Ok, a shokugeki against my friend/rival. Egg as the main ingredient.
This should be easy to think about. This shouldn't be a problem.
…
…
So why have I come to a blank after almost a week? I have no idea on where to start, let alone perfect something.
Ok, nothing to worry about, Erina. It'll be ok.
Ah!
What dishes have impressed me over the course of my life? That should be a strong starting point.
Well, the first thing that comes to mind is… Sōma's entrance exam dish. God, I can remember that day so well. He just stood there, wondering what dish to make. Such arrogance…
I could see why I hated him before. Never in my life did I see someone as confident as he was… and coming from a diner background, no less! But that stupid furikake gohan…
It was so good, that I was in disbelief. How could a diner chef create something so… no, I still won't say it. But it was certainly passable.
It was then, that I felt there was something different about him. And by rejecting him, I might not have found out…
Ok… maybe stop thinking about that, me. What else?
There was also… Sōma's tempura don as well. Wow, 2 dishes, both made by the same person? But really, when it's Sōma… he can do the unthinkable.
That day also holds a strong memory to me. The day he saved me.
When I was feeling lost, torn between Azami's way and Saiba-sama's way… it was his dish; that creative, amazing dish, that made me remember.
Remember why I wanted to cook.
I wanted to be free, to cook food that I would serve to my friends and family.
Sōma gave me that push.
It was all because of Sōma… my close, idiotic friend.
…
And now to stop thinking about him, because I could feel my face reddening, getting embarrassed about thinking Sōma in such a friendly way. Also, this was getting me nowhere!
But there was one more thing I thought about…
"The journey's no fun if you know where you're going."
Well… I don't know where I'm going with this, really. And Sōma wants me to be at my best…
It's time to put that saying to good use.
…
Over the next few days, as I was cooking more and more, trying to find the perfect dish… I found something.
I felt happy, not disgusted, when I looked at food. I could feel the joy starting to come back to me. I started to test an idea, just to see if it was alright…
Those dishes might not have worked all the time, but it was such a nice feeling to finally not feel like cooking was a chore; to finally enjoy cooking once again.
As our (Sōma and I) schedules were much less while preparing, the classes I did take, I actually felt engaged with the material, and I picked up my laser focus in class once again. During lunch, I didn't simply go away from everyone. I sat, and talked with everyone once again. I remembered Yoshino-san and Sakaki-san talking about some subjects that I was unfamiliar with. Like… um, "love." And while it was embarrassing to hear them talk about… "hot guys" and the like, I would still participate, using my knowledge of shoujo mangas to not feel totally left out.
It was nice, talking with people.
There's just a few days left before our Shokugeki, and the buzz surrounding Sōma and myself has only gotten higher, if that was possible.
As I was walking with Hisako towards one of our classes, I could hear the murmurs coming from some of our juniors.
"Is it Yukihira-san's chance to finally beat Lady Erina?"
"I don't know really… even if she's won every single challenge before… I feel like Sōma-kun can do it!"
"Are you sure you're not saying that because you want to go out with him?"
"… Maybe. He's just so amazing and hot! There's no doubt that a lot of girls would want to go out with him."
I twitched a bit at that last whisper. Sōma's not that amazing, really. I've known him for 3 years… he's just a normal guy with a juggernaut of the cooking world as a father and a drive I've never seen in my life, and the guy who saved me from…
"Erina-sama?" I heard Hisako call me.
"Yes Hisako?" I replied. I soon felt a hand on my head.
"Are you alright? Your face is really flushed." Oh, she was checking my temperature…
Wait, what?
"I-I-I'm fine, Hisako, n-no need to worry." I quickly assured her, as I tried to will my face to stop blushing. Why did this have to happen now?
"Oi, Nakiri!"
Oh great. Now he was here.
We turned ourselves to the redhead walking towards us, who was as cheerful as ever. He had his usual smile on his face, and… was alone?
"Hello, Yukihira." I greeted.
"Hello, Sōma-kun." Hisako responded in kind. It was still odd to think about how close they were.
"Oh, Hisako is here too, hey!" He grinned.
Wait.
Since when has Sōma called Hisako by her first name?
When did this happen? Recently? Probably, because this is the first time I've heard Sōma say this to my friend.
Why did this happen, more importantly? What circumstance did they have that they would be so friendly?
…
Ok, seriously, I need to stop thinking so hard about it. Like Hisako and Sōma told me, they're friends, nothing more.
I let out a silent sigh of relief while they were chatting.
"Actually, I just need to talk to Nakiri about something." I caught Sōma saying.
"Oh! Ok, Sōma-kun. Erina-sama, I'll be going to class then." Hisako replied, turning her head between us.
"Um… ok." I said, as my pink-haired friend got to moving, leaving me and Sōma all alone. All the students were in classes already, leaving the hallway very quiet.
"So, Erina." Sōma called out to me, and I instinctively hit his shoulder.
"Idiot! We're in public!" I said annoyed, as he knew how much I didn't want him to refer to me by my first name in public areas.
"Well, no one's here, so we should be fine." He grinned. His face shifted into the one I usually see when we're alone: soft, friendly, and caring, with his usual annoying aura surrounding him. It was nice to see it after so long, despite the less than optimal setting.
"Anyway, how you feeling?" He asked softly, as he actually respected my wishes for once.
I went silent for a bit, reflecting on his question.
"Um… I'm… I feel better. I've been talking with Tadokoro and the rest of our friends. It's nice." I smiled. It really was, being able to talk to others like I did with Sōma. Although, obviously not as detailed as my talks with him.
"That's good. And do you have a dish already set?" He asked, as I smirked.
"Yes, but if you think that asking me what it is will get me to say it to you, you must be an idiot." He laughed, and I couldn't help but laugh alongside him. Of course, I wasn't serious about what I was saying. We both knew that the best thing for us to do was surprise us.
"Well, duh. I like to find out what my opponents are doing on the day of." We ended our laughing, falling into a comfortable silence.
"Um… why do you ask, Sōma-kun?" I wondered. If it wasn't about trying to find out my dish, then what was it for?
"I was wondering if you wanted to meet up again." He smiled, and I thought it was too good to be true.
"Really?" I asked expectantly, until I composed myself again, coughing. "Um… I-I mean, what for, Sōma-kun?"
He chuckled, obviously hearing the hopefulness in my voice. "Just wanted to. You in?"
I nodded my head. "S-sure. So, on the balcony again?" I asked. It makes sense, of course. We haven't been anywhere else when we meet up, and to me, it's iconic. Whenever I think of Polar Star, more than anything else… I think of Sōma and that balcony.
"Oh, I wasn't thinking of going there this time." Sōma replied, catching me off guard.
"Well, where then?" This was certainly odd, for Sōma to plan something that wasn't ordinary.
"Just come to the front of the dorm. I'll get everything." He smiled, and I replied in kind.
"A-alright then. I guess I'll see you then." I said, turning back to head to my class.
"See ya later, Erina." He smiled again, as he started walking back to the dorm.
My heart was beating quickly… but why?
I stood near the gate of Polar Star, tapping my foot impatiently.
Where the hell was Sōma? He told me to wait out at the front of the dorm earlier. It's been 30 minutes since I got here, and he's late!
…
Although, he didn't say anything about the time to show up. It was currently 9 PM, and the night was getting ever colder. I rubbed my arms angrily, still waiting for my friend to show up.
"Sorry! Did I keep you waiting?" I turned my head, and saw Sōma walking his scooter, with his grill and some other things resting in the basket.
"Yes! It's cold out here, Sōma-kun." I pouted, while he laughed at my misfortune.
"Yeah, my bad. Took a bit of time to get everything." I eyed everything again.
"Wait, what exactly are we doing?" I wondered. He smiled.
"You'll find out when we get there. So… hop on!" Sōma said while getting on the scooter and readying 2 helmets. He fit the first one on his head, and held the other one out for me. I noticed the colours used, and found something odd about it.
"Wait, why do you have a pink helmet, Sōma-kun?" I was curious over the colour, as it wasn't something I would associate Sōma with.
"Eh, it came with the blue one." He pointed up to his head, which the piece of head protection was covering. "So, are you getting on?" He smirked. "Or are you nervous?"
"N-no!" I stammered out. I was terrified. What would happen if something messed up? What if we ran into a car? What if he-
"Stop stressing about it, Erina." Sōma laughed to get me out of my nervousness. "I'm a careful, law-abiding driver. So just get on already!" He smiled, and not wanting to hear anymore teasing, I got on the back seat.
I grabbed the helmet, and fastened it to my head. It wasn't too tight or loose. It fit just right on my head.
"You ready?" He called from in front of me.
"Yes!" I replied.
I heard the rev of the engine, and Sōma turned his head back.
"Hold onto me!" He instructed. I could feel the blush coming up to my cheeks.
"W-why would I do that?!" I asked. Was he crazy? I wouldn't dare to hold his hands, let alone something so… indecent!
"I don't want you to die! Good enough reason?" He argued. Ok, that was fair.
I reluctantly wrapped my arms around his waist, feeling a sense of warmth come from him. It was nice to feel, especially when I felt like I was freezing before.
"Now hold tight!" He called again, and I was curio-
I screamed in terror, leaning into his back, as the scooter started speeding kind of quickly away from the dorm.
This was a bad idea.
…
It took about another 15 minutes or so, but we eventually stopped.
"Woo! Nothing like a good ride to- um, Erina?" Sōma called to me.
"Y-yes…" I squeaked out, still scared for my life.
"You can let go now." He stated.
Oh.
I blushed hard, and quickly released my death grip on his waist. I ignored the cold feeling, as I tried to cover up my anxiety.
"O-ok, S-Sōma-kun. W-where are we?" I asked, cursing my stuttering. Sōma, however, just cheekily grinned and shook his head.
"Not yet, we just have a small walk." He rubbed his head. "I can't get my scooter up the entire way, so we stopped here."
"O-ok then, let's go." I was still stuttering, but was gaining composure as we started our small walk. Fortunately, Sōma wasn't lying, and not long after, we came to a stop.
"Alright! We're here." I looked up from the ground, and was met with a beautiful sight.
We were on a hill, overlooking the entire city. There was a tree nearby, and I could hear some crickets chirping in the grass. The best part, however, was the clear view of the stars, and the largest viewing of the moon I've ever seen.
Despite being able to see the entire city, and Tōtsuki itself, it was so quiet and peaceful. I felt at ease, and just took a breath of fresh air.
"Pretty great, right?" I heard a voice say.
Oh right!
"Yeah. It really…" The words died in my mouth, as I turned to find a picnic blanket laid out, with an assortment of food surrounding Sōma's grill.
He let out a chuckle at my shock. "Didn't expect this huh? Come on, sit down." He tapped the spot beside him, and I gladly took my seat beside him.
"Sōma-kun, this is amazing." I stared into the night sky again. "How did you find this place?" I asked in wonder.
"Well, I was just travelling around sometime last year, and happened to find this spot when I was looking for some stuff to try and cook with." He looked up with me. "I came here at night, and thought that this view was great." He got to cooking some small slices of beef. "It reminded me of us talking, so I wanted to bring you here." He let out a sad laugh. "Didn't mean for it to take this long though."
I was a bit saddened by his words. "I'm sorry, Sōma-kun."
He brightened up immediately. "Ah, it's fine. We did get to come here, so I'm happy, and by the looks of it… you're pretty happy as well." He teased, and I couldn't help but pout.
"Fine, you're right." I begrudgingly said. I sighed, again looking at the breathtaking view in front of us. "But, why did you choose tonight for us to come here?" I asked, curious as to what caused his change in heart.
"Not much, really. I know our match is in a few days, and you might be tired out from testing so much… really, I am as well." We chuckled at our similar schedule these past 2 weeks. "So, I just wanted to come out here, and cook like old times."
The thought of that brought a smile to my face. "Well, I have to thank you, Sōma-kun. I'm happy to be here, despite almost dying on the way."
He laughed, as he continued to grill the meat. "Oh man, you were so scared! That was hilarious!" He continued to laugh, while I blushed from embarrassment.
"Y-you shut up Sōma-kun!" Even with my words, I couldn't help but join his laughter. It was so infectious, that I couldn't help it.
The beef finished not too long after, and it kept going. I even got my hand into grilling some food, feeling the urge to cook again. We shared our own little barbeque, while sitting under the beautiful moonlight.
We decided not to eat until we cooked everything, so we mostly were waiting for things to finish so we could put some more stuff on the grill. We spent the time waiting on what came so naturally to us.
We talked.
About what, we could never be sure. I know we started with chatting about the sky, but from there, I lost track of what was being said. There were laughs, we teased each other, I might have yelled at one of his stupid opinions… but it felt like I was at home, talking with my boy-
No. No, stop thinking like that. We're just good friends, nothing more. This is what friends do, right? Hang out and do whatever came to mind? Yeah, that's what we were doing.
All the food finished cooking in time, and were laid out on the single plate in front of us. Vegetables, meats, sweets… it looked great.
"Don't be shy, dig in!" Sōma said, and we got underway on eating our feast. We established early on in our late night meetups that we would only use 1 plate for eating our food. It makes less to clean up for Sōma. So, we were picking up food with our chopsticks, and eating the small bites from the single plate. From time to time, the two of us would find a piece that we both wanted, and would wrestle our chopsticks to see who could get the piece. As childish as we sometimes acted, I was having so much fun, eating, talking and playing games with Sōma. It just felt so natural, like we were back in our second year.
We finished the plate of food, and feeling full, we rested against the tree on top of the hill. I didn't feel it when we were cooking and eating, but resting now, I could feel the chilly night air.
"Feeling cold?" Sōma asked cheekily. I huffed and pouted.
"N-no." I got an eyebrow raise and a doubting look from my friend. "…Yes."
"Now, was that so hard?" Sōma grinned, and I could only blush.
"S-shut up, Sōma-kun." I pouted, and he laughed again. After his laughter died down, he was starting to take off his sweater.
"What are you doing, Sōma-kun?" I asked, curious as to why he was doing this.
"Well, I don't want you to get sick, so I'm giving you my sweater." He said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"B-but then y-you'll be cold." I worriedly explained. How could he let himself possibly get sick, trying to make sure I don't?
"Ah, it's fine! I have a long-sleeved shirt under here, anyways." He smiled. But I wasn't having it.
"No, I won't let you get sick either, idiot." As I was saying this, an idea popped into my head.
And I started blushing profusely. But it was the best way I could think of that we both could be protected from the air.
"Hold on." I said, getting close to him. I took his left sleeve, which was already off his body, and stretched the sleeve to my left, getting my arm into the hole. I know that it would stretch out his sweater, but he has more, I know that.
"Um… Erina, don't- "
"Hush, you."
Now, we were both wearing Sōma's sweater. I was his left sleeve, he was his right.
"S-see…?" I whispered out, very embarrassed at our current position. "N-now we'll both be warm, and neither of us will get sick." God, this seems so weird… why did I even think of this?
Thankfully, Sōma laughed. "I never would have thought of that. Thanks, Erina." He smiled, and I could only do the same.
Now we were looking up at the sky. The moon was still there, and I was still amazed at the sight. I could see the light being reflected in Sōma's eyes. It lit the golden orbs even brighter, and I could only smile.
…
"Erina?" Sōma called after a few minutes. I let out a hum to tell him I was listening.
"Is your future still the same?" He asked, a bit of melancholy in his voice. I was surprised, although I could understand why he was asking.
Although… was it still the same? I remember not too long ago, I thought cooking was a chore, that tasting was tiring… but how about now?
"…Yes." I finally said. "I still want to cook, and run my own restaurant. I still want to be a critic." I smiled. "I still want to be in the food world." I finished. I looked to Sōma, and he was smiling.
"Good. I'm glad." He said simply, and we fell into another comfortable silence.
"So, about our match." He broke the silence again, and this time, I was a bit more apprehensive.
"You have everything ready?" He asked, genuine curiosity in his voice. I nodded.
"Yeah… I'm prepared. Are you?" I shot the question back to him, and he replied similarly.
"Yup. I'm ready to beat you." He smiled, and I could only scoff in amusement.
"Like hell you will, Sōma-kun." We shared a small laugh, but something felt off to me.
"Is that… all you wanted to talk about?" I asked, and he nodded again.
"Yeah, just wanted to make sure."
I could see that he really was finished with this problem, and I didn't oppose. We just continued to look at the stars, accepting each other's warmth to combat the cold air.
…
"Hey." He called.
"Hey." I replied.
"Is it alright… if I can get a picture?" Well this was surprising.
"How come, Sōma-kun?" I asked, confused.
"Well… I just want to capture how this light looks on us, because it's nice out here. Are… are you not okay with it?" He asked, a bit glum. But I shook my head.
"No! I-I'm fine with it… I actually wouldn't mind if I got one as well." He gently smiled, a sight that warmed my body.
"Cool." He grabbed his phone, and scrolling to the camera, he held it out, capturing the two of us in frame.
"Alright, you ready?" He grinned, and I smiled.
"Sure."
* Snap! *
We looked at the completed shot.
Sōma had his eyes closed, grinning widely, while I had a small smile, my violet eyes being lit brighter by the moonlight.
"Looks good!" He confirmed, as I took out my camera.
"Wait, let me get one too." I saw the missed texts and calls from Hisako, but I ignored it, following the same process as he did.
* Snap! *
The shot got both of us smiling, and this time, I could see his bright, yellow eyes being lit brightly as well.
"It's perfect." I whispered out, as we let ourselves calm, enjoying each others company in the night sky.
It felt nice, being able to relax.
I started to wake up, but I felt the sun get in my eyes as they fluttered open.
"… Too bright…" I mumbled out. I closed my eyes once again, resting my head on my pillow.
… Wait.
Why was this pillow so warm? And moving?
Opening my eyes for an entirely different reason, I looked and saw black. Then I looked up and saw Sōma's sleeping face.
This was bad. Although it was nice to see him not be energetic, and just be quiet for once…
And what the hell am I talking about?! Don't wake up, Sōma. Don't wake up.
But luck would never be on my side.
*Yawn*
"Good morn…" He stopped talking when he saw who was resting on his chest.
And for the first time in my life, I saw Sōma blushing. Although it wasn't for long, as I shot my head down back into his chest, feeling an intense blush on my face.
"Um… hey, Erina…" Sōma awkwardly called my name.
"H-hi, S-Sōma-kun…" I awkwardly replied.
…
…
"Um… let's go back to Tōtsuki?"
"Yup."
After our awkward morning, we quickly packed up and got back to Sōma's scooter, which thankfully, didn't have anything happen to it.
He put the stuff inside the basket, and we quickly got on. Without even thinking, after I put on my helmet, I wrapped my arms around his waist, before we sped off back to our school.
…
When we got back to Polar Star, we didn't see anyone in the farm.
Good. No one would suspect a thing.
There was still the problem of the awkward silence between us.
"Um…" I decided to try and break it.
"Yeah…" Sōma tried as well, but it seemed that it was still too weird.
Oh, screw it, I have to break this somehow.
Wrapping my arms around him, I decided to actually break the quiet awkwardness.
"T-thanks for l-last night, S-Sōma-kun." I let go, and quickly walked inside the dorm, face flushed with embarrassment. Luckily, I didn't run into anyone on the way to my room, and went inside, lying face down on my bed.
I couldn't force the blush away, the awkwardness of everything that just happened still having an effect on me. But even so…
It was nice… to feel so warm.
Chapter End
A/N: Hello everyone!
I'm an awful student, so you guys get another chapter so soon!
So I was originally only going to have the first part (up until the first line break), but I couldn't get myself to write anymore about that subject. And when I was looking at it, I really wanted to put a big scene. So we have this "hangout" between the two of them.
If you can, please leave a review! As you can probably tell from my history, I don't do a lot of fluff in my stories. And this is my first large-scale attempt at it (if this can even be called fluff). So if it's not great, please tell me, as at some point, I (probably) have to get out of writing just drama. Anything else would be great as well, but if you can critique the "date", then please do so!
That aside…
Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you again!
Night Changes Ch 5: It was Nice… - Uploaded 10.29.2017
(Edit: I'm also a terrible writer, because the moment I get a guest review, I forget to reply! :(
But to Jules and the guest who just reviewed, thank you so much! :))
