Chapter 34: Rising Moon

Kuga's Proposition

Following the previous nights party, the group of first year friends woke up in varying stages of dress and grumpiness, caused by Ryōko's special rice juice.

The boys split into those that wanted food immediately; Shōji and Diago followed by Isami and Zenji. And then those that wanted to be clean before they ate breakfast: Sōma, Takumi, Ryo and Akira all made went to the male washroom to be properly awake up for the day to come. Shun on the other hand disappeared into his room, and emerged as if the previous night hadn't involved him at all, right as the other boys began descending the stairs towards the dining room.

The girls, meanwhile, all went to the female washroom all gossiping about the upcoming festival and how they would be entering. "I will be making my debut", Alice announced leaning back in the bath, allowing the warm water to alleviate her tiredness. "Me and Ryo will be working alongside Akira..." She was then interrupted by Ryōko who frowned.

"Uh huh... Does Akira know about this, or are you planning to spring this upon him", she giggled. "If we all didn't now know that you and Ryo were dating, then I would have said that you were pining for it resident spice master", both Ikumi and Yuki cooed.

"How do you know I'm not..." Alice replied seductively, rolling her tongue over her teeth before laughing at seeing the incredibly red faces of the other girls. "Oh come on guys", she continued, "me and Ryo are a set couple. Akira is just a dear friend, whom we are trying to bring out of his little world and into the wider culinary experience".

Megumi nodded her head completely understanding that reason. "I gues that's the same as for me then", she began, "if I hadn't have met Sōma then I would probably be stuck at the bottom of the class... and have been expelled".

Yuki leapt up from her seated position and threw her arms around her blue haired friend, as Ikumi and Alice both smirked. "You don't know that Megumi", Yuki scowled, "and besides... even if you were going to be expelled, all of us here at Kyokusei would have fought tooth and nail for you! We would have even yelled at Isshiki into dragging Kensuke down here to protect you!"

"So... you and Sōma", Alice interrupted. "How much snogging have you two been doing. The rumours about you getting it on are blatantly false, I can't see you getting that far ahead of yourselves". She grinned and winked.

Flushing bright red, Megumi shrank down into the water wrapping her arms around herself, and letting the warm water envelope her body. A convenient way of disguising her red face. "I-I-we've only kissed a couple of times. On the train, where you photographed us", she narrowed her eyes, before continuing. "Then at my home towns festival, and when he comforted me after my stagiaire".

—

"Soo..." Ryōko lustily asked. "Your brother is just as good looking as your family photo showed him to be..." The previous laughter suddenly ebbed away as Alice and Ikumi both did a one-eighty to stare at the purple haired girl. "Ryōko!" Megumi crowd out, "you cannot date my brother! I told you before he's still socially awkward..." She was interrupted by Alice, "although he did seem remarkably calm and aware during the Meet and Greet. Perhaps, Sōma inspired something within him".

Ryōko simply grinned as she locked eyes with Megumi and waggled her brows, "I'm sure I could get him to open up..."

"Ryōko!" Megumi raised her voice. "I know my brother, and he is in no way ready for anything like what you're implying". The giggling trio of Alice, Ikumi and Yuki immediately ceased at seeing how unusually protective the blue haired girl was of her brother. "Megumi..." Yuki uttered reaching forwards but was stopped by the blue haired girl moving away from her.

"I know you all think I'm being overprotective, and I probably am! And I can see why its odd that a younger sibling is so worried for their older one, and that it should probably be the other way round. But you've never seen him when he is at his worst depressed state! And I refuse to let that happen to him again".

Standing up from the water, Megumi got out of the bath wrapped herself in a towel, grabbed her things and stormed out of the room. "Once I'm dressed, I'm going down for breakfast. If any of you want to join me then that's okay".

As the door swung shut, the other girls looked at one another surprised by the strength of Megumi's familial loyalty. "We should go down as well", Yuki stated, "we don't want to hold up everyone". Once they were all dressed: Ikumi, Ryōko, Alice and Yuki all vacated the bathroom and walked downstairs. "I never would have guessed that Megumi felt so much responsibility towards her brother", Ryōko mused, "I need to apologise to her".

As the girls made their way down the stairs, they all saw the main doors swing open revealing the spiked blonde hair of Terunori Kuga, a grin plastered on his face. Being as they were still a bit far away, the girls didn't feel as if they could shout down to the eighth seat to enquire about why he was here. So instead they simply upped their speed and entered the dining room just as Kuga had singled out Sōma.

—

"Oh hiya, Yukihira-chin!"

Hearing that bastardised honorific attached to his name almost, almost, made Sōma want to upend his breakfast: a bowl of rice porridge, onto Kuga's head. As if the eighth seat couldn't be anymore childish, and infuriating, as he already was. Sighing, Sōma turned his head in the direction of the dining room doors watching the blonde spikily haired boy of the Ten waltz into Kyokusei dorm, like he owned the place.

And he had just been enjoying a nice breakfast with all his friends as well. "You're shadow is here", Shun murmured, making light of a conversation that he, Akira and Takumi had all thought of. Terunori Kuga had been described as exactly the same as Sōma, just with slightly more decorum.

Biting the inside of his cheek, to hold back a snarky comment, the red haired boy simply reverted to showing his respect towards his immediate upperclassmen. "Hey, Kuga-senpai", he stated forcing himself to smile. "What brings you to the polar star dormitory?"

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Isshiki frown, whilst preparing to make his way towards his fellow second year of anything untoward occurred but as it were Kuga then announced his reason for being there. Stunning the room, and the girls, Sōma noticed, into silence.

"I'm so glad you asked that question my little Sōma..." Kuga grinned, playfully sticking out his tongue and holding two fingers in a V over his right eye. "First thing", Kuga asked, "I want to know if you will be entering the upcoming festival, and second..." Yet, before he could continue he was interrupted by Sōma stating bluntly, "what are you talking about? What festival?"

"Huh!" Kuga's exasperation was palpable, and felt by almost everyone else in the room. "How the bloody hell are you not aware of it!" The eighth seat bemoaned. "Well I only just transferred here no less than seven months ago, so cut me some slack for not knowing much", Sōma curtly responded, spooning porridge into his mouth.

Noticing Megumi moving over to the selection of breakfast meals, his focus quickly moved away from Kuga and towards his girlfriend. As she helped herself to toast and fruit, Sōma couldn't help but notice a slight frown on her face yet she quickly smiled a bright smile a she saw him and moved to take the seat beside him.

"Really, Sōma", Kuga continued. "I would have thought that someone like you, who wants to join the Ten, should be relishing the chance to participate". The eighth seat was then silenced by a hand slapping over his mouth. "Kuga!" Isshiki growled. "Do you really want to do this now? I know you envy the joviality and rivalry between Kensuke and Tsukasa but going after Sōma seems petty".

Shoving Isshiki's hand off his mouth, and spinning around, Kuga glared daggers at his fellow second year student. "Don't lecture me Isshiki!" He growled. "You have no idea how much it hurts trying to reach their level but to be continually beaten and overlooked. It hurts". Kuga lowered his head and slouched his back, as he fell into a chair. "But you are the one called the Prodigy, If you got ever properly serious you could no doubt easily take the forth seat! Everything is so easy for you, no wonder Nene disdains you..."

—

Before the eighth seat knew what was had happened, Isshiki had grabbed him out of his seat, punched him square in the stomach. Glaring at him as he stood over Kuga, Isshiki tried to force himself to clam down. However, the comment about Nene had hit him harder than he had expected. "Would you please shut up!" Isshiki enunciated, grabbing the eighth seat by his collar. "You know nothing about me and Nene. And even less about Kensuke, whom I might add does not overlook you. He just lacks the confidence and knowledge of how to approach you".

Before anyone could get a word in edgewise, or let continue the words between Isshiki and Kuga, Megumi spoke directly to the spiky haired blonde boy. "Why do you hate my brother?" Whilst her voice was soft, everyone in the room could see that she was holding back her simmering anger. Sōma gently squeezed Megumi's hand, trying it reduce her annoyance, before whispering sweet nothings into her ear.

"I don't hate Kensuke", Kuga stated plainly. "I just want to be as good a chef as him. That way Tsukasa will acknowledge me". As the blondes words were taken in by the rooms occupants, Yuki moved forwards and tried to comfort him but Kuga simply shooed her away. "You know Sōma", he continued despondently. "My offer to, about facing off against me at the Meet and Greet was truthful... but Kensuke beat me to it. He always gets what he wants because he's the Silent King..."

Standing up and walking forwards, Sōma stopped once he was in front of the eighth seat, and held his hand out towards him. "What were you planning to offer me, Kuga-Senpai?" With genuine surprise on his face, as was matched by the entire room, Kuga stared up at the redhead before him. "Wait... what?" With a deep sigh, Sōma crossed his arms and replied.

"What kind of food war terms did you offer me again, Kensuke accepting me kinda blitzkrieg-ed my mind of everything that day. I'm still game if you are".

"Why do you want to challenge me? You should be happy, you have achieved a feat that we of the Ten have been trying to attain for a while now... you are the first person to actually make him accept a food war".

With a small smile on his face, Sōma unfolded his arms and pointed to the Yukihira name in his navy coloured shirt. "That should be obvious. I'm gonna to take the top spot at Tōtsuki. Which means that I need to take down the Elite Ten but that doesn't mean we can't become friends". For the first time since realising that he would need to get to Kensuke's level if he wanted a god war with Tsukasa, Kuga stood up and smiled.

"Yukihira-chin... Sōma", he corrected himself. "Would you be willing to see who could sell the most plates of food, over five days, at the upcoming Moon Festival?" Without even hesitating, the redhead grinned and fist bumped the eighth seat. "After which we can have a food war, right... chef Kuga?"

"Yeah. You got it!" The spiky haired blonde grinned, feeling his despondency towards being overlooked by Taukasa and Kensuke dissipating slightly in the face of a new rivalry.