Chapter 19

"Now this is a strange turn of events. It's usually me having to call you to have a talk" Gin jokingly remarked, taking a seat next to the elder redhead. With a simple chuckle, he took a soft sip of his drink and then waved his hand, signaling the bartender to come over.

"One Bourbon Old Fashioned on the rocks for my buddy here" Jouichirou said. The bartender responded with a confirming nod and proceeded with the order.

"So you do remember things. If only you could remember to check in everyone once in a while" Gin taunted, making the red-head laugh.

"You know I have to play hard to get, Gin. The chase makes it fun" Jouichirou responded, prompting a scoff from the brown-suited man. The bartended slid a now completed Old Fashioned toward Gin, who gave him a thanking glance before taking a sip of the drink.

"Speaking of the chase, have you made any progress with that one girl? The one from that resort in Germany? What was her name…Emilia?" Jouichirou gave Gin a teasing look, flicking his eyebrow up and down while giving the man a slight nudge with his elbow.

"You know I don't have the time to be pursuing stuff like that" Gin sighed, taking another sip of his drink.

"Oh brother, you've been saying that since freshman year. Wait anymore and she'll end up having someone else's kid" Gin nearly spat out his drink, setting the glass down with a thud. He grabbed Jouichirou by the collar and pulled him close, glaring at him intently only to be met with his hardy laugh.

"H-hey! We both agreed we weren't ready for stuff like that!" Gin shouted, practically screaming in Jouichirou's unfazed face. A mischief-reeking smile crawled onto Jouichirou's face as he pointed and eyebrow upwards.

"Ohhh, so we have made progress, eh?" Jouichirou sneered. Gin Dojima, the ever so proudly standing wall of man that he was, found himself choked on his words, unable to retort. With a defeated growl, he let go off the redhead, who was slapping his own knee, unable to contain his laughter. Trying to soothe his flustered expression, Gin took downed the glass of Bourbon, impressing Jouichirou with his lack of reaction to the sudden burst of alcohol.

"Why'd you call me out here, Jou? Not that I don't consider you a friend, but I sincerely doubt you'd ask for urgent attention just to have a chit-chat about my failing love life" Gin sternly commented. With one last chuckle, Jouichirou turned back to his drink, staring at the ice cubes that had shrunk since he ordered his. Taking a moment to think, he let out a sigh.

"It's about my kid" Jouichirou finally admitted, garnering Gin's attention. Gin briefly took a moment to think; had Soma Yukihira done anything troublesome in the recent months? Other than little comments from Erina, usually things Gin chopped up to humorous bickering, Gin couldn't think of anything that the talented, yet impulsive boy could have done.

"Whatever the lad did, it must have been serious to garner your attention" Gin commented, adding a laugh. Surprisingly, Jouichirou had remained silent. No side comment, no retort, no laugh; nothing.

"It's not about what he did…it's about what I did" Jouichirou corrected, solemnly staring at his drink. Gin's focus sharpened on his old friend; he'd seen that look before; when Senzaemon Nakiri had revealed to him the struggles that Jouichirou had been going through during the final year of their high school career.

There was only regret in his hazel eyes.

"…What do you need me to do?" Gin finally mustered. Jouichirou quickly spun his head to face him, who was gazing back intently. Though shocked, Jouichirou struggled to hold back his amusement as a stifled chuckle escaped his throat.

"What the heck? You don't wanna know what I did?" Jouichirou laughed.

"No, I expect an explanation. That's something I won't let you squirm out of" Gin laughed, softening his gaze. "But…no matter what it is, you know I have your back" Jouichirou turned back to his drink, hiding a small smile as he took another sip. Setting the glass back down, he recomposed himself.

"You know I don't hold anything against you. What happened to me back then wasn't your fault nor was it your responsibility to help me" Jouichirou said. Though he had left urgently and without much of a warning, he knew of how it affected Gin. Blaming himself for failing as a friend. Though Jouichirou constantly reminded him that it was never like that, he knew Gin always kept it in the back of his mind.

"Just tell me what you need before I change my mind" Gin said, clearly trying to avoid that conversation. With a teasing roll of his eyes, Jouichirou continued.

"I'm afraid another one of my problems is going to become a bother in Soma's life. Guess it just couldn't stop at Azami, huh?" Jouichirou meekly laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

"What are you talking about, Jou?" Gin asked sternly, now in alert. If it's something on the scale of Azami, it wouldn't bode well. Especially if it's all targeted onto one person, rather than an entire school.

"You remember the Les Cuisiniers Noirs?" Gin's eyes narrowed, on edge at the sound of that name while confusion as to why that group had any relevance set in.

"They were disbanded years ago. I ensured of that, and you as well. Though that's another thing you failed to bring up all those years ago. Honestly, if you had just said something, you would have made my life so much easier!" Gin lectured, slowly feeling his irritation rise. Jouichirou's playful glee only infuriated him even more, reminding him of just how childish his best friend could be.

"Yeah, well. Let's just say I completely forgot about one loose end…"

"…Continue…" Despite Gin's many questions, he decided it would be best to let Jouichirou finish. Clearly there was more to this than he originally thought.

"I was in America. I was scraping in the last of those scumbags, after beating them in a Shokugeki, as I do" Jouichirou said with pride. Gin cleared his throat, signaling Jouichirou to continue with the story. No matter how dire the situation, Gin was glad he could expect Jouichirou to always keep that cocky attitude of his, which he clearly passed onto his son.

"Well, there was this kid…"

"What's your name, kid?" The redhead showed no reaction to the boy's sudden shift in fear. Before Jouichirou's squatting figure, a small black-haired boy was shivering in pure terror, hiding underneath a table. The redhead simply sighed, realizing he wasn't going to get anything out of him.

"Um, Mr. Saiba? Is there an issue?" Jouichirou quickly glanced at the officer next to him as he surveyed the boy. Quickly turning his attention back to the child, as if it were even possible, the child's fear amplified tenfold just from the sight of the officer. Letting out a sigh, Jouichirou stood back up and patted the officer on the back.

"Nope, no problem here! This kid's probably just some street rat. I'm guessing he followed the smell of food and found himself stuck here" Jouichirou confidently stated, laughing. The officer raised an eyebrow and looked at the child and then back at the laughing redhead.

"Very well. Once again, thank you for your assistance. I don't think we could have caught this criminals without you" the officer said as he looked around the shady room, watching his fellow officers escort cuffed chefs out.

"Thank the other Noirs who just wanted to save their own hides" Jouichirou said with a shrug. The officer nodded and walked away, leaving the redhead and the child. Once the coast was clear, Jouichirou squatted once more. The child was calmer but still tense as his silver eyes locked onto Jouichirou's golden.

The boy was in rags. Several patches lazily put to cover holes in his pants, shirt that had unequal sleeve lengths, clothes that looked like they were mean to fit years ago.

"…He's like a skeleton…" Jouichirou thought. With a smile, he offered a hand to the boy in rags. Inspecting the hand, the silver orbs followed up his arm and watched as a warming smile appeared on Jouichirou's face.

"You hungry? Can get you something way more worthwhile than whatever the hell you were looking for here" Jouichirou said with a smile that captured the boy's curiosity.

Jouichirou watched as the small boy scarfed down handfuls of fries and chomped away at the burgers before him. He observed in awe as the boy destroyed the meal that was originally meant for the both of them. Suddenly, the small boy began to cough as he struggled to down the last batch of fries he had shoved down his throat before chewing the last bite of his fourth burger.

"H-hey!" Jouichirou shouted before sitting up, passing the boy his second cup of Coca-Cola. Quickly, the boy sucked the liquid from the straw, helping him down the helping of food. With a quick sigh and a burp, he resumed the devouring of his meal, as if nothing had even happened.

"Hungry was an understatement" Jouichirou laughed in disbelief, unable to form words. Opening his eyes, he watched as the boy continued to relentlessly devoured the mountain of food before him. Noticing Jouichirou's gaze, the boy locked eyes with him once more. It was Jouichirou's turn to be startled as the boy gently took a singular fry and held it towards Jouichirou. With a short-stifled laugh, Jouichirou shook his head.

"Don't worry about me kiddo, this is all you" Jouichirou said, waving his hands. The boy took a moment to think, slowly bringing his arm back, but then shoved his arm back forward, even further. Jouichirou looked from the fry to the boy and then back to the fry. With a defeated sigh, he gently took the fry from the boy's small fingers and popped it into his mouth.

"Thanks" Jouichirou said, watching the boy grasp with giant cup of soda with both hands and sipped. Shaking his head, Jouichirou quickly whipped out his phone and checked his latest message. It was from his wife; Tamako.

Hey! You've been teaching Soma your gross ass dishes again, haven't you?! I swear to god, if you shoved those abominations anywhere near my son's mouth, you're not allowed back in the house, Jouichi! – 9:34 P.M

Jouichirou smiled at the text and then looked back at the boy before him, who was still feasting away. With a sigh, he texted back.

No promises! But uh, I might be a little late on my way back. Got something I gotta deal with. Well…more stuff to deal with. Tell Soma I said goodnight and that I love him, alright? And when I get back, he better be ready to put up a better challenge! I know it was his first time against me and all, but yikes that was pathetic – 9:35 P.M

Quickly, he got a response.

Of course you have something to take care of. And hey, take it easy on him, the little guy just turned three! But I'll be sure to tell him. Anything for your loving wife, by any chance? – 9:36 P.M

Yeah, make sure to lockup the front door this time – 9:36 P.M

Ugh, why did I agree to marry such a dunce – 9:36 P.M

I'm kidding, sorta. I love you – 9:36 P.M

I love you too. Stay safe and out of trouble? I better not see you on the news with those stupid Noir chefs again! – 9:37 P.M

Uh, about that… - 9:38 P.M

Jouichirou quickly put his phone away despite the notifications, deciding he'd deal with his wife's anger filled message another time.

"Oh, you're done? Damn kid, you got a black hole or something? Eat too fast and you'll hurt yourself" Jouichirou joked, cleaning up the table and crumpling the napkins up and placing them on top of the mountain of emptied cardboard and wrappers that laid on the tray.

"Asahi…" the boy squeaked, catching Jouichirou's attention.

"My name…it's Asahi…"

"Asahi Saiba, huh? You miss your kid so much you decided to raise another one in another country?" Gin teased, making Jouichirou roll his eyes.

"I felt bad for the brat. His mom died recently. If you can even call her a mother; treated the boy like crap and on top of that, she had an endless amount of debts with the Noirs. All those drugs and beer she drowned herself in eventually caught up with her. They enslaved that little kid as payback when she kicked the bucket" Jouichirou explained, gripping the glass tighter.

"As disheartening as that all is, those are some strong feelings for some kid you met off the street" Gin noted as he motioned the bartender to come over and ordered two more drinks. Jouichirou shrugged and stared into the slowly growing puddle of melted ice, gazing into his reflection.

"He reminded a lot of me. Kid was lost, unsure of who to turn to, where to turn to. If I was barely able to handle that as a young adult, how the heck was a seven-year-old supposed to deal with that?" Jouichirou scoffed. "You should have seen him…he was terrified. Whatever his mother and those Noir bastards did to him, it destroyed him. Scars, burns, bruises; you name it. It's a miracle he was able to find it in himself to give me a shot" Jouichirou continued. Gin knew of Jouichirou's strength; unwavering. But despite the lack of change in his voice, he could feel the anguish in his voice.

"Uh, everything okay? You kinda froze up when they came to clean up the table" Jouichirou asked the little boy who was practically on the other side of the sidewalk, making sure to keep a healthy couple of feet between himself and the redhead. The boy was startled by Jouichirou's sudden question that broke the silence between them and looked from side to side, clearly alert.

"It's just you and me, Asahi" Jouichirou chuckled, catching Asahi off guard. Momentarily hesitating, Asahi finally spoke up.

"…I thought she'd hurt me for making a mess…" the boy muttered, pulling on his worn-out sleeve to cover his arm. What could Jouichirou possibly say to the boy who casted his gaze on the sidewalk as they walked. Whenever a random passerby would cross his path, Asahi would dash behind Jouichirou and clung to his jacket until they were a safe distance away, returning to the opposite side of the sidewalk. With a sigh, Jouichirou closed the distance between him and Asahi, starling him. The boy was a deer caught in headlights, prompting Jouichirou to tread slowly. Soon, Jouichirou stood inches in front of the shivering Asahi, who's breathing had become irregular and heavy.

Asahi was paralyzed in fear as the redhead stood casually before him. His hands were hidden in his pockets, only terrifying the boy even more. His golden eyes were narrowed and hid whatever remnant of emotion he had as he gazed down upon the terror-filled silver eyes of Asahi. Suddenly, Jouichirou lifted his right hand out of his pocket and slowly reached for Asahi. Unable to muster the courage to move, Asahi shut his eyes, awaiting the sting of pain.

"You're safe kid, I'm not gonna let anything happen to you" Jouichirou said, pulling Asahi close to his body. Asahi opened his eyes in shock as Jouichirou pushed Asahi face into his abdomen.

"What…what is this…warmth…? Who…" thought Asahi as he slowly lifted his skinny arms and wrapped them around Jouichirou's body as well as he could, accepting the embrace.

"…Are you…?" was all Asahi could think as tears began to stream down his face. Jouichirou rested his hand behind Asahi's head, gently running his hands through Asahi's black hair. Staring straight ahead, he felt the little boy's heavy tears soak through his shirt but showed no interest in budging.

"I decided to let him stay at my flat for the time being. When I left to see family again for a bit, I left him there with all the money he needed to survive. Didn't know what I was going to do with him after…" Jouichirou admitted. "Like, honestly. I could barely raise one kid, now here I am practically adopting another! I needed to get away from him to think clearly, decide what I was going to do with him" Jouichirou continued, taking a sip of the new drink that had been placed before him.

"And? What did you decide?" Gin asked, though he had an inkling of what the answer might be. Jouichirou chuckled lightly and shook his head, almost embarrassed to admit the following.

"Get a load of this…" Jouichirou started.

"Alright, Soma, come here. We gotta have a man to man talk" Jouichirou whistled, catching the smaller redhead's attention. With a gleeful smile, he ran from his mother's side, who was busy cleaning the dishes, and slid underneath the white saloon doors that separated the kitchen from the living room.

"Soma, how many times have I told you not to do that?! Be careful!" Tamako yelled from the kitchen, furiously cleaning the dishes.

"Sorry mom!" the little Soma hollered back as he sat next to his father on the couch, who was laughing. Originally, he was going to talk to his wife about the situation, but decided that while she was doing the dishes, since it was her turn that week, he'd see what his son might say. Although simply amusing the fact, he wasn't really expecting any answers nor was he planning on explaining the whole situation in detail. A boy as young as Soma wouldn't be able to understand, or so he thought.

"Alright, so listen up kid. Let's say…you were able to help someone. Let's say that someone is a complete stranger. You following?" Jouichirou spoke as slow and clearly as possible. Soma nodded furiously, assuming this was some sort of riddle and was excitedly waiting to answer. Jouichirou couldn't help but smile at his gleaming eyes. That boy was always up for a challenge.

"But let's say that if you help this person, you'd end up having to spend less time with the people you know and really care about. Not that you don't care about the stranger, but the people that have been in your life for much longer, yeah? What would you do?" Jouichirou asked as he rubbed his chin. He took a glance at Soma. His eyes widened as the little boy's intense expression as he was deep in thought. Letting out a short laugh, Jouichirou shook his head and ruffled Soma's hair. It wasn't right of him to ask Soma such a question, Jouichirou decided.

"Hey, don't think too hard, you lose your last brain cell" Jouichirou taunted, gently grazing his finger over the fresh scar over his boy's eyebrow. Soma puffed up his cheeks into a pout, making Jouichirou laugh.

"I'm not thinking that hard! I'm just trying to word it right…" Soma squeaked, looking down at his lap. Then, as if a lightbulb went off in his head, his face lit up, catching the elder redhead off guard.

"Wait! Remember that time I tried to get you guys to let me keep that kitty from outside!" the young Soma explained. Jouichirou thought back, trying to rack his memory. Eventually he began to recall the event; Soma had practically run out of the kitchen when he saw a sickly kitten trying to cross the road. Nearly getting run over by a car, he dove for the kitten despite his parent's warning and was able to save it.

"Never do something like that again, by the way" Jouichirou said with a glare, which his son simply ignored.

"Yeah, but you remember right! I tried to convince you guys to let me keep it but you guys were really angry and didn't want to!" Soma exclaimed.

"Yeah, what about it?" Jouichirou raised an eyebrow, not understanding where his little boy was going with his story.

"Well, even though you guys were really upset with me and didn't let me bring the kitty in, I still went out every day to make sure it was okay. I kept it warm, fed it, and even played with it when you guys joked about not letting me back in!" Soma excitedly continued.

"It wasn't a joke" his father sighed, disappointed that their threats completely went over the boy's head.

"Whatever! The point is, eventually you guys warmed up to the kitty and took it to the vet!"

"Okay, but we didn't let you keep it. We eventually just gave it away with your friend, Kurase-chan I think" Soma shook his head furiously, slightly annoyed that his ideas weren't getting to his father.

"That's not the point, dad! Yeah, I didn't get to keep it, but that didn't matter! What mattered was that even though you guys didn't agree with it, I still helped anyway!" Soma explained, catching his father's attention. Jouichirou thought back to Soma's golden eyes that shined with fiery determination, despite the lecture him and his mother gave him.

"The kitty was alone and wasn't really strong, so I helped it! I had you guys to always help me but the little kitty didn't have anyone. Yeah, you guys were mad at me but eventually you guys understood and even helped too. I felt like I was doing something good and even though you guys were super worried about me, you guys worried about the kitty too, even if it took you a while" Soma explained softly, gleefully smiling at his father, who was in shock. From the kitchen, Tamako couldn't help but listen in and smile proudly, truly feeling blessed to have Soma as her child.

"I think if someone needs help and you can do something, you should. I don't think there's any real reason to just…not help? That's what you guys told me; I think? Unless I heard it wrong but…nah, I never hear things wrong!" Soma said as a whirlwind of emotions coursed through him; first appreciativeness, then doubt, and then finally confidence. Jouichirou was at a loss for words; unable to respond. Eventually, he simply shut his eyes and chuckled. With a swift lift of his hand, he planted it firmly on Soma's head and ruffled his spiky red hair, much to the boy's dismay.

"Hey, quit that!" Soma shouted as a pout formed on his face once more. But soon, that pout disappeared as his puffed cheeked deflated and were tinged with a red hue from the sight of his beaming father.

"Jeez Soma. You're a cheeky little brat, you know that? It's a little too early for you to be teaching me lessons"Jouichirou finally said, ruffling the boy's hair even harder.

"The heck are you talking about?! Stop that!" Soma complained as the boy tried to wrestle with his father's arm. Paying the boy no mind, Jouichirou looked up from his hyperactive son to meet with his wife's loving gaze as she leaned over the kitchen pass-through window.

"That boy of yours…truly born to be leader and inspire others. The only thing as big as his confidence is his heart" Gin commented, smiling as he sipped on his newly made drink. Jouichirou scoffed and shook his head.

"Got that from his mother. I'm telling ya, that kid's something else" Jouichirou laughed. Gin's gleamed proudly as he watched an infectious prideful smile creep onto Jouichirou's face. "But yeah… after talking with Soma and Tamako, I decided to take him in. And although practically raising two kids was a handful…I couldn't say it wasn't worth it. The boy was broken but being able teach him how to smile again…it was truly something else. I was even debating on bringing him back to Japan, honestly. Introduce him to Soma, who knows maybe they would have hit it off. They're so different, yet they both shared that infectious urge to be better" Jouichirou said. There was a tinge of hope in Jouichirou's voice, which Gin noted. He could see it in the redhead's eyes; he had an image of this big family with Soma, Tamako, and Asahi. The two boys would be bickering over who the better cook was between their parents, clinging to their respective favorite parent: Asahi with Jouichirou and Soma with Tamako.

"Around the time I started to seriously teach Soma how to cook, I decided to teach him too. Thought it'd be a good release for him. But when I tell you the last thing I was expecting him to do was completely recreate a dish of mine from scratch without even showing him the recipe…" Jouichirou finished, startling Gin.

"Does…Does he have the God Tongue as well?!" Gin shouted, unable to contain his voice. Several heads turned, now staring at the duo. Gin cleared his throat and apologized before turning back to Jouichirou.

"What? No, none of that God Tongue nonsense" Jouichirou explained.

"Whoa, this is incredible, Asahi! How'd you manage this one?!" Jouichirou exclaimed, baffled by Asahi's "first" attempt at a dish. The black-haired boy blankly stared at Jouichirou who was taking in bite after bite of the meal.

"Uh…I don't know? I just kinda…did it" the boy explained, unsure of what to say. Jouichirou stared at the boy who had been tugging on his new long-sleeve; he was always self-aware of his scars and made sure to hide them as best as possible. With a smile, he walked up to Asahi and ruffled his hair. Though surprised at first, Asahi gleamed back at the redhead with a bright grin.

"I'm glad you liked it!" he exclaimed happily.

"He was talented, that's for sure. I never saw such skill without any crazy superpower like that God Tongue Erina shares with her mother. He was a natural…is what I thought" Jouichirou admitted as a grave look filled his eyes.

"Hey, Asahi" Jouichirou quickly and sternly called for the now twelve year old Asahi.

"Yeah, dad? What's up? Did I mess something up?" the boy asked, walked over with a glass of water. Jouichirou eyed the dish before him as if it was some foul creature. But it wasn't anything like that; it tasted great. But it tasted familiar…too familiar.

"Who taught you this dish?" Jouichirou asked, tensed. Asahi took a step back, caught off guard by the redhead's sudden seriousness.

"U-uh, I don't know…I kinda just remember it from when I was little…before you found me, I think. It was taught to me I think, but I can't really put a finger on it" Asahi said. "D-did I do something wrong? I'm sorry if I did!" Asahi quickly bowed, shaking in fear. Jouichirou realized intimidating he must have come off and quickly adjusted his tone. He knew Asahi was a sensitive one, and he knew that no matter how much time passed, whatever he must have gone through at the Noirs must still haunt his heart to this day. Quickly, he rested his hand on top of Asahi's head, making the boy flinch, but remain bowed. Jouichirou's heart ached watching the boy like this, and simply ruffled his hair, soothing Asahi.

"Nah, you did just great. You got even better, actually! Really good work, kid!" Jouichirou proudly exclaimed, surprising Asahi. Raising his head, he revealed his watery eyes. Jouichirou laughed and quickly dried the tears with his fingers before resting his hands-on Asahi's shoulder.

"Great job, Asahi. I'll show you a new recipe as a reward, alright?" Asahi's face instantly lit up as he excitedly nodded. Walking away to clean the dishes, he left a baffled and wide-eyed Jouichirou who simply watched.

"You don't think…" Gin began, gripping the glass in his hand tightly, struggling to not break it in his hands.

"He had to have been a last-ditch effort. It only makes sense. With their dwindling numbers, they must have been aware that there was no easy way out for them. The best they could is groom another Noir, but that'd be impossible to do with the way the Noir culture is and how much time they had" Jouichirou began, referring to the high stakes that Noir chefs faced. Cooking for the underworld crime bosses was a dangerous business; a life threatening one.

"They couldn't risk throwing the boy to the wolves. So they resorted to the next most "efficient" method. Imagine Azami…but a thousand times more heartless" Jouichirou muttered, slowly feeling his composure falter. Gin remained silent, horrified at the thought of performing such abuse on a young child.

"I'm guessing that explains the scars…" Gin muttered, throwing back the last of the drink. Jouichirou solemnly nodded.

"So? What happened next?" Gin finally said, unsure of what else to say. Releasing a sigh, Jouichirou calmed himself down.

"Tamako passed away when Soma was twelve. I decided then that I had to go back, permanently. At least, until Soma was ready to take care of himself or was in capable hands. I hadn't seen Asahi since and I couldn't find the time to look for him. That's when Senzaemon came to me, telling me that Totsuki would take care of Soma while I searched for Asahi" Jouichirou explaining, surprising Gin.

"What?! Senzaemon-sama is aware of all this?!" Gin exclaimed out of bewilderment.

Jouichirou scoffed and said, "Of course. Why do you think he stepped down as Headmaster? We made an agreement; I'd help with the whole Azami situation and in return he'd focus all his attention on helping me locate Asahi. Which we finally did. Sorta. He kinda sent an invite to his little hideout. Bunch of crime-lords there" Jouichirou continued before pausing for a brief moment.

"Needless to say, he wasn't very happy. I don't know if something triggered in him when I left, but it seems like all that grooming from the Noirs finally kicked in. The way he cooked, the way he carried himself: spitting image of them. The Asahi I raised was gone" Jouichirou said with an exasperated sigh. "I found that out firsthand when he challenged me to a Shokugeki. And lost" Gin eyes widened as he stood straight up, slamming his hands onto the counter.

"What?! You lost?!" Gin exclaimed, throwing away the restraint he had on his volume. All that filled his mind was the aftershock of such a revelation accompanied with the nonchalant stare from Jouichirou.

"Uh, well, sorta. I kinda threw the match. Lost my knife though, which kinda sucks" Jouichirou calmly mentioned, more irate about the knife than anything else.

"Are you serious?! Why would you agree to something like that and then throw the match?! It's not just about your knife, but with that win against the one who destroyed the Noirs gives them a chanc-"Gin started, fury coursing throughout his veins at the redhead's carelessness until Jouichirou interrupted him.

"His goal isn't to bring back the Noirs. He's fixated on something more personal" Saiba quickly said, eyes narrowing on the empty glass before him. Gin was taken aback, unable to follow. He seated himself, trying to regain his composure.

"Listen, I didn't just throw that knife away because I wanted to. That knife means more to me than you could ever imagine" Saiba gripped the glass, as memories of his late wife flooded back in. "But I thought that was the only way to protect Soma"

"Why does Soma need protection?! I don't understand!" Gin exclaimed, resting his hand on Jouichirou's shoulder. Jouichirou quickly turned to Gin with anger-filled eyes, surprising Gin. Gritting his teeth, Jouichirou turned back and looked down. Gin stared at him with uncertainty as his friend's long red locks covered his face.

"He wants revenge. He hated that I never came back. He hated that I chose Soma over him. He hates Soma. Every mistake I made, every kind thing I did that made him think I was simply playing with him, he blames Soma for it" Jouichirou growled out, his fury building to it's peak. "He's not going to stop. I thought he'd be satisfied with taking his anger out on me, but it wasn't enough. He said it himself; he wants Soma. And he's not going to stop until he's satisfied, and with his foul connections, I can't help but think the worst. That's why I need you to watch over him. As much as I trust Erina and his friends, they're not enough. They're nowhere near the level Asahi has reached" Jouichirou was now facing Gin, with a steadfast look in his hazel eyes.

"That's why I need you, Gin. I don't care what you tell them, just make sure that you can keep an eye on them without them knowing. If Soma finds any of this out, he'll definitely jump the gun. As much as he has improved, I don't think he can rival Asahi. Not right at this moment, anyway" Gin's eyes widened as Jouichirou stood up and bowed before him, shaking.

"Please, Gin…I know I'm asking a lot, involving you in all this. But I don't know what else to do…" Jouichirou pleaded. The redhead before him was a free soul with many feats, but his many feats were only rivaled by the many regrets he held deep within. The man rarely faltered, but when he did, they were his most dastardly falls of all. The pure pain and fear in his voice was abnormal and mystifying, haunting Gin as he was reminded of his many breakdowns during the third year within private walls.

"…You act as if I no was an option in my mind" Gin finally broke the silence. He quickly fastened his tie and slapped Jouichirou's back.

"Raise your head, idiot. It's not a good look for you" Gin said, eliciting a soft but short chuckle from the redhead. Standing straight, he met Gin's eyes with his own reddened eyes, surprising Gin.

"…Thank you, Gin. For everything, really" Jouichirou choked out, rubbing his eyes and pushing his hair back. With a sigh, he rested a hand on Jouichirou's shoulder.

"You can thank me by sending that prodigal child of yours straight to me once he's graduated, alright?" Gin joked, hoping to get a laugh out of the stressed friend before him. However, he only received a nod as he dug into his pockets and pulled out a phone.

"Here, it's my work phone. Keep it for now" Jouichirou said, dropping the cellular device in his hands.

"Why are you giving me this?" Gin questioned, glaring at the redhead, wondering if this was just some set up for a joke or a jab at him.

"I messaged Erina-chan earlier on it. She knows that someone's using my name but that's it. If she tries to pursue more information, deny her and stop her. Also, there's an app that tracks Soma's phone and the new bike I got him" Jouichirou explained, grabbing his jacket and putting it on. Gin pointed an eyebrow up, surprised by Jouichirou's rather cautiousness.

"I didn't take you for one of those parents" Gin teased, smoothening out his suit. Jouichirou simply laughed, reaching into his jacket pocket.

"I'm not. Tamako insisted I kept track of him, but I never used it. But now…" Jouichirou started as his gaze fell.

"He's all I have left. I can't risk losing him" Jouichirou admitted. Gin stared at his friend, unsure of what to say. Jouichirou pulled out his wallet and was about to pay the bartender before Gin quickly handed his own money to the bartender. Jouichirou's eyes shot towards Gin, who was smiling.

"I got this covered, don't you worry about it"

"But I invited you? I got this- "Jouichirou soon was met with an open palm inches from his face.

"Oh, now you remember that? Last time you practically blackmailed me to pay for your dinner that you invited me to" Gin joked, before shaking his head. "Seriously though, I got it" Gin said warmly. Letting out a soft chuckle, Jouichirou shook his head and held his fist out. Gin gladly met it with his own fist.

"Next time, it's on me, alright?" Jouichirou said with a smile. With a laugh, Gin simply responded with:

"I'll hold you to that, Jou"

A/N: AHHH my sleep schedule is so botched and I hate it LOL but woo got this chapter out. Honestly, this chapter wasn't going to be all that focused on developing Asahi, but I think it's good I did; I feel like that's what Asahi was missing in the manga. Granted, I put a different spin on Asahi, I feel like the reason he was such a disappointing character was because he was just there to be a problem for Soma. He had no real objective, he just was an asshole to be an asshole. Though I doubt this will make anyone like Asahi, I hope I can maybe turn him into something more than just a vehicle for the plot. Don't worry, he'll show his face soon, and we'll start seeing a mix of both SoRina and the overall conflict lel. Also, changing Soma's mom's name to Tamako to match the manga! At the time, his mom's name was never revealed so I kinda just threw a name, but now that we actually have a name for her, I don't see any reason to not use it, so yah. Time to edit more old chapters! Anyway, on to reviews~

43: Aww, I'm glad it's your favorite though I'm not too sure it's all that LOL I hope I can maintain and raise your standards!

Whatermelown: I think one of the things that I really like to focus on is how the characters interact with each other. Since this isn't a webcomic (because can't draw sadly), the best way to express the characters is through their dialogue. I'm gonna be experimenting with unique character interactions soon because we rarely see certain characters talk to each other, so expect that! Also, expect some intense SoRina stuff soon because I think I've slow burned enough kek And don't worry, I'm definitely not going to release regularly LOL sometimes you'll get like 3 chapters in 2 days, other times you'll get one a week. But I hope to keep this up till completion!

Francesco Capogna: Here ya go lelelel

I'mAlsoAWe: I'm glad you enjoy their interactions! Definitely put a lot of effort into it, so I'm glad it's appreciated and enjoyed by you guys!

As always, I hope you guys enjoyed, and please do review~