Chapter 5: Clueless

Heeeeyyyy everyone!

I'm so sorry for updating this late, but my laptop broke down all of a sudden, and I had to give it to my uncle, so he could fix it. It took him this long to bring it back to me, so I'm really sorry, I couldn't continue writing.

But now I'm back with another chapter to present you all, and I really hope it makes up for the time you had to wait for it!

This time I think I would say it's going to be a bit more... interesting than the last one, but I guess it also could be just my opinion, which means, you'll just have to see for yourselves, right? I would love to hear your opinions on it in a review, and I'm really sorry for not writing things correctly last time. From what a few of you told me (thanks so much for that!), Erina knows the name of Somas family diner, so apologies for misinterpreting that part! If it would be okay with you all too, I'd like to keep it the way I wrote it though, but I will come back to it in the next chapter to make up for my mistake at least a little bit.

Thank you all so very much for reviewing again and I hope the story still is to your liking. Please leave me a comment, and I hope I see you all next time again.

Take care everyone!

'Did she just...?'

Yes, yes she did.

She actually flipped her hair right in his face before walking inside…

Still frozen in his place and unable to move a single muscle yet, Soma found himself staring at the now empty spot she had been standing at, just a second ago. With each beat of his heart- it was probably going a mile a minute at this point-, he felt his cheeks heating up more and more until it probably reached the color of his hair.

For the love of god, what had just happened?

He was only teasing her a little, and it wasn't even a lie!

They did manage to get back here without any sort of accident, thanks to his incredible driving skills, after all.

But then all of a sudden she had rolled her eyes and turned around as she flipped her hair, knowing full well it would brush against his face. The silky soft locks had the most delicate and alluring scent he had ever smelled- and here he always thought, the different varieties of aroma coming from each new dish he tried out were amazing-, while the small smile she sported sent his gut on fire. Well, not actually on fire, but he sure felt hot as hell at that moment, something twisting in his stomach with joy. She left him standing there as she calmly walked back inside the dorm, not even so much as giving him another glance.

What was up with this girl and her seemingly endless attitude anyway?

His heart had hammered like crazy against his ribcage- if he were to be completely honest, he would have already admitted that it was still beating ridiculously fast right now, but who was he to acknowledge something so stupid and mushy? It simply wasn't in his nature to do that.

Aside from that, there was also the fact that his usually creative mind had decided to go totally blank for a while, leaving him with no other option than to simply widen his eyes in shock and blush a deep shade of red, like some kind of idiot.

And it was all her fault.

Feelings like these- whatever they were supposed to mean- simply didn't suit him at all. Soma felt strange and couldn't focus- just like right now-, which he feared would eventually affect his cooking as well someday.

That was precisely the reason, why he had suggested to forget about this… mistake they made, the moment they had talked about it yesterday. He couldn't afford to lose focus on what's truly important here- him becoming a better Chef than his old man.

Well, now that he thought about it, they more likely ended up avoiding each other's questions, rather than actually talk, which, back then, had caused Soma to feel oddly disappointed for no reason. He couldn't blame her for not telling him what exactly she was thinking about since he hadn't been quite honest with her either, but for what it was worth, he would have liked- no loved- to hear everything she had felt at that particular moment.

His own hormones were troublesome enough as it is, so he had kind of hoped, she could provide him with some answers.

But as it seemed, that turned out to be a bad idea, considering he had felt disappointed all over again when he had left her room.

And yet his absentminded cooking wasn't even the worst of it all.

No, what was truly getting him concerned was the fact that all these strange sensations inside him were directly tied to her. The person who long since disappeared behind the big front door of the dormitory.

He blamed her for his current predicament, not to mention all those other weird fluttery feelings he had the pleasure of experiencing before that.

It wasn't nice, to say the least, and he really had no use for them either.

So in a way, he supposed, he was actually glad, she didn't bother to turn around again to look at him, for he didn't exactly know how to hide this whirlwind of emotions properly, if she did.

The stupor she had put him in was just too evident on his face right now, and he couldn't let her see that.

He stood where he was for another couple of minutes, still dazed and motionless, before finally snapping out of it and making his way inside as well, shouting an irritated "Hey!" as he ran after her.

She couldn't do something like that to him and simply get away with it.

No way in hell, would he allow that.

Finally catching up with her in the main hall, he let out a deep growl, scowling in her direction to emphasize his lack of amusement.

The blonde, however didn't seem to notice his stare as she chatted happily with Tadokoro and Sakaki about the lectures during all their classes today, like nothing happened.

She would let out a small laugh every now and then, and from where he stood, it was pretty obvious she was enjoying herself- just like he wanted her to from the moment he knew what her horrific father had put her through, when she was a kid.

He wanted her to have fun while cooking and joke around freely, without any form of restraint or hesitation.

The laughter they shared, when he had found her and Alice hiding behind a bush earlier- he still didn't really get, why they were doing that in the first place- was a pretty good start so far.

Back then, he had been quite positive that she was starting to feel better the moment she actually let loose and snorted alongside him.

The way he had seen her behave lately had tugged on his heartstrings for some reason, which was why he wanted to put a smile on her beautiful face, no matter what. Needless to say, it was a complete success for this day.

Unbeknownst to Soma, the glare he had sported thus far was long gone by now, a gentle smile replacing it instead, as he continued watching the blonde talk to her friends.

They really did get along pretty well, no actual surprise to anyone, considering Tadokoros kind and caring personality.

That girl made people feel welcome, no matter the circumstances, and Soma was genuinely thankful, she had invited the stubborn princess to stay at the dorm that night she ran away from the Mansion- he still chuckled at the thought of the flawless heiress actually rebelling against her strict father, but for what it was worth, she made the right choice.

He didn't even dare to imagine what she would have to endure if she had stayed there...

"There you are, Yukihira!"

Suddenly pulled out of his thoughts, he noticed Takumi approaching him with an irritated expression on his face.

He grinned excitedly at him, raising his hand in greeting.

For a second, he was reminded of earlier today, where he had sprinted towards his motorbike right after Nakiri left with those two idiots, she wanted to recruit as new teachers for the school, in order to search the whole freaking campus for his friend.

Alice was right, he had made this whole Shokugeki up on the spot, when he had asked her cousin to be one of the judges- how did she know that he had been bluffing anyway?

It was quite peculiar, but he had felt like the time they shared laughing together couldn't just end like that. Nakiri had looked a bit wistful and sad, so he had figured, he might as well cheer her up by silently promising that she would have a great time again, once she came back to the dorm this evening.

He had no idea why he had said that, nor did he understand the reason he had wanted her to smile again, but he figured it simply had to be because they were close friends now, nothing else coming to mind unfortunately.

"Ah, what's up Takumi, you ready for our match?"

The Italian Chef came to a halt before him, his eyes immediately lighting up in excitement, while Somas grin stretched even further until it became a goofy smirk as he adjusted his position to properly face his friend. He really enjoyed messing with him whenever he got the chance, knowing full well that the pale teen wouldn't ignore his attitude and try his hardest to one up him in one way or the other. Sometimes he wondered, how they managed to stay such close friends, when all they did was challenge each other. Then again his relationship with Nakiri didn't seem all that different than that either, but instead of having her try to reach up to him, he wanted to be at her level…

"Ah, yes of cour- never mind that! Where have you been? We were supposed to meet half an hour ago! Are you trying to buy some time or something?"

"Wha... why would I do that? I'm right on… damn…, it was at eight o'clock, wasn't it?"

Realization hit him as soon as he heard himself talk.

If this were an official Shokugeki, he would have been screwed ten times over by now, for there were no acceptable excuses as to why someone would miss such an important event, especially when said someone was the current first seat.

"Sorry about that, I… guess I got held up?"

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck as he gave his friend a nervous chuckle, smug smirk definitely gone for good now.

It was completely his fault, he blew the time of their cooking battle, foolishly thinking he could afford to do a few things before heading back. Apparently that wasn't the case, and everyone was already waiting for him, which he felt pretty bad for.

All thanks to a certain someone who had to take her sweet time talking to gramps inside that big fancy Mansion of theirs. Then again, she didn't exactly knew he would come to pick her up, so... he guessed he really couldn't blame anyone other than himself for showing up late.

To be honest, he didn't have a freaking clue as to why he had stopped by the Estate, either.

After his fun time with Kuga had ended, he easily could have driven back to the dorm and prepare for his Shokugeki without any haste- which was what he had intended to do, at first-, but when he had talked to Tadokoro, who was strolling along the sidewalk towards the research society she was in, he decided, he would head straight for Nakiris home instead- that is, after he gave his friend a quick ride to her destination.

He didn't know what had been on his mind then, but as soon as the blondes name fell, the only thing he felt was the sudden increase in his heartbeat, while everything else turned strangely numb. He wasn't able to listen to any of Tadokoros words, nor could he force himself to think about anything other than the pretty face of this particular girl with beautiful amethyst eyes and a pride that, without a doubt, could end up being her downfall one day.

He didn't want to be distracted- mostly out of respect for the kindhearted bluenette behind him- but it seemed like, once Nakiri was thrown into the mix, his brain decided to take two steps back, whenever he tried to take one foreword.

This was nerve-racking, to say the least, and while he had to admit that there were indeed way worse things to constantly think about then a sinfully gorgeous Nakiri Erina, he didn't have the slightest idea of how to deal with those confusing emotions whatsoever.

In moments like these, he really wished his dad would call him again, so he had the chance to tell him what was going on inside his troubled head.

'On second thought, maybe not... He wouldn't exactly give me the kind of advice I'm looking for, anyway. Hell, what do I even expect to hear? This is so dumb!'

With thoughts like that still lingering inside his mind, Soma had eventually reached the front door of that giant Mansion- the guards letting him in immediately for some reason-.

He remembered waiting patiently for her to come out, not bothering to give his watch so much as even a second glance, thinking he had plenty of time left after all, which now proved itself to be quite the mistake.

"You got held up? Really? Did something happen? Don't tell me, you got yourself into some kind of trouble again!"

Takumi sounded quite concerned now, unconsciously lightening the young Chefs good mood even further. The amount of worry his friends showed for him was truly overwhelming at times, yet he still appreciated it, feeling like they considered him as much a close friend as he did for them.

So in order to let the boy before him know he had nothing to worry about, he gave him a thumbs up, while shaking his head with a small laugh.

"Nah, don't worry about it, I'm good. C'mon, let's stop wasting more time and do this already! We got our three judges after all, so there's no point in waiting around any longer."

"Hey, you were the one who was late, you idiot! If anyone is wasting time, it's you!"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, no need to yell, ya know?"

He grinned cheekily before turning around to head straight for the kitchen, that is... until his gaze landed on the delicate form of the girl, he had tried to avoid looking at while talking to Takumi- he really didn't want to experience yet another one of those bizarre sensations, where he dismissed every conversation in the room, while staring at her again.

Now however, their eyes met directly, as she turned her head towards him as well, without anything in between them to block their perspective view of each other and he knew... that was dangerous.

She was scowling at him, most likely pissed because of something he said- perhaps she heard him blabbering about getting held up on his way back?-, as her cheeks flushed a light shade of red. His only response was a roguish smile, followed by a quick wink to complete the unspoken message: 'you are the reason I'm late, so don't blame me for telling how it really is'.

He didn't mean to make her feel like she was at fault for his tardiness, but he had no other choice right now, for the intense eye contact would eventually drive him up the wall, her alluring amethyst orbs already threatening him to drown within their depths.

He needed to get a good grip on himself, otherwise he would be in trouble for sure.

To his huge relief, she immediately turned her head away from him, frustration clearly evident on her features, which caused him to also release the tension in his shoulders, a small sigh escaping his lips. Now a bit more relaxed, he now continued his way to the kitchen- missing the way her eyes widened in realization as she turned her head to him again, staring at the writing on the back of his family diner's shirt-. Once inside, he called out to all the others, announcing the start of the Shokugeki as a tingly feeling made its way up his back, a sensation, he knew and loved all too well!

His friends eagerly followed suit, all the while mumbling amongst themselves about who would win and what they would be fighting over. He chuckled silently, remembering that moment when he had found Takumi and challenged him to a Food battle with him accepting instantly.

Who would have thought?

They neither talked about any conditions, nor did they choose a theme for the match, both probably figuring that the judges would surely come up with something suitable. Needless to say, Soma wasn't worried about that in the slightest, they had three very talented Students as their critics after all, which was sure to make things a hell of a lot more interesting.

They were already seated at the table by now, with their heads held high, yet each seemingly deep in thought at the same time. A few minutes past, before they finally nodded to the one sitting in the middle, which could only mean, they had made their decision- how that would be possible without any form of communication was beyond him- and wanted the head-judge to announce the theme.

Soma risked looking her way again, trying his hardest to not lose focus this time, which he had to admit was way more difficult than he had imagined.

What a pain…

"Alright you two. Isshiki, Ryoko and I have decided that the theme for this Shokugeki will be Dumplings. So provided it's available in the kitchen, you're free to use whatever ingredient you like within the arranged time limit of two hours. If neither of you have questions, you may begin!"

…

"Oh man, I'm beat! Seriously, it's amazing how we ended up having a draw like this yet again, huh Takumi?"

"Is that supposed to make me feel better now, Yukihira? If Sakaki had placed her bowl in front of my perfectly prepared dish, I would have won."

"Well, it can't be helped. She couldn't decide, so its fine, I guess. What I really wanna know is why Nakiri chose your Dumplings over mine. I mean c'mon, even in a friendly cooking match like this one, she can't compliment my food for once?"

The Italian beside him suddenly beamed happily, completely forgetting about his sour mood from just a minute ago, which caused Somas frown to deepen. It was as if his friend was mocking him somehow, and he didn't like it one bit.

"Yeah, this would say quite a lot about your relationship now, wouldn't it? If the 'God Tongue' herself thought my dish was superior to yours then that clearly makes it my win in a way, don't you think?"

Soma, now getting really annoyed at the arrogant tone the Italian used, turned towards him with an equal fire in his eyes.

"What are ya talking about? Nakiri and I are great friends now, just go over there and ask for yourself, I'm sure she'll tell you the same. And who said anything about you winning this, because of her vote, huh? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! Last time I checked, we never agreed on something like that, so forget about it, pal!"

By now, their foreheads were pressed aggressively against each other, trying to settle this little argument with force instead of just words- those seemed overrated at this point anyway.

Soma didn't listen to everyone else demanding that they should stop behaving so childishly, and enjoy the rest of the snacks they had, instead. Once again, the party transferred to Maruis room, where they settled down on everything they could find, whether it being a chair, the bed, or even the floor.

They talked and laughed to their hearts content, while sharing the remaining food and the rice juice, Ryoko had provided them with.

Soma and Takumi continued arguing on the large brown carpet covering most parts of the room, with their backs leaning against the wall next to the bed, before they had begun their stare off. Tadokoro joined the group as well after finishing her work at her research society, immediately asking how the match had ended, which caused the two boys to bicker even louder than before.

She had tried to calm them down, but her words simply didn't reach Somas ears, much like everyone else's.

However, he picked up on one sound in particular among them though, coming from the other end of the small room.

The melodic voice he was able to hear- as strange as it was- asked for their attention so she had the chance to talk about something important.

Forgotten was the bickering between him and his Italian friend, as his eyes instantly found her, sitting near the bookshelf and looking somewhat… nervous?

He wasn't entirely sure, but judging from the way she pressed her lips together in a thin line and played with the brim of her green nightdress somewhat anxiously, it must be something major she needed to get off her chest.

Truth be told, it was kind of crazy, how many details he could make out just by glancing her way, but for some reason, he seemed to be unable to avert his eyes, simply too mesmerized by her elegance as she stood up and walked back towards the door, in order to properly face all of them. It was as though some unknown force turned his head back to her, whenever he wanted to look elsewhere, and it drove him crazy. He wasn't sure what it was or why he had such a hard time trying to turn his gaze away from her, but from the looks of it, his reflexes were based on pure instinct alone when it came to this girl.

All he could say about that was, he didn't like it.

Not one bit.

His brain wasn't functioning the way it was supposed to and on top of that, he felt like his body was paralyzed somehow.

This was most certainly not a Situation he would describe as 'enjoyable' or even 'normal' at that, especially when there were weird tingly sensations inside his stomach too, making him even worry he might be sick or something at this point.

That state of sudden impassivity happened before and Soma was scared of its effects this time. When it had been just the two of them on the balcony yesterday, he had completely lost control of his own movements, which eventually drew him closer to her and caused him to…

He gulped down the lump in his throat as an poor attempt to erase the memory of their fiery kiss, the feeling of her marvelous curves under his touch making him dizzy all over again.

When she had unconsciously used that same phrase from last night, before they got here- her reaction beyond adorable the moment she realized what she had let slip-, he had wanted nothing more than to punch himself in the face for acting like he was completely unfazed by it.

Why he did that, he couldn't say, though.

It was true, he wished he could forget all about their… accident, but his brain simply refused to follow suit for some reason.

Needless to say the gulp just now also didn't quite work the way he hoped it would, so instead, he tried shaking his head next in utter desperation.

Why was it so hard to get that girl off his mind for just a second?

He never had a problem ignoring stuff before, so why was she an exception?

Strange as it was, he unconsciously searched for her whenever he entered a room. He didn't know how it would be possible, but her eyes always seeming to catch his in one way or the other. It was nuts, he was well aware of that, but it was also something he had no control over as well, his head turning towards her automatically every time they so much as even breathed the same air in an open space - no matter how big it was-.

He knew, the moment she parted her lips to scold him for trying to use the underclassmen as guinea pi- taste tasters again, or simply crossed her arms in front of her chest in an typical 'Nakiri fashion', he was done for.

There was no chance in hell, he would be able to hold back the smile that would stretch his cheeks then, growing wider with every signature move she made, when being in a foul mood. She was just so predictable sometimes, it was easy to tell when exactly she would flip her hair back or start getting defensive, her huge ego not able to bear the feeling of defeat or humiliation.

A cocky grin grew ever so slightly on his face as he recalled that moment in the tent one year ago, where she had regarded him with a certain challenging glint in her eyes, just daring him to try and surpass her level of skill.

He had to admit, his own ego was just as big in that regard, not letting him rest until he overcame the obstacle that lay before him- hence the need to prove himself to her and his dad as soon as possible.

'And once I do…'

"What's wrong Erina, you okay?"

He was jolted out of his thoughts instantly when he heard her name being called out.

There it was again, how anticlimactic.

It honestly shouldn't even surprise him anymore at this point, for whatever this was, he had a distant feeling it would take him quite a while to find it out, anyway.

'It better be worth all this trouble!'

"Yes Yuki, I'm fine, don't worry. There is just something I… wanted to tell you guys before… the time comes for me to move back to the Estate…"

Now his interest was piqued, causing him to sit up even straighter, arms resting on his thighs loosely, while he leaned forward a bit in order to not miss a single word she said- her voice barely above a whisper.

This was so unlike her usual confidence, he got to see and enjoy every day.

What was wrong with her?

The others seemed to have similar thoughts, if the silence that surrounded him was anything to go by- he didn't want to tear his eyes away from her for whatever reason, so he simply settled on judging the situation by sound alone.

"I-it's nothing you need to concern yourselves about really. Please don't look at me like I am about to announce my final departure from the school or something, it's nothing bad, I promise. You see, I just wanted to… well…"

A long pause followed after her mumbling, causing the tension in the room to rise instantly.

Soma found himself quite anxious now, something telling him she had more on her mind than she was about to share with them. Maybe not something as crucial as her leaving for good- the thought alone made him feel sick to the stomach somehow-, but something just as important and perhaps even unpleasant.

"I… just wanted to thank you all for everything you did for me these past few weeks. I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am and how much I appreciate your help. The hospitality you showed me was beyond wonderful, and I swear on my family name, I will repay each and every one of you accordingly. So, whenever you find yourselves in trouble or need anything else, please don't hesitate to inform me. My role as headmaster will hopefully give me the opportunity to build a better form of education for everyone here, and with the support of every new elite ten member, I'm sure, there is nothing I could do wrong."

He knew it, she was holding something back. It was like, she decided at the last minute to keep quiet and say something else entirely instead.

Again.

Why was she so hell bent on trying to deal with her problems on her own, why the dire need to keep everyone else out of it?

His brows furrowed further as he continued to watch her from his spot on the floor, his last hopes of her coming around and telling them what was really going on, crushing down by the second. She neither wouldn't let them consoled her, nor would she allow them to find a solution to whatever it was that troubled her for her. She was stubborn like that, and Soma had to admit, at times like these, he hated it like the pest.

What was it that still kept her from opening up to them?

He thought, they had settled everything back when they prepared for the Shokugeki against Tsukasa and Kobayashi, but as it seemed, he was wrong.

They hadn't gotten closer one bit, and he realized now, how foolish it was of him to think they had.

Moving his hands away from his thighs, so as to avoid attracting unnecessary attention, he clenched them into tight fists, all the while he waited for her next words, knowing full well, she wasn't done yet.

"… Also, I'd like to… apologize for all the trouble I caused you all while I resided here. I already told that Yukihira last night, but I felt like it wouldn't do you all any justice if I had decided to just leave it at that. S-so, I'm really sorry, and thank you again for everything."

To say, he wasn't amused would be like referring to a thoroughly burned dish as barely even noticeable, utterly ridiculous, and without a doubt the biggest understatement of the year.

He was downright angry- to say the least.

For her to go on about the same nonsense, after what he had just told her last night, was beyond stupid, and Soma refused to simply believe that she hadn't paid any attention to his words. He didn't want to hear this again, he wanted her to tell him that thing she had so stubbornly refused spilling out a moment ago.

He glared at her now bowing posture, unsure if he would be able to hold a growl in as he lowered his head as well, his slightly longer hair firmly concealing his eyes. To Somas surprise, he found himself unable to look at her this time, not daring to make eye contact at all.

His friends stood up from their various spots, moving as fast as they could towards her, while practically shouting that she had absolutely nothing to apologize- let alone thank them for, which was exactly what he had said, but maybe she just needed the confirmation from the others too?

As soon as the thought came, he dismissed it right away, in full knowledge, she wasn't that type of person.

Nakiri had a certain confidence to her, making her seem like she stood above everyone else- which she kind of did-, so thinking, she would need to make sure the others didn't see her as an unwelcome intruder, would only offend her prideful personality.

She had wanted to say something else entirely anyway, her hesitation at the start clearly giving her away. Had no one else noticed that at all? Was he really the only one, who paid that much attention to the way she spoke her words?

By now, they were all surrounding her, crushing her in a group hug, while he simply remained seated on the floor, Takumi right beside him, looking towards the crowd, warm smile evident on his face.

Soma figured that his Italian friend didn't really had a reason to get on his feet as well, since he hadn't talked that much to Nakiri, to begin with. He still cared a lot about her though, judging by the brightness of his smile. The redhead wished, he could smile right now as well, but his anger didn't allow so much as even a twitch of his lips, too busy trying to figure out, what it could be she had intended to tell them just then.

"What's the matter, Yukihira? You seem to be in a bad mood all of a sudden. Aren't you happy, Nakiri showed her appreciation for all the stuff you guys did for her?"

Well, there went his efforts to try and keep to himself. Someone was bound to see him frowning eventually, so he guessed, it couldn't be helped.

He sent his friend a confirming look instead of answering him, not sure if that would be satisfying enough or not. For the moment, he simply didn't trust his mouth to voice exactly what he was thinking, afraid it would come out the wrong way. As surprising as it was, he preferred to be quiet for once, shocking not only the Italian beside him, but apparently also Isshiki, who was suddenly sitting on his other side now.

Soma didn't flinch as he found himself face to face with his upperclassman, due to being already used to him showing up out of nowhere in the most unexpected of moments.

"Come on Soma, you got me quite curious as well now. Tell us, why it is, you can't bring yourself to smile even the tiniest bit, when the person who always seems to put the happiest one on your face, is standing right there, surrounded by all her new friends?"

After hearing that, the only thing Soma was able to do was stare wide eyed at his senior.

What did he just say?

Who was putting the happiest of smiles on his face again?

That was most definitely not something he had been aware of before, so to say he was genuinely shocked would be pretty accurate.

His anger faded away slowly, replaced by a new feeling he couldn't really decipher, for his mind was unable to pick up any train of thought at the moment.

Why would he smile brighter whenever she was around?

That didn't make any sense whatsoever, not to mention sounded totally ridiculous to him.

True, Nakiris demeanor towards him had changed for the better, but that didn't mean, he was smiling at everything she did or said now, did it?

Since when had he lost that much control over his facial expressions?

'Awesome, now there is something new to add to the list of motions I need to get a better grip on, just perfect.'

A small laugh, coming from his other side, caused him to turn his head back around and give his Italian friend a puzzled glance.

"I think, he didn't have a clue about that happening way too often lately… or even at all. You may have given him quite the brain freeze there, Isshiki. Way to go."

"I did? Huh, interesting. Soma, were you seriously not aware of this at all?"

"Wha… n-no, I mean, I… w-what do you mean?"

He couldn't form a single sentence, his thoughts all over the place, refusing to comprehend any of what was happening around him.

"Poor boy, he's definitely out of it now."

The brunette placed his thumb and index finger on his chin as if he were deep in thought. However, from the way he smiled ever so slightly, even Soma, in his distraught state, could easily see that he was simply trying to hide his delight about something. The snickering from both Takumi and Isshiki provoked him to no end now, making his scarred eyebrow twitch in irritation.

What was so funny?

Were they laughing at him for not properly answering his elder's question?

It wasn't his fault he had been caught off guard, that piece of information being undeniably new to him, and he needed to wonder when exactly his physical reactions had begun to get so out of hand. This couldn't continue forever, he had to put a stop to it in one way or the other.

'What I need are some freaking answers already!'

Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder, interrupting the mess that went on in his mind. Looking up, he found the brunette smiling warmly at him, squeezing his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him, which unfortunately didn't work at all. Soma was simply too dumbstruck to recognize any form of comfort right now, but he appreciated it nonetheless. It just showed him that his upperclassman cared- that alone being more than enough to make up for his rude laughter from just a minute ago.

"Don't worry about it too much Soma, you'll understand it eventually."

There it was again, the same exact words Alice had used, when they were outside near the main facility this afternoon.

He honestly didn't get it, and on top of that, his head started to hurt from all this overanalyzing. Now that he thought about it, since when did he do that, anyway? He always had been the type of person who rather preferred tackling things head on, instead of wracking his brain over every single detail, so what had changed?

Unfortunately, too many things had…

"He's right, Yukihira, matters like these can't be rushed. Take your time to think some more and I'm sure you can figure it all out easily."

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Takumi smiling at him in understanding as well, which caused him to get even more confused.

What was the deal with everyone telling him he would understand it sooner or later?

What exactly was he supposed to figure out, anyway?

Before he was able to voice any of his thoughts out loud, he heard the others bursting into laughter, from the other end of the room. He felt bad for not paying them any attention this entire time, their high spirits only now able to snap him out of his stupid daze.

With his previous question shoved to the back of his mind yet again, he gave his two friends a sincere smile of his own, appreciating their attempts to cheer him up, before returning his gaze to the small crowd still standing near the door.

He wondered what it was that caused them to laugh in such high volume, but didn't dare to ask, for he simply wasn't very comfortable with them finding out about his utter disregard of their entire conversation. He felt like, he didn't have the right to know.

Involuntarily, his eyes landed once more on the blonde beauty, who was now enjoying herself again, standing in front of Daigo and Shoji while waving her arms up and down in a silly manner to perhaps emphasize a point she was making.

Soma couldn't help but to crack a small smile at her over-the-top antics, unconsciously finding her behavior quite adorable. And here she had always called him the childish one!

However, his smile disappeared immediately when he remembered why they all stood there- with her in the center- in the first place. Nakiri hadn't told them everything, that alone being enough to bring back his irritation, no matter how funny or cute she may look at that moment.

So while, for the rest of the evening, he had been trying to piece together what her actual motives could be, he missed the small get-together coming to a close in a blink of an eye. They bid the Aldini brothers farewell, before wishing each other a pleasant night, and headed back to their perspective rooms so quickly that he had trouble catching up with everything.

With all that happening so fast, Soma had no idea how exactly he ended up being the last one to stand in the corridor, alongside the very girl, he so desperately wanted to figure out.

Awesome.

They stood face to face- since their rooms were right across from each other-, feeling unable to do something as simple as turn around and just go inside. While she played with the lace fabric on the sleeve of her green nightdress, he haphazardly rubbed the back of his neck, not knowing how to properly proceed from here.

There was something he had wanted to ask her earlier, but honestly wished, it would never come to it, since he had no intention of reminding her of that particular scenario in any way. Which appeared to be just what he needed to do now, in order to get any kind of shuteye for the night.

Soma hated that his brain practically screamed at him to ask her already, leaving him without other options to start a conversation.

Why wasn't she going inside her room?

Did she perhaps have something to tell him as well?

He didn't want to bring his hopes up, in case he would end up disappointed all over again, but maybe- just maybe- she had changed her mind and decided, now was the best time to tell him about what she had kept to herself earlier. It was unlikely, but he still considered it a possibility, knowing there had to be a reason for her to stay out here in the hallway like this.

Still, he needed to get the ball rolling first, so she had it a bit easier to open up afterwards.

There were a lot of questions he wanted to get an answer to anyway, so he figured he might as well start somewhere more or less fitting.

"So…, do you think, you're able to fall asleep tonight? You know, because of… what happened yesterday?"

The slight jerk she gave at hearing his voice, told him, she hadn't expected for him to say anything at all, which struck the young Chef as kind of odd to be honest. He was standing right in front of her, so there was bound to be some form of communication eventually, right?

What had she been expecting?

Her answer was quiet, as if remembering her terrified scream when she had woken up from her nightmare.

"Yeah…, I'll be fine."

He suddenly had the overwhelming urge to take the five steps towards her and simply wrap his arms around her slender body as an apology for bringing it up. However he had to know, if she would be okay on her own for tonight or not, that fragile body of hers held by their bluenette friend still haunting him with every breath he took.

Needless to say, he stayed put right where he was, not trusting himself to let her go after giving her a hug.

Soma considered himself quite the tough one when it came to hiding his emotions, yet the previous night clearly showed him that this wasn't the case anymore. When he heard her scream bloody murder, he had been beyond terrified, not wasting even a second to get to her as soon as possible- the bruise he had gotten on his arm, from falling off the bed, reminded him of that situation every time he unwrapped the white hand cloth to cook.

The first thing he saw, after bursting through her door and turning on the lights, had been the seemingly endless amount of tears, falling silently on the blanket. Her face was twisted in fear and pain, obviously not fully out of her trance, which had caused his heart to literally brake into a million pieces right then and there. Yet he still hadn't been able to say or do anything aside from simply stare like an idiot until the others rushed in, with Tadokoro firmly pressing the blonde to her chest in a motherly manner. As he continued to watch his friend trying to sooth the scared girl, he had felt his own desire to do the same, in order to help out, growing inside him by the second. He remembered wishing, he could have been the one to hold her, to calm her down, to simply take away all of her fear. This image burned itself deep into his mind, and he hated that he still wasn't able to get rid of it. Back then, there had been something in his gut that kept him where he was, as if afraid of the aftermath, had he actually gone through with the intended hug. So all he had been able to do was listen to that strange inner voice and let his dorm mate handle it for the time being. He couldn't say, he enjoyed it- as a matter of fact, he had loathed it-, but there was nothing else he could have done.

So when he put all that into consideration, he had to admit that he had definitely lost the strong grip on his impulses for good.

Once Nakiri got involved, it was over with his perfectly hidden emotions, due to her constantly forcing them out in one way or the other.

As for right now, he wasn't sure he actually believed her response to be the genuine truth- hell, she had sounded a bit uncertain herself when she had raised one hand to hold her left arm in a tight grip, as if needing to hold herself for comfort. But despite that, he still nodded in understanding, deciding to give her the benefit of the doubt anyway.

"Alright, if you say so."

The tension between them rose with each breath he took, making it quite uncomfortable for both of them. Compared to this, the car ride back home from the training camp last year seemed a lot less awkward.

With her avoiding his gaze and him desperately trying to find another topic they could talk about- his eyes were stubbornly fixated on the floor as well-, it was almost comical how they both struggled, instead of simply returning to their perspective rooms.

Just how was he supposed to go on from here?

There was too much that needed to be said, too much that needed to be cleared out, before they could start sharing more personal information again. He knew that, yet he still wanted to push it as far as possible, now that he had the chance.

'Damn, I thought, I was good at talking to people? What happened?'

"Y-Yukihira…, I-I need to... I mean, I…"

His head immediately shot up to meet her uncertain look. She seemed apprehensive somehow, as if unsure whether to continue or just let it be.

His eyes narrowed as he clenched his teeth in annoyance.

Like hell he'd let her back out again!

Whatever it was that bothered her, she had to tell him now, no excuses.

Maybe a little harmless humor would help?

"You know, you can talk to me about whatever you want, right? I'll listen."

"I know that!"

Her irritated hiss surprised him- to say the least-, making his eyes open wide for a second before he composed himself, irritation forgotten almost immediately. He certainly wasn't prepared for a full blast of her ever so lively attitude, but then again, he should have expected as much from the temperamental heiress. Her pride simply couldn't handle the mockery in his voice, which caused him to unconsciously relax his features and replace the shock with a charming grin. She, on the other hand, simply crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared at him in pure defiance.

That was the Nakiri he knew! Feisty and haughty as they come.

His excitement seemingly endless at that moment, he dared to take one step forward- it had gotten the best of him, what could he say?-…,

…only to stop dead in his tracks as she lowered her head again, with her bangs concealing her eyes and her arms dropping to her sides. The smirk died down on his face instantly, leaving him concerned and anxious once more.

What happened?

"I know that…"

His brows furrowed as he regarded her normally so high and mighty posture. As unsettling as it was, Soma had to admit that he definitely couldn't see this strong confidence that usually radiated from her right now, making him feel worried to no end.

"I know, you would, b-but… it's just that I don't want to ask more of you, when you have done so much for me already, okay? I'm deeply indebted to you as it is, and I have no intention of adding anything else to the list of favors I owe you. It's not a big deal anyway, so don't concern yourself about it. Have a good night, Yukihira."

With that, she turned her back towards him, ready to retreat into her room- the conversation apparently over in her eyes-, when his hand shot out to quickly grab her lower arm in an attempt to stop her from leaving. She may think that their little chat was finished, but it was far from it, in his opinion. She hadn't told him anything yet, and he refused to let her go without hearing the rest of what she had originally intended to say.

"Why would you think that? There is absolutely nothing you owe me, or anyone else here, got it? Listen, Nakiri, just… just talk to me. Whatever it is you need, I'll do my best to help out somehow, but you… you have to tell me."

Her widened eyes found his instantly as her cheeks flushed a light shade of red. That was apparently something, she hadn't expected him to do or say, so he tightened his grip on her arm- without hurting her- to make sure she understood. It happened entirely out of reflex, so as it was, he had no idea where to go from here- the fact that she hadn't jerked her arm out of his hold was a good sign though, right? He couldn't say. The only thing he knew, however, was that their day couldn't just end like that, again. Just like earlier this afternoon, when he had asked her to be a judge for his Shokugeki tonight. He had a feeling that he simply had a problem with seeing her leave in one way or the other, which could prove itself to be quite the pain in the ass if he didn't manage to get a hold of himself soon.

Nakiri stared at him for a second longer before directing her gaze back to the door in front of her, back still turned towards him, as she opened her mouth once more.

"N-no worries, it was of no importance anyw-"

"I still wanna hear it though. Let me decide for myself, if it's important or not, alright?"

She sighed in frustration, probably figuring that he wouldn't let go of her until she confessed. What a good thing, she came to know him a lot better these past few months.

"Fine, I'll tell you. B-but you need to keep it to yourself, understand? By no means is anyone allowed to know about this. I-I wanted to tell the others earlier as well, but I thought, there would be no point in concerning all of them, so I dismissed the idea right away, and- hey, are you even listening to me?"

He snapped out of his daze the moment she eventually jerked her arm away from his grip, annoyed that he hadn't been paying attention to her conditions whatsoever. Soma placed his hand back in his pocket as he gave her a sheepish expression, silently apologizing to her for not listening. He didn't mean to do that, it was just that she was going on and on about buts and whys, he had lost interest in the whole topic at some point, due to immense boredom. All he got out of it was that no one should know about the thing she would tell him now, but that was all.

"Oh, eh…, sorry 'bout that. Guess I spaced out for a second there. You were saying?"

A bright grin appeared on his face at seeing her huff in annoyance and look away from him with her nose high in the air as she gave her hair a graceful flip, just like she always did. He had to admit, it felt pretty damn good to force out her actual demeanor whenever she was sad. He was proud to know that he had accomplished such a difficult task. Although, it wasn't quite as difficult for Soma, simply because he was able to guess what might tick her off and what might hurt her big ego.

"Hmph, it doesn't matter anymore, since you most likely wouldn't listen for a second time, am I right?"

A thumbs up and an eager nod was all he needed to give her in order to lighten up the mood further, her melodic giggles echoing through the long hallway they still stood in, causing a warm fuzzy feeling inside his stomach.

However, the atmosphere turned serious again the moment Nakiris laughter died down. His hand returned to its original place inside his pocket once more as he dropped the smile, also able to sense the importance of her next words.

"A-anyway, y-you just do your best to not let it slip, okay?"

"Nakiri, tell me already. What's going on?"

With another deep sigh, she adjusted her posture to properly face him before giving her response.

"I-I need to leave the school pretty soon, which means, grandfather will take care of my duties as headmaster for the time being. I-I won't be gone for long, just one or two days at most. But I can't explain it properly to everyone without them asking too many questions. So… just promise me, y-you won't do anything reckless while I'm gone, that's all I ask. Grandfather shouldn't be burdened with more paperwork than he already has."

'Wait, what…?'

Soma found himself unable to confirm her request, his mind already blank while his lips felt unnaturally dry.

What was she saying?

She would be gone for two days?

Why?

Nakiri was one of the most dependable people he had ever known, so for her to just up and leave all her responsibilities behind was downright insane. If he had been suspecting that something was amiss before, he sure as hell was absolutely certain of it now.

This also meant, she hadn't been that far from the truth earlier, when she said that her announcement wouldn't be so bad compared to something like her suddenly departing from the institution.

It was exactly that, her leaving them- even if it would be for just two days- and not saying a single word about it.

Why would she do that?

"H-ho-hold on, what are you talking about? Where do you need to go all of a sudden?"

She let out yet another sigh, now glaring at him again.

"These were the exact questions, I was trying to avoid by not informing the others. It's… important to me, I need to do this. Please Yukihira, no more questions, alright? I'll be back in no time, I promise."

It was thanks to her pleading look that he closed his already open mouth again without hesitation, his heart sinking at the thought of a precious friend leaving, just so she could deal with a problem of some sort all by herself.

Why was this happening to him?

He shouldn't even care whether she left or not, for it simply wasn't his business. But there was something in his gut- that strange voice again-, telling him that once she was gone, she wouldn't return. It was stupid, he knew that, yet he still couldn't do anything about this sudden sour taste spreading inside his mouth.

It felt… wrong somehow, like he would personally send her to her doom if he so much as even thought about accepting her request to stay out of trouble, and he had no idea what to make of it.

He had a bad feeling about this, but simply asking her not to go was out of the question, since he could tell that she had already made up her mind just by looking into her amethyst orbs.

The anxiousness remained when he forced himself to give her a barely noticeable nod, not sure what else to do or say while he tried to sooth the thunder storm inside his heart.

Nakiri, however, seemed to have noticed his gesture, if her genuine smile was anything to go by, and thanked him with a small bow before turning back around to pass through the door, closing it behind her.

Now he was the only one standing in the hallway, still in a state of shock. He guessed, she was fine with giving him the vaguest explanation he had ever heard, but he most certainly wasn't.

When exactly was she leaving?

Where was she going?

What would she do, once she got there?

Why was she leaving in the first place?

None of these questions had been answered, causing him to feel nothing aside from utter confusion and something else, he wasn't in the mood to decipher right now. Not that he had been able to do that before.

He was kept in the dark.

Just like yesterday night.

Soma gritted his teeth as anger slowly started to build inside him once again, making his hands clench into tight fists inside his pockets.

There were so many things he had wanted to tell her, so many things he had needed to hear himself, but all of it remained unsaid, much like it had last night, and he was sick of it. Sick of them avoiding the most important issue, and sick of constantly having her linger for way too long in his mind. He just wanted it to stop. He just wanted to mainly focus on his cooking and nothing else.

Lowering his head, his bangs concealing his eyes unintentionally, he made his way back to his own room, where he most likely would just cook something in order to calm down. But as soon as the door closed behind him, he couldn't hold it all in anymore.

Raising one still clenched fist, Soma delivered a strong punch to the nearest wall with the side of his hand- just like he had done once before. However, back then, the reason behind his action had been much less significant than the one right now, which he came to realize instantly. The pain helped him cool his mind a bit as he remained still for a few minutes, just breathing slowly in and out.

He swore, this girl would be the death of him someday, whether because of her always appearing randomly wherever he was, or simply smiling at his silly ideas for a new revolting dish he could let the first years try out, he didn't know.

Fact was, she caused him a bigger headache than he was able to handle right now, while filling his insides with a somewhat fluttery feeling he had yet to understand the meaning of.

As he stood there, left fist still pressed against the wall beside him, he had only one thing left in his mind, whispering it into the darkness of the night despite knowing full well that there would be no one there to answer him.

"Just what am I supposed to do… dad…?"

Sooooo, that was chapter five guys! I hope you all liked it? Please tell me your opinions in form of a review, I'd really love to hear what you think.

Until next time, take care!