This fanfic is slowly consuming my life. It's only concerning me because I have schoolwork as well. Oh well, guess I am doomed with these ships.


"You guys better win! I'm the one that needs to beat one of you later!"

"Oh, yeah. Great encouragement."

"Are you kidding? It was the best."

"It wasn't a compliment." Hayama scoffed. "Tadokoro, I don't know how you can deal with him all the time."

"You just get used to it." The bluenette sitting between them giggled. "You seem to get along just fine with him as well, since you've been sitting here with us for a while."

"I'm here because I'm looking at a rival." The white-haired male defended himself. "The seventh seat is not too far behind me. I want to be prepared for the day Takumi decides to challenge me for my seat."

"But that would mean that Takumi would have to go through Alice and Kurokiba as well because all three of your guys' seats change so often between each other." Megumi pointed out, not missing his face flashing irritation. "Besides, the only person I've seen him actively challenge is Soma."

"Then I should challenge him, if he thinks that he could just go for the first seat." Hayama decided.

"We never fight for seat positions." Soma informed. "We just do it for fun."

Megumi, who had only been half listening to the conversation, realized that Hayama's silence had gone on a bit too long for normal conversation. She turned her head towards him, noticing he looked dumbfounded.

"Are…are you okay, Hayama?" Genuine worry started to fill her as he took a few moments to answer.

"That's weird." He finally put out.

"Eh?"

"To have a Shokugeki without putting something on the line."

"They do exist." Megumi confirmed.

"But for the first seat to have such casual matches…"

"Because they're fun!" Soma puffed up with excitement. "In fact, if you want to do one, I'm always available…"

Megumi interrupted him with a glare.

"I mean… just send me a challenge and I'll get back to you on when I can?" He cautiously ended.

"Good job, Soma." She nodded her approval.

"Did you just…control Yukihira Soma?" Green eyes widened in shock.

"I promised her that I wouldn't overexert myself with Shokugeki again." Soma admitted. "She told me that I was going to get sick doing that and I didn't listen."

"And you fell ill." Hayama guessed.

"Extremely." A nervous smile flashed across Soma's features. "I couldn't even get out of bed for a couple days. Long story short, angry Megumi is a scary thing to witness."

"I-I wasn't that bad." The bluenette fiddled with her twin braids.

"You chucked the spatula you were cooking with at me as soon as you noticed I wasn't well." Soma chuckled.

"I'm learning new things everyday…" The current fourth chair mumbled in astonishment.

Any further comment was interrupted by the announcer, who declared that the contestants were now moving to the cooking stage of their meals. Megumi's full attention went to the people she was cheering for. Both Aldinis were fighting today, as a challenge had been sent to them by a duo in the third year. Normally, third years would not even bother challenging their juniors, content enough that they had gotten this far in the school. However, Takumi's position in the Elite Ten and the winning streak that the brothers had going on since the end of Central's reign had gathered some interest among all generations at the school. Especially the students that believed they worked well as a team.

No matter how many times she had seen it, the skill the twins had with their mezzaluna never failed to fascinate her. The giant knife was a bit daunting to the unexperienced, but the Aldinis were able to train the blade into a dance partner that moved along with their beat. Every cook had a dance with their utensils, herself included. However, it took much more control to be able to dance with another cook, as each person had their own style. The brothers were able to sync up with each other, such a rarity in the cooking world.

While Takumi was placing the dish in the oven, Isami gazed around the arena. Megumi, knowing he was trying to find her, stood up and leaned over the railing. A warm feeling blossomed through her when the younger Aldini finally locked eyes with her. He flashed her a smile before elbowing Takumi, who had just stood up from the oven, to point out the position of her and Soma. The blond gave a short wave before both Aldinis were distracted by the other team trying to start up a conversation with them. Judging by the facial expressions on all four of them made Megumi think that they were exchanging playful banter. Soon, the teams turned back to their dishes, focusing on their final touches.

It was during the last few minutes of the allotted time Hayama let out an unexpected sigh. Two pairs of yellow eyes fell on him with concern. The fourth seat was frowning at his phone. When he noticed his seatmates' gazes, he shut off the screen.

"Nakiri and Kurokiba are looking for me." He explained.

"You don't seem very happy about that." Megumi observed.

"I've been trying to avoid them lately."

"Ah…so is that the true reason why you decided to randomly sit on this Shokugeki?" Soma teased, leaning over his chair arm. "To avoid them?"

"I did not lie earlier when I said I was looking at a potential rival."

"But you're still hiding from those two?" Soma pressed.

"Yes." The white-haired male admitted. "I told Jun that I would not be back until late because I knew they would come over to find me. Jun was the one who texted me now, actually, to tell me exactly that." He waved his phone. "Maybe if I stay out long enough, they would go home to challenge themselves again."

"So, what are you going to in the meantime?" Megumi asked.

The green-eyed teen only shrugged.

The overhead clock buzzed not too long after, and a hush fell upon the arena as the teams approached the judges. The judges finished both servings, a bit of a shock to the audience. Megumi could tell that they were having trouble deciding the winner. All four contestants were still, watching the five judges intensely. The tension started to seep into the audience. Unconsciously, she gripped the rail in front of her, keeping her eyes on her boyfriend's profile. Then the noise of the hanging screen was the only thing that broke the tense air, showing the results of the match. Megumi did not look at the screen until she saw the expressions on the twins' faces.

Three judges voted for Takumi and Isami.

Her face hurt from how wide her smile was. She turned around to face her fellow seat mates. Soma's expression mirrored hers as he grabbed his jacket and hared down the steps to meet the twins. Hayama simply nodded. Remembering that the fragrance expert had failed to tell her of his plans, Megumi stood in front of him.

"You don't have any plans, do you?"

"Um…" Hayama's hesitation confirmed her suspicions.

"Come to Polar Star for a while." She offered. "I doubt that Alice and Kurokiba will go that far to find you and I feel bad to leave you wandering around by yourself." A few moments passed before another sigh escaped him.

"Fine. I'll come along."


"We're home!"

The group of five took off their shoes as Fumio appeared from the second floor, holding a basket of linens.

"Welcome back!" She shifted her load so she could properly look down on them "I see you guys brought a guest. Staying for dinner, Hayama?"

"Um…"

"Of course he is!" Soma spoke for him. "We wouldn't be good hosts if we didn't feed him!"

Fumio chuffed. "Just make sure you tell Isshiki and Sakaki. It's their night to cook."

"I texted them on the way here." The redhead gave a thumbs-up. The dorm mother nodded before walking off with her pile of laundry.

Hayama shot a look at Soma, slightly bristling. "Who told you to decide for me?"

"Soma's right." Megumi came to the redhead's rescue. "We did invite you and it would be bad manners to send you home without a meal. Besides, you should try other people's food occasionally."

"I guess this gives me a chance to try the second chair's dish." Hayama relented.

"Sakaki's dishes are really good as well." Isami put in as the group ambled along to the den. "I think she's trying a new recipe tonight."

"Wait." Their guest lifted an eyebrow at the twins. "The dorm mother did not question you guys. Are you guys here so often that she assumes that you guys will eat here as well.?"

"Well, we do live here." Isami smiled. "I think it's guaranteed that we will eat here as well."

"Oh? You guys moved in here?"

"I thought everyone knew this." Takumi commented.

"That's right." Megumi gasped. "You were out of town with Jun the day we hosted the post-Autumn Election party a couple weeks ago. We asked them to come live with us earlier that day."

"And you guys accepted?" Their guest seemed shocked.

"Well, we had to take a cooking test before we could move in." Takumi put in. "However, we were able to impress Fumio-san and she allowed us to officially move in the same day."

"You guys willing moved in here? With him?" Hayama gestured at Soma, who was fiddling around with one of their game systems. "I thought he was your rival."

"I still think it's hilarious that the dorm mother even placed us on the same floor." Isami started to laugh. "I guess she anticipated the noise Nii-san makes when he gets in his 'Yukihira, challenge me!' moods."

"Stop it, Isami!" Takumi shouted at his twin in annoyance, which caused him to laugh even harder.

"Hey, Takumi." Soma sat on the couch facing the TV, waving a game controller in their direction. "You owe me a rematch."

"Heh." Megumi marveled at how fast the blond's expression changed from irritated to smug. "I don't owe you a thing. You just can't accept that I beat you."

"Hey, I've kicked your ass several times on here. It's you who's scared that I'll do it again." Soma gave a cheeky grin.

"Well, if you really want me to show you who's superior," Takumi's fingers wrapped around the offered controller. "I guess I can accept your request for a rematch."

"And there he goes…" Isami drawled out as Takumi practically vaulted over a couch arm to sit down next to his rival. Megumi gave a faint chuckle, noticing that Hayama was gaining an interest in upcoming virtual match.

"Soma-kun, Takumi-kun?" She called out. When both looked up, she pointed at their guest. "He seems like he wants to play as well."

"I…"

"Sure!" Soma interrupted the scent expert. He stood up and grabbed another controller. "Do you know how to play?"

"I…don't play video games often." Hayama admitted.

"Don't worry, we can teach you." Takumi assured. Soma patted the empty spot beside him. Hesitantly, Hayama sat down next to the redhead. Immediately, the other two on the couch started explaining the game to him.

Megumi thought the sight looked absolutely adorable.

Isami grabbed her attention by tapping her arm. Once her gaze fell on him, he tilted his head towards the stairs. Megumi glanced back at the trio on the couch, deciding that they were already absorbed with their game to register a verbal goodbye. She looked up at Isami again and nodded. They silently left the room to go upstairs.

Megumi could not help but to agree with Isami when it had come to their room placements. She truly believed their dorm mother had placed Takumi on the third floor with Soma so the rest of the dorm members would not have to hear their banter as often. So, he was assigned room 304, which made him and Soma neighbors. The dorm mother also took into account that Takumi and Isami were almost inseparable and made sure to give the younger twin the room key to 305, placing him next door to his brother. When the room numbers were announced that afternoon, she had to control her excitement.

Isami was only a couple of rooms away from her!

It took the twins about a week to get everything moved to the dorms. The first night the twins slept in their new quarters, Megumi took advantage of her boyfriend's location and snuck into his bed for the night to cuddle.

It was once she had returned to her bedroom in the morning that she realized that she had been extremely lucky Isshiki had been on a trip that night because he was prone to welcome newcomers by peeking in their rooms from the roof. She also had initiated their sleeping habits. They would sleep with each other on irregular days during the week. They hadn't had sex since the first time, but they would cuddle and do 'heavy petting'. It was a bit safer for Isami to come to her room at night since Isshiki did not peek in the girls' rooms until he had seen them during the day, which allowed Isami to sneak out easily in the morning.

They parted ways for a bit to go change out of their uniforms. It didn't take long for Megumi to change into a pair of sweats and a t shirt. Opening her door, she saw that there was no sign of her companion in the hallway. She decided to walk down to his room and knocked on his door.

"Come in."

Megumi did as she was told, closing the door behind her. Isami was on his bed, facing the ceiling. He had gotten as far to change into sweats as well, but he was shirtless. "You look too pensive for someone who just won a match." She commented, making her way towards him.

"I think I'm coming down from the high." He helped her climb on top of him. Once she had comfortably straddled him, he placed his hands on her hips and fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

"Well, you guys did spend the past couple of days trying recipes. I should know since I was one of your tasters."

"Thanks for that." Her gave her a soft smile. "I'm glad we spent all that time preparing. Mimasaka was right. Those guys were tough. You saw how long it took for the judges to decide."

"Your dish won in the end, though." Megumi reminded him.

"Yeah. Just that, this close match reminded me that I need to get better. I'm glad that their goal was to break our winning streak instead of fighting over seats. One mistake would have costed Takumi's chair."

"Seat battles are usually one-on-one to determine each cook's worth." Megumi commented. She knew where he was coming from, though. Many a night she spent going over the what if's.

"I know that." Isami sighed, and she saw the tension leave him. They stayed in a comfortable silence for a few moments, his fingers finally slipping under her shirt and brushing a particularly sensitive spot on her waist. She shivered, goosebumps appearing involuntarily as she felt the muscle spasm. Ocean blue eyes watched her reaction as he did it again.

"It feels weird." She told him. He gave a light chuckle.

"I just like giving you goosebumps." He removed his hands to push himself up, causing Megumi to move. He moved his lips to her ear and spoke in a low voice. "But I've noticed that I can do that with just a certain tone in my voice, right, bella?"

Another shiver ran through her, and her boyfriend chuckled before grabbing her chin to kiss her. Megumi could feel a coil starting to wind slowly in her stomach as she was pushed down, still liplocked with the brunet. Isami broke it off, trailing down her body with light kisses.

"You-you can leave a mark if you want." Megumi told him, and an incredulous look flashed across his face as he lifted his head stare her in the eye.

"Feeling daring this evening, are we?"

"Think of it as my prize for winning the Shokugeki today." She ran her fingers through his hair. It was starting to grow a little long. "You can pick where you want it to go." She watched his eyes squint in thought, before he lifted her shirt.

"Oh, it's the blue and white bra today." He commented, tracing a finger on her stomach. "Can I do one right here?" He tapped a spot low on her belly. She nodded and soon she had a new hickey forming on her stomach.

"I wonder if you like it when I leave these on your body." Isami hummed.

"I like looking at them." She admitted softly. She wasn't lying. Because he left them in places that were covered, she would stand in front of her mirror to admire them. "They're like reminders that I belong to you." Isami exhaled heavily at that.

"Damn." He wrapped her in a tight hug. "Don't say things like that or else we might miss dinner tonight." He warned. Megumi could feel his excitement against her hip, goading her on.

"Would it be so bad to skip straight to dessert?" Heat filled her body as she shifted her hips to rub against the growing lump in his pants. Isami let out a groan, which made the coil forming in her stomach tighten even more. It was rare to see the younger Aldini so red and knowing that she was the cause of it made her even more excited. He pushed her down again, this time letting his hand make its way under her waistband. They both hissed once his fingers found her hot core. A gentle rub on her small nub caused her to buck her hips, and she could feel becoming even more wet. Isami smiled mischievously as he drew his hand back out, causing an involuntary whine to escape her. Megumi could see the shine on his fingers as he placed them in his mouth.

"Dessert does taste good." He smirked. "But it would be unwise to skip dinner."