Uncle Azami ruined everything. Alice was adaptable and she appreciated not being bored, but he came along and changed the game entirely! Huffing to herself, Alice reassured herself that she still had her team of unrefined talent and that everything could still work out.
After the stagiere, Alice had been pleased to run into her classmates at the hot spring retreat she'd dragged Erina to. She'd taken advantage of the girls only bath time to garner some information on Megumi's love life.
Much to Megumi's embarrassment, Yuki and Ryoko had enthusiastically reported that while Megumi had come out of her shell more once she started hanging out with Soma, there didn't seem to be anyone in their circle that she had a crush on. Though when they'd pressed her on it during their late-night chats, she always flushed bright red while denying it. As far as they were concerned, someone had absolutely captured the country girl's attention. Alice had pinned Megumi with a predatory smile at this news causing the pigtailed chef to squirm and refuse eye contact.
Additionally, Alice had caught Ryo staring at Megumi on a few occasions; he usually looked like he couldn't figure her out, but Alice could work with that.
The Summer Festival had been fun too, and she could see Ryo becoming more comfortable with their new friends. As a bonus, she had begun spending time with Akira. Initially she had just hoped to assure Ryo, if only subconsciously, that she wouldn't be alone if he branched out on his own a little. However, Alice found that she really enjoyed the company of the young scent master. He always smelled so nice, and more importantly he treated her like any other chef with no concern for her family. It felt nice to be seen.
But when Azami barged onto the scene, Alice was left scrambling. The first step was freeing Erina. After that Alice found herself without a full plan for the first time ever. When she heard that her uncle had isolated Erina from Hisako, she had acted on impulse to save her cousin. But once free from Erina's gilded cage, Alice was at a loss as to where to go. All their lives were entwined with the Nakiri estate which Azami now had complete control over!
Fate intervened however when Megumi appeared in the forest like an angel inviting them to the Polar Star dorm. While she was annoyed with having her hand forced in any situation, she couldn't be happier to have an excuse to get to know the eccentric residents of the Polar Star better. Plus, it was the perfect opportunity to push Ryo and Megumi closer.
Still, the only thing to come from all this that Alice considered a bonus was the straggler hunts. Ryo couldn't stand to let Central's agent just walk away! And Alice made sure that Megumi had a front row seat to their battle. They were all friends now, so it was only natural. Alice grinned to herself deviously.
She calmly instructed Ryo to win, but she already knew. Whether he was aware of it or not, there was no way that he would lose in front of Megumi.
