Rebellion
Chapter Three
The train ride continued in silence for a while. With the rough beginning, it was only natural that this tense atmosphere would be present. Taking advantage of the silence, Soma allowed his thoughts to wander over the past few weeks.
Most notably, the rebels won their "war" against the corrupt and vile Central administration. That, in itself, was a huge feat for a ragtag team of underdogs, mostly populated by first years.
Soma allowed himself a small smile while thinking of his friends, and how much they had all grown.
'I am really happy that I got sent to Totsuki, pops. I've made a ton of really weird friends, and I feel like I've been fighting an uphill battle the entire time, but my cooking is skyrocketing. Soon, I can feel it, I'll be ready to really challenge you, and officially take over the shop,' Soma thought.
'Of course, I've made a few enemies as well,' continued Soma, sadly remembering the times his cooking truly couldn't get through to people, 'like Eizan-senpai, who was expelled for his underhanded tactics like buying off the judges when he was trying to shut down the Polar Star Dorm, and Azami-san who disappeared into the night after their battle, and…'
Soma glanced over at Erina, his jumbled mind wrecking havoc.
'What is she to me? Why do I need her dumb opinion of my dish? She's just spoiled,' Soma stopped his darkening thoughts before they progressed further. You see, even though he exemplified a care free and continuously positive attitude towards everyone around him, he was still a person too, and her sharp words sometimes cut deeper than he would like to admit.
'I want to impress her, but it's more than that. I want to make her take back what she's said about the diner, how she indirectly insulted… her restaurant.' Soma thought, a conflicting ensemble of happy and sad memories swirling violently in his head as he reminisced about his mother.
He would never admit this to his dad, or anyone else, but he was doing this all for her. The reason for his feverish drive, and his refusal to settle, was that he wanted to show the world how amazing his mom was, through his cooking. He wanted to prove that peak dining wasn't about the best ingredients, or the most refined taste, but rather, it was about eating something that made you truly feel things.
He had noticed his fellow chefs had similar approaches, every single one of their dishes spoke to who they were as an individual, and they poured their soul into their food.
For Hisako, her drive to impress Erina. For Hayama, his drive to repay Jun. For Alice, her drive to surpass Erina with science. For Megumi, her desire to make you feel like you were eating dinner with her family, in a room filled with love and laughter.
'Yea, Megumi's food is my favorite to eat, other than dad's. Last time I had it, it felt like… just for a second… that she was there with me, smiling and arguing with dad about something dumb, a goofy smile on dad's face.'
Of course, Megumi still had a ways to go skill-wise. Even though she was ranked tenth on their council, an impressive feat for anyone, let alone a girl who almost flunked out, she still needed more practice. They all did, truthfully. They still had a long road ahead of them, in their quest to become chefs.
'Well, most of us,' Soma thought, his gaze returning to Erina's face as she looked out the window.
In truth, no one could match Erina's skill and knowledge right now. With her infamous tongue, and sharp wit, she truly possessed the greatest talent right then.
'But, unlike everyone else I know, her food tastes empty, hollow, and sublime.'
It was like a beautiful painting, one put together with perfection and care, slowly assembled and brought about with utmost precision.
However, it was like once the painting was complete, the artist left, clearly un-interested in what the people viewing the art thought. It was as if she truly believed the painting could be improved no more, and that any attempt to improve the painting would actually decrease it's overall stature.
The fact of the matter is that once you believe you've reached perfection, you become the very opposite. The best paintings are those with flaws, after all, because you get to connect with the artist.
When viewing a painting, you can feel the emotion, the twisted thoughts, the sadness, the happiness, the internal turmoil that only those who seek appraisal and attention from others will understand.
A plate of food, much like a painting, if done correctly will connect the creator to the consumer. A bond that is truly one-sided, where the consumer is overwhelmed by feelings of familiarity with the creator, and the creator is returned with praise and critique, the cost of being an artist of any sort.
Sadly, at the end of the day, when you eat Erina Nakiri's food. It's just food. No connection is made, and because of that, while truly a culinary prodigy of the highest caliber, she is not a chef. Chef's are artists.
Finally, the train stopped one last time, and the duo exited the vehicle.
"Which way are we supposed to go again? I'm starving, let's grab some food first!" Soma exclaimed, back to his normal self.
"Absolutely not. We have a schedule to keep. And you have a copy of the directions too, why don't you look for yourself, lazy?" Erina returned, crossing her arms in front of her chest, hoping her normal demeanor will override the boy's non-traditional sensibility.
"I did look at the map, your highness, but you probably pay better attention to detail, so I'll leave the navigation up to you!" Soma replied, putting extra emphasis on the teasing way he referred to his companion.
It, of course, had the desired effect.
Erina's face flushed bright red with embarrassment as she attempted to offer up a counterattack, her arms flailing around in anger.
"Don't call me that! For the last time, I am-" The blonde finally sputtered out as she smoothed her uniform over, attempting to regain her composure.
"I'll call you whatever I want, princess, now that we're not on school grounds. No reason to act so high-class around here. It'll actually have the opposite effect we want, we don't want attention here," Soma finished ominously, one arm gesturing around them at a few of the onlookers.
Erina understood what he meant. Never before had she felt truly out of her element like this. She had no guards, no assistants, and no chauffeur.
'No to mention we're still about a 30 minute walk from the building.' Erina worriedly thought.
"So now that you understand, let's grab a bite and head off!" Soma attempted once again, his stomach growling it's agreement to his decision.
"For the last time, no. They will have food there. It's only 30 minutes away, surely you're not so immature that you can't wait 30 more minutes. Maybe I should be the first seat after all…" Erina coolly returned before turning around and beginning their trek, uncaring if Soma was following or not.
Soma narrowed his eyes at her back, already planning how he was going to get her back for making him wait for food. He was sure that it was going to involve tentacles and some very sweet sauce, something truly disgusting.
Eventually, he gave up and began following her, her retreating back already a good distance away.
'Hopefully I don't lose her, it's already getting darker out.' Soma thought to himself, quickening his pace.
Unfortunately for the duo, a pair of eyes lingered on the blonde chef, following her every movement.
'What a pretty girl. Clearly walks as if she has a stick up her ass, she must be someone important. Oh, she'll fetch a niiiiicceee price. After a little fun with me, of course.'
The eyes then focused on Soma, the red-head finally catching up with Erina.
'He seems to be a problem. Those sharp eyes speak of someone who knows the streets. I'll have to separate them somehow. For now though, I'll simply watch, and bide my time.' The unknown individual thought before merging with the shadows, disappearing into the city.
"Hmph, finally you show some intelligence and walk with a lady at night. Are you trying to be the worst protector ever?" Erina bit out, not turning her gaze from the path ahead.
"Well it would have been easier for me to catch up, had you not been fucking speed walking," Soma easily returned.
"You watch your language, Yukihira-kun. We are representing Totsuki after all."
"We're not representing them yet, we're still in public. Come on, you can lighten up a bit, Nakiri."
"I do not need to lighten up as you put it. I am perfectly fine with who I am. Perhaps you need to, instead, learn some manners. Maybe then people wouldn't look down on you initially, and you won't have to spend so much time trying to win everyone's respect with your food."
"So you're saying that if I acted better, I wouldn't have had to impress you with food, and you would have respected me initially?" Soma asked, making sure to really lay on the nervous act. He made sure to emulate Megumi as much as possible with this statement, his plan in motion.
Erina turned, excited that her words finally reached through to Soma, "Yes! Absolutely!"
Soma turned and met her eyes, his smile in full blast. Erina didn't know why, but that smile instinctively made her feel warmer inside and brought a small smile to her own face.
'Maybe there's hope for you yet, Yukihira-san'
The smile Soma was sporting quickly shifted into a smirk as his eyes donned a playful look.
"You just admitted I won you over with my food," Soma smugly stated, making sure to savor this moment because he knew she wasn't going to.
Erina's mind broke.
'N-n-no way. He twisted my words… I didn't…' Erina fumbled internally before her face flushed with more embarrassment than ever, her glare promising death to all who challenged her.
"Of course that's not what I meant! Your food is trash! How you are the first seat is completely beyond my understanding!" Erina continued with her tirade for the rest of the journey, but all Soma did was lean back into his hands that were supporting his head and smile, returning her insults with a few "of course" and "sure" just to spice her up a little.
'This is going to be really fun after all!' Soma thought, realizing that he was going to bother Erina the entire time, 'Man she's so fun to tease!'
'I'm going to strangle him and leave his body here where no one will ever find him.' Erina thought darkly.