Erina's Room
Her eyes remained open as she returned to lay down in her bed. All she could do was stare at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep. She hadn't had a good nights rest in weeks. The nightmares had haunted her ever since they returned from Hokkaido. No one really could figure it out, but she was no longer the same Nakiri Erina from before. In fact, she was traumatized by the incident, though she did a good job of hiding it from everyone else. She then sat up and sighed. The moon was shining brightly in her room as she got up from her bed. She looked at her clock, 3 a.m. it read. Erina huffed and sighed again and decided to try and distract herself.
She was going to go to the bathroom when a sizzling sound could be heard from the kitchen. Erina had was wondering what someone was doing up so late/early. The floor was quiet and she decided to check on who that was in the kitchen. As she went down the stairs, a familiar aroma hit her nose and her senses went out of control.
Polar Star Kitchen
It smelled so good. She could identify bonito stock and chicken wings just from the smell. It all smelled so familiar, yet, she couldn't exactly put her finger on it. She crept down the steps, trying to make as little noise as possible. As she reached the door of the kitchen, there he stood. His red hair was as spiky as ever. He didn't have his headband on this time as it was still wrapped around his wrist. Erina then noticed the rows of dishes that were partly eaten lined up on the large countertop in the kitchen. She deduced that he must've been up for some time since all of the food took considerable work to make. She just stood there, watching as he adjusted the heat and was chopping onions and ginger to add to the broth. He finally turned around and met the gaze of Erina's and he jumped back a little, surprised at the blonde's watching.
"Oi, Nakiri! You scared me. How long have you been there?" he asked, composing himself and taking a container to the refrigerator.
"Oh Soma-kun, I uhh, just got here actually," she lied, not wanting Soma to know she had been watching him closely for a good five minutes.
"You could've said something you know," he snickered. "So why are you up so late Nakiri? Couldn't sleep?" he asked calmly as he returned to his work.
"No, I was just going to the bathroom when I heard you making plenty of noise down here in the kitchen," she replied, a little irritated at the redhead.
"Oh really? Sorry about that. Didn't realize the sizzling and boiling would be that loud," he responded, still with his back turned to her and focusing on his food.
There was a small moment of silence between the two, as Soma continued to cook and Erina continued to watch.
"Can I help you with something Nakiri?" Soma asked, finally turning around to address her.
"No of course not! I was just wondering, what you're doing up so late?" she asked as Soma let out a small chuckle.
"Eh, couldn't really sleep so I decided I try and do some experimenting," he answered as he pointed to all the dishes lined up.
"I see that. Why couldn't you sleep?" she asked.
"Oh? Is the God Tongue oh so concerned about her fellow classmate?" Soma quipped back sarcastically, causing the blonde's cheeks to redden as she huffed and looked away.
"No! I thought it'd be polite to ask is all," she responded as she folded her arms and continued looking away from Soma.
"Haha I know, I'm teasing. But honestly, you wouldn't believe me if I told you anyways," Soma responded which confused Erina a bit.
"What did he mean by I wouldn't believe him if he told me," she thought to herself. She brushed it off and decided to take a seat. "Well what are you making Soma-kun?" she asked.
"Wow, aren't we full of questions tonight Nakiri? Plus you can't tell from all the ingredients I had prepared already?" was his response as this only made Erina more flustered and irritated at the redhead. Before she could retort back, Soma spoke up. "Kidding again. My answer remains the same though. You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Why don't you just wait and you'll see what I'm cooking," Soma said as Erina just folded her arms and remained silent as she watched the young man cook.
A few minutes later, a piping hot bowl of rice sat in front of her. This felt all too familiar for her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Eventually, she got her answer. Soma turned around with a container full of piping hot eggs. His usual grin on his face as he walked towards where Erina sat. It was as if history was repeating itself as he dropped the golden eggs and gelatin contents on the bowl of rice. The gelatin started to melt all over the eggs and the rice just like it did the first time they met. Erina couldn't help but watch in awe of all of this happening again. It was as if everything was moving in slow motion. The smell was incredible, just like the first time and it sent shivers down Erina's spine.
"Here is the Transforming Furikake Gohan Version 2! Please, dig in," he told her as Erina picked up her fork and did just that.
The first bite had brought her to a state of euphoria. History really was repeating itself as Erina was trapped inside the flavor of the fluffy eggs. It seemed way more in-depth this time and the flavors were bursting all around her taste buds. She went for another bite as Soma looked on in satisfaction.
"Well, at least you seem to be enjoying it now," Soma joked as Erina snapped out of her euphoria. She had lost herself in that one bite and completely forgot she was eating in front of him.
"Hmph" was her only response as she took another bite.
Soma had made himself a bowl as well and he ate alongside her. The two sat in silence as they ate. Eventually, Erina was the first to get up.
"Thank you for the meal Soma-kun, but it's best if I get back to bed now," she said as she walked towards the exit.
"Oi, Wait, Nakiri. So how was it this time? Still "disgusting"? Soma asked with air quotes. Erina thought about a good reply. She wasn't about to give in to him.
"It was adequate this time. I see you made some adjustments to the broth and the spices used for the chicken. It had a much more kick to it this time. You also added saffron to the aspic which enriched it's flavor a lot more. Other than that, the dish was basically still the same. Still not sure you would pass my taste test again. Goodnight Soma-kun," she replied as she exited the kitchen.
Soma just sat there and chuckled a bit to himself.
"If it was so adequate, then why did you finish the whole thing, Nakiri?" he asked himself as he looked over at the empty bowl she had left. Not a single grain of rice had been spared and it was as though she washed the bowl herself.
"She really is something else," he thought as he took all the dishes and started to wash up.
As Soma was washing dishes, his thoughts brought him back to earlier. He woke up at around midnight. Sweat dripped from his forehead. His clothes were soaked. He too was having nightmares, almost identical to the ones Erina had. Except in his, he couldn't save her from her father. The grip he had on Erina was too tight for Soma to break. He almost lost her forever when he finally woke up. He realized that it was just a dream. He remembered the day vividly. He was able to break the spell that Azami had over Erina. His cooking had prevailed and he was able to save his friend from losing herself.
Soma couldn't help but feel something in his chest as he thought about Erina. Cooking for her had made his heart race faster than it ever had before. Seeing her enjoy his cooking had given him such happiness that he couldn't explain. Then, of course, she would never even dare to acknowledge him. They came from two different backgrounds and obviously had two different approaches to cooking. Yet for some reason, he couldn't shake this feeling he was having for her. "Maybe it's just from the lack of sleep," he thought as he went back to washing his dishes.
Meanwhile…
Erina's Room
Back in her room now, Erina fell face-first into her bed. She was so frustrated. That man that saved her lived two doors down from her and yet she felt so far away. She knew that these feelings she had for him were true and pure. No one would ever be able to replace them. Unfortunately, he was from a lower-class establishment. He was a diner cook. Even though his father was the former second seat at Totsuki, he never graduated.
She was the God Tongue. She had a reputation to uphold, for herself and her family. Plus, she didn't know if he felt the same feelings towards her. She never felt so strongly about anyone like this before. Even her admiration for her idol, could not match the feelings she felt for his son. Erina was in a dilemma that she hadn't experienced before. She rolled over on to her back and pulled the covers over her.
"If it's meant to be," she thought to herself. As she closed her eyes, images of Soma appeared before her. An image of him standing beside her, holding her hand brought a smile to her face as she finally fell asleep. It would be the first time since that day that she had such a peaceful slumber.
The Next Day
Totsuki Academy had to experience a bit of a facelift due to the Azami coup that had just occurred. Many outside of the school had heard of the events and were concerned about continuing their relationship with Totsuki. This put some pressure on Senzaemon, who returned to the position of Director of the school, to take some immediate action.
The first thing on his agenda was to banish Azami yet again for his actions against not only the school and Senzaemon, but also to Erina. Criminal charges were filed and restraining orders were put in place on him. Azami was forbidden from ever stepping on the school grounds, interacting with the current and potential students and more importantly, banned from ever seeing his daughter again. In addition to this, any offspring or relatives that Azami may have were also barred from having any business with the school.
Secondly, the Elite Ten Council was temporarily disbanded for the rest of the school year. Due to the coup, Senzaemon realized that the council had way too much power in the school. He had come to find out that they had been abusing their powers over the course of the year. Though the council had a lot of responsibilities within the school, Senzaemon would take it upon himself to see that the funds that were being used by the council would be put to good use. Of course, once the next school year started, a new Elite Ten Election would be held to make a new council.
Third, the former Elite Ten members that had voted to remove Senzaemon from his position as director were allowed to remain at Totsuki. This was a very reluctant decision made by Senzaemon, but he felt that all of them had learned a very important lesson by their defeat at the Rebels. Of course, not all of them stayed. Shiratsu Julio and Eizan Etsuya both decided to leave the academy. All of the third-years that were on the council stayed. Especially since they had only a short time to go before they graduated. However, many of them, except for Rindou, decided to keep a lower profile.
Lastly and arguably the hardest part of this entire thing, was recovery. Many students had been expelled during the reign of Central. Many of them were allowed to come back and were welcomed with open arms. Others decided to never step foot onto the Totsuki grounds ever again. Classes continued again and things started to return to normal. The lecturers were able to teach the classes that they specialized in and the students were happy to be back to the way things were.
Soma, of course, was seen as a hero to the other students, who had heard about the events in Hokkaido. The stories of how he was able to defeat many of the (now former) Elite Ten members. Of course, what many of the students didn't know was that final battle that took place. It was something only four people knew about and for now, it was to stay that way.
Soma had been called into the director's office this morning and had finally reached his destination. He wondered what the old man wanted, considering things were returning back to normal.
Directors Office
As Soma entered the large office, Senzaemon had already been speaking to someone sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk. As Soma got closer, he noticed his father, who turned around and gave him this goofy look.
"Sup pops, gramps," he said as he took a seat next to his father. This caused a fit of laughter from the elder Nakiri. "Like Father, like son I suppose," Senzaemon said as he leaned back in his seat.
"So what's the occasion here Gramps?" Soma asked, not understanding why he had to be here.
"Well Soma, to be frank with you, it is about Erina." Soma looked at him, a little off guard by the older man's answer. "Has she said anything to you about that day?" Senzaemon asked as Soma shook his head and was trying to figure out what the point of this meeting was.
"Hmmm, I'm very concerned about her. She has not attended any of her classes and she has missed some tasting appointments that she usually doesn't miss. I am beginning to wonder if she will be the same after all of this. Erina has experienced things that no human being should go through," the elder Nakiri spoke.
"She has been scarred heavily from her father and I can tell that she has not returned to her normal self. That is why you are here Soma, I need you to help her. I know I've already asked you to save her once, but I need to ask you to save her again. I want my granddaughter to realize that there is more to life than just food and cooking," Senzaemon said as he pleaded to a shocked Soma.
Soma really didn't expect this. A second plea for help from the Director? Why was he being that one that was chosen? Soma turned to his father, who was observing him. Eventually, Soma turned back to the director and flashed his wide grin.
"Don't worry gramps, I'll make sure she returns as the Erina we all know. Besides, she still needs to tell me my food is delicious," Soma said as he got up from his chair and excused himself out of the room.
Joichirou turned to the director who had a very serious look on his face. "You do realize that this isn't going to be an easy task. That boy is as dense as a brick. I should know, I raised him," Joichirou said, raising some concerns to the director. Senzaemon broke from his serious look and laughed at Joichirou's remark. "Yes, I do realize this won't be easy. But he is the only one capable of accomplishing this. He's made the impossible, possible so far. Besides, I believe my granddaughter has truly fallen for your son, Joichirou," the Nakiri replied and caused laughter from the elder Yukihira now. "Oh yeah? And what makes you say that?" Joichirou asked still laughing at the thought.
"In time, you will see."
A/N Another chapter done. I'm really sorry if some of you find the beginning of my story a bit slow. I intend on doing that because immediately putting them together is boring and has been done before. So it'll be a little slow for the first few chapters or so but I promise it'll pick up eventually. Again, please review and let me know what you think.