Rating: T+

Pairing: Soma/Erina

Genre: Romance; Drama; Hurt/Comfort; Shonen

Notes:

Hey Everyone! Zancrow Here!

Actually posted this massive chapter days before I was supposed to! Isn't that something?! I really do want to thank everyone who has reviewed thus far, as it is honestly thanks to those words of encouragement and all that feedback that motivates me to turn the computer on when I get home from work and dig into this story properly. This is not like my other stories. I really, really want to make "Classique" the best work of fiction I have ever done. So please, if you liked this story, or if you feel there are areas that need a little more work, please share your thoughts with me. I try to reply to each and every one of you guys; and again, thank you all so much; and enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own Shokugeki no Soma.

Polls:

Cast your vote for your favorite main Villain, Antagonist, or Rival featured here in "Classique" or in "Nouvelle", be he or she Canon or OC, and who you would probably like to see a little bit more of in the upcoming chapters!


"Alright then!" Alice spoke up as she got off the phone, turning to her friends as they all stood right outside the resort, with Ryou doing his best to keep little Megumi from slithering right out of his grasp. She was… very hard to keep under control, he had come to learn. "My dear Isshin should be here shortly," Alice announced to the group, having just called her favorite chauffer over. "Best if we call it a night and have Megs here escorted back… If anyone asks, we have no idea why or how she's like that. Sound good?!"

"I knew from the start that this wasn't the best id-" Akira muttered, but he was cut off by the completely uncharacteristic Megumi, who had been giggling to herself for a bit now.

"Everyone, look," she called out, having snatched Ryou's armband from him and placed it haphazardly over her head. "Can you guess who I am? Hey, you spice bastard! Let's have our rematch now! I'll totally crush you this-pfft! Ha! Ha, ha, ha!"

"Give me that," Ryou softly argued as he tried his best to keep a hold of Megumi while at the same time taking his bandana back. Megumi just laughed and laughed, falling back onto him, as Alice and Akira looked on, the latter unamused and the former struggling not to laugh at the scene. She failed.

"Mighty fine mess we have here now-Can you stop laughing?" Akira voiced, turning to Alice with disapproval clearly evident in his features, as the platinum-haired girl tried her best to keep her laughing in check.

"S-Sorry, sorry," she said, clearly out of breath. "It was just such a spot-on impression I couldn't help it. But, yeah," she added, clearing her throat in an effort to keep herself in check. "Okay, we still need to find out where Erina and Soma are at. I called Erina, but she didn't answer, so I'm guessing she's probably still chatting away with Asahi. Soma too."

"I think Soma's not with them," Ryou voiced, finally managing to regain his bandana from the still giggling Megumi.

"You psychic now?" Akira asked with a smirk.

"No, I just have eyes," Ryou mockingly shot back, signaling to behind Akira and Alice, as surely enough, Soma could be seen exiting the resort, his eyes scanning the surroundings briefly before he caught sight of them.

"Oh, hey Soma!" Alice called out, waving at the approaching boy. "Did you lose Erina?"

"Hey guys," Soma saluted back, reaching the four quickly. "She's still with her… brother. Still a bit weird to say it. But, I mean, she's probably still hanging out with him and… Are you okay Tadokoro?"

"Peachy!" Megumi quickly replied, even if she had fallen back and had stopped even trying to keep herself up, letting her entire weight fall onto Ryou, who was visibly struggling to keep her up while only grabbing her by her frail little arms.

"We kinda left Megs a bit unsupervised," Alice admitted, ignoring the look Ryou was giving her. "Seems the punch was pretty loaded up."

"Wait, she's-?"

"Our ride is here," Akira cut Soma off, causing the redhead to frown a bit, but they all followed Akira's line of sight as the trademark Nakiri limousine entered the resort grounds and expertly drove right up to the five. Akira then turned to Soma. "I think this is enough excitement for one night. You should call Erina and tell her we're leaving. Alice tried, but I don't blame Erina for not picking up."

"Rude!" Alice said with a pout, then turned to Megumi began to laugh all over again at the comment. "That's not funny Megs!"

"Ha! Ha! Just-Just that he doesn't blame Erina for-Ha!" Megumi spoke between her fits of laugher, as Alice found her oddly enough both adorable and annoying.

"Yeah, I'll give her a… huh?" Soma said as he took out his phone, before he was surprised at seeing he had received a message moments prior, from an unknown number to boot. A few clicks opened the message up, and within it he got the last picture he ever expected to see being sent to him. "…HUH!?"

There was Erina, looking slightly confused and embarrassed, sitting at a fancy looking table, with Asahi pressing her towards him, the junior Nakamura flashing a very big grin with one of his arms out of frame, making it clear he had taken the photo. The two siblings each had an empty plate before them, meaning they were probably at the resort's restaurant, but even more surprising was, that accompanying them at the table, on the background of the photo, was none other than Azami Nakamura. The man's expression could not be read, he was not smiling nor frowning, but his eyes were aimed towards the two, something which inwardly unnerved Soma. Then again, everything about this man did, so it wasn't too surprising. Still… why?

"Something wrong?" Alice voiced, cocking her head a bit to the side.

"…Well, I know where Erina is," Soma replied, shifting his eyes from the photo towards the others. "She is indeed still with her bro. She's also with her father, which I did not see coming."

"She's with Uncle Azami?" Alice asked, likewise as surprised. She shifted herself a bit, motioning to see the photo, which Soma quickly showed. "Let me see that… Huh? Now that's unexpected. Are we sure she's not being held captive there? Did she send you any comments with the picture?"

"Funny thing is she wasn't the one who texted it to me," Soma spoke somewhat bemused. "Your new cousin did."

"Then text him that we're leaving," Akira added matter-of-factly, eyes narrowed, wanting nothing more than to leave. With each word, he etched closer to the limousine, wondering if Isshin would still take him back to his dorm even if the others decided to stay.

"I need to make sure she's okay," Soma shot back, giving Akira a look as if he was saying the most obvious thing in the world. "You guys can go on ahead, I'm sure Erina is not lacking in limos… But seriously, how much did Tadokoro drink? She doesn't look so-"

"I'm fine," Megumi quickly cut in, smiling from ear to ear, despite slowly inching closer to the ground as Ryou kept on losing his grip on her, not that she even seemed to notice. "Is Erina okay? Do I need to go in there and get polite with someone, huh?!"

"Oh… no, that's okay, Tadokoro, I've… got this, I think," Soma replied, feeling as weird as can be. He turned to the others. "You guys sure she'll be fine? I'm honestly more worried about Tadokoro than I am Erina."

"She's fine," Alice quickly replied, before she paused. "Maybe. We really should get her to the dorm… But we can't just leave Erina here. I don't much trust Uncle Azami alone with her, and I don't know Asahi well enough to know if he'll be of any help, so we should probably go get Erina."

"Yes, milady, that sound fine and all, except," Ryou cut in, motioning to the limp girl in his arms nearly on the floor. "Do you expect me to carry her like this all throughout the resort?!"

"I don't know, maybe…" Alice said, then paused. "Maybe we can divide and conquer. Some go find Erina, others take Megs home. Granted, in the event anyone begins asking questions, we should probably send Megumi with the most responsible one of us…"

Alice paused again, and then she, Ryou and Soma slowly shifted their gazes from each other to Akira, who was mere inches from the limo's door by this point. Akira felt his spirit audibly crack.

"Are you three really going to just dump everything on me?!" he uncharacteristically barked out, clearly way past the point of being able to handle all their shenanigans.

"Dump!? How rude! This is Megs we're talking about!" Alice quickly reprimanded, hand on her hips and a pout on her lips.

"I didn't mean it like-" Akira tried.

"She was so helpful to your Shokugeki and now that she needs you you just discard her, huh?" Ryou added, holding Megumi up a bit for added emphasis.

"Come on, you both know-" Akira tried again.

"That's cold Akira," Soma added, his expression completely serious. "Tadokoro needs your help. You can't seriously see her as a hindrance, can you?"

"Wait? Even you! Don't-!" Akira tried yet again.

"Men," Megumi added, in the most monotone anyone had ever heard her utter. "Once they use you up, the throw you out… Like trash. Dirty. Unrecyclable. Trash."

"You know what? I won't even argue it anymore," Akira announced, as he moved towards Ryou and gently snatched the fallen Megumi from him. She quickly threw herself into his arms, and, despite being taken aback by this, the spice master managed to almost outright carry her to the limousine's door, which was quickly held open by the limousine's driver, who if he was surprised at the sight of a drunk, underage girl said nothing on the matter. "This is the last time you lot rope me up in your stupidity. I'll take her to her dorm, because of course I will. Hope you three drown in the pool."

"Thanks Akira!" Alice called out, a very knowing smirk on her face, as she, Ryou and Soma watched as Isshin closed the guests' door, got right back into the driver's seat and slowly drove Megumi and Akira away. "He's too nice for his own good sometimes."

"That, or you're too manipulative sometimes," Ryou muttered, Alice just shrugged.

"So… you guys have any idea where this restaurant is?" Soma asked as he pointed to the photo. "It doesn't look like the spot we made those two-hundred meals, but then again, it's been a year, so my memory could be fussy."

Both Alice and Ryou gave the picture another glance, before they paused and looked at each other, having quite clear an idea of just were exactly the Nakamura "family" was eating dinner at.

-0-

She was still not certain how she was convinced into being here of all places. After that narrow victory the Elite Ten had managed to secure, the only thing Erina had wanted was to at least confirm the fact that the Noir Chef Asahi Saiba was indeed who he was claiming to be. Or rather, Asahi Nakamura, she supposed.

She no longer had doubts regarding this, as not only had Hisako's research failed to disprove him, but now her, or rather, their own father had outright confirmed it himself. So, job done, she told herself, so why was she seating at the resort's most luxurious restaurant alongside said long-lost brother and her father, the man who was basically single-handedly responsible for all the difficulties the Elite Ten were currently facing.

It didn't really make sense, yet, there she was, taking a surprise selfie with her brother, who wanted to commemorate the event.

"Don't worry, though," Asahi told her with a grin. "I'll send it to your BF, so that he knows where you are. Wouldn't want Soma to worry about his little princess, now would we?"

"I can very much keep him posted myself," Erina replied, eyes narrowed. "And I can definitely take care of myself. There's not a place within these grounds were I would need anyone to come to my rescue. Especially in a place like this, which I've visited since I was five."

"Now that's a boast if I've ever heard one," Asahi said with the grin still in place. "I get it, you were raised in a golden crib, no need to rub it in."

"I wasn't," Erina shot back. "Just stating the obvious."

"Yeah? I, as your ever-loving big brother, think you get mightily defensive whenever your darling Soma gets brought up," he teased, causing the blonde to blush a bit and fight back the urge to pout, because damn it, she wasn't her cousin. "Hey, I get it. First relationships are like that. You're still in the experimental stage after all."

"Can the subject be changed?" Azami spoke up, his eyes shifting from the surrounding and setting on his son, who merely smugly grinned at the man. "I wish to be able to eat amongst my children without listening to their "romantic" experiences."

"Oh come on old man," Asahi shot back. "I for one would love to hear the tales of conquest one as talented as you surely has. A man of your stature, and, if I do say myself, looks, has to have a massive list of women you've left heartbroken in your wake. I mean, you did bang my mother, but, we all make mistakes, so…"

Erina said nothing, but her eyes shifted slightly, clearly taking Asahi's words a bit differently than intended. It caused Azami to frown slightly, but he decided not to push it.

"You're making your sister uncomfortable," he simply voiced, and Asahi shifted his gaze from his father to her.

"You sure it's me?" Asahi simply replied. "I mean, this has to be weird for all three of us. We haven't really known each other for that long, have we? Heck, you two spend most of your time apart, so what's wrong with sharing a bit of our personal relationships with each other. A real father would like hearing what his children have been up to."

"You're not sharing much yourself," Erina voiced, her head on her hands, pressing forwards onto the table. Her eyes stared at Asahi, who seemed surprised by her words, but he smiled nonetheless. Azami had looked like he had been intending to say something, but upon Erina speaking, he kept it to himself. "You both know about my relationship with Soma, but what about you Asahi? Anyone special?"

"Not right now," Asahi replied, pulling himself back onto the chair. "I was involved with someone a while ago. She's older than me, spent some time serving in the military; we helped each other out a bit, and I got her out of doing business with some very shady folk. Err, shadier-than-usual folk. She's still a close friend, but things simply didn't work out. Most high school-like romances never do."

"None ever do," Azami corrected, and Erina had to fight back a frown. She knew exactly what he was hinting at. But she and Soma were different. This wasn't some high school crush dictated only by hormones and confused friendships, this was something real. She was sure of it.

"Such a nihilistic outlook, father," Erina simply retorted, and if it bothered Azami, he didn't voice it. He gave her a look, but said nothing. Asahi seemed to laugh a bit, but he also kept quiet.

"…I think we should order," Azami voiced, changing the subject, his hand on his phone, taking a look at the screen briefly. "Seems like my guests are going to be a bit tardy. And while I intended on this being strictly a professional gathering, I find no harm in us taking this opportunity to reconnect. So, please, feel free to order anything you see fit. I know how difficult it is for you to eat something to your liking, Erina, but until I can correct things around here this will have to do."

"I have no problems with dishes created in this resort," Erina corrected, her gaze shifting towards her father, even if her tone sounded somewhat unsure.

"I cannot argue the quality," Azami explained, leaning back. "But, for one who possesses the God's Tongue, I know most dishes, even the best ones, still feel… lacking."

"I wouldn't…" Erina tried, but she wasn't sure of how to answer that, and whether she'd be telling the truth or not if she did.

"How does that work?" Asahi cut in, his tone being the only carefree sounding one of the three. "The whole God's Tongue thing? Like, you have a very strong taste for everything right? Isn't that annoying? Like, if you throw up, doesn't that feel like super disgusting when-?"

"Oh, can you not!" Erina quickly blurted out, face flushed and her hands turned into fists. "God, this is like listening to Soma, why must you both quickly veer my prowess into the revolting?"

"Hey, it's just genuine curiosity," Asahi defended. "And don't give me that sis, just you wait. When you and that Soma fellow decide to get more inti-"

"Asahi," Azami quickly interrupted, even if the boy wasn't sure if it was for Erina's sake or for Azami's own. He still laughed regardless. "Enough about that, please. Erina really doesn't need those details, at all."

"Details?" Erina asked, looking from her father to Asahi, and the back again, "What was he going to say? When Soma and I what?"

"No, you don't want to know," Azami quickly replied, waving his hand before his daughter, letting her know she was better not knowing. Erina frowned, turning to her brother, who just laughed. Asahi quickly grabbed the menu and shielded his face from Erina, mouthing the words "she's so innocent" to Azami, who surprisingly gave out a soft smile. It was enough to get Erina mad.

"What are you two hiding from me?!" she demanded, now actually pouting. "Asahi, what was it you said? Tell me!"

"I would, but pops might not pay for my meal if I do," Asahi said in-between laughs, much to Erina's frustration. Asahi then turned to their father. "So, you're not going to cheap out on us, right? I can order anything I want from here? Because I just looked at these menus and I don't see a price tag on anything."

"Money is not a problem," Azami replied, before he paused, and added, "Not anymore. I assure you, Asahi, you won't have to worry about that ever again."

"Huh?" Asahi voiced, taken aback, as he rested himself on the chair. "Perks of having a secretly filthy rich father, I suppose."

"Asahi… Were you…?" Erina tried, but she found it difficult to phrase the question without it sounding insulting. Normally she'd have no problem calling a commoner as such, because if it looked like a duck and quacked like a duck, well… But, after everything she'd been through with Soma, it no longer felt right. And to her brother, no less.

"Poor?" Asahi finished for her, and his tone sounded no different. "Yeah, extremely. Truth be told, this dorky uniform pops here bought for the four of us," Asahi added, pulling on his shirt to emphasis his chosen attire, "…is probably the most expensive thing I own, sad as that sounds. Still, Neo-Noir Academy, we couldn't have picked a stupider name if we had tried."

"You all chose it," Azami countered, tilting his head slightly at his son's arguments. Asahi just frowned.

"No. Dove chose it, I didn't get a word in," Asahi corrected.

"Speaking of… Dove," Erina forced herself to sound civil. It was hard. "Father… who is she?"

"A protégée of mine," Azami explained, instinctively flipping his wrist watch a bit. "She is a young girl I found who was going through very rough times. I took her in. Guided her. Made sure to avoid repeating the mistakes which drove you away from me. I feel… she showed me how it is to be a better father. Something which I hope I can prove to you now."

"Oh…" Erina replied, as she shifted her gaze downwards, the words she had long wanted to hear now being sent her way, and with no way of knowing how to react to them. "I-I see. So she's…?"

"Careful, you'll make Erina jealous," Asahi added, and Erina pouted again, as Azami gave the two a soft smile. "She really hates Dove. And I can't blame her, she's very hard to like."

"I don't hate her," Erina quickly corrected. "I barely know her. She's just…"

"Annoying," Asahi concluded for her with a smirk.

"She's not," Azami defended. "You need to give her time, Asahi. She's a very intelligent and dedicated young woman."

"Who just loves to hear herself talk," Asahi added, "Like, I'm not the most likeable guy around, I know that, but still, compared to her…" Asahi then gave the man a gesture which clearly indicated how much more annoying her felt Azami's protégée was.

"She's also very against personal space," Erina muttered, which caused Asahi to laugh again. Erina tried to keep herself serious, as she didn't want to offend her father's precious student, but she couldn't help it. Her brother's laughter was infectious, and she began to laugh as well.

"So now you both team up against me, figures," Azami noted, but the man did not seem vexed in the slightest. "Still, please, focus you two. What will you be having for dinner?"

After the laughter subsided, Erina began to look at the menu. She knew from memory everything that was served there, but for some reason, she wanted to make sure to pick the correct dish. She wanted to show her father, and her brother, that she could clearly pick out the best of the best. That she was no longer that scared and confused little girl who couldn't properly follow her father's instructions. So she scanned the menu, and was moments from choosing, when she heard the rest of the tables begin to gossip and murmur, and the little voice in the back of her head told her that there was no way it could be who she thought it was. Just no way…

"Hey Erina, there you are!" Soma called out to her as he walked right up to their table, with Alice and Ryou following closely behind, as all the other guests looked their way, surprised at the arrival of the most talked about Tootsuki student. The boy who had come back from expulsion, against everything that Tootsuki itself stood for.

Asahi grinned at the sight.

Azami seemed to softly glare at the intrusion.

And Erina… Erina felt herself faint.

"Been looking all over for ya," he announced, without a care in the world, "Come on, we should get you home already. Ready to go?"

Yes, she was probably going to faint.

-0-

The drive back to the Polar Star Dorms was a lot quieter than the ride to the resort, Akira noted, but of course, that was mostly due to the fact that the limousine no longer carried Alice in it. Instead, it was just him and a very dizzy Megumi, who had kept mostly to herself. He felt bad about her, wondering what was probably going on in her head right about now. It proved a mistake, however, turning to look at her, as this seemed to spark a conversation in her.

"A-Akira…" she voiced, still sounding drowsy, for a lack of a better term. Akira still felt unsure of how to properly manage this situation. "I-I think I drank too much juice."

"…That's an understatement," Akira muttered, and Megumi giggled a bit. Even drunk, she still sounded so pure and cute, Akira noted. He quickly shook his head. Not the correct train of thought for this moment.

"You know what really sucks?" Megumi asked, turning to face the nearest window, glancing out to the brightly-lid Tootsuki night. Akira looked on, not saying anything but paying attention. "…That I can't fight alongside you all," she voiced, and Akira felt a pang in his chest. He knew she was speaking from the heart, and it hurt, because he knew how talented she was and just how hard she worked for it. "I'm… always one step behind. Always getting close, but just not good enough."

"That's not true," Akira countered, arms crossed. "You-"

"But it is," Megumi interrupted, turning back to face him. Her eyes looking as solemn as he had ever seen them. "Isshiki has always said I have the greatest potential out of all the Polar Stars. Potential. Do you know how much I hate that word?"

"Huh?" Akira asked, his eyes widening slightly, genuinely confused. "Why?"

"Why not? I'm always being told how I have this great thing in me, that if I just fine-tune it enough, I can reach the same level the others are at," Megumi replied, and her voice sounded too dangerously close to breaking for his liking. "But I just never reach it. I always stay at just that. The potential to be great, but I never manage any more. I had the worst showing in the Autumn Elections, I contributed nothing to our match against Erina, and my biggest moment in the Stagiaire was hiding from Subaru in the toilet."

'What?' Akira couldn't help but think.

"And I couldn't make it into the Elite Ten, despite how I really, really tried," Megumi added, and her voice cracked a bit, and it hurt. To see her like this. Part of him wished he had brought the ping pong paddle along, see if that would help cheer her up, even if she stomped him into the ground with it. "Always second place. For the tournaments, for the grades, for So-"

Megumi seemed to bite down, as even in her state, she fought hard against admitting something pretty much everyone knew. Akira stared, feeling something he couldn't quite understand, but understanding a little bit more about the pretty little girl who was always just there.

"I-I think I said too much," a blushing and still very clearly intoxicated Megumi muttered, pushing her head to her knees, but quickly deciding against her when the entire limousine began to spin as she did.

"Not at all," Akira assured with a smile. "You might not remember, but I told you this once, that I get you. I know what it is like; to feel something for someone who cares for you but not in the way you would like them to. Although I suppose, in my case, I might be thinking of a different person now than I was back then."

"You're right!" Megumi quickly announced, a very sudden change in tone, surprising Akira. "We don't measure ourselves by their standards! I remember that, I think," she repeated his own words, somewhat. "So I have to stop being just some potential and I have to act! Like you did! Look at you, Fifth Seat already, I'm so proud!"

"…Thanks?"

"And I'm also no going to keep being a bad friend," she added, pumping her fist into the air, so quickly she ended up punching the limo's roof. If it hurt, she didn't show it. "Soma's happy, and I'm happy for him and Erina! I really am! So, Akira, do you want to kiss?!"

'What?' he thought.

"What?" he asked, because he couldn't think of anything else. That was the biggest one-eighty turn he had ever heard in any conversation, real or otherwise. Even corny romantic movies had more leeway before adding such plot twists. She was way more gone than he had thought.

"I'm going to forget about Soma, and I'm going to give you the kiss of your life, because this is the new me," she "explained", and it made even less sense. There was a reason minors were not allowed to drink, Akira was learning, and he had no idea how to react. It wasn't helping that despite its size, they were still in an enclosed area, so it made it easy for Megumi to crawl her way towards him, until she was inches from the very perplexed boy.

"I really think we shouldn't," Akira politely tried, but Megumi just smiled.

"I'm done asking," she sang back, and he felt his brain stop functioning.

"And I really think this is a mistake," Akira tried again, but the girl pushed forward, and she puckered her lips, causing his eyes to widen even more.

She moved in…

…then she threw up. All over his uniform.

"Megumi! Okay, you're not well at-Hmph!" Akira tried, but he had to cover his own mouth to avoid vomiting himself, deciding it best to keep quiet and merely help Megumi, who was already gone, her head spinning and her mind in the wonderlands. He helped her lay down, ignoring the sheer stickiness of it all, and proceeded to hit the windshield where their driver was. "Hey, eh, Isshin! We have a situation here, might need a little detour."

The driver slowly stopped the vehicle, opening up the little window that divided his section and Akira's, as he peaked in, surprised at the sight before him. In a Nakiri limousine to boot. "…Sir?" he asked, unsure.

"She's clearly not well," Akira stated the obvious, "I can't just leave her at her dorm like this. She can't even walk or keep herself awake. Take us back to my dorm, she'll be better taken care of there."

Isshin's eyes could get any wider, as he gave Akira the most perplexed look imaginable, which confused the boy until he repeated his own words to himself again and understood what the guy had probably heard.

"No! None of that!" Akira corrected, pointing accusingly at the man, his face flushed. "I meant that we'll take her to my dorm, where my caretaker, a responsible adult woman will take care of her. In fact, I'll call Jun right now, so when we get there, she comes out and you can see her. Am I making myself clear?!"

The driver just nodded, and it was here Akira realized that this perplexing night was probably just beginning.

-0-

"Well, look at this! This just became a party of six!" Asahi said with a bemused tone, seemingly being the only one on that table who did not look utterly uncomfortable at the moment. "You done sizing up the competition Soma? Oh?" Asahi paused, looking at the other two uninvited "guests". "You I don't know," he said, pointing to a very serious-looking Kurokiba, "But you," he added, pointing to Alice. "I think we're family, kinda… sorta…"

"It seems so," Alice cheerfully replied back, bouncing right next to Asahi. "I'm Alice, but I'm sure you already knew that. Seems like you are my new cousin. Funny how life works out like that sometimes."

"Trust me, I know," Asahi told her with a trademark smile. "I spent way more time than I am comfortable admitting to planning the perfect way to reveal myself without it looking like I came right out of a manga."

"Shonen or Shoujo?" Alice asked, suddenly very invested in his response. "You do know such a reveal would differ depending the medium, right?"

"Alice, for the-Not now," Erina quickly interrupted, giving her cousin a look that told her to keep herself in check. Alice just stuck her tongue out at her.

"I think Shonen," Asahi still replied. "Such a reveal in a Shoujo manga would be very different. I'd probably be a romantic rival to… one of you, don't know who. Well, a Shonen could try the same thing, but it… wouldn't work out as well."

"Seriously…?" Erina flatly asked, turning to Asahi, eyes narrowed, wondering if he was forcing himself to play along with Alice.

"You read Shoujo manga?" Alice quickly added, pushing herself into the table, right over an annoyed Erina. "You don't look like the type. What's your favorite?"

"Skip Beat, obviously," Asahi replied as if it was the most obvious of answers.

"You read Skip Beat!?" Alice quickly beamed, "I adore Kyoko's journey from a love-struck team into the badass that she is! But, even I have to admit, it is sloooow."

"Girl, I know," Asahi replied, sounding just as thrilled as Alice, somehow. "It took two-hundred and eighty-three chapters just to get a proper confession. And for a monthly series, well, it's giving One Piece a run for its money on series that I may be dead before they conclude."

"Erina," Alice said, turning to her other cousin, "I approve of your new brother, and you might need to step up your game, otherwise I'll have a new favorite cousin."

"Can you not?" Erina said as she pushed Alice away, before she turned to the group. "Why are you three even here? I… I told you to call me," she finished softly, looking at Soma.

"I did, actually," Soma said, while he pointed at Alice. "So did she. You never picked up."

"Oh…?" Erina voiced, before she moved her hand into her purse and took out her phone, realizing that, yes, she had several missed calls. "…Sorry, seems like I never upped the volume on it after we left today's event. I… Father invited Asahi and me for dinner."

"Indeed," Azami decided that perhaps now was the best time to interject himself onto the conversation, giving the group a look that was hard to decipher. "We, as a family, have a lot of catching up to do. But, nonetheless, I don't much mind the added company. If you all wish, you are free to join us. You are very much my family as well, Alice, so you don't even need to ask. And, you two," he added, turning to Soma and Ryou, "Are currently dating my two girls, so that earns you both a spot here, despite my… concerns."

"How kind," Ryou voiced, clearly sarcastically.

"Yeah," Soma added, his eyes meeting Azami's sharply. "And what concerns would those be, eh, pops?"

"Soma!" Erina quickly interjected, standing right up and moving right next to the boy. She knew her father was trying to be civil, or rather, as civil as he could be. And she knew how much of a troublemaker Soma could be. She liked that side of him, a lot, but now was not the time. "You know what he means. Like all father are, when their daughters begin dating, you know?"

"Oh, yeah, I know how most father are," Soma replied, softly, shifting his eyes to meet hers. "I'm surprised he does."

"Soma," she repeated, her tone now a little bit dryer, as her eyes opened a bit wider. It didn't quite sit well with him, were he to be honest. She gently pulled him away from the table, towards the side, where they could speak a little bit more privately, even if all the restaurant's eyes were dead set on them at the moment.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked earnestly, softly, only to her. "This is the man you've told me horror stories of. And he's the guy responsible for this Inter-whatever Shokugeki we're currently barely surviving. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's insanely fun, but the stakes are high, not so much for me, but for you and your family. You don't owe this guy an explanation or anything, if you want to go we'll just walk away right now."

She paused, looking at him as she instinctively bit her lower lip, stammering in place, her eyes trying to say the words her mouth could not.

"…Or you don't want to go…?" he somewhat asked, slowly realizing the truth behind her reactions. He was taken aback, for sure, more-so than he could have anticipated.

"Soma, look…don't give me that look," she tried, her voice sounding just as unsure as she looked.

"What look?" he asked, a little more serious than what she was used to. She wasn't fond of seeing him like that. Not aimed at her.

"The disapproval, I get it, I know what he's done," she explained, sounding like she was struggling to find the proper words. "But… he's trying. He's making an effort. This Shokugeki, it isn't personal," she added, and he scoffed, which he immediately regretted, as her eyes sharpened as he did. "Well, it's not. The Nakiri family is more than just… this. We give second chances to people. We allowed Mimasaka to stay. We allowed Eizan to stay, per your request. And we allowed you to return too."

"Allowed?" Soma couldn't help but shoot back, in his mind remembering things quite a bit differently. "Weren't you the one who told me to make them regret ever kicking me out? That's what we did. Together. Or did you forget?"

"Soma, enough," Erina spoke up a bit. "I get it. You're not in the wrong here. I… I would do the same, if it were for you. But… he's still my father. And if he wants to fix things, I want to allow him the opportunity too. Wouldn't you-?"

"He could hurt you ag-" Soma tried to cut in, but then he heard her finish her question.

"-give anything to be with your mom again?"

The way his eyes darted open caused her to bite her tongue a bit, as the boy seemed outright caught off-guard by her comparison, and she didn't know whether it had worked to set her point across or if she should take it back and rephrase. She didn't know what to say after that, and the look in his eyes made it all that more difficult. She couldn't quite understand it. Then he spoke.

"…Yeah, I would," he agreed, but it sounded the total opposite of comprehension.

"Right, so…" she tried, but despite them coming to an agreement, it all felt off. She couldn't quite understand why.

"You enjoy your meal Nakiri," he spoke softly, before he gave her a small bow and turned away, beginning to walk right out of the restaurant. She felt slapped.

"Soma, wait!" she called out, practically sprinting after him, causing everyone to even further turn their attentions to the two, especially the Nakamura family. "Did you-? Why did… Nakiri? Did you…?"

"…I," Soma paused, turning to her. He seemed like he wanted to say something, but he thought otherwise. Instead, "Enjoy your meal, Erina," he corrected. "And text me when you get home. It's late, alright," he told her with a smile, and she felt a bit more at ease, but not as much as she thought she would.

She nodded, told him that she would, and that he should as well when he got back to his dorm. He nodded, smiled some more, and left. She was left perplexed, mad at both him and herself, and not knowing if either feeling was merited. Then, spacing out, she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders, and as she turned, she saw her father gently holding her.

"As much as I want to," the man admitted, "I can't really fault him for not being to accepting of our relationship. He is aware I have hurt you, and just like I have to prove to you that I have changed, I also have to prove it to him it seems, being as how he is your boyfriend and all that."

"Father, I…" Erina tried. "I think I should leave. Maybe talk to him a bit more-"

"I think he needs space," Azami advised. "Boys, much like men, have a harder time expressing their feelings. Or at least, most of them do. Let him come to you, when he's ready. You did nothing wrong, and neither did he. So there's nothing to fix. Making big deals out of small disagreements is what leads to what happened between your mother and me."

"You think?" she asked, her eyes wide as she stared up at him, just like all those years ago.

"I know," he corrected, bending down and lightly kissing her on top of her head. She let out a soft giggle, and decided that perhaps her father was right. After all, Soma had done nothing wrong, and neither had she, so there was nothing to worry about. "Come on," Azami added, "Let's eat. What will you all be ordering."

"I… think we should go," Alice replied, feeling a tension so thick around them that it made it hard to breathe. "Thank you… Uncle, for the invite, but it's late. Ryou and I are expected back, like, three hours ago. And we kinda need to give Soma a lift, since it seems Erina won't."

"What?" Erina asked, motioning to Alice who tried her best not to face palm.

"As you wish," Azami replied, nodding to his niece before he took a few steps and sat right back down, picking up the menu as he did. Asahi, bemused as all hell, simply went back to the menu as well, wanting to guess which item was the most expensive so he could order three of them. Alice and Ryou merely excused themselves and walked away, but the former was briefly stalled by Erina, who approached her.

"Alice, what did you mean by that?" she whispered, and Alice just gave her a look she couldn't quite decipher. Much too soft an expression to characteristically be of Alice.

"…Be careful, Erina," Alice simply warned, but her tone was as soft as could be.

"I can take care of myself," Erina responded. "You all don't have to worry so much."

"That's not what I mean," Alice replied, and as neither Nakiri wanted to add anything else, Alice and Ryou left soon after, right after Soma, hoping to find him somewhere nearby.

Erina stared for a moment, before she heard her father call out to her. She paused for the briefest of moments, wondering if she should just excuse herself and go after Alice. After Soma. But… Family always comes first, no? So she sat back down, and stayed with her family.

-0-

Nene awoke to a flurry of texts, as she motioned to her nightstand to try and grab her ringing phone. It… wasn't quite there. Not just her phone, she noticed, but her whole nightstand. What was usually just within her reach, was somehow replaced by a set of very firm pillows. Extremely so. She moved her hands briefly, wondering when she had ever gotten hold of such hard sleep equipment, but they did smell terrific, so it must have been a smart purchase. But when…?

"That tickles."

Nene's eyes shot open widely, as her new "pillows" spoke up, and as she did, she realized that the reason she couldn't quite reach her nightstand was because (a) she wasn't in her room, (b) she was at Isshiki's room, and (c) it wasn't pillows she was feeling up just now. Even without her glasses on, she could quite clearly see the smug look on his face, and she doesn't quite believe she had ever blushed as brightly as she was blushing now.

"S-Satoshi?!" she blurted out, trembling, as she hopped back hitting herself again the wall. "I-I-What am I-we doing?!"

"Sleeping, last I checked," the half-naked boy replied, and Nene thanked the Lord it was the top-half that was naked, as she would have died right then and there if it was the opposite. "We sort of stayed awake for a while last night, and kind of just dozed off."

She remembers now. "Stayed awake" is a very kid-friendly way to say that they had made-out all night long. She couldn't quite believe it. Believe herself for it. Her. Nene Kinokuni. She had always liked Satoshi, and probably hated him in equal measure. But this? Oh boy, this was new.

"You okay there?" the boy asked, as if he wasn't just waking up with a childhood friend in his bed after tongue wrestling the night before.

"You do this often?" she blurted out, accusingly, despite not wanting to. 'Perfect. Way to go Nene,' she reprimanded herself. 'Last night you seemed desperate, now you switch it up to insecure. And you wonder why no one will date you.'

"Sleep? Every night," Isshiki replied nonchalantly. "Well, most nights. Insomnia hits me every now and again."

"That's not what I meant, and-you know what? Forget it," Nene quickly exclaimed, pushing herself off the covers and off the bed, landing right up, as she crossed her arms against her chest. "Last night… happened. Nothing we can do about it. So, as mature seniors, we should, you know…"

She had no idea how to even complete that statement. Isshiki merely smiled. The boy stood up as well, and Nene had to avert her eyes because the shorts her wore did wonders for him. He moved in closer, and she was forgetting how to breathe.

"I meant every word," he assured her, as he placed his non-injured hand on her cheek. "And every action," he added, and she felt faint. "But, it's still your call. It will always be your call. We can pretend nothing happened, if you wish. Or, we can be more, which I'm inclined to favor."

"I-I…" she tried again, but words kept on failing her. He moved in gently, to offer the blushing girl a kiss, and as she fought against herself whether or not to accept it, her nerves won out and she turned her face slightly, allowing the boy to softly kiss her cheek, which still caused her to blush like the schoolgirl she was. "…I'll keep you posted," she ended up responding, and he let out a soft laugh. "…How's your hand."

"Marvelous!" he replied.

She frowned, motioning her own hands and gently grabbing his. She turned it around, noticing how the burn mark seemed to have settled. Probably still plenty painful, but it could now at least begin the recovery process.

"It's probably going to leave a mark," Isshiki noted. "There goes my modelling career."

"Idiot," she voiced with a laugh, as she lingered in his hand for a moment before she let go. She then looked up at the boy she knew since childhood and smiled. "I'll come see you later. Tend to the injury, I'll bring you something to eat too."

He looked positively puzzled at this, but she refused to think much of it, and soon enough, she left his room, closing the door and pressing her back against the door. And she could no longer contain herself. She inwardly squealed and hopped in place, smiling from ear to ear. She couldn't quite decipher her own feelings, but she felt so happy she couldn't quite deny it. Then, deciding it best to return to her own dorm, she turned…

…only to be met by the sight of a very confused Madoka, a very embarrassed Ryoko and a very, very thrilled Yuuki.

"Girls!" Nene squealed out. "I-I was just checking in on him. You know, since we're classmates and all… that…"

"Yeah, sure," Yuuki replied with the biggest shit-eating grin Nene had ever seen. She felt like smacking the girl, or rather, like letting the ground swallow her up right then and there. "I also do a little dance after I leave a boy's dorm room first thing in the morning. Don't you do that too Ryoko?"

"Yeah, usually," Ryoko played along, a smug look on her face. "Especially when it's a childhood friend of mine who is usually against the usage of clothing. Mere professional courtesy through and through."

"Screw you both!" Nene shot back, still embarrassed beyond belief. "Get your mind out of the gutter, not all of us are going through that boy-crazy phase you two seem to always be on!"

Both Yuuki and Ryoko laughed, which irked Nene more. She, for once, actually agreed somewhat with Etsuya. This place was insanely annoying.

"…Erm, not to tease you Nene," Madoka spoke up, softly, as unlike the other two, she wasn't as outspoken. "But you should wear a scarf or something today. He did leave quite the hickey on you."

Yuuki and Ryoko's laughter erupted even harder at this, as Nene quickly moved her hand to her neck, as her face became as red as a stop light. She was never going to hear the end of this.

-0-

On the other side of the Tootsuki campus, another Polar Star woke up, but unlike Nene, she felt utterly sick. Megumi tried to sit up, but her head had other plans, as did her stomach, and she ended up just staring into a ceiling she did not recognize, as her mind tried her best to recall what had even happened.

'We went to the resort, right?' she asked herself, her eyes struggling to keep themselves open. 'I didn't dream that, did I? Erina wanted to check someone out… No, wait, that sounds wrong. She wanted to make sure Asahi was her… brother, was it? So we went, and they had a party, and I played ping pong… I won, I think. Then, I fell asleep? I dreamt I was trying to kiss Akira, for some reason. Like, what's up with that me? Aiming a little high there, huh?'

She tried to get up again, struggling against herself, and managing it somewhat. Her head was still spinning a bit, and she felt like gravity had increased tenfold, but she pushed on, and managed to get back on her feet.

Then she realized that she wasn't in her room. Her eyes went wide, and her skin went pale.

'Where am I?!'

She looked around. She didn't recognize a thing! Not the bed, not the desk, not the closet, not even… her clothes!

'What am I wearing?!' she inwardly squealed, her face burning. 'This shirt isn't mine, it's a bit too big! And-and where is my skirt! I'm not wearing any-'

She couldn't even finish that inward statement, as she felt lightheaded again, and stammered around, before she held herself up against the nearby desk and accidentally toppled some stuff over. She squealed again, trying to keep it from falling and only ended up falling herself, smacking her butt on the floor and landing with the most confused and scared expression imaginable. 'What happened last night?!'

Then the door opened up, and the petite girl wearing only a shirt and panties cried out, covering herself with her arms as best she could, thinking that this could be one of those scenarios that her mother had long ago warned her against. What had she done?!

"Whoa, hey, you okay there?" called out a familiar voice, which instantly calmed Megumi a bit, as it slowly hit her what had probably happened. She looked up, and even if the room was dark, she could somewhat make the older woman out.

"Miss Shiomi!" Megumi called out, relieved beyond belief. "Oh, I'm so happy to see you. I thought-I thought I had…" she paused, 'Wait…'

If Jun Shiomi was there, it meant she had been the one to care for her. If she had taken care of her, it meant she had gone back to Akira's dorm. If she had done that, then it meant she had been driven back alongside Akira. If that had happened, then her "dream" had not really been a…

"…Can you point me to the nearest, highest window?" Megumi asked with a smile, and Jun had no idea how to respond to that. She gave the girl a perplexed look, as Megumi was contemplating smacking herself again the desk hard enough to cause her some level of amnesia.

"Are you still a little out there?" Jun asked, bending down to be at eye level with the girl, turning her head a bit and examining her.

"I wish," Megumi replied earnestly. "I-I'm so terribly sorry! I have no idea what happened! I-I assure you, I'm not-I never-"

"Sweetie, relax," Jun quickly cut in, patting the girl softly on the head. Megumi murmured a soft "owie" as she did, which made Jun stop. Right, hung-over, no touchy. "Akira told me everything. It wasn't your fault. It's Sunday, so no classes today, so you can rest and get better. I already called Mrs. Fumio, and told her you'll be here for a bit. Also called Gin and told him what happened. We both very much doubt we can find who was responsible, but he'll make sure it doesn't happen again. So, relax, you're not in trouble."

"That's what you think," a sobbing Megumi added, covering her face with her knees. "I did embarrassing stuff!"

"That's…" Jun said, smiling, "Part of growing up. Don't beat yourself over it. It happens to us all."

"I need to apologize to Akira," Megumi voiced, slowly standing right back up, even if her gaze remained downcast. "I can't believe I threw up on him… Oh, ah! I could die! But, I need to tell him I'm sorry and beg him to forgive me! I need to go, where is he?"

"Oh, he's at the kitchen, preparing breakfast," Jun replied, signaling towards the kitchen, but as Megumi nodded and proceeded to move, she added, "Although, word of advice, you should put some pants on. Don't think what you did merits that big an apology, you know?"

Megumi squealed something unintelligible and rushed back onto the bed, as Jun offered the girl a smile and told her to stay put, as he clothes should be dry by now and that she would get her ready shortly.

After Megumi was prim and proper again, she slowly exited the room lent to her, stepping right out and slowly reaching the kitchen. Just as Jun had said, Akira was indeed there, cooking, not that she needed to look to notice. Ever since she stepped out of the room, that trademark fragrance of his dishes had hit her hard, and surprisingly, had not made her queasy.

"Good morning Megumi," Akira greeted, without even turning to face her. She had been too busy working up the nerve to talk that he had long noticed her just standing there, spacing out. "Making you something light, since I know your stomach must be a little sensitive right now."

"It's for me?" she asked, outright taken aback, as she shook her head to hide another blush. She needed to focus. "A-Akira, listen, I'm… words can't describe how I-"

"You don't have to apologize for anything," he countered, turning to face her, his expression softer than she had ever seen it. "You're the one person in the sea of these idiots that I will always care for. I've got your back, so don't worry. It wasn't your fault anyways."

"But I threw-up on you," Megumi cried out, whimpering. "I can't imagine how disgusted you must have been!"

"I've lived in the streets," he replied. "I've been flung worse stuff. Granted, you're the first to actually aim properly."

"Akira!"

"I'm just messing with you," he said with a small laugh, as he pulled the skillet from the stove and motioned to the blue-haired girl to take a seat. "Breakfast is ready, so take a seat."

"I possibly couldn't," she quickly tried. "I can't abuse of your hospitality. I should just go-"

"Friends help friends," Akira simply stated, and she felt like she couldn't really argue that. "For all the faults Yukihira has, I will forever be grateful he helped you remain in this place. I'm sure he is too, since you ended up helping him return, so it came back full circle. Still… I'm grateful for you, period, I suppose."

"I…" she trailed off, blushing, but sitting down nonetheless. Did the part she tried to kiss him also happen, or was that part of the alcohol-fueled fever dream? "…Thank you."

"Anytime," Akira replied, taking a seat opposite her, another plate before him.

She took a small bite, and of course it tasted heavenly. It made her already weak knees weaker, and she couldn't quite hide the goose bumps it gave her. But, more importantly, it felt soft on her stomach, somehow.

"How is it?"

"Why even ask?" she asked earnestly. "Of course it's amazing."

"Because comfort foods are your forte," he replied, "It's like trying to offer soba to Kinokuni, or trying to out-gross Yukihira. Some things are difficult to do."

"You still think I'm that great at this?"

"I think you're great at many things," Akira shot back, taking a bite himself and pausing briefly. "And I don't simply see potential in you. I know you're already there. You just need to steel yourself, and hurry up and take one of these seats for yourself. You know that, right?"

"So I did say that part out loud, huh?" Megumi muttered, suddenly depressed.

"Uh… yeah, b-but I agree with you," Akira tried, waving his arm a bit, suddenly a bit nervous.

"Akira," she called out, and he paused, as for the first time since she sat down she looked straight at him. "…About, that other stuff I said, or rather, did. Or, tried to do, anyways. I-I really want you to know, that I'm not-like-you know, that… And, wow-this is hard, I… I'm," she paused, pressing her hands together like Soma had taught her, trying to mentally slap them. It wasn't working.

"Megumi," he interrupted her attempts, and she "eeked" or something to that extent, as she turned back to him. "…I'd be honored if you thought of me in that way."

"I…" she tried yet again, yet still failed to put thoughts into words. 'That's what it sounds like when someone is let down gently, right? I mean, I can't expect him to want to be with me after that display… Wait! What am I even thinking?! Did I want him to ask me out?! What's wrong with you Megumi Tadokoro?! Get your head out of the clouds! Just take the "L" and try to salvage the friendship, otherwise it will be weird and awkward and I'll forever be known-'

"And I do like you, in that way," Akira concluded, after a brief pause.

"…Eh?!" Megumi said.

"…Eh?!" Jun said, coming into the area, before she flipped around and left. "Whoops, left something behind, gotta go look for it!"

"Jun," Akira called out, but she pretended not to hear him, and the boy simply muttered something embarrassingly. He then turned to Megumi, who was just staring, wide eyed, having apparently stopped functioning. He… wasn't sure if he had even gotten the message across properly. He was going to try a different approach, when his phone vibrated multiple times, signaling an influx of messages. He paused, taking it out of his pocket, before taking a look. His eyes shot wide open. "What the…? They can't be serious!"

"…Uh, what?" Megumi asked, forcing herself back to Earth, because Akira's tone sounded serious. "I-Is something wrong?"

"Just got a surge of texts from Kinokuni," Akira replied, his eyes scanning the screenshots sent to him, and likely, to the other Elite Ten students. "After she got eliminated and we barely won yesterday, seems like it got several Third Years riffled up. Looks like they got together and requested Shokugekis against the other schools. It's being processed, as they need a member of the WGO to sign off on it, but if it is approved, those match-ups will be slated for Monday, or tomorrow, I guess."

"Wait," Megumi said, realizing, "That means, if they lose…"

"…They'll be expelled," Akira finished.

-0-

The news that the competitors were being actively challenged by the Third Years spread like wildfire throughout Tootsuki. Notion that the students that had survived within Tootsuki the longest had decided to take matters into their own hands was quite the surprise for many, as most Second Years and below had contended themselves into thinking that they would leave everything to the Elite Ten. So had the Third Years, it seemed, but after the disastrous first showing the Elite Ten had, that seemed to no longer be the safest bet.

Because of this circumstance, come Monday, everyone was waiting for the arrival of the competitors. The WGO had quickly approved the match-ups, designating the locations and times of each duel, all set for this day, all given one hour for the Shokugeki to take place. The competitors were allowed entrance to Tootsuki earlier than usual, and soon enough, all those students that had been in class when they had arrived scattered throughout in hopes of finding out where these invading students were going to go. But, as luck would have it, the ones that ended up bumping into these students turned out to be the ones not actually looking out for them.

The encounter occurred roughly ten minutes after the bus had arrived, at the Don RS headquarters, of sorts, where the current leader and one half of its members, Kanachi Konishi, was pretending to be studying (when, in reality, he was just wasting time), when the door was opened and a few unannounced guests walked in. Kanachi, thinking it was going to be aspiring new members, quickly bounced and went to greet them.

"Welcome to the Don RS! I see that our reputation of having one of our members become an Elite Ten has given you the curiosity to…" he paused, mid-sentence as he saw that the three visitors wore very different uniforms to those of Tootsuki Academy. Two young men and a little girl, Kanachi assumed, belonging to the school located in Nigeria, Africa. The Akintola siblings, or well, three of them anyways.

"The hell? Is this supposed to be the club? Where's everyone?" asked Keelan brashly, which made Kanachi squirm a bit at the question.

"Oh… well, you see, we strive for quality as opposed to-"

"Don't give me that crap man," Keelan cut in, stepping up closer and positioning himself right into Kanachi's trembling face. "We were told we were challenged by the leader of a very "prestigious" club in this place. It can't be this shitty little place, right? Back at Akintola this little club would have been cancelled ages ago."

"I tried that actually," cut in a voice from the back of the clubroom, as the three visitors (and a very relieved Kanachi) turned to see an approaching Ikumi Mito, large cleaver in hand and her sweat-stained form making it clear she had been hard at work. "Place is actually worth more than what a first glance can infer. Not him though," she added, pointing at Kanachi with the cleaver, "He's something of a wimp, really."

"So cruel Ikumi…" Kanachi replied with tears forming. She did not care.

"Hot damn," Keelan quickly voiced, moving past Kanachi, who he may or may not have accidentally shoved aside, and stepped right up to a stern looking Ikumi. "I didn't expect to find such a gem in such a place. My bad, I see that if you're part of this place, then it definitely needs to remain open. Are you, perhaps, my surprise opponent? But why is a girl like you wasting your time with a loser like that? Akintola would be more than happy to accommodate a transfer."

"You couldn't even manage half that statement without staring at my cleavage, huh?" Ikumi returned, crossing her arms and glaring at him. "If that's how you measure quality back at your place, then sorry, that's not something I'm interested in. And sorry to inform you, but I haven't challenged anyone… yet."

"You're the one wearing a bikini," Keelan retorted, which caused Ikumi's glare to sharpen. "And I'm the bad guy for looking at what you're clearly-shit!"

To Ikumi's surprise, Keelan was stabbed on the rear by a knife of some sort, causing the black-haired boy to squirm and jump back, clearly ready to punch the offender, but, despite Ikumi having been moments from punching him across the room, it wasn't her. It wasn't Kanachi for that matter, who was standing a bit further away.

"That's disrespectful Keelan," came a soft voice, from the littlest of the Akintola siblings. Aisha gave Keelan a cold stare, which to Ikumi's surprise, caused the elder brother to shut up and shrug. Then Aisha turned to Ikumi, a big bright smile in place. "Sorry about that! He's severely stressed, but that's still not an excuse. We have a mom, so we should treat girls how we would want her to be treated. Please don't think we're all like that."

"O-Oh, that's fine sweetie," Ikumi replied, still shocked but finding it hard not to simply want to squeeze Aisha's cheeks given how precious Aisha looked. Short black hair that reached down to the nape of the neck, with dark red streaks that the brothers all had to different extents, and a skin that was darker than Ikumi's own, clearly a mark of the heritage they all shared.

But still, Aisha's apology didn't sit well with Ikumi. In her eyes, the little sister did not need to make excuses for a pathetic big brother.

"What's your name sweetie?" Ikumi asked, bending down a bit to meet Aisha at eye-level. The younger chef looked at her with a smile, fidgeting a little bit in the short skirt the uniform provided, before answering with a cheerful "Aisha!" to which Ikumi added, "Well then, Aisha, it's not a young lady's job to apologize for your brother's jerk-like behavior."

"But I'm a boy!" Aisha stated matter-of-factly, smile still in place, as Ikumi paused and cocked her head to the side. She gave the boy a good long look, from head to toe, and she was unsure if she had offended him or not. "Don't look so worried," Aisha added, still with a smile, "I know how I'm dressed. I just like our girl's school uniform a lot more than the male one. But I'm very much a boy, hence why I said, we're not all like that."

"Trying to be a white knight won't get ya anywhere kid," Keelan retorted, as he moved right next to his little brother. "Once you get older, you'll see that this lovely lady and I were just being friendly to one another. Besides, it's awfully kind of me to offer her a spot on our Academy, given as to how this one is soon going to be closing."

"…Is that a fact?" Ikumi shot back, eyes narrowed, hand firm on the cleaver's handle.

"Why don't you try and prove me wrong?" Keelan offered, flashing Ikumi a very sharp grin. "You lot are allowed to challenge us when we're not actively competing. One challenge per day if I heard it right. So come tomorrow, I'll be free for another match-up. You can risk you expulsion on the account of eliminating me from the challenge. Care to try it?"

"I-Ikumi, I don't think we should…" Kanachi tried, but this was not a scenario he was prepared for. Dakarai just stared, knowing how hard it was to reel his brother back once he was activated.

"You're pushing it…" Aisha warned, even if his childlike voice did not match the threatening tone he was trying to achieve. He then turned to Ikumi. "Just ignore him. I'll get him off your hair."

"I'm still surprised the one of you three that actually only reaches up to my chest is the only one looking me firmly in the eyes," Ikumi said with a scoff, as Keelan, Dakarai and even Kanachi flinched a bit. "But I won't allow you to disrespect Tootsuki. Milady's academy is not something you can trample over so carelessly. You want a challenge, then I'm-"

"No need."

A sudden sharp voice cut through the conversation, and without any of them noticing, the eldest brother had walked into the room, and before Keelan could even react, Hakeem already had him by the collar of his shirt. "H-Hakeem!?"

"I was vividly clear when I said we are here representing our late-grandmother's academy. I will not tolerate you making a mockery of this," the ever imposing young man warned, and for all his bravado, Keelan could only nod. Hakeem then turned to a very surprised Ikumi. "I apologize for his attitude Miss. It will not happen again. We mean Tootsuki no disrespect. If you wish to offer a proper complaint to the WGO, I am willing to testify on your behalf."

"Are you insane?!" Keelan blurted out, only to receive another glare from Hakeem, causing him to shut up again.

"…I-I would have, honestly," Ikumi admitted, still marveling at just how damn built Hakeem was. The uniform did little to hide just how utterly toned his body was, and despite herself, it was a little distracting. 'Don't be a hypocrite, look him in the eyes…' she told herself, before saying: "But you'll have to thank Aisha. His apology is more than enough. So it's good."

"You were handling this?" Hakeem asked the littlest brother, who gave him a nod and a smile.

"He was being very mean to… to… I never got your name Miss," Aisha said, as he turned to Ikumi.

"Ikumi Mito," she replied, and Aisha smiled a bit more.

"And I'm Kanachi!" said the often ignored leader of the club. Only Aisha turned to face him upon his introduction.

"I like your hair!" Aisha cheerfully said.

"And you're already my favorite challenger!" Kanachi cheerfully replied.

"Again, I apologize for everything," Hakeem said as he finally let go of his brother's collar and pushed him towards the exit. Ikumi said nothing, trying her best to act otherwise, but feeling that had Hakeem not arrived, she was not entirely sure she would have won a match against Keelan. Or any of them for that matter. The air they gave off was something similar to staring down someone like Eishi or Tosuke. "We're in the wrong spot regardless. I asked around, I know where to go, so let's move," he told his brothers, before he paused and turned to Ikumi and Kanachi. "Please look forwards to our upcoming matches."

With those words spoken, the four brothers left the Don RS, leaving a very worried Ikumi and a very compliment-happy Kanachi. Ikumi, for her part, had heard a bit about that open challenge, but seeing these guys up close, could anyone out of the Elite Ten really hope to defeat any of them. And, as much as she knew she shouldn't, part of her didn't want the little one to get eliminated. She shook her head. That little guy could theoretically get her expelled, so it shouldn't matter. She then turned to her "leader", the goofy expression still in place.

"This Third Year challenge thing," she voiced, and he seemed a bit surprised by her sudden question, "What's it about? What are they planning?"

"I actually got approached too," Kanachi admitted, his expression darkening a bit, "I was told if I wanted to join in. As much as I argue against it, I know they just wanted me as fodder. They know, deep down, that some of them will lose. They just want to make a show of force. They can't fathom how we might end up relying on just our juniors, so they made a call to arms, and many of my classmates signed up."

"Is that in any way smart?!" Ikumi blurted out, her eyes sharpening at the thought.

"Smart? No way," Kanachi answered honestly. "It's outright career suicide."

-0-

Excluding the four challengers of Cocina Real, who had been eliminated the Saturday prior, all twenty-nine remaining challengers from the six remaining schools were openly challenged that day, and thanks to the unexpectedness of it all, the WGO had to bend itself into a pretzel to be able to accommodate for all the matches and ensure that a member of their company was present in each, individual Shokugeki. All matches took place right after noon, at one o'clock sharp. One hour for each match, with the theme and ingredients being chosen on the spot. No need for an announcer, as Urara was sad to learn, and the audience was kept to a minimum. Still, most of the Tootsuki alumni killed for a chance to see one of the match-ups, which could very well define not just their school's future, but their very own careers from henceforth.

Then the matches begun, and with the limited audience permitted, all eyes fell on the competitors, and whether or not those students that had survived over two years within these walls had enough skill to bring down a few of the competitors that challenged the very foundation they polished their skills on.

All across Tootsuki Academy, these exchanges were taking place:

"You sure you wanna do this?" little Aisha Akintola gently warned his opponent, one of the twenty-nine Third Years that had challenged them, still with his trademark little smile. "You might think it's lucky for you that you got paired up with the youngest of us all, but I am here for a reason you know?"

"So you're the loser I got as an opponent," the ever brash Keelan Akintola voiced, as his opponent gave him quite the glare, which only served to fire the Nigerian more. "That's it, show me that anger. First I'll pound you to the ground, then I'll find Alice Nakiri's guard dog and crush him too!"

"Haven't I seen you somewhere before?" the quietest of the siblings, Dakarai Akintola, voiced, wondering why his opponent seemed somewhat familiar. He shook his head, it wasn't important. "No matter. Still a poor choice. Then again, this school gets shut down in two days, so might as well go out with a bang, huh?"

The eldest brother, Hakeem Akintola, just stood in the kitchen, as his opponent visibly stiffened at the sight of him. He… wasn't quite the opponent he had hoped for. Hakeem merely gave the WGO judge a nod before he addressed his opponent for the first and last time during the entire match. "Hope you've made your peace, friend."

"Oh my! You should all have just known your place from the start!" Italy's finest, Lucrezia Russo, told her opponent with a knowing smirk. "Should have just kept hidden and waited for the Elite Ten to try and save your asses."

"My apologies," the Italian Team's second-in-command, Valentino De Luca, voiced, offering his opponent a short bow. "I find no joy in dismantling a center for education. But this place's sheer blasphemy can no longer be simply ignored."

"Why are you guys so eager to get expelled?" the laidback Marco Giordano asked, and he sounded quite sincere, infuriatingly enough. "You could just wait it out, you know?"

"Hey, look at the bright side," another one of the Italian team, Alessandro Costa, offered, "At least you got me and not my little sister. I mean, I love her tons, but she is ruthless."

"We don't need to talk, do we?" the final member of their team, the younger sister Aurora Costa asked. When her opponent nodded, she just smiled. "Good girl, let's just get to business, shall we?"

"The sheer amount of hubris on this one!" the ever flamboyant and extravagant Gautier Pierre denounced in all his hammy nature, much to the confusion and annoyance of his would-be opponent. "To think that I, the great Gautier Pierre, will lose to an oaf like you. Should have at least offered me a lovely little lady, as I would have at least considered stepping down willingly at the promise of a date. You, on the other hand, will have no such luxury from me."

"Nothing personal," the more professional member of the French team, Camille Le Gall, self-proclaimed babysitter of the group, voiced. "Just know, I didn't ask for this challenge. You did this to yourself."

"I can feel it in my bones how Gautier would be willing to concede defeat to you," Lumiere Dubois told his opponent, knowing firsthand how weak his team leader was with the ladies. "However, you'll have no such sympathies from me. Come, show me what you Third Years are made off."

"You sure this is wise?" another of the French team, the calm-looking Joseph Estel, asked. "Hey, it's your funeral man. I just want the record to show you all challenged us!"

"Oh my, how very scary," the final member of the École des Plats Cuisinés, Kitsch Sionis voiced, his foxlike grin in place, his tone dripping in sarcasm. "Facing off against a Tootsuki Third Year. How utterly frightening."

"Just know, that when you lose, it was this school that failed you," the Russian leader and very intimidating young lady, Ekaterina Antonova, told her opponent, leaving him perplexed, as she said nothing else throughout the match.

"I'm so excited!" the youngest of the Russian competitors voiced with glee, as he offered his would-be opponent a very bright smile. "Nice to meet you, I'm Luka Vetrov. Let the best man win… That's how you say it, right?"

"I do hope you take it easy on me," the ever-coy Sasha Yelchin spoke up, giving her opponent a soft smile and a playful wink. "Such a big guy against little ol' me. How unfair!"

"Come comrade!" the very strict Aleksei Ozerov announced, stomping his foot on the kitchen floor, actually cracking it a bit. "Oh, my apologies. A little too hot headed there. But here's to a match we will not soon forget!"

The last of the Russian team said absolutely nothing. Grigory Kholod simply entered the arena, briefly glanced at his opponent and at the judge, and went to his station. He said nothing, because words weren't needed. If the Elite Ten could not hope to beat them, what could these failures ever accomplish?

"Alright! Let's do this!" the team leader of the British group, the guy with Shonen-protagonist syndrome, Van Autumn, screamed out. He was thrilled, getting the chance to test his skills with the best Tootsuki had to offer. Well, best aside from the Elite Ten, which he would hopefully get a chance to clash with soon enough.

'I can hear my brother screaming from here…' a very embarrassed Bridgette Autumn said to herself, deciding it best to skip any pre-battle banter and just stick to her craft so that she could be done quickly.

"For the sake of Emilia, I will destroy you!" the self-proclaimed "Romeo" from the British team, Benjamin Bracken, declared, much to the utter confusion of his opponent. Who the hell was Emilia anyways?

"Soma and Erina, that's what they're called, right?" Emilia Bailey asked to her confused opponent, since he was not expecting such an inquiry. "It's just, that I've heard that they're the power couple around here. Considering my school's specifications for this events, it just makes me all the more curious. Are they as good as people claim, hey! What's with that look? No, oh no! I'm not ignoring you, sorry…"

"So we're seriously doing this?" Victor Slingby flatly asked. When his opponent confirmed he just sighed. "Fine then. No hard feelings mate, but this is really a poor move."

"You guys really have guts," Timonthy Humphries praised, offering his opponent a soft smile. "You guys are worried about the Elite Ten, and it shows. It's nice. Takes a pair of big ones to stand up for your friends-erm, I mean, you're a girl, sorry, you know what I mean… heh, heh, heh."

As the matches began, four final matches were being set up. Their challengers, the brains behind this operation, got together one final time, fully deciding to make sure to win at all costs. The four, once followers of Etsuya Eizan and participants of the Hiei Showcase, now taking matter into their own hands. Rentaro Kusunoki, Mea Yanai, Rui Kofuru, and Shigemichi Kumai all walked towards the fork in the road that directed each to their designated kitchen.

"Remember what we planned," Rentaro whispered to the other three. "If we keep this fair, we might lose. Serve what was prepared for us. These guys won't be able to challenge that in merely an hour."

"Stop talking," Mea warned. "There are ears everywhere. This is risky as hell as is."

"…Guys," Rui voiced, pausing in her step and pointing forwards. The four stopped, and upon looking, noticed their four would-be opponents in wait, all seated at the fork in the pathways, seated by the benches, eyes meeting theirs.

"The Noirs…" Shigemichi muttered, and the other three felt a bit uneasy. There they were, all clad in their new uniforms, the four that they themselves had challenged.

Asahi Nakamura.

Dove Dillinger.

Julius Bedlam.

Ashitaro Sadatsuka.

"Hey!" Asahi called out, "Here I was thinking you four would chicken out! Good on you. So which one of you is Mea?"

"That would be me," Mea stepped forwards, a sly smile on her face. "You must be Asahi. Out of you four, you're the one I've least heard off. Hope you don't disappoint."

"Wouldn't be the first girl I've disappointed," Asahi replied, then paused, "Wait, let me try that again. That came way off-Stop laughing Dove!"

"That was such a Freudian slip it's making my tummy actually hurt from all the laughter!" Dove spoke up between fits of laughter, before she wiped away her tears and turned to the other group. "Sorry about that. So… which one of you is Rentaro?"

"That'd be me sweetheart," Rentaro replied, taking a good, long look at the girl. "You guys sure we can't bet other stuff aside from getting them out of the competition."

"Keep it in your pants Rentaro," Mea warned, eyes narrowed.

"Don't listen to her," Dove cut in with a smirk and a wink, "We can have as much fun as you want!"

"Thrilling," Rui voiced in deadpan, as she gave the group a look. "So… Ashitaro is… that one, I suppose."

"…I can't believe I'm forced to humor this," Ashitaro muttered, as he stood up, brushing off his jacket a bit, since he never wore it properly anyways, always lazily draped against his shoulders like a makeshift cape. "Let's just get on with it. I want to be at my room early today."

"Come on Ashitaro, you'll never meet girls if you act like that," Asahi mused.

"Or dudes for that matter," Dove added. Ashitaro ignored them both.

"And that means that the big guy must be Shigemichi," Julius noted, hands in his pocket, staring the student down. "Good, you look like you can at least put on a decent challenge."

Shigemichi said nothing.

With the challenge set, all eight individuals moved in pairs, towards their four distinct designated areas, all with a clear goal in mind. The four Tootsuki Third Years, unbeknownst to the Noirs, carried with them a secret weapon, one which they hoped would be enough to not only tip the scale in their favor, but also to grant them the greatest of showing before the esteemed judges of the WGO. Soon enough, with their eyes set on their future, the players reached their arena, and the matches begun.

Shigemichi quickly took out the prep, and hiding it masterfully, took out the pre-prepared ingredient that he was going to base his dish on. Something that had been previously set up, a dish that no one could equal in merely an hour. He inwardly smirked, as he began his process. Once ten minutes had passed, he had enough cut ingredients to really begin, but then…

…Julius offered the judge, one of the WGO selected members, his fully prepared dish. Shigemichi's eyes opened wide. He turned to the timer, it wasn't lying. Only ten minutes had passed. He turned back, at the dish Julius was offered, and it looked… amazing. Fully prepped, beautiful to look at, and as soon as the judge took a bite, Shigemichi saw as the man seem to melt at the taste.

"T-This… This isn't…" the judge offered weakly, trying his best to keep himself from gulping it all down. "This isn't at the level of any student, Tootsuki or otherwise! What even is this! I've never…"

"Just one of the many dishes I've prepared for the Eizan family over the years," Julius replied stoically, as he turned towards a still shaking Shigemichi. "Something wrong, friend?"

"…There's no conceivable way you made that in just ten minutes," the taller boy voiced, as he stepped right up to Julius, who merely smirked. He took a piece of his dish, and offered it to Shigemichi, who after a pause, took a bite.

Shigemichi's eyes immediately began to water, as a nostalgic taste hit his very being. "H-How?! T-This… This is the meal my father would always make! Before he got sick! How could you possibly make this?!"

"Just a mere coincidence, I suppose," Julius offhandedly remarked, his hands on his back, his polite smile still present. "It would be insane to imagine I'd study up on you moments before our matchup, and have enough power and connections to get intel on you on merely our walk over here. Absurd, don't you think?"

Shigemichi froze, his eyes wide, his body shaking. He bit down on his tongue, to try and function. He had to be bluffing, there was just no way. But no matter how much Shigemichi tried, he couldn't get himself to function; couldn't get his hands to stop shaking. One wrong move, and he accidentally slice part of his thumb cleanly in two. As blood dripped onto the floor, and a medic approached, Shigemichi just gave up, with Julius no longer even in the arena.

Winner: Julius "The Godfather" Bedlam.

On another end, Rui was in the process of getting her dish prepared. She had not seen Ashitaro do much, expect prepare some sauces or something, so she felt at ease. She just needed to-

-then it hit her. The man had opened his saucepan, and a sudden, repulsive smell invaded her nostrils and threatened her very being. It was unbearable, and as she turned, she could see it was coming from Ashitaro's dish. What was he even boiling in there, a corpse? She tried, tried to focus on her dish, but the smell got stronger and stronger, until…

…she threw up. All over her dish.

The small crowd could be heard gasping, all utterly taken aback. The judge, despite feeling like she was about to faint, did her best to approach the girl and check up on her. Rui just cried, knowing she had messed up, knowing she'd had just gotten herself expelled.

"All that effort," Ashitaro could be heard saying, at the still crying Rui. "And you're just like the rest of them. Get out of my sight, and don't waste my time anymore. Tootsuki Academy will be shut down, one way or the other."

Winner: Ashitaro "Warlock Supreme" Sadatsuka.

Elsewhere, Mea had most of her stuff prepped, so she just needed to focus on the main dish. Just sixty minutes, and she would end up with one of the greatest Noirs as just another notch on her belt. She smiled, turning to face the young man before her. It was a shame, she noted. He was good-looking, might make for a fine boy-toy, but unfortunately, she needed to utterly break him. Then she saw him…

…he wasn't even in his place!

"What the hell?!" Mea blurted out, searching for her opponent all over the arena until she saw him next to the judge. The judge seemed confused, but he nodded regardless, and Asahi smiled. Then he signaled to the crowd, and after some confusion, down came a little girl. Mea was utterly perplexed, as Asahi then proceeded to walk back onto his side with the little girl in tow. "What are you even doing?"

"Oh, playing fair," he answered as if it were the most obvious thing. "I would never dream of going all out against such a lovely lady, so, I'm offering you a handicap."

"Handicap?!" Mea shot back, her anger evident. "What the hell are you saying? You asking help from-"

"Hey now, language," Asahi voiced, his finger over his lips. "We have a child present, so let's keep that Tootsuki charm in place, shall we," he told her, then bent down, next to the young girl. "And what's your name sweetheart?"

"…I-I'm Akari Miyano," she softly replied, a bit embarrassed.

"Nice to meet you Akari," Asahi greeted, "I'm Asahi. Are you a student here?"

"Oh, no."

"And why are you here?" he asked, "Visiting?"

"My daddy works… he, well, he has his own TV show, so he's covering this stuff," she replied as best she could, and Asahi gave the girl a smile and gently tugged on her little cheeks.

"As you can all see," Asahi announced, towards his opponent and the crowd, "Akari here is not a part of Tootsuki nor is she a part of Neo Noir, so she has no stakes in this fight. As such, I will show you all, how even she, without any training whatsoever, can overcome even the best of what this so-called elite school can offer. You ready to kick her butt Akari?"

"But I can't cook," Akari replied with a laugh, wondering if this boy was insane. Had she asked him, he probably wouldn't have denied it.

"Are you mocking me?!" Mea flared.

"It's pretty obvious I am," Asahi flatly stated. He then told Akari what to do, where to move, and what to use. Despite everyone's concerns, Asahi kept his word to the judge, as he made Akari do a dish that did not require her to cut anything or to work with high temperatures. No risk for the little girl.

Mea had no idea how to react. She bit down her tongue, and pressed forwards. If this was his ploy to get her to mess up, he'd have another thing coming. She'd already suffered a humiliating enough defeat at the hands of that Yukihira. She did not need this too. So, even if he saved himself the humiliation and she'd get accused of not holding back against a child, she went all in. A victory was a victory.

And then she lost.

Mea couldn't even keep her expression from showing, as the judge gave the vote to Akari, or rather, Asahi, without barely any consideration. Mea tried to scream, to argue it, but Akari, upon Asahi's suggestion, offered Mea a piece of what she had cooked. Against her better judgment, Mea tried it, and she cried.

It wasn't just better. It was way better. Too much so.

"H-How?" a teary eyed Mea asked, as Asahi merely shrugged.

"You Tootsuki students are merely frogs in a well," the young Noir replied, as he spun around his two trademark knives, unused, and placed them back onto their pouch, effortlessly. "You have no idea how vast the culinary world really is. So, in what is in your best interest, step aside and find another career. You're not fit to be a chef."

Winner: Akari Miyano (AKA: Asahi "King of Noirs" Nakamura).

Lastly, at the final match-up, Rentaro and Dove stared each other down, both smirking, as they took their position. The judge, the not-really-wanting-to-be-there Lanterby Santander gave the two the go ahead, and soon enough, they began to cook.

"Since we both know this isn't personal in anyway," Rentaro voiced, getting his equipment ready, "Why don't we meet up after this? I won't hold it against you if you lose. You're still a ten in my book."

"Careful," Dove warned playfully, as she took out a pair of headphones, "I like to bite."

Then she began to play her music from her playlist, and if Rentaro replied anything, she never heard it. She was lost to her music, and she begun cooking.

"I wonder how the other matches are going?" Lanterby mused, watching the two go at it. Part of her knew that she could be called to judge a match at any point, but she was sure none of the WGO judges expected twenty-nine Shokugekis on the same day. What were they thinking?

"Pardon me," a somewhat familiar voice called out, and Lanterby was surprised to see that it wasn't her boss Mana Nakiri, who she had been expecting, but rather her daughter. Erina paused for a moment, before she added, "Miss Lanterby, I-you wouldn't happen to know where my mother is, would you?"

"Oh?" Lanterby said, somewhat surprised at hearing that. She didn't know much, but she kinda figured Mana didn't have the best relationship with her daughter. Maybe that was changing? "She wanted to be here, actually. Said something about being curious about the Noirs. Maybe she's at one of the others' match-up."

"I've searched everywhere," Erina muttered, as she sighed and decided it best to keep looking, since she had no idea why her mother had a phone if she always kept it off. But then it hit her. A very strong fragrance. Such a mouth-watering scent, and even more-so, one she couldn't quite tell of what it was made from. She stammered, turning to the arena, eyes wide, as she saw Dove basically slow dancing as she cooked, like ballet, engrossing the entire arena with her performance. Even Erina could not look away. "What is she…?"

"She's the one Azami keeps boasting about then," Erina heard her mother speak up, and the blonde heiress turned to find that indeed her mother had walked right next to her. Erina then switched back to Dove, still busy cooking, feeling a pang of jealousy she wasn't quite used to.

"Milady," Lanterby quickly greeted. "They haven't been going at it for long. You came at just the right time."

Mana said nothing, merely nodded, as she, Erina and Lanterby kept on watching. As they did, Erina took out her phone, checking for new messages, but there were none. Soma had last written to her when she had texted him that she had gotten to her house. He merely texted an "I'm glad. Good night Erina", which worried her, but it had been very late, so she assumed he had just gone to sleep straight afterwards. But… nothing more after that. No good morning texts on Sunday, or today for that matter. She didn't know how much she had grown to expect them, and to suddenly find herself without it worried her.

At first she thought nothing of it, just that he was busy or tired. She couldn't expect him to be at her beck and call every time. But now something felt off. So she pushed her pride aside and tried to break the ice herself.

So she wrote: "Hey Soma. Are we okay? You seem distant. If it was something I said, can we talk about it…?

She wasn't sure about how that sounded. Too needy? But, it was honest, and she had promised him no more secret or lies, so she motioned to send it.

But then Dove appeared before the three, a steaming plate in hand, and a bright smile on her pretty face. "Lunch for three, right up!"

"Oh, that looks…" Lanterby tried, but the smell almost seemed to smack her into silence.

Erina felt it too, still unable to decipher it. Her eyes narrowed, a small frown on her lips.

Mana remained stoic, as she motioned to grab a set of chopsticks and take a bit. Lanterby followed suit, and, against her better judgment, so did Erina. All three took a bite…

Erina found herself in a dark abyss. All her senses, stolen. Her sense of smell, of touch, of sight, of hearing, and, more importantly, of taste. She couldn't do anything, just try to scream out, until she felt it. The tender touch. A pair of warm hands press down on her face, pulling her nude body closer, slowly reactivating each and every sense, with a resounding amount of pleasure for each one. Her body quivered, as she bit her lip, and her eyes slowly opened. Only to be met by the sight of a VVitch in chef's clothing, as a smirking Dove pressed her lips onto her own, and met her tongue with hers-

"What the-!" Erina shouted out, unknowingly dropping the plate that Dove had served them, earning herself a very annoyed look from Lanterby, who clearly wanted seconds, but who said nothing because she couldn't quite reprimand the Erina Nakiri.

"That's kinda rude princess," Dove teased, as Erina had to fight the urge to brush her lips with her sleeve thanks to that mental image she had just gotten. She decided to just glare at the older girl, but it was here she noticed that her legs would not stop shaking.

"This…" Mana voiced, having finished her portion. The older woman paused, before she shifted her eyes to her daughter. "Erina. Can you tell me what this dish was made off?"

"Oh, sure, if I have to," Erina begrudgingly replied, as she began, "Her dish was made with the basis being… lamb… no, not lamb, sorry, it's beef but… It's," she paused, her eyes widening, as she slowly came to a realization she never expected to have. Ever.

She couldn't tell what that dish had been made off, at all.

"You can't decipher the ingredients, huh?" her mother asked, turning to Dove. "And you seem pretty pleased about that."

"Oh, I've been training for this," Dove answered with a smile. "Azami did not make the same mistake a third time. For both yourself, and your daughter, I am the solution to your problems. Trained from the ground up as the answer to the God's Tongue. I am Dove Dillinger, don't you forget it."

"Hey! Stop acting like you won!" Rentaro called out, as he placed his plate before the judge and the Nakiri women. Lanterby proceeded to have a taste, then another, and then another. When Rentaro began to smirk at Dove, considering how much she clearly loved his dish, Lanterby asked Mana to try it too, to confirm something for her. Mana did, as did Erina. And Lanterby was right.

After Dove's dish, Rentaro's dish tasted like absolutely nothing. No taste, no texture, despite its magnificent presentation, nothing.

Winner: Dove "The God Slayer" Dillinger.

And, during all the commotion, their laid Erina's text to Soma, unsent.

-0-

The talk of the entire school remained focused on that match-up, which was soon nicknamed "The Undertaking", as even if they still did not have the results, most students had come to figure that at least over half of the seniors had lost and would most likely be sent home later during the day. It was, horrible to think about at least. The Elite Ten, for their part, were caught just as off-guard by it all, and as such, Nene had called for an emergency meeting. They suspected they'd be given the real results during said meeting too, which unnerved them even more.

'How many?' Takumi pondered, sitting alone in the Elite Ten meeting room, the first amongst his peers to arrive. He had finished class early, so he figured why not. 'How many of our seniors did these guys take out?'

The doors slowly opened, as Takumi motioned to take his feet off the table, since he didn't want to get caught doing that, but instead of Nene or Erina, the two most punctual members according to him, Hisako popped her head inside.

"Oh? Takumi?" she voiced, surprised, but she at least didn't sound displeased. "Are you alone in here?"

"Not anymore?" Takumi replied, and Hisako let out a little laugh. "Don't tell me Erina has you running around doing her dirty work."

"I take great pride in that mind you," Hisako countered with a smile. "But, no, I'm actually here on behalf of Nene Kinokuni. She was very specific of me being here early, before the rest of you arrived… not sure if I should have told you that though."

"Why?" Takumi asked, standing up, concerned. "Is something wrong?"

"I'd be lying if I told you," Hisako answered earnestly, stepping into the room and walking to the side, her eyes shifted towards the window. "She sounded worried. I can't blame her. What happened yesterday was unexpected. I still can't believe it."

"…We have to be ready for the worst," Takumi replied, but upon noticing her look of concern quickly added, "But hope for the best. Right?"

"Yeah."

The two remained in silence for a bit, Hisako just waiting and Takumi not knowing how to break the silence, or why he had such a hard time lately speaking to Hisako. He would have thought, that after everything they went through in Hinako Inui's place, they'd be on much closer terms. Maybe he had messed up something along the way. But what? He wanted to just flatly ask her, but the door once again opened, and this time it was both Nene and Erina.

"Let me just show you," Nene told Erina, the two having apparently been speaking for a bit now. "Hisako, thanks for being here, and, oh, Takumi, you're early."

"If that's a problem, I could just-" Takumi offered, signaling to the door.

"No, not at all," Nene quickly cut it. "We may not speak much, but anyone Satoshi trusts, I trust. And for someone like you, who's not in his dorm, for him to be so defensive off, well, again, I trust you."

"…Thanks," Takumi replied, surprised, flattered and confused at the same time. "But… trust, what does that mean?"

"Yeah," Erina said, offering Hisako the best fake smile she could, which she was sure was useless as her best friend would see through her completely and know something was up. "…Why am I here Nene… earlier than stated, I mean."

"Hisako?" Nene asked, turning to the young secretary. Hisako nodded.

"I had to do wonders to be able to contact both Isshiki and Kuga without anyone else noticing, since we don't know who to trust, but they did give me their cooking utensils that went unused in their matches," Hisako explained, carefully placing said equipment on the table before the four. "Alongside yours Nene, this is what we have. I had them examined, and it seems your hunch is correct."

"Hunch?" Erina asked, turning to Nene. The girl with the glasses sighed, as she grabbed one of the knives, holding it to Erina.

"They seem to have been contaminated with some sort of powder-like substance," Nene explained. "Very hard to detect, but by that logic, just enough to make our dishes noticeably off. At such a high level of cooking, something so small could, well…"

"…cause even our First Seat to be eliminated without a single point," Erina concluded, and Nene nodded.

"Someone sabotaged our equipment?" Takumi asked, stepping up and glancing at the tools. "Why aren't we saying something? We can have them kicked off, have this entire thing postponed or outright canceled. They can't do that."

"It's not that easy," Nene replied, "I wish it was, but I really don't think this is any of the other school's doing. And even if I did, I have no proof."

"Who do you think did it?" Erina asked, and Nene looked down, taking a moment to take a breath.

"This…" Nene replied, with an unamused scoff, "…Might be the hardest part to explain."

-0-

The second day of the Intercontinental Shokugeki came by quickly, quicker than anyone could have imagined. The bad news had already spread out, and the ambience felt just as depressing as the students themselves felt. Out of the twenty-nine Shokugekis challenging the opposing schools that had taken place the Monday before, the results spoke a cold, hard truth…

…not a single Tootsuki student had won.

Out of them, twenty-seven of the Tootsuki students had already gotten their notice of being expelled, much to everyone's lament, and the final two were awaiting what was already assumed to be the same, as their battles had been offered up for review, on claims of attempted cheating, by the Tootsuki student, on both cases.

It was hopeless, they all figured, and as such, the Tootsuki alumni in attendance was a far cry of the day one audience, all quiet, murmuring, expecting the worst. That this could very well be the day.

The Elite Ten decided on their start-up for the day, and while promising, it no longer offered the same level of assurance the first day participants did. This next round's Tootsuki team consisted off:

Fifth Seat Akira Hayama.

Sixth Seat Shouko Kaburagi.

Seventh Seat Soma Yukihira.

And Ninth Seat Ryou Kurokiba.

Before the match-up was started, Nene requested Urara a moment with the microphone, and the girl surprisingly agreed without much fuss. Nene then addressed the crowd, as her fellow Elite Ten looked on, all quiet.

"As I'm sure you've all heard by now," Nene began, her tone trying to be as calm as she could muster, trying her best to not draw attention to the scarf she was now sporting, "We suffered a great loss these last few days. Several of our classmates, of my classmates, some who have been here since elementary, have been expelled from this academy. And all, because of me," she admitted, and despite the sheer apathy presented in the crowd, quite a few shouts could be heard telling her she was wrong, that it wasn't her fault. It made her smile. "Thank you, but… it is. I failed, I lost and as such, you all lost faith in me. In us. I let the good name of the Elite Ten be affected greatly. Something that I assure you, my senior, Eishi Tsubasa, would never have allowed… I mean, these challengers would not have it as easy if he… if any of them, were here. But…" she paused, sharpening her look and holding onto the mic tighter. "Do not give up hope on them!"

Upon hearing her shout out, the crowd stammered a bit, their eyes widening.

"I may have lost, and we, the Third Years, might have just barely won, but," she shouted out, with all her might, "I assure you, the Second Years in our team are not to be underestimated! Erina Nakiri is your goddess, is she not?!"

The crowd could be heard applauding a bit more, the light in their eyes coming back at the mention of the princess.

"And we have Akira Hayama, the winner of last year's Autumn Election, you have not forgotten him, have you?" Nene continued, and the crowd could be heard yelling a bit more. "And what about Soma Yukihira, that cocky kid who told you all he'd use each and every one of you as stepping stones, twice even. We already tried to get rid of him once, it didn't stick!"

At this, on the sidelines, waiting alongside Akira and Ryou, Soma could help but smirk at that comment. It didn't help that upon Nene saying that the scattered Polar Stars began to cheer as loud as they could, livening the mood even more.

"Or the genius of Alice Nakiri, our other princess! She can cook stuff with equipment I can't even turn on, much less make those amazing dishes she's known for!" Nene continued, nearly out of breath. This wasn't something she usually did, but she really needed to. "And Ryou Kurokiba, the most frightening student in this entire academy, who almost tied with Akira at the semi-finals. And, last but not least, Takumi Aldini, someone who could in all honestly be on one of those schools, and yet, he's here, with us! We can't sleep on them! We can trust them! And I assure you, Satoshi Isshiki, Terunori Kuga and Shouko Kaburagi will help them in every step of the way! So please, trust in them! Don't challenge these opponents anymore, let them fight! Trust in them, and cheer them on!"

Upon her concluding, totally out of breath and feeling faint, the crowd begun to applaud, and soon enough, all begun to stand up, giving the First Seat a standing ovation, which caused the overworked girl to smile at the sight.

"Pretty decent stuff," Soma noted, turning to his two partners. Ryou scoffed, but Soma could tell the mad dog was likewise as impressed.

"Indeed," Akira agreed. "She's really keeping this team together, now it's time for us to meet up to those expectations of hers. So, come on lackeys, time to cook."

"You never did call us that," Soma joked, as he felt how Ryou got irked.

"Call me that again and I'll throw you into the stove," Ryou warned, headband fully set, as Akira merely joked how much Megumi's impression had been spot on. At this Ryou stammered a bit, but pressed on forwards.

The three boys walked down the entranceway, until a girl waited at the front, just before the arena. Soma paused, as Akira and Ryou continued to walk, with Akira offhandedly saying that they'd meet him there and for him not to take long. Soma just nodded.

Erina looked at him, trying to say something but looking like she couldn't quite manage it.

"Erina," Soma started, knowing he need to get out there. This place did not accept tardiness.

"I know, I know," she said, nodding, as she took a few steps, reaching him. "I just feel there's something off… between us, you know. I don't know if I did something, or…"

"Listen," he began, but he stopped himself. Maybe, he thought to himself, he had been a bit too sensitive that night. He knew she didn't mean it like he heard it. She'd never. So he took a deep breath, and said: "No, you didn't do anything. I'm sorry Erina, I've just had a lot on my mind. And, well, I guess I'm still defensive when it comes to you and your father."

"I know," she replied. "You have every right to be. I've told you too much bad stuff about him."

"It's still the truth Erina," Soma countered. "I know that you want him to be able to fix things, to give him that chance, but… just be careful. I don't want to see you get hurt. Promise me that, alright?"

"Of course," she replied, and shaking her head, she lunged herself at him, hugging him tightly. He paused briefly, before he hugged her back, burying his head onto the nape of her neck, taking in her perfume. "Talk later?"

"Promise."

"…Kick their ass."

"Yes ma'am."

The two lingered on the hug for a while longer, before she let go, and the boy nodded, moving past the girl and towards the stadium, where just like when Akira and Ryou entered, his mere presence caused an eruption of applauses. Erina just looked on, smiling. It was all fixed, she noted. Everything was back to normal between Soma and her… so why…?

Why did she still feel so utterly scared…?

"Alright! Time for the second day of the Intercontinental Shokugeki!" Urara blasted into the mic, as the crowd continued to cheer. "Let's give a warm-Tootsuki-welcome to our challengers! From Nigeria, Africa; the members of the late Ada Akintola's Culinary Academy!"

The screen quickly flashed their names on screen:

Hakeem Akintola

Keelan Akintola

Dakarai Akintola

Aisha Akintola

The crowd, mostly those against Tootsuki, because some things never change, began to quickly cheer, as the four brothers stepped into the arena, all decked out in their uniforms, as even little Aisha was now sporting a boy's attire, much to everyone's surprise. "Oh, he's a boy? How cute!" Urara beamed, before she caught herself praising an enemy, and shook herself. "That aside, let's welcome out dream team, ladies and gentlemen! Our very own Elite Ten members, this time featuring…!"

The screen flashed the name of the four Tootsuki alumni who would participate, as the crowd kept on cheering. Urara smiled at the display, offering Soma a wink when they met eyes, before turning back to the crowd.

"So let's get this things started!" Urara announced, as she signaled to the control room to begin. "Without further ado, let's… Huh?" she paused, as she received a message on her earpiece. "We're missing someone? Oh, yeah… Um. Hey guys," she turned towards the Elite Ten members down at the arena. Akira, Soma and Ryou just stared, all three already knowing what she was going to ask. "Where's Shouko?"

"She said she'd be here shortly," Akira offered, and Soma and Ryou just nodded.

"Ah, I see," Urara replied. "So let's offer our team a little bit more time to…" she trailed off, as she noticed that her microphone was no longer working. She checked on it, pressing the button multiple times, and even smacking it for good measure, but it did not budge. "What in the…?"

"My apologies Urara, but allow me to step in," Azami's voice cut into the feed, as all cameras turned upwards to the VIP area, where the man stood proudly, one foot on the rails. "Our negotiations with Tootsuki have been absolute from the start. Tootsuki is to offer up the exact amount of opponents that the opposing team offers, if at any point they have less members than those on the opposing team, then Tootsuki is therefore eliminated. And… as far as I can tell, you only have three members currently present."

"Is he serious!?" Ryou barked, as Soma narrowed his eyes.

"Of course he is," Soma noted, unsurprised.

Akira said nothing, merely looking to the seats, where Nene and the others sat. The First Seat and the Fifth Seat's eye met ever-so briefly.

"So, what are we to do?" Anne asked, turning her attention to the man way up high. The other judges also looked on, with Decora inwardly smirking at the notion. 'Seems like you will end up getting things your way after all… Then again, when have you not?'

"If our missing participant is not present in this instant, and she has not offered the WGO a valid excuse," Azami explained, hiding his smirk as best he could, "Then Tootsuki Academy is eliminated, and the winning team is therefore Ada Akintola's."

"The hell they are!" Ryou roared at the man.

"What the heck?!" Soma added, his fist clenched.

The entire crowd began to murmur, until the murmurs became shouts, and the shouting intensified. Soon enough, there was an uproar, and despite this all Azami took out his phone and spoke a bit, until to everyone's horror, the screen shifted and a single message was put on display, as the entire world fell for the Tootsuki Alumni.

The International Shokugeki has concluded. Tootsuki Tea Ceremony & Cooking Academy is hereby eliminated.


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