Hi hi!

Remember how I said I was going to update monthly in September, and then completely skipped over October?

I do!

But I was having fun with my last-minute decision to write Kinktober and then I died after Halloween for like a week after. Honestly, I'm really proud that I kept up with it and finished it!

Anyways, I have some great news! I plan to finish the first arc of this story in about three chapters! (So, chapter 14 would be the last chapter of the arc.) I'm still debating on how I want to continue this after because I still have more I want to write about this story. But yeah, chapter 14 will be the last of the first arc. By then, I should have it figured out.

Anyways, time for earworms!

"Lessons on Counting" by quickly, quickly.

"Tension Suspension" by JUICEBOX and Melanin 9.

"Far" by Dre Carter.

A couple of days after their date, Megumi and Isami came home to some news.

They had taken much longer to get home that day, as Megumi stayed to help with her RS with something. Isami had come to pick her up from clubroom at the time it usually ended, as he had a habit of doing so almost every meeting. On those days, Megumi would make sure that she would be done with whatever task she was doing to be able to meet him at the entrance. Today she was helping one of her juniors with a recipe she had acquired from France. Because of that, she did not realize that the time had passed her by until the president called Isami's name. Surprised, she looked up towards the direction of the door and locked eyes with her boyfriend.

Then her president pounced.

Yasuda Teruo was a third year who had been in this RS since he had come here as a first-year middle school student. He had become the president last year and he was trying to recruit as many people as he could into his precious club before he graduated in the spring. Yasuda was really pushing for Isami to join his club, especially since he found out the brunet was not in any other clubs. It didn't help that Isami never gave a clear answer. So, while Megumi was finishing up, Yasuda was giving Isami a rundown on recent club projects.

It also took them longer to get back because they walked instead of biked today. Well, Megumi had not biked today, for she had left her bike at home due to the nice weather and that Isami would walk with her today. Neither him nor his brother had opted for a bike yet, though it wasn't too uncommon at Polar Star. Soma, Shun, and Zenji were the ones with mopeds. Yuki and Ryoko had regular bikes like her. The rest walked unless the weather was bad. Then they opted for a car. They took their time as well, enjoying the weather and a few stolen kisses.

They ended up getting home when the sun was halfway below the horizon. As she had been doing for the past few days, Megumi glanced over to the mail area. A small gasp escaped her when she spotted her mother's familiar handwriting among the few Shokugeki challenges in her spot. A questioning hum came from her boyfriend once he heard her.

"My mother's letter came." She told him as she gathered everything up. Isami nodded, understanding. While they went up the stairs, Megumi looked through the challenges. "I wonder if I should take some of these on. It's been a little bit since I've done a Shokugeki. I probably should ask someone to have a mock challenge with me so I can brush up."

"I'm pretty sure you can get anyone to help you with that." Isami replied.

"Including you?" They had reached the third floor by then, and Megumi paused by her door to look at him. He blinked in surprise at her as if he had not expected her to ask him. He didn't reply right away, and Megumi was thankful for the indistinct voices of Soma and Takumi from one of the rooms for filling the silence between them. Finally, the male sighed.

"I-I think you should ask someone who actually has confidence in their skills. They would give you more of a challenge."

"Oh." Megumi's shoulders sagged at the rejection. She knew that if it wasn't for Shokugeki practice, he would have gladly taken up the offer. Honestly, she thought that there was no difference between cooking for fun and for an actual contest. But she knew Isami thought different. She decided not to push it for now. "Alright." She said in a slightly louder voice than she intended. "I understand."

"I-" Isami started to speak but then the door to Takumi's room opened.

"You're back!" Soma all but ran to the two of them. Takumi followed at a much slower pace. "I have some great news!"

"More shocking than great." Takumi muttered.

"But still great." Soma grinned. "I'm going to Italy with you guys for winter break!"

"What?" Megumi and Isami simultaneously said.

"I was invited to spend winter break in Italy with you guys." Soma repeated. His voice was a bit lower this time, but his golden eyes still flashed with excitement.

"Wait." Isami waved his hands in front of him before looking over at his brother. "You invited him?"

"Papa invited him." Takumi clarified. "This moron barges in my room while I'm on a video call and decided to come over and say hi."

"Well, your dad called me over because he heard you yelling at me to get out." Soma defended himself. "I never knew you talked so much about me that your dad knew who I was by name."

"Th-that's because you're such an annoying idiot that it's impossible not to talk about you!" Takumi huffed.

Megumi, meanwhile, was still in shock. Soma had been invited in almost the exact same way that she had. He was for sure going with them because he had mentioned to her that his dad had planned to be out of the country around that time. She should be happy that Soma was not going to spend the holidays alone. But now, there was a huge problem for her and Isami. A short laugh of disbelief escaped her, causing all three males to pay attention to her.

"Sorry." She apologized. "It's just that..." She trailed off, unable to say much else because she could feel the beginnings of a panic attack. She laughed again, trying to calm her racing mind.

"I think she's surprised because the same thing happened to us." Isami laughed, placing a hand on her shoulder. It was meant to be seen as a friendly gesture, but she knew that he was trying to comfort her.

"Y-yeah." Megumi relaxed a bit under his touch.

"What?" This time only Takumi said the word. Megumi looked up to see shock on the blond's face. Meanwhile, Soma's grin got even wider.

"That's awesome!" The redhead exclaimed.

"How?" Takumi's eyes flickered between his brother and Megumi. "When?"

"It was the day after the festival, the morning of the party." Isami replied, taking his hand off her shoulder.

"That would have been nice to know then." The sigh that escaped Takumi was not displeasure, but of relief. It was so uncharacteristic of the blond that even Megumi could pick up the oddness in her half-frazzled state.

"We didn't want to say anything until we were certain she could go." Isami continued on, bringing her focus back on the conversation. "We sent a letter to her mother asking for permission in case she was needed over the break."

"Right." Megumi remembered the paper that she miraculously not dropped and held them up for the others to see. "I think I got a response today, actually."

"What did it say?" Soma asked.

"I don't know. I'll actually go read it right now. Privately." She stressed the last word when she saw her best friend perk up. Thinking that it was a great time to leave the conversation, she dipped her head in farewell and went inside her room.

"Make sure to tell us later!" She heard Soma remind her as she shut the door.

"I will!" She placed the challenges on her dresser before tearing the envelope open on her way to her bed.

Even though Isami had offered to help her with the letter to be sent home, Megumi had decided to write it by herself. It was not because she did not want his help. It was because the general thought of someone being around her while she was writing was a bit nerve-wracking. There was also the fact that she felt that there were some things she wanted to write without Isami around. They weren't bad things, however. She would just feel embarrassed if he were to know of them. She noticed the irony in that. Both of them had bared their bodies to each even before they started dating, but she was embarrassed to share some thoughts about him to him. Her mind was weird.

After Megumi skimmed past the greetings and the news of the town, she slowed down to soak in every word that her mother had wrote. Her mother seemed pleased that she had finally got a boyfriend, but had been surprised that it was not Soma since Megumi had brought him over a couple of times during breaks. Her mother also told the town of the news, and that they had also been shocked that it wasn't him. Megumi had to roll her eyes at that.

She had to admit at the start of her friendship with Soma, she did have a crush on him. He had been the first person in a long time to not tease her and seemed fine with her tagging along on his various expeditions. He had stood up for her when she was about to get expelled, something that she would have never expected anyone to do for her. She found that she admired his confidence, and she ended up finding her own again because of him. He had even outright called her his best friend.

She didn't know exactly when she realized it, but she was fine with being just that: the best friend.

Megumi read the rest of the letter. She had expected her mother to be fine with the idea of her going to a new country with her new boyfriend, but she still couldn't help the grin that threatened to split her face in half when she saw it in writing. Her mother just told her that she needed to bring Isami over next time they visited if things were still going well. She also teased Megumi on the 'gushing' about Isami that she had done in her letter, confirming that she had been right on requesting privacy in reading the letter. Face still a bit red, she finished reading and placed it in the drawer where the rest of her letters were before flopping back on her bed.

Now that she confirmed that she could go to Italy, it was time to properly panic.

She and Isami had figured that Isshiki would find out, about them, as he was the residential roof dweller. Fumio was also a guarantee, as she knew every trick in the book when it came to teenagers. They were hoping on Takumi either figuring out or telling him before the trip. That way they could relax, tell the rest of the family, and come back and stay low again.

Soma, true to form, had been the wild card neither of them had expected.

Her phone chirped with a text message. It was from Isami.

Safe for me to come over? They went downstairs.

Yeah. I finished.

Isami slid in her room around a minute later.

"So…" He lay next to her. "What did she say?"

"I can go. But you have come with me the next time I visit home because she wants to meet you."

"Easy enough."

Megumi sighed and turned to face him.

"What are we going to do, Isami?"

"About Yukihira?" He reached over to brush a strand of hair from her face. "Not sure yet. We can't really hide our relationship once we go over there because I know how some people in my family are."

"And even if we could, Soma would be able to tell something is going on. He's already picking up on how close we are." There had been several instances where Soma had casually mentioned the "friendship" between her and Isami. "I feel like if he understood relationships more he would have already known that something more is going on between us."

Isami chuckled. "You never know what to expect with that guy."

"I know that fact pretty well." A weary sigh escaped her. A few silent seconds passed them by before Isami asked her a question.

"How much do you trust Yukihira?"

"A lot." The answer was immediate. "Sometimes, even more than I trust myself."

"Do you trust him enough to keep our secret?"

That answer took a little longer to give. She remembered times before she had even considered Isami as a friend. Before she even considered her dormmates as close friends. She remembered words that had never left her lips before, words that Soma had listened to despite him being a new friend. She remembered how he in turn told her things that never left his lips before. And how neither of them heard those words on the lips of another.

"I do."

"I trust your judgement then, since you've known him longer." Isami gave her his answer.

"And I still trust your judgement on Takumi, if that's still worth saying."

"It is." He scooted closer until he was able to place his head on top of hers. "We can tell them both at the same time, or hope that my brother figures out everything before Yukihira does. I don't even want to think about if he learns after him."

"I hope so, too."

Megumi found herself travelling with her girlfriends two evenings later.

Alice had insisted on having a last-minute girls' night early today since she heard that Erina's meetings for the afternoon had been cancelled. The idea had been concocted last minute by her, while most of the Elites were still hovering around the office. It allowed Alice to personally give word to her cousin and Hisako. She had also personally invited Megumi and surprisingly Nene to the meet up. Their senior had been extremely hesitant at first, but since she had the extremely persistent Alice after her, she relented. Alice also sent a text to Yuki, Ryoko, and Ikumi to tell them, and all three of them agreed to come along as well. They all had an opportunity to get taken home in order to pack for the overnight trip at a bath and inn that the Nakiris had a permanent room reserved for them at. It was farther than the one around the school, hence the overnight stay.

"I don't know why we couldn't just stay at the baths by the school and go back to the mansion after." Erina huffed.

"Come on, Erina!" Alice bounced in front of her. "Everyone knows that girls' nights are supposed to be done in style! Besides, Ryo would be around and I can't send him away from his own dwellings!"

"There's no point in saying anything…" Erina sighed.

"I think going to a new place to only relax would benefit you." Hisako added. It still surprised Megumi that Erina's secretary had stopped blindly agreeing with her superior. Instead, she would try to find the path that would help Erina the most, sometimes it being one that the headmistress would not like. Hisako was also not seen by Erina's side as frequently as she had been in the past. Sometimes it was because Erina left her in charge of other duties or Hisako was unable to come along to some events. But the third reason, which was becoming more common, was that she was focusing on her goal to be in the Elite Ten. Megumi could not help but to see how similar Hisako was to Isami.

Erina sighed at her secretary's words, but before she could continue complaining, Ryoko asked her about the kind of facilities she had visited before and how they compared to this one. By the time they reached their room, the headmistress seemed in better spirits. It did not take long for them to decide that it was best to go to the baths soon in order to avoid the after-dinner crowd. They were changing in the dressing room when Yuki let out a gasp.

"Megumi!" She exclaimed, causing the rest of their friends to look over in the bluenette's direction with confused expressions.

"Yes?" She asked, equally confused.

"Where did you get that bruise?" Yuki pointed at a spot on her stomach. Megumi's gaze followed her finger and her breath hitched once she saw what Yuki was talking about.

She had come to terms that she had a marking fetish. She thought it was hot to see the hickeys and bites that she and Isami would leave on each other's skins. They would always leave them in areas that were definitely covered by clothes all the time, redoing them in different areas once the old ones faded. If this trip idea would have come up last night, she would have not allowed Isami to leave marks on her this morning before they had to go to class. But that had not happened, and now she was displaying one of them on her stomach for her friends to see.

"O-oh. I guess I did bruise myself after all…" The bruise was in the right position to be played off as an injury from a counter or a table. "I ran into something earlier in the day. I didn't think it would leave a bruise, though." It was a passable lie, as she did have quite the reputation of being a klutz. To her relief, the lie worked. Ryoko huffed and told her to be careful next time and everyone turned back to the task on hand. It was only when the conversations picked back up did Megumi let a sigh escape her.

She could play off the hickey on her stomach.

But she could not play off the other one she knew Isami had left on one of her inner thighs.

She had a private moment to check to see if it was visible. It definitely stood out against her skin, but it was placed in a way that it wasn't noticeable by a glance. She would just have to be a bit more careful until she could put clothes on again.

Much later, Megumi found herself alone with Nene in one of the bath areas. The rest of the girls were room hopping, trying out different kinds of baths that the place had to offer. Her and Nene were invited to come with, but the senior had decided to stay in one spot. Megumi, not wanting to leave her alone, also chose to stay. Guessing that senior was still not completely comfortable around their more energetic companions, Megumi decided to not to bother her too much. Instead, the bluenette stayed silent beside her, lost in her own thoughts.

"You didn't have to stay…" Nene's quiet voice broke through the silence. "I would have been fine alone."

"You were pressured to come along with us." Megumi replied. "I did not want to leave you alone after all that. Besides, it's good to have a break from my loud friends every once in a while."

"Understandable." Nene let out a puff of air. "We seem to attract the loud ones. I especially feel bad for you, since you have Yukihira."

Megumi laughed. "Actually, I think it's half my fault as well. I practically clung on to him the first few months of our freshman year."

"Then I don't feel as bad as I originally did." Nene commented, a small smile on her face. Megumi laughed again as well.

For a few minutes, it seemed like the end of their conversation. Megumi slid further into the bath and looked up in thought. Seeing the time on the clock hanging in the room she saw it was well into the evening. She had been scheduled to cook for dinner today, but this trip had interupted that plan. She wondered who Shun ended up cooking with. How the dorm would be like without the females. For sure Shoji and Daigo would suggest something. Or would they just act like it was a normal Friday evening? She'll ask what they did later.

"Megumi?"

"Hm?" The bluenette looked back at the senior beside her.

"That bruise on your stomach is a hickey, isn't it?"

Megumi stiffened. She thought she had gotten away with that lie in the changing room!

"Judging by your expression and posture, I guess I'm correct. Don't worry. I won't say anything to anyone. I can tell you want to keep that a secret."

"I do." Megumi kept her voice low. "As well as the person who did it."

"Ah." Nene looked away, and Megumi could have sworn that her cheeks got redder. "Sorry. It's just that with a boyfriend like Etsu-…Eizan you tend to start noticing those kinds of things. He likes to sneak them on me sometimes, even though he knows how I feel about them. They make me feel unprofessional."

"I like them." Megumi quietly confessed.

"To each their own." Nene hummed, leaning back on the bath wall and closed her eyes. Megumi watched her for a few seconds, debating on continuing the conversation about their lovers. She ended up picking not to because she may let Isami's name slip in the conversation and she had no idea when the other girls would show up.

Instead, she let herself relax again. Perhaps one day they could pick up the conversation again.

Sometimes, Megumi had to laugh at the reasons why she would wake up in the middle of the night.

This time, the overall reason that she was up now was because she was hungry. However, she did not want just any old midnight snack that she could find in the cupboard.

Tonight, she specifically wanted homemade cookies. She didn't mind what kind they were, but she wanted to feel the sensation of biting into a soft cookie fresh out of the oven. She had no idea why she wanted that exact treat, but the urge for it was strong enough to make her stomach growl.

However, the will to not move was even greater. Tonight, she was sleeping in Isami's bed, and the room's owner was a light sleeper. They had class later on in the morning, so she really did not want to wake him just because she was hungry. She decided to try to ignore her stomach for at least a few more hours and go back to sleep. Her stomach did not agree with that plan, however. Her eyes flew open as a particular loud growl emitted from it, and she cursed silently when she heard her bedmate mumble something in Italian. She tilted her head just enough to be able to see his face and was not surprised to see his sleepy gaze staring back.

"You heard that?" She asked.

"Mhm." Isami yawned.

"Sorry. It was my stomach." The confession made him chuckle in mid-yawn.

"You mean it wasn't Ibusaki firing up his chainsaw this early?"

"I-it was that loud?" Megumi stuttered. Had anyone else heard it? But Isami started to chuckle again and nuzzled the top of her head.

"I'm kidding." He told her. "How come you didn't get something to eat?"

"I didn't want to wake you but that happened anyways. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I'm getting used to waking up in the middle of the night."

"Oh." He didn't say it, but she knew that the reason that he was gaining such a habit was because of her.

"I don't mind it." He added to his words as if he knew her thoughts. He pulled away in order to prop his head on his hand. "What do you feel like eating?"

"…Cookies…" She admitted shyly.

"Any specific kind?"

"Not really. I think I want more of the sensation of biting into a warm and sweet cookie than anything else. Don't laugh at me." She scolded gently as she noticed his lips curl into an amused smirk.

"I understand, Luna. I'll make some for you, then." With that, Isami got out of bed and picked up his shirt. Megumi scrambled out of the covers as well.

"W-w-w-wait. You're going to make some for me?" She repeated as he pulled his head through his shirt.

"Yup. You were forgoing getting something to eat in order to not wake me up. It only makes sense to return the favor by making you what you want to eat. Besides, I want to try something." Megumi nodded, not protesting it. Both of them silently made their way out of his room and to the kitchen. She stayed by one of the counters as she watched Isami look in the cabinets and the fridge to see what ingredients he had to work with. "You think you could wait for about an hour?"

"Yup!" Megumi looked at the clock hanging in the kitchen. It was almost two in the morning right now and if everything went smoothly then by three they would be eating whatever Isami planned to make. He started to pull out the ingredients and supplies, her curiosity perking when she saw almonds being set on the counter.

"It would be much easier with the mezzaluna," He lamented. "But Yukihira has it tonight…"

"Do you need my help?" She asked.

"I can manage. I want to do this on my own this time." He grabbed a chopping knife and he soon placed the almond pieces in the microwave.

Megumi nodded. Assuming that he did not need the counter space she was by, she jumped up to sit on it in order to watch her boyfriend work.

It had been just over a month since Isami had told her and Takumi about his decision to find his own specialty, and he had been working hard since. Everyone was up to help him in his goal. The afternoons she spent at club were the afternoons that he would stay at the school to learn from their friends who didn't live at Polar Star, which is why he was able to come walk with her more often when she was done. The other days were split between dormmates, Takumi, and her. The only one she had noticed that seemed to hesitate to help him was surprisingly Soma. Well, not too much of a surprise, as he had told her a while ago that he was afraid that the younger Aldini was upset at him. But Isami told her that he had recently sat with the redhead to clear up any misunderstandings, so Megumi might see the two of them together more in the future.

Isami continued to pull and mix ingredients, using both the whisk and the electric beater. Despite the determination and focus creasing his brow, he was softly humming a tune. She could recognize it because it was one that he played often on his phone. She tapped her fingers silently on her leg as she listened to him. A grin appeared on her face when she noticed a bit of the cookie dough had flown onto one of his cheeks and she wondered when he would notice it. The silly smile only stretched more as she saw him fold some blueberries into the mix.

"You're really spoiling me." She chuckled. Blueberries were one of her favorite fruits.

"I'm pampering you." Isami corrected. "Which I think is something that I should do regularly." With that, Isami placed some plastic wrap on the top of the bowl and pushed it in the fridge to chill. Setting the timer, he went over to preheat the oven. Megumi saw that he still had that bit of batter on his cheek.

"Isami, come here." She giggled. When he obeyed, she leaned forward and was able to lick it off his face. "You had some batter on your cheek for a while." She replied to his amused smirk. "It tastes nice."

"You should try it when it's cooked." He lifted a hand to her face to reveal a blueberry. "Something to tide you over?" Megumi opened her mouth to allow him to place the berry in it. She smiled in thanks and Isami watched her chew it before he gave her a chaste kiss.

"You taste like blueberry." He stated the obvious.

"No shit." Megumi replied, causing her boyfriend to snicker.

"I'm still not used to you cursing. Except, of course, in bed."

"No so loud." She shushed him. "We don't know who else is awake right now."

"Alright." He pecked her lips again before he sauntered off to get a start on the cleanup. Megumi slid off the counter to help him, volunteering to wash the dishes so that he could be ready to bake the cookies when the timer went down.

"Did I tell you about what happened at the sleepover over the weekend?" She asked while she was wrist-deep in soapy water.

"You only told me about Kinokuni figuring out about my marks. You never finished."

Megumi started to tell him about the events after the bath with Nene. She mentioned how awed she was by the fancy dinner that they ate. She had no idea how much she ate. Then how she had been dragged by most of the girls back to try out the baths she had missed out on, leaving Nene, Erina, and Hisako in the room. She had almost felt like a prune by the time she was finally allowed to go back to the room. She told him how the conversations eventually turned to the topic of shipping.

"It first started with who we shipped in manga and anime that we knew of. Then, Alice, unsurprisingly, decided to turn the conversation to which of our friends belong with who. We had a ball trying to see who Soma could work with."

"Did they pick you as one of the candidates?" Isami asked. The timer had gone off a couple of minutes ago and he was now dropping batter onto the sheet.

"Of course they did." Megumi deadpanned. "One of my favorite reasons was from Yuki, who said we would be perfect for each other because him and I could go a lifetime without sex and not even care."

"That's not true. You're a borderline nymph." Isami said in a low voice.

"Can't help it. My boyfriend's really hot." Feeling her face heat up at the words that came out of her mouth, her golden eyes slid over to watch his reaction. She was satisfied to see his face flush under the artificial lights. Even though Isami gave her and many other people compliments with ease he still had trouble accepting ones towards him.

"Thank you…" He mumbled, suddenly looking very interested in finishing the cookies. He seemed composed by the time he slid the two baking sheets in the oven. "So, did they put me with anyone?" He asked as he set the timer again.

"They did. Ikumi and Erina were the top two contenders."

Isami frowned, clearly confused at that line up. "But why?"

"Because you seem able to put up with Ikumi's aggressive nature and you're one of the only people Erina hasn't gotten mad at yet." Megumi reiterated the reasons that had been given that night. "No one said anything about you and me."

"We truly are the outliers, aren't we?"

Megumi couldn't decide if she was relieved or bothered by that. She should be relieved, as at least the females thought nothing was going on between them and it would help kept their secret hidden a bit longer. However, she couldn't help but to feel just a bit upset at the time when he had been brought up and paired up with someone other than her. The feeling was returning as she thought about the memory. Her now dry hands reached out to grab her boyfriend and wrapped herself around him when he got close enough.

"I don't care what people think." She told him. "You're mine."

"Same goes to you, Luna." Isami replied, running his fingers through her hair before kissing the top of her head. The possessive feeling didn't leave her, but she felt much better.

The smell of cookies soon brought back Megumi's hunger pangs. She decided to warm up some tea as they finished baking. Soon, the cookies were cooling and the two of them finished cleaning up.

"Blueberry Almond Cookies." The brunet announced as he checked the temperature of one. "You try first." Isami held out the dessert to Megumi, who noticed that it was still warm once she had it in her hand. "Your stomach was starting to growl again." Megumi snorted softly at the observation before taking a bite of the treat.

Immediately, Megumi was transported.

She was no longer inside the kitchen on an autumn night. She instead was outside in a forest on a summer afternoon collecting blueberries. The gentle wind ruffled her sundress and threatened to blow away her straw hat, but she was grateful for the breeze because it kept her cool under the sun. She felt the bumps of the soil and rocks under her bare feet as she walked from bush to bush, but it didn't hurt her at all.

There was a berry that stood out to her on one of the bushes. Unable to resist it, she kneeled to pluck the tantalizing fruit. She didn't want to place it in her basket at all. Instead, she popped it in her mouth, savoring the juices that came from it. As she chewed her ears picked up the sounds of birds singing, a river rushing somewhere, the trees above her creaking, and various other sounds. But instead of a cacophony of the different sounds, she heard all of them come together as a single and gentle song. She closed her eyes to listen to the almost ethereal harmony…

And then Megumi came back. The first thing she saw was cerulean eyes staring at her in anticipation and concern. The second thing she noticed was that her hand was empty now.

"How was it?" Isami asked.

"Delicious." She replied. "You should eat some as well." She motioned over to the treats now on a plate. The bluenette noticed that he hesitated to do just that, knowing the reason why he had reservations about his own cooking. Isami did pick one up and bit into it. He pulled it away from his mouth, surprise etched on his face as he kept chewing. "Something wrong?" She wondered what could have made him have such a strong reaction.

"It tastes…" Isami took a moment to swallow. "…different."

"Good or bad?"

"…I don't know yet." He finished up the treat.

They stayed in the kitchen for another half hour or so, munching on the cookies and sipping the tea that Megumi had made until sleep started to creep up on the both of them. Seeing that there weren't enough cookies to share with the rest of the dorm, Isami told her to take them bag to her room as he had originally made them for her. They also decided to sleep in their own rooms for the rest of the night because there was a chance that they might have a bit of trouble waking up for class in the next few hours. Somehow, they ended up waking up on time, but Takumi noticed that Isami was a bit sluggish on their way to school.

Later on in the afternoon, Megumi was in the Elite Ten office munching on the cookies from last night when Takumi came in with Soma right behind him.

"No Isami?" She asked when she didn't see the brunet around them.

"No. He went home." Takumi told her. "I could feel that he was tired, so I sent him home to relax despite his protests. I wonder if he's sick again."

"He's not." Megumi assured him. But before she could explain why, Soma came up to her desk.

"Those look good!" The redhead nodded at the bag of treats.

"Try some." Megumi encouraged. Soma grinned and grabbed a couple of them. He bit into one and pushed the other one towards the blond's face. Megumi thought it was cute how Takumi took the cookie with his mouth before using his hand to hold it. Hums of satisfaction came from the males as they ate the dessert.

"Isami made these, right?" Takumi deduced after he finished his.

"Yes." Megumi replied, shocked at the accurate guess. "We were up around three in the morning making them."

"How did you guess that?" Soma asked, sounding equally impressed at the feat.

"His food always has some musical element infused with it." The blond answered like it was the simplest thing in the world. "Which makes me wonder why he's so insistent on trying to find his own thing. The music he somehow adds to his dishes is already unique enough."

"I never knew that was his doing." Soma admitted. "Almost all the dishes that I've tasted by him were when he was working with you or someone else. Mostly with you."

"And that's exactly what he's trying to avoid." Megumi stared straight at Takumi; a bit upset that he did not understand his twin's goals. "He's trying to make his own path. He wants to be recognized as his own person, not as a teammate."

"I know that!" The blond snapped, causing both of his companions to jolt back from him. He covered his mouth briefly before apologizing.

"Is everything alright, Takumi?" Soma creased his brow in concern.

"Yes. Everything's fine." Takumi sighed before he turned around. "I'm just going to the bathroom. I'll be back." Once the blond left the office Soma turned back to his best friend.

"Something's definitely up." Soma practically whined. "He didn't even ask me for a rematch today." Megumi lifted an eyebrow at that fact. Rarely a day went by without the duo having at least one match between them. "He's been like this since the day his father invited me for the break. Is he really that upset that I'm coming along? Should I say I can't go after all so that he would feel better?"

"Soma, breathe." She reached over her desk to grab his hand that was resting on the desk to comfort him. Is this how he felt when she would go into panic mode all those months ago? "I'm sure whatever is bothering him is not because of your invitation. We would have heard him pitch a fit the very same day if it were."

Soma suspired. "Yeah. You're right." He slipped out of her grasp and jumped over her desk to give her a hug. "Thanks, Megumi." His voice was muffled by her shoulder.

"You're welcome."

Soma was sitting at his desk by the time Takumi came back in. Megumi noticed that the redhead greeted him, but his tone still lacked the carefreeness that it usually had. Takumi greeted him and her back with another apology, which they both told him it was fine. A few minutes of only computer keys clacking and paper shuffling passed before Takumi spoke up again.

"Hey, Megumi?"

The bluenette raised her head to indicate that she was listening.

"How come you and Isami were up at three in the morning making cookies?"

"We both couldn't sleep and were craving a snack. But it was all him doing the cooking. I just watched and cleaned."

"Hm. Was he already up or did he run into you in the kitchen?"

"He ran into me." Megumi replied. "I was up before him, I guess." The second part was true. She had been up before him.

"Alright." Takumi looked away and went back to his job, seemingly ending the conversation. However, Megumi didn't do the same. Instead, she pulled out her phone to text Isami what she had told Takumi in case he was asked about it. Once she sent the message, she glanced back at the blond. Soma was right; something was definitely up.

She just hoped that whatever it was came down without too much trouble.

First Section

-I had to give a name for the president of Megumi's club because I could not find it for the life of me. If anyone knows, tell me.

-Yes, Soma is coming along. Papa Aldini is just having fun inviting people, it seems. I also think that if he hadn't invited Soma, one of the twins would have because Megumi gets upset hearing that Soma spends holidays alone.

-Cue panic.

-Soma has gone with Megumi for a couple of breaks because she really hates the idea of him being alone. No one likes a sad Megumi.

-I'm just going to make the Megumi x Soma thing a running joke because why not?

Second Section

-Ever since I joined the discord a couple of months ago, I have a new respect for the original Elite Ten, so I'm going to add more of the seniors in the story from now on. Also, isn't it cute to have Nene join the girls?

-I remember that I mentioned the similarities of Hisako and Isami before. Just wanted to point that out.

-I really wanted to have a hickey discovery scene. Here is my hickey discovery scene.

-I wonder how the conversation between Megumi and Nene about their lovers would go? My guess is that they would end up comparing the devious activities that their boyfriends did to them.

Third Section

-This whole section was planned a while ago, but it changed a lot as I wrote it. A lot. I think the only thing that stayed constant was the 'cookies at three am' theme.

-Sleepover part 2, but in recap mode.

-It's very obvious where I got the idea to mention Ikumi and Isami as a ship. It's quite known after all. For Erina, thank a fic called "we will wait and wait in that space that will never be" by bethildir. She has Erina and Isami happily married in the fic. If you want some Soma and Megumi angst, then I suggest you go read that fic.

-Did I mention that both Isami and Megumi lean towards possessive tendencies?]

-Thanks, Google, for the recipe! I'm pretty sure that if you simply look up the recipe, you'll find many people referring to Giada De Laurentiis.

-I think this is my first foodgasm scene. Hope I did well in describing it!

-Alright. Let me tell you why I decided Isami would have music infused in his cooking. The very first time he made a dish (with Takumi) at the training camp, Hinako commented that she was listening to an aria of some sort when she was eating their dish. The second time I noticed music was during the Autumn Elections when one of the judges had imagined some musical notes while they were tasting his calzone. The third time was when I was doing some research with the training camp episodes and there was the scene where Takumi was muttering about how Soma finished before he did. Right before it and maybe for a second and a half, Isami is heard humming in the background. It was sooo cute! I'm pretty sure there's other scenes where he hums that I have not picked up on. Anyways, that why I started to build up his music interest in this story in order to make this work.

-I really hope I didn't make Soma too OOC when he was worrying about Takumi.

-And finally, we end on a tense note.

Thanks for reading! See you next month (hopefully!)