Chapter 3: Appreciate the time

Heyhey you amazing people you!

How crazy is this? Only two chapters in and already so many reviews, likes and comments? This is insane thank you so so so much for that! I'm really exited to share this story with you and seeing how much you like it really warms my heart to no end! You're so awesome thank you so much!

So without further ado, may I present you chapter 3 of 'Truth'!

It's a bit more lighthearted than the other two, we're building up some tension after all.

Please let me know what you guys think and if you find it still worth reading or not. I love your comments a lot, and replying to them is in my opinion the best part of posting a story in the first place, so please guys let me know what you think. I would love to know if you have some speculations already about the things Erina will find out about her father, because as you maybe know, I'm not talking about Saibas and Azamis relationship during their school years. This involves Erina a little more and is not really canon either. I truly hope that doesn't bother anyone. Anyway, I'm talking too much so let me just wish you fun reading this and take care guys!

"Hey uhh, Alice?"

"Yes, Erina?"

"Care to remind me what exactly we're doing out here again?"

"You've gotta be kidding me, seriously Erina? We are watching these strange girls over there, obviously."

"Sorry my bad, allow me to rephrase that question. Why are we doing something like this in the middle of the day?"

At that Alice simply rolled her eyes.

"It's not important, you promised to help me either way, remember?"

She grinned wickedly at her blonde cousin, who looked more and more annoyed with each word. How it was possible for someone to be this irritating, she would never know.

"B-but only because you said it was a life or death situation and practically begged me to come along without explaining anything to me! We've been kneeling in behind a freaking bush, watching these first years talk for almost an hour. On top of that, I have something way more important to take care of right now, for example meeting up with those new applicants for our teaching staff. I'm sure they will arrive pretty soon and I need to prepare for that. So I think you owe me at least an explanation as to what's so special about them, don't you agree? It's only fair."

While hissing those words in order to not be found out by their underclassmen standing near a large building- probably because they had their next classes there-, she pointed a finger towards the cute girls.

For some odd reason, Alice wanted to 'stalk' them- basically that was all they were doing here-, and listen in on their conversation. She had a determined look in her eyes and seemed overall completely focused. Erina tagged along so she could find out what her white haired cousin was up to this time, only to get dragged into a nearby bush and forced to watch them as well.

Alice let out a frustrated sigh and turned her head towards the new headmaster.

"You're right. It's just... it's because of Ryo! I don't know why, but ever since our victory over Central, he's got his own fan-club. These girls over there are in it as well, and to be honest, I don't trust them one bit."

She talked very quietly- almost too quietly, which made it all the more difficult for the blond to follow her rant-, but what she heard made her eyes grow wide in shock.

"But you have one too, don't you?"

"Details! Besides..., that's completely different."

How was that any different? The heiress couldn't believe what she was hearing right now.

'Is Alice... actually jealous?'

The Nakiri Alice jealous over some aide?

Erina had to admit, this was the last thing she had expected. To be honest, she never imagined Alice and Ryo ever ending up together one day, but now that she thought about it properly... they would make a cute couple.

She gave her cousin a fond smile, now understanding what the whole fuss was actually about. When the time came, they could definitely count on her to support them.

'Who would have thought...?'

This was exactly something the heroine in her shoujo Manga would do. Sitting in the bushes to watch some other girl out of unknown jealousy was so cliché, Erina wished for a split second it was her doing that. At least then things would have been a lot easier to follow than they were now. Maybe her Manga knowledge could be of use in her cousins case instead of her own. The best friend was always the one to support and reassure the heroine, so all she needed to do was calming Alice down and make her see reason. Hiding in the bushes for almost an hour was pointless.

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure it doesn't mean anything. Just because there is a ridiculous fan-club now, doesn't mean Ryo will run off or spend less time with you, trust me."

"I'm not worried about that, of course he won't leave! He's... my aide after all."

At that, Erina shook her head in amusement. Alice would never admit she was jealous, no matter what. She guessed, they were pretty much the same in that regard...

"Whatever you say... Anyway, I think I should head back to deal with those applicants now. It seems to me like you got the situation under control, right?"

"Noooo, come on Erina, don't let me hanging! We need to keep watching them and hear what they might say about him! I can't do this without you!"

'You mean, we need to keep stalking them.'

Still kneeling beside her cousin, Erina rolled her eyes as she sighed in defeat. She would never be able to get back to work at this rate...

"Alice-"

Her words died down instantly upon seeing the pout the white haired girl sported. She definitely had no choice anymore, that much was clear.

Since when was she so unable to resist someones wishes?

"Fine... but only for a little while longer, understood?"

"Sure, sure whatever you say dear cousin."

They were quiet for the next few minutes, each so focused on the conversation continuing in front of the building that they didn't hear the call coming from behind them.

The owner of that voice started to approach the two cousins who were still kneeling behind a bush, now quite confused as to why neither of them bothered to greet him back.

"Yo Nakiri, what are you doing there?"

"W-what!? W-who!? I-I'm not here!"

She immediately jumped out of her skin when his voice reached her ears, standing back up with what seemed like lightning speed, and addressed him like so with a shriek. She then whirled around to scold him for scaring her the way he did, only to come face to face with an amused looking Yukihira, who raised an eyebrow at her display in confusion while his smile widened ever so slightly. Her words must have caused him to try and hold back his laughter, which seemed like it was harder to do than anything else at the moment.

He just stood there, hands tucked away in his pockets confidently, looking cool as ever. Erina blushed automatically, still having those thoughts of their passionate kiss on the balcony yesterday lingering in her mind. She just couldn't bring herself to stare at him for too long without feeling hot all over again.

It seemed Yukihiras cheeks stretched even further after seeing her reaction, as if he knew exactly why she refused to meet his eyes for more than a few seconds. Why would that amuse him? That was just rude and infuriated her even more!

"W-what are you doing here Yukihira? A-and wipe that smirk off your face this instant!"

He lifted his hands in mock surrender, taking a step back, as Erina shoved her face against his in clear annoyance.

"Calm down, will ya? I was just on my way to meet up with Kuga in one of his big fancy kitchens. He wanted to show me a new recipe he came up with yesterday, so he told me to stop by real quick before third period starts. But then I noticed you two crawling around in the bushes, and-"

"We weren't 'crawling around', it was-"

"Would you just shut up and get back down here already? Your flirting is starting to raise a lot of unwanted attention!"

It was almost ironic how perfectly in sink they actually could be when both turned their faces towards Alice- with the heiress blushing furiously- and growled their responses exactly at the same time.

"We are not flirting! We were only talk-"

After interrupting them mid conversation again by swiftly grabbing her cousins arm and jerking her back to the ground- ignoring the blonds shriek of protest in the process- she pressed a finger firmly against her own lips as a clears sign to keep quiet. Yukihira stood still where he was, obviously not getting what this was all about, when suddenly a hand came up and forced him down as well.

"You too Soma! If you continue standing there like that, you'll give us away!"

He now knelt right next to Erina, causing her to blush a little harder due to their close proximity, and raised both eyebrows this time. To the heiresses relief, or distress- she couldn't decipher that when he was literally in her personal space as he stared at Alice- no parts of their bodies were touching, but he was still close enough for her to feel the warmth originating from him. Why did she have to feel this way? It was so strange and annoying. She hated that she liked it having him next to her like this. Did that make any sense? Erina didn't think so.

Nonetheless, she had to play it cool for now. No way in hell would she reveal her affection to him in a moment like this, not that she ever would, but with Alice listening in, things were sure to get a lot more awkward than they needed to be.

So in other words, she simply settled on ignoring him- which proved itself to be a lot harder than expected- and tried her best to focus on the still pointless task of stalk- ahem watching these girls over there. Why didn't they leave already?

"So... what are we doing exactly?"

He leaned in to whisper this question into her ear, causing Erina to shiver in delight. Her heartbeat was completely out of control again, making her internally wonder if he could hear it too. He had such a sexy voice when he lowered it to a whisper! 'Or in general really' a inner voice deep inside her pointed out, causing her to want to slap a hand against her forehead.

'Remember, stay calm and focus!'

And so, she took a deep breath before answering, her eyes stubbornly fixated on the girls straight ahead, refusing to so much as acknowledge his presence.

"Believe me Yukihira, I have no idea. I mean, I understand what Alice is trying to do, but I still don't really see the point in all of this."

He looked even more confused now- judging by his lack of response-, which the blonde couldn't blame him for honestly. She had trouble following her cousins train of thought too after all.

"Just keep an eye on that group of girls standing at the entrance over there for now, okay?"

"Why would I do that? It sounds stupid. Besides, they aren't even doing anything. Have you guys been doing this the entire time or something?"

At that, Erina couldn't hold back a small giggle escaping her lips. He was actually right for once, that was precisely it. Stupid!

While laughing, she failed to notice the fond smile Yukihira gave her. She also failed to see the small hint of a blush spreading across his cheeks or his eyes shining with a certain glint to them.

Next to her on the other side, Alice huffed in resentment, apparently not having noticed it as well.

"I'm still here, you know! Quit talking about me as if I'm not around, it's rude!"

Both teens turned their heads simultaneously towards her- Erina halting her laughter right then- with the exact same blank expression on their faces, practically screaming 'you're one to talk', before facing each other and bursting out loud laughing again, holding their aching stomachs. It seemed they both realized how coordinate their movements have been and found it even more funny, their silly stares aside.

Alice glared at them for a second longer before she joined in on their laughter, completely forgetting about the first years, who were disappearing inside the building now.

It felt so good to just let loose and laugh to her hearts content, that Erina wanted to relish in that particular bliss forever. A peaceful moment of not worrying about the school, her past, her future, the boy beside her was exactly what the heiress needed right now. The reassuring feeling that everything was normal and absolutely perfect filled her heart with pure joy. This was truly... fun!

She laughed so loud alongside Yukihira and Alice, she noticed a few fellow classmates walking by, eyeing them curiously, probably wondering why there were three Students- not to mention one of them being the headmaster herself- sitting on the ground behind a bush and laughing their heads off. Normally Erina would be totally embarrassed to do something like this in public, but right now she found that she simply didn't care. It had been far too long since the last time she had enjoyed herself like this. It felt so good, so fulfilling!

As she wiped a few tears from her eyes, she turned her gaze once more towards the redhead, who was now smiling brightly back at her. It really seemed like her day got much better from the minute he showed up here, which she knew she couldn't deny anymore. Once again she noticed how dashingly attractive he was, that boyish grin never failing to get her heart all aflutter.

Judging from the way his eyes softened as he looked her way, she had the distant feeling that his attention never left her for a second since they unconsciously started leaning against each other for support while laughing. Even though she had noticed it now, she still couldn't find it in herself to shy away from his solid body. Something kept her where she was, her arm pressing firmly against his. It wasn't improper or anything special really, but after their heated kiss yesterday, every small contact with him- whether it was a single brush of their shoulders when they passed each other by or a second of contact between their knees while they sat at the dining table back at the dorm during breakfast- caused her heart to skip at least ten beats at once and her entire body to burn up as if it was on fire. She felt hot for no reason, yet at the same time never wanted to actually break their body contact either. It was nuts honestly, especially when she still couldn't find a logical enough sounding explanation for it. But for better or for worse, she was just glad, Yukihira didn't seem to avoid her anymore. He continued to tease her, joke around with or about her- risking a death glare and a few venomous words of defiance in the process- and talk to her normally- even though that happened pretty rarely now that she actually thought about it...

It was almost like that conversation about wanting to forget their intimate moment on the balcony last night never happened, which Erina appreciated a lot, those disappointed looking eyes kind of haunting her even right now.

He continued to smile gorgeously at her, as she desperately tried to rid herself from those thoughts. Now was most definitely not the time to think about that, not when he was right here in front of her.

However, she couldn't help but return that affectionate gaze unconsciously, when she felt her mind finally switching off somehow, waving at her from a distance.

At that moment, Nakiri Erina officially understood one crucial, unbelievable fact: She was so screwed!

She understood that she couldn't stay away from him. She understood that she wanted him to smile at her every single day like this. She understood that she... wanted to kiss him again. These perfectly shaped lips practically begging her to do so, as strange as it sounded. Apparently her mind decided to go on a vacation for a while anyway, so technically she was allowed to think whatever nonsense she wanted, right?

She swore, this boy would be the death of her someday, causing her to admit those things to herself so casually!

Her heart could stop from over exhaustion because of him. That was why she was screwed beyond believe. Even so, she felt that she didn't mind it one bit, which scared her more than she would ever care to admit. It all came to her so suddenly, she got perplexed for a second, staring even deeper into the redheads amber eyes. Was it a good thing, she could say what she sort of wanted now? If so, would knowing this actually help her to find out why she wanted it and what she should do once she got it? She sure hoped so.

Although she didn't know what to do with this new realization right off the bat, she was glad to at least have found one track of thought she could follow later. Maybe this track would lead her to some of those desperately desired answers pretty soon.

For now however, she was simply too mesmerized by the charming Chef in front of her- smiling at her with that soft, dreamy expression on his face-, to let her brain do it's work properly.

That is, until a certain white haired vixen decided it was enough of a moment to simply let them sit there and blend out the rest of the world.

"Oh my... so it's true then, you two really do have this 'catching each others eyes all the time' thing going on! How adorable!"

It was like they both were slapped in the face by reality. A reality called Nakiri Alice.

'Oh no... she is still here too...'

Erinas eyes grew wide with yet another realization. If Alice was still there, she must have seen everything right now. She hated to admit it, but her cousin was pretty smart, not to mention her endless teasing just beyond ruthless.

Now Erina was more than screwed!

Yukihira seemed to snap out of it as well, looking past her to give the white haired Chef a curious glance. He clearly didn't know what she was talking about. Granted, neither did the heiress herself.

What exactly did Alice mean by that?

Apparently she saw the confusion clearly written all over their faces, causing her to giggle evilly, but other than that she stayed silent, not bothering to explain anything. How cruel!

Erina felt annoyance slowly but surely creeping up her back again. This girl was teasing her already! Damn her!

"Hmm? What do you mean Nakiri 2?"

At that, Erina had to laugh a little. Strange..., a while back she was seriously pissed when he used their family name like that but now... she just laughed? She really was changing her demeanor towards him...

"Ignorant to the truth as always I see. Don't worry you two, you'll figure it out eventually, but until then... we'll have some fun! And don't call me Nakiri 2, you idiot!"

Erina shuddered just hearing her cousins words. Why was she talking in riddles? Did she knew something they didn't? Well clearly she did, but why was she refusing to tell them?

"Alice, what do you-"

"Sorry dear cousin, but I'm not telling! Go find out yourselves."

"What!?"

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to ruin the fun. Besides, if you knew now, your whole world would change in a manner of speaking, so... no can do."

Yukihiras interest was officially piqued, and the blonde knew right then and there that he definitely wouldn't back down now. He wanted to find out just like she did, so maybe they could...

"Is that a challenge?"

Bewildered, she turned her head towards Yukihira again, silently asking him, what he was on about now?

He just grinned confidently back at her, a fire slowly starting to burn in his eyes. He loved himself a good challenge, how could she forget? Alice used his greatest weakness against him, that is, if it actually could be considered a weakness at all.

Alice raised a eyebrow before smiling mysteriously.

"Well in a way I suppose it is."

"Alright, you're on! We'll solve this riddle then, won't we Nakiri?"

She looked at him quite puzzled for a moment before grinning back up at him, letting herself get carried away by his enthusiasm. The exact same thing was going through her head just a second earlier as well... before another one took it's place.

"Fine. But don't you dare turn this into a contest between the two of us like last time, you understand? I want to find out what she meant, no matter the cost."

"Oh gimme a break, are ya scared I might find the solution before you do or something?"

He intended to sound annoyed, but Erina could clearly see the playful glint in his eyes. Although his competitiveness never ceased to amaze her, that was the last thing they needed right now. But unfortunately for them both, she could be just as competitive, and there was no way, she would let him show her up! Her brain desperately tried to rationalize that they should work together to one up her cousin as soon as possible, but her pride was bigger than any other will she could have, thus Erina didn't bother to talk him out of this either.

"What did you say? Never! I bet I can figure it out a lot faster than a merely commoner like you ever could!"

"The hell? What was that about working on this thing together, huh!?"

"W-well, you were the one who started it, idiot!"

"So much for teamwork then! Now I'm definitely gonna solve it way faster than you!"

"Hmpf, it's not my fault you can't build a simple team with me! Doesn't matter anyway because I, for sure will solve it by the time it takes to blink!"

"No way, I'm telling you I'll be the one done with that stupid riddle before you can even get started!"

"Feel free to try, but I assure you that I'll succeed!"

"We'll see about that, princess! What d'ya say we make it a bit more interesting then? Whoever wins, gets to order the other around for a day, no holding back, deal?"

"Deal! But let me tell you, I'm going to make you regret that suggestion!"

"Not if I get to you first! Trust me Nakiri, I will win!"

By now, their faces were shoving against each other again, neither of them ready to give in yet. Erina had to admit, his stubbornness matched hers perfectly. She enjoyed their playful bickering a lot now, since this was kind of their thing anyway. It was fun to argue with him over the most ridiculous topics. No one would back down, unless someone else interrupted them like last night...

Before she could finish her last thought however, she spotted something on the edges of Yukihiras mouth. A twitch. He wanted to laugh! So she wasn't the only one liking their little quarrels!

'Well, he won't have anything to laugh at once I have him as my personal lapdog for a day...'

They waited another second at most in silence- with Erina blushing madly again due to his face so close to her own, his lips so seductive, and only a few inches away- before bursting out in laughter once more.

What was going on with all this laughing today? It was so unlike her, so inelegant for someone of her status, and yet here she was, enjoying herself to the fullest. Erina heard once that if you laugh too much in one day, you would end up crying at the end of it. But what could possibly happen after experiencing such a beautiful afternoon?

She instantly knew then and there, she wouldn't want to change anything in that moment, no matter what the evening might bring.

Meanwhile, she noticed Alice watching them fondly as they laughed, leaning against each other for support again. She said, she wouldn't tell them anything she supposedly knew about them, but Erina could tell that her cousin was practically itching to get a word out.

'Whatever, I can figure it out on my own before Yukihira does, and then I'll show her!'

"Miss Erina!"

"There she is."

Her laughter died down almost immediately after hearing the fast approaching voices of desperate sounding people in fine suits.

'Oh no way! My meeting with the Applicants for the new teaching staff!'

She silently cleared her now sore throat before standing up gracefully and turning to face the lean young Men coming to a halt behind her.

Yukihira stopped laughing as well, getting also to his feet beside her, confusion written all over his features.

'I guess this means, fun-time's over.'

She really had forgotten about her new position as headmaster while spending time with her friends..., unbelievable.

Alice got to her feet, as she stared coolly at the Applicants before them. After all, professionalism was in order right now.

"Miss Erina, where have you been?"

The first one, Mr. Toya from the old teaching staff her grandfather had working under him seemed a little annoyed, which Erina couldn't blame him for, as much as she wanted to. They were waiting for her all this time, so naturally they would be pissed.

"We were forced to go all around the campus in search for you."

The scratchy voice of Mr. Ibuki sounded even angrier than the one standing beside him. Perhaps he had a hard time holing his temper?

Erina resisted the urge to roll her eyes at that comment. Of course they were. After all, she was the one who forgot about her important duties as the new director, which in the end resulted in them coming all the way out here to find her. Her grandfather would be so disappointed in her...

"Anyway, now that we have found you, we should go and discuss things in private at the very least, don't you think? Hopefully this was the only time we got to witness your childish tendencies firsthand, Miss Erina. Please try to remember, you were chosen to take your grandfathers place and resume his legacy, therefore it is not your duty to play around in the mutt like a five year old but rather to secure the future of this institution."

Mr. Ibuki nodded his head approvingly at hearing his coworkers words. His expression showing nothing but disapproval and resentment.

"Indeed that is what has been required of you. Nakiri Senzaemons granddaughter was to become the new director of this academy in due time, however, no one could have ever predicted that you would claim the title this early. Forgive us Miss Erina, it goes without saying that our allegiance to your grandfather is absolute, but we are simply a bit... skeptical as to whether or not a little girl such as yourself will actually be up to the task of directing an entire school let alone keep it's prestige reputation alive."

"And after stumbling upon you in the middle of this scenario... just raised our concern even more."

Wow, things were starting off pretty smoothly, she noted sarcastically while one of her delicate eyebrows twitched. Was having a little fun with friends really that wrong? Did these so called 'elite Chefs' seriously forget who they were talking to here? They viewed the time she tried to 'enjoy her youth'- as Isshki would so casually put it- as nothing short than a waste. Was it impossible for her to act at least once in her life like a normal teenage girl? Erina didn't need a whole lecture to remind her of her position here, but she supposed there really were to be even more restrictions to her free time if she wanted the academy to run as flawlessly as to when her grandfather still held the title of headmaster. It broke her heart to know that she wouldn't be able to spend as much time with her friends as she desired, but it couldn't be helped. Amateurish behavior like this simply won't earn anyone's respect, after all. Which was precisely what she needed if she wanted to erase the visible marks of terror her father left behind. And these two Men standing before her proved that fact oh so perfectly. No one would respect a little girl as the director of a famous culinary institution, no matter what her name was or what title she held. So, she figured there was only one thing to do at the moment: start gaining the recognition she desired by acting like the authority she truly was.

"My sincerest apologies, gentlemen. Rest assured, an irreparable action such as this will not happen ever again. However, allow me to make one thing clear since we have the time. My obligation to my position as headmaster has little to do with my private affairs whatsoever. Yes I admit, I have been careless to forget about our meeting like that, but I most certainly won't tolerate you doubting my intentions or ambitions regarding the path of this school. If my grandfather entrusted his legacy to me than you have my word, I will do whatever it takes to return it to it's full glory before my fa-... before Nakamura Azami breathed poison into it's halls. I don't expect you to agree with my ideals or visions, but what I do expect is for you to trust and support me by giving these students the best form of education you are able. Now please if you may, follow me back to my office, so we can discuss this last part in greater detail."

With her head held high, she noticed both Yukihira and Alice staring at her with pride and admiration written all over their features. Former also held something else in his gaze, that the heiress couldn't quite decipher. Was it... affection? No, that wasn't the right word for it. Perhaps..., and Erina didn't really dare think it, but perhaps it was something way stronger than simple affection could ever be... His smile seemed a little different than all the other ones before and Erina felt herself drawn to it regardless. Whatever this was, it made her blush immediately.

He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by her cousin, who held up her hand, gesturing for Yukihira to keep quiet a little while longer, which Erina appreciated a lot.

Now was not the time to say anything while these two Applicants before her looked so ridiculously bewildered, apparently unable to believe she had actually talked back like that. Well, they had it coming. Now it was their turn to give a form of response.

"A-alright then, let us head back."

Mr. Ibukis demeanor changed completely now, sounding more perplexed and intimidated. Gone was the hoarse, angry tone from moments ago. That being said, they both turned to go back the same way they came from, giving each other nervous glances now and then.

With the elegance and pride of a lioness- her blush already forgotten at this point- she flipped her hair back and started to move away from the others as well, not even so much as thinking about shooting them an apologetic glance. A statement needed to be made here after all.

Besides, they didn't exactly need to see the tiny hint of sadness and anguish she was unable to hide for a split second.

Suddenly a warm hand shot out, grabbing hers and intertwining their fingers soothingly before giving it a reassuring squeeze, causing Erina to stop walking, as she felt herself blush furiously once again. The appealing fragrance of cinnamon and other spices enveloped her, making her heart wanting to jump right out of her rib cage. She would recognize that persons scent everywhere, anytime.

What was going on?

"Hey Nakiri, wait a sec."

Her hand still firmly enveloped in his, she turned her head back towards him, not able to notice the two Men slowly walking ahead without giving her another glance. Her senses were all focused on him. She held her breath in anticipation, wondering what he had to say...

"Uhh, I planned to have another Shokugeki tonight, but with Takumi this time, and I was wondering if you could be one of the judges? That would be awesome, since you know, you missed the other one last night."

… only to release it in disappointment. What did she expect anyway? This was Yukihira Soma after all. He now grinned at her brightly as he still held on to her hand, waiting for her to answer.

Then it hit her, as her eyes grew wide. Erina didn't know why, but something about the way he so casually refused to let go told her that he indeed had noticed. He saw the wistful expression, she so desperately wanted to hide from them. He knew she was disappointed that their time together had to come to an end, and thus he acted. Acted like he always did when he sensed her sorrow.

She knew right then that no matter what, he would take this sorrow away as soon as possible. He would make sure, she was able to have fun again tonight. It was like a silent promise made by his hand that he would stay beside her all the way and make her laugh while she walked this stony path before her. She realized that this was his way of reassuring and comforting her, as she squeezed his hand in return now. He would be there to show her that she was allowed to enjoy herself along the way. And there was nothing more meaningful than getting this promise from the person who saved her...

Trying her best not to display her growing excitement over this fact, she quickly averted her eyes- it was easy due to her back technically still turned to him-, while blushing for the at least thirteenth time since he showed up earlier.

"S-sure, I-I suppose I can do that."

It seemed he heard her mumbling just fine, judging from his grin softening once again as he slowly released her hand, which felt cold now for some reason. Immediately after she noticed her hand still hanging in the air awkwardly, she let it fall to her side, her head turning back to look in front of her, where she could see her Applicants marching into another building now. She remembered what it was she needed to do before the day would come to a close, and so without looking at neither Yukihira nor Alice- she had forgotten that her cousin was still there- she first released another shaky breath then began to move once more.

The only thing she was able to hear was Alice' small giggle and her amused sounding words right after that.

"You totally made that up on the spot, didn't you Soma?"

Unfortunately she couldn't make out what the redheads response was, but she was too lost in her own thoughts to listen in anyway.

What did Alice mean this time?

Why would he do that?

Shaking her head, she began to walk faster. There were more important things to think about right now. After her meeting, she wanted to go home to talk to her grandfather about this pressing weight in her heart.

It was time she found out what actually happened to her father...

And there it is! I hope you all liked it! Next time, we will have a little bit more going on, but until then take care guys!