Chapter 14 - Dining Car
"Fuck, I'm beat… I just wanna sleep".
It wasn't too late. Yozora figured that he could just drop, duck and roll or slide onto the ground and have someone drag him to the nearest patch of grass and let him slumber until the next morning.
"No way man, you're coming with us. You Guild members skipped out on our first Polar Star Prelim after-party so you have to come to this one", cheered Daigo-san.
"Oh that's right! I heard that Isshiki-senpai was only wearing the exclusive kuma-bear apron with nothing underneath the whole time!", laughed Hayato-kun.
"…Yeah". Daigo-san cringed.
The Hayato-kun's grin was radiating excitement. He shook Yozora's shoulders, causing the latter's head to roll back and forth like an under-stuffed rag-doll. But it felt good as his muscles and tendons stretched and relieved the ache that cramped all over, and soothed all the nerves and anxiety that lingered. However, it did little to dispel the weariness from him and he was still tad more alert.
All that adrenaline had come crashing down as soon as he had stepped off the arena about an hour ago. It felt just like the first day he passed the tutorial to join The Guild, back when he and Hayato-kun were noobs and Kasai-senpai and Tsurugi-senpai were running the RS together. Being on that lit up stage…the excitement, the apprehension and the hype had enslaved his body. The music keening in his ears had been little more than another drug added to the cocktail of brain chemicals that fuelled his creative passion in front of a live audience. He hadn't felt this thrill in a long time! It had been like a tantalising dream when he had seen the thick inkiness of the kanji of his name seep into the calligraphy paper. He couldn't stop staring! Next thing he knew, Mito-san had smacked him in the back and had offered her heart-felt congratulations. He could still feel that hand print right between the shoulder-blades stinging like a bitch, but strangely enough… he was very okay with that. He couldn't remember what he had said in return, only that he was still in a stupor when the judges came around the panel and joined in to congratulate both himself and Mito-san.
Yozora was on cloud nine.
"Besides, we're almost there!", cheered Yoshino-chan.
He was ripped from Hayato-kun's hold and was now was being manhandled by Yoshino-chan and Sasaki-chan by both arms down the wide dirt path that led to the Polar Star Dormitories and he didn't have the energy to care. He finally looked up and blinked away the creeping exhaustion. A spark of wonder jolted him fully awake. Woah! It was so beautiful! The Polar Star Manor greeted him warmly from up ahead. It was the perfect depiction of the students who lived inside it. It was larger than life, and glowed with bright and lively warmth from the windows as it stood out from the serene mountain back drop. Climbing green vines covered the mature stone walls like spiders' web. It was really charming. It was the ideal tavern. He would spend a lot of gold to rest up for the night in this place. Tadokoro-san walked passed him with Mito, who were both in awkward conversation with each other. His eyes turned to both of them. Their blushing, stuttering and poorly formed sentences as they praised each other's different cooking skills made his smile wider. Tadokoro-san was overboard, whilst Mito-san floundered about, not knowing how to accept praises and giving them in return. Yes. At the end of the day… they were all friends, right?
"Welcome home everyone", declared Yukihira and he fished the dorm keys from his pocket.
Yozora stepped up onto the veranda and–
"HEY!".
"OW!".
"Why are you – KYAA!?".
Yozora's hand instantly flew to his nose to appease the stinging burn of slamming his nose behind Ibusaki-san. What the hell?! The whiplash sent his head spinning. What was the big idea?! He pulled his face away enough to rub his sore nose and looked over with a grimace. One of the large double doors was wide upon with everyone suddenly jammed at the entrance, courtesy of Yukihira blockading the door. The smoking-expert in front of Yozora grunted as he rebounded off of the back of Marui-san's head, causing a domino effect of students treading on each other's shoes and falling into each other.
"What gives, Yukihira!", yelled Daigo-kun.
Yozora pulled himself away from the pack and dragged Hayato-kun with him, who was still bemoaning about his hair being messed up. He shook himself off and patted Hayato-kun's hair, helping the hapless boy get it back into place and top the senseless complaining. His tiredness was already quickly replaced with irritation. He frowned and along with everyone else, jumped onto his toes to see over Yukihira's frame still hogging the door way looking for why the hell he stopped in his tracks.
"Yo".
Irk.
Sitting on the foot of the grand staircase the last person Yozora wanted to see. His hulking figure casually occupied at least the first four steps on the staircase leading to the bedrooms. His muscular legs were spread out as he lounged there like he owned the whole fucking joint. Equally thick and muscular arms propped himself up from behind as leering beady eyes greeted the group mockingly. His thick lips smeared with arrogance sickened him and boiled his blood. It was the same mouth he wanted to punch in for slandering Hayato-kun! Yozora fought to keep himself in check as Yukihira finally moved further inside to let everyone into the foyer. Tension and confusion filled the air as thick as a blood feud. He felt Yoshino-chan shudder from behind, so he reached behind and grabbed her hand in the hopes to calm her down.
"Mimasaka…!", growled Ibusaki-kun.
"How'd the hell did you get into our dorm house?!", screeched Sakaki-chan.
"Duplicate key~".
The bastard threw something metal and shiny in the air and caught it swiftly, looking doubly proud at the way he made the female members of the dorm screech in horror and abject fear, and the male members gasp in disgust. Yozora narrowed his eyes and levelled him with rigid, cold, hard eyes. Stealing a dorm key and duplicating it without permission? To what lengths would this creep go to?! No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop weighing the pros and cons of the various creative means available to him for exacting his revenge for Mimasaka talking trash about Hayato-kun.
"What do you want?", asked Yukihira.
His quiet and even voice was a deathly calm as he slotted his own key into his pockets and pulled his shoulders back to lean nonchalantly on one foot. The red-headed boy who joked and mucked around often, the one who was everyone's friend, demonstrated a hardness that was so out of character to his usually upbeat personality but at the same time so fitting for the stand-out chef who was like the paladin to the Polar Star Dorm. It was like the merriment evaporated from his eyes and Yozora knew that Yukihira was also aware about the despicable nature of this pathetic excuse of a chef.
"I came with some news", said Mimasaka casually.
The behemoth heaved himself from the stairs with an animalistic yawn, and so he towered over the lot of them. His eyes raked over them like hot coals. Yozora swallowed his ire. The staircase's incline gave Mimasaka that metaphorical height advantage to their power-imbalance which he did not like one bit. Those damned dark eyes were unnaturally observant, penetrating even. It was if he was picking each and every single secret out of them like a scientist cutting into a human test subject for his diabolical research and the unfortunate human was aware of every single slice of the scalpel. When he licked his lips like a depraved creep, it caused shudders to cascade through all the girls as they huddled together and hissed at him. The implications of Mimasaka's actions weren't lost to the boys, at all. Yozora stepped forward and pressed Yoshino-chan back and Hayato-kun maneuvered himself to the side, closer to Mito-san. The slight brush against his chef's uniform sleeve made him realise that Yukihira had shifted himself closer so that he too, stood in front of the girls. The gamer-chef resisted sneering at the bastard. He wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
"Spit it out", said Yukihira.
"The news' not for you, it's for him".
Mimasaka's gargantuan arms could almost rival Tsurugi-senpai's. Yozora's eyes sharpened as he watched him lift it and then extend a thick finger that pointed directly at his chest, like a sniper's laser designator. Yozora's back burst into prickles. What? Him? Why the hell for? He could feel all eyes on him now. Small noises croaked from Hayato-kun's mouth as he floundered over his words in his confusion. Yozora balled his fingers into his palms. What was he up to now… Words could not describe the animosity he had for his guy.
"You pick on Mitsunaga, you pick on us too" started Daigo-kun. "You heard Yukihira! Tell us or get the hell out, you—!".
"Wait".
Yozora stepped forward again and swung his arm out and sliced it through the air, effectively cutting off Daigo-san's order. Polar Star were stunned into silence as they could do little but watch Yozora as he stepped forward and closer to Mimasaka, his feet almost reaching the steps of the velvet covered staircase. Why appear here in front of Polar Star Dorm, and not wait for a later time at the clubroom? Surely, he could see that Yozora was knackered. But there was something about him that put Yozora even more on edge… as if he carried more than just news… and he'd be damned if he didn't handle this with deliberate care.
"For me as me, or for me as The Guild Master".
"Keh… The Guild Master of course".
Ah. So that's how it was. Clever. It was the only way to get him to be diplomatic. The Guild Master represented every member of The Guild and when someone requested an audience, be it a stranger looking for real help or a cynic out to mock them, it was never turned down and The Guild Master was always courteous. Those were the rules set in place. Mimasaka's smile broadened as his trap set. A wicked satisfaction passed through his malicious eyes that peeled at Yozora's nerves.
"Hey, Yukihira-kun. Would you mind if we borrowed your room? He and I are going to have a private talk".
Aside from blatant gasps, a few tense seconds passed. He kept his frosty gaze locked on the oaf who crossed his impressive arms together and cocked his head to the side. Yozora knew he had to get out of everyone's way before he erupted in his angry state. He could barely hold it in as he was, now that he was in Guild Master mode. Normally, this feeling would pass, but right now he had enough of Mimasaka popping out of nowhere for no good reason, talking shit about his important people. He wouldn't allow the darkness he felt to swallow him whole, even for a little while. Not in front of his new comrades. He wanted to settle this once and for all.
'And definitely out of Hayato-kun's view'.
An uneasy sigh left Yukihira's lips, his irritation and annoyance definitely tugging his patience too as he pulled out his hand and rubbed his red tresses. Then he waved his other hand at Yozora and Mimasaka in eager dismissal.
"Sure. My room is 303. Go head on up. I'll make you guys some tea".
"WHY?! Kick the jerk out!", screamed Yoshino-chan.
The rest of Polar Star bursted into a cacophony of objections and angry pleading to force Yukihira and Yozora to overturn their decisions, but the maverick chef just picked at his ears as if their yelling and threats to tell on their Dorm Mother didn't mean a thing to him.
"Eh… Mimasaka's here on Guild business, so it's got nothing to do with us. Besides, it's my room and I say it's fine".
Yozora turned around and offered Hayato-kun his most comforting smile. His best friend was stone-faced and clearly unhappy. That didn't seem to assuage his displeasure that much, but it was the best he could do under the circumstances without getting him worked up again. Finally, Hayato-kun nodded stiffly and conceded, and he followed Yukihira's example by looking nonchalant at the whole affair. Guilt slowly trickled down his back. Yozora kind of felt bad for using the safety of their dorm like this, but it had to be done. The quicker he finished this, the better. Suddenly a strong, weighty hand patted his shoulder twice. His keen eyes traced up along the appendage to find they belonged to Yukihira's. He looked up and was met with a pair of deep aureates that sparkled knowingly with re-assurance as if to say 'I got your back' before walking past him and up the stairs, leading the pair onto the first floor.
"Aren't you going with him, Ginsekai-kun?". Yozora could hear Ibusaki-kun ask down below.
"Nah… he asked for The Guild Master. So I'm not needed right now".
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'Huh… he actually sat in seiza'.
Yozora eyed Mimasaka up and down dubiously. For some reason he thought the huge guy would sit cross-legged. Yozora himself was cross legged, as customary for Japanese boys. They faced each other, sitting on zabutons at the chabudai which was situated at the centre of the spacious bedroom. Yukihira went all out and pulled the dusty floor cushions from the linen closet in the hallway just to make this more business-like for them, unsure of how the set-up usually was, Yozora supposed. Or maybe Yukihira was warming up to the whole shin-dig, who knew. He really didn't have to go that far… Now that he had the opportunity to look, Yozora saw Yukihira's room was sparse. He couldn't tell if that was because the guy was a minimalist and wanted to keep only the practical stuff for school and cooking, or it was because he didn't actually own a lot of things. Either way, it was tidy enough which said a great deal about the strange, unorthodox chef already. The huge and ripped figure which Mimasaka was sporting looked hardly delicate and he was amazed that such a clumsy and bulky figure was capable of folding his legs beneath him with all those thigh muscles bulging out. He was also amazed that he could hold his posture straight, again, with all those muscles lining his back like boulders weighing him down.
"You guys want dinner? I've got some left over beef-stew I can heat up".
"Sure".
"Why not".
Yozora focused on Yukihira puttering around, organising his plates and cutlery over at the kitchenette in the far end of the dorm-room. It didn't take long for the well-ventilated room to fill up with the tasty and spicy aroma of warm beef stew as Yukihira re-heated it. Yozora centred himself and went back to concentrating on glaring up a quiet storm for Mimasaka, whilst maintaining a tranquil and calm breathing that would make Father proud. From studying Kasai-senpai for two years, The Guild Master must show power through decorum. Finally, two steaming bowls of beef stew were placed in front of them. The hot tendrils tickled his nose and the fragrance made saliva pool into his mouth. Clever Yukihira. Food was the way to break tension and soothe the savage breast, and he could feel it kind of working already from the delicious aroma alone. Yukihira came back with a small tray of tea as well and from the scent, it was genmaicha.
"If you guys need anything else, give me a shout".
"Will do".
"Thanks, Yukihira-kun".
The soft clicking shut of the door signalled that they were finally alone and the tension came back with full force. Yozora spooned some of the beef stew. The sauce was shiny and a vibrant magma colour. The bowl was piled with all kinds of cuts of meat. Was Yukihira experimenting again? There was chargrilled skirt steak, cow tongue, tenderloin and from the looks of it, they were all simmered to perfection. There were the standard vegetables. It looked like the plate of someone who went nuts at a yakiniku restaurant. Yozora was intrigued. He'd never seen beef stew like this before… hang on a minute… was that tripe? Organs in stew… okay, he'd dig that.
Yozora took a bite at the same time as Mimasaka.
'This…!'.
The first thing that hit his tongue was the cheek meat and it instantly fell apart on the first chew. The next things were the gummy and chewy texture of the tripe and tongue. The new and unexpected textures and flavours slammed into him full force; it was like he was on a roller-coaster, the adventure of a life-time. The charcoal grilled skirt was particularly amazing. Usually, skirt steak was served thinly sliced, but these were cut thickly, taking their juiciness to a whole new level. Not only that, Yukihira scored the meat to create grid patterns to the meats' surface, so that once it was charcoal-grilled, it gave the surprisingly springy texture which Yozora thoroughly enjoyed. It made for an excellent accent when dipped in the stew. The two students ate on in silence, transfixed by one of Yukihira's 'left over' food. At first, it looked like just a pile of random meat. Yozora finally deduced that in reality, it was a meticulously constructed thrill ride of separate yet perfectly prepared tastes. Together they formed one detailed cohesive whole.
'Like a composition… with vibrant flavours… exciting and varied ingredients... a land of meat… fun… laughter…'.
"Hey everyone? Let's remember today for the rest of our lives!".
"Yeah!".
"All of us… will stay in the same orchestra together!".
"What? Don't like Yukihira's stew?".
Yozora's eyes snapped up to Mimasaka. His thoughts fizzled out as soon as he made eye contact with his cold and calculating gaze and held on for drawn out moments. His spoon was skimming around just the edges of his dark-coloured lips and a smirk was teasing just at the corners, as if he was savouring this delicious moment. Yozora schooled his features instantly.
"It's good. I was just… thinking about something from a long time ago".
"Hmm… must've been a bad memory from the looks of it", replied Mimasaka.
The silence was broken by the soft clinking of Mimasaka scraping his spoon for the last drips of the stew sauce before he was completely finished.
"So what did you want to tell me?". Yozora cut to the chase.
"The quarter finals brackets got set. You hear them yet?".
"I just got back from my own match. What do you think…".
"Keh… so salty. Here".
Mimasaka procured a folded piece of paper and slid it across the chabudai surface to Yozora. He eyed it for a moment before carefully accepting it. His gaze didn't leave Mimasaka who was now sipping on his genmaicha. He took his time to unfold it.
Yukihira Souma vs Takumi Aldini = Entrée
Kurokiba Ryou vs Houjou Miyako = Fried dish
Hayama Akira vs Ibusaki Shun = Soup
Mimasaka Subaru vs Mitsunaga Yozora = Seafood
Intermission: 1 week.
Yozora stared at the paper for what felt like hours before folding it up and flipping it around between his fingers, trying to make heads or tails over it.
"Huh. You came all this way to request an audience and tell me that you're going to be my opponent?".
"That's only part of it. I have a quest for you".
Yozora's eyes snapped back to him. The tension made his words fall like dirty pebbles onto the table. Yozora analysed Mimasaka's countenance, how the tightness of his jaws and shoulders were reflected with his own. His own belly became tight and his usual placid demeanour loathed coming back.
"Your quest… is it… you want me to have a shokugeki with you?".
"I see you already know how I do things, eh?".
"Yeah… so I suppose you want my knife as your hundredth triumph".
"Nope".
What? Yozora tilted his head to the side. Okay, this was new. He'd never heard or read about Mimasaka wanting anything apart from a chef's knife. His claim and his known behaviour was not adding up today. Not only that, nobody ever wanted to have a shokugeki with any Guild members as a quest. Yozora figured that the reward system would get a bit messy. This wasn't looking good… fishy actually. Although it wasn't unusual in games for a character who must first pay a price or give an item to activate a quest…
"I want to know what's in your sealed file. Along with Ginsekai's, Ishikagaku's and Yuujou's".
"No".
Yozora shut that quest down hard. Mimasaka released a great belly laugh that was as devastating as an earthquake. It racked through his body causing him to convulse and his deep laughter was like a landslide thundering onto the mountain road, tearing up trees and crushing cars in its path. It was rough and raucous. Yozora narrowed his eyes at him, not finding the situation at all amusing. He fingered his ceramic teacup, his nails slightly scraping against the matte finished surface as he waited for Mimasaka to get a fucking hold of himself. It finally melted into a loud harsh cackle.
"Man, you didn't even wait to see what I'm offering as the reward".
"Don't care. Who told you about them?".
"I have my ways. But very protective, aren't we? But for who's file though. Yours?… Ishikagaku's?… Yuujou's? or is it… Ginsekai's?".
'Don't you dare…'.
"Heh… there's that face again. I love to see that".
Yozora felt the second last string of his patience snap. He didn't give a fuck if Mimasaka's stake or reward was a hundred times better. He was now holding onto the last thread with all he was worth. He refused to give in. Every time he opened his mouth Yozora just got angrier. He was sure his knuckles turned white from gripping Yukihira's teacup so hard. He gritted his teeth in an effort to remain silent as his expression revealed the rage he tried so hard to suppress. Damn it. He could see it, Mimasaka licking his lips in euphoric satisfaction as Yozora gave him what he wanted. The crack in his armour… the mental snap he'd been waiting for. That last thread was starting to fray now, but he tightened it at the last second, forcing his face to calm the fuck down.
He should've known better.
Mimasaka's moniker was to target at what made his victim mad. Find that out, and it was easy to read their personality. Hayato-kun was the perfect target for him. Everyone knew that the two of them were as thick as thieves and were as close as brothers. It was also easy to see who the protector was and who needed protecting… Going after Hayato-kun was like getting punched in the underbelly and Yozora was so itching for a fight, but something stronger stayed his testosterone-filled drive to pounce on Mimasaka's taunts. If his pride was anywhere near as big as Mimasaka thought, he would've been expelled from Tootsuki from getting into a bloody fist-fight with him for insulting his precious friend, right in his face!
Mimasaka slapped his knee with a loud thwack!
"Man! That poor orphan! Failing like a sucker when he was trying to prove himself in front of the whole school! His pride and future as a chef have to be shot!".
Mimakasa was bordering on maniacal now, but Yozora was roiling.
"Damn it man, I love you, but I don't want you to save me anymore. I want you to stand by me while I save myself".
He fought against Hayato-kun's words trying to sneak its way through his mounting rage, but the memory proved to be cool water dousing the hot flames trying to feverishly eat him up. His mind started to revert back to its normal state of equilibrium and level-headedness. It felt like so long ago he was this clear minded and it was foreign to him. What the fuck was he doing?! He couldn't continue to let Mimasaka get to him. This was it. Could he keep his word to Hayato-kun? He brought the teacup to his lips and sipped. He'd damn well try.
"Yeah… it does kind of suck. This is a really big tournament. It would've been cool if Hayato-kun won in front of everyone. But he didn't. That's just life and he knows that. Instead, he's not going to let life break him anymore. He'll get stronger. He'll get stronger in all the ways that matter… Oh and one more thing".
Yozora put the cup back onto the chabudai. For the first time, he felt it was so right to let his own arrogant smirk spread on his face.
"I care for Hayato-kun, worry and fret over him even… but I never pitied him, even for one second… But I pity you… Mimasaka".
"What?".
"You think you're a big bitch but instead you start up all these dumb little fights. If you weren't such a dick, then I would've thought highly of you and your talent because it's not easy to copy skills and win ninety-nine shokugekis in a row. But instead, you reduce yourself to this".
Mimasaka sneered.
"It's in those dumb fights that I've outclassed every single chef that came my—".
"Don't talk to me about 'outclassing'. You've just skimmed the top layer of all their efforts".
Yozora leaned his palms back behind him on the hardwood flooring and reclined. He pushed one leg into the floor and he lifted the other so that his knee rested against Yukihira's chabudai. Stuff decorum. He squared Mimasaka with one of his infamous glares and it was with great and pleasurable sadism that he saw the giant chef swallow thickly. He thought about all those students whose heirlooms were ripped away by Mimasaka. Then he thought about how hard they worked throughout their lives. All the trial and error, all the failed attempts… it was because a chef went through it all that their final dish shines.
'That' why I feel bad for him'.
Yozora lifted his right hand from the floor and in front of his face and observed Mimasaka through his fingers. It was those fingers whose tips were lined with many years of callous, and whose knuckles still bore the scars from being struck repeatedly with a wooden ruler.
"You don't know the joy of creating a wonderful piece with your own hands".
Yozora closed his eyes and imagined Mimasaka cackling and guffawing at his opponents' faces, gunning for shallow victories so that he could ground their pride into dust. He could see the devilish monster consuming all the happiness and goodness from its victim and winning with a dish that was perfect in every way, shape, form, and taste… but lacked a story… A soul. Therefore, the pitiful demon was a slave to its addiction to swallow the souls of others to fill the eternal void created by itself. No true artist would stand for it, certainly not Mitsunaga Yozora, the Guild Master. Mimasaka always got what he wanted, didn't he… well, not anymore. The ex-musician dropped his hand onto the chabudai and rapped his fingers against the surface, playing the C-major scale up and down, up and down. A thin smirk ghosted over his lips.
"As much as I would love to have a tete-a-tete with you, I have my own people to protect at all cost so I'm not risking anything, and the Guild Master is always the bigger bitch. So your quest is denied. You're not getting your shokugeki so you can forget about our sealed files. Huh. Asking for them, straight up… you have some nerve".
"Keh… then you're nothing more than a coward. Running away from everything. But that's what you've always done, haven't you. You preach about your cooking 'telling stories' and some psychological shit, but you can't swallow your own cooking philosophy, not when you're always running away from your own story".
Mimasaka's face transformed into a serpent. Yozora even didn't blink.
"Call me what you want. It doesn't change the fact that you're not getting your hands on our sealed files. Don't forget to return the duplicate key on your way out, you click-bait".
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'I think I've bitten off more than I can chew'.
Souma stayed close to the 'speaking tube' that was installed in Fumio-san's office. This one had his room-number labelled on it. 303. There were others too that lined the walls with other room numbers on it. Right now, they had caps fitted over them because they were all two-way and not in use. After playing host for Mitsunaga, Souma had led the charge into Fumio-san's office and lifted the lid off if his designated speaking-tube so that all sounds from his bedroom could flow down for everyone to hear. All ears were keenly peeled out to eavesdrop on the conversation between Mimasaka and Mitsunaga.
'Wow… I didn't know Mitsunaga could talk like that'.
Ten heads crowded around to listen to the echoing voices of as it travelled through the open funnel from his bedroom, down the pipes, and into their Dorm mother's office. The words were a bit choppy; otherwise they could hear it fine as long as everyone was super-quiet. Fumio-san was out today and wouldn't be back until the evening, which was good, they wouldn't be interrupted. When he first saw those weird brass cones at the foot of his bed, Sakaki-chan told him that Fumio-san had originally installed the speaking tube system so that she didn't have to travel the long staircases to call for students. She was getting on up there in years, after all. So instead, she could just stay downstairs and yell at student's rowdy behaviours or to inform them that she had made something for them through the speaking tubes. Isshiki-senpai on the other hand took full advantage of these contraptions because he was the senior and Yukihira guessed he was the favourite, and often used them to ask the students to come help him outside, or try out his dishes. Souma was still traumatised from the first time he heard the ghostly and disembodied voice of Isshiki-senpai beckoning for him through those weird speaking tubes… like a ghost… but not as traumatised as when his eccentric upperclassman crawled through the ceiling and popped open a panel above his head to repeat his message, just to get back at him for not heeding his nightmarish calls. He had thought it was that scary poltergeist from the Ju-on movie.
He was sure Mitsunaga had no idea about the speaking tubes. He thought it was a stroke of genius on his part that agreeing Mitsunaga's request to use his room for Mimasaka to conduct a 'private talk' wouldn't be so private in the end.
"Eh? But Mimasaka always goes for the chef's knife for shokugeki stakes", whispered Sakaki-chan.
"That's not the issue at hand here" replied Marui-kun "What the heck is he talking about? Sealed student files? What are sealed files exactly and why would some student files need to be sealed? Secret information or something?".
"Maybe this is his new style of gathering information" murmured Ibusaki.
"The Guild's sealed files are the biggest mystery here. Hey, Ginsekai-kun, what are they talk— eh? Where'd he go?", whispered Yoshino-chan.
Souma straightened his back and looked around. Hey! Ginsekai was gone! Did he turn tail as soon as the 'sealed files' were mentioned? That was totally shady. Souma excused himself and ducked out of the office to find Ginsekai to wring some answers about these 'sealed files' nonsense out of the eccentric game chef. He didn't have to look very far because the blonde-gamer chef was just in the kitchen with his smart phone pressed to his ears. His voice was nothing like he'd ever heard before. Instead of warm and bubbly as he normally was, it was cold and flat… like a yakuza. Souma kept out of the doorway and just stood there in the shadows watching Ginsekai's back flex as he placed his hand on his hip. Souma's ears were wide open for whatever any of these Guild members had to say.
Ginsekai adjusted the phone on his ears.
"Hey, it's me… … … … yeah, I know it's been a while… … … … Good on you, glad to hear you're doing well… … … … Listen, we've got a spyware situation here and we need some real-time protection… … … … Hmmm… … … … up until the end of this month… … … … Mimasaka Subaru. He's in the same grade as Yo-kun and I… … … … Yep, that's right, but Yo-kun is the main target… … … … Then, what do you want in return?… … … … That's expensive… … … … alright, alright! You don't have to yell! Quest confirmed. We'll deliver it to you once we have it. Bye".
He hung up.
It was within this moment that Souma realised, he truly had no idea who The Guild really were…
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Three Days Later
'I'm not going to let Alice have the satisfaction… I can manage myself fine without Hisako!'.
Erina couldn't believe the misfortune that befell her this day. She left her textbook behind in the lecture hall.
Again.
She stomped down the empty corridor to the lecture hall where she just had history, her hair flying wildly behind her. It had been the last subject of the day too. Right now was supposed to be 'self-study' period where students would go off on their own and do their own studying, assignments or cooking. So she was thankful nobody was here to witness her back-tracking through the academic buildings. The kitchen halls down the other end of the institute would be filled to the brim with bookings right about now. It was just early afternoon and this side of Tootsuki was quiet. Erina loved the quiet days. No talking. No ticking clocks. No phone ringing. She welcomed the random sounds that sailed on the breeze through the open windows like bird-song and rustling leaves. They were just simple noises that didn't mean anything. On those quiet days, when all students left soon after their final subject, it was a chance to enjoy pottering around in her quiet kitchens, preferably with Hisako by her side.
'But I'm wasting my time because of my carelessness'.
There were too many things on her mind. She was bound to forget her textbook in the classroom at some point because of all the craziness on her schedule, but it still made a huge dent in her pride nonetheless. If she had to be the perfect heiress and represent the splendour of Nakiri Clan, the least she could do was not to forget her freaking textbook like a common student! Tomorrow, she had a meeting with the Elite Ten which she needed to prepare for, she had a bunch of taste-testing appointments after that, then she was going to have lunch with Ojii-sama, and there were a few class assignments here and there, and of course there was accreditation to be done. The to-do list was endless. Such as the life of Nakiri Erina. Hisako was a god-send when it came to organising her weekly agendas. Erina was always so busy and her vision was often so tunnelled into completing the things on her schedule, that she couldn't really pace herself out and would end up working herself into an irate frenzy. Hisako was good at prioritising, diplomatically saying 'no' to trivial or time-wasting requests and saying 'yes' to agendas that actually mattered. This left Erina with breathing room to just… manage her own mind and do her duties with less stress, she supposed. Hisako always knew what needed to be done and what would benefit 'Nakiri Erina' the most. Erina wasn't. She never really had control over the things she had to do, to begin with.
Erina slid open the door and stepped into the empty lecture hall.
One glance up in the direction of the seat she was sitting in only about an hour ago signalled that she lecture was indeed not empty.
'What is HE still doing here?'.
Erina sucked in her breath and tensed up immediately. Mitsunaga Yozora was slumped over the writing bench. Dead to the world. His face was smothered in his arms as they rested lop-sided against the edge. Erina tsked. She quietly climbed the stairs to the bench where she had left her textbook and carefully reached over and grabbed it. She always sat in the middle left-hand side and Mitsunanga… always sat a few benches behind her. She had always felt him looking at her in class, the spine-tingly hyper-awareness came and went and always caused warm flushes upon her person whenever she surreptitiously turned back to catch him in the act. When their eyes connected, he was never shy about it and it made her even more irritated, but powerless in her speech, so all she could do was glare back and turn around and do her best to ignore him. He would keep up his watchful gaze behind hooded eyes and thick inky lashes.
Despite that, Erina never switched seats.
What was the point when those blue eyes could locate her in any direction?
Now those eyes were closed and that mind was off in dream-land. He probably dreamt within a video-game type world too. Mitsunaga had a penchant for sleeping in class, but Erina was concerned that his friend, Ginsekai who was always attached to him at the hip, would just leave him there without waking up.
'Wait a minute… what's that sticking to his hair?'.
Erina squinted her violet eyes and cocked her head to the side. She took a few more steps up and finally noticed three post-it notes clinging to the strands of Mitsunaga's dark hair. What on Earth? Curiosity won her over and she made the journey up to his sleeping form, being mindful of the way her school shoes made contact with the wooden floorboards. When she made it, anxiety inhibited her actions and she slowed her down. She watched carefully for any sudden movements from the slumbering gamer-chef. Soft music was leaking out of his headphones, but it wasn't fitted over his ears. It was jazz music, slow and mellow. Perhaps they slipped off his head somehow. His smartphone was right by his folded arms. She tapped the screen and an image of just musical note as the album cover popped up. All it said was Track 76.
She want back to those odd post-it notes decorating his head. She reached her hand over and once she realised what she was doing, stopped immediately. Her breath caught in her throat. Just then, the gamer chef twisted his face around to breathe better. He released a long exhale that came out as a warm huff. Her heart started to thrum. She noticed his lips instantly. They were slightly parted, a bit red and puckered from pressing them against his arm. They looked so inviting…
She flushed hard.
Her mind screamed at her to pull back, but her heart kept her fingers paralysed in mid-air, just inches away from the wispy tops of his bedraggled tresses. The beating of her heart finally drowned out her 'Nakiri' conscience and she pulled away the first neon-pink post-it note.
Hey Yo-kun. Yukihira-kun and I will be in the clubroom
going through some old recipe books to help him
brainstorm ideas for his upcoming match with Takumi-kun
- Hayato
Hey man, I tried to wake you up but damn, you are one
heavy sleeper! :D Sorry we eavesdropped on your
conversation with Mimasaka. I understand that there
are things you gotta keep to yourself. I told the rest of
my dorm to keep quiet about what we heard and they're
cool with it. Also we won't push you or Ginsekai for answers.
But we're here for you, if you wanna to talk things out.
- Souma
Dear Mitsunaga-kun,
Ginsekai-kun and Yukihira made me write on this
post-it note for you… I don't know what for… So
I'm sorry if this is an inconvenience.
Kind regards,
-Takumi Aldini.
Erina sighed quietly. What meeting with Mimasaka? What answers? These boys were so—
"KYAA!".
Her wrist spasmed and she instantly dropped the sticky square note. Her wrist was manacled by a set of bony fingers, holding tight and fast. Erina tried to yank her hand back but a grunt and firm tug pulled her forward instead. She braced her other hand on the writing bench and she almost face planted into Mitsunaga's! His eyes were still closed but the ragged exhale from his flaring nostrils and the knitting of his fine brows was the tell-tale sign of his brain waking up from his deep nap, the vestiges of a dream grasping to remain as he shifted his whole body and the tight grip around her wrist loosened, but not fully.
"The fuck…?".
Erina gulped at his raspy voice. Her heart was racing! She'd been caught! She was careless once again! But there was no warning at all, it was like his hand just thrusted like a viper striking out at a mouse. He had snagged her wrist with abnormal precision, as if he had done this many times. Finally his eyes lazily rolled open, glazed over with a dreamy-blue which slowly transformed to glittering sapphire. The dazed expression on his face remained as sleep slipped its grasp from Mitsunaga's mind.
"L-Let go". Erina stuttered, holding it all together as much as possible.
Damn it! Her voice didn't come out right. She sounded meek right off the bat when she aimed to sound demanding. He didn't seem to hear her right away and slowly turned to look at her as if he was staring at a confounding piece of post-modern artwork. Then he looked at his hand, taking forever to register what was going on. Her face felt so hot, but not as hot as her wrist! Her blood raced up and down her veins making her turn all shades of red at this awkward and embarrassing predicament she, yet again, had landed herself in. When would this ever stop?!
His hand dropped.
"Ah. Sorry… I thought you were Hayato-kun".
Erina pulled her wrist back and shoved them behind her back.
"Clearly, I'm not". She grounded out.
"Where's everyone?", he asked.
Mitsunaga stretched up and rubbed his tired eyes with the insides of his palm. He released a beastly yawn with his mouth wide open and teeth showing, which disgusted Erina. In front of a lady?! No manners whatsoever! He finally slumped back in his seat and blinked several times until he looked like he belonged in the land of the awake and living at least.
"Class ended over an hour ago", chastised Erina.
She shuffled her book-bag and made sure her forgotten textbook wasn't forgotten anymore and was safely tucked inside, along with the rest of her school utensils. Mitsunaga's eyes widened as if someone told him he won the lottery. Shocked but very pleased. He then took notice of the three neon-coloured post-it notes Erina had dropped onto the table. He read them and just snorted. Then he looked up at her.
Erina held her breath.
"Oh. Then what are you still doing here?". He cocked his head at her.
"I-I'm… I uh… Just left my t-textbook behind! I c-came to get it".
Erina backed away and turned her head. There she said it! Now he'll know how forgetful she was! Leaving things behind in her wake like a ditzy student! The anger and shame bit into her sides and she felt her pride crumble further. She refused to look at him, knowing that her face was redder than before and she couldn't bear to see his reaction to her. She gripped her book-bag closer to her body, waiting for the moment he'd turn the tables on her and ask again, why she was pulling post-it notes out of his hair! To her relief, Mitsunaga didn't say anything and from the corner of her eyes, she could see that he faced the window instead. A long paus passed and nobody said a word. Her heart-beat continued to enslave her, dancing a rough dance that left her feeling still squeamish in Mitsunaga's presence. Erina was about to turn on her heels, and just leave him and write this encounter off as a one-time, never to be mentioned thing again.
"Wait".
She stopped halfway down the step.
"You've… been avoiding me the past few days".
Erina spun around levelled him with her own brand of shock. What was he talking about? Avoiding? As far as she was concerned, their lack of interactions in class was still the same as ever. Erina furrowed her brows at the slightly pouting face he was sporting for the view outside. She was always busy, so technically she avoided or ignored everybody.
"H-How so?".
"Not looking at me when I'm trying to get your attention".
"What?".
Erina was genuinely befuddled. She was so confused that she literally stopped being embarrassed and irritated. The muscles around her eyes relaxed as her frown melted and the tension in her body ebbed away. She released her death-grip on her book bag and her arms fell to her side. The only thing on her mind was the fact that he was trying to get her attention, and not looking at him? Why would she want to look at him whenever he was being all creepy in class and—
Oh.
Those stares.
He was trying to get her attention by staring at her in class.
Erina could just slap her hand over her face. He was impossible. An unfamiliar sensation started wracking her body. She quickly had to cover her mouth with her fist and coughed into it several times to hide the unlady-like scoff that was working its way through her nose. Her face went up a few degrees again and she just shook her head at him. The insanity of it all left her at a loss for words until she could find them again.
"I-It's rude to stare at ladies. No girl would want to come close to a guy who would openly do that sort of thing. It's very uncomfortable and invasive. Don't you know that?".
"I do now", he chuckled.
Erina finally started to feel herself calm down, now that she he was talking to her and not just boring holes in the back of her head with those sharp blue eyes.
"So why are trying so hard to get my attention anyway? If you wanted something, you could've just asked or talked like a normal person"
"I… I thought… I thought you wouldn't want to talk to me for a while… after we… umm you know…".
It was Mitsunaga's turn to blush and it was Erina's turn to openly stare. She couldn't for the life of her remember a time when such a colour tinted his pale face. The redness bloomed across his skin, and up to his ears. She was transfixed. His eyes shifted left and right, up and down entirely avoiding her face and his brows were knitted together in a clear sign of awkwardness and embarrassment too. This was amazing in a stupid way! His lips folded into a tight grimace as both his hands crepted up to stroke his silver black headphones that adorned his neck. His shoulder started to jut forward and his neck sank down. He looked like a turtle that was about to pull its head back into its shell.
Refusing to use words, Mitsunaga simply tapped his lips.
"EH?!".
Erina flew back a few steps planted her feet into the floor. Her body went back to being a coiled spring and she stood there petrified. Her face could melt right off now and the most absurd thing was that she was still entertaining this mortifying turn of conversation with the ridiculous gamer-chef!
'There is no escaping it now'.
Erina put a clamp down on her over-zealous emotions. She cleared her throat and crossed her arms in front of her. She counted to ten in her head until she was sure her breathing settled and her heart wasn't trying to break out of her rib-cage again. She protracted her tongue against the roof of her mouth, preparing to say what she intended for the past few days, but never had the courage to. Kami-sama, could she do this?
"I…umm—".
"Could we talk about it?".
Her jaws fell slack. He stole the words right out of her mouth! Erina's tongue died as she just looked up at him. A sense of relief washed over her, and joy that she didn't have to be the first one to broach the subject of their… impromptu… kiss. Just like that a great weight was unexpectedly lifted off of her shoulders. Mitsunaga got up and threw the strap of his bag over his shoulder and shuffled out from behind the writing bench. Almost like an after-thought, he snatched up the three post-it notes and crumpled them before shoving them in his trouser pockets. He started to walk down the steps towards her and Erina watched as his tall and slender form loomed over her.
He stopped and stared.
Erina started to sweat bullets.
'Oh! He's waiting for an answer!'.
"Yes. I think w-we should". Erina cleared her throat of the croak at the end.
A soft sigh left his lips and she could see him relax. She then realised he wasn't the only one uncomfortable with the delicate circumstances between them, which made her feel a lot better.
"Let's get out of here".
The dark-haired student walked passed her and lead the way out the door. Once they were out in the corridor, Erina habitually kept a look out along the hallway in case a stray student or two was milling around for whatever reason. There was this niggling ringing at the back of her mind that still made her nervous and embarrassed to be seen in public with Mitsunaga, one of the ostracised students in her year group. It seemed that the boy-in-question's thoughts were along the same track as he too craned his neck here and there, narrowing his eyes at every corner.
"Somewhere private would be good. I don't want someone to eavesdrop. How do you feel about leaving the school grounds for a bit?"
Erina spluttered
"Leaving campus?! At this time of day?!".
"Ah… you don't have a curfew, do you?".
"No! N-No, I don't have a curfew!".
The way he looked at her as if she was a child almost sent her over the edge. Just because she was the beloved heiress of her prestigious clan, that didn't mean she had a leash around her neck! Erina was offended. She could go anywhere she pleased. Granted on some occasions, she needed to have her bodyguards at high-profile events and Ojii-sama needed to know where she was going for her appointments and weekends, but otherwise she could come and go from her own home with Hisako, should she choose to. She flicked her hair over her shoulder.
Except… it wasn't Hisako who would be accompanying her. It was Mitsunaga Yozora…
… And he was a boy.
She could hear Alice cooing at her in the back of her mind, making juvenile taunts at her about how she couldn't handle being next to a boy. Irk.
"Why do we have to be off campus, though? We could use my Elite Ten office", she countered anyway.
"No good. The walls have ears".
What?
Mitsunaga pulled out a phone and started dialling before she could voice her opinions any further.
"Hey, it's me. How are you?… … … … Yeah, I'm fine. Umm…could you leave the place open for me a little longer?… … … … I've got someone coming with me… … … … So what if it is?… … … …Thanks, we'll be down in about thirty minutes… … … …sure… … … …that's good then, I don't want him to get all up in my business like last time… … … … alright, thanks again. See you soon. Bye".
Erina chewed on the inside of her cheeks.
"Where are we going?".
"One of the safest places I know".
.
.
.
.
.
.
Seirinchou Shoutengai
"It worked, nobody recognised you!".
Erina finally ripped the headphones from her head. Kami-sama she had never been so anxious in her life! Mitsunaga kept walking and pushed through the familiar green door, that had a clear CLOSED sign at the front and she stomped after him. Her senses were instantly enveloped in that strong and fragrant coffee aroma.
Hyouheki Kissaten
Erina growled and shoved his headphones into his chest without looking and let go once she knew Mitsunaga had gotten a secure hold on it. That was the worst disguise! She hastily unknotted the sleeves of her blazer which was tied around her waist. Then she bent down to unroll her thigh-high socks from her ankles which were usually comfortably well above her knees until they fitted warm and snuggly again. Finally she released her hair from her bun and ripped Mitsunaga's school tie from her neck and threw it at him. She could not voice her utter mortification from how incensed she was, but after a few second, she managed to verbalise it clearly.
"That's not the point! I'm never doing that again! It's humiliating".
"No it wasn't. It was sneak one hundred".
"Hmmph!".
Her Mitsunaga-saying-something-stupid senses were tingling again and Erina rounded on him and instantly, silencing him with a single murderous glare before he could open his mouth again. His jaw clamped shut as he looked stupefied standing there at the door and she was glad to see the fright and regret for his choice of words that danced in his eyes. The ringing bell at the top of the door died down, letting the soft jazz music continue doing its thing, but Erina didn't let up until she was sure that the stupid gamer-chef knew what would become of him if another idiotic word left his lips.
'He is just so… ARGHH!'.
When Mitsunaga had suggested that she needed a disguise to walk with him out in the courtyard and out of the school grounds, she thought he'd succumbed to his insanity. Years of playing video-games had finally rotted his brain and he was spouting off stupid and nonsensical things to fit in his twisted gaming world. Disguise?! He had really insisted that it was the 'best for her' with no real explanation, and the actual concern and honesty in his voice only made her suspicious and refuse his request even more, because how could he be that serious?!
Then he somehow did this thing with his eyes that made it seem like she had personally strangled his beloved puppy.
She caved in.
He had asked her to alter or rearrange her uniform in a way that was totally unlike how Nakiri Erina would normally dress. It was the most bizarre thing she had ever had to think about. Together they came up with rolling her thigh-high socks down into thick-ankle socks, taking off her blazer and wrapping it around her waist like those public-school students did, switching her school bow-tie with his neck-tie, putting her hair up in a bun and finally Mitsunaga pushed up her fringe. She had protested loudly at how dare he touched her at all, but it went ignored. With one hand he kept his palm on her head and the other, he unhooked his expensive headphones from his neck and placed them over the top of her head to keep her fringe held back. He adjusted the cushion covers over her ears and adjusted the length of the band so that it could mould to her head. When Erina had looked in the reflection of the window, she had been taken aback to see a different person.
She had looked… nothing like a Nakiri.
To complete her disguise, he procured a gaming magazine from his bag and handed it to her to hold in front of her face to hide it. He concluded that this would be the look to deter other well-bred Tootsuki students from coming close to them, like insect repellent. True to his words, the whole time when she and Mitsunaga walked through the crowded courtyard of Tootsuki, and out of the school gates, nobody looked at her with the magazine over her face and her hair re-done and school uniform changed. Erina didn't even think it was a good disguise! But to her astonishment, the students didn't recognise her at all… She tried to spin some logic into why this could be so. She guessed that since there was not a snowball's chance in hell that 'Nakiri Erina' would ever dress this way and have a video-game magazine, walking beside Mitsunaga… then there was no reason to suspect it was her or anyone of the upper-class families of Tootsuki and look twice. She was just someone who had the same hair colour as 'Nakiri Erina'
As nerve-wracking at it was… It felt good to slip past students and not have them gawk and pant at her whenever she walked the school.
She was invisible.
It was oddly fun.
"Hello and welcome back, Mitsunaga-kun!".
" 'Sup".
Erina's back shot up as soon as she heard a female stranger's voice. She eeped and whipped around and was surprised to see an older looking but still youthful girl behind the coffee bar. She was the same height as Mitsunaga and she had the warmest and most welcoming eyes Erina had ever seen. Her dark brown hair was tired up in a ponytail and her fringe was bobby-pinned to the side. She had Eurasian features that could rival the beauty of the Aldini twins. She also had a kind and happy smile adorned her face which made Erina feel more at ease and less ridiculous. The girl wiped her hands on her work apron and waved at them to come further in. Erina looked around and noticed there weren't any coffee patrons here and then remembered the CLOSED sign at the front.
"Ah… please excuse the intrusion", murmured the Nakiri princess.
"Not at all! Any friend of Mitsunaga-kun is a friend of mine. I am the coffee-roaster here but I do brew coffee after-hours too. Please make yourself comfortable. Have a seat anywhere you like". The girl gestured her hand over the expanse of the coffee shop.
In-house coffee roasting? Roasting coffee in-house was not a cheap thing to do for most coffee-shops. However it was a growing trend as coffee-shops looked for ways to remain competitive in a market that was attracting a lot of new entrants. Specialty coffee-shops who could do excellent in-house roasting had the benefit of experimenting with the flavour profile of the beans and ensuring the freshest roast possible, which really appealed to coffee connoisseurs or anyone who really wanted a variety of exceptional coffee. Erina nodded in thanks with a quiet blush. Mitsunaga took the lead, ushering them to a small booth in the corner. She noticed it was the same booth they took shelter when they were being chased by undesirable ruffians.
"Where's that barista?". Erina whispered.
She couldn't be too careful. That bastard might pop up somewhere. The sinking feeling in her gut churned when she remembered that nosy barista from the last time she was here. The last thing she wanted was to run into him again. If Mitsunaga had told her they'd be coming here instead of saying something cryptic, then she would definitely have put her foot down and force him to use her Elite Ten office, just because she knew that damn Barista would be somewhere around, ready to ambush her with unwanted advice if Mitsunaga turned his back. Talk about wanting privacy.
"It's his day off".
Erina finally got to relax. Good. One less drama. Mitsunaga handed back her school bow-tie. It was rumpled now but when she tied it back around her shirt-collar, it felt warm… and smelt like him. Once she was done, Erina fingered the menu that was on her side of the table and gave it a precursory glance. She wasn't going to order anything, since the coffee-shop was technically closed. She just wanted to check it out properly. She noticed that they had a wide selection of coffee ranging from gourmet to ordinary types. There was also some unusual blends she hadn't heard of before, but the description made it sound appetizing. In-house specials? It bordered on hipster, but not quite. There was also a small selection of desserts that matched with different types of coffee too. Erina wouldn't mind sampling one…
'The coffee that The Barista brewed for me last time was really good… which one is it?'.
The clicking of heels coming closer alerted Erina that The Coffee Roaster was coming over. She flipped the menu over and looked up just in time for said employee to arrive.
"Here you go. It's on the house".
Erina quirked her brows. The Coffee Roaster slid over an aromatic cup filled with a rich, creamy brown liquid with light foam with coffee-art on top. It was delicately placed on a matching saucer. Next she gently put down a small serving of some sort of chocolate cheese-cake that was dusted with a bit of icing sugar and a honeycomb tuille. She served the exact same thing to Mitsunaga. This was the second time she was given something for free when she was with him!
"Are you sure? I can pay". She began.
"Do not worry about it. We never get Mitsunaga-kun or his friends to pay. I like a bit of company with good cake and coffee in the kissaten when I am doing the accounts. Besides, it is not every day Mitsunaga-kun asks me to keep Hyouheki Kissaten open after closing time just for a sweet young lady".
"Oi…", grumbled Mitsunaga.
The Coffee Roaster giggled good-naturedly and sauntered away leaving Erina to sit there with her hands wedged between her thighs to stop it tremouring. She didn't mean anything by that did she?! The Coffee Roaster might be as meddling as The Barista! Mitsunaga never pays them… why? Before she could ponder on that, the scent of the coffee drew her in and it was exactly the same as last time. Erina watched the Coffee Roaster walk away to the back of the coffee-bar. She took a sip of her coffee and instantly felt the magic liquid do wonders on her mind, body and soul. The rich and heady flavours were really the trick for her. This brew triggered another reason why she had taken such a liking to this blend of coffee. The skills of the Coffee Roaster, had to be exceptional as well to get that perfect level of sweet caramelisation of the beans, the lower acidity, higher body and that delicate but present roasted flavour before it was brewed.
Erina placed down her coffee. She needed to say something to break the ice.
"I… I watched the last bit of your match".
That got his attention instantly. Mitsunaga jerked his head up and pinned her with those deep blue orbs, like he didn't believe her. Erina froze up and fingered her coffee cup wishing for the heat to thaw out her rigidity. She forced her eyes down on the warped coffee-art and kept going before she could falter… or before his devastating eyes could break her.
"I think… I understand a little bit why you do the whole music and food thing… using your knowledge of music to create and shape a dish through all its visual, tactile and gustatory elements to tell a story or makes the customer relive one… It… reaches the customer's heart, more than what tangible senses alone can… I thought it was…". She coughed in her fist for no particular reason. "…It really moved the judges…especially my grandfather".
Erina chanced a look up and Mitsunaga was still staring at her with no shame, his coffee and cake abandoned as if she was the only person in the world he could see. They penetrated her in ways she didn't think was possible. And didn't she tell him already that it was rude to stare at girls?! Such a moron… She decided to keep talking, but directing everything to her coffee-cup. It was just easier to channel her tumultuous thoughts that way.
"B-But i-it's not like I approve of v-video-game music or anything! In fact, I still think video-games in general are stupid and a waste of time…!". Erina blurted.
She wasn't going to let him get the wrong idea! Just because he proved himself to be an exceptional chef who could transfer his musical talents to haute cuisine, that didn't mean his unorthodox and outlandish ways of cooking was good enough for her! Sure, the judges and Ojii-sama were impressed and they all approved of his dish, with the result that he won, but she had yet to judge any of Mitsunaga's dishes for herself! She wasn't going to hold her breath for that moment to come either. And so what if she looked into some video game music?! It was just one or two, just so she could know what the hell was screwing with Mitsunaga's brain and find claims to refute his cooking philosophy. Maybe she enjoyed some of the music she found, but most of them were rubbish!
She could hear Mitsunaga shuffling in his seat. Suddenly, a quick whiff of lemon-scented deodorant breezed by her nostrils and she calmed herself down. He was leaning over the table now and she could feel his eyes grazing her forehead as she continued to concentrate on her coffee. Warm fingers touched hers and slowly pulled them away from the hot surface of her coffee cup to hold them lightly between his calloused fingers.
"Wow… I need you to say all that again, so I can record it".
"Wha-! Shut up!".
Erina's temper lashed wildly beneath and could barely break the surface. What the hell was Mitsunaga doing, teasing her like this?! He was asking for a kick in the shins under the table. But she was a lady, so she would never stoop to that level. She'd find other ways to get back at him. His laugh was nothing like she expected! He doubled over himself and laughed like he was heaving over a rocky ship. What a disturbing way to laugh… he just continued on and on and Erina still didn't see what was so funny. Finally he settled, but his belly was still spasming to get the rest of it out and Erina gave him her driest and most sardonic look to show her disgust and displeasure. But that smiling face afterwards which was just filled with joy and honesty… she quite liked that face. She wanted to see that type of happiness fill Mitsunaga again.
"But kidding aside. Thanks Nakiri… your words mean a lot to me".
"…".
Saying nothing was the best response she could come up with.
The comfortable silence that came after Mitsunaga's bout of strange laughing didn't last long and Erina struggled to figure out why the smile on his face melted into anxiety and apprehension to suddenly. He started picking at his dessert with his fork instead of eating it.
Oh right.
'We didn't come here to talk about his match'.
"Was it wrong?". He asked.
"Huh?".
"Did it feel wrong… when you… kissed… me".
Erina gulped and her heart sped up. Here it came, the onslaught of emotions she thought she handled. Was it though? She repeated the question in her head like a mantra. Just thinking about that kiss made her breath shallow. Her heart twisted and fluttered with ticklish nerves as she sat across from him. She remembered how electrifying that moment was and how much that simple act affected her, how it made her light-headed when she re-lived the memory over and over. She figured from that moment, the wheels were set in motion and she had begun to think about and see Mitsunaga Yozora in a different light.
But… how did he feel…
She shifted to get a comfortable position but any way she sat wasn't good enough. Mitsunaga's lips were a tight line across his face and the tendons in his neck flexed as he gritted and loosened his jaw intermittently. Then he opened his mouth.
"Because it doesn't to me!".
Erina jerked back. Mitsunaga's sudden and strong exclamation raised made the hairs at the back of her neck stand up. His hands were fisted tightly on the table in front of him. He was frowning really hard. Nerves and anxiety were practically seeping through his pores, but Erina could see that under that, he was trying to keep it all together. Was he as unravelled as she was?! All this time?!
"Look… that moment, could never be wrong for me. It was only in the last second, but I couldn't stop thinking about it after that. Like… the feel of your lips against mine. It was the most amazing thing. It kind of made me want to… I'm sorry to say it, but I –".
"Stop it".
Mitsunaga broke out of his panicked spiel at her command. Erina gripped the hem of her skirt tightly. He was being honest with her… too honest. She tried to count the times she was honest with him… she couldn't find one, so she owed him this at least.
"I shouldn't have kissed you", whispered Erina.
"…".
"But I don't regret it…".
In that instance his eyes held confusion… and then hope? Erina didn't say anything more. What could she say? What else was there to say? How could she regret the one stupid and dumbest and most embarrassing thing she'd ever done in her life… apart from tackling him over the boardwalk… that made her feel good? And for one… he didn't make fun of her for it. In his odd and alien way, left her space and room to initiate contact again. She shouldn't have kissed him because Nakiri's didn't fraternise with wild-cards like Mitsunaga, and it wasn't wrong because she couldn't imagine herself kissing anyone else but him. Erina gave up against the discomfort of being under his torturous gaze. She bit her lip. That seemed to catch his eye and he leaned forward again, making her focus on him rather than the traitorous feelings prodding her body.
"I like you Nakiri… I really do".
Erina looked up. His voice was so quiet.
"Will you go out with me?".
It was strange… frightening even… to hear those words leave his lips. Her cheeks, ears and neck felt unbearably hot and her hands shook, making her cup rattle her saucer, ever so lightly. Those were words were only ever heard in her mind when she silently read her shoujou manga. How could a person go from being a complete stranger to saying they liked someone in a romantic way and then ask them out? Erina gazed back at him her eyes wide and shining with incredulity that he was confessing his feelings right at her. Nakiri's didn't get bold confessions like this… they went through a whole courting process with pre-approved partner where everyone in the family was in on it or involved one way or another. But seeing the seriousness in his powerful gaze left her with this thrill and excitement that nobody from her social background could give her. The intensity as he singled her out from every other living creature on the planet made her heart dance in her chest and made her want to chase after the feelings she'd been harbouring.
If she courted someone like Mitsunaga… how would everyone react? What would people say about her? She betted there would be plenty of reactions and words behind their backs.
If she didn't court Mitsunaga… everything would go back to the way it was before… mundane… Tootsuki life, doing those taste-testing jobs, Elite Ten duties, studying and cooking… day in, day out.
It was funny how she never saw her prestigious life as mundane until now.
Erina cleared her throat and sipped her coffee quietly with her eyes closed. She took her time. She savoured each slow draw of the special liquid until she dragged her moist lips away from the rim with a sigh.
"We're already out aren't we?".
Erina waved her hands at the coffee-shop interiors like she would to an uneducated fool who was ignorant of the finer things in life.
"Wha— huh…?".
"We're already in a coffee-shop, having cake and coffee together. I want to go to the bookshop next, and then we're going to the accessory store so I can get something for Hisako. I also want to see the displays in the shopping centre. We might as well start doing something productive … in all this … so let's make an afternoon of it, since you've dragged us all the way here. I hate wasting time".
Erina turned her nose up to the side and watched Mitsunaga's slow reaction to her response out of the corner of her eyes.
It wasn't actually slow. In a blink, the corner of his mouth twitched into his cheeks. It transformed him from a high-strung weird gaming otaku, into someone that was oozing with confidence and mischief. Suddenly, playing games with a gamer didn't turn out to be the best idea. His cat-like, bright sapphire eyes lit up with an eagerness that warned her to watch her step because, he could pull her into his game too. The adrenaline already rushed through her body without her realising it, and her heart pumped in anticipation. Just what was in store for her?… being with Mitsunaga Yozora of The Guild.
"As you wish, hime-sama".
"Urgh… Don't call me that".
"Hime-dere"
"No!".
"You can call me Guild Masterrrrrrr".
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!".
Hmm…The Guild are not who people think they are…
There we have it! Erina sure has a round-about way of accepting Yozora's confession. They are dating now… just a smidge… Haha and it's despite how Erina never explicitly said "Yes, I'll go out with you", but Yozora picks up on Erina's meaning anyway. What does dating Mitsunaga Yozora entail and vice versa, what comes with dating Nakiri Erina? The answer is... EVERYONE IN FOOD WARS ARE GONNA BE ALL UP IN IT.
I'm really nervous about what the reactions are going to be like for this chapter, but all the same, I look forward to reading about your thoughts and feelings about it!
I'll be on a short hiatus now for the Christmas and New Years break! I'm going overseas to California! YAY! See you all in 2019!
Signing off
-TripWire-dono
PS. I've put up a new poll on my profile page for The Guild. Head on over and vote for your favourite OC charcter and see who other readers voted for :)