With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of Shokugeki no Soma that rightfully belong to its owners Yuto Tsukuda, Shun Saeki, and Yuki Morisaki.

I'd like to thank Jeojachinwash for going over the draft for this segment before I published it. So without being said, sit, relax, and enjoy the show! :)

Kurokiba never cared much for romance, or at least the idea of dating someone who isn't a worthy culinary rival. He was content with studying at Totsuki, perfecting his cooking and keeping Nakiri Alice in line. The world might consider her a budding protégé in molecular gastronomy, but her spontaneous behavior caused more trouble than necessary, even with the random cooking challenges she issued to him on a whim. She hadn't changed at all since he'd met her on the Danish docks all those years ago. But he didn't complain; practice makes perfect, and he'd take every chance to obliterate his opponents with explosive umami.

That's why the Miss' recent behavior both confused and annoyed him. They had both finished their Stagiaire a week ago, but all she kept asking him was when he'll find a girlfriend with a sly smile.

Seriously, what the hell? He had no interest. What more does he have to say?

But if he keeps telling the Miss that he won't date anyone, then she'll probably take matters into her own hands as a matchmaker. So can he get off the hook without too much hassle? He mulled over this question over a kitchen stove in the Nakiri mansion. His homework for culinary theory class required him to recreate a dish from a country that he wasn't too familiar with. So on a whim plus some research, Kurokiba tried cooking sayadieh. Originating from Lebanese, the rough translation for the word sayadieh is 'caught'. Basically, it is a fisherman's catch served with rice. Traditionally in Lebanon cuisine the entire fish is used, including the bones for the stock to cook the rice in. Kurokiba had to find a method to cut the time in half and present the dish to the lecturer the day after tomorrow.

This was an opportunity for the Mad Dog to use what he'd learned during his Stagiaire.

As he mixed his first experimental spice blend in the mortar and pestle, grinding the herbs until they were evenly crushed, he got an idea. An idea of how to deal with the Miss.

A fake girlfriend.

It was a common group in the Miss' romance novels and movies: when one or two people find themselves in a situation that might be talked out or it's just plain intolerable; the solution is to have the world believe that they are dating someone. Or date the other party involved in this situation, when it was common knowledge that they'd rather tear out each other's' throat than be lovey-dovey on a date. Problem is that he didn't know anyone of the opposite gender without the Miss getting suspicious except for two people.

Tadaokoro Megumi and Yukihira Soma.

He competed against both chefs in the Autumn Elections. They were strong opponents, though he knew for a fact that the former would have a heart attack at the idea of them fake dating. Plus, he'd heard rumors that a certain Aldini brother had his eye on her, so he didn't want to get caught up in the machinations of an amorous Italian, thank you very much. Kurokiba might be bold, but he wasn't an idiot.

To his knowledge, Yukihira didn't have any admirers. Nor had she grown up in a harbor like him; she was a diner-trained chef, using innovative and somewhat unorthodox cooking methods. He'd seen it during the finals with that 'rusty' pacific saury she'd brought out of the icebox. Absolutely insane and fascinating simultaneously. Of course, 'he' was the better chef.

Now that he thought about it, it would make more sense if he were dating Yukihira. They'd hung around the Shiomi lab after the Autumn Elections, cooking up different dishes and taste testing them, much to Hayama's annoyance - the look on that bastard's face was satisfying. Putting it that way, explaining that his competitive rivalry turning into a mutual romance with Yukihira wasn't too odd. At least, he hoped so.

Question is, would Yukihira be willing to go along with the ruse?

He reached out to her about an hour later via a text message. They had exchanged phone numbers for the sake of having another cooking match in the future.

I have something I want to talk about with you. He typed. Can we meet up in Kitchen 24 at the main building on the second floor tomorrow, like around noon? Club activities were held after school on Monday through Saturday, so no one would be there on a Sunday unless something big was happening at Totsuki. He had heard nothing from the Miss regarding any upcoming events except for the Moon Viewing Festival in a month.

He sent the text and went back to cleaning up the kitchen, washing the pots and wiping down the countertops with disinfectant. Including sanitary reasons, it was an unspoken rule for a chef to straighten out his workstation once he was finished. To neglect his workstation is to lack respect in the kitchen. By the time he had put everything away, his phone vibrated. Kurokiba pulled it out from his pants pocket and swiped his right thumb upwards, unlocking the screen to the texting app.

Yukihira wrote:

Sure thing! Is it a cooking match? :)

Kurokiba almost smiled at the response. Almost. He replied swiftly:

Something like that. I'll tell you more when I see you.

Huh? Why can't you tell me now? Jerk! Yukihira replied. Fine, I'll see you at noon. But you better spill the beans when I get there! No BS.

The Mad Dog immediately received an annoyed emoji with a tick mark on its forehead, following Yukihira's message. Shaking his head, he turned out the kitchen lights and headed upstairs to his bedroom. Until tomorrow, Yukihira Soma.

And there we have it guys, the first part out of two featuring Kurokiba and Soma! Please do comment down below and let me know of your thoughts on this segment as feedback is essential for an author's growth! I'd also like to hear some ideas for a certain chef and her admirers! :)