Before the Events of Chapter 3, Polar Star Dormitory

"I want to know everything." Erina said.

...

"Okay well, as you know his name is Haru, which is actually short for Haruka, but don't call him that 'cause he'll really go off on you."

"Does he love cooking?" Erina asked.

"Of course he does! Our father was taken from us when we were young, and my mother was busy taking care of the inn, so Haru took it upon himself to learn as much as he could about food in order to serve the customers. He was actually the one who taught me how to cook." The blue-haired girl replied.

"Whenever he was cooking, he seemed so full of life, and his hands would seemingly flow in harmony whenever he made his dishes.."

"I definitely wasn't expecting that, especially from someone like him, no offense." Erina said briskly, folding her arms.

"Well, Haru doesn't show that side of himself too often."

"It's hard to imagine he'd like anything other than cooking considering how passionate he is about it." Erina began.

"Actually, believe it or not, Haru loves swimming as much as he does cooking, although I was never sure why. We used to have a family tradition of going to Okinawa during summer, and while me and mom treated it as something fun, Haru saw it as something serious. I'm pretty sure if he wasn't a chef, he would be swimming in the olympics. " Megumi said, giggling.

"Really? How interesting." Erina replied, relaxing a little.

...

Well now it's time to ask the uncomfortable questions…

"Megumi, how much do you know about Haru in terms of his education? Did he attend Totsuki?" Erina began asking again.

"Yes he did, in fact, by the end of his first year, he was the First-Seat on the Elite Ten." Megumi pointed out.

"Wait what?!" She jumped.

Erina quickly composed herself and continued.

"Ahem- I mean, how could a ruffian like him become the First-Seat of the Elite Ten in such a short amount of time?"

Megumi's face darkened, and she turned away for a moment before continuing.

"It didn't last, he left the school about two weeks before graduating." She said solemnly.

Erina resisted the urge to scream again. How could such a talented (less than her of course) young man suddenly leave two weeks before his life changed forever?!

"Do you know why?" She asked, gulping.

"Well, all he left behind was a note saying that Totsuki had failed to meet his standards. He was essentially bored and didn't want anything to do with the school." Megumi responded.

"Totsuki- failed to meet his standards?!" Erina stood up, angry again.

The idea that Totsuki could fail to meet anyone's standards was an insult to Erina, her family, and her lineage. This man may have had the nicest younger sister in the entire world, but he himself didn't deserve to be making such comments, no matter how prominent he may have been.

Before Erina could spill over, Megumi interjected, continuing with her story.

"After that he basically became a freelance chef until he settled somewhat in Peru."

"In Peru?"

"Yeah, I think it was there when he found his specialty, he was also well known there before arriving apparently, and he even established his own restaurant." Megumi said.

"So, your brother, this man who managed to take the First Seat of the Totsuki Elite Ten by his second year, suddenly disappeared for what he claimed to be Totsuki not being able to meet his standards, then somehow managed to establish his own restaurant after traveling the world?" Erina reiterated.

"Mhm." Megumi responded.

Erina was definitely still trying to take it all in. Haru sounded nothing like Megumi, their characteristics were completely different.

"Well- I- Thank you, Tadokoro-san. I must say, your brother is a very eccentric person?" Erina said.

"Well, he is mysterious in his own way, I still don't know a lot about him, considering how long it's been since we've seen each other."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Haru is four years older than me, so when he started at Totsuki, I hadn't even begun junior high. Of course, since he dormed at Totsuki, I didn't get to see him for a while, until he left of course. He didn't bother to tell me anything about his time there, he simply had one dinner with us back home, and left the day after, he didn't contact me once throughout the years. I didn't get to see him until, well, yesterday."

Now Erina was pissed.

"WHAT?! That- That lowlife! How dare he?! How could he just leave you alone without saying anything, not even try to call ONCE, then JUST SHOW UP LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED?!"

It made Erina so angry that such a bright, warm, person like Megumi had such a terrible brother like Haru. Wasn't he obligated, as the older sibling, to take care of Megumi? He was never there during her ups and downs! All of her failures and accomplishments, all of those big moments!

It reminded Erina of someone, her father, and it made her seethe with rage.

Megumi saw this, and regretted telling Erina.

"Erina, it's okay! It's true he wasn't there for me, but I made friends, the best of friends! I met everyone at Polar Star, Soma, and you!"

"Me?"

"That's right! I haven't told anyone, but you're a big inspiration for me!"

"Wha- Me?" Erina asked again, completely taken aback.

"Yes! There were so many times where I felt like you helped me grow as a chef. Our time during the stagiaire is just one example! The way you stood up to that intimidating chef, while seemingly stuck up, actually showed me that I shouldn't be afraid to stand up for myself and my dishes! I'm deeply indebted to you for that, thank you!" Megumi said, and bowed.

Erina felt guilty now, she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, and it took all her effort not to let them out. No one had ever said that about her before. It was always, "she's an ice queen," or, "she has no emotion."

"Tadokoro-san I-"

Megumi rushed up to Erina and gave her a hug, which only made it harder to keep the tears at bay.

"Please, call me Megumi." She said.

Then as quickly as she had given her the hug, Megumi immediately backed away in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Erina-san, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay, Megumi." Erina smiled.

...

After some more small talk, Erina finally decided to take her leave.

As Erina began for the door, Megumi stopped her.

"T- There's one other thing you should know about Haru, particularly his skill."

"Hm? What is it?"

"Haru had an alias, like many famous Elite Four members. However, since he left, it's sort of turned into a myth, something the staff tend to use to scare the students. It's something we've both heard of, except it's actually true."

"What is it?"

"Haru was known as the Magistri Carmina Cantino, or Master of Platinum-" Megumi began but was cut off.

"Actually, Haru's official title was Ad Magistri magnificum dominum Carmina Acetabula. This title was given to him by me, as per tradition. It means the Grandmaster of Platinum Dishes. That other one was just a shorter title made up by the faculty."

Both girls jumped at a voice. Standing at the corner of the kitchen, was Fumio.

"Fumio-san?"

"Sorry for the scare, you two. I couldn't help but eavesdrop on your conversation."

"It's okay Daimido-san, I simply wanted more information on Megumi's brother for the next time we have a Shokugeki." Erina said.

"Erina-sama, I apologize for your loss against Haru, as well as for how he acted, his behavior is inexcusable. However I can't say I'm surprised, Haru's talent and technique are unrivaled, even with something like the God Tongue at your disposal, it will be extremely difficult to beat Haru."

Erina, for once, swallowed her pride and actually admitted something to herself and the others in the room.

"I- It's okay, Daimido-san, I admit that I may have gone into that Shokugeki a little too confident, but as someone who's only lost once before, you can see why I would think I'd be able to beat Haru."

Megumi was shocked that Erina would say something like that, but Fumio simply smirked.

Hm...

"Erina-sama, Haru can be a very unpredictable person. Just, tread carefully, alright?"

"I will, Fumio-san. Thank you." Erina replied as she opened the door to leave.

"And most importantly, thank you Megumi." Erina said warmly as she closed the door behind her, leaving the blue-haired girl embarrassed and happy at the same time.

The second Erina was clear of the dorm, chills ran up and down her spine.

The Magistri? I thought it was all a myth...

Authors Note:

Hey, guys, that was Chapter 4, sorry it took so long, I've been busy studying for tests, doing projects, and studying for more tests. I've also been working on a side project for an Avatar fanfic, no it's not a romance fanfic, it's like a full on, adventure fanfic with a whole bunch of new characters and a new plot.. Of course I'm keeping the cast from AtLA and TLoK, and they may or may not have a crossover, but I'm hoping it'll turn out great! Anyway, enough from me, I hope you enjoyed reading, and as always, I will see you in the next chapter!