Chapter 6
As luck would have it, Soma and Erina's stations are beside each other.
Erina has been sending harsh glares to Soma all morning. After last night's realization, Soma now has a clear head and has been wanting to make peace. How would he stand a chance at being Erina's boyfriend if she hates him? He needs to soften her up before he confesses, right?
But as expected of Erina, her focus is unmatched and she can't spare any attention for the redhead no matter how hard he tries to make conversation all morning. And on top of that, Soma has found himself in a pickle.
Soufflés were a bad idea. He realizes that now. He desperately wants to ask Erina for advice but due to his stupidity, Erina only smirked at his incompetence. Wow, she's really enjoying watching him suffer.
Think, Soma, think! Erina is at 400 dishes now. He needs to serve 150 more and he only has 40 minutes left!
Okay, desperate times call for desperate measures. I will put on a show.
After that near expulsion experience, the camp is now over. Everyone can breathe easy now and Soma can move on to the wooing of one Nakiri Erina.
And as luck would have it, he missed the bus. But so did Erina. So he considers this a win in his book.
Erina seems agitated being in his presence. Oh boy, did Soma mess up big time. Now, how to fix this? Soma, think.
Erina is giving Soma a taste of his own medicine and is blatantly ignoring him. She left her planner where she kept the picture containing this idiot, this idiot's dad and her own grandfather with her on their first ever visit to the diner, hence why she missed her bus.
Soma gathered his wits and put on a brave face. He attempted to start his apology.
"Look Erina. I'm so very sorry. I would kneel before you to beg for your forgiveness. I really am so very sorry. I just went through something. But I got through it, I know what I have to do now. And I won't stop until I succeed." Soma said earnestly.
"Oh, you went through something without me and now you're gloating? Do you want a medal or would a slow clap do? We've been best friends for years and you go through something and you don't tell me? Just because you don't need me anymore, that gives you the right to treat me like crap?!" Erina angrily said.
"Erina, I'm so sorry. I-" Erina cut Soma off.
"No, it's my turn to talk! You shut up and listen to me. You have no idea how much you've hurt me. You knew my mom and dad left me! Hell, even Alice left me. And you dare do the same thing to me? You went through something and so you gave me something to go through as well? How spiteful is that?" Erina almost yelled.
"I'm so-"
"No, you shut up! What, you don't need me anymore? And have you ever thought about Hisako? You hurt her too! So you get new friends, you forget about us? Have you replaced us with Tadokoro?"
"I haven't-"
"No, I'm not finished!" Erina took a deep breath as if to go on another tirade but then seemed to think better of it. She breathed out slowly. After a few moments, she closed her eyes and when she opened them, Soma saw tears. "This is not okay. Do you understand?"
Soma's heart is breaking, this is the first time he ever saw Erina cry. He was stunned and had a dumb look on his face. He realized how much of an ass he was. He swore to never ever put tears on Erina's eyes again. He was busy mentally beating himself up...
"..."
"Answer me, damn it!" Erina fumed.
"Erina, I could never ever replace you. Ever. Hisako too. And, I know what I did was really bad but I promise, I never meant to hurt you. Being without you was extremely painful to me. I was stupid. I'm really really sorry. This is not okay and I promise, I will never ever hurt you again. Please let me make it up to you."
"Don't promise absolutes, Soma."
"I promise to try. I missed you so much, Erina. You have no idea how much. And if you weren't a stickler for seatbelts, I would hug you so tight right now." Soma grinned sheepishly. "I'll make it up to you. I promise."
"I look forward to it, Soma." Erina smiled slightly then turned to look out the window.
And with that their fight ended.
Their dynamic noticeably changed after that fateful car ride. Erina has been more calm and Soma had been steadfast.
It's like Soma matured a bit, he is now quite mindful of his words and actions toward Erina, only bringing out the 'idiot' in him at appropriate times. He manages to make Erina laugh a lot more nowadays. And he is getting better at reading Erina's cues and body language. He still doesn't know how to read the room though. He's just more in tune with Erina's emotions.
Erina on the other hand has relaxed a lot. She feels lighter. She's opened up more to people around her. To Alice's delight, the white haired vixen doesn't even have to resort to tricking Erina into spending time with her anymore. Erina would only resist for show but she willingly spends time with Alice now.
The whole gang is happy to see the two reconciled, the atmosphere was admittedly unpleasant all throughout the fighting. Alice has started to tease Soma and Erina for being an old married couple based on their interactions; to which the duo would only blush but would never protest.
A certain senior also took notice of this. He was enjoying the past month when the two was fighting. But they seemed to have made up. He will watch patiently and see how this turns out bidding his time.
Soma has a plan. It's just extremely hard to execute this plan. Operation wooing is not going good since he can't even manage to do step one.
Step one is to get one Nakiri Erina alone.
Step two is to take her back to the diner, the place where they met.
Step three is to cook and feed her, obviously.
Step four is to tell her he loves her.
Simple enough, right?
Wrong. So he is forced to do bits of small things... which admittedly are not being effective. He tries so hard too! He gets up really early so he and Megumi can still walk to school together AND manage to greet Erina as she gets off her chauffeured car and walk her to class. He even carries her back for her and when Erina asked why, he said it's additional exercise and Erina seemed to let it go.
Soma started to pick Erina up from her class to go to lunch together and get her food tray for her. When questioned, he said he is training his other senses to detect good food. It's like training, he says. And again, Erina lets it go.
Soma, as usual, visits Erina's office after the school day to hang out with her and Hisako. He even brings food he's made from the classes before. But Erina never questions this act since she's used to this part of her day.
One time, he stayed up late and made a multi-tiered snack box for Erina. Everyone complained about not getting one, except Megumi who helped Soma making it.
"Mou! That's not very nice, Soma kun! You should have at least made one for everyone!." Alice complained.
"I want a taste, Soma! I'm sure I can make a better snack box than you!" Takumi said.
"Oh wow, you didn't even make one for Hisako! I thought she's also your best friend?" Isami added.
"This is clearly favoritism. I hate favoritism. Nepotism is the root of all evil. How mean, Yukihira." Mito Ikumi pouted, who recently joined the gang after she and Isami started dating. Apparently, Ikumi finds big guys attractive.
Erina felt guilty... In the end, Erina offered the snacks to the gang and didn't get to taste anything from the box.
Okay, nothing seems to work. Time to work on the original plan! But how will he make step one happen? Soma realized how much people needed Erina. How every second of every day, she's expected to be somewhere doing something. And Soma earned a new appreciation of Erina's commitment. How when they were young, Erina took the time off her busy schedule to come visit him once a month. Him, a lowly boy from a local diner. How once a month without fail, he was graced with her sweet smile.
Soma can't help but fall in love with her a little deeper at that. But now, he really needs to get her alone. He thought about asking Alice for help but he found out that Alice's attention span is like that of a toddler; she usually doesn't even know what day it was. She's so lucky to have Ryou by her side, all the time... or else she'll be a danger to herself.
"Alice, do you think you'll be free to help me this weekend?" Soma asked.
"You mean tomorrow? It depends, what's in it for me?" Alice cheekily replied.
"My lady, it's only Monday today. We spent all day in bed yesterday, remember?" Ryou interjected.
"Right!" Alice then turned to Soma; "Mou, that's so far away, I will not remember Soma kun. Just approach me when the thing is tomorrow, ok?" Alice said.
"Okay, thanks." Soma defeatedly sighed.
Soma doesn't do anything half assed and a day to prepare is not enough. He kinda knew asking Alice wasn't his best idea but he's keeping his best card in his back pocket. So he looked around the quad and spotted his ace. And then he asked Hisako for help.
"You will what?! Are you sure?!" Hisako was a little bit shocked at Soma's plan.
"I have never been more sure of anything in my life. I'm in love with her, Hisako. I want to be with her and I want to make her happy. If she'll have me." Soma said.
"Very well. I'll help you. I'll make sure she's free this whole weekend. Take her out on Friday night so you both would have the weekend to either spend time together or lick your wounds... if she rejects you." Hisako gave him a pointed look.
"That is a possibility, huh?" Soma sheepishly remarked.
"Yes, it is. Soma, I don't want to lose you or Erina. Please take care of her, do your best and make sure that whatever happens, this weekend or in the future, we'll all still be friends, best of friends." Hisako pleaded.
"Yes, Hisako. I promise to do right by Erina. You won't lose me or Erina, I promise. I only want to make her happy." Soma promised.
"You better or else I'll skin you alive and bury you in Himalayan rock salt." Hisako threatened.
And that's why Soma asked for Alice's help initially. He's terrified of Hisako.
Friday sneaked up on them and so, Soma walked across campus holding a single red rose. He made his way to Erina's office to invite her to go out.
"Hello, Princess." Soma mumbled with the rose between his teeth as he entered Erina's office without knocking.
"What are you doing? What is that? Why do you have a rose in your mouth?" Erina asked.
"This is for you, please take it."
"Why? Also, gross! Why did you have to put it in your mouth?" Erina gingerly took the flower.
"I thought it would be romantic? Never mind. So you free right now? Wanna go somewhere with me?" Soma asked with a smile.
"Where are we going? And where's Hisako, did she already say yes?" Erina inquired.
"No, it'll just be the two of us. She knows I'm asking you. There's something I have to tell you."
"What is it? Tell me now." Erina's curiosity is killing her. Soma is not usually a serious guy but this vague invitation is making her mind run wild and her heart beat faster. Soma has never invited her anywhere alone ever since Hisako joined their little group.
"You'd have to be patient, Princess! I'll tell you later, I would have to take you somewhere first!" Soma said.
"What's with the secrecy? I don't wanna go. I'm busy!" Erina petulantly argued.
"You're not busy. I asked Hisako to clear your schedule."
"Yeah, I will read in my room for the whole weekend. That's my plan!"
"Erina, you're being difficult. You just don't wanna come with me because I won't tell you where we're going and what we're doing. I'll compromise, okay? I'll tell you where we're going then you can decide whether you wanna go with me or not. I want to take you to air out the diner. So what do you say?"
Erina can feel the shift in Soma's emotions. She feels a blush coming to color her cheeks and she's not sure why. She understands the significance of Soma's invitation but she won't let herself jump into conclusions so she decides to push her luck some more. "Why do you need me there? I refuse to do errands with you. You can go alone... better yet, bring Tadokoro with you!"
"Why would I bring her?"
"She's never been to the diner, right? And since you two are so close now, bring her there and while you're at it, confess your undying love for her! Wouldn't that be romantic?" Erina flipped her hair and then crossed her arms.
Crap, bull's eye. Erina knows what's up. Unresolved jealousy swirled in Erina's chest, making her reluctant to go with Soma.
"Okay, seriously Erina. You have to stop that. There is nothing going on between me and Megumi. She's like a little sister to me. You know what it's like to not have anyone come up to talk to you because of your class standing, right? Megumi went through the same thing. No one wanted to be friends with her because of her low grades, she was always regarded as 'almost expelled'. You know how unkind people are. You would know that if you bothered to talk to her at all. You both like shoujo mangas and she has a heart of gold. And I assure you, I only see her as a little sister. Someone already has my heart." Soma said.
A sharp pain shot through Erina's chest at the guilt of never taking the time to get to know Megumi and well, that last sentence from Soma. But she wouldn't acknowledge that. So what if someone has Soma's heart? She'll be happy for them. So yeah, this pain is from guilt and guilt alone.
"You're right. I will... be nicer to Tadokoro moving forward. But I still won't go do errands with you tonight. My bed is calling me for some rest." Erina stretched her arms above her head.
"Ughhhhhh Erina. This is really important to me. I won't ask you for anything else ever after tonight, I promise. Just trust me!" Soma was starting to panic, he thought Erina was just being her usual difficult self but will relent eventually but maybe she made up her mind that she won't go?
"..." Erina looked straight at Soma for a few moments. Soma is starting to sweat.
"Okay, I'll go with you but we're going by car." Erina smirked, she had an idea of what Soma was planning so she's having a good time making him sweat.
"Okay, let's go!" Soma said, relieved out of his mind.
They spent the drive to the diner talking about the day they had. Soma found out that Erina hasn't eaten anything yet since the cafeteria food looked gray to her today. Soma shared that he's excited about the upcoming Autumn Elections.
They arrived at the diner. When Soma opened the door and turned on the lights, the diner was decorated with roses. The diner looked great, like a restaurant rented out by a powerful man for a romantic evening. No dusting was needed.
Soma pulled out a chair and seated Erina at the center table of the diner.
"Soma, what is this?" Erina asked.
"Princess, please give me a few minutes while I prepare our dinner." Soma hurriedly went to the kitchen.
Erina is full on blushing and freaking out now. This looks like a confession waiting to happen. I can let my mind go THERE now, right? The thoughts she never allowed herself to think about regarding Soma came bubbling to the surface. Erina is getting dizzy, her mind running wild. Erina feels happy, embarrassed, confused, scared, excited, nervous. Like she wants to leave and run away, faint, and kiss Soma all at the same time. It's miserable and magical. She needs help so she texts Hisako.
"Hisako, what is happening?"
"Hisako, help me."
"Hisako, I'm scared but also excited, it's hard to breathe." Erina fired off 3 consecutive texts to her best friend.
"I bet it feels like that time you asked me to start calling you just Erina, right? Remember that? We were both happy and we wanted to squeal but too embarrassed to do so!" Hisako texted back.
"HISAKO, NOW IS NOT THE TIME! Now I feel more flustered!"
"But yes, it's very similar, I don't know why. Nothing's happened yet, we entered the diner and now he's cooking me dinner." Erina sent 2 texts blushing furiously.
"That's because you know the weight of what's happening. It's a relationship changing... into something better. It's seeing a person you already know and love through a new lens. It's like you want to remember every detail about this night but also can't wait to get it over with. Just have fun, ok? You don't have to say or do anything you don't want to do. Be honest and it'll all work out okay, okay?" Hisako texted first and while Erina was typing, she shot off another text. "Erina, I'm so happy for you."
"Thank you, Hisako. I appreciate you so much. Thank you for always being there for me. I love you." Erina responded.
"It will always be my pleasure being by your side, Erina. You're most welcome. I love you too. Enjoy your night and have fun."
Erina blushed again and she decided that that's enough blushing for tonight. She needed to compose herself. She put away her phone and did breathing exercises while waiting for Soma.
A little while later, Soma came out of the kitchen holding a tray of food. There was a platter of Chicken Karaage and rice, a sizzling plate of Gyoza, 2 bowls of Chashu Ramen, and an assortment of sushi and sashimi with dipping sauces. After he put that down and arranged it on the table, Soma came back to the kitchen and brought out three layers of steaming baskets which contained 3 kinds dimsum; Xiao Long Bao, Mantao, and Hakao.
Erina was stunned. The whole table was colorful in her eyes... and there was so much food! Seriously, is Soma a feeder?
"S-Soma! This is too much!" Erina said.
"But I still have desserts in the kitchen." Soma grinned and to which, Erina can only shake her head and smile back fondly.
"Anyway, happy to serve! Let's dig in!" Soma and Erina started to eat. Erina started with her Ramen so as not to let it get cold. Soma poured tea and dipping sauces for Erina first before starting with chicken and sushi.
"Thank you for the food! How did you pull this off, Soma?" Erina asked.
"Well, remember when I left early the other day? I told you and Hisako that I wanted to check out the fish market as early as I could. Well, I did. And I bought all these stuff, brought it here, cleaned the whole place and aired it out. Then, I got bored so I figured, I'll cook the ramen broth and chashu now! So both of these have been cooking for 36 hours. And then I made sushi and gyoza but I had left over dumpling paper so I made dimsum." Soma explained.
"That's why the pork almost melts in my mouth and the soup is very rich. Everything is lovely. You did very good, Soma." Erina said.
"Well, I can't make these wrong. These are dishes my dad already made. I still need to create my own dish, my own specialty. But I'm nowhere near that yet. And I can't risk feeding you bad food tonight, of all nights! Can you imagine? But someday, I'll make you like my own food too!"
"Challenge accepted, Soma." Erina smirked. "So what did you wanna tell me?"
The sudden change of topic caught Soma off guard and he was mid slurp of his Xiao Long Bao... he choked on the hot soup and meat inside the dumpling and he coughed violently. Some soup came out of his nose. Erina handed him a towel while laughing.
"Well, that was unattractive." Erina teased lightly.
Soma was still reeling from that near death experience and now Erina just called him unattractive... he wasn't ugly, was he? Did Erina just say she wasn't attracted to him? Is this her subtle way of rejecting him? Was it his scar? Or his red hair? Maybe Erina was into white haired guys, like Tsukasa senpai. Was his mind playing tricks on him or did he actually see the two talking last week with Erina sporting a fond smile? Was this a bad idea? What if she rejects him?
"... Soma, are you okay? You spaced out for a bit there." Erina asked concerned.
"Y-yes. Sorry, ummm I ah... I'm okay, just got stuck in my head there." Soma apologized.
"What's the matter?"
"I'll tell you after we eat. We can take a stroll after. There's a place I want you to see." Soma said. Soma decided that doubts will not help him right now. So he excused himself to go to the washroom, took out his phone and texted Hisako. His vision blurry from nerves. He feels like he's gonna hurl.
"Hisako, help me."
"Hisako, what if she rejects me?" Soma fired off two texts.
"Soma, you'll be alright. you wouldn't know if you never ask. You miss all the shots you don't take. And you have to give credit to Erina, you'll still be her best friend even if she doesn't feel the same way. Now look at her, does she look like she doesn't want to be exactly where she is right now? Does she look like she's not having fun?" Hisako replied.
Soma glanced at their table and all he saw was Erina happily munching on the food he made with a small smile on her face.
"She looks like a part of my home. She looks like she belongs here with me. She looks happy. Well, I better get back to her. Thank you, Hisako. You're the best!" Soma replied.
"I know, Soma. (Winky face emoji)" was all he got back.
Dinner went smoothly after that and they tried to finish the food but couldn't eat anymore. Soma made mochi for dessert but they weren't able to eat any after dinner. They decided to put left overs into containers to bring home to Hisako, Alice and Ryou at the mansion. They didn't want the food to go to waste.
They arrived at the place Soma mentioned earlier and it turned out to be the top of a small hill with a bench on it, overlooking the shopping district. The district was alive with lights and lively chatter of the shoppers. It was a sight to behold.
Both Erina and Soma took a seat on the bench. Erina decided to stay quiet and wait for Soma to start the conversation.
"Umm... Erina, there's something I have to confess to you."
"Go on." Erina said, a blush starting to color her cheeks.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"I'm in love with you." That was all Soma said.
"..." Erina was stunned. She was expecting something along the lines of I like you, please go out with me. But this is Soma, when did he ever do as expected?
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to blurt it out like that and what does one say to that anyway, right? I'm sorry. I mean it though, I'm in love with you. Everything about you. Ever since we were little, I always thought you were the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. But it didn't stop there. We grew together. I learned a lot about you, and you learned a lot about me. We grew together, we learned how to do life together. You are my moral compass, my safe place, you inspire me to be better, to be worthy. And if you'd have me, I would love to continue to grow with you, learn with you, be better with you... as your boyfriend." Soma rambled on.
"Soma..." Erina had tears in her eyes. This is just like he shoujo mangas! She can't speak. She's so elated and her heart is pounding and she can't breathe.
"Erina, I'm gonna kiss you now and after that... you're my girlfriend. If you don't want that then just tell me or push me away and we can head home. No hard feelings, okay? I'll still be your best friend-" Soma was cut off by Erina pulling his shirt with one hand and the other holding his cheek.
Then Erina kissed Soma's lips. Soma was surprised but it didn't take long for him to kiss back. Soma was in heaven. He can die happy now. He can stay here, kissing Erina until he dies of starvation or exposure and he'll be a happy man. And then it clicked, Erina was a great kisser! This was his first kiss. He thought it was also her first?
When the kiss ended, Soma had a happy yet intrigued look on his face.
"How are you so good at that? That was my first kiss."
"Oh, well... You're my first real kiss but Hisako and I used to practice with each other." Erina answered.
"WHAT?!" Soma almost fainted.
OUTTAKES:
Hisako was laughing to herself. Alice and Ryou happened to pass by her on the couch inside the mansion and the pair stopped to look at a laughing Hisako holding her sides with tears on her eyes.
"Mou, what's so funny Hisako chan?" Alice asked as she pushed Ryou into a love seat facing Hisako and sat on his lap.
It seems like they'll come home a couple so what's the harm in sharing, right? Hisako thought to herself. "Well, try to keep this a secret for now but Soma and Erina are out right now to dinner and Soma will confess to Erina. Both of them are nervous as hell and they keep on texting me for help but both of them sent their texts to our group chat. I can only imagine their mortification when they find out!" Hisako managed to get out in between laughs.
"Mou! Why didn't Soma tell me. I'm her cousin, he should have asked me for her hand!" Alice exclaimed. "Oh, I wonder if that was what he was needing help with the other day."
"What?! When did he ask you for help?" Hisako asked.
"It was Monday morning, before classes." Ryou answered for Alice knowing she wouldn't remember when.
"He asked you first?! OH SOMA, I WILL SKIN YOU ALIVE!" Hisako exclaimed.
AN: Yay! They're together! As they should be. Please let me know what you think!