could tell. "Very well then," she turned to him, her face showing some sign of approval. "That's enough for today, make sure to sign the participation list before you leave."

-0-

He arrived back at Polar Star Dorm at around 7:45; thanks to the fact on just how close the dorm was to the future sight of the Shokugeki. Since it was Friday, it was currently Daigo Aoki and Shoji Sato's turn to create culinary magic. Or try to, at least.

"Hey Soma!" Daigo spoke up, as he mixed a few spices and sauces together. Soma waved at him as he took a seat in one of the stools near the kitchen; closer to the oven than the diner was. Taking a sniff at what was being done, Soma came to the conclusion that today's meal would be something involving some very spicy chicken wings.

His lips actually felt dry upon smelling the mixture Daigo was creating; bringing a certain Indian chef to mind. Daigo was not just there yet, but then again, neither was Soma.

"Smells good Aoki," he mentioned to Daigo, as the current night's chef pulled out a thumbs up pose.

"Hey idiot, you're leaving the wings frying too much; they're going to be cooked before you pour the sauce at that rate," Shoji cut it, causing Daigo to glare at him.

"What do you think I am, a novice?" asked Daigo.

"Is that a trick question?" countered Shoji.

"I like them dry, makes the spice come out more!" declared Daigo.

"Well I don't, and since I'm stuck mashing potatoes I can't have you burn the wings!" threatened Shoji.

"They won't burn!" announced Daigo.

"Oh yes they will!" assured Shoji.

"Will not!"

"Will too!"

"Will not!"

"Will too!"

"Let me know when the food's done," Soma spoke up as he stood up and left the arguing chefs; but not before being surprised by the fact that they both turned to him happily and told him "sure thing Soma!" before they began to argue on just who had Soma just talked to.

Deciding that eating would happen at around ten or so tonight, given the track record those two had when it came to disagreements, Soma decided to stretch his legs and walk around for a while. While he was supposed to be tired after hours of working, after having spent all morning in class, he felt the opposite. He didn't know why, but since he was young he always felt that if he got up to do things since early in the morning, he'd have energy all day long. If he stayed in bed until late and had a slow start, he'd be moody and sleepy all day. His body just worked like that.

Walking around, he came face to face with the building he had worked on earlier today. It did look bigger on the inside, he noted, but then noticed something… the lights were still on.

As he walked into the building, wondering whether Julio had left the lights on or something, he came across a sight he never thought he see. There was Erina, still wearing her working clothes she had had earlier, softly twirling around as she hummed a song to herself. It seemed so out of place.

"Quite the cheerful look there Nakiri," Soma spoke with a grin, and was met with silence. She didn't even turn to him, just kept humming to herself and rocking in place. He looked at her carefully, and noticed that she had earphones on, answering his unasked question. So he gently grabbed her shoulder.

"Na-ki-ri, quite the-"

And his face was smashed by a skillet.

"Ah!" she yelped as she turned, her eyes widening as she realized who had "attacked" her. "Yukihira?"

"In the flesh," he joked weakly, clenching the left side of his face. "Or what's left of it."

"…I told you scaring me could get you in trouble," she noted setting the skilled down and reaching down to his face. He froze, as she placed her hand on the side that she had hit, examining it gently before letting go. It was too brief for him to even get a proper reaction from it. "I have fantasized about smacking you with a frying pan a few times, but I never intended to actually do it. You alright?"

It was the closest to concern he'd get from her, he supposed, so he just nodded and smiled. "I didn't even mean to scare you, I just saw the lights on and presumed they were accidentally left on. What are you still doing here, where are the others?"

"Hisako went home, she has a test tomorrow and I did not want her to sacrifice her grades for me," she told him, going back to what she had been doing before she had smacked him; which he was thankful was her unpacking skillets instead of frying on them. "Julio had a personal emergency, nothing major hopefully, but I gave him the rest of the night off. Your… spare lights should suffice for today."

As she spoke, Soma looked on, occasionally nodding that what she said. It surprised him that this was the first conversation he had actually ever had with her that wasn't either strictly business or back-and-forth banter between the two. Also, she seemed so out of her element; seeming actually tired, sweaty and dirty. Like an actual working professional. She looked… different, but in a good way.

Then she stopped talking, he head turning sideways towards the kitchen. "The snacks done," she spoke up, seemingly pondering something. "Not to get you used to it, but would you care for some?"

Soma stared, surprised. Before simply nodding. He was hungry after all.

So he waited, since Erina told him she didn't need any help (no surprise there), until she came back out with a bowl of deep fried calamari strips; heavily seasoned in a mixture of spices, salts and peppers; with three ramekins filled with special (just-made) sauces in the center. She proceeded to place the bowl in the center of the table.

"Go ahead, you've earned it."

"Thanks Nakiri," he said, picking up a piece. They were crisp to perfection, with a very fine golden color and a delectable smell that made his already apparent hunger all the more out of control. "I didn't actually take you for such a hard worker-"

Her glare caused him to add: "As in for others. Your reputation as the best is evident, but it's just that you always struck me as a more bossy type than a working type… even if I guess that's inaccurate given how you passed all the tests here like they were nothing."

She just looked at him speak while she ate; waiting until she had eaten a few pieces before adding to the conversation. "A reputation must be earned. Just like your placing in the Autumn Election will surely get the second-year students all riled up; I earned my reputation with what I do and how I do it."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me," Soma mentioned, his brow raised slightly. "They're always mentioning it. The God's Tongue. Hey, Nakiri. Is that tongue of yours really that good?"

She just stared, before she shifted her gaze to the bowl. "How about you first try my food before you challenge my gifts?"

"Oh, sorry," he mentioned, shifting the calamari piece between his fingers. He sort of now realized he had never actually tasted one of Erina's dishes before, and even though this was just a "snack", if still had the feel and smell of an incredible dish. So he gave it a bite.

She just looked on, half expectant on his reaction. Had she known he was going to be eating what she had cooked, she would have done something a little more showy, but this should still be enough to impress him; especially for a snack.

But his reaction was different. He bit, chewed, swallowed; before standing up and muttering a soft apology to her.

"What?" she asked as he did so, only to receive a second apology and be left alone as he turned and walked out of the building. In that moment she felt a mixture of emotions that she couldn't even begin to comprehend.

What kind of reaction had that even been?!


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