Kyandi: Hey everyone!
Ariadne: We just had the best weekend!
Kyandi: I got to go to AnimeFest this last weekend and stayed all three days! It was awesome!
Ariadne: She got to meet and talk with a few voice actors and got to meet some really cool cosplayers.
Kyandi: Sadly, I didn't see any Shokugeki no Souma cosplayers.
Ariadne: She did meet a Chuuya Nakahara cosplayer.
Kyandi: I freaked! Anyway, I came home and was overcome with the urge to write.
Ariadne: This chapter might be a little shorter than some, but hopefully we'll be able to give you guys another one before Christmas.
Kyandi: Yep, so Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you enjoy and review!
Ariadne: Kyandi-sama does not own Shokugeki no Souma.
Chapter 13 King of Stalkers
"Souma-kun…sure is late."
The second day of the Autumn Election dawned with Ariadne and her friends pondering over the late arrival of Souma. "Geez! Right when he should be watching the matches carefully, since he doesn't know who he'll face in the second round!"
"Calm yourself, Yuuki." Ariadne told the fuming girl.
"Maybe we really should have brought him, even if by force…!" Megumi mused. "But he wouldn't wake up."
"It can't be helped, he pretty much pulled an all-nighter to prepare for the bento showdown. And it seems he already left the dorm." Ryoko replied. "He should be fine unless he gets into some sort of trouble."
"You do realize that you are talking about Yukihira Souma, correct?" Ariadne leaned her head back to look at the three girls, all three falling silent before panicked looks fell on their faces. Ariadne heaved a sigh. "I figured you forgot. I'll go look for him." Ariadne pushed herself away from the railing and turned away from the stage in front of her as they announced the next match between Hisako and Akira.
"I-I'll go with her!" Megumi stumbled as she raced off after Ariadne.
The two girls quickly went about searching the venue, finally locating Souma as he was entering the building. Megumi, tears in her eyes rushed them all along before Ariadne had the chance to ask what had kept Souma. "Th-they've already begun cooking…!"
"Sorry, sorry. So, who's in the match?" Souma asked.
"Hayama-kun and Arato-san!" Megumi replied.
"Who's Arato?"
Ariadne glanced at Souma, heaving a sigh. "It's Hisako, Erina's secretary."
"A-anyway, let's hurry, Souma-kun, Ari!" Megumi grabbed Ariadne's wrist and started pulling her down the hall.
"Oui, oui, I'm coming." Ariadne shook her head before catching sight of a thoughtful look on Souma's face. "Is something wrong, Souma?"
Souma looked up when Ariadne called him and gave his head a shake. "No, it's nothing."
Ariadne cocked one eyebrow, not entirely believing him. She didn't have the chance to question him further as Megumi gave a pull on her wrist. Megumi raced them through the halls, Ariadne trying to get her bearings, but unable to when Megumi took a turn she didn't recognize. Before they realized it, they were lost and didn't know where they were. They finally had to stop and find a map, hoping to figure out where they were and how to get back to their seats.
"It seems going down those stairs just now was the right thing to do." Souma remarked, peering at the map.
"Sorryyy, Souma-kun, Ari, it's all my fault! Ermmm…we're here, so…"
Ariadne opened her mouth to say something to Megumi to try to calm her down when another voice joined the conversation. "Hey! You over there!" Megumi jolted, all three of them turning to find one of the organizers hurrying towards them. "What are you doing?! This area is for authorized personnel only!"
"Heaah, sorry, it's all my fault!" Megumi apologized.
"Hm…?" The man paused, his eyes scanning the three before him. "You guys…two of you participated yesterday."
"Apologies, dear sir." The man turned to look at Ariadne as she linked her hands behind her back and gave him a brilliant, innocent smile that Souma didn't believe for a moment. "We got lost trying to get back to the stands."
"In that case," Ariadne suddenly got a feeling down her spin like someone had just stuck the slimiest slug down the back of her uniform. She turned to find a boy with dreadlocks who looked like he belonged in a motorcycle gang and not a culinary school. Behind him, carrying a crate, was Takumi. "You can just watch it from the monitor in my waiting room. It's just over there."
Takumi looked up in surprise. "Yukihira…Tadokoro and Sinclair, too?"
A frown fell on Ariadne's lips before she surged forward, Takumi instantly jumping back but unable to avoid her arms snaking around his neck. A pout fell on Ariadne's face as she looked up at him, one cheek puffing out. "What have I told you about calling me that?"
"U-uh, right…Ari."
"Parfaite!" Takumi tried to pull away when she planted a kiss on his cheek, his face going red. Ariadne gave him a grin, raising two fingers to blow him a kiss as she released him. She gave the red-faced Takumi a wink before turning. She turned to find everyone around them staring at her. "What?"
Having been caught staring, many of those watching cleared their throats and carried on about their work. Ariadne, along with Souma, Megumi and Takumi, ended up sitting on a couch in a waiting room. The room itself had been assigned to the guy that had offered it to them. A guy Ariadne was introduced to as being Mimasaka, the last contestant in the competition. It was there, sitting between Takumi and Souma, that Ariadne listened to Takumi scold Souma.
"The ingredients I ordered just came…so I was checking them over. Good grief! To think you overslept, that's something a cook can never do!" Takumi scolded.
"Really? He does it most days." Ariadne remarked idly while Megumi silently fretted over being in the same room as Takumi and Mimasaka when the two would be battling next. Takumi merely sighed at Ariadne's comment.
"Why am I even here, too?" Takumi asked.
"Isn't it alright? You finished checking your ingredients, right? Here, have some tea." Ariadne looked up as Mimasaka placed a cup of tea in front of Takumi before turning to her, holding out a tray of snacks. "Feel free to choose any snack you want."
"Thank you, but I'll be testing new dishes after the matches, and it makes it easier when I don't eat beforehand." Ariadne told him, a pleasant smile crossing her face. While his initial appearance had given her a chill, she tried to tell herself that first impressions weren't always correct. She could be cautious and still be polite.
Smiling, Mimasaka moved to offer the snacks to Megumi, Souma and Takumi secretly staring at the frilly apron that Mimasaka was wearing. When the two leaned close to comment on it, Ariadne gave them both a light jab in the ribs and a pointed look that said, "Be polite".
"Well…how does this match look to you, Yukihira?" Takumi asked after clearing his throat, slightly rubbing at his ribs.
"No idea. I've never seen Hisako cook to begin with." Souma replied.
"What do you think, Tadokoro, Ari?" Takumi asked as Mimasaka took a seat in an armchair.
"E…errmmm…the theme is hamburgers…it's a dish where you can make great use of spices, which are Hayama-kun's specialty. Arato-san…is good enough to be Nakiri-san's secretary, so her ability is real. Her specialty…"medicinal cooking", might be a bad match for the theme."
"I don't know about that part." All eyes turned to Ariadne as she leaned back in her seat, her skirt ruffling as she crossed her legs. "I've been in the kitchen with Hisako a few times. You might think she's not a good match with this theme, but she's very creative. If nothing else, she knows how to work with medicinal herbs and spices. Akira might be the best with spices in general, but Hisako is second to none with medicinal spices. I'm not saying she'll win, but you shouldn't underestimate her."
"It seems the first one to present will be none other than Arato Hisako herself." Mimasaka remarked, all five of them refocusing on the tv screen.
The five of them watched as the judges tasted the burgers, the men almost seeming to become refreshed and shiny from simply devouring the food. The headmaster even ended up stripping off the top of his clothes from being, as he put it, "intoxicated" by the burger's flavor.
"Amazing…! To think she could use medicinal cooking to this extent…" Megumi muttered.
"Stickiness coming from gelatinous components…and food texture, huh. Arato Hisako includes oriental medicine in her cooking." Takumi leaned his chin on his links hands. "If we ever get matched against her, that knowledge will become a threat."
"I told you. However, that being said…" Ariadne heaved a sigh, the others' eyes darting to her. "I'm sad to say that this match will go to Akira."
Mimasaka chuckled. "I agree."
Ariadne and her friends watched as Akira presented his burger and the reactions the judges had just to the scent alone. Ariadne grimaced when most of the judges were reduced to the perfect image of begging dogs in the wake of the scent. Ariadne leaned forward, watching the screen as the judges were given a burger of kabob meat added on top of a hamburger patty. Normally, adding the kabob with the patty would create a heavy flavor, but almost as soon as the judges bit into the burgers…they completely devoured them without realizing it. When Akira went into detail about how he built up his flavor using a sour substitute for the pickles, Ariadne knew she was right, and that Akira would take the win. With the boy's sense of smell, he could come close to rivaling that of Erina's God Tongue.
And just like that, Akira took the third match in a swooping win.
Poor Hisako, Ariadne thought with an inward sigh.
Just then, the door to the room opened. "Excuse me."
Knowing that voice, Ariadne's lips twitched with the urge to grin. She turned towards the door to find Eizan standing there, one thumb hooked into the pocket of his pants. Ariadne leaned back in her seat, throwing an arm over the back of the couch as a slow grin turned up her lips. "Well, if it isn't Eizan-senpai."
Eizan's gaze darted to her, Ariadne's lips jerking into an even wider grin when she saw the strong sense of dislike in the teenager's eyes. What could she say? She loved that he hated her. After all, he was the one that had called her out first.
"The fourth match will being shortly. We'll have everyone but the contestants move to the guest seats." Eizan told them, trying to ignore the cat-caught-the-canary grin on Ariadne's face.
"Y-yes! Sorry." Megumi got to her feet, Ariadne rising to her own.
Ariadne cut her eyes up at Eizan as she slid past him and out the door, making sure to brush his arm as she did. "Oh, so sorry." Ariadne fought back the urge to laugh when Eizan tensed up and hissed oh, so lowly at the faint contact. Humming to herself, as if she was innocent of any wrongdoing, Ariadne headed out of the room while Souma turned to thank Mimasaka for allowing them to view the match from his waiting room.
"Yukihira," Souma turned when Takumi called his name. Even Ariadne came to a stop, turning to see the serious expression on Takumi's face. "In this election, I'll definitely settle the score…from our match on the first day of the training camp."
Souma and Takumi stared at each other for one intense moment, but true to Souma's nature, the boy just couldn't be serious. "Wow, that brings me back. The match Inui-senpai splendidly took care of! We met again just afterward on the bus ride home, right?"
Takumi's face lit up a bright red. "A-anyway! I'll definitely defeat you! If you got it, then hurry to the guest seats!" Takumi turned to run away, his eyes watering like he was about to cry. It really made Ariadne want to tease him until he did cry.
"Got it, Takumi. So, don't you dare lose. Let's settle just who'll be crushing who!" Souma agreed, actually seriously replying to Takumi. Takumi lit up at the serious response.
"Yeah! Yeah! Of course!"
With that, Takumi waved them off, Ariadne wishing him luck and blowing him a teasing kiss as she walked away with Souma and Megumi. The three fell into pace behind Eizan who led them back to the guests' seats.
"At any rate…Mimasaka-kun sure was amazing. It was just after such an incredible dish from Arato-san, and he was able to declare an agreement with Ari about Hayama-kun winning." Megumi replied.
"He has outstanding talent." Eizan remarked, the smirk on his face making Ariadne worry for Takumi. "His behavioral principles are extremely valuable."
"Says a snake in the Garden of Eden." Eizan turned his eyes to Ariadne who easily waved him off, walking past him as if his words had no effect on her. In truth, while she was a little worried about Takumi, Ariadne had faith that everything would turn out right.
That faith was shaken when, as Ariadne and her friends finally arrived at the door leading to the guests' seat, there was an announcement that the match between Takumi and Mimasaka would be a Food War. Ariadne turned to look at Eizan, finding his lips curling in a smirk that had her wishing she could just smack him across the face. She had no doubt in her mind that Eizan had planned something and that Mimasaka was the chess piece he had chosen to move. Ariadne calmed herself, sighing. She wouldn't let it get her worked up. She knew that if Takumi managed to lose then Souma would, as he had many times before, find a way to pull through for his friend.
Without saying anything to Eizan, she followed Megumi and Souma back to their friends in the stands. Yuuki saw them first and jumped into scolding them. "Ah! Yukihira! Megumi! Ari! Where were you? Geez!"
"W-we well…we were with Takumi-kun and Mimasaka-kun until now. But they never mentioned anything about a Food War. Maybe they got in a fight…after Souma-kun, Ari and I left." Megumi replied.
"I doubt that's it." Ariadne walked up to the rail, looking down at the floor below, her eyes picking up Eizan standing off the to the side with a grin on his face. "I have a dreadful feeling that this was all planned from the beginning. Mimasaka wanted this."
"I have to agree." Ibusaki agreed. "He thoroughly investigates the students he targets, and he's willing to provoke…threaten…or use any other means in order to bring it to a showdown. The number of Food Wars he's won is 99, with him being a first year, this number is abnormal no matter how you look at it."
"So that big guy's really attached to the stalking method, huh." Souma replied, not the least bit put off.
"But Ibusaki-kun, I'm amazed you could find out so much about him." Ryoko remarked.
"I got it! You were mad he stole your right to participate in the main tournament, so you were trying to find out his true identity!" Yuuki chimed in.
Ariadne turned her eyes to Ibusaki as he fell silent for a moment before turning his head away. "Not really, it wasn't that hard to find out. The Food War results are officially recorded."
Yuuki and Ryoko whispered to each other about how they were right but shouldn't say anything. Ariadne, on the other hand, called him out. "Aw, Shun, you're jealous! How adorable!"
Ibusaki frowned at Ariadne, the girl smiling back at him, but ignored her, deciding not to give her anymore reason to tease him. "Anyway, Mimasaka is treating the Food War system like a toy. What he makes his opponents bet is their "tools". By taking away their most important tools as cooks, he tramples on his opponents' pride."
"Well…that explains the slimy feeling he gave me." Ariadne said with a sigh.
"Is he trying to be Musashibou Benkei?" Ryoko asked, Ariadne blinking in confusion because she had no idea who that was.
"Keh! That bastard's got seriously bad taste." Mito chimed in.
"I have a feeling it's not just bad taste, mon amie." Ariadne heaved a sigh. "Something about him makes my skin crawl. I've only ever heard one thing about him, and it was another student that said, in one Food War, he laughed manically as he took away a memento knife that his opponent's late mother had gifted him." Ariadne braced her hands on her hips. "If I know Takumi like I think I do, then the tool Mimasaka has his eyes on would be Takumi and Isami's mezzaluna."
Ariadne turned to fix her eyes on Isami, who was focused on the floor below. Feeling a pang of sympathy for her friend, Ariadne stepped up to his side, silently laying a gentle hand on his arm. Isami snapped out of his thoughts and glanced down at her. Ariadne gave him a smile and a silent reassurance that it would be alright. Isami smiled in response, but even Ariadne could tell it was strained.
"Sorry for the wait," Ariadne and her friends snapped to attention when the announcer spoke. "The contestants are making their entrance!" Ariadne's eyes found Takumi, zeroing in on the intense, serious look on his face. Sliding her hand up Isami's arm, she slipped it around his bicep, holding on to his arm in support. Isami's hand came up to pat hers in gratitude. "The judging method until now was one which involved the five judges, including the director, reach an agreement. However, in this match only, each of them will have a vote…in other words, the match will be held in full Food War fashion!"
The crowd around them roared in excitement. Isami gripped Ariadne's hand, his concern for his brother showing. Ariadne squeezed back as they watched Mimasaka face Takumi, the latter throwing a glove at Mimasaka's feet in the true spirit of an Italian duel. The premise of the whole duel was that if Takumi won, Mimasaka would have to prostate himself, right then and there, and apologize for dirtying the mezzaluna that symbolized Takumi and Isami's bond and to Isami who Mimasaka insulted. In a way, Ariadne could understand Takumi more in that moment than she had since meeting him. After all, she was an older sibling, too.
Even to that day, Ariadne could remember the day her little sister, Taliyah, had been born. The pregnancy had been hard for her mother, and they had lost two babies before Taliyah was born. Then, just shy of Taliyah's birth, the little girl had gone into distress, the doctors having to induce labor. Taliyah had been premature, her heart suffering, and, for the first fifteen days of the baby's life, none of them had been able to so much as touch her as she survived with the assistance of tubes. Even at seven or eight years old, Ariadne had understood the seriousness of the situation her little sister was in. It had broken her heart to see Taliyah in that position. When, after a little over two weeks, Ariadne had been able to finally hold her sister and had those little blue eyes look up at her, Ariadne had vowed to protect the child to her dying breath.
She completely understood Takumi's need to defend his little brother to the bitter end. If it had been her in Takumi's position, Ariadne wasn't so sure she could have kept her composure like Takumi was. She would have had too fierce of a need to cobbler a person for daring to insult her little angle of a sister. There were just some things in the world that other people shouldn't mess with, and younger siblings was one of those.
"The fourth match of the first round of the main tournament, which is also a Food War! The theme is…desserts! A dessert befitting the last dish of a dining table, that's this showdown's theme! Well then, begin cooking!"
Ariadne's eyebrow quirked when she quickly realized that Mimasaka and Takumi's ingredients…were exactly the same. Step by step, Mimasaka seemed to copy Takumi's recipe. Ariadne was starting to get an idea on what kind of cook Mimasaka was and it put a frown on her pouty lips as she watched.
"Desserts are called "dolce" in Italian and Takumi seems to have a big deal of experience in a real restaurant." Ibusaki remarked.
"Yeah! There's no hesitation in his heartfelt movements." Mito agreed.
"Of course not. If the amounts are so much as a tiny bit different then the whole dish's taste will be unsettled." Ariadne said, shaking her head. "You have to be incredibly sensitive when making desserts of any kind. Takumi knows this. That being said…" Ariadne's eyes shifted to Mimasaka, and her lips twisted in distaste. "Seeing a person who looks and acts like him with such a delicate touch is even more unsettling."
As Mimasaka and Takumi continued their cooking, Ariadne noticed as Mimasaka started making little adjustments to the recipe, the boy trying to take the taste of his dessert one step further than Takumi's. Even when Takumi brough out a specialty from his family's restaurant, Mimasaka had already predicted he would use it. It made Ariadne's insides twist at just how in depth Mimasaka's research was. To think that Mimasaka might know about her and her secret bottle…it made a shiver course down her spine. Everyone around her begun to freak out the more Mimasaka got into Takumi's head, Isami among them, though he tried to assure himself that wasn't the case.
"N-Nii-chan has the ability to cope with difficulties, gained from his work experience! There's no way an Italian man will lose with dolce!" Isami insisted.
Ariadne, though she still rooted for Takumi, was starting to get a sinking feeling that Isami was going to be proven wrong. It wasn't that Takumi didn't try. He tried hard, fighting to keep his composure as he tried to think of a way out of this mess. Even after cooling his head upon seeing his twin's face, he was faced with the realization that he was being chained to the path he had already started on. With the preciseness of dessert recipes and the time limit working against him, he had next to no time to think if he wanted to completely his dish. In the end, all Takumi could think to do was add a fourth layer to the dessert comprised of a lemon curd.
Even then, it didn't save him.
In the end, Mimasaka had even taken into consideration that Takumi might try to make adjustments at the last second and had taken his dessert even past any possible changes he could have made. It broke Ariadne's heart, but, in the end, Takumi still lost. With that, Mimasaka laid claim to Takumi's mezzaluna. There was, of course, and outcry from the Takumi Fan Club, but they were quickly silenced that the four contestants passing to the next round were announced: Akira, Ryou, Souma and Mimasaka.
After the announcement that the second round would be held in one week, Ariadne went with her friends to try to cheer up Takumi. Souma, though, decided to head back to his room. When he opened his door, if found Mimasaka sitting there waiting for him. The King of Stalkers revealed to have a duplicate key, which only made Ariadne feel even more creeped out than she had beforehand.
"What do you want?" Souma asked him.
"Right, I had something to report to you." Mimasaka told him.
"Okay, wait just a bit. I'll get you some tea or something. Ari, could you make some?" Souma asked, turning to look at her.
"Sure, I guess."
"Kick that guy out right now!" Yuuki demanded, grabbing Ari's arm to keep her from going to make the tea.
"No, but he even gave us sweets when we were in the waiting room. I must do something for him, too, and Ari makes that really good cinnamon apple tea. With that said, I'm going to talk alone with him for a while." Souma told them as Yuuki and Mito complained.
Ariadne merely disappeared down the hall, coming back with a cylinder in which she kept her own homemade tea mixture. She slipped into Souma's room as he got the others to leave, setting about making some tea for the boys. She could feel Mimasaka's eyes on her back the whole time but chose to ignore it.
"That's right, Mimasaka, you had dinner yet? There's still some of the beef stew I prepared left. Ari showed me a really cool trick with it, so it has a bit of a sweet taste to it. Want some?" Souma offered as Ariadne carried a tray of tea over to the table.
"I'll gladly have some." Mimasaka looked up at Ariadne as she placed a teacup in front of him. "Thanks."
"Mmm…" Ariadne placed a cup in front of Souma as he served up some of the stew.
"Why don't you stay and eat, Ari?"
"Thank you, Souma." Too curious to leave anyhow, Ariadne claimed a seat after pouring herself a cup of tea, Souma putting a plate before her too. As they started eating, Mimasaka got down to the reason behind his visit.
"It's about the brackets for the second round. They were just decided."
"Hmm..."
"The clashes are Kurokiba verse Hayama! And me verses you, Yukihira." Mimasaka told him.
"How convenient." Ariadne remarked.
"The theme for both matches is a "main dish for a western-style meal"."
"Hmm…and you came all the way here just to tell me that?" Souma asked.
"You know already, don't you? Let's do it…a Food War! The knife you always use…if I win, I'm taking it. From what I've seen, it looks like a really sharp one. So much so that it's a wonder why a punk from a special-of-the-day restaurant has it. In return, I'm betting…" Ariadne's eyebrow rose as Mimasaka placed a case on the table, opening it to reveal Takumi's mezzaluna. "That Italian guy is so pathetic! He lost big time before he settled things with you! His pride and future as a cook are in pieces!"
It didn't take much for Ariadne to figure out what was going on in Mimasaka's head when she saw the look in his eyes. He was hoping to get Souma angry, make him accept the challenge because his pride demanded it. From the way Mimasaka's eyes darted to her, she had a feeling he was even hoping for the added satisfaction of making her angry, too. Maybe hoping to prod her into challenging to a Food War herself. If that was what he wanted, then he was sadly mistaken.
"Hmm…well, I do think it's a shame. We got to be on such a big stage, so I thought it'd be nice if I could face Takumi. But Takumi won't get crushed by something like this." Mimasaka was taken by surprise by Souma's words, Ariadne hiding a smile by raising her teacup to her lips to take a drink. "Don't you agree, Ari?"
"I do. I also think the pathetic one is Mimasaka here, not Takumi." Ariadne replied.
Mimasaka looked between the two as they casually continued to eat and drink. "What?"
"I'll take you up on the Food War, but what I want isn't just the mezzaluna. All of the other ninety-nine tools you've stolen so far, give them to me." Souma demanded.
"Huh…?" Mimasaka rose to his feet. "Don't fuck with me…what are you saying!? Those aren't remotely worth the same! You'd have to take on a risk that balances out those one hundred tools."
"Then, if I lose, I'll quit being a chef." Souma smiled. "I'll quit being a cook."
Ariadne smiled to herself. She knew he could come back with something like that. "Typical Souma." Ariadne gave her head a shake.
"If I lose in my Food War against you, I'll never shoulder Yukihira's sign again. I promise I'll never stand in a professional kitchen. Does that balance it out?" With that, their friends burst into the room, unable to believe just how stupid Souma was being. "Whoa, guys. What? You were eavesdropping on us?"
"Don't just laugh like that!" Mito and Yuuki yelled.
"Yukihira…" Souma looked up at Mimasaka. "The Food War's laws are absolute. You understand you can't brush it off as a joke, right?"
"Of course. If you're fine with those conditions, then let's do this. That's right, Mimasaka! I'll take this chance to lessen your workload. The theme was a western-style main dish, right? I'm making this." Souma pointed down at the bowl of beef stew in front of him.
With that, it was decided that the two would enter the next match as a Food War with the beef stew as their battlefield. Either Souma would walk away with the stolen tools from all the other students who had been unfortunate enough to become Mimasaka's targets, or Souma would walk away from cooking altogether. The latter being something that Yuuki and Mito spent the next hour scolding Souma for. It wasn't something that he could just take lightly, something that even Ariadne had to agree on, but Ariadne didn't say anything as she watched the whole arrangement go down.
Ariadne walked away that night shaking her head at just how reckless Souma could be, but, if she was being honest, she kind of saw a little bit of herself in him. She could see where he was coming from and the reason why he did some of the things he did.
After all, her whole enrollment at Totsuki was just her betting on someone's future.
She just wasn't inclined to let anyone know that just yet.
END
Kyandi: Is it wrong that I also find Mimasaka to be incredibly creepy?
Ariadne: No, because he is.
Kyandi: My god, he's never going to get himself a girl that way.
Ariadne: Not unless they're really into stalker types.
Kyandi: True. That wouldn't be me, though.
Ariadne: Nor I. There is one little fact about this chapter for all you readers…the story with my sister Taliyah is actually inspired from the birth of Kyandi-sama's little sister.
Kyandi: And I was about the same age as you, too. I just realized that part.
Ariadne: It makes writing me as a protective big sister more convincing.
Kyandi: I hope so. Anyway, everyone enjoy and review.
Ariadne: We hope to be back soon.
Kyandi: Bye-bye!