Hi...I should not be here right now. I should be writing my now-late essay for school. But I've been so unfocused lately...it's midnight here and the only thing keeping me awake at this time is my stubbornness to post this chapter. Maybe that will help my focus for tomorrow...

This chapter is the beginning of the next...3? chapters that I am having trouble with, so there might be a longer gap between updates as I think about the order of the next events.

I'm trying something new and adding some endnotes because I have added some stuff in here that may not make sense just by reading it because I'm trying to set up some stuff for later chapters. So please, check them out if you want to see what I was thinking about during the writing process. ( I hope that makes sense.)


"What if I go back and hide under the blankets until the end of our third year?"

"You can try, but everyone in the dorm will drag you out as soon as they find out your plan and demand an explanation."

"Well, it is Isshiki-senpai's fault. If I blame him vaguely, I can get away with pity."

"I have a feeling that he wouldn't hesitate to explain the situation that led to you hiding out. Then both of us would be screwed."

"True." Megumi sighed. She felt Isami's hand curl around hers in an attempt to comfort her, which she appreciated. It had only been an hour or so since she had gotten up, but she already felt drained. It was mostly her fault that neither of them got much sleep that night, and it certainly didn't help to wake up to news that their roof dwelling senior had caught them in bed together naked. Isami had assured her that she was wrapped up well in the blankets but her half asleep mind at the time almost sent her into a panic attack. The half-Italian must have sensed her alarm because he did not take long to wrap her in his arms and with a gentle but firm voice told her that she needed to get dressed. Having a task given to her helped her mood greatly and by time she haphazardly put on her pjs to travel the few doors down to change into her day clothes, her head felt much clearer.

Now she and Isami were walking towards their garden to meet up with Isshiki to explain what exactly he had seen. Since they were outside and no one else would wake up for just a little longer, Megumi was able to relish the contact between them a bit longer. Isami started humming, another habit that of his that Megumi found endearing.

"You don't have your phone playing this morning?" She asked. Whenever he could, Isami always had some kind of music around him. Every time she would go into his room there would always be a song in the background while he was concentrating on something. When he was exercising or helping outside, he had his phone playing whatever genre others had requested. Even at night he his device on, softly playing tunes until it shut off on a timer he had. The only places he did not play songs was at school, except on lunch breaks with headphones, and when he was cooking in order to have all his senses focus on his dish, save for the humming he did. He was the reason that she could not sleep without music anymore the nights they slept alone.

"I left it charging." He told her, and she remembered that she had undocked it earlier this morning.

"Sorry."

"It's fine, Luna." Megumi couldn't help feeling a bit warm at the nickname. Her first smile of the day stretched across her face. "What's the smile for?" He asked.

"I just like the nickname." She answered honestly and she swore that Isami puffed slightly at the praise. She made a mental note to compliment him more.

"I'm glad. But it's only going to come out when we're alone. I don't want anyone else taking my name for you."

Megumi giggled and they both fell into idle chat for a couple minutes before Isami pointed out the person they were looking.

"Hey, Isshiki-senpai!" He hollered to get his attention, instinctively letting go of her hand. Once their senior waved back they made their way over to him.

"Good morning!" The apron clad teen greeted them once they were in hearing range. "I bet you guys slept well enough." He leaned on his rake with a knowing smile on his face. Megumi decided to take the opportunity to pick up two pairs of gardening gloves, avoiding eye contact with the almost naked teen.

"Yup. We had a good night." Isami replied. "Hated the wake-up call, though."

Megumi, astonished at the brazen answer he gave, hurled a pair of gloves at him. He caught them with ease and shot a cheeky grin in her direction.

"But from what I saw, you were already awake when I got there and Megumi was still asleep when I left. I had nothing to do with a wake-up call."

"You have such a guilty conscious." Isami kept the grin on his face. "Never said anything specifically about you."

Isshiki chuckled. "Since we are on the topic of specifics, you promised to tell me the ones that lead towards the scene I saw this morning."

"Yeah, might as well explain now before everyone else shows up." Isami glanced over to Megumi. "You want to start?"

Megumi nodded, deciding to start on the day Isami officially asked her out. It was much more proper to start there rather than the night that had started it all.

"I do remember that vase of flowers." He interrupted. "I wondered why it was there for such a brief time."

"Isami actually brought a second bouquet after the first one died. I told him not to bring anymore to the office because it was getting too close to the start of term and I didn't want anyone's allergies to flare up."

"I haven't stopped getting flowers, though." Isami put in. "They are just in her room now."

Isshiki did not say anything else for the rest of their explanation, which did not take long to finish. Their relationship had not even reached the two-month mark yet, after all, and half their time was taken up by school and other people. There wasn't much to talk about. However, they did stress again for the senior to keep their relationship a secret from the others. After they were done, Megumi fiddled with her braid anxiously as they waited for him to speak. Isshiki sighed and shifted his position on the rake.

"You guys ruined my ships."

Out of all the things that she had expected him to say, it was clearly not that.

"Uh…what?" Isami clearly had not expected that as well, as his flabbergasted expression revealed. Megumi could only stare stupidly with her mouth open.

"My ships." Isshiki repeated. "Come on, Megumi. You should know what I mean. You're a huge manga fan. You should know that term, too, Isami. You have some scrolls in your room from what I have seen."

"Y-yes." She admitted, her thoughts briefly flashing to the stacks of manga and plushies in her room. "I just didn't expect that. Saying things so far left field would be something Soma would do."

"What a coincidence that you brought him up. He was the person I shipped you with, actually" The older brunet told her.

"What!?" The poor girl screamed. "Me and Soma? That ain't possible! He's just a friend."

"I think if Yukihira started going out with anyone, nii-chan would literally cry." Isami commented.

"I think you would cry when you hear who I ship you with." Isshiki chuckled.

"Who did you pair me up with?" Isami warily asked.

"I think you would do well with Mimasaka." Isshiki replied with absolutely no hesitation whatsoever.

Maybe it was because of the nervousness from this morning. Maybe because it was from the shock that Isshiki practically glazed over their news with his own crazy theories. Or maybe it was because of the expression Isami had once he heard who the senior had paired him up with. Or maybe it was a mix of all three that caused Megumi to start chuckling. Isshiki joining her did not help.

"Che cazzo." The Italian threw his hands in the air in exasperation and walked toward the middle of the garden. "I'm done with the both of you."

"Don't you want to know why I ship you guys?" Isshiki called out between his laughter.

"No! I do not want to know any god forsaken details that led you to that conclusion!" Isami practically screamed.

"He really is Takumi's brother." Isshiki pointed out how similar the brunet sounded to the blond. Since the middle of the garden wasn't that far, Isami heard that comment just fine and sent a glare their way. Megumi only laughed harder. "But, seriously," Isshiki continued once she had calmed down enough to listen and Isami had wandered back towards them. "I'll keep your secret." He pushed off the rake.

"You will?" Whatever nervousness was left was pushed out by a wave of relief.

"Yup. However," The rake in the senior's hands became a flash of movement and the handle was suddenly pointed threateningly at the Italian. "You better not break our angel's heart, Aldini." Isshiki's smile was still there, but his emerald eyes were sparkling dangerously.

Other than the flinch that came from instincts, Isami had not moved. He instead met his senior's eyes with his own sea-blue, which were eerily calm. "I can't promise that I won't." He admitted. "But if I do, it wouldn't be intentionally." Megumi felt pride blossom in her chest at Isami's unwavering figure. Isshiki must have felt satisfied with the answer because he lowered the tool, the usual mirth returning to his eyes.

"Well, I wish you good luck, then." He said before going back to their vegetables. Megumi let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. The brunet next to her took that moment to place a quick kiss to her temple.

"I really meant what I said." He told her.

"I know you did." She replied before they went to go help their senior with the produce.

Altogether, they spent almost two hours outside. By the time they returned into the main building, everyone else was awake and idling around in the shared rooms. Megumi noticed that Soma and Fumio were cooking and Isshiki went in to join them, leaving the couple to pass through the foyer alone. Megumi and Isami were about to climb the stairs to wash up when she saw Takumi make a beeline towards them.

"Are you okay?" The blond asked his brother. "I could feel that you were upset about something."

Something that fascinated Megumi was that mystical twin bond that the Aldinis shared. From what she had gathered from Isami, it ranged from just feeling the other's presence, which was what they felt at all times, to feeling each other's emotions if they wanted the other to. Every once in a while, their connection even allowed them to be telepathic, but that level only happened when their emotions were really strong. Fortunately, other than being aware of the each other, none of their other connections happened unless they were thinking about the other.

She guessed that Isami may have made that mistake this morning.

"I'm fine?" The reply came out as a question. Megumi guessed that he did not know when the connection occurred. Takumi, clearly not happy with the answer, looked at her for help. Quickly thinking, she thought of the anomaly that happened today.

"He's just upset because he and Isshiki don't agree on a ship." She replied, thinking of Isami's reaction to Isshiki's news. The brunet immediately scrunched his face at the memory.

"I was trying to not remember that." He groaned.

Meanwhile, Takumi's expression turned into confusion. One of the few things that the twins didn't share was a passion for manga and anime. Takumi had admitted knowing about the basics only because Isami was so interested in it.

"I'm guessing that's an anime term." Takumi concluded. "You guys get too obsessive with those things."

Isami made a quick recovery at those words. "At least my obsession is kept at an acceptable level. I worry about your obsession with a certain red head."

"And here I was worrying about you!" The blond huffed.

"Is that Isami yelling again?" Isshiki peeked out from the door frame. The brunet sighed in annoyance.

"Nope. It's Takumi as usual." Megumi giggled.

"What?" The blond said, Megumi not knowing if it was in bafflement or in protest.

"Oh, we're back to our normality, then." The senior disappeared again.

"Come on, nii-chan." Isami grabbed his puzzled brother's arm. "I'll explain on the way."

Later on, Megumi would find herself sitting across a set of perturbed twins during breakfast.

"You should really ask him why." She prompted them. Another lapse of silence passed between them before Isami sighed.

"Fine."

After breakfast was also eventful. With exams now out of the way, it was now time to figure out what they should do for the Moon Banquet festival, which was a week away. The deadline wasn't a problem for them. After all, all eleven of them were competent cooks who were able to come up with dishes on the fly.

The problem was that they were eleven competent cooks who were able come up with dishes on the fly.

Megumi couldn't help but to congratulate herself for grabbing a space in the Uptown area and convincing everyone to take a break from their study sessions to agree on a design for the booth beforehand as she watched the dorm descend into chaos as they argue exactly what they should be serving. Soma, Takumi, Yuki, Daigo, and Shoji were unsurprisingly making the most noise. Ryoko was also part of the fray, but was not as loud as those others. Shun and Isami were no help at all as they were antagonizing the group, the former getting annoyed and the latter wanting to be annoying. The only outliers were Zenji, Megumi, and Isshiki. Zenji seemed like he was getting tired by just looking at everyone else. Isshiki watched calmly from his position at a table, his smirking face propped on his hands. Megumi's eyes darted worriedly between everyone. She had no idea how last year's meeting went for the dorm stand because she had been too busy with the drama with Soma's stand. Realizing she could just ask what happened, she drifted over to Zenji because she knew that he would be the only one to give her a straight answer at the moment.

"It wasn't as bad as this." The man replied. "Sato and Aoki did argue, but we managed to find a couple of dishes that all of us were able to contribute to."

"Ah."

"But this year will be a problem." He continued, pushing his glasses up. "Last year, we had to deal with only one Elite Ten chair, who volunteered to focus on stall preparations rather than food prep. This time, there are four of you guys. I don't think Yukihira or Takumi would want to just help with the stand."

"True." She agreed, looking back at the arguing group. Megumi could see the problem clearly. The festival was one of the few festivals that allowed everyone a fair chance to be recognized by the public eye instead of harsh judges, something that was needed for all the students of Totsuki since most of them were aiming to serve in the general population. Being the school that they were, culinary heads would also make an appearance, giving the stall runners a chance to be scouted out as well. The Uptown area was where most of these scouters would hit, since it was the area that most of the Elite Ten would have set shop. The non-chair members of Polar Star saw this as a rare opportunity to be recognized, even though it was as a group. However, they were a little scared that their customers might blow over them and give all the credit to just four people instead of the group. That was the reason why Soma's and Takumi's ideas were being shot down immediately. It wasn't fair to the two of them, though, since they had been persuaded to join the stand. But it wouldn't be fair for the others to allow them to run wild. There had to be a balance. The question was how would they achieve that?

"Balance." She mumbled, thinking of the term again. The bluenette felt like she was on to something with that word. "How many kinds of dishes did you guys have last year?" She asked the bespectacled teen.

"Just one. Each person had their own contribution so it was easy to adjust for the customers."

Megumi hummed. Her and Soma had at least two dishes in order to appease the customers who wanted something different instead of a bun. Perhaps adding a second dish would allow everyone to have a chance to contribute in the dishes.

"Um…Excuse me!" She called out to everyone in the room. The dining room quickly fell silent, much to her surprise. Honestly, it felt a little nerve-wracking to suddenly have all the attention on her, but it wasn't unfamiliar. The teen exhaled before speaking up again. "Why don't we make two dishes instead of one? We have enough people to do so."

No else talked for a few more moments as they considered the suggestion.

"That's a good idea." Daigo commented. A few others nodded their heads.

"But it still doesn't answer the question of what we should make." Takumi noted. "And how would we separate who would do each dish if we don't even know what we are serving?"

Thankfully, the gears were still turning in Megumi's head while she was waiting for an answer.

"I don't have an idea for the what but I do have one for the second question." Her eyes flickered between Soma and Yuki, the ones who would might become upset at her words.

"What if us Elite Ten people don't interfere with the non-chairs dishes?" Megumi caught the frowns of the two fire-haired chefs. "I'm not done." She placed her hand up to stop them from refusing. "That's where the two dishes come in. I know we all want to work together, but it would be hard to have all our cooking styles in one dish. Too many cooks ruin the pot."

A light chuckle rippled through the small crowd at the old saying.

"I also know that Soma and Takumi both have trouble reeling in their contributions to dishes, especially when they get into the moment, which is a concern to the rest of us because we want to have our own shine as well. So I think that the four of us should work together on one dish and everyone else could work on the other. That way, everyone is still contributing."

"Hm…" This time it was Shoji who was verbal. "That would only make your guy's dish much more popular than ours. Isn't that what we are trying to avoid?"

"Oh." She had only been focused on how to get everyone to have a chance to work together. The notion that one dish might outshine the others had slipped her mind.

"I think Tadokoro's idea still works." Zenji interjected. "You were mumbling something about 'balance' earlier." He told the bluenette.

"Ah, yes." Came her embarrassed reply.

"We can still do your idea, but we need to fiddle with some things to make it even."

"How so?" Yuki asked.

Megumi noticed a glint in the dark-haired teen's eyes. "Well, the way I thought of it is kind of like a game."

"A stick like you thinking up a game?" Shoji laughed. Zenji shot him a dark look before he went on.

"Kind of a game. First, I'll focus on the theme. We can do it in one of two ways. We, the non-chair students, can collectively think of a theme and they have cook something in accordance with that. Or, to make it further challenging to all of us, the non-chairs can make a dish and have it voted on for a theme and our elite team members have to come up with a dish that compliments the chosen dish together."

"You mean we can't submit our own dishes as well?" Soma asked.

"We are trying to work together, Yukihira." Takumi replied, although a bit stiffly. "Of course we can't."

"But how's that second idea working together? How come they can submit their own dishes independently?"

"Because, unlike you, we are not recognized throughout the cooking scene." Daigo growled. "You have all other times to be individualistic. Why can't you let us shine for once as well?" A few moments of silence followed his words as the half the dorm decided to look down at the wooden floor. Megumi's gaze flickered towards Soma, surprised to see an expression of guilt on his face.

"You're right." He looked the dark-haired man. "I'm sorry." He said solemnly.

"I-it's fine." The other teen was surprised to hear an apology. Megumi smiled. She knew that Soma had been maturing since he had the fight with Central, but she was astonished that he had apologized instead of brushing off the comment.

"So," Zenji brought the crowd's attention back to him. "What way are we going to pick the theme?"

"Who would be the judges if we choose the second option?" Isami asked.

"Well, it would be all of us." Zenji replied. "It's going to be something that we will all work on eventually, so it makes sense for everyone to judge."

"Ooh! I can't wait to taste whatever dishes my kouhai come up with!" Isshiki squealed.

"Nice to see you joining in the conversation instead of sitting over there and smiling like an insane person." Shun remarked.

"I saw the pondering faces of Tadokoro and Marui and I wanted to see what they would come up with."

"Did you have an idea, Isshiki-senpai?" Megumi asked.

"Nope!" Megumi squinted, not buying that answer for a second.

"I think I like that suggestion as well!" Yuki grinned. "It's been a while since we had a good ol' Polar Star competition."

"Let's see, we have a bit more than a week before the festival." Ryoko mused. "How about we hold the event in three days? That way, the other group has time to make their dish and we will have enough time to gather our ingredients as well."

Excited words of agreement followed her suggestion. There was no need to formally end the meeting as most of the dorm members were scattering with their brains full of concepts. Isami hung back long enough to send Megumi a smile before heading off, leaving the four Elite Ten members in the dining room alone.

"Man, I really want to join in." Soma whined, back to his old self.

"We'll get a turn soon enough." Megumi soothed him.

"But still, I can't just sit around and do nothing. I'm fired up!" He grabbed Takumi's arm, startling the blond. "I doubt anyone's using the kitchen at the moment. Let's have a cook-off! Please? I want to fight, too." He tugged lightly.

"Hmph, I guess since I'm the only person you can turn to at this time…"

"Ah. Megumi!" Soma turned to her, interrupting the Italian. "You join, too!"

"But I wanted her to come with me to go shopping for supplies for the stand." Isshiki cut in before she could say anything.

"Ah, okay." Soma took that as an answer. "I guess it's just you and me, Takumi. See you guys later!" He half-dragged the blond away to the next room.

"So? What do you say? You want to go shopping with me?"

"Well, you already told them that I was going with you."

"I just said that I wanted you to come with me." He clarified. "You can say 'no' if you want to."

Megumi gave her senpai a long look. She had lived and worked with Isshiki for the better part of four years. She could tell right away that shopping wasn't the only thing Isshiki wanted her to accompany him for.

"Something the matter?" Apparently, she had been staring at him for a little too long.

"N-no." She replied. "I'll get my jacket."

A couple of hours later, the afternoon sun caught the two friends eating at an outside café after they had run their errands. First, they had gone to the hardware store to submit the design that they had worked on last week and confirmed the shipping date of their supplies. Then, they had gone to the regular grocery store in order to stock up on the regular things that the dorm could not make themselves.

"We are about to have a bunch of mini-twisters come through our kitchen the next few days." Isshiki told her after she wondered how they were going to get ingredients for something they did not know yet. "Might as well have the basics available."

Isshiki had also suggested to stop by the café they were at now in order to get some kind of food in their systems on the way back home. Megumi, although thoroughly enjoying her berry parfait despite the slight chill of the autumn air, could not help but to feel a bit anxious waiting for the brunet to reveal his true intentions of his invite.

"What's on your mind, senpai?"

She decided that she couldn't wait any longer.

"Hm?" She asked him while he was in mid-bite of his chocolate ice cream, giving him a chance to think while he swallowed it down. "I have no idea what you mean."

"Are you really going to play that card?" Her nervousness had shifted into annoyance from his answer. She arched an eyebrow.

"I really did want someone to come with me today. It was pure coincidence that you happened to be the only one actually available."

Megumi said nothing, her stern expression unchanging. The older student looked at her and chuckled.

"You surprise me sometimes, Tadokoro. I never would have thought that such a glare would be directed at me from you." He paused. "Just as I never thought you would keep such an involved relationship under wraps from everyone for two months."

There it was.

"So, you wanted to talk more about my relationship with Isami." She poked at a blueberry. "I told you everything you needed to know about it earlier."

"I know. There are some things that need to kept just between the two of you." He mirrored her by also picking at his dessert. "I just want to warn you."

For a brief moment, the bluenette could feel herself going on the defensive. Isshiki seemed to be sticking his nose a little too far in her business, which was the main reason why she and Isami had not gone public yet. Her more rational side quickly came to the rescue and calmed her down. Isshiki had not seemed that he was against the whole thing and had even gone as far to promise them that he wouldn't say a thing to anyone else. This was simply a senpai advising his kouhai, and advice was something she certainly needed.

"Warn me?" Her voice was much softer now, both in tone and volume. Isshiki glanced out at the people milling around in public for a couple of seconds before speaking.

"You guys are going to have a lot of people against your relationship."

Megumi was suddenly reminded of a memory from two months ago. It had been the day after the first time she and Isami had slept together, right before he had left with Takumi. Isami had called her because he had the apartment to himself for a while. The conversation had played out the same way they always do, but that time was the first time when there were no walls of formality between them. Then, Isami had gone silent for a little too long for her liking. She waited a bit longer before saying his name to remind him that they were still on call.

"People are not going to like us dating." He had warned. "They're going to think that the pretty woman in the tenth seat could do better than guy in his brother's shadow."

"I know others are going to think bad of us." She repeated the same words that she told Isami that day to Isshiki. "But I only care about what we think about it. That's why it was a good idea to not tell everyone and let others find out on their own. It gives us a chance to deepen our relationship with each other without being ambushed by everyone else's thoughts. Also, it's fun to see how long we can fly under the radar." A small smile tugged at her lips at the last part as she finally popped the blueberry in her mouth.

"Well, seeing that no one expects our innocent angel to be sneaking around doing not-so innocent things…" The senior smirked as she nearly choked on her fruit.

"D-don't say things like that in public." She stammered.

"…I think you'll be able to sneak around perfectly well for a while yet."


Isshiki had been right about the "mini-twisters".

The next couple of days the dorm was bustling as most of their inhabitants were trying to decide which of their many ideas they would settle on for the festival. There seemed to be some kind of consensus that the details of their dishes were to be kept secret from the other team, as every time one of them would wander into the kitchen when it wasn't mealtime they were promptly pushed out. People on the neutral side, like Nikumi and Hayama, were overly welcomed and asked to try whatever concoctions they had made.

Soma, who had been annoyed since the first day, fell further into a pout when he was unable to gain information on anyone's dishes. Megumi knew that the redhead would have liked to relieve his frustration with Shokugekis, however, he had already used up his weekly limit that Megumi had allowed him the day before the decision of the booth had been made.

"Can I do one more?" He begged the next morning as soon as breakfast was over. Takumi had surprisingly turned down another challenge from him. The blond had been more curious to see what Isami was going to come up with and had gone upstairs when he had finished eating. Soma, meanwhile, was now brooding on the sofa. Megumi, upon seeing his mood, came to sit with him for comfort.

"You already know my answer." She told him.

"When did you become so stubborn?"

"Since I realized that you may actually kill yourself if you aren't restrained at times." She deadpanned.

Isshiki must have had overheard the conversation.

"You can help me set up the stand, Yukihira!" He came in the den with a flourish. "Megumi, too!"

"I guess…since I can't cook anything now."

Megumi chose not to remind him that he could cook in his room.

"Do you want me to get Takumi to see if he could come as well?" Though she was addressing both males, her question was more aimed at the gloomy First Seat. Immediately, she saw some spark return into his golden eyes.

Yup, Soma had a special spot for the blond, even if he didn't recognize it just yet.

"That would be glorious!" Isshiki agreed.

Megumi giggled as she slipped past them to go up the stairs. Both of them were so extra. She made her way to Isami's room, as she had heard earlier that that's where they were going to be. It was only after she had noticed the pure shock on Takumi's face that she realized that she had opened the door without knocking, a habit she had acquired when she came over to her boyfriend's room.

"Hey, Megumi." Isami greeted her from his bed, a notebook in hand.

"Hi." She chirped back, waving at the stunned blond sitting backwards in a chair. "I'm sorry that I forgot to knock."

"It's fine." Takumi cleared his throat. "We're just talking."

"About recipes? That might be considered cheating." She said in a singsong voice.

"He's not helping me." The brunet assured. "He's just alternating between asking me what I am making and talking about random things."

"He won't tell me, though," Takumi pouted.

"It would break the pact." Isami replied.

"What pact?" Megumi wondered.

"The pact us non-chairs made. We can't share any information about our dishes until judging day. The only reason why I haven't kicked nii-chan out is because all I'm doing right now is brainstorming."

So there was a consensus to keep everything secret. They were really serious about this challenge. However, she didn't feel even the least bit slighted.

"Don't worry, I came to grab Takumi, anyways." The blond looked at her questionably. "You, me, and Soma have been formally invited to help out at the stand."

"Oh." The elder twin glanced at his brother uncertainly. Megumi knew he wanted to stay as long as he could to see if he could glean anything from his twin.

Isami shot that hope down quickly.

"You better take the offer." The brunet suggested. "Once I do get the notion to start cooking, I'm kicking you out."

"You would actually do that?" Takumi queried.

"Without hesitation."

"I can't believe that you would kick out your doting older brother." Takumi dramatically placed a hand on his chest. "I feel so betrayed."

"It's for our own good." Isami defended himself. "If anyone finds out that I am planning with the enemy, they'll kill us both."

"Fine." Takumi gracefully stood from the chair as Megumi tried to stifle a laugh. "I'll go." The two of them said their farewells to Isami and went back downstairs to meet up with the other two.

Later on that evening, Megumi could tell that playful mood that she had left her boyfriend in had completely disappeared. During dinner, the brunet seemed to be lost in thought. He did respond to questions and conversation directed to him, but he had a faraway look in his eyes the entire meal. The bluenette decided that the reason was because he was thinking of the upcoming contest. However, the slight concern returned when she went to tell Isami good night. They had texted each other earlier in the day that it would be safer to sleep separately until the festival was over. She did notice that he had ingredients by his stove, though the classical music floating through his room tipped her off that he wasn't cooking at the moment. Instead, he was just staring at them. She crossed the room to stand behind him.

"Everything alright?" She asked, wrapping her arms around his waist. She could quickly tell that the brunet was tense. Something was clearly bothering him.

"Yeah." He replied. "Just thinking."

Megumi didn't press any harder. Instead, she pressed her forehead against his back, a silent reminder that she was all ears when he wanted to talk about whatever was on his mind. Briefly, she mused that he was gaining his winter weight again, but she could still feel the muscles from his workout schedule underneath.

"I made something today."

She hummed to indicate that she was listening.

"It felt like something was missing. But I don't know what it is." He exhaled, and some of the tension he had left him.

"I know the feeling." She empathized.

He shifted and Megumi took that as a sign to let go. He turned around to gaze at her, and she could see his eyes reflecting a stormy sea.

"Maybe it might help to sleep on it?" She suggested.

"Maybe." He bent down to kiss her. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Megumi nodded. "Good night." She whispered to him before going back to her own room.

The next day was the day before the contest. It passed almost the same way as yesterday had. There was a quick breakfast and the chaired residents took the car to continue stand preparations. They came back earlier than yesterday, though, because Isshiki and Soma were due to start preparations for dinner. That left Megumi and Takumi to hold a conversation between themselves.

"You look pretty antsy, Takumi." The bluenette noticed as he looked over towards the stairs for the third time. "I have a feeling that I wouldn't need three guesses on why."

"I can't help it." He said. "Isami rarely keeps secrets from me…"

Megumi thought those stairs looked very interesting right then.

"…and it feels weird." He finished.

The female closed her eyes for a minute in thought. From the foyer, she could faintly hear the din of Soma and Isshiki starting to make dinner. She could smell the faintest hint of smoke, most likely Shun's cooking coming from an open window. Everyone was diligently working on their own tasks, avoiding each other out of respect. She should do the same. She should distract Takumi with a video game or even drag him in the kitchen with the other two. However, once she opened her eyes, she was faced with the sight of the stairs again, and she felt the impulse to go check on a certain brunet as well.

"You want to see if we can sneak a peek?" She muttered.

Takumi looked at her in shock.

"That's not something I expected to hear from you." He said in an equally low voice. "I thought you would be one of the biggest advocates to not do something like that."

"Yes or no?" She asked. She would deal with the guilt later. For now, she would follow the urge to go to her boyfriend's room.

Takumi nodded, a slightly devious smile forming on his face. She allowed him to take the lead. The blond was surprisingly stealthy, she noticed. But then again, he was usually much quieter when he wasn't around Soma. They made it to the third floor without much noise and peeked around the corner. Immediately, her eyebrows furrowed as she noticed that the door to 305 was open but there was no scent of food wafting through it.

"That's odd. His room is open but there's no scent." Takumi whispered the same exact thing she thought. "Maybe he might be doing prep work?"

"Or thinking." She supplied, remembering the conversation she had with Isami the night before. "But I don't hear his music so you might be right."

"Well, there's only one way to find out." The elder brother started to move forward, but he was pulled back by the bluenette.

"I just remembered." She breathed. "Can't he feel you?"

"Yeah…but I might be able to pull it off if he's concentrating hard enough on other tasks."

Megumi nodded and both crept down the hallway. They didn't even pause, both knowing that their time was limited. They peered in.

Isami was not cooking at all. In fact, he was nowhere near the stove or the counter. Instead, he was on his bed, his focus on the ceiling. The absence of music was the thing that tipped her off that something was on his mind and severely bothering him. Was this the reason why she had the feeling to come in here, because her significant other was troubled?

"Isami." Takumi's tone of voice made it clear he noticed the pensive mood his brother was in. At the sound of his name, the younger Aldini rolled over to look at the door.

"Oh, hey, Nii-chan. Megumi." He greeted.

"What's wrong?" The blond asked, walking to his bed with a purpose. Isami sat up as he approached, allowing his brother to sit beside him. Megumi didn't go to the bed. She instead sat sideways in a chair, twisting her body to allow her arms to rest on the back of the chair. She felt like Takumi needed to be the one to comfort the brunet this time.

"It's not bad…" Isami started.

"But it's big enough to bother you to the point you forget your music." Takumi finished.

"Yeah." The brunette sighed. Troubled blue eyes glanced over at the female in the chair. She tilted her head in response.

Isami sighed again and got up and walked to the corner of the room that had his bookshelf. Both of his visitors watched him intensely.

"I'm sorry."

"Why?" Takumi and Megumi said simultaneously, both their faces twisting in confusion.

"I know both of you wanted to see what I would come up with for the festival."

"It's okay." Takumi replied. "I know it's against the 'rules' to tell us. We'll see it in a couple days, anyways."

"You won't." The brunet turned around to look at them.

"You won't because I'm not entering the contest after all."


Hey, readers! I'm glad you are reading this. I'll try to keep things as in order as much as possible.

-It took me forever to figure out the first few sentences of the chapter.

-I head cannon that Isami absolutely loves music. He even plays an instrument (or two, I haven't decided if I should add that or not.) Which one/s? I'll reveal it probably next chapter since it's going to focus on his POV. I even have this cute little backstory with it. He also sings very well. I have to figure out where he lands on the...octave scale? Jeez, more research.

-Honestly, that whole left field thing about Isshiki and ships truly came out of left field. I read a story in the fandom called "You Want His Baby?" by Madame_Justice on AO3. (I'll see if I can link it later) and even though I think of Isami as straight, that story still got me thinking and that plot bunny happened.

-Isami does sound very similar to his twin when he gets super annoyed.

-Isshiki and co. will kill for their angel.

-I have now added "Twin Powers" to my ever-growing list of tags."

-I juggled many ideas for the festival. First it had been a whole group effort on dishes with a theme. I spent hours looking up recipes for ricotta cheese. Then I decided that that wouldn't work for the competitive dorm because I got mixed up on where their stand was last time. So next I broke them up into teams of three (Nikumi was going to be dragged in to make it even) and have an elite in each group. Then I realized that it might not work for what I wanted. So, it turned into the almost free-for-all that you read earlier. More dishes to look up. Great. Did you guys see the allusion I made to the title of this fic? No? Okay.

-I simply wanted Megumi and Isshiki to have another conversation.

-Soma pouts from so much rejection. (This is also a Soma/Takumi fic but they are not the main focus this time.)

-And finally, I wanted more twin interaction in the fic.

That's all that I have to say for now. Any questions can be asked and I'll try to answer them without spoiling the story. (I will also be very happy with any comments.)

...as I write this, my grandmother fell off the bed and is now sleeping on the floor.

See you guys later!