Chapter 10

Soma couldn't help but smile as he watched his father smile. He looked as if he was falling in love all over again; there was happy reminiscence in his eyes as he stared at the wedding band, brushing it off and playing with it between his fingers.

"So, what happened next?" Jouichirou failed to respond as his lovingly gazed at the ring. Jouichirou snapped out of his daze when the crack of Soma's snapping fingers rang right next his ear.

"What?" Jouichirou asked he looked back at his giggling son in confusion.

"What happened after that? Did you pay off your debt? How'd you manage to convince her that you weren't totally useless?" Jouichirou shot an unamused glare at his laughing son and then looked back at his glass of water as he took an other sip.

"Shokugeki? The hell is that?" Akari asked with an emotionless and bland expression, not even glancing at the red-head as she continued to cook. Jouichirou nearly fell off the couch, surprised by her blunt attitude and obvious disinterest. After cleaning up downstairs, Akari had invited Jouichirou upstairs to formally thank him for his efforts. Despite he still owed her money, she couldn't just ignored the fact that he had actually saved her from running out of business.

"Have you ever heard of Totsuki?" Jouichirou asked, recomposing himself as he let his arm rest on the top of the couch.

"Uhh, that's that rich culinary school right?" she asked, clearly more focused on her dish, as she should be.

"Yeah, I used to go there" Akari let out a silent "Ohhh", realizing that's why his cooking was far more advanced than she had expected.

"They had these cooking competitions where you basically make a wager. Whoever makes the better dish wins said wager. It was used a lot to solve disputes or disagreements" he continued, rubbing his chin trying to make sure he explained it correctly. Akari raised her eyebrow and looked off to the corner of her eye.

"And? What exactly does that have to do with me?" A smile grew on Jouichirou's face as he jumped up off the couch. He stood tall with pride and pointed at her. Akari raised one eyebrow again and stared back at his overconfident expression and glared, irritation and annoyance slowly rising up.

"If I win, you have to forget about the bill and I can walk free!" Jouichirou shouted with pure confidence and bravado.

"No" Jouichirou nearly fell over from her blank response and rubbed the back of his head.

"But wait! If you win, I have to stay another week! How does that sound as a deal?" Jouichirou continued, holding his hands up as if he was asking for a chance. Inside, Jouichirou was convinced that he had convinced her to go along with the shokugeki. Akari remained silent for a moment then looked up before locking her eyes onto Jouichirou.

"No" she blankly stated before whirling around and went back to work. The deflated Jouichirou just stared at her back, utterly speechless.

"What the hell? Come on, Aki-chan!" he shouted, irritating the white-haired woman.

"Stop calling me that!" she shouted back as she continued to grill the piece of chicken on the frying pan, tempted to swing the frying pan itself at the nagging red-head.

"Pleaaaasssssseeeee! You gotta at least give me a shot!" The air got cold as she whirled around. Jouichirou flinched at the sudden piercing gaze that Akira was shooting at him. There wasn't a trace of annoyance, irritation, or anger in her eyes. They were cold with a purpose; they asserted dominance in a way that Jouichirou had never felt before.

"There's no point. You'd lose, instantly" she shot back. Jouichirou's eyes widened in shock, caught off guard by her sudden declaration. No one had ever said such powerful and confident words to him, of all people. She raised her hand and pointed at Jouichirou, confusing him even more.

"You're a broken chef. You're being weighed down, and I would never waste my time with a chef like that. It doesn't matter how scholarly your school is, it seems all they know how to do is teach you the technique. But you're missing one key ingredient. Rather, you're forgetting it" Jouichirou flinched as each word slammed into him with such power. Did she know? How did she know? When could she have found out?

Suddenly, Akari slid a dish across the counter to Jouichirou, catching him off guard. He stared down at the crepe that sparkled like a thousand stars, next to the two gallets, which was then surrounded by a red sauce. The fragrance alone was a siren, alluring him and pulling him in deeper and deeper.

"But if you really insist, fine. Here's my dish" she said confidently as she took off her apron and let her hair down. Jouichirou's trance then shifted over to Akari as he found himself hypnotized by her beauty. Her silky white hair which fell just below her porcelain shoulders, her light but noticeable beauty mark under and off to the side of her azure eyes. He had joked around with her and commented on her attractiveness, but for the first time, Jouichirou found himself unable to take his eyes off the goddess before him.

"What are you looking at me?!" she shouted, punching Jouichirou upside the head, not too hard but enough to push him out of his trance.

"You begged for a Shokugeki and you won't even try my dish?" she pouted, her face ridden with a bright red color out of embarrassment from his ogling as well as annoyance.

"R-right…" he responded. He grabbed the fork and knife and cut open the crepe, only to be taken to an entirely new world as the full force of it's smell rushed at him, revealing the crepe's true form in the process.

"What kind of dish is this-" he asked, completely baffled by the chunks of meat, cheese, and sauce that filled the dish.

"It's Yukihira's Secret Recipe: Hachis Parmentier! A recipe I created when I was younger and my family decided to make it one of our specialties" she said proudly. She took another fork and cut off a piece of the crepe and ate it. She nodded in approval, but there was also distinct dissatisfaction with the dish.

"Darn, I kept it on the frying pan for too long" she said with a pout, followed by a shrug as Jouichirou's stared in amazement and awe. Akari noticed his stare and tilted her head, looking back at him in confusion.

"Is something wrong? You wanted a dish, there you go. Let's see if you can figure out everything in the dish!" she said, excitedly as her eyes gleamed with anticipation. Jouichirou was caught off guard by her sudden burst of enthusiasm. He nodded it off and cut off a piece of the crepe and took a bite.

Jouichirou was instantly teleported to the storm that has been tormenting him for years. Tornados, hurricanes, tycoons, earthquakes…everything was there, ready to take the chef's life in an instant. Jouichirou tried to turn and run away, but couldn't. His petrified left leg was a burden as he fell to the ground, yelping in pain as his body crashed against the rough terrain. He turned on his back and watched as the storms inch closer, waiting for their next meal.

It was futile.

For year's he'd been trying to escape this hellish realm. But there was no escape.

Without knowing, he made sure there was no escape.

Jouichirou let out a soft sigh and laid down on the cold ground as the storms intensified, thundering and crashing against each other rhythmically, as if they were laughing at him; mocking him. Reprimanding him for thinking he could ever best them alone. Closing his eyes, Jouichirou has accepted his demise. All he could hope for was the storm to end him quickly.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Everything had quieted down. The storms began to quiet down. Jouichirou began to wonder if it his time had finally come. But suddenly, he winced as a bright light shone down on his eyes. Jouichirou struggled to get up but when he did, he shielded his eyes and opened them. Was it the ever-so famous light that people saw moments before death?

No.

Jouichirou watched, utterly and completely baffled, as a figure emerged from behind the storm. As the figure made her way through, the storms began to split apart, making way for the figure as if it was some higher being. In the next moment, the figured raised an arm and crossed it against their chest. Then, they swung it out to their side and in that moment, the chaotic storms abruptly dissipated as the shining sun shined it's rays upon Jouichirou. The grey skies transformed into a beautiful azure color as the figure made it's way closer, now close enough for Jouichirou to realize it was a woman. Jouichirou watched in shock as the realization smacked him in the face. The white hair, the azure eyes that outshined the brilliant sky, the super-model-esque figure that didn't match a diner chef.

It was Akari. She was in a beautiful white flowing dress and a beige sunhat. Her smile was brilliant, her teeth sparking like shining stars as she approached the crippled man. It was as if an angel had descended down from the heavens, atoning for his sins and saving Jouichirou from his torture chamber. He looked up at her beautiful face as she stood before him. She had a confused expression on her face which then transformed back into a smile. She bent over, one hand on her knees and one arm extended outwards.

"Need some help?" she said softly, casually. For years, Jouichirou had battled against this storm, cowering as it overpowered him and triumphed over every advancement he had made. But here she was, able to make it bow before with a simple hand gesture.

Thought hesitant, Jouichirou reached his hand out and took hers. Her hand was soft and loving. The warmth wafted through her hand into his shivering body, filling him with more than just heat. It was loving, caring, hopeful.

It was comforting.

Jouichirou opened his eyes only to see Akari's face inches away from his, leaning over the counter. She was blushing, trying to avoid eye contact as she rested her hand on Jouichirou's forehead.

"Y-you weren't responding and you look like you passed out, so I wanted to make sure you w-weren't sick or s-something…" she stuttered, clearly flustered and embarrassed. She retracted her hand and returned behind the counter, hands intertwined behind her. Jouichirou looked back at the dish and then back to Akari.

"You made the outer crust out of mashed potatoes and crepe batter and stuffed it with a tenderloin steak and cheese. This sauce it's…bordelaise sauce?" Jouichirou questioned, surprised by her knowledge of French cuisine.

"Mhm, you're not that bad! Try to gallets too, though" she said with a giggle. Jouichirou blushed a little at first from her giggle, then shook it off and took a bite out of the gallet, only to be taken aback even further than before. It was crispy and obviously was made out of shredded potato, but it had a very aquatic flavor to it as well.

"I used semi-dried sardines" she said triumphantly, surprising Jouichirou.

"I was kinda messing around with some stuff and found out that the combination of the melted cheese, potatoes, and butter actually meshed well with he slight crunch of the sardines. It's the only reason that making the dish took longer than expected" she laughed nervously.

"Wait, you made thought of this as you were cooking?" he asked, confused and in shock. However, Akari had a straight face, as if what she had done was normal.

"Well, yeah. I had a lot of potatoes left over and I didn't want to waste it or let it spoil so I figured I'd just make use of them now in someway"

"But…what if it went wrong? What if it didn't work out? How did you possibly know that it would work?" Jouichirou couldn't comprehend it. He had never heard of such intuition and recklessness.

"I mean, if it didn't work it, it wouldn't be that big of a deal. It's not like it'll be the end of the world, you know? I had no clue if it'd work or not but that doesn't really change anything. Besides…" she started, shocking Jouichirou with the words she was about to utter.

"The journey's no fun if you know where you're going" Words escaped Jouichirou's mind as his thoughts failed to connect. But soon, a smile appeared on his face as he let out a soft chuckle.

'Of course…'

It's not that Jouichirou had never heard of such ideals. He had forgotten those ideals. His ideals.

"I don't know what happened to you…" Akari started, catching Jouichirou's attention. "Whatever happened, it seems like cooking doesn't give you the same feeling that it used to" she continued. Jouichirou searched her gaze for answers, unsure of where she was going with it.

"Why do you cook, Akari-chan?" Jouichirou asked. Akari looked up at the ceiling, trying to think of an answer. Jouichirou shook his head after seeing how long it took Akari to answer back. He was being too hopeful, thinking that a stranger would have the answer that he's been looking for. But then…

"It's just what I love doing. And when someone eats my dishes and get this huge smile on their face as a result, I don't know. It's just really satisfying. Customer comes first, I guess you could say" she said, laughing and with a small blush. Jouichirou just stared, but then smiled and burst into a laughing fit.

"Huh? What's so funny?" Akari asked, wondering if he was mocking her. Jouichirou shook his head and looked up, a wide grin spread across his face.

"No, it's nothing. You win. I wouldn't be able to beat this, no matter how hard I try" he said. Akari at first was caught off guard. He seemed so confident at first, as if he already knew he was going to win. But here he is, admitting defeat without even a second thought. But it wasn't out of fear…in fact, the smile on his face was the widest smile that she had seen on his face. It was so radiant, she couldn't help but smile back.

"Jouichirou-kun, right? You're a funny guy, you know that" she said, taking another bite of her dish.

"What, you like or something?" he asked coyly, making Akari nearly choke on her food.

"Wait…that dish-" started Soma, finally drawing the conclusion.

"Yup. It's the same dish you, Erina-chan, and I made together during your training. To think you guys would have perfectly replicated the dish was surprising, but I was hoping for it" Soma's father laughed, ruffling Soma's hair. Unusually, Soma wasn't bothered by it. His focus remained on his smiling father.

"So Mom…she was an even better cook than you?" Soma asked in disbelief. He had always thought his father was the best between the two, but here he was saying that he couldn't even find it in him to compete against his mother.

"Yup. I'd challenge her every week. I was on a five-hundred and fifty-four losing streak" he said proudly, surprising Soma so much that he fell off his chair. Of course, his father didn't pay him and mind.

"Five-hundred and fifty-four?! That's how many times you lost to mom?!" Jouichirou nodded proudly without shame, even further bewildering his already astonished son.

"How did you even get to challenge her that many times? Didn't you only have to stay a week?" Jouichirou leaned back and stretched, letting out a yawn followed by a soft chuckle.

Akari let out a yawn as she gentle stroked her hair with a comb. Once she was satisfied with it's appearance, she looked at herself in the full-body mirror and let out a sigh. She couldn't really understand it, but she slowly became more and more conscious of how she looked. She always wanted to make sure she looked her best, or how she would put it, "at least put in a little more effort than usual". Though Akari refused to admit it, she did in fact know why. It was all for the red-head that has been working with her for the past two weeks. A frown formed on her face as the realization that he wouldn't be downstairs today. It was well past the amount of time he actually needed to work with her. She said that she wouldn't add the extra week, but he insisted since he technically lost the Shokugeki. Akari shook her head, trying to shake the thought of the charming crimson prince out of her head. A intense blush formed on her cheeks, much to her annoyance. She let out a deep sigh and made her way to the staircase leading down to the restaurant. What caught her by surprise was the rowdiness, loud clattering and chatting that increased in volume as she made her way down. Her heart began to race as the fear that she's been trying to keep hidden deep down came back.

"Are they back?! Already?!" she thought as she raced down the stairs and swung the door open. The sudden mouthwatering scent of a variety of breakfast dishes hit her all at once as she looked around the diner. She had never seen so many people in her diner all at once, even for the typical morning rush. For once, it was fully packed and there was a waiting line that was halfway across the restaurant. But to even further astonish her, the line moving along at an incredibly fast pace; faster than she had ever been able to. But who could be responsible for this? Akari whirled around as she felt a tap on her shoulder; it was a fairly young man, barely in his early 20s. He had short brown hair and glasses. He had a somewhat weak frame but his face was shining brilliant with a huge smile. It was a young Yuya Tomita!

"Yukihira-san! You finally found someone close to your level of cooking, I'm so happy for you! Now that you have a helping hand, your restaurant just might get the recognition it deserves!" he shouted. Akari smiled, still confused but trying to play it off.

"Y-yeah, that chef sure…sure is a keeper! Please, Tomita-kun, give me one moment" she said as she hurried back to the counter and slid behind it. Her face lit up in shock to see the red-head tossing a scrambled egg around the frying pan, hair tied back into a small pony tail. He had a bright smile on his face as he turned over to Akari, his smile widening.

"It's about time you woke up, I've been running this ship all alone!" he shouted happily, ignoring the fuming Akari.

"What the hell do you mean by that?! I don't even open this early!" she shouted angrily, putting on her apron and getting to work on the next order. She couldn't help but notice that Jouichirou was already preparing the next five or six orders. However, that quickly went to the back of her mind as she started cutting green peppers.

"What are you still doing here?! I thought we made a deal!" she asked. She couldn't understand why she was acting like this. A part of her was happy that he was here, but a part of her was annoyed due to her distaste for unexpected surprises and his cocky attitude.

"Well, I decided that I kinda like it here and I'm still flat broke so I might as well give myself a job here" he laughed.

"You can't just waltz in and just give yourself a job!" she shouted into his ear, still cutting the peppers at a dangerously fast pace. Jouichirou simply laughed and moved over to the next dish while he let the previous dish continue to cook.

"Well, if that's the case, how about another Shokugeki, yeah? Same stakes" he laughed. Akari couldn't figure him out. He knew that he would lose. She knew that he would. So why was he so bent on this?

"You're the first person in a long time that's actually beaten me in a Shokugeki. And it was exhilarating. I refuse to leave until I actually beat you" he continued, though deep inside he knew he wouldn't leave even if he won. Akari just let out a sigh and cracked an egg open, poured it into a bowl along with the green peppers.

"You've been doing dishes the past two weeks. You don't even know the regular orders or how to prepare them…" She turned to face him, but watched in awe as his eyes remained glued to the current dish, a wide smile on his face. Unlike last time, he truly was enjoying himself. Or at least, on the road to recovery.

"I've been watching you for the past two weeks and the customers. I know all I need"

"Wow…" was all Soma could respond with. His father shined with confidence.

"Yup, your old man is a pretty good smooth talker, am I right?"

"No, you're like a stalker. You're so creepy" Soma said flatly, angering his father as he choked out of surprise. Before he could say anything, Soma already had another question.

"Wait, so what happened when you finally won against mom?" Soma asked.

"Well, after a few weeks we stopped wagering whether I left or not. And then after a few more weeks, we started dating. The shokugeki that finally ended my winning streak…" started Jouichirou as he raised a finger and pointed to Soma.

"Was when we were deciding what your name would be" Jouichirou said with a smile. Soma looked down and smiled, happiness and love bubbling inside of him.

"Look wise, you're definitely my kid. But as a person. Your tenacity, your drive, your passion, your desire to better yourself and make others smile. Though some could say it's a mix of us, I think you take more after your mom, kiddo" he said, finally finishing his drink. Soma was smiling like a giddy school girl, but he didn't care. Hearing this story, it just made him so happy.

"I'm glad you two met. You guys seemed perfect for each other" Soma finally said. Jouichirou just laughed as he got up.

"Yeah, I'm glad I met her too. She's an amazing woman" he said, finally stretching. Then, he pulled out a pair of keys that Soma couldn't recognize.

"Welp, I know I said that you'd only get your gift if you won the shokugeki, but I was planning on giving you this for your birthday anyway" Jouichirou said while walking towards the exit, motioning Soma to follow.

"What? What's that for?" Soma asked, confused as he followed behind his father.

"Remember when I went to pick something up before dropping Erina-chan off? Well, I figured it was about time you grew out of that stupid little moped of yours. You have to ride in more style if you plan on being my kid" he laughed as he opened the door, revealing a brand new street bike. It was a matte glossy black color with red accents with the word "Kawasaki" near the bottom. Soma couldn't believe his eyes.

"What the hell, Dad?! A Kawasaki Ninja?! Isn't that like, fifty-thousand yen or something?!" he shouted, unable to comprehend what was before his eyes.

"Yeah, so?" Jouichirou responded blankly, unsure of the point his son was trying to get across. The offset Soma just couldn't comprehend his father's laxness, a care-free attitude that was even greater than his own. Then, he felt his father's hand crash against his back, but not hard enough to make him nudge.

"I'm proud of ya, kid. You deserve it. That's all there is to it" Jouichirou said. Soma looked back at him and was returned by his father's proud and loving gaze. Soma closed his eyes and smiled brightly, making Jouichirou smile back even harder.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go take it for a spin!" Jouichirou encouraged, tossing the key to Soma. He earnestly caught it and jumped onto the bike. Turning the ignition key, the bike roared to life in an instant. Soma put the helmet on and secured himself on the bike and revved up the engine. In the next instant, he took off, racing down the road. Jouichirou let out a sigh and watched as his son disappeared.

"Not that fast, you moron" he laughed before looking up at the sunset, a beautiful clash of orange and red that colored the sky.

"He really going to be even better than us, isn't he, Akari?"

Soma.

Erina couldn't help it. It frustrated her to no end that "Soma" was the only thought that kept coming back no matter how many time she tried to push it back out. It was infuriating how even now, that boy was halting her from making any progress with anything. Whether it was reading her Shoujo manga, finishing up the preparation of new admissions exams, or even just trying to relax with the other girls. Nothing could fully distract her from the red-head that she had grown attached to, much to her dismay. Erina let out a frustrated sigh and began to click her pen repeatedly as she held her head up with her hand. It had been slightly over a week since she had last seen him and visited his prized restaurant. Though she would never admit it, she was indeed impressed by the tiny diner. Not only that, she couldn't help but feel a closer bond with Soma after aiding him with his crisis. Her lips curled into a smile as she began to reminisce. Though it pained her to see Soma like that, a surge of happiness rose to surface due to the fact that she was finally able to give back. Nothing disturbed her more than being in debt to someone, but surprisingly that wasn't the main driving force for her urge to help. Before she could think even more about it, the bell rang and the few students that chose to participate in extra courses flocked to the exit door. Erina let out a sigh and gathered her material and made her way through. Almost instinctively, the bundle of students that fought ferociously to make their way out ended their quarreling and split, making way for the Queen herself. As she made her way down the hall, she couldn't help but notice a small crowd forming around the parking lot. At first it was one or two girls, but that soon turned into maybe ten people, majority of them being females. Freshman, too.

Erina's headmistress instincts kicked in and found the urge to investigate. As she exited the building and made her way over to the crowd, the echoes of an engine reverberated through the air. Erina's eyes narrowed as he face scrunched into in unamused expression.

"Just who the hell is parking such a disruptive vehicle in m-" thought Erina before her eyes widened before the shining black and red motorcycle What really caught her off guard was when the motorcyclist took of his helmet, releasing his luscious red locks from their constraint and flowed freely as the breeze gently tousled his hair. Erina was well aware of what was happening to her. Her heartbeat was racing, practically thumping out of her chest. Time had frozen as her eyes remained locked onto Soma's seductive eyes as he casually smirked at her. If only he knew, if only he was aware of what that smile did to the blonde.

"Oh, hey Erina. What's up, just got out of class?" Soma asked casually as he leaned onto the sports bike. It was a combination of Soma's cheekiness, his casualness, but also the way he softly spoke to her and said her name. It all had Erina's heart running a marathon, circling around wildly within her. She snapped out of his trance when she began to take notice of the other students looking directly at her and whispering among each other. It suddenly hit her. Erina's face throbbed a vibrant red as she smacked Soma upside the head, catching him off guard.

"Ow?! What the hell was that for?!" he shouted, rubbing the back of his head.

"You will refer to me as Erina-sama, fool!" she shouted, stumbling over he words.

"What?! But I thought we ag-" Soma tried to sputter out before getting hit again. Erina swirled around and glared at the students around her, who immediately froze up in fear.

"What are you all circling around here for? You students have into classes to attend to, do you not? Don't dilly dally thinking that you can't be expelled the very same day you were admitted!" Erina spoke with authority, making the freshman cower in fear and scramble away. She let out a deep sigh and swirled around to Soma, who was holding his head up with his hands and just smiling at Erina. Erina blushed once again, flustered by his irresistible smile.

"W-what are you smiling for?!"

"You're embarrassed, aren't ya? That's cute" Soma said sarcastically, making Erina blush even more. She simply scoffed and pointed her nose away.

"What the hell are you doing here with that anyway? That model isn't even released yet, and I doubt you have the money to buy such a thing" Soma's face lit up in surprise.

"You know about motorcycles, Erina?!" A lesser blush crawled up on Erina's face as she scanned his bike. She would never admit it, but it truly was a gorgeous vehicle.

"In a way. Grandfather insists that I learn how to drive, but honestly I don't see the point if I could just have someone drive for me. He asked me if I wanted such a bike like this and I told him no due to the simple fact that it'd be a waste of time and money. A car is much more effective, all things considered" Erina responded back in a matter-of-fact tone, as if it was an obvious conclusion.

"What do you mean? It's a whole different feeling when you're behind the wheel! Especially when the wind is in your hair!" Soma argued back, astonished by just how lowly Erina thought of driving, let alone driving a motorcycle. Before Erina could respond, Soma had already picked her up and situated her on the seat.

"Wha-?!" she started before Soma hopped on in front of her and handed the helmet behind him.

"Put this on" Soma laughed as he revved up the engine. The sudden roar of the engine startled Erina, making her squeal and instinctively grab onto Soma.

"W-wait! I don't want to!" she shouted, still too frightened to get off the already revved up vehicle.

"Either put on the helmet or drop it, Erina" Soma laughed as he started moving, though slowly. This was more than enough to convince the frightened Erina. She frantically put the helmet on, cursing Soma under her breath. Despite her foul language, Soma just laughed it off. She raised the visor and pouted.

"Okay…the helmet is o-NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!" she squealed as Soma took off. Erina wrapped her arms around Soma and buried her face into his chest. Surely it was illegal to go this fast in such a short amount of time. Who the hell would trust such a powerful vehicle with this dunce? Too afraid to do anything else, she buried her face into Soma's back. It was strong and broad…it also smelled nice.

"What…what is this…" she questioned.

"You know…" Soma started, startling Erina. Did she say that out loud? Erina slowly began to panic, trying to form a plan to fix whatever went down in the next few seconds.

"I brought you so you could feel the excitement! Don't just hold onto me with dear life. Besides, you're kinda suffocating me" he laughed. Erina loosened her grip on Soma but still get a tight lock onto him. She moved back a bit and was left in awe. The wind blasting against her face, tossing her hair around even inside the helmet. Even with the little access, she felt exhilarated. The wind crashing against their body body as they zoomed past the scenery at obviously dangerous speeds, but that thought hadn't crossed Erina's mind yet. The beautiful greenery that they were racing past, the crystal clear sky. None of it mattered. All she could focus on was the red-head in front of her, who was smiling gleefully.

"What…what is he doing to me…"